I want Bob Bradley to succeed. Not today, obviously, but in general. In the early nineties I would go to a pub called The Abbey Tavern on Third Avenue in Manhattan, because there was a guy there with the BBC on a short wave radio and he would provide the football results. Later that decade, two barmen from The Abbey broke off and opened McCormacks across the street. It had a satellite dish on the roof, and I’d get to see around half a dozen West Ham matches there each year. Then came Fox, and now NBC, and my Hammers are in my home virtually every match. America has embraced real football. It’s virtually a phenomenon, with kids in school talking about the EPL along with the NFL, NBA, and MLB. If the first ever American manager can succeed in England, the game itself can only benefit. I still hope it happens one day, but it’s looking like Bob Bradley won’t be the beneficiary.
Despite playing against the team that has allowed the most goals this season in the Premier League, the early action was in the West Ham end. Considering that Swansea have scored more goals at home this campaign than Manchester United, that was worthy of some concern. The Hammers continued to easily lose possession, and Swansea turned that into a corner and potentially dangerous cross to Routledge in the West Ham penalty area within the first ten minutes.
In the 11th minute, Antonio lost possession near the top of the Swansea area and the home side countered. With Sigurdsson calling for the ball, Borja found himself in the West Ham box with three things that usually cause concern for a defense. The ball, time, and space. Thankfully for us Borja sent his shot wide.
It’s almost a given in football that when one side doesn’t take advantage of an opportunity they are left to rue the chance moments later. In the 13th minute, Noble sent a long pass to Carroll in the Swansea penalty area. Man Bun, as my daughter loves to call him, did what he does as well as anybody and headed the ball towards goal. Kouyate looked to have gotten a foot to it first and sent it towards goal. Fabianski did a superb imitation of Randolph at Old Trafford and let the ball go through his hands and right to Ayew. Account opened.
Swansea 0
West Ham 1
A few minutes later West Ham looked close to doubling their advantage when Noble found Payet on the left side of the Swansea area. After faking a pass to an overlapping Cresswell, Payet chipped it into the box where Kouyate got a bit of skull on it but Antonio just missed the floating ball near the far post.
West Ham continued to ask a few questions in the 23rd minute when Antonio attacked from deep inside the Swansea area, right along the end line before Swansea could clear. A minute later Noble fed Payet on the left, and after cutting to his right sent a low shot towards Fabianski that the former centerpiece of Arsenal scorn handled easily.
Despite a decent spell in the middle part of the first half, one thing seemed to keep happening when West Ham had the ball. Regardless of who had the ball at their feet, the two or three teammates around them remained virtually stationary. They would pass the ball between them with very little movement, and then lose it entirely. It made me wonder if that was a symptom of the cramp Bilic has talked about.
In the 37th minute, Swansea created a chance of their own and once again let it slip away without Randolph even having to move. Rangel broke down the right and sent a low cross to Sigurdsson, who tried to open his body and guide the ball in with his left foot. His shot went well wide and the chance was gone. Minutes later Swansea were awarded a controversial free kick from a very dangerous area. Ayew looked to have been fouled by Routledge, but Mariner saw things differently. Sigurdsson’s free kick was quite good, and it forced Randolph into a diving save and out for a corner. Near the end of the first forty-five, Routledge ran onto a pass from Sigurdsson down the left and sent a cross into the West Ham penalty area. Cork got to it, but his header sailed over the bar.
Halftime
Swansea 0
West Ham 1
The home side started the second half with two attacking substitutions, adding Montero and Llorente. One could only assume width and crosses into the box were the thinking there. Based on the opening moments, with Routledge and Cork attacking on the right before the former was flagged for offside, and Montero breaking down the left before being muscled off the ball by…..yeah, it’s true….Nordtveit, that guess looked correct.
Remember what I said earlier about ruing chances? It happened again when West Ham won a corner on what should have been a play that broke down. Noble got the ball inside the Swansea area, but couldn’t control the ball quickly enough to get a shot off. But Swansea didn’t finish the defensive work and Noble rolled the ball to Carroll. His shot from distance was deflected out for a corner. Payet’s delivery was perfect, finding Reid in a crowd and the West Ham centerback headed it past Fabianski.
Swansea 0
West Ham 2
The home side tried to dig themselves out of the hole they were in shortly after West Ham doubled their advantage. They won a few successive corners, and Sigurdsson had another chance in front of goal that went over the bar.
A few minutes later West Ham looked to have a third when Payet broke towards goal on the left along the endline. He rolled the ball to Noble, whose right footed attempt at the far corner took a deflection and went out for the first of three corners. None produced even an attempt on net. Moments later, Payet fouled Llorente and Swansea had a free kick at the edge of the West Ham eighteen yard box. Carroll was able to use his head to clear the ball from danger, a benefit we sometimes overlook when considering his value in the lineup.
In the 70th minute, Swansea again came very close to making the final minutes of the match interesting when Llorente took advantage of Noble being obstructed in the box and was able to get an uncontested cross to Sigurdsson. But once again, his shot didn’t have enough pace to beat Randolph and the Irish International was able to palm the ball over the bar.
I like Fernandes. It’s not quite a man crush, but I really like the kid. And it all starts with his passes. Not that they are the things of magic and beauty we see from Payet every now and again. What they are is decisive. They are rarely if ever rolled just slow enough for the opposition to intercept. They are quick, and like a drone know where the target is. The same can be said about his runs. He has a good instinct on where to run, and knows what to do with the ball after he gets there. In the 78th minute, a little glance from Payet told the young Swiss where to go. Payet gave him the ball to the left of Fabianski inside the Swansea box. Many players would have been forgiven if they simply attempted a cross at that point. But the 21 year old showed maturity beyond those years and let Dyer slide by him, looked up, and tried to beat Fabianski at the near post. The Swansea keeper punched the ball out, but Nordtveit sent a low shot back into the box that Antonio directed into the box. He won’t even get an assist on the goal, but Fernandes deserves a big serving of credit for it.
Swansea 0
West Ham 3
Swansea didn’t roll over and wave the white flag. They continued to press for something to feel positive about, and in the 82nd minute Randolph was forced into a good save off of Rangel after some good work by Sigurdsson. Cork had a good long range effort two minutes later that had it gone in might have made West Ham a bit twitchy.
Very bad pun warning. Just so you know.
The home side finally broke through in the 89th minute when Dyer split between Cresswell and Noble before feeding Llorente in the box for an easy tap in to soil the sheets.
Swansea 1
West Ham 3
Andy Carroll loves to play Swansea. He had scored five goals in his previous six against the Swans. Too bad that idiot whose name I don’t even remember nor care to isn’t with the club anymore. While it was fun to watch He Who Shall Not Be Named laugh at him, it would have been even better to see Slav just give him a wink or something. In the 90th minute, AC’s time in the Swansea Funhouse continued when Feghouli sent a high and probably more hopeful than purposeful cross back across the face of goal that Carroll volleyed off the pitch and behind Fabianski.
Final Score
Swansea 1
West Ham 4
So. Let’s review. Starting with the surprise of the day. Nordtveit, the much maligned Norwegian, played well. Very well in my opinion. And I’ve crucified him in the past, along with about 93% of West Ham supporters. If he can play like that until an actual right back is brought in, then Kouyate will be allowed to play in a more advanced role. Noble was solid. The defense kept their shape, and the attack looked to be finding theirs. It’s looking better. Maybe we can relax a bit.
All stuff we know. And like me, I bet some of you have been pacing the floor thinking about that since the final whistle. Maybe you’ve even been talking to yourself while gesturing with your hands. While such behavior can frighten children and even spouses, it’s understandable after the start we have endured and the fear it produced.
We are not out of the woods yet. But we are hiking in the right direction.