COLUMNIST KEN BUCKLEY

From my seat: West Ham (H)

By Ken Buckley : 16/05/2009 :

Comments (28) :

Three points and up into fifth from a game that both flattered and deceived with the Blues both dominant and submissive. Blues had most of the possession for the first 15 mins and this produced a shot from Saha dragged wide after good set-up play from Pienaar; and then Pienaar himself had a 25yarder just over.

Osman failed miserably after a flick-on by Fellaini from a good Jacobsen cross left him only able to fluff a great chance. We were then reminded there were two teams on the pitch when the excellent Kovac ? who I must admit had never heard of ? split our defence and put Tristan in, he should have at least hit the target but instead seemed surprised at the opening, mis-controlled and allowed Howard to gather.

Then, some 25mins in, West Ham, playing some pretty but non-penetrating play in front of our defence, had the good fortune for the ball to be played to Kovac some 25yards out, Cahill didn't close down as he should have done so Kovac let fly and the ball flew past Howard and put the Hammers 1 up against the run of play. A good shot but I reckon ? although Howard holds our clean sheet record in the Premier League ? Big Nev would have had that one.

The Hammers, one up, grew in confidence with Tristan firing just wide and many a fan thinking this was maybe not our day and ready to put it down to pre-Wembley-itis... but then a superb move was put together that put Cahill clear in the box only to be brought down by Tomkins, a definite penalty and also a sending off under last-man rules. Saha stepped up and cooly slotted into the corner.

This took us to half-time were the chat was again all tickets and little or nothing about the game. Most seemed certain of a ticket as bank accounts had been raided but, as of now, no-one had got their 'mits' on the actual ticket; postmen will be watched with scrutiny in the coming days...

The second half started well for the Blues as, only some three minutes in, we gained a corner, Pienaar takes this one and finds Yobo back post, he controls and ? even though the Hammers had heeded Andy Gray's advice of having players on the posts ? Joe's shot evades all and nestles in the corner. Party time and against ten men: game over.

It was all us now and Saha got on the end of a cross from Ossie but hit a post. We seemed in cruise control which led to apathy and it took the detestible Boa Morte to snub a golden chance and Carlton Cole to fail to get a touch when very well placed to concentrate our thoughts.

On the 70 min mark Rodwell replaced Fellaini. On 75mins. he was instrumental in feeding Pienaar who shimmied and turned and gave Saha the perfect pass for him to slide home from close in and effectively kill the game.

Both teams were now going through the motions but, in a rare moment of class, Cahill produced the pass of the match, splitting their defence and putting Saha in and only he will know how he contrived to miss and let Green smother his woeful shot.

On the 80-min mark the manager swopped Cahill and Saha for Vaughan and Jo but with little effect other than to protect the two removed.

Final whistle and the announcer invited us to stay in our seats as the players paraded and acknowledged their adoring fans. Jags was prominent on his crutches and drew 'their is is only one Jagielka' from those assembled.

Arteta was nowhere to be seen but Anichebie and Yak strolled out with another person who I failed to recognise in a suit. The players paraded, Moyes saluted as his anthem was sung out and no-one was carrying a baby.

As the lap was coming to an end and the tunnel was in sight, a host of youngsters appeared as 'a bunch of pups let out of a box', each ran fervently looking for dad except one of Cahill's who set off with a flag with no other thought than milking the occasion; all cheered until Tim gathered him in. Overall, I thought a typical end-of-season game though slightly better than the Spurs encounter. Some pretty football played and an end product on view. My Man of the Match was Pienaar and I fancy many others also as, when the manager made the final two substitutions, most were imploring him to take off the mercurial South African -- he didn't.

My moan of the match was the inability of the otherwise excellent Baines to get any sort of decent cross in all match ?and we moan about Hibbert?

Fulham next and three points will see us fifth in the league but well behind the top four on a ground where our last win was in 1966. Hey, we won the cup that year... Who knows???

See you there ? UP THE BLUES!

Reader Comments

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Ajay Gopal
1 Posted 17/05/2009 at 05:19:58

Some good points, Kev, although I think like every other fan, your mind seems to be more on the Final ? and who can blame you?

Saha ? some clinical finishing in the box, but some bad misses too. What will Moyes do with him in the Final? My guess is nothing more than a run-about in the last 20 minutes if we are trailing.

Fellaini had a brilliant game ? my MotM. He covers so much ground with his long loping strides, it is deceptive. Also, I agree Pienaar was fantastic ? what a nice shimmy to set up the 3rd goal!

Cahill was subdued, but ran hard all day. Guilty of not closing down Kovac for the goal, and worryingly missed a sitter, when he would have buried his header 9 times out of 10. The semi-final penalty miss still preying on his mind? Snap out of it, Timmy! We need you at your best on 30th.

Neville was buzzing around as usual ? not being helped by the crowd going "SHOOOOOT" whenever the ball fell to his feet.

Osman is a poor right winger, and loves to come inside, leaving the right flank badly exposed. How will Moyes address this against the likes of Ashley Cole and Malouda? He also missed a couple of sitters ? but I can see why Moyes likes him ? loyal to the cause, gives 100%, etc, etc. Unlikely to be dropped for the Final. Maybe, Moyes should try Cahill on the right side of mid-field, allowing Osman to play in the centre? Is it true that this is Cahill?s position when he plays for the Ozzies?

I thought Jacobsen had a pretty solid game ? covered back well, and put in some decent crosses.

Yobo had his trademark "1 in 10 games" howler ? the back pass that nearly cost us dearly. Hopefully it is out of his system now, and he will have a solid game against Chelsea.

Lescott ? solid.

Baines ? you can see he is class, but in the last few games, the quality of his crossing seems to have deteriorated to "Hibbert-esque" levels. Needs to pick himself up and put in long hours at the training ground, for the crosses and free-kicks.

Howard had a fairly uncertain game by his standards. Is he sitting complacent after breaking Big Nev?s record ?

Rodwell had a fantastic 20 minutes ? he is getting better and better. He put in some decent passes that should have resulted in goals with more clinical finishers in our side.

Vaughan could not show what he can do in the last 10 minutes. The rest of the team had switched off by the time he got in, and he ran around aimlessly. But showed a decent burst of speed.

Jo seemed to be enjoying himself at the end ? big grin and hugging all the players at the end of the game. I get the feeling that if he stayed on at Everton, we could get "the something special" out of him. I am not totally convinced that he will go back to Man City... we shall see.

The next game against Fulham will be crucial for individuals to impress Moyes and for Moyes to fine tune his strategy, so look out for the Blues pulling off an upset and actually winning at Fulham.

I have posted on this site earlier on what I think Moyes's team will be for the final, but here goes again:

Howard, Jacobsen/Hibbo, Yobo, Lescott, Baines, Osman, Rodwell, Neville, Pienaar, Cahill, Fellaini

Subs: Saha, Vaughan, Gosling, etc,...

I think this team can win against Chelsea, if Moyes can figure out what to do with his right side.

The excitement is building ..... COYB!!!

Mike Gaynes
2 Posted 17/05/2009 at 06:10:27

Ajay... I don?t think there?s any way in the world that Saha sits while Rodwell starts in the final. When you have a horse of Saha?s pedigree available for the first Cup final in 14 years, you play him.

I?m also wondering what defense you were watching today, because it wasn?t ours. I thought Howard was fine, and the Kovac shot was one of the goals of the year. But Lescott was anything but solid ? he and Yobo were repeatedly caught flat and too central, and Yobo?s backpass was a sign of lack of concentration. They?d both better be back on the rails for Wembley, because the guys they?ll see there are about five grades better than Cole and Boa Morte, and they won?t miss those chances.

Tony Feather
3 Posted 17/05/2009 at 07:14:43

Just to ask why,oh why,do players think we want to see their brats on the sacred field.Surely they can cuddle the little beggers at home and not impose them on us at every opportunity.

Joe Jackson
4 Posted 17/05/2009 at 09:46:48

Thought you were unfair on Cahill. He had a solid game and typically came through in the box to get the penalty. He was directed away by Neville as he started to close on Kovac. And no ? he doesn?t play on the right for Australia ? Breciano usually does. Cahill usually plays in his best role ? attacking central midfield. Hopefully he?ll be fit after the Cup Final for the Australia World Cup qualifiers (we need only one more point to qualify).

Nick Dommett
5 Posted 17/05/2009 at 10:40:57

Have to more or less agree with what’s been said. I feel that Jacobsen does not get up the pitch enough and never drives forward: how many times did he receive the ball, took a touch and then stood still? We are not a pacy team but he does seem to slow everything down.

And Joe, have to disagree with you on the Kovac goal. I’ve watched the reply tons of times and I think Neville is telling Cahill to close him down, not wave him away. If that was true, then why didn’t Neville make any attempt to close Kovac down? Because it was in Cahill’s area of responsibility.

I would love to see that Ajay suggests but it ain’t going to happen. Saha will start and Cahill will play the more withdrawn role which is unfortunate as we really miss his attacking threat up the park.

Richard Christopher
6 Posted 17/05/2009 at 12:40:25

Have you found out who ?man in suit? was yet Ken ?

Billy Brad
7 Posted 17/05/2009 at 14:11:13

Fellaini man of the match, what were you watching Ajay. ?? He had his usual slow and hearless performance. Agree with you Nick, we will miss Cahill presence in his forward role, but you can see whats going to happen in the final Fellaini will play 60 mins then Rodwell will replace him and Cahill will be pushed forward.

Ben Jones
8 Posted 17/05/2009 at 15:09:09

Sorry Billy, I thought Fellaini did play well, and did certainally did not have his "usual slow and hearless performance" like you said. He kept the ball well, did the simple things well and was a threat, though Pienaar was definitely my MoM.

I don?t think the defence was as bad as people said it was, though they seemed a bit more dodgy than previous. And Jacobsen deserves to be playing in the final, in my opinion, a bit more of a threat going forward than Hibbert and also equal (maybe Hibbert every so slightly better) in the defensive side of things.

I liked Saha today, finishing was awful but worked hard for the team. Really can?t wait for the final now!! COYB

Trevor Brown
9 Posted 17/05/2009 at 16:19:40

I watched the game somewhat remotely in Atlanta, USA, and disagree with some of the comments around Saha. I thought he had a great game yesterday, holding the ball up, linking play and looking dangerous. He will for sure start at Wembley and would also dearly love to put one over his former club next weekend.

Ian McDowell
10 Posted 17/05/2009 at 16:27:51

Any thoughts why Arteta wasn?t there for the lap of honour? I just thought Moyes would have made sure the full squad was there.

Keith Glazzard
11 Posted 17/05/2009 at 16:27:53

Rodwell was all class and control with strength and vision. A possible starter in any top PL side.

And the Big Fella was found countless times by the defence as the midfield outlet, controlled then laid the ball off and made himself available. And if anyone thinks you can do that without putting in a load of effort, they’ve probably never even run for a bus.

John Dawson
12 Posted 17/05/2009 at 17:58:19

Fellaini was outstanding yesterday. I thought we controlled the majority of the match and a good performance all round.

Colin Malone
13 Posted 17/05/2009 at 18:44:18

There was an improvement from Fellaini but it was only in spasms. When Cahill is in that position, we look and work like a 5-man midfield. When Fellaini is in that position, we look and play like a 4-4-2 formation, which is out-dated. Timmy also brings the best out of Osman with his passing and workrate.

Marc Williams
14 Posted 17/05/2009 at 19:29:34

I?ve got to say I thought Fellaini was pretty good yesterday. There are still the positional issues when playing both him & Cahill but the Big Fella is getting better & finding his feet.

Fellaini?s harrying of the opposition is much less clumsy than it was and I felt he did a good job of tidying up loose balls in midfield to maintain our momentum & shape.

It may have been distracting for him but shouting "Shoooot!" at Pip kept my youngest entertained a treat in the second half.

Joe Clitherow
15 Posted 17/05/2009 at 20:36:06

Ken

The only other guy in a suit I saw was Nuno Valente.

Interestingly none of the loan players did the lap of honour. Which I can kind of understand in a way as it?s not their club of registration but they?ve done their bit and I?d say they were entitled to a bit of appreciation.

Gerry Western
16 Posted 17/05/2009 at 20:46:16

Thought Fellaini was superb, ran the show for long periods. I?ve read some criticism of Jacobsen but thought he played really well. He?s composed and passes the ball well. He attempted to go on the overlap on several occasions but his runs were not being picked up which was disappointing. I?d definitely start him in the Cup Final.

Young Rodwell was excellent also. Given our problems down the right it might be worth considering Jacobsen in a more forward role with Neville behind him and Rodwell playing centrally. Osman was dispossessed far too easily yet again. Pienaar, Cahill and Baines too combined brilliantly yet again.

Alan Kirwin
17 Posted 17/05/2009 at 20:44:37

Billy Brad, re Fellaini, get real. The kid is class. First season over here, away from everything at home, new language, big fee to live up to, longstanding bad injury, playing out of position, yet he?s almost our leading scorer.

Check out Saturday?s Times. Their unsung player of the year was Marouane Fellaini.

I?ve posted on TW many times that he?s for he future, starting next season. All things considered, he?s been brilliant. Don't know what you?re watching.

Billy Brad
18 Posted 17/05/2009 at 21:09:34

Alan, for £15 million I would have thought we would be getting real quality. I would sooner have got Arshavin for £12 million, he is quality. I agree Ben that next season we may see an improvement when he settles more but for the size of the guy his heading ability is very poor and let's not forget he is liable to get booked in every game he plays leaving Moyes with a decision to make on bringing him off every week.

Keith Glazzard
19 Posted 17/05/2009 at 21:54:19

Billy - Fellaini?s last yellow was against the FA cup semifinalists in the 84th minute. He was substituted (for Vaughan) at 103 minutes.

In the PL he was last carded against West Brom at the end of Feb. Since then he has scored 4 PL goals and is our joint leading scorer (all according to TW stats & reports).

Getting better.

Michael Hunt
20 Posted 18/05/2009 at 05:35:18

Re why Mikel Arteta was not around for the last home game, he is in Spain due to his wife being there and her about to give birth to their child (according to Baz Rathbone on EvertonTV). If a boy, sign him up!

Chris Kearns
21 Posted 18/05/2009 at 11:09:32

The ?person? in the suit who you failed to recognise was no other than our very own Nuno Valente.

Dave Griffin
22 Posted 18/05/2009 at 11:17:56

Fellaini was absolutely superb on Saturday and gave almost the complete midfield performance. I was watching him closely and don?t remember him giving the ball away on a single occasion. Whether he passed the ball short or long, every one was to a blue shirt.

He covered masses of ground, worked really hard to support his teammates, is a real physical presence who must be devilishly difficult to play against, and produced several moments of genuine class. I don?t know which game Billy Brad was watching on Saturday but it definitely wasn?t Everton v West Ham.

Nick Dommett
23 Posted 18/05/2009 at 13:42:30

Remember Fellaini never cost £15 million: at most he is £3 million a year, and for £3 million in his first season he’s not done bad at all.

Hopefully next year, after getting a proper pre-season at Everton and getting acclimatised to the PL, we’ll see Cahill pushed up into spot behind the striker and Fellaini drop back a bit deeper. This should get the best of both players.

David Denby
24 Posted 17/05/2009 at 07:38:52

Can anyone tell me if I was just being blind yesterday or did Arteta not come around the pitch for the lap of honour? Yak and even Jags on sticks made it but I can't remember seeing our little Spaniard. Don't worry, I'm not starting any rumuors off. Just want to know if my glasses are good enough!

Ken Buckley
25 Posted 18/05/2009 at 15:53:51

Thanks Chris. He looked taller and slimmer than I remember him. Must have been the dark suit!

Joe Clitherow
26 Posted 19/05/2009 at 08:56:18

Ken

Why are you thanking Chris? I told you that a day earlier!!

Lol lol!!

Ken Buckley
27 Posted 19/05/2009 at 20:13:52

Joe you are right I really must keep up.
Made a note-- ’Must do better’
All the best mate.

Joe Clitherow
28 Posted 20/05/2009 at 09:05:24

Cheers Ken!

See you at Wembley! The money’s deducted, the club have told me my seat allocations (after I rang up and queried the two totally contradictory mails I received from them).

All I need now is the tickets they’ve promised me they’ve posted.....

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