Saints 1 West Ham 0 - Post Match Reactions

[saint lard]

Expensively assembled WHU given football lesson last nite.Hoofball v how the game should be played.SFC are the real deal.

West Ham eventually upped their game in the second half but i was left very unimpressed by them.

We play the ball to feet from back to front,sometimes i think we over elaborate it especially the back four at times and it left my heart in my mouth on occasions.

For such a big crowd it was not the best atmosphere,imo.

Nolan went down in my estimations last night,never stopped moaning.

Chaplow was tireless last night in his efforts.

 

All in all,bloody marvellous,and without Lallana and for the majority,Cork.

[scotty]

or you could say big fat sam set them up to stop us playing

 

 

Well thats exactly what he said in his post match interview

[sfc1976]

I remember that tool Poyet saying we were direct and just Dagenham and Redbridge with a decent striker!!

[West End Saint]

Good game great win thought we played very well 1st half passed them off the park we deserved to be 1 up fair play to Jos my mom great display.

 

Fonte had a tough night up against Carew his head could have gone down but he kept battling & well done to him for that Chappers was immense for 70 mins

 

A couple of posters have said the atmosphere was flat I disagree in the Kingsland/Northam corner it was good.

[scott_saints]

Alot of early morning posts on this thread today. Euphoria is certainly spreading around these parts!!

[shurlock]

We can't counter attack because we have no pace going forward. Once West Ham woke up to that in the 2nd half they realised they could throw half their team forward with little fear of being caught on the break. As withthe Derby game I thought we were set up with a lack of creativity and cutting edge. If Lallana is out, then De Ridder should play. Both West Ham and Derby were happy for us to knock it around slowly in-front of their back 4, with little threat of a cutting edge.

 

And agree with this - De Ridder is the only player with genuine pace and the ability to counter, esp away from home where defences like to press high seems a must. The argument that De Ridder is a luxury is less convincing in light of Lallana's absence. There's no reason why we have to drop either Guly or Chaplow who've played well - give Connolly a rest and start De Ridder as happened at Cardiff or play Guly up top and put De Ridder on the wing as happened against Watford -with the option to switch them if NA thinks Guly adds more defensively. As you say, what a player does off the ball can have as much of an effect on the opposition as he does on the ball.

[Jack]

We can't counter attack because we have no pace going forward. Once West Ham woke up to that in the 2nd half they realised they could throw half their team forward with little fear of being caught on the break. As withthe Derby game I thought we were set up with a lack of creativity and cutting edge. If Lallana is out, then De Ridder should play. Both West Ham and Derby were happy for us to knock it around slowly in-front of their back 4, with little threat of a cutting edge.

 

I do agree, but there were a couple of occasions in the 2nd half when we were 3v2 or 3v3 on the halfway line, and chose to pass backwards when we had chances to run at them. Specifically Frazer up the right, and DC never stopped making clever runs up top.

 

Wasn't really a problem, it meant keeping possession, but gave them chances to get back behind the ball. I think Adkins was clever, he knew the battle was in midfield and exactly how west ham would play, he got it spot on. We had a bit of luck at times but that's going to be the difference between wins and draws a lot in this league IMO.

 

Lovely to see all the other results go our way too.

[Foxstone]

Brilliant team performance that saw us home against our big spending rivals - Noble was really their only danger when he came on, at least he tried to play football amongst the scrappers and hoofers..

No doubt that we are a very, very good outfit and are quite capable of winning this division. Congrats to NA and the lads..

 

Hooiveld and Chaplow MOTM for me, with Jos just edging it for keeping that big lump Carew quiet!

[Sour Mash]

I do agree, but there were a couple of occasions in the 2nd half when we were 3v2 or 3v3 on the halfway line, and chose to pass backwards when we had chances to run at them. Specifically Frazer up the right, and DC never stopped making clever runs up top.

 

Wasn't really a problem, it meant keeping possession, but gave them chances to get back behind the ball. I think Adkins was clever, he knew the battle was in midfield and exactly how west ham would play, he got it spot on. We had a bit of luck at times but that's going to be the difference between wins and draws a lot in this league IMO.

 

Lovely to see all the other results go our way too.

We were constantly cutting back in the 2nd half. We had loads of opportunities to break and kept on having to stop and cut back. Not only is it frustrating from an attacking point of view, but allows the opposition to throw men forward, knowing that its very unlikely they'll be punished at the back. Possession football is great and I'm loving our run of wins, but I think things like our lack of cutting edge really shouldn't be over looked.

[Sour Mash]

I do agree, but there were a couple of occasions in the 2nd half when we were 3v2 or 3v3 on the halfway line, and chose to pass backwards when we had chances to run at them. Specifically Frazer up the right, and DC never stopped making clever runs up top.

 

Wasn't really a problem, it meant keeping possession, but gave them chances to get back behind the ball. I think Adkins was clever, he knew the battle was in midfield and exactly how west ham would play, he got it spot on. We had a bit of luck at times but that's going to be the difference between wins and draws a lot in this league IMO.

 

Lovely to see all the other results go our way too.

Repost f*****g phone. Edited 19 October, 2011 by Sour Mash

[Ian the Red]

Wonderful performance last night. We were outstanding. My concern is Connolly - seems out of touch and has been imo for sometime. Lambert, awesome performance again, took a battering from their CB, but lead tehline so well, laid off so many balls and as always created many chances for others. The ball to put Guly thro was perfectly weighted and Guly should have burried it. Must say that the Jos and Jose are forming a great partnership in the centre fio defence, except for Jose's "one cock up per game" they were superb. Great to see NA make changes again and we still perform and produce the right result. Shows we have depth in the squad. De Rider looks a wonderful prospect.

 

Now onto Reading and another 3 points.

[Sour Mash]

I do agree, but there were a couple of occasions in the 2nd half when we were 3v2 or 3v3 on the halfway line, and chose to pass backwards when we had chances to run at them. Specifically Frazer up the right, and DC never stopped making clever runs up top.

 

Wasn't really a problem, it meant keeping possession, but gave them chances to get back behind the ball. I think Adkins was clever, he knew the battle was in midfield and exactly how west ham would play, he got it spot on. We had a bit of luck at times but that's going to be the difference between wins and draws a lot in this league IMO.

 

Lovely to see all the other results go our way too.

Repost f*****g phone. Edited 19 October, 2011 by Sour Mash

[yorkie]

Listening to Nigel's post match interview - he's not worried about that! Cutting edge - yes when we need to we go for it - but at 1-0 up against a "superior" side - when you have the ball they can't hurt you!

 

All that aside I think this is when we miss Lallana - Guly never seems to want to go on one of those type of runs that seems to be Lallana's trade mark when we break. I guess it's a confidence thing and Guly is playing the numbers game to keep the boss happy. He doesn't go on those runs because he gets caught out after the third man when he should have passed it well before then!

 

Still let's pick out the three positives from last nights game:

1. Score from a corner

2. Kept a clean sheet

3. No injuries

[Toomer]

Very pleased with that result it was the acid rest to see how far we have come.

Just a couple of why's, why did we sit back and let them come onto us and make a twitchy bum last ten, which I said would happen the build up thread and why did the ref not let play go whe SDR scored.

Talking to to some WHU fans on the way back to the car and they not happy with big Sams style, quote its not the West Ham way.

[Frank's cousin]

Must admit its the one thing we could really do with ... a bit more pace - OK so I aint expecting breaks like the current German team, but think this is an area we can work on, as its as much to do with confidence, positioning and alertness as pace.

 

....ahr, see thats the trouble with being top and playing well... it raises expectations and here I am being greedy and critical.... LOL. Adkins Out for not not ensuring we break fast enough and are not 12 points clear already... afterall had we not dropped points recently we could be 9 or 10 clear already!! ;-)

[um pahars]

Toughest game we've had so far this season, and a great result. We were noticeably cautious through midfield and I think Nigel set them up for keeping WHU out and nicking a goal or 2 rather than trying to edge a 7 goal thriller, and we managed that perfectly. I felt we lacked a bit of creativity without Lallana and Cork, but west ham closed us down so quickly it was always going to be tough to play our possession game. I thought we could have counter attacked a bit quicker at times, but they were obviously under instruction not to commit too many forward.

 

Thought Jos and Fonte were fantastic, apart from fonte's slip. From where I was stood I was sure that shot was flying into the top corner. Thought it was great to see a proper defensive display, we haven't had a game like that this season, and I'm so glad that proper football prevailed over ****ty hoofballing.

 

Massive confidence boost, and on to Reading to get a higher number in our 'away wins' column.

 

We were side on, level with Baldock and in that millisecond where it had beaten Kelvin, we were all convinced the onion bag would soon be rippling. Would be interested to see just how close it was and whether Kelvin had it covered. Big miss.

[Jack]

Wonderful performance last night. We were outstanding. My concern is Connolly - seems out of touch and has been imo for sometime. Lambert, awesome performance again, took a battering from their CB, but lead tehline so well, laid off so many balls and as always created many chances for others. The ball to put Guly thro was perfectly weighted and Guly should have burried it. Must say that the Jos and Jose are forming a great partnership in the centre fio defence, except for Jose's "one cock up per game" they were superb. Great to see NA make changes again and we still perform and produce the right result. Shows we have depth in the squad. De Rider looks a wonderful prospect.

 

 

Now onto Reading and another 3 points.

 

 

Got to disagree with you on Connolly. The work he does off the ball is immense. He had really poor service last night, either launched up to him at head height, where he's never going to win many headers, or for him to run on to. When he gets the ball to feet he's class.

Last night wasn't his best game but he was still a handful for them, made clever runs and was a nuisance for them. He picked the wrong option a couple of times, buy I think he's been pretty good all season

[Jack]

We were side on, level with Baldock and in that millisecond where it had beaten Kelvin, we were all convinced the onion bag would soon be rippling. Would be interested to see just how close it was and whether Kelvin had it covered. Big miss.

 

Didn't have a bad view from the back of block 42, reckon it was half a yard wide at most

[sydney_saint]

Arguably one of the more amusing quotes ever on KUMB.

bubbles1966 wrote: "It's like being AC Milan in Serie B."

Oh dear....

[alpine_saint]

Hope NA doesnt rest on his laurels and keeps working on the defence. Seems Fox and Hooiveld have now really come good, we need to build up Fonte's confidence a bit, maybe.

 

We'd already be out-of-sight to the pack apart from a few little errors from them.

 

I am sure he will stay on the ball.

 

Question : who gives way to Cork and Lallana when they return to the starting line-up? Nightmare decision.

[Dimond Geezer]

I just can't manage an erection that would properly justify this result with only one penis.

 

Comment of the thread for me. It was one of those lol moments that had my colleagues asking what I was reading.

 

That was an immense 3 points for us. Loved it.

Mom for me was Chappers, he was every where, I was disappointed/surprised he was subbed, but I guess he was knackered. Honorable mentions must go to Guly, Hoover & Kelvin, who made a couple of cracking saves & some great catches in the last 10 minutes when the pressure was on (and to think some want him "rested").

[LostBoys]

I cannot wait for Reading - Saturday seems light years away WHU

[Jack]

 

Mom for me was Chappers, he was every where, I was disappointed/surprised he was subbed, but I guess he was knackered. Honorable mentions must go to Guly, Hoover & Kelvin, who made a couple of cracking saves & some great catches in the last 10 minutes when the pressure was on (and to think some want him "rested").

 

Chappers was subbed straight after getting booked for a slightly two footed lunge. Good decision by Adkins. I don't think it would have been too long before subbing him anyway, he worked his balls off all game

[mulletsaint]

How YOU feeling this morning Sammy boy?

 

 

Apparently he tries to forget them at his age. Hopefully he won't forget this one for a while.

 

On the subject of birthdays, happy birthday again Phil. Sorry for calling you Dave last night, it was all that talk about Merrington which momentarily flustered me. Anyway, hopefully I'll get my birthday goal on Saturday.

[lambertsrightleg]

12 hours on and i'm still hard with excitement.

[JackanorySFC]

Quality write up in today's Times (their journo was quite obviously at the game), I'll paste the whole thing as you have to pay to go on their website:

 

Tom Dart Last updated October 19 2011 12:01AM

Statistics on possession and chances confirmed the naked eye’s impression that the biggest npower Championship match so far this season had been a close contest.

 

The critical difference between the teams was a surprising one: Southampton, newly promoted, were slick and accurate with the ball; West Ham United, freshly relegated, were far less precise and less sophisticated.

 

Sam Allardyce’s side remain second on goal difference while Southampton’s win extended their lead to five points. The race for promotion is still in its early stages, but last night’s game felt like a significant test of their potential, one they passed not only because of the result but the calibre of their performance.

 

Southampton are fuelled by formidable momentum and there seems no reason why they should not be this campaign’s Norwich City and return to the Barclays Premier League courtesy of a second successive promotion. They departed the top flight along with Norwich in 2004-05.

 

“There’s a belief that the club is moving in the right direction and a lot of positivity and we’ve had a good start,” Nigel Adkins, the manager, said. “There’s 12 games gone and we’re top of the league. We’re there on merit because we’ve got good players who work very hard.

 

“We play good football. We’ve beaten Birmingham here, Nottingham Forest, big names. You look at the league and there’s a lot of big teams in this division who’ve sampled the Premier League and want to get back and we’re one of them.”

 

The sell-out crowd of 32,152 was — by a single person — St Mary’s Stadium’s record attendance. Why wouldn’t fans flock? Southampton have won all eight of their home matches this season and last night’s was their seventeenth successive home victory in all competitions.

 

They have not failed to win on their own patch in the league since January and have scored in every fixture this term, thanks to an ambitious attacking approach and the goals of Rickie Lambert.

 

This was West Ham’s first away defeat of the season. Just back from a calf injury, Matthew Taylor, the midfield player, was forced off by a problem with his other calf midway through the first half and his departure seemed to sidetrack the visiting side, who were unable to find any fluency.

 

Carlton Cole was again absent with a knee injury but the little-and-large forward pairing of Sam Baldock and John Carew had combined well in West Ham’s 4-0 win over Blackpool on Saturday. Here, they were not as sharp and Baldock, the only member of the starting XI without Premier League experience, missed good opportunities in either half.

 

“We were clinical on Saturday but woefully short of being clinical today,” Allardyce, the West Ham manager, said. “At least I can say we came out and showed something about what we are really like in the second half.”

 

Allardyce’s side were spurred into action after conceding just before the interval. José Fonte narrowly failed to make contact with a corner, but, moments later, his centre-back partner, Jos Hooiveld, made no mistake by heading Daniel Fox’s accurate delivery beyond Manuel Almunia.

 

Kelvin Davis, the Southampton goalkeeper, saved smartly from Kevin Nolan but Adkins’s side were menacing on the counter-attack. A perfect example came with 15 minutes left, as neat short passing sent the late-arriving Guly Do Prado through, but the winger’s shot was too close to Almunia, who made a good stop.

 

Davis tipped a free kick from Mark Noble, a substitute, on to the roof of his net with four minutes to go, and Julien Faubert, the full back, hit a post.

 

At the other end, Steve de Ridder, also off the bench, went within inches of chipping Almunia as a thrilling finish made up for the tepid start.

 

The rapturous racket made by the home fans at the final whistle underscored the evening’s significance. Southampton not only added three points, they gained credibility.

 

The club are big enough for the Premier League, and for the first time in a long while, it looks as if the team are worthy as well.

[dubai_phil]

Apparently he tries to forget them at his age. Hopefully he won't forget this one for a while.

 

On the subject of birthdays, happy birthday again Phil. Sorry for calling you Dave last night, it was all that talk about Merrington which momentarily flustered me. Anyway, hopefully I'll get my birthday goal on Saturday.

 

Cheers matey. But bit worried you only want ONE goal on Saturday... But with another clean sh1t (TM Jaidi) that'll do nicely I guess

[saintpat]

Truly fantastic! I keep looking at the league table and can't quite believe it!

The best line of the night. - West Ham 0.

I admit to being slightly concerned that our record would be under threat with neither Lallana or Cork playing, probably our best two players so far this season. But last night proved that our midfield is stacked!

And that Adkins is an excellent manager!

[jamesb]

Shame Markus isnt around to see this.

 

THIS. I thought that last night on way to game, wonder if Adkins uses that as a motivator:

"The stadiums full, you are top of the league, go and do it for Markus"

 

Must say I am so proud of my team, club and fans after last night. No weak points in the team at all. I think we are all starting to believe the unthinkable even at the start of the season.

 

These are great times!

[Durleyfos]

The club are big enough for the Premier League, and for the first time in a long while, it looks as if the team are worthy as well.

 

That mead me do a sex wee.

[James]

Got to disagree with you on Connolly. The work he does off the ball is immense. He had really poor service last night, either launched up to him at head height, where he's never going to win many headers, or for him to run on to. When he gets the ball to feet he's class.

Last night wasn't his best game but he was still a handful for them, made clever runs and was a nuisance for them. He picked the wrong option a couple of times, buy I think he's been pretty good all season

 

Agree, thought he looked more dangerous than Lambert yesterday night.

[Leslie Charteris]

Great, great result - a confirmation of NA'a tactical nous and the determination of the team to win, whoever is in the 11 on the pitch.

 

Another very good write up here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/oct/18/southampton-west-ham-united-championship

 

It seem's that people outside of SMS are starting to believe, too...

[up and away]

That was a professional performance, something I felt we needed to do but unsure we could be so effective. WHU were a disappointment and our passing made it look as only one football team was out there. I can only assume we got to them or somehing else has affected them? Adkins and the players got the tactics spot on for what should have been a tough game without Lallana. As good as are passing was, we were short of pace to make things happen at will. If WHU had thrown the sink at us from the start, I feel that lack of pace would have been far more evident, but as it was they made it easy for us. Lallana takes our whole game to another level by skill alone, but last night showed we now have other options. I have always felt previously that we have had the better players but not the better team. Last night in my eyes showed the sum of the team exceeds the individuals, that was the one missing ingredient I felt for an automatic spot. If we don't manage to keep Hooiveld in the window, I'll put money on those complaining the most will de those under whelmed by his arrival.

[Ohio Saint]

Well, I didn't get any work done yesterday, first through nerves, and then through joy. An hour into this morning and I STILL haven't started work yet while catching up on all the reports etc!

[Charlie Wayman]

Wonderful days and the sun is shining and Morgan & Chappers just keep getting better and we have Lallana on the bench!

[Petersfield Saint]

Just woken up.

 

Did that REALLY happen last night?

 

Reading this thread it seems as if some form of Reverse 28 Days Later type Infection has broken out on here, sort of an anti-rage.

 

What is the biggest shock?

 

Is it that we are 5 points clear?

Is it that we out footballed the supposed Academy of Football?

Is it that our Manager really does have a Midas touch with his team selections?

 

Or is it the fact that we have FINALLY caught up with the Squad, and are now starting to BELIEVE.

 

Yep, I think that's it. The euphoria brought on by Shock. This IS real, this IS Saints that this magic blend has happened to, not someone else for a change.

 

And most importantly, our reactions are not arrogant, none of that WHU we are playing like this "because we are Southampton", we are playing like this because we have a true team - of players, management and fans again.

 

Goddamit, that table STILL looks good this morning

 

This, all of it. In fact the table looks better every time I look at it; might have to nip off for a quick "Alpine!"

[keithd]

Just got back from the game via corporate hospitality via the dentist. The two are not related.

 

The game... well, after a few shakey minutes from the kick off we passed them and attacked them off the park. The final ball wasnt quite there, Ricky had a game which wasnt to his recent high standards, Connolly looked a threat every time he got the ball and was able to run at them. Kelvin looked a wee bit uneasy with some of the back passes, but other than the first two minutes he had little to do.

 

Chaplow was my MOM he was immense. I had a WHU fan behind me and all I kept hearing was "fking hell its the bloody bald bloke again". Jos wasnt far behind him for my choice, cleared everything in the air, and looked pretty composed on the ball.

 

The last 10 minutes seemed eternal. We were hanging on a little bit I felt. Thought Richardson was very lucky near the end when he completely missed the ball 5 yards insdide our own half. Got away with that.

 

As for West Ham, hoof is all I can say. I can imagine they aint happy campers as thats not the way they play. Big Sam has his ways, and he has pedigree but whether he is their saviour is another matter. I thought Nolan was a real pain last night, forever chirping in the refs ear about the time we were taking over every dead ball. Right, so you've played in the Premier aint you? Right, its whats done, get on with it. What a whinger!! Mind you, he barely had a kick cos our midfield was so awesome.

 

Met Doddsy and Gordon Watson after the game, as well as John Motson. It was a fantastic night out!! And I drunk a bit too much

[Seany S]

My favourite moment of the night was a sublime pass off the outside of Morgan's boot down to the right wing, was on about 56 minutes. I was sat there and the old boy sat behind me said exactly what I was thinking "F_** me, what a ball"

 

Has irked me a bit this morning to hear Alan Brazil talking about the result as though it was merely a blip on West Ham's march to automatic promotion, saying that "teams like" us and Brighton will inevitably have a bad patch. Based upon last nights performance, the Irons have a lot of work to do to finish top two, particularly with so many other teams in the mix - hopefully us included.

 

On the brighter side of the trashy sports radio I listened to before work, was nice to hear Darren Ferguson exclaim that we are the best team he has seen, and earmark us for promotion. Thanks, Darren

[Ian the Red]

Originally Posted by Jack

Got to disagree with you on Connolly. The work he does off the ball is immense. He had really poor service last night, either launched up to him at head height, where he's never going to win many headers, or for him to run on to. When he gets the ball to feet he's class.

Last night wasn't his best game but he was still a handful for them, made clever runs and was a nuisance for them. He picked the wrong option a couple of times, buy I think he's been pretty good all season

 

Agree, thought he looked more dangerous than Lambert yesterday night.

 

Well chaps, have to disagree. Connolly is there to score as well, something he is not doing. Yes, he is an extremely clever player, casues problems for the opposition but he gives the ball away far too often; shots when the better option is to pass. How can you say he was better than Lambert last night? RL work rate is immense, his passing sublime and he has the vision and ability to create chance after chance for others, oh, and of course RL scores the odd one or two as well. Sorry, but for me Connolly should make way for De Ridder and come on as an impact player. Once he has found his form, then maybe give him another chance.

[View From The Top]

The club are big enough for the Premier League, and for the first time in a long while, it looks as if the team are worthy as well.

 

F uck yeah.

[PokingFun]

We were constantly cutting back in the 2nd half. We had loads of opportunities to break and kept on having to stop and cut back. Not only is it frustrating from an attacking point of view, but allows the opposition to throw men forward, knowing that its very unlikely they'll be punished at the back. Possession football is great and I'm loving our run of wins, but I think things like our lack of cutting edge really shouldn't be over looked.

 

We don't have a lack of cutting edge, you only have to look at the goals for column to see that (27 goals in 12 games is exceptional). I thought we missed a couple of good chances and were unlucky to have the SDR goal chalked off for the foul when the ref blew up too quickly otherwise it could have been 3 against what looked like a very big, strong and well organised West Ham defence. If nothing else, Big Sam does make sure that his teams are tight defensively and they've only conceded 11 in 12 games, a record only bettered by Middlesbrough.

 

Last night was not a lack of a cutting edge, it was simply that WHU were a strong team defensively and often forced us to play back and keep possession which we actually did very well. We still created a large number of chances, some clear cut, some half-chances even though they're strength was defending and being pretty well organised for the best part.

[Crazy Diamond]

I don't think I've ever been so relieved to hear a full time whistle. They threw everything at us and we were dropping to the edge of our own area - it was madness.

 

I thought Chaplow was brilliant in trying to do a similar role to Lallana, supporting Lambert and Connolly and running at opponents. There was run in particular that made me think he had said to the Hammers players around him 'you're only getting this ball off of me if you foul me' and sure enough, they had to do that to stop him running into the area. Brilliant. Though his two footed lunge was not as hot, but then again there were a few yellow cards going round last night, a lot more than usual.

 

Hooiveld and Fonte were solid, barring Fonte's error that let in Baldock - I really thought that was going in. After that moment Fonte was always a bit out of sorts but on the whole he got his head to everything and did well I thought. Hooiveld has to be a permanent signing in my mind, he is improving with every game. His headers are starting to get to our players rather than theirs!

 

Lambert again found himself isolated but he worked very hard, so I cannot fault him. Connolly was making a nuisance of himself, great play from him.

 

As for how the game went, I was logging the game and it looked to me to be all us in the first half - barring one or two half chances and that shot about 50 seconds in which was saved low to Kelvin's left. It could have been three or four to us in the first half. Our style was in total contrast to theirs, the ironic shouts of 'hoof' were not wide of the mark, unlike their long balls. We showed them how to play, I felt, especially when we just passed it round players looking to press in nice neat triangles.

 

Second half we were good, but they stepped up a gear, no question. They didn't learn though, it was more hoofball. I barely noticed Kevin Nolan or Henri Lansbury and I was expecting a hell of a lot more from them. They were industrious though and could easily have scored one or two - Kelvin made two incredible saves. At the other end Connolly and Chaplow should have scored, so it really could have been 3 - 2 or 4 - 3 by full time. Those last 10 - 15 minutes were nerve wracking and it reminded me of Coventry at home in about 2006. We had our goal lead, dropped deeper and deeper, eventually they got a penalty from diving Don Hutchison, full time 1 - 1. It didn't happen this time though, which is another sign of how far we've come in the past two to three years.

 

A deserved result I think, and one that suits us very nicely.

[Sour Mash]

We don't have a lack of cutting edge, you only have to look at the goals for column to see that (27 goals in 12 games is exceptional). I thought we missed a couple of good chances and were unlucky to have the SDR goal chalked off for the foul when the ref blew up too quickly otherwise it could have been 3 against what looked like a very big, strong and well organised West Ham defence. If nothing else, Big Sam does make sure that his teams are tight defensively and they've only conceded 11 in 12 games, a record only bettered by Middlesbrough.

 

Last night was not a lack of a cutting edge, it was simply that WHU were a strong team defensively and often forced us to play back and keep possession which we actually did very well. We still created a large number of chances, some clear cut, some half-chances even though they're strength was defending and being pretty well organised for the best part.

If you read my post in context you will see that I said that we lack a cutting edge without Lallana and/or De Ridder. That is a fact.

[saint lard]

There is a damn fine looking fella in celebratory mood, pictured outside St Marys stadium last night, on page 55 of the Daily echo.........oh...that would be me.A bit of eye candy for the ladies at long last.

[Ken Tone]

Given how ridiculously biased fans usually are, I thought this report on a West Ham forum was surpisingly fair.

 

http://kumb.com/story.php?id=125757

[for_heaven's_Saint]

I noticed that Jos was very much the 'boss' of our defence last night. He seemed to be in charge of where to hold the defensive line and the majority of Crosby's instructions were given to him, presumably to pass on to the rest of the defence.

 

Besides the deserved praise for Chaplow and others, I thought Morgan had a great game. There were numerous occasions when the ball was bouncing around or there was a bit of head tennis and Morgan put his foot on the ball or chested it under control. IMO he was the vital link between our defenders' no nonsense dealing with West Ham's hoofball and our passing attacking moves. He was also always there for the short option when the fullbacks, particularly Fox, were pushed into a corner.

[Wes Tender]

Last night was probably the most exciting game I've seen at St Marys for some time. Although many would have been happy with a draw, or expected a loss before kick-off, it seems that the teams' belief in their own ability is a lot more positive than the average fan's. For that, I suspect Nigel Adkins deserves some credit. Probably also for his tactical awareness, as I got the impression that he had anticipated Allardyce's game strategy and countered it magnificently.

 

The key was the midfield, Allardyce having been rumoured to be playing five across the middle to snuffle out our passing game. Well, it didn't happen like that. It was us winning the 50/50 balls through the grit and determination of Hammond and more particularly Chaplow, who was magnificent, with a man of the match performance. We were the team palying the neat skillful passing football and they looked like a first division team of cloggers and hoofers. Was this really a Premiership outfit last season? We looked more the recent Premiership side and they the promoted team from the third division. But as the record attendance testified, this was deemed to be the match of the season for us and having got a point from fellow high-flyers Derby on Saturday, we proved yet again that we are the form team, the ones to beat.

 

It is certainly too early in the season to get too carried away, but those who forecast that we have a genuine chance of automatic promotion are no longer being shouted down as loonies. Week by week, it looks more a possibility that we could do a Norwich. When that was raised as a possibility at the start of the season, it was suggested that there were stronger teams in the division this time around, so much more difficult. But which are these teams? We are beating them.

 

So to last night's match; a great crowd in increasingly fine voice once it became clear that we getting the better of West Ham. It was great to be in a completely capacity crowd once more and hopefully we can now get a few more sell-outs this season. The defence increases to be more solid, as the new players reach an understanding with their colleagues. Although it is heart in mouth time sometimes when Kelvin plays the ball short out of defence, he made some outstanding saves. Hooiveld looks increasingly a very good player and we should buy him. He and Fonte look more and more like Claus and Killer.

 

Midfield, we have so many options as was proved last night. Players can be rested or injured and their replacements can be relied on to fill in seamlessly. To perform as we did without Lallana and with Cork coming on only late, shows how rich are our options in midfield.

 

Up front, although Barnard is still out, Connolly and Lambert are a good pairing, with Guly and De Ridder offering alternative options.

 

Barring injury and suspensions, we do seem to have a very good squad in most departments. If we are still well in contention by January, we could add a player or two to fine-tune us, but as we stand at this moment, this could be a team capable of securing promotion as it is.

[dune]

We can't counter attack because we have no pace going forward. Once West Ham woke up to that in the 2nd half they realised they could throw half their team forward with little fear of being caught on the break. As withthe Derby game I thought we were set up with a lack of creativity and cutting edge. If Lallana is out, then De Ridder should play. Both West Ham and Derby were happy for us to knock it around slowly in-front of their back 4, with little threat of a cutting edge.

 

This is what i've noticed from the games i've attended. We urgently need to bring in a loanee or two or will drop points. We're in a great position and some will say i'm being negative, but we have to be realistic and proactive and address issues before they correlate into a slide.

[Big Ron fan]

Great comment from a West Ham fan on the train back to London, referring to his team's tactics and display..."If they played like that in my back garden, I'd draw the curtains!"

[Jez]

My skate colleagues face-b status this morning..."Well done to Saints for being top of the league. What's the prize for being top in October again? Is it an FA Cup winners medal? No, thought not."

 

So many things I could say but its simply not worth it when the league says it all. So I made sure to tell him we were 14 points ahead of the Skates after only 12 games

 

Enjoyed the game last night, not the most free flowing football but I do enjoy that fact we can now win games and stop our opponents from scoring and see out those close matches, without knowing we'll concede in the 89th minute each time.

 

I still want to see more of de Ridder though!! Get him on earlier!