I hope Mark Noble takes a cold hard look at himself on the ride home from Manchester tonight. Until he stupidly got himself sent off West Ham had looked in with a chance of getting something from this game. Although we hadn’t actually had a shot on goal we seemed to be containing Manchester City. After the sending off it was just a matter of time.
But that’s not to say it was just Noble who was to blame. Mot a single West Ham outfield player can look at themselves today and say: “I did myself justice”. Ashton and Cole barely had a kick. Cole was injured and was subbed after half an hour. Sears came on but was subbed at half time due to the sending off, so had little time to impress. In midfield Parker, Etherington and Faubert were all anonymous. Neither winger went on a run during the whole game and Parker might as well not have been on the pitch.
Behrami, who, according to the official site had a stormer of a game last week (what a joke), was as ineffective as he was against Wigan. Lucas Neill had a better first half but in the second was back to his old tricks. And Upson and Davenport looked as though they had only met that day. None of them deserve more than four out of ten.
Utterly, utterly depressing. No spark, no creativity, no life.
West Ham Till I Die 
Completely agree with your comments.
Curbishley out.
I totally agree, everyone keeps going on about how we need new players. What we need to focus on at the moment is getting the players we have playing together. We can hardly put 5 passes together and when we do we usually give it to green who just pumps it long to Ashton or Cole. We do not have that creative player, like Elano or Petrov, that looks like making something happen. We need to adress this or we will find ourselves in alot of trouble this season. Especially with teams like Boro and Sunderland improving over the summer and looking strong early season. I know he managed to save us from relegation, or rather Tevez and Zamora did, but Curbs plays boring uninspiring football would rather see us get beat trying to attack and win the game than sit back and try and get a draw!!
What a disaster. Just shows what a mess Curbishley has got us into. His panic substitutions just show how he doesnt have his finger on the pulse.
Dont say its not his fault he cant motivate anyone and he obviously doesnt have the best players.
We do need to panic after that!!!!!
Totally agree; keept taking the Paracetomol like Curbs; it numbs you to the reality
Have to say Iain, totally agreed. That performance (if you can call it just) was a shambles. Bordering on the embarassing and shameful.
Hopefully now, either the powers that be will see that Curbs is NOT the man to take us forward (or anywhere except down on that kind of display) or that they will see just how much we need to dabble in the transfer market and bring in fresh faces.
I have to say, I can’t remember watching another Premier League side that was lacking in creativity and inspiration as much as West Ham just were then.
The whole make up of the side looks so wrong right now. Parker and Noble are both good players, but the problem is that they are both sideways players generally. That means that when teams close down early we only ever end up going backwards. As we saw last year, that in turn means long balls up front. Unfortnutely, Ashton is about as mobile as my dining table, so whilst he has a reasonable first touch, he’s too easy to beat. Don’t get me wrong, in the area with room for a shot he is class, but he just looked so wooden today. Cole isn’t good enough to do something different and it’s no point being able to hold the ball up when you haven’t got midfielders that will get up and feed from it.
In the wide positions we were awful today. Faubert is direct and I’m sure will have a few good games this year, but he didn’t look like the most intellegent player today. Etherington very rarely provides anything, always tries hard but hardly ever gets a decent ball in.
All this was clear all last season and we haven’g got anything new to change it around.
I only hope that when Bellamy and Dyer are fit, we have the pace and midfield support that we make us a side with some attacking flair and variation, otherwise this could be a very tough season.
curbishley must go ,these are not premiership tactics we were lucky not conceding more goals
I think that is one of the worst performances I have seen from our players in quite a while. However, I don’t think Curbs is to blame. As soon as Noble was sent off, it was always going to be a struggle. The worst player for me was Faubert. He is just like Boa Morte, only a right footed version. He always lost the ball and had multiple chances to cross the ball into the box, but lashed it over Joe Harts goal at least twice. Not good enough.
We seem to be depending on Dean Ashton too much, and if we have another couple of games like this (which we will), we will not score. We lack firepower and I cannot understand why Curbs hasn’t bought in another striker. We also need a creative midfielder as our midfield today was just totally outclassed.
The team actually improved after Nobles dismissal, seeing as he never touched the ball once legitimately while he was on the pitch. At least Capello won’t be encouraging the delusions of grandeur that certain members of our playing staff have, we won’t see him again at any of our games that’s for sure. Also it was a shame to lose our best defender, Carlton Cole, so early in the game.
Behrami?? We want our Pantsil back, i miss that guy already you know.
Absolutely shocking, worst than my burnt sunday roast which i rushed so i could watch this match! I don’t think the players want to play for curbs, ‘he has lost the dressing room’. I remember reading an article where Tezes was interviews and he said he didn’t even talk to curbs, in fact, curbs never even talked to any of the players, just team sheet and tactics on the board. Not pushing the panic button yet but i really feel that he is out of his depth and needs to be replaced sooner rather than later,…
Bring in Bilic, someone with some balls!
I agree with all the above plus our players seem to lack the energy to run backwards and forwards for ninety minutes
Big problems now. What worries me most of all is the denial which Curbishley keeps demonstrating. I actually heard him say we defended well last week in the second half against Wigan. Which match was he watching? We were lucky. We couldn’t clear our lines; Davenport was extremely shakey and made several bad mistakes that didn’t get punished. As for the Man City game – it really was embarrassing.
I agree with Iain: not one of those players deserves to be paid this week. If the board can’t see the writing on the wall, it’s going to be too late. Trouble is, if they sacked Curbishley today and announced a new manager tomorrow, he would still only have a week of the transfer window. This is looking dire. And yet another injury. I know they have new people in the medical team, but the physio culture of West Ham is still mired in the “Sunday morning League – magic sponge mentality.” Ashton sees it; why can’t the board? I’m ranting incoherently now, but one thing is absolutely crystal clear: relegation looms if someone at Upton Park doesn’t wake up and realise it very quickly indeed.
Very disapointing!! No creativity, no flair…..What a joke! Looked like a championship team.
Everyone goes on about how bad a player Lucas Neill and LBM are but Davenport really showed how cr*p is actually is. Shame we didn’t sell him in th end.
Just hope this isn’t going to be one of those seasons again!!
Iain youve sum it up in a nut shell lad.I have got to admit that i turned it off straight after Nobles sending off because i was totally embarrased,ashamed and frustrated at all of our players performances,it was to painfull.I could rip every player apart but the one player that wound me up for 37 minutes was Parker the Pumphead,he was garbage!.I know that there will be fans that will write in there posts that”wheres the support,and get behind the lads”,and they are 100% right ,its just very hard to right now feeling the way i do.Sorry about my rant lads.
I cannot remember a more dismal, depressing performance in 35 years of watching WH. We never kept the ball, never threatened, lacked creativity, enthusiasm and belief. No-one emerges from that debacle with credit. Curbishley has to go. He got everything wrong today, including grossly mismanaging Sears (how was THAT for his confidence?). I didn’t think it was possible to boast a worse signing than Boa Morte, but step forward Behrami – you may well be that man. All in all, disgraceful. A long, disappointing season beckons.
Just tottally disappointing. Not just Noble, all of the players. We need a creative player (now does that sound familiar, all last season that was all every Westham supporter wanted) and a better left winger and a striker. Etherington can be gud on his day but has too many injuries and not so gud days, and Boa proved how hopeless he can be last season. I believe the most of our players are gud enough to do sumthing together this season if we get better linking players in. How Curbs can also sell one of our better strikers and not replace him is also beyound me, Sear’s looks like he can become a gud player but it wont happen over nite and Im not expecting too much from him this season because he has time on his side. Bellers is always injured and Cole just dosnt have the finishing touch which leaves us with just Ashton as a threat up front. Now sort it out Curbs, learn some tatics and bring some players in that can improve our quality of football.
We lost one game today. The main reason we lost was down to a little guy called Mark, you know, the one that got sent off for two extremely silly bookings. Teams do lose the occassional game you know, especially if they have idiots eager to get sent off.
Message to the doom and gloom whinge merchants: Be careful what you wish for as you never know we could end up with the most promising young English manager in the game today…
ladies and gentlemen i give you the next manager of West Ham (and theres no way he would turn it down)…….Mr Paul Ince!
Now that would be a coup. He’s got passion, he’s a winner, just what we need. My campaign starts here. Ince In!!!
Hmmm Almost as bad as the England game. We did not look like a team, I could not see any game plan. Even before Noble got sent off, I was thinking it looked like we had taken 11 strangers off the street, stuck them on the pitch and told them to get on with it.
OMG! If Curbs really does give 2 shits about this club, he will jump ship tomorrow. We need the new manager to at least have the final week of the window to make some signings that will put the cat among the pigeons. Clearly after todays debacle, nobodys position is safe, except for the club chef who im sure would have been ordered to sharpen the knives!
Thucydides…are you trying to start a riot?…There really is only one man that can make a real difference to the team we have (assuming nobody else comes in over the next week), and that is Bilic. A man of extreme intelligence and a love for our club. It would make a major difference, just look at the way a team of average players perform for him (Croatia).
As for today’s game, I am shocked at just how bad we were. Second game of the season and already the lack of belief is evident. I strongly believe that the defence has no confidence in Neill. The man is a complete liability. I thought the other 3 at the back weren’t TOO bad, but they had to constantly try and bail Neill out. I personally think that Upson/Davenport is a potentially decent pairing, and Behrami is a vast improvement on Neill or Panstsill at RB.
Couldn’t agree more about the comment regarding the treatment of Sears though. How is the boy going to improve if he is treated this way. The only way we were going to get anything from this game was starting the second half with a 4-3-2, or 3-4-2 formation, with Etherington making way for Mullins or Bowyer (Matty had an absolute shocker). That would have left us with a midfield made up of players that could defend (supposedly) and rotate. But Curbishly has no tactical acumen.
I still cannot believe what I have just witnessed. Shame on you Mark Noble. Shame on you Alan Curbishley. Shame on you West Ham!
Boy that was as bad as it gets, we was lucky it wasn’t five or six. Yes, you can point the finger at Mark Noble but they had hit the woodwork twice before he got sent off and i dont think we had an effort on goal until the end.
Curbs will tell anyone who listens how good Behrami is. Well if is, I have not seen it yet. He is slow, unable to tackle, a bad passer and looks completly out of his depth! Nice one Nani! He makes Lucas Neil look a world class right back. Saying that, they all looked out of their depth today.
Grrh, what with watching England in mid-week and now this today, I’m getting sick of the new season already!
One more thing I would like to add, this is the 2nd game of the season, both has not been good but it’s far to early to call for Curbishley to get the sack!
Agree with almost everything Ian except,Parker did more than most,and the rest were rubbish.
I don’t know what Curbs sees in Faubert as I think he is absolute rubbish. Etherington had a really bad game,and Neill is no left back.
I am feeling quite depressed at the thought of another long hard season.
Ferdinand going will do us no favours either as Davenport is not as good.
I’ve heard that Curbs is excited at the news of Quasie coming back. WHAT THE F–K
I’m going for a lay down with me pills!
Green rubbish
Behrami headless chicken
Davenport day dreamer
Upson solid but can’t do it on his own
Neil Sleeping
Noble stupid prat !
Parker again all on his own
Ethrington and fabert total waste of time
Cole good work rate as always
Ashton who could blame him for wanting to go hardley likly to scor a goal let alone play for england.
We are in for another crap season and changes need to be made sooner rather than later not sure on bilic or ince What about stuart pearce his england job can be part time. TIME TO Take action, don’t fancy our chances against macclesfield.
Cubishley says that Mark Nobles sending off changed the game. What a load off bulls***t, We didnt have a shot on goal, didnt control the midfield, the back 4 we hopeless, Lucas Neil was rubbish, no cohesion, no hunger, no passion, just like the manager. I have given up my season ticket because I cannot watch that c***p anymore. The Wigan game was not much better, we really need someone who will bring some passion back into West Ham when will the board wake up and take some action. Its all very well us whinging on these stes but we need to get a petition together or some sort of movement to get him and some of his mercenaries out of the club before its too late.
What a shameful performance, to be beaten so soundly early in the season by a mid table club is shocking, Curbishly showed what a pathetic manager he is although it wasn’t all his fault, nobody looked like they wanted to be there (apart from Upson). Our midfield has looked absolutely pathetic in our first two games and the early signs look like we will be relegation battlers this year. I know it’s only early but we need a massive turnaround or it’s gonna be a tough season.
JUST got back from city( big headache) cant believe I went to this game,stayed the night spent flippin hundreds,cant believe I’m gunna say this but I am,our managers no good,no good in the transfer market,curbs I know you read this blog coz you told me in my black cab.Now listen you have spent millions on absolutley NOTHING! dyer bellamy neil faubert behrami the list goes on and on ,you are chucking it away,do you choose these players yourself or take advice if its the later bin him.
dyer…sicknote
bellamy…sicknote
neil….to slow for this level always gets roasted at sometime normally secondhalf
faubert…6million for this!!! hes a fullback never a midfielder,all dash in forward lines
upson….your one ok signing
parker…to lightweight injuryprone 2 more games he’ll be out,
nice turns though.
……………………………………………………
and as for noble,dont think hes ready to start,rubber dub for me,
again hes to slow at this level,so late in the 50 50is maybe he will develope
but at moment hes just a boy.
IAIN DO YOU READ ALL THESE PLEASE ANSWER
I agree with your comments Iain.
There were times as 10 players we passed the ball around in the midfield than we had with 11.
Mullins is a much better defensive midfielder partner for Parker.
We lack someone who can thread a pass from midfield to feet ( not sure its Parker ), we had very little width and occassionally when we did they was no pace or determination.
Strange so say this but I thought Carlton Cole was looking very skillful and full of energy before his hip injury.
I would sell Ferdinand ( not much better than the rest of the panel ) and use the cash for a decent midfielder.
Getting rid of Curbishly now is too late, wait till the window and have Bilic lined up ready.
One or two games don’t define the season, I would imagion City weren’t feeling too happy last week!!
Noble should not even be in the team.
He has limited ability and only plays because he is a local boy and supports us. When he does something good it gets over highlighted. He gives the ball away more than anyone I have seen.
Comparing him to the likes of Man City’s Johnson and the young midfielders of Arsenal, he does not even come close technically.
He has the pace of my 80 year old gran.
Bowyer, Mullins and every other midfielder should start ahead of him.
Last season I came on this site and told everyone curbs was a loser – now is the time to get rid, bring in anyone with some experience and know how, they in turn would bring in there own players who lets face it cannot be any worse than the the shower who pretend to play for our shirt at the moment.
What about Slavan B or even Sven GE, the board must realise the problems that are going on especially on the pitch and if we are not very careful we will be in a dog fight again for relegation.
I know its only early doors, but the game against City was a total disgrace – No money should be paid in wages for that performance for any of the so called first team.
Curbs is to blame for the signings mostly duds, but even the players dont seem to give a toss – players from the lower leagues would have more passion and would at least try to win a game and be proud to wear the shirt.
Curbs did not even appear after the display yesterday to give his side of the joke performance – according to the paps he laid into the players(yeah right)
Your time is up Curbs good riddance to bad rubbish.
I’ve seen some crap West Ham performances, but 88 minutes before the first shot at goal!!!! (and it wasn’t even on target!) There wasn’t a single player that deserved a good word. The only people connected with West Ham that did themselves proud were the supporters that went. At least they showed some pride in the club, by travelling that far. Every one that went, deserves their money back. As for Curbs, he doesn’t inspire anyone. Can anybody even imagine him ripping into the players? I certainly can’t. I think he should go, while he still has some respect and we have some good memories of him ,from when he played for us.
Every player that was there against City should feel rightly disgusted with themselves. Start giving us supporters that pay their wages, a reason to feel our HARD EARNT money isn’t being totally wasted
Sorry mate but we weren’t at the races even BEFORE Noble was sent off. They’d had two cleared off the line and hit the post before Noble attempted a Bobby Moore and Thomas Repka.
Correct east hammer, spot on, nobles to slow for this level,he may come good I hope so, but dont think so,I think hes a paul scholes type player or pirlo,but nowhere near the same class!!!