Di Michele Applies Gravitas to Zola Era

No wonder people have started to refer to Newcastle's home as Sid James' Park. But the carry on is beginning to lose its comedy value. It is simply alarming that a football club which has been so heavily invested in over the past few years can be in such a state of disrepair. While teams below them mustered results, Newcastle continued to sink. They sit second from bottom of the Premier League, above Tottenham.

They surrendered here so predictably, only starting to resemble a football team when they were already 3-0 down. West Ham were allowed to look almost effortless as they cruised to an unassailable advantage, inspired by debutant David Di Michele, who proved a stylish scorer and creator.

Having said that, new manager Gianfranco Zola will have learned something about the vulnerability of his new club by observing how anxiously they defended a 3-1 lead once Michael Owen gave the visiting fans rare reason to cheer.

This felt a little like the derby of the doomed, with so many people in the crowd wearing either XL or Northern Rock upon their chests. West Ham, having last week covered over their fallen sponsor's name with a patch of claret, preferred a big white square with each player's number on it this time. It looked even more conspicuous. 'You're not flying anymore,' sang the Toon Army brightly. They were met with a round of applause from those in the Bobby Moore Stand. It was a neat assessment on the Premier League's most poorly run clubs by the people who pay to watch them.

The fact West Ham appear to be moving on from their own managerial farce only served to emphasize the shambles that continues at Newcastle. Zola could not have wished for a more generous opening fixture.

West Ham did not make a song and dance of introducing Zola to his new disciples, but despite the inference in some circles that his Chelsea connections might not make him instantly popular, the home crowd broke into warm applause when Zola emerged from his seat to patrol the technical area.

By the looks of it they are warming to diminutive Italians in these parts. Zola must have been purring with the rest of them as Di Michele made a dazzling early contribution. The danger had already been spelt out when the Torino striker was cleverly found by West Ham's assertive left-back Hérita Ilunga.

On seven minutes Newcastle stood off Di Michele again, and he gleefully cut inside Fabricio Coloccini and danced past Steven Taylor. Seizing the moment, he shot, and watched with delight as the ball ricocheted off Taylor, looped over Shay Given, and sailed into the net.

Di Michele is tiny enough to make Owen look a fine physical specimen, and the big-man, small-man partnership with Carlton Cole was promising, in that Newcastle found both styles a forward a proper handful.

Di Michele struck again nine minutes before the break when he latched on to Mark Noble's defence-splitting pass. Given did well to deny him with the kind of bravery all too often asked of him when he is left totally exposed, but West Ham's debutant made light work of finishing at the second time of asking. He flicked the ball into space and on to his prized asset - his clever left foot - in order to steer into the bottom corner.

The Geordies sang for Kevin Keegan as their opponents carved Newcastle open all too easily. Mind you, West Ham were not entirely convincing themselves at the back. With more conviction, and confidence - neither of which are in abundance at St James' Park - Newcastle might have capitalized. Their first half efforts were summed up by an angry lash from Charles N'Zogbia, which struck the Upper Tier behind the goal.

Any slim chance Newcastle might have had about a revival disappeared early in the second half when Owen headed weakly at Robert Green.

West Ham immediately broke upfield to heap further misery on the visitors. Di Michele showed off his prowess for an assist as well as a goal when he broke down the right and curved a delightful pass to Matthew Etherington, who sidefooted in West Ham's third with aplomb.

Just as it seemed nothing would go for Newcastle ever again, Owen jinked inside Lucas Neill and cracked a super finish into the bottom corner.

Suddenly Newcastle discovered some verve as Claudio Cacapa and Damien Duff had chances to eat away at West Ham's lead.

But the moment that summed it all up fell to the substitute and former Arsenal midfielder Luís Boa Morte, whose astonishing stoppage time miss united both sets of supporters. They didn't know whether to laugh or boo. Some, rightly, did both.