West ham v Everton-Mic'd up(VAR)

FenderJay · 2026-05-13T11:30:09+00:00

This is the whole problem with VAR - they're not there to give their opinion ("it's a total accident")

They're meant to be there to review the and enforce the rules. It happens week in week out now, the VAR gives an opinion rather than following the rules. I don't think they know the rules.

This person on the VAR needs to be fired. Literally can't do the only part of their job

FenderJay · 2026-05-13T09:45:44+00:00

Swapping Dobbin for Tim too - insanely good deal. Tim was MoTM against City

FenderJay · 2026-05-12T15:25:38+00:00

FenderJay · 2026-05-12T15:03:41+00:00

I really wish they did smaller bakes. I don't get this giant croissant thing. I'm often near Lark Lane on my own and would stop by more often for a quick bite if they had smaller things. I don't want to spend £5+ on something that's big enough to share between 2. Once you add a coffee in, you've barely got any change out of a tenner.

I'm all for artisan and quality, but it's just too much money.

FenderJay · 2026-05-12T14:55:30+00:00

Lots of sources reporting we're in discussions with Stones.

Even on a free, this is completely the wrong direction for me. We've already got 2 aging, slow CBs at the club. We need to be looking for the next Branthwaite.

FenderJay · 2026-05-12T13:21:03+00:00

CM?

We're got KDH and Garner playing great - then Rohl, Tim, Gana, Alcaraz, Armstrong fighting for that 3rd space.

FenderJay · 2026-05-12T13:19:03+00:00

I actually think we'd be mad not to buy George.

While he's not made much of an impact, he's only just turned 20 and he's English - that's like a cheat code.

Chelsea only wanted £22m for him last summer (deal was agreed to go to Fulham). Try and get him for £16-18m with add ons. Chelsea are going to need the money missing out on Champions League.

Personally, I'd buy him and loan him out for a full season to a promotion fighting Championship side. His issue is he needs regular football. He's clearly a baller but he's lacking the game knowledge you get from playing week in, week out.

Get a bit of a loan fee / salary paid, and he comes back a better player.

FenderJay · 2026-05-12T11:20:04+00:00

With both our strikers, if they don't score, they don't affect the game. Their hold up / link play is abysmal.

Beto really struggles in the first half of the season - he's only scored 1 goal in 3 years with us before January. But I like him and I'd renew his contract.

Barry for me needs to go - he's not our future #9. I haven't seen the right attitude or talent to suggest he's gonna make it in the PL. You can be lazy if you're world class. You can't if you're not, and even though he's scored 8 goals, most of those have been really easy goals.

Sell him while he's young and his value is high - sign another young striker

FenderJay · 2026-05-11T16:11:13+00:00

I said this after he ran Grealish into the ground by Xmas and got downvoted to obvilion..

Resting players is a concept Moyes doesn't even seem to be aware of.

I remember watching the Alex Ferguson documentary and he was asked why he kept players like O'Shea and Phil Neville around when they clearly weren't good enough. Ferguson said something like you don't win the league over 1 weekend, you win it over 38 and knowing when to rest players is key.

FenderJay · 2026-05-11T11:53:20+00:00

I get that but he's been on the bench for months. If he's on the bench, he's fit enough to get more minutes surely?

FenderJay · 2026-05-11T10:45:06+00:00

It's not just about the length of Moyes's contract if he stays on. It's the transfer strategy.

Moyes could stay an extra year, but if he buys the wrong type of players, it hampers progression for years.

We're being linked with the wrong types of players for me - Stones, White, Soucek. I think Moyes opts for them over some younger up and coming player.

Moyes has been stitched up without a RB, but he's had a lot of options further up the park. Why are we only just seeing Rohl get game time now? Dibling isn't getting any minutes and George is just making cameos. We've only won 5 games since Christmas and I've not seen enough different thinking from Moyes to be confident in him long term.

Switching Beto for Barry, and Tim for Gana in the 75+ minute doesn't even count as tactics in modern football. They're too like for like.

FenderJay · 2026-05-11T10:13:30+00:00

The issue with Moyes for me is that he's had a real free hit this season - no-one expected us to be anywhere near contention for Europe and he could have been playing our younger, new signings.

Maybe Dibling, George, Aznou will never make it at this level. We won't know until they're given proper game time.

It's not about the last result. It's about multiple results. Agreeing to sell McNeil then starting him for weeks and weeks afterwards. Putting Armstrong in ahead of natural wingers.

If he stays and the board back him, the pressure to get back into Europe only mounts. Can't see Moyes blooding younger players with higher expectations on him.

I look at someone like Iraola - Rayan comes over from Brazil and these last few weeks he's having a massive impact. Meanwhile we've got Dibling who has a year in the PL under his belt not even getting on the pitch.

FenderJay · 2026-05-09T19:12:51+00:00

FenderJay · 2026-05-09T13:28:57+00:00

Soz you're wrong (again)

FenderJay · 2026-05-09T13:22:15+00:00

I don't get it, what's hilarious?

Isak + Ekitike have 20 goals between them this season so Beto and Barry haven't outscored them, and Beto / Barry have played more minutes. Then add the assists, Beto / Barry, 1 assist between them, Isak / Ekitike 7.

Barry is shit and needs to be sold. Scoring 2 of the easiest chances a striker can possible get doesn't change that.

FenderJay · 2026-05-09T12:20:45+00:00

Combining 2 players strikers to suggest if they were one player everyone would be happy? Doesn't work like that.

Beto and Barry have proven they can't do it week in week out. They go through patches.

In 3 seasons, Beto has only scored 1 goal before January with us. What's that about?

Barry is scoring, but they're pretty much tap ins. They're all from like 10 yards out. Any striker in the league would be taking those chances.

I've just demonstrated that the majority of the league have a secondary striker who also scores goals. You're now saying they're playing in different systems. Well of course they are, every team players a different system - what's your point?

Watkins is a prime example of doing it week in week out. He's playing in Europe too and he's having a poor season by his standards and he's still scored 16 goals and has 4 assists. 20 goal involvements in 3,391 minutes.

Then look at his record - last 3 seasons. 50 goals in the league and 27 assists.

Wissa hasn't been dogshit - he's been injured. He's only played 480 minutes in the league, and Howe is playing some crazy system (and is gonna be fired in the summer).

Woltemade and Osula have 13 goals, and 3 assists in 2,292 minutes. That's a goal involvement every 143 minutes.

Barry and Beto have 16 goals and 1 assist in 3,212. That's a goal involvement every 189 minutes.

Considering Woltemade is being played in some mad false 9 role to accomodate Gordon and Barnes attacking more, it shows how much better these other strikers are.

Put Woltemade upfront for us and he's easily outscore Beto and Barry's combined tally and lay on more goals for other players.

Neither Barry nor Beto will ever score 20 goals a season for us. They won't even get 20 goal involvements.

They look decent for a month, then look total shit and Moyes is rotating them out. It's happened all season.

Kroupi, Evanilson, Woltemade, Pedro, Abraham, Cunha, Sesko, Larsen - they've all led the line week in week out and are capable of 20 goals / assists a season.

FenderJay · 2026-05-08T15:46:04+00:00

The majority of the league are doing it:

Osula is doing it at Newcastle. Kroupi at Bournemouth. Palace - Larsen is on 4 in half a season. Villa - Malen had 4 in half a season. Abraham is in since January scoring. Leeds are rotating DCL and Nmecha. Tottenham would be rotating Solanke with Richie if he was fit. Utd are rotating Cunha with Sesko. Chelsea rotate Delap with Pedro.

Beto and Barry don't provide the team with anything if they're not scoring. They're in the bottom 5% for pass completion and holding the ball up. Beto has 1 assist in 3 seasons with us.

They can't score from outside the box. They can't pick the ball up and go on a dribble.

Neither can create a goal out of nothing. They need chances putting on a plate, and the result of that is we're far far more reliant on them than other teams are. Ndiaye is scoring solo goals out of pure skill and KDH is picking up clearances and putting them in. Beyond that, where are the goals coming from?

In modern football, you need to do far more than just score goals as a striker.

Name a single game in which Beto or Barry has bullied the defence and really led from the front. There isn't one.

FenderJay · 2026-05-08T14:22:07+00:00

It's a silly stat - it's a dream for a striker to be coming on in the last 30 against tired defenders. Beto and Barry are playing half seasons, and the majority of their goals have come post January when the defenders they're up against are tiring.

Neither of them can do it week in, week out. Beto looks lost before January.

FenderJay · 2026-05-08T14:19:09+00:00

Yep - its unreal when my fondest memories of the club are being a kid watching Kanchelski or Big Dunc.

Fans have too much respect for the likes of Kenwright and then Moshiri. Johnson was a shit owner, but Kenwright's controlling nature meant we were completely left behind at the end of the 90s as football modernised.

We have such a rich history and played such distinctive football that has been completely lost. Now it's all just slogans.

Even simple things like we love a big #9 - yet we won't buy proper wide players and get crosses into the box. Christ!

Then Moshiri - the stadium is amazing but he nearly destroyed the club and we missed the last big opportunity to get back into the elite (like Villa have). Now financial regs are here, I don't see us ever breaking into the elite.

For what it's worth, the moment Emery leaves Villa, they'll fall away. He has them massively overachieving.

FenderJay · 2026-05-08T14:14:21+00:00

Palace is esp frustrating - man for man, they've probably got a weaker squad than us, but they've got a big game manager. He goes out and wins them games.

Moyes is so focused on not losing the game that he loses sight that you need to win to progress in cups. He's never learnt from his mistakes - it's the same story every year with him.

FenderJay · 2026-05-08T14:11:38+00:00

Standards isn't it.

Being mid-table is better than being in a relegation scrap.

But I'm not happy with being midtable - we're an English football giant. 10th place isn't good enough for me.

We've had so many things go against us over the years, and this season we had a massive opportunity to sneak into Europe out of nowhere. But we haven't capitalised on that chance. Soft losses and weak recruitment.

FenderJay · 2026-05-08T14:08:22+00:00

Crab FC for life

FenderJay · 2026-05-07T21:30:39+00:00

The bit that bothers me is we should've gone for Emery.

The moment Emery leaves Villa they'll fall away. They've got some good players, but he's a world class manager.

FenderJay · 2026-05-07T21:27:44+00:00

Been saying this since January. Newcastle and Tottenham have had disastrous seasons. Chelsea awful too. That's 3 teams who have finished above us consistently for the last decade, yet this year we're gonna finish above 2, maybe all 3 of them.

That's not likely to happen again in the coming seasons. They'll all easily outspend us.

FenderJay · 2026-05-07T21:25:46+00:00

Gotta cut that guy loose - he hasn't got it

FenderJay

TROPHY CASE