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Farewell Boleyn: Flores…AC…red cards…and fury

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Carroll sees RedAC V FloresWith Swansea on the horizon, Farewell Boleyn looks back at a recent game featuring the two teams – February 1, 2014.
Andy Carroll is shocked as the country’s top referee, Howard Webb, sends the big man off following a clash with Swansea’s Chico Flores.
Flores is prostate on the ground, not moving and holding his face after tangling with the Hammer. While challenging for the ball Flores is apparently caught by Carrolls elbow as he tried to hold the Spaniard off, but the look on Andy’s face is not shocked for no reason.
TV replays will reveal that while Flores may be holding his face, as the big man’s flailing arm came round, it missed Flores face and barely brushed the pony tail.
The decision was made by Webb after consulting with the linesman, though quite what he had seen is still not clear.
This disgraceful play acting though was too late for Swansea to get anything out of the game, Kevin Nolan had already scored two in the first half to put the Hammers 2-0 up, in what would be a fruitful and actually a season saving month. As if to rub salt in the wounds, the FA refused to rescind the card.
The Hammers faced three games without Carroll who had just returned that week from injury, but went on to win all three of them, easing the relegation fears at that time, and winning the Hammers manager Sam Allardyce the Barclays Manager of the Month award for February.
The season would peter out though, as out of the last 11 games, only two victories were sealed, leaving the Hammers in a final position of 13th.

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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