Historical Maritime combat

However his slender frame meant he struggled to find a place in a midfield which emphasised combativeness

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However, his slender frame meant he struggled to find a place in a midfield which emphasised combativeness. Though only two months younger he has played 20 Premiership matches to Campbell's 99.During the summer, however, he looks to have followed Unsworth's famed weight-training regime and Royle now hopes he can include Grant's skills without sacrificing Everton's midfield strength.Everton's second-half dominance owed much to Grant rising above the sloppy standards of a dreadful first-half. With Spurs intent on matching Everton's midfield power that half was not so much push-and-run as push-and-shove. The second period saw slicker Everton passing and, but for a glaring miss by Craig Short, and a fine save from Graham Stuart by Walker, they would have won.Tottenham Hotspur (4-4-2): Walker; Edinburgh, Campbell, Calderwood, Wilson; Fox, Dozzell, Howells, Sinton; Armstrong (Rosenthal, 29), Sheringham. Substitutes not used: Baardsen (gk), Nethercott, McMahon, Kerslake.Everton (4-5-1): Southall; Barrett, Short, Unsworth, Hinchcliffe; Kanchelskis, Stuart (Rideout, 75), Parkinson, Grant, Speed; Ferguson. Substitutes not used: Gerrard (gk), Ebbrell, Hottiger, Branch.Referee: L R Dilkes (Mossley).Bookings: Tottenham: Calderwood Everton: Speed, Short.Man of the match: Grant Attendance: 29,696.. West Ham United 2 Southampton 1 When Ilie Dumitrescu rose from the bench to join his fellow Romanian Florin Raducioiu and the Portuguese international, Paulo Futre, in West Ham's attack on Saturday, it was difficult to escape the feeling that it was all becoming slightly unfair on Southampton. Though the visitors were leading 1-0 with just under half an hour to play, there had been an inevitability about the outcome of the match from the moment Futre had first touched the ball.

He proceeded to give a performance of such skill, commitment and enthusiasm that it was hard even for a neutral not to be carried away by the excitement.His manager, Harry Redknapp, left him out of the first game of the season and only brought him on as a second-half substitute against Coventry last Wednesday, claiming Futre was still not match-fit. It is frightening to think what he will be like with a few games under his belt.His best moment came on the hour when, having threaded his way through two Southampton defenders, he found himself with only Dave Beasant to beat from about 15 yards. Perhaps conscious of the fact that a goal from him at that stage would have resulted in the Upton Park roof heading off into the stratosphere, he lifted the ball high over the bar from sheer exhaustion, leaving the rest to our imagination.By that time, Raducioiu, with a couple of high-class crosses, had demonstrated superb balance and touch for a big striker, and it was left to Dumitrescu to win the game, falling rather theatrically after a tangle with Jason Dodd in the 18-yard area. By then West Ham only had to ask for a penalty for justice to be served and the referee duly obliged.Graeme Souness, the Southampton manager, did not allow the disputed penalty or Michael Hughes' fortuitous equaliser from a shot-cum-cross to interfere with his overall judgment of the game, conceding that Southampton had been poor, that Matt Le Tissier had "not started yet" and that his side had got what they deserved.He even admitted that Francis Benali's challenge on Futre just before the end, for which the Southampton defender was sent off, looked a bad one.

Souness intends to make some signings in the next 10 days.As for Redknapp, the lapse in concentration by Julian Dicks that allowed Paul Heaney to give Southampton an early lead was never likely to spoil his day "It's an exciting time," he said. "We've got some good players at the club now and I think the fans will enjoy watching them play. Some weeks we may not win, but we'll certainly entertain people."Goals: Heaney (19) 0-1; Hughes (73) 1-1; Dicks (81) 2-1.West Ham United (3-5-1-1): Miklosko; Bilic, Rieper (Raduciou, 39), Dicks; Slater (Breacker, 77), Hughes, Bowen, Williamson, Lazaridis (Dumitrescu, 62); Futre; Dowie. Substitutes not used: Lampard, Mautone (gk).Southampton (4-2-3-1): Beasant; Oakley, Nielson, Dodd, Dryden; Magilton, Charlton; Heaney (Watson, 62), Le Tissier, Maddison (Benali, 57); Shipperley (Potter, 68). Substitutes not used: Basham, Moss (gk).Referee: D Elleray (Harrow-on-the-Hill).Bookings: West Ham: Bowen Southampton: Charlton, Dryden Sent off: Benali.Man of the match: Futre Attendance: 21,227.. Funny thing, the break between football seasons. Lions in May become donkeys in August and some players bear no resemblance to the error-strewn wreck of four months previously.