Alternatively, our only goal was from the penalty spot, Portsmouth played most of the second half with 10 men, and the shots on goal count stood at 9 to 2 in Portsmouth's favour over the 90 minutes - and one of our 2 was from the penalty spot! Overall, Portsmouth had 13 shots to our 10 and 7 corners to our 3. What does that tell you?
Once again we were somewhere between mediocre and dire when we had the ball. But is that surprising when you start with one man up front and have a midfield of Diop, Noble, Nolan, Collison and Faubert? Even against 10 very average Pompey players, how is that midfield going to open up an opposition? And with Cole up front, is it any surprise that the team, once again, and for the eighth game in succession, failed to score more than a single goal in a game?
Some on here are already crowing about the victory and claiming this result vindicates Allardyce and puts us back on course. Cobblers! Southampton showed what you should do when you are a goal ahead and the opposition go down to 10 men, you step up your game and bang in another two. But not Allardyce. He keeps it compact, plays for the 1-0 and betrays everything our club has ever stood for in the process.
What a waste of money travelling to Pompey to watch that! True I didn't get a parking ticket like I got at Reading and true it felt better to drive home with 3 points in the bag, rather than after a 3 goal tonking, but apart from that, dear God, it was dire. True we passed the ball on the floor better than Pompey even when they had 11 players on the pitch, but where is the flair? Where is the inspiration? Where is the imagination? Where is the pace? Where is the joy, the entertainment, the sense of adventure?
What a relief that Allardyce has signed a defensive lump on loan, that's just what this team is crying out for! To hell with scoring goals, if we can keep the opposition down to a goal or less, we will collect more points than we lose. And that's it. That's what West Ham United has been debased to. It is pitiful, embarrassing, shameful. And for one, I would rather be in the chasing pack playing FOOTBALL than in the top 2 stopping opponents from playing. One Nil to the Claret and Blue is not a chant I want adopted!
So yes we won against 10 man Portsmouth. Big bloody deal. And yes we are joint top of a piss poor division. Big bloody deal. If anybody is excited by today's performance, then they have no sense of what our club stands for, no sense of our heritage, no understanding of the philosophy of Greenwood and Lyall.
So glory in the three points, glory in mediocrity, glory in a betrayal of values, glory in becoming West Ham Wanderers. But don't expect me to trumpet us after a 1-0 victory against 10 mediocre players. The problems persist despite today's victory.
Player Ratings: Green 6, O'Brien 6, Tomkins 6, Reid 6, McCartney 6, Diop 6, Noble 6, Collison 6, Nolan 6, Faubert 6, Cole 6 Yawn!
17 comments:
take it your not happy then.
You waste of space.
Dave says,
I wouldn't expect you to 'trumpet' if we'd beat Barcelona 10-1 away, to seal a 27 nil aggregate victory. You'd be carping on that we hadn't done half as well as the first leg, and that we'd been sloppy to concede a goal.
Us winning makes you so grumpy!
How aboout addressing the issue guys? These three responses are pathetic. Why did Pompey have more shots than us, more corners, and more shots on target? Why, apart from the penalty, could we only muster one shot on target in 90 minutes when playing for most of the second half against 10 mediocre men? Go on, justify that!
Im a Pompey fan & just want to agree with the comments that I was shocked at how when we went down to 10 men W.Ham sat and were happy to stick to a 1 nil win. Not the West Ham I was brought up on. Big Sam tatics !! mmm I'd glad we have Mr Appleton ! gd luck, but Im sorry on that showing I wldnt expect you to go up !! PUP !
Beat Barca 10-1 n win 27 nothing overall ?! Makes sense. BFS needs to get someone decent in up front and on the wings faubert does nothing as per he's fast n thats it no final ball or decent shooting. Why not go for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on loan? He said after Arsenal v Leeds he would b more than happy to go out on loan and if wolves can get Frimpong who started more PL matches than AOC why not chance it the young geezer looks shit hot. As for a striker well any ideas anyone? Rhodes looks over n done with Sordell doesn't really excite me who else? Zaha from palace? But yet again the "big guns" have been looking so yet another possible target missed out on.
Fanno there is no justification about the football but ultimately we are in a truly crap league and the old cliche is going to come out the table doesn't lie. We haven't got to pass teams off the park, we haven't got to inspire and entertain but we do have to get promoted. To not go up this season will be catastrophic and if uninspiring 1-0 wins is what is needed to achieve that then for a short time so be it. If we are in the premier league serving up this dross then I will be the first one to agree that it is truly unacceptable but while we're in this shit tip of league playing these god awful teams then I'll stomach it as I still truly believe that come may we will be in one of the 2 auto promotion places. You know I'm as passionate about playing football the proper way as anyone but circumstances dictate and at the start of the season if u asked any west ham supporter would they take being level on points at the top of the table half way through the season there would only be one answer. I know we're not looking convincing, I know we're not playing good football and I know Sam allardyce wouldn't know a passing game if it smacked him in the face but we are in the mix and whilst we are in the mix I for one will be content with what's going on and will keep the faith. Oh and just one point regarding lyall and greenwood, roeder, pardew, Zola and grant all ensured those philosophy's we're confined to history for our club, not allardyce!
Whoops! Sorry 'Jack up Norf'-maths isn't my strong point.
God bless Tal Ben Haim!
Hi Bas, how's things? Tell me, why will anything change if we go up? Allardyce will stay and he isn't going to play stylish football in the Prem is he? In fact, the football will be even cruder. By the way, you forgot Turds - and Pardew had us playing an exciting brand of football!
i was at the game and am a pompey fan i think west ham should count themselves very lucky to get 3 points. I have abit of a soft spot for west ham because they used to play good football but on todays performance i was very disappointed i mean cole was embarrassing how he played for England i well never know, he was either on the floor or moaning at the ref! and nolan just didn't look interested what so ever. good luck tho hope u knock the scummers off the top. pup
I think HF makes a valid point. We should count ourselves lucky to escape with three points today. Luck is not enough to get us promoted. Even if we do get promoted however, we will drop back to the Championship like a stone with this team.
Oh yes turds.....I was trying to put him in the outer reaches of my mind but you had to bring him up. If we get promoted then there's a number of variables. What sort of money will Sam have to spend? What players will he bring in. Tell me this if Bentley had stayed fit and demel and Lansbury not sustain serious injuries would the football have been as dull as it is now? I dont believe it would have been and the 2 most creative players in Bentley and Lansbury could well have had a very different impact. We know there's not an endless pot of money and allardyce has got to do what he feels most comfortable doing to reach the final goal of getting us back into the prem. if big towering lumps is what he thinks is goin to do it then there's no surprise thats what he has reverted too. He is only on a 2 year contract so what's to say he wouldn't be gone by the time we got settled back in the prem. i'll say it again if at the start of the season we was offered 2 years of crap football but as a result we would have a much better financed and managed club then I would take it, if he gets us up and then sees us through a steady campaign next year then I would take that all day long. The 2 muppets in charge have finally stopped gobbing off to all and sundry and the financial state of the club is much improved so all in all it may not be pleasant but it is needed. I beg to differ on your assessment of pardew. The 2 seasons in the championship under him were truly dreadful, we only managed to scrape the play offs and the football no better than what we are playing now the only exciting football was for the first half season we were back in the prem and then as soon as we knew we were safe everyone switched off, look back at the results over Pardews three seasons in charge, some good ones but on the whole a lot more medicore, one dimensional hit and hope football than entertaining and free flowing. And in response to your first question things are going very well thank you my friend just wish I had a bit more time to respond to most of your threads. You still have me reading every day though.
I was also at the game today and have to agree we never had 1 creative move all game. We played for the draw from kick off and once they went down to 10 men, to be fair they played well at containment... taking any sting out of the game keeping possession well and changing flanks constantly to make pompey work for it.
I have said before in posts that i would not put myself through any more of this seasons shit, but we get drawn back don't we.... i pray for some changes next year, because we will need em...
19:56 How about you address your issues? you jumped up, sheep worrying waste of space. WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Against 10 men!
A lot of teams in the championship would love to have allardyce in charge at their club. I am a West Ham fan and am glad we have a manager with the know-how to get us back into the premier league. Our away performances this season have been particularly entertaining, but it's been effective, and we've had all 11 players working together as a unit determined to get something out of the game, which we haven't seen for the past few seasons.
As for today's game, Pompey have an excellent home record (this was their first loss since August) and I think that it is being harsh criticising a hard fought win at a ground when lots of other teams have struggled this season. So many of the previous seasons we have thrown away leads for fun, and I for one won't criticise us working as a unit and as a team to battle our way out of this league which is full of teams scrapping for points, and raising their game week I'm week out to beat the biggest team in the division.
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