Today's coverage of match

[Tooting Gull]

I think it was inevitable that the 'story' of yesterday's tie would be West Ham in national terms, win or lose - and Curbishley going off on one was rightly bound to get headlines.

But in today's Observer match report, one of the papers that if you always believe what you read on this site (I don't) is innately superior to all others, there is not one single mention of any Brighton player, or the manager, even lower down the piece. It's like we weren't there. Very poor. News of the World 1 Observer 0.

 

[mindyjaja]

News Of The World is not too bad.

It mentions that Tommy Fraser is the grandson of 60's gangster "Mad" Frankie Fraser

 

[Freddo]

yer i was surprised to read the report in the observer this morning and i couldnt see anything related to albion at all! bloody annoyin havin read that and watched gavin peacock talk bollocks on motd yesterday, particularly about the offside rule.

 

[Pigsy]

The Observer report was shocking - didn't even feature the word "Brighton", let alone anything else. Barely even touched on the game!

 

[Jim in the West]

The Observer report was shocking - didn't even feature the word "Brighton", let alone anything else. Barely even touched on the game!

Reminds me of Stuart Hall trying to summarise the Liverpool - Brighton 2-2 draw (1991)....he couldn't recognise any of the Brighton players, and simply referred to them as "left back" or "centre forward", etc!!!

 

[Robot Chicken]

The report in question

Curbishley in rage despite West Ham showing Noble art

Amy Lawrence at Upton Park
Sunday January 7, 2007
The Observer

In spite of a comfortable passage to the FA Cup fourth round, the pressure gauge is evidently heating up inside Alan Curbishley. The West Ham manager used his post-match press conference not to praise some decent individual contributions, a young goalscoring hero, and a much-needed positive result in these parts, but to launch a three-minute 24-second rant to stress his 'outrage' about recent headlines. And with that he turned on his heels and left.

After 15 years at Charlton, one month out of his comfort zone has rattled him. 'I want to clear up a couple of things,' he said. 'I have been here four weeks and I am outraged by the criticism Nigel Reo-Coker has received since I have been here. People seem to think it is his fault we are in the bottom three for some reason. That's total nonsense. He's a young boy and it is not his fault. I want everyone connected with West Ham just to leave him alone. It is easy to pick on people.'

It is perhaps not so easy to pick them, however. Club captain Reo-Coker was left out of the starting XI for the first time this season - his only other absence was due to suspension - which only fuelled the speculation that he was deliberately withdrawn so he would not be Cup tied should a suitable offer come in during the transfer window.

The other source of Curbishley's dismay was the twisting of his words last week about West Ham's signings. 'I was asked about the kind of players I would look to bring in, players like Luis Boa Morte, who can go into the team and not be overwhelmed by the situation we are in. Then asked about the signings last summer, I said that not many have established themselves in the first team. That has been spun round as if I am blaming all the players who came in the summer for our troubles. I am very disappointed.'

Heaven knows how he would have reacted had West Ham floundered in this match. As it was, West Ham recovered from a desperately flat first half to breeze through. The catalyst arrived with a dash of romance. Mark Noble grew up round the corner from Upton Park and used to walk to the ground with his boots in a brown paper bag. With his first senior goal for West Ham the teenager single-handedly transformed the atmosphere from depression to celebration.

A West Ham team who have suffered some body blows this season duly discovered some of the sparkle they have found so elusive. Carlos Tevez, sensing the release, began to showboat a bit. Yossi Benayoun awoke from his slumber.

Six changes to the team beaten 6-0 at Reading on New Year's Day saw not just Reo-Coker omitted but also Marlon Harewood, Paul Konchesky and Matthew Etherington. But promising input from Boa Morte, and Tevez, went down well with the home support.

Biggest cheer of the day was reserved for Noble, who put West Ham ahead in the 50th minute when Argentine international Tevez teed up Noble with a neat, cushioned header. West Ham doubled their lead when Carlton Cole volleyed in another dangerous delivery from Boa Morte and Hayden Mullins' glancing header provided some gloss in stoppage time.

It spoke volumes for the assorted problems that have afflicted them this season that West Ham started this game with only three players from their FA Cup final team of last May. Whether this result signals the beginning of the end of their problems remains to be seen. Curbishley is certainly intent on trying to create a siege mentality.


Man of the match: Mark Noble

West Ham were not overflowing with candidates.Tevez showed some nice touches and Boa Morte's crossing produced both goals. But credit to young Noble for providing the crucial moment that got his team out of a potentially sticky situation.

They missed out, PS: West Ham were playing Brighton

 

[goldstone]

The Sunday Times gives us a "Pruton" and a "Fruton", but no mention of Frutos ...