Two goals inside the last six minutes were sufficient to consign City to another away defeat, one that leaves them teetering on the brink of the relegation zone with just twelve games left.
And it was the same sorry story for Chris Hughton’s Canaries with profligacy in front of goal again being their downfall; enough chances having been created to have put the game to bed by half-time. But none were taken and the feelgood factor that followed Saturday’s heartening draw with Manchester City has quickly evaporated.
Much of the post-Man City talk was of that performance only being meaningful if it were to be followed up with a good result at Upton Park. And how true. To have drawn another blank when it was imperative to win – or at least avoid defeat – has rendered futile much of the weekend’s good work.
Yet, as we almost tire of repeating, it could have been all so different. A decent all-round performance from which good, clear-cut chances were created should have seen City through to a comfortable win against a Sam Allardyce team that for long periods looked bereft of ideas. Hardly the form of a team who – going into tonight’s game – had won two games on the bounce.
Hughton made just one change from the side that took Manchester City to the wire at the weekend with a fit-again Robert Snodgrass replacing Anthony Pilkington.
Allardyce named an unchanged side following his side’s 2-0 success at Villa Park.
In a fairly scrappy first half – the usual fare one suspects for the Upton Park faithful – it was the home side who edged it in terms of possession but City who showed the greater threat in front of goal.
But yet it was a familiar story for the travelling Yellow Army with Adrián, in the Hammers’ goal, denying City on three occasions.
First up was Gary Hooper when, in the 8th minute, he found himself with a yard of space in the six-yard box only to see his glancing header clawed away by the West Ham keeper; Nathan Redmond the provider.
Next to test the Spaniard was Robert Snodgrass when, on 18 minutes, his perfectly timed run on to a Redmond through ball saw him beat the offside trap. Again the West Ham keeper excelled by blocking Snodgrass’ toe poke when faced one-on-one with the Scot.
And on the stroke of half-time Alex Tettey went within a whisker of giving City a half-time lead, but his well struck shot – following a one-two with Hooper – was expertly palmed away to safety.
At the other end the home side’s main threat was aerial with Carlton Cole ruffling the feathers of Sebastien Bassong and Joseph Yobo; the West Ham striker also seeing two shouts for penalties waved away by Michael Oliver.
Matt Jarvis and Mark Noble were both to warm the gloves of John Ruddy while it took a fine tackle by James Tompkins to deny Bradley Johnson following a swift City counter-attack.
The second half was more of the same although the home side – with Marco Boriello replacing Cole – opted to test City more down the flanks rather than persevere with route one. Also Allardyce’s decision to replace the ineffective Jarvis with Mohamed Diamé gave the Hammers a greater threat down the left flank and ultimately proved to be decisive.
Norwich carved out another excellent chance – their best one of the night – on 70 minutes, when Johnson found a slide rule pass to set Hooper clear in the inside right channel, but his attempt to tuck the ball inside Adrián’s near post was thwarted by the keeper’s flailing left boot.
So close again for City and so costly.
Hooper’s work for the night was called to an end on 76 minutes – the roll of lone striker an exhausting one – with Hughton opting to replace him with Johan Elmander; the Swede yet to open his Premier League account this season.
City were given a warning of things to come on 77 minutes when Ruddy had to be at his best to block a goal-bound effort from Diamé; the substitute finding too much room in the Norwich penalty area.
With ten minutes remaining the Canaries’ most potent attacking threat on the night, Nathan Redmond, made way for Anthony Pilkington; the youngster one assumes showing signs of fatigue.
Yobo was to go close for City – his volley looping over the crossbar – before the West Ham late show broke City hearts and ensured the three points stayed in the East End.
James Collins was first to wield the dagger with his close range header from Diamé’s inswinging cross, leaving a red-faced and statuesque Ruddy grasping at thin air; the City keeper’s decision to go rather than stay being the wrong one.
In injury-time, with City pushing in vain for an equaliser, West Ham wrapped it up with a classic sucker punch. Again Diamé was involved, his pace and strength taking him all too easily clear of Russell Martin, and with Johnson attempting to close him down his shot squirmed past Ruddy via a deflection off the City right-back.
And that was it, 2-0. Job done for Big Sam whose smile at the end said it all.
The frowns and furrowed brows in the opposite dugout told a rather different story.
I wrote earlier in reply to James’ column that Hughton lacked the ability to change a game, well he certainly changed it with his substitutions tonight. Just as we were turning the screw he took off the man mostly likely to score and the man most likely to create a goal within 3 minutes of each other. Redmond in particular had become the most influential player on the pitch, and looked anything but tired. But for these substitutions, which handed the initiative to West Ham, we would not have lost and were the more likely winners. In contrast, Big Sam brought on Diame who scored one and created the other. Enough is enough. The only way out is if Hughton goes before the Spurs game.
‘Inners’ get annoyed when our esteemed leader is referred to as ‘Clueless Chris’, but really? We may not have been able to score but why make changes to encourage the other team onto you? Someone posted earlier that CH has now made 63 subs without a single goal or assist! But that’s just from our side, I wonder how many goals/assists other teams have benefitted from our insightful changes?
Errr Chris, now pay attention old chap…..I can’t keep on saying this, I’ll begin to think you aren’t listening. If you want to win, play Wes…that is all.
This is getting very tiring…..
This is not a Norwich City team up for a fight – there is no guts to it, no fight, no leader on the pitch to urge fellow players on particularly if we go behind (mostly fatal this season)- not a unit that knows it needs to “claw” it’s way to safety from relegation (so far but let us see what happens in the remaining games).
Last night West Brom (outclassed for most of the game) snatched an equaliser v Chelsea. That is the third or fourth time this season that WBA have recovered a point against a top tier side after going a goal behind. Can any of the contributors on myfootballwriter imagine the current squad of Norwich City doing that?
We may stay up or we may go down but this squad has absolutely no fight at all. It simply is not there in my opinion. I have no idea why but I think you know when a team has it and I don’t believe ours does.
Whatever the debate about the manager/substitutions this side totally lacks someone on the pitch who can galvanise his colleagues, urge them on, drive them on to fight back into a match.
It is only my personal opinion but it appears to me to be a completely passionless side. Talented individuals no doubt but the magic spark of belief appears to be totally missing.
I seem to remember that relegation and promotion in two seasons was part of the 7 year plan.I just thought that the massive(for Norwich) investment in the team would come before the promotion,not the relegation! Seems to be bad business as most of these players will presumably leave in the summer leaving a great hole in our finances as the outlay is unlikely to be recovered. Fans will also drift away with this dire football and naive tactics.
I thought this Board had more about them. They seem to be coming up short on both business acumen and football awareness, and I find this extremely surprising.Although it is almost too late, a courageous move now to change the management team is imperative.Failure to act now is bordering on negligence.
The fans can see it,the media can see it,I suspect many of the players can feel it.Somebody in a position of Authority owes us an explanation of what is going on.The silence is deafening.
“when it rains, it pours”..on and off the pitch.
That was a hammer-blow and worse still, we now have 12 days before the next match to stew on it and for all the online bitching to ramp up even more.
The other comments seem to ignore that we were the better team and had the better chances but that counts for nowt in the end. Blame Hughton all you like (and boy you do) but the chronic inability to convert the chances we create is the crippling factor.. we should have been out of sight before the 84th minute.
How both Liverpool and Chelsea conspired to give the Baggies points is unbelievable..I smell a conspiracy.
Is it sinking in yet? Were embarrassingly poor in the U.S. and knew then we were in trouble because no one seemed bothered and reaction was indifference. RVW has flopped and others now have fragile confidence.
It’s a natural disaster – the levels of despair are rising and our defensive barriers are leaking. Maybe with this long break, it’s time for Chris to bale out (he’s been let down big time by those in his charge) and someone put in to direct relief operations. A big bruiser who’ll knock some heads together – does McNally have the emergency number of Malky?
I keep saying it: we have three strikers who scored 70 goals between them last season. Hughton has managed six out of them thus far. Not good enough. Get a striking coach!
Why do people keep talking about Malky?
The main criticism of CH seems to be his negativity.
Malky was just as negative at Cardiff. Not surprised that some (maybe most) want a change, but there is no point in going like for like.
Over the last ten years there are very very few teams that score in the low 30’s and stay up. There was only one instance of someone scoring 29 and avoiding relegation (Man City).
At the current rate (0.7 gpg) we are on course for 27 goals. For reference, we scored 52 in PL season 1 and 41 PL season 2.
We can’t score and the manager has proven he doesn’t have the skill to change that. It’s not ideal, and it would be risky, but there’s now 10 days to remove this guy and get a caretaker in. It doesn’t have to be our final manager, but with Hughton in charge the risk or relegation is already through the roof, what’s to lose?
Stick or twist?
Abraham(11) – 1. available, 2. inspirational, 3. knows the way to Carrow Road. I think Hughton has been let down by a combination of poor finishing and poor defending i.e. individual errors but Malky would bring a new energy both on and off pitch.
City fan(10) – it’s ridiculous to blame Hughton for the strikers inability to score..they have to accept personal responsibility for the misses. We had more than enough efforts on goal in the Cardiff and West Ham games to have picked up points.
I responded yesterday to an article giving credit where it was due for Saturday and acknowledging a mistake where Yobo was concerned.
I am a definite “outer” and last night confirmed my worst fears.
Why did he not pick the same team as Saturday? Is Snodgrass really that valuable to us that he felt he had to change it? No, of course not.
And those substitutions? Seriously, those were not the actions of a man who has the nous to keep us up.
I fear we are past the point of no return with CH but the Board have left it too late now. It’s just possible that with this small break now, a change could be made but it seems to me they are going to gamble on CH getting it right.
And Abraham (11), yes Malky came to us for a point, but he got it. We go places to get a point and come back empty handed.
I can’t see where the 13 points, at least, we need to survive are going to come from.
Hughton seems to think that a 0-0 draw in every game will do the job. His ‘do not lose’ mentality fails every time, as we keep losing. His substitutions are inevitably ‘like for like’ so he never changes anything tactically. He has no idea how to get Van Wolfswinkel or Elmander scoring goals. He really has to go, though I fear it’s already too late for anyone else to save us.
Eric(13) Not sure Malky is available. Doesn’t he have a legal battle to fight?
Inspirational? No evidence of that in the Prem.
Knows the way to Carrow Road. So do I.
Pickled Eric (13) Watching almost very game this season, the one thing we’ve been missing is any real game plan going forward other than get it down the wings. We’ve not looked like we’ve had much of a clue going beyond defensive midfield and there certainly isn’t much join up between the front four or five. That’s Hughton’s fault – if you’re going to buy players who score goals for fun, you make sure you supply them with suitable ammo – not this 1980s version of ‘get it in the mixer’ we’ve been treated to – especially as our wingers are pretty terrible at finding their man anyway.
16 – didn’t Lambert have a legal battle to fight with us? Didn’t stop him doing his job at Villa. If it’s something contractual from his Cardiff days, then that’s different. 4th reason..Malky’s Scottish – that’s worked before.
I’d say Cardiff’s win over Man City after being behind and getting a last gasp equaliser against Man Utd. at home shows his team responded to his inspiration/motivation. When we go behind, it’s game over. I’d put our squad potential/ability above theirs (despite the recent defeat).
Geographically you may be right but you don’t know your way round the club and its DNA like an ex-player I’m guessing?
17 – agree that we’ve been on the back foot too much but once the players cross the line, they have to take the buck for poor touches/crosses/shots. The manager ultimately carries the can but can’t take all the blame.
Hopefully it will change in our remaining games but at the moment our “strike force” looks totally shot to pieces to me.