|
Despite being subject to the whims of television and playing this fifth round tie at the ridiculous time of 8pm on a Monday night, there was a healthy Clarets following in the away end, buoyed by three excellent results against Norwich, Watford and Cardiff and daring to hope for another one against a West Ham side who have been propping up the Premier League for the best part of the season. It was something of a disappointment for me to see the 4-4-2 which was so effective at Watford and Cardiff replaced with a 4-5-1, Elliott replacing Iwelumo, although it was nice to see Rodriguez given a chance as the lone striker rather than forced out wide on the left again. However, with nothing to lose in terms of league position, and against a team with a very suspect defence, I thought it was a shame that we didn't choose to partner Iwelumo and Rodriguez again.
Still, Burnley started the game as much the better team, and through the endeavours of Rodriguez twice came close to taking a lead early on, once when his flick over a despairing Rob Green was tidied up by the West Ham defence, and once when his instinctive first time shot after the centre-half's mistake was tipped over by an excellent reaction save by Green. With a bit more of a level head though, it was a great chance to go one up, and the major flaw in Rodriguez' game, his finishing, was evident once again. Still, we were causing some problems, and Eagles, playing in the hole once again, linked well with Wallace and Mears on the right to ask some questions of the Hammers' defence.
Unfortunately there were bigger questions to ask of our defence soon after. Thomas Hitzlsperger, the ex-Aston Villa man famed for his "Hammer" shots from his left foot, cut inside Cork far too easily and was thus presented with an opportunity to score the type of goal which earned him his nickname. There was a slight swerve on the powerful shot, but even so, it was a very weak effort by Grant, whose hand was nowhere near strong enough.
The goal had come against the run of play but for the rest of the half West Ham dictated the tempo without seriously threatening our goal again. An effort from Eagles drew a smart stop low to Green's left but apart from that there wasn't much else to talk about in the first half. We certainly hadn't disgraced ourselves and the mood in the away end at half time was that we still had a good chance of getting something from the game.
However, that all changed within 5 disastrous second half minutes, as Carlton Cole was given free reign by Duff and Carlisle to score two of the easiest goals he'll get this season. The first saw Cole's initial effort blocked very well by Grant, but a prone Cole somehow managed to beat Duff to the rebound and tap it home, while the second was a much more straightforward finish with no defenders in sight as Cole lifted the ball beyond Grant. Admittedly the first of these two seemed offside, but the old maxim of "play to the whistle"didn't seem to apply, particularly not for Mears who seemed to spend half of the game standing around with his arm in the air vainly appealing.
The lion's share of the blame for the goals must go to Duff and Carlisle, though, and also to Eddie Howe, who persists with a very average centre-half pairing bereft of pace, when one of the best centre-halves in the division kicks his heels on the bench. Never mind rumours of turning up late for training- it doesn't seem as though the existing partnership is getting much out of the extra hour anyway- Bikey must replace one of the two at the back if we're going to kick on this season. Can anyone really argue that Cole would have had just as easy a game if marked by Bikey? Against a pacey front two the deficiences of the Carlisle-Duff pairing were highlighted in the most humiliating way.
|
The bad defending didn't stop and Winston Reid crashed a near post header unmarked past Lee Grant on the hour, to complete an opening 15 minutes eerily reminiscent of the similar collapse in the League Cup semi-final at White Hart Lane a couple of years ago, except there was to be no second leg to restore pride this time. West Ham stroked the ball around for the next 20 minutes and we couldn't get near them- it was embarrassing, particularly on national television, as we made a very average side look like Barcelona.
A slight bit of pride was restored after a mix-up between Green and Bridge (how were these two ever picked for England?) saw a good block by Mears and a tap in for Rodriguez, who had a few minutes earlier blazed over another great chance. The game drifted along to its inevitable confusion with just one more talking point in the last minute, when a Burnley chance which saw the ball somehow stay out after hitting both bar and post was cleared down the other end, and Freddie Sears was waved through to score a fifth and cap an embarrassing display for the side, and particularly the back five.
A very poor second half display then against an average side whom we made look like world beaters. However, no league points have been lost and the side now has an opportunity to focus on the play-off push, starting with the derby at Deepdale on Saturday. An away defeat in the cup to a Premier League side shouldn't linger too long in the mind of the fans, and it may answer some questions Eddie Howe might have had about some of his players.
Finally, a word on the view from the away end. Some people prefer to sit as close to the front as possible, but I prefer a seat at the back for a good view of the whole pitch, so I was a bit miffed to note my seat would be row A, seat 3, and I was even more miffed when I took my seat, which was crammed into the corner of the stand, and unbelievably, below pitch level, and obscured by advertising hoardings. Fortunately, the stewards were understanding and I was able to both find a seat higher up in the stand, and stand for the duration of the game for a better view, but on another day, with stricter stewards, I would have had an absolutely dreadful view, which for £15 in a Premier League stadium is not on, and I think it's a bit of a disgrace that West Ham are allowed to charge money for these seats. Rant over!