Premier League
West Ham United 0-0 Southampton 

Saturday, 14th September 2013
by Trevor Twohig

West Ham managed to cling on for a valuable point on a dismal afternoon at St. Mary’s Stadium.

The Irons started brightly enough with Mo Diame looking in bullish mood as he powered his way into the box before being denied by the outstretched Boruc early on.

Chances though were few and far between for the Hammers as Southampton enjoyed the majority of the possession and shots on target. After a frenetic start, the game became affected by the howling wind and lashing rain, causing the final ball to tend to go missing when it mattered.

It didn?EUR(TM)t though when Osvaldo had the best chance of the game only - to be denied by the diving Jaaskeleinen.

Although chances were few and far between, West Ham did however have a perfectly good goal disallowed for offside. On the half-hour mark Matt Jarvis made a rare break and blasted the ball into Boruc?EUR(TM)s midriff. The ball fell kindly to Nolan who slotted it in from long range, only to see the linesman?EUR(TM)s flag raised - although TC replays showed Jarvis was indeed onside.

In the second half Southampton piled on the pressure and once again it was the outstanding Jussi who kept us in the game. However the Irons had a golden opportunity to nick it at the end when the ball fell on a plate to James Collins who had all the time in the world to pick his spot and clear off celebrating.

True to form however, he blazed the ball miles over the bar, much to the despair of the traveling Claret and Blue Army.

On the whole it was a poor game which lacked any real quality in the final third. Lots of crosses were overhit and quality chances were few and far between. However it was pleasing to see Big Sam give Ravel Morrison his first Premier League start; the lad played well in a tricky game dominated by the midfield.

After a couple of weeks of disappointment for Hammers fans, I suppose a point will do. Yet the elephant in the room continues to rear its head, with Maiga once again being ineffective and West Ham lacking any real cutting edge. Overall it was a pleasing defensive performance but I still harbour deep concerns about our attacking options up front.

Next week, we entertain Everton who come to the Boleyn fresh from their victory over Jose Mourinho's Chelsea.

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Player Ratings

Jussi Jaaskelainen
Outstanding; he kept us in the game.


Guy Demel
Played well ?EUR" went off injured.


Joey O Brien
Ok, but could have been sent off for a rash challenge.


Winston Reid
Solid, as usual.


James Collins
Played well. Missed a golden chance to win the game.


Mark Noble
Solid but uninspiring.


Mo Diame
Started well but quietened down after a bad challenge.


Matt Jarvis
Uncharacteristically quiet.


Ravel Morrison
A fine first Premier League start.


Kevin Nolan
Moaned and groaned but not a lot of firepower.


Modibo Maiga
Not cutting the mustard at all.



Substitutes

Razvan Rat
A fair performance.


Ricardo Vaz Te
Largely ineffective.


Matt Taylor
Slaughtered by the home fans for his ex-Pompey links but little involvement in the final few minutes.


Adrian
Did not play.


James Tomkins
Did not play.


Jack Collison
Did not play.


Elliot Lee
Did not play.



Match Facts

West Ham United: Jussi Jaaskelainen, Guy Demel, Joey O Brien, Winston Reid, James Collins, Mark Noble, Mo Diame, Matt Jarvis, Ravel Morrison, Kevin Nolan, Modibo Maiga.

Goals: None.

Booked: Mo Diame 29 Mark Noble 64 Joey O Brien 70      .

Sent Off: None sent off.     .

Southampton: Artur Boruc, Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovren, Jose Fonte, Luke Shaw, Jay Rodriguez, Morgan Schneiderlin, Victor Wanyama, Adam Lallana, Pablo Osvaldo, Rickie Lambert .

Subs not used: Kelvin Davis, Guly Do Prado, Steven Davis, Gaston Ramirez, Jos Hooiveld.

Goals: None.

Booked: Victor Wanyama (66).

Sent off: None.

Referee: Andre Marriner.

Attendance: 28,794.

Man of the Match: Jussi Jaaskelainen.