🗣

West Ham Fans Respond to Baptiste Jibe

Carlton Cole scored the first for West Ham United against Blackpool
Cole... Did a goal, fended off scary hands (Img: Hilton Teper)
Sam Allardyce’s West Ham United beat Ian Holloway’s Blackpool 2-1 in Saturday’s Championship play-off final at Wembley, prompting Tangerines defender Alex Baptiste to make the following comments…

“We were the better side. It was embarrassing at times. They just hoof it long and hope for the best. It’s a foul on me for the second goal, so the ref has done us no favours. I suppose everyone got what they wanted. Everyone wanted West Ham to win because they’re a team from London. Congratulations to them, they won the game, but I know who I would rather play for. I wouldn’t survive in their team because I’m not tall enough. All of them are 8ft tall.”

What do the Hammers’ online communities have to say in response? Football Burp snuck around on supporters’ message boards Knees Up Mother Brown and West Ham Online furtively eavesdropping in on conversations…

Up the Junction, Knees Up Mother Brown

Symptomatic of the bull**** being spewed by Ian Evatt and their fans last week.

Shame really as I had a lot of time for them before this. Incredible display of sour grapes.

Still … not our concern any more.

Lato, West Ham Online

Yes, they had the better chances on the day but, they bottled it especially Matt Philips early on.

8-1 over three games, 11 points clear, justice was done in the end. If just two of those draws in Feb/Mar had been converted in to wins we would have been Champions.

Enough said.

davids cross, Knees Up Mother Brown

Neither goals were hoofs,

First one, Taylor players a delightful inch perfect ball for Cole to finish.

Second one, Collisons first time ball sets Nolan free, he helps it into the box, then a bit of a scramble.

Neither goal was long ball Alex dear boy..

PistonHammered, West Ham Online

Baptiste and Cole jump to head a ball coming to them and surprise, surprise Baptiste bounces off of Cole like rag doll. This is the foul he’s claiming? Do fuck off.
Cole jinxed the ball through the defenders with only the goalie to beat when their number 3 takes him down causing him to collide with their goalie. Should have been a penalty if Vaz Te hadn’t have roofed it as the ball squirted loose.

Baptiste, you have embarrassed. Lose with dignity and shut the fuck up.

WorcesterWHU, Knees Up Mother Brown

They were the better side over 90 minutes, no doubt – we just found a way to win (and despite their concerted pressure, we still went closer than they did with Cole and then Nolan).

From what I’ve heard (as I didn’t see it) this is very similar to when they won the play-off final two years ago, they weren’t the better side that day – it happens.

Dannyboylister, Knees Up Mother Brown

This is brilliant. I love the fact that clubs hate playing us. How many times have we been bullied in the past? We are now the big team that people don’t like playing.
The more I see BFS’ style, the more I agree with it. He gets it into the final 3rd and then plays. It’s not long ball every time, but he gets the ball into areas where we have a greater chance of hurting the opposition, and then plays football. I see lots of teams praised for keeping the ball in defence and playing the ball out all the time, but watch closer and you see very few opportunities created that way. They piss about with it for 5 minutes, get nowhere, then go direct. In that time, Allardyce has the ball in their final 3rd 4 or 5 times. Sometimes it can become frustrating to watch if the CB has the beating of your target man, but its the best team I’ve seen us have for a while.

Sir Alf, West Ham Online

How times change.

The irony of all this is that they sound like we (me especially) has sounded for 50 odd years. Always the moral victors, holding onto the consolation of playing the game the correct way but for 80 – 90% of the time, ending up being the bridesmaid so as to speak.

Trouble with Blackpool is that they resembled many a past West Ham team. Great pass and move by their midfield 5 (which was tactically the way to deny our slower midfield 4 the ball) but no killer instinct.

Now don’t get me wrong, some of what the Fat Man served up this year was crude but I like to think of that as an early prototype. I prefer that we are building from solid foundations of discipline, organisation, physical strength and height etc… He now needs to complement it with some width and mobility and a spattering of flair. But we need to give him a couple of seasons to show if he can or will introduce more of a passing game or at least have some players in the squad that allow him to set us up to play more that way. Like I say, it will take players to provide better movement and decent technique especially out wide rather than central midfielders doing a job.

This season it will likely be more grinding out of results to ensure survival but we might get the next iteration. So long as I see a little more technique, width and pace to our play, I will be happy because I think we should then be able to hold our own.

The upcoming transfers will tell us if that will happen or if it will be more of the same albeit with younger versions of Faye, Collins, Diop etc…

Baptiste? Cannot accept losing. He doesnt mean congratulations. He is really affected by it all. Yeah they outplayed us by denying us possession but they couldnt take their chances and lost the game. Thats football mate.

inquestham, Knees Up Mother Brown

When he says “you’ve seen the football we play”, was he referring to the football they played when we absolutely slaughtered them 4-0 and 4-1 and then beat them 2-1 to make it 3 wins out of 3?

Is any of that the football he is referring to?

Or does he mean when he was having a kick about down the park and did a brilliant 1-2 with his cousin and then nutmeged the slow boy playing in goals to slot it sweetly between the two jumpers.

peroni, West Ham Online

It’s a shame really. He’s obviously got some valid points – they were clearly the better footballing side on the day and should have won. But he’s made himself look a right bitter prick with some of his comments.

He could learn a thing or two from his manager about being gracious in defeat.

Aceface, Knees Up Mother Brown

On the flip side, Ian Holloway’s reaction afterwards did him and his club huge credit. My respect for him has gone up immeasurably

Ronald_antly, West Ham Online

I just don’t understand what he meant by “Use accessible player and disable flyout menus”

Sounds deluded.

Irons fan? Trifle miffed by Baptiste’s comments? Have your say in the comments section below!