There really is no pleasing some people. I’ve been going to West Ham for years, I’ve seen great football, I’ve seen turgid football, but I don’t think I’ve ever described us as ‘hard to beat’. But last night, that’s exactly what we were and I’m very pleased with it. It was almost two years ago I saw Everton do to us what we did to Brighton last night. We played nice football, but Everton were clinical in the two chances they created and we came away 2-1 losers. It was a horrible feeling and at the time I wished we could do the same to teams, rather than have it done to us. And now we are, but that hasn’t stopped ‘fans’ moaning about it.
Some are even talking about Poyet and how they wished he was our manager. Sorry, but right now, the man is a Zola clone. Lovely fella, great footballing philosophy but too easily out thought. Allardyce played a blinder against him last night, and Poyet’s outburst against our football was a simple cover-up to the inadequacy of his lack of counter against it. In fact, look back at the comments of Moyes and Zola after that match, could just have easily been Sam and Gus…
Everton manager David Moyes:
"We could have done better but the one thing we do at Everton is know how to win. It might not be the best way but we know how to do it.”
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola:
"It's tough for me and for the players. The guys gave everything until the end but we need to sort out the little problems because they're costing us a lot.”
Sound familiar?
Playing football the right way is lovely when you have the luxury of doing it, but last night it simply was not an option, for two good reasons. One, the squad had six first teamers out and so we had to make the best of what we had. Two, a second defeat in a week would have been demoralising and possibly started to cut us adrift from teams starting to find form. A win keep us up there, where we need to be.
Performance wise, I was impressed by Reid, Noble, Nolan and Faubert. My main worry is Jack Collison. I was a big fan of Jack’s and I’m aware he has been through a terrible couple of years. However, he seems to have put on some weight and not quite regained his touch and confidence. I hope he can come back and be the highly promising player he was, but I think he needs to do some more work. A shout out to Manuel Almunia as well, who though not overly tested by shots, was calm in goal and handled the eleven corners flung at him well.
So, onwards and upwards to Leicester, it will be a tough one against a currently managerless team, and it won’t be easy. We might have been better off with Sven still in charge quite frankly. I don’t imagine we will play quite as we did against Brighton, but Leicester don’t exactly play total football, so it may well be a bit industrial. But let’s continue to get behind a team and manager who are winning, remember that people, we are Winning!!!!!
Well put. i don't know where some of the mugs who sit amongst us every week get their ideals from.We aint that much better than most teams in the champ. so softly softly grind it out.
Posted by: englandsnumber6 | 25/10/2011 at 13:04
so brighton had better players than us?
Posted by: rich | 25/10/2011 at 13:07
Totally agree - not pretty but a win is a win. Very pleasing to see a solid defensive performance from West Ham!!
Posted by: Shaz | 25/10/2011 at 13:17
Agree totally.
Poyet was looking for excuses and tried to blame the referee. The same referee who was as woeful in his decisions against us too. How on earth did Mackail-Smith not get booked last night !.
Posted by: Peter | 25/10/2011 at 13:24
I was there last night, and the standard of our play was poor, and even for a long ball team our deliveries where bad from both open play and set plays.. I mean if we are going to play this odious football at least do it properly.
As for Everton, despite continuous top 10 finishes you just have to look at their diminishing crowds to see what fans really want to see... Yes we all want to see Premiership football and I suppose we will accept this style of football as long as it gets us back but it has no long term future..
It's sad, that after a few years where we have not been able to play to standard acceptable, we have totally gone against our principles to try to change things around..
Posted by: Dan | 25/10/2011 at 13:28
some fans forget that we played attractive football last term, and look where we ended up. i dont give a toss how we play, its results that count, and please give some credit to big sam. rob.
Posted by: rob | 25/10/2011 at 13:45
The times we played the best football last season we won. Look I think most ppl will take the results this season but don't tell me we had to play that way last night. We have better resources, support and players than Brighton, away to Tottenham for example I'd take this every time. Defensively as a team we were brilliant, going forward we were poor but I think it is the lack of ambitious play that annoys some people.
Posted by: Rich | 25/10/2011 at 14:16
i was so torn last night yes we won and i know this is what we have to do to get us back in the top flight but at the end of the day that was not WEST HAM there is a reason why we are the club we are and have the support we have and it is not down to us winning at all cost we are better than that.
Posted by: dazza | 25/10/2011 at 14:37
rob... last term we played attractive football and look where we ended up.! well you must have been watching a different west ham to me, i honestly feel we haven't played good football since pards was in charge. we played BRIGHTON last night not barcelona, nearly all their players are lower league players..! we should have bossed this game, i can take this kind of performance away to chelsea, spuds, united etc, but BRIGHTON, really.!? and what's all this nonsence abt 6 first team players missing, taylor was the only one we were missing. carlton couldn't score in a brothel cole, are we really missing him? lansbury been with us 2 mins and tonks a defender, and last night defending wasn't a problem was it? it's attacking with fluidity and pace, control and guile that's missing.. happy we won. but not for a minute do i believe that brighton should be a team that could play us off the park..........
Posted by: deno | 25/10/2011 at 15:51
why the hell are fans moaning, when the team is second place in the league and with a good goal difference, and deno, most lower teams play us of the park try reflecting on our past history of cup qualifiers,
Posted by: rob | 25/10/2011 at 17:01
What most people are forgetting is that the Irons are a major scalp for all the teams in the Championship and they all up their game accordingly. You are right that attractive football is the West Ham way but it has got us nowhere and look what happened to Man U on Sunday trying to keep to their principles. Well done Sam and the boys for their ability to adapt and not be the patsies we used to be.
Posted by: Steve | 25/10/2011 at 17:30
well said steve, main priority is to exit this league, so far so good...rob.
Posted by: rob | 25/10/2011 at 17:44
senarios, mate we played like brazil, lovely flowing football, like poetry in motion,. how did we get on, we got stuffed four nil...or, well we played like shite, like bloody zombies, but we picked up all three points...
Posted by: rob | 25/10/2011 at 17:56
Too right Rob, let's hope the boys do the business against the Foxes on Saturday and get where they deserve to be, top of the league.
Posted by: Steve | 25/10/2011 at 18:06
way to go steve, bring em on,
Posted by: rob | 25/10/2011 at 18:51
Will watch this football this season to get us up but next season we want football.
We should win the league by 15 points attack at home and play 4-5-1 away but we must create more away.
Lets face it Grant was a disaster and should of been sacked in october last year.Sam needs to understand next season when were up we wont suffer hes football like the Newcastle fans didnt.
Lets just get up !
Posted by: daniel | 25/10/2011 at 19:43
The conditions we terrible for good flowing football, we did a good job on them. My only problem was that we did not play as effectively in the second half. In fact the rot set in after 30 minutes. We started to defend the midfield deeper and deeper. We scored through pressing them high up the pitch but ran out of steam on an energy sapping pitch.
It’s all about being in the top two come the end of the season and this season will be way more entertaining than the last two seasons which have been really predictable and boring. It will be entertaining not necessarily for the style of football but for the cup tie feeling of having to win every game.
Posted by: Steve R | 25/10/2011 at 22:09
Winning breeds confidence at the day. Its getting annoying that Allardyce is labelled as nothing more than a long-ball manager. I think he has the ability to mix it up with different styles. He has done it in the past with players like Djorkaeff, Okocha, Anelka and tried to integrate a technical player like Kalinic. If we continue to win narrowly, the players know they can rip teams apart as proved against Watford, Forest and Blackpool. People forget that it was a hostile atmosphere with an injury hit side. With the experience and success he has had in the past with limited sides, Allardyce deserves more respect.
Posted by: Jay | 25/10/2011 at 22:22
Do you no I've been a west ham supporter all my life and I've seen a lot of ups and downs with us and I've never thought about stopping following west ham but sorry for the first time ever I've thought to myself do I want to be a part of such an ungrateful fan base, you moan when we lose you moan when we win, there's no pleasing some people. I feel sorry for any manager that ever takes charge of us coz the fans will never be happy regardless whether they win or not. What is wrong with you people, a win is a win and three extra points and a step closer to the premiership. Sort it out seriously we're second in the league we're winning games and we're going in the right direction. Why don't you do a lot less moaning and get behind your team and appreciate what they are doing. This time last year if we had played brighton we would've been stuffed about 4 or 5 nil. Also I'd really like to add I don't no about all you other hammers fans but last season was the poorest and most feeble season I've ever seen west ham play and I've seen some bad seasons in the 30 years I've followed west ham, they was a complete embarrassment and I was seriously ashamed to call myself a west ham fan! How anyone can compare last season to this season is beyond me. We was terrible last year and lost most our games, but the team we have this season I think would survive a season in the premiership and not whimper out like last seasons pay cheque collectors. Please sort it out hammers fans you really are starting to sound like a bunch of spoilt teenagers! Be grateful we are actually winning and get behind your team and Big Sam he's doing a good job! COYI!!!
Posted by: Devitt | 25/10/2011 at 23:38
I must add that most complaints are coming from the minority of west ham fans now which is better than it has been lately. Next season when we're back in the premiership and have better players then we can play a better style of play, but for now let's just get back there and enjoy being at the right end of the table for once.
Posted by: devitt | 25/10/2011 at 23:48
Well said by the way jay!
Posted by: devitt | 25/10/2011 at 23:51