WHUFC.com
Adam Clayton's late goal denies West Ham United a first home win of the
season
21.08.2011
WEST HAM UNITED v LEEDS UNITED
npower CHAMPIONSHIP
SUNDAY 21 AUGUST 2011
KICK-OFF: 1.15PM
FULL AUDIO COVERAGE - WEST HAM TV
Final score - West Ham United 2-2 Leeds United
94 mins - Ilunga hurls the ball over and Carew flicks on. O'Dea smacks it
into the stand and that's it. So, a point for the Hammers. We shall be back
here again on Wednesday evening for the Carling Cup first-round visit of
Aldershot Town. Before then, whufc.com and West Ham TV will have exclusive
post-match reaction from today's draw and build-up ahead of Wednesday's tie.
93 mins - After having a chat with his assistant referee, the man in blue
and black books Tomkins and O'Dea.
92 mins - Into the second of three added minutes and Leeds could nick a
winner as O'Brien concedes a corner. Thankfully, it comes to nothing. Before
we re-start with a goal kick, though, there is some handbags for Mr Oliver
to sort out inside the penalty area.
90 mins - GOAL! For the second home game in succession, West Ham concede a
late goal. The cross comes over from the left and drops to Howson, whose
shot hits the underside of the bar and the inside of the post before falling
to Clayton, who finishes well from 12 yards.
89 mins - Nolan should score there! Faubert's corner is helped on and Nolan
seems to have a chance from two yards, but the ball squirts through his
legs.
89 mins - Carew and Ilunga combine deep inside the Leeds half before the
left-back wins a corner. Good stuff from the DR Congo man. Meanwhile, the PA
announcer tells us that Scott Parker is man of the match.
88 mins - Leeds replace Gradel with Lloyd Sam.
87 mins - West Ham clear a Leeds free-kick. Nolan lumps the ball long and
Carew nods down for Parker. He would be clean through if he can get there
ahead of Clayton, but the Leeds No15 makes a superb challenge. Seconds
later, the same player shoots over from 35 yards.
85 mins - Gradel is now up front with Keogh, while Nunez has gone to the
left wing. Piquionne is on the left for West Ham, with Taylor now back in
midfield.
83 mins - Tomkins brings down Gradel 35 yards out. Nunez takes the free-kick
and Keogh volleys over, but he was offside.
82 mins - Big Sam replaces Noble with Piquionne.
81 mins - West Ham win another corner. Faubert crosses and Tomkins again
wins it, but his header goes wide.
80 mins - O'Brien pumps the ball down the line and Carew controls before
Faubert picks up possession. He beats Gradel and finds Carew inside the box.
The ball is poked out for a corner by O'Dea. Tomkins is again the target,
but Leeds clear.
78 mins - Parker has one, but not two as his long-range shot flies well
wide.
77 mins - Leeds make their first change, with Nunez on for McCormack. The
Honduras international has three goals already this season.
77 mins - Taylor delivers and Tomkins is penalised for a push.
76 mins - Argh! Brilliant play involving Carew, Taylor and Faubert before
Parker shoots and the ball flicks off a defender and off the outside of the
post for a corner.
75 mins - Noble concedes a free-kick about 35 yards from goal. Snodgrass has
quality with his left foot. Not this time, though, as the ball thuds into
the wall. Faubert and Parker combine to clear.
73 mins - West Ham win a third corner but Nolan loses possession and Leeds
break. It ends with Ilunga conceding a corner. It drops to a Leeds player,
but the ball ricochets high off Parker and into Green's hands.
72 mins - Taylor delivers and Tomkins wins it AGAIN! Reid shoots from about
three yards and Lonergan somehow saves. The ball dribbles wide.
71 mins - The changes have made a difference for the Hammers. Parker feeds
Faubert and the No18 delivers low again. Kisnorbo nearly nets his second,
but it goes wide. Taylor takes the corner and Tomkins wins it again.
Lonergan tips over.
69 mins - Carew is involved straight away, outmuscling O'Dea before losing
control. Then, moments later, Faubert crosses and Carew tries a scissor-kick
that flashes wide.
67 mins - Cole is replaced by debutant John Carew. The Norwegian gets a
high-ten from Cole and a loud welcome from the home faithful. He's scored
goals wherever he has been - at the highest level. Can Big John notch for
Big Sam today?
66 mins - Tomkins fouls the dangerous Gradel. McCormack bends the free-kick
well over.
65 mins - This is a cracking match. Leeds have a free-kick as Gradel is
fouled, but O'Brien heads clear. A wayward clearance from O'Dea means
Lonergan can only concede a throw. It's taken to Ilunga, whose cross is
decent. Cole wins it, but his header hits a defender on the back and
dribbles through to the goalkeeper.
61 mins - GOAL! Julien Faubert wins a throw down the right. Seconds later,
he is crossing low and Kisnorbo hammers the ball into his own net from eight
yards. That was a good ball in, matched by the Australian's clinical volley.
59 mins - GOAL! It's been coming. Leeds equalise through McCormack.
Snodgrass and Keogh combine on the edge of the box before the Scot rolls the
ball to his fellow countryman, who sweeps home from eight yards.
58 mins - Collison is replaced by Faubert.
57 mins - Keogh gets away from Reid and Ilunga. He crosses, but Tomkins does
just enough against McCormack and Green saves the ball low down.
56 mins - So close to a second for the Hammers. Taylor forces a throw deep
in Leeds territory. Ilunga hurls it over, Cole flicks on and Collison beats
White in the air, but the ball is close enough for Lonergan to save on his
line. Leeds break and McCormack's shot is too hot for Green to handle, but
the goalkeeper claims the loose ball.
55 mins - Julien Faubert is being readied on the bench.
53 mins - Leeds are playing some good football. Gradel gets space to run at
O'Brien and crosses left-footed. Reid heads behind. The corner is headed
clear.
52 mins - West Ham need to get themselves sorted out here. Noble passes the
ball straight to Keogh and he's through on goal. Green makes the save,
McCormack follows up and volleys the ball a yard over the top.
48 mins - Leeds want another penalty as Parker slides in left-back White
inside the box. Referee Oliver points for a corner. The ball comes over and
Cole heads clear. Leeds have started well here. Replays show Parker got a
toe to the ball.
46 mins - Inside the first minute of the second 45 and West Ham win a
corner. Taylor takes and Cole wins it, but his header flashes well wide.
Half-decent chance, that was.
The crowd here today is 28,252, which is not a band turnout at all. Of them,
just over 3,000 are supporting Leeds. The two teams are out for the second
half.
Half-time score - West Ham United 1-0 Leeds United
48 mins - Gradel is fouled on halfway, but the whistle for half-time goes
before the free-kick can be taken.
47 mins - Collison receives a pass wide on the right. He crosses to the edge
of the box for Nolan, whose low shot is blocked and cleared.
46 mins - We're going to have at least two added minutes.
45 mins - Gradel, who played for West Ham as a youngster, is fouled by
Ilunga. Snodgrass curls over a dangerous free-kick and O'Brien does well to
head out for a corner. It's a deep one and Gradel collects. His cross hits
Taylor and loops high into the arms of Green at his near post.
44 mins - Some encouraging play down the left involving Noble and Taylor,
but Cole's cross is short and curls into the hands of Lonergan.
42 mins - Leeds have given a good account of themselves here, but West Ham
still hold the ascendancy as we approach half-time. I would think Big Sam
will want to sort a few things out at the break as the Hammers haven't quite
found the fluency they had at Watford.
37 mins - O'Dea needs the physio on as he gets a knock on the head from
Cole's backside. The Irishman looks as if he'll be OK to continue. After a
break in play, he is back on.
36 mins - Hmmm... Gradel beats Ilunga and crosses. The ball skims off
McCormack's head and out for a...corner! Snodgrass crosses and the ball
drops inside the six-yard box, where Green collects.
35 mins - Cole is still a bit frustrated and has a word with the assistant
referee. Mr Oliver calls him and Nolan over for a chat to calm things down.
33 mins - This is a good game. Leeds come forward and Gradel shoots from 25
yards. Green pushes the ball out for a corner. Snodgrass takes it and Reid
heads clear.
32 mins - He's given one penalty, and referee Oliver could give another
there as Cole is brought down by White. Having said that, it took three
replays before I could be sure if it was the striker or defender who got a
foot to the ball.
32 mins - Sorry, I should have been clearer. Taylor was penalised for
handball for the Leeds penalty. He leant to his right and the ball clearly
struck his right arm.
31 mins - Clayton goes in hard and catches Parker on halfway. Referee Oliver
calls the midfielder over for a chat. No booking, though.
28 mins - Gradel puts the spot-kick wide! The winger steps up and slams a
low shot wide of the left-hand upright. Green went the right way and might
have saved it, but it matters not!
27 mins - Leeds have a penalty! The long throw comes over and Taylor is
penalised. I think that's a fair decision, looking at the replay.
27 mins - Reid's back-header bounces behind for another Leeds corner.
Snodgrass delivers and again the ball drops inside the penalty area. Cole
thumps the ball into the Alpari Stand.
26 mins - Good again from Cole and Ilunga. The latter plays the ball into
Nolan, who controls and shoots on the turn from 20 yards, but again it's too
weak to trouble Lonergan unduly.
25 mins - Gradel gets free down the left but Collison tracks the Ivorian's
run and blocks his cross. Good work. West Ham need a decent spell of
possession, but Taylor's ambitious shot from 35 yards ends this latest
attack. It rolls a long way wide.
21 mins - Better. Ilunga canters down the left flank before poking the ball
inside for Taylor. Nolan finds Noble, who cuts inside and shoots
right-footed, but Lonergan is there to make the save low down to his left.
19 mins - Leeds have another corner as McCormack's volley hits Tomkins and
spins behind. Nolan volleys the ball away.
18 mins - Replays show Kisnorbo did have a chunk of Tomkins' shirt. Hmmm...
17 mins - A hopeful ball forward from Noble is headed behind for a corner by
O'Dea under pressure from Nolan. Taylor swings the ball over and Tomkins
looks he's having his shirt torn off. Nothing given. Leeds break and Parker
sprints back 70 yards to challenge Gradel. Good work.
16 mins - The two substitutes warming up - Barrera and Piquionne - are told
to put on vests by the referee. Their black shirts are clashing with Leeds'
kit.
15 mins - Big Sam is out on the edge of his technical area, as is Leeds boss
Simon Grayson - for different reasons at present.
13 mins - Oooh! The ball bounces around and one Leeds player mis-kicks
before it drops to Snodgrass near the corner of the area. He shoots
left-footed and the ball clips the corner of post and crossbar on its way
over the top.
12 mins - Leeds have come into things. Keogh gets free inside the box and
his volleyed cross hits a defender and flashes wide of the far post. I'm not
sure Green would have got there. The corner drops to Keogh, who volleys
wide, but referee Michael Oliver gives another corner.
10 mins - A loose header sets up a Leeds attack. Gradel gets in behind
Tomkins and shoots from an acute angle. Green does well to tip the ball
over. Snodgrass takes the corner and Green comes a long way to punch the
ball out of the danger zone for a throw. It comes to nothing.
10 mins - Kisnorbo is having boot issues. A couple of minutes ago, he was
actually carrying one around in his hand while play continued! Now he is
adjusting his footwear again before launching a free-kick from halfway
straight out of play.
8 mins - That's three games running that West Ham have scored in the opening
six minutes. Can they go on and build on a fast start, as they did at
Watford in midweek? Let's hope so.
6 mins - GOAL! Cole scores! Taylor's right-wing corner is vicious and Cole
gets in front of Lees to volley in from about six yards. That goal really
shows the worth of good delivery from set pieces. Taylor's free-kicks and
corners are a constant threat. Good hunger from Cole to get to the ball
first, too.
5 mins - Nolan bulldozes through a challenge before winning a throw near the
corner flag. Ilunga hurls the ball over and Cole's flicked header is is well
saved by Lonergan. Taylor takes the corner and Tomkins wins it, but again
the goalkeeper makes a good stop to tip the ball over.
4 mins - Tomkins gets his first chance to show his outstanding form, forcing
Keogh wide before nicking the ball off the Irishman.
2 mins - Kisnorbo launches a free-kick forward from halfway. Snodgrass
attacks it, but the ball skims off his head and behind for a goal kick.
1 min - It takes 26 seconds for West Ham to have their first shot on target.
Well, it's a header actually, as Taylor gets in front of Lees and heads
O'Brien's cross goalwards, but it's straight at Lonergan.
1.16pm - We're off and running...
1.14pm - This is the first time West Ham have named an unchanged starting XI
since April, when the same players started the 0-0 draw at Tottenham Hotspur
and the 4-2 home defeat by Manchester United. 'Bubbles' starts to play and
we're nearly ready to kick-off. Taylor and Parker will get us underway...
1.13pm - Leeds' players have no excuse for not seeing each other. Their kit
is a fetching blend of black and luminous yellow!
1.12pm - Here come the two teams. This promises to be a proper,
old-fashioned game of football. Two big clubs eager to regain their place
among the elite. The Boleyn Ground is pretty full. Let's do this thing...
1.08pm - The atmosphere is really building here, with both sets of fans
singing their hearts out in the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand. Leeds have
brought about 3,000 fans down the M1 to London.
1.05pm - If you haven't made it down to the Boleyn Ground this afternoon,
why not come to Wednesday's Carling Cup first-round tie against Aldershot
Town? Tickets are priced at just £10 for Adults and £5 for Under-16s. To
book your seat, click here or call 0871 222 2700.
1pm - West Ham's players have split into smaller groups to work on
individual aspects of the game - the centre-backs on heading with Neil
McDonald, the forwards with the goalkeepers to work on finishing. As the
players leave the pitch, John Carew stops to sign some autographs for some
lucky youngsters.
12.50pm - Manager Sam Allardyce is conducting a pre-match interview with Sky
Sports ahead of the game. The tunnel is also full of familiar faces from
days gone by, with ex-Hammers goalkeeper and assistant manager Mervyn Day
and former coach Keith Peacock now among the backroom staff at Leeds.
12.30pm - Carew had been training by himself before joining West Ham United
eight days ago. The big Norway striker looks lean and mean and showed no
signs of rustiness during a 60-minute run out against Colchester United last
Wednesday afternoon.
12.20pm - West Ham United are unchanged from the 4-0 victory at Watford on
Tuesday evening. However, new signing John Carew is among the substitutes.
West Ham United: Green, O'Brien, Tomkins, Reid, Ilunga, Noble, Parker,
Nolan, Collison, Taylor, Cole
Subs: Boffin, Faubert, Barrera, Piquionne, Carew
Leeds United: Lonergan, O'Dea, Kisnorbo, Lees, Gradel, Howson, Clayton,
Snodgrass, White, Keogh, McCormack
Subs: Rachubka, Connolly, O'Brien, Sam, Nunez
Good afternoon and welcome to a sunny Boleyn Ground for this afternoon's
mouth-watering npower Championship meeting between West Ham United and Leeds
United. The Hammers are going for three league victories in a row for the
first time since winning their final four matches of the 2006/07 season,
when they dramatically staved off relegation from the Premier League. West
Ham come into the game in confident mood, having won away at Doncaster
Rovers (1-0) and Watford (4-0) in the past eight days. Leeds won last time
out too, beating Hull City 4-1 at Elland Road on Tuesday evening after
losing their opening two league fixtures.
West Ham's best home win against Leeds was a memorable 7-0 success in the
League Cup on 1 January 1967. Leeds have twice won 3-1 at the Boleyn, on New
Year's Day in 1992 and on 6 October 1976. Leeds have won 14 of the last 19
meetings between the clubs, with the Hammers only tasting victory in two of
26 matches played over the last 29 years. However, a third straight win
would be the Hammers best start to a league campaign in 12 seasons.
West Ham United: Green, O'Brien, Tomkins, Reid, Ilunga, Noble (Piquionne
82), Parker, Nolan, Collison (Faubert 58), Taylor, Cole (Carew 67)
Subs: Boffin, Barrera
Leeds United: Lonergan, O'Dea, Kisnorbo, Lees, Gradel, Howson, Clayton,
Snodgrass, White, Keogh, McCormack (Nunez 77)
Subs: Rachubka, Connolly, O'Brien, Sam
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Captain admits point to prove
WHUFC.com
West Ham United captain Kevin Nolan has said the fans are right to expect
more at home
21.08.2011
Kevin Nolan admitted the fans had every right to be dismayed at seeing
another home game come and go without a win to celebrate. The skipper said
he and his Hammers team-mates would learn the lessons quickly after the 2-2
draw with Leeds United and be eager to put things right with Aldershot in
the Carling Cup on Wednesday and the next home league encounter at home to
Portsmouth on 10 September. Mindful of the missed opportunity to build on
two superb away wins at Doncaster Rovers and Watford, Nolan said: "We have
to deal with the expectation but what I will say is that if we continue to
play like this, we will start getting the results at home as well."
He could not fault the effort of those in the stands, and said there was a
full understanding of what was expected having personally met with a group
of supporters after the final whistle. "The fans were great again and they
want to be entertained but they also want to see us win no matter how we
play and we want to try and give them both. "Today it was just a bit of
sloppiness at the end. I thought we were unlucky to concede late on but we
also could finished them off."
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Leeds lapse frustrates Sam
WHUFC.com
It was a case of so near, so far for the manager as he saw his side's hopes
of a win dashed late on
21.08.2011
Sam Allardyce admitted he was "bitterly disappointed" to see his side once
again let a result slip out of their hands at the Boleyn Ground. The
unchanged Hammers looked on course for a third straight win when Leeds
United were able to break and make it 2-2 with just seconds remaining in
normal time. It was hard to take, following on from the 1-0 defeat at home
on the opening day by Cardiff City. An early Carlton Cole strike, his second
goal in as many starts, was cancelled out in the second half by Ross
McCormack on the hour before a Patrick Kisnorbo own goal three minutes later
restored the home advantage. Then, just as it looked like the Hammers,
featuring John Carew as a second-half substitute, would hang on, Leeds
equalised again through Adam Clayton's smash and grab raid. Allardyce said:
"We are bitterly disappointed because we came through the ebb and flow of a
game where the quality had been very good. Both sides were trying to create
on the attacking side, it ebbed and flowed.
"When Leeds had a good spell then we had to dig in. We overcame that and
took control of the game again by making the substitutions we did. That got
us back to 2-1 and we always looked likely to win the game maybe 3-1. "We
missed the chances and then right at the dying embers, instead of keeping
the ball in the opposition half we needlessly gave it away."
Allardyce was frustrated by seeing two first half penalty shouts turned down
for apparent fouls on James Tomkins and Carlton Cole, while relieved to see
Leeds star turn Max Gradel, a constant menace to the Hammers rearguard, miss
from the spot for Leeds after a Matt Taylor handball. While Robert Snodgrass
hit the woodwork on 13 minutes, Scott Parker was similarly denied on 76
minutes before Kevin Nolan somehow missed from close range in the 89th
minute Barely 60 seconds later, the manager and the 28,252 at the Boleyn
were dismayed to witness another late lapse at the end of what had been a
tremendous week with wins at Doncaster Rovers and Watford. "Of course Leeds
are going to throw men forward and we have thrown two points away,"
Allardyce summed up. "It makes life very difficult for us because we have to
go and make it up away from home next weekend. We have really got to make
this place somewhere we enjoy playing, rather than being disappointed."
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West Ham 2 - 2 Leeds
Page last updated at 15:08 GMT, Sunday, 21 August 2011 16:08 UK
BBC.co.uk
By Paul Plunkett
Adam Clayton scored his first goal for Leeds in stoppage time to deny West
Ham a third consecutive league win. The Hammers looked to be heading for
their best start to a season in 12 years after Patrick Kisnorbo scored an
own goal. But Clayton was first to react in the dying minutes after Jonny
Howson struck the bar, driving in the equaliser. Carlton Cole had given the
Hammers the lead, but that was cancelled out by Ross McCormack. It was an
absorbing encounter between two sides with Premier League aspirations. Scott
Parker, the subject of transfer speculation all summer, was the best player
on the pitch again, and Hammers manager Sam Allardyce will be praying the
midfielder will still be at the Boleyn Ground on 1 September.
Leeds had kept just one clean sheet in their last 14 games, and that
defensive frailty was exposed on six minutes when Cole wrestled his way on
to Matt Taylor's corner, and flicked the ball past keeper Andy Lonergan. The
Hammers continued to pressurise, and Lonergan had to be alert to deny James
Tomkins and Kevin Nolan.
The game turned though when Leeds striker Robert Snodgrass hit the woodwork
with a superb shot. That seemed to energise the visitors, and they had the
chance to level the scores on 26 minutes from the penalty spot after the
ball struck Taylor's outstretched arm from a corner. West Ham have beaten
Leeds only twice in their last 27 meetings. But Max Gradel, who scored from
the spot last weekend, squandered the chance, dragging his shot wide of
Robert Green's post. The half ended with another penalty shout, but Cole was
denied by referee Michael Oliver following Aidan White's sliding challenge.
Leeds deservedly equalised in the 59th minute when Andy Keogh and Snodgrass
combined well for the latter to cross low into the path of McCormack, who
swept the ball past Green. But West Ham hit back three minutes later when
substitute Julien Faubert crossed from the right and Kisnorbo, in attempting
to clear the ball, drove it into his own net. Winston Reid should have tied
up the points for the Hammers but was denied at point-blank range from
Lonergan, before Parker, watched by England manager Fabio Capello, shot
against a post. And they were made to pay on the stroke of full-time when
Howson's shot came back off the crossbar and Clayton buried the rebound to
claim a point.
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Eric's trip?
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 21st August 2011
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are set to launch another raid on the transfer marker this week
with at least one attacking player expected to arrive. With Carlton Cole the
only striker in the first team squad to have hit the net so far this season,
Sam Allardyce - who allowed Zavon Hines to join Burnley last week - is keen
to boost his options up front before the end of the summer transfer window.
And one name that continues to be linked with United is that of Eric
Mouloungui, a converted winger with whom the club were first linked at the
beginning of the month. We reported how the 27-year-old's current club Nice
rejected an offer from West Ham but were prepared to sell the Gabon
international should a more suitable offer be made. And it is though that
the Hammers have now returned with a second bid that could see Mouloungui
finally arrive at the club. Elsewhere the Mail Online suggest that West Ham
are about to make a £1.5million offer for MK Dons striker Sam Baldock, who
United boss Sam Allardyce watched score a hat-trick in his side's 6-2
thrashing of Chesterfield on Saturday.
Although it could simply be a case of the Mail putting two and two together,
the 22-year-old would appeal to Allardyce and his employers in the board
room who have already been priced out of moves for Shane Long, Nicky Maynard
and Max Gradel this summer.
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Capello denies Parker 'quit' rumours
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 21st August 2011
By: Staff Writer
England manager Fabio Capello has denied suggestions that he told Scott
Parker to quit West Ham should he wish to continue his international career.
An unnamed spokesman from within West Ham told ESPN last week that Parker
had been informed by a member of Capello's staff that he would have to leave
United should he wish to further his interntional ambitions. However Capello
- who was present at this afternoon's 2-2 draw with Leeds to witness
Parker's best performance of the season so far - denied any knowledge of his
staff having informed the 30-year-old midfielder that he must leave the
Boleyn Ground, although he did admit that potential Championship play-offs
may present a problem. "No, I never pushed for him to change the team. This
is a problem for the club, not me," Capello told SkySports. "The problem
with the Championship is the play-offs. If you go straight to the Premier
League, no problem - but the play-offs will play to June. And another thing
is they play 46 games."
With the Premier League transfer deadline just ten days away, the chances of
Parker remaining at West Ham until the next Premier League transfer window
in January 2012, at least, appear to be improving. But whilst Fenerbahce,
Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers have all purportedly failed to either
tempt the midfielder away from east London or have a bid accepted this
summer the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea are all thought to be
continuing to monitor Parker's situation.
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West Ham Utd 2 Leeds Utd 2
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 21st August 2011
By: Staff Writer
West Ham squandered a hatful of chances before dropping two vital
Championship points after conceding yet another costly last minute goal.
Having been pegged back after taking an early lead, Sam Allardyce's side
looked like taking all three points having regained the advantage on the
hour mark. However just as it was against Cardiff on the opening day of the
campaign, the Irons conceded in the final minute of normal time to drop yet
more home points. Although the game ultimately ended in a disappointing
fashion, it couldn't have got off to a better start for West Ham. Having
gone for the jugular from the kick off, Carlton Cole scored his second goal
in successive matches from United's first corner of the contest with just
five minutes on the clock. One up at the break, and just about deservedly so
on balance of play, West Ham came out for the second half looking to add
what surely would have been a killer second goal. However their plans were
spoiled when Scottish striker Ross McCormack poked home a 59th-minute
equliaser from close range following a sustained spell of pressure by Leeds.
The visitors then made the classic mistake of sitting back upon scoring -
and were duly punished when substitute Julien Faubert's cross was somewhat
embarrassingly turned into his own net by defender Patrick Kisnorbo less
than three minutes after they had drawn level.
And that's how it looked like staying until the Hammers shot themselves in
the foot, again, by conceding a second equaliser in the first minute of
injury time.
Having failed to clear their lines - with Herita Ilunga once again painfully
exposed as the weak link in defence - the ball rebounded around the West Ham
six-yard box before Adam Clayton smashed home the goal that earned the
visitors a point - and one that it was hard to begrudge them, given the
manner in which they had gone about the game. Of course, it could have been
even worse had Leeds' Max Gradel - a player linked with a move to West Ham
all summer - not fluffed a 28th minute penalty that he fired wide of the
target. Then again, West Ham will feel equally disappointed that referee
Michael Oliver failed to award spot kicks for either of what appeared to be
fairly obvious infringements on James Tomkins and Carlton Cole during the
first half. There will be many teams this season that come to the Boleyn
looking to defend in numbers, frustrate West Ham (and the home support) and
perhaps nick a goal on the break. Leeds, to their considerable credit,
proved not to be one of them - and despite the disappointment of losing a
winning position with seconds remaining, most home fans will agree that they
got their moneys'-worth in entertainment terms today, at the very least.
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Grayson on... West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 21st August 2011
By: Staff Writer
A happy Simon Grayson insisted that his Leeds United side were fully
deserving of a point from this afternoon's Championship clash at the Boleyn
- if not more...
Simon: did you deserve to get the point?
Well I would certainly agree with you on that aspect. I think from start to
finish we were very good. Take away the first five or six minutes when you
know West Ham are going to come out of the traps quickly; a few set pieces
and obviously we conceded and could quite easily have buckled. But we showed
a great attitude, resilliance and [other] qualities as well and rightly so
got back into the game, second half, with the goal.
Then, the stuffing was knocked right out of us when we were on top with the
own goal. But again, full credit to the players - they dug deep, showed the
quality we've got within the team and desire to go and get a result still.
Justifiably so, we got an equaliser; I think that was the least we deserved
over the course of the game.
West Ham, at the moment, seem to be fearing playing here. Did you sense that
today?
Yeah, we said to the players: "It's not easy being favourites [to win] the
division. Everybody wants to beat you." We've had it for three or four years
being in League One. It can be a pressure atmosphere and we wanted to try
and get off to a good start and make it difficult for them. Obviously we
didn't do that but full credit to my players, they kept going to the end.
You could sense a bit of nervousness creeping in, but you have to deal with
that situation when you've got Premier League players, internationals -
everybody wants to beat you and that comes with the tag of being favourites
for the division.
What did you make of some of the referee's penalty decisions today?
I thought he was very good. It was a difficult game, there was a hostile
atmosphere and two teams trying to win the game. I think on another day both
teams could have had penalties, because I thought we had a claim and they
could have had a claim for one as well. So I think it could have gone either
way. I thought he was decent.
Adam Clayton was immense today in the middle of the park?
Well I think you look at all our players and the level of who they're
playing against; Scott Parker, talking about going to a top Premier League
team - and England internationals. Our players come out with a lot of credit
for how they've played today in terms of mixing it with them, competing -
but with quality on the ball as well [as] the work rate.
Certain individuals can be extremely proud of their performances, but for me
the team performance was good against a team who will certainly be up there
at the end of the season.
Was Michael Brown injured?
Yes, he had a calf strain so that made my decision slightly easier with
Johnny Howson coming back from suspension. Gradel obviously came in for
[Ramon] Nunez, it was an opportunity for Max to come back into the team. [A]
fantastic talent, [he] showed a lot of character after he missed the penalty
and showed his qualities. I'm delighted we had that opportunity to bring
other players back into the team when we had to today.
Very happy with this week as well I'd imagine; it's been a good one for you?
It has. Today is slightly tinged with disappointment; when you come here and
leave disappointed that you've [only] taken a two-two draw against the team
that we've played against it shows immense qualities from our team. You need
luck at times in games and we didn't get that in both boxes. But Sam could
say the same I suppose about his team.
But when you look at the level of players on paper, our players have done
immensely well today.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce on... Leeds United
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 21st August 2011
By: Staff Writer
He may be loving life on the road but he's yet to smile at the Boleyn. Sam
Allardyce rues his team's inability to see out a game - whilst slamming the
match official for missing what he says were two clear-cut penalties...
Sam: you had a perfect start then you had a good comeback after Leeds'
equaliser. You probably had at least two penalties. Three points thrown
away, isn't it?
It's two points thrown away, exactly right - and right when you can do
little or nothing about it, right at the end of a game of football. For me
obviously it's extremely disappointing after - again - what has been a game
that we've been in control of, they've been in control of; we have, they
have. Then we've finally come back into the game, the last 15 or 20 minutes
particularly; bringing the substitutes on, changing the shape, the way we
played - [we] took control of the game again. You could arguably say we
should maybe have finished it [by] getting the third to make it three-one.
But when you're two-one up, playing at home, you've got to take
responsibility just to see the game out properly, not give the opposition a
sniff. Unfortunately the opposition take chances, stop chasing you back. If
they lose three-one it makes no difference to losing two-one, so they just
stay up the field. So it's very important that you retain possession of the
ball in the opposition half. We didn't do that, they loaded the box up and
got the goal to make us all very disappointed.
We heard you say that you fear the players are a bit anxious playing at
home?
Well it's always going to be the case when you do what we do. We've taken
one point in two home games instead of three [points]. You know, you're in
control of two games of football. One against Cardiff, it's 90 minutes [on
the clock], 92nd minute - it's nil-nil, respect the point. [Today] it's
two-one in the 90th minute, you've got possession of the ball, there's only
three minutes on the board - see the game out in the opposition's half. Do
whatever you need to do just to keep them there and don't put pressure on
yourself.
Unfortunately we put pressure on ourselves on both of those occasions by our
own lack of understanding at that stage of the game, what needs to be done
at that stage of the game to make sure you get results - and that's where
we've lacked the professionalism here.
Away from home hasn't been a problem, the opposition have never had a sniff
of taking anything from the games at Doncaster and at Watford. But here, it
just puts a fear factor in everybody before they turn up at the next home
game. Everybody around the stadium is going to start getting edgy and
nervous, the players will - and that makes life much more difficult for us
to win a game.
What must be frustrating is that you've got so many experienced heads in
there to deal with that?
Yes we have, but we haven't dealt with it very well in the first two games.
I've already pointed it out to them last time, unfortunately we've let
ourselves lose three very precious points in two home matches - and that
gives us ten points instead of seven. That makes for a very good start up to
now instead of...
Having won two games away, which is the hardest thing particularly with our
away record, and being so comfortable and then to falter at home is just a
great shame really. We've got to make it up somewhere, we've thrown three
points away we've got to make up - and the only place we can make it up is
next week at [Nottingham] Forest.
How do you go about changing that anxiety?
Well the anxiety will not go away until they win a game of football. So when
that situation comes around again they've got to be organised and mentally
strong [enough] to deal with it. And the best way to deal with it is to keep
the ball off the opposition! We've got clever enough players to do that but
we weren't clever enough today - or against Cardiff - to do it in the last
throes of the game.
Like I said, away from home the opposition have ended up so demoralised by
us they've just given up. Whereas today they threw a ball in the box; there
had to be seven or eight Leeds players [up] at that stage, that was the
problem. If we didn't let them get in that situation we'd probably end up
winning two-one or probably popping another goal in because they've thrown
caution to the wind at the end. But we gave them that one last chance, and
they took it.
When one penalty decision goes against you it's difficult. When it's two...
I dislike it when majors [decisions] go against me in any way, shape or form
and unfortunately two majors have gone against us today. It's a part of why
we haven't won, it's not the ultimate part - that was ourselves, we were in
control and should have won it - but it was a part of the game, at critical
points and times.
We should have had, in the first half, two blatant penalties. I have seen
them from our technology at half time and at full time so I'm speaking from
strength. Nobody will convince me that they were anything but blatant
penalties.
Have you spoken to the referee and aired your point of view?
Well that's up to me and them to discuss privately and for me to put in my
report, but it is very disappointing when you see the referee not do what
he's paid to do. And in this case - because I'm speaking from strength, [the
referee's] not obstructed by a view, not obstructed by a player - there's no
doubt that he's looking at the incident and making a judgemental decision
very quickly and, unfortunately on two occasions, a wrong one.
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Big Sam eyes Maynard move
Hammers boss admits enquiries for striker
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated:
August 21, 2011 11:33am
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has confirmed his interest in signing Bristol
City striker Nicky Maynard. Maynard's future at Ashton Gate has been the
subject of intense speculation all summer with the player entering the final
year of his contract. Bristol City have rejected three bids from Leicester
already this summer as they hope to tie down the 24-year-old to a new
long-term contract. Allardyce is keen to bolster his attacking options and
he admits he has made enquiries about Maynard's availability. "It is down
to whether Bristol City want to sell," Allardyce told The People. "We have
looked into whether he's available but enquiries have been made as
discreetly as possible."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce bemoans decisions
Hammers boss unhappy at missing out on two 'blatant' penalties
Last Updated: August 21, 2011 5:08pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce was unhappy his team were not awarded two
penalties in their 2-2 Championship draw with Leeds. The Hammers led late on
at Upton Park before Adam Clayton fired home an injury-time leveller for the
West Yorkshire visitors. Carlton Cole opened the scoring with Ross McCormack
levelling matters in the second half after Max Gradel dispatched an earlier
penalty wide of Robert Green's up right. Patrick Kisnorbo's own goal
restored West Ham's advantage before Clayton broke the home fans' hearts
with his first goal for the club. Allardyce was left fuming at referee
Michael Oliver, who waved away two penalty appeals, firstly when Cole was
felled by Aidy White and then when Kisnorbo appeared to wrestle James
Tomkins to the ground.
Decisions
"Two major decisions have gone against us," fumed Allardyce. "In critical
parts of the game we should have had two blatant penalties. "I've seen them
again with our technology and nobody will convince me they are anything but
blatant penalties. "It's disappointing when you see the referee not do what
he is paid to do. "There's no doubt he's looking at the incident and making
a judgment very quickly, and unfortunately on two occasions he made the
wrong one." However, Allardyce accepted that having led Leeds going into
injury time that his troops should have claimed all three points. "When you
are 2-1 up at home you have to take responsibility for seeing the game out,"
he continued. "You don't put pressure on yourself and unfortunately we did.
We don't do what needs to be done to get the result, we've lacked the
professionalism. "Away from home it's not been a problem, the opposition
haven't had a sniff, but here it puts a fear factor in everybody before they
turn up at the next home game. "That fear factor means everyone at the
stadium is going to be edgy next time and that makes it very difficult for
us to win matches. "To win two away and then falter at home is a great shame
but that anxiety will not go away until we win a game."
Nerves
Leeds boss Simon Grayson praised his players for digging deep and claiming a
last-gasp share of the spoils in East London. "It's not easy being the
favourites for the division, everybody wants to beat you, we had it in
League One," commented Grayson. You could sense that nervousness creeping
in, but you have to deal with it.
"But full credit to my players, we dug deep and a draw was the very least we
deserved."
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Last-gasp Clayton denies Irons
Last updated: 21st August 2011
SSN
Adam Clayton's last-minute goal salvaged a dramatic point for Leeds as their
Championship clash at West Ham ended in a 2-2 draw at Upton Park. The
Hammers led twice and looked to be heading for a third straight win when
Patrick Kisnorbo's own-goal made it 2-1 in the second half. But as the clock
ticked down Leeds, who earlier missed a penalty through Max Gradel, snatched
an equaliser through 22-year-old midfielder Clayton. Sam Allardyce's side,
beaten by a last-gasp goal by Cardiff in their last home game, had since
recorded two victories on the road by grabbing early leads and they repeated
the trick in the sixth minute at Upton Park. Leeds goalkeeper Andy Lonergan
had already tipped over headers from Carlton Cole and James Tomkins, but he
was beaten when Matt Taylor swung in a second corner.
Cole got in front of his marker and guided a volley past Lonergan with the
outside of his right boot for his second goal in as many games. Leeds,
playing to a backdrop of 'we are the morons' from the away end - a reference
to chairman Ken Bates' pet name for their disgruntled fans - attempted to
hit straight back and Green turned an angled drive from Gradel over the top.
Moments later, a deep cross from the right found Robert Snodgrass on the
left corner of the West Ham penalty area and his volley crashed back off the
near post. The visitors were presented with a route back into the game in
the 28th minute when Taylor controlled the ball with his arm in the box and
referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot. But Gradel, the subject of a
failed bid from West Ham earlier in the summer, did not impress his suitors
as his penalty rolled meekly past Green's right-hand post. Leeds were
cranking up the pressure, though, and it finally told in the 59th minute
when Andy Keogh and Robert Snodgrass combined well for the latter to cross
low into the path of McCormack, who swept the ball past Green. But all their
good work was undone three minutes later when substitute Julien Faubert
crossed from the right and Kisnorbo, in attempting to clear the ball,
succeeded only in smashing it past Lonergan and into his own net.
West Ham should have added to their lead but Lonergan kept out a point-blank
effort from Winston Reid and Scott Parker - being watched by England boss
Fabio Capello - shot against a post. And they were made to pay on the stroke
of full-time when Jonathan Howson's shot came back off the crossbar and
Clayton buried the rebound to nick a point.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Vinny's Leeds Report
Vinny 8:47 Sun Aug 21
West Ham Online
West Ham United 2 Leeds United 2
West Ham were denied a first home win of the season as a 91st minute
equaliser gave Leeds a share of the spoils.
It was the second consecutive home game in which West Ham had conceded in
second half stoppage time and whilst we were able to still come away with a
point it felt as though two had been dropped given how little time was left.
On the balance of play Leeds certainly deserved something out of the game
and dominated the first half missing a penalty in the process. When they did
finally equalise in the second period we went straight back up the other end
and scored which knocked the stuffing out of them. But the chances we
created were not converted and we were duly punished yet again and will come
away the more disappointed of the two sides.
There were a number of positives and negatives to take away from the game
and I felt we learnt a lot from this game playing against a good side in
Leeds. Even with four games gone I think we are able to identify our
weaknesses and that is something I am confident Sam Allardyce will address.
Leeds were a strong team and this was an all out battle with some good
football being played in a very entertaining match. Our midfield did not get
hold of the game enough to see us through and until Julien Faubert was
introduced we lacked width and an outlet to play the ball to. A few of our
players were poor especially Jack Collison and Matthew Taylor although the
latter put in some superb corners which caused the opposition a number of
problems.
It was a game which people will be quick to look at the negatives but we
played some lovely football at times and once we got our second goal we
dominated the game and bombarded Leeds with some poor finishing and bad luck
preventing us from wrapping the game up.
The Team
Sam Allardyce kept the same team who started away at Watford in midweek
which was not too much of a shock given that we demolished them 4-0.
The only change came on the substitutes bench with new signing John Carew
named amongst the substitutes. This saw Abdoulaye Faye dropped from the
squad which left us with no defender on the bench.
Leeds lined up in a kit which I assumed was in preparation for a glow in the
dark occasion or perhaps a U.V party. It was this black and illuminous
yellow thing. Of course they had to wear this given that their traditional
white would have severely clashed with our Claret and Blue.
First Half
We were at Leeds from the very beginning as we looked to get an early goal
just as we have done in our last two league games at Watford and Doncaster.
It took under 30 seconds for us to have our first attempt at goal with a
cross from Joey O'Brien met by Matthew Taylor but the header was straight at
the keeper.
Moments later a long throw was taken by Ilunga whose delivery into the area
saw Cole flick the ball goal wards with Leeds keeper Lonergan tipping
acrobatically over the bar.
From the resulting corner taken by Taylor it was James Tomkins who met the
ball with his head but again Lonergan did well to tip over.
But the keeper could do nothing about the next corner which was again taken
by Taylor. This time the cross was met on the volley by Carlton Cole who
made no mistake after getting in front of his man to fire home from close
range.
Cole was certainly delighted with his goal and the celebrations amongst the
players showed a good spirit within our team which was good to see but what
of course was better was that we were a goal up after only six minutes.
But then Leeds settled down and took over the game. There was to be no
thrashing like at Vicarage Road on Tuesday and if you ever wanted a game to
show that you were in the Championship to battle this was the game as Leeds
frankly put us under enormous pressure for the remainder of the half.
The first meaningful attempt on goal was when Max Gradel got in behind the
defence and tried a shot from a very acute angle which was tipped over the
bar by Robert Green.
They came close to scoring when striker Keogh got free inside the area and
hit a shot which was deflected wide with Green looking on.
A minute later we failed to deal with a ball in the area and couldn't get it
clear. It fell to Snodgrass who hit a shot which clipped of the crossbar
with Leeds fans looking agonisingly on.
With regards to the Leeds support, they packed out the Trevor Brooking Lower
and were certainly up for their day out.
Just over a quarter of the game had been played and there was a penalty
shout when a corner was played over by Taylor and James Tomkins looked to be
having his shirt pulled but despite cries of penalty from players and fans
the referee waved away any protest.
Some good play down the left saw Nolan find Mark Noble who cut inside on his
right foot and hit a low shot but it had no power and was easily saved by
the keeper.
Leeds won a cheap corner when a long ball forward was dealt with poorly by
Winston Reid and the delivery from Snodgrass saw the ball drop in the area
only for Carlton Cole to thump clear. It was all getting a bit
desperation-like for me. It was almost as if it was a final few moments of a
game which we were hanging on to.
If Leeds were going to get back into the game they would have few better
chances than on the 27th minute mark when a long throw into the area saw
Matthew Taylor stick out an arm and connect with the ball. The ref had no
hesitation in pointing to the spot and from where I was sitting it was an
absolute certain handball. I have yet to see a replay but I cannot imagine
there can be any argument.
Stepping up to take the penalty was Max Gradel but his attempt went wide of
the goal and waste a fantastic chance for the away side to equalise.
The game had not been a dirty one and was a lot less scrappy than I had
thought it may have been. That said, there was a late and nasty tackle from
Clayton on Scott Parker as he left his boot in with studs showing, making
connection with Parker's foot. No booking was given.
Another moment of contention came when a ball forward to Cole saw the
striker turn his man brilliantly and race towards goal but given that Cole
has so little pace he was caught up with and the Leeds defender White made a
last ditch tackle which saw Cole go tumbling. The West Ham crowd bellowed
for a penalty and Cole seemed incensed that a foul was not given.
Again I have not seen a reply but if I go on past Carlton Cole memories of
similar situations I would assume he was tackled fairly as he was too slow
in running and took too long to get his shot off. Maybe I am being unfair
and it was a foul and if it was then it is certainly a talking point and it
would have been a penalty and surely a red card.
The excellent Gradel (penalty miss aside) continued to pull the strings for
the visitors from Yorkshire and he hit an powerful 25 yard shot which was
saved well by Robert Green.
Gradel again caused problems as he had switched sides to terrorise our weak
link in Herita Ilunga and he put in a fine cross which was put away for a
corner.
He went at Ilunga just moments later and was dumped to the ground by the
left back who was clearly struggling to get to grips with him. The resulting
free kick was dealt with well by Joey O'Brien who head out for another Leeds
corner.
Stoppage time in the first half went without incident as we went in at the
break leading by the one goal. Applause rang around Upton Park for the
players which again showed the fine line between what is acceptable for West
Ham fans and what is not.
People mentioned that Sam Allardyce would play a brand of football that we
would not wish to see at West Ham but it is clear from the reaction of the
crowd that at the end of the day all that matters is results which I believe
has always been the case but the way some people go on it would seem that
all we want is to see 'pretty' football. I'm all about the result if I'm
being honest.
Second Half
It was another bright start to a half as we won ourselves a corner within
the first minute. The Taylor taken set piece was won by Carlton Cole but his
header went wide as he didn't really make good enough connection with the
ball.
This was to be a false dawn of a start as Leeds picked up from where they
left off and started to apply the pressure once again.
Leeds were crying out for another penalty as Scott Parker went in with what
looked like a strong by fair challenge.
But nothing was going to stop Leeds from attending to the task at hand and
we could not get hold of the ball. Our distribution and all round passing
had totally deserted us and we were quite clearly struggling. We had no
outlet and no one to play the ball too other than Cole who was becoming more
isolated and is not the most reliable at holding the ball up anyhow.
Whilst we were not playing well I cannot take anything away from Leeds who
were playing some lovely football and really taking the game to us. They
really should have scored when Keogh was put through on goal but Green
managed to save only for the ball to come out to McCormack who put his
volley over the bar when I had been bracing for the shot to hit the back of
the net.
Despite the pressure being applied from the away side we came very close to
scoring ourselves when a ball into the area was flicked on by Cole for Jack
Collison to go up for a head from very close range but it was straight at
Lonergan.
That was to be the last contribution from Jack Collison who was taken off
just before the hour mark and rightly so in my opinion as he had not been in
the game at all and was offering nothing. On in his place was Julien
Faubert.
Faubert had barely got onto the pitch when Leeds found their equalising
goal. Snodgrass and Keogh combined and the ball was played into the area for
Ross McCormack to fire home and send the away support barmy.
The Leeds fans taunted our support as they had done for most of the game.
But the sweetest comeback to their taunts would happen just two minutes
later as totally out of the blue we scored again and took the lead.
A beautifully weighted pass by Scott Parker put Faubert through down the
right and his excellent first time cross towards Cole was met by Leeds
defender Patrick Kisnorbo who thumped his clearence into the goal to put
West Ham 2-1 up.
It clearly knocked the Leeds players and their attacking football seemed to
die at that point as we took back control of a game which we had been second
best from after we had scored in the 6th minute.
Our midfield were seeing more of the ball although the final ball was far
too often poor and there were not enough players getting forward.
On 67 minutes Allardyce made his second change with Carlton Cole coming off
and being replaced by John Carew who was making his full debut for the club.
I didn't realise just how tall Carew was as he towered above everyone on the
pitch.
He got involved almost straight away as he ran onto a long ball forward, out
muscling defender O'Dea but unfortunately losing control of the ball.
An almost identical move to the second goal saw Parker play Faubert in down
the right and again the dangerous cross was met by Leeds defender Kisnorbo
but his clearance when wide instead of in the goal.
We bombarded Leeds with corners and the delivery from Taylor was quite
simply fantastic. The cross was met by James Tomkins who goal bound header
was tipped over the bar by Lonergan.
The resulting corner from Taylor was again met by Tomkins but this time
across goal and Winston Reid met the ball with a shot which was somehow kept
out by Lonergan and it dribbled away for another corner.
This corner was again won in the air but then came out to Kevin Nolan who
lost possession very poorly and Leeds broke with pace and ended up winning a
corner of their own.
One of best moves came with around 15 minutes remaining as Carew, Taylor,
Faubert and Parker were all involved in a lovely passing move which saw
Parker take a shot which deflected off a defender and smack off the post and
away for another corner. It was so unlucky and a great move to watch.
With under 10 minutes remaining Allardyce made his final change with Mark
Noble coming off and Frederique Piquionne coming on. I didn't really
understand this change at the time and even now I'm unsure why it was made.
Kevin Nolan really should have scored when a Faubert corner found its way
through to him but he mis-controlled the ball when all he had to do was poke
towards goal to seal the win.
Leeds committed more players forward and we didn't seem to want to take
advantage of this as we seemed to have every player behind the ball. I
really couldn't see us conceding as there had been little goal mouth action
for the previous 10 minutes or so and we seemed as though we were going to
be able to see the game out.
But as we have seen far too often we ended up conceding in the 91st minute.
The cross from the right fell to Howson in the area who had too much room
and his curling shot smacked off the cross bar and out to Adam Clayton who
made no mistake with a good finish from around 12 yards out.
The Leeds fans went wild, the West Ham fans went home. Another home game
where we leave the ground without that happy feeling. I am beginning to
forget what it felt like leaving a home game in a good mood.
Player Reviews
Robert Green
A commanding performance from Green who could do nothing about the two goals
scored from close range. I thought he was good at coming for crosses and
made some excellent stops throughout both halves. Losing Parker would not be
ideal but at least we have players in midfield to replace him. Losing Robert
Green would be far more detrimental at this stage.
Joey O'Brien
Until Faubert came on O'Brien was under a lot of pressure as he had little
help from Collison. I don't just mean with the defending but more so that
when O'Brien did receive the ball or make a tackle there was no one in front
of him to play the ball too as Collison had gone inside. He did well though
and looked dependable once again.
Winston Reid
A bit of a mixed back for Reid but I am sticking up for our defence today as
they were put under far too much pressure than was needed as our midfield
kept losing the ball and failing to close players down. Reid and Tomkins saw
a lot of crosses and high balls forward. Reid dealt with the majority well
but there were the odd lapses and mistimed headers and poor clearances.
James Tomkins
A beast in the air once again. I thought he was fantastic and despite the
pressure he was put under he just kept going. I would love to know what his
success rate was when it came to winning headers because I can't recall many
that he actually failed to win. Brilliant.
Herita Ilunga
There were periods of the game where he would look fine and play some nice
football but then he would clearly lose concentration, play a bad pass, put
a team mate in trouble or get himself into a mess where he would need to
make a foul. He is our weak link at present and Leeds noticed this in the
first half when they moved Gradel over that side. Did have a part to play in
the build up to the Leeds second goal as he lost out again although he may
have been unfairly challenged.
Jack Collison
I mentioned the other night that he was not really in the game and
unfortunately things did not change in this one. He was just not involved in
the match at all and struggled to get on the ball. His movement was poor and
when he did get the ball he was unable to move forward with it. If Parker
leaves than Collison will surely just move into the middle where he will be
more effective. Until that time, if we are playing a right winger then one
from Faubert, Barrera or Stanislas would be a better.
Mark Noble
Against Watford he controlled the game from midfield but he couldn't get on
top of this one. The problem to me was the lack of pace we have in our team
and Noble is one of those players who has no pace at all. The game passed
him by far too much and for us to do well I believe Noble has to be on the
ball as he can create things with his passing and good technique.
Scott Parker
I know we all like Scott Parker and I don't want people to think I'm just
saying it because of what he has done at the club but again I thought Scott
Parker was superb. The accusation that he has not been fully committed in
terms of making challenges and putting his foot in surely were dispelled
with this display. The man put his foot in, worked hard, passed well and in
the second half he made us tick.
Kevin Nolan
I don't want to be too critical but this was a pretty poor display from
Nolan. In fact I thought he was one of the most ineffective players on the
pitch. He was hardly in the game, and when he got the ball he just kept
giving it away. Had a chance to score and wasn't concentrating, and I
thought he should have come off.
Matthew Taylor
His set pieces are of the highest quality. Any club would benefit from the
type of corners he puts into the area and I would expect us to continue to
score from corners with that type of delivery. Aside from the corners he was
poor and like Collison he didn't get in the game enough and some of his
passing was atrocious.
Carlton Cole
That is two starts and two goals from Cole which has to be a positive. We
moan when he doesn't score so we can praise him a bit for doing so in the
two games he has started. His overall performance was pretty hit a miss. It
was great to see him turn defenders and burst forward but give him too much
time and he will not be very effective. He won a few headers, but not really
enough and his performance fizzled out and it was not too much of surprise
to see him taken off. But the next league game he has to start because he is
scoring.
Subs Used
Julien Faubert (on for Collison 58 minutes)
It was the correct sub to make by Allardyce and I applaud him for doing it
when it needed to be done. Faubert gave us balance and width. His injection
of pace caused Leeds problems and he can be proud of an excellent display.
He should be starting against Nottingham Forest.
John Carew (on for Cole 66 mins)
Big and strong as we knew he would be. Won a few headers, and initially
looked quite dangerous but seemed to disappear from the game in the last
quarter.
Frederique Piquionne (on for Noble 82 mins)
When he comes on as a sub he always looks bright and he did so again with
some willing running and an eagerness to get on the ball. Didn't do anything
of note but I would expect him to get a chance in the game against
Aldershot.
Subs Not Used: Boffin, Barrera
Bookings: Tomkins
Man Of The Match: Scott Parker
Leeds United: Lonergan, O'Dea, Kisnorbo, Lees, Gradel, Howson, Clayton,
Snodgrass, White, Keogh, McCormack
Subs: Rachubka, Connolly, O'Brien, Sam, Nunez
Attendance: 28, 252
Overall
Any time you conceded a late goal is going to hurt a bit and I know many
West Ham fans will be coming away from the game a bit sore and perhaps angry
at how we threw away two points.
I agree it is slightly concerning that we cannot see out games but there are
positives to take from the game and I believe Sam Allardyce will have learnt
a lot about how good we are from this game.
Leeds played very well and I do not believe we will come up against too many
better displays than this. It was a battle and it was hard work. I felt we
could have given just a bit more which would have got us over the finishing
line but nonetheless we haven't lost, we are three games unbeaten, we are
scoring goals and we are still in my opinion on track.
So we try again in attempting this League Cup first round tie given that the
original game was postponed due to the London Rioting.
You would expect the League Cup to be very low down on the priority stakes
for Sam Allardyce but this is a change to give some other members of the
squad a game and I would think players such as Piquionne, Carew, Sears,
Stanislas and Barrera will surely be involved.
We may not have picked up three points here today but I wouldn't get into
too much of a panic as we still have enough about us to win games in this
league and I'm sure we will get stronger as the season progresses.
Sams Comments
"We are bitterly disappointed because we came through the ebb and flow of a
game where the quality had been very good. Both sides were trying to create
on the attacking side, it ebbed and flowed.
"When Leeds had a good spell then we had to dig in. We overcame that and
took control of the game again by making the substitutions we did. That got
us back to 2-1 and we always looked likely to win the game maybe 3-1.
"We missed the chances and then right at the dying embers, instead of
keeping the ball in the opposition half we needlessly gave it away."
Of course Leeds are going to throw men forward and we have thrown two points
away. It makes life very difficult for us because we have to go and make it
up away from home next weekend. We have really got to make this place
somewhere we enjoy playing, rather than being disappointed."
Season 2011/12 Scorers and Bookings
Carlton Cole - 2 (2 League)
Kevin Nolan - 1 (1 League)
James Tomkins - 1 (1 League)
Joey O'Brien - 1 (1 League)
Scott Parker - 1 (1 League)
Own Goal - 1 (1 League)
Yellow Cards
Mark Noble - 1
James Tomkins - 1
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West Ham 2-2 Leeds: Daily Mirror match report
Published 21:59 21/08/11 By Darren Lewis
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce accused his players of being scared to play in front of their
own fans after they dropped two more points at Upton Park. West Ham twice
led through Carlton Cole and a Patrick Kisnorbo own goal. But Ross McCormack
scored just before the hour and Adam Clayton equalised again in the last
minute to earn Leeds a well-deserved point. It is the second successive home
game that the Hammers have conceded key goals around the final whistle after
Kenny Miller's winner for Cardiff in their first match of this season. Those
results are in stark contrast to victory at Doncaster and a 4-0 demolition
of Watford at Vicarage Road – West Ham's first back-to-back away wins since
2007. Allardyce was fuming as the Boleyn fear factor undermined his side. He
said: "That's two points thrown away. Right when you can do nothing about it
– right at the end – they score. "We're extremely disappointed. We've taken
one point from two home games. It's 0-0 in the dying minutes against Cardiff
and they score and then its 2-1 up today and they score again. "We put
pressure on ourselves on both occasions by our lack of understanding on what
needs to be done at that stage of the game. Away from home, the opposition
haven't had a sniff. "But a result like today's puts a fear factor in
everyone before the next home game. Everyone will start getting edgy and
that makes the players nervous. "It won't go away until we win a home game.
When that situation comes round again we have to be mentally strong to deal
with it."
Allardyce could also face an FA rap after criticising referee Michael
Oliver, who turned down two penalty appeals. The West Ham boss said: "I
dislike having major decisions go against me in any way shape or form.
Unfortunately we had two go against us today. No one can convince me they
were anything but two blatant penalties." Cole stuck out a boot to divert
Matty Taylor's corner past Leeds keeper Andy Lonergan after six minutes. But
Leeds fought back with Max Gradel, Robert Snodgrass and man-of-the-match
Clayton impressing. Although Gradel did miss a first-half penalty. West Ham
had two spot-kick shouts denied when James Tomkins' shirt was tugged by
Kisnorbo and Cole was tripped in the box by Aidy White. But, in truth, the
Hammers failed to press home their advantage and Leeds cashed in.
First Snodgrass made a mug of Herita Ilunga to square for McCormack to slot
home. And after Julien Faubert had crossed for Kisnorbo to volley
spectacularly into his own net, Snodgrass again caused the chaos from which
Clayton benefited. Leeds boss Simon Grayson said he had tried to capitalise
on the Hammers' fragile confidence. He said: "We told our players it's not
easy being favourites for the division. Everyone wants to beat you. We had
three or four years playing in League One, it is a pressure atmosphere."
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Big Sam blames Upton Park 'fear factor' for draw
Published 17:03 21/08/11 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce blamed the "fear factor" after West Ham threw away victory
against Leeds at Upton Park this afternoon. The Hammers were leading 2-1
heading into the final minute, but just as they had in their opening-day
defeat by Cardiff, they were defending deeper and deeper and were punished
when Adam Clayton grabbed a dramatic equaliser. "When you are 2-1 up at home
you have to take responsibility for seeing the game out," said Hammers chief
Allardyce. "You don't put pressure on yourself and unfortunately we did. We
don't do what needs to be done to get the result, we've lacked the
professionalism. "Away from home it's not been a problem, the opposition
haven't had a sniff, but here it puts a fear factor in everybody before they
turn up at the next home game. "That fear factor means everyone at the
stadium is going to be edgy next time and that makes it very difficult for
us to win matches. "To win two away and then falter at home is a great shame
but that anxiety will not go away until we win a game."
West Ham took the lead from a corner in the sixth minute when Carlton Cole
volleyed past Andy Lonergan. Leeds won a penalty in the 28th minute when
Matt Taylor controlled the ball with his arm in the box but Max Gradel, the
subject of a failed bid from West Ham earlier in the summer, rolled his
effort wide. Leeds finally drew level in the 59th minute when Robert
Snodgrass' cross found McCormack in front of goal, but three minutes later
the hapless Patrick Kisnorbo thumped Julien Faubert's cross into his own
net. West Ham should have gone further ahead but Scott Parker, being watched
by England boss Fabio Capello, hit a post. And the inevitable happened as
stoppage time approached. Snodgrass raided down the right again, Jonathan
Howson's shot hit the underside of the crossbar and Clayton followed up to
fire past Robert Green. Allardyce was also left fuming at referee Michael
Oliver, who waved away two penalty appeals, firstly when Cole was felled by
Aidy White and then when Kisnorbo appeared to wrestle James Tomkins to the
gound. "Two major decisions have gone against us today," he added. "In
critical parts of the game we should have had two blatant penalties. I've
seen them again with our technology and nobody will convince me they are
anything but blatant penalties. "It's disappointing when you see the referee
not do what he is paid to do. "There's no doubt he's looking at the incident
and making a judgment very quickly, and unfortunately on two occasions he
made the wrong one."
Leeds boss Simon Grayson knows just knows how Allardyce feels. "It's not
easy being the favourites for the division, everybody wants to beat you, we
had it in League One," he said. "You could sense that nervousness creeping
in, but you have to deal with it. "But full credit to my players, we dug
deep and a draw was the very least we deserved."
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Allardyce upset after Leeds grab late point
West Ham United 2 Leeds United 2
By Nick Szczepanik at Upton Park
Monday, 22 August 2011
The Independent
A thrilling game of attacking football, defensive howlers, penalty claims
and stunning saves ended with just about the right result. But, although
Leeds United will take inspiration from a dynamic performance that could
have brought them a first away win of the season, Sam Allardyce, the West
Ham manager, is concerned by the "fear factor" when playing at Upton Park.
After losing their opening home match to a late goal by Cardiff City, West
Ham conceded a 90th-minute equaliser to Adam Clayton yesterday. "Two points
thrown away," Allardyce said. "At home you've got to take the responsibility
to retain possession of the ball and see the game out.
"Having won two games away, which is the difficult thing, we've taken one
point from two home games. We weren't clever enough in either game. A result
like today's puts a fear factor in everyone before the next home game."
Simon Grayson, the Leeds manager, had sensed the nervousness. "But they've
got to deal with that," he said. "When you've got Premier League players,
everyone wants to beat you."
West Ham were ahead after six minutes, when Cole met Matt Taylor's corner
with the outside of his right foot six yards out. But Leeds shrugged off the
setback and poured forward, the home side's midfield unable to stem the
tide. Robert Green, on his 200th appearance for West Ham, saved well from
Max Gradel's snap-shot, then turned aside Andy Keogh's effort, and was
relieved to see Gradel hit a 27th-minute penalty wide after Taylor had
handled.
Andy Keogh and Ross McCormack were proving especially hard to subdue, and
Keogh's backheeled pass allowed Robert Snodgrass to cross for McCormack's
overdue equaliser.
Now, you felt Leeds must go on to win – so, naturally, West Ham regained the
lead almost immediately as Julian Faubert crossed from the right and
Kisnorbo volleyed the ball into his own net. West Ham almost distorted the
scoreline further, but Andy Lonerghan tipped over James Tomkins's header and
somehow blocked Winston Reid's point-blank volley before Parker's shot was
deflected on to a post.
That resistance paid off. A cross from the right reached Jonathan Howson,
whose shot came back off the bar, but Clayton smacked home the rebound. "We
could have buckled after their early goal but we got back into it," Grayson
said. "The own goal knocked the stuffing out of us but the equaliser was the
least we deserved."
West Ham United (4-2-3-1) Green; J O'Brien, Tomkins, Reid, Ilunga; Noble
(Piquionne, 81), Parker; Collison (Faubert, 58), Nolan, Taylor; Cole (Carew,
66). Substitutes not used Boffin, Barrera.
Leeds United (4-4-2) Lonergan; Lees, Kisnorbo, O'Dea, White; Snodgrass,
Clayton, Howson, Gradel (Sam, 88); McCormack (Nunez, 77), Keogh.
Substitutes not used Rachubka, Connolly, A O'Brien.
Booked: West Ham Tomkins, Leeds, O'Dea.
Man of the match Green. Match rating 8/10.
Referee M Oliver (Northumberland).
Attendance 28,252.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Capello denies saying Parker should quit West Ham to further England career
By RAJVIR RAI
Last updated at 5:00 PM on 21st August 2011
Daily Mail
Fabio Capello insists he has not told Scott Parker to leave West Ham to
further his England career. A furious Sam Allardyce claimed that the
midfielder had been told that he must be playing Premier League football to
be considered for international selection. Capello denied the claims but did
concede that the length of the Championship season was a problem. He told
Sky Sports: 'No, absolutely (not). I never pushed for him to change the
team. This is a problem for the club, not me.
'The problem is the Championship is a play-off. If you go straight to the
Premier League, no problem, but the play-off [means players] will play to
June. 'And another thing is they play 46 games – more than the Premier
League.' The Italian later watched Parker – who has been linked with a move
away from Upton Park since the club's relegation from the Premier League
last season – in West Ham's 2-2 home draw with Leeds. QPR – who had a £4m
bid turned down earlier in the week – are expected to test West Ham's
resolved with an improved offer this week.
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