All logic says that today should be a no contest. Chelsea, playing with a swagger, pushing towards a top 3 finish, through to the semifinal of the Champions League and into the Final of the FA Cup, arrive at Upton Park to play a team decimated by injury. Still no Parker, still no Cole, still no Beano, still no Behrami, still no Collison, still no Gabbidon - and question marks over the fitness of Dyer, Kovac and Collins. West Ham's patched up side is likely to include Tristan and Boa-Morte, hardly individuals with the recent credentials to strike terror into the hearts of the Chelsea gladiators, and three players aged under 22. For West Ham to prevail, the lamb has to rip open the throat of the lion!
If that isn't enough to persuade you to put your mortgage on a Chelsea victory, add in increasingly unsettling speculation about the future of Zola and Clarke. Why haven't those contracts been signed yet? Why is Clarke, in particular, suggesting that there is no hurry from his point of view? If I was committed to staying and my employer was offering to double my salary six months after joining them, I would be asking for a pen very quickly indeed. However, if a former employer had rung me up and said, "Find out what they are offering and we will treble it providing we don't have to pay shed loads in compensation for breach of contract", then I might be a little bit more inclined to delay matters through negotiation.
Now add in the Lampard factor. He is motivated enough for games against the club that sacked his dad and uncle, but the anniversary of the death of his mother, and the possibly insensitive chanting from our fans, are likely to add another gallon of adrenaline to his veins. On top of that, we have the stupid comments of that DJ. What's the betting on a message for his kids written on a vest under his shirt, ready for when he scores?
It doesn't look good does it?
So what case is there to be made for West Ham? Well, our record away to clubs in the top 4 is impressive, so if we pretend it is an away game, we might have a chance! Then there is the never say die attitude of the team. At half time last week I was anticipating a 3-0 defeat at Villa. But the team dug in and, by the end, we looked like the more probable winners. If we can show that same fighting spirit, then who knows!
Then there is Chelsea's surprisingly poor record in London derbies this season. For some reason, the plastics have melted in the London derby furnace. Maybe, just maybe, without Cole, there are not enough Londoners in the team to grasp the need for that extra 10% of raw passion.
But the biggest advantage we have is the fact that Chelsea face Barcelona on Tuesday. The Premiership is now out of reach. If it was just the Mancs so far ahead then Chelsea might cling on to the hope of a miracle. But for Chelsea to win it, Liverpool have to stumble too. The realists know that the Champions League must now be an absolute priority. So, will Chelsea risk all their stars today; and if they do, will those stars really want to risk injury in a game that, at the end of the days, matters very little for them? They will not get a huge win bonus for winning today; but how much would they receive if they lifted the Champions League? I'm sure Cashley knows the figures!
But here we come to the rub. Don't get me wrong, I would hate to have Sam Allardyce at West Ham, but if you could appoint a manager for one game, I would appoint Big Spam for this one. The route to victory is to draw blood early, to bruise some ribs, to scar a shin, to stick a thorn into the soft pad of the lion and thereby give a clear message: if you want this one, it will cost you; victory today could mean three players out on Tuesday. Fancy it now Didier?
But will Zola and Clarke do that? They love Chelsea, they want Chelsea to win the Champions League! Big Spam would send out an army to smash up the glory boys, Zola will send out a team of ballet dancers to pirouette around the pitch, playing the game in the West Ham way. It will look good but, sadly, this is a game where ethics should be put to one side. The Big Spam approach is needed today!
Still, let's be positive. If we win, fantastic! If we get tonked, that might persuade Abromovitch that Zola and Clarke are not yet ready for the Chelsea job! Heads we win, tails we don't lose in the long run!
But wouldn't it be great at the end of the game to see the lamb, it's chin stained in blood, standing on the corpse of the lion?
Why is it ok to sacrifice 'the West Ham way' for this one particular match?
ReplyDeleteShould we always do it to the big 4?
Is it just about 7th place?
Curbs sacrificed some of our so called 'principles' every single game, what's the difference.
Sorry Fanno, ma non capisco.
Fair point Apache mate, and one I expected as there is an inconsistency here. Yes, I think a different approach is needed and justified against the top 4. We strangled the games at Anfield, the Emirates and the Bridge and came away with a result. We would have been stuffed if we had gone there and played an open, expansive game. Personally, I think we were too expansive in the home games against the Mancs and Villa and I fear we will make the same mistake today. Sometimes, if the opposition are much better than you, the priority should be to frustrate. There is some distance between frustrating and clogging however, and admit I am advocating a degree of brute force. That is pure expediency because of the situation. If we can persuade Chelsea not to go for the 50-50 balls, our chances of winning increase 500%. Three key points mate, one of those games where the result really is everything. My problem with Turds is that he saw EVERY game in that way!
ReplyDeleteif you search the word 'tottenham' on this page, you'll see it appears about 12 times. that's very obsessive don't you think? or is it pathetic? or is it funny? i can't decide.
ReplyDeletethe fact you've now done a write up on the 5-2 mauling show's that you are an absolute c*nt.
WE DON'T CARE ABOUT WEST HAM
WHO ARE YOU?
WHY ARE YOU SO OBSESSED WITH THFC?????
YOU'RE SO INSIGNIFICANT!!!!
and you also lost today... yet you're still happy?? embarrassing.
LOL ow many articles have you posted this on? Wound up aint we?
ReplyDelete