It’s a Nortveidt nightmare
Sorry but it has to be said: Havard Nortveidt was entirely responsible for a defeat which was as hard to take as anything I’ve known in a lifetime of watching the Hammers.
The home side only got behind us twice such was the auality of our defending but when Son Heung-min managed it Harry Kane capitalised big time to plunge us to the horrible defeat we didn’t deserve.
Nortveidt – on for Dimi Payet to shore up a 2-1 lead went to ground – caught Son’s boot as the Tottenham forward changed direction and Kane finished us off from the spot.
Until then we had produced as near perfect a performance as you could want but one poor challenge from a poor player ensured that all the hard work of the previous 80 odd mins counted for nothing and the anxieties and worries grow and grow.
Once again the summer signings have cost us. Nortveidt isn’t good enough like Tore, Feghouli Calleri, Zaza – the list goes on.
There were so many plusses …the brilliant Lanzini, the non stop Antonio, the outstanding Reid – who wrecked his afternoon with two yellows and a sending off being totally ignored by the manager as he walked down the tunnel.
All over the pitch there were great perormances although Diafra Sakho looked predictably ring rusty. They all put in a magnificent shift with the exception f the late sub with even Zaza showing little glimpses of what he might have been.
There was so much to enjoy for 85 minutes; great defending and bright inventive stuff going forward. The disappointment is still far to sharp to analyse it any further but we showed at our best we are a quality side.
The huge worry is that not one of those outsde our best 11 are truly up to it and January is beginning to look really important.