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Big Sam on Brighton



H

Horsham Gull

H Block Offender
Dec 4, 2006
8,600
Horsham
Thought this might make interesting reading just spotted this on the Hammers website:

Big Sam on: Brighton and Hove Albion | News | Latest News | News | West Ham United

Biggest game of the season apparantly

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Acker79

Acker79

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Nov 15, 2008
31,907
Brighton
For those who can't be bothered to click the link:

West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has said his side are prepared for their biggest game of the season so far when Gus Poyet brings his Brighton and Hove Albion teamto Boleyn Ground on Saturday.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Big Sam made it clear that his side need four wins out of four in order to keep the pressure on the top two. Allardyce explained that the players are ready to put in the effort in order to keep up their challenge for automatic promotion.

With Southampton and Reading facing each other on Friday evening, West Ham could have the opportunity to close the gap on the top two when they face Brighton on Saturday afternoon.

With regards to Brighton they are still chasing a play-off place, what sort of game are you expecting on Saturday with both teams having so much to play for?

SA - I expect different tactics from Gus's team from those Birmingham showed. Brighton will want to come and express themselves more than Birmingham did so I think we will have to use a different method and different tactics to make sure that we don't allow them to get in their flow and then we must pick off their weaknesses which we know they have.

We need to exploit their weaknesses and make sure we win the game. What matters is what happens in both penalty areas; we need to make sure they don't get in our box and when we get in theirs we must make sure we take our chances and win the game on Saturday.

Looking ahead to the next few weeks do you think there could be a major twist in the Championship before the end of the season?

SA - There could be yes. All we can do is make sure we win all our games and see what happens. We have slipped up enough in recent weeks by drawing too many matches and that has to stop now. We are more than capable of winning four games on the trot and it has to start with winning the most important game of the season so far on Saturday against Brighton. Otherwise we risk throwing a fantastic season down the drain.

I have no doubt that there will be slip ups between the top three before the end of the season but they can afford to drop points whereas we no longer have that luxury.We just need to make sure we win our four games starting with Brighton.

There could be a chance you could get automatic promotion then?

SA - If we win our four games we get 88 points. Last season 88 points won the championship so if we win them we will be very close to achieving automatic promotion. The players still believe that too. If anything in recent weeks the players have tried too hard to put things right. Sometimes when you try to hard you start to make more mistakes and I think that is what happened. At the end of the day we haven't been losing but the run of five home draws was our Achilles heel.

Do you think this season's title race has been one of the most exciting in recent years?

SA - Last year was pretty good with Norwich coming from where Reading have this season and they actually won the title. Reading have done it much earlier than Norwich did. We have to continue living with the pressure that West Ham brings and deliver the performances that will put West Ham where we need to be.

The team scored goals seven in two games over Easter. It is important that they have started scoring again isn't it?

SA - It is very important yes. We scored two goals against Reading, four goals against Barnsley and three goals against Birmingham. Prior to Reading you would never have imagined this West Ham team conceding three or four goals which makes it even more frustrating. After our run of five draws we thought we had cracked it by scoring more. But as soon as our front men started putting the ball in the back of the net our defensive side went under and that surprised me a great deal that we allowed ourselves to let that happen.

We got ourselves in some fantastic positions during those games - especially Reading - but then to lose that game was shocking because our defensive game was so poor. Then, for the same thing to happen against Birmingham was just crazy. We have to be as good in possession and as good out of possession. If either part doesn't work then you won't win a game of football. The best teams in the country are the best teams at keeping the football; no-one ever talks about it because it always seems to be about attacking. But to attack you need the ball and that's why these teams are the best.

In the second half against Birmingham the team came out fighting. Could that be a catalyst for the final games in turning one point into three?

SA - Hopefully yes. I'm concerned that the fact we haven't won at home will still play on the minds of the players. But all we can do is continue to do the right things for the whole 90 minutes on Saturday and make sure we take our chances. If we do that we will win the game and if we don't Brighton know that if we start making those errors again then they can capitalise on it. They've watched videos of us when we have performed well at home and not won because we have made too many mistakes.
 


shaolinpunk

shaolinpunk

[Insert witty title here]
Nov 28, 2005
7,187
Brighton
I'd say it is for both teams. If they lose they can all but write off automatic promotion. If we lose then we'll have to rely on other results to get back into the playoffs.
 


Mellotron

Mellotron

I've asked for soup
Jul 2, 2008
31,867
Brighton
Acker79 said:
SA - I expect different tactics from Gus's team from those Birmingham showed. Brighton will want to come and express themselves more than Birmingham did so I think we will have to use a different method and different tactics to make sure that we don't allow them to get in their flow and then we must pick off their weaknesses which we know they have.
Click to expand...

Translation = We are going to KICK THE SHIT out of Brighton.

Better have a strong ref for this one.
 


L

leigull

New member
Sep 26, 2010
3,810
Mellotron said:
Translation = We are going to KICK THE SHIT out of Brighton.

Better have a strong ref for this one.
Click to expand...

Hope we have strong players too, and not ones that will collapse to the ground at the slightest contact looking for a free kick. Naming no names....

It's the biggest game of the season for both sides, just as the next game will then be the biggest and so on. Every game is massive at this stage of the season
 




Mellotron

Mellotron

I've asked for soup
Jul 2, 2008
31,867
Brighton
leigull said:
Hope we have strong players too, and not ones that will collapse to the ground at the slightest contact looking for a free kick. Naming no names....
Click to expand...

What about when they are punched in the face off the ball? My mate in WSL down near the away end said everyone could hear the contact.
 












Thunder Bolt

Thunder Bolt

Silly old bat
Aug 18, 2009
65,587
Beside the seaside, beside the sea
Horsham Gull said:
West Ham United v Brighton & Hove Albion
ROGER EAST
Michael George and Mark Russell
Fourth Official Carl Brook
Click to expand...
He was the ref for our promotion game against Dag & Red last season but also the Woking replay in the FA cup where Tanno got sent off.
 




L

leigull

New member
Sep 26, 2010
3,810
Mellotron said:
What about when they are punched in the face off the ball? My mate in WSL down near the away end said everyone could hear the contact.
Click to expand...

Is that El-Abd you are referring too? Surprised if there was much contact there as he got up pretty quickly afterwards when he realised we were playing on and were down the other end of the pitch!

I wasn't thinking of that instance in particular though, more Buckley/Barnes going down way too easily instead of standing up to challenges
 


Mellotron

Mellotron

I've asked for soup
Jul 2, 2008
31,867
Brighton
leigull said:
Is that El-Abd you are referring too? Surprised if there was much contact there as he got up pretty quickly afterwards when he realised we were playing on and were down the other end of the pitch!

I wasn't thinking of that instance in particular though, more Buckley/Barnes going down way too easily instead of standing up to challenges
Click to expand...

The problem is more than Barnes isn't that good at winning free kicks. Murray was the master of the graceful slump over to win the foul.
 






Herr Tubthumper

Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
59,723
The Fatherland
I hate Big Sam. I really hate him. I imagine the West Ham fans are not too happy with him suggesting there is no 'West Ham way' and anyone who thinks otherwise is 'deluded.'

Horrible club, horrible sleazy creepy owners, horrible supporters, horrible players and now horrible football.
 


Nathan

Nathan

Well-known member
Jan 8, 2010
3,757
Horsham Gull said:
West Ham United v Brighton & Hove Albion
ROGER EAST
Michael George and Mark Russell
Fourth Official Carl Brook
Click to expand...

He also did the recent cardiff game 2-2.

Earlier in the season he did the west ham pompey game, and sent off a player from each side.
 


L

leigull

New member
Sep 26, 2010
3,810
Mellotron said:
The problem is more than Barnes isn't that good at winning free kicks. Murray was the master of the graceful slump over to win the foul.
Click to expand...

He has definitely learnt some tricks off Murray in that respect, just not quite mastered them so it just looks pathetic when he goes down most of the time. He'd be better off just standing up and trying to play instead of getting wound up when he's on the floor and the ref says play on
 








Twinkle Toes

Twinkle Toes

Growing old disgracefully
Apr 4, 2008
11,138
Hoveside
Herr Tubthumper said:
I hate Big Sam. I really hate him. I imagine the West Ham fans are not too happy with him suggesting there is no 'West Ham way' and anyone who thinks otherwise is 'deluded.'

Horrible club, horrible sleazy creepy owners, horrible supporters, horrible players and now horrible football.
Click to expand...

I get what you're saying there, HT - but apart from that, they're a good old bunch: being all Salt of the Earth chirpy sawts - who like nuffink more than a good ol' bubble & a nice plate of delicious Jellied Eels. Oh, & don't forget they won The World Cup too innit. :thumbsup:
 


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