Rovers 0 - 1 West Ham: Champions League! Yer Avin A Laugh!

So often this season various members of the Rovers squad and management team have suggested that Rovers are now good enough to challenge for a top four spot. They are wrong.

Today’s game was a shambles. Yes, we didn’t deserve to lose. We had enough chances in the second half to beat West Ham but didn’t take them. Defensive lapses cost us and we looked like, at best, a mediocre mid-table club.

The first half was poor, neither side managing to create a good chance. The only times West Ham or Rovers looked like scoring was from efforts outside the box. Dunn saw one clip the top of the bar and Tugay hit one narrowly wide.

The second half, unlike the Fulham game, started just as poorly. Giving the ball away needlessly much too often and we were punished after just seven minutes when a poor defensive header went straight to Boa Morte who played it across goal for sub Dean Ashton to knock in from close range. Oijer’s flailing leg just missing the block as the ball came across.

We dominated much of the proceedings afterwards but it was to no avail. Santa Cruz missed two chances that he should have put away. The first, a header where he did well to beat Upson but nodded it wide. The second, an absolute sitter. Tugay’s perfect chip over the defence, lovely control from Santa and then he blasted it over the bar. Robert Green also made two good saves, one from a Samba header and the other from a Tugay blast from outside the area.

The problem is a lack of consistency. The defence, on paper, is one of the best outside the top four. Granted, Ryan Nelsen was suspended, but with Samba and Oijer in the middle and Warnock and Emerton at full back we really should be tighter. They were sloppy today, with the exception of Samba who, despite picking up a knock in the second half, was as solid as ever.

Then of course there’s Santa Cruz. An excellent buy for Hughes and he started the season superbly. However, now, for some reason, the goals have dried up and the two misses today were inexcusable! McCarthy was lively but didn’t get a chance and when Roberts came on he did very little.

Distribution from the wings was also lacking. Pedersen’s crossing wasn’t good enough. Dunn tried but he simply isn’t a winger. In the middle Tugay’s passing was not at its best and Mokoena made way at half time for Savage, who was lively but unable to provide anything extra and is probably not fully match fit.

Another sore point is an injury to Andre Oijer. He limped off late on leaving Rovers down to ten men. It doesn’t look good for the Dutchman who went down when he was completely alone; never a good sign. On that note, the lovely sporting Carlton Cole, upon seeing Oijer fall to the ground, proceded to pick up the ball and set up Dean Ashton who luckily missed. Had this gone in it would have been hugely unfair.

All in all, a bad day at the office!

Category: League, Match Report

Tags: Aaron Mokoena, Andre Oijer, Benni McCarthy, Blackburn Rover, Brett Emerton, Carlton Cole, Champions League, Chris Samba, David Dunn, Dean Ashton, Fulham, Jason Roberts, League, Luis Boa Morte, Match Report, Morten Gamst Pedersen, Premier League, Premiership, Robbie Savage, Robert Green, Roque Santa Cruz, Ryan Nelsen, Stephen Warnock, Tugay, West Ham United

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