Lush Vlad

Short term injury then? Back in the next week or two?

One for football pet hates “If Messi/Henry/Bergkamp does that we’re all saying how amazing it is.” They do it basically every week, man and we say it every week. Such a nonsense saying.

I’m not getting too confident just yet. A few injuries to key players already. We have a hard run in of 3 games before Burnley near the end of the season and quite a few tricky looking aways coming up. All moving in the right direction, though. Performances are matching results. I reckon 4 points from the next two would put me at about a 2/10.

Oh I agree. I’m just saying the only way I can see it happening. As in I don’t think Bruno will start unless Howe shifts one of the two out wide, due to Fraser being injured.

If Fraser misses next week. I can see him maybe shifting Willock, possibly even Joelinton out wide and him starting. Otherwise I can’t see it.

Naglesmann wasn’t lying when he said Joelinton is a machine. Playing like a T-1000 in midfield.

I really hope he doesn’t see it like that. Bruno doesn’t score goals and whilst it looks like he is great at carrying it forward and then playing passes and through balls. He is never going to do what Willock does on the ball. I think he played in a role similar to Shelvey’s last season and then more of an 8 this season? That was what one of the stat articles seemed to suggest, anyway.

Class again. Just his usual 8/10 with the odd 9 every other week. He has set the bar so high since moving into midfield!

So good at dribbling. He is by no means slow, but he is a master at drawing the challenge with a touch and slowing down slightly. Then just pushes it into space, drops the shoulder and accelerates away. Looks like a skilful 10 or winger at times. But he is pretty much up and down the pitch all game and presses well off the ball. He is also good at buying a yard on the turn and getting out of tight areas. Which all the good midfielders do. Just needs to work on his passing a bit. As it is often behind his man or underhit. Really happy he is turning it round. I think that is 4 games in a row where he has been one of our top 3-4 performers. I love him

Was he booked for that slide on Bowen or was it the afters? As if it is the former. Why was Dawson not also booked for trying to kick Fraser’s head off? Both dead balls and both cynical and late, no? Don’t even know what the law states in regards to that. One was after the whistle and one was a throw.

I never thought after his first few games for us. That he would look decent going forward and quick on the ball. As an outlet and an attacking full back. He isn’t too bad. He just seems a yard off it all the time defensively or when a decision needs to be made. Constantly caught flat footed, wrong side or in possession today. I’ll give him a bit of credit for that second half, though. He didn’t completely crumble and seemed like they were doubling him at times. But he was better than the first half.

I thought he was fairly poor first half. But he was a lot better in the second. Managed to get forward a bit more and into their half, whilst still helping out defensively and getting his usual zingers in now and then.

They were there to be beaten. But with key players missing and considering where the teams are in the league. That is a great point. We looked really solid, we were much better with possession for once and with a bit more in the final third. We win that. Once again, just great to see how hard they are grafting. I know effort and hard work should be the bare minimum. But it hasn’t been seen for years until Howe turned up.

True. I don’t expect it to happen and it probably shouldn’t. Krafth has been really bad, though. Feels like he is a scapegoat at times. But not today.

As always, the truth is somewhere in between. Think he has been too deep and back to his old ponderous self today. Not shite or anything and still working hard. Just basically offering nothing other than the short lay off to the CB or the odd sideways pass to Krafth. We don’t seem to get much going through the middle, other than second balls and Willock driving from deep. Not all on Shlevey, though.

Never thought I’d say it. But feel like we may as well chuck Murphy there. Krafth is second to everything and the foul and the way he got squared up and gave the foul away was just brainless. Now on a daft yellow, against a team that love to play it down the flanks. Did well driving forward for the cross before the goal, mind

Loving the Burn and Schar side to side passing combination. Must be responsible for 80% of our possession.

Edged it and been the better side, I think. Deserved that. Just no idea how to build through midfield and we seem a bit unsure what to do with all this possession. Willock is just legs to drive forward, Shelvey just sits deep next to the CB’s and Joelinton is all about the off the ball work. Lack of quality in there kills us. With a bit more cutting edge, we would batter these. They look crap and we look really sharp today bar a 1-2 of them.

I can hear this image

I was thinking this. I'm not really basing it on anything other than the amount they have played. But there always seems to be a place in the side for Shelvey and Lascelles when they are fit. When I don't always think they are necessarily worthy of starting. Shelvey has been a lot better under Howe, of course. But it does seem like manager's will always have their favourites and players they trust. I don't think he would go 3 at the back just so it means Lascelles plays. But it would certainly feel like that, if it were the case. As I certainly don't see how he starts ahead of Schar or Burn on all known form and probably ability, too. They seem strong in wide areas, Bowen and their full backs also pushing on in particular. I'm not sure 3 at the back would help in this game.

Has the club released anything about safe standing and our plans for it?

Just watched that. Mental! How is this the same bloke? Testament to how good he has become. That I didn’t even notice this like I did for the Man U game and a few others. It’s like this is the benchmark every week and I’ve just come to expect it of him already and he keeps delivering.

He was on Talksport last night. Maybe he mentioned it on there? Hope so, anyway! I saved everyone the hassle of clicking onto the sun’s shithouse website and found the below, which is hardly conclusive and sounds like guesswork: “Javier Manquillo is Trippier’s deputy but Newcastle are sweating on his fitness after the Spaniard also hobbled off on Sunday with suspected ankle ligament damage.” “There are hopes Manquillo’s injury is not too severe but Emil Krafth is likely to start at West Ham on Saturday if he doesn’t recover in time.”

I went 4. I'm basing this compared to my previous seasons. Where I had a season ticket for 2 years, despite living miles away. I used to go to aways all the while and I was just all in. Losing a game would ruin my whole weekend and felt more passionate and tribal than I do now. I'm not quite like that these days. Part of it is just getting older, I guess. But financially I'm in a better position to do it all again if I wanted to. I'm just not sure that I want to. I think it will be more like 5-10 games tops per season these days. As opposed to 20 or so for a good few seasons on the bounce. That said, compared to how I felt the last two seasons under Bruce. It would definitely be a 1, shifting from an 8 or a 9. I wouldn't even get particularly arsed about losing. I wouldn't care if plans meant I missed watching the game and I barely celebrated goals. I feel like since Ashley left, the love for the club has been creeping back in. I felt really down sat in the pub after the Leicester and City games, relegation seemed more likely than not at the time. But the buzz and being emotionally invested and properly engaged wasn't quite back. Leeds was great and unexpected, still not quite there. But the last two games, the Trippier free kicks in particular, have seen me shouting and swearing, jumping about the living room like a twat. It certainly feels weird getting pre-match nerves and caring, again. I'm looking forward to the Brighton game. First home game since Southampton under Rafa nearly 3 years ago! I swore off home games after he left.

Absolutely bonkers stat this. No set pieces and still 37 chances created, just 5 off the top spot. As a side note. Antonio's stats look quite impressive for the season and this kind of further backs that up. But I don't think West Ham fans are too happy with his performances, from what I can tell.