One nil down at half time, my money would have been on a two or three goal Chelsea victory if I could ever bet against my own team. My mind had turned to the bottom of the table games, praying for QPR and Villa to draw, Reading and Southampton to lose and wondering where the next nineteen points were going to come from. Little did I know that Benitez was telling his side to retreat, Atkinson was being told he had ballsed up and needed to make redress, and Allardyce was reorganising the team and telling a few players that he would have their bollocks on toast if he didn't see an improvement.
The second half was one of the best 45 minutes I have ever seen West Ham play. Chelsea were over run, driven deeper and deeper into their Spanish shell, as we buzzed like one of Sullivan and Gold's deluxe vibrators. Chelsea don't like it up them and we shoved it exactly where it hurts - right up Benitez's mañana - not that he has many mañanas left after two 0-0 draws and a 3-1 thumping at Upton Park!
Cole was brilliant. Of course his goal should have been disallowed but who cares, he was overdue a stroke of luck. His lay back for Diame's goal was sheer class and he led the line throughout with more composure and intelligence than Carroll has displayed all season. The celebrations that followed Cole's equaliser were epic. The players were pumped and boy did they show it! Two minutes of retaliation from Chelsea apart, we remained on top from that point forward!
Diame was sublime after replacing Tomkins. Collins was a rock at the back. Jussi made three excellent saves in the game (let's forget that dodgy throw out!). Taylor was a huge improvement on O'Neil. And Maiga scored! фантастично, невероятно, блестящ!
22 points banked. We will not go down from here. I was no fan of Allardyce but I was wrong. The guy is a bloody genius!
West Ham 3 Chelsea 1. Dear God, and I am celebrating in Bulgaria tonight with beer at 80p a pint! Heaven!
Player ratings: Jussi 8; Demel 6, Reid 7, Collins 7, O'Brien 6; Tomkins 5; O'Neil 5, Noble 6, Nolan 7, Jarvis 6; Cole 8 Subs Diame 9, Taylor 7, Maiga 7
21 comments:
Can you just repeat the part where you said that you were wrong? You are often wrong but never admit it like that.
I up Jarvis and Noble both up to 7's Noble for some of his quality passes in the 2nd half and Jarvis because he was dangerous throughout and his crossing was quality again today in fact didn't he assist coles goal with a cross.
only one lousy comment thats how much your own fans think of your bloggs
What an epic victory. Diame and Cole were immense. And anyone who thinks Noble is what he's made out to be after watching him today knows nothing about football! Repeatedly giving away free kicks in silly positions. At fault for their goal and still frustratingly wasteful at set pieces. I lost count of the wasted corners and free kicks that went straight to the keeper. You saw this with your own eyes and still you will deny it HF! Amazing
And in our last game you were comparing him with Diame? Hahaaa. Look at the difference Diame made when he came on. And he made most tackles in the game and he was only on second half! Where were Noble's stats then?!
B*llocks to your stats! IRONS!
joey o'brien did better than a 6, out of position at lb, his pass into cole for the layoff was inch perfect, without it there would of been no goal, he also defended a lot better than demel, he is always played out of position yet gives a solid enough performance, o'neil on the other hand is very lucky to get a rating as high as 5
i have no problem with your praise of Noble, but his corners man. when was his last decent corner delivery?
and he has been the designated set piece taker the past few years!
Enjoy your Bulgarian beer. It's been quite a while to experience such second half thrills. And against Chelsea and Benitez it makes it even sweeter. I will not even mention that Noble was totally to blame for the goal we conceded for not tracking back Matta. Oops...
Diame was majestic and solid as a rock. I hate to think what will become of us if the big clubs steal him from us.
stani and sav, get therapy. west ham have just beaten chelsea 3-1 and all you can do is knock noble. desperate or what?
And all you can do is ignore his sh*t performance! That's desperate HF!
Fred, what the hell was you watching! I'm astonished!
And I forgot to add above...Noble's attempted back heel that went all wrong! Left us short on the counter and Torres really should have put it away. That would have been the game.
...but you keep having orgasms over his stats. Baffling
So I love how oble is getting kocked when he was playing with Tomkins and O'neil in the same midfield as well as Nolan. Can you really Blame him for losing his man when chelse play a 4231 so hes having to deal with Hazard, mata and oscar when he came on. If you watch Noble in the 2nd half Stani instead of trying to base it on a first half playing with the worst midfielders around him you wouldve seen the amount of times he set Jarvis, Taylor and Demel free down the wings.
How many games have you been to this season hf?
And and and...let's not forget the utterly stupid challenge outside the box which led to a free kick from which Mata hit the post. We saw Noble's classic reaction after that one with him being shocked at why a free kick was given (he does it to fool the crowd so they don't see his challenge for what it was i.e brainless). Co-commentator Alan Smith said at the time "Don't know how he's got the nerve to complain about that one". Of course Smith doesn't know what Noble the master is up to.
Oh, and you're right HF. West ham have just beaten chelsea 3-1 and all we talk about is Noble...and all you can do is post on Leeds and Watford!
80p a pint? and? you're still out there on your own, with none of your brethren to share the victory with - can't much hollower then that you mug.
Absolutely amazing match. To think that a 3 man midfield that cost us a total of 5 million quid was able to beat out the likes of Mata, Oscar, Mikel, Ramires and others who were all over 5 million EACH! Buzzing all over the place, so happy to see Cole get a goal and Maiga to get one as well (although HF I think even you could have made that). Overall great day to be a Hammer even over in America like me!!
Why don't we let your audience decide who really needs therapy? Why don't you ask them? If they vote for Stani and me, I will accept that Noble is better than Messi and apologise.
both goals were clear fouls. West Ham like to push people over under big Allardyke
You forgot the terrible back heel which saw Chelsea break at pace and nearly score Stani. But no he doesn't do it for the crowd - that reveals your obsession - he does it to manage the thought processes of the referee. Nolan does it too. Cole's goal was allowed because Nolan's was disallowed, and Atkinson felt uneasy about disallowing a second because Nolan, Noble and co told him he was wrong when he disallowed the first. Noble complains whenever a free kick is given against him because he hopes to negotiate away a yellow. But I agree, it was a stupid challenge, straight out of the Scott Parker book of twatish tackles.
However, you again focus on the negatives. We were a man short in midfield in the first half because Tomkins screens the back four, he does not anchor midfield. In the second half, with Diame replacing him, we had a proper midfield three - Noble, Diame and Nolan - and that three commanded and bossed the midfield against Chelsea. Now, if one of those three is as crap as you and Sav maintain, the other two must be footballing goliaths. In fact, it's amazing that both have been ignored by Barcelona, Man City and Real Madrid for so long!
Why can't you let this obsession go guys? We are eigth in the Prem, 4 points off a Champions League place, with one of the best defensive records in the division, despite having a very ordinary looking back four. It's quite amazing that we have achieved that if the play making anchor at the base of our midfield is rubbish. Try looking at the positives for God's sake!
And the jibe about Leeds and Watford is stupid given the comment was left on a thread about the West Ham v Chelsea game Stani.
Pretty sure it was Tomkins that failed to track Mata's run into the box,or so that footballing genius Alan Smith said...
Strange though hf? You're telling stani and sav to let their obsession with noble go? So why don't you let your obsession with Watford and Leeds go? Otherwise everyone will just think you're full of shit.
shock horror you did not attend the game........wooooooooooooooow that was a bolt from the blue.
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