I am so happy that we have players like Carlton Cole and Alessandro Diamanti! Players who can make something different and also the difference! 3-0 against a weak Hull (without Bullard) makes our first back to back win this season!
Diamanti today was as entertaining as a West Ham player ever can be. Lovely energy, lovely uncoventional moves (the shot from own half!), good defensively (yes, he took Fagan off!) and involved all the time. Carlton Cole scored his ninth but also - without having a blinder – contributed a lot to the team. But maybe we should be most happy today for Faubert! He did not only score his first, his brilliant pass to Cole at his goal was a masterpiece!
Over all we may not have done one of our best games, but Hull was so much worse, and as soon as we put some pressure on Hull it looked like men against boys, Superheroes against weak crooks.
Zola let the youngsters; Noble, Collison, Stanislas start on the bench today and let the experience do the duty. And surely they did. West Ham seemed so much stronger today. I do wonder what Noble feel. But I still want more pressure from us. We plays considerable better when on the opponent's half.
Green 7 - Two important saves (one great and so important one - just before the break - after a shot from Boateng), the rest was a walk on the beach....
Faubert 8,5 - Lovely game, A few overhit crosses, but the rest was magnificent, and the pass to Cole was one of the best in PL:s history. (Or close to.) He really wanted to score himself and he did it! Good taken shot! Great game!
Tomkins 6,5 - A bit weak today, but he did enough.
Upson 7 - Good game! No problems. No nonsense!
Spector 6 - Played well defensivley. But do not give us much attack-wise, even if he dribbled two players at one time (which must have been the first time ever) one time.
Behrami 7,5 - Good game again after some less inspiring stuff! His first fifteen minutes was amazing stuff as he won every ball he fought for, he scored after 2 minutes and 10 seconds and should have had another when Myhill did an totally impossible save. During the rest of the game he looked confident, but later on a bit tired as he stopped going forward in the same manner as earlier on. (Understandable)
Parker 7- Mr Circle. His circular play with the ball at his feet in the midcircle was good today. It always is, but suits best when noone really attacks him with speed. Fought and tried to push the team on. Even with speed!
Kovac 7 - Good display. Involved in our first goal which was I think was important for him as he took an unusual offensive part.
Diamanti 8 - Our big entertainer. His work today also made the difference. Lovely energy, lovely skills. Thanks! Continue like this and you'll be a Hammers legend.
Franco 6,5 - Back in the team after injury and ready for a start. And as we saw again, not a fast, but a very intelligent player, and took some rubbish from the Hull back four (read McShane) as well, which only helped West Ham to go on.
Carlton Cole 7,5 - Two wide shots at least showed how much he wanted to do. And then... he did it (even if he was not on top). And it was not an easy tap in for him when Myhill quickly came out. Strong and determined, very very hard - once more - for anyone to take the ball from him.
Subs:
Ilan 4,5 - A bit of a disappoinment as he had some time to show what he can do. But even if he did not have any good balls from his teammates he did not look to work hard either. I've been impressed by his earlier entries. But this was a set-back. It looked like he will need some time to settle. But still early times...
Mido 5,5 - Not much time but moved well and pushed the team on.
Collison - no time.
Man U next! Could Everton may we!
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7 comments:
I've just got back (220 miles round trip) its 10pm - was it worth it ? - you bet it was.
Agree with most your comments but I'd give Upson 8.5, Diamanti 8.5, Parker 8 and Ilan 1 (someone must explain to him that in the PL he has to jump to get high balls as does his marker - the ref was very patient with him!)
Just when I was wondering what was a matter with a below par Cole he gets a truly first class goal.
Very pleased for Faubert who was full of running and skill - well deserved his goal.
I just happended to be passing the front entrance when silver Rolls with 'D Gold' is driven in, came back later and parked next to him was the D S blue Rolls. Good luck to them!!
It had been nicer if they had driven a Skoda and an old Toyota. But fair enough, happy you made it. What a crucial win. Can not rate Upson like you, even if he did no mistakes at all he did npt have to do any crucial things in his defending either. Diamanti and Faubert made the difference today!
The most amusing sight was to see Mido warming up ! More like waking up!
He joined in at the end of two lines of players lead by Parker, after two jogging runs I said to my son watch Mido - he got slower and slower - when it was getting very noticable he crossed over to the other line. We laughed as he continued to keep out of sight and not get up a sweat!
He was some what effective when he came on in the game - mainly by using his princely weight! However, I thing he'll be usefull as sub.
If we put that pass from Faubert on Youtube we may get Real Madrid to come in for him again!
I agree with Prince H one of the sweetest passes in recent PL history. And good cooperation as well - I mean no use playing it if Cole wasn't anticipating it.
I think Green did more than a few crucial saves and the way he controlled the air was better than we have seen for a while.
Agree about the rest. Tomkins may be a 7 but a very solid 7, and that is what we can hope for of a youngster. His style, or maybe job description, im not sure, reading the game and trying to intercept passes high on the pitch is effective when it works and dangerous when it doesn't. The pundit comments on Zaki once "finding the area between Upson and Faubert"... If the other defenders are on their toes it's very effective, if not - dissaster looms.
GReat game of great importance!
Btw, we will be punished for what Everton did...
(how is that for a moral boosting speach?;-)
I am not sure. ManU defence is not what it has been. And we have Cole and Diamanti at freekicks. Let's see if our midfield can tame the home team's, that is crucial. Diamanti was not ment to play too much away from home against the big teams I guess, but I think it is crucial to play him now. A free kick can be our chance!
I'll try to stay positive.
And we need Diamanti to take an easy dive to get one of the ManU players sent off too :)
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