WHUFC.com
The manager found plenty of positives after his team took a point from
unbeaten Fulham on Saturday
02.10.2010
Avram Grant hailed the resolve of his players to come back from a losing
position to make it four games unbeaten at home to Fulham. Although
disappointed not to take all three points after a 1-1 draw, the manager
believed his side's "spirit and character" was beginning to show through. It
was the first time the team had gone a quartet of successive games without
tasting defeat in 19 months, and the psychological importance of that was
not lost on Grant. "The most important thing is to take points and to show
we are improving in many areas that we were not so good before. Part of this
is the spirit. We remember the beginning of the season or even last season
when this team were 1-0 down - now the players showed they can come back
[from a losing position].
"Fulham dominated the match in the first half, they didn't create many
chances but they passed the ball better than us. We were better in the
second half. We changed the shape so it helped us to push them more. We
scored [through Freddie Piquionne] but could have scored more."
Grant acknowledged that Fulham had a great opportunity themselves to snatch
the win in the closing stages through substitute Diomansy Kamara. On that
occasion, a wayward shot saved the Hammers but more often than not at a
sold-out Boleyn Ground, it was Robert Green who proved the difference.
Unsurprisingly, with US attacker Clint Dempsey having scored the first-half
opener, the manager once again fielded questions over his No1's latest
all-conquering display. "He is a good goalkeeper. Every time I need to
answer how he is! Every goalkeeper or player sometimes has bad moments, he
had it and because of the connection of the World Cup everyone is speaking
about him. "He was a good goalkeeper and is still a good goalkeeper. His
performance and character was good. We also saw [with the chances that West
Ham had] that they have a good goalkeeper in [Mark] Schwarzer."
Goalkeeping excellence aside, the manager also praised his strikers - with
Piquionne's third goal in as many matches and another assist for Victor
Obinna showing their partnership is getting stronger. Grant also took the
opportunity to remind that Carlton Cole off the bench, and unused substitute
Benni McCarthy make up a lively foursome. "We have four good strikers. Each
of them will score goals for us this season. We have been training only two
or three weeks together [since the transfer window and the September
international break]. The team is getting better together and the
organisation is good."
With such promising signs, the manager is unworried by the league table -
knowing before the trip to Wolves in a fortnight's time that one win can
change the complexion of the standings. "The position is not important at
this time as one win can take you four or five places forward. You see
Fulham are having a good season and a lot of confidence, and we are only
four points from them. "We don't want to be in the bottom at the end of the
season. This is our target but the aim is to do it in the right way, to
improve our football, our spirit and our character. We are doing it in the
right way."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham United 1-1 Fulham
WHUFC.com
Frederic Piquionne's third goal in as many games earned a hard-fought home
draw with Fulham
02.10.2010
West Ham United v Fulham
Barclays Premier League
Boleyn Ground
Saturday 2 October 2010
Kick-off: 3pm
Referee: Andre Marriner
Final score - West Ham United 1-1 Fulham
94 mins - Last chance as Boa Morte is impeded by Salcido... Schwarzer
punches the ball clear of the penalty area. After a bit of interplay in the
midfield, the final whistle is blown. Fulham remain unbeaten, while West Ham
are unfortunately back on the bottom of the table, despite extending their
own unbeaten run to four matches. The Hammers return to action after the
international break with a trip to second-bottom Wolves.
92 mins - Gera twists and turns past Gabbidon, but Upson is there to make a
fine block.
91 mins - Kamara should win it for Fulham, but doesn't. West Ham give
possession away in midfield and the substitute races clear with only Green
to beat, but he shoots way too high. Poor effort. Fulham replace Davies with
Riise.
90 mins - Drama late on here. Cole jumps high and challenges Schwarzer. The
ball drops to Obinna, who crosses towards Piquionne, but Hughes does
brilliantly to flick the ball out from inside his own six-yard box.
88 mins - They almost do as Cole holds off Gera and Hughes before finding
Parker, but the midfielder's shot is into the side-netting.
87 mins - Green shows why Clemence is here to watch him with a miraculous
save to keep out Etuhu's header. West Ham need to sort themselves out
quickly or they will lose this.
86 mins - Appeals for handball against Davies, but nothing is given. The
midfielder takes advantage shoots powerfully from 25 yards, forcing Green to
push the ball aside for a corner. It is a poor one, though, and Piquionne
heads clear.
84 mins - Come on West Ham, let's see something special in the closing
minutes.
81 mins - Brilliant from Piquionne, who holds off Salcido before playing a
one-two with Boa Morte. The No30 then finds Obinna, but his fellow forward
can only flash his drive wide of the near post.
78 mins - West Ham are living on their nerves here. Baird crosses and Etuhu
is completely unmarked, but he cannot direct his header on target.
77 mins - Kamara is on for Johnson. Boa Morte is fouled and referee Marriner
gives a free-kick, much to the delight of the home supporters. Noble takes
the free-kick and Da Costa wins it, but his header bounces harmlessly into
the grasp of Schwarzer at his near post.
75 mins - Obinna runs at Baird and gets the ball on to his left foot, but
his shot is high and not very handsome. Maybe he should have crossed there.
74 mins - Fulham look by far the more likely scorers at the moment. Salcido
drills a cross in from the left, which Da Costa completely misses. Baird has
the ball again, but his cross is diverted wide of the near post by the
sliding Gera.
72 mins - Dempsey is involved again, but this time his header from Baird's
fine right-wing cross bounces about a foot wide of the post. The chance was
created by an Obinna foul on Davies.
71 mins - Gera is next to show, but his 30-yard effort is wayward. Very
wayward.
70 mins - Cole is involved immediately, spinning away from Hughes and
running into the penalty area. Unfortunately, his touch is a little heavy
and his cross-shot weak and far too close to Schwarzer.
69 mins - Barrera is replaced by Cole. I wonder if this will mean a change
back to 4-4-2? Piquionne has looked a bit isolated in the last ten minutes.
Fulham replace Duff with Zoltan Gera.
67 mins - West Ham have lost their way a little bit here and Jacobsen
concedes a corner. Duff takes and Piquionne clears at the near post.
66 mins - The free-kick is lofted into the box by Duff and falls to Johnson,
who can only poke his left-foot shot well wide from about 12 yards. He
should have hit the target there.
65 mins - Upson is booked for a foul on...Dempsey.
62 mins - Gabbidon concedes a free-kick. Duff takes and Da Costa heads clear
before Noble hacks the ball upfield.
59 mins - Better this time from Gabbidon, who gets forward down the left and
wins a corner. Noble's delivery isn't great and even though Parker heads the
ball back to the No16, his shot is blocked and cleared. Johnson is one on
one with Jacobsen, but the right-back holds the striker up before blocking
his shot. Fulham keep the pressure on, but Noble works back and clears for a
throw.
58 mins - Brilliant from Green. Upson and Gabbidon both hesitate and fail to
deal with the bouncing ball, allowing Dempsey to get in behind, but Green is
out swiftly to block the American's poke goalwards.
55 mins - Jacobsen is penalised for tugging back a Fulham player. Murphy
takes, but his free-kick is over-hit and flies behind.
54 mins - West Ham's tails are up here. Piqionne breaks clear down the
inside-left channel. He decides to power the bouncing ball towards goal, but
it bounces well wide.
53 mins - Oh dear! Da Costa heads Duff's free-kick clear and Obinna finds
Barrera in acres of space. Obinna and Boa Morte scamper forward, but Barrera
instead cuts inside and shoots wildly wide. Shame.
52 mins - The stadium has come alive with that goal. Piquionne nearly gets
in again seconds later, but cannot control and Hangeland is able to clear.
51 mins - GOAL! Better! Piquionne scores for the second straight home game
with a powerful downward header from six yards. Boa Morte picked up a loose
clearance before sliding the ball inside right for Obinna. The No33 picked
out his partner with a superb first-time cross and Piqionne made no mistake.
49 mins - West Ham come back with a bit of possession in the Fulham half,
but it comes to nothing. Too often, possession has been squandered...
48 mins - Gabbidon gives the ball away needlessly and it nearly leads to a
second goal. Johnson gets a bit of luck when the ball flicks back to him off
the Welshman, but there is nothing lucky about Dempsey's dipping shot that
kisses the top of the crossbar on the way over.
46 mins - After one false-start, Fulham get us back up and running. It looks
like West Ham have switched to a 4-3-3 formation. Barrera is wide left,
Obinna wide right and Piquionne through the middle on his own. Boa Morte has
tucked in as one of three midfielders.
No changes from either side at the break. Fulham will kick-off through
Dempsey and Johnson. West Ham need to find some inspiration and a couple of
goals from somewhere...
Half-time score - West Ham United 0-1 Fulham
48 mins - The half-time whistle is blown. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw
a half-time change. Cole is warming up on the touchline and could well be on
after the break.
46 mins - We're going to have at least two more minutes... Fulham start the
added time by attacking. Johnson tries to run Upson, but the captain slides
in superbly.
44 mins - Fulham break in numbers and, although West Ham repel the initial
wave of attack, Salcido gets his shot away. Green handles the ball well in
the slippery conditions.
42 mins - This is getting very frustrating to watch. Barrera does well to
find Piquionne, but the Frenchman chooses to pass to Parker instead of
shooting from 18 yards. When he does, the Hammer of the Year has strayed
offside.
41 mins - Obinna tries his best to get on the scoresheet, tricking his way
past two defenders before dragging his shot wide of the far post.
37 mins - This is getting a bit silly. Duff runs into Jacobsen and throws
himself to the turf. Free-kick, according to the referee. Murphy crosses and
Dempsey is penalised.
36 mins - Marriner has his book out again, this time for Etuhu. That was
never a booking, to be honest. He may have impeded Parker, but a free-kick
would have sufficed.
33 mins - GOAL! Well, he clearly wasn't badly hurt, was he. Davies' pass
loops up into the air to Dempsey, who gets goal-side of the Hammers defence
before guiding the ball into the top corner from ten yards. Dempsey runs off
to celebrate.
32 mins - Marriner shows yellow to Parker, despite the midfielder looking to
have cleanly won the ball from Dempsey. Not for the first time, the American
goes down as if he's hurt, but is quickly up on his feet.
31 mins - That, ladies and gentlemen, is a dive. Murphy plays a fantastic
pass over the top for Johnson, but the American fails to control before
flinging himself to the ground.
30 mins - Obinna brings the ball clear with a clever drop of the shoulder,
but just as he threatens to run through the whole Fulham team, he loses his
footing. Fulham break, but Johnson cannot keep his shot down.
29 mins - Dempsey is down again, this time following a challenge from
Parker. Parker smiles. I'm not sure he even touched him.
28 mins - Scott Parker drives forward after stealing the ball from Murphy.
He gives the ball away initially, but Jacobsen wins it back and finds Noble,
who plays the ball wide for Barrera. The winger crosses, but Piquionne had
stopped his run and Schwarzer claims.
26 mins - Barrera closes down Salcido and when the left-back passes back to
Schwarzer, Piquionne comes within a yard of nicking the ball from off the
Australian's toe. Close...
25 mins - Dempsey is down again. He has a nasty shiner under his left eye.
Replays show he may have been caught by Da Costa's arm as the pair jumped
for a header. Obinna is OK, by the way.
23 mins - Barrera brings the ball forward well down the right before finding
Obinna. The Nigerian cuts on to his left foot and tries to shoot, only for
fellow countryman Etuhu to make a superb sliding challenge. Obinna
inadvertantly kicks Etuhu's boot. He stays down and needs some treatment.
20 mins - West Ham are upping it. Jacobsen makes a fantastic run and Parker
finds him. The right-back's cross flicks off a Fulham head and lands at
Noble's feet. He beats two defenders before the ball is deflected to Boa
Morte, but his cross is easily cleared by Hangeland.
18 mins - After yet another change of shirt - he's now in No16 - Duff is
back on again! Barrera concedes possession before winning it back. Noble
tries to curl a ball around Hughes for Piquionne, but Schwarzer is alive to
the danger and hacks clear.
16 mins - Obinna takes the set piece, but over-hits it and the ball bounces
behind for a goal kick. Duff needs more running repairs...
15 mins - West Ham attack down the right and force Duff to head out for a
throw level with the edge of the penalty area. Obinna works an opening and
crosses left footed, but Hughes is there to head clear. Da Costa keeps the
pressure on and wins a free-kick about 35 yards from goal.
14 mins - It's been fairly uninspiring stuff so far. Both teams are probing
for an opening, but so far the back fours have been well on top.
10 mins - Duff has possession about 25 yards out and shoots. The ball goes
well wide and the Irishman wants a corner, but the referee disagrees and
awards a goal kick.
9 mins - Davies takes a short corner to Duff, who has come back on sporting
a shirt with no name or number on the back, He crosses and Green punches.
Noble and Boa Morte complete the clearance.
8 mins - Duff has an eye injury and is told to go and have it seen to by the
physio. For the moment, Fulham are down to ten. It fails to quell their
ambition, though, as Salcido lofts a cross to the back post and Upson heads
behind.
6 mins - The Hammers do up their game. Boa Morte finds Gabbidon, who swaps
passes with Parker and wins a corner. Noble to take... Can Piquionne repeat
his trick against Spurs? He nearly does, winning a towering header that is
headed out from off the line by Carlos Salcido.
5 mins - The crowd crank up the noise. West Ham have been a little uncertain
in the early stages and have yet to find their passing rhythm.
3 mins - Barrera and Jacobsen combine before Piquionne makes a good run down
the right channel. The Frenchman crosses, but it's too close to Schwarzer.
2 mins - Gabbidon goes in hard on Dempsey. The American clutches his leg and
referee Marriner decides to book the West Ham No4. Harsh is that. Dempsey is
quickly back on his feet and jogs to the edge of the box. West Ham deal with
the initial free-kick but the ball falls to Dempsey. He holds off Parker and
shoots, but Green can watch the ball fly past his far post.
1 min - Fulham show first, but Upson is there to clear before Boa Morte is
fouled. The Portuguese, of course, is playing against his former club.
3pm - Obinna and Piquionne get us underway...
2.59pm - The mascots make their way to the touchline and the two captains,
Upson and Murphy, shake hands. West Ham will kick-off, shooting towards the
Sir Trevor Brooking Stand end of the stadium.
2.57pm - Here come the two teams, welcomed by loud cheers from the home
supporters. Fulham have brought a decent following, to be fair to them,
considering they haven't won away from home in the league since 15 August
2009.
2.55pm - Fulham centre-back Brede Hangeland and West Ham right-back Lars
Jacobsen are good friends from their time together at FC Copenhagen, where
they won two Danish Superliga titles. Let's hope only Jacobsen is smiling
this afternoon come 5pm... 'Bubbles' starts to play as the rain gets harder,
kick-off is rapidly approaching...
2.52pm - A little bird has told me that England goalkeeper coach Ray
Clemence is here today. He can't be here to watch Mark Schwarzer, can he?!
England, remember, face Montenegro in a UEFA 2012 qualifier a week on
Tuesday.
2.48pm - Match of the Day 2 presenter Kevin Day is being interviewed
pitchside. Day is spending the day - clever, eh! - with Chairman David Gold.
A film crew visited Mr Gold's house this morning, meeting Tevez the goldfish
and viewing the Chairman's collection of West Ham memorabilia. Match of the
Day 2 will be screened on BBC2 on Sunday evening from 10.10pm.
2.45pm - The early morning sunshine has disappeared and it is now a cloudy
and cool afternoon in east London. West Ham have got a great Premier League
record against Fulham, having been beaten just twice in 14 top-flight
meetings between the two clubs. Another victory would definitely take the
Hammers out of the bottom three, dumping Wolverhampton Wanderers and
Liverpool into the bottom three. Wolves have already been beaten this
afternoon, going down 2-0 at Wigan Athletic.
Good afternoon and welcome to the Boleyn Ground for West Ham United's third
Barclays Premier League home London derby in succession.
Having been defeated by Chelsea and beaten Tottenham Hotspur, Avram Grant's
side will hope to end the trio of capital clashes with a victory - extending
the club's unbeaten run to four matches in all competitions in the process.
Grant makes just one change to the starting XI that beat Spurs a week ago,
bringing in Pablo Barrera for stomach bug victim Kieron Dyer, who misses
out. Herita Ilunga returns to the substitutes bench after recovering from a
back injury. James Tomkins and Junior Stanislas also return to the matchday
18 after impressing for the reserves in midweek.
West Ham United: Green, Jacobsen, Da Costa, Upson, Gabbidon, Barrera (Cole
69), Parker, Noble, Boa Morte, Obinna, Piquionne
Subs: Stech, Ilunga, Tomkins, Kovac, Stanislas, McCarthy
Fulham: Schwarzer, Baird, Hughes, Hangeland, Salcido, Duff (Gera 69), Etuhu,
Murphy, Davies (Riise 90), E.Johnson (Kamara 77), Dempsey
Subs: Etheridge, Pantsil, Haliche, Greening
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West Ham 1 - 1 Fulham
BBC.co.uk
By Kevin Darling
Frederic Piquionne's second-half header helped West Ham pin back Fulham as
the Cottagers recorded their sixth draw from seven league games this season.
Clint Dempsey expertly clipped past World Cup foe Robert Green from 12 yards
to put the visitors ahead. But Brede Hangeland's mistake let in Victor
Obinna to set up Piquionne for a close-range leveller. Fulham had the better
chances to win it but Green saved superbly from Dickson Etuhu and Diomansy
Kamara blazed over. The result sees West Ham return to the bottom of the
Premier League table yet they will be satisfied with a point from a
full-blooded London derby that was high on energy but low on attacking
finesse. The game may also have laid a few more South Africa 2010 demons to
rest for seemingly revitalised Hammers keeper Green, who put in a faultless
display and this time could do nothing to prevent his World Cup nemesis
Dempsey from opening the scoring. It was the first chance for the pair to
renew rivalries since Dempsey's infamous strike past Green in Rustenburg,
and just two minutes were on the clock when the American tried his luck with
a speculative 25-yard effort that went well wide. There were more crunching
tackles than chances in a scrappy first 30 minutes, most notably when Manuel
Da Costa caught Dempsey with an elbow to the side of the head that went
unpunished by referee Andre Marriner. But the robust American, also the
victim of meaty challenges from Danny Gabbidon and Scott Parker and by now
sporting a shiny bump by his left eye, dusted himself down to notch an
opening goal that Green was powerless to prevent.
Simon Davies' pass took a deflection and looped into the path of Dempsey,
who controlled the ball with his chest and cleverly dinked it over Green
from 12 yards. The Hammers were tenacious but toothless, with Carlos
Salcido's clearance off the line from Piquionne's early header the only time
Mark Schwarzer's goal came under noteworthy threat in the first half. Fulham
boss Mark Hughes was also angered at Marriner's refusal to award the
visitors a spot-kick when Eddie Johnson went down under a challenge from
Lars Jacobsen. Within moments of the restart, a Dempsey effort again beat
Green but his powerful shot from the edge of the box clipped the top of the
crossbar. Two minutes later, the visitors had relinquished their lead after
an uncharacteristic mistake from centre-back Hangeland. The Norwegian's
nonchalant pass out of defence went straight to Luis Boa Morte, who fed
Obinna on the right and the Nigerian crossed for Piquionne to head home from
close range.
Fulham had a chance to quickly regain the lead but Green reacted well to
dive at the the feet of the impressive Dempsey. As the game opened up, West
Ham's Pablo Barrera and Fulham's Johnson were both guilty of wasting good
shooting opportunities, while Etuhu should have done better with a free
header.
For the hosts, attacking livewire Obinna enthralled and frustrated the home
fans in equal measure with a dizzying mixture of piercing runs and wayward
shots. But it was Fulham who finished the strongest and it fell to Green to
preserve West Ham's point and their four-match unbeaten run. First, the
Hammers keeper tipped a fizzing Davies drive around the post, then he made
an even better stop to parry Etuhu's powerful header. There was still time
for Fulham to create another gilt-edged in injury time but Kamara fired well
over from the edge of the box after being sent clean through.
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Avram Grant praises West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green
BBC.co.uk
West Ham manager Avram Grant paid tribute to Robert Green after the
goalkeeper's impressive display in the 1-1 draw against Fulham. Green pulled
off a string of saves as he faced USA forward Clint Dempsey for the first
time since his error allowed Dempsey to score in the World Cup. "I'm very
happy for my goalkeeper. His performance was good and his character was good
too," said Grant. "It's only because of the World Cup that everyone is
speaking about him." Dempsey had fired past Green to give Fulham the lead in
the first half of the London derby but the goalkeeper responded with a
towering performance after the break. The 30-year-old made saves from
Dickson Etuhu, Simon Davies and Dempsey in a confident display that was in
stark contrast to his shaky early season form. "Every player sometimes has
bad moments. Some players have it in the middle of the season, he had it at
the start of season. He was a good goalkeeper and still is," said Grant.
Fulham manager Mark Hughes chose to focus on the performance of referee
Andre Marriner, who turned down the Cottagers' appeals for a first-half
penalty when Eddie Johnson was challenged in the box by Lars Jacobsen. "I am
disappointed we didn't get the penalty because at 2-0 going into half-time
it would have been difficult for them to come back," said Hughes, whose side
were denied victory by Frederic Piquionne's second-half header. "Eddie got
in behind the defence and if there is any contact whatsoever then more often
than not it is a penalty. "Unfortunately for us, for whatever reason, it
wasn't given. From our point of view it was clear, there was a coming
together, a tangle of legs and a goalscoring opportunity was denied, so it
should have been a penalty."
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Piquionne earns a point
Piquionne equalises Dempsey strike but Hammers return to bottom
Last updated: 2nd October 2010
SSN
Man of the match: Robert Green. Made several top-class saves to earn a point
for his side.
Goal of the game: Clint Dempsey's. Davies played a one-two with him before
passing the ball for the striker to slot home in the first period.
Moment of the match: Substitute Diomansy Kamara blasted over when he had a
good chance to win it in injury-time.
Attempt of the match: Simon Davies tried a long-range effort late on which
Green did well to save to his right for a corner.
Save of the match: Green made a fantastic reaction save to deny a
close-range Dickson Etuhu header late on.
Talking point: Fulham had a first-half penalty shout when Eddie Johnson went
down when coming together with Lars Jacobsen in the box but referee Andre
Marriner did not give it.
Frederic Piquionne scored again as West Ham fought back to earn a derby draw
with Fulham at Upton Park. The Cottagers went ahead when American striker
Clint Dempsey, who humiliated Robert Green 112 days ago at the World Cup,
beat the England keeper with a volley on 33 minutes after good work from
Simon Davies. But the Hammers were level six minutes after the break when
Brede Hangeland played a sloppy pass which Luis Boa Morte intercepted and
fed to Victor Obinna, whose cross from the right was headed home by
Piquionne for his third goal in as many games. But the point was not enough
to prevent Avram Grant's side from slipping back to the bottom of the table
on goal difference, while Fulham'sunbeaten start to the campaign remains
intact.
The Hammers were dealt an early blow with the news that Kieron Dyer had
failed to recover from a stomach upset. Fulham manager Mark Hughes paired
Dempsey in attack with fellow American Eddie Johnson. Green was coming face
to face with Dempsey for the first time since his embarrassing blunder in
Rustenburg and the American wasted little time in trying to test the
goalkeeper from long range - but his weak effort curled wide. The shot came
moments after Dempsey was hauled down on the halfway line by Danny Gabbidon,
who entered referee Andre Marriner's notebook for the challenge. Piquionne,
preferred to England striker Carlton Cole after scoring last week's winner
against Spurs, then drew a goal-line clearance from Carlos Salcido with a
powerful header. It was Fulham, though, who had most of the early
possession. Damien Duff, who had earlier received treatment for a cut above
the eye, fired just wide from 25 yards in the 10th minute. West Ham started
to hit back and Mark Schwarzer had to be quick off his line to beat
Piquionne to the ball after Mark Noble had split the Fulham back line.
Large bump
Dempsey was left with a large bump near his eye after an aerial challenge
with Manuel da Costa. He complained he had been elbowed by the defender but
Marriner allowed play to continue. Danny Murphy's lofted ball over the top
set Johnson free and he went down under pressure in the box from Lars
Jacobsen, but Marriner failed to give a penalty, much to the annoyance of
boss Hughes. A smile could be seen on the Welshman's face moments later,
though, when Dempsey was played in over the top by Davies before he
despatched a left-foot volley past Green from 12 yards to put Fulham 1-0 up.
Dickson Etuhu picked up a booking for a late challenge on Scott Parker, who
had received a yellow a few minutes earlier for a clumsy hack on Dempsey.
The American then came close to doubling Fulham's advantage soon after the
break when his curling shot bounced on top of the bar. But sloppy play cost
Fulham after 51 minutes as West Ham drew level through Piquionne's header.
Hangeland's misplaced pass was picked up by Boa Morte, who laid the ball
down the right flank to Obinna. The Nigerian's cross was at the perfect
height for the unmarked Piquionne, who made no mistake from six yards.
Dempsey then outmuscled Da Costa and Gabbidon to break into the Hammers' box
but Green came to the rescue by rushing out to bravely snatch the ball from
the forward's feet.
Mistimed
Hammers captain Matthew Upson became the fourth player to receive a booking
when he mistimed a sliding challenge on Dempsey just after the hour.
Cole, who has failed to find the net for West Ham so far this season, came
on for Barrera with little over 20 minutes to go while Fulham brought on
Zoltan Gera for Duff, who limped off holding his left leg. Dempsey then came
close to putting Fulham ahead when he glanced a header just wide of Green's
right-hand post from Gera's cross. Diomansy Kamara came on to replace the
ineffective Johnson with 13 minutes left as both sides struggled to take
hold of the game. Green then beat away a difficult Davies shot with five
minutes left and the England shot-stopper again came to his side's rescue
shortly after when he produced a fine reaction save from Etuhu's close-range
header. Both sides were going all out for victory in the last few minutes,
with Kamara failing to take advantage of a golden chance to grab the win in
injury-time when he was played in behind the back four but missed the target
with a wild effort. Salcido's body check on Boa Morte then angered Grant,
who marched 20 yards out of his technical area to remonstrate with the
referee in the dying seconds. The Hammers continued to push right until the
end for a winner but fell short, although they extended their unbeaten run
in all competitions to four matches with the draw. However, Grant's side
dropped to the bottom of the table after Wigan's win over Wolves and
Everton's first victory of the season at Birmingham.
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Green shoots of hope
McInally hails England's calamity keeper
Last updated: 2nd October 2010
SSN
He may have flopped at the World Cup, but Robert Green was "absolutely
fantastic" in West Ham's draw with Fulham. That's the view of Soccer
Saturday pundit Alan McInally after he watched the Hammers fight back from
going a goal down to Clint Dempsey's opener to earn a point through Frederic
Piquionne's header. However, it was the Hammers goalkeeper who caught
McInally's eye for keeping West Ham in the game with two fine saves from
Dickson Etuhu and Simon Davies. Following last week's clean sheet against
Tottenham, Green made gestures at journalists who'd criticised him for his
howler for England against the USA at the World Cup. And McInally said he
can be proud of his performance again this week. "Brilliant, absolutely
fantastic," said McInally when he was asked to sum up Green's display. "West
Ham would have been beaten today had it not been for Robert Green. He made
two wonderful saves, specifically from a Dickson Etuhu header and he also
made a great save from Simon Davies. "I'm not glad for Robert Green because
you know if you make a mistake as a goalkeeper you're going to take a bit of
stick. "But he made two wonderful saves, kept his team in the game and they
got a point in the end."
Balance
On the balance of play, McInally felt West Ham manager Avram Grant will be
grateful to have taken a point from the game. However, with the team
struggling at the wrong end of the Premier League table, McInally felt they
perhaps needed to push for all three, especially as they were playing at
home.
"It's not a good result, having had the couple of results that they have
lately," McInally explained. "They didn't play well enough to merit the win,
but they certainly had a couple of chances. When they brought Carlton Cole
on I thought they might start throwing it into the box for him to hold up,
but they couldn't do that. "In the middle of the park, Mark Noble and Parker
are brilliant. Scotty Parker is the heartbeat of that team and he drives the
team forward. "Defensively they were ok, Manuel da Costa and Matthew Upson
were solid and Green had a fantastic game. "Avram Grant will probably have
been happy with a point having seen the way the game went."
Happy
Diomansy Kamara wasted a great chance to win the game for Fulham in the
dying stages, but McInally feels Cottagers boss Mark Hughes will also be
happy with a draw. "I think a point away from home is pretty good," McInally
added. "They were under a little bit of pressure near the end, but Mark
Hughes will be frustrated because they had an unbelievable chance with no
time left. "He brought on somebody with fresh legs - Diomansy Kamara - and
if he'd hit the target he probably would have scored, but he couldn't do
that. "Going to West Ham, I think Mark would probably have been happy with a
point. But they created chances and had it not been for Robert Green they'd
be going back to West London with the three points."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Grant pleased with comeback
West Ham boss pleased with second-half display against Fulham
By Steve Pass Last updated: 2nd October 2010
SSN
Avram Grant was pleased with West Ham's second-half performance after his
side fought back to draw with Fulham at Upton Park. Clint Dempsey gave the
Cottagers a first-half lead but Frederic Piquionne netted six minutes after
the restart to earn a share of the spoils. The Hammers are now unbeaten in
four games in all competitions but the point was not enough to prevent
Grant's side from dropping to bottom of the top flight on goal difference.
But the West Ham boss took the positives, telling Sky Sports he was pleased
with the way his side came back into the game after Fulham had dominated the
opening period. "Second half we came very well into the game, we were the
better team, we scored a goal and we could have scored more but to be fair
they also had a big chance (Diomansy Kamara's injury-time miss) in the end,"
he said.
Belief
Grant reiterated his belief that the Hammers will not be relegation
candidates at the end of the season. "This is our target, it will not be
easy, there is a long way to go. There are good teams today in the Premier
League and it will be a fight until then, but I think we showed that we have
the team that does not need to be relegated."
Grant again left out Carlton Cole, preferring to start with Piquionne and
Victor Obinna, before bringing on the England striker midway through the
second period. He added: "They (Piquionne and Obinna) played together the
first time in the Carling Cup and they did well so that we have continued
with them (against Spurs and Fulham). "The second half we changed the shape
and it was better for us to pass the ball well, to put the pressure on them
and we did it well, we could also win the game.
Good player
"But Carlton Cole is a good player, he will be good for us over the season."
Grant also praised England keeper Robert Green, who met American striker
Clint Dempsey on the pitch for the first time after his blunder at the World
Cup. While Green again conceded from Dempsey at Upton Park, he pulled off
several outstanding saves to earn his side a valuable point. Grant added:
"He is a good goalkeeper. Sometimes good goalkeepers do not have a good
moment, the most important thing is how you react and you have seen him
react very well today and his last two games have been good, he is doing his
job."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 1 Fulham 1
The Sun
Published: 02 Oct 2010
FREDERIC PIQUIONNE came to the rescue as West Ham picked up a point at Upton
Park. Clint Dempsey broke the deadlock with Fulham looking for their first
away win of the season. The American, who left Hammers keeper Robert Green
red-faced at the World Cup, scored courtesy of a crisp left-foot finish
after 33 minutes. But the Hammers refused to roll over and die and Piquionne
headed Avram Grant's men back on level terms six minutes into the second
half. Both sides went looking for the winner but Grant could not hide his
disappointment when the full-time whistle blew. And his mood will not have
improved when he discovered the day's other results had left the Hammers
bottom of the table. Green came face-to-face with Dempsey for the first time
since his embarrassing blunder in Rustenburg and the American wasted little
time in trying to test the keeper from long range. Piquionne, preferred to
England striker Carlton Cole, then drew a goal-line clearance from Carlos
Salcido with a powerful header at the other end. But it was Fulham who had
most of the early possession and Damien Duff fired just wide from 25 yards.
West Ham gradually battled back and Mark Schwarzer had to be quick off his
line to beat Piquionne to the ball after Mark Noble had split the Fulham
back line. Danny Murphy's lofted ball over the top set Eddie Johnson free
but he went down under pressure in the box from Lars Jacobsen, only for
Andre Marriner to wave away the penalty protests that followed. But Fulham
got the goal they deserved moments later when Dempsey raced onto a deflected
pass from Simon Davies and smashed home past Green. The American came close
to doubling the advantage soon after the break when his curling shot bounced
on top of the bar. But slack marking cost Fulham in the 51st minute as West
Ham drew level through Piquionne's header. Brede Hangeland's misplaced pass
was picked up by Luis Boa Morte, who laid the ball down the right to Victor
Obinna. And the Nigerian's cross was at the perfect height for the unmarked
Piquionne, who made no mistake from six yards for his third goal in three
games. Dempsey came close to restoring Fulham's lead when he glanced a
header just wide of Green's right-hand post from Zoltan Gera's cross. Green
then beat away a difficult Simon Davies shot with five minutes left on the
clock. And the stopper came to his side's rescue again shortly afterwards
when he reacted well to save from Dickson Etuhu's header.
West Ham: Green, Jacobsen, Da Costa, Upson, Gabbidon, Barrera (Cole 69),
Parker, Noble, Boa Morte, Obinna, Piquionne. Subs not used: Stech, Tomkins,
Kovac, McCarthy, Ilunga, Stanislas. Booked: Gabbidon, Parker, Upson.
Goals: Piquionne 51.
Fulham: Schwarzer, Baird, Hangeland, Hughes, Salcido, Davies (Riise 90),
Etuhu, Murphy, Duff (Gera 69), Eddie Johnson (Kamara 77), Dempsey. Subs not
used: Etheridge, Pantsil, Greening, Halliche. Booked: Etuhu.
Goals: Dempsey 33.
Att: 34,589
Ref: Andre Marriner (W Midlands).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sparky tears into ref Mariner
The Sun
Published: 02 Oct 2010
MARK HUGHES blasted ref Andre Marriner after Fulham picked up a point at
West Ham. The Cottagers were desperate to record their first away win of the
season and a trip to the struggling Hammers presented the perfect
opportunity to do just that. But Hughes was livid after Marriner failed to
award his side a penalty when Eddie Johnson went down in the box under
pressure from Lars Jacobsen. Sparky's mood improved slightly just moments
later when Clint Dempsey fired Fulham ahead. But the Welshman could not hide
his disappointment after Frederic Piquionne's header handed West Ham a share
of the spoils. Hughes fumed: "I am disappointed we didn't get the awarding
of the penalty because at 2-0 going into half-time it would have been
difficult for them to come back. "Eddie got in behind the defence and if
there is any contact whatsoever then more often than not it is a penalty.
"Unfortunately for us for whatever reason it wasn't given. From our point of
view it was clear. "There was a coming together, a tangle of legs and a
goalscoring opportunity was denied, so it should have been a penalty."
The result meant West Ham stretched their unbeaten run to four matches but
wins for Everton and Wigan meant they sank to the foot of the Premier League
table. Yet West Ham boss Avram Grant refused to be downbeat. He said: "I
think the most important thing today was first to take points and second to
show that we are improving. "The position in the league now is not important
because one win can take you up four or five places. "Fulham are having a
good season and are playing with confidence and we are only four points away
from them. "There are a lot of teams in our area. One win can move us
forward."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 1-1 Fulham: Sunday Mirror match report
Published 22:53 02/10/10 By Steve Stammers
The Mirror
West Ham produce a spirited performance that may have lacked fluency but had
enough character and grit to secure a point against a well-drilled Fulham
side. And what happens? West Ham, for all their toil and sweat, slumped to
the bottom of the table. But at least there was hope. At least there was
commitment. And at least there was the fire that will be needed in the next
eight months if West Ham are to avoid the drop to the Championship where
they might struggle to fill Olympia, never mind the Olympic Stadium. And
there was also evidence that goalkeeper Robert Green is one popular
individual in the West Ham dressing room. In the build-up there was more
than one mention of his World Cup nightmare when he conceded the softest of
goals against the USA. The scorer? Clinton Dempsey. The Fulham front man at
Upton Park yesterday? Clinton Dempsey. It seemed that Dempsey was singled
out for acts of revenge for the goal that has seemingly brought Green's
international career to an end. After just two minutes, Danny Gabbidon was
booked for a foul on him.An egg-sized lump appeared under the American's
left eye after an aerial clash with Manuel da Costa. And after 65 minutes,
Matthew Upson was shown a yellow card – for a foul on Dempsey. But Dempsey's
revenge was sweet, the perfect riposte to the buffering he was forced to
endure. He scored to put Fulham ahead in the 33rd minute when he was
perfectly placed to fire past Green from Simon Davies's deep cross. Hughes
praised the courage of Dempsey saying he was particularly upset with the
facial injury. "He wasn't too happy at the time and he has a big lump on the
side of his face. But he wasn't prepared to come off. He wanted to do his
bit for the team."
He also thought that Fulham should have had a penalty when Eddie Johnson was
brought down by Lars Jacobsen. The last laugh, however, was to go to Green,
who produced two superb saves to keep out goalbound efforts from Davies and
a late close-range header from Dickson Etuhu. West Ham equalised after 51
minutes, and it was the fault of a player who has been such a huge influence
in Fulham's unbeaten start to the season - giant Norwegian defender Brede
Hangeland. He was under no special pressure just outside his area but gifted
possession to Luis Boa Morte who sent Victor Obinna clear down the flank.
The cross was instant, Fulham were caught flat-footed and Frederic Piquionne
headed home. West Ham were revived and for a while, Fulham creaked. But they
finished the stronger and after Green's two stops, substitute Diomansy
Kamara accelerated clear of West Ham's defence but blazed over.
The right result – but the only reward for West Ham's application was a
return to the bottom of the table.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEST HAM 1, FULHAM 1: DEMPSEY TAUNTS GREEN AGAIN
Sunday October 3,2010
By Paul Brown
Daily Express
WEST HAM 1, FULHAM 1. CLINT DEMPSEY came back to haunt England flop Rob
Green as West Ham slipped to the foot of the table once again. USA striker
Dempsey was on a one-man mission to embarrass the Hammers keeper again after
Green gifted him a freak goal at the World Cup. His shoot-on-sight policy
paid off when he fired under-strength Fulham in front, but Green was
blameless this time. And although Frederic Piquionne struck his third goal
in as many games to equalise, the Hammers found themselves bottom again
after Everton's win at Birmingham. Fulham remain unbeaten and were denied
their first win here in nine years by some late heroics by Green on his
400th career club appearance. But it was all so disappointing for the
Hammers because it rendered their first Premier League win of the season
against Spurs last time out a false dawn. Fulham were full of confidence
after their unbeaten start but without much firepower because of injuries to
Bobby Zamora and Moussa Dembele. Zoltan Gera was relegated to the bench
after their goalless draw with Everton last time out as Eddie Johnson
finally got a chance to shine. Dempsey was obviously keen to test the
Hammers keeper as often as possible, hitting a wayward 30-yarder within four
minutes of kick-off. Fulham had a good shout for a penalty turned down when
Andy Johnson took a tumble after a shove in the back from Lars Jacobsen. But
they were ahead moments later when Dempsey played a neat one-two with Simon
Davies and scooped a left-foot shot from ten yards past Green.
Dempsey was already sporting a big bruise from an unintentional elbow by
Manuel da Costa and had just picked himself up off the floor after a
scything tackle from Scott Parker. But he celebrated like a wild man as
Green looked on miserably. Fulham were straight back on the attack after the
break with a snapshot from Dempsey skimming the crossbar with Green beaten.
But Piquionne headed the Hammers level in the 51st minute when Luis Boa
Morte pounced on a pass from Brede Hangeland. The former Fulham man fed
Victor Obinna down the right and his cross found the unmarked Piquionne in
acres of space for a rare goal from open play. Green then denied Dempsey on
a storming run, diving at the American's feet after he breezed past Danny
Gabbidon and Da Costa. Dempsey headed narrowly wide from a Chris Baird cross
and Dickson Etuhu wasted a free header from a Davies centre as the visitors
rallied.
Green pulled off two great saves, one from a vicious Davies shot and another
from a Etuhu header.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham United 1 Fulham 1: match report
Saturday, October 02 15:00
Premier League
Upton Park
By Jonathan Liew, at Upton Park
Published: 5:00PM BST 02 Oct 2010
Telegraph.co.uk
Clint Dempsey against Robert Green. For all England fans, an encounter that
evokes desperate grasps and choking memories. Perhaps Green could have been
forgiven for entertaining similar thoughts as he faced the American for the
first time since that inauspicious Rustenburg evening. But ultimately,
honour was satisfied on both sides. Dempsey scored again, but Green was
blameless, and otherwise gave a fine account of himself as he helped to
extend West Ham United's unbeaten run to four games. Fulham also remain
unbeaten after yet another draw. For their manager Mark Hughes, it was a
remarkable 14th deadlock in his last 18 Premier League games, a run that
included his dismissal by Manchester City. Hughes's quickness on the draw
brought about his dismissal at Eastlands, and while Fulham will give him a
little more credit, he is fast developing a reputation for conservativeness.
Hughes rejected the label, saying: "In some games we haven't deserved draws,
and in others we've deserved wins. So it's not as if I'm setting up my team
to drag out draws. We're trying to win every game we play." Not that either
side could be accused of failing to press for the win. It was simply that
with Bobby Zamora injured and Carlton Cole absent until late on, both teams
were missing their most potent goal threat, and while the match was rich in
biting tackles, it was distinctly lacking in bite. Fulham had their fair
share of the chances. Foremost among these was their goal, which arrived
largely without portent. Simon Davies laid the ball off for Dempsey on the
right-hand side of the penalty area and cut inside to collect the return.
Luis Boa Morte's outstretched foot only deflected it into the path of
Dempsey, who stole goal-side of Danny Gabbidon and finished left-footed past
Green. It was certainly an eventful game for Dempsey, who sported a black
eye for most of the match after being caught by Manuel Da Costa's lazy
forearm. He fought an intriguing duel with Green all afternoon,
mischievously testing his opposite number with a couple of early long-range
efforts. Green gave as good as he got, at one point diving bravely at
Dempsey's feet to smother the bullet. "He was a good goalkeeper before the
World Cup, and he's still a good goalkeeper," West Ham manager Avram Grant
said. "Every goalkeeper has bad moments and because of the World Cup,
everyone was talking about him." But almost as incongruously as Fulham had
taken the lead, West Ham levelled, courtesy of an error by the strangely
off-colour Brede Hangeland. The Norwegian's clearance went straight to Boa
Morte, who found Victor Obinna on the right. Obinna looked up and picked out
Frederic Piquionne, who converted the simplest of headers. The match was now
a toss-up, and both managers knew it, substituting wingers for strikers.
There were decent chances, too. Dickson Etuhu, as he did against Everton
last week, squandered a glorious aerial opportunity, Obinna ended a powerful
run with a fine shot that whistled just wide, while Diomansy Kamara had the
best of the lot, bursting through but shooting criminally high. But in the
final few minutes, it was England's former number one who was decisive. He
was at his best to palm a stinging shot from Davies wide of the post, and
immediately afterwards produced the save of the match, instinctively
knocking away Etuhu's powerful header with his right hand. Former number
one? If he continues in this vein, perhaps not for much longer.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Frédéric Piquionne's header earns West Ham a point against Fulham
Guardian.co.uk
James Callow at Upton Park
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 2 October 2010 17.04 BST
West Ham are unbeaten in four games but there can be few other causes for
optimism at Upton Park, as Avram Grant's side played out a laboured draw
with Fulham. Frédéric Piquionne scored his second headed goal in as many
games on an occasion more notable for Clint Dempsey repeating his World Cup
moment by scoring past Rob Green.
Grant will wake up tomorrow morning with his side bottom of the Premier
League. "Our spirit is better and our organisation is better," he said. "I
think the most important thing [is] that we continue to take points and
continue to improve but we need to do it in the right way. If you compare
how we were at the start of the season then we can be happy."
Fulham, still unbeaten, have managed six draws from their opening seven
games but breaking teams down has proved a problem, not least with Andy
Johnson, Moussa Dembélé and Bobby Zamora injured. But the manager Mark
Hughes sprung a surprise by dropping his ersatz forward Zoltan Gera in
favour of Eddie Johnson, the American striker who was signed for £3m in
January 2008 but had not started a league game since March in the same year.
One decent penalty appeal notwithstanding, it tended to show, his team
lacking a focal point, and it was as much through luck as judgement that
Fulham took the lead. Dempsey played the ball into Simon Davies on the right
flank and, although the Welshman's shot on goal was blocked by Luis Boa
Morte, the deflection completed an inadvertent one-two. Dempsey volleyed
past Green at the near post.
Once again Green felt all eyes upon him. The erstwhile England keeper was
not at fault for Dempsey's latest effort, indeed he was probably his side's
best player, yet the memories of that awful night linger on.
However, goalscoring opportunities were scarce and the home crowd subdued.
Five minutes into the second half they were bouncing again, though, when
Victor Obinna seared past Carlos Salcido on the right flank and crossed for
Piquionne to head home.
If the goal had not quite galvanised West Ham, then they creaked a lot less,
and Carlton Cole spurned one fine chance to give his team the lead, seconds
after his introduction.
The dynamism of Obinna and Piquionne's sure touch were never quite enough,
however, with Brede Hangeland and Aaron Hughes providing a fine barrier in
front of Mark Schwarzer.
Diomansy Kamara, a late substitute for Fulham, fired way over when clean
through, and Green reacted well to deny Davies and Dickson Etuhu. "I'm
pleased with the level of performance if not the result," Hughes said,
claiming: "We should have had a penalty – there was a tangle of legs between
Johnson and [Lars] Jacobsen.''
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