Matchday 1

[chef]

What about the West Ham player raising his arm in the box to block Oscar's FK?

What about Carroll's dive that lead to two set pieces and their goal?

I love how it's only Chelsea that got lucky with the refs.

Dont forget the shirt pull on Cahill that helped Collins get his goal.

Luck certainly went boths ways so i guee both sides should count themselves lucky, not just Chelsea.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Lol yeah, because I'm really going to argue that our squad is so awesome.

This is exactly why we whinge about not buying players. We had to play kids at CB and kill our best player's game by playing him out of position.

One ******* recognised striker in the squad.

If we had bought Mustafi, Lacazette and Mahrez already - would we really be whinging? Hell, we'd have won this game fairly comfortably.

And? All I pointed out was Liverpool weren't at full strength either......

 

[Flameboy]

Dont forget the shirt pull on Cahill that helped Collins get his goal.

Luck certainly went boths ways so i guee both sides should count themselves lucky, not just Chelsea.

Yeah, they shouldn't have even got their free kick (was against Azpilicueta for literally swinging his leg in the air) which led to that goal.

A deserved 3 points whichever way you look at it I would have thought

 

[DBAH0]

Finally caught the replay.

Didn't deserve a point, but when you're 5 minutes from FT all square, you should really hold out for a point so it's a lost opportunity. We were a long way off the pace though, and have a lot to improve on.

Out of the new players for us, thought Masauku was actually the best, didn't get to see him much going forward, but defensively I thought he held his own against Willian pretty well.

Nortdveit had a mare, his passing was off, he turned the ball over in possesion a few times, and just in general didn't look used to the pace and pressing that the likes of Oscar and Costa were giving him. He can't really get much worse than what he was.

Ayew was pretty inconspicuous, didn't really get close to Carroll at all, and then twang there goes his hammy, nightmare debut.

Tore came on, and was a bit of a deer in the headlights at times, but got better as the game goes on.

Michail Antonio is our version of Alberto Moreno, cannot defend as a full back, because he is not a full back, he is a winger. Except now he can't play as a winger because we have Payet, Feghouli, Tore and Ayew who can play out wide now. I feel sorry for him really, because he deserves to be played as a RW, and Byram should be our starting RB, but he gets played as a full back instead because Bilic loves what he does going forward from the back.

Thought we really missed Lanzini today as well, his composure on the ball and ability to pick it up from deep.

 

[Cooldude]

Costa can knife someone on the pitch and he still wouldn't get sent off, an established fact for years

 

[Loonerty]

didn't get to see him much going forward

To be fair nor did most of West Ham. Thought he was definitely the pick of the West Ham players though, looked quite good after a bit of a shaky start.

 

[Loonerty]

Costa can knife someone on the pitch and he still wouldn't get sent off, an established fact for years

There was nothing malicious about his action.

Every striker would have and should have done the same thing or they aren't doing what they get paid to do.

 

[elhadjihenry]

There was nothing malicious about his action.

Every striker would have and should have done the same thing or they aren't doing what they get paid to do.

You honestly don't think it was a yellow card offence?

 

[Loonerty]

You honestly don't think it was a yellow card offence?

Don't think I said that?

 

[elhadjihenry]

Don't think I said that?

What were you trying to say then? It doesn't have to be malicious to be a yellow card which would have seen him sent off having already been booked. Can't see the point of your post unless you were trying to defend the ref's decision?

 

[DBAH0]

To be fair nor did most of West Ham. Thought he was definitely the pick of the West Ham players though, looked quite good after a bit of a shaky start.

Agreed, I mentioned Lanzini being so important for us because having someone from midfield who can drop deep and control the play, allows the full backs to push up a bit more, which we need if Carroll is playing up front on his own especially.

Thought Kante did that job very well for Chelsea, but we didn't really press him much either.

 

[Loonerty]

What were you trying to say then? It doesn't have to be malicious to be a yellow card which would have seen him sent off having already been booked. Can't see the point of your post unless you were trying to defend the ref's decision?

The reaction of some people is like Costa stomped him or something, because it's Costa. But that wasn't the case at all and it was nothing more than a poor mistimed attempt to score. It'd be worse if he didn't even try however.

 

[Loonerty]

Agreed, I mentioned Lanzini being so important for us because having someone from midfield who can drop deep and control the play, allows the full backs to push up a bit more, which we need if Carroll is playing up front on his own especially.

Thought Kante did that job very well for Chelsea, but we didn't really press him much either.

Yeah Kante was really important for us. Let Matic off the leash a little bit more.

 

[elhadjihenry]

The reaction of some people is like Costa stomped him or something, because it's Costa. But that wasn't the case at all and it was nothing more than a poor mistimed attempt to score. It'd be worse if he didn't even try however.

Haven't read the whole thread but the person you quoted was just saying that he somehow avoided being sent off when he should have been once again. That is pretty hard to argue IMO, it's as clear a yellow card tackle as you'll see and similar ones have seen red.

 

[Loonerty]

Haven't read the whole thread but the person you quoted was just saying that he somehow avoided being sent off when he should have been once again. That is pretty hard to argue IMO, it's as clear a yellow card tackle as you'll see and similar ones have seen red.

Felt like the comparison to knifing someone was implying that Costa intentionally did it.

 

[DBAH0]

FWIW on the Costa challenge, in slow motion in looks worse obviously.

I thought it probably deserved a yellow because it was a challenge on the goalie and that it was late. If it happened in the first 5 minutes in midfield as say Kante's first tackle did, he would have gotten a yellow.

I think the ref has decided to take the easy way out though (and to be fair, he didn't go card happy like a Clattenburg which is better), and arguably Kante's challenge afterwards on Payet was more deserving of a 2nd yellow people could argue.

When I say easy way out though, I mean that in the sense of not creating more controversy early on in the season etc.

 

[elhadjihenry]

Felt like the comparison to knifing someone was implying that Costa intentionally did it.

Fair enough, I read it as general exaggeration to make a point as it wasn't specifically discussing that incident, just Costa's general tendency to avoid punishment that he often deserves.

 

[RossFC]

ffs fell asleep at half time. Will have to watch the 2nd half highlights soon, sounded like a good half.

 

[Cooldude]

Fair enough, I read it as general exaggeration to make a point as it wasn't specifically discussing that incident, just Costa's general tendency to avoid punishment that he often deserves.

Thought this was quite obvious...

 

[RossFC]

wow nice power on the shot from Hazard for that pen. Costa with a cheap shot on Adrian, was he even booked?

Collins appealing for a handball and swings his leg and scores through a pack of players anyway haha.

Costa with a big goal, a late winner from outside the box that megged Collins too! Love the passion from Conte!

 

[SM]

The reaction of some people is like Costa stomped him or something, because it's Costa. But that wasn't the case at all and it was nothing more than a poor mistimed attempt to score. It'd be worse if he didn't even try however.

The reaction is because he should have been sent off and then scored the winner. If it had been Oscar, or Hazard, I would be saying the same thing.

 

[Stan_Darsh72]

Zlatan scored one goal but it was a Zlatan goal therefore Zlatan is the leading goal scorer

 

[Loonerty]

The reaction is because he should have been sent off and then scored the winner. If it had been Oscar, or Hazard, I would be saying the same thing.

You aren't the only person reacting to it SM.

 

[SM]

You aren't the only person reacting to it SM.

I know, but I haven't seen anyone else who seems to be reacting to it for different reasons to me.

 

[Loonerty]

I know, but I haven't seen anyone else who seems to be reacting to it for different reasons to me.

Seen reddit?