match reports ?????

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come on you lot who were at the game ,what about a couple of summary's, im dying to know how my boy Zarate played

difficult to judge

As the opposition closed the play down and got numbers behind the ball for long periods, which is understandable! Our new reserve keeper's positional play and ability to deal with crosses, for the limited times he was needed, I thought was worrying. Oxford looked relaxed and will be a good player, but I would never compare him to Ferdinand in terms of all round class at the same age. The left back Page looked a very good prospect going forward, Burke wanted the ball a lot and looked comfortable. Amalfatino has a lot of ability and showed signs of class but was in and out of the game. Jarvis made some good runs but won't be good enough again for the PL. Poyet looks classy on the ball and is always looking to link up the play, gave the ball away a few times though. Zarate was busy and was good to watch running at the opposition but at times tried taking on one to many. Sakho took his goals well, got up well for the header, but his running off the ball in the first half was poor. Tomkins played well and took his goal well in what was a good move. Elliott Lee came on, looked a bit heavy to me, but made a typical centre forward's run completely accross the line to create a goal scoring opportunity late on which was great to see. All round it took a while to get there but we did and it was great to be back at Upton Park and good to see the youth getting opportunities out there.

Very good night.

Enjoyed it very much. Absolutely packed before the game with all the fans buying the new home kit. (The blue is much brighter than you think!) Lovely atmosphere. No stress or tension that you feel at premiership games. Loads of singing and chanting and a massive reception for Slaven Billic and all the players. They must have felt the tingle and would have felt very special and welcome.
The game itself. Good. Not incredibly exciting but very pleasing to see our style (no hoofing) and confidence grow. The Andorrans worked very hard at closing down and out many people behind the ball so it was hard to break them down.
Player ratings:
Randolph. Ok. Not tested but fluffed one clearance in the 2nd half and chinned an Andorran rather than the ball. 6/10
O'Brien. Steady. Good going forward. 7/10
Burke. Very good, and especially good when he moved to right back later. Much more confident than last season. 8/10
Tomkins. Looked classy tonight. No real test for him but did well. 8/10
Page. Well, well....we have a new star in the making. Tons better than Potts. Lovely attacking play and brilliant crosses. Linked up well with Jarvis. Remember we have Stephen Hendrie as well. Cresses may have done competition! 8.5/10
Oxford. Nervy start. Couple of slips and a booking for a late tackle. Playing as one of the 2 defending midfielders in the 4231 set up. Had a header saved in first half. Then he moved to centre back and wow........Rio Ferdinand!! He is only 16!!! We have a star. 8/10
Poyet. I really rate Poyet so although everyone though he was really good (because they hadn't seen him before) I was slightly disappointed. Wanted and demanded the ball all the time (ala Song) but went sideways and backwards a lot. Still good and lots of potential. 7.5/10
Jarvis. Excellent. Tore the RB to shreds. So good to see him like this. 9/10
Amalfitano. Good, clever play. Linked well with Zarate. 7.5/10
Zarate. Not sure about this one. Some are saying he was outstanding. I thought he was selfish and wouldn't pass but there is no denying his talent. 8/10
Sakho. Given man of the match but touched the ball 4 times I think. 2 goals and 2 missed open goals. If we stay in Europe for a while he should get a hat full. 8/10
Cullen. Another new star perhaps. Very attacking and creative. Very unlucky not to score when he hit the crossbar. 8/10
Lee. Not enough time to comment. 7/10
Pharfit Williams. Ditto. 6/10
So all in all, excellent to see all these youngsters perform well. The game time and experience will be brilliant for them. A very good night.

Thats a very thorough and

Thats a very thorough and detailed analysis Stuart with lots of positives.

Of course the standard of opposition has to be taken into account but you can only play whats in front of you.

For me the biggest question is always DESIRE.

Does a player look as if he has MENTAL AGILITY. HUNGER. PASSION. COMMITMENT.

These are the things that drive THE BEST players forward.

The rest become lost in the abyss.

It sounds as if there is a good mixture of talent and some of the above mentioned attribute.

Now its up to Bilic to nurture and extend it and mix it with the rest of the group.

All in all its a positive start (really pleased to see Sakho get amonst the goals as he is going to be key to our goalscoring hopes this season I think).

The whole game is on Youtube

The whole game is on Youtube to watch again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=2686&v=qGz6JnaP7U4

Was filmed with 2 small cameras and a guy with a laptop, so don't expect Sky quality!! LOL

You make em sound like

You make em sound like peeping toms Bully!!

LOL!

Some typical West Ham humour

Some typical West Ham humour in the second half as the game was petering out: Lusitans had a short period of possession, and the crowd were giving it the old "Ole!" every time they made a pass, and then BOO!! when the ball went to a West Ham player! :-)))

it was a wonderful sight and

it was a wonderful sight and sound , the ole's, also as you said, their goalie completely lost the plot at the ball boy! brilliant

From the comments above it's

From the comments above it's good to see youth get it's chance. I know that will change come the Premiership but by the comments there seems to be a freshness about the whole thing. A new beginning, looking forward to the Premiership starting.

Once Again

This website proves its worth. For the far-flung Hammer fans, there is nothing like the first-hand match reports you all provide. I wish I could have been there with you.

me too' thanks you guy's ,

me too' thanks you guy's , its becoming clearer to me that there is a new optimistic air around the place that been missing for a long time . coyi

The opposition were very poor

The opposition were very poor and didn't test Westham, it was one way traffic,the possession stats must be great.Players had time on the ball,which they wouldn't have against better opposition,but even so it was good to watch the attacking play on the floor which gives us a flavour of what to expect in the premiership.All the team played well,no body looked out of place,the youngsters deserve credit for the way they played with confidence and expressed themselves through the game.Cullen in particular stood out for me with his eye for goal,the lad is not scared of having a shot,unlucky not to score near the end with the ball rebounding off the crossbar.Poyet looked very composed on the ball,as did Oxford ,but both need to be careful of not allowing their composure to become over-confidence on the ball and getting caught in possession,just thought they needed to be quicker in their distribution at times.Thing that stood out for me about Randolph was his good distribution throwing the ball out but he was never really tested to gauge his strengths and weaknesses.Thought Westley set the team out well and made good use of the subs at the right times.Of the experienced players Jarvis,O'Brien, Zarate and Amalfitano had good games.But my man of the match was Sakho for taking his chances,this guy will be on fire in the premiership,can see him getting 20 odd goals this coming season.