Whispers

Comfortable Irons reach break all square

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Half time Saints 0 Irons 0

The Hammers saw their way through to the interval after a comfortable first half which ended with the home fans booing their team off.

That was a tribute to the Irons strong defensive performance which kept the third placed team at bay with relative ease.

Saints went close after 13 minutes when  Mane received Davis’ pass, drove past Tomkins and clipped towards goal from an acute angle but Jenkinson was well positioned to  clear.

The hosts followed that three minutes later with a set piece which saw Adrian leave his line but failed to punch clear and a Gardos header was cleared by Cole.

Kouyate was again composed at centre half again and turned away very cleverly from Pelle when facing his own by-line. Pelle comes back with a strong but fair challenge but Kouyate had the better of him.

Mane had a real chance as half time approached but his curling  effort sailed a couple of feet wide of Adrian’s left hand post.

Valencia had worked hard and, finding some space  to shoot for the Hammers, saw his effort blocked as the half came to its end.

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Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!"

Follow on Twitter @hughsouthon

0 comments

  • bubs says:

    Well our highly rated manager does it again confuses Sakho and Valencia by putting Cole up front with them,destroying our diamond again and putting pressure on Song as the only defensive midfielder,then in his paddy takes off Valencia and brings on another winger so now we have 3 wingers and 2 centre forwards,then takes off Sakho for Carroll and now the teams looking more like a BFS dream team minus Nolan,
    Adrien then looses it and we hang on in BFS STYLE for a point,
    So what’s new it must be all that nous,
    And Man U score 4 with there short ball football,
    Bet you can’t wait for the papers tomorrow BFS.

  • COYI says:

    now that the game has finished can someone explain to me what the hell is BFS doing his choice of personnel and tactics sometime baffles me sticking our two best strikers out on the wings with cole in the middle? then bringing carol on as a winger and taking sahko off I have come to the conclusion I know nothing about the game of football!

  • bubs says:

    He said before the game he had no choice but to play how he was planing because of personnel bull **** he could have played Booth or Oxford next to Tompkins and paired up Kouyate and song leaving Valencia and Sakho up front as normal with Alfitano replacing Nolan,so what’s the problem,now we are going up against WBA who will be high after there win today,with the keeper missing proberly no AC,and our best forward confused,
    Well done again BFS your knowledge is baffling to any person with football sense
    2 Daves don’t wait any longer put Teddy in charge till the end of the season and let BFSdo a bit of gardening PLEASE.

    • Roman says:

      Yes bubs I totally agree.The “genius” as Rugby calls him, has struck again.Who declared Carroll fit??Or did Allardyce override medical opinion or common sense?I am convinced now without doubt Allardyce has no bloody idea.I wouldn’t even trust him with my gardening.

  • mattefumi69 says:

    BFS is killing west ham. That’s the true. He thinks to be the new Special One, but he’s only the Fat One. Next match Sakho or Valencia will sit on the bench and if our “sophisticated” manager will not leave the club asap at the end of the season they’ll decide to go. What is better? I’m frustrated by this dynosaur that someone calls manager.

  • canchaz says:

    I have also been trying to figure out What Sam was doing today and also in the past with team selection.
    My conclusion?
    Sam’s career has always been about survival, never about going for glory. With us virtually guaranteed a top ten finish, he feels he is safe teamwise but that is courtesy of the Sakho/Valencia partnership in the first half of the season, so he now needs to prove he was right to insist on us spending 15 mil. on Carroll. Therefore, he can’t let those two push Carroll aside and he’ll make sure that doesn’t happen even if it costs us any chance of Europe.
    The only ? Now to be answered is, are the two David’s only about survival or do they want the glory because Sam’s survival depends on the answer to that question,

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