West Ham Till I Die
Comments
Match Report

Match of the Day - Why Is It So Biased Against the Hammers?

I don’t know about you, but I always record Match of the Day, as I am afraid if I listen to Alan Shearer after ten at night, I will fall asleep and possibly imitate Rip Van Winkle. I imagine I would wake up in a hundred years and my first question would be ‘Did West Ham ever win anything?’ and ‘How much did Sullivan sell the club for?

Recording the programme also means one can fast forward through all the boring analysis from the overpaid, so-called experts. It is a disgrace that Gary Linekar is paid a king’s ransom for his negligible contribution, when the BBC proposes to charge pensioners for their TV licence. And he can’t even be bothered to get out of bed on a Sunday and present match of the Day 2.

The producers of Match of the Day also seem to have a bias against the Hammers, usually relegating their match to one of the last to be shown.

I thoroughly enjoyed the game against Man U. I have seen many boring games, but I was quite exhilarated by what I saw. West Ham were resolute in defence and closing down the opposition quickly.

So, it came as quite a shock to replay the game on Sunday to be told that the first 35 minutes were so boring, they were not going to show any highlights from that initial period. In addition, the commentator mentioned two or three times how boring the game was. I am not sure whether the commentaries are actually made at the game, or just added to the highlights afterwards.

I felt that the pundits completely belittled our performance. They couldn’t wait to get their teeth into Man U and Ole Gunnar Solskjær. It was akin to watching a blood sport. Alan Shearer has been described by the Daily Telegraph as large, imbecilic and dense.

The real analysis of the game is how at last, the West Ham team came together. Congratulations should particularly go to Cresswell, who seems to have benefited from his imposed rest and put in a performance reminiscent of a couple of years ago. And Yarmolenko, now fully recovered from his injury and good not only in attack but also in defence. He was described by a fellow sitting near me as a Venus Flytrap. Rice solid with a tremendous recovery in defence. Diop brilliant, as is Fabulanski. Noble, the director and Wilshere showing creativity when he came on. And we’re all pleased with Haller, holding the ball up and showing his skills. It’s a pity the match announcer still can’t pronounce his name correctly.

So, we were all elated by the performance and that was without the rapidly improving Lanzini and the injured Antonio. I am absolutely sure that the boost to the side’s confidence is going to see us compete for a top spot and the days of lackadaisical displays where we can barely pass the ball are behind up.

I wrote this before the Oxford game, so I now understand I have written a load of bollocks. I don’t get it, how millionaire players can let their fans down so badly. In Rome, one had decimation, where each tenth soldier was executed after a heavy defeat. I really do think every player who played against Oxford should be fined say one tenth of their monthly salary and the money given to good causes.

About us

West Ham Till I Die is a website and blog designed for supporters of West Ham United to discuss the club, its fortunes and prospects. It is operated and hosted by West Ham season ticket holder, LBC radio presenter and political commentator Iain Dale.

More info

Follow us

Contact us

Iain Dale, WHTID, PO Box 663, Tunbridge Wells, TN9 9RZ

Visit iaindale.com, Iain Dale’s personal website & blog.

Get in touch

Copyright © 2024 Iain Dale Limited.