Robert Green: Lars Jacobsen, Daniel Gabbidon, James Tomkins, Wayne Bridge; Gary O'Neil, Mark Noble, Scott Parker; Victor Obinna (2) Frederic Piquionne Robbie Keane (1) Subs: Winston Reid, Luis Boa Morte, Radoslav Kovac
West Ham 4 Blackpool 0
Manuel Almunia: Julien Faubert, Winston Reid, James Tomkins, George McCartney: Jack Collison (1) Pape Bouba Diop, Kevin Nolan, Matt Taylor; John Carew (1) Sam Baldock (2) Subs: Abdoulaye Faye, Fred Sears, Mark Noble
Blackpool 1 West Ham 4
Robert Green: Joey O'Brien, Abdoulaye Faye, Winston Reid, George McCartney; James Tomkins (1) Mark Noble, Jack Collison; Julien Faubert, Nicky Maynard, Ricardo Vaz Te Subs: Lansbury (to play in goal!), O'Neil, Cole.
So that is played three, scored 11 conceded 2, and we haven't played our first choice team in any of the games! Demel is a huge improvement on Jacobsen, O'Brien and Faubert at right back and the midfield is so much stronger now that Noble, Nolan and O'Neil are operating as a unit. Collison or Lansbury? Either would be fine!
Tense or nervous? To be honest, no. We should be far too strong for Blackpool and I really do not think Allardyce will balls this up. Holloway and his boys have been playing mind games all week but we have remained commendably aloof. The fact is, Blackpool are scared shitless of us with very good reason. Even when we have picked donkeys like Carew, Piquionne, Keane, Sears and Faubert we have thumped them!
Glad to see your not nervous, I'm really nervous, West Ham seem to be able to grab defeat from the jaws of victory at an alarming frequency, lets hope this is not the case on Saturday, I'll be at Wembley for 1pm for a few beers to calm the nerves before KO
ReplyDeleteCOYI
Anony-mouse says,
ReplyDeleteHF you gobby twit- stop tempting fate :) You know that it ain't that easy. I myself am a heady mixture of over-excited and bricking it. I'm confident we'll play well but there's just so much resting on it. And Blackpool are better defensively than when we battered them and like us have peaked at just the right team. I'm not playing them up btw, just recognising them for what they are.
Have loved Blackpool's attempt to out-psyche us this week. Cardiff tried the same, and just as then we have brilliantly just shrugged it off and left them blithering on about shite. So glad the lads and Sam haven't risen to the bait and talked bollocks in return.
Hope you managed to get a ticket and if not that you enjoy your day anyway. I can't wait. Going to Wembley is so special if you go there following your team rather than your country. I was a naive teenager when I saw our last game at Wembley (bloody Clive Thomas). I'd been to the Cup Final the year before and so thought this would be a regular trip. I had no blooming idea it would be another 31 flipping years.
COYI! This can be done.
Have a fantastic day Anony-mouse.
ReplyDeleteWhy would we be nervous? I mean its not like WHU have ever lost to a smaller club or anything... It's not like refs ever influence games in negative ways...
ReplyDeleteSure, we should win, but if there's one unwritten rule in footie, its on their day anyone can beat anyone. While its good to be confident, and in fairness I am, I hope sam's not as cocky as you!
I'm as jumpy as spit on a griddle...
ReplyDeleteBarcelona were favourites as well fellas wouldn't get to cocky just yet if I were you especially the way this season has gone
ReplyDeleteI hadn't geen nervous at all until I read your post, HF! Now your well-reasoned confidence has me quaking like USA Dave. Leave in 4 hours from Texas for Wembley: Beyond excited to see this match in person!!
ReplyDeleteHi Mouse
ReplyDeleteYes. The last time I watched West Ham at Wembley was the 1981 League Cup final v West Ham. I rememeber it well. We had seats right at the front of the stadium and the view was obstucted by a policemen's helmet. This time I could only get a ticket in category 5 behind the goal. Hope you can spot the ball from there.
If someone had told us in 1981 we would not be back at Wembley for another 31 years would we have believed it?
Anyway as HF says we should be too good for them but WH usually do things the hard way. I expect there will be some drama and Ince and Matt Phillips are likely to cause problems down the wings on that wide Wembley pitch.
You not going to the game HF? Seems a great shame that Blackpool returned 000's of tickets which can't be sold to WH fans.
COYI.. Good luck
Anything can happen in 90 minutes in such an important game for both teams.
ReplyDeleteThe point is that the players should remain cool and focussed. If I was sure they would not be overwhelmed by the occassion perhaps I would be as optimistic as you are HF.
Bon Voyage, Jon. I was invited to join him, but just couldnt leave the family. TV will have to do.
ReplyDeleteMy head says we will win. My heart says its West Ham...whatever that means
Fanno, everything is on our side and I think we're gonna win it........but don't jinx it!!! I'm so nervous :(
ReplyDeleteAnonymouse says,
ReplyDeleteHi Whugo,
No mate, I didn't think it would take another 31 years. The innocence of youth eh? I think we can forgive ourselves for thinking that back then though- along with the 75 final (which I was too young to go to) we'd played 3 finals there in just 6 years.
I agree about Ince and Matt Phillips. It's a conundrum that the use of attacking full backs which has served us so well lately could be our achilles heel if those two Blackpool lads use the space behind them. Their forwards are wily enough to exploit us. Demel is an intelligent player and has been terrific but for me is still slow which is to be expected as he has only just broken into the team. Taylor doesn't have the natural defensive qualities of McCartney. I'd still go with the most attacking two though- it would be a shame to change the system now.
Anyway enjoy your day Whugo (and every other WHU fan on here). And to those non-WHU fans waiting for us to lose- I hope we don't hear from many of you after the game cos that'll mean we've won. But if we do lose you can say whatever you want and we will still love West Ham and be proud it. It's an amazing old club with a romance and tradition about it that few can match. Watch 45-50,000 of us make more noise than the scousers and plastic Chelsea managed between them the other week, cos that is who we are and that is what we do.
COYFI!
Stay calm Kareem, stay calm.
ReplyDeleteare you going to the game mate?
ReplyDelete