In
Ken’s Café Nigel, CQ, Matt and Michael the Whovian are loitering by the counter with cups
of tea while even DC makes a fleeting 30-second appearance. Nigel suggests that
the Man United fans will have a special Thatcher tribute of 90-minutes silence.
Nigel’s feeling positive as he met Deep Purple’s drummer Ian Paice at the Joe
Bonamassa gig. Paicey bought his own drink at the bar too.
Inside
the stadium it’s a bright start from the Hammers with O’Neil making one great
tackle, Carroll looking full of confidence and Demel making some positive runs
down the right.
We
take the lead on 16 minutes as Diame finds Jarvis on the left. The winger gets
in a fine cross that is knocked down by Andy Carroll for Vaz Te to stoop to
head home. Michael the Whovian says he never doubted Vaz.
“Sold
in the summer… You’re getting sold in the summer!” chant the Hammers fan as
Rooney fluffs a chance.
Collins is having another great match alongside Winston Reid. United
keep calm, but don’t really threaten until the 31st minute when Van Persie nutmegs Collins and finds the Kagawa who eludes Reid and gets to the goalline to pull back for Valencia to tap home. Oh dear.
DIAME ARMY
Just
before half-time West Ham force a corner, Carroll launches himself at the ball
but clatters De Gea instead. Ferguson later whinges on and on about this, but looking
at the replays it should probably have been a yellow card rather than red. And
it makes up for the fact Vidic inexplicably escaped dismissal at Upton Park two
seasons ago.
The
teams leave the pitch to the sound of Walls Come Tumbling Down by the Style
Council. Is this an omen? West Ham start the second half to some purpose, with
Carroll flashing a fine volley just over the bar. Ten minutes into the half we
take the lead with a fantastic goal. Vaz Te backheels to Demel who finds Diame on
the right side of the box. He eludes Rooney and thumps home a fabulous curling shot
into the corner.
It’s
a cracking atmosphere as Bubbles wafts over the stands. But have West Ham
scored too early? We never feel less confident than being a goal up with half
an hour to go.
Predictably
United come at us. O’Neil has to clear off the line from Rooney and Jussi makes
a couple of fine saves, one of which was offside anyway.
On
77 minutes Kagawa fires against both posts and just as we’re thinking the luck
is with us, Van Persie taps home the rebound, from what TV replays later prove
is an offside position, though to be fair to the referee’s assistant it was very
difficult to spot in real-time. Even if we was robbed.
FERGUSON TIME
Matt
has to leave early to work the night shift at the typeface, Bruce
Springsteen-style, and pleads for no texts winding him up saying we’ve won with
a last-minute screamer. The returning Noble comes on for O’Neil and Taylor for
Diame.
“Sir
Alex Ferguson has indicated there will be four minutes of Ferguson time…” Nigel
counts down the clock as Matt Taylor suddenly breaks and briefly threatens to
bust the net in the style of Geoff Hurst in 1966. But instead he balloons it
into the Bobby Moore Stand.
Thankfully
there’s no Gareth Bale moment as we hold on for a deserved point from an
entertaining tussle. Inside the Central, Al Jazeera TV features Deadly Don
Hutchison, Alan Curbishley, Leroy Rosenoir and Man United fan Donny from South
Africa, who is one of their more local supporters.
There’s
a surreal tube journey home as the conversation turns to the new series of Mad
Men, inspired by the fact Fraser has come dressed as Roger Sterling. High Court Judge
Michael the Whovian claims to be unaware of the series. A fellow passenger then
suggests to Michael that ‘solecism’ is the word he’s looking for as he discusses
his trip to Orkney for the Jo Grimond tribute night. Not sure if Deep Purple’s
drummer is going. Then the body of a West Ham fan appears between the two
carriages. Has he done a Lane from Mad Men? No, turns out he’s urinating
between carriages, while perched between them, as you do. Who knows what went on after I changed at Aldgate East?
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