FIVE things we learnt about West Ham against Aston Villa

West Ham earned a point at home against an Aston Villa team who have started the season fairly well. It was nice to see Jack Collison, surprising to not see much of Mohamed Diame, and shocking that we didn’t score.

It was actually a decent game- we played well, had loads of chances, and gave very few chances to Villa. What more could you want from a football match? Well, goals and 3pts at the end of it, but still.

With that in mind, here’s give things I learned about West Ham United against Aston Villa.

1. The good news is that we have figured out how to create chances. I’ve never seen so many opportunities in one game (official stats might not back me up on this.) Stewart Downing and Mark Noble were instrumental in nearly every one, and it forced Villa to adapt a very tight five at the back to close us down (which, to their credit, they did well.

2. Something to improve on would be converting JUST ONE of those chances into a goal (just one, not asking too much here.) We saw a number of clever, creative build-ups, but yet not enough shots on target. This is something that we can improve on, and that Carlton Cole very nearly did improve on.

3. Does anyone know Kevin Nolan personally? If so, would you mind explaining the offside rule to him?

I want to be supportive of Nolan, I really do. I admire his spirit, and he was a major part of why we did so well last season. But he has spent nearly the entirety of this season in an offside position, and it’s killing us offensively.

Let me set the scene for you; you’re a midfielder, you’ve got the ball at your feet, you’ve beaten your man, you’re near the goal, you look up to cross the ball, and what do you see? Kevin Nolan, three yards offside. Every time.

This happened every few minutes tonight and had the annoying effect that said midfielder then had to hold the ball up so as not to get an offside call. It’s causing us to slow the game down, and we’re doing it at exactly the wrong moment.

4. Can we put the Noble-bashing to the side for once, and just admit the man played a great game. According to the Daily Mail, Noble has created the third most chances out of anyone in the Premier League. Today showed just how he’s achieved that stat. He tackled well, held the ball well, and played a pivotal role in dropping back deeper when we are going forward so that he was a clear option for moving the ball around the field.

5. I still get a little bit nervous about the back four when the opposition are on the break. Overall, I believe we defended well. Winston Reid played a game full of dedication and passion, as always, and I’m starting to feel James Tomkins is my preferred James. However, twice towards the end of the game Christian Benteke was not sharply marked (by Guy Demel, I believe) and very nearly scored. The breakaway which led to Ravel Morrison’s incredible day-saving recovery should have been avoided- and why was attacking midfielder Morrison our furthest man back?

It wasn’t our best game today, but it was full of potential. We’re getting better; and remember, this is a Villa who beat both Arsenal and Manchester City. We may have halted our scary home game start to the season, and not a minute too soon- its Chelsea in the next home match. Hopefully by then we’ll have learned how to get the goals and the 3pts.

What did you think of the match? Let me know below or tweet me @makingthemarrow