Please use this thread to comment on the match as it progresses.

A very Happy Christmas to all my readers, and a big thank you to those who have stayed loyal during 2009 and to those who have discovered the blog for the first time over the past year. Thanks also to S J Chandos, whose posts have added a new dimension to this site over the last few months.

I am spending Christmas Eve, Day and Boxing Day with my parents and sister and her family near Saffron Walden. No broadband, no internet. Thank God for Blackberries, eh? Joke. I won’t be able to get to the Portsmouth game, unfortunately as I have been threatened with family excommunication if I so much venture out of the door on Boxing Day.

Have a great Christmas, and let’s look forward to 3 points.

West Ham go into the crucial Christmas period without a single fit striker. Guillermo Franco picked up an injury in training yesterday which is likely to keep him out of the Portsmouth and Spurs games. With Dean Ashton retired and Cole, Dyer and Hines sidelined through injury 18 year old Frank Nouble and ex Spurs youth team starlet Terry Dixon are the only two options for Zola, with Nouble the one most likely to get the nod.

The Independent has full full story on Franco’s injury.

A right back, a centre half and a striker.  Oh, and a couple of loan deals to give greater depth to the squad would be nice.  If we could achieve something akin to that whilst holding on to our existing prize assets in the transfer window, that would make for a very happy new year!

Matt Upson showed his quality against Chelsea and it is a commodity that we need to retain.  If he is traded then I would want to see clear evidence that the deal has had the net effect of strengthening us, not just moved the problematic positions around within the squad. 

Talking of loan deals, there was a report yesterday suggesting that Paris St Germain are looking to loan us Kezman in January.  Kezman was a profilic marksman in the Dutch league, before joining Chlesea.  It never really worked out for him there, but he is apparently eager to get another crack at the PL.  Whilst the rumours about Luca Toni joining us persist.  Especially since Bayen Munich confirmed their intention to give him a free transfer in January.  I guess the issue is whether we are in a position to pay his existing mega weekly wages?  One thing is certain, the guy has been a goal machine throughout his playing career and would probably do a job for us, even if only for the remainder of this season.

The most off the wall report out there at the moment is that if Sullivan and Gold get control of the club they are allegedly going to reinstate Alan Curbishley!  Heavens knows where that one came from, but lets hope it goes back there without further delay! 

I would also like to this this opportunity to wish Iain and all commentators on WHTID a merry christmas and happy new year!  As the song says, things can only get better!  

We live in that hope and expectation!   COYI.

SJ Chandos.

Well done to the Hammers for a gritty, committed and skillful display against Chelsea.  It has to be said that Zola and Clarke got the tactics spot on.  However, once again we were robbed by dodgy refereeing decisions, but hopefully a few of these decisions will go our way before the end of the season.

The game unfolded much as I had anticipated, with the flanks being key to the result.  With Diamanti, Illunga and Faubert prominent on the wings we were able to restrict Chelsea’s width and they constantly played in the defensive brick wall of Upson and Tomkins, ably assisted by Parker, Noble and Kovac.

Parker, Kovac, Noble and Collison won the midfield battle.  They made Lampard and Ballack look very ordinary and largely ineffective for most of the match.  Whilst Upson and Tomkins were so assured that they barely gave Drogba a kick all match.

The aspects of our display that I really liked were the amount of width that we achieved going forward.  And also the solidarity and organisation shown at the back.  Too often this season we have been very narrow in our play, but on Sunday we really exploited the flanks to maximum effect.  Both Illunga and Faubert undertook some sterling forward play and Diamanti was a constant threat to Chelsea on the left side.  The latter’s delivery in to the box is different class.  It’s just a shame that we failed to win any free kicks around the Chelsea box, to allow Diamanti to use his dead ball expertise to it’s full extent.

Up front Franco did a good job as a lone striker.  I would have preferred Nouble to have played alongside him, but I can see that might have had adverse consequences in terms of losing a man from the midfield.   So, I guess Zola made the right call on that one.

It was interesting to read an article in the Sunday papers where Diamanti and Franco were referred to as ‘disappointing’ and ‘five-a-side footballers’ who get you relegated!  Well this display by both players was the perfect answer to that type of tabloid nonsense.  Both put in full blooded, skillful and gritty performances that were a credit to them.

But enough of the praise, well deserved though it is!  This result needs to be a genuine turning point for us.  That means following up with a victory over Portsmouth on Boxing Day.   If we slip up in that match then this display against Chelsea means nothing.  Positive results in the next three games can pull us out of the relegation zone and get us heading in the right direction.  We should aim for seven points in the forthcoming matches against Portsmouth, Spurs and Wolves.

Our performance against Portsmouth last Boxing day transformed our season.  We need a repeat this year.  No excuses, no inconsistency!  If they carry the form shown against Chelsea in to the Portsmouth match they can get the result to at long last kick start our season.

SJ. Chandos

Make no mistake, this result wasn’t a fluke. No luck was involved. The draw was fully deserved and if it hadn’t been for an outrageous penalty decision by the referee we could even have won the game. The psychological impetus this result will give us should not be underestimated. If we had been bottom of the table at Christmas it would have been hugely depressing for everyone, and quite difficult to bounce back from. We’re only one point off the bottom, but I still have full confidence that we will be out of the bottom three for good by mid January.

Scott Parker’s performance was again inspirational. He was everywhere and everyone else took their lead from him. Even Kovac motored around making himself annoying to the opposition, even if he contributed little that was positive. Mark Noble buzzed around too and was at the centre of most of our attacking play. Jack Collison was superb and did well to win the penalty. In attack, only Diamanti disappointed. Apart from one rasping shot (and the penalty!) he appeared to contribute little. Franco on the other hand put in his usual tireless effort. He only got one chance, a bullet header right at the end which Cech did well to get down to. But he caused real trouble for the Chelsea defence throughout the game.

The key to this performance was the way West Ham defended. Tomkins and Upson looked superb together. To me they are West Ham’s strongest central defensive pairing by far. They understand each other. It was unfortunate that Gabbidon had to go off injured, but he had already nearly conceded a spot kick. Luckily the referee didn’t see it – just like he didn’t see the assault on Franco by Carvalho towards the end, which should have resulted in another West Ham pen. Ilunga and Faubert did OK and certainly didn’t look as weak as they have done in previous games. Faubert’s through ball towards the end was a delight.

Just as an aside, I can’t remember a game when Zola hasn’t used at least 2 subs. Today he only used Tomkins. Perhaps that’s because the bench was a little weak, but there wasn’t a point in the game when I felt he should have altered the team, apart from perhaps when Noble picked up a stupid yellow card.

This was one of our best performances of the season, with a team not at full strength, against what most people reckon is the best in the league. We should take a lot of positives from it.

Green 7
Ilunga 6
Faubert 6
Upson 8
Tomkins 8
Kovac 6
Parker 9
Noble 7
Collison 8
Franco 8
Diamanti 6
Gabbidon 6

Click HERE to rate the West Ham players who played against Chelsea. Please only rate those who played at least 15 minutes.

Please use this thread to discuss the match as it progresses.

Team: Green, Faubert, Gabbidon, Upson, Ilunga, Collison, Kovac, Parker, Noble, Diamanti, Franco
Subs: Stech, Spector, Tomkins, da Costa, Jimenez, Stanislas, Nouble

I’m afraid I shall be watching the match on Sky this afternoon due to state of the roads around where I live in Kent. That shouldbe enough to guarantee us a Fulham like win…

On Wednesday I went to Stamford Bridge to see our next two opponents play each other. It was a good game once Portsmouth scored and realised they could actually pass the ball to each other after all. Chelsea dominated, as you would expect, without ever really getting into top gear. Droghba didn’t play but I imagine he will be back today to torment us. Joe Cole came on as a late sub and was really impressive with some of the mazy runs we remember so well. Defensively, I have to say, they looked a little suspect. For me, the only way to play Chelsea is to play a high tempo quick passing, game. They like playing a slow, deliberate game, which relies on keeping possession. If we can disrupt that approach for ninety minutes, we may have a chance.

Much has been written about Robert Green’s howler last week. All goalkeeper’s make mistakes from time to time, but I don’t think it is being disloyal to say that he hasn’t been the same keeper this season as last. His form needs to improve quickly if he is tohang onto his England place.

The weak spot in our team is undoubtedly at right back. Neither Spector nor Faubert have made the position their own. I marginally prefer Spector as he is more reliable, but I wonder if it might be worth experimenting with Gabbidon there. He’s played there before and it would give Da Costa the chance to come in at centre back.

In midfield, the only real question is whether Stanislas and Kovac retain their places. My choice would be to swap Kovac for Noble, switch Diamanti into midfield just infront of a central three of Parker, Noble and Collison, and twin Frank Nouble up front with Franco. I suspect that won’t happen and that Noble will in fact come in for Stanislas, with Kovac keeping his place.

This is a game where the performance is almost as important as the result. We musn’t hide. We’ve got to play with zeal and commitment. We also need to get at least a point. If we don’t we will be bottom of the table at Christmas. That normally spells relegation. Even if we do lose, I still believe we will survive and pull free in the New Year. I know that view is not shared universally on this site, but there you go.

Prediction: 1-3

There is a interesting peice  in the Telegraph this morning about what’s allegedly occurring internally within the club.  It is by Jason Burt (formerly of The Independent), who has a record of reporting accurately on the club’s internal affairs.   In my view anything that he writes is worthy of due consideration.

It is reported that Duxbury held a supportive three hour meeting with Zola and Clarke to reassure them about the financial stability of the club and that their positions are safe.   Hopefully, the management team told him in no uncertain terms hat investment in the team in January is absolutely crucial.  The question then becomes whether C&B Holdings will provide additional funds or whether it is a case of selling to buy?

The Chair of the club, Andrew Bernhardt, is reported to be privately furious at the way in which the finances of the club is being portrayed in the press.  Far from the ‘financial meltdown’ scenario so beloved of the Sports Mirror and Sports Mail, the club is actually self-sustaining and relatively stable.  There is certainly no suggestion that there will be any mass exodus of senior players in January.  As far as the club are concerned, the likes of Parker, Behrami and Cole are going nowhere!

Two question arise from this.  Firstly, is the £5m raised from the sale of Collins still in the transfer kitty?  Interestingly, Burt’s article suggests that Collins transfer fee was used to fund the signing of Diamanti!  However, that is either a mistake or a significant revision of events last summer.  Diamanti’s fee was paid by bringing the Sobet sponsorship instalment forward, as I recall.   As such, that £5m should still be in the transfer pot.   Secondly,  will we have to sell an asset to strengthen the squad?  Upson is put forward as a likely candidate, due to concerns about his form and the fact that he has refused invitations to enter in to negotiations about a new contract.  He has another 12 months on his contract and Man City are hovering with a potential £12m bid.  Personally, if this happens, I would squeeze every penny we can out of City and look at whether a player exchange element to the deal is advantageous to us?

By choice, I would not sell Upson, but what is crucial is that an experienced replacement, of sufficient quality is lined up.  I would not want to rely on a central defensive line up of Gabbidon, plus either Tomkins or Da Costa for the rest of this season.   Also, the money needs to be reinvested wisely to secure a minimum of a centre half,  right-back and a striker.  Options in the loan market may also have to be fully explored to increase the squad’s strength in depth.

Talking of investing money wisely in the transfer market, Burt also alleges that there is an increased focus upon Nani’s role and the quality of players that he has brought in to the club.  In particular, the debacle around Nsereko signing is emphasised, although it is also acknowledged that the signings of Jimenez and Kovac have not been a success so far.  In mitigation, it is acknowledged that Nani is not operating in ideal circumstances and is faced with a scenario which was not apparent when he was originally recruited by the BG regime!

I agree with the statement that the overall technical ability of the squad is better than last season, but the outstanding issues are leadership, balance and strength in depth.   With the likes of Upson, Parker, Berhrami and Cole in the side then we can give anyone a game in the PL.  Unfortunately it is exactly those type of key players that have been out injured and that has had a negative  impact. 

The article alleges that Zola and Clarke acknowledge that the balance of the squad is not right.  That is something that we fans have known since the disappointments of the summer transfer window.  That imbalance must be addressed in January, together with improving leadership on the pitch and strength in depth to counter any further ‘slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’ on the injury front.

Finally, Burt’s article confirms that the recent granting of a further moratorium to Straumur has given C&B Holdings time to look at the various bids lodged with Rothschilds and consider which interested party should be granted access to the club’s books.  Also, all parties remain committed to ‘The Project’ and the emphasis upon cultivating the youth system.  Interestingly, there is also a suggestion that with his greater experience, Steve Clarke may be given more influence within the partnership with Zola.  This probably reflects the situation that we are in in the PL relegation zone and the fact that Zola needs greater support from his more experienced assistant.  It does not suggest that Clarke is going to replace Zola, before the rumours even start!!!!

We are in a hole at the moment, there is no question about it.  Changing management is not an option.  The fact is that we are all in this together!  And the unavoidable conclusion is that everyone at the club needs to pull together to get us out of it.  We did it last year and we can do again. We fans will do our bit, but it is absolutely crucial that there is a decisive intervention in the transfer window.  It needs to be early, the deals need to be set up now and be ready to go.  Lets have none of the drift and vacilitation that we have witnessed from the club in recent transfer windows! 

Read the Telegraph article HERE.
SJ. Chandos.