Tuesday, April 10, 2007

The dust has settled and time has been taken to reflect on what’s happened but the only thing that comes to mind when thinking about Saturday is

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Sorry about that, I will try and regain some composure. I am not made of money so £48 to see West Ham play at Arsenal was never on the cards so instead I glory hunted Dagenham & Redbridge at home to Aldershot in which they won the match and gained promotion to the football league for the first time ever. Well done to them. In the first half they played with fluency and speed that you would expect from a side that had confidence flowing through them and the knowledge that they would be champions with the win. After scoring the second goal they became nervous and after Aldershot pulled a goal back the nerves did really jangle for 10 or so minutes. After riding that storm Aldershot had nothing else to offer and the fans knew that the game was effectively up when extra time came about. Cue a pitch invasion at the final whistle and the Daggers are up.

Obviously I could only hear about it but from the texts I was being sent by my father I was being told that Arsenal was all over West Ham and that Robert Green was playing the game of his life in goal for us. MOTD confirmed this with Green pulling off some wonderful saves and if the side do get relegated (unfortunately I cannot type an obituary as the club has pulled itself back from the brink) they must do all they can to keep Green. He will want to be in the England squad and rightfully so but James was picked from the Fizzy Pop by Sven for England so could lightning strike twice? Being honest, Arsenal should have won by a country mile on Saturday but they did not and West Ham smashed and grabbed a goal which was the winner. I have had a smile from ear to ear since hearing Sheffield United and Wigan both lost. That Saturday was the best round of results for West Ham in this end stretch and the only disappointing thing I can think of is that we did not play Chelsea straight away as with the confidence we would have got from the Arsenal result I think that would have carried us a long was in a home match against the champions.

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Sepp Blatter has been returned as the head of FIFA unopposed by anyone else. Great, rent-a-quote is back for the next four or so years. In his time in charge of the Football authority, the game has seen stupid changes to the offside rule, stupid yellow card rulings and constant little digs at England or anyone else making the news at the time. You can tell that I like him don’t you?

BBC Radio Five Live the other week reported that West Ham will only suffer a massive fine and up to 3 points fine for the problems with the signings of the two Argentineans. At the moment it’s the season for letting people off when it comes to problem players and their registration. The astronomical and unfair punishment that was levelled against AFC Wimbledon (18 points!!!!) was reduced to 3. Accrington Stanley got a fine and a warning about future conduct for fielding two ineligible players. Who knows what’s going to happen to West Ham but if these cases are anything to go by then its not as bad as first feared but its all too little too late.

Speaking of which, the game at home to Middlesbrough. The best home performance of the season. Boro were poor and their manager admitted such but the crisp passing, interplay, commitment and sheer will to win was easily on show to see from Mark Noble, Tevez and Collins. These three played a blinder and not forgetting Neill and McCartney the defence looked a lot more settled but being honest, Boro were toothless.

To end and what a surprise, the G14 (that wonderful group that do so much to further the game of football for one and all) are going to appose a change to the cash cow that is the “Champions” League. UEFA head honcho Michel Platini has suggested that to limit the amount of teams that come from the bigger European Leagues there will be a lowest-placed qualifiers playoff between those from England, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Portugal. The G14 says “That is going to be strongly resisted”. Seconds out, round one.