So, who gets your award? Nolan for that foul against Millwall, Collison for cleaning up Kebe or Taylor tonight? O'Brien's dismissal was stupid but not really in the same league.
Given we were playing with 10 men, you have to see this as a point won, but I have a horrible feeling that Allardyce's substitutions cost us. True Maynard forced an excellent save from Davis, but we missed Cole's physical presence after he was withdrawn and the ball kept coming back far too quickly when we tried to clear our lines. With the Southampton goal coming from a set piece, you also feel that Cole might have been useful defensively. Meanwhile O'Neil again offered very little. His introduction was a signal to the rest of the team to retreat - exactly as against Millwall. Vaz Te was a thorn in the side of the Southampton defence and when he came off, Southampton were free to pour forward. And of course, Vaz Te is a big lump and O'Neil isn't so we were again weaker when defending a set piece. How ironic!
Yet again, we failed to score more than once in a game, and yet again we failed to score from open play - but Davis was as heroic as Green tonight, and with ten men, there was a valid excuse.
Birmingham's draw was great news, but Cardiff and Blackpool have edged closer. The game at Blackpool is now huge - and Avram Grant's side won there if you remember. We go into the game without both Taylor and Nolan so hopefully nobody else will pick up the idiot mantle!
Green made three excellent saves, Noble led by example, Faubert had another fine game and was exhausted come the final whistle and the whole defence worked well as a unit. But for Taylor, we would have won the game comfortably. I hope Allardyce gives him a rocket!
11 comments:
Another captains performance by Noble making all the money we paid for nolan including wages look wasted and we couldve spent it on someobdy else like lallana or wittingham
Just got back from the game fanno and got to pick you up on a couple of points. Cole had a very hit and miss game and I certainly didn't see a massive swing around in the hold up play when he went off, I don't think anything was sticking with him tonight and didn't personally see the cole substitution swinging the game to southamptons favour. Also your quote of Vaz te is a big lump and o neil isnt ????? Don't know who your mistaking Vaz te with be his physical presence cannot even be compared to o Neil. Vaz te is a technicallly gifted player but is lightweight in the challenge and on multiple occasions tonight he failed to defend with any conviction whatsoever and let many crosses get across be weakly waving his leg or jumping up in the air. Matt Taylor is an absolute disgrace and just another example of a professional footballer being thick as shit and not having a brain cell in sight. Absolute joke
Vaz Te is 6'2 mate, O'Neil is 5'8: an extra 6 inches makes a hell of a lot of difference according to my wife.
Southampton play Beautiful football what a laugh they dived around more than Tom Daly and had 11 Kevin Nolans on the pitch always in the ref and lino's face. Billy Sharp and Kelvin Davis were a disgrace rant over.
Mine too although I keep telling myself 3 inches is enough to be a world beater!!!!!!. He may be tall but looks a lanky streak of piss to me and out of o neill and Vaz te there would only be one winner of a tackle every time.
Yep but the goal came from a set piece, and inches count when a ball is crossed into your box; O'Neil can't tackle a cross can he? As for Vaz Te tackling, you can't have everything and it shows up the flaw in 4-3-3. Van Te offers you an attacking option but is not hot on defensive duties.
Hello Hammersfan. Was you at the game today? Honest answer please.
Anony-mouse says,
Home from game, A few points.
1). I don't care how tall Vaz Te is- he can't defend but does look a tidy 'West Ham' type of player. Not a roll your sleeves type though. That's why it was sensible to take him off.
2). O'Neill did fine. Energetic and helped us keep our shape when others tired.
3), Carlton was understandably knackered and was sensibly subbed. Maynard gave us a good option and nearly won it.
4). This was a terrific point in the circumstances.
5). Saints have been built up as the league's best team. On tonight's show they are nothing to be scared of. With 11 men on the pitch we'd have won. They looked largely ineffectual- Lambert will have to climb out of Faye's pocket to get home.
6). Credit is due to Allardyce and the lads. I have not seen a West ham team keep their shape so well as this one, since 1986. The players stick to their roles and trust others to do the same. the contrast with Grant's shambles could not be more stark.
7) Our future is in our hands and I think (if we can get the discipline back) that we will be just fine.
00:24 thank you Anony-mouse a sensible read.
I still think Di Canio would have been worth the risk to be honest but what I do not get which nobody mentions is we played some good stuff today and then kept playing good stuff for the first 5-10 minutes then in typical BFS fashion we brought on players like o'neil and maynard for vaz te and cole and tried sitting back on a 1 goal lead like brighton I have no doubt had we carried on going at them we would have won as we wouldn't have invited so much pressure on ourselves
Taylor is the biggest idiot for me. No need to get involved whatsoever. Again the remaining 10 men had to rally - and did so superbly. I don't agree that the removal of Cole meant the ball "kept coming back". It did when he was on the pitch. He was awful. The goal we conceded - from yet another set piece - was a combination of Reid not marking/jumping and Tomkins ball-watching when the ball bounced of their players shins before he poked it home. No excuses for conceding from a set-piece. We had more of our players in the box than they did. Same weakness in both boxes from set pieces. Having said all that, I predicted 1-1 before the game as I could not see us stopping their front four from scoring. Onwards and upwards. Tough game Tuesday night coming up
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