midds

2 yards off. The first was tighter mind

Aye, I'm with you on this one chap. That's exactly how I saw it.

I'd normally agree. But he had the tactics spot on. Would've got murdered pressing for the goals the whole 90 Bingo. I've slated Pardew for most of the season for the negative stuff but I can completely understand how we played tonight. Any Benfica goal killed the tie stone dead, going hell for leather from the off would have left too much space at the back. We clearly got the first and threw everything at them to get the second and had Benfica on the ropes. We just couldn't quite finish the job and get the second goal. We were forced to show a bit of restraint due to being 2 goals down from the first leg, it wasn't like we started the tie at 0-0 tonight. No blame attached to Pardew tonight from me. I have defended Pardew more than most, certainly you in recent weeks, but I just can't understand this way of thinking at all. This was a game in which we needed a convincing win, a once in a lifetime opportunity to get to the semis in a European competition against a very beatable opponent, as we saw last week. Since we were two goals down we essentially had nothing to lose at the start of the match, and all to gain. Just go at them from the off, put them under pressure and try to get an early goal. Yes, you may not get the early goal, tire badly and get picked off later in the match as you run out of steam, but I don't think anybody would have complained if at least we would have tried. As it is, we tried to calculate our way to the semis, sat back for far too long, looked nervous and unsure what to do for the entire first half and gave them the initiative, resulting in a good number of chances for them that could, and arguably should, have seen them through well before the "planned" point in the game when we finally spurred into action. It was all very reasoned, and counter intuitive to any football player, and that showed through in our performance. In the last half an hour we showed we were capable of hurting them, partly through bringing on our creative players. I would much rather have seen at least one of them (Marv) from the off to get Benfica on the back foot early on. In short: the fact that the gameplan nearly worked should not be mistaken for it being a good gameplan. That's fair enough, I just think his hands were tied a bit due to needing 2 goals without conceding. I think had we gone for it and opened up then we'd eventually have been picked off and the tie would have been dead. I can understand those who wanted us to go for it from the off and get at them early, there's logic to it - you need 2 goals, try and get them asap. That makes sense. I just think tonight was the time to be cautious, try to keep it tight and shorten the game. I'm not begging people to agree with me but I can see logic in Pardew's approach tonight. It was frustrating to see it develop in the first half but a break here or there in the last 5 minutes could have got that second goal and sent us through. I can see both sides of it but I can understand Pardew's gameplan tonight as frustrating as it was.

I'd normally agree. But he had the tactics spot on. Would've got murdered pressing for the goals the whole 90 Bingo. I've slated Pardew for most of the season for the negative stuff but I can completely understand how we played tonight. Any Benfica goal killed the tie stone dead, going hell for leather from the off would have left too much space at the back. We clearly got the first and threw everything at them to get the second and had Benfica on the ropes. We just couldn't quite finish the job and get the second goal. We were forced to show a bit of restraint due to being 2 goals down from the first leg, it wasn't like we started the tie at 0-0 tonight. No blame attached to Pardew tonight from me.

Ah bollocks. Was always going to be a tough ask tonight. Damage was done over there in a daft 10 minutes spell. No disgrace to go to this lot tbh.

Still in it. Just one fucking break man.

It's shit or bust for us. It's not the change I would have made at this point but throwing another striker on, again, has a certain amount of logic to it.

Still in it. Massive task to win this half 2-0 but where there's life there's hope. no excuses for not having a fucking good go at them this half though, we've got precisely nothing to lose and may as well go out fighting if it comes down to it.

Get in level at HT then throw the kitchen sink at them in the second is what I'm guessing is his gameplan? Not saying I agree with it but there's a certain degree of logic behind it. As long as you defend properly... What do we do if we, God forbid, score the first goal? Do we attack them, or contain them until the last 20 mins? Winning 1-0 doesn't get us through though mate. Well, yeah, but that's not exactly my point though. See edit. Misread what you put.

Get in level at HT then throw the kitchen sink at them in the second is what I'm guessing is his gameplan? Not saying I agree with it but there's a certain degree of logic behind it. As long as you defend properly... What do we do if we, God forbid, score the first goal? Do we attack them, or contain them until the last 20 mins? Winning 1-0 doesn't get us through though mate. Got to go for it and hope to hang on as long as we need to.

Get in level at HT then throw the kitchen sink at them in the second is what I'm guessing is his gameplan? Not saying I agree with it but there's a certain degree of logic behind it. As long as you defend properly...

He's taking one of them home in the back of his van. Dead or alive. The eyes don't lie.

http://i50.tinypic.com/16j2cdy.jpg

The only way we can pull it off is to score fairly early on, keep it tight and cagey and go for it late on with a late second so they can't respond. One daft mistake and we need 4 which isn't happening. If we score the 2 goals with 30 minutes to go then that leaves plenty of time for them to get their away goal to kill the tie. In some respects his hands are tied on Thursday night.

That's exactly what it was, just handbags really. Happened about 20 yards from me, just 2 blokes who'd had some words with each other after 30 minutes, pointing at each other about something then one of them obviously sees the other one in the crowd and wanders over to him right at the start of the second half and starts some pushing and shoving. Nearest steward couldn't deal with it and it went on for 20 seconds until they both got thrown out I think. Nowt to it really. So not really up there with Leazes End battles of days gone by, such as BLAB versus DBAB etc etc Crazy stuff and so pointless. To lose your rag and have words is one thing, to leave it for half an hour, go looking for this other bloke, wander over and start punching and pushing him about is something else. Just not wired up right.

That's exactly what it was, just handbags really. Happened about 20 yards from me, just 2 blokes who'd had some words with each other after 30 minutes, pointing at each other about something then one of them obviously sees the other one in the crowd and wanders over to him right at the start of the second half and starts some pushing and shoving. Nearest steward couldn't deal with it and it went on for 20 seconds until they both got thrown out I think. Nowt to it really.

Bit of a gremlin belly there like. Get on it Pardew.

I'm aware of the mathematics ffs. It was a rhetorical question tbh.

West Ham have scored only 9 goals away from home. They've won 12 points away from home. how the fuck does that work then?

Fukken Seesayer.

Yep. One less thug to worry about.

Connor Connor Connor Wickham.

Uphill or downhill?

They'll shit bricks if we get the atmosphere right, which we didn't last season but did the year before. Putting Ben Arfa on the bench would be massive imo.

Yep. his versatility is holding him back a bit if anything. The fact he can do a decent/good job in 3 or 4 positions means he's been used as a fire-fighting role this season. Like - "Fuck, player X has gone off, get Anita on and he'll just keep things ticking over there and we're no worse off." Needs, and deserves, a run in the middle of the park to establish himself in the XI.