Sunday 24 November 2013

West Ham United 0 - 3 Chelsea


A toothless and lacklustre display ensured the Hammers were well beaten by their West London rivals at Upton Park.

Having never been to this fixture before, I was excited to say the least. I assumed there would be nothing less than a gutsy performance, matched with an electric atmosphere-neither of these materialised. Chelsea were impressive in patches but it was the Irons who carved out the better opportunities in the opening minutes. West Ham continued to pass the ball well and found a couple of openings through Stewart Downing on the left hand side to no avail.

            Frank Lampard as always, found himself the butt of the home-faithful jokes and right in the centre of the action. It was he who had the last laugh in the 21st minute, when Guy Demel fluffed a backpass to the helpless Jaaskalienen, the veteran keeper had no opportunity to come rushing out to heed the danger. Sadly his 38-year old legs were not as nimble as those of Oscar’s for the Blues and the West Ham keeper sent him tumbling for an undisputable Chelsea penalty.

            Up steps East London’s not-so favourite son to fire into the roof of the net and put Chelsea 1-0 up. Cue OTT celebrations from a man who should really know better and the atmosphere started heating up.

            In the Trevor Brooking Lower, there are a number of what I would call ticking timebombs. Old fellows who lived through the dark days of the 70s, in black bomber jackets and lengthy trenchcoats. There are winks and nods to security guards. Everyone seems to know each other except me and there is a feeling that the place could erupt at any minute and it did as soon as the penalty hit the back of the net. The West Ham faithful launched themselves towards the Prawn sandwich brigade with ferocity, shoes were being waved in the air, police were panicking – I have no idea about the shoes by the way, however it was carnage.

            The Chelsea travelling fans replied with the affluent nonchalance we have come to expect nowadays. Gone are the fiery encounters of the eighties and even nineties, the social divide now plain for all to see. It was like a doctor taking a blood sample from a patient, except in 2013 the patient is Chelsea and the sample is footballing passion.

            Anyway back to the action and Chelsea were well in control. The way they passed and moved with confidence was sublime at times with Oscar and Hazard proving the hub of the majority of their attacks.

            West Ham were not without their chances too. A ball played into the box, landed in the melee and struck goalwards by Joe Cole, only to be whipped clear by the Chelsea defense.

            After 34 minutes another defensive lapse put the Blues 2-0 up. Calamity-a-game James Collins went sprinting to meet the sprightly Oscar, leaving himself woefully out of position and the defense vulnerable. Quite predictably, he was turned by the young star who headed goalwards and snuck a low drive into the bottom corner.

            2-0 down at home with little more than half an hour gone and Big Sam was prompted into action. A double substitution with Mo Diame and Modibo Maiga brought on in place of Jack Collison and Joe Cole. It was not a popular decision mind you, especially pulling off Cole, whose shirt was promptly ripped off and thrown somewhere in the vicinity of the subs bench. ‘You don’t know what you’re doing’ rang around the ground as the fans turned on the manager whose insistence on the 4-6-0 had seemingly got us into this mess in the first place. Ho hum.

            It was clear that a lot of fans left at half time as West Ham started the second half slightly brighter but Chelsea having the better opportunities. Impressive, attacking moves resulted in Lampard nearly getting on the end of another Chelsea attack. It was coming.

            West Ham in fairness passed the ball better in the second half and did dominate periods of possession. Ravel picked out some lovely passes and wide balls, but once again up front we were toothless. At the risk of repeating myself once again, how can Kevin Nolan remain on the pitch when as the leader of our ‘attack’ he consistently fails to make an impression on the goal? It beggar’s belief. Maybe Big Sam’s sheer stubbornness will be the death of him, I fear anything but a win against Fulham and the big man is in a lot of trouble.

            Eventually, with 15 minutes to go, Big Sam relented and brought on Matt Jarvis for his ever-present leader. I was quite surprised to hear boos go around the ground when Nolan came off and only a spattering of handclaps also. Perhaps, the tide is seriously beginning to turn at Upton Park. Whilst reading the programme notes at half time, Nolan talks of his desire to lead the team out at the Olympic Stadium. This sent a shiver of harrowing fear down my spine as I read. God forbid!

            By this stage, I had seen enough and headed for the toilet, before the walk to the car. A thunderous roar came from above me as Lampard’s second and Chelsea’s third went in, I bolted for the cold East London air.

            In brighter news, I didn’t get a £65 parking ticket and managed to stick the car close to the A13 for a hasty exit. Also, I was petrified about the bitter cold on this London evening but this too was managed with aplomb by moi. Armed with my wife’s leggings as long johns and my daughter’s West Ham socks over mine, I felt relatively cosy whilst Chelsea pulled our pants down. Trev 1, Life 0.

            So, what next for West Ham United? It does seem that the penny has dropped for Big Sam regarding the striker situation. If the papers are to be believed the Irons are in for every aging striker across Europe, so in some respects that is a positive sign. The numerous other questions remain however. Why sign Carlton Cole and not play him? Was it a Sullivan signing? Why does one of our best players, Diame not start? When he does play why he is on the sodding wing? Why, oh why does Kevin Nolan continue to get the nod? Where is the fight in the dog?

            Next Saturday we host Fulham at home and this has truly become a must win game for the Irons.




Jussi 6

Doesn’t like coming out to crosses.

Demel 5

Has skill – but defensive error cost us

Tomkins 6

Solid

Collins 4

Groan. Another defensive lapse costs us

O’Brien 6

Fine

Downing 6

Lost of endeavour - very little cutting edge

Collison 5

Taken off after 40 minutes

Cole 6

Taken off after 40 minutes

Noble 6 (MOM)

Lots of endeavour – still playing well

Ravel 6

Picks a great pass – our best player but needs to pull the trigger more

Nolan 4

Good at chasing down the opposition keeper

Tuesday 5 November 2013

Hughton's D-Day


 
The weekend produced another poor result for a West Ham side with so much promise - but the situation must certainly be worse if you support a number of other teams in the Premier League.

Crystal Palace look dead and buried already. Barring a minor miracle, it would appear they are condemned back to life in the Championship. Saying that, stranger things have happened. But if the regenerating properties of the bubbly Ian Holloway cannot get the lads to click, it is unlikely any other manager can make an impact in such a short space of time.

Sunderland also have a mountainous task ahead of them. Gus Poyet will inevitably get the ball down and ensure the players try and pass their way out of the relegation zone. Again though, the task looks insurmountable. With 15 new players arriving in the summer and two players sent off for appalling challenges at the weekend, they look like a squad in disarray.

This leaves one other team to face the dreaded drop. This period of time up until Christmas will be vital and mercifully for West Ham United, our run of fixtures looks somewhat simpler than some of the other teams. Granted we have Chelsea and Arsenal in our nearish future, plus of course the midweek trip to White Hart Lane for the quarter final of the Capital One Cup.

Aside from that we host Sunderland, Fulham, and West Bromwich Albion before the New Year. We travel to Crystal Palace, Norwich, Liverpool and Man United where, with our formidable defensive away record, even the most cynical of West Ham fans can see a point or two being picked up on the road.

The Hammers travel to Carrow Road in Saturday's late kick off, in what can only be last chance saloon for Canaries' manager, Chris Hughton. There were calls from a number of the yellow and green faithful for his head after the capitulation at Manchester City, where they were drubbed a whopping 7-0. Common sense seems to have prevailed and the footballing gods have deemed the work Hughton has done, worthy of another chance against West Ham.

It would seem harsh to sack him after losing to a Man City team so full of talent and due a big result. However, the defensive ineptitude of Norwich's back four, plus the lack of fight in the dog, has left some fans short of patience.

They are hugely reliant on the doggedness of Robert Snodgrass and sadly big signings like Robert Van Wolfswinkel, have failed to produce results as of yet. This matched with the sale of Grant Holt in the summer has left a bitter taste in the mouth for a number of Norwich fans. The sale of Holt was always on the cards, since he lived up north and rented a flat in Norwich during his time there. But the ease at which this stalwart at the club was let go has reared its ugly head since results have failed to go their way. Holt at 32, could have been argued to be the heartbeat of the club, the man to bring the troops together and rally them in times of crisis. He is now doing that at Wigan, leaving the Canaries a little short of natural leadership; the thing they need most at present.

So, is Saturday's game D-Day for Hughton? It could well be. If Norwich City rally and manage to beat a West Ham team with the fifth best defensive record in Europe, perhaps there will be a reprieve for the much-maligned manager. But if West Ham manage to take advantage of a struggling Norwich defence and put their goal-scoring hoodoo to bed, the yellow and green dream could be over for him.

As much as I like Hughton and hope he is given time, I can't help feel it is a make or break game for him. Such is my desperation for West Ham to cure their net-finding ills, I fear we may be the final nail in the coffin for the highly-respected young manager. My prediction is 1-0 or 2-1 to West Ham. Many pundits are talking this game up as a simple home win for Norwich City. Despite obvious bias, this is too simplistic a way to view the fixture. West Ham have been good on the road, despite the lack of goals. In a lot of respects our away form has far surpassed that of last year. Surely with the quality among the ranks, a goal or two will come our way this Saturday? Not the thoughts Chris Hughton wants to hear I am sure.

If he is sacked, it is looking likely there will be a few other good jobs he can walk into. However, as with so many Premier League sackings, I believe it will be premature and Hughton should be given more time to get it right.

So, a big game for both sides - with much at stake. I am looking forward to it and hope whatever the result, no-one at Norwich City is without a job come Monday morning.

Sunday 3 November 2013

West Ham United 0 - 0 Aston Villa


West Ham were left frustrated by a well organised Aston Villa side at the Boleyn Ground this week.

The Irons showed plenty of endeavour for no reward as the now infamous 4-6-0 formation reared its head once more. The instructions clearly were to get the ball down and play and on a number of occasions, West Ham were able to cut through their opponents at will. Sadly, however the final ball was often lacking and as such there were very few clear cut chances for the home side.

In fact, one could argue that the best chances of the first half fell to Aston Villa on the break where Weimann broke dangerously but could only fire the ball at Jaaskelainen, under pressure from James Tomkins. A second time the wily Villa frontman broke, he was chased back by Ravel Morrison, who challenged just outside the box causing Weimann to tumble to the floor. Cue mass gesticulation from the Villa fans but Howard Webb was unmoved. It was a tricky one, there was definite contact but it appeared that it was a 50/50 which Ravel managed to win.

After that the half was dominated by the Hammers and some slick build up play. We passed and moved well, getting the ball out wide to Jarvis and Downing who often managed to get balls in the box that were met by Villa defenders. A seemingly good plan, if we played with a striker. But it did seem quite unbelievable that this was the gameplan, when we once again started with no recognised frontman. Kevin Nolan huffed and puffed, Jack Collison (drafted in after an impressive second half at Burnley) had a shot that hit the side netting, but all in all we looked a little toothless despite dominating possession.

The second half started brighter for the visitors, who also rocked by injury looked the more likely to nick it as the game wore on. West Ham persisted with the passing/crossing style, Aston Villa continued to defend with relative ease.

The best chance of the game came from a Villa break which saw Christian Benteke get on the end of a pinpoint cross, only to head mercifully against the West Ham bar.

A double change came and the two Coles were introduced. Carlton gave us a much needed target to aim at in the middle but again found himself frustrated for opportunities. Joe Cole hustled and bustled and had one of only four West Ham shots on target towards the end of the game. Kevin Nolan continued his barren run and was clear through from a sneaky Downing ball but was unable to find the target.

So, it was one of those days at the Boleyn Ground. It didn’t seem like we would score if we had another 90 minutes to play. On the positive side, it is yet another clean sheet, however there were some bemusing occurrences in selection and style of play. If the 4-6-0 is used for counter attacking, why use it in a game we would dominate at home? If we start with no striker, why persist in banging balls into the box time and time again? I don’t know if Big Sam was hoping for second balls to drop kindly and live off scraps, but either way it did not seem like the way we should be trying to play in a must win home game.

We desperately missed the dominance in midfield of Mo Diame who made a belated substitute appearance in the 88th minute. Surely he is the ideal candidate up top for the ‘False nine’ system? Kevin Nolan tried hard once again, but in a midfield required to score, as the most advanced player he once again failed. Again, it does beg the question, why not start with Joe Cole in these barren goal scoring times? He is consistently one of our best performers in front of goal and certainly not short of passion for the shirt.

Next week sees an away trip to Norwich City fresh from a 7-0 drubbing at the Etihad and possibly a point to prove. Will Hughton still be at the helm? Difficult to tell, as will the result come the end of the 90 minutes. Then we have the international break followed by Chelsea  and Fulham at home. December 3rd sees the short trip to Crystal Palace. You get the impression as a West Ham fan these next four games will be pivotal to our season. If we come out of it with 7-9 points, game on. 5 points or less and we will be somewhere near the relegation zone and struggling for confidence.

Still we have an away day at White Hart Lane in December to boost morale come what may. Here’s hoping for a few wins under the belt and the long-awaited return of Big Andy Carroll much before then.

 Jaaskelainen 7

Some fine stops

 Reid 8

Solid and dominant as always

        Rat 6

Tried to link up well with Jarvis – still needs to improve

 Tomkins 7

A good game – dealt with Benteke generally

Demel 6

Some endeavour shown

Nolan 6

Huffed and puffed – nothing to show for it

Jarvis  7

Getting back to form with some good runs

Noble 8*

A masterclass of tackling and passing once again

Collison 6

A good shot and linked up well

Morrison  6

Not his best game despite a goal-saving challenge

Downing 7

Played well – beat players and crossed well

Substitutes


  • Carlton Cole 6

No clear cut chances

  • Joe Cole 7

Played some good football – needs more game time

  • Mo Diame 6

Showed what he can do in the 3 minutes he was given