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Vinny
4:34 Tue May 19
Re: 2012 Play Off Final - Three years ago today.
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http://web.archive.org/web/20120920110007/http://westhamonline.net/article.php?6159833||5||
Blackpool 1 West Ham United 2
A dramatic 87th minute winner from Ricardo Vaz Te sent West Ham back to the Premiership in a pulsating game at Wembley.
This for me was the greatest day I have ever had watching West Ham and will long in the memory. The pre match drinking, the sight of so many West Ham fans inside the stadium, the dramatic ending and the post-match celebrations made the day perfect.
If there was ever a club who deserved a day like this it was West Ham. After so many seasons of disappointment and frustration this felt as though it went some way to make up for the crap the fans have had to endure.
Even now as I type I am on this incredible high and one I wish not to come down from. I am usually in a chipper mood when West Ham secures a win but this is more intense than one could have imagined.
This was the first time I had seen West Ham at Wembley as I was not born the last time we were there in 1981 and my parents were not even married.
Growing up supporting West Ham in the 90’s was not the easiest and fans around my age and younger did not have the benefit of seeing a Trevor Brooking or a Billy Bonds.
We don’t have the FA Cup in 75’ and 80’ to keep in our hearts so this result meant more to me than I had perhaps anticipated.
It’s not that we achieved promotion which has me on this high; it is winning at Wembley which is far the superior prize in my eyes. To do it in such a way was nearly more than my heart could stand and when Vaz Te smashed in the winner I thought I could explode.
I feel like I now have a day which I can look back on and eulogise instead of simply looking at YouTube videos of past glories. I am interested to know how this rates compared to 75’ or 80’ (or even 64 and 65’ for the older statesmen reading).
I went to the 2006 Cup Final and those Play Off games previous but this I felt I took in more and really savoured every bit of the day from setting off at 9am to drinking after.
Sam Allardyce was clearly delighted and I would suspect relieved at the result and said as much in his post-match interviews. I have been critical of his tenure thus far especially derisory comments made toward the fans earlier in the season but he was brought in to get us promotion and he has provided this.
It is a very fine line between a successful season and a failure but with this victory the season is therefore a success and the goals that were set by the owners, the manager, the captain and the supporters have been met.
I like most thought Blackpool’s failure to sell their allocation was disgusting. If they could not sell the tickets then fine but to go and sell tickets in each section thus preventing unsold tickets going to West Ham fans was unmannerly and terribly discourteous.
That for me can be the only negative of the day because there would have been many West Ham fans unable to get a ticket due to us selling our allocation.
The support given from our fans was outstanding and just goes to show that if we did move into the Olympic Stadium and were successful on the pitch, we would be able to see fifty thousand plus. The support is there, this proved it and I think if we had been given seventy thousand tickets we would have sold them.
I’m often proud of being a West Ham supporter. This just installed even greater pride.
The Team
Sam Allardyce stuck with the same team who beat Cardiff City in the Semi Final with Jack Collison shrugging off a shoulder injury to make the starting eleven.
Sam Baldock, Papa Bouba Diop, and Abdoulaye Faye were the unlucky notable players not be named in the 16 man squad.
The referee was Howard Webb who ironically took charge of our very first game of the season at home to Cardiff City and would oversee our very last.
First Half
Before the kick off some drinking had commenced around Paddington area from around 10am. Even at that time Paddington Station was beginning to fill up with West Ham supporters coming in from the West.
A short distance away in Marylebone was the next stop to the ‘Volunteer’ although by 11 this was absolutely rammed and it was clear that getting a drink here would take a while. So it was on to the next and finally on Baker Street opposite the very popular ‘Globe’ was the Weatherspoons Metropolitan Bar.
This was again full of West Ham and it really was a sight to behold the amount of West Ham supporters around the Baker Street area.
At 12.30 it was time to get to Wembley and the plan was go to the Green Man although by the time I got there they were no longer letting anyone in and a large crowd was gathering outside with many people trying to meet friends to get their tickets.
Down at the bottom of the road was St Jospeh’s Social club which again was full up with West Ham and it was there we managed to get drinks easy enough.
Even though I was aware of how many West Ham fans were going to be in attendance, to see it all when I was walking to my seat really startled me. It was an incredible sight and one I won’t be forgetting.
We kicked off and were shooting towards the Blackpool end which had many empty patches in the upper tiers. The noise from the West Ham fans was ear splitting as ‘Bubbles’ and ‘We All Follow The West Ham’ rang out.
Blackpool certainly started the better of the two sides and we looked a little dazed by the whole occasion.
The first chance of the game came on the three minute mark and Blackpool were extremely close to taking the lead as a long ball forward saw Matthew Taylor attempt to chest the ball back to Robert Green instead of heading it and his attempt was too short which allowed Scott Dobbie in and although the angle was tight his excellent attempt was pushed onto the post by Green and it was cleared.
A real let off very early on and a clear indication that this was not going to be easy.
We were playing nervous passes and kept giving the ball away frequently.
Allardyce had talked about getting at them early in his pre match press conferences but Blackpool were equal to everything in those early stages.
Vaz Te had not seen much of the ball early on but when he did get the ball down the left he got down the line well and into the area but his cross was poor and went behind for a goal kick when Cole and O’Neil were waiting in the area.
Blackpool should have done a lot better with a chance created on 14 minutes when winger Matt Phillips was put through down the middle but pressure from defenders around him saw him take his shot early and it was almost a pass back to Green with the lack of power on the effort.
If we had thought that was a let off just two minutes later saw Blackpool create a glorious chance although our defending was certainly an aid to this attack.
A long ball forward saw Guy Demel totally misjudge the flight of the ball and it bounced over him with Matthew Phillips nipping in and shrugging Demel off the ball and he was in on goal. The winger cut inside and with the goal at his mercy he fired his curling shot wide. This should have been goal and we should have been 1-0 down.
After this chance we took control of the half and slowly began to dominate possession. Blackpool did not create another clear cut chance again in the first half.
With 20 minutes gone we finally created a decent chance and one which I would have expected Vaz Te to do better with. A long ball forward to Cole saw him take the ball down well and give to Nolan who fed the unmarked Vaz Te but he dragged his shot into the side netting.
A throw from Taylor to O’Neil saw the latter put an excellent cross into the area but Cole got too much on his flick and it went over the bar.
We had a string of corners around the half hour mark but each time Blackpool dealt with them well even when Tomkins got on the end of one of them but his header back into the area was cleared.
With ten minutes remaining of the first period out of nothing we opened the scoring.
Blackpool’s Tom Ince (son of former Hammer Paul Ince) was crowded out by three West Ham players with Taylor retrieving the ball and bursting forward.
An attempted interception of a pass from Taylor only gave the ball back to him and he played an exquisite pass over the defender towards Carlton Cole who took one touch then hooked his shot at goal and past the keeper to make it 1-0.
The elation was almost terrifying as the West Ham fans burst into wild celebrations. We had got that important first goal and were beginning to get a hold of the game.
Cole had scored his 15th goal of the season and continued his recent excellent form.
We should have been two up just three minutes later and the player the chance fell to you would have expected to bury it.
The ball was worked to Gary O’Neil who played a delightful ball through to Ricardo Vaz Te who with the goal at his mercy put his left foot effort wide when the goal was gaping and he should have at the very least hit the target.
Only the one minute added on time was awarded by the referee who we had hardly noticed throughout the half and we went in at half time leading and had given ourselves a big chance of securing promotion.
Second Half
There was little doubt that Blackpool would now have to come at us given that they were a goal down and in a game such as this there are no second chances. Blackpool are renowned for their attacking football and under manager Ian Holloway they have built up a reputation for scoring goals and creating chances.
Whilst I never discounted Blackpool even after we had gone a goal up I can’t say I expected them to get back on level terms so quickly after the restart.
We had played just three minutes of the second half when Cole received the ball at his feet in the Blackpool half but his lay off was poor and went straight back to Blackpool’s Matt Phillips who still in his own half played a wonderful pass over the top of our defence with Matthew Taylor being beaten to the ball by Tom Ince who in similar fashion to Cole’s goal put it past Robert Green to make it 1-1.
There were many similarities to both goals scored for both sides and this too came totally out of nothing.
Blackpool had their tails up and the goal had given them much confidence as we fell apart.
For the next twenty minutes I really feared that we were going to get beat because there was really only one side in the game and that was certainly not us.
Blackpool played the better football, created chances, looked as though they wanted it more and they can look back on most of the second half and wonder how they did not find the goals to win the game.
Two minutes after equalising the Tangerines came close to taking the lead as a ball through the middle found Baptiste who had continued running forward and he got the ball over Robert Green only for Matthew Taylor to get back and hook it over the bar before it could go over the line.
Allardyce responded by taking off Gary O’Neil and replacing him with George McCartney which saw Matthew Taylor move up to left midfield.
Demel appeared to be struggling a few moments later and indeed was forced to come off with Julien Faubert replacing him at right back.
We were not venturing forward often although on one rare occasion some good hold up play and control from Cole saw Taylor put a good cross into the area for Collison to see his shot go high over the bar.
And signs of an improvement looked promising as we got forward again as a ball into the area and to the feet of Cole saw the striker turn brilliantly and hit a lot shot which Gilks in the Blackpool goal got down to save really well.
The game at this point was extremely tense. There was no indication to which team would win this game as the game was open and Blackpool certainly had more about them then in the first half. They looked sharper, confident and quicker.
On 67 minutes Blackpool should have scored and when I say should have I really do mean it. It was a wonderful chance and the sort of chance which most other times they would have taken.
Eardley got down the right hand side and beat Taylor before cutting the back Dobbie who simply had to hit the target and he would have more than likely scored but he fluffed his effort and it bobbled wide.
Blackpool had a spate of corners and balls into the area which had the West Ham following wincing with every attack. I felt as though this wasn’t going to be our day and confidence drained from me.
As Blackpool continued to look the more likely Dobbie saw a shot on target saved well down low to Green’s right as he tipped it around the post for another Blackpool corner.
Cole again did well to control a long pass towards him and he hooked the ball to Collison who cut inside and fired a shot over the bar with a number of his team mates unhappy with his decision although having made the space I don’t blame him for wanting to have a go.
With 10 minutes remaining a counter attack saw us come perilously close to scoring. McCartney burst forward down the left and swapped passes with Taylor and got a cross into the area for the unmarked Kevin Nolan to meet on the volley but his shot crashed against the crossbar and the follow up from Taylor went wide.
It was hands on the head stuff and I was dreading that this was the last golden chance we would get in normal time.
Cole won a free kick half way inside the Blackpool half with Noble knocking to the back post for Tomkins to meet with a looping header which hit the roof of the net.
With full time approaching there were 3 minutes of normal time remaining. What would happen would be arguably my favourite West Ham moment ever.
Nolan ran onto a ball forward down the left and crossed into the area. The ball was not cleared and Cole battled through on goal with Gilks coming out to attempt to smother the ball. Cole at the very last moment managed to poke the ball just to his right where Ricardo Vaz Te was on hand to smash the ball into the roof of the net.
For a moment I froze as I couldn’t believe what had just happened. The reaction from the West Ham support was of sheer delight and of the highest state of euphoria you can imagine. Watching it back on the television only tells a small part of how it was when that goal went in.
It felt like the culmination of all these years supporting the club. It felt as though this was my reward for all the highs and lows of my West Ham existence. It was truly mind blowing and I offer no apologies for how over the top this may sound.
Vaz Te was booked for taking his shirt off whilst celebrating.
It was a nervous last few minutes especially with four minutes of added time being awarded by Howard Web.
But we got through the injury time and when that final whistle was blown it was such a wonderful feeling.
The West Ham players celebrated, the Blackpool players fell to floor in sorrow and the West Ham fans were ready to party.
As Kevin Nolan went up to the royal box to lift the Play Off trophy it was a truly joyous occasion.
‘Bubbles’ was played over the PA system and was sung with such ferocious passion by the fans it defined us as a club and really said what it means to be part of this wonderful football club.
Player Reviews
Robert Green
Had to make a few routine stops and could do little about the well taken goal from Ince. At the end of the game it did seem as though he may have been saying goodbye to the fans and I sincerely hope this is not the case.
Guy Demel
Looked nervous and never settled in the game. His mistake in the first half should have cost us a goal and he looked rattled from then until he came off with injury early in the second half.
James Tomkins
A wonderful display from Tomkins who continued to show how good he can be. The experienced Kevin Phillips never got a look in and the defence caught him offside a number of times.
Winston Reid
How great it was to see another top Winston Reid performance. He is not the same player who signed for us in the summer of 2010. He was strong in the tackle, good in the air and I thought he was really impressive.
Matthew Taylor
A hit and miss performance from Taylor. He was having a tough time up against Ince and although the pass from Matt Phillips was very good for the goal he was slow in reacting to the run of Ince. He was moved into midfield moments later and put in a few good crosses. His pass in the first half for Cole was sublime and showed how good he can be with his crossing. This quality is a firm asset.
Gary O’Neil
Found it hard to really get involved although in the first half he put in a good cross for Cole which was put over the bar and he played an excellent pass through to Vaz Te who should have scored.
Mark Noble
I had hoped he would do what he has been doing in the last few games which is to sit and dictate the game but he was unable to do so with Blackpool clearly attempting to halt any supply to Noble. He wasn’t poor but he certainly was not as involved as in recent weeks.
Kevin Nolan
He played well and was always in the game. There was no hiding and he got his foot in whenever possible and was so unlucky not to have scored with 10 minutes remaining as his technically brilliant volley crashed onto the crossbar.
Jack Collison
Worked hard and although things didn’t always come off he was always in the mix and had a few shots which unfortunately failed to hit the target. So much better than earlier in the season and his improvement has been drastic.
Ricardo Vaz Te
The funny thing with his performance is that overall it wasn’t that great. Sure he was always a danger but his final ball was poor just about every time and his decision making seemed to have deserted him. He should have scored in the first half but the fact is he was on hand to score yet another goal and how important a goal it was. If there was an action to redeem a pretty average performance it was this moment when he smashed the ball into the goal to win the game and send the club to the Premiership.
Carlton Cole
Another beast of a performance from Cole who like Collison has hit some really good recent form. He was strong, he was a little isolated but from the first minute to the last he kept going and he had such an impact by scoring the first goal and making the second. His assist for the winner has been slightly overlooked but it was intelligent play from Cole who deserves praise for stepping up.
Subs Used
George McCartney (on for O’Neil 53 mins)
Played well and gave everything as he has done all season.
Julien Faubert (on for Demel 57 mins)
We didn’t really notice Faubert very much which for all our sakes was a good thing.
Subs Not Used: Henderson, Lansbury, Maynard
Bookings: Vaz Te
Man Of The Match: Carlton Cole
Blackpool: Gilks, Baptiste, Evatt, Eardley, Crainey, Ferguson, Martinez, Dobbie, M.Phillips, Ince, K.Phillips
Subs: Southern, Sylvestre, Cathcart, Dicko, Bednar
Attendance: 78,523
Overall
So after a long season we have achieved what we had set out to do although we have certainly done it the hard way.
But the fact is we are going to be playing Premiership football next season and that for the future of the club is what was needed.
I’ll miss the Championship in some ways with regards to cheaper away days and the variation of cities and towns but West Ham in the top division is where we need to be and hopefully we will not be playing second division football again for quite some time at least.
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