Hanging around

Just three days after a 4-1 spanking by Chelsea, West Ham managed to keep its all-but-expired hopes alive with a 1-0 victory over Everton at Upton Park. I did not try out Setanta Broadband, as I thought I might, because I have been rather busy ahead of a trip overseas. But the accounts of the game that I read credited West Ham with playing much better on the back line than in the losses to Sheffield United and Chelsea. Lucas Neill, Anton Ferdinand and James Collins all were singled out for their play by various reporters. The Irons, too, were fortunate that Everton striker Andy Johnson left in the seventh minute with an ankle injury. Bobby Zamora, even as he continues to battle a knee injury, scored the lone goal of the match in the 13th minute. The Times likened West Ham's task to Steve McQueen's in The Great Escape. The paper noted that McQueen's character ultimately finds himself thwarted by a barbed wire fence.

I was disappointed that I didn't get to see Zamora's goal. I recorded the "Super Saturday" highlights program on Fox Soccer Channel, but the West Ham-Everton game wasn't featured. By the time I watched it, the EPL Review program had already been broadcast. I'm especially disappointed because the goal was set up by Yossi Benayoun on a back-heel pass that fooled two defenders. In the short time that I have been watching West Ham, Benayoun has become a personal favorite. Maybe it's just a result of having seen him play only a handful of times, but Benayoun seems to be a solid player who always makes the right decision. I love watching the wizardry of a player such as Carlos Tévez, but in some ways, I appreciate even more the consistently steady performers such as Benayoun.

Other results from the weekend mostly favored West Ham. Charlton Athletic and Sheffield United played to a draw, so West Ham picked up two points on both of them. Liverpool beat Wigan, West Ham's next opponent, 2-0. Fulham and Blackburn Rovers drew, and while a Blackburn victory would have been preferred, a draw is not disastrous. The bottom of the table has tightened considerably, with just four points separating 15th (Fulham) from West Ham second from bottom.

Looming over the results on the pitch, of course, is the FA's inquiry into the signings of Argentinians Carlos Tévez and Javier Mascherano. The Premier League's disciplinary commission will conduct a hearing on the signings on Thursday. What's interesting is that those involved in the signings are no longer involved with West Ham, of course. Eggert Magnusson, the club's chairman, and manager Alan Curbishley both have joined the club subsequent to the signings. It would be horribly ironic if the commission deducts Premiership points from West Ham's total for signing two players who were underused during Alan Pardew's tenure. That points total perhaps would be bigger if Tévez, in particular, had played more often.

It doesn't look like I will be able to watch Saturday's match at Wigan Athletic. It is not on Fox Soccer Channel. I am also leaving Saturday afternoon on a family trip to Italy, so I'm not sure that I'll be up for going to the Globe. Maybe if I get myself fully packed ahead of time, I'll be able to do it. That would make for a very long day, but maybe it will be worth it.