Teams Arsenal: Bartram, Dixon, Linighan, Bould, Winterburn, Jensen, Schwarz, Parlour, Helder, Merson, Wright Subs: Kiwomya (Helder 77), Morrow (Jensen 77), Harper
West Ham: Miklosko, Breacker, Rieper, Potts, Dicks, Allen, Bishop, Hutchison, Moncur, Morley, Cottee Subs: Rush (Morley 79), Rowland, Sealey
Result : Arsenal (0) 0 West Ham (1) 1 Scorers: Hutchison 20
Bookings: Moncur, Hutchison
Att : 36295 Referee : B Hill (Leicester)
Ah, the ups and downs of a football supporter. One weekend the results all go your way, the next the opposite happens. I dragged myself down to Highbury yesterday nursing a roaring hangover and was rewarded with an appalling display from Arsenal, possibly even the worst of an already bad season. With Adams and Hartson serving the last of their 3 match bans, the team was the same as the last league outing at Palace apart from Bartram (Seaman injured), Wright and Parlour replacing Kiwomya and McGoldrick respectively.
Things didn't start off all that badly. Helder did get over a couple of reasonable crosses from the left. The first Wright tried to volley on the turn but mistimed and hit it into a defender. The second, to the far post, Potts could only head up into the air and the ball dropped beyond him to Merson whose volley from an acute angle was well struck but straight at Miklosko.
Meanwhile at the other end there was a hint of things to come when Hutchison got on the end of a flick on and hit an instant volley from 25 yards only a few feet wide, with no red shirt anywhere near him. Then, 20 minutes into the half the Hammers took the lead from a neatly worked free kick. Cottee held up a short pass just inside the box on the left before playing it back to Moncur. His diagonal ball into the area was missed by no less than 4 Arsenal players before reaching Hutchison at the far post. Unmarked 6 yards out he could hardly miss.
The rest of the half was characterised by a lot of sideways and backwards passes from Arsenal, and some quick dangerous looking breaks from West Ham. The Gunners managed very little that looked likely to penetrate the massed Hammers' defence, and I think Merson's early shot was the only one on target in the entire half. Wright had one attempt from outside the area which was deflected wide but that was about it.
West Ham on the other hand, with better finishing could have increased their lead. Soon after the goal, Schwarz played a pass back to Bould which was a bit short, Bouldy reacted slowly anyway and Allen (I think, may have been Hutchison) nipped in to steal the ball and carry on into the area. Bartram made a good save from his shot, but Allen continued to retrieve the loose ball just inside the byline beyond the post. His cutback to two unmarked players at the near post was mishit by one of them and the ball rolled wide of the far post.
The hope was that things would get sorted out at half time, but the second period wasn't much of an improvement. Arsenal perhaps laboured away slightly more urgently, but the only save I can recall Miklosko needing to make in the early part of the half was from a Wright header off a Dixon cross. West Ham were again let down only by their finishing. Moncur struck a shot from an angle which flew off the top of the crossbar, following another break which again saw the ball reaching two unmarked Hammers in the box. Hutchison and the substitute Rush also shot wide when well placed.
In the last 15 minutes Arsenal finally began to force the keeper to earn his wages. Helder, running across the edge of the box, had his shot blocked by Bould (typical of the way things were going), but the rebound was returned with interest by Jensen. His shot from 20 yards was arrowing into the top corner before Miklosko took off to tip it over.
Soon afterwards JJ and Helder were replaced by Morrow and Kiwomya. Morrow went into the back four and Linighan was pushed up front as a target man. He actually did quite well with a couple of nice lay offs, but the chance from which Arsenal should have scored was set up by Schwarz. He played a ball through the Iron's defence with the outside of his left foot to reach Kiwomya on his own at the far post. He controlled it reasonably well, but with Miklosko charging out failed to lift his shot over the keeper who made a good block. The ball then spun up and Wright for once in this match was first to react and nipped between two defenders to head it towards goal where Rieper cleared off the line.
At that was pretty much the sum total of excitement for the afternoon for the home fans. I'd give West Ham quite a lot of credit. They chased, harried, defended and broke well, and were almost invariably first to every loose ball. For the most part Arsenal just didn't look as though they wanted it as much. Maybe they were suffering the after effects of last Thursday, but even so it was dreadful performance.
I actually thought JJ was the only one to have anything like a reasonable game, but maybe that was by comparison. He wasn't any worse than usual while most of the others were. Helder appeared to get discouraged after failing to get round Breacker early in the match and spent most of the time looking for free kicks. Wright had another bad game and I'd agree that, particularly this season, he has seemed to not trust his teammates and tries too often to do everything himself.
I wish I could say things can only get better, but with the next 3 league games being all away to Blackburn, Newcastle and Man Utd, the chances are that they'll get worse. Still, I suppose the return of Adams and Hartson may improve matters, and I can't believe there won't be more in the way of passion and desire for those 3 matches.
Report by Derek Brownjohn