Yesterday, while working with a pretty cool winemaker from Rioja, I got a text.
“No match report, what’s going on? Hope everything is OK.”
Everything is fine, if you allow for going to a family event in Boston superseding a West Ham match as “fine”. I followed it on my phone and watched parts of it on my DVR later. I probably should have mentioned my absence in my Norwich report, and I will do so from now on when I’m certain in advance some family commitment will interfere with my very well thought out priority list.
Since I have the technical ability to post some thoughts, perhaps of the random variety, I will.
Yet again, we seemed to think that because we had won those three away games that just showing up would be more than enough against the likes of Sunderland. This despite the very clear message from Slaven that those three away wins did not automatically make us a top tier team. Either his method of delivering that message to the players needs to change, or the players need a far more vitriolic outburst from the coaches. Oddly, despite my usual fear and angst regarding West Ham, I’m expecting that message to find its target. Maybe not against Palace, but eventually.
One could look at Saturday’s game as two points dropped. When you consider that Sunderland hadn’t won a game, played with ten men for over half an hour, and had only scored six goals up to Saturday, that point of view has merit. But if you accept that we are still nowhere near the finished article and that there is no such thing as an easy three points in the EPL, then you need to look at the other angle. Two-nil down inside of thirty minutes has meant certain defeat for quite awhile now. I’d have to go back to Harry and his gang in the 90’s to think of a squad where I wouldn’t immediately turn a match off at that juncture. And to be fair, I basically gave up on Saturday when the FotMob Soccer Scores app on my phone dinged to alert me of goal number two. But this seems to be a squad that is not only capable of overcoming a deficit, this looks to be a squad that expects to. That might be the single most important change that has accompanied the managerial switch.
I tried to put myself in the shoes of a Sunderland supporter, and from that vantage point Saturday was a disaster. Again, if they accepted that those three away wins did not automatically make us a top tier team, then they should have approached Saturday as a game they must win and could win. To only come out with the single point after those early goals would have left me feeling absolute and utter dread. I’ll put my Claret & Blue shoes back on now, thank you very much.
We lead the league in unforced errors leading to goals. It’s becoming as commonplace for us now as bubbles and Lawro predicting a loss. And it is worrying to a degree, as is our inconsistency. But I heard some sage words from of all people, my son’s Newcastle supporting football coach at school. “Bilic wants you to play it out of trouble instead of hoofing it. Just because it’s backfired a few times doesn’t mean it was the wrong thing to try.” I think that needs no further comment.
Dimitri Payet is, in fact, human. I’d go so far as to say he might even bleed and go to the toilet like the rest of us. I wasn’t so sure up to Saturday. Then again, he might yet turn water into wine, and when he does I’ll try to sell it.
Finally, I still hate International Breaks.
Selhurst Park, here we come.