Saturday 13 November 2010

Half Time Report: West Ham 0 Blackpool Arms 0 - Sunday League Ref Nil!

Let's get this straight, we are playing a pub side today. Just look at the Blackpool players, they've all wandered off a building site where they've worked all week and are having a kick about before going back to their local for eight pints of lager and a fish and chip supper. They are journeymen with a capital J, but they have been the better team first half.

How do you describe a half of "football" like that? Frenetic. There is no guile, no composure, no skill. It is long ball or run and run and run. And I'm not talking about Blackpool! It reminds me of when I watched us play Wimbledon at Plough Lane years back. The ball spent 99% of the game in orbit because Wimbledon bullied us into playing the game their way. Well Blackpool are stamping their style of play on the game - frantic, frantic, frantic. It's as if every player is on fire and is running towards a pond to immerse himself.

The tactics are pub football from both sides too. The difference is, when Blackpool attack, they get bodies in the box and when they defend there is a crowd of white and tangerine shirts in their own penalty area. When we attack, there's at most two players in claret and blue in the box, marked by eight, and when we defend, we look short handed and stretched.

All that said, Barrera could have had a penalty and Obinna's shot was goal bound until it was deflected wide by an outstretched arm. If it was a keeper, it would have been a good save. Given it was an outfield player, it was a penalty every day of the week, even in the Sunday League where these Blackpool yard dogs belong.

If we don't win this, Grant must go.

7 comments:

fred149 said...

sorry but must disagree with you HF id sa yit was evenly matched and the starts say so to

Anonymous said...

How can you do a match report of a match you're not attending? Bit daft eh?

hammalot said...

16:32

some of us can afford a satellite package. I cant blame anyone for not turning up to UP these days.

Kareem said...

OH F OFF Barrera, you should have just crossed that to Cole or Benni or whoever was standing there.that would have been a goal! 0-0 full time.

Anonymous said...

so it's a report on tv coverage? just to be clear??

John said...

Looks like David Sullivan is going to have to shuffle the pack then. There would appear to be little else he can do. I hope shuffling the pack also includes management and coaching staff. Week in week out Grant promises better results to come but it never happens, and if it doesn't happen against teams like Birmingham,WBA and Blackpool I can't hold out a lot of hope for the future unless there are big changes in January

Hammersfan said...

1654, why didn't you go to the game?