Every team visiting Upton Park this season will be playing West Ham with the belief that it’s their cup final. Well that’s what Kevin Nolan thinks anyway. Perhaps somebody should tell Nolan that Cardiff City have played in far bigger games than this and in stadiums a lot better than the outdated Boleyn Ground.
Whilst I was watching Nolan’s Cup Final Grandstand this morning, enjoying watching the Cardiff City bus trawl through East London to the ground, Happy Hammer Alf Garnett providing the pre match entertainment along with Stuart Hall’s Cup Final It’s A Knockout. I couldn’t wait for 1.00pm to come.
After the iconic Abide With Me, Malky Mackay’s new look Cardiff City team took to their positions ready to take on ‘the might’ of West Ham.
Both teams started a little edgy with misplaced passes understandably creeping in due to the enormity of such a fixture for Cardiff. Early on West Ham, through Scott Parker, started to control the midfield and created chances on goal even though Marshall wasn’t really tested. Cardiff’s centre half pairing of Hudson and Hull City’s Player of the Year Anthony Gerrard stood firm putting in some telling last ditch tackles.
As the half was growing older Cardiff seemed to be getting to grips with the shape and style of the new players and during the last 10 minutes created chances of their own with Whittingham forcing a good save from Robert Green. All in all West Ham may have shaded it but there were encouraging signs from the Bluebirds and the ever vocal Malky Mackay would’ve been a pleased man at half time.
It wasn’t an eventful game but that suited us. The longer West Ham were held to 0-0 and wasting chances, the more the ‘expectant’ crowd would get frustrated. Sound familiar?
Now I’m not having a go at Dave Jones. Malky Mackay’s approach is poles apart from his predecessor. From beginning to end Mackay constantly bellowed instructions out to his players, informing them of their position, or sometimes lack of it. City very rarely lost their shape. He even handed out instructions on pieces of paper a la Mourhino. Whatever the mode of instruction, Mackay was playing a vital part of City’s determination and work rate.
Now in ‘our Cup Final’ I’d have been very happy with the way things were panning out for us, West Ham not really causing us any problems, the crowd we’re started to moan and groan at mistakes and our back five were getting stronger as a unit. Perhaps that’s why I’m sat here writing about it and not stood on a touchline like Malky Mackay. He saw something different, maybe a chance to win it. Besides, the matchday squad he selected would back this.
I’m not sure Earnshaw and Miller can play together. City still need a ‘target man’. My Twitter feed suggested that Kenny Miller was starting to get berated by City fans, personally I didn’t think he did much wrong leading up to Cardiff’s first substitution but it was Earnie who gave way for another new signing in Rudy Gestede. An attacker for an attacker. But this was a little more like it. A tall figure up front, not as tall as Jon Parkin of course, but far more agile. After playing postman for Mackay, delivering notes to Miller, Gestede nearly crowned his League debut with a goal within seconds of his arrival. A good move down the right culminated in Gestede just putting his header wide. There seemed to be renewed energy about the team, or was Malky just shouting louder. Gestede had another great chance but his low shot found the palms of Green. I wouldn’t say City rode their luck at all, but had Whittingham to thank for a goal line clearance that, in all honesty, the opinionated Kevin Nolan should’ve done better with. Perhaps ‘the occasion’ was getting to him.
Then Mackay really showed his intent. He sent on busy striker Joe Mason for the industrious Conway. Hang on a minute, 0-0 away from home in ‘our Cup Final’ and we’re sending on another striker? Well, in Malky we trust.
90 minutes were up and extra time was looming in Nolan’s world. And while he was too busy thinking about where he was going to put his penalty, Rudy Gestede chased down full back Ilunga and robbed him of the ball. Gestede put in a great run down the right a delivered a great ball into the box that found Kenny Miller. Miller took a touch a rifled it into the top corner. Mark Lawrenson said Robert Green should’ve done better, personally I reckon our terrific travelling faithful reminded Green of his horrific World Cup chanting USA, USA and he lost the plot.
Miller sent City fans into delirium with his ayatollah celebration. And do you know what, City deserved this goal for their sheer determination. City had won at West Ham for the first time in 60 years and the players and staff celebrated with the fans. Remember that?So to Kevin Nolan and your cup finals, David Gold and your ticket allocation and the Metropolitan Police and your kick off times….don’t mess with the Mighty Bluebirds.
Everyone Do The Mackayatollah!
