West Ham slip to sixth
Posted in General on 27. Sep, 2010
West Ham slip to sixth.Just outside the play-offs, Stoke City earned their first win in eight games when substitute Chris Greenacre’s first goal of the season was enough to beat Millwall 1-0 at the Britannia Stadium, while Watford moved above the Lions after two headed goals by Heidar Helguson set up a 2-1 win at relegation candidates Nottingham Forest.Bottom-of-the-table Rotherham are still without a League win this term after they threw away a two-goal lead at Derby County and lost 3-2. “It is a different side from two years ago and everyone has played a part, the free transfer men and those who have come up from the youth scheme.” And tactics? “We work all week trying to get our midfield players forward. That’s why we have such a spread of scorers.”Sunderland moved up to fifth thanks to a 2-0 win over Brighton at the Stadium of Light, goals from Julio Arca, two yards out, and Liam Lawrence from a penalty after he had been fouled earning the points. “Whether he will be content with the present squad or feel he has to make changes will be left to him.”Levein already has some ideas “I look at the team and we have some experienced players. It’s glaringly obvious that the club lack some younger players, preferably homegrown younger players.
That’s something in time we hope to rectify.”Perhaps Ipswich Town will be his model. Their 3-0 defeat of Preston North End at Portman Road, Shefki Kuqi, Tommy Miller and Darren Bent on target, lifted Joe Royle’s side into the automatic promotion places.”Our team is evolving all the time,” Royle pointed out. Although Craig Levein will not be taking charge of Leicester City until tomorrow morning, the Foxes’ new team manager was given some idea of the task confronting him when they drew their fifth consecutive match, 0-0 with lowly Cardiff City, in the Championship at Ninian Park.
The Welsh side, struggling two points above the bottom three, struck the woodwork three times – Gary O’Neil was denied twice – as they fashioned the better chances.”The new manager watched the game,” acting Leicester manager Dave Bassett said. “I’m very impressed with him and what he has done in a short time at Chelsea,” Burrows said.
“Just because you are older, it doesn’t mean you can’t be modern and I’m as modern as him because I’ve moved with the times.”We started well but I don’t want any sympathy or charity. Games last 90 minutes, not 45, and Chelsea were the best team we have played so far this season in the second half.”Burrows made an impressive difference to West Brom’s performance. Making Nwankwo Kanu captain was inspired, but Burrows is still being tipped locally to be replaced by Glenn Hoddle this week “I’ve a contract until the summer and that is all I know Honest,” Burrows said.. But Burrows, 60, with flat cap and moustache, believes he is on the same wavelength as the black-clad Mourinho, who for 45 minutes yesterday looked like the Milk Tray man who had gone on the wrong mission. I want them to feel the pressure and not that they have a comfortable chair on the pitch.”On the face of it, Mourinho could not be more different than Frank Burrows, who has taken over from Gary Megson to be caretaker-manager at West Brom. That is why he will make changes for Tuesday’s Champions’ League trip to Moscow and Everton at home next week.Lampard has now started an incredible 118 consecutive Premiership games and Mourinho said: “I have to rotate some players I need everyone to feel their place is not safe.
That made it four goals between the sides in 14 minutes – so much for boring, boring Chelsea.Lampard then added to the celebratory mood among the away fans with a sweet strike from 25 yards to score Chelsea’s fourth goal with nine minutes to go.News that Arsenal were losing at home to Southampton soon reached the Hawthorns and Chelsea thought they were going top – many left the ground in that ignorantly blissful state before no doubt later learning that Arsenal had dug out a draw to stay top.Mourinho’s tactic now is to turn up the heat even further and place his players under more pressure in the pursuit of their first title in half a century. The West Brom keeper did not stand a chance when his defence left Eidur Gudjohnsen unmarked to head in Damien Duff’s 51st-minute cross.Game over? Probably, but Chelsea were still not playing that well and Zoltan Gera pulled a goal back in the 56th minute with a powerful drive.West Brom were pushing for an equaliser three minutes later when they really did lose it, Gera conceding possession to the impressive Lampard, who ran from box to box before gifting Duff the opportunity to score from just inside the West Brom area. We made some changes and were very good in the second half and always looked very, very dangerous With the other results it was a fantastic day for Chelsea. That is the beauty of the game in England – if I was five or six points ahead in Portugal the title would be over.”Over 14 matches in all competitions we have a better statistical record than Arsenal because we have won 12 and drawn two, while they have won 10 and four draws – now that gap has widened. William Gallas broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time as West Brom defended badly from a Frank Lampard corner.
I would say they have just been better than us in the Premiership.”After sneaking ahead on the stroke of half-time, the Portuguese manager showed he was not impressed by taking off Joe Cole and Wayne Bridge, replacing them with £30 million worth of substitutes in Arjen Robben and Ricardo Carvalho, switching Gallas out to left-back and prompting a surprise goal run.Robben was rocking, but Gallas initially remained the biggest threat and Russell Hoult needed all his strength to tip the Frenchman’s 50th-minute shot wide for a corner. “That was very poor and we have a lot to discuss in training. Three more goals flew in within 30 minutes of the second half and it was all over.”We did the impossible and scored in the first half without creating a chance,” Mourinho said. Even that margin has swung nine goals in Chelsea’s favour in the two games Arsenal have failed to win.But do not be deceived by this flattering scoreline; Chelsea were lucky to be a goal ahead at half-time and Mourinho described it as the worst 45 minutes of his four-month managerial reign. Jose Mourinho repeated his claim that Chelsea are statistically the best team in England after their second successive four-goal Premiership win sent them level on points with Arsenal at the top of the Premiership table.
Chelsea have closed a five-point gap in the space of a week, but remain second as Arsenal have a superior goal difference of six. Today, as a highly experienced manager he understands why, where Shearer is concerned, it would be foolish to say the same.. He has dropped the former England captain and lived to tell the tale.