Match verdict
BY HUGH SOUTHON
You have to be a cracking side to play that badly and win! Well so they say
Come on now, let’s take the positives from a game that started in shocking style, picked up sufficiently for us to seal the points and then slid downhill so badly, you began to wonder if there was a bottom.
Along the way we discovered that Sam Allardyce will have no compunction on removing anyone from the action, including the club’s record signing Andy Carroll, and that Alex Song is needed back like yesterday.
It was a night when the nerves of tough men were shredded and when you were forced to smile as the Irons faithful sang: “We’re gonna win the league.”
Kevin Nolan demonstrated too that he still has a habit of turning up when most badly needed for the first goal and James Tomkins will be forgiven some pretty awful defending by scoring the winner.
There was much to complain about – particularly defensively – but the simple truth is that at the end of it all I can’t be bothered to do so and will only let a long gasp of relief and declare: “Well done boys.”
There were moments of quality but these were far outweighed by the monumental weaknesses of both teams on the night and I was grateful that most of the opposition movement was in front of our defence rather than through it.
No way will I complain about Valencia’s input after a spell out through injury but there is clearly a problem when AC is up top on his own.
You could almost hear the thought process of the player – “do we lump it to him or play it through.” This was a team caught at times between two cultures.
The answer is clear – we play it through. it’s the only way, It’s put us where we are. There can be no turning back nor do I think there will be with Valencia returned and Diafra Sakho no more than 90 or 180 minutes away.
It’s now more a case of where Andy Carroll fits into all of this. I’m beginning to think the answer is: WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY!
Highly, highly interesting days ahead”
In any other time in West Ham’s history we’d have lost tonight. And probably on Saturday too. These results are our bread and butter. These are the games we measure ourselves against and ANY away win in the Prem is a good win. We finished the game with three centre-halves. The win was totally by design and should be applauded in being so. COYI!
“It’s now more a case of where Andy Carroll fits into all of this. I’m beginning to think the answer is: WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY!”
You can start to see how Brendan Rodgers was struggling to fit Andy into his team vision. Biggest compliment to Sam now is that he has the same problem. Great result tonight whatever and shows the resilience this team has and grinding out wins is what all the top teams are able to do. COYI.
Great comment Hots. Might base a blog on that if you are cool?
Hi mate,
The quite scandalous public character assassination of andy Carroll was more go do with the fact that after king kenny’s disastrous spending spree had left them skint and no money for team rebuilding.
Carroll was sacrificed to allow Brenda to raise funds to bring in new blood.
Can andy fit into our new system? Of course he can. Quality players play better with other quality players!
Also we have put in more crosses and scored more headed goals this season than any other side in the prem. all without carroll!
So imo a strikeforce of Sakho and Valencia with AC playing just behind would be almost unstoppable! Defences wouldn’t know should go mark first.
A combination of raw pace and raw power would be one that would be hard to resist and score many many goals! COYI!
Great to win and get 3 points.Convincing? Far from it.I never felt comfortable the way we played or were allowed to play by the Baggies.I would have rated Zarate higher.He possesses that X factor when he has the ball.Adrian worries me at times but pulled off some great saves in his defence (no pun intended).Good times for all Hammers fans.A far cry from our Icelandic and Avram Grant days.
Can we put this one down to tiredness please and quietly move on?
We didn’t play particularly well against the toon Saturday but we defended very well only allowing their swift counterattacks a single shot on target.
Where as tonight we defended poorly and allowed a poor team far to many chances.
I Believe we can excuse this performance on the proviso we beat Swansea on Saturday!
We will have to play a lot better and count on the returning song and noble giving us the bite and zip need to drive us onto victory!
If all this comes to pass then the zarate/carroll partnership will lead us to a 2-1 win! COYI!
Yes we can Phil, except to say it was an excellent 3 points. They might have deserved the points but damn it we deserved all 3 at Hull and at least one at Old Trafford. Karma, I love it!
Key to Sunday will be fresh legs, hope for Noble, Sakho, Valencia Collins and Songs return to the starting XI. Bloody hell when in the last 20 years have we been able to do that?
More important, is the habitual overrating of Kevin Nolan, by Sean Whetstone also. Sure, he got us our goal, but he was woeful elsewhere.
What this match showed as well, was our need for Noble, as well as Song.
And James Collins is so far past his sell-by, that he has become a bit of bric-a-brac.
Noble, Kouyate and Song. We HAVE to have at least two of these on the pitch.
If Sakho had been fit he’d have been in the team and Carroll used as an ‘impact’ substitute – I think that must be his role for the foreseeable future. What can definitely be said is that Carroll up on his own definitely doesn’t work.
Equally, if Noble and Song were fit then Nolan doesn’t play – he’s got a happy knack of scoring goals but offers very little to the team. He slows everything down and doesn’t have the technique to make up for his lack of pace.
What a great result, on the question of a team caught between two cultures probably the case last night but I think Carrol could make a really good partnership with Valencia when Valencia learns to play off Andy and Andy learns to play off Valencia both of them are exceptionally good in the air and not bad with the ball on the deck. If Carroll plays on the half turn he can feed Valencia into space and likewise but it needs that understanding of what runs your partner is going to make and what passes are possible based on the ball received which isn’t there yet. We have had two great results from fairly average performances against Newcastle and WBA that will feed the confidence and hopefully something will click because Carroll caused them a lot of problems all over the park both defensively and offensively, I would be worried defensively with how easy Anicebe found it to roll Tomkins, Kouyate etc Bony likes to play that way so he would be licking is lips after that. Maybe Collins will be put in alongside Reid to counter this on Sunday and hopefully the midfield can provide a better platform for offensive football, COYI !