View from the South – West Ham United vs Birmingham City

A view from the armchair this week. 🙂 But none the less, here is Baz’s take on the game.

I have to confess that I watched this match from the comfort of my own home. The matches have been coming thick and fast recently as well as the financial implications there has been considerable cost in time travelling to and from games. I had discussed things with Will and Chris and my son Jonny and the feeling was pretty unanimous that given the match was on the television we should put our feet up and watch the game at home instead. In many ways, I don’t like watching Birmingham on television as I find I get more nervous than actually being at the game. It was for this reason that I switched on early for the game when normally I switch on right on kick-off time because I find the complete drivel that gets talked prior to matches irritating. It was no less the case for our match when the pundits were either talking about Chelsea and Liverpool and their match (which was at least three hours away) or they were talking about West Ham United, Avram Grant, Demba Ba and Robbie Keane and all that! They then banged on about Fernando Torres and the prospect of him scoring against his old club and all that! Blues did get a minor mention and there was a very brief interview with Alex McLeish just before kick-off which was as measured and dignified as ever but it was noticeable that as usual we got very little coverage from the media that is SKY television.

No matter, as long as Blues put in a decent performance and most of all did not lose this game, I for one was not in the least bit concerned. I was looking on the Internet yesterday at various articles and it was interesting to note that I could not find a single prediction that found in our favour. It would appear that West Ham were clear favourites to win this game presumably with revenge in their hearts and the messianic presence of one Robbie Keane. I have to admit that I was a little bit nervous pre-match that this player, whom I have always rated very highly and of course was the subject of intense speculation with regard to joining us during the recent January transfer window, would go ahead and ruin our afternoon. Fortunately, these fears turned out to be ill founded. To be perfectly honest this was not a great game partly because what was at stake and partly because of the windswept conditions which from personal experience of playing football as a younger man is guaranteed to spoil any game.

There was very little of note to report in the first half although the home side probably had the best of it. However, West Ham flattered to deceive and really did not threaten our defence in whom Roger Johnson was immense and Martin Jiranek once again went quietly and efficiently about his business. Stephen Carr and Liam Ridgewell put in their usual shifts in the full-back positions protected as ever by Barry Ferguson and solid, dependable, Lee Bowyer. Bentley and Gardner completed the midfield quartet as Birmingham went 4-4-2 with Nikola Zigic and Cameron Jerome up front. West Ham for their part were hampered from the outset with the loss of James Tomkins who pulled a muscle during the warmup and had to be replaced by the less than fit Upson who despite his problems, I felt did very well against Nikola Zigic. However, even he had to be replaced at half-time by da Costa accompanying Winston Reid in a makeshift Hammers’ defence. If ever there was a better chance to beat West Ham it was now.

I expected West Ham to come out of the blocks quickly and give our defence a torrid time in the first 20 min or so. It was pleasing therefore that the match started relatively quietly and didn’t really get going despite one or two nervy moments such as when Ben Foster punched an early Gary O’Neil cross clear when he should perhaps have caught the ball. Despite this, Foster was alive and alert in snatching the ball from Frederic Piquionne’s feet after he was put through by a slick pass by Victor Obinna. West Ham started to apply pressure as the half progressed and Robbie Keane played Piquionne in with a clever back heel but the French striker could only shoot tamely at Foster. The in-form Obinna fired a 25-yard effort just wide and Parker’s cross threatened but was hooked clear by Johnson. Blues also had their moments and Lee Bowyer put in a low shot on the half hour which Robert Green collected easily.

As in our previous games against these opponents Birmingham looked dangerous from set pieces and Cameron Jerome beat Green to a header from a corner but the effort went harmlessly wide. Roger Johnson missed Birmingham’s best chance of the half just afterwards when he beat Piquionne to a cross but flashed the free header over the bar from 10 yards. However the central defender redeemed himself at the other end of the pitch by cutting out a cross from Obinna with an excellent diving header. This was just as well as Piquionne would undoubtedly have scored at the back post without his intervention. West Ham had two penalty appeals turned down just before the break; one when Lars Jacobsen’s chip hit Liam Ridgewell on the arm from barely 5 feet away and another when the ball cannoned off Roger Johnson’s left shoulder following a fierce shot by Obinna. Referee Chris Foy correctly turned down their appeals, a view shared by Jamie Redknapp and Ray Wilkins at half-time.

I spoke to Will at half-time and we both agreed that apart from one or two moments of concern particularly when Robbie Keane with a lovely touch in the box managed to carve out a chance for himself in time added on, which sailed over the bar, Blues had done a pretty good job in keeping the game quiet. I have to say at this point that my friend Will is a genius and he told me so himself! 😛 So that’s official, however, it is fair to say that he made some valid observations which proved to be the case from the evidence of what happened in the second half. Will suggested that Jerome was not fit and would be replaced in the second half, that West Ham had failed to turn up in all the second halves of all matches that we have contested against them this season, that Larsson should come on into midfield and as long as the we kept putting the ball into the box at every opportunity towards Nikola Zigic that we should score. The other thing that was apparent was that Bentley who despite having another good game was tending to over elaborate I would like to think that Alex McLeish told him so at half-time.

As predicted Birmingham started the second period brightly and Bentley found Zigic at the back post but he unfortunately headed wide when well placed. Larsson did indeed come on for Jerome in the 57th minute and Avram Grant replaced Piquionne with Carlton Cole. Blues were starting to take control of the match much to the irritation home crowd but both teams continued to give the ball away far too easily and some of play was scrappy to say the least. However, Blues were now looking more dangerous and from the second of two free kicks down the left flank Zigic gave Birmingham a 65th-minute lead. The big striker took advantage of West Ham’s defensive frailties to meet Larsson’s a well flighted cross to the back post for an easy header from 6 yards. I am at this stage up of my sofa with a loud cry of YEEEEEESSSSSSS! This served to alert half the neighbourhood and wake up the dog from her slumber.

Blues of course, instead of consolidating the hard fought for advantage, proceeded to hold what they had by defending deep. I would hate to know what effect this has on my heart rate and blood pressure and I’m sure I’m not alone amongst Blues’ supporters in feeling this. Birmingham did what most Premier League clubs do at times like this and used every trick to slow the game down which led to Foster being booked for time-wasting with 15 minutes left.
The much lauded, Demba Ba came on to make his Hammers debut in place of Keane to ironic cheers from the Blues faithful behind the goal. West Ham’s new acquisition almost spoiled what was becoming a great day for Blues when he slammed a volley onto the woodwork after the ball ricocheted around the box. The angle of the shot was not dissimilar to that which resulted in West Ham’s first goal in the first leg of the semi-final. Whilst the home side can count themselves unlucky, they had done very little in the second half to justify an equaliser. However, da Costa almost caught Foster out with a fierce 35-yard shot but England’s number one scrambled across his line to save. The defender came close again when he headed just wide from eight yards late on. Obinna and da Costa were booked for late challenges in desperate attempts to gain the ball in time added on and West Ham had shot their bolt.

All’s well that ends well and what could have been a very awkward afternoon turned into a triumph and a massive three points to finish off what has been a very good week for Birmingham City. From the league point of view, I think this match could prove to be the defining point of the season. We still have a couple of games in hand on our rivals around us and now find ourselves three points clear of the bottom three and have gone above both Wigan and West Bromwich Albion who inexplicably parted company with Roberto di Matteo in what can only be described as a panicky knee-jerk reaction to a poor run of results. Blues need to build on today’s result and concentrate on picking up more wins especially at home. Providing they do that, we should climb clear and survive. As for West Ham and Avram Grant, their beleaguered manager, this has to be a devastating result for them on the Israeli’s 56th birthday; Happy Birthday Avram! 😉

The Good: The second half performance leading to a much-needed win.
The Bad: The standard of some of the passing from both teams although the windy conditions did not help.
The Ugly: The game as a spectacle; it was not a great watch but we can nevertheless be pleased with a clean sheet and the way the team ground out the result.

KRO SOTV

West Ham United: Robert Green 7, Winston Reid 6, Matt Upson 7 (Manuel da Costa, 45, 7), Scott Parker7, Mark Noble 7, Frederic Piquionne 6 (Carlton Cole, 60, 5), Gary O’Neil 6, Victor Obinna 7, Robbie Keane 7 (Demba Ba, 76, 7), Wayne Bridge 6, Lars Jacobsen 6.

Subs not used: Ruud Boffin, Radoslav Kovac, Julien Faubert, Freddie Sears.
Bookings: Noble (40), Obinna (90 + 2), da Costa (90 + 3)
Goals: None

Birmingham City: Ben Foster 7, Stephen Carr 7, Lee Bowyer 6, Roger Johnson 8, Liam Ridgewell 6, Craig Gardner 7, Cameron Jerome 6 (Seb Larsson, 57, 7), David Bentley 7, Barry Ferguson 7, Nikola Zigic 7, Martin Jiranek 7.
Subs not used: Colin Doyle, David Murphy, Kevin Phillips, Keith Fahey, Jean Beausejour, Curtis Davies.
Bookings: Foster (74)
Goals: Zigic (65)

Attendance: 32,927

Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside) 7: Refereed the game competently and remained strong despite home crowd’s entreaties for penalties in the first half . It is fair to say that he also waved away a strong case from Blues in the second half when Nikola Zigic was wrestled to the ground by rugby tackle from da Costa. I think he interpreted the incident as six of one and half a dozen of the other.

KRO SOTV