Well what a fantastic rear guard action! The performance echoed our draw at Anfield last season, but was still more amazing because we have been leaking so many goals lately - and because Chelsea are a better team than Liverpool were last season.
There's little point in writing a match report as such, because all night it was a case of West Ham players closing, chasing, harrying, tackling, screening and throwing their bodies in front of shots. Critics of Allardyce must again accept that no other West Ham manager in our life time has organised a team so effectively defensively - and Allardyce is not blessed with a Bobby Moore, a Frank Lampard senior, a Julian Dicks, an Alvin Martin, a Tony Gale, a Billy Bonds or a Phil Parkes (with apologies to any of our star defenders down the years that my tired old brain may have forgotten.
Instead Allardyce had a back four featuring the lumbering Demel, the resolute but limited Collins, the not quite got it Tomkins and the right footed O'Brien playing at left back. You would expect Hazard, Eto'o, Oscar, Ramires and Lampard to make mince meat of them, and they probably would have done but for two absolute stars in front of them.
So once again, I call upon the critics of Noble to hold their hands up and admit to being wrong; whilst I happily concede that I have horribly underestimated Matty Taylor. These two guys were truly immense tonight, tracking runners, closing space on the edge of our box and throwing their bodies in front of shots. And when we had the ball - which wasn't often! - Noble used it better than any other player in a West Ham shirt. In fact the guy was typified by his refusal to be substituted, staring down Allardyce when his number was shown and making it clear that he was only leaving the pitch over Big Sam's dead body - so Nolan was pulled off instead! Brilliant stuff.
Adrian was superb too and his last second save from Lampard will be one of the great moments of this season, if come the season's finale we remain in this division!
And is there anything else to say? Carroll's air-shot may have cost us two bonus points, but equally it may have enraged the Chelsea bull and resulted in a trouncing, so let's not be too greedy. We remain in the shit, but if we play with this spirit for the remainder of the season, we should be good enough to stay up!
Player ratings: Adrian 10; Demel 7, Collins 10, Tomkins 9, O'Brien 9; Noble 10, Taylor 10; Downing 6, Nolan 7, Diame 5; Carroll 6 Subs Jarvis 6, Cole 6, Nocerino 4
6 comments:
As a qpr fan I like the 'ammers,like most R's fans- especially when yous take points off the SCUM. Well done!!!
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DRAW MAKES.
Even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day.
Possession
72% - 28%
Shots
39 - 1
BFS has seemingly splashed the cash on a brand spanking Boris Bus and driven it across town to park it, inch perfect, in front of the away end at Stamford Bridge If this is the West Ham way, and more to the point, is enough to lure Sham Dangler off his armchair (it's been quite a while) then "Hallelujah". Premiership faith is reborn under northern stewardship. Keep up the good work BFS. Let us rejoice.
Theres little point in writing a match report at any time you cockney turd. Very few people read your rancid thoughts,why do you still give player ratings aswell? NO-ONE CARES. YOUR OPINION IS WORTHLESS,YOU ARE A NOBODY. DEAL WITH IT. I only visited this crap hole to laugh at you after what Jose said about w,ham. I also noticed your spiteful remarks about Ross McCormack,you knew damn well that he would not join a relegation fight so you got your revenge in first. Puerile.
Living up to the name, "The Academy of Football"!
A match report from someone who doesn't go to games.
Anyway, have fun lauding your Hammers Heroes, and I'll leave you with the following quote from Fat Sam's opposite number:
"this is not Premier League. This is not the best league in the world. This is football from the 19th century...Pretending injuries; cheating... I don't know if that's the right word; the goalkeeper taking time not after minute 70 but in the first minute; 10 defenders in the box, defenders not putting a foot outside the box. All very basic. But I'm nobody to criticise. They are happy. They get a point. I hope the point means something for them at the end of the season...Sam was laughing when we spoke. His objective was to come here and take a point. His objective was not to come here and play good football, or win, or feel part of the quality of the Premier League."
What a disgrace. Good riddance (in advance of your looming relegation).
30/1 13:13 - I have to agree, how someone can comment with such monotony on a team whose performances he never attends is beyond me.
But do remember this 'blog' is (embarrassingly poorly) written by the 'author' with the sole aim of seeing his posts appear on a news aggregator. He's been at it for years ever since he's been banned from every actual fan's forum around, mainly for displaying the psychological traits of an utter lunatic.
To compound his situation, take a look at his other efforts of trying to attract attention with his other pitiful efforts aimed at other teams.
To get such gratification from seeing one's diatribe appear on a small corner of the web displays so many symptoms of so many well-recognised mental illnesses it's hard to believe he has yet been helped out of his situation. To also believe that, somehow, by having his articles linked to from an automated news aggregator makes him popular, or listened to, or both should tell you all you need to know about this person. A very, very sad individual indeed with some serious socio-psychological issues.
I used to get embarrassed as an actual West Ham fan by his efforts as he does taint all of us. I'm over that now though as, with all the above in mind, it's clear this person is actually in need of some help and no doubt some friends. But then, if his writing is reflective of his personality it's pretty clear why he has none. Catch 22 I would say.
Oh, the moderator feature is on, there's a surprise - I guess that pretty much backs up all of the above. I wouldn't be surprised if the author is too weak minded to actually publish this but at least I know he would have read it. I just hope he takes a moment to reflect on it and maybe put measures in place to try and help himself out of the psychological mire he has got himself into. The first step I would suggest would be to stop embarrassing yourself so publicly.
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