QPR 1 West Ham 2 - You were watching Robert Green!

Tony Fernandes, Anton Ferdinand, Kieron Dyer, Bobby Zamora - your boys took one hell of a beating! What a night! What a performance! Eleven points in the bag, climbing to seventh in the table, first away win of a new Premiership campaign, six points out of six from London derbies! Mind you, if Clattenbung refereed all of our games, we wouldn't be able to field a team by the end of October. Eight bookings and I didn't see a nasty West Ham foul all night! Twat!

 

Twattenbung apart, and he did show a red to Diakite, it was an excellent night. The Taarabt goal was out of the top drawer, absolutely unstoppable so no blame to be assigned there, and a couple of long shots apart, QPR rarely threatened. The defence on paper looks decidedly suspect but happily the game is played on grass and not paper. Noble and Diame are screening the back four superbly and whilst we look dodgy down our left, we seem to find a way of keeping the ball out, even when Collins loses the man he is supposed to be marking.

 

Jussi made one superb save tonight and another decent one, but he seems to have an issue, like Green, with grubbers close to his body. Two tonight spun off him when he really should have collected them comfortably.

 

Most impressive tonight was Allardyce's positive team selection. Whilst Hughes left his flair players on the bench - Hoilet was brought on too late (but forced a save from Jussi) and Taarabt had an immediate and spectacular impact - Allardyce picked an offensive team with Jarvis and Vaz Te playing wide and high. The reward was goals from both, albeit Vaz Te's may be ripped from him by the dubious goals panel.

 

All night we were stretching QPR down the flanks and with a decent centre forward, we would have won the game at a canter. I've defended Cole so often in the past but there's no defending him now. One header in the first half was bulleted wide of the goal when a deflected header back across the face of goal was the obvious call, whilst the second half miss when played in by Nolan was nothing short of disgraceful. He was centre of the goal, Cesar was slow out of the blocks and hopelessly committed, and Cole didn't just side foot it wide, he missed a gaping goal by three yards. It was woeful finishing. And most annoying of all, he smiled. 3-1 at that stage and it was game over; instead we had to live on our nerves for another thirty minutes!

 

Mind you, Carroll looked rusty when he came on. One Jarvis cross found him flat footed, failing to commit in anticipation of the cross, and Nolan didn't mince his words after playing a tantalising ball across the face of the six yard box only for Carroll to start for the cross ten minutes after his marker.

 

But hang on, I am criticising everybody, and we won, and won quite comfortably. The pluses? Who replaced Demel over the summer? The guy playing at right back is a revelation. We saw a lumbering carthorse in the play off final, now the guy being presented as Demel looks positively live wire, getting up and down the right flank brilliantly.

 

Diame too was superb. If he could learn to shoot, he would be the complete midfielder.

 

Vaz Te looked good too, and Jarvis even better.

 

And Nolan and Noble did their England chances no harm at all, with Noble controlling from the base of midfield and Nolan from the pinnacle. Again, their critics will scoff, but this game was won in midfield, and Diame, Noble and Nolan were the bedrock upon which the performance was built. Yes both Noble and Nolan gave away silly free kicks in goal scoring range, and yes one Noble header deep inside his own penalty box was weak, but overall, both had commanding games.

 

The goals? Lovely work down the right for the first and a deft header by Jarvis; the second, a clever cross from Tomkins after a panicked clearance from a Noble free kick, and a lovely finish by Vaz Te via a deflection. It should have been four with Cole's two misses, and Cesar made a truly brilliant save to keep out a pile-driver from Vaz Te, deflecting the ball onto the bar.

 

So, QPR are now rooted in the bottom three with just two points - a position very similar to ours under Grant after easier fixtures - and we are suffering a nose bleed and altitude sickness in seventh place in the Prem. And Robert Green watched it all, witnessing two great saves in the game, one from the man who replaced him at Upton Park and the other from his replacement at QPR. Shame!

 

One question. Where the fcuk did six minutes injury time come from in the second half? There were only five in the first half after Reid was down for what seemed hours. Twattenbung doing his best to help QPR after the sending off perhaps?

 

Player ratings: Jussi 6: Demel 7, Collins 6, Reid 6, O'Brien 5; Diame 9, Noble 7, Nolan 8; Jarvis 8, Vaz Te 7; Cole 4 Subs McCartney 6, Tomkins 6, Carroll 5

Pearson Sweating As Redknapp Is Linked With Leicester

Oh dear wouldn't that be a shame, if poor Pearson, the guy who walked out on Hull City, were to be sacked to make way for 'Arry?  The question is, would Redknapp take the job?

Leicester is a long way North and 'Arry might be hoping a team down South might yet come knocking. His unspoken dream of AVB being shown the door and an emergency "save us" call coming from Levy probably evaporated with Tottenham's stunning victory at Old Trafford yesterday, but QPR and Reading are both struggling and West Ham will find life more difficult next month. All three would suit Redknapp, and Brighton would be ideal in the Championship.

I would be surprised if Redknapp were to venture so far away from home at this time in his life - he turned down Newcastle after all - but if the rumours discomfort Pearson, then great. He deserves all he gets after walking out on Hull mid season, joining promotion rivals in the same division. If he is sacked, it will serve him right.

Championship Even More Pathetic Than Usual As Hull And Blackpool Results Prove

Leeds won, lifting them up the table towards a play off place, but other results proved what a pathetic division the Championship is this season. Leicester have now climbed into the playoffs, but largely through default; Blackpool, the early pace setters, are suddenly struggling; Hull are average at best; Huddersfield couldn't even beat Zola's Watford; Blackburn failed to win at Charlton; Brighton lost at home; and so it goes on.

There is no quality whatsoever in the division following the promotion of West Ham and Southampton. Put a few results together and suddenly a team will be top of the table and heading for the Premiership. Of course, what happens following promotion is another matter, as Reading and Southampton are proving. Southampton spent big in the summer but a return of just three points to date shows how difficult it is when you move from Sunday League football, packaged as "the Championship," and the real thing. West Ham have tucked away 8 points already but hard times probably lay ahead.

Had the Leeds takeover happened earlier, they could have walked this division because it is truly crap. No wonder the Arabs see money making potential from buying into the club. Sign half a dozen decent players in the summer and, with parachute payments in place, the return for a season up followed by relegation are huge.

Leeds Takeover Still Shrouded In Doubt

I said it yesterday and now Phil Hay of the YEP has committed to print all the uncertainties that still surround the take over deal - and added weight to the issues I raised. The fact that GFH hover on the brink of bankruptcy is very interesting. And, as Hay rightly says, it may well be that they are the company not only fronting, but funding the purchase.

Hay doesn't pick up on the point, but as I said yesterday, all the indicators are that this is being seen as an investment, not as a love toy. God only knows what will happen if the deal is completed and the company then fold. Leeds could find themselves in administration all over again, trapped in a recurring nightmare.

That may not happen of course, but the early signs are less than reassuring. Of course the long suffering Leeds fans want to look on the bright side of life, but as West Ham fans, we know all about dodgy merchant bankers, and when the Icelanders bought our club, they looked financially secure, something that cannot be said of GFH. Maybe, just maybe, this is a PR venture, a last desperate throw of the dice by a bank about to go down the drain.

The Hay article is well worth a read before Leeds fans hurl the now familiar abuse. I expressed all these concerns ahead of Hay and now the YEP has caught up and, with more time to research, have expanded on the argument. I'm not saying this is a bad deal for Leeds - it may be absolutely brilliant - but it is far too early for fans to be crowing from the rooftops. Remember, Master Bates is still in the mix and, as Hay says, there's no guarantee that he will be going away any time soon.

Still very interesting days at Leeds. And the big question now is how the uncertainty will affect the team's performance. If your days may be numbered no matter how well you play, how committed to the cause will you feel? And meanwhile, Warnock may see the shadow of a dagger pointed at his back!

To read the Hay article, follow this link:

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/latest-whites-news/leeds-united-takeover-more-questions-than-answers-hay-1-4976986

Allardyce Crticicising Everybody EXCEPT Himself!

Just in case youngsters Hall, Spence and Potts missed his post match rant, Allardyce has put his criticism into print and warned them that they are in danger of being shipped out of the club - and this is on the back of one bad TEAM performance. As man management goes, this really is scraping the bottom of the barrel and pretty cowardly.

There were some senior pros out on the pitch, and they must carry more responsibility than the kids, but strangely Allardyce doesn't mention them in his Standard article. Why isn't McCartney cited? I didn't see the game but I was amazed to read that young Potts was pushed out of position to accommodate the Irish carthorse rather than vice versa. Play a kid in a makeshift defence, play him out of position, then name and shame him in a high circulation newspaper three days later under a headline reading "Players put their careers in jeopardy" - brilliant, the young lad's confidence and motivation must be surging!

Of course, when Allardyce is the target, he thinks it is so unfair, and like Enfield's Kevin he complains it is all so personal. I wasn't one of those who criticised our performance against Sunderland and I agree with Doctor Evil that we dominated the game, but his complaint that the criticism of our style of play "is a personal thing" because "they don’t particularly like me for whatever reason" is pathetic. Allardyce is happy to name and shame young kids after a team he selected are taken apart by Wigan but when anybody dares to criticise him, he comes over all precious.

For the record, whilst I was happy with our performance against Sunderland, the free flowing football of Southampton in the second half against Villa put our tactics to shame. The Southampton players are certainly no better than ours, and the Sunderland players are no better than Villa's, but the Saints looked like a top notch team because they passed the ball at pace and showed great movement. If Sam wants to be loved, I suggest he watches a tape of that game and thinks, "If Lambert, Puncheon and Lallana can do that in the Prem, what might Jarvis, Vaz Te and Benayoun do if used correctly?" He might also note the affection shown towards Adkins despite Southampton's miserable start to the season.

The Standard article is a fascinating read beacause the arrogance of the man sweats through virtually every sentence. He even turns a tribute to John Bond into an Allardycefest, writing,

"John even tried to sign me when he was manager at Norwich. It didn’t quite come off which was a pity because, two months after that, he moved on to Manchester City and had I been at Carrow Road and doing well, he might have taken me with him."

How insulting to Norwich City! And how brashly, crassly arrogant to squeeze this into a eulogy! Mind you, Allardyce then adds that Muffin "always gave you his full attention when you talked to him". Slight typo there, Allardyce meant, "always gave you his full attention when you talked AT him"!

Is the criticism of Allardyce personal? How could it be otherwise when he comes across as such an insensitive arse?

Are Gulf Finance House Good News For Leeds United?

Leeds fans have reached for the tissues at the prospect of getting rid of Master Bates, and they are certainly not crying tears of affection, but how closely has anybody looked at the new owners? The early rumours suggested Bahrain based oil billionaires, but a simple Google search of GFH shows that they are anything but this.

The company have only existed since 1999 and are an Islamic bank, specialising, in their words, in "unlocking value in some of the world’s most dynamic emerging economies" and using that money "to invest in Islamic financial institutions and infrastructure projects harnessing the enormous potential offered by the region’s dynamic economies".

Interesting. The statement made yesterday did in fact mention Leeds United's heritage but the words "a rich history " were employed. A Freudian slip of the keyboard perhaps. That apart, the statement was all about the money that the merchant bankers (and the rhyming slang is important) aim to make out of the club. The statement read:

“Football teams in England have recently received a significant revenue boost due to the renegotiation of broadcasting rights and it is expected from next season each team in the Premier League will receive a minimum of GBP 60m per season due to the increase in broadcasting right.
LUFC would also benefit from this if it can achieve promotion to the Premier League.”

Now the good news for Leeds fans is that to untap that financial potential, Leeds have to win promotion, but the bad news is that, like Bates, the new owners appear primarily focused on using the club as a cash cow. And where will the money go? Into Islamic projects by the sound of it, some way away from Leeds or even Bradford. Look at their proud portfolio:

"GFH has established some of the region’s leading financial institutions including First Energy Bank, the world’s first Islamic investment bank focused exclusively on the energy sector. Other financial institutions founded by GFH include Khaleeji Commercial Bank in Bahrain, QInvest in Qatar, Arab Finance House in Lebanon, First Leasing Bank in Bahrain and Asia Finance Bank in Malaysia.

Flagship infrastructure projects include GFH’s Financial Harbours in the Kingdom of Bahrain and Tunisia, Energy Cities in Qatar, Libya and India, which are complemented by as well as innovative lifestyle developments such as the Royal Ranches of Marrakech in Morocco. GFH also led the conception and delivery of Jordan’s biggest commercial infrastructure project, the Jordan Gate in Amman."

All a long way from the days of Don Revie, except he also defected to the oil states of course, betraying the whole nation in the process.

This looks like a case of frying pan and fire to me. At West Ham, we know all about merchant bankers - the Icelanders looked like manna from Heaven when they arrived but we soon found out differently.

Portsmouth caught a cold too. Things have not shaken down as people hoped at Liverpool and Villa because the owners want to run the club as a profit centre, not as a hobby or because they love the club. Look at Blackburn last season too. And Leicester's experience shows that even when you throw money at it, results are not guaranteed in the Championship because you can't attract genuine quality, you just end up with former Leeds strikers who looked good in the third tier of English football.

The take over looks good news but it may be too early to be celebrating just yet, especially as the role of Bates in the new regime has not yet been confirmed. The old sod may have the last laugh on Leeds fans yet.

Zola's Watford Sinking Fast

So Watford sit fifth from bottom in the Championship, just two points above a relegation place. It is early days of course, but Watford's struggles are unsurprising for West Ham fans who witnessed Zola's incompetence at Upton Park.

 

He is a nice guy, no denying that, but sadly he does not have what it takes to manage a football club. He may be a great coach - he certainly seemed to bring out the best from Cole - but when it comes to tactics and selecting a team, he is sadly clueless.

 

How long will he keep the job? Well for as long as he nods his head politely to every demand of the Pozzo family. Who knows if Watford matter to the Italians, or if they are using the club as a finishing school and a shop window for young prospects and the 'not quite up to its'.

 

The hope is that Zola will polish rough diamonds and make them sparkle amongst so much paste. But everybody should note what happened to Diamante and Daprela at Upton Park. One was used inappropriately and went on to get international caps for Italy after he left, and the other was destroyed by Zola's decision to use him only in games against the big five.

 

The Pozzos don't want to be relegated but is that the limit of their aspirations? Indeed promotion could be a handicap to a plan to use Watford as a nursery.

 

Tony Cottee Reveals He Knows NOTHING About Football!

What an idiot! Tony Cottee played in over 600 games and scored more than 200 league goals but he clearly knows nothing about football! The poor misguided fool has expressed delight at Noble signing a new contract and despite Mark's obvious inability, has described him as a "skilful player and a great passer of the ball".

In fact, apart from his lack of goals from open play, Cottee has eulogised the West Ham No Mark. Indeed, so fulsome is his praise that I feel compelled to carry it below!

According to West Ham legend Tony Cottee:

"It’s fantastic to hear Mark Noble has signed a new five-year deal with West Ham. He was an integral part of the side that got promoted last season. In fact, he’s been outstanding since he broke through eight seasons ago.

Noble has been a great servant to the club and I hope he plays at West Ham for his whole career, he’s the type of player we will always want to have in our team. He’s a homegrown player, a West Ham fan and he plays with passion, but there is so much more to him than that. It’s selling him short to say otherwise.

Mark is a very skilful player and a great passer of the ball. His delivery from set-pieces is superb too.

My only criticism of him over the years would be with regard to the number of goals he scores. But his role in the team at the moment is to sit in front of the defence and with Kevin Nolan alongside him you don’t need Mark to go tearing forward at every opportunity."

Strangely, that chimes with what I have been saying for the past three seasons but what do I know? Noble's critics, who have never played the game at a professional level, obviously know better than a player whose career stretched over 600 league games!

Ken Bates Vindicated As Leeds Take Over Nears Completion

Leeds fans hate him, but if the take over happens - and it looks long odds on now - then the Chairman will deserve huge credit. He inherited a sow's ear from Ridsdale (via Krasner) and may just have fashioned the proverbial silk purse.

Why is the Bahrain based company interested in the club? No mention of a great heritage, the trumpet call of all Leeds fans, instead the key factors cited are the fan base and the fact that Leeds are debt free. (Please note, it seems like this is a commercial venture, not a Manchester City style spendfest.)

Now Bates may have done his best to undermine that fan base during his time at the helm, but it was his very careful stewardship which has put the club's finances in order. The decision to go into administration and take the points deduction was controversial - and represented cheating in some people's eyes - but a new Leeds rose, phoenix like, from the ashes of the Ridsdale era and, whilst the wilderness years have been agony for the fans, the now very real prospect of a return to the Premiership Promised Land should be compensation enough. A financially bouyant club stands a much better chance of flourishing in the top division than a club struggling to service debts.

Of course, there's many a slip between hand and mouth, so the deal may yet flounder but that seems unlikely. And if it goes through, LUST and all the critics of Bates should order a large slice of humble pie. Chelsea fans hated him but look at where Chelsea are now. Maybe, just maybe, Bates has worked his magic and pulled another rabbit from the hat!

Beating Kids Around The Head With Club, Allardyce Style!

August 27th, 1973. Ipswich at home. West Ham selected a bright young keeper by the name of Mervyn Day. The result 3-3 which suggests an indifferent night at best for the young debutant. Greenwood's reaction? He praised his young keeper to the heavens and said he was West Ham's keeper for the next 10 years. He was wrong about the ten years but that's not the point. He built a young boy's confidence.

Contrast that with Allardyce. He ballsed up when he picked the team. Potts at centre back. Really? Spence also used in a makeshift defence. Unfair. And unfair on Tomkins too who found himself the meat between that sandwich.

We didn't lose because of the defending, we lost because we started without a defence - a defence used to playing alongside each other.

But Allardyce's reaction? The opposite of Greenwood's. No protection, no encouragement, no grace. They will learn from being booed off the pitch apparently. Bollocks. That booing wasn't directed at the players, it was directed at the team, Allardyce's team, which threw lambs to the slaughter. But Allardyce is never going to accept the blame himself is he? Far easier to bash a kid or two about the head publicly apparently.

Farewell To John Bond

I am too young to remember Muffin in a West Ham shirt - and that's saying something I know - but I hold fond memories of his time at Bournemouth and Norwich. Indeed I vaguely remember a pre season friendly in the early seventies that I attended whilst Bond was in charge. Brian Dear played up front for us and was bloody hopeless!

I am not one for insincere messages of condolences but Bond was a genuine member of the West Ham family, having played almost 400 games for the club, so it is only right that his passing is marked.

It's a real shame that Allardyce didn't pick a team to give him a fitting send off last night!

Full Marks to Warnock and Leeds

Top marks to Warnock and his charges for their epic victory over Everton. On paper it looked a difficult game but from what I saw before I fell asleep - we are two hours ahead over here, it had been thirty plus degrees all day and with beer at £1 a pint, I was woozy - Leeds fully deserved the win.

The key to the result, of course, was taking the fixture seriously. Bechio could have been rested but wasn't, as could have been White and Tonge, but Warnock got the balance between rotation and fielding a cohesive team right, and picked up a well deserved result.

Last season Allardyce surrendered our League Cup place with a weakened team and repeated the trick last night. It is a stupid policy, not least because of what is does to club morale and to the individual confidence of those brought in, only to lose embarrassingly. Leeds go in to the weekend with confidence surging; West Ham's insecurities climbed a notch or two last night.

The only worrying thing for Leeds last night was the gate. There were sections of the ground very thinly populated from what I could see. If a cup tie against a Lancashire Premiership club can't fill the stadium, that has to be cause for concern. What's happened to the famed passion of Leeds fans?
 

Allardyce Must Carry Can For Humiliating Defeat

What a disgrace. Allardyce is pointing the finger at his players but when you make nine changes, play a defence that have never worked together as a unit, include a kid at left back and a guy who couldn't command a place in Bristol City's team last season, what do you expect? I saw the team and groaned.

I've said it before and I will say it again, you start the season with the chance of winning just three trophies, and the title is hopelessly out of reach. To surrender your place in one of those competitions by picking a reserve team is just plain stupid. Make a couple of changes fair enough, make nine changes and you are asking to be tonked.

And don't give me the "keeping key players fit" line. If that's the case, why risk Jarvis? Surely we haven't paid all that money for an impact sub in the Prem?

And what has that game done for the confidence of those who played exactly? It's all very well for Allardyce to complain about our defending, but if I was Tomkins I would be hammering on his door and asking how a defence is meant to play together when they are strangers and when players are being used out of position. Tomkins alongside Reid or Collins with McCartney at left back and Spence at right back would have made sense; the four selected were crazy. End of.

Allardyce also said he expected better "value for money" from his defenders. Well the fans who paid good money had the right to see a proper team.

And the effect on the club's confidence overall?

Stupid. Bloody stupid!

Mark Noble, A Hammer Throw Back

So Mark Noble, aged 25, is about to sign a five year contract, coming as close as anybody can to committing an entire career to the club that nurtured him. He had his chance to move this summer, Fulham definitely enquired, and he could have run his contract down and done a Rob Green, but it looks as if his love for the club and sense of fair play will ensure he does the decent thing.

Noble really is a throw back to the good old days. He already has over 220 appearances to his name and whilst he will never come close to Billy Bonds' record of appearances, by modern standards he could record an amazing number of starts if he and the club see that contract through.

His critics will claim it is because he has no other options but Jol definitely wanted him and, on a Bosman or at a reduced price because of a short contract, there would be a clutch of clubs eager to sign him. If he was "playing the game" as some claim, he would leave the contract unsigned, twisting arms into selecting him on a threat of, "I play or I walk away"; but Gold claims he will sign a contract today. Good on him I say!

Bates Buying Time At Leeds By Hinting At Limited Sell Out

So Master Bates has fed Leeds fans a few scraps in his programme notes and suddenly all the natives are happy. But look closer, and what has the Chairman actually revealed?

The club are in advanced talks with a prospective buyer. Check. We knew that some time ago.

The would be investors - and that is a key word - have not yet committed themselves and nor has Bates agreed to sell any or all of his shares. We knew that too.

Confidentiality agreements prevent Bates from saying who the buyers are. Nothing new there.

The would be owners are from Bahrain. But didn't LUST tell us that a couple of months ago? Mind you, everything LUST have said has been wrong according to Bates.

The deal didn't happen in time for the August transfer window. We noticed Ken.

The hope is to complete the deal before the January window. You might expect that, but there are no guarantees.

London lawyers are holding up the deal. Ah, the familiar tactic of demonisation. Blame the bastard lawyers, and better still, make them Southern bastard lawyers!

Meanwhile, there are rumours of an American investor too.

And most crucially, the clever money seems to be on Bates retaining a controlling interest in the club and staying on as Chairman. Just what Leeds fans are hoping for!

And what don't we know? Who exactly. When exactly. How much exactly.

Back to back defeats raised the prospect of the natives getting restless. But now, they have put away their weapons and are once again waiting patiently. Bless.

Mind you, Jose has resigned from Real Madrid and Ronaldo has said he is sad at the club, so who knows...

Fortress Upton Park As 'Arry Tips West Ham For Mid Table

One defeat at home in 2012 and, as 'Arry says, with Nolan feeding off of Carroll and good wide men getting in crosses, we will score goals. With Old Bag Puss ducking a Lineker invitation to criticise Allardyce's tactics on MOTD, it was good to hear his opinion that we will have a good season and finish mid table.

The highlights confirmed what I thought when watching the game live, we were in a different class to Sunderland and, on another day, would have breezed to victory. The fact we didn't was down to bad luck, unconvincing finishing from Cole and Vaz Te, poor play by Collins - it was another shocking error when he gave away the ball and poor marking subsequently - and better goalkeeping from Mignolet than from Jussi: the Black Cats' keepers save was out of the top drawer, whilst Jussi got a hand to Fletcher's goal but failed to deflect it wide.

Some may bang on about long ball, but we are using the full width of the pitch rather than hitting it long down the middle, and I have no problems with that. The game was never boring and Sunderland contributed nothing much to it, which suggests we were pretty pleasing on the eye. The decision to relegate us to the last game on MOTD seemed unfair.

Anyway, the dropped points apart, there were far more positives than negatives from yesterday as even Redknapp had to admit!

A Great Weekend For Warnock's Leeds As Young Pole Scores

Wow, what a weekend it has been so far. First Blackburn crashed to defeat, then Cardiff lost whilst Leeds beat Forest. That means three of the probable top six have lost whilst Leeds secured maximum points. Now Warnock will be hoping for Blackpool to slip up at home to Huddersfield and, probably, for Leicester and Hull to share the points.

Even better, the victory was achieved thanks to a goal from Dominic Poleon, hinting at a bright future for the promising youngster. And all this after the 7-3 home hammering last season and with a mini injury crisis seriously limiting Old Big Gob's options.

So as things stand, the Royal Shakespeare Company will not be performing Twelfth Night in Elland Road on Monday, unless, of course, Leicester beat Hull and climb above them in the table. Meanwhile, Leeds fans will be Poleon Dancing in the bars tonight!

And who knows, the takeover may happen on Mega Monday!

West Ham 1 Sunderland 1 - Black Cats' Nine Lives Exhausted Late On!

Well, a point was disappointing, but the performance was exciting. True, you should be able to put more than one goal past a defence featuring Bramble, O'Shea and Rose, but Sunderland rode their luck in an outrageous way and with decent finishing we could have scored six.

The Fletcher goal apart, and a failed attempt to connect on a wicked cross into our box, Sunderland offered little in the way of an offensive threat, and, for the most part, parked the bus and challenged us to score. And on another day, with more luck and Carroll playing, we would have hit three, four or five.

I said at half time that Nolan would take a chance sooner or later, and boy did he take his second half opportunity well. In the first half two efforts screwed wide and another forced a brilliant save. This half, with time ticking down, he dropped his shoulder superbly and smashed home a wonderful volley. People scoffed when I said he should have been in Woy's England squad, and West Ham fans howled in protest when I claimed he was a more deserving winner of player of the season than Parker two seasons back, but this goal showed what he brings to the table. If we stay up, and we look good enough to do so on this showing, Nolan will be a key factor.

And so will Noble. Once again he was the hub of the team, delivering diagonal ball after diagonal ball into the final third of the Sunderland  defence creating opportunity after opportunity. Get Carroll on the end of those passes and opposition defences will be at sixes and sevens, just as ours was when Carroll and Nolan killed us off at Upton Park when Newcastle stole a victory two seasons back. Noble will not be credited with the assist for Nolan's goal, but it was his delivery that caused the initial panic, delivering to a clearly predetermined Allardyce game plan. And how many times should we have scored from Noble's corners? Time and again he found West Ham heads only for chances to be missed, the Collins header that thumped against the bar summing up Sunderland's good fortune and our bad luck.

First half, Vaz Te, Cole and Nolan all wasted good opportunities to score and Nolan forced a World Class save from an even better volley than the one that hit the back of the net. Second half, the pattern repeated, with Vaz Te failing to connect properly on the edge of the six yard box, Benayoun missing a wonderful Jarvis cross because of a touch off Bramble's head and Collins thumping a header against the bar. Time and again we battered at the door and had we failed to equalise, it would have been a terrible injustice.

Indeed, such was our superiority that, for once, the crowd remained 100% behind the team, roaring them forward and only expressing frustration at the officials and Sunderland's time wasting tactics. Overall, we looked impressive when we had the ball, and when we didn't, Noble and Diame harried and chased and pressed a high line, and Nolan did a similar job on the edge of the final third.

The big question must be why Allardyce did not start Jarvis. The guy looked electric when he came on, transforming us down the left. The only explanation is that Doctor Evil does not rate O'Brien at left back and so wants Taylor to protect him - quite rightly perhaps but you then have to ask why he didn't hunt down a proper left back in the summer. This position has been an Achilles heel for two long and it could yet prove an expensive oversight again. Two O'Brien headers set up half chances for Sunderland and he was nowhere to be seen when Vaughan failed to get on the end of that cross. That said, he looked reasonable going forward and forced a tidy save with a driven shot from outside the box.

We wanted more than a point but O'Neill teams are hard to beat when set up to defend, and with more luck, we would have won this comfortably. Give Jarvis a start and get Carroll fit, and this team will offer a threat to any defence. The problem remains our defence which looks vulnerable, despite impressive performances from both Reid and Demel.

Player ratings: Jussi 5, Demel 7, Collins 5, Reid 7, O'Brien 5; Noble 7, Diame 6; Vaz Te 5, Nolan 9, Taylor 6; Cole 4. Subs: Benayoun 6, Jarvis 8, Maiga 5

 

Half Time West Ham 0 Sunderland 1 - Black Cats Have Nine Lives!

Disappointing that we are behind, of course, but we could and probably should have had three goals by now. Vav Te missed with a header, Cole jumped too early and ballooned a header wide, and Nolan has had three chances, one of which he directed across the face of goal but just behind Collins, another narrowly wide and the last produced a world class save from a world class volley.

We have shown enough to suggest that this game is far from lost. Indeed, had Carroll been fit, I suspect we would be leading quite comfortably. Sadly, for all his hard work, Cole has been his usual ineffectual self. When his head connects with the ball in the box there is no real control, no real conviction. He looks, to me, like a man low on self confidence; but then, when inside the penalty box, he has looked like that more often than not.

Defensively, we have not looked so clever. O'Brien is clearly a makeshift left back and Collins still looks vulnerable, dwelling on the ball far too long and being bullied by Fletcher in a way he shouldn't be. The expensive Scot took his goal well but he was allowed too much time by Ginge, who rightly had his head in his hands after the ball hit the back of the net. We really cannot afford error after error, game after game, from the ugly Welshman.

In midfield we have looked decent. Noble and Diame have had the better of things in the centre of the park, and Noble critics should note that we have nearly scored from three of his set pieces. That said, why he and Nolan buggered around with a free kick just outside the box is a mystery. It was the wrong side for Taylor but it looked right up Vaz Te's street.

Taylor and Vaz Te both have the beating of their full backs and two opportunities have arrisen from getting big men on the shoulder of Rose inside the box. This is an area to exploit in the second half surely. We need to get Vaz Te in the game more too. Meanwhile, if chances keep breaking for Nolan, you would back him to bag at least one.

All that said, it remains odd that Jarvis is not in the starting line up. It looks to me as if Allardyce is trying to protect O'Brien rather than pushing the opposition onto the back foot with the attacking threat of Jarvis. That has to change at some point in the second half but I doubt we will see the switch before the 60th minute, unless Sunderland get a second. Maiga for Cole? Actually I would bring on Yossi and move Vaz Te inside.

Noble Putting In The Hard Yards

Interesting stats are emerging. Those puzzled by the inclusion of Reid alongside Collins might be surprised to learn that he is the fastest player in the division, clocking in at 23.38mph. Pace at the heart of a defence is invaluable, particularly when the partner and full backs are not exactly nippy.

The Noble critics, meanwhile, might be interested to learn that Noble has already covered 26.95 miles in the first four games, the second highest total in the division! With that level of commitment, perhaps it is no wonder Allardyce rates him.

Noble has also made him self so available to team mates that they have passed to him 172 times already this season, the highest for any player in the squad. If nothing else, this proves that Noble is the glue that is holding the team together. Glue may not be glamorous, but without it, things fall apart!