8/19: Newcastle United vs. West Ham United [R]

The match will be on FSW live at 3 p.m. EST. I believe the replay will be shown either at 11 p.m. EST or 11 p.m. PST.

 

Great game, the lads really controlled the game well. Lua Lua looked sharp and Shearer was well Shearer, magnificent. Good performance, the new players looked good as well, I think we might see good things from Viana this year.

 

I thought Lua-Lua missed some open chances in the 1st half and didn't connect well w/ the midfield. His 1st goal, nutmegging David James, was a decent shot but the keeper never should've allowed a ball to slip thru his 5 hole. Ever! I'm still mystified on how he could a national team keeper. I've never watched this guy prove why he's even in the premiership rather than the nationwide league. Lua's snap header was fast, but again, James should have been able to get on it had he been on the right line. Shearer's goal was classy & he had great build ups throughout the match, but Solano's was more of the D's failure to clean up the loose ball. Aside from Cole, who had great creative touch but rarely was in position to rcv good balls, West Ham looked amateur. I thought the man city game was ugly, but this was far worse. Amen to the EPL being back on FSW. I've watched enough crappy mexican futbol for a years time. 14 shots to 2 was the difference in this game. It may be a bit premature, but West Ham has serious problems.

 

Well, West Ham paid the price for bunkering.

The pressure just kept coming and that first goal was a dam breaking. It opened up the field and there could have been 8 more scored.

Lua Lua is an utterly unpredictable element. Just fantastic. I was very impressed with his workrate.

Ratings:

Shay Given - 6 - Yawn. Did somebody say there was a game tonight?

Aaron Hughes - 5 - Solid enough, but he was never really tested. Crosses leave something to be desired.

Titus Bramble - 6 - Acquitted himself quite well in his first real Toon outing. I though he played cleanup quite well.

Nicos Dabizas - 6 - Not seriously tested in the back and didn't really connect on corners.

Oliver Bernard - 6 - Still makes me nervous (can get caught out of position), but his pace and ability to push forward pinned the Hammers right side way back.

Nolberto Solano - 7 - Dangerous as always. His corners were a source of problems for West Ham and his assist and goal were very wel taken.

Jermaine Jenas - 6 - Looked good at times but had a couple of needless giveaways. He's a keeper.

Kieron Dyer - 6 - Had stretches where he disappeared, buy his speed caused all kinds of problems in midfield.

Hugo Viana - 7 - The new kid was impressive. He's got pace to burn and he crossed well. I thought he adapted to the English game quite well.

Lomano Lua Lua - 8 - Did everything you could want. He was a terror. His first two goals were well taken and the third would not have been possible if he hadn't beaten two defenders and poked to Solano to set up Shearer. Man of the Match.

Alan Shearer - 7 - The respect he receives from opposing defenses is what will create space for his partner. He had one good chance and buried it with a strikers glee. Nothing wasted. And his defence on corners was superb in the second half.

Subs:Ameobi (81), McClen (87) and Elliot (90). Only Ameobi had any influence on the game, and his was minimal. The damage had been done already.

Overall: This was a cracking start to the season. Great teams bury people at home and that's exactly what the boys did. This was an entertaining, breakneck game. Bobby has Toon Nation in high gear, and it's not even September.

 

Hi Al

Lua Lua's celebrations never get old. Yea, Solano is back. Yea, I am a troll, but a good one.

 

That pull-and-spin move to feed Solano for Shearer's goal was beautiful.

 

Re: Hi Al

I remember seeing a few of them last year and as I watched the Match last night I kept hoping he would score. And he did, and then he did again. A player like LuaLua is the kind of player that can really make people want to watch their team.

 

Bloody joy to watch this one. Left me with quite a wide smile by the time Wor Al hit the side netting, then annoying my neighbors by singing (shouting) Mag songs for 10 minutes following Nobby's tap-in.

How nice it is to see the lads go into the first half with the knowledge that the wall would eventually breakdown -- but what a surprise that it came in the form of FOUR goals!

Certainly the lads benefitted from defensive lapses on the Hammers' part, but long before the goals came many fine, creative chances whistled by the post or were superbly denied by James.

Wonderful to see Viana work his tail off not just on the side but often switching fields with both the ball and himself. Boy's A Bit Special, indeed.

Also very satisfying to see Lua Lua get two well deserved tallies; hopefully starting the season in this manner kicks off a solid season for Little Treasure. That kind of confidence can go a long way. I can only imagine what will happen if he goes through the first stack of games the way Bellamy did last year.

My other comments and opinions mostly echo what was mentioned above, but I will throw out that if we are to challenge for top two in the league, a domestic cup or advancement in Europe we'll need to tighten up the defense. The Hammers manufactured enough chances with a makeshit offense that many other clubs will more capably build and finish.

Dabizas was at times brilliant and at other times a step behind; fortunately he was often well covered by his defenders and Given. Same goes for Bramble; while his heading ability is great at both ends, we need him to be more consistent with his feet both in playing the ball as well as positioning himself. Bernard and Hughes were solid and both looked good in overlapping into the offense; however it remains to be seen how well they (or O'Brien et al) will manage against more dangerous opposition.

 

Fantastic game. Toon Nation was rocking.

All Hail Bobby Robson and LuaLua!!


The Hammers need Di Canio and Kanoute quick.

 

Its Sir Bobby Robson call him by his proper title