Scapegoat

Agreed. I hate this f***ing sitting mid-fielder nonsense, especially in a mid-field two. Having only one attacking just isn't enough. Especially agains a side that has no intentions going forward whatsoever. So in that sense Alonso was disappointing on Monday, we're so bereft of natural footballing ability that most of our fans are wowed by a playe r that can keep the ball and pass it. Indeed, all season long all he's been doing is keeping the play ticking over and not much else, going forward anyway. Its fine when Dirk is going through a purple patch, or when Torres is carrying us, ditto Steven Gerrard. But whne they aren't firing and we need to look so someone else, even though he has the ability, Alonso just doesn't do it. Which leads onto Masch. You know, he doesn't really offer anything consitent in an attacking sense. So what the point of him in games such as West Ham, bench? -------Masch Alonso------Gerrard Is how Masch should be used imo. Just let him sit and defend, but for that to work Gerrard and Alonso would have to get close to him when he wins it so he can release it quickly and get us moving forward again. But in our setup you'd think our players have some sort of disease they're so insistent in keeping their distance from the player in possession.

As much as i love Dirk, i'm hesitant to say that anything he does is rarely ever fantastic. To be fantastic, playing wideright, you need to be taking on players and creating chances, he simply keeps possession. To be fantastic playing as the second striker, again, he needs to be creating chances, at least. He simply can't. Whereas Robbie Keane, on occasion, can pick a pass, play a through ball which is why the decision to play them as thye were played on Monday was a bit baffling. Keane probably could have taken it on himself to come deep on occasion, fair enough. But, for us to ever be a truly fantastic side, players like Dirk and Arbeloa need to be considered squad players. Not indispensable first teamers. But right now, that's exactly what they are, and rightly so at this moment in time.

Nah, he really really didn't. He has no pace for starters, hardly a great dribbler, and can't pick a pass. A far better version of Luis Garcia i would say. Stronger, faster, more direct, but can be subtle when need be. He really is a fantastic player. Proper footballer like.

Jesus, if Arshavin is anything its dynamic. Has pace, sturdy on the ball, fantastic dribbler, has a brilliant eye for a pass. Plays between the lines beautifully. Everything some people stupidly thought Robbie Keane was going to be.

Haha, you clearly have no clue at all.

If we could sell Yossi and Pennant(i'd try and flog Keane too tbh, but that won't happen), that'd go some way to paying for Arshavin. He is exactly what we need.No way he's a Rafa type player though. Too unpredictable, too 'free'.

Yossi----------------Riera Keane-----Kuyt Whats wrong with that picture? Pace, there's none of it? And don't say, well yeah, what good is pace when a team play 11 men behind the ball? Which is true, to an extent. But being slow doesn't help either, and there'll always be one or two moments where pace can be the difference. Always. But we've a chronic lack of it throuhgout the side in honesty.

His name is Gedo, apparently has connections. Though i have to admit, he doesn't half talk a load of s**** at times.

Someone over on rawk said that he was injured last night, but its being kept on the down-lo! Goal.com have him being linked to AC, again. Still think he's yet to really hit his stride this season. We've looked creaky at the back when teams have had a go and we haven't had 11 mean behind the ball.

Definitely hit on something there i think. But four years on, and still learning to play a system? Bit of a joke really. But i do think its why we seem to have a huge problem integrating players into the side without them looking pants to start with. Keane even, who i don't really rate tbh, is certainly a better player than he's showing. I'd love a real insight into the training and tactics side of things. Just how complex are Rafa's methods? I can't believe he sends us out there to play the kind of static football we play, so is it a case of players having to overthink what they do, players that daren't stary from "the plan", thus leading to the kind of rigid, predictable football lacking any kind of "spark" or individuality.

Means f*** all though when he's only been poor really coming off the bench. Takes a complete twonk to judge a player based on late cameos.

f***ing hilarious stuff. We should just sell him now if thats the attitude. What has Riera, Yossi, Keane, N'Gog been offering us on a consistent basis? Babel at least, at the very least, carries a threat, takes on a player, gets a shot away. He came closer to scoring tonight than Robbie Keane or Riera have in the last 6 games.

Whoever looked at N'Gog and thought "thats a player" needs a good slap. Can tell after two seconds he's got nothing about him. He's Djimi f***ing Traore on Ice.

Utterly s****. Yet again we make a poor poor side look like they know how to defend. Too ponderous, no movement, no fight. Carra to Alonso, Alonso back to Carra, Carra out wide to Arbeloa, Arbeloa back to Alonso, Alonso to Gerrard, Gerrard out to Riera, Riera back to Dossena, Dossena back to Carra, Carra to Hyypia, lather rinse repeat ad infinitum.

Are we playing in quick sand? Because our lack or movement and urgency is just embarrassing. Riera, your a f***ing winger. Stay wide. The lad has gone off the boil in a huge way. Benayoun has been Benayoun, how Babel is sitting on the bench while he starts is just bizarre to say the least. Keane non-existent. Again. Plus side, Dossena is putting in a decent shift, even if he is playig it extremly safe at times, but thats fine, get a bit of confidence going.

Well yeah, obviously. But.....we are here now. Have had a very very kind run of fixtures to get here. And a team looking to make a serious push would/should really be expecting themselves to beat this fragile West Ham side, at home. I think we will win. I just hope we show a real urgency from the first minute, show that we really want it, and we are ready. Now if we go on to draw but have done everything but score, and its just "one of them nights", then fair enough.

Like Gerrard? I don't see the problem myself. I'd rather a more dynamic winger than Kuyt(though i think his movement is fantastic at times) maybe, or a more dynamic forward thsan Keane. Rafa doesn't really play football "off the cuff", its meticulous, he wants players he knows will do this or that for the team. And right now, where we are, who's to argue? And or movement, or lack thereof isn't down to one "missing piece", its an emphasis. Having said that, Deco would have been a lovely signing. I do wonder if(and lets be honest, Rafa would never have entertained the idea) we signed him, how he would operate in our side, or just how average would he look with so little going on around him.

If we don't win tonight then we simply just aren't ready to challenge for this thing.

Owen? 27? Hmmmm. I'd rather Crespo.

Excellent shout that. Pacy, athletic, good on the ball, takes on players, works his nads off too, so definitely a "Rafa" player. Possibly send Pennant the other way, he's worked with Bruce before?

Not necessarily as he doesn't play in mid-field more often than not these days.

I'll be concerned about them when they get games and still aren't playing well. And no use saying we need another quality winger(which we do) when the ones we have, namely Babel(yes, he's a winger/wide-attacker whatever) doesn't get given a chance. Good enough for us one minute(tail end of last season), not good enough the next. Love how you're passing the blame for Keane's poor form too. Can't be Keane....i know, lets blame Lucas, who's played all of how many games? Apologist.

Torres plays off the shoulder though, so doesn't really apply here. No coincidence either that Keane's looked best when he's had Kuyt alongside him.

Well he's fulfilled my expectations. What i found hilarious during the Summer was the many posters who thought we were getting a Bergkamp type striker and how he would be the prefect compliment to Torres(leaving aside the fact we already the perfect partnership), he's nothing of the sort, and never has been. He's always been best playing off a big man. We've disrupted what Gerrard and Torres had for this guy? And even when Torres was out you could hardly say Keane stepped up. People will say "ya but, look at the table", i don't think he's had much to do with that tbh.

Utter waste of money imo. He's done nothing to strengthen us, but has infact just posed more questions than answers. Where will he play, what does his signing mean for Gerrard, isn't Torres better as a lone striker, wasn't it Berbatov that made him look good, didn't we need a winger, why has he such a gimpy face? But he's here now, and he's so far fulfilled what many thought before he signed.