A good run spoiled

A cup run is an admirable goal for a side like West Ham. Looking to consolidate their relegation escape by moving into mid-table this season, a good run in either the FA Cup or the Carling Cup would give supporters something to make them believe that West Ham are headed for bigger and better things eventually. The Hammers' first step in the Carling Cup brought a 2-1 win away to Bristol Rovers, but came with another terrible injury blow, too. Midfielder Kieron Dyer was stretchered off inside of a quarter hour with what is believed to be two broken bones in his lower leg.

"I think from us we see the League Cup as a competition we can do well in," Curbishley said. "We have seen Middlesbrough, Bolton and Wigan get to the final in recent years so we attacked it with that in mind. But at the moment we feel the luck is against us." It's no wonder Curbishley feels that way. West Ham signed four midfielders this summer, and all four (Dyer, Julien Faubert, Freddie Ljungberg and Scott Parker) are out with injuries right now, with Dyer and Faubert (Achilles tendon) being the most serious. One of Curbishley's major signings in January, Matthew Upson, was injured nearly the entire time after he came to Upton Park from Birmingham City. (As an aside, notice, too, that Curbishley called it the League Cup, rather than use the sponsor's name -- West Ham has a sponsorship deal with Carlsberg, not Carling, after all.)

The Telegraph described the challenge from Joe Jacobson as innocuous. Curbishley ripped Jacobson's challenge:

"I think the Bristol Rovers player has got to be very disappointed with his tackle. As far as I can see he has lashed out after losing the ball and caught Kieron in a difficult area."

I saw the play on Fox Soccer Report, but they insisted on having a big "Carling Cup" logo with the team names that obscured the challenge, basically. All I can tell is that it appeared that Jacobson hit Dyer on the back of the leg. A free kick was awarded, but no card was shown. The Times noted the effect of Dyer's injury on England's Euro 2008 bid.

I have watched Dyer play twice for West Ham and once for England (in the June friendly against Brazil), and even with that limited exposure to him, this injury hits me hard. I thought Dyer was off to a nice start for the Hammers, and I liked his interactions with Craig Bellamy, reprising their work together with Newcastle.

The injury understandably overshadowed Craig Bellamy's first two goals for West Ham. Both were scored in the first half in West Ham's 2-1 win over the Rovers. Striker Dean Ashton's return to the starting lineup also was expected for the Carling Cup tie, but his girlfriend went into labor, so Ashton stayed behind and will be available for Saturday's fixture away to Reading.