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Yellow Messiah

The watershed moment in our season...

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It''s easy to dismiss this game as a mere 3 points against a team who we should be beating anyway but for me the second half performance is whole lot more significant than that would suggest.

I have always backed Hughton but if there had been no improvement in the second half, I think his position would have become untenable because while losing in the manner that we did to Man City is undefendable, I would argue that a 1-0 home defeat to a team of a similar size is a far worse result. Yet some of the criticism he receives is unbelievably harsh, I think its unfair to use the performances of last season to judge Hughton as he has made a host of new signings and it is with THIS squad THIS season that he should be judged on. This season we have already played 6 out of the top 7, and while there should be no defence of the performances against Spurs and Man City, we need to understand that the majority of these teams have spent more on one player than our entire spend in the summer. That is not a "little Norwich" mentality but a realistic one in that while we should be expecting committed performances and a positive mentality (like against Arsenal and Chelsea), we should not be necessarily expecting the 3 points. The games which are crucial to us are ones like tonight against the bottom 12 or so teams. Against these teams we have beaten Stoke in a great away performance, beaten West Ham and did everything but beat Cardiff. Hull was a strange one, while I was frustrated with Hughton for not making earlier subs, I think Hull going down to 10 men made it even harder for us as they became more compact but even so we should have got something out of that game. Villa was a bitter pill to swallow as a draw was probably the fair result but a lack of clinical finishing cost us just like it did against Cardiff. However tonight will give belief to all our players especially Hooper who hopefully will now have the confidence to continue finding the net.

In the first half tonight, the players understandably looked devoid of confidence and it showed in their performance, this is not only down to the 7-0 hammering but also because of that Hazard goal for Chelsea which mortally wounded us in a game where we were going for the win, just look at how the players all fell to the ground after the ball rolled over the line. David Marshall''s inspired goalkeeping performance also would have left the players frustrated that they somehow did not win and with a feeling that simply scoring a goal had become intolerably difficult. The effect of these events showed in Manchester when after we conceded the first goal in each game, the player''s heads instantly dropped and the performance levels suffered as a result.

That is why tonight''s result and Hughton''s role in it is so important, the belief that coming from behind to win will have given us is immeasurable and it showed that we can be clinical and take our chances.

The difference between the first and second half could not have been more stark, in the first half we let West Ham have so much space and looked clueless on the ball. Hughton''s team talk and positive change in tactics totally transformed the game. We started to press higher up the pitch and the players were confident with the ball. Any question that Hughton had lost the dressing room was emphatically answered in those 45 minutes, Leroy was immense and Elmander while never going to score many goals worked hard and was powerful in the air helping us to retain possession. Snoddy showed how pivotal he is the team with a great hard-working display capped with a superb free-kick, also he managed to get most of his corner kicks over the first man, which is always helpful!

This result hopefully will convince many fans that Hughton is the right man for the job and that as long as we keep the spirit and level of performance of the second half, I''m sure we will continue to make progress up the league table.

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Important also to mention the superb performances of Johnny Howson and Ryan Bennett. Howson has improved hugely this season and now has the ability to run at defenders and would have been my MOTM today.

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Sorry mate can''t agree with you.

The first half was typical Hughton and his side kicks.

Yes we improved in the second half of course we did

If we didn''t where on earth would we be? We had made West Ham, like other teams this season, look like world beaters.

I so wish i thought our players were behind the manager and I so wish that I am wrong but the game merely confirmed that we have fantastic group of truly quality players lead by a pathetic coaching bench

As I say i hope I am wrong but he must go and take his sidekicks with him.

Must say the Bury massive had a marvellous time with Hammers supporters on the train both there and back. Great characters and great laughs.

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While in essence I agree with what you have said ... I think you are greatly over egging Hughtons part in the victory . We got the rub of the green today , replays clearly show that turner kicked the ball out of Their goalies hand s, it could easily have been a free kick to them !

However , it wasn''t and the confidence returned and it came good , but probably a bit early to think we have turned any corner yet ,,, but as a city fan for 45 years ish ...I am an optimist .... and quite prepared to start feeling less tense than the last few days !

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Unfortunately todays game merely confirmed w.hat most already know, that Hughton is not the right man for the job.His woeful tactics of having the players constantly backing off the opposition when they have the ball is costing us dear - just as the ''netball'' tactic of having players remaining static when we hve the ball is just as destructive.It seems we only achieve anything when the player tae a ''s od you '' attitude a play as they know best - just as Fer determined goal was in defiance of Hughtons wish to cling onto the 2-1, something I am sure he would have wanted had it have been 1-1 with 10 mins leftHughton is way out of his depth and it is now becoming far, far too obvious

ps take a look at the player''s celebrations after Fer''s goal and Hughton''s reaction ..... says it all

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"Unfortunately todays game merely confirmed what most already know, that Hughton is not the right man for the job" ; Beating West Ham 3-1?

"His woeful tactics of having the players constantly backing off the opposition when they have the ball is costing us dear"; He changed the tactics at half time so we pressed West Ham a lot more in the second half and the second goal was the result of this. Hopefully we will continue to play in this manner.

"It seems we only achieve anything when the player tae a ''s od you '' attitude a play as they know best - just as Fer determined goal was in defiance of Hughtons wish to cling onto the 2-1, something I am sure he would have wanted had it have been 1-1 with 10 mins left";???????

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