So optimism and expectation was high going into the Everton game. Morale was up, confidence was good. That, it would seem, is often a problem for West Ham – perhaps we just get carried away too quickly?

It’s fair to say that we had the best of the game last night – the players were hungry (particularly Parker and Behrami), we were creating chances and I felt were up for it. And then, out of nothing, Saha just decides that it was about time he put the ball in the back of the net…so he did.

Strikers and chances

Was that the difference between the two sides? The ability to put chances away…we certainly had the lion’s share of chances (I think 18 attempts on goal compared to their 9), yet we only manage a poor 4 on target (compared to their 5). How we were not 1 or even 2 up at half time, I don’t know.

It was becoming frustrating at times – my mentality was becoming, “well even if we are in a good position, I just can’t see us scoring”. That’s never a good sign.

Tactics

However…was the difference more to do with tactics? From where I was standing, and this is not a criticism of Parker or any other midfielder, but I felt the decision to start with Jiminez in a forward position (think it may even have been a 4-3-3 setup from the outset) was a wrong one. Fellani was having a lovely time in the middle of the park and he, to me, was running the show. Every instance the ball was at his feet, he seemed to have time to do something with it. That should never have been the case. I really felt we were crying out for an extra man in the middle – and although he’s had some criticism this year, that man needed to be Noble.

The only good thing to come out of playing against Fellani yesterday was the song that originated from the back of the STB lower…

“He’s got an old bird’s muff, on his head”

The ‘Ref’

Or perhaps, and finally, we were subject again to a poor refereeing performance. Running the risk of sounding sounding like Steve Bruce here, but are the refs getting worse and worse every week? I don’t think it’s an excuse for all those chances we spurned, and equally he was bad for both sides, but was Franco not onside when he put the ball in the back of the net in the closing minutes? Did he not warn Fellani over and over again for a) some of his challenges and b) for arguing back- yet fail to book him until late in the game?

I’m sure Everton fans could probably chip in with some bookable offences that he missed for them them too – so it’s not a complaint of bias here, more a complaint (again) of inconsistency.

When and Everton player went down in the second half, the ref felt it correct to stop the game for him – despite the fact he was standing up. And then not ask him to leave the pitch for treatment – they’re just small things, but refs need to be consistent in these decisions. If he was injusred, yet still standing, make him leave the field for treatment. Is that not how it should work?

Some positives…

- Scott Parker, to me was immense…and I am left scratching my head a little as to why Jenas and co get picked for the England side over him (well, Parker at his best anyway)

- Da Costa seems to me to be brilliant in the air – although not 100% convinced, my opinion of him is growing by the game

- I don’t think we’re far from clicking as a team – and when that happens, I’m confident we’ll make ground on Liverpool

COYI

Sam

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So, here’s their information relayed to you:

“The Hammersmith and City line and the District line will be shut between Barking and Whitechapel on Saturday 19 September. This means that Plaistow, Upton Park and East Ham tube stations will have no London Underground service running to them.”

It certainly makes my journey a lot more difficult. Have a look at the TFL website here, to see how your journey is affected

I’m sure you will all have your different ways of getting to the ground, so if anyone knows of anything easier than a 50min walk from West Ham underground station, then please do share…and don’t say “watch it on ESPN”

IRONS

Sam

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I’m a season ticket holder at Upton Park for I don’t know how many years, I was at the game last night and these are my toughts.

Disgraceful, but not suprising.

Before I left from my office I spent some time reading around the forums of both sets of fans. However it wasone Millwall firm forum (remaining nameless) that particularly caught my eye. My original plan was to simply try and find out the safest ways to travel to the game as I was on my own. I didn’t want to be there too early, for fear of the prematch violence and not too late for fear of getting caught up with any police escorts of fans. Fine line.

It begs the question, should there have been more prevention rather than reaction from the police?

What I found though was that for a good hour or two before I left I was able to see where exactly trouble was either currently happening, or going to happen. Rumours quickly spread across the forum in question that West Ham had travelled south across the river to meet Millwall at their place. An indication of this from a West Ham firm member on there simply posting, “SUPRISE”. Equally pubs and locations were being hinted at as to where the two firms would meet. There were a lot of mumerings and rumours circulating to, but the intentions and plans were there for all to see.

And as the forum described, the violence unravelled.

It was only by the grace of God that I missed my tube from work to Upton Park. Had I picked the correct train, I would have been spat out at Upton Park half an hour before KO, the exact time that the major reported violence erupted on Green Street. As it happens I sat angrily on a train at Plaistow for half an hour and missed KO by 5mins, little did I know.

This was a pre-empted, planned, organised meeting between the firms of one of the most bitterly disputed rivalries in the world. It begs the question, should there have been more prevention rather than reaction from the police?

The police and the stewards

Firstly, I belive those police and stewards who were in the ground did a fantastic job. Based on what I saw, I can’t applaud them enough. However, why was there not more of them? My sympathies really lie with the stewards who were having to do the job of trained riot police…without the training, without the protection and without a baton. We’re not talking burly stewards either, but ordinary people trying to make a living, men and women alike. It could have been any of your husbands, wives or children out there…just because they have that flourescent jacket on, it doesn’t make them any different from you or me.

I just do not understand why when it was clear on about the hour mark, that in the ground hostile verbal exchanges were fast escalating into hostile physical changes, they didn’t replace the stewards with rows and rows of riot police and trained crowd control specialists. In fact, why that wasn’t the case from the start. It is beyond me.

My only thought is that perhaps so many resources were expended dealing with the trouble outside the ground, that more man power wasn’t available inside.

Apart from the lack of staff and security available, there are some other questions that are sitting heavy with me this morning:

Why move the fans closer together?

This is something else that coimpletely baffled me. At half time, the powers that be decided to widen the Millwall allocation so that the distance betwen the Millwall fans and the East Stand was reduce by an enitre block. Perhaps it was due to overcrowding, it’s certainly the only logical solution I can think of. But overcrowded or not, it seems to me a grave misjudgement of the situation to actually move the fans closer together…you couldn’t make it up.

They were moved to a distance where every personal insult being hurled in either direction could be heard. I personally saw this as a move that insighted violence and simply achieved nothing but increasing the temperature in an already overheated pressure pot. I said to my brother half way through the second half that you could see a physical difference in the crowd behaviour.

Why not put the Millwall fans in the top tier?

The bottom tier contained around 2,300 Millwall fans. The top contained none.

Not just no Millwall fans, but no fans at all.

My question is why didn’t they place the away fan allocation in the top tier only? Keep the flanks of the tier empty too, as in the bottom half? I’m not a police officer, I don’t make these decisions, but I would love to know their reasoning because as far as I’m concerned this would surely have buffered any crowd trouble – by simply limiting the access to opposing fans to a minimum – making it worthless even trying to get at each other.

Do not tar us all with the same brush

I would like to conclude with the following video. It’s the penalty from Stanislas and the subsequent pitch invasion. At 1min 30sec please listen to the reaction of the fans who remained in their seats. I stress that the events of last night were from a mindless, organised few whose sole intention was to fight. There may have not been a game of football on for all they care.

UPDATE:

I did not see nothing

So the Millwall manager has also come out to say that he thought it was really good of his fans not to invade the pitch. Pull the other one would you fella…

Millwall fans inside the ground ripped up seats and threw them at West Ham fans, they threw bottles and other such missles. Which as far as I’m conccerned is a hell of a lot worse than running around on the pitch (although that in itself is pretty moronic).

Sorted.

Sam

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I am not going to place the trouble of last night above writing something about Jack Collison (I will write something of my experience, but I wanted Collison to come first).

Jack Collision – a true West Ham hero

Image from Daily Mail

Image from The Telegraph

A lot of fans I heard on the radio last night were describing how they were in tears listening to the violence erupt at Upton Park last night…their beloved side, their beloved club marred by mindless yobs. It’s saddening.

But for me it wasn’t until I saw the photos of Jack Collison in tears after the game that I myself was devestated.

Here we have a young lad, younger than me, whose father had died just two days previous to the game last night, pulling on a West Ham shirt ready to step out and represent his cherished side in one of the feircest fought derbies in the world. Not only did he play, but he put in one of the hardest, most determined performances I’ve seen for a long while from a West Ham player.

I’ve no idea of the emotions that he was feeling, but what was clear is that that performance was for his Dad. And he would have been proud.

This game meant so much to Collison and not for all the wrong reasons, as it was for some people at the game.

I sincerely encourage people not to let what Jack Collison achieved during last night’s game, go unnoticed.

Collison, along with Noble, Nouble, Stanislas, Payne, Sears, Tomkins are the emerging West Ham United. A West Ham that we can take pride in and who take pride in West Ham. Those players who played last night from that list performed and handled themselves with a maturity beyond their years. Their performances were calm, controlled and not hate fuelled, despite the violence erupting around them. It would have been all to easy for Collison to to allow that to go to his head. To use the excuse of the heated atmosphere as a way of justifying a reckless challenge or two…but nothing like that happened. His tackles and challenges were firm, but nothing unprofessional.

And even while some people decided that invading the pitch was a constructive thing to do, it was Collison (amongst others) who stood there and calmly reasoned with some fans – urging them to leave the field of play.

So much will be written in the coming days, weeks and months condemning West Ham and Millwall fans. The violence will be well documented. It will be read, discussed and argued. But I sincerely encourage people not to let what Jack Collison achieved during last night’s game, go unnoticed.

He is genuinely a hero. He and the other yonger players are where young fans should go for their inspiration.

Sam

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As you may have known, last Saturday I graced God’s Green Acre to raise money for Breast Cancer research.

Possibly the best day of my life. 

I’ve uploaded some pictures (10 out of about 240) of my day here, but more importantly The West Ham Process was able to raise almost £250 for two Breast Cancer Charities. Meaning in total the charity game at Upton Park raised just shy of £1000, so massive thanks to everyone who was able to donate!

We had the home dressing room, and yes there is a sign in there that says “Winning is what we are here for”. 

The score on the day doesn’t need to be mentioned.

IRONS!

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Is it win-win for us at the minute? Don’t get me wrong it would be devastating to not make 7th after a year of unrecognised (by the press, Lawro, Hansan and Linekar) progress, but it would certainly not be the end of the world missing out on an potential extra 19 games for next season. If we don’t qualify, we have an extra year under the guidance of a superb Zola, Clarke and Carr partnership to allow the younger players to settle into the pace and intensity of top-tier football. I personally am of the opinion that a good run in Europe could definitely hamper our league progess. Either way it’s a good time to be supporting West Ham right now.

I don’t want to dwell on what may or may not be, as we’ve learnt in the past it generally results in our dreams literally fading and dying, what I do want to look at though is what we are now.

In a weekend of football where the Mancs fielded and entirely non-English side, West Ham gave opportunities to a whole host of young, exciting, products of our Academy. All British (mostly English). This excites me more than the football Zola & Clarke have us playing (which has been top draw for the most part of this season).

All of Stanislas, Noble, Sears, Tomkins, Payne and Collison experience first team action at the weekend and, by all accounts, both Noble and Payne really shone. Right there we are looking at the future of what we can achieve, of what is possible.

I read too many times on other websites how wonderful other clubs are, or what a splendid job old saggy-chops has done over at the Spuds, or what an incredible youth system Le-Arse have. How about a quick step back and a look at what we have achieved this year…on a budget of nothing and with a potentially devastating injury list (a list that long would certainly ruin a season for Wigan, Bolton and definitely Fulham).

I cannot wait for next season to start. We will hopefully be welcoming back fully-fit versions of Ashton, Collison and Behrami. Add that to the wealth of youth that are bubbling under and I honestly believe we could be in for a special year…whether in Europe, or not.

God’s Green Acre

On the 30th May, something special is going down at Upton Park. It’s my chance to finally prove to Zola that I still have what it takes to make it as a player.

OK, that’s a complete lie, but it’s what I’m telling myself in my head.

I am playing at Upton Park in an 11-a-side game however to raise money for a breast cancer charity. After the success of our last fundraiser on here, I hope to be able to present the organiser of this incredible opportunity with a donation from procedes raised from my site.

There will be more of this to follow, along with some photos of me scoring the winning goal in front of my seat in the Centenary Lower(yeh, and Relegation-Fodder Roeder is a good manager)

IRONS!

Sam

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