
Portsmouth 2-0 West Ham United
Sunday, 15th October 2006
by Gordon Thrower
HMS Warrior. It stands right next to Portsmouth Harbour station you know. Thames Ironworks built it in 1860 and we have an ever-so-nice model of it in the foyer at the club which, we are assured, cost a mere fraction of the amount for which it is insured. It was also just about the only interesting thing I saw on a day that came after an incident-packed week that saw one player arrested, another refused entry to the country, the departure of our assistant manager, more takeover talks and all sorts of other stuff going on.




Player Ratings
Roy CarrollBarely tested but found wanting, especially for the first goal where he ought to have made an effort rather than protest at Poll.

Jonathan Spector
Looked okay defensively but I?EUR(TM)d like to see him get forward a bit more to support in attack.

Paul Konchesky
Patchy. The Konchesky/Etherington axis (which sounds line one of those groups on the Fast Show?EUR(TM)s ?EURoeJazz Club) hasn?EUR(TM)t got going this season. Had two of our best efforts on goal.

Anton Ferdinand

Danny Gabbidon
Not really troubled but his touch looked a bit dodgy on occasion.

Hayden Mullins
Did his usual solid thing in the middle and was another who might have scored.

Nigel Reo-Coker
Some signs of improvement on recent form ?EUR" though that?EUR(TM)s hardly the biggest of boasts. Another who was unfortunate to find James in competent mood.

Yossi Benayoun
Rumours of his fitness suggested he was a doubt for this match. His contribution, or lack of it, suggested that the rumours might be true.

Matthew Etherington
Got over one half-decent cross in the second half but failed to try to repeat the exercise. Harshly conned into the book by O?EUR(TM)Neill?EUR(TM)s dive.

Teddy Sheringham
Poor. Just about every pass or lay-off went astray. Got nothing out of Poll with whom he had a constant running argument. Booked when Johnson writhed in agony after a fairly innocent looking challenge.

Bobby Zamora
Didn?EUR(TM)t link up at all with Sheringham and won little out of Primus whose methods were often somewhat suspect.

Substitutes
Carlton Cole(Replaced Sheringham, 70) Won a couple of headers but they went nowhere in particular.

Marlon Harewood
(Replaced Zamora, 70) If the idea was for him to get on the end of Cole?EUR(TM)s headers it didn?EUR(TM)t work.

Javier Mascherano
(Replaced Benayoun, 86) Not quite sure what his introduction so late in the proceedings was supposed to achieve but whatever it was it didn?EUR(TM)t appear to work.

Robert Green
Did not play.

Christian Dailly
Did not play.

Match Facts
West Ham United: Roy Carroll, Jonathan Spector, Paul Konchesky, Anton Ferdinand, Danny Gabbidon, Hayden Mullins, Nigel Reo-Coker, Yossi Benayoun, Matthew Etherington, Teddy Sheringham, Bobby Zamora.Goals: None.
Booked: Nigel Reo-Coker 22 Teddy Sheringham 26 Matthew Etherington 43 Paul Konchesky 76 .
Sent Off: None sent off. .
Portsmouth: James, Johnson, Campbell, Primus, Stefanovich, O'Neil, Mendes, Taylor, Fernandes; Kanu, Mwaruwari..
Subs not used: Kiely, Pamarot, Davis..
Goals: Kanu (25), A Cole (82)..
Booked: O'Neil (17), Campbell (65), Mendes (73), Johnson (75)..
Sent off: None.
Referee: G.Poll.
Attendance: 20,142.
Man of the Match: Hayden Mullins.