Tonight said it all. Ahead of today's game, a work colleague, who has watched every minute of Liverpool's season, told me we really had a good chance of winning. When I laughed, he insisted I had no idea how badly this Liverpool team were playing, how disinterested Gerrard was, how inept they were up front without Torres, how slow they were at the back. Go for it, and you can win, he asserted.
Go for it? Did we even come out of the changing room? This performance was as shameful as any we have put in this season. There was one tactic only, lump the ball forward to Cole and hope. Zola, the professor of beautiful football? Don't make me bloody laugh! Do you know, Kovac played one completed forward pass in 90 minutes? That was two minutes before the end of the game and the ball was returned to him and he promptly lost it and Liverpool went on the attack.
Did any of Stanislas, Noble, Kovac or Behrami once get into the Liverpool box? How on earth are you going to score a goal if you don't even get players into the opposition box? Can you remember one occasion when a midfield player broke beyond Cole? Can you remember Ilan getting into the box even? Dear God, can you remember one cross into the box that wasn't a pass to Reina? How many attempted crosses were simply thudded into a Liverpool defender standing five yards away? Did you see that Stanislas corner?(Our only corner?). Not only didn't it clear the first defender, it barely reached him!
Behrami was in the team to protect Spector. Kovac was in the team to protect Upson and Da Costa. Noble was in the team to protect Kovac. Stanislas was in the team to stop Noble taking set pieces. Ilan was in the team to...I'm not really sure why he was there! Cole was in the team to collect long lumps and shoot hopefully. Shameful, gutless, a surrender from the off!
And at the back? If Capello watches this back, Upson can kiss goodbye to South Africa. Upson or Dawson? After Dawson's performances against Chelsea and Arsenal and this showing of Upson, that's like asking champagne or dog's piss! Upson was at fault for all three Liverpool goals - he was truly dire! Da Costa tried but he is not yet a Premiership defender. Spector tried but he will never be a Premiership defender. Faubert tried but he is not even a defender.
This performance reminded me so much of Newcastle last season. There was no drive, no creativity, no bite, no organisation. This was a surrender, pure and simple.
And things were summed up for me when Gerrard fouled Behrami about 10 minutes into the second half. Liverpool were winning 2-0 and coasting but Gerrard turned on Benayoun and chewed him off for not chasing back. Where was that anger in the West Ham team? Where was that passion, that commitment, that leadership? It wasn't there, anywhere on the pitch. Upson is a joke as a captain and, a few Noble tackles apart, there was not even a spark, never mind a fire in the West Ham bellies.
The performance, just like at Arsenal, stank of complacency. "It's ok, we will beat Wigan and Hull won't collect 7 points". Well playing like that, we won't beat Wigan. And watching that, Hull will feel inspired.
Anybody still defending Zola after that performance needs his head testing. Liverpool treated the first 20 minutes like a pre season friendly and never had to get out of second gear. It was so so so so easy. We played like a team going down and I'm coming round to the opinion that relegation is exactly what we deserve: the management, the players and, sadly, the fans who have been every bit as complacent as the players all season. Get your heads out of your arses and face facts. Zola is hopeless!
Player ratings: Green 6; Faubert 5, Da Costa 5, Upson 1, Spector 5; Stanislas 1, Kovac 2, Noble 5, Behrami 4; Cole 5, Ilan 4 Subs: Franco 5 (McCarthy and Daprela not on long enough to rate.)
13 comments:
Look lets put this into some sort of honest perspective.
The performance was truely scary and embarasing and gutless but we never win at Anfield.
Kovac Spector should not play for West ham again as they offer nothing and Zola must go at the end of the season no matter what but we still should stay up as long as we beat Wigan and maybe Fulham. Zola lost any support today from me as his team represents how he wanted us to play. Like Shit
Your "honest perspective" is why you have taken until now to give up on Zola. You should have given up on in a long time agao along with all the "In Zola we trust" misguided brigade. This Liverpool team is crap and started as if they were thinking of Thursday. But we were so passive even an ordinary Liverpool team playing withour fire were able to walk all over us. Honest perspective? That performance was an absolute disgrace.
I have to say this is probably the first article on this site I've ever agreed with and I agree with it almost completely. The only thing I'm not in total accordance with is Ilan's contribution. I thought he deserved a 4! It doesn't look like anyone actively involved in running the club really cares at all!
What a pathetic display against a team that as you say were not made to work for it. as for never winning at anfield we should have been approaching this game the same way wolves approached us a few weeks ago the had not beat west ham at home for 25 years or so! zola has no idea even turds would of said of shit that was as for the fans we dont deserve this crappy performances week after week. 1 last point benayoun i know he left on bad terms but do u blame him turds as manager playing in a team that survives on the last day then gets offered champions league football gets booed and called a cunt tonight and still does not celebrate a goal and has good things to say about us shameful
Cliffords, not point scoring here, but perhaps I have been right more often than you have cared to realise. That's the problem. That's why I say the fans deserve it too. Why Zola's incompetence has been accepted all season is beyond me. FOUR POINTS FROM THE LAST 27. Spread over a full season and that is 17 points! He started crap and it haqs got progressively worse!
Hammersfan, as someone who vehemently advocates loyalty to a manager in line with West Ham tradition, it saddens me greatly to be so let down tonight!, I cannot disagree with anything you have stated, and no 23:01, I too was knee deep in that Egyptian River up to tonight, yet managed to be whipped out of it by tonights dose of hard reality. Zola's 442 was shameful, surely he should have changed this as soon as he saw Pools 5 in mid. Spector should not be there at all. I know we are missing Ilunga, Dyer and Hines, and Cole clearly is playing unfit, but grinding defensive tactics were required tonight, and suddenly we go all offensive! am very disappointed. Lets just hope Scottie can invigorate us versus Wigan. Surely Diamanti was worth a punt tonight to inject some creativity?
Thats why he has got to go.
THATS WHY HE HAS GOT TO GO!!!!!!!!
Something has happened with Diamanti mate. Put together Ilan's comment about Italians being out of control with Diamanti's absence from the team. Just like with Davenport! There has been a falling out and Zola will see us down rather than give ground. I may be wrong, but something stinks. We needed a five man midfield as you say. Where was Diamanti? On the bench but unused. Why?
Diamanti needs to speak out then, I know he is no Di Canio, and that he is not the conservative option, but would be a no brainer for a 5 mid in tonights context. Did GFZ give up all hope due to Parkers injury? Listen with Scottie, we might not lose vs Wigan, they too are inconsistent, but the basic issues need to be addressed, also was affronted by SFZ's arrogance re his post match comments on ESPN...3 killers!, in my view there was a whole team of killers including management, and none of them emanated from Liverpool!
I think the fans (at Anfield) were great like our travelling support always is and I agree that the team the setup the whole mess is awful and Zola had no idea and Clarke will obviously never be a manager in his own right (one of those good coaches that will always be a better no2) Gold and Sullivan only smell a quick buck the icelandic lot are hopeless and are just hoping for the best Terry Brown mudered West Ham and got well rewarded for it Like Thatcher is the foundation that has caused the catastrophe that is todays Britain so Terry Brown was the death knell of West Ham
I understand and agree with most of what you say What I don't understand is your slating the fans whether they are firm believers of Zola out or they trust blindly what difference does it make when has anything we think ever influenced anything this club has ever done TB summed it up when he said (on discussing the sale of Rio) the fans? who cares what they think they're just animals so we can whinge whine and protest all we like the powers that be (board management players) will continue to do what they do best ie get well rewarded for fucking it up
Deane, I posted a while back that fans get the team they deserve. Sullivan and Gold would have moved Zola out on arrival but for the backing of the fans. The blind support is part of the problem.
I didnt see the match but am amazed people will finally agree with HF after a loss to a top side away.
Ive wanted the ROOKIE out since Christmas and I have little time for those who are panicking now.
The thing I find most infuriating is that Gianfranco wont tell us the truth. Its damn near imperative to know what say he has had on recruiting personnel. If he has had none, fair dues his spot is one of the most difficult in the english pyramid. If he has had even a little control then we DESERVE TO HANG HIM WITH IT!
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