Mind you, I wasn't saying that after 20 minutes! In fact, Der Hammer's goal apart, I wasn't saying that at half time either. Our lead at the break was fortunate, with Burnley carving us apart down our left and with very little being offered by way of a reply from Ba, Cole and co. Had we been playing a Premiership side, we would have been two or three goals behind before Hitz's blitz of a goal. Green made a fabulous double save to prevent Burnley scoring and, far too often, Bridge and Reid look rank defensively.
Der Hammer's goal was a beauty and was fitting reward for a good performance. True the keeper might have done better but when you have a Grant at Upton Park, what can you expect? And the ball did swerve at the death, which is possibly an excuse for the strange flap at the ball instead of a firm hand pushing the shot up and over.
But that goal apart, what threat did we offer in the first 45? Hitz retained the ball well, Cole worked the flanks well, but a weak Burnley defence was not really seriously exposed in the first half. In fact, our defence, Tomkins apart, looked the weaker of the two. God only knows what Reid thought he was doing when he waited for the ball to bounce and then continued to retreat towards his own goal, instead of attacking the ball from the off. Burnley should have scored, and if repeated at the weekend, Liverpool will certainly take advantage. Reid also cocked up badly in the second half so, although he scored and made a brilliant clearance on the line, his overall performance was poor. Central defenders simply MUST NOT make the sorts of mistakes he makes. In fact, he is the Carlton Cole in our defence. If he doesn't have time to think, he is fine, but give him time to assess his options and he trips over his own brainwaves!
Second half, it was a different game. True Cole's first goal was laughable, but you should ignore Carlton's contribution and marvel instead at the lovely pass from Noble. If that pass was good, the next was even better, and this time Cole controlled the ball superbly and finished with aplomb. Whatever formation we play, we have to find a berth for Noble because his range of passing is far superior to Parker's, or anybody else in the team for that matter.
Goal four was well worked. The corner was delivered superbly by Hitz and Reid's run was clever. His glancing header was perfect too.
And that should have been that, but the self destruct button was again pressed with the incredible cock up that led to Burnley's goal. Bridge and Green were never good enough to play for England and this illustrated their failings perfectly. Embarrassing? Not 'alf!
There was still time for Freddie to get on the score sheet. Once again, a goal is likely to disguise an otherwise mediocre performance - he took the wrong option far too often over the 90 minutes - but it was good to see the kid score and it was a delightful finish. To be fair to the boy, we was working the flanks all night and his best position is probably down the middle on the shoulder of a big man.
So, how do you assess that overall? Great fun but worrying at the same time. If we play like that against Liverpool, we will be ripped apart. The problem remains the lack of shape. Time and again there was no protection offered to the back four by our midfield. We need somebody to sit and hold. Parker won't do it, so maybe we need Kovac, with Hitz, Parker and Noble making up the rest of the midfield and Cole with Ba up top, working the flanks. The team will lack width in midfield, but Bridge and Jacobsen get forward well so that might not be such a problem.
Player ratings: Green 6 (Great double save but what was he doing for the goal?); Jacobsen 6, Tomkins 8, Reid 5, Bridge 4; Hitz 7, Noble 8, Parker 6; Ba 5, Cole 7, Sears 5 Subs: Spector 6, Barrera 4, Piquionne 4
sh1t and there's me thinking we won tonight.
ReplyDeleteHopefully even HF will resist the negative comments. I think that we played really well, especially second half. I'd play exactly the same starting 11 against Liverpool.... even Reid is growing on me!
ReplyDeleteWe did, against Burnley. You know, that side who were relegated last season and who we scored five against even with Zola in charge!
ReplyDelete0050, Reid is growing on you? He could have cost us two goals tonight!
Stoke (a), fkn worst place to go to late in the season in the middle of a relegation battle to play a cup game.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I want to be optimistic, I can't. HF is right.
ReplyDelete•Reid was absolutely awful. I'm not sure he is good enough for the Championship.
•Grants decision to start Reid wrong. Our only hope, and a slim one it is, is for De Costa and Tompkins to form a pair. Once he decided JT would play, Reid should have sat.
•Cole's first touch on his first goal laughably inept. Add that to the goal against Brum and he has two gifts this year.
•Our backline is scary. I'm not sure I can even watch once the opposition gets into our half. It's like watching a train wreck.
If we survive it will be because three other teams foul up worse than us. It can obviously happen, and we could go on a little run, but I wouldn't beat my chest based on tonight.
the scores in these games give false hope, The thing that bothers me the most is that back four, its disastrous. We can't clear (shown on the goal, and we cant pass to save our lives back there. The win was swell, but now I, well I should say WE have to listen to Grant praise the victory like he knew what he was doing. HF we should just tell the davids to cancel all practices for Shooting ranges and go karts! who needs to get ready for the pounding Daglish is gonna put on us.
ReplyDeleteFive goals! I'm happy.... obviously HF isn't happy because we didn't lose and he has been denied the right to have a good old moan.
ReplyDeleteMind you bitching, back-biting and complaining is what he does best, at least no one can say he's not consistent.
ba 5?! hahaha you joker - did you mark him down because he's a striker who didn't score? you are so transparent.
ReplyDeleteWhat does Hitz have to do to get more than a 7 - he scored one and made one......
ReplyDeleteMeJulie. Ba had a defensive job to do in the 4-3-3 system and didn't do it. Tell me, what did he do in the first 45 minutes? Second half, he played better because we were so much on top but he didn't score against a very, very weak Burnley defence.
ReplyDelete0945 He could play for the full 90 minutes for starters. It was a lovely goal and an excellent corner, but Hitz was part of a side that struggled for 45 minutes against Burnley. We played well for 15 minutes of the match, the rest of the time we were, at best, slightly above ordinary - and actually poor for most of the first 45. So once again we only played for one half of the game. Why does this keep happening?
Why not apply your logic to Reid? He scored and made a fantastic clearance on the line, but you are not objecting to his low rating. Why?
I went last night [cheap tix for wife and youngest boy, half-term treat] and we didn't play bad after the first half hour. Burnley didn't really trouble us after that. They aren't as good as last season either. Ba played well in my opinion, put himself about usefully, and nearly got a goal too, fine save from Grant [Burnley gk]. The defence though - very shaky. Reid I reckon is a beneficiary of 'luck' - in the World Cup, and last night, esp when he 'cleared' off the line. Forwardwise, we're alright, but still not enough premiership goals. And Hitzlsperger - well all I can say is we've definitely missed him. With that defence, not optimistic against L'Pool.
ReplyDeletegateman
Do you read newspapers? strangely all the back pages (I've read 6 today) are singing West Ham and Hitz praises - shame as a "supporter" you can't do the same......
ReplyDeleteIf you'd been at the game you'd have known that hitz got the man of the match but seeing as you weren't there, I guess you wouldn't know - obviously £15 was a bit too steep for you.
ReplyDeleteStrangely, 1310, I am able to formulate my own opinions and do not rely on the press to tell me what to think. Also strangely, there are others on here, and on other chat rooms and blogs, who are saying much the same as myself. I suspect that you watch the game but do not understand it - like tourists watching Shakespeare at The Globe. I watch as a supporter during the match and reflect as a critic afterwards. You watch, then read the press to see what you should make of what you saw, obviously!
ReplyDelete1507, I was at the Oxford game when Stech was given MOTM and he only made one save all night. Tomkins was head and shoulders our best player that night and I predicted, on the back of that performance, that he had recovered his game. What has happened to Stech since. Yes Hitz played wellish, but he was no better than Tomkins and Noble, both of whoom lasted the fulll 90 minutes, and no better than Cole either. You were just desperate for him to be brilliant, as was I to be fair!
Hf critiques individual play not team play. Ba was god awful on defense, he didnt even try. Did anyone else notice to the one twos on Bridge? Wins dont say anything about individual play. Though Hitz might have come off for safety/insurance reasons, he played well, and Grant probably decided Burnley was going to throw in the towel.
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