WEST HAM, AWAY, JANUARY 11TH.

By Mark Deeks
January 14 2003

WEST HAM
AWAY
JANUARY 11TH.

OK, I admit it. This was the first time in my life I have put money on the Toon to lose. I was convinced. There seemed no alternative. You know how we always seem to help out teams on a bad run? Well we had managed to survive the temptation to let Liverpool turn us over at SJP on New Year's Day. Surely we couldn't resist letting West Ham get their first home league win as well? Could we? Oh yeh, and the small matter of Lee Bowyer's debut for his boyhood heroes. Brilliant. He is an idiot isn't he?

Well a little staggeringly, we seem to have got through this one unscathed as well. Don't get me wrong, we were hardly dominant, convincing or superior. But there were flashes of brilliance, in particular from Big Shola, the ever fantastic Little Craig, and the future world beater that is Jermaine Jenas. In fact, in the move for our first goal, it was all three youngsters that conspired.

But at the back there were the usual problems. Caldwell in particular was having a rough time at the hands of Defoe and Cole, and it seemed only a matter of time before the home goals started to flow. The fact that there were only two wasn't entirely down to good defending....

But what about JJ's late equaliser? Roeder and Sir Bobby have already called it a "classic" and who am I to argue. The kid is still only 19, it was his supposedly weaker foot, and David James never got a look at it. One to proud of kid. It would seem my hunch was right, now he's got one, there are surely more to follow. Two in a week, and he thoroughly deserves it for his season of lung busting Dyer style runs. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Jermaine Jenas will be a world class player in five years time. I'd even go as far to say he will become an England regular in that time. Let's hope he's still in the Toon colours!!

So, only a point away from home but still fourth with a game in hand, and let's face it, it was better than many of us (me included) expected!