Allardyce’s ‘master plan’ trumps Blackpool’s ‘modern way’

Master Plan: West Ham fans finally celebrate at Wembley again

David Gold may have been joking when he said that, rather than achieve promotion automatically, it had been Sam Allardyce’s “master plan to have this fantastic day”, but there was a serious point being made. During a season which reached its nadir in spring when some fans sang “We want Di Canio” and Allardyce duly responded by labelling them “deluded”, a day out at Wembley that allowed 40,000 fans to celebrate with the manager and players will go a long way to building bridges.

At times this season, West Ham have been excellent. At other times they have been poor. On Saturday we certainly were not excellent, but we showed a resolve and winning mentality that did not exist when Big Sam joined the club. Blackpool’s players were quick to declare that they did not get what they deserved, but that is to review the game rather selectively. Ricardo Vaz Te may “score when he wants”, but if he scored when I wanted the game would have been over by half time. Minutes before the Portuguese did score, Nolan was within inches of volleying home what would have been the winner. Blackpool players would do well to reflect less on their bad luck, and more on their lack of composure.

For some weeks now I have questioned Allardyce’s decision to employ Matt Taylor at left back. Taylor has never been a defender. He is, however, a brilliant wide midfielder. His pinpoint cross to create a wonderful chance for Jack Collison was in stark contrast to his woeful backpass in the opening minutes, as well as his poor positioning for Tom Ince’s equaliser. Allardyce made the necessary change early in the second half, but had George McCartney played from the start, I just wonder whether we would have been in for a much less tense afternoon.

None of us will ever forget Vaz Te’s dramatic winner. It will be especially memorable to me, as I was convinced he had hit the ball into orbit. When 40,000 people around me started to jump around like lunatics, I quickly realised that the problem was not Vaz Te’s finishing, but my vision. Seeing Mark Noble celebrate behind the goal in front of the West Ham fans, it was impossible not to draw comparisons with the 2005 play-off win. In fact, it took the ecstasy of that moment to truly relive the sensation of beating Preston seven years ago.

The working week after such elation is inevitably an anti-climax. So, many thanks to Blackpool’s players for dragging out the post-match analysis. Alex Baptiste’s comment in particular brought the words “chip” and “shoulder” to mind.

"I suppose everyone got what they wanted. Everyone wanted West Ham to win because they're a team from London”, declared the bitter one. "Congratulations to them, they won the game, but I know who I would rather play for.” I assume he means he would rather play for Blackpool, which is handy because I don’t think Big Sam was going to bid for him any time soon.

“I wouldn't survive in their team because I'm not tall enough”, he continued rather desperately. “All of them are 8ft tall." It’s a shame he stopped there because I could have listened all day. Ian Evatt, who along with Baptiste had the bad luck of conceding ten goals against West Ham this season, was equally gracious in defeat.

“We were much the better team. I think we play the game in the modern way, we don't smash it up to certain players”, said the defender, before remembering that he plays for Blackpool, not Barcelona.

But enough of that. We’ve got bigger fish to fry.

As in 2005, we don’t go in to the Premier League off the back of our finest season, but we do head there with plenty of momentum. It’s a division that holds no fear for us, and nor should it. There was not one player on that Wembley pitch who does not deserve a crack at the big time. But if anyone deserves the big time again it’s the fans, who have travelled the country in their thousands.

Despite suggestions to the contrary from Tony Mowbray and others, no-one at this club ever thought we were too good for this division. But after 46 games we proved we were the third best team in it. Asked to go back and play another three games, we won all three. We got what we deserved.

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