Tuesday 20 March 2012

West Ham 1 Middlesbrough 1 - Allardyce Gets His Just Deserts!

You build a monster and sooner or later you will regret it. Just look at the score at Elland Road. We went there to defend and scrambled a late, late equaliser; Nottingham Forest have gone there tonight and smashed in seven! We go one goal ahead with the flukiest goal you've ever seen in your life and what does Allardyce do? He pulls off Maynard and Cole and sends on Carew and Collison, holding up a neon side announcing let's hold on for a 1-0 win. We conceded the inevitable goal and it was only courtesy of McCartney clearing off the line that we came away with a point.

What the fcuk was Allardyce doing with his formation? I saw the team selection and called it 4-1-3-2; in my bloody dreams! No, Maynard, an out an out striker was asked to play wide right to accommodate Nolan. And what did Maynard do all night? Not much. What did Nolan do? Even less!

Yet again, there was no guile, no craft, no composure, no invention, no imagination. Time and again long straight balls were lumped forward. Once again crosses were hit aimlessly into the box playing the bloody stupid mindless percentage game. It is a disgrace. We are worse than Bolton ever were! At least Bolton got bodies into the box and had players who could deliver crosses and play balls into the channels. Not this pile of shit! Not with Allardyce at the helm!

Tell me, what has Collison done all season to merit being brought on? Lansbury I could swallow, but Collison? Tell me, why was Maynard pushed wide on the right and left there when he was so obviously a fish out of water? Tell me, why was Carew used when the guy is obviously just marking time and picking up a salary for doing not very much.

And tell me, what did we create all night? Taylor could have scored, courtesy of a misplaced Boro pass back. Tomkins forced a superb save from Steele, but 99 of his 100 headers go over the bar so even if he had netted there would have been an element of luck about it. Cole and Noble fired over before half time. Maynard fired in a shot from outside the box in the first half, straight at Steele. Then Maynard tried to dink one over Steele from an impossible scoring position, landing it on the roof of the net.

Did we get to the byline once? Did we pass the ball to one of our own players along the ground into Boro's box once all game? Do you know I can't remember one. Maybe when Taylor broke down the left hand side of the box in the first half and failed to beat the first defender with his cross.

The Allardyce apologists will trot out more excuses. Vaz Te's absence will no doubt be cited, just as Taylor's absence earlier in the season was given as an excuse. But it's not the personnel picked, it's the absence of flair in the squad and the appalling, appalling tactics of Doctor Evil and his very own Igor, Kevin Nolan. Once again players were played out of position, once again Baldock was brought on far too late, once again the initiative was handed to the opposition by dreadful substitutions. If Grant had been making the decisions that Allardyce has made, he would have been crucified. A couple of games apart, we have been shit since the start of December. Southampton now have one foot in the Prem and, to be honest, even with Reading losing, we look a million miles away from going up.

Play-offs? How the hell will we win a game over two legs?

Player Ratings: Green 6; O'Brien 5, Faye 8, Collins 6, McCartney 5; Maynard 4, Noble 6, Tomkins 6, Nolan 1, Taylor 5; Cole 5 Subs Carew 2, Collison 3 Baldock (Given no chance!)

7 comments:

Sav said...

We absolutely had no midfield. And the sad thing is, it's not just today. It's the Allardyce way. He plays with no midfield. Pack the defence and go direct until you hopefully get a goal. Then sit back and defend. Because Sam only appreciates 1-0 wins. But lately, he can't even do that!

I think I had just about enough of this nonsense. This is not West Ham. I really don't know who we are any more. Whether Sam gets us in the PL or not it doesn't matter any more for me. There is no football being played by the team in claret blue. I don't see how this can change when it is so obvious we need players like Lansbury, Morisson to be brought in to hold and pass the ball and what does the guy do? He selects Carew! Carew for Christ sake!!! Even if he was match fit he would have been the wrong choice!

I am afraid that my question has been answered today. Sam can't change! Go and Di Canio or someone, anyone, so that we can start playing once again... Even Zola would do... I better stop because this is not good for my health.

Hammersfan said...

Grant had a 100% record against Championship sides Sav!

Anonymous said...

Agree entirely with original post, and Sav's comments. Our football is dross. It is depressing. On top of the deficiencies pointed out by you both, the most noticeable problem for me is the lack of speed in our play. Firstly we have too many players who lack pace, but worse we take too long on the ball to decide what we're going to do with it. This gives the opposition those vital extra seconds to organise their response to our attack. If we had someone with a bit more guile we might get away this, but lacking one, we are not.
The low-point was Sam taking off our two frontline strikers, having complained in the week that we don't turn 1-0 leads into 2-0 leads!! Work that one out. The man is a fool. Personally I'd sack him right now for boring the pants off everyone, and making such hard work of winning this very poor division with easily the best squad in it. If we go up and Allardyce stays at the helm we will come straight down again, playing like this. Unfortunately we'd probably have to miss out on promotion for the Davids to sack this sack of s##t.

Deane said...

about a year too late but it's nice to see everyone starting to come round to the view I've held since the day Allardyce was appointed

John said...

Obviously Newcastle and Blackburn didn't sack Allardyce for fun they knew a bit more about him than our lot did.
There was n't a single player in the side that looked confident or capable of scoring a goal, when it came it was an own goal.Theirs was a brilliant goal. It is enough to make you weep.Surely even Sam can see the writing on the wall re Nolan.

Anonymous said...

Noble 6! BEHAVE! He was the worst player in an absolute terrible team. I'll give him 2 for turning up. Another over-rated home product.

Hammersfan said...

Must admit I was uncomfortable with the Noble rating and based it on two absolutely fabulous tackles and on his tireless work rate. I remain convinced that with Nolan out of the team, he would be fine. He bossed games when Captain Kev was absent remember.