Alan Curbishley
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Date of Birth : 8th November 1957
Place of Birth : Forest Gate
Signed : December 2006
Position : Manager
Height : 5.10
Playing Details : West Ham United
Appearances: 85
Goals : 5
International Appearances : 0 |
KUMB: With 73 minutes on the clock came the first substitution with Sears going off to be replaced by Cole. This prompted chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing.” This seemed a tad unfair to me under the circumstances. Sears had struggled to make much of an impact and was clearly tiring. On the other hand Zamora’s touch had been poor throughout and my own preference would normally be for a little and large combination up front so I wouldn’t have been too surprised to see Zamora being the one to go. Either way the front pairing needed freshening up so the change had merit. The move paid dividends within a few minutes. In one of the few examples of decent football of the game, Noble played a lovely return pass inside the full-back to Ljungberg whose cross across goal was turned into the roof of the net from close range by Cole. A couple of minutes after the goal Solano came on to replace Faubert. Solano got a few interesting looking crosses in over the remaining ten minutes or so but at the end it was the visitors who had a couple of chances to equalise, a Savage free header going harmlessly over as the three minutes of stoppage time started. At this point Boa Morte replaced Ljungberg to a chorus of boos. Now I understand the principle that states you have a right to boo a player because you’ve shelled out your hard-earned to watch a match but booing someone before they’ve actually stepped onto the pitch seems stupid to me... On the bright side, Tomkins continued to show promise which, given the number of defenders we have on the treatment table, is no bad thing. (Gordon Thrower, 21st April 2008)
Daily Mirror: Tyrone Mears has accused West Ham stars of being big-time Charlies who are failing to live up to their big-money reputations. Alan Curbishley's side were booed from Upton Park after grimly holding on for a lacklustre win against the worst side in Premier League history. And Mears, who was sold to Derby in the summer, claimed the Hammers players scuttled from the pitch at full-time "embarrassed" by their tepid second-half performance. Now a year on from the thrill of the Great Escape, the former Hammer reckons his old club need a great summer shake-up to inject some passion. "West Ham have a lot more big names now than when I was there but the spirit doesn't seem to be there like it was last season," Mears claimed. "Curbs transformed them last season and it was a miracle that they stayed up. But that was all down to their spirit and it doesn't seem to be there now. (Neil McLeman, 21st April, 2008)
The Guardian: West Ham have a long tradition of youth development with Anton Ferdinand ranking among their brightest academy graduates. Here, though, Ferdinand was too often disappointingly slapdash, his display at centre-half, during which he was at fault for Reid's winner, contrasting markedly with that of Sunderland's equally elegant but defensively far meaner Jonny Evans whose game was encapsulated by a vital, impeccably timed, first-half tackle on Dean Ashton. If Reid has inspired Keane's side in the final third, the signings of Evans - on loan - and Phil Bardsley from Manchester United in January have provided resilience. Indeed, their goal apart, West Ham, who, having used all three substitutes, were reduced to 10 men in the 87th minute when Ljungberg was carried off on a stretcher with a hamstring injury, barely threatened Craig Gordon's goal. Maybe Curbishley should ask Keane for some tips on delivering rousing half-time speeches. (Louise Taylor, 31st March 2008)
The Guardian: As exhaustion set in, West Ham's reserves of energy - indeed, their reserves with energy - prevailed. And it was the men from mid-table, their weekly injury bulletin notwithstanding, who boasted options, the most intriguing of them lending a futuristic look to their side. While Everton's focus on the short term is undiluted, West Ham can take a broader view. "I've got to have one hand on trying to win Premier League matches and another on the future of the club," said the manager, Alan Curbishley. That entailed the introduction of the 18-year-old James Tomkins for his debut. The central defender soon struck the bar and then erred for Everton's goal - "Yakubu rolled him," said Curbishley - before the Nigerian finished forcefully. Yet after an eventful but chastening opening, Tomkins recovered admirably. He forms part of a youthful collective in an East End union that finds favour with its customers. "I came down to breakfast and three of them were sitting round the table, [Jack] Collison, Freddie Sears and James Tomkins," Curbishley said. "Then [Mark] Noble came down and he was like the shop steward because he's a year older than them; I thought he was taking their subs." The apprentices are being schooled in the way of things at Upton Park and one has already shown a propensity to strike. Sears, their match-winner against Blackburn nine days ago, rolled a shot against a post during a sparkling cameo. There is an endearingly old-fashioned element to West Ham's faith in youth, mirrored in their support. "Mark Noble's is the biggest-selling shirt in the club shop because he's home-grown," said Curbishley. "It's as simple as that." Given Noble's intelligent repertoire of an inside-forward's skills, sheer locality should not be the sole reason for the midfielder's popularity with the fans. In the company of such ingenus, Dean Ashton approaches veteran status. The 24-year-old's equaliser, headed in emphatically from Lucas Neill's cross, was almost overshadowed as Sears displayed pace and promise in equal measure. Noble, seemingly inspired, whistled a late long-range shot over the bar. Adventurousness can be infectious but, as Everton know, anxiety is equally contagious. (Richard Jolly, 24th March 2008)
The Guardian: Alan Curbishley's features have long been an incongruous combination of the boyish and the crumpled. He looks like a middle-aged actor playing an adolescent. These days, however, he is more worried about being typecast as a losing manager. Consecutive 4-0 defeats by Liverpool and Chelsea - what, one wonders, would Barnsley pile up against them - was followed yesterday by another beating by the same scoreline at the hands of a Spurs side who showed little sign of being distracted by Wednesday's Uefa Cup second-leg tie against PSV. West Ham have conceded 12 goals and scored none in three matches in nine days. It is the sort of slump Charlton supporters used to associate with Curbishley during his generally impressive career at The Valley. It would be harsh to say his job at Upton Park is on the line. Last season he pulled them out of a steep dive towards relegation and before yesterday's match the club had taken 40 points from 28 games, double the number that had been won from the same number of matches last season. If they fail to win another point they are probably safe from relegation. But the worry about Curbishley runs deeper than the desperate results of the past week. He has accumulated a large squad of long-toothed players and too many of them spend too much time in the treatment room. When those players return from injury they are not match fit and, more worrying, they tend to get injured again. Yesterday Scott Parker, who can be pivotal in midfield, made his first appearance since December while Bobby Zamora started a game for the first time since August. Both were horribly off the pace. The questionable quality of Curbishley's purchases is a more considerable concern than the recent run of results. There was also a problem yesterday with Luis Boa Morte who was sent off for the seventh time in English football for wild lunges at Tom Huddlestone and, just before half-time, Aaron Lennon. (Paul Weaver, 10th March, 2008)
Daily Mirror: Curbishley even took the unusual step of naming and shaming Anton Ferdinand as the defender who was supposed to mark Berbatov but lost him on both occasions. It is almost the unwritten rule in the managerial code not to name the offender and Arsene Wenger has only done it once in his 12 years as Arsenal manager when he singled out Nelson Vivas for costing them the title in 1999. But Ferdinand got it in the neck yesterday - even more than pantomime villain Luis Boa Morte who was sent off a minute before half-time for a second yellow card for persistent fouling. Curbishley said: "Anton has got to dig in. He gave a penalty away against Chelsea very early on and can't allow forwards free headers. Berbatov has got one and then another." At least, according to Curbishley, Boa Morte had shown determination amid his madness, even if it meant West Ham played the second half with 10 men, although he added: "What could go wrong is going wrong at the moment." But Curbishley could have got stuck into most of his players as they simply did not turn up. It was little wonder the West Ham fans were chanting midway through the first half: "You're s*** if you can't beat us 4-0." (John Cross, 10th March, 2008)
JS John Simkin GL Gary Loughran HM Hammer Man RD Ren Dog HD Hammer Divone
MC Mr Chewy UC UK Chris RO Rocketron GA Gav SM Simon LE Lee CB Chrissieboy
John Simkin: It was a brave decision to drop Ashton and play Cole up front on his own in a home game. Cole is excellent at playing this role and is a good example of the notion that you defend from the front. The strategy of worked like a dream. Not only did Noble, Mullins and Parker control the midfield, they also had the energy to join Cole in attack. As a result, they looked more dangerous than they did against Reading. Last year we scraped victories against Man United. This time we outplayed them: Possession (54.5 - 45.5), Territorial Advantage (54.9 - 45.1), Passing Success (73 – 72.9), Tackles Success (83.3 – 78.9), etc. Even Ferguson had to admit after the match that West Ham was the better team. Although we have had several disappointing results this year, only Man City in the first game of the season has clearly outplayed us in a game. That is why we have such a good defensive record. Despite (maybe because) all the injuries, Curbishley has built a team of players who seem to know what they are doing. Only Neill gives me a concern. Yesterday he was again found out of position on a couple of occasions. However, overall, Curbishley is doing an excellent job and fully deserves his 10/10.
Gary Loughran This game was, tactically, without parallel - whilst Portsmouth and Chelsea were good, this one brought home the bacon. The decision to drop Ashton was correct. Curbishley's intention was to play 4-5-1 when Utd had the ball and 4-2-3-1 when we had it. Ashton is lacking fitness and this would have been telling in what was a high energy tactic. Every ball was fought for and usually won. In possession West Ham were excellent, Ljunberg and Solano providing the guile to the tireless running of Parker, Mullins and Noble. Cole once again bruised and battered the United back 4. Bringing on Ashton (the only tactical substitution) was also astute. This gave United another 'big man' to mark at set pieces, where West Ham were already dominant. This unsettling affect bore fruit when both Upson and Ferdinand (the one likley to punch rather than roast you) scored from headers. I was amazed at the possession we had and also how wasteful United were with theirs. It seems that Chelsea had a similar bad day against us. To think that would be to denigrade the ability of the West Ham players, who to a man were outstanding. McCartney continues to impress with his tireless overlapping creating options on the left. I would also agree with John Simkin that Neil's positional sense, if he has any, is problematic. I would say, though, that his tackling and distribution is improving. In an interview where Ferguson's obvious hangover wasn't helped by the result, I was disappointed by his childish remark that our motivation came from United's visit being the biggest game of our season. A Christmas Cracking 9.5 for AC.
Hammer Man: The 4-5-1 was spot on. Fair play. The Solano injury forced him to change but he stuck to it and brought Paintsil on. Fair play. The Parker injury forced him to rethink things, but he stuck to the 4-5-1. Fair play. Brought Ashton on at the right time. Fair play. Got very lucky with Cuntiano Ronaldo's penalty miss. We beat the Champions, again. 10 out of 10 for me. Well done Curbs.
Ren Dog: We controlled most of the game against the Champions. Of course, at 1-0 and conceding the pen, I think "Ah well, it's another of those West Ham games where we put in a good performance and then come away with nothing". We then beat them 2-1. Got to be a 10 really.
Hammer Divone: 10/10. Anything less would be an insult!
Mr Chewy: Brought on defenders to keep the shape right when Solano and Parker went off, which was the right thing to do as we were playing well, the system was working. Ashton on at the right time and his subs came off well - Paintsel's dribble through the middle.
Uk Chris: Got to be up there with Derby if not on top. Tactics were spot on today. Big call to drop Deano for Noble and it paid off 100%. Cole is continuing to be a great unexpected asset. Subs were more or less forced on him so hard to comment on these although he used them in the right places. Pantsil was great when he came on. I did think he'd end up with a red at one point though!
Rocketron: 10/10. I couldn't ask more than beating the champions after going a goal behind. When you take into account our injuries, together with the run of form that Manure have been on, this was a masterclass in Football Management.
Gav: Superb. Forced into changes of course but 10/10.
Simon: Team Selection - 10/10...credit to him for having the bollocks to drop Ashton and play a 4-5-1. It clearly worked. Team Performance - 10/10...three points against the champions, what more could you ask for?
Lee: Absolutely brilliant today, and you can't really give anything other than a 10 because he set the standard and the shape and stuck to it no matter what and it Worked Wonders. We overran them for the whole game, so fair play to him... plus Curbs was forced into changes once again.
Chrissieboy: We played well throughout. I did think at halftime we'd lost our chance but we did brilliantly in the second half. I think he got it right today. 10/10
JS John Simkin EG Eggy BF Bishops Finger DO Dodger SH Southend Hammer HG Hgster
MA Iron Mark NY Nicky RB Rob MA Matt KB Kay Bee CB Chrissie Boy HK Hong Kong Hammer
John Simkin: I had no problem with his team selection. He was right to bring back Cole and Spector deserved to hold onto his place from Ferdinand. Reading were very impressive and deserved a point with their excellent goal. Given the options on the bench, it was difficult for Curbishley to change it. I would have liked Noble to have come on earlier. I would also have kept Cole on for longer. His threat in the air would have been useful in those last ten minutes. Camara added very little and would have preferred a tired Cole to a fresh forward who is struggling with his form. There was an example late in the game when Camara failed to control the ball on his chest (it hit his chin). Although it was a disappointing performance I don’t really think you can blame Curbs for this. A realistic and unemotional 7/10.
Eggy: Yet again we lacked some cutting edge upfront, with very little on the bench to change that. Defensively good, Freddie probably had his best game so far. 6.5
Bishops Finger: Thank god Reading had a man sent off or it could have been really embarassing - when Kitson and Doyle were playing up front together we were under a lot of pressure. Kitson is a player with real class, which we are sadly lacking up front. What Curbishley could have done to change it round is difficult to see - we lack quality (to use a modern term) particularly up front. The sooner the transfer window opens the better - let's hope Curb's can get some additional attacking options, and a bit of quality! A poor performance - 5/10.
Dodger: Far too negative early in the second half which cost us the match. Noble did well after coming on but why oh why does he keep bringing Solano off? That said I feel it was slightly more us just missing chances than Curbs fault today. Still didn't cover himself in glory though. 5/10
Southend Hammer: Given the injuries there isn't a whole lot he can do to change the game around although I would have like to seen Noble come on a little earlier. I would rate his performance a 5.
I thought we were absolute crap today - Cole and Ashton were complete and utter rubbish. Why people chant Ashton's name all the time is beyond me!
Hgster: We had a load of chances that we did not convert. 6/10
Iron Mark: The only reason I am not giving less is that injuries are restricting his selection. Failing to win against Reading who haven't won away this season, after taking the lead and them having a player sent off is very bad. However, the performance was also awful. 5/10
Nicky: No creativity, no idea how to get that second goal. 5/10
Rob: Too negative second half, needed to make a sub or change the tactics to kill of the game. Injuries is not an exuse, we win away but not at home, so injuries are not the reason. Taking cole off and bringing on camara? We had to go for the game, not just go for like for like. And when solano went of that was game over imo, it was not Noble's fault, it's just nobby is our most likely source of creating something. 4/10
Matt: Very poor, should have sorted them out at half time, but didn't. 4/10
Kay Bee: We would have lost, and probably comfortably, had that partnership been able to stay in place. Another tepid, timid display from both Curbishley and the players, excepting Solano, Parker, and possibly a couple of others. We will go nowhere with Alan Curbishley in charge of the team. Boring and Frustrating, like most of this season. 3/10.
Chrissie Boy: Basically not much else he could do though I would still like to see Noble ahead of Mullins at home. 7/10.
Hong Kong Hammer: Ratings for Curbs are 7/10 for the team selection and subs. Personally I think he went with the correct team, Only difference in the subs I would have made was Camara for Ashton or leave Cole on and not bother with Camara. Ratings for the team performance 5/10. Poor overall but glimpses of good movement from Parker, Ljungberg and Solano's vision is excellent at times. Ashton was poor once again but still should have scored twice (lob and hitting the bar). Had enough chances to win the game comfortably despite the lack of pace and urgency.
The Times: Reading still have not won away in the Premier League this season, while West Ham United have been dismal at Upton Park, where this was their fifth consecutive game without a victory. Yesterday they failed to profit from a goal and a man advantage at half-time after the dismissal, for a flying two-footed tackle, of Brynjar Gunnarsson, the Reading midfield player. Injuries are advanced as part of the explanation for their home form, but have not prevented West Ham winning three of their past four away league games. “We’re massively disappointed to have dropped two points,” Alan Curbishley, the West Ham manager, said. “We seem to set our fans up by winning away from home and coming back here and not doing it. The games we have lost have been to top-six sides, but it’s the other games – we’ve drawn with Bolton, Wigan and again today. We’re doing it the wrong way round at the moment. The fans are as frustrated as me. The players are giving their all, but the experienced ones are missing.” (Nick Szczepanik, 27th December, 2007)
The Guardian: A flurry of injury-time activity, during which Scott Parker missed one outstanding chance and Dean Ashton headed against a post, was never going to be enough to mute the chorus of home disapproval which followed the final whistle. In fact, if decibels are any sort of measure, Alan Curbishley is not much more popular with the West Ham faithful than his predecessor, Alan Pardew, was shortly before he was sacked last December, and it was not hard to see why. Reduced to 10 men after half an hour, and a goal down going into the break, Reading scored a deserved equaliser and had no problems containing a Hammers side badly lacking in creativity and, less forgivably, a decent work-rate. Not that Curbishley saw anything wrong with his side's effort. "Of course we should have taken advantage of the sending-off, and it wasn't spectacular, but we had enough chances to have scored a winner," the West Ham manager said after a result that leaves the east Londoners with two victories in nine matches at home. "I can't ask any more of the players I have available; they're giving everything they've got," Curbishley went on. "Sometimes it isn't good enough, when we're drawing games here we perhaps think we should win, but overall I'm delighted with them." It was, Curbishley acknowledged, an opinion that might not be shared by every supporter .(Richard Rose, 27th December, 2007)
HO Houston EG Eggy WH Whizzy ZM Zam LA Law DC David Cross
LA Laffers NY Nicky RB Rob NB Neil Bob BU Bubbles MA Matt TE Tel
Houston: !'d have to say 9.5. What the heck he was supposed to do with who he had available. I think Camara came off injured after that "no existent" tackle from Arca....Don't think he wanted to bring on pantsil to be honest. Nobby looked knackered at 66 minutes so he managed to get another 10 minutes out of him.. Not his biggest fan, but I really have to ask what the fans expect of his subs and team sheet to be honest. The centre pairing of Mullins and Parker hardly give the opponent a sniff. while not being creative they certainly stifle the opposition.
Eggy: Superb away win against a team in form. We still have quite a few injuries, so curbs cant take all the credit as the team virtually picks itself. An excellent result nonetheless. And 7pts ahead of the scum! 8.5
Whizzy: I think he has done well and I'm still not his biggest fan. 9 for me.
Zam: Delighted with the win. Felt we played very well last fifteen minutes, but quite poorly before that. Wish he would have brought Ephraim on. 8/10 from me.
Law: This away form is incredible. We'll finish top six if we start doing the same at home. 9/10
David Cross: Any success is built with a solid defence which is clearly what Curbs has installed over a long period now. Last xmas we could barely defend any ball into the area, now we defend superbly for the most part excusing the odd mistakes which every defence can make. When we can mix this defence with the more gifted and imaginative players we are missing it will be an exciting and winning team to watch. Thank Curbs for the solid foundations that are in place. 9/10 today.
Laffers: 10/10 Anyone who is down to Dailly and Ephraim as reserve players and can still go to a team that we normally lose to away too and win deserves full marks.
Nicky: Made the best of the players he had available. good performance from the lads in very difficult circumstances. 9/10
Rob: Done the best with his starting 11, but some of his subs I didn't understand. 7/10
Neil Bob: 9 for me. Ugly at times, but we have to be with these injuries. We look like a team now, and a team that will play for each other.
Bubbles: 10 definitely. 3 days before Xmas - up in the lousiest of the North East Prem grounds and atmospheres with a team with plenty of "reserves/misfits" - cue the usual abject 2-0/ 3-0 walkover for Boro - but no....the team stuck at it, scored two great goals and won for the first time in 18 years. Amazed that some are still finding lots of fault. He consistently amazes me about: 1) How disciplined and organised our defending has become - for most of the last 35 years its been like watching the Keystone Cops. 2) How he seems to get the best out of "poor/ordinary"players - so far this year - Spector, Bowyer, Cole, McCartney.... even Paintsil played a quality ball for the winning goal. 4 months ago everyone was saying how crap his man management was. Europe is close - just a couple of quality forwards/midfielders shaking off injuries close - in my probably far too optimistic view.
Matt: Was brilliant considering the injuries.
Tel: Bare Bones stuff. 10/10
JA Jacko CH Chewy JU Junco EG Eggy AN Anton AY Antony AB Albie Beck
JY Jonny MO Morrad BF Bishops Finger OW Old Wrinkley MM Mad Mart LA Law
Jacko: We are set up too cautious at home. Don't need two holding midfielders to start with. The solano substitution was poor when Freddie looked dead on his feet already.
Chewy: He was poor second half but with the injuries. Bowyer and Parker in the middle would be ideal for me. It ain't ever going to happen. Or Bellamy and Ashton.
Junco: Bit of luck in the 1st half and we could have been 2 up. Worrying lack of urgency & ideas in the 2nd half to chase the game. Subs were odd but options on bench were limited.
Eggy: A generous 6. Attacking options limited which showed.
Anton: I'm sure that if we started with a centreback pair of Upson and Gabbidon, people on here would be screaming as to why James 'Our strongest defender' Collins wasn't included! Considering the injuries to our midfield and forward line then Curbs had little or no choice to select from. Reid is not premier standard but was on the pitch because Freddie is a sicknote, Boa-Morte and Etherington are injured. Noble is not a right winger but had to come on because our only fit right winger in Solano can't last the full 90. Cole was playing with a knock so had to come off only to be replaced by Camara, another player only recently back from injury and of generally dubious quality. Ashton was slow and unfit. The performance was glum and so is our luck with injuries. A poor show from west ham and an indifferent one from Curbs.
Antony: 5 for me. I liked going with Collins at the back as Yakubu pissed on Gabs on Wednesday night. However, we were overrun in midfield on Wednesday and then again today and so I was a little disappointed that he didn't do anything to combat that. Certainly didn't agree with the taking off of Solano, and he must see something in Kyel Reid that I am yet to, because he doesn't seem to be much of a footballer.
Albie Beck: Curb's selection was once again more or less made for him. The subs were constrained by injury and fitness issues. Tactically I'd like to see more passing and less hoofing, but that's as much to do with a worrying loss of form and confidence as anything else.
Jonny: And Collins had him in his pocket didnt he. to many times Yakubu pissed him for pace. 6/10 for me, Ashton again looked to far off the pace which with the injury situation up front is a major concern at the moment. The Solano substitution was a strange one for me, as soon has he went off the balance completely went.
Morrad: His options for the subs were limited cos of injuries, but playing two defensive midfielders at home, especially when our main problem all season has been creativity, was a bad decision. It dont matter if Mullins is playing good, Parker is playing better and is more worthy of the one holding position. But a more creative player is a must in Jan.
Bishops Finger: Not a good performance - the attack with Ashton and Cole looked slow and cumbersome. I read today that Curb's is bemoaning the lack of quality that is available to him - the inclusion of Kyel Reid and Camara are a perfect example of what he is on about. Obviously, we are lacking depth to the squad and that is starting to be found out. On the bright side Parker had another good game and is starting to become more influential, Ljungberg looked lively (for a change!) and Noble also had a reasonable game when he came on. A battling performance but glaring quality deficiencies were found out by a good Everton team. A disappointing 5/10.
Old Wrinkley: Please help me, can somebody explain what job Mullins is supposed to do, if Noble was fit then start with him and Parker, give him the 60mins or so then replace, Solano didn't appear to be struggling, I agree that his hand was forced into Reid's selection, but why change when we were beginning to apply pressure (not much but some). As for the forward situation, I would rather see an untried reserve than Camara, we all know he is not up to it, come on Curbs, give the kids a go, at least then people will give you the benefit of the doubt. Stop playing the no good so called experienced subs.. as for tactics.. again forced into the long ball game, we dont have any enough quality passers in midfield to break a defence down, and without any wingers yesterday nobody can get into decent crossing positions, the only great cross yesterday came from Parker's run down the right, when he carried the ball for 40 yards, and still nobody got into the box, how much time do they want!
Mad Mart: Getting increasingly fed up with the long ball tactics. Moyes did his homework very well. What did he say to them at half time - it certainly didn't inspire them. It's been a year now and we still haven't sung "Curbishleys Claret and Blue Army".
Law: Parker was too far up the pitch for Noble to partner him. We'd have had no cover in front of the back four with up to 4 Everton players (Cahill, Arteta, Osman etc) advancing towards them. Mullins was responsible for the odd error, but his tackles are much cleaner than Noble's and he's learnt to keep his head and not dive in. Yesterday was the first match I've been to (except maybe the freak game at Coventry) when it was blindingly obvious that we were limited by who was fit and who was not. I don't think Curbs had any choice to play Ashton and Cole together (when neither was able to last the pace). He is without Bowyer, Dyer and Faubert in his present plans - which means that a lot of the pace and spark in the team is absent. I think that Ljunberg was nowhere near as bad as some are trying to make out, but his abilities are becoming limited by his lack of any pace. Curbs must be able to see that there are issues with Neill, but has no real replacement. We tried to make do and mend. We played, regardless of the problems, some decent football in the first half. We fell apart in the second. I assume the substitutions were caused as much by injuries (or unfitness) than tactical mistakes.
JS John Simkin GL Gary Loughran CO Coxy HD Hammer Divone DC David Cross RH Rocking Horse
AB Albie Beck BF Bishops Finger DO Dodger JP Junco Partner SA Sanchoz JD Jasper Drum NG Nicky G
John Simkin: Curbishley did nothing wrong today. Nothing inspired but extremely competent. It made sense to keep the same team. I would have liked to see Noble in the starting line-up but I assume he is not fully fit. Bringing on Ashton on was not a tactically change as Etherington had a groin strain. West Ham looked more dangerous with Cole and Ashton playing upfront together. I saw them playing together several times for England’s under 23 team. They will prove a handful for most defences. The most encouraging thing about the performances is that they are playing well as a team. My only concern is that Neill gives the ball away too often when he advances upfield. I don’t think Curbishley and West Ham have been given enough credit for their recent run. You always get the comment that Portsmouth, Chelsea, Blackburn, etc. did not play well. They seem to forget there are two teams out on the pitch. The Hammers are stopping teams playing well. We will know more after we play out two games against Everton but if we keep this up, we can end up in the top 6. 9/10.
Gary Loughran Curbishley kept faith with the team that performed so well and were so unfortunate against Chelsea. Blackburn could justifiably have the same complaint today. Etherington is markedly regressing each week; his one major plus is that he is a true left sided player and this helps balance the side. Boa Morte too often drifted inside and left Mullins to graft on his behalf out wide. The defence, en masse, were again superb. Neill on occassion still thinks he's Cafu in his pomp, perhaps the result of playing in front of the seemingly impregnable Green. The bench today was used conservatively. Ashton was forced on due to Etherington's injury and with Boa Morte going wide, the teams balance remained. The delay in bringing on Camara (I'm aware of the communications fault between sideline and ref) might have been costly at a time when the fresher legs were needed. Have times changes so much that without electonics we can't make a simple substitution for 5 minutes.
Coxy: Tactics were spot on, and substitutions were perfect.
Hammer Divone: Should have taken Cole off sooner as he was at risk of being sent off, otherwise taking Matty off at half time was exactly the right thing to do and Spector strangely seems to be growing in to the midfield role. 8.5/10
Rocking Horse: Set the team up to break up any creativity that Tugay or Dunn may have had and we looked dangerous when we broke. Etherington was having a bit of a mare so made a bold attacking substitution and the sub got the winner. I don't think it's a coincidence that we are getting the best out of the supposed 2nd string players at the moment. Another away win, another clean sheet and still with a partly depleted squad,- can't really ask too much more than that. 8.5/10
Albie Beck: A performance very comparable with last week. If anything we played better as a unit against Chelski. He has built probably the best West Ham defence in more than a decade. 8.5 from me. All his best ratings are away matches.
Bishops Finger: A really good performance from the team, Curb's tactics were spot on. I'm glad to see Scott Parker getting a complete game in, he and Mullins add a lot of stability to what is becoming a really 'professional' outfit. On the downside, Carlton Cole didn't have much of a game and I still don't think he is up to the Premiership (and Nobby Solano looks like he's melting). 8.5/10 - harsh but fair!
Dodger: Best managerial performance of the season in my opinion. All the subs were correct and served their purpose. The tactics from the start were spot-on. I've never seen us look so solid in such a difficult away game. 10/10 for me. Better even than Derby and perhaps only Reading away was a better preformance IMO.
Junco Partner: Lets not get too carried away, Blackburn played poorly but still had enough chances to win, however 3 points away can't be argued with, subs were at the right time Ethers was out of sorts and Solano tiring fast, didn't let Blackburn's kicking habit get the upper hand. So an 8.
Sanchoz: Good all round team peformance and Curbs is reaping the reward of having Parker in the side who put in a really good shift. West Ham typically no matter whos in the side are a bit shakey at set pieces attacking or defending (just like we cannot find anyone for a throw in) but beyond that we are looking very good. Its a shame we cant peform at home. 8/10
Jasper Drum: Did everything right, turning out to be a brillient manager, West Ham thru & thru. 10/10
Nicky G: Knew it was going to be a gritty game, but as mentioned above the tactics were set up to nullify blackburns attck. which worked very well.
JS John Simkin GL Gary Loughran PA Party Iron BN Boleyn DC David Cross OD Oldun
AB Albie Beck BF Bishops Finger RN Rich Neal MH Mitch SA Sanchoz PO Polar NB Neal Bob
John Simkin: Team Selection: My only complaint was with the selection of Solano. In my opinion he is a luxury player who should not be playing in games like these. I would have played Noble in that position but as he was not on the bench, I suppose he was injured and would therefore have played Spector. Tactics: Packing the midfield was a no-brainer. However, they did it exceptionally well. Parker and Mullins were excellent and Boa Morte put them under constant pressure. I thought Neill got caught out of position too many times but Gabbidon and Upson picked up everything except for the goal (Upson left Cole for a ball he was never going to get). Substitutions: I would have brought on Spector for Solano at the beginning of the second-half. I definitely would not have brought on Ljungberg. I would also have brought on Ashton earlier - though he is still clearly far from being fit. Overall: The best performance of the season. Curbishley is clearly building a well organized team who are quick enough to hit the best teams on the break. Unfortunately, the best two chances fell to Solano. I thought it was disgraceful the way he ducked out of the second of these chances. Like at Portsmouth, he was thinking of being clattered by the goalkeeper. 8/10.
Gary Loughran The team selection left the wide midfield areas looking a little flaky today. Etherington was invisible the whole first half and wasted possession all too often. Parker, who was excellent for 60 minutes, obviously tired and was over running the ball near the end. Upson, was outstanding along with Gabbidon at the heart of a very solid defence. The tactics were well set and executed. At last West Ham have a team capable of performing to the tactical nuances of the manager. Every player (except Etherington) worked doubly hard today, notably Cole, Parker and Mullins. It was a very impressive performance as a team. It is difficult to take a defeat to a Joe Kinnear/Wimbledon special. That could have been Fashanu, Jones and Earl arriving offside to score. The players disappointed reaction after the game, says a lot for their improvement as a whole - competing equally with top sides, often retaining possession for long periods. This is where Solano, Parker and Mullins were so effective. It was a pity Solano and Parker tired so much and so quickly as Ljunberg will not graft. Great performance, disappointing result, tactically sound 8.0. Everyone put in a great shift today. Gabbidon, Parker, Mullins, Boa Morte all deserve merit. Carlton Cole was outstanding...again. I give Man of the Match to Matty Upson for a quietly confident performance. He gives a reassurance to the back four not seen since Bilic and has been for me a consistently excellent performer over the last few games.
Party Iron: Very impressed with today's performance, one of the best defensive performance's I seen from West Ham. What we did lack is a striker that has a goal scoring instinct. Curbs done his bit today got the players fired up and gave them the tactics to win the game, we just lacked the one or two players that turn them games from loses to wins. But well done to the lads. 9/10
Boleyn: Tactically spot on, nullified Chelsea threat for most of the match and deserved more than we got. Subs correct but perhaps a little bit late.
David Cross: If you can't give a 10 after winning 5-0 away you never can.
Oldun: I think you can see exactly what Curbs is turning us into, he is building the team from the back. In all the years of going over there I've always watched teams who could attack but couldnt defend, this team is definatly different and once his happy with this part of the team I hope he pushes on to create a team that will punish teams. I still think our style of play suits us as an away team and is not so good when we are playing at home but I'm sure I can get used to it. 8/10
Albie Beck: That was an excellent team performance, one of the best since Curbs came along. He might have brought Deano on sooner, but otherwise I have no quibbles. 9/10
Bishops Finger: I thought they played well and the tactics very nearly worked, it was a very disciplined performance. The weakness was in the substitutions - fair enough Solano looked like he was melting and was pretty well knackered but Ljungberg - I am at a complete loss to understand what he brings to the team - an utter waste of space. A generous 8/10
Rich Neal: I have to agree with John. It's hard, but we have to separate the result from the performance. One of the best, battling performances I've seen from West Ham for a long time - probably better than Man U and Arsenal away last season. I'm sure some will disagree, but that's okay... So, overall - bad result, good performance - I'm going to break my duck here and give Curbs an 8.5 out of 10. IMO, he got the tactics spot on.
Polar: I'll give him a 9. Thought
Solano
should have been changed a little earlier as he faded from the game in the second half. Overall a very good technical performance and made Chelsea play badly. Just gutted about the goal.
Sanchoz: Deano should have been on earlier and we never looked like scoring for a long time going forward. Boa Morte tiring and Carlton running himself into the ground and in need of fresher legs to play along side him. Sub too late.
Mitch: Curbs is starting to win me over! How long before he gets the ultimate acholade - Alan Curbushley's Claret and Blue Army! He kept us up last season and is doing a pretty decent job now. We just dont seem to be able to accept him for some reason ? Pards won us over - why not Curbs ?
Neil Bob: Battling display and very organised in every position.
JS John Simkin GL Gary Loughran RD Rendog BN Boleyn NX Nox DE Dicksie MA Iron Mark
BB Butterfly Boy CK Chip Korea WH West Ham Rob SA Sanchoz PO Polar CO Coxy LA Law
John Simkin: There are two schools of thought about how you bring back players who have been off injured. For example, Benitez started with Kewell on Saturday even though he had not played in the first-team for 18 months because of injury. He was brought off after 58 minutes. Curbishley obviously favour the idea of bringing in top players like Ashton off the substitute bench. Personally, I would have liked to have seen Cole and Ashton playing together from the start. I would have also brought on Ashton earlier. In fact, to be precise, in the 54 minute when Ramos took off Kaboul. When he eventually arrived Ashton and Cole caused Dawson and Chimbonda a lot of problems. Even so, after a worrying first 15 minutes, I thought the West Ham team performed well. The defence is clearly much better organized now. I liked the way the midfield closed down the Spurs’ players. Neil remains my only concern. I was very unhappy about the way he gave the ball away in the Spurs’ half in the 29th minute and then trotted back leaving others to race back to stop the counter-attack. I was also unimpressed with Neil pulling the shirt of Defoe in injury time when he was clearly going nowhere. Overall, I would give Curbishley 7. I think he is overly conservative in his tactics but I believe he is building a really good team.
Gary Loughran Curbs started the game with the in-form Cole retaining his place ahead of the newly fit Ashton. Parker also could find no way into the starting lineup, both justified decisions. West Ham fashioned 3 great chances in the first half, all reminiscent of the flowing football we're famous for. Cole scored - again - and was a handful all game, despite being on a yellow card for a poor refereeing decision. Green might have done better for the Spurs goal but more than made up for it with another penalty save. Curbs substitutions, for the most part, were like for like and worked as well as could be expected - with Ashton unlucky not to score. There was nothing negative tactically nor was there anything suicidal. The ref Riley was the poorest performer on show - every West Ham challenge, particularly in the air was met with a whistle. 33 fouls, 3 yellow cards - Spurs had around 5 fouls and 4 cards. A great game and I'll give Curbs a 7.5.
Rendog: OK we didn't win, but Sp*rs looked in quite good form, so I think he picked the right team all things considered. 7.5
Boleyn: Good performance, the flashes of penetrating, one touch, attacking football are becoming more and more frequent and on occassions we tore into Tottenham. Solid defensively, which is impressive as in past games we would have melted after their performance in the first 10 minutes. Subs were good. Noble was completely anonymous and had to go, we looked far more threatening with Parker; we needed a new threat up front, Carlton was playing to well to go off - thus Boa; Solano was knackered, no other right winger to come on - thus Spector. More and more impressed with Curbs.
Nox: Tthough the result didn't go our way, I agreed with all the subs and tactical changes. Granted, we didn't win. though obviously, Curbs can't be blamed for the crappy ref or Green's mistake that led to their goal. 8.5
Dicksie: Thought we started the second half poorly and I would have introduced Parker a little earlier and have kept LBM on- he seemed to be worrying them. Rest of the performance quite pleasing though. 7/10
Iron Mark: The only reason that result was ok was because of Greeno's pen save. If there hadn't even been a penalty then we would be disappointed at losing points. Just like the Portsmouth game. Should've won, had some very good chances but are happy with the result because we could have lost it right at the very end.
Butterfly Boy: Made the right substitutions. Maybe could have been made at earlier, but at least we came away with a point and (hopefully) no injuries.
Chip Korea: Should have brought Ashton on for Solano, dropping LBM to right wing. Then Noble off for Parker. 6.5.
West Ham Rob: Bought Ashton on, but then took our only creative spark in midfield off - Solano. No support to strikers for majority of 2nd half game. 5/10
Sanchoz: Spector is not a right sided midfielder (or a midfielder) so taking off Solano, unless injured did not help us. We had some good chances, so did they in a game that was allright in patches. I like the way Curbs picks on form, rather then the "best players". Something McClaren failed to do. 7/10
Polar: I thought he kept Noble on too long. He looked off the pace to me (not surprising as he has been injured). I also would have kept on Solano. 7/10
Coxy: I think people are forgetting that Solano was absolutely shattered and had recently made the trip to Peru. Bringing on Spector gave us fresh legs and he didn't exactly do bad did he? The substitutions of Ashton and Parker looked effective whilst the discipline in the team was clear. 8/10 from me.
Law: Spurs are the best team at up since L'Arse. A point in the circumstances needed winning in itself. However fluid was some of their passing, AC has built a strong, durable defence this time around. Lets hope he can embed a more purposeful attacking midfielder and we can expect to match the decent sides more regularly. 7.5
DC David Cross JT JT-whufc GA Gavin LE Lee QH Qatar Hammer GL Gary Loughran
AN Antony OD Oldun AL Albie NE Neil VG Viking LA Law JS John Simkin
David Cross: If you can't give a 10 after winning 5-0 away you never can.
JT-whufc: I'm not a massive curbs fan but gotta be a 10! 5-0 away from home, with a reserve team out bar a few players. you cannot ask for more than that. I know it was only Derby...but most people on here thought a 1-0 scrape.
Gavin: Well I have to say I hope..... that he did a good half time talk which spured them on.. Whether it was him or not I don't care. 10!!!
Lee: I don't know whether playing 5-4-1 for 20mins when you're 5-0 up and threatening easily to make it 7 or 8 is genius in terms of practising sucking up pressure, or stupid for not making the most of opportunities like this game that don't come around very often at all. 9.
Qatar Hammer: 5 games unbeaten and playing with a second string team. Pantsil, Spector, Cole would not get a sniff if not for the terrible list of injuries. Years gone by just 3 or 4 injuries and WHU would show no depth or passion. He has brought stability in the team and the squad and let's not forget he started that last year when everyone expected us to be playing fizzypop football this season. We've looked solid at the back and after today we are +8 GD, better than Man City in third. Well done Curbs Well done the players today. 10/10
Gary Loughran Thumping result. The big squad is being fully stretched, and once again, Curbs selection was easy given what was available. Smartly moved Neill to left back to allow Pantsil to play on the right following McCartney's injury. Carlton Cole (now top of the assists chart - 6!!) looked excellent again. Was Solano our first non-British scorer in the league albeit if Eddie Lewis is credit for Spectors shot?? Curbs also done well to resist the temptation to play Ljunberg, instead bringing on Collins and pushing Pantsil on. Whilst Pride Park may be a misnomer at the minute there can be no doubt this was a great victory to lead into the International break. The only downside being a hernia operation for Bowyer, though thanks to him for delaying the op. Curbs gets a resounding 9.
Antony: The thing is he didn't have a great deal to do cos our injury list means the team pretty much picked itself! That said Spector as a central midfielder is one I would never have seen and you simply cannot give any rating other than 10/10 to a manager thats led his team to a 5-0 win away from home!
