FIVE things we learnt from the Hammers versus the Swans

West Ham gained a point at the Liberty Stadium after a goalless draw with Swansea City; but what did we learn from the match?

1. Carlton Cole is back!! – I know I know, I’m like a broken record about this man, and you’re all probably bored with my blind love for him. But the Swansea game was very significant in that it marked his second debut for the mighty Hammers. And I defy anyone not to smile when you saw him realise just how far he was offside at one point! He did actually prove to be of huge use defensively and seemed to clear every corner that Swansea got after he came on.

2. Michael Laudrup is very bitter – Anyone watching the game would see that Swansea’s second half penalty appeals were futile – Joe Cole quite obviously had his back to the ball and didn’t know anything about it when it struck him. Michael Laudrup had different ideas and was quite vocal about it – “We know the relationship between Swansea & penalties is not the best, even if we got one last weekend after 50-something games. Not to be funny, but maybe the fans and everybody here should buy a t-shirt to say that ‘I was there when Swansea got a penalty'” Calm down Michael, there’s no way that was a pen!

3. The 4-6-0 formation until Andy Carroll comes back? – We used our now famous formation for the third time in as many matches, and it certainly frustrated the Swans. I was worried that teams would figure us out and make measures to counter our newest strategy, but once again we kept a clean sheet and recorded a draw with our new style of play. That makes it 5 clean sheets in the last 9 games – we’d be dangerous if we could actually score goals!

4. Our back four worked together like a dream – Razvan Rat and Guy Demel running up the flanks while Winston Reid and James Tomkins held the fort at the back; it worked really well. The defence seemed focussed and ready for any attack – I think it was one of the best games they’ve had. And I would be confident to say that Tomkins has definitely cemented his place in the starting line-up now. I just wish I hadn’t subbed Demel for Ashley Cole in my fantasy football team… What an error!

5. Not impressed with Kevin Nolan – El Capitan Kev seemed to be a passenger at times in the game, and I would have preferred that he got subbed instead of Mohammed Diame or Ravel Morrison. There were times when he didn’t seem to keep up with the pace of the game, which was quite concerning. Sadly we all know he’ll continue to start, so I think I’m just going to have to grudgingly accept his sub-par performances!

I just also want to give a quick mention to Ricardo Vaz Te – I hope the injury isn’t too bad and he’s back for us soon. He’s been dominant in attack for us and it’s a shame to lose him when he was really proving himself.

What did you think of the game? Who shone for you? Leave a comment or tweet me at @alwaysintune.