Saints and Sinners

Morgan Schneiderlin and Joey O'Brien were both lucky to still be on the pitch on Sunday, and sadly both of their tackles were the highlight of a somewhat boring yet productive game of football for the Hammers. The referee and his assistants did not see Schneiderlin's poor and aggressive tackle, and this has caused controversy with several journalists, about the inconsistency of the refereeing in the Premier League.  O'Brien's tackle however was easily noticed, yet was given only a yellow card, a somewhat lucky escape as the Irishman went through the back of Lallana.

With the highlights of the game over, the rest of the match was made up of an excellent performance by Jussi Jaaskalainen, and several missed opportunities from both sides. Southampton had the best of the play, and missed several chances, and were frustrated by the Hammers' well planned tactics of high pressing. Noble, Nolan, Morrison and Diame were excellent in front of the back four who were solid as always.

The Hammers may not be pretty, but the effectiveness is key when away from home. Allardyce's boys only made a few chances, and are openly criticised for playing for a point. My question is why should they be criticised? The Hammers have a lack of attacking options, and their strength is their defence, so West Ham should be sitting back and stopping the home team from creating too many chances. Southampton fans have slated the Hammers' play, but why should West Ham play open football with no creative players, and a lack of a target man. West Ham are playing to their strengths, and their strengths are pace and power, and that is exactly what they used when counter attacking yesterday.

There still is one big worry for the Hammers, which is that they have not scored a goal for 300 minutes. The return of Andy Carroll is reportedly 6-8 weeks away, so the availability of Petric cannot come any sooner for West Ham and Allardyce. Maiga sadly may have scored a few fluky goals during pre-season but now the Malian is being found out, and is not good enough for the Premier League. Likelihood is that he will be sold in January to make way for a new forward in to the club.

Moving on to Everton, Petric is close to fitness, and depending on how he trains this week he could be in the squad for Saturday's match. Stewart Downing is doubtful for Saturday's game, as he was said to make his return against Everton, but Allardyce has been quiet on Downing's return date. During the Saints' match, the Hammers suffered some niggles, as Winston Reid and Guy Demel both pulled up during the game. However, both McDonald and Allardyce have not mentioned any serious injuries which will keep either player out for the visit of Everton.

Everton won their first match of the season on Saturday in a 1-0 win against Chelsea through a Steven Naismith goal. The Toffees may be looking to make that back to back wins, as they have been successful at Upton Park in their last five visits with four wins and one draw. The last time the Hammers won against Everton at the Boleyn was in 2007, where Bobby Zamora kept West Ham on the road to the great escape.

If West Ham play their own game, they are successful but if they start to match teams, that's when tactically it all falls apart. When at home on Saturday, they need to attack the Toffees back four with pace and skill, which Jarvis, Diame and Morrison have an abundance of in their lockers. Petric would be a good addition to the starting line up if he is available, something to help the ball stick in the forward areas. Martinez is known for his passing teams, and letting them have the ball and countering is the way forward for Allardyce's men.

Come On You Irons!