Archive for January 27, 2019
Disaster at Dons
This was the night that will be remembered when the younger West Ham generation relate their worst ever experiences to the next one. For me it is a second disaster within 6 weeks, because I already had to experience a similar humiliation with Rapid Vienna when they lost 1-6 against Austria Vienna before Christmas.
West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini said his side’s 2-4 (0-2) defeat by AFC Wimbledon was a “disaster” as the League One side pulled off a stunning FA Cup shock to reach the fifth round.
The Dons, bottom of the third tier of English football, surged into a 3-0 lead against the Premier League side courtesy of Kwesi Appiah‘s deflected strike and Scott Wagstaff‘s double either side of half-time.
Pellegrini made a triple substitution at the break in an attempt to get back into the game and saw two of his changes – Lucas Perez (on for a really bad Andy Carroll) and Felipe Anderson (on for an also bad Pedro Obiang) – score to make it 3-2.
But AFC Wimbledon, who were beaten 3-0 at home by Fleetwood in their last league game on Tuesday, continued to push men forward and put the seal on a famous victory courtesy of Toby Sibbick‘s late close-range header, sparking scenes of jubilation among the home crowd and leaving Pellegrini furious, whereas Dons manager Wally Downes, a former assistant manager at West Ham, celebrated a famous win. “Thank you, my old friends at West Ham”, Downes (who worked as a defensive coach under Avram Grant and Sam Allardyce from 2010 to 2012) could say, “for giving my side a much needed boost”. Wimbledon are bottom of League One.
The only positive on a night to forget was that less than an hour after the game it emerged that Marko Arnautovic had signed a contract extension and told the West Ham faithful on the official site that he would give his all for West Ham in the upcoming matches against Wolves and Liverpool.
The technical ability, the understanding of the game and the shrewdness and guile of Arnie will be desperately needed when the Hammers want to put that horror show (starring in particular “Mr Clumsy” Andy Carroll) behind them. Pellegrini got the tactics wrong (again) against the Dons (as he had also done in the last game in the league against Bournemouth), and he shouldn’t play Andy Carroll ever again. This kind of forward is not suited to play in West Ham’s team as it has been set up tactically by Pelle. I opt for a frontline Arnie – Samir Nasri – Anderson; that one should work and bring back happiness to a club which apparently has disaster in his genes – no matter who’s the current manager.
Arnautovic: I want to stop the talking, I’m hungry to play and score more goals
EXTRA TIME 
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