Hammer Down Under: West Ham don’t score like Zlatan but I’ll take tap-ins any day

West Ham United's Kevin Nolan shouts at linesman Peter Bankes after his goal against Manchester City was disallowed. Photo credit: Nick Potts/PA wire

Matthew Rossleigh, London24 West Ham blogger Friday, November 16, 2012
8:00 AM

After watching replay after replay of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s wonder goal against England in Stockholm on Wednesday night it had me thinking, does West Ham ever make the news for a cracking strike from the weekend?

About our blogger

Name: Matt Rossleigh

Twitter handle: @Matt_Rossleigh

Regular attendee living in London this year from Australia

Favourite player: Mark Noble

Most memorable game: 2012 Championship Playoff Final

Predicted Finish: Mid-table

The short answer is no. Is there an answer as to why? I think so.

Looking through all of West Ham’s 14 goals in the Premier League from start the season, you’ll be hard pressed to find any which will make a goal of the month competition.

Eleven games in, the closest the Hammers have come to a wonder goal was Kevin Nolan’s effort against Manchester City which was incorrectly ruled out. There could be an argument for the captain’s goal against Fulham or Mohamed Diame’s goal against Arsenal, but now we’re just scraping the barrel for ideas.

"I think many West Ham fans would agree with me that they prefer the tap-ins and headers which have seen the club grind out five victories and three draws from the first 11 matches"

Matthew Rossleigh

When I think back to last season I remember Winston Reid’s screamer against Millwall, Jack Collison’s thunderbolt against Leicester or Nicky Maynard’s pile driver in the play-offs against Cardiff.

Further back in our Premier League history there was Radoslav Kovac’s goal at Goodison Park and Carlton Cole’s great finish in the team goal at Wigan.

West Ham has never been known for the wonder goal. Does it bother me? I’m quite happy with the team sitting in a European position, thank you very much.

Does it really matter that there is no screamer this season? No Adel Taarabt wonder strike? Most of those sorts of goals are one in a thousand. Think of all those wasted shots on goal when patient build-up play or set pieces have led to so many goals.

Take QPR’s Taarabt for example, his goal against West Ham in October was a cracker, but how many times has he looked like a Sunday League player with some atrocious long range efforts?

Sure he’ll receive the plaudits for that goal, but he’s received so many more jeers for his lack of patience with the ball.

I think many West Ham fans would agree with me that they prefer the tap-ins and headers which have seen the club grind out five victories and three draws from the first 11 matches.

Zlatan’s goal rightfully achieved accolades from the world’s media, even back home in Australia, but as long as the wins keep continuing and the club stays on top of Arsenal and Spurs, I don’t care where the goals come from.