Tuesday 25 October 2011

Five Points Above 13th Place!

The Allardyce acolytes, suplicants at the throne of Satan in my book, keep pointing to the table as if Allardyce is working a miracle at West Ham; but the fact is, we sit in second place only on the basis of goal difference and Leeds, Hull and Birmingham all have games in hand which could see them climb level or above us - depending on who beats who of course!

Winning ugly is being used as an excuse for abandoning everything the club stands for, but the results hardly merit such a betrayal of values. If we were pulling clear, leaving the clutch of also-rans in our wake, then fair enough. But we are not. Like a turd, we are floating on the surface of the puddle, but with a whole pile of shit within touching distance below. A few bad results, and we will be where Leicester are now - and look at how Sven's performance has been judged!

Time will prove our result at Brighton to be no better than average; and our performance was nothing short of disgraceful! Allardyce's apologists point to three games where we have bagged four goals already this season, but the Forest and Watford games seem an age away now, and Blackpool played like the donkeys that the resort is famous for. When we have played a half decent side, we have looked decidedly average.

And fair enough, we may be precisely that - a very, very ordinary team indeed, unable to impose itself on any team other than rank opponents playing below form. But that wasn't true last season was it? Sure we were found wanting in the Prem, but we looked comfortable against Championship teams didn't we? Grant had a 100% record in those fixtures so there is an argument that we have gone backwards in terms of quality since Doctor Evil took charge.

I am more optimistic than that. I believe that we have the quality in the squad to boss games in this division - but only if the players are encouraged to play a more expansive game. Look at how isolated Carew was yesterday evening. It was as bad as any game last season with poor Cole parked up top on his own and a wilderness of empty space between him and the midfield. That was bad enough in the Prem; it is utterly inexcusable against the "quality" of opposition in the Championship.

It's all very well for Allardyce to moan about our inability to hold on to the ball but how often could you have thrown a blanket over the team? We were sitting so damn deep and there was nobody to pass to most of the time; so inevitably it was booted long with more hope than intent. I was ranting before the introduction of Sears, demanding to know why Allardyce was waiting for the equaliser before he tried to change the game. When the change came, it was enforced, and even then Allardyce opted to retain the same shape rather than present Brighton with a new challenge based on 4-4-2, with Baldock running through a very mediocre Brighton back four.

We were so lucky that Brighton failed to net just before half time. Had they done so, we would have lost the game. A penalty should probably have been awarded when Reid moved his arm to the ball to deflect that cross out for a corner in the second half and had Mr Friend pointed at the spot, there would have been only one winner of the game - and it wouldn't have been West Ham.

Forget the table for now, look at the performances. We were shit at Millwall, shit at home to Peterborough, shit against Ipswich, shit at Southampton, shit at Brighton and very, very average at Palace. So, leaving aside the Blackpool game - when we played 4-4-2, we have been crap for some weeks now. Our luck will run out soon, mark my words. And God help us if O'Neill arrives at Upton Park as the manager of Leicester this weekend. How ironic would that be?

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wish I had the time and more importantly the energy to wade through 8 paragraphs - unfortunately I don't.

Anonymous said...

For once i agree with most of what you say. I find the main thing we seem tolack is fitness. Other teams seem to charge at us, close us down and force us to pass backwards and end up hoofing the ball out. How did we score last night? Doing exactly what every team does to us; we closed them down. Why don't we do that every game? Every time we did it last night we mostly got the ball from their mistakes, and the only reason I can think of for us not doing that is poor fitness

Hammersfan said...

I know 1600, it must take you an age, your finger tracing across the screen, sounding out the letters. God, that little paragraph attached to the Page 3 girl must be a bind for you to read!

Stani said...

Has anyone noticed any difference between the manner in which we've played at home and the manner in which we've played away? I've not seen enough games to say.

I think there's an edginess and some serious lack of belief going on in the performances I've seen.

Time to start playing Sears I think. We need the kind of attitude he showed when he came on.

None of them were pens HF.

Hammersfan said...

Most weren't. The Reid one at the near post, definitely moving his arm to the ball to deflect it for a corner, was dodgy. I would have been screaming pen at the other end - and so would you!

billythehammer said...

Shit against peterboro millwall ipswich soton average against palace etc makes it sound like you actually go to watch west ham.

Hammersfan said...

Were you at St Mary's Billy? I didn't see you there.

Anonymous said...

dear dear dear 2nd place we really are in trouble think how bad it will be on saturday when we go 1st.

Hammersfan said...

Hope you are right mate. But you have just tempted fate in a very unwise way. How long have you supported West Ham? Not long based on that stupid invitation to Fate to kick the club in the bollocks!

Deane said...

we are shit unattractive hoofit non football team
RIP West Ham United

Anonymous said...

Fate and what's the pray tell? you sound like a superstitious uneducated heathen.

fred149 said...

Ive been to quite a few home games this year but no away games although ive got my ticket to west ham vs reading at the madjeski

Hammersfan said...

2303, you clearly do not understand superstring theory. You twitch a superstring and Fate kicks out in a seemingly discoonected part of the Universe.

Anonymous said...

I think you'll find the word "discoonected" is actually racist btw

Anonymous said...

00:06 think you'll it's called supersymmetric string theory.... and they don't twitch they vibrate!

Anonymous said...

Well done 10:16 it's always good to try and get things right! shame HF doesn't have the same attention to detail.

Hammersfan said...

Superstring semantics now!