In the end, a professional job very well done. Just as expected, Wolves came out of the blocks quickly, hunted in packs and caused us a few nervous moments. But despite the name, they were pretty toothless up front and Green, Upson, Collins and Ilunga rarely looked too troubled. The concern for future games at the back are Faubert and Spector. To be fair to Faux Pas, he played some impressive passes forward and made two excellent crosses into the box, and was not afforded sufficient protection defensively by Noble. We still need a quality right back in my opinion.
In midfield we were bright and players broke from deep well. Jimenez, Parker, Collison and Dyer all had chances which a Lampard or Gerrard would have buried comfortably. The trouble is, of course, none of them are Gerrard or Lampard so we still look understrength in the goal scoring department. Better defences will not afford Noble so much time on the edge of the box nor give Upson such an easy header on the edge of a six yard box. But we were not playing against a better defence today and you can only beat the team you are up against on the day. Noble's strike was beautiful - a fantastic shot with power and placement - and Jimenez helped to create the space by making an intelligent run, pulling away a central defender in the process. The corner was also delivered perfectly and Upson met it superbly. Two good goals on the day therefore!
Up front, Cole gave a typical performance - strong, brave, determined, pacey and intelligent; but once again he failed to score. A more savvy goalscorer would have poached at least one. Had Owen been on the pitch, Faubert would certainly have chalked up an assist and Noble's superb pass deserved better, albeit an awkward height for Cole to take. The most disappointing finishes were the two shots blocked on the line, however, with Dyer and Collison the "guilty" parties. Collison did so well until the finish, taking the ball wide of the keeper cleverly but his finish was dreadful. Had he drilled his shot inside the near post, the defender on the line would not have stood a chance of keeping it out.
Overall we were impressive but our vulnerable under belly was evident. Cole was limping at one point. The nightmare scenario of him being injured suddenly loomed large. We MUST sign a striker or two before the window closes. Faubert at right back will be "done" by better teams, at least until Behrami returns to provide better protection. Spector, meanwhile, illustrated why we still need cover for Ilunga. We were lucky that he stayed fit through-out last season and his withdrawal today illustrated perfectly the folly of trusting to luck for a second season in a row.
One other lesson from the match? The way the Wolves fans got behind their team and stayed behind them for the full 90 minutes. Stoke and Hull fans sucked the ball into the opposition net last season and genuinely were a twelfth man. At home, our fans are too quick to complain and too quiet when the game is not going our way. Let's turn Upton Park into a roaring fortress again!
Player Ratings: Green 8; Faubert 7, Ilunga 7, Collins 8, Upson 8; Parker 7, Noble 7, Jimenez 7, Collison 7, Dyer 7; Cole 7 Subs Spector 3, Stanislas 6
5 comments:
Hammersfan, not sure where you watched the game from but I watched Collins get turn and left for dead several times toady including one chance just before we scored our second, as good as he is in the air his distribution was just as questionable as Fauberts. I thought Faubert was steady today and was as positive as he was last weekend, you are correct about the protection he needs and I think you will find Berahmi will afford him that better than Noble does. The squad is what it is and although Spectre was slow getting into the game we coped well and Green showed why he is the current England number one with a string a quality saves, fingers crossed Gudjohson and another arrive in the near future but for now the opener is out of the way and it is time to enjoy the day and look forward to the 'Tootahem taties' arriving next sunday.
Funny the way 2 people see a game differently. I counted twice that Collins gave away possession, with two lazy lumps, but I thought defensively he was very impressive, covering for Faubert when he was caught out of position. In the air, both Collins and Upson were impressive.
Er, I hope the following is just papertalk
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Gianfranco-Zola-s-future-as-West-Ham-boss-in-doubt-after-owners-demand-sale-of-key-players-article116675.html
So do I mate. No names I note. Who is this consortium exactly? Bit anxious having read Zola's comments after the game re Upson - "Hope we can keep him".
Hammersfan, yes there were many postives to take from that game. Wolves would have been wanting a good start at home. Welcome to the Premier League. The players came out with an attack minded attitude & were looking to go forward mostly down the right. Faubert seemed to have a bit more focus than last season & i thought that although he is not a dedicated RB he gave us more options than Neill. Berahmi would be more suited there & i would put Faubert in front of him late in the game fresh & tell him to run at them, but that is me & how i like to see the game played. Collins wil get better with more matches, but yes, he is not the most mobile, still solid though. Spurs are a different matter & will find us out at the back as to how organized we are. Cole was limping & not 100% really, so i thought he had a quiet game for him. Wolves showed how important it is to get a defender back behind the GK, or it would have been two more. Admittedly i only watched on the devils eyeball but i thought that it was a job well done on behalf of the whole side. I am happy for a week. I reckon that the article mentioned is bollocks. Why would Straumur spend money on any new players at all than strip us. Doesn't add up. I would doubt that they could legally do that anyway. The best thing to do would be as Duxberry, Zola & Clarke are doing. Work within what we have to spend & make us a buying proposition.
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