Well thanks, West Ham. I have been telling all and sundry this week that the Hammers position in the bottom three was mainly down to the vagaries of the fixture list, and that our real direction would be revealed when we played Fulham. On this showing though, I'd have to admit that direction may be backwards!

One up against ten men with only a last gasp equaliser to spare the blushes, is really not good enough at this stage. More worringly, the lack of onfield leadership, defensive mistakes, bad luck and positional confusion is merely giving ammunition to neutrals and pessimistic fans who sense that a season long fight against relegation is the best we can hope for. It should have all been so different though.

Against the Cottagers, West Ham started well with Carlton Cole hitting superbly on the volley and just over the bar virtually from the kick-off. Cole has a good record against our West London neighbours and it was no surprise when our centre-forward powered in a Diamanti free kick just after the quarter hour mark, as the Italian had caused constant problems from the wing and Cole had already proved a handful to the Fulham defence.

Another Diamanti cross, this time from a corner, found an unmarked Tomkins who headed just wide when he could have done better and it was the Italian again who set up another chance which saw a Parker drive saved. It was all West Ham at this stage and the situation looked even better when Fulham had a man sent off on 41 minutes when a scuffle broke out between Parker and debut man Dikgacoi. The MOTD2 team later on said the incident would be 'laughed at if it took place in a pub' but you have to wonder what type of pubs Adrian Chiles hangs about in, if raising your hands to someone's face and pushing your head forward to within inches of an opponent is not considered threatening behaviour. Whatever your views on flashpoints like this, against a macho background where no real harm is done, the rules are quite clear and I, for one, think football's stand against the type of behaviour that is - or at least should be - unacceptable on the street is to be applauded. Roy Hodgson, a manager I admire and respect, may think the punishment was harsh but accepting the Premiership equivalent of pulling someone away with a cry of "Don't do it Kag - he's not worth it" will simply not do anymore.

With the Hammers expected to pile on the pressure in the second half, it came as something of a shock to find Fulham level within two minutes of the restart. Matthew Upson defended poorly against Kamara and brought the man down in an untidy defensive play. Danny Murphy tucked the penalty away, sending Green in the opposite direction, and Fulham were back in a match they should have been out of. Green had to be alert to deny a Konchesky free-kick, but the former Hammer defender and West Ham fan took the resulting corner and saw Gera slot home easily after Rob Green made a hash when attempting to come for the ball. 2-1 down and the home fans were left scratching their heads and increasingly getting agitated as the Hammers continued to flounder against a team now playing just one man up.

Zola brought on Stanislas and Behrami on the hour and the latter, who should surely be a definite for the first team when he is fit, at least brought a degree of urgency to the proceedings. Even so, West Ham looked out of ideas until, with minutes remaining, Stanislas slashed in a shot which took a deflection to fly past Schwarzer in the Fulham goal. Even then though, West Ham were lucky, with everyone up for a final push, Fulham broke and Green raced from his goal to clear a through ball which ricocheted off him to leave substitute Eddie Johnson with a virtual open goal as the Hammers defence poured back and Green tried to recover, fortunately it all looked too much for Johnson who steered it wide to leave the Hammers fans breathing a sigh of relief.

As the whistle blew, Upton Park was left to rue both a missed chance against a ten-man side but also forced to consider a late escape and wonder what Zola can do from here. The lack of leadership in the side is a concern and, while most pundits seem to wonder where the goals will come from, it's the defensive frailities that are worrying fans. Most feel the management team need to look at the way we play and consider if we are getting the best from the players available. Perhaps the best news might be if the club's financial plight is sorted out in light of the rumoured takeover that was featured heavily in the Sunday press and the whole place is given a shot in the arm - not to mention an injection of fresh talent in the transfer window.