Birmingham City 0 West Ham Utd 1: Birmingham fall to Noble effort as new Hammers pull together
Unheralded midfielder outshines his team-mates as Bruce's boys buckle
Sunday, 19 August 2007
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Suddenly, West Ham United's supposedly troubled world looks a whole lot sunnier. All it took to start lifting the latest East End storm-clouds was a contested but justified Mark Noble penalty 22 minutes from time, an enterprising, committed performance actually warranting a considerably bigger victory.
In the week Steve Bruce bemoaned the lack of English talent produced by an Academy system he says is failing, it was perhaps inevitable his struggling Birmingham City team should be beaten by the archetypal local boy made good.
Noble was outstanding in a midfield populated by bigger names – the subdued Kieron Dyer for one – and did much to inspire this fifth victory in six away League games either side of the club's remarkable relegation escape.
"We got stronger in the second half and, as the confidence came back, we got going," said the West Ham manager Alan Curbishley. "The linesman gave the penalty straight away. The keeper came and, when you do that, you have to get the ball, which he didn't."
There were other issues for Curbishley to confront. "Absolute nonsense," was his reaction to stories that he had had a dressing-room bust-up with Craig Bellamy last weekend. He was more equivocal, though, as was Bruce, in insisting he knew nothing of an alleged shoving match involving Bellamy in the tunnel at the end. But these were sideshows on a good day for him.
It would have been happier still had Dyer not been unusually clumsy with his touch when squandering a late one-on-one chance. The midfielder will have much better afternoons than this – as will the photographers, who will have to wait a little longer for his on-field reunion with Lee Bowyer.
While the £7 million man went straight in, his former sparring partner became one of three casualties from the opening-day side, and Curbishley took another bold decision by handing the captaincy to Matthew Upson in the absence of Lucas Neill, Scott Parker and Freddie Ljungberg. The repeatedly booed ex-Birmingham defender was faultless.
Even the goalless first half was pleasing by turbulent recent Upton Park standards, Noble powering a low 25-yard free-kick against the post and Jonathan Spector bringing a comfortable save from Colin Doyle.
Birmingham, with Garry O'Connor given a first start, were disappointing, only Radhi Jaidi, with an effort on the turn in first-half stoppage-time, seriously testing Robert Green until the keeper scrambled wide a late free-kick by the substitute Gary McSheffrey.
Such was West Ham's threat that Dean Ashton remained on the bench. Unfortunately for them, their finishing was wayward, with Bobby Zamora the main culprit. He scooped over when Matthew Etherington's corner broke to him, then Noble cut in brilliantly from the left for a pull-back that Bellamy miscued wide off Dyer.
Zamora, halted by Stephen Kelly's excellent last-ditch tackle, chipped high and wide from another clear opportunity before hooking a left-foot volley past the post from one of several dangerous thrusts by Etherington. A goal was long overdue when West Ham finally went in front. Dyer played a pass into space in the Birmingham area as Bellamy and the diving Doyle set off in hot pursuit on the rain-lashed surface. Bellamy got there slightly quicker and, when he was floored in the subsequent collision, Mark Halsey took the word of his better-placed assistant and awarded a penalty that Noble side-footed home.
There were the inevitable protests and Bruce held his head in his hands before saying afterwards: "It was a bit of inexperience from my keeper and Bellamy is experienced. West Ham looked the better team but it was a big advantage for them not to have had a game in midweek."
West Ham should have added more at the end. Bellamy's first-time effort was safely dealt with by Doyle, who went further in redeeming himself from his trying start to 2007-08 by then frustrating both Dyer and Bellamy from glaring opportunities.
So now Birmingham are the team with big problems after taking only one point from three matches.
Read about West Ham online at "Knees Up Mother Brown" – www.kumb.com
