Saturday’s match against Arsenal confirmed something that we’ve seen all season, we are a club with character and resilience that will fight back and get something out of a game, even when all seems lost. Unfortunately, we also saw evidence of the defensive frailties that have cost us so dearly in terms of league position this season during the course of the game (well, mostly the first half) as well. When you add the undeniable errors made by referees and their assistants into the mix, we could certainly find ourselves in a better situation than the one we are currently in, one that I’m sure most of us are still happy with. I don’t like to dwell on the past or ponder over the ifs and buts, we are where we are and it’s what we do from now on that matters most. We may have been unlucky but that doesn’t change our position in the table, what will however, is our performances and results from now until the end of the season.
Like any good conspiracy theory, the more you read of the one a few on here have conjured up, the more it makes sense. As much as I’d like the reason behind our recent stumble to be the ulterior motives of the powers that be, I refuse the let myself be that cynical. Mistakes have cost us. Sometimes it’s mistakes made by officials, I’ll accept that but more often than not, it’s the mistakes made by our players and the coaching staff that have really mattered. The tactics implemented in the first half of our fixture against Arsenal is one of the few examples where Bilic has got it wrong but to be second in a table of ‘defensive errors leading to goals’ with 13 errors (only Villa are above us after this weekend with 14 errors) just isn’t good enough for a team with aspirations of playing in Europe’s elite footballing competition.
What we witnessed on Saturday afternoon was a great game of football. We really needed the three points to get back on track in the hunt for that Champions League spot but when the final whistle blew, I was happy with the draw. Not because it was against Arsenal, but because of the circumstances in which it came about (I haven’t forgotten we were 3-2 up, I’ve just remembered the fact that we were 2-0 down). Again, the debate over decisions made by officials threatened to overshadow proceedings but an enthralling 3-3 appeared to keep everyone happy. Okay, maybe not everyone. It’s impossible to have an opinion on the game and Craig Pawson’s impact on it without getting criticism from some direction. In short, Lanzini was onside and had the linesman been on the other side of the pitch, he probably would have seen that. Ozil was onside for their opener, just. Carroll could have been sent off early on and if he was playing for the opposition, we would have been jotting it down as another example of the FA and the referee being paid off to make sure we lost. Arsenal’s second was a well worked goal that encapsulated our defensive struggles in the opening 45 minutes. Andy Carroll showed what he’s all about in the final three minutes of the first half and got us back in the game. I was screaming at the TV when Pawson adjudged Carroll to have fouled Koscielny before Payet prodded the ball home but on reflection, it was an incident that for me, only highlighted the fine margins in the game of football. Had it been Giroud on Reid and Sanchez scoring to give Arsenal a 4-3 lead in the final minutes of the game, petitions would be doing the rounds and we’d be organising a protest march to the FA headquarters. Instead, we got what we worked for and took the lead but couldn’t quite hold on for the win. In amongst all that action there was an apparent ‘stonewall’ penalty claim for a foul on Lanzini? He’d lost control of both the ball and his balance before any debatable contact was even made and Pawson had every right to waive the appeals away.
I’m not going to devise a formula that proves we would have won 6-3 if our two disallowed goals had stood and we were awarded the penalty that definitely would have been given to any other team in the Premier League. A penalty which, of course, would have 100% been converted. Instead, I’ll take a look at the positives from the game. Andy Carroll grabbed the match ball as well as the headlines, and rightly so. I feel like we’d all be waiting for a performance like that and a lot of people, including myself, had faith that one day the big man would come good. Carroll undoubtedly offers something different, something that, at times, no team can deal with. Bilic claimed in his post-match interview that Carroll is the best in the world when it comes to heading the football and I don’t think there are many that would argue against that statement. Unfortunately, the lad just cannot stay fit for a decent run of games. Had he been fully-fit for the entirety of this current campaign, I truly believe we could be looking at our 20 goals a season striker. Payet’s performance was another major plus for me. Although in previous weeks he’s left football fans across the world awestruck with his free-kick prowess, I felt he’d slightly gone off the boil in terms of his all-round performance. On Saturday afternoon the Frenchman showed flawless composure on the ball which helped instigate and maintained numerous attacks. He contributed in all areas of the pitch rather than just putting the ball in the back of the net (I’m aware of how silly that sounds but I’d like to think you know where I’m coming from). Cresswell made my top three of West Ham performances. Although improvements still need to be made with regard to his defensive play, he offered us a real outlet going forward and some of the crosses put in from the wide left would have been reminiscent to those Andy Carroll was dreaming of on Friday night.
It’s now time to focus on what is important and it doesn’t get much more so than our FA Cup quarter-final match against Manchester United on Wednesday evening. It’s the biggest match of our season so far and a win would take us one step closer to a fairytale FA Cup triumph in our final season at the Boleyn Ground. We might not have had the rub of the green in recent weeks but I’m sure Bilic and the boys will be going into the game full of confidence and after a 3-0 drubbing on Sunday, United may well be there for the taking. It’s football, it’s the FA Cup, we never really know what’s going to happen but if we eliminate silly defensive errors and play the way we can, I fully expect us to book a semi-final showdown with Everton and a Roberto Martinez side that have really been struggling of late.
Without looking to far ahead, we all know we’re coming to the ‘business end’ of the Premier League season. We’ve only got six games to go and whilst fourth isn’t out of reach, finishing as low as ninth is still a possibility. Southampton and Liverpool seem to have finally found some form and if we don’t turn recent draws into wins, we could well find ourselves sliding down the table. Everyone in and around us have equally difficult run-ins in terms of remaining fixtures and there’s no reason why we can’t win the majority of ours and if we do, fourth just might ours. For me, our league position isn’t the be all and end all. It would obviously be great to play in the Champions League in our first season at the Olympic Stadium (with all the added financial benefits that come with it) but this was always a season to build on. It’s certainly one that has given something to back the fans and for many, it’s reignited a passion they have for the club that was in danger fading away. I’m happy with what I’ve seen this season. It’s been exciting, it’s been thrilling and above all, it’s been promising. Lifting some silverware would really make it a season to remember but no matter what happens from now on, I certainly feel proud to be a Hammer.
COYI!