Match Report

I went to the game today and although Sunderland apparently cut our ticket allocation from 3000 to 1500 there still seemed to be just as many Hammers fans there to me.

The match started OK with us being the slightly better of the two sides IMHO. There were a few funny moments like when the ref gave a questionable free kick on the edge of the box. SAFC took it, missed then he blew for a retake, yellow carded Harewood and then moved the free kick forward ten yards!! SAFC still missed the chance but we did defend well.

Then the red card incident. Repka (I think) challenged and it looked like a foul. No-one heard a whistle so the Hammers fans shouted 'Play On!'. I then looked across to Rebrov who had received the ball. He went over in the afray of confusing without being fouled and while he was down Caldwell stamped on him. The scuffle took place and Caldwell was red carded and Rebrov was yellow carded.

Don't know what Rebrov's card was for, maybe holding onto the ball but the ref seemed to forget about Repka's foul. Either way SAFC couldn't complain about the red card, although they did anyway. On the terraces, on the pitch and on the radio on the way home.

Despite the fear of West Ham getting over confident with the extra man the domination seemed to sway even heavier in our direction. SAFC tried to catch us on the break but never really penetrated our defence.

In the second half again the only attacks SAFC had were crosses that were easily cut out by keeper and defence and about one or two occasions where a player ran into the box and dived looking for a penalty. They were clearly getting desperate but I liked the way our team held things together and kept to the game plan.

Ethers and Chadwick really opened things up down the flanks and they seemed to have a game plan of crossing low against this defence. We should have employed this tactic in our last 3 or 4 visits in my opinion as SAFC are usually good in the air and we struggle to win high crosses.

It worked a treat as Chadwick crossed along the ground for Harewood to sidefoot home and, after a spell of desperate attacking from SAFC, we broke again. Zamora done well to keep tracking the ball after being ruffed up by the defender and outpacing him. He went passed the defender and slid another low cross to Teddy who had an open goal in the 93rd minute.

Lots of happy Hammers fans and most of the SAFC fans had left by then.

I saw to fans fighting as soon as I came out of the stadium. Neither of them was wearing colours so I reckon they may have both been SAFC fans!!

Listening to the radio SAFC a clearly bad losers because of their immense bias. They complained about the red card and the ref giving everything to us. I saw good and bad decisions go both ways and a West Ham side play out of their skin on away turf.

Breen was clearly p1ssed of at the end when Ethers beat him on the attack, the ref blew for a free kick to SAFC (don't know why) and he went over to Ethers and pushed him to get the ball. Poor Etherington didn't even get a chance to give it to him!!

Nevermind. SAFC seem content to blame everyone but themselves when ultimately the played poorly today and that is why they lost.

Today I felt the better team won and also the better set of players won. SAFC seem to always be a team of nobody's who overperform and West Ham a team of wuality players who underperform. Somewhere we have met in the middle. Today I feel West Ham played almost to their full potential and SAFC struggled to handle us.

Onward and upward from here.

 

Just a few ammendments to the red card incident as I described it, because I do feel it is important to give an accurate portrayal of these things.

I have seen the match on the TV and it seems that it was Rebrov not Repka that made the initial challenge on Wright, then during the argueing that seems to happen after every foul these days Chadwick decided to dribble the ball around for a bit (this was when the West Ham fans were shouting play on). Then Caldwell ran up to him pushed him over (contrary to my original version) and stamp on him, making contact with either the ball, the player or both. So the original foul by Rebrov was punished with a yellow card and Chadwick quite rightly wasn't punished for his part.

This to me still warrants the red card. Either a straight red for the stamp or a double yellow (yes, double yellow. Remember Moncur got one?), one for the push and one for the stamp.

So I am holding firm on my opinion that the red card was valid and SAFC lost because they were sh1te. Especially when I go back to work tomorrow!!

Another point was when Zamora ran through for the last goal. The defender didn't ruff him up then, I was thinking of another occasion. Just a small point but I thought I would mention it.

I thought overall we did deserve the win but even the presenters on the Championship on ITV were going on about the red card changing the game etc. I thought we stood chance of winning anyway based on how well we played prior to the red card.

Well anyway after that 6 pointer the top of the table has opened up quite nicely. We need a string of wins to compete though and IMHO I think we need it before Xmas.