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Match Report

Match Report: Norwich City 3 West Ham 1

Click HERE to rate the performances of the West Ham players who played at Carrow Road.

Well that must have been some kind of team talk from Sam Allardyce at half-time. As my LBC colleague Steve Allen would say “dreadful, Ladies and Gentlemen, dreadful”. Having dominated the first half we yet again paid the price for missing chance after chance as we went in only 1-0 up. We had 57% of the possession and Norwich looked there for the taking. But we looked a totally different team in the second half. Razvan Rat seemed to hardly give a damn and Kevin Nolan looked positively Dowie-esque in his inability to control the ball when he received it. And as for Jussi’s performance, don’t get me started. Was he Joe Hart in disguise? I suppose every goalkeeper has an off day, and Jussi has fewer than most, but he was to blame, at least in part, for all three goals. He gave away the penalty having flapped, he remained rooted to the spot for the Snodgrass free kick and should have easily parried the last goal from Leroy Fer.

But there are plenty of other candidates for anti-man of the match. Stewart Downing did nothing during the game. Carlton Cole might as well not have been on the pitch after he came on for all the difference he made.Even Mark Noble was invisible in the second half and gave away the ball which led to James Collins’s foul, which led to the Snodgrass goal. James Collins looked fairly ring rusty, and James Tomkins wasn’t at the top of his game either. But for me, Rat and Nolan vie with each other for worst West Ham player on the pitch, Twice in the second half Rat was in a good attacking position but failed to receive the ball properly. He was constantly out of position and made Joe Cole’s task even harder than it ought to have been. As for Kevin Nolan, yes he passed the ball for Morrison to score, but what else did he actually contribute during the whole game? More than Diame would have? It has to be said that after last week’s good performance against Villa, Jack Collison was off his game too.

Has anyone noticed that we have conceded at least 6 goals from free kicks outside the area this season so far. For a shot stopper Jussi needs to do far much better with these, and the wall does too. They didn’t even jump up today. Had they done so, they might have stopped the shot. Jussi didn’t even seem to see it and remained rooted to the spot. He’s done that far too often for my liking.

All very depressing. It’s the last result you’d want before a two week international break, which is then followed by a home match against Chelsea. The thing is, when Andy Carroll does eventually return (around Christmas, I imagine) it will take at least seven or eight games for him to gel into the team.

I am depressed. Cheer me up.

Jussi 4 – All over the place
Tomkins 5 – Distinctly average, partly to balme for the final goal
Collins 6 – Ring rusty – gave away the foul for the Snodgrass screamer
Demel 8 – Great game
Rat 4 – Truly awful. Come back Joey.
Morrison 6 – Faded badly in the second half
Noble 6 – Failed to orchestrate midfield in this usual manner
Collison 5 – Largely anonymous
Downing 4 – Might as well not have played. No threat at all
Nolan 5 – Only redeeming factor was the pass which led to the goal
Joe Cole 6 – Flashes of brilliance but what did he achieve
Carlton Cole 4 – Did nothing. Nichts. Nada.

Well done to Norwich (who I have to say are my second team). In the end you have to say they deserved it.

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