Could've, should've

It should not have come to a late chance on the wrong side for Scott Parker for West Ham to beat Reading on Boxing Day at Upton Park. Parker tried to get the ball onto his stronger right foot and was unable to reproduce the magic that brought the Hammers a 2-1 win on Saturday at Middleborough. Instead, West Ham had to settle for a 1-1 draw against a Reading side that played 10 men for an hour.

I watched the Boxing Day match at the Globe, and I was chatting with someone about the game afterwards as I finished my pint of Beamish (I had but two pints -- it was a 7 a.m. kickoff). My theory is that, with the injuries that West Ham have, they are more comfortable playing on the road because they aren't expected to bring the game to their opponent. They are able to defend and counterattack, with little pressure to create early chances. At Upton Park, they have to push the play, and when they don't, the home fans get on them and the opposition gets a little wind in their sails that they aren't on the back foot. Given the lack of creativity and pace available to the side right now, it's tough for West Ham to be the offensive aggressor.

As happy as I am that Dean Ashton is back and close to full fitness, and as encouraged as I am by the improved play of Carlton Cole, the Hammers miss Craig Bellamy's pace and touch at striker. On the left wing, they had Matthew Etherington and Luis Boa Morte get injured at nearly the same time leaving them to play Freddie Ljungberg there. Ljungberg, at this point, is not a 90-minute player any longer. He has little left in the tank. As the guy that I was talking to Wednesday morning said, when Arsene Wenger lets a player go, there's a good reason. The Hammers, as I mentioned below, also miss Lee Bowyer and his ability to get forward and make timely runs into the penalty area. The other position that has been hit with multiple injuries is centre half. Anton Ferdinand has been out long-term, and then, just as James Collins was returning to fitness, Danny Gabbidon got hurt. Collins soon followed Gabbidon back to the physio's room, leaving Jonathan Spector, a natural fullback, to play centre half. Spector has had his good and bad moments in the two matches that I have watched him play in the middle of the backline. He conceded the free kick that led to 'Boro's goal in the 2-1 win at the Riverside, and he also was one of a few Hammers who could have, but didn't, mark Jeremie Aliadiere on the ensuing set piece. Aliadiere headed back for David Wheater to knock it home. Thankfully, Spector is playing alongside Matthew Upson, who has been a rock for West Ham this term -- he and Robert Green are the only Hammers to play every minute in the Premiership.

It was very frustrating to watch West Ham play with little urgency going forward against 10-man Reading, even though I understand the personnel limitations. Ashton was a step slow all day, and maybe I should have expected that, as Ashton was playing his second match in five days after having been injured for much of the past 16 months. (Ashton did have a goal-of-the-week quality strike for the equaliser against Middlesborough.) Cole, back from a hip injury, was the better striker on Boxing Day. Perhaps he wasn't able to continue any longer, but I would have preferred to see Henri Camara come on for someone other than Cole -- say Ljungberg. With Reading on 10 men, I think that West Ham could have risked playing 4-3-3 for 20 minutes at the end of the match. I suppose Alan Curbishley didn't want a repeat of the opening match of the season, when West Ham played 4-3-3 at the end as they chased the game against Manchester City and watched the Sky Blues score again to go up 2-0. This time, of course, there was already a point in hand, but there was also a man advantage. Getting back to Cole, he made a nice run that fizzled out but set the stage for Nolberto Solano to score the first goal of the Reading match. Unfortunately, the Hammers couldn't find another moment of brilliance like Parker's at Middlesbrough.