Gareth Barry moved level with Ryan Giggs as the Premier League’s record appearance-holder and it must be difficult for him to think of a duller encounter in his previous 631.
His 632nd top-flight appearance never looked likely to find its way onto any DVD collating his career highlights and so it transpired, West Brom and West Ham contriving to produce a contest desperately low on quality or entertainment.
West Brom took until the 88th minute to find a shot on target and even then Hal Robson-Kanu’s tame header went straight into the arms of Joe Hart.
Slaven Bilic and Tony Pulis watched their sides play out a forgettable 0-0 draw at the Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon
The game was a disappointment for many but Hammers goalkeeper Joe Hart will be delighted with another clean sheet
Meanwhile, Baggies midfielder Gareth Barry became just the second player to make 632 appearances in the Premier League
PLAYERS RATINGS AND LIVE PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
WEST BROM (4-2-3-1):Foster 6; Dawson 6.5, Hegazi 7, Evans 7, Gibbs 6.5 (Nyom 84’); Krychowiak 7.5, Barry 6.5; Brunt 6.5 (Robson-Kanu 72’ 6), Morrison 6.5, Phillips 7 (McClean 76’); Rodriguez 5
SUBS NOT USED: Myhill, McAuley, Yacob, Rondon
BOOKINGS: Foster (66), McClean (83)
MANAGER: Tony Pulis 6
WEST HAM (3-4-2-1): Hart 6.5; Fonte 6, Reid 7, Collins 6.5 (Arnautovic 58’ 6); Zabaleta 6, Obiang 7, Kouyate 6.5, Cresswell 6; Antonio 7, Hernandez 6.5 (Ayew 76’); Carroll 6 (Sakho 82’)
SUBS NOT USED: Adrian, Ogbonna, Masuaku, Rice
BOOKINGS: Foster (66), McClean (83)
MANAGER: Slaven Bilic 6
ATTENDANCE: 24,942
MOTM: Krychowiak
REF: Paul Tierney 7
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Each side registered just one shot on target during a dismal 90 minutes at The Hawthorns.
Full back Kieran Gibbs made his home debut for West Bromwich Albion, sticking to the left flank and getting up and down the pitch
Gareth Barry was West Brom’s busiest player, touching the ball 47 times
For more West Brom v West Ham stats and maps check out Match Zone.
And West Ham were not much better, only Michail Antonio’s long-range effort in the first half requiring Ben Foster’s intervention.
In hindsight, such a result could have been telegraphed in advance. The point can be seen as a further step in the right direction for Slaven Bilic, who was thoroughly beleaguered before Monday night’s victory over Huddersfield.
And the 0-0 also helps Tony Pulis move on from the uncharacteristic 3-1 defeat at Brighton last weekend.
Pulis will also come away from this game reinforced in the belief he has pulled over a real coup with the signing of Grzegorz Krychowiak on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
Krychowiak, who was the subject of a tit-for-tat battle between Bilic and David Sullivan over a summer pursuit, glided through the game and sprinkled class with every touch.
A midfield containing the Polish international and Barry should see West Brom win more than they lose and the next game against Arsenal a week on Monday will be a fitting way for the 36-year-old to move past Giggs.
The game started tentatively but West Ham created a chance for Andy Carroll who lost his footing and failed to convert
Barry then came close to breaking the deadlock on his big day as he met the ball with a header, which flashed over the bar
Barry was making his 632nd appearance in the Premier League, which saw him equal the all-time record set by Ryan Giggs
Summer signing Kieran Gibbs (left) made his first start for West Brom since joining the club from Arsenal last last month
Left back Gibbs got forward much more frequently than Craig Dawson on the other side of West Brom’s defence
This looked a 0-0 from the first kick and the frequency of mistakes committed by both sides made for painful viewing.
West Ham’s backline was misplacing simple passes, Jay Rodriguez seemed to have forgotten the offside rule, and neither side seemed willing to take off the hand-break.
Pedro Obiang did very nearly shatter the ennui with an outrageous piece of improvisation in the 28th minute. Collecting the ball in space from James Collins just outside the centre-circle, Obiang saw Ben Foster off his line and struck a brilliant curling shot from all over 45 yards.
The ball appeared to be going in for the couple of seconds it hung in the air but fortunately for a beaten Foster it smacked against the crossbar.
Matt Phillips was West Brom’s liveliest player and aside from a few half-chances, he was central to the only other major moment in the first 45 minutes.
Midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak (left) made his first home appearance after his August loan move from PSG to West Brom
He was almost outshone in midfield in spectacular fashion as Pedro Obiang (pictured) hit the crossbar from all of 45 yards
The game was pretty unspectacular for the most part, though. But there was a big flashpoint midway through the second half
West Brom goalkeeper rushed out of his goal and fouled Javier Hernandez. West Ham wanted a red card but Foster saw yellow
Hernandez and his West Ham team-mates were furious and felt that Foster’s challenge was definitely a sending off offence
Hernandez was unhurt, but James Collins had earlier required treatment. He was eventually replaced by Marko Arnautovic
Substitute Arnautovic also went down in pain, but the 28-year-old Austria international was able to play on until full time
Seven minutes before the break Phillips spun into possession, beat Jose Fonte down the left, and crossed to James Morrison for a golden opportunity. But Morrison got his free header from 10 yards badly wrong, sending the ball out for a throw-in.
Matters did not greatly improve after the interval. West Ham had a good opening within two minutes when Aaron Creswell delivered a dangerous corner, but Fonte could only nod wide.
There was finally an injection of energy into the contest on the hour when West Brom’s refusal to put the ball out as Mark Arnautovic lay injured angered Bilic. He rowed with Pulis on the touchline only to end up putting an arm round his opposite number’s shoulder in his typical Bilic fashion.
The was further furore in the 66th minute when West Ham felt West Brom should have been reduced to ten men. Andy Carroll beat Ahmed Hegazi to a high ball and Javier Hernandez was away. Foster rushed out quicker than necessary and got his sliding tackle wrong. As Winston Reid and others surrounded Paul Tierney to demand a red, the referee perhaps considered a couple of West Brom defenders as offering cover and showed only a yellow.
The match trundled along after that and when Robson-Kanu got West Brom’s first effort on target there were ironic cheers from the home fans. There were groans from all when the board went up showing five minutes of added time. It was that kind of game, one Barry will probably forget in a hurry.