Despite West Ham's league position, this was always going to be a tricky game, as regardless of what people may have you believe, they still have plenty of quality at their disposal. Add the fact that despite Blues' recent record, they're still seen as a good opportunity to pick up three points at home by most clubs, and West Ham were always going to be up for this one given their current predicament.
Alex McLeish was finally forced into a change to his starting eleven in the league, with Christian Benitez out injured. He also made two unenforced changes, dropping James McFadden and Seb Larsson to the bench. The three substitutes who had such an impact in Sunday's win against Wolves were the three who came in, replacing the three they'd replaced that day. It meant Craig Gardner and Keith Fahey took up berths on the right and left flanks respectively, whilst Kevin Phillips partnered Cameron Jerome up front.
West Ham, as you'd have expected, started fairly brightly. They were getting the ball forward early to a strong looking strike force of Carlton Cole and Mido, and then getting the likes of Alessandro Diamanti, Valon Behrami and Scott Parker in and around them and pinning Blues back. Diamanti in particular was a threat down the left. I've mentioned before that I'm a huge fan of his, mainly down to his attitude (Di Canio-esque) and his ability (also, Di Canio-esque).
However, much like Blues against Wolves on Sunday, West Ham couldn't make their dominant opening ten minutes count and Blues themselves began to take control. Fahey got into the game on the left and the front two started to combine with the midfield as Blues created some decent openings, if not clear cut chances. As the first half wore on, Blues began to be comfortable and take complete control of the game - you could tell by the way the home fans went silent, before starting to get on the backs of their own players.
People may point to the turning point being the point I'm going to describe a little further down - Diamanti's free-kick. To me though, the turning point was a minute or so before. Lee Bowyer had (rightly) been booked for a silly challenge on Diamanti, borne out of frustration. A yellow card was the right decision. Shortly afterwards, Bowyer himself was fouled and leaped to his feet imploring referee Mike Dean to book the West Ham player. Dean refused - again, rightly so in my mind. It was a foul, but no worse than others that had gone on earlier and hadn't seen bookings for them, plus, you can't book people for every foul. Bowyer kept on at the referee who had to try and calm him down as Bowyer had just been booked himself, and Dean then had to call Stephen Carr over to get him to have words with Bowyer. McLeish on the bench was also calling for Bowyer to calm down.
Anyway, the whole incident completely disrupted and distracted a Blues side who had been comfortable and removed momentum, and almost instantly, with Blues suddenly sloppy for the first time, West Ham took advantage. Parker skipped through the Blues midfield too easily and Scott Dann made a late, clumsy challenge on him on the edge of the area. Anyone who's seen anything of Diamanti knows exactly what he's like from that range - you just knew he'd score. He did.
So, suddenly from going in at 0-0 and being on top, Blues headed to the dressing rooms at half-time 1-0 down and with a relieved and uplifted Upton Park. It was a real disappointment and was sloppy all round on Blues' part, having done so well until the final couple of minutes when they lost their heads. I've said many times in the past that Bowyer, for the first half of the season, was Blues' best performer (in my opinion). However, he has looked very tired lately and hasn't performed as well. I can't understand how Larsson could be left out ahead of Bowyer. For all of Larsson's faults, at least he has youth and fitness on his side, whereas Bowyer looks like he needs a break. I know people will say "but it's against West Ham - you had to pick him", but I don't agree. If you'd have dropped him for any other team, you should have also dropped him in this one. It's been obvious for a while that he's needed a break, and this was a good opportunity to give it to him with both Michel and Gardner available to slot in for him (as Michel did later in the game).
After the lift just before half-time, West Ham went on to pretty much dominate the second half in which Blues became very sloppy. Gardner struggled to have much of an impact and Barry Ferguson - superb lately - seemed to be trying too hard and couldn't find his passing. Kevin Phillips also visibly tired, which I'll come too shortly.
Blues brought on James McFadden to play wide left, and immediately West Ham made it 2-0. McFadden had literally just come on when Julien Faubert, West Ham's right-back and thus McFadden's man, left McFadden stood cold, overlapped beyond Liam Ridgewell and crossed for Cole to glance home. Game over, it seemed. And it was.
Given McLeish's comments in the press, I was surprised Phillips started the game. Sunday was a perfect illustration of what Phillips is capable of coming off the bench. We also saw it earlier in the season against Bolton. However, when he's started games lately, he's struggled and simply cannot do the full 90 minutes. It happened here and it happened at Notts Forest. I agree with McLeish that he's perfect for coming off the bench with 20-30 minutes to go, when defences are tired and he can take advantage. If he starts though, come the last 20-30 minutes, he's tireder than the defence he's up against so it seems to defeat the object.
However, the reason he started is because Blues have so few options in attack following a fruitless search for a striker in January - something that I've commented quite a bit on on one particular website. I still find it a baffling decision. I understand McLeish's comments about not wanting to spend millions on a Pavlyuchenko or Babel or whoever when you're not quite sure. That's fine. I accept that. However, no one is saying that's what needed to be spent. Blues are desperately short in the position and should have strengthened in any way they could - be it a loan or a free transfer or a £350,000 signing from the lower leagues.
As the law of sod would have it, in the first game that Blues played post-January, Benitez got injured. However, over the course of a season you have to expect your players to pick up some knocks - Blues have been extremely lucky in that regard so far this season. With one striker out - just one - Blues are exposed in the position. Imagine if we had a couple out injured? It's not that unrealistic.
In the circumstances I find it bizarre that both Marcus Bent and Gary McSheffrey have been allowed out on loans that they can't be recalled from. I'm not a great fan of either, but at least they offer you some experience and an option from the bench. Jake Jervis is currently warming the bench for Blues, but McLeish has no intention of genuinely using him - he's not there as a genuine option. He's just making up the numbers. Ask any other manager if they'd rather have Marcus Bent or Jake Jervis as an option from the bench as a centre forward, and they would all, I'm sure, plump for Bent. You may not like him, and he has done very, very little at Blues, but at least he'd have been an option from the bench, and someone who has scored Premier League goals.
McFadden was touted as an option up front, which is fair enough, but he's been playing wide left all season (pretty much) and was brought on there here, which suggests McLeish is reluctant to use him up top. If not, this game was a good chance to throw him on up front for the tired Phillips, but McLeish didn't do it.
As I've said, I'm not saying Blues should have spent millions, but given the decision to let Bent and McSheffrey go and given the lack of options left thereafter, I still maintain it was foolish not to get anyone in. Four years ago, at a completely inappropriate time, Blues brought in Chris Sutton and DJ Campbell in January. Blues were fighting relegation at the time, and so it was a silly way to do it, given that Portsmouth were buying their way out of trouble. However, with Blues moreorless now safe, in the circumstances, similar signings wouldn't have been so ridiculous. An older, experienced campaigner with a decent record on a six month contract so there's no great liability or a punt on a lower league striker at a decent age who, because he'll get Premier League experience, you'd always be able to sell at a profit 6-12 months later anyway even if it doesn't work out. Bodies in forward positions are what Blues needed - just some extra options - and I hope it doesn't end up proving costly. There you go, Carlos Costly. What about him?
Another reason that striking options could become important is because Blues' defence, which had been the foundation on which recent success was built, is beginning to look shaky. Scott Dann again struggled here, and Stephen Carr is not getting any younger or fitter, despite his incredible season thus far. Again, Blues don't really have any options whatsoever to change anything here - not that I'm suggesting they should necessarily at this point. Still though, this was the fifth Premier League game in a row in which Blues have conceded (and clean sheets were a huge part of Blues winning game recently), and the fourth in a row that they've gone behind in. If the defence isn't so watertight, it goes hand-in-hand that you need to do more at the other end of the pitch, and with limited resources, Blues may struggle.
Of course it may seem completely unfair that the tone of this report is critical but, well, it is after a defeat so what would you expect? I guess it's frustration as much as anything though, because Blues have been unbelievable this season, but there's just one or two signs that things aren't quite going their way now. The season petering out at this stage wouldn't be a disaster at all, but it would be a crying shame. I only hope that Blues haven't left their squad too thin that rather than being a possibility, it becomes more of an inevitabilty.
I've come this far without mentioning David Sullivan, but it couldn't last. As expected, songs were sung by the Blues fans about him, mainly during the first 20 minutes. "Sullivan" doesn't scan particularly well to a lot of football songs, however, which meant that in a few of them "oh" had to be added as a prefix, meaning it sounded more like songs were being sung about an Essex-based snooker player, rather than an Essex-based football club owner. One song that was sung though, about celebrating when Sullivan dies, was completely over the top and those singing it should be ashamed. Thankfully it was only really kids doing so, probably just trying to impress one another and without a great deal of thought. Even though, it was poor form from those singing and lacked the class that people accuse Mr Sullivan of lacking. With Sullivan's comments, whether you agree with them or disagree with them, he makes himself fair game for abuse and I'm sure he knows it. That was a step too far though, whether you like him or loathe him.
Overall a disappointing evening, but not one to slit wrists over. Saturday's game at Derby is now huge - win (or even earn a replay) and the season still has a lot to offer. Lose and suddenly the fear of the season petering out will move a little closer to coming to fruition. Despite Derby's recent form, Blues should still win - here's hoping so.