Bottle Banker
Should we just accept that the standard of refereeing in English football is so poor? A multi-billion dollar world-wide sporting phenomenon susceptible to the whims of a handful of unaccountable, puffed-up amateurs. Not a week goes by without one referee or another putting himself at the centre of the action. Right up there with the worst inexplicable decisions of the season was Peter Bankes failure to wave a second yellow card in the face of Bruno Guimaraes for an incident identical to the one he had been penalised a few moments earlier. It was a clear case of bottling an important game-changing call. Eddie Howe’s assertion that the incidents looked worse because they occurred so close to each other is complete bunkum. It was their proximity that saw him excused by a weak referee. As mentioned in the match preview, Howe’s sides are well known for practising the dark arts and their fondness for tactical fouling was apparent (and went unpunished) from the first whistle. Bankes must have been aware of his cowardice as he was all over the place with his cards and decisions for the remainder of the half. How on earth can this joker be considered an elite referee in the world’s ‘best’ league?
Doubling Down The Bankes
If it was not enough for Bankes to allow Guimaraes to stay on the pitch and make an important contribution to Newcastle’s fightback, he also took it upon himself to provide an assist in the visitor’s equaliser. A fine save by Alphonse Areola from Dan Burn’s header was cleared up field. Lucas Paqueta shrugged off a weak challenge from the anonymous Sandro Tonali creating an excellent breakaway opportunity for the Hammers. But it was the intervention of Bankes whistle who saved the day for the Magpies when he denied a clear goalscoring opportunity. The only person in the stadium to spot a foul in the middle of an honest tussle. The Hammers should still have done a better job at defending the corner, but the damage was done and Newcastle were allowed to seize the initiative.
Licence To Kill Off A Game
There is a worrying pattern in West Ham games at the moment. Score a goal early doors and then spend the remainder of the game protecting rather than extending the lead. Throughout the first half yesterday, the Hammers looked by far the likelier team to score, despite once again being happy to surrender the lion’s share of possession. A fly on the wall of both dressing rooms at half time would have been interesting to hear what instructions were given to each team. Newcastle did eventually raise the intensity but not until Bankes had gifted them an equaliser. After that the combination of the visitor’s newfound belief and the Hammers reticence to push players forward suggested the game would only end as an away win. Much was made of Newcastle’s exhaustion following their mauling of PSG while the demands of the Hammer’s triumph in Freiburg (a day later) were downplayed. In the end, the Hammers rediscovered their resilience and following Mohammed Kudus excellent equalising strike, might easily have snatched a winner when Said Benrahma missed the ball on the far post.
Moyes Lack of Self-Belief
The tenor of David Moyes post-match interview seemed to be that coming away with a point against Newcastle was the best a man could get. He has elevated the cash-rich Magpies into the elite group of teams who he doesn’t really expect to beat. These are games where he hopes to nick a home win once in a blue moon or maybe grab the occasional point on the road. Victories at St James Park will now be as rare as thy are in the northwest. Listening to him you can imagine he corners the market in Uninspirational Quotes. Can that be how he comes across in the dressing room at half-time? “You’ve done well first half, lads. But they are a better team than us and will probably equalise sooner or later. Best try and dig in and hope for the best.” Having gone behind, Moyes did eventually make useful substitutions – 15 minutes too late, but they did pay off this time.
Kudos to Kudus
It was a thrilling cameo performance from Mohammed Kudus, full of energy, intent, purpose, and endeavour. Why would you leave that on the bench in place of a barely fit Michail Antonio? It will be outrageous if Kudus is not in the starting eleven at Villa Park in two weeks’ time. A fairy-tale strike to claim his first Premier League goal in the dying minutes.
Under The Hammers 