Snodgrass omission overshadows Hammers equalling 1958 record

There was only a 15 minute period where it looked like West Ham would win this home game against struggling West Bromwich Albion comfortably.

That 20 minutes was mostly consumed by the half time interval.

Before then, the London side struggled to break down a valiant West Brom rearguard in which Kyle Bartley and Matheus Pereira were flawless.

Then, on the cusp of the half time whistle, Jarrod Bowen adeptly directed a powerful Vladimir Coufal cross into the net with his chest, while doing little more than twisting his upper frame.

Having won their last three games 1-0, it surely seemed like they would contain an Albion side who had played mostly on the break and hardly threatened up till then. There was little cause for Albion optimism at the interval. After all, the Hammers had reached 425 minutes withiest conceding a goal.

Surprisingly that 425 got no further than 430 before Pereira rifled home a powerful and well angled shot out of Lukasz Fabianski’s reach.

For the rest of the match, West Brom matched their hosts in most aspects of the game very much unlike the first half. However, West Ham however prevailed when Michail Antonio swiveled superbly in the 66th minute to react quickest to a well woneheader by substitute Andriy Yarmolenko.

Still Albion did not lie down and Kieran Gibbs provided a superb cross in their best move of the match to provide Darnell Furlong with a wonderful opportunity to equalise. His rushed effort wasn’t even close. Gibbs deserved better.

“We were just waiting for the net to bulge” rued Andy Johnson who was working for West Brom radio to the listening fans in the West Midlands on air. He was right.

Robert Snodgrass’s absence has overshadowed the match headlines after the former Hammers midfielder was not selected by West Brom coach Sam Allardyce.

The Scotland international moved from West Ham to Albion last week and apparently the transfer contained a clause that he could not play against his former club. This is a normal clause in loan agreements but has is far from the normal when a player is transfered.

West Brom boss Sam Allardyce told the media;

“There was an agreement between the clubs that [in] this game he would not be allowed to play. We could only get the deal done with that agreement.”

The Premier League will investigate whether Premier League rule I7 has been broken. It states that:

“No club shall enter into a contract which enables any other party to that contract to acquire the ability materially to influence its policies or the performance of its teams in league matches.”

The Premier League said in 2007 that it would not have sanctioned USA international goalkeeper Tim Howard’s move from Everton to Manchester United if United had requested a clause preventing Howard from playing against them. But they clubs had quietly made a “gentleman’s agreement” that he would not face United.

Both clubs were eventually cleared.

West Ham move seventh with the win and lie just four points behind Liverpool. This is the first time since 1958 they have opened a calendar year with four wins, and sonly the second time ever.

With Doncaster at home in the FA Cup and Crystal Palace away in the league, they will be optimistic of making that six before they face Liverpool in London on January 31st.

West Brom remain second bottom and face Manchester City before a crunch relegation tie at home to Fulham.

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