Championship Analysis – West Ham end Upton Park hoodoo in Pompey thriller
West Ham finally ended their six-month Upton Park drought on Saturday to go fourth in the Championship after a 4-3 win over Portsmouth. Their last home win was back in March when the Hammers beat Stoke City 3-0 in the Premier League.
It will come as a massive relief to the West Ham faithful, who must have been scratching their heads at their team’s woeful home record, particularly those who travelled and witnessed the same set of players annihilate Watford and Nottingham Forest on the road.
Admittedly the defensive cracks haven’t been eradicated. Portsmouth’s three goals were their first away from home since the opening day, and Sam Allardyce’s side have now shipped eight goals in total at Upton Park so far this season if you include the two Aldershot Town scored to dump the Hammers out of the Carling Cup. Additionally, all four matches have seen West Ham concede injury time goals, though luckily it didn’t prove crucial on Saturday, with Greg Halford’s penalty for Pompey in the 97th minute being literally the last kick of the game.
Allardyce chose to take a neutral perspective, telling the club’s Official Website: “It was good entertainment, I think. From the perspective of the fans coming to pay their money, they saw an awful lot of entertainment from both sides.”
The nail-biters in the home stands may not have seen it that way. Nevertheless, they have every reason to be optimistic now. Although life in England’s second tier isn’t completely alien to the club, history tells us that it’s never long before they rejoin the elite.
Scott Parker may no longer be a West Ham player, but they have a very decent replacement in Arsenal loanee Henri Lansbury, who played his part in Norwich City’s promotion campaign last season and netted on his debut for the Hammers on Saturday. Meanwhile, Robert Green and Carlton Cole, despite being linked elsewhere throughout the transfer window, are still at the club and could prove instrumental in a promotion push.
Staying at the top end of the table, the international break appears to have had no effect on Brighton’s momentum, and the Seagulls grabbed their fifth league win of the season when they saw off Bristol City at Ashton Gate to remain at the summit. Gus Poyet’s side are still unbeaten and the manager will be hoping the fast-approaching Carling Cup tie with Liverpool won’t prove a distraction when they travel to Leicester next weekend.
At the bottom, Doncaster Rovers’ misery continued at Cardiff City. Sean O’Driscoll’s team, who remain without a win, look like early candidates for the drop having picked up just a solitary point so far. The Bluebirds rose to sixth and Robert Earnshaw made some amends for his dreadful miss in a Wales shirt last Tuesday when he netted from an almost identical position to seal his club’s 2-0 victory.
Reading are also experiencing that sinking feeling and struggling to cope with life after the prolific Shane Long. Saturday’s defeat at home to Watford was their fifth straight defeat in all competitions.
Sunday’s solitary game saw Birmingham record a welcome 3-0 win over Millwall to take the Blues into mid-table. However, due to their participation in the Europa League and the Carling Cup, Chris Hughton’s side start a run of six matches in the space of 14 days when they take on SC Braga of Portugal on Thursday.
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