Oh, the joys of a Sunderland-free Saturday. No Northern League to keep my interest up, thanks to the snow, and a chance to watch Final Score, the programme with one ex-pro who knows what he’s on about, and one who doesn’t. They’re called Steve Claridge and Garth Crooks. You work out which is which, I can’t decide. There was also a repeat of the Sunderland Come Dine With Me, I don’t care what her scran was like (it looked canny, mind), but her sense of what’s right in interior decorating was spot on.

I suppose the big story of the week concerned the smallest surprise, FIFA’s decision to send the World Cup to Russia, then Qatar. Apparently, Blatter met Putin for a meal on Thursday night, when his daughter was handed back alive and well. During the pre-meal small talk, Putin asked Blatter who his favourite Qatar player was.

Eric Clapton. Sorry, but it had to be done.

The Northern Echo summed it up perfectly – it’s about time we stopped accepting all the crap Blatter comes out with, and likewise his FIFA cronies, and kick up a stinking fuss every time something happens that we disagree with. The organisation is so pathetically corrupt and incapable that it’s almost tempting to propose the formation of a breakaway football body, but that would be playing into their hands. OK, as Roy Keane said, nobody died and nobody got hurt (unlike they will in Russia) and we lost the bid, and we should move on, and to lose is part of life. However, when you lose with what is indisputably the best bid in terms of facilities, stadiums, and transport, it’s hard to take, especially when you effectively finished last, behind blatantly inferior propositions. It is a world game, so take it around the world by all means, but Qatar has nothing to give to or take from football.

Rant over – what about West Ham? After playing like puddings (League Cup apart), they’ve banged in seven on the last week, as teams always do in the run-up to games against us. Brucie, obviously remembering our fifteen minutes of dominance at Wolves, chose the scary triumvirate of Bent, Gyan, and Welbeck up front as he named his side.

Gordon
Onouah Ferdy Mensah McBardsley
Hendo Catts Rico Welbeck
Gyan Bent

No place for Zenden, then, but we looked to be on top fairly quickly as West Ham put up a big sign that said “see how many you can score” in the first few minutes. Hendo, playing a bit wider than of late, was harrying well, and his marra Catts put in a couple of good tackles early on. With Bent and Gyan lively, Welbeck was tending towards the left side. After good work, Catts had a decent shot saved on 14, then persistence by Gyan allowed Bent to get away down the left, only for Rico to spoon his shot over the top.

At our end, Gordon collected a free-kick well, then Mensah made an awful hash of intercepting a harmless-looking ball down our right. Thankfully, West Ham are truly awful and could make nothing of the opportunity. With about 34 minutes gone, Gyan worked his way down the right and put in a ball that had “sidefoot me into the net, please” written on it in at least four languages. Thankfully, one of those was English, and Hedno obliged, passing the ball into the far side of the net. Lovely goal.

Despite our Eastender visitors virtually asking us to score again, we didn’t, and the main talking point of the rest of the half was Cole’s persistent assaults on Mensah’s dodgy shoulder, which brought a deserved booking. We broke down the right and had a shot deflected over the top with five to go, but we headed the corner wide. There was still time for Spector to dance through our defence and poke a shot just wide as we showed why we need somebody to partner Catts in central midfield. With Hendo out on the right, Lee was working overtime.

No changes for the second half, but we quickly fell into bad ways with some awful football by Hendo and Gyan allowing the Hammers to break down their left. Welbeck and Catts swapped passes, only for Lee to succumb to a great tackle on the edge of the box as he looked like breaking through. Ferdinand, rising to the challenge of being an acceptable partner for Mensah, was hurt ten minutes in, but recovered quickly to produce some quality defending to keep the visitors out of the box.

Catts and Welbeck repeated their interplay to nearly break through, then we had a shot well saved. Gyan took the ball on the run and produced a typically unorthodox effort as we strived to get the second killer goal. Bent made way for Steed with fifteen to go, presumably to afford Catts a bit more support in the centre, then we won a couple of corners in quick succession after they’d produced a comedy sliced clearance. Steed even had a shot saved, but it was west Ham who came closest with a shot sliced over when a goal looked likely on 81. We were certain we’d got the second when Green spilled the ball, but a defender’s shin made it a corner rather than 2-0.

Elmo replaced Hendo, and Steed showed great feet to get away from two defenders down our left, and set Welbeck away – no goal, though. Elmo then went away down the right to win a corner, then a free-kick after a nasty challenge as he tried to run the clock down. Three minutes were added, they could have had a goal, and we could have had four. Zenden got his run-out at the expense of Gyan, Elmo volleyed wide, and it was apparent that the result was more important than the performance. Make no mistake, we could have won this one by five or six, West Ham are that bad. Take Parker out of the equation and they’d be relegated tomorrow. On the other hand, they could have easily got an equaliser, had they not been so lightweight up front even with Cole in their side.

Man of the Match? All of the forwards were lively, Ferdy had a good day as he rose towards Mensah’s standards (against poor opposition, it must be said), and McBardsley was again solid. Cattermole, though, despite a ridiculous early booking for a perfectly good challenge, worked the central midfield well. If Rico had been on his game, we’d have romped this one. Catts it is, then.

Keep the Faith

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