Wednesday 25 April 2012

Belated Conclusions from West Ham United


Leicester City1-2West Ham United
(HT 1-1)
Beckford 34Reid 39
Collison 58

King Power Stadium, attendance: 23,172
BBC Match Report


Home Team: Schmeichel, Peltier, Konchesky, Bamba, Morgan, Marshall, King (St Ledger 46), Drinkwater, Wellens (Dyer 22), Beckford, Nugent (Waghorn 65)

Away Team: Green, Demel (Faubert 76), Taylor, Reid, Tomkins, Noble, Nolan , Collison (Lansbury 88), O'Neil, Vaz Te, Cole (Collins 81)



  • One has to feel sorry for the Birch. Always a sunny day out, the Birch's annual run on the last home game of the season gives a sense of occasion and celebration no matter what the circumstances surrounding Leicester City on the pitch. This year's run was tarnished, however, by Sky moving the final home game of City's campaign this season to a Monday night. At up to £30 for an ordinary (non-corporate) ticket, why would you travel into town on a weekday to see a meaningless game, rather than spending £20 to watch it on the telly and with the added benefit of watching the climax of both the Champions League and Premier League to boot? Granted, the attendance was still above average  against Wet Spam, but it must have been a tremendous disappointment for the Birch to have seen nearly 10,000 empty seats at what is usually one of the busiest games of the year.



Winners
Wes Morgan
A standout performance from a January signing who has been solid since his arrival, Wes Morgan proved against the Hammers why he has been such a feature of Forest's often impressive form over the past few seasons. Unlike fellow centre half Sol Bamba, Morgan has earned his praise for his defending alone, feeling no need to act as a midfielder-come-striker in order to shine. This was as good a defensive performance from one player as has been seen all season at the King Power Stadium.

Ben Marshall
Dangerous in the centre and out wide, Ben Marshall was once again the most potent attacking force in City's team. The new fans' favourite created chances aplenty, including his beautifully earned dug-out cross to Jermaine Beckford that put the Foxes ahead in the first half.

Martyn Waghorn
Lacking sharpness and clearly not match-fit, Martyn Waghorn nonetheless made it back onto the pitch, playing for the Foxes, before the end of the season. Odds on him scoring a winner at Elland Road..?



Losers
Lee Peltier
Having been virtually an ever-present this season, Lee Peltier's recent performances have earned him no plaudits and this must go down as one of his worst. Leaving defensive duties to winger Marshall all too often and being tardy in attack, Peltier is not earning himself a place in Nigel Pearson's squad for next season at present. He must show a marked improvement against Leeds United if he is to survive the Summer cull.

Danny Drinkwater
Lacking a certain sharpness in the pass, Danny Drinkwater is on this appearance unlikely to feature against Leeds, where Pearson would be wise to try some new ideas. The City manager has so far been reluctant to alter his team drastically as he hoped for the playoff dream to become reality.

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