The first time I ever heard about West Ham being many football supporters second team was in 1995. I was in what I considered my “local” pub in Manhattan, McCormack’s on Third Avenue. The Barman, Sean, was a Liverpool supporter but told me of his soft spot for the Hammers. “They’re everyone’s second team anyway, so why not mine” he said while serving me a huge plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and toast prior to a 0-0 draw with his club. This season, I think Burnley has captured the hearts of many supporters of the other nineteen EPL clubs. Out of the three clubs that came up, Burnley are the club I’d like to see keep their Premiership status. That won’t happen, especially after today.
Before the match started, we were all reminded that this is a game. That’s all. I have two young kids. Every night my wife sits in bed with our young son for bedtime stories. It’s among the highlights of his day. Rio Ferdinand’s three young children won’t be able to do that anymore. All of his fame and money were no match for a disease that kills approximately 1500 people each day in my country alone. Many years ago the medical establishment declared war on cancer. Cancer is winning.
One of the themes of our current awful run of form has been the lack of playing time for Morgan Amalfitano. In the third minute he showed, in the most basic way, why someone like him can be valuable on the pitch. West Ham worked the ball down the left with Cresswell and Amalfitano. As Burnley defenders closed down, instead of lofting a hopeful ball into the area, Amalfitano kept possession. He passed to Valencia while Cresswell made a run down the left, and Valencia fed him the ball. Cresswell sent a superb cross into the box, but Valencia mis-timed his move and couldn’t get to the ball for an easy tap in. Much was made of the cross both on Twitter and TV, but for me it was Amalfitano’s ability to hold the ball that allowed Cresswell to be in a position to make that cross.
Burnley enjoyed a good spell of possession starting in the 14th minutes when Trippier sent a ball down the right for Ings, who then sent the ball across the face of goal but nobody was there to tap it in. A minute later, our former workhorse Matty Taylor sent a cross into the box that Barnes couldn’t connect with and the ball went out for a goal kick. A few minutes later Taylor sent another quality ball into the West Ham area, this time for Ings. The Burnley striker was able to lose Reece Burke and create space, but instead of giving Burnley the lead his header went over the bar.
There is a cliché in all of sports. You cannot teach pace. Despite Valencia’s need to work on decision making from time to time, his pace creates opportunities all on its own. In the 23rd minute, Valencia was able to run onto a ball in full stride with Trippier alongside him. Then, Valencia stopped on a dime as if he was a character in a video game. Trippier couldn’t match that, and Valencia sent a ball into the box for Kouyate. A dummy by the man I like to call Better Than Diame Kouyate fooled Duff, who instinctively reached in with his left foot and brought him down. The penalty call was no surprise. The red card to Duff for denying a goal scoring opportunity was not. It was a lousy decision from the referee that has handed out the most red cards in the Premier League. Noble stepped up and put the ball in the bottom right hand corner.
West Ham 1, Burnley 0.
West Ham should have doubled their lead two minutes later when Jenkinson sent a ball down the right for Downing, who cut back and sent a cross into the box for Valencia in the six yard box. From point blank range, Valencia sent a blast goal bound that Heaton somehow managed to get a hand on and send over the bar. Minutes later, Nolan got on the end of a long ball and flicked it to Amalfitano on the right. Instead of sending the ball back across the goal, Amalfitano attempted a shot from a tough angle that Heaton put over the bar for a corner.
Despite being down to ten men, Sean Dyche’s men didn’t lie down and await the inevitable. They almost pulled even in the 33rd off a corner by Trippier. Barnes got on the end with a diving header but Adrian did well to make the save. Towards the end of the half, Burnley had another chance off a set piece but Trippier’s 30 yard effort went over the bar.
Halftime. West Ham 1, Burnley 0.
Kevin Nolan has been the most criticized player at West Ham by a long way. The general thinking is that he plays because of his relationship with Sam. To my way of thinking, Sam is not doing his long time confidant any favors by constantly putting him in a position to be criticized. Maybe he’s just trying to help him get his 100th Premier League goal, and in the 46th minute Jenkinson came close to setting Nolan up for that very goal with a low cross into the box. However, Nolan couldn’t direct his flick on goal and it went wide.
In the 51st minute, Danny Ings showed terrific skill when he got on the end of a long pass from Trippier. His first touch with the outside of his left foot put the ball out of the reach of Cresswell and sent Ings in on goal. Perhaps he should have looked to see if there was support heading into the area, but instead he tried the same tough angle that Amalfitano tried in the first half with a similar result. Minutes later, West Ham may have been lucky not to go down to ten men themselves when Jenkinson brought Ings down from behind just outside the West Ham 18 yard box. I’m not saying it was a red, but based on the Duff decision Burnley have every right to feel hard done by.
In the 57th minute, Valencia got on the end of a long ball from Cresswell and headed it down to Nolan, who then back heeled it to Amalfitano. The fiery Frenchman is capable of curling a ball into the net from long range. That’s what he tried to do but his shot went out for a goal kick. Burnley countered right away with Matty Taylor finding himself in the box with the ball at his feet. He turned and sent a low shot towards Adrian who did very well to stick his left leg out to stop it from finding the back of the net. West Ham came storming back down the pitch, this time with Nolan being on the receiving end of a back heel pass from Amalfitano. However, Nolan’s shot went right at Heaton and Valencia couldn’t get onto the rebound.
West Ham kept up the pressure. After so many late goals conceded, a second here would have put many minds at ease. And that’s what the Hammers looked for. Downing won a corner which went to Reece Burke, but his shot was deflected out for another corner. Then Kouyate had a good look at goal but sailed his shot over the bar. Finally, Jenkinson sent an inviting low cross into the area. If there’s one thing you expect from a Sam team it’s bodies in the box trying to get on the end of crosses, and with Valencia and Kouyate trailing behind the ball just rolled harmlessly out for a goal kick.
In the 83rd minute, Carlton Cole replaced Valencia. I Tweeted my concern with the move. As I looked up from my IPad, Amalfitano passed to Downing, who then crossed the ball to Cole in front of goal. If that ball had gone in, I would have tried to delete the Tweet. Instead it went over the bar and the Tweet stayed.
West Ham saw out the final minutes with a few more half chances. Cole sent a soft side footed shot right at Heaton, Collins tried a shot from close range over the bar, Kouyate got on the end of a rebound and forced a good save, and finally Nene turned and fired on goal at the final whistle.
Final Score. West Ham 1, Burnley 0.
We won. That is obviously a good way to start my Saturday. It will help me get through power sweeping all the rocks that the snow plow pushed onto my lawn this winter. We had chances that required solid work from Heaton. Reece Burke looked promising again playing his part in a second consecutive clean sheet. Nene played more than a few seconds finally, and looked like a very useful player. That is, of course, dependent on him actually being used. Yet it’s hard not to also question how we allowed the bottom team in the league to stay in the game for all 67 minutes they were down to ten men. They came very close to equalizing on more than one occasion. Maybe that’s being judgmental and harsh because of life since Christmas. We are, after all, back in 9th place.
And that beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.