We have an annoying habit of only playing for a half. The good news was we didn’t do that today, the bad news is we only played for half of a half! Mind you – we played very well for that!!
The first half was poor, without Blues troubling Green. West Ham could have been two up with Foster pulling off one great save and one simply brilliant save. (Who’s Joe Hart!!!!)
The second half was very enjoyable, however West Ham woke up first. Poor defending for both goals by Blues, which is unusual – perhaps we are getting complacent! Anyway that bloke Piquionne from Pompey, the one who did the damage in the FA cup – scored again! West Ham went 2-0 up with a very good goal from Behrami, although it came from the Blues giving the ball away.
All of a sudden Blues woke up, Jerome’s persistance enabled him to score off a Zigic header and a saved Larsson free kick was followed up by Ridge. (Maybe we should play him up front!)
We had 2 excellent chances after that and could have won it, however it would have been tough on West Ham who surely won’t finish bottom.
One positive attribute that McLeish has brought into the side, is that we don’t give in. I don’t know how many times we’ve come back to save a game under his tenure!
Aylesburyblue was at the game, maybe he’ll add some more comments after he gets home.
In the first half the passing was terrible and we tried to play too much up the middle which was too congested. 2-0 down we woke up and so did the crowd. The first 60 minutes made me wonder why I bother going to football. The last 30 reminded me.
We were swamped in midfield.Time & again,with Hleb further forward & 2 strikers, West Ham had all the space to pass the ball around & we had none. Why was Gardner only on the bench as he has been one of our successes & was certainly missed during his suspension? I hate to say it because I appreciate & respect what McLeish has done for us, but if Zigic is a Premiership player then………… Also I felt it was clear very early on that our formation was not working & it wasn’t until we were 2 down that successful changes were made.Fahey is purely a negative player who is loathe to have the ball(he seems frightened of having it) & is always looking for someone behind him because he has no pace or not enough skill to beat an opponent.Changes should have been made at half-time at the latest,& I cannot believe that Phillips can be on the bench with Zigic on the field.I hope I will have to eat my words but the Serbian is a liability,a £6,000,000 liability.
The first half was embarrassing. The first half of the second half was worse! Leaving Gardner and Phillips on the bench didn’t seem like a good plan at the outset. We may have got out of jail in the end but we really don’t look like a team that is going to finish in the top 17.
‘Old Git ‘ You won’t have to eat your words about the ‘ embarrassment ‘ that is Zigic ! Far from it infact . I used to have a mantra in the 70’s and 80’s, that you could tell a decent player sometimes just by the way that he ran on to the pitch. Well in retrospect that was perhaps a little naive , but really what I was trying to say was , you can always tell when a player HASN’T got it very quickly by the way he runs , moves , shapes up etc. Quite simply Zigic has not got it.
Okay , he made the goal yesterday , blah blah blah . but an average Sunday league player will make the odd goal , and even score a few when he’s running around in a team of Premiership players ! Zigic is almost totally incompetent with his feet , but wait , there’s even more bad news , he’s only average ( and I’m being kind here ! ) with his head.
In the late 60’s / 1970 – ish , we had a player called Tony Hately ( centre forward ) now Tony couldn’t run with, or kick a ball to any great standard , but my god he could head it , soaring above every centrehalf in the country every match , week in week out. But even in those days it wasn’t enough , and he had to go . ( This was a man who scored 28 goals for Liverpool in the Shankly days ! ) Now Zigic isn’t fit to lace Tony’s ( under used ) boots , and yet we’re starting games in the 2010 PREMIERSHIP with him , I cannot believe it !!!!!
I like Big Eck , but he COULD NOT have watched Zigic in the flesh personally , before he bought him ! there is absolutely no way !
I watched Carlton Cole yesterday , as we all have dozens of times before , and compared to Zigic , he was awsome , sheilding , turning players , laying it off ( in a measured intelligent way ) mounting offensives , shooting , every chance he got ( not that often , due to the best central defence in the league ! ) and I thought , how have we wasted £millions on a guy who cannot only not score , but is a very dangerous liability when he constantly ‘ flicks or kicks’ the ball to the opposition as we try to attack , and he is given the simplest of tasks , ie touch then lay off ?…. I am at my wits end with him , if he is allowed to continue in the team , HE WILL COST US DEARLY !!!!!