In short, this game proved that football has had its magic squeezed out by money and greed. Alan Pardew had gone, the reasons for his going a book in itself; Icelandic takeovers, the pathological need for a scapegoat, the pathological need for a messiah (Alan Curbishley), Argentinian 'signings', Phil Hall - a man who came and went without ceremony, an inability to win home games, untimely injuries... the list goes on.
Pardew's achievements were promotion and that FA Cup final. Harry Redknapp achieved many things in his seven years at Upton Park, but Pardew managed more, and in less time. Redknapp signed Di Canio and has since won the FA Cup with Portsmouth, but it's difficult to measure these achievements because of other madness plaguing football. Pardew had the two Argentinians forced upon him, with pressure to play them despite their being unfit. In the end it was Curbishley who benefited from a fit Carlos Tevez. Without Tevez, West Ham would unquestionably have been relegated, but arguably it was with him that problems first arose.
This was the game immediately after United had claimed the Premier League, so the result was irrelevant in that sense, but to lose in front of their own 70,000+ crowd after being presented with the trophy would reduce Sir Alex Ferguson to apoplexy. The West Ham team formed a guard of honour to welcome the champions onto the pitch.
West Ham needed at least a draw to stay up if results went their way; a win would ensure safety. History has shown that the 'difficult' tasks are often achieved by struggling West Ham sides where avoiding relegation is concerned. The 'impossible', however, away from home, was a tough call.
United knocked the ball around in the opening half-hour, but as half-time approached started making unforced errors and conceding unnecessary corners. Tevez was always a threat to them, and now he broke into the United penalty area, got lucky with the bounce, and slid an opening goal for West Ham.
The second half was predictably backs-to-the-wall. The occasion recalled the Redknapp win in 2001 after Di Canio's goal. Like Di Canio, Tevez had been the foreign import to stir things up. Like in 2001, the Hammers held on to finish an improbable 15th in Alan Curbishley's first half-season. How much credit could the messiah take? Depends which messiah you mean. If the Argentinian one, then the answer is plenty.
For West Ham, this was certainly their Greatest Escape ever. No one had given them a prayer just a few matches earlier. The West Ham end-of-season DVD outsold Chelsea's by almost two to one, for it told a tale that could hardly be believed.
Starting XI: Robert Green, Lucas Neill (capt), James Collins, Anton Ferdinand, George McCartney, Yossi Benayoun, Nigel Reo-Coker, Mark Noble, Luis Boa Morte, Bobby Zamora, Carlos Tevez
Subs: Jonathan Spector, Marlon Harewood, Hayden Mullins
MoM: Carlos Tevez
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