Daily WHUFC News - 4th November 2012

Big Sam proud of City point
WHUFC
Sam Allardyce said his players followed his plans perfectly to gain a
draw with Manchester City
03.11.2012

Sam Allardyce congratulated his West Ham United players on following
their game-plan to the letter in Saturday's goalless home draw with
Barclays Premier League champions Manchester City.
The Hammers were well-organised and defended from the front against
Roberto Mancini's side. Every player did their job perfectly, keeping
the expensively-assembled visitors at bay with a resolute and
resilient display.
Indeed, had Kevin Nolan's early goal not been wrongly ruled out for
offside, Big Sam could even have been celebrating a famous victory.
Yossi Benayoun hit the crossbar, while Andy Carroll came agonisingly
close to opening his account in a claret and blue shirt.

"I think tactically we were very good," the manager told West Ham TV.
"You have to earn the right to play in this league, no matter who you
are, and I think that the first thing was to stop Manchester City
doing what they wanted to do and, from there, use our possession
correctly.

"We didn't use our possession quite as well in the second half as we
did in the first but we caused them real problems - Yossi's volley hit
the bar, Andy's shot just went wide of the post and we scored a goal
that wasn't a goal that we'll all unfortunately be talking about for a
day or two. The assistant should have kept his flag down but instead
he put it up.
"We then produced some last-ditch defending when it was needed in the
second half, either by the goalie or the back four. We had the odd
break-out and Andy's overhead kick looked goalbound until it hit one
of their defenders on the back. Andy also had a side-footer from Matt
Jarvis's cross that he'll be disappointed with. They might have been
against the run of play, but that's what you do because Man City threw
more and more men forward because they wanted to win and they left
more and more gaps that we exploited but unfortunately we couldn't
turn them into a goal.

"It is very satisfying, particularly after last week [at Wigan]. We've
played ten games and got fifteen points and we're right in the top
half of the Premier League. There are about five or six of us who have
got fifteen points. There's a massive credit to the players for that
performance that they gave against the champions of the Barclays
Premier League."
Keeping a clean sheet for the first time in six league matches was
perhaps the most pleasing thing for Big Sam, whose players kept out an
attack comprising Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko and former Hammer Carlos
Tevez, as well as second-half substitute Sergio Aguero.

The only negative news came in the shape of injuries suffered by James
Collins and James Tomkins which could put their appearance at
Newcastle United next Sunday in jeopardy.
"We haven't had a clean sheet for a while so that's another plus and
another bonus. We have to make up the points we lost at Wigan and we
had to do it against the champions. We have done that and nicked one
point back that nobody expected, so that's really good.

"We've got to go on from here now. The disappointing thing for us,
other than the disallowed goal, was that James Collins picked up a
hamstring injury and James Tomkins did a little bit of a groin on
Friday. Thank goodness for Joey O'Brien because I thought he did great
coming back in. Numbers are becoming a big, big problem for us, so we
have to get these players fit and back in the squad as quickly as
possible.

"Ricardo Vaz Te is coming along well but it will be ten or twelve
weeks in total. If it's any sooner than that like it was with Andy's
hamstring, but we've got to get him right. Guy Demel starts training
this week so that might be important to us, and hopefully Tomkins and
Collins are not too bad when we have them in on Sunday and see what
they're like.
"Going to Newcastle is going to be a big occasion for Kevin Nolan and
Andy and we want to give our best performance, not just for us but for
them going back to St James' Park."

______________________________________________

West Ham United 0-0 Man City FT
WHUFC
The Hammers hold the Barclays Premier League champions and pick up a
deserved point
03.11.2012
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WEST HAM UNITED v MANCHESTER CITY
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SATURDAY 3 NOVEMBER 2012
KICK-OFF: 5.30PM
REFEREE: HOWARD WEBB
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV

Full-time score - West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City

94 mins - The home fans are whistling and Mr Webb answers by blowing
his own whistle for full-time. West Ham worked their socks off and
thoroughly deserved a draw. As I have mentioned already, Nolan's early
goal should have stood. City worked Jaaskelainen a few times, but the
Finn was equal to everything. The back four were superb, but the whole
team take credit for a resolute display. West Ham failed to score at
home for the first time in 16 matches in all competitions, but it
matters not. That's a point gained against the champions. We go on to
Newcastle United next weekend. Join us then!

93 mins - Into the final minute and Cole has the ball deep in the City
half before finding Benayoun, who concedes a goal kick.

91 mins - We are going to have three added minutes. West Ham win a
throw in front of the City bench. Mancini waves his arms around.

90 mins - Sinclair replaces Nasri. Match Sponsors Suremen name Andy
Carroll as their man of the match. He certainly put a shift in, did
the big man. He was so unlucky not to register his first goal for the
club today.

88 mins - Benayoun and Jarvis work an opening down the left but the
former's cross doesn't reach Nolan. City get the ball down their right
and the cross is headed behind by O'Brien.
Jaaskelainen applauds the Irishman. The corner is taken short and Yaya
Toure collects. It's worked across to the left before the same player
punts his shot over the top from the edge of the box.

87 mins - West Ham are defending resolutely. O'Brien smashes the ball
upfield and Cole forces a throw-in on halfway. The attendance is
35,005 - a sell-out.

85 mins - Do that every time you get it, Matt. Jarvis runs Kolo Toure
again and wins the foul near the halfway line. Good play.

84 mins - Tevez gets a great reception as he is replaced by Javi
Garcia. He applauds all four corners of the ground. Spence is on for
Collins. He goes to right-back and O'Brien goes into the centre
alongside Reid.

83 mins - Spence is going to come on for Collins. It looks like the
Welshman might have hurt himself. We need a stoppage to make the
change, though. Jaaskelainen kicks the ball out after catching a
header.

82 mins - McCartney is booked for a foul on Barry wide on the left.
That came after Collins had made another heroic block on the edge of
his own penalty area. I think it winded him as he needs a few seconds
to compose himself before the free-kick.

81 mins - Benayoun gets in two challenges inside the West Ham half. He
has worked his backside off, has the No15.

80 mins - O'Neil is penalised for clipping Nasri. The free-kick is
taken quickly to Aguero and his shot is beaten away by Jaaskelainen at
the near post. Cole hacks away for a throw into the East Stand.

78 mins - Cole is on for Carroll.

77 mins - After another hearts-in-mouth moment that sees the ball end
up in the hands of Jaaskelainen, West Ham break through Jarvis. He
runs at Kolo Toure and beats the defender on his outside before
cutting the ball back for Carroll. He slides in and shoots over the
top. He wants a corner, but Mr Webb gives a goal kick. Kolo Toure
receives treatment before the game starts again.

75 mins - James Collins uses his body any which way he can and he goes
full-length to block Clichy's shot with his midriff. Amazing stuff.

74 mins - City work an opening but Reid is there inside the box to
clear after O'Brien had slipped over. The visitors are dominating
possession again.

71 mins - Jarvis and McCartney both pass up chances to cross before
the former sees his cross blocked and City break. Thankfully, the pass
for Aguero is overhit and the striker cannot keep it in. Goal kick.
Diame is the man to be replaced by O'Neil before the re-start.

70 mins - O'Neil will be on shortly. Neil McDonald hands the sheet to
the fourth official. Diame is my man to be replaced.

69 mins - That would have been a very controversial goal. Tevez
crosses and Barry clearly handles as he controls before dragging his
shot wide from inside the six-yard box. He should have scored, but it
should have been disallowed. Before the goal kick can be taken,
Balotelli is replaced by Sergio Aguero.

68 mins - Mr Webb spots some pushing at the near post between
Balotelli and Benayoun.The ball is flicked on before Collins heads
back in, but Nolan cannot flick on and City clear and break...

67 mins - Jarvis and McCartney swap passes before the left-back wins a
corner. He did well to keep that ball in on the slide. Noble's
delivery to the near post is headed behind by Balotelli for another
corner.

66 mins - The fireworks are going off behind the Bobby Moore Stand
now. A few loud booms keep sounding away to our right.

65 mins - Tevez wastes a chance. Diame loses the ball and O'Brien is
caught out of position. Balotelli plays in Tevez but the Argentine
slashes his shot high and wide of the left-hand post.

62 mins - Tevez gets into a space behind O'Brien and crosses low for
Dzeko, but the striker cannot get enough contact on his shot and it
rolls harmlesslty wide of the far post. It's an enthralling game,
this, despite being goalless.

61 mins - Benayoun is booked for a foul on Tevez near the halfway
line. The free-kick bounces away for a goal kick beyond the far post.

60 mins - Better. Much better. Jarvis and McCartney combine well down
the left before the latter beats his man and crosses. Carroll shapes
superbly and sends his overhead kick goalwards. It hits a defender and
bounces just wide. The corner is headed out to Jarvis on the edge of
the box, but he completely misses his kick before Noble's cross is
blocked.

58 mins - The Hammers finally show some attacking intent as Carroll
wins a header and it drops to Benayoun. His first cross is cleared,
but the No15's second effort is headed wide of the near post by Nolan.

56 mins - Mr Webb shows Collins the yellow card for pulling back
Dzeko. West Ham just cannot keep the ball.

55 mins - Finally some respite as Diame is fouled on halfway. Collins
lifts the ball in but Carroll is offside 25 yards out. City break at
pace down the left and Balotelli's cross takes a nick off the boot of
Reid and rolls across the face of goal. City try to work an opening
from the left but Benayoun scrambles the ball behind for a corner. Mr
Webb spots an infringement and West Ham have a free-kick.

53 mins - That is a major let-off. Jaaskelainen drops a routine catch
from the Tevez corner and the ball bounces just wide off the legs of
O'Brien. The corner is cleared, but City are dominant at the moment
and soon have the ball back.

51 mins - The home side are under the cosh here. Barry's deep cross is
put behind by McCartney. The corner is cleared, but Jarvis passes it
back to City on halfway. They attack again and Diame concedes another
corner.

50 mins - Jaaskelainen is in action again, making a routine save from
Tevez's shot low to his left. The goalkeeper dives and holds on at the
second attempt.

49 mins - Diame races forward through the middle unchallenged. There
is space in front of him but he chooses to try to find Jarvis instead
of shooting and the ball runs away for a goal kick. Maybe the wrong
decision from the No21.

47 mins - Collins is hopping around after a challenge on Tevez. The
big defender rolled his right ankle. That is painful! The physio is
on. I'm sure Ginge will be fine to continue after some treatment.
Balotelli throws the ball back to Jaaskelainen and, sure enough,
Collins is back on.

46 mins - City get the second half underway through Tevez's touch.
It's a murky night here in east London now, with the fireworks going
off behind the East Stand adding to the atmosphere.

Half-time score - West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City

47 mins - 63 seconds after the 45 minutes are up, Mr Webb blows for
half-time. Applause from the home fans. The Hammers have held their
own and, but for a flag that may have been incorrectly raised, could
be ahead. Join us again for the second half shortly.

45 mins - Close! Dzeko does well against Reid and Diame before finding
Nasri. His cross is behind Balotelli, but the Italian swivels and
volleys narrowly wide. That was fairly close. We'll have one added
minute, at least.

44 mins - O'Brien loses out to Yaya Toure wide on the left and City
attack. The cross hits Collins and goes behind. The corner is headed
powerfully clear by Carroll, but Benayoun passes the ball straight
back to the visitors. It's worked right to Yaya Toure, who takes a
touch before slamming his shot wide of the near post. It catches the
outside of the net on its way.

42 mins - Needless to say, it is vital that West Ham keep it tight
until half-time. Right now they are on the attack through Jarvis, but
he lacks support. He does well to hold it up for a while by running to
the byline, but his cross clears Hart and bounces away from Benayoun
for a throw on the far side.

40 mins - Benayoun is pulled back by Yaya Toure 35 yards out. West Ham
take it quickly and the chance is lost.

38 mins - West Ham are making trouble for themselves by giving the
ball away inside their own half on occasion. This time it is Diame who
drives his clearance straight at Kolo Toure, who holds off Reid and
pulls back for Balotelli, but the Italian's shot flashes wide of the
near post.

35 mins - Jarvis collects a pass from McCartney down the left and cuts
on to his right foot. It's a driven cross that Hart punches clear
under pressure from the jumping Carroll.

33 mins - That's a let-off. Balotelli is unmarked on the six-yard line
from the resulting free-kick but somehow lifts his shot way over the
top. He should have buried that chance.

32 mins - Two shots are blocked before Benayoun gets above Yaya Toure
to head out for a corner. It pings around a bit inside the area before
Carroll swings his left boot to clear. Not for long, though, as Diame
is penalised for a foul wide right. He might be close to a yellow
card, the midfielder.

31 mins - A third of the game gone and West Ham could, maybe should,
be ahead. They have had the better chances, but City always carry a
threat.
28 mins - West Ham have numbers forward and the ball wide left, but
Diame's cross is too strong for Carroll. Goal kick.

27 mins - Dzeko's poor touch allows Jaaskelainen to collect inside his
penalty area. England manager Roy Hodgson is here tonight watching on.
Mark Noble has been tipped for England honours once or twice this
season. He's caught the eye tonight already.

23 mins - Noble wins the ball from Dzeko with an outstanding sliding
challenge. The home crowd love that. Moments later, the Hammer of the
Year loses the ball on the byline but City cannot benefit as Dzeko's
weak shot is easily held by Jaaskelainen. A bit of a let-off, that.

22 mins - Brilliant stuff from the home side. McCartney crosses
diagonally from deep and Carroll heads down for Benayoun. The Israeli
finds the striker on the edge of the box. He makes a yard of space and
smashes a left-foot shot a yard wide with Hart rooted to the spot. So
close for the Hammers!

21 mins - A poor clearance from an off-balance Collins falls to Yaya
Toure. The midfielder has runners in front of him, but instead shoots
from 30 yards. It flies hard and over the top.
19 mins - Diame is penalised for a foul on Dzeko about 20 yards out.
Tevez sizes up the free-kick and curls it over the wall and the
crossbar. The home crowd cheer, then break into a chorus of 'One
Carlos Tevez'! You have to love their sense of humour.

18 mins - Moments after one cross into the box narrowly eludes
Carroll, Jarvis gets onto a crossfield pass from Noble and immediately
crosses to the far post for the unmarked Benayoun. He catches the
volley flush and Hart tips it on to the crossbar on its way over! The
officials don't spot the touch and award a goal kick. How close was
that?!

15 mins - A dangerous ball into the box from Tevez is hacked clear by
Collins. It looks for a moment like Jarvis might get in behind Kolo
Toure and on to the ball, but the Ivorian uses his strength and decent
pace to hold off the Hammers winger.

14 mins - A decent crossing chance as O'Brien and Benayoun combine
down the right. The Irishman crosses first-time but rather gets under
the ball, meaning Hart can catch high above his head.
13 mins - West Ham fire their first shot at City. Jarvis collects wide
left and prods a neat ball through to Diame, who turns, cuts outside
his man onto his right foot and shoots a yard over the top. That was
travelling, too. 'Oooooohs' from all corners.

11 mins - Noble is penalised for a foul as he slides in about 30 yards
out. Balotelli's low free-kick deflects wide off the wall and
McCartney collects before winning a throw-in near the corner flag.
Well defended all round.

9 mins - Jaaskelainen is called into action for the first time. The
Finn dives to his right to parry Nasri's shot. Dzeko gets to the loose
ball first but his downward header bounces wide. He was also flagged
offside, but replays suggested the Bosnian was level.

7 mins - Whether they should be ahead or not, the Hammers have started
well here. As I type, a loose pass falls to Dzeko, whose thunderous
shot is well blocked by Noble. The ball hit him right on the bottom of
the boot and appears to have jarred the No16's leg. He's OK to
continue after a quick bit of TLC from his team-mates.

5 mins - Nolan's goal probably should have stood. A defender on the
near side - the furthest side from the assistant - appeared to be
level with the Hammers No4. A big talking point early on.

4 mins - No real pattern to the game as yet. A cross comes in from
Barry but it's too far in front of his team-mates and Jaaskelainen
catches unopposed. He launches the ball and it drops to
Carroll, who is fouled. The free-kick is lifted into Nolan by Noble,
and the skipper buries the volley first-time! Unfortunately, the goal
is ruled out for offside as the assistant has his flag raised.

2 mins - West Ham win a throw deep in City territory but Benayoun is
crowded out. Balotelli barrels through the middle but is stopped by an
interception from Reid.

40 seconds - After West Ham cross into the box and Hart collects, City
attack. A ball is lofted through for Balotelli from the left edge of
the penalty area, but it's too strong and bounces away for a goal
kick.

5.32pm - The Hammers kick-off shooting towards the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand.

5.29pm - The wreath-laying party of Joint-Chairman David Gold, Mike
Summerbee and Sir Geoff Hurst walk to the centre circle before taking
their places next to the officials. The two teams are lined up along
the centre circle as referee Howard Webb blows his whistle. The
silence is immaculately respected, as always.

5.26pm - Here come the two teams, led by captains Nolan and Kompany.
Manchester City are kitted out all in black, while the Hammers are in
their traditional claret and blue. The firework display has started
behind the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand. It's quite a show!

5.22pm - We will be marking Remembrance Day here this afternoon. Sir
Geoff Hurst and Mike Summerbee will be carrying wreaths to the centre
circle ahead of a minute's silence before kick-off. Representatives
from the Armed Forces are currently stood to attention along the
touchline in front of the Alpari Stand. The club invited 40 troops
from the local 7 Rifles Company of the infantry as the club's guests
this afternoon.

5.18pm - A late change to the City lineup, with James Milner dropping
out due to an injury picked up in the warm-up. Gareth Barry replaces
him. No62 Abdul Razak is drafted onto the bench.

5.10pm - You can join the conversation now on social media. Log into
twitter and use the hashtag #WHULIVE to give your opinions on the
game. We'll retweet the best comments. Please mind your language and
naturally abusive comments will not be tolerated. Thanks for your
support. Come on you Irons! We're also retweeting the best of your
matchday photos, wherever you are in the world. Simply upload them to
twitter with the hashtag #COYI.

5.05pm - There are some fireworks going off over behind the Bobby
Moore Stand. I can't actually see them, but I can hear them. Pardon
the pun, but I'm expecting some fireworks here this afternoon. City
have three forwards in their starting lineup and plenty of other goal
threats, while the Hammers have scored in every home match this season
and their last 15 home matches in total.

5pm - Lots of famous faces here at the Boleyn for the visit of the
champions. It's like a Hammers hall of fame! Sir Geoff Hurst, Julian
Dicks, Alan Devonshire, Phil Parkes and Alan Taylor are all here!
Former England internationals Chris Waddle and Stan Collymore are both
here in broadcasting roles.
4.37pm - The team news is in! One change for the Hammers, with Joey
O'Brien replacing James Tomkins at right-back.

West Ham United: Jaaskelainein, O'Brien, McCartney, Collins, Reid,
Noble, Nolan, Diame, Jarvis, Benayoun, Carroll
Subs: Spiegel, Chambers, Spence, O'Neil, Hall, Maiga, Cole
Manchester City: Hart, K.Toure, Nastasic, Kompany, Clichy, Milner,
Y.Toure, Nasri, Tevez, Balotelli, Dzeko
Subs: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Barry, Sinclair, Garcia, Aguero

____________________________________

See Stoke for just 20 quid
WHUFC
20 quid tickets for the Stoke City match under the lights at the
Boleyn Ground are selling out quickly
03.11.2012

There is now limited availability for West Ham United's next home game
with Stoke City on Monday 19 November, where tickets are on offer for
just £20 and £25 for adults and only £15 for Kids
As part of the Board's 'Affordable Football For All' campaign, prices
for this game have been reduced to £25 for Bands One and Two and just
£20 for Bands Three and Four. With the discounted prices, the game is
expected to sell out before kick-off so fans are advised to move fast.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the Alpari Stand Ticket Office,
by phone on 0871 222 2700 via Option 3 (calls cost 10p per minute plus
network extras) or online


___________________________________________________

West Ham 0 Man City 0
3 November 2012
Last updated at 19:22 GMT
By Chris Bevan
BBC Sport

Manchester City maintained their unbeaten start in the Premier League
but had to settle for a point from a hard-fought encounter with West
Ham.
The Hammers started brightly and were unlucky to see a Kevin Nolan
goal ruled out for offside before Yossi Benayoun slammed a volley
against the bar.
City's best first-half chance saw Mario Balotelli miss from point-blank range.
But the visitors improved after the break and Tevez and Gareth Barry
wasted good opportunities before the end.
Missed chances concern Mancini
It was a difficult evening for City boss Roberto Mancini, who perhaps
gave a sign of his current frustrations when he came out early for the
second half and sat on his own in his dug-out waiting for his players
to emerge.

Mancini saw his side fail to score for the first time since April and
also had to deal with a temperamental reaction from striker Balotelli
after taking the Italian off in the second half.
But things could have been even worse for the champions had the
officials not come to their rescue just four minutes into the game.
Nolan found space to steer home Mark Noble's floated free-kick with a
fine first-time finish but the goal was disallowed for offside -
incorrectly, TV replays showed.
The hoisted ball into the box, usually aimed towards Andy Carroll, was
predictably a favourite tactic of Sam Allardyce's side but they came
forward with intelligence down the flanks too.
Mohamed Diame cut in from the left to fizz in a shot that was rising
as it flew over Joe Hart's crossbar and Benayoun went even closer
after running in to meet an enticing Matt Jarvis cross with a volley
that clattered against the same piece of woodwork.

Carroll's mere presence was a nuisance to City but he went close to
breaking the deadlock himself too, when Benayoun returned his
knockdown and the Hammers striker, with England boss Roy Hodgson
watching from the stands, sent a low shot skidding inches wide.
At the other end, City were functional rather than free-flowing in the
early stages, perhaps because of an unfamiliar front-line that saw
Balotelli, Tevez and Edin Dzeko starting together for the first time.

Mancini's men showed little of the guile they will need to break down
Ajax in their vital Champions League meeting on Tuesday until
Balotelli blazed a Tevez free-kick over the bar 10 minutes before
half-time.

City did improve in attack after the break but they still struggled to
test Hammers keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen, and his stop after Tevez met a
deflected Dzeko cross was his first serious save.
West Ham were never likely to lie down and Nolan and Andy Carroll both
remained dangerous, with Carroll seeing an acrobatic effort deflect
wide off Gael Clichy.
But it was City who looked increasingly likely to take home the three
points, with Tevez blasting over as he tried to round off a neat move
and Barry bundling the ball wide after referee Howard Webb missed what
appeared to be a handball from another Dzeko cross.
By now the visitors had all the possession and Mancini tried a
different combination in attack in an attempt to make a difference in
front of goal, hauling off a visibly unhappy Balotelli and sending on
Sergio Aguero instead.
It was to no avail. Aguero stung Jaaskelainen's palms from a
quickly-taken free-kick but that was as close as City came to
snatching a late victory, leaving Mancini to dwell on dropped points
as well as planning for next week's crunch clash with the Dutch
champions.

Why City usually enjoy Hammer time
West Ham have now won just one of their last 13 meetings against
Manchester City, a 1-0 victory in March 2009 when Jack Collison scored
the winner. Gianfranco Zola was Hammers boss and Mark Hughes was
Manchester City manager. City's record against the Hammers since the
2006-07 season is P13 W8 D3 L1 F19 A6

West Ham United
22 Jaaskelainen
02 Reid
03 McCartney Booked
17 O'Brien
19 Collins Booked (Spence - 84' )
04 Nolan
07 Jarvis
15 Benayoun Booked
16 Noble
21 Diame (O'Neil - 71' )
08 Carroll (Cole - 77' )
Substitutes
30 Spiegel
27 Spence
44 Chambers
32 O'Neil
09 Cole
11 Maiga
46 Hall

Manchester City
01 Hart
04 Kompany
22 Clichy
28 K Toure
33 Nastasic
08 Nasri (Sinclair - 90' )
18 Barry
42 Y Toure
10 Dzeko
32 Tevez (Garcia - 84' )
45 Balotelli (Aguero - 69' )
Substitutes
30 Pantilimon
05 Zabaleta
13 Kolarov
11 Sinclair
14 Garcia
62 Razak
16 Aguero
Ref: H Webb

Att: 35,005

MATCH STATS
Possession
West Ham United 39%
Manchester City 61%

Shots
West Ham United
Manchester City 18

On target
West Ham United 1
Manchester City 8

Corners
West Ham United 3
Manchester City 7

Fouls
West Ham United 11
Manchester City 12

__________________________________________________________


Man City boss Roberto Mancini unhappy at wasted chances
BBC
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini pointed to "four incredible
chances to score" at West Ham and, in particular, a miss from striker
Mario Balotelli.
The Italian striker missed a chance from close range in the goalless draw.
"I think that a player like Balotelli, when he has a chance like
[that], he should score," said Mancini.
"It's not a fair result," he added. "When you have 65% ball
possession, 22 shots - maybe less shots on goal - you deserve to win."
Balotelli started alongside fellow strikers Carlos Tevez and Edin
Dzeko but the trio could not prevent City failing to score for the
first time since April, a result that leaves them third, two points
behind table-topping local rivals Manchester United.
Mancini, who took Balotelli off after 69 minutes, continued: "When you
are a top player, if you have a chance, you should score this - but I
don't think [Balotelli] didn't want to score."
Asked about the scoreline, he said: "No, no, [it was] not a fair result.
"But I am happy with the performance, because we played well - I'm
unhappy with the chances that we're missing.
"When you're playing well and you have a chance, and you're missing an
incredible chance, you can be frustrated - but this is football. If
you don't score, you can't win - we lost two points."
West Ham could have taken an early lead when Kevin Nolan had what
appeared a legitimate goal ruled out for offside but Hammers boss Sam
Allardyce was delighted with the result.
"I'm really pleased," he said. "I think that our performance from
start to finish was very, very good indeed.
"The way we started the game was bright, trying to see if we could
test Man City early on.
"Of course, we did that with a fantastically taken goal by Kevin Nolan
that I think was a little unfortunate to be given offside.
"But the first half, we tried the best we possibly could to put more
and more pressure on Man City.
"Of course we would have to do some severe defending somewhere along
the line and that wasn't so much in the first half but certainly was
in the second."

________________________________________________

West Ham exceed Sam Allardyce's expectations
WHUFC

Manager Sam Allardyce says West Ham have performed better than he
expected in the Premier League after they drew 0-0 with champions
Manchester City.
The Hammers, promoted from the Championship via the play-offs last
season, sit eighth in the Premier League.
Allardyce says Kevin Nolan's early strike, which was ruled out for
offside, should have been allowed to stand.

______________________________________________________________

Manchester City slip to third as West Ham hold on for goalless draw
Last Updated: November 3, 2012 10:13pm
SSN

Manchester City missed the chance to join neighbours United at the
summit after a frustrating stalemate at West Ham.
Few more awkward-looking trips before Tuesday's must-win Champions
League visit of Ajax could Roberto Mancini have picked out and his
side would have gone behind inside five minutes had it not been for a
wrongly-raised flag.
Kevin Nolan watched Mark Noble's lofted ball all the way over his
right shoulder before lashing a fierce volley past Joe Hart but Sam
Allardyce was left raging by the offside decision and he had a point.

Edin Dzeko was dubiously ruled offside at the other end but, in any
case, missed his header on the rebound and while the hosts continued
to knock the ball about with comfort, City struggled to find their
groove.
Mohamed Diame cut inside and blazed goalwards, Yossi Benayoun watched
a sidefoot volley hit the bar and Andy Carroll dragged a shot wide but
the space Yaya Toure was allowed to stride into at the other end
served as a warning.
City's best chance came from a Carlos Tevez inswinger but Mario
Balotelli - wasteful on several occasions - lifted the ball over the
bar from close-range and Mancini blew out his cheeks in frustration.

The Italian boss glowered in his dug-out for several minutes before
his players returned but his verbal volley drew a response. City
pressed higher up the pitch and a string of corners came, threatening
the breakthrough.
Ex-Hammer Tevez looked like being the man, but sliced across the ball
with the goal in his sight, and then Gareth Barry charged into the box
only to poke past the post, that miss the cue for Sergio Aguero's
introduction.

Jussi Jaaskelainen pushed away a fierce shot from the new boy, and
James Collins threw his body in front of blue shirts to preserve a
deserved deadlock.
Allardyce punched the air while Mancini wore a grimace: it was his
side's first goalless draw since Boxing Day.
Mancini had sprung a surprise before kick-off by again tinkering with
his starting line-up and the decision to start with Balotelli, Tevez
and Dzeko in the same XI for the first time failed to deliver the
goods.
After a three at the back experiment cost City against Ajax 10 days
ago, Mancini's radical tactics are becoming reminiscent of another
Italian, famously dubbed 'The Tinkerman', and we all know what
happened to Claudio Ranieri.
He had also handed Kolo Toure his first league start since August and
recalled James Milner, although he was forced into a last-minute
change when the latter hurt his hamstring in the warm-up and was
replaced by Barry.
And, on this evidence, City really will need the "miracle" Mancini
predicted to rescue their Champions League campaign, starting in
Tuesday's revenge mission against Ajax.

Best of the Match
Man of the match: James Collins. The West Ham centre-half put in a
great performance in holding City before being replaced late on
Save of the match: Jussi Jasaskelainen saved well to his left to deny
Samri Nasri's long range first half effort.
Attempt of the match: Andy Carroll's overhead kick took a deflection
and went out for a corner.
Moment of the match. Kevin Nolan's early disallowed 'goal' which
replays showed stood have stood.
Talking point: City remain unbeaten but lost ground on rivals Man
United. West Ham earned a vaulable point.
The champions enjoyed ample possession in east London but their
unbeaten start in the Premier League continues to be an underwhelming
one and West Ham were denied what seemed a legitimate early goal.


_______________________________________________

West Ham 0 Manchester City 0
The Sun
NET LOSS ... Mario misses out against West Ham
By VIKKI ORVICE
Last Updated: 04th November 2012

MARIO BALOTELLI made the cover of Time magazine this week but the wait
for his first Premier League goal of the season goes on.
The Manchester City striker wasted a host of chances to seal victory
for the defending champions — and put them level with new leaders
Manchester United.
And with City facing their must-win Champions League game against Ajax
on Tuesday, manager Roberto Mancini's concern was visible to see.
Balotelli had at least three chances to put City ahead — blazing one
effort over the bar from just eight yards out.
After subbing the controversial Italian in the 68th minute, replacing
him with Sergio Aguero, Mancini could not bring himself to even
acknowledge Balotelli, never mind speak to him.
Balotelli did not look much happier himself, as he sank into his seat.
City are still unbeaten in their last 16 Premier League matches.
But this was anything but a convincing performance against a team who
were plying their trade in the Championship a year ago.
Mancini admitted: "It's not as if he didn't want to score but for a
player like Balotelli to miss a chance like this... he should score.
"We deserved to win. We had 69 per cent of possession and 22 shots. We
missed four, five incredible chances to score and when you miss these
chances you don't deserve to lose the game.

"I'm happy for the chances we created but it's frustrating. West Ham
defended well but this was two points dropped."
Mancini also admitted this season is proving to be harder as defending
Premier League champs.
He said: "When you win the title, the year after is more difficult.
This is maybe the biggest problem we have had.
"We conceded a lot of goals at the start of the season but now we have
improved that defensive problem and we need to start scoring like we
did last year. We need to work on our attacking."
Mancini was forced into a last-minute change when James Milner
suffered an injury in the warm-up, drafting Gareth Barry into the
starting line-up.
The shake-up seemed to affect the champions and it was West Ham who
started the brighter.
The home side thought they had gone ahead as early as the third minute
when Kevin Nolan latched on to a free-kick from Mark Noble, slamming
the ball into the back of the net past Joe Hart. But much to the
Hammers' dismay the assistant referee raised his flag, TV replays
later showing Nolan to be inches onside.
Nine minutes later the Hammers were surging forward again, Mohamed
Diame having the perfect chance to score after he cut in from the
left.
Instead his curling right-foot effort cleared the bar by a yard.
Yossi Benayoun then forced Hart into a save when he chipped the ball
into the area before finally City were stirred into action at the
other end.
Former Hammers striker Carlos Tevez set up Edin Dzeko in the 14th
minute only for his shot to be blocked on the edge of the area by
James Collins. Then, three minutes later, Noble sent a long pass to
Matt Jarvis whose cross was superbly volleyed by Benayoun — only for
Hart to parry the ball over the bar.
Benayoun was on fire, passing the ball to Andy Carroll whose effort
went inches wide of the right post.
But if Carroll, yet to score since his loan move from Anfield, was
lacking in front of goal, then Balotelli was no better.
He produced an astonishing miss just after the half-hour from a
curling Tevez free-kick.
With only Jussi Jaaskelainen to beat from eight yards, the Italian
kicked the ball high over the bar and into the stands. If that was bad
enough, Balotelli failed to convert another great chance four minutes
later. This time around a stunned Mancini had to sit down.
City, astonishingly, have now not scored in the opening 30 minutes of
a Premier League game since April 22, when Aguero found the net
against Wolves.
Balotelli spurned a third chance from Samir Nasri's cross just before half-time.
And even the break did not seem to help the 22-year-old Italian, as
within minutes of the restart he fluffed another chance.
Dzeko's cross from the right was deflected but Balotelli could not
make contact with the ball.
After 59 minutes Carroll produced a scissor-kick shot which was
stopped by Gael Clichy.
City responded as Barry poked a shot wide from six yards.
But ref Howard Webb signalled the England midfielder had handled in
the build-up anyway.
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce could sense this game was there for the taking.
In the end he had to settle for a share of the points but a raised
fist at the final whistle showed Big Sam was happy enough with that.
If only the same could be said for Mancini.

West Ham: Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Reid, Collins (Spence 84), McCartney,
Jarvis, Noble, Diame (O'Neil 71), Benayoun, Nolan,Carroll (Cole 77).
Subs not used: Spiegel, Maiga, Chambers, Hall. Booked: Collins,
Benayoun, McCartney.

Man City: Hart, Nastasic, Kompany, Kolo Toure, Clichy, Barry, Yaya
Toure, Nasri (Sinclair 90), Tevez (Javi Garcia 84), Dzeko, Balotelli
(Aguero 69). Subs not used: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Razak.
Att: 35,005


_________________________________________

Sam in a rage
The Sun
West Ham 0 Man City 0
SAM ALLARDYCE hit out at the officials after West Ham were denied victory.
Hammers skipper Kevin Nolan had a goal chalked off after just four
minutes — but replays showed he was onside.
Big Sam said: "It should've been a goal. You want it to stand when
it's a perfectly good goal — and we feel it was.
"At such an early stage it would have given us the momentum to carry on.
"You want the officials to get decisions right — and it wasn't a
correct decision.
"Had City won it would've been a bitter blow because any team that
goes behind away from home finds it difficult to win, even Manchester
City, United or Arsenal.
"But we have to be satisfied we've taken a point off the champions.
"Their four strikers cost £150million so you know you have to do some
good defending at some stage.
"But in the end we limited them to a few chances."

_________________________________________________________________________

West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City: Mancini's gamble fails to come off...again

3 Nov 2012 19:45
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City
Mirror
City boss started with Balotelli, Tevez and Dzeko but none of them
could find the back of the net
AP

For West Ham it was further evidence that they can achieve their
target of survival. For Manchester City, more proof that retaining the
title is going to be tougher than winning it initially.

City's problems started ­before a ball was kicked in anger. During the
warm-up, James Milner damaged a ­hamstring and was forced out. Gareth
Barry came in and proved a more than adequate replacement in his
holding midfield role.

Carlos Tevez, whose goal kept West Ham in the Premier League five
years ago, was greeted like a homecoming hero. "One Carlos Tevez" was
the song from the Bobby Moore Stand and as West Ham fans are not
strong on irony, it was clearly a compliment.

Not so lucky was Mario ­Balotelli. Each miss – including an alarming
one from Samir Nasri's cross in the 33rd minute – was jeered.

But while Tevez was ­welcome at Upton Park, ­referee Howard Webb was
not. To be fair, the disallowed fourth-minute strike from Kevin Nolan
that beat Joe Hart was the assistant's decision.

Replays showed that Nolan was onside but Hammers boss Sam Allardyce
admitted an early goal could also have had an advsere affect.

He said: "It should have been goal but it could have kicked Man City
up the backside and they could easily have won the game. It would have
been an unbelievable start. At such an early stage you never know what
is going to happen.

"You want officials to get the decisions correct and had City won this
game, it would have been a bitter blow. It was a great performance and
a great point for us."

Given the quality at the disposal of manager Roberto Mancini and the
status of his team as champions, City were always going to look smooth
in possession. Their movement was easy on the eye and one shot from
Nasri forced Jussi Jaaskelainen into a flying save in the ninth
minute.

But West Ham defended with resolve. James Collins looked rock-like
when the ball came into his penalty area. It was outside it where he
had problems, as he showed in the 56th minute when he was booked for
an ugly challenge on Edin Dzeko.

Mark Noble and Mohamed Diame worked manfully against City's talented
­midfield and they used the craft and guile of Yossi Benayoun to great
­effect when they had the chance to break.

It was the kind of spirit that kept the crowd onside and on the hour,
Andy Carroll came close to opening his account for the club when he
­acrobatically turned George McCartney's cross towards goal but it was
deflected for a corner.

For all their class in attack, City still look far from secure at the
back and West Ham clearly felt they could make the breakthrough on the
­counter – especially with City continuing to squander the openings
they carved. Tevez was the culprit in the 65th minute when from inside
the area he shot wildly over.

But the most glaring miss of all came from Barry in the 67th minute.
Tevez teed him up perfectly and somehow he shot wide.

Mancini had clearly seen enough of Balotelli's strut with no end
product and with 22 minutes to go, he brought on Sergio Aguero.
But it was Carroll who threatened when he went for a cross but the
ball ballooned over the bar.

Aguero was soon in action with a snap shot that Jasskelainen turned
away in the 79th minute. As City's late pressure grew, McCartney was
booked for a late lunge on Barry.
Such was the affection for Tevez that he was given a standing ovation
by the crowd when he went off.

A more worrying sight for the West Ham fans was Collins limping off to
be replaced by Jordan Spence and Jaaskelainen's goal was now under
virtual siege.
But the Hammers hung on for a hard-earned point.

Mancini said: "I am happy with the performance but I'm not happy for
the result ­because we deserved to win.
"We played well but we needed to score. We defended well – it is not
easy to defend against Carroll."

____________________________________________________________________

West Ham United draw comfort from keeping Manchester City at bay
West Ham United 0
Manchester City 0
Jamie Jackson at Upton Park
The Observer, Saturday 3 November 2012 19.40 GMT

The Premier League's only unbeaten show rolls on. Manchester City are
yet to find anything like the rhythm that chewed up sides during the
opening of last season, although a hunch is that sometime soon Roberto
Mancini's team will teach an opponent a lesson.

Not here, though. With Manchester United's win over Arsenal and
Chelsea's draw at Swansea, a 4-0 victory over West Ham would have
placed City top for the first time this term. Yet by the close,
Mancini would have killed for a scrappily fought 1-0, with this result
meaning they stay third, two points behind Sir Alex Ferguson's team.

Mancini, who will be without Joleon Lescott and James Milner for
Tuesday's must-win Champions League visit of Ajax, said: "We played
well. But if we want to win, we've got to score and we missed four,
five, six incredible chances. The guys played well and defended well.
I'm happy for that performance but not the result."

Mancini set up his side in what, when the break arrived, had proved a
fluid 4-2-1-3. This had Samir Nasri as the conductor behind an
attacking trident of Mario Balotelli, Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko.
Sergio Agüero was on the bench alongside Pablo Zabaleta, a right-back
who was returning from injury. Kolo Touré was chosen to fill the berth
for a first league start since late August, as Lescott's back injury
caused him to miss out. After Milner went down with an injured
hamstring in the warmup, Gareth Barry also made the XI, playing in
tandem with Yaya Touré in a midfield shield that was overrun at times
during the opening period.

Noting City's weak spot along Kolo Touré's corridor, Sam Allardyce was
spied early on waving at James Collins to pepper the auxiliary
right-back with a high ball for Andy Carroll to feed off. West Ham,
who just about shared the opening half, had the ball beyond Joe Hart
first but this was ruled offside, perhaps unfairly – Mark Noble's
dinked free-kick having been finished expertly by Kevin Nolan.

"You never know how a game is going to pan out when you score so
early," Sam Allardyce said: "But we should have scored and it could
have kicked Manchester City up the backside. We believe we scored a
perfectly good goal. We want the officials to get the decisions
correct."

City, as is the case so far this campaign, were fluid only in flashes.
While at Arsenal, Nasri yearned to play through the middle, although
the ambition was stymied by Cesc Fábregas's presence. Here, with David
Silva injured, the onus was on the Frenchman to prompt the visitors
and he impressed when doing so. There was a chipped pass to Tevez that
West Ham managed to snuff out and, as the half neared its end, a
clever ball to Balotelli from which the Italian attempted an acrobatic
scissors kick that went wide.

City's best move of the half also involved Balotelli. Kolo Touré
pinged a pass into Tevez's feet. The forward instantly hit Balotelli,
who in turn banged his own first-time ball sweetly into Dzeko's path,
which he failed to control. The disappointing Balotelli, who is yet to
score in the league, was replaced by Agüero in the 69th minute, and
Mancini said of his countryman: "A player like Balotelli when he had a
chance like today, he should score. But I don't think he didn't want
to [score]."

West Ham were coming off a 2-1 defeat at Wigan. After this visit of
the champions, their next sequence reads: Newcastle United, Stoke
City, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. Of
this draw, Allardyce said: "It gives us hope and confidence. We have a
difficult fixture list coming up and this one is the icing on the
cake, to get a point against the champions."

Any spoils had looked unlikely when City occupied home territory at
the start of the second half. A Tevez corner that was dropped by Jussi
Jaaskelainen was scrambled away, and when West Ham did attack, an
agricultural boot of the ball at Carroll in the City area came to
nothing when the on-loan Liverpool man was penalised for a foul.

"When the Premier League champions are unbeaten and you play them at
home and get a draw, you've got to be happy. Their front four, who all
got on at some point, were [worth] about £150m, so you're going to
have to do some defending," Allardyce said.