There’s no doubt about it, we can’t afford to lose this afternoon. If we can win this and maybe get a point against Chelsea it will set us up nicely for the run in. I’d have thought Alan Curbishley will name an unchanged team, but possibly shake up the subs a bit. We will definitely need to ‘mix it’ a bit this afternoon. Mark Noble and Nigel Reo Coker will be the key players in my view. We need to control central midfield.
Fingers crossed! My heats says 2-0 to us, my head says 1-1.
Remember Dani? Harry Redknapp always seemed reluctant to play him, but he was surely one of the most talented players to pull on a Hammers shirt. I remember the goal he scored at White Hart Lane very well.
So what happened to him? Where is he now?
Several papers are carrying rumours that Sheffield United Manager Neil Warnock wants to sign Nigel Reo Coker. Don’t make me laugh. He’d never go to a team like them. Mind you, I’d quite like to see how he would react to a Warnock hairdryer.
There’s little doubt about it who was the hero of the Emirates this afternoon. Robert Green had his best game yet for West Ham and must surely be knocking on the door of the England team. He saved three certain goals in the second half. He was immense. But let’s not forget the rest of the team. They showed dogged determination and ground the result out. Yes, lady luck was with us today, but you don’t get results like this without deserving it.
The second half showed West Ham at their industrious best. Reo Coker and Noble harried in midfield as if their lives depended on it (wonder who Nige was trying to impress). Bowyer continued his excellent first half display and Collins and Ferdinand showed great resilience in the centre of defence. Spector also showed great courage after he came on at half time.
So where does this leave us? Fighting, that’s where. Fighting for our lives. I admit I thought we were down and out, but thus victory was key for us. If we can beat Sheffield United, get something out of the Chlesea game and then beat Everton we’ll surely be out of the bottom three.
It’s good to be a Hammer this evening.
Green 10 – Perfect. Nothing more to say
Ferdinand 8 – Dealt with everything that came his way
Collins 9 – Immense in the air after a dodgy first ten minutes
McCartney 6 – Subbed at half time
Spector 8 – Tough tackling and great in the air
Neill 7 – One great marauding run forward
Noble 8 – Quite in the first half immense in the second
Reo Coker 9 -Held the midfield together and got forward well in the second half
Bowyer 8 – Best game for a long time
Zamora 7 – Took his goal brilliantly and held the ball up well
Tevez 6 – Quietest game for some time but flashes of brilliance
Etherington 7 – Didn’t get forward enough but helped out well defensively
Boa Morte 4 – Anonymous after he replaced Zamora
He’s better than Jermaine, Zamora!
How on earth we are in the lead, Christ only knows. Arsenal coukd have been three up in eight minutes and had at least eight scoring opportunities during the first half. The Hammers defence looked very shaky at first but gradually improved. We barely entered the Arsenal half in the first 20 minutes but as the half wore on the confidence grew. Tevez has been quite quiet but showed a couple of flashes. Bowyer and Reo Coker have been busy but Mark Noble has been largely anonymous. Collins and McCartney have slipped a few times – the surface seems very slippery.
Now the big question is; can we defend a lead for 45 minutes? I just can’t see Arsenal not scoring in the second half. I hope I am wrong.
I’m now in my seat at the Emirates, just behind one of the goals. I’d be telling a porky if I said I wasn’t impressed by the stadium. Huge seats and plenty of legroom, which if you’re 6’2 and a bit of a fat bastard like me you appreciate. It feels very much like an American sports arena and I wonder if it is easy to generate much of an atmosphere.
I reckon the average salary of the people in the bit I am in can’t be far short of £100k. There are plenty of the nouveau football ‘fans’ as portrayed in the Fast Show sketch. In fact I think the guy in the wore an Arsenal shirt. As I am in with the gooners I thought I wouldn’t wear my shirt with DICKS on the back, so I have gone for my white shirt with subtle claret and blue checks on it. V stylish. Not.
I can’t believe it is almost 2.30 and they still haven’t announced the teams yet. The West Ham players are warming up at the other end so I can’t see who they are.
But I can tell you that the referee is Graham Poll. Oh dear.
A classic moment on Five Live just now when a West Ham fan said he would rather watch a team of eighteen year old who put their heart into it, rather than a collection of overpaid Maradonas.
I guess you had to be there. Just arrived at the Emirates. What a stadium. More in a moment.
Well it seems Matthew Upson has done his hamstring again. I’m off for my first visit to the Emirates tomorrow having been lent a season ticket by a friend who’s in India. I don’t know why but I am quite optimistic about our chances. What I wouldn’t give for a repeat of last seaosn’s game at Highbury!
I reckon Curbsihley will field an unchanged side, but then what do I know. Well, what I do know is that if we beat Arsenal and then Sheffield United we’ll be putting a lot of pressure on the teams above us.
What I’m most looking forward to tomorrow is seeing Mark Noble cement his place and also to see the Tevez/Zamora partnership developing further.
Wouldn’t it be great to put one over on Wenger again? I bloody hate Arsenal.
Like many of you, I had a letter from Eggert Magnusson this morning, reassuring us of his plans for next season. As a PR effort it’s a great move and is a welcome change from the previous regime.
According to a well placed source at the club, Carlos Tevez want to stay at West Ham even if we go down. Whether the club will be willing to pay his wages is another matter…
The man’s a hero to the fans. Anyone care to contribute to a whip round?!
