Winning without style

On Monday at the Amex stadium we witnessed a win that was very unlike West Ham; we nicked a goal early on in the game and the rest of the bout from our point of view was a rear-guard action.

At one point during the second half I believe Brighton had 70% possession as they relentlessly attacked us with their slick and stylish passing game…the kind of game that is traditionally associated with West Ham United.

I do realise it may be a little early to ask such a thing but on Monday night did we witness a seismic shift in the mentality of our players? With Avram still in charge I guarantee Brighton would equalised on about 60 minutes and then after a relentless onslaught that would’ve seen them probably hit the wood-work (on more than one occasion) they would’ve found a winner in the last minute probably through Craig Mackail-Smith who of course snubbed a move to East London this summer. The sky commentary team would’ve gone wild and it would’ve been hailed a truly glorious night under the lights for Brighton and Hove Albion in their brand–spanking new home.

Essentially under Grant we would’ve strode out at the Amex convinced of our superiority like a cocky boxer with his arms down by his and side and we would’ve got knocked out. Instead what we witnessed on Monday night was a tactical master-class from Big Sam in the art of winning ugly: heading, blocking and defensively frustrating our opponents until they ran out ideas. This particular aspect of football isn’t within the DNA of West Ham we specialise more in glorious failure.

What we did to Brighton is what teams like Bolton, Birmingham and Stoke have been doing to us for years; nicking a goal and then being stern enough to resist the mounting pressure and restricting us to pot-shots from 30 odd yards. So I must admit it was sweet for us to inflict this manner of defeat on another team, I think we all revelled in watching as Brighton players and fans got more frustrated and desperate as the clock ticked by and realisation began to set in that they weren’t going to find the goal they sought.

When you take into consideration that West Ham at home is the biggest fixture for nigh on every club in this league (the record attendances at St Mary’s and the Amex seem to back up my claim) winning in such a fashion will be a useful tool when the home fans and players naturally raise their collective game.

Promotion won’t be won by smashing Blackpool at home on a warm Saturday afternoon…it will be earned by going to places like Brighton and nicking a 1-0 win when you don’t play particularly well.