West Ham 1 – 0 Liverpool

Did we run over a whole sack of black cats? West Ham 0 – 1 L from a penalty in the 90th minute is unlucky. It’s unlucky because there was only one team that looked like winning in the last 15 minutes (which is usually when Liverpool realise that there’s a game to be won).

But the truth is, no matter how unlucky this might have been, we shot ourselves in the foot long ago. Everyone loses games in the last minute from time to time (usually use when we play United), and calls it bad luck. But drawing more games in the League than everyone else, and consistently failing to:

a) kill teams off

b) perform at any consistent level

c) play anything resembling good football

…is not bad luck, it’s bad management, and players simply not turning up.

Yet again, Crouch was on the bench after scoring in the last two games. Kuyt started again up front – why?

That “game in hand” we still have is now necessary just to get 4th and go level on points with Everton. God how pathetic is that?

All this bleating about boardroom uncertainty is nonsense; it’s an excuse, and if the most important thing in the players’ minds was winning it wouldn’t matter. It’s lack of confidence, ok, boo hoo. Get over it. Real winners, real champions, don’t complain about others – they make things happen themselves. A real winner doesn’t wait for other people to hand things to him on a plate, he wants, and ONLY wants, what he can earn himself.

We’ve spent £60m+ this season – anyone who says Rafa hasn’t been backed is talking rubbish – he has been backed, this, and previous seasons, just like Houllier was. The problem is awful signings and poor mentality, and it all stems from a bankrupt footballing philosophy: ‘defend first, avoid defeat’. Instead of ‘attack first, go to win’.

Moyes calls for “respect”

Apparently, the Premier League should take a winter break in “respect” to the Africa Cup of Nations, so that players are allowed to represent their countries without it clashing with their club duties, according to Bitters’ manager David Moyes.

Where does respect enter into it? Why doesn’t Africa “respect” the Premier League and hold its tin-pot trophy during the summer?

Does anyone even watch this competition anyway? I flicked over and I thought I was watching head-tennis – at the end of the game there wasn’t a hint of grass or dirt on the football!

If you don’t want your “key” players to be missing for a month, don’t sign them from Africa. If you’re an African player, decide between your club or country. Decide which is more important to you: the honour and privilege of representing the football association that pays your wages in the greatest league on earth, or playing hoofball in the sand to win a shiny bucket.