Samuel did not make the final 16 for the visit to Upton Park, with £3.4m summer signing Wilfred Bouma lining up at left-back. “I was upset to be left out of the side. I feel my performances have been good enough to warrant a place in the team, but it’s the manager’s decision and I’ve got to stick by,” Samuel wrote on his icons website. “I’ve just got to knuckle down now and win my place back.” Judging by the Dutchman’s inept performance, that will not prove too difficult after the former PSV defender proceeded to provide his earnest impression of a recalcitrant sea lion, flapping helplessly at balls before launching them out of play for no apparent reason.
Kevin Phillips was similarly lacklustre, and Angel, who started his second successive game on the bench, is also confident of regaining his place. “It’s good to have competition,” the Colombian striker said, smiling as he listened to the angry barking outside where Bouma and Phillips were playing keepy-uppy with a beach ball. “But I’m still looking for a 20-goal haul for this season.”