Our blogger thinks Adam Johnson penalty prize for Sunderland was an absolute joke
Much of this season has seemed like a wonderful dream, well we’re now almost halfway through it and we’re fourth.
Not only are we sitting in a Champions League spot but we have suffered a paltry solitary defeat in 10 games, in fact we’ve only tasted bitter defeat on four occasions this season.
Our dream start has now turned into joyful reality; we are very much in contention for a top four spot and the usual suspects (Spurs, Liverpool and Everton) simply don’t look as slick, dynamic, sexy or dangerous as this claret and blue vintage. Arsenal however always seem to lurch from ridiculous defeats to routine wins with a regularity that makes them the ones to watch as this battle intensifies.
The draw at the Stadium of Light was disappointing and frustrating for two reasons. Firstly their penalty was an absolute joke; Adam Johnson’s dive was almost as embarrassing as the fact the officials bought it.
Without one of the softest penalties of the season thus far it’s hard to see how Sunderland would’ve scored, they’re a side that lack quality in the final third to put it mildly...Wickham, Altidore and Fletcher are hardly names that keep Premier League defenders up at night.
Secondly, despite all our second half dominance and the grace and effortlessness of Alex Song as he dictated and set up attack after attack with all of the sublime skill of a conductor leading an orchestra, we lacked the ruthless, cutting edge which has been a hallmark of our play this season to finish off the Mackems.
However to come from behind yet again and take a point away from home is something that has become the norm this season, but was very much a bonus in previous campaigns. It again underlines how far we’ve come that when we go a goal down, the players and the fans don’t panic because we know that we have the quality and the goals in our locker to get back into any game, against any opposition. The fact that we have 12 different goal scorers so far this season would attest to this.
Leicester at home next and a wonderful opportunity to make it four wins out of five; and if as we expect we overcome the Foxes; we will head into Christmas still in the top four and ready to take on Chelsea and Arsenal with the confidence and belief that we’ve pulled up a seat at the top table of London football and are not about to depart anytime soon.
The transformation and revolution of this West Ham side shows no signs of abating, well to borrow a line from the Foo Fighters ‘something from nothing’ this season.
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