A superbly-worked corner kick was the highlight of last night’s Upton Park showdown, as West Ham and Stoke battled out an Upton Park stalemate. Jon Walters notched his second of the season but the visitors’ winless away record continued thanks to Joey O’Brien’s first ever goal in the Premier League…
Walters Amongst the Goals
Having shaken off a knee problem that forced him out of the Republic of Ireland squad last midweek, Jon Walters scored for the first time since Gameweek 3 thanks to a cleverly-worked corner kick. Strangely, for a player who enjoyed home comforts so strongly last term, Walters has picked up just two assists at the Britannia, with both his strikes arriving on the road. Although Stoke have an obliging schedule ahead, a record of just four goals in the last six sums up their lack of edge in the opponents’ box this season. Last night’s goal seems unlikely to persuade too many to snap up the 6.3 priced midfielder and with Peter Crouch now drawing blanks in each of his last six, it’s clear just how crucial their ability to keep out opponents is to the Potters’ chances of survival.
Potters Away Woes Continue
Last night’s 1-1 draw meant Tony Pulis’ side set an unwanted record of 16 away games without a win. While the Potters’ resilience at home has harvested four clean sheets in the opening five, with a single goal conceded to City at the Britannia all season, they seem unable to replicate such displays on the road. Stoke have managed just one clean sheet in seven on their travels and with trips to West Brom, Spurs and City on the horizon, they look hard pushed to better that record over the next few Gameweeks.
Hammers Defensive Uncertainty
Guy Demel’s owners were left frustrated as the Hammers right-back was afforded no more than a brief second-half sub appearance for the second Gameweek in a row. Despite the Ivorian recovering from a recent hernia operation, the performances of Joey O’Brien certainly suggest Demel has a real struggle on his hands to regain his starting berth. O’Brien followed up last weekend’s assist for Kevin Nolan’s winner at Newcastle by firing home the equaliser just after the break against Stoke and with Demel set to head off to the African Cup of Nations in January, the former Bolton man could well be in the driving seat for a starting berth.
Certainly, Sam Allardyce’s post-match praise of O’Brien appears to offer Demel little hope of a quick recall…
“He’s [O’Brien] playing better and better…This lad was a brilliant player at 19 in the Premier League at Bolton and then got lost in the wilderness of injuries and got forgotten about by everyone. I knew the potential so what he needed was for someone to show some belief in him again…Slowly but surely he’s made his way forward and has proven that he’s over his injuries that caused him all those problems. He’s had a few niggles here and there but this season he has come on and we’ve seen the best of him and long may that last.”
James Collins also faces a task to regain his centre-half role. The Welshman had started the Hammers’ first 10 before limping off against City in the Gameweek 10 goalless draw at Upton Park and has now warmed the bench for the last two, with James Tomkins preferred alongside Winston Reid. Collins seems to be particularly favoured by the EA SPORTS PPI at Upton Park – he has picked up bonus in four of his six home games but with plenty of options at the back, Allardyce is clearly unwilling to drop any of his backline if they impress; only Reid has started all 12 of his side’s games at the back. For all their defensive solidity this season, last night’s result means West Ham have just one clean sheet in their last five at Upton Park – with Chelsea, Liverpool and Everton the next three visitors, they may struggle to rectify that record.
Nolan Toiling at Home
With a goal in each of his first three home appearances, Kevin Nolan was quickly snapped up by Fantasy managers as a real mid-price bargain. His form at Upton Park has somewhat tailed off in recent matches, however; last night’s blank means he has now failed to score or assist in three of his last four in front of his own fans. While his form on the road has improved , with attacking returns in two of his last three away fixtures, the Hammers’ reliance on Nolan is obvious – they have triumphed just once without him scoring. Andy Carroll may have thrown a strop when subbed off five minutes from time but with a record of a single assist in eight appearances, his minimal contribution is proving a real problem for Allardyce’s side going forward.
Allardyce had this to say on his team’s continued struggles in front of goal…
“Scoring chances is the most difficult thing in this league and the quality of player needed is hugely expensive – £50m on Torres, for example. We dominated but we could not find a finishing touch…Andy [Carroll] wants to score the goal but he had put that much effort in that there were fresher players on the bench…He’ll be disappointed but I wanted to try to win the game and I thought that was the best way forward.”
