Take a look at the final league table. After 38 games, West Ham ended up with 40 points, just 7 clear of relegation. And six of those points came courtesy of victories over Spurs!
God knows what would have happened had we not swept to that amazing 3-0 victory at White Hart Lane back in October. Without Carroll and any forward worthy of the name, we looked nailed on certainties for the drop. Keeping clean sheets is all very well, but if you can't score, you can't win games and, apart from beating hapless Cardiff and lowly Cheltenham, we didn't look capable of winning a game. True we engineered a draw at the St Mary's Stadium courtesy of shutting out the Saints, and performed the same trick at Newcastle, but defeats at home to Stoke & Everton and away to Hull meant that the Relegation word was writ large upon the wall by the time we staggered into White Hart Lane.
And after that amazing 3-0 victory, things didn't get any better. Man City took us apart at Upton Park before we stole another point at Swansea courtesy of yet another 0-0 draw; another goalless bore draw followed at home to Villa and then we contrived to lose 3-1 at Norwich after murdering them for the first 45 minutes. Without those three points gifted by Spurs, we would have been deep in shit, even after a very lucky 3-0 win over hapless Fulham.
And so it went on all season, until Fabulous February. How wonderfully fitting that our survival was finally confirmed in the penultimate game of the season, with our third victory of the campaign over a Tottenham team that cost a mere £100million plus to put together. Three games, three victories and an aggregate score of 7-1! Even Maiga managed to net against Tottenham!
Makes you wonder where we would have finished in the table had we been allowed to play Spurs every week, doesn't it?
welcome back mate i never comment on your blog but i just want to say that iv been looking in for about 4yrs now and love the humour, so whats your feelings on young Morrison now pal ?? regards, Dublin Hammer.
ReplyDeleteWhere have been HF? I had just erased my link to your website thinking that you may have packed it up. Anyway, nice to have you back. I agree with you, we had little to talk about with those depressing performances by Sam's one track teams. The only thing worth remembering are the three wins against Spurs.
ReplyDeleteStill would have avoided the drop if they had won both games.
ReplyDeleteMakes your whole blog a bit pathetic.
Again, any excuse to wind up the Big teams you are jealous of ( Leeds, Spurs, etc)
You used to be better at this. 3 Months off sulking has not sharpened you up at all
ive read most comments over the years on all the westham blogs and websites etc..however I don't think anyone has taken as much abuse as you HF...
ReplyDeleteIm beginning to wonder if you write in your blog and slag your selve off...lol
That's the way with foot ball, lots of hope, faith and anticipation followed by 'what ifs', should of's and if onlys.....
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