Derby kick-off moved
WHUFC.com
West Ham United can confirm the New Year's Eve fixture at Pride Park has a
new kick-off time
25.10.2011
West Ham United's away match at Derby County on 31 December has been moved
to a 1pm kick-off. The npower Championship fixture was originally due to be
played at 3pm. It will be the Hammers first trip to Derby since a 5-0
success on 10 November 2007. The match will follow from the Boxing Day visit
to Birmingham City, which has been moved to a 5.30pm start.
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Loanee latest: Hall the hero
WHUFC.com
Robert Hall has continued his scoring streak while Olly Lee was also on
target on Tuesday night
25.10.2011
Robert Hall continued his magnificent form for Oxford United with two goals
on a busy night for the club's legion of loanees. The teenage striker struck
his fifth and sixth goals in nine games for the League Two side as they won
5-1 at home to Plymouth Argyle. Both were special finishes with the
youngster, who only turned 18 last week, firing the Us into the play-off
positions with their crucial first two goals and an assist. Hall, who will
stay with Oxford until 9 November, was not the only Academy ace on target on
Tuesday, with Olly Lee scoring for Dagenham & Redbridge, although he could
not stop the struggling Daggers going down 3-1 at league leaders Crawley
Town.
Elsewhere, Cristian Montano and Frank Nouble each drew a blank as Swindon
Town won 2-0 at home to Gillingham. As well as Montano, who played for 63
minutes before being replaced, Paolo Di Canio chose to leave Ahmed Abdulla
as an unused substitute for Swindon.
It was a difficult night for Callum McNaughton as his loan club AFC
Wimbledon were humbled 4-0 away to Torquay United. Elsewhere, up in League
One, Marek Stech kept goal as Yeovil Town drew 2-2 at home to Leyton Orient
with the Czech U21 international unable to save a late Os penalty. Former
Hammers defender Bondz N'Gala scored Yeovil's second.
Finally, Jordan Brown was not used by Aldershot Town in their Carling Cup
fourth-round tie against Manchester United. The left-back was due to return
to the Boleyn Ground on Wednesday.
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Nolan hails Hammers gameplan
WHUFC.com
Kevin Nolan was all smiles after netting past close friend Steve Harper in
Monday's victory at Brighton
25.10.2011
Kevin Nolan won a football match but may have lost a friend following West
Ham United's 1-0 npower Championship victory at Brighton & Hove Albion.
Captain Nolan led the Hammers to a hard-fought success that took his team
back to second in the table, scoring the all-important winning goal past old
pal, former Newcastle United team-mate and Seagulls debutant goalkeeper
Steve Harper. Nolan took advantage of Brighton's penchant for playing out
from the back by robbing Liam Bridcutt and slamming the ball past Harper,
who was slightly out of position following the midfielder's error. While the
skipper was happy to earn another three vital points for his side, he felt a
little guilt at ruining his friend's Brighton bow. "We knew that, at times,
we were going to have to pounce and we did that," he told West Ham TV. "I
managed to nick it and get a goal and executed it well. "I noticed that
Harps was a bit over [to one side of the goal] because I think he was
sweeping up for the defence, but he got a good hand to it and I thought he
might have pushed it away. Of course, I'm delighted that he didn't. I'm
delighted with another goal and delighted with another three points. "I'm a
bit disappointed for him because he is probably one of my top mates in
football, but I'm delighted for us. He was a bit gutted to concede against
me and he told me I'm not his mate, but hopefully we'll be mates again
tomorrow!"
Having gone ahead after 17 minutes, the Hammers defended superbly,
restricting Brighton to one clear-cut chance through Scotland striker Craig
Mackail-Smith, whose shot was turned aside by the impressive Manuel Almunia.
In front of the Spaniard, West Ham were solid as a rock, with George
McCartney and Mark Noble particularly outstanding. Nolan was proud of both
the effort put in by his team and their commitment to manager Sam
Allardyce's tactical approach. "We knew we would have to work hard in every
game and earn the right to play and I think we did the job. Apart from the
volley from Mackail-Smith in the first half, they didn't really give us a
shot to save. It was a job well done and we executed a gameplan that worked
for us. "We worked hard, especially after the disappointing performance in
the first half at Southampton. Once we scored the goal, we knew it was going
to be difficult for Brighton if we could stop their chances, and we would
get chances.
"We probably had enough chances ourselves to kill off the game, but we
didn't take them. I thought we looked solid. "There is lots more to improve
- getting the ball down, keeping it and being more positive with it - but
I'm delighted with the win."
Nolan has played every minute of West Ham's league season so far, but he has
also been impressed by the impact made by the players who have come into the
side for their injured team-mates in recent weeks. "This has always been
about a squad in this league and I think we've got a strong squad. It's up
to us to prove that.
"We'll have to start proving it the nearer we get to Christmas and with the
more and more games we play. "We have the fourth Sunday/Tuesday of the
season coming up, so we've got to start using the squad a lot more and the
squad players have got to be ready. "I think you saw on Monday that a few of
the lads who came in who didn't play at Southampton did really, really well
and I'm pleased for them. "We've just got to keep going and keep turning
losses into draws and draws into wins. As long as we can stay up there until
around Christmas, then we can start getting a few more wins and pulling away
from the rest of them."
Looking forward, Nolan knows Leicester City present a wounded beast, having
lost 3-0 at home to Millwall on Saturday and lost manager Sven-Goran
Eriksson on Monday. With those facts in mind, the 29-year-old believes the
Hammers will have to be on their guard if they are to build on their 4-0
home win over Blackpool last time out at the Boleyn Ground. "They have been
on a bit of a bad run and lost 3-0 last week so it's up to us to take full
advantage. We can't look at what they're doing. We've just got to work on
our gameplan this week and try to execute it like we did against Blackpool
in the last home game. "If we do that, hopefully we will be going home with
smiles on our faces again."
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Bentley cost £90,000 per game
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 25th October 2011
By: Staff Writer
David Bentley's five games on loan from Tottenham will eventually cost West
Ham in excess of £400,000. With the loan deal between West Ham and Bentley's
parent club having no get-out clause until 1st January 2012, the Hammers are
therefore responsible for a percentage of the 27-year-old's wages until that
date - a figure estimated to be close to the £450,000 mark. Bentley, who
arrived at West Ham on a season-long loan shortly before the transfer
deadline, was ruled out for six months at the beginning of this month after
undergoing surgery on his left knee. It is unknown whether this was due to a
fresh injury or a recurring problem. The former England winger's five
performances constituted three substitute appearances and two starts. He
failed to complete a full 90 minutes having been replaced on both of those
occasions.
Bentley at West Ham: blink and you'll miss it
All comments from the KUMB.com Match Thread forum.
September 10th: West Ham Utd 4 Portsmouth 3
(63rd minute replacement for Julien Faubert)
"Despite our crowded midfield, we needed to get an extra player in there to
steady things a bit. Bentley did this and did it well." - indiehammer
September 17th: Millwall 0 West Ham Utd 0
(59th replacement for Matt Taylor)
"How did Bentley miss that, FFS?" - Welsh Iron
September 24th: West Ham Utd 1 Peterborough 0
(67th minute replacement for Julien Faubert)
"Bentley looks a class act and i feel theres more to come from him." -
w6hammer
September 27th: West Ham Utd 0 Ipswich Town 1
(replaced on 89 minutes by Julien Faubert)
"I do not get Bentley. He is a tart." - Doc H Ball
October 1st: Crystal Palace 2 West Ham Utd 2
(replaced on 89 minutes by Freddie Sears)
"I can run faster than Bentley and I'm 53 with arthritis." - joyful
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Allardyce weighing up Diouf decision
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 25th October 2011
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce is still mulling over whether or not to sign footballing
outcast El Hadji Diouf. West Ham supporters reacted, on the whole, furiously
on Friday to the news that Allardyce was considering signing the Sengalese
striker who incurred the wrath of Hammers fans after he spat at them during
a Premiership fixture in 2002.
Since then, the 30-year-old has been either accused of or charged with a
string of offences ranging from assault to racist abuse - misdemeanours that
have occurred over a sustained period of at least 10 years, and most
recently when he was booted out of Blackburn in August after failing to
return for pre-season on time. It is understood that Allardyce was unaware
of the history between Diouf and West Ham United supporters prior to
inviting the former Bolton and Liverpool forward to Chadwell Heath for a
trial earlier this month.
However having been put in the picture, Allardyce opted to keep the serial
spitter - and as a result, all Hell broke loose last Friday when a picture
of Diouf at Chadwell Heath was posted via John Carew's Twitter feed. The
current West Ham manager, who is likely to continue to assess the situation
for the rest of this week at least before reaching a decision, was given a
little more breathing space courtesy of West Ham's 1-0 win at Brighton last
night. Having lost Henri Lansbury, David Bentley and Matt Taylor to injury
already this month former Bolton boss Allardyce views Diouf as the best
option currently available - in football terms, at least - to provide the
sort of creativity that was so lacking at the AmEx Community Stadium last
night. However that goes against the wishes of at least four in five West
Ham supporters*, many of whom have vowed to take some kind of action should
Diouf ever feature in a claret and blue shirt.
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Spitting mad
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 24th October 2011
By: bristolhammer
As a West Ham United fan of may years now, winning has been an added bonus
to watching a team play good flowing football for the most of the time. I
was brought up believing we were a club whose ethos and values other clubs
envied. When we won, it was special and celebrated properly. Other fans
couldn't understand but applauded our humour in adversity. You see, they
couldn't understand that West Ham was family. Kids propped on shoulders or
standing on boxes watching their heroes doing the best they could on the
pitch. The lesson for me was that it didn't matter if you were the best as
long as you did your best, held your head high and were honest to your
values and your traditions. Other fans would always have us as their second
club, because secretly they longed for their club to have what we had.
Then in came the Icelandics and the club became a tabloid mess. Money was
the be all and end all. The end product became more important the tradition
and values of the club and the rot set in. After the Icelandics had departed
in came two blokes who, it seemed, wanted to bring back those values and
traditions. They made a point of reflecting on their history with the club
and their understanding of the club. But they soon showed their true
colours.
The stadium was the first thing to go. It was understandable, after all
travel was awful and we wanted to attract more fans, they would make a
pretty penny and maybe sort out our debt. Uncle Avram came in selling his
wares, the smoke and mirrors cleared - and we were relegated. It was sad,
but it gave us a fresh start.
In came Sam. Boosting confidence, restoring pride, were bywords of a
campaign to get us back up where the money is at the first attempt. The
board had boxed us in by making a commitment to the stadium. Sam assembled
a squad to do well. West Ham was starting to feel like a club devoid of
headlines other than the winning ones. Kids were going for a quid, the
family was reconcilling after falling out. Then came the blows. We bought a
bloke who was bigged up as the messiah, hyped more than X Factor (that's
Kevin Nolan in case you're wondering). He isn't close to a messiah, but
everyone is entitled to one mistake - and he is it. We lost in Bentley a
player with a bit of creativity. Then came the loss to Southampton. Cue
panic at the club. The purse is closing and we need to be in it, according
to the board.
As fans, we accept that we want to be back in the limelight. We want others
to envy our passion and values - but we wont accept it at any cost. Diouf is
just such a cost that is unacceptable. A vile man who spits on fans, not
once but regularly. A man who mocks a fellow pro who has broken his leg. A
man who racially abuses a ball boy who is just helping out his club.
That Sam would consider signing this player suggests Allardyce has no
interest other than Sam. It means the board have finally stuck two fingers
up to the fans. It means parents can't take their kids. It will finally mean
the club has sunk to its lowest ebb, something I thought we had avoided when
Scott Duxbury went. Those wanting Diouf at West Ham are blind to what
damage this will do. When your kid spits at an oppenent, or racially abuses
another, you tell them it's ok because all that counts is winning. If we
sign Diouf, then all I can say is RIP West Ham. Today is the day you died of
a cancer whose name is Diouf, Allardyce, Gold and Sullivan. I will miss you.
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Vinny's Brighton Report
Vinny 7:47 Tue Oct 25
West Ham Online
Brighton & Hove Albion 0 West Ham United 1
A first half strike from West Ham Captain Kevin Nolan was enough to secure
all three points in a dull encounter at the AMEX Stadium. Having being
beaten by Southampton last week it was a welcome result for the away side
who produced a hard working albeit dour performance. Before the start of the
season many were questioning the style of football that Sam Alladyce would
attempt to play whilst in the hot seat and if there was ever vindication of
these perhaps negatives views this was it.
It all brings it back to the debate of what is more important - the way your
team plays or simply the result. After a horrible last few seasons surely
the result is the most important thing and this is something I have been
subscribing to all season. But even I have got to admit this was a difficult
game to watch. I couldn't help but think that we looked like a very poor
team playing horrible football and not deserving to even be in the lead. I
was annoyed with myself for even drifting into this train of thought because
all I want is to see West Ham win but I found myself increasingly frustrated
by the way we were playing and our lack of forward play.
But here were are, three points in the bag and sitting 2nd in the league.
What have I got to complain about? I just can't seem to shake this feeling
of annoyance. Maybe it isn't annoyance and more so a feeling of
dissatisfaction. What am I really expecting? Us to play one touch football
and win 4-0 every game? I just know that I am wanting to see something a bit
more and I know this is a misguided view to have yet I sit here with it.
Brighton were a side who lacked quality in the final third and this can be
said for just about every side in the Championship. They had very few goal
scoring chances and despite a massive amount of possession they only managed
one shot more on target than ourselves. We lacked width and had most of our
players looking to play a pass backwards than even dare to look forward. If
they did look forward they would just see John Carew with three defenders
around him yet the ball would still be knocked long towards him with little
reward.
We looked slightly better for a period in the second half when Freddie Sears
came on. This wasn't due to Sears being a great player but it was down to
his willingness to get the ball and run forward which we simply do not do
enough. I haven't thought too much of Scott Parker since his departure but
it is clear to me that what we miss is a player who gets the ball in
midfield and runs forward with it. Nolan, Noble, Diop and Collison seem
unable to do this, on this evidence anyway.
This was our first visit to Brighton's new home and I have to say I was
pretty impressed. I would consider myself a person who is easily impressed
and having a bar which sold more than one type of pint and even London Pride
was certainly more than you get at most grounds. The food was varied and my
Steak Pie was pretty good. You could even pay by card at the Kiosk. Yes, I
am aware that I need to start talking about the game.
The Team
Allardyce made three changes to the side who were beaten at Southampton last
Tuesday. In defence, Joey O'Brien returned from injury to start at right
back.
With Matthew Taylor missing from the midfield and Henri Lansbury also
sidelined, Julien Faubert took up a place on the right wing with Jack
Collison coming into the side on the left. Nolan, Diop and Noble were in the
middle with Sam Baldock dropping to the bench as we went to a 4-5-1
formation. With injuries piling up, on the bench was youngster George
Moncur.
First Half
It was a good atmosphere inside the ground as we kicked off and we nearly
created a chance in the first minute as a long ball into the area for Carew
who knocked it down for Nolan but he could only concede a goal kick.
Brighton began to get the ball on the floor and pass it about much like
Southampton did in the last game. A run through the middle and shot was
charged down well by Winston Reid in the early stages.
A poor tackle by Jara on Mark Noble saw the Brighton man go into the book as
the game became very stop / start with Brighton committing a number of fouls
which was causing Sam Allardyce to be very unhappy on the sidelines.
On the 17 minute mark with not a lot going on we took the lead out of the
blue.
It was a terrible defensive error from Bridcutt at the back for Brighton as
he was caught in possession by Kevin Nolan who strode forward and belted the
ball at goal which despite the keeper getting a hand to could not keep out
and made it 1-0.
Nolan gave it the big one to the Brighton fans as he celebrated and it
seemed unlikely at the time that it would be this strike which would prove
to be enough.
Faubert found himself in the book a few minutes later when he went up for a
high ball and seemed to catch the Brighton man. How he was booked for this I
really do not know considering there were two poor challenges on Jack
Collison and John Carew which went unpunished by Referee Kevin Friend.
Brighton were bursting forward but failed to cause much trouble for Almunia
who watched a number of shots sail over his crossbar.
On 37 minutes Nolan had a half chance after some good work from Faubert on
the right as the cross was met by the head of Nolan but went flying over the
bar.
We began to gift the ball to the hosts and with this they were spurred on
and started to win number of corners. The final stages of the first half
seemed to be all about Brighton having corners and putting pressure on our
backline. We got rid of them but looked unconvincing in doing so.
From one of these corners we got the ball clear and Noble broke forward. He
waited for Faubert to race up the line and gave it to him only for Faubert
to put in one of those typical crosses which was too high, too long and
ruined the move.
In the second minute of added time Brighton were very close to finding the
equaliser as the ball broke for Craig Mackail-Smith whose first time effort
was superbly stopped by Almunia but he could only parry the ball out and
although it looked as though the Brighton man would get there first George
McCartney was on hand to show some very composed defending and clear the
danger.
The half time whistle blew and although we were leading I feared for our
chances.
Second Half
During the half time break I thought I would have a read of the programme.
It is not often I buy a match day programmed anywhere but thought I would
see what Brighton had to offer. In the West Ham second I saw an interview
with Iain Dale of the westhamtillidie website and was a tad bemused with a
few of his answers such as stating that Henri Lansbury has "been our star
player this season, he's a class act', but other than that it was a decent
read!
As the rain fell heavily on Falmer, Brighton kicked off and won a corner
within the first minute of the half. Brighton's best player Noone took the
corner and Reid met the ball with his chest to put it out for another corner
kick with the Brighton fans screaming for handball which caused a few
chuckles and the resulting chant from the West Ham fans at the other end.
A foul from Diop gave Brighton a free kick around 25 yards from goal. Barnes
stepped up and blasted the ball at the wall but our clearance was poor and
the home side came again. We were on the back foot at this point and we
could not keep the ball at all.
The West Ham fans were getting very frustrated by the way we were playing
and it seemed we were simply holding on. I couldn't help thinking that it
was not a case of 'if' but 'when' they were going to score because we were
just backing off all the time.
Allardyce knew he needed to make a change and that he did with Diop coming
off on 54 minutes and being replaced by Freddie Sears who took up the left
wing position with the anonymous Collison moving into the middle.
This change immediately gave us a lift and Sears was looking sharp. Within
two minutes of coming on Sears picked up the ball and ran through the middle
at the Brighton defenders. It was great to see a West Ham player actually
causing them a little bit of concern and as Sears got closer he was
cynically chopped down by the defender Dunk which saw him yellow carded.
Noble took the free kick and chipped the ball in to Carew who turned and hit
a shot which was saved down low by Harper.
But Brighton soon continued to dominate and their big failing was not
testing Almunia more often. Noone down the left hand side was excellent in
his approach play but his crossing was largely wasteful which was to our
fortune as any sort of good delivery would have caused us big problems.
Sears was still doing well down the left and was our only outlet which was I
guess the point of Allardyce bringing him on.
With 25 minutes to go John Carew was taken off with Frederique Piquionne
replacing him.
The French Striker was involved straight away as he got to the ball on the
left and played it inside to Sears who looked to have a clear sight on goal
but he dragged his shot wide.
The hosts still looked to come forward but I will give our players their due
because they were certainly working hard. Yes, they were dogshit when they
had the ball but off it, they were putting in the type of shift we didn't
really see at all last season.
And in the end it will be this hard work and team ethic which won us the
game because for all Brighton's on the ball dominance we dug in and it was
ugly and it was horrible to watch but it certainly did the job.
Brighton player Dicker went down under a challenge (I'm not entirely sure
what happened) and stayed down for a further five minutes and was taken off
on a stretcher with what looked like a serious injury.
With three minutes of normal time remaining it was announced that the
attendance was 20, 686 and a record attendance at the stadium. This was the
second game running the same thing had been announced and again the
travelling support bellowed 'You're only here for the West Ham'.
We started to see more of the ball and actually forced a couple of corners
which were all pretty poor to be honest as a few of our players looked dead
on their feet.
The fourth official informed us that there was to be an incredible eight
minutes of stoppage time which left us knowing that this game was far from
over just yet.
But Brighton were too eager and kept giving the ball back to us when they
just needed to find that bit of composer to get the ball into the area. This
is where you could see the experience in our side and that a number of our
players are used to this kind of pressure. We saw the game out quite well
which is to say that the home side did not have that great chance and we
kept them out through the entire of the stoppage time.
It wasn't pretty. It wasn't even mildly good to watch but it was three
points. And that's all that matters.
Isn't it?
Player Review
Manuel Almunia
Made one very good stop in the first half and a really brave one in the
second. His distribution of the ball is very slow and this is where we miss
Robert Green because he always looks to set off an attack. Almunia is a
competent keeper and will be pleased with another clean sheet.
Joey O'Brien
A rusty display from O'Brien who I felt was reluctant to actually want the
ball. He didn't want to move too far forward and stayed very deep throughout
the game. Got caught in possession a few times and Noone gave him a hard
evening.
Winston Reid
Not exactly a smooth performance although some of his recovery challenges
and interceptions are very good. His distribution of the ball however is not
and too many clearances and passes forward ended up with the opposition.
Abdoulaye Faye
Quietly goes about his business and is there to make a header or a last
ditch block. There was little interaction between him and Reid and at times
they were dragged away from the central area leaving the other exposed.
George McCartney
A top defensive performance from McCartney who I have been impressed with in
recent games. His experience certainly gives him an advantage in dealing
with wide players in the Championship and despite being attacked a number of
times he usually always won the ball back.
Julien Faubert
He is a hit a miss player and this was a hit and miss performance. At times
he does something really good and you think 'he looks like a player' but
then there will be a poor cross or a mystifying pass which makes you
remember what a flop of a signing he has been.
Mark Noble
Always happy to have the ball, played some nice passes but didn't get
forward enough. His lack of pace doesn't help but he worked very hard and in
the second half he was covering a lot of ground.
Papa Bouba Diop
He is there to sit in front of the defence and protect and that is exactly
what he does. I do enjoy watching him on the ball and small (usually white
men) attempting to shrug him off the ball. It's not racist, I just think
it's funny.
Kevin Nolan
You know he is going to score over 10 goals this season. He just seems to
pop up every few games and score. He is just one of those lucky players.
Nolan has been criticised by myself recently but I can't deny that he did
put a shift in and that is what I want to see.
Jack Collison
It was difficult to remember he was still on the pitch. Did nothing in the
game and I'm a bit confused to what he brings to the side.
John Carew
No support, no hope. Won the ball plenty of times but then lost it before he
took his second touch.
Subs Used
Freddie Sears (on for Diop 54 mins)
A positive display from Sears who still manages to get some game time
despite looking totally out of the picture. He always wanted to move forward
with the ball and this helped us in the second half.
Frederique Piquionne (on for Carew 65 mins)
As per usual, he didn't do much.
Sam Baldock (on for Faubert 93 mins)
On to waste time.
Subs Not Used: Boffin, Moncur
Bookings: Faubert
Man Of The Match : George McCartney
Brighton & Hove Albion: Harper, Jara, Greer, Dunk, Painter, Bridcutt, Dicker
(Harley 83), Sparrow (Buckley 71), Noone, Barnes (Hoskins 59), Mackail-Smith
Subs not used: Ankergren, Calderon
Attendance: 20, 686
Overall
After 13 games it is hard to be too unhappy with our progress given that we
are 2nd in the League and three points behind the leaders.
This was a Sam Allardyce performance no two ways about it. This is what we
kind of expected to see and so far have just seen glimpses. The fact is it
worked and we won the game 1-0.
It is difficult to criticise when the fact is that the game plan worked and
despite us playing boring, one dimensional, unimpressive football, we ran
out winners.
Next Game - Leicester City (h) Saturday 29th October
Leicester have just parted company with manager Sven Goran Eriksson but as
we have seen before, losing a manager does not mean we have the advantage as
this could go the opposite way.
But regardless of their issue I believe we should be winning this game and
with Bristol City to follow on the Tuesday this is a very good chance to get
a winning run going.
I would bring Sam Baldock back into the starting line up and go back to
4-4-2 as this worked against Blackpool and would drop Jack Collison who
simply isn't doing it for me.
Allardyce was brought in to get us promoted and with 13 games gone he is
certainly on course. The question of his methods will be asked but to
whether it is relevant remains the question for me.
The View From Big Sam
"It was an outstanding victory for us at a very difficult place to play,"
Big Sam said. "They have a great crowd and atmosphere, so it is a great
three points from us. Automatic promotion is generally determined on how
many one-nil wins you can get and it is the same when you are trying to get
in the higher end of the Premier League.
"You want to be fluent, score and be open like we have been in the previous
games of course - we have scored four goals in four different games remember
- but today we were a solid, hard-working unit of lads determined to try and
bounce back from the disappointment at Southampton."
"Our task today was to capitalise on the opposition and how they play, first
and foremost. If we could get the first goal, which we did, it was about
defending properly. From that point of view, we have done it.
"I would have to say it was very difficult throughout the game particularly
the second half as Brighton were pushing us so hard but our defensive unity
became so good that in the end what chances did they have?
"They didn't have the chances that went with their possession and
territorial advantage today. In the end, our breakout play wasn't good
enough but Julien Faubert probably had the best chance of the second half
and Freddie Sears had a couple of half-chances and didn't capitalise."
As well as his inspirational skipper Nolan, the manager paid tribute to
Manuel Almunia, whose initial loan from Arsenal could be up after Saturday's
home game with Leicester. He suggested that Robert Green was making good
progress from his knee surgery on 30 September but, regardless, Almunia had
impressed to date.
"Manny has done a fantastic job for us. He is a nice lad and he has been
pleased to play first-team football. We are very grateful he has joined us."
Season 2011/12 Scorers and Bookings
Carlton Cole - 4 (4 League)
Kevin Nolan - 4 (4 League)
John Carew - 2 (2 League)
Sam Baldock - 2 (2 League)
Mark Noble - 2 (2 League)
Own Goal - 2 (2 League)
James Tomkins - 1 (1 League)
Joey O'Brien - 1 (1 League)
Scott Parker - 1 (1 League)
Winston Reid - 1 (1 League)
Matthew Taylor - 1 (1 League)
Henri Lansbury - 1 (1 League)
Jack Collison - 1 (1 League)
Junior Stanislas - 1 (1 Cup)
Yellow Cards
Mark Noble - 3
Kevin Nolan - 3
Julien Faubert - 3
Henri Lansbury - 2
James Tomkins - 1
Carlton Cole - 1
Matthew Taylor - 1
Joey O'Brien - 1
George McCartney - 1
Sam Baldock -1
Winston Reid - 1
Red Cards
Callum McNaughton - 1 (vs Aldershot home)
Frederique Piquionne - 1 (vs Portsmouth home)
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ROBERT GREEN CLOSING IN ON WEST HAM RETURN
Daily Express
Wednesday October 26,2011
By Daily Express reporter
ROBERT GREEN is closing in on a West Ham return after appearing in a
friendly against Tottenham this week. Green has been out for a month since
injuring his knee against Ipswich, prompting Hammers boss Sam Allardyce to
draft in Arsenal's Manuel Almunia, whose loan spell is due to end after the
weekend clash with Leicester.
Allardyce said: "When Robert is all right we're OK. The understanding was
that Manny is here to play first-team football until Robert gets fit and
then we'll take a decision."
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West Ham fans call on club to hold independent poll on stadium move
By Sportingintelligence
25 October 2011
A diverse group of West Ham fans, split on whether the club should leave
Upton Park, have launched a campaign to encourage the club's owners to
consult season ticket holders on any move. The campaign website is linked
here, and the organisers have made a written request to the owners for an
independently audited ballot of season ticket holders and members. They want
this to happen before any new bid is made to move from Upton Park to the
Olympic stadium in Stratford. The campaign was set up in the wake of the
announcement by the OPLC on 11 of October that West Ham United and Newham
council's joint bid to move to the new stadium had been unsuccessful, and
that a new bidding process was to take place. A spokesman says: 'When Mr
Gold and Mr Sullivan took over our club, a key pledge made was to consult
with the fans. We appreciate that the club remains in financial
difficulties, we respect the fact that they have invested their own money
and that any financial decision rests with them. 'However, we ask that the
pledge to consult is honoured by way of polling before bidding. We await a
positive response from the club.'
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Irons insight: Matt Taylor's absence is a massive hindrance to West Ham
London24
Matt Porter, london24 West Ham blogger
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
3:01 PM
After an underwhelming display at Southampton last week, it was reassuring
to see West Ham bounce back with an assured albeit unadventurous performance
at the Amex Stadium yesterday. Maybe I was still reeling in shock from the
scandalous pub prices in Brighton city centre, or maybe after the last
couple of years I no longer particularly care, but the whole issue of the
team's style of play never even crossed my mind until I overheard some
fellow Hammers talking about it on the train back home. The way the match
unfolded was more or less a carbon copy of the first away game of the season
at Doncaster. The only difference was the quality of the opposition. Whereas
Donny were simply not good enough to cause any worry, Brighton are an
altogether more accomplished outfit who can pass the ball around smoothly.
Big Sam was right to point out that, in spite of all the possession, the
home side created very few clear-cut chances last night. It was a solid and
pragmatic defensive display. While we'd all like to see West Ham putting
teams to the sword with flowing football, thats just not the ways things are
going to be. With Allardyce's options being extremely limited due to
injuries to key players, the likelihood of seeing the Irons taking the
attack to the opposition on the road is even lower. The absence of Matt
Taylor is a particular hindrance at the moment. While not blessed with pace,
the former Pompey and Bolton man offers genuine width and a thumping left
foot. With no like-for-like replacements for him in the squad, the team
looks unbalanced without him, as was the case last night with Jack Collison
playing in the wide left position. It was also nice to see Freddie Sears
playing with some purpose when he came off the bench to replace the injured
Papa Bouba Diop. Freddie's progress seems to have stalled of late, but he
showed a glimpse of what he was capable of with some strong running with the
ball at his feet. Whether his long-term future is as a wide midfielder or a
striker I just dont know. With the Olympic Stadium issue set to rumble on
for a long while yet, it was interesting to visit a brand new purpose built
football arena to compare and contrast.
The Amex is a strange build as we emerged up the steps before kick off the
mammoth three-tiered main stand was an immediately impressive sight. The
other three stands are completely dwarfed by comparison, which is peculiar
in itself. The sightlines might be excellent, but the transport links leave
a lot to be desired, with little evidence of extra provisions being made for
the matchday influx of fans. As was the case at Millwall, we all got soaked
post-match as we queued for the trains. The Olympic Stadium will always have
its drawbacks and detractors, but the transport links will be second to
none. Maybe I'm clutching at straws, but that's something to be grateful
for.
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EXCLUSIVE: Green returns to action in secret friendly
London24
Dave Evans, West Ham Correspondent
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
2:31 PM
West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green played in a secret behind-closed-doors game
for the Hammers on Monday morning to signal he is close to a return to full
fitness.
The 31-year-old has missed four matches after injuring his knee in the clash
with Ipswich Town on September 27. But it seems that he has recovered more
quickly than first thought and he is angling for a return to action in next
Tuesday's Championship clash with Bristol City at Upton Park. Green played
in a very young Hammers team that lost 5-2 to Tottenham. Manuel Almunia, who
kept his second clean sheet in four games in the Hammers' 1-0 win at
Brighton on Monday, ends his loan spell after Saturday's match with
Leicester City, and it now seems likely he will return to Arsenal. "When
Robert Green is alright we're ok," said manager Sam Allardyce after the
Brighton game. "The understanding with Manny was he is here to play
first-team football until Robert gets fit and then we'll take a decision.
"When he's fit I think it's obvious he's going to go back in and then Manny
might well go back."
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Looking good for Allardyce after Nolan leads the way in an ugly win
Ken Dyer
25 Oct 2011
Evening Standard
Gus Poyet certainly didn't like it, even some of the more idealistic West
Ham fans were uneasy, but what Kevin Nolan described as an ugly win couldn't
have been more beautiful for manager Sam Allardyce and his team. This was
the ultimate in role reversal - Brighton playing the 'West Ham way' with
intricate, clever passing moves but in the end, making one pass too many and
the opposition from East London, who have built their reputation over the
years on a similar brand of football, playing pragmatically and defending
with muscularity. Brighton manager Poyet declared afterwards that only one
team wanted to play and said: "West Ham, a Premier Division team [last
season], didn't touch the ball for . . . I don't know how long."
The former Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder's frustration, given the
possession his team had, was understandable if a touch naive. The truth is
that for all Brighton's laudable efforts and pretty football, West Ham
goalkeeper Manuel Almunia - whose loan spell from Arsenal is unlikely to be
extended as Robert Green is near to fitness - had just one proper save to
make, a Craig Mackail-Smith volley in the first half.
Shorn of his own midfield subtlety with injuries to north London loanees
David Bentley and Henri Lansbury as well as Matt Taylor, Allardyce set up
his team to withstand Brighton's passing game - and wait for a mistake. Sure
enough that came as early as the 17th minute when Liam Bridcutt failed to
control Lewis Dunk's short pass, allowing West Ham captain Kevin Nolan to
intercept and then fire home wide of the poorly-positioned on-loan Brighton
goalkeeper Steve Harper. "We're brave, braver then anyone in this division,"
declared Poyet but he couldn't hide that haunted look in his eyes following
his team's seventh successive match without a win. Allardyce and Nolan, in
contrast, were in seventh heaven as a result of a victory which puts West
Ham back into second spot with two home matches - against Leicester and
Bristol City - coming up. The former Bolton, Newcastle and Blackburn manager
will acknowledge Poyet's idealism but as he admitted at the start of the
season, "If I don't get West Ham promotion, I will be sacked."
That kind of pressure tends to concentrate the mind and, as he pointed out:
"Whether you win automatic promotion or not generally depends on how many
1-0 wins you can get, that's what takes you where you want to go. "Of course
you want to be fluent and be open but this was an example of a solid,
hard-working unit of players who were determined to bounce back from the
disappointment of Southampton."
His goalscoring captain was also unrepentant about West Ham's style of play
at the Amex Stadium. "We talked about things before this game," said Nolan.
"We've been winning games 4-0 but we've also conceded two many goals in the
last few minutes. We felt it was about coming together as a squad and
winning a few games ugly. "It's not always nice but it's not always about
playing great football. "The pressure was on us, it was another record crowd
like Southampton the week before and the Brighton fans really got behind
their team, who played some great football at times. "I think they will do
well but we're delighted with the away win - it gets us back rolling again
and we can look forward to two home games now. "This league is all about
standing up and being counted which is what we did against Brighton.
"We knew we would have to work hard in every game and earn the right to play
and I think we did the job. Apart from the volley from Mackail-Smith in the
first half, they didn't really give us a shot to save. It was a job well
done and we executed a gameplan that worked for us."
Next up for the West Ham realists are Leicester and if ever there was an
example of hard-nosed decision-making, it was that club's sacking of former
England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson yesterday. "It's a results-driven
industry today and those results have to come quickly," said Allardyce. "I
don't know how many players Sven has brought in - probably not as many as me
because I've signed 14 and got rid of 19. "When you do that it's such a
difficult job to produce results in the early stage of the season, until you
get to know your players and the players get to know each other. "Sometimes
the results take time but it looks like the big decision was made after they
lost 3-0 at home to Millwall. "That's something you can ill afford to do
because people now pull the trigger in our industry. Generally every season,
50 per cent or more of managers at the 92 league clubs lose their jobs. "The
only way to avoid it is keep winning matches at whatever club you're at."
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RANDOM 1990S FOOTBALLER TUESDAY: #7 JEROEN BOERE
POSTED BY DANIEL STOREY ON OCTOBER 25, 2011 IN: RANDOM 1990S, WEST HAM|POST
COMMENT
www.offthepostinfo.com
Name: Jeroen Boere
In his 1990s prime for: West Ham United
Lowdown: Boere was a Dutch striker signed by Billy Bonds in the summer of
1993 to help West Ham adapt to their first season in the Premier League. A
tall player, Boere had scored regularly for VVV-Venlo and Go Ahead Eagles
before the move. Boere made an inauspicious start to his West Ham career,
getting himself sent off on debut in a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle. In truth,
his time at West Ham never got off the ground. Although he stayed at the
club for two years, he made only 25 league appearances and scored six league
goals. During his time in England, Boere went on loan to Portsmouth and West
Brom, and then joined Crystal Palace and then Southend United on permanent
deals.
Now: After leaving England, Boere ended up playing in Japan, but
unfortunately was attacked in a district of Tokyo, was stabbed in his left
eye and forced to retire from the game. He took over as the landlord of a
pub in the East End, and moved to Spain after the lease ended.
Tragically, Boere was found dead in his apartment in Marbella in August
2007.
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