"There is a bias in the media towards West Ham, the glamour club from London, and we live with that."
Those were the words of Steve Bruce on the eve of Birmingham’s efforts to relegate us in May 2003. The words "chip", "shoulder" and "big fat head" immediately spring to my mind but, whilst conspiracy theories about a cockney mafia in Fleet Street may be wide of the mark (demonstrated by the numerous spurious stories written about Tevezgate), West Ham do seem to take up a disproportionately large amount of column inches.
This week’s papers included opinion pieces about our beloved club by former player Ian Wright and Hammers fan and Daily Mail hack Martin Samuel, following Managing Director Karren Brady’s weekend column in the Sun.
Martin Samuel does his best to write objectively but even he is clearly struggling to temper his anger at Avram’s reign.
"Taking his time at Portsmouth and West Ham into account, he has been bottom of the Premier League for all but three weeks in the last year and, even without the 10-point deduction, Portsmouth would have been relegated with him in charge.
"No wonder Grant asks to be judged on factors beyond league position, as if with an established system of meritocracy tried and available we should now be looking at the unquantifiable for clues."
Indeed, Avram possesses that Roederian inability to at least acknowledge his team’s failings, choosing instead to patronise the fans with suggestions that we are simply in a false position and that we are absolutely heading in the right direction.
During Curbs’s disastrous first few weeks in the job, whilst trying to look at the positives, he admitted that we were in a "results business", and that he would be judged accordingly. Avram is oblivious to this, choosing instead to focus on the bad luck of injuries, oblivious to the fact that he wasted the preseason opportunity to strengthen the squad.
On Tuesday, Ian Wright had his turn in the Sun.
"I've seen a few of their games this season and it looks as though opponents are happy to play at Upton Park because there's no chance West Ham are going to come out all fired up by a rocket from the manager.
"He's a very calm and relaxed fella but that's not what West Ham need right now. They want someone animated and able to deliver a few home truths. They need someone who can get ALL the players riled up, not just Scotty Parker."
I am about as interested in Ian Wright’s opinions on football, as I am the Pope’s on birth control but however simplistic his sentiment, it’s hard to quarrel with. It doesn’t need a 10,000-word dissertation to articulate the fact that without some fight and backbone we are destined to continue in the same vein and finish the season around the 27-point mark.
On Wednesday, up stepped Darren Lewis of the Mirror. Now Darren is not a West Ham fan, but apparently his mate Stuart is. Stuart, who may or may not have read Love In the Time's pro-Fat Sam polemic last week, would favour Championship football over having to endure a more direct style of play.
"While he has the utmost respect for the job Sam Allardyce has done at Blackburn and Bolton, he'd rather his beloved West Ham go down than welcome the out-of-work boss to Upton Park.
"It was a view that stunned me, I have to say. Allardyce has a track record of stabilising clubs and getting the job done. It might not be pretty, but then Premier League safety is surely all-important - or so I thought."
Stuart is clearly not alone in his view and it appears that few Newcastle or even Blackburn fans are queuing up to write Fat Sam a reference. It certainly would be the throw of dices to end all dice throwing, but the prospect still remains something to fill papers, rather than anything approaching reality.
Later that day James Olley took a refreshingly new angle on the situation, by writing in the Evening Standard that Stuart Pearce was the man to save us. Given that the Evening Standard is a regional paper, I assume Steve Bruce would forgive the London-centric nature of this piece.
"Attendances are falling and the general apathy around the Boleyn Ground is a corrosive backdrop against which the Hammers are falling ever deeper into a relegation fight."
Depressingly, the word ‘apathy’ seems to perfectly sum up the mood at Upton Park right now. Fans may be divided as to what the solution is but underlying this seems to be a general feeling of meh, as though all the options available are just a series of lesser evils, with no one change offering both a short and long-term solution. Is Psycho the answer to our prayers? Maybe, but probably not.
I cannot remember a time when there has been so much speculation about a successor before a manager has been giving his marching orders. It’s as if Avram’s departure is a fact that no-one has shared with Gold and Sullivan.
Preceding all of this was Karren Brady who tiptoed nicely around the subject of Avram’s job security.
"There are the calls about our manager's future. All I'll say is that he knows the team have to do better. David Sullivan and David Gold bought West Ham out of love for the club. They want it to grow into a giant while remaining true to its footballing traditions. Relegation in their first season would be no way to start."
Wouldn’t be ideal, would it. The owners cannot realistically expect the fans to wait patiently for Avram to sort things out, having previously described relegation as "Armageddon".
There is not much that David and David can do about people expressing their opinion, but they made it clear this week via the club website that they will not tolerate anything purporting to be fact that is not so.
"Contrary to a report made in today's Daily Mirror, the club categorically deny that Carlton Cole, Keiron Dyer, Herita Ilunga, Danny Gabbidon and Luis Boa Morte can only train two days a week; they train every day they are requested to without fail. The players and the club are seeking legal advice on the matter."
And there you have it. A fairly typical week in the soap opera that is West Ham. Maybe somewhere within all that is the key to survival. Then again ...
LOVE IN THE TIME OF COLLISON RETURNS IN JANUARY WHEN WEST HAM WILL BE NINE POINTS THE RICHER. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND AS SHANE MACGOWAN MIGHT SAY "I’VE GOT A FEELING THIS YEAR’S FOR WEST HAM UNITED". HONESTLY. COME ON YOU IRONS!
Friday 24 December 2010
Friday 17 December 2010
High Fidelity
Top Five Most Unjust Premier League Sackings
1. Jose Mourinho, Chelsea 2004 - 2007
2. Bobby Robson, Newcastle 1999 - 2004
3. Dave Jones, Southampton 1997 - 2000
4. Martin Jol, Tottenham 2004 - 2007
5. Ron Atkinson, Sheffield Wednesday 1997 - 1998
After the last two weeks’ events you can potentially add Chris Hughton and Sam Allardyce to that list. After the longest start to a season without a sacking for 15 years, normal irrational service has been resumed.
As Swiss Toni might say, sacking a manager is very much like breaking up with a beautiful woman. In Chris Hughton’s case it seems that Mike Ashley just couldn’t commit, got bored and traded him in for a “more experienced” model. Blackburn’s Venky’s Group fell into that age-old trap of thinking you can do better when in fact you’re probably punching above your weight. As for Gold and Sullivan’s fidelity to Avram? Well, they do say love is blind.
Fat Sam has been strongly linked with West Ham this week. This may of course be no more than a journalist sitting at his desk with a list of unemployed managers and vacancies, putting two and two together. It certainly would have been unthinkable at the start of the season, but in the managerial merry-go-round of the Premier League stranger things have happened.
The reaction of most supporters so far is predictably hostile. The idea of having to cheer on El-Hadji Diouf as he impedes a goalkeeper from a set-piece is unlikely to inspire many to renew their season ticket. The image of Fat Sam dancing on the pitch at the end of the 2002/03 season as we were relegated still angers and disturbs me in equal measure. The obvious objection of most fans is of course his direct style of play.
However, football is not just about the 90 minutes a week you spend watching a game. It is also about the high of victory or the low of defeat that stays with you well into your working week. I sorely miss the former and believe that Fat Sam would bring with him a winning mentality, offering us our best chance of survival. Even those fans opposed to his appointment will accept this. This raises the question then of whether a more direct style of play is a price worth paying for survival.
One way to look at it is to ask Arsenal fans whether they would hand back the trophies won under George Graham in lieu of more free-flowing football. Or Chelsea fans under Jose Mourinho. I think you can guess the answer. Fat Sam was ridiculed (on this site amongst others) for his comments about managing Real Madrid or Inter Milan when he suggested that it “wouldn’t be a problem”. Perhaps there is a serious point here though. I chose to jump on the bandwagon and make fun of this seemingly deluded arrogance, but in context was he not simply saying that he could adapt his style as necessary. If so, then maybe there is a role for him at West Ham.
Some of the comments made by fans on various sites this week have been positively vitriolic, talking about him as if here were some kind of sub-species, solely responsible for the death of the “beautiful game” (a phrase apt for describing Brazil and 1970s Holland but not much else). A counterpoint to this is surely that he is just a man who has made the best out of working with limited resources in a league where wealth is concentrated amongst a small number of clubs who are not interested in english managers anyway.
I wonder if it’s time to take our heads out of our “playing football the right way” arses and accept that we, like any other club, have to cut our cloth accordingly. Avram may have got the players passing the ball to feet but as soon as this fails to materialise into a serious attack, as it invariably does, the players lose patience and lump the ball up to Piquionne’s head anyway. So what have we got to lose?
As Leeds and Brian Clough demonstrated so succinctly in the seventies, some managers and clubs are simply incompatible. Although I would personally welcome Fat Sam to Upton Park (and have said so previously http://bit.ly/eHcLZm), I know that a significant section of the fans would not, and I am not sure I can bear any more negative vibes in a crowd that boos Luis Boa Morte as he leaves the pitch having run himself ragged for an hour.
I imagine that this will all prove academic as I do not believe he would be interested in the position anyway. If there were one sure-fire way to relive the ingratitude he experienced at Newcastle, it would be to come to another club where the fans put a certain style of football ahead of endeavour and success. I suspect the pull of foreign climes may be more tempting. Unrequited love, eh. Now that really hurts.
1. Jose Mourinho, Chelsea 2004 - 2007
2. Bobby Robson, Newcastle 1999 - 2004
3. Dave Jones, Southampton 1997 - 2000
4. Martin Jol, Tottenham 2004 - 2007
5. Ron Atkinson, Sheffield Wednesday 1997 - 1998
After the last two weeks’ events you can potentially add Chris Hughton and Sam Allardyce to that list. After the longest start to a season without a sacking for 15 years, normal irrational service has been resumed.
As Swiss Toni might say, sacking a manager is very much like breaking up with a beautiful woman. In Chris Hughton’s case it seems that Mike Ashley just couldn’t commit, got bored and traded him in for a “more experienced” model. Blackburn’s Venky’s Group fell into that age-old trap of thinking you can do better when in fact you’re probably punching above your weight. As for Gold and Sullivan’s fidelity to Avram? Well, they do say love is blind.
Fat Sam has been strongly linked with West Ham this week. This may of course be no more than a journalist sitting at his desk with a list of unemployed managers and vacancies, putting two and two together. It certainly would have been unthinkable at the start of the season, but in the managerial merry-go-round of the Premier League stranger things have happened.
The reaction of most supporters so far is predictably hostile. The idea of having to cheer on El-Hadji Diouf as he impedes a goalkeeper from a set-piece is unlikely to inspire many to renew their season ticket. The image of Fat Sam dancing on the pitch at the end of the 2002/03 season as we were relegated still angers and disturbs me in equal measure. The obvious objection of most fans is of course his direct style of play.
However, football is not just about the 90 minutes a week you spend watching a game. It is also about the high of victory or the low of defeat that stays with you well into your working week. I sorely miss the former and believe that Fat Sam would bring with him a winning mentality, offering us our best chance of survival. Even those fans opposed to his appointment will accept this. This raises the question then of whether a more direct style of play is a price worth paying for survival.
One way to look at it is to ask Arsenal fans whether they would hand back the trophies won under George Graham in lieu of more free-flowing football. Or Chelsea fans under Jose Mourinho. I think you can guess the answer. Fat Sam was ridiculed (on this site amongst others) for his comments about managing Real Madrid or Inter Milan when he suggested that it “wouldn’t be a problem”. Perhaps there is a serious point here though. I chose to jump on the bandwagon and make fun of this seemingly deluded arrogance, but in context was he not simply saying that he could adapt his style as necessary. If so, then maybe there is a role for him at West Ham.
Some of the comments made by fans on various sites this week have been positively vitriolic, talking about him as if here were some kind of sub-species, solely responsible for the death of the “beautiful game” (a phrase apt for describing Brazil and 1970s Holland but not much else). A counterpoint to this is surely that he is just a man who has made the best out of working with limited resources in a league where wealth is concentrated amongst a small number of clubs who are not interested in english managers anyway.
I wonder if it’s time to take our heads out of our “playing football the right way” arses and accept that we, like any other club, have to cut our cloth accordingly. Avram may have got the players passing the ball to feet but as soon as this fails to materialise into a serious attack, as it invariably does, the players lose patience and lump the ball up to Piquionne’s head anyway. So what have we got to lose?
As Leeds and Brian Clough demonstrated so succinctly in the seventies, some managers and clubs are simply incompatible. Although I would personally welcome Fat Sam to Upton Park (and have said so previously http://bit.ly/eHcLZm), I know that a significant section of the fans would not, and I am not sure I can bear any more negative vibes in a crowd that boos Luis Boa Morte as he leaves the pitch having run himself ragged for an hour.
I imagine that this will all prove academic as I do not believe he would be interested in the position anyway. If there were one sure-fire way to relive the ingratitude he experienced at Newcastle, it would be to come to another club where the fans put a certain style of football ahead of endeavour and success. I suspect the pull of foreign climes may be more tempting. Unrequited love, eh. Now that really hurts.
Thursday 9 December 2010
The Olympic Stadium: What would Edmund Burke do?
It was only a matter of time. An online petition opposing the proposed move to the Olympic Stadium has been set up. In an age where changing one’s Facebook profile picture to a cartoon character is deemed a substitute for a donation to a children’s charity, it was inevitable that at some point a web-based campaign would emerge.
Mywhufc.com has been established to draw attention to the argument against moving away from the Boleyn Ground. As well as the petition itself, there is an explanation of arguments both for and against the move, as well as details of ways that you can get involved, which seem to solely involve, er, Facebook.
The comments on the petition are worryingly incoherent. The strapline could almost be: ‘You don’t have to be illiterate to sign here, but it helps.’ The main themes seem to be fears over the impact of the running track (a legitimate concern) and nostalgia for the Boleyn Ground (not so legitimate). The other suspicion is that the owners are only interested in lining their pockets, articulated perhaps best by one fan who claims: “let,s stay where we are its just a money making scheme for gold ,sullivan,brady too fleese us of our earned cash and loyalty too thw hammers.”
As joint-owner of Birmingham City David Gold made no secret of his lifelong love of West Ham. He is worth over £500m. I might be sticking my neck out here but at the age of 73 I don’t believe he is motivated by spending his last decade or two on the planet screwing over West Ham fans.
The obsession with being based in Upton Park is beyond me but many clearly feel passionate about being situated a couple of miles east of West Ham rather than a couple of miles north-west. Another fan wrote: “don't agree with the stadium move,because Upton Park means too much to me,but not the stadium itself,what it's all about:the Barking Road,Upton Park Station,the Queen's Market”.
Queen’s Market? Are you serious? In fairness the Barking Road can be very handy if after the game you suddenly remember you need a cheap hardware store, an unfranchised chicken outlet or some tyres. Upton Park tube station I cannot bring myself to even joke about. Queuing outside after a game packed in like sardines is a nightmare. The prospect of Stratford station with access to direct overground trains to and from Essex as well as the Jubilee and Central Lines is one of the most compelling arguments for the move.
Some objectors are less specific in their reservations. Jake quips: “FUCK OFF GOLD AND SULLIVAN! CUNTS!” Another comment reads: “im well not happy with this move”. It’s good to know Danny Dyer is having his tuppence worth. Others go off on a complete tangent and bemoan the appointment of Avram. Not relevant to the subject at hand but I do at least have some sympathy here.
One of the more surprising contributions quotes a saying commonly attributed to the philosopher Edmund Burke: “For evil to prevail, good men must do nothing”. Not wholly inappropriate, but a tad melodramatic ? A bit like those in favour of the move proclaiming it to be one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
Clearly, a few hundred silly comments on the internet do not automatically negate the argument to stay in E13. Football is a passionate game and people are entitled to a bit of sentimentality. Furthermore, concerns over the running track are valid, and Gold and Sullivan would do well to address this issue more vocally.
However, even this hurdle (excuse the pun) is not enough to deter me. The gap between pitch and stand is unlikely to be much bigger than that already existing alongside the East Stand. The Britannia Stadium generates a great atmosphere despite the Rory Delap-friendly voids. Furthermore, pictures of the Olympic Stadium suggest that its enclosed structure would be perfect for keeping noise in.
Tellingly, many of the comments posted on the petition actually acknowledge how underwhelming the atmosphere at Upton Park already is. So what is there to lose? Comparisons to the Emirates are completely misplaced. The lack of atmosphere isn’t a result of modern architecture; it’s a result of the Arsenal fans. Not for nothing was Highbury nicknamed the Library. In fact, visiting the Emirates a few weeks ago reinforced to me how exciting the prospect is of a new stadium with modern facilities. Getting a beer at half time at Arsenal is quick and easy. Getting a beer in the Bobby Moore Stand is a scrum, with fans having to queue just to get from their seats to the bar.
Developing the East Stand, the obvious alternative, won’t give us a stadium a fraction as impressive as the Olympic Stadium. Why do you think Tottenham are prepared to leave north London to relocate there, even after being granted planning permission to redevelop Shite Hart Lane.
And this is before we even get on to the inevitable ticket price reductions that will be needed to attract more than the current 33,000 average attendance. Gold and Sullivan won’t reduce prices out of the goodness of their heart; they’ll do it because of the law of supply and demand. This season’s Carling Cup run has already demonstrated their willingness to experiment with price elasticity.
Of the current top seven Premier League teams, four have changed grounds in the last 13 years, one (Tottenham) is planning to, one (Chelsea) would be mad not to and the other (Man Utd) has had the rare luxury of not needing to.
One of Edmund Burke’s less famous quotes emphasises the need to adapt to survive: “A State without the means of some change is without the means of its conservation.” In a season where the on-field activity is as disappointing as ever, a move to a new stadium should be embraced as a rare opportunity for progress.
Mywhufc.com has been established to draw attention to the argument against moving away from the Boleyn Ground. As well as the petition itself, there is an explanation of arguments both for and against the move, as well as details of ways that you can get involved, which seem to solely involve, er, Facebook.
The comments on the petition are worryingly incoherent. The strapline could almost be: ‘You don’t have to be illiterate to sign here, but it helps.’ The main themes seem to be fears over the impact of the running track (a legitimate concern) and nostalgia for the Boleyn Ground (not so legitimate). The other suspicion is that the owners are only interested in lining their pockets, articulated perhaps best by one fan who claims: “let,s stay where we are its just a money making scheme for gold ,sullivan,brady too fleese us of our earned cash and loyalty too thw hammers.”
As joint-owner of Birmingham City David Gold made no secret of his lifelong love of West Ham. He is worth over £500m. I might be sticking my neck out here but at the age of 73 I don’t believe he is motivated by spending his last decade or two on the planet screwing over West Ham fans.
The obsession with being based in Upton Park is beyond me but many clearly feel passionate about being situated a couple of miles east of West Ham rather than a couple of miles north-west. Another fan wrote: “don't agree with the stadium move,because Upton Park means too much to me,but not the stadium itself,what it's all about:the Barking Road,Upton Park Station,the Queen's Market”.
Queen’s Market? Are you serious? In fairness the Barking Road can be very handy if after the game you suddenly remember you need a cheap hardware store, an unfranchised chicken outlet or some tyres. Upton Park tube station I cannot bring myself to even joke about. Queuing outside after a game packed in like sardines is a nightmare. The prospect of Stratford station with access to direct overground trains to and from Essex as well as the Jubilee and Central Lines is one of the most compelling arguments for the move.
Some objectors are less specific in their reservations. Jake quips: “FUCK OFF GOLD AND SULLIVAN! CUNTS!” Another comment reads: “im well not happy with this move”. It’s good to know Danny Dyer is having his tuppence worth. Others go off on a complete tangent and bemoan the appointment of Avram. Not relevant to the subject at hand but I do at least have some sympathy here.
One of the more surprising contributions quotes a saying commonly attributed to the philosopher Edmund Burke: “For evil to prevail, good men must do nothing”. Not wholly inappropriate, but a tad melodramatic ? A bit like those in favour of the move proclaiming it to be one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
Clearly, a few hundred silly comments on the internet do not automatically negate the argument to stay in E13. Football is a passionate game and people are entitled to a bit of sentimentality. Furthermore, concerns over the running track are valid, and Gold and Sullivan would do well to address this issue more vocally.
However, even this hurdle (excuse the pun) is not enough to deter me. The gap between pitch and stand is unlikely to be much bigger than that already existing alongside the East Stand. The Britannia Stadium generates a great atmosphere despite the Rory Delap-friendly voids. Furthermore, pictures of the Olympic Stadium suggest that its enclosed structure would be perfect for keeping noise in.
Tellingly, many of the comments posted on the petition actually acknowledge how underwhelming the atmosphere at Upton Park already is. So what is there to lose? Comparisons to the Emirates are completely misplaced. The lack of atmosphere isn’t a result of modern architecture; it’s a result of the Arsenal fans. Not for nothing was Highbury nicknamed the Library. In fact, visiting the Emirates a few weeks ago reinforced to me how exciting the prospect is of a new stadium with modern facilities. Getting a beer at half time at Arsenal is quick and easy. Getting a beer in the Bobby Moore Stand is a scrum, with fans having to queue just to get from their seats to the bar.
Developing the East Stand, the obvious alternative, won’t give us a stadium a fraction as impressive as the Olympic Stadium. Why do you think Tottenham are prepared to leave north London to relocate there, even after being granted planning permission to redevelop Shite Hart Lane.
And this is before we even get on to the inevitable ticket price reductions that will be needed to attract more than the current 33,000 average attendance. Gold and Sullivan won’t reduce prices out of the goodness of their heart; they’ll do it because of the law of supply and demand. This season’s Carling Cup run has already demonstrated their willingness to experiment with price elasticity.
Of the current top seven Premier League teams, four have changed grounds in the last 13 years, one (Tottenham) is planning to, one (Chelsea) would be mad not to and the other (Man Utd) has had the rare luxury of not needing to.
One of Edmund Burke’s less famous quotes emphasises the need to adapt to survive: “A State without the means of some change is without the means of its conservation.” In a season where the on-field activity is as disappointing as ever, a move to a new stadium should be embraced as a rare opportunity for progress.
Friday 3 December 2010
El Clásico
As I approached the Bobby Moore stand at 7.30 on Tuesday night, I received a call from my dad to tell me that he was stuck in snow and wouldn’t make the game and that, more seriously, we were lining up with Radoslav Kovac and Jonathan Spector in centre midfield. As I shivered in the snow I confess that the idea of heading home fleetingly crossed my mind. Two hours later I left the ground having witnessed one of the greatest games I will ever see.
Manchester United had not lost in this competition since September 2007, having won it for the last two years. This was their heaviest defeat since 2001. We lined up with the aforementioned midfield pairing and with absentees comprising Scott Parker, Mark Noble and Frederic Piquionne (ie our three best players this season). In the starting line-up were also Luis Boa Morte, James Tomkins, Tal Ben Haim and Pablo Barrera who, to put it kindly, have not covered themselves in glory in 2010. We have denied Man United on many occasions over the last two decades but never in such devastating fashion.
The visitors' “second string” line up included Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs, Anderson, John O’Shea and £10m Chris Smalling. We were rightly the underdogs and 15 minutes into the game we were reminded why, as Julien Faubert tried to shepherd the ball out 10 yards from the byline and Man United hit the post. And then suddenly we scored.
The disallowing of Obinna/Spector’s goal was almost worth it just to see Avram petulantly throw the ball in the referee’s direction as a throw-in was about to be taken. That, coupled with the Roberto Mancini-style scarf, was a step in the right direction to winning over sceptical fans who believe him to be passionless and a bit, well, dead. Having subsequently watched the game again on TV (probably not for the last time) it was surprising that co-commentator Alan Smith needed about five views of the goal to realise that the linesman had actually made a very good decision.
The fans inside the ground could be forgiven for being outraged, fearing that our best chance at snatching an unlikely victory had gone. Little were we to know that Jonny Spector was about to make every pun-hungry journalist’s day by showing great spirit to ghost into the penalty area and score not one but two goals. The fans jokingly sang “3-0 to the cockney boys”. Had the linesman not been so alert Spector would actually have had a hattrick.
It’s unlikely that he will now displace Noble and Parker on a permanent basis but with Noble currently injured he has to be a genuine consideration for a place in the starting line-up against Sunderland. I learned after the game that as a trainee Spector was a striker, which certainly explains a few things. The person responsible for turning him into a defender (if that is not too loose a use of the expression) has a lot to answer for.
Spector is an unlikely professional footballer, falling into the Graeme Le Saux school of players capable of constructing an eloquent, cliché-free sentence. Even his appearance suggests anything but a footballer. This softly-spoken American driving West Ham to a 4-0 victory against Man United seems about as plausible as Elijah Wood heading up the ICF.
Putting the result to one side, this game was pure entertainment in its own right. The physical brutality, perhaps embodied best by Tal Ben Haim smashing into Bébé, was a refreshing change from some timid performances this season. Off-the-ball drama was never far away either with Fergie jabbing his finger in Boa Morte’s face following another hard challenge on one of his little lambs. It was rather reminiscent of the handbags between Pep Guardiola and Ronaldo on Monday night, except that everyone just got on with the game rather than standing round for five minutes trying to convince the ref that they were the more sinned against.
Robert Green, who made two excellent saves, could also be relied upon for his usual faux pas, this time choosing to kick the ball straight into Macheda’s back from a drop kick. Green’s brilliant reaction, albeit to his own cock-up, prevented a goal and a nervy second half. That said, in terms of nerves, it was only really at 4-0 that we could relax and enjoy the rest of the game, a rare luxury even against the worst of teams. At 3-0 no-one honestly felt safe. The memory of May 2006 is forever seared into all our psyches.
Talk of this being a turning point seems rather premature. We have been Man United’s bogey team for some time now. Our defeat of them in Alan Curbishley’s first game in charge proved to be a false start. Even the 2002/03 relegation season included a rare victory at Stamford Bridge. I prefer to just enjoy this game for what it was.
Fans have long memories and the player whose name they chanted was substitute Scott Parker. Indeed, Avram may fear he has lost the fans forever. Still they chanted for Paolo Di Canio, even at 4-0.
On Tuesday night, for the first time in my life I sang Que Sera Sera. It was a strange feeling, as if I was singing another team’s song. The idea of contented uncertainty seems rather apt right now.
Manchester United had not lost in this competition since September 2007, having won it for the last two years. This was their heaviest defeat since 2001. We lined up with the aforementioned midfield pairing and with absentees comprising Scott Parker, Mark Noble and Frederic Piquionne (ie our three best players this season). In the starting line-up were also Luis Boa Morte, James Tomkins, Tal Ben Haim and Pablo Barrera who, to put it kindly, have not covered themselves in glory in 2010. We have denied Man United on many occasions over the last two decades but never in such devastating fashion.
The visitors' “second string” line up included Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs, Anderson, John O’Shea and £10m Chris Smalling. We were rightly the underdogs and 15 minutes into the game we were reminded why, as Julien Faubert tried to shepherd the ball out 10 yards from the byline and Man United hit the post. And then suddenly we scored.
The disallowing of Obinna/Spector’s goal was almost worth it just to see Avram petulantly throw the ball in the referee’s direction as a throw-in was about to be taken. That, coupled with the Roberto Mancini-style scarf, was a step in the right direction to winning over sceptical fans who believe him to be passionless and a bit, well, dead. Having subsequently watched the game again on TV (probably not for the last time) it was surprising that co-commentator Alan Smith needed about five views of the goal to realise that the linesman had actually made a very good decision.
The fans inside the ground could be forgiven for being outraged, fearing that our best chance at snatching an unlikely victory had gone. Little were we to know that Jonny Spector was about to make every pun-hungry journalist’s day by showing great spirit to ghost into the penalty area and score not one but two goals. The fans jokingly sang “3-0 to the cockney boys”. Had the linesman not been so alert Spector would actually have had a hattrick.
It’s unlikely that he will now displace Noble and Parker on a permanent basis but with Noble currently injured he has to be a genuine consideration for a place in the starting line-up against Sunderland. I learned after the game that as a trainee Spector was a striker, which certainly explains a few things. The person responsible for turning him into a defender (if that is not too loose a use of the expression) has a lot to answer for.
Spector is an unlikely professional footballer, falling into the Graeme Le Saux school of players capable of constructing an eloquent, cliché-free sentence. Even his appearance suggests anything but a footballer. This softly-spoken American driving West Ham to a 4-0 victory against Man United seems about as plausible as Elijah Wood heading up the ICF.
Putting the result to one side, this game was pure entertainment in its own right. The physical brutality, perhaps embodied best by Tal Ben Haim smashing into Bébé, was a refreshing change from some timid performances this season. Off-the-ball drama was never far away either with Fergie jabbing his finger in Boa Morte’s face following another hard challenge on one of his little lambs. It was rather reminiscent of the handbags between Pep Guardiola and Ronaldo on Monday night, except that everyone just got on with the game rather than standing round for five minutes trying to convince the ref that they were the more sinned against.
Robert Green, who made two excellent saves, could also be relied upon for his usual faux pas, this time choosing to kick the ball straight into Macheda’s back from a drop kick. Green’s brilliant reaction, albeit to his own cock-up, prevented a goal and a nervy second half. That said, in terms of nerves, it was only really at 4-0 that we could relax and enjoy the rest of the game, a rare luxury even against the worst of teams. At 3-0 no-one honestly felt safe. The memory of May 2006 is forever seared into all our psyches.
Talk of this being a turning point seems rather premature. We have been Man United’s bogey team for some time now. Our defeat of them in Alan Curbishley’s first game in charge proved to be a false start. Even the 2002/03 relegation season included a rare victory at Stamford Bridge. I prefer to just enjoy this game for what it was.
Fans have long memories and the player whose name they chanted was substitute Scott Parker. Indeed, Avram may fear he has lost the fans forever. Still they chanted for Paolo Di Canio, even at 4-0.
On Tuesday night, for the first time in my life I sang Que Sera Sera. It was a strange feeling, as if I was singing another team’s song. The idea of contented uncertainty seems rather apt right now.
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