West Ham's only hope of 'success' is the failings of others

By Jacob Steinberg in West Ham United Fans Blog

Published 12:05 21/04/10

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West Ham have a worse record on Merseyside than Boris Johnson, so yet another defeat at Anfield is hardly a surprise. The personnel changes, but the result always stays the same.

At the start of every season, some West Ham fans claim all they want from their side is victory at Liverpool. The last, in 1963, 47 years ago, came thanks to goals from Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. Three years before England won the World Cup. In the lead-up to every game, some fans even opine that this could be the year. This Liverpool team is not up to much. They’re there for the taking.

And then the game starts. And reality sets in. And West Ham lose.

Given the record then, Monday night’s lamentable 3-0 defeat to Liverpool would normally be nothing to worry about. Only this time, Liverpool really were there for the taking. The home side play Atletico Madrid in the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday, and the current travel chaos in Europe means they are enduring a gruelling journey to Spain. Unfortunately no-one appeared to have told Gianfranco Zola.

Liverpool could afford to rest players, play at a testimonial pace and still stroll to victory without even breaking into a sweat. Rafael Benitez’s side were bereft of the injured Fernando Torres, but if West Ham thought the absence of Liverpool’s best player would dull their attack, they were wrong. David Ngog replaced the Spaniard and settled the game just before the half-hour when he scored Liverpool’s second goal.

This was a defeat which showcased the poorest elements of West Ham this season. Lazy and half-hearted, they resembled a team who came for a point but had no clue about how to snatch it. Zola’s record against the Big Four during his time in charge at West Ham is atrocious. There have been a few draws scattered about, but mostly West Ham have provided the meekest resistance possible.

Zola appears to believe that West Ham are capable of simply turning up as and when they please. At Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea already this season, he has rested players with a view to keeping them fresh for games he earmarked as eminently winnable. The inherent problem with that strategy was that once West Ham had accepted their punishment from the bigger sides, their confidence was so low that they ended up losing successive home games to Bolton, Wolves and Stoke.

Success breeds belief, and while there is no shame in losing at the better sides, West Ham just surrendered in each game. The same was true against Liverpool, with West Ham looking as if they already had both eyes firmly on Saturday’s crucial home game against Wigan.

Zola might think it is prudent to conserve energy for the smaller teams, but Wigan provide evidence to the contrary. They will come to Upton Park this weekend buoyed by their stunning comeback victory against Arsenal on Sunday. Football is unpredictable, unless you conspire against yourself.

West Ham were certainly their own worst enemies against Liverpool. Notwithstanding the fact that they were obliging opponents in open play, their pedestrian four-man midfield dominated by Liverpool’s five, their defending from set-pieces was utterly shambolic. The warning signs were there from the seventh minute, when Robert Green came flying out to punch away Steven Gerrard’s free-kick, got nowhere near it and was lucky that the cross also evaded Dirk Kuyt and Sotirios Kyrgiakos.

West Ham duly got their punishment, however. Twelve minutes later, Gerrard delivered from a similar position and Yossi Benayoun stole in to guide the ball in with his chest. The marking was atrocious, another damning indictment of Matthew Upson’s organisational skills. After Ngog made it two, another Gerrard set-piece on the hour caused yet more havoc, Upson comprehensively beaten to the ball by Krygiakos, who poked the ball against the post and saw it rebound back into the net off Green’s leg. The goalkeeper had remained on his line, once more betraying his inability to deal with dangerous crosses properly.

In Liverpool’s last home game they had struggled to a goalless draw with a Fulham side who have run out of steam in the league due to their exertions in the Europa League. Yet despite the incredible story of Fulham’s run in Europe, they remain committed domestically. Roy Hodgson has constructed a neat, professional side without breaking the bank, and the benefits are eminently obvious.

There are few stars in the Fulham side. Each player knows his job and Hodgson has been able to eke out sterling displays from previous under-achievers such as Bobby Zamora. Fulham are a team without egos who play with a refreshing lack of self-consciousness.

Fulham’s achievements are in stark contrast to West Ham’s players, who have been mollycoddled by Zola into believing they are something special. They are patently not, but in all likelihood, the travails of Burnley and Hull will allow West Ham to avoid what would be a deserved relegation. West Ham’s problem is that they are complacent enough to bank on it.

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