West Ham's vital 2-0 win over Cardiff proves that boss Sam Allardyce's priorities are spot on, says Glenn Hoddle.
The Hammers claimed their first win in eight league games thanks to goals from Carlton Cole and skipper Mark Noble, the victory moving them out of the bottom three.
Cardiff 0-2 West Ham - Nicholas
The success comes after Allardyce's side was thumped 5-0 by Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup and lost 6-0 at Manchester City in the League Cup and former England manager Hoddle said the win was as timely as it is crucial.
"It was a fantastic, fantastic result for Sam," reflected Hoddle. "They showed a lot of character to come back from the pressure they were under. A lot of fans will have thought this one would have been a tough one.
"They needed this result - there's no doubt about it, because they were under a bit of pressure.
"Sam knew that this was more important to him than the two cup games and he knew that he had a bit more strength, a bit more experience coming back in for this game.
"He would have loved to have done well in those cup games. Putting the kids out against Forest was a bit of a risk but this was the one that he had his eye on and it has worked out for him, without a doubt."
Dovetail
Cole gave West Ham the lead just before the break with a neat finish and then made way for substitute Carroll - back on the bench after an eight-month injury absence on 72 minutes.
Carroll capped his first appearance of the season with a slick inside pass off the left wing that gave Noble the chance to fire home late on.
Despite their impact on the match, Hoddle says he doesn't expect to see Cole and Carroll playing together for West Ham any time soon.
"I think Cole and Carroll will dovetail," he explained. "Carroll came on for Cole and I think they'll do a bit of that. He might start one game but he won't finish it.
"Then, eventually, if Sam can get them through a period of time he'll identify a few games in that mini-league down the bottom of the table where I think he'll say 'right, I'm playing the pair of them'.
"He might go a bit direct and say 'we need points so I'm going to put the pair of them in there and frighten the life out of teams'. I'd envisage that's what he'd like to do. When he can do it is the key because he's got to keep those two fit."
Cute
The Story of Soccer Saturday - 11th January
West Ham lost Guy Demel to a serious injury in the first half and then finished the match with 10-men after James Tomkins was sent off for his second yellow card after catching Fraizer Campbell in the face on 72 minutes.
"He was a bit unlucky but because he's already been booked he's got to go because of the raising of the foot," reflected Hoddle.
"From one angle it looks awful but he's just gone to play the ball. Campbell has been very cute - he's just got his toe there first - and Tomkins' follow through has hit his head.
"I think that if he hadn't been booked, he would have been booked then rather than sent off because it wasn't malicious. His eyes were on the ball."
Interesting
Cole goal helps Hammers to victory
Cardiff thought they had scored on 32 minutes when Kim Bo-kyung's shot deflected off Roger Johnson and appeared to cross the line after striking the bar.
However the Goal Decision System proved otherwise and although the ball did end up in the net thereafter, Campbell was adjudged to have fouled goalkeeper Adrian.
"It's an interesting one because the technology comes into it," said Hoddle. "To the naked eye it looks as if the ball is over the line.
"But this is why the technology has come in. It's hit the line - it hasn't gone over. Campbell makes the foul and the ball does go over.
"We hope the vibration on the referee's watch does go off at the right time because if it had gone off a split-second late he might have given the goal, when in fact the ball had gone over the line for the second attempt, which was a foul."
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