Vaz pointing even higher
WHUFC.com
Ricardo Vaz Te says West Ham United will not rest on their laurels after making an encouraging start
03.10.2012
Ricardo Vaz Te struck his first Barclays Premier League goal for West Ham United and said the best is yet to come. Vaz Te, who celebrated his 26th birthday in fine style as his winning goal saw off London neighbours Queens Park Rangers in a 2-1 away victory, insists that this is only the beginning for Sam Allardyce's team. The volley was the No12's first Premier League goal since he netted the winner for Big Sam's Bolton Wanderers at home to Birmingham City on 7 May 2006. When asked by the national press post-match if that was his best performance in a Hammers shirt against the Hoops, the modest midfielder said: "No, I think my best is yet to come. Scoring was a bonus, because I am here to play my part for the team. "I am always looking to improve myself as we are as a team. I am still young. This is my first year in the Premier League after taking a long absence. I have to make sure I am working hard enough to be in the side, for the gaffer to pick me every week. I will get more confident, more comfortable and hopefully go on to have more performances like tonight and better."
It was Vaz Te's first goal since his late winner in the npower Championship Play-Off final helped West Ham gain promotion back to the top league. He said he was delighted to score but maintained that the key was getting the three points at Loftus Road. "The main thing was to try to get the three points. We knew it would be extremely hard because QPR are under extreme pressure and it was also a derby game. We knew they were going to come at us, so we just made sure we got the basics right and took our chances. It was a perfect night for us. "We had to make sure we stifled their strengths straight away. We knew with the players we have in our team we will always get chances. Sometimes you don't get many in a game but with us, I think it is more often that we will, so we knew we had to take them. The main thing was we took our chances and created the momentum for ourselves to go on and win."
The victory saw Hammers climb to seventh in the table and while Vaz Te said no one is getting carried away at this early stage of the season, a major factor behind West Ham's solid start to the new campaign was 'belief' - something he says also comes from the manager and his staff. "I think a lot has to do with the belief we have as a team. The main objective for us this season is to stay up and fight for a win and fight for the points in every match. "That is the mentality we have with everything. We approach each game with the belief we can get something from every match, get a result. We just believe we are and can be a good Premier League side. "There is no doubt in any individual at this football club, so I think that is the main thing and the gaffer makes us believe that all the time."
While praising the manager and all the staff around them, Vaz Te also spoke of the same desire his team-mates have to do their best to make sure that the club can get through the highs and lows of the season ahead. "It was great to see Andy [Carroll] back. We are very much looked after here at the club and this proves it. The gaffer focuses a lot on all the staff that work with us. With Andy everyone was working hard, as was he, to get him back but not to rush him, which was the main thing. He is such a handful [for teams to play against]. Coley [Carlton Cole] has also been terrific and it is great for the club that we have that competition and that quality of players in our team. "I'm really overwhelmed to be fair to be part of this squad, it is great. To be in the starting line-up is my aim every week but to be around everything here is also very good and you can only keep learning from it all. "We have made a great start to the season, but haven't achieved anything yet, so we must keep going and try to meet our targets. We won't get carried away, but we will strive every day to put in the performances and get the results we need."
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Hammers' style praised by Mail Online
WHUFC.com
Neil Ashton's story on the Mail Online examines some interesting statistics from the season so far
03.10.2012
In an interesting article posted on the Daily Mail Online website, football writer Neil Ashton felt inclined to conduct some research into some of West Ham United's statistics from this season after being impressed with their performance in the 2-1 win at Queens Park Rangers on Monday night. The article, which can be viewed here, is copied in full below.
Allardyce's Hammers play just like Real Madrid and Barcelona... but not how you think
By Neil Ashton
Take a look at these statistics and see whether you can spot a trend: Real Madrid 67. West Ham 65. Barcelona 59. At first glance it is difficult to think of a single reason why Sam Allardyce's team could possibly be mentioned in the same sentence as two of the biggest clubs in world football. Some would even say it is deeply offensive for Sam Allardyce's long-ball merchants to even be mentioned in the same breath as Jose Mourinho or Tito Vilanova's eye-catching teams.
The figures above for the three teams represent the average number of long balls that the teams have played in their respective leagues this season. For the purposes of this analysis, produced by Opta and freely available on the excellent website whoscored.com, any attempted pass which is 25 yards or more constitutes a long ball. They are surprising figures, particular for two Spanish teams who pride themselves on short, incisive passing to slice through the opposition.
The purists will claim that Gerard Pique can change gear at will, picking out Lionel Messi and sending a ball from one half to the other with his superior skills.
The reality is that even Barcelona and Real Madrid, in times of trouble, will resort to the outlets up front and send something long for Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi to chase down. Perhaps this is the reason that Allardyce, in an interview in September 2010 that brought much mirth and derision in football, claimed he could manage Real Madrid. At the time he claimed he would walk away with league titles year in, year out if he was given the chance to manage one of the world's biggest football clubs. Even last weekend, Allardyce's protests continued in an extensive interview with The Observer, when he argued for 'winning football' as opposed to 'pretty passing'. His case is helped by the number of long balls his rivals in the Barclays Premier League are playing.
Liverpool, who are supposed to be taking the short passing game to another level under Brendan Rodgers, average 66 long balls every match. These are the average number of long balls played, on average, this season by the teams who finished in the top four: Champions Manchester City (54), Manchester United (56), Arsenal (49), Tottenham (61). As for the rest of the Premier League, there are some eye-catching statistics among the other sides. Newcastle (78), Everton (69), Reading (67), Wigan (67), Chelsea (65) Fulham (64), West Bromwich (64), Aston Villa (62), Sunderland (62), Norwich (60), QPR (59), Stoke (59), Swansea (55) and Southampton (51).
Pity Rodgers, Alan Pardew, David Moyes, Brian McDermott, Roberto Martinez and Roberto Di Matteo when people become aware of the statistics. With the exception of Arsenal, Southampton and Swansea, it would be easy to argue that the rest of the Premier League is made up of hit and hope teams. Clearly that is not the case, with teams refining their systems to suit the demands of skilful players and a demanding public. No manager likes negative Press, particularly Allardyce. Although he has strengthened the team for the Premier League, he has refined the pattern and style for the Hammers' return to the top flight. At Loftus Road they looked like an established Premier League team, pouncing on the defensive deficiencies of a team who are afraid to play at home. Rangers are seizing up at Loftus Road, a legacy of their 5-0 opening day defeat against Swansea and their failure to win in the Premier League this season. Allardyce has a specific system in place designed to hunt down the opposition and take advantage of teams who want to play The Beautiful Game, but play it badly. At this moment, QPR fall into that category.
The idea that Allardyce takes training at Chadwell Heath each day with full-backs launching endless long balls towards Andy Carroll or Carlton Cole is a myth.
At the beginning of the week, his coaches Neil McDonald and Wally Downes take training and Allardyce has input from the sidelines. They are not trying to reinvent the wheel, but they play small-sided, passing and pressing games to take time away from the players and put them under pressure. As they build up towards matchday, Allardyce's role becomes more prominent and he is heavily involved on the training pitches. On Thursday and Friday, like most teams across the country, they practise set-pieces ahead of a Saturday fixture. Even then, for a team tagged 'long ball', they have won only 50 per cent of their aerial duels this season. Allardyce has always been prickly about the accusations that his teams know only one way to play, but he has adjusted to the demands of modern football. At times they might kick it long, but on Monday night they joined the culture club.
Note: The opinions expressed in the above article are those of the author and not of West Ham United.
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Tonks prepared to be patient
WHUFC.com
James Tomkins knows he may have to wait for his opportunity to become a first-team regular again
03.10.2012
James Tomkins showed West Ham United have strength in depth at centre-half by producing a fine display in Monday's 2-1 Barclays Premier League win at Queens Park Rangers. Tomkins has found himself on the substitutes bench due to the form of James Collins and Winston Reid, so the 2012 London Olympian was delighted to feature at Loftus Road after Reid was forced off with a head injury. A key figure in the club's promotion-winning campaign last season, Tomkins told West Ham TV he would love to be starting week-in week-out, but he is happy to wait for his chance and will be ready when called upon. "I want to play games," said the No5. "It is important to me, but the lads have come in and done really well in the back four so obviously they haven't changed it much.
"It is frustrating to watch [the matches rather than play], but understandable if we keep getting positive results, it was just nice to come on and help win the game on Monday. It gives me confidence and the team is doing really well which is great news."
The Basildon-born defender missed a large chunk of pre-season to play for Team GB at London 2012 and admitted in hindsight it hasn't brought the benefits he had wished. "I wanted to represent Great Britain and the manager gave me the chance to and I appreciated that but I went there expecting to play more than I did in the end. At the same time Ginge and Reidy played a lot together in pre-season. "It was disappointing for me, but I suppose that is what football is like. You have to keep your head down and keep working hard in training which is what I have done. It paid off on Monday because I came on the pitch and did well."
Tomkins was called into action after just 23 minutes when Reid was caught by team-mate Jussi Jaaskelainen and the 23-year-old felt he settled well. "You have to be ready at all times but coming on early as a defender it can take you a little while to get into the game. You always want to start well and try and settle down quite early. "This was my first proper [league] game all season but I thought I settled well and that was important for the rest of the game. I thought the team played very well and it was a well-deserved three points."
Matt Jarvis and Ricardo Vaz Te gave the Hammers a comfortable lead going into half-time but a wonder goal from Adel Taarabt meant a testing end to the game for Tomkins and his defence. "Playing at Loftus Road was difficult. It was my first experience there and it was a hard place to go. Particularly after they scored, the crowed got behind them and you could see how much it helped. "We had a few nervy moments towards the end but that is always going to happen when a team pulls a goal back. They put a lot of pressure on us but we held out and it was nice to shoot up the table again."
Tomkins also believes that those nerves could have been avoided with a bit more luck in front of goal, whilst also giving an insight into what it is like playing against Andy Carroll in training. "Andy had a chance right at the end and we had a few other opportunities we didn't take but as long as we are creating chances that's what matters. Hopefully we will keep putting them away, because the two finishes we did take were really impressive. "I've marked Andy a few times in training, he's an awkward player and he is going to be a good asset for us. We also have Carlton Cole challenging him for that starting spot and they are both good players."
The Hammers face Arsenal on Saturday but Tomkins revealed he and the rest of the players are looking forward to it and will do all they can to secure a positive result. "It will be the toughest game we have faced so far this season. So far we have played teams around where we could finish this season and we have stepped up to the challenge and done really well. "Hopefully we can continue that against Arsenal. We are going to be positive and give it a right go. We are at home where we have got a good record and I think now we are all just looking forward to it."
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"Where do we go from here?" Who cares if the journey's this much fun…
KUMB,com
Filed: Wednesday, 3rd October 2012
By: Rob Paul Chapman
A response to John Rolls' recent article for KUMB.com, which may be found here.
There's a famous story about the late Brian Clough: When a journalist asked the legendarily acerbic manager how he dealt with errant players who disagreed with him he replied "Well, it's like this. I'd invite him into my office, I'd allow him to put forward his point of view, then I'd put forward mine, and together we'd agree that I was right".
As fans, disagreement is to be expected in football. It's a game based on passionately held beliefs and unswayable convictions, put forward with vim and vigour and an unshakable certainty that we are, when all is said and done, absolutely right. All the time. Until we're wrong that is, by which time we've forgotten what our original position was anyway.
You don't get Brian Cloughs along very often these days. But perhaps Big Sam is the last of that old school. Last year our forthright manager may have implied that our fans have a tendency to sway towards delusion.
Well guess what? He was 100% correct. You are ALL deluded. Every single one of you. And before you start throwing things at the screen, so am I. We're all deluded. And not just West Ham fans. Every football fan in the land. That is, in fact, part of the fun.
We convince ourselves that 22 millionaires chasing an inflated pig's bladder around some grass is the single most important thing in the world. Many of us have, at some point, made what would rationally seem like completely inexplicable sacrifices in order to accommodate our great love. This is not the behaviour of a sentient balanced individual. These are the actions of the deluded. And I for one love it. Embrace the delusion. We live in a joyless world of recession and misery and genuinely catastrophic things happening around the world. If we can't take some solace out of our terminal delusion, then frankly what's the point?
But not all delusion is born equal. It comes I many splendored forms. I acknowledge that my own deluded tendency is to place absolute unfathomable and utterly unrealistic faith in my club, its management, players and owners. However I feel that as a self-aware delusional I'm equally capable of spotting the exact mirror image opposite of my brand of delusion in others (lets call them Type B delusionals). I refer to those unable to acknowledge the successes, strengths and triumphs of our club and those who run it. They see the negatives, the apparent failings and will undoubtedly be able to put a pessimistic spin on any given event. They are the kind of people who could win the lottery and then complain about the walk to the post office to cash the cheque.
There are a lot of these Type B delusionals in a football ground. We probably sit or stand near at least one at a game. And these people have their fortes for sure. Whilst my Type A brand of delusion may make me completely blind to impending catastrophe (I'll readily admit I thought Avram Grant and Glenn Roeder would turn out just fine in the long run…), these Type B delusionals are wise before the event.
However, whilst there are (ironically) positives to these Type B delusionals, I can't help feeling that they don't have anywhere near as much fun as us Type A delusionals. And I would like to take these people for a pint, as part of the same universal West Ham family, and try to convince them of the inherent beauty of every given situation; whilst they would do their best to explain why everything was, inherently, when you get to the nub of the matter, actually a bit shit.
I strongly suspect John Rolls, features writer of this parish, to be a Type B delusional. He recently wrote an article for KUMB entitled Where Do We Go From Here? It has been much discussed on the internet and in podcasts, and so as a fellow fan and delusional, I would like to extend a hand across the ocean. I'd like to go for a drink with Mr. Rolls, he would put forward his point of view, then I'd put forward mine, and together we'd agree that I was right.
I imagine it would go something like this:
JR: "My question now is where do we go from here? It was great to get back into the Premier League - but I want more."
RPC: It's one thing to want something, even to know what it is that you want. The ability and/or resources to achieve it are quite another. Football clubs are transient beings. Unless you're one of the tiny minority with the clout to set the pace, the best you can hope for is to be dynamic, reactive and responsible. Adapt to your surroundings and make the best of your situation. This might sound negative, but it's just pragmatic, and arguably more fun than – say – chucking £500m of Middle Eastern oil money into a bottomless pit of unsustainable, foundation-less profligacy dressed-up as ambition
JR: "Being honest, I cannot see us winning the league unless some mega-rich masochist buys the club and I suppose I should just be grateful for survival. "
RPC: This is not so much honesty as realism.
JR: "But being realistic, would I really be happy with West Ham being also-rans? Maybe flirting with the Cups and getting a route into Europe via that route. I am not going to say "yes" to that. "
RPC: This is not so much realism as nihilism, not to mention a fast-track to inevitable disappointment, and an unnecessary double-negative.
JR: "What I would like to know is why we haven't signed some of the bigger names available on free transfers to at least give us a chance of moving up?"
RPC: And this is where – to my Type A delusional mind – the argument just becomes baffling. We have had arguably our best ever transfer window. In the close season and opening couple of weeks of the new one we have signed the following: The current England Number 9 for whom Liverpool paid £35m, a club-record breaking winger, the Number 10 for the African Nations semi-finalists who Newcastle offered £7m for and no less than five current or former international captains. And that on the back of the previous transfer window which was arguably the second best (contextually) in the club's history which brought in the players who enabled us to get promoted, some of whom are currently showing their true class in the Premiership. And all of this from the team who finished third in the second flight last season. If that doesn't scream ambition I don't know what does.
JR: "Look at Stoke - at best, a mid-table side - but they had the balls to go and sign Michael Owen. A front two pairing of Carroll and Owen sounds like it has goals in it, whereas at present we look toothless. "
RPC: Signing Michael Owen for West Ham would have demonstrated a depressing lack of imagination. Owen appears significantly more interested in his horses than playing football these days. When I've seen West Ham this season I've seen a team, united, with a single purpose, fighting to the death for each other. I cannot imagine a world in which Michael Owen would fit into this set-up. You want a frontline with goals in it? You currently have the England #9 and the 6th highest goalscorer from midfield in Premier League history. You also have Jarvis banging in one sumptuous gimmie cross after another. And Vaz Te with his guile and trickery. And besides, if Owen came it'd only be a matter of time before he mistakenly had Andy Carroll tethered to the nearest tree, feeding him a carrot and entering him into the 3.45 at Chepstow. And no one wants to see that.
JR: "Another name that has come up is Thomas Hitzlsperger, another free agent. I think he's a great player."
RPC: So good in fact that the last time he was with us we got relegated. There may be a reason why he's (still) a free agent…
JR: "The board and the manager must change the whole mentality surrounding the club by insisting we finish in the top six and backing the manager to get the right players in. At the moment we are carrying too many Championship-level players."
RPC: It's not about mentality. You can't just will a team to 6th by positive thinking alone. Only a few months ago we were a championship squad. This may account for the championship players, as you can't just change-up a squad wholesale over night. That's what QPR have tried, and they currently sit bottom of the Premiership. But that aside, I actually don't think we have too many Championship-level players at all. Our keeper currently has the best shots to saves ratio in the league, aside from the odd freak error our back-four has looked supremely solid in the main, our midfield oozes class, and our frontline is as exciting as could possibly be expected for a club on our budget.
JR: "We should have - and it hurts to say this - the mentality of Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy and back the manager to sign quality players. "
RPC: You appear to be confusing mentality with money. We tried that once. We bankrupted a Northern European island state. It didn't go well. They're still quite cross.
JR: "Here's an aside for you. Rob Green is, it seems, really p*ssed off at QPR. Let's take him back on loan in January. In my eyes he should never have been let go. "
RPC: He wasn't let go. He was out of contract and he walked. You can only lead a horse to water… [insert Michael Owen/Andy Carroll joke here]
JR: "West Ham have the most fervent supporters and we always get behind the team no matter what the situation. "
RPC: And I've never heard the fans boo the team at half time once, guv'nor…
JR: "Is it not now time for the Board and the manager to realise we deserve more than mid-table mediocrity?"
RPC: Define 'deserve' here? We may end up mid-table this season. I sincerely hope so in fact. But so far there's been nothing remotely mediocre about our first few games. We've had glorious highs and some depressing lows; but we've been enthralled, and entertained, and always kept interested. It'll probably be a rollercoaster this season, and I for one cannot wait.
JR: "Why is it we never seem to make the big signing? "We get linked with so many but they never seem to materialise; why? Are they put off by the lack of ambition from the board? "
RPC: Like I said: The current England Number 9 for whom Liverpool paid £35m, a club-record breaking winger, the Number 10 for the African Nations semi-finalists who Newcastle offered £7m for and no less than five international captains… etc etc
JR: "It can't be the fans, we get behind new players even if they don't do well."
RPC: Mido says hi.
JR: "It raises questions as to whether the manager listens to the scouts. Or is he of the mind that it doesn't matter what they say, we don't sign them any way?"
RPC: The current England Number 9 for whom Liverpool paid £35m, a club-record breaking winger, the current… blah blah blah…. You get the idea.
JR: "In summary, would the board please show as much commitment to providing the fans with quality players so we can do something in the league - and would the scouting system find and insist the manager at least has a look at them. "
RPC: The current England Number 9 for whom Liverpool… yawn…
JR: "Finally can we, the supporters who spend our hard-earned cash watching the team and buying the merchandise and sometimes suffering numerous headaches and heartache as the Hammers cock it up again, get recognition from the board?"
RPC: Or how about this for the old switcheroo: The board get some recognition from us as the fans? They have come into a club ravaged by serial mismanagement, laden with crippling debts, have put their hands in their pockets, brought in a proven manager, recruited astutely and ambitiously and then stepped out of the limelight (thankfully) to let the manager take centre-stage. And that investment and faith is currently paying off in spades.
Yes, we're not going to challenge for the title, or the Champions' League, or probably Europe at all. Possibly ever. And it's possible we only just stave off or even – heaven forbid – succumb to relegation. But personally I'm having an absolute whale of a time right now. As a lifelong fan I've never been more in love with my club. Who knows exactly what the future will bring? But who wants a Cassandra Complex anyway? Enjoy the journey, make sure the driver knows what he's doing, and sit back and enjoy the view. The destination will take care of itself.
But then again, I'm a Type A delusional, so I would say that, wouldn't I?
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Now, where are they?
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 3rd October 2012
By: Jason Eves
I've noticed an article featured in the West Ham United programme (some articles hosted online) where past players are interviewed after their time at West Ham. And I thought to myself, why not find out where some players of old have turned up?
I mean, I could easily drone on about what Carlos Tevez and Scott Parker have been up to. But that would be way too easy, so here's a few previous players handpicked by me along with a summary of their West Ham career and where they've been since leaving...
Roy Carroll
Roy's time in the East End was a mixed bag, racking up just over thirty appearances, but struggles with alcohol and gambling curtailed his two-year stay. He left in the summer of 2007 seeking first team football, originally opting for now fallen giants Rangers, but then moving to Derby County in the new year. But not even he could keep the club up and suffered relegation.
Roy's days were numbered and come the following summer Derby allowed him to terminate his contract in order to join Danish club Odense Boldklub. He debuted for the club the day he signed his contract and after putting in some sterling perfomances he was award Superliga Goalkeeper of the Year 2009. However homesickness kicked in and Carroll eventually had his contract with the club terminated in order to find a club closer to home. Trials in Britain soon followed but nothing came to fruition.
Carroll racked up some more air-miles, opting to sign for OFI Crete in the summer of 2011. After putting in some stellar performances, Greek powerhouses Olympiakos came calling in January signing him for a reported fee of €100k. He is held in high regard by fans through his heart-on-sleeve perfomances.
Savio Nsereko
Ushered in as the man to solve our goalscoring problems, Savio was Signed by our Director of Football Gianluca Nani for a reported fee of £9 million (although the fee is still debated to this day). Mooted as our 'record signing', he was given the number 10 shirt, replacing the outgoing Craig Bellamy.
Savio's tenure at West Ham crumbled under the weight of expectation. He was subsequently sold on to Fiorentina for a Manuel da Costa-plus-cash deal, where he was then farmed out to various clubs around Europe. He continuously went AWOL during times at each loan stint. Savio has now since landed a permanent move to German Third Division club SpVgg Unterhachting. He signed for an undisclosed fee this summer, stating that location was a key factor in his decision.
Alessandro Diamanti
Diamanti was another of Gianluca Nani's scouted players signed for a reported £6million from Brescia (reportedly paid for by our sponsors). He was a landmark signing as he became the 800th player to play for West Ham as he made his debut in the 1-0 defeat to Wigan.
He struggled to adapt to the pace of the Premier League; although he tallied up eight goals in his maiden campaign, only three came from open play. But his energetic displays did earn him recognition as he claimed the runner-up spot of Hammer of the Year behind deserved winner Scott Parker. He has since returned to Brescia for a fraction of the cost (we are still locked in a battle to claim the money Brescia owe us).
In what proved to be a similar year statistically back at Brescia, as well as suffering relegation Diamanti received a call-up to the Italian national team. The following summer he packed his bags again as Bologna snapped him up on a co-ownership deal. He has since found his shooting boots again, hitting double figures for the club in his debut season.
Luís Boa Morte
Luís, I believe is best described as a 'Marmite signing' as the fans either loved him or loathed him during his four-year affiliation in claret and blue. He was signed by Alan Curbishley for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around the £5 million mark. In April 2007 he scored his first goal for the club in a 3-0 win against Wigan. But it wasn't until May 2010 in a 1-1 draw against Man City that he would double his tally for the long-waiting Hammers faithful. He signed a two-year deal come the end of the 2009/10 campaign but only saw out half of it before his contract was terminated.
He subsequently signed for Greek club Larissa, linking up once more with former gaffer Chris Coleman for whom he had worked under at Fulham. However financial problems soon hit the club and Boa Morte exited six months later. A brief stint at South African team Orlando Pirates soon followed and although he signed an 18-month deal, Luís only stayed for a mere four months. He then went on trial at MLS outfit Toronto FC but was back in the UK on trial with League One Portsmouth.
Benni McCarthy
Labelled by many fans as a panic buy in his deadline day move in the January 2010 transfer window, Benni signed a two-and-a-half year deal and widely reported as being very out of shape. As well as being fined in excess of £200,000 for reaching over 15 stone, strict dieting and training regimes soon followed but amounted to nothing. The ties were eventually cut and he was released at the start of the 2011 season, with Karren Brady famously labeling him 'A big fat mistake'.
McCarthy has since returned to his native South Africa, signing for the Orlando Pirates (briefing playing with Boa Morte) and leading the scoring charts averaging a goal every other game whilst aiding the team in retaining the league title. He has also wrote himself into South African folklore as the first South African player to win three league titles with three different teams on two different continents (now that's a mouthful!).
Lucas Neill
Often referred to as 'Lucash' by some sceptical fans following his arrival in January 2007 from Blackburn Rovers, Neill turned down the chance of joining Liverpool before joining the Hammers. His leadership qualities on the field were acknowledged and he was given the captain's armband on numerous occasions before eventually taking it permanently in the wake of Nigel Reo-Coker's transfer to Aston Villa.
The Australian's stay at Upton Park lasted only two years as he decided against prolonging his contract and he joined Everton on a free transfer, linking up with International team-mate and close friend Tim Cahill. His affiliation with the Goodison Park faithful was short-lived as he made the switch to Turkish side Galatasaray, with the reason being a longer contract on offer and linking up with fellow Socceroo Harry Kewell.
After being let go at the end of the Turkish season, Lucas was packing his bags to the oil-rich United Arab Emirates. Signing for Al Jazira on a year long deal where he amassed 19 appearances and scored three goals. Once again as his deal ran up, Lucas was let go and soon enough he landed another deal at fellow UAE club Al Wasl where he is due to start the upcoming season.
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WEST HAM STAR'S TOM-FOOLERY
Daily Star
4th October 2012 By Mike McGrath
JAMES TOMKINS admits he wasted his time by going to the London Olympics and losing his West Ham place. The 23-year-old made only two appearances for Team GB during the Games and slipped behind James Collins and Winston Reid in the pecking order at Upton Park. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce has started the centre-back in only one league game this season – and subbed him at half-time in the defeat by Swansea. But Tomkins said: "It is always hard of course. I wanted to represent Great Britain and the manager gave me the chance. "I went there expecting to play more than I did in the end. Obviously I wasted a lot of time and then Ginge (Collins) and Reidy played a lot together in pre-season. "It was disappointing for me but I suppose that is what football is like."
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Are Sam Allardyce's West Ham a 'dirty' team?
HereIsTheCity
by Jenny Leigh
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has fired back at claims that his team is 'dirty', after they became the first side in Premier League history to receive 8 yellow cards in one game. The Hammers' 1-2 away win against Queen's Park Rangers was a game that Allardyce felt was "an unfortunate scenario" for his side. He claimed, "There was hardly a bad tackle in the game and there was a lot of reaction from the crowd by Mark Clattenburg". Referee Mark Clattenburg also sent off QPR's Samba Diakite for two yellow card offenses in the space of 20 minutes. QPR manager Mark Hughes saw no substantial cause for complaint. He said, after the game: "The first one was a genuine attempt to get the ball but the lad has just nicked it away from him. It doesn't warrant a yellow card in my view. Some referees give them, some don't."
The referee booked Jaaskelainen, Collins, Nolan, Noble, Diame, Cole, Tomkins, and McCartney of West Ham and Taarabt along with the double-booking of Diakite. "We've ended up looking like a dirty team, giving 22 fouls away and getting so many players booked." Allardyce defended his team, "We are not a dirty side. There was hardly a dirty tackle in this game but it'll look a lot different to the people who weren't watching, which is a shame."
The Hammers' manager, formerly of Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers, has earned himself a reputation of utilizing very traditional tactics that rely upon a certain degree of physicality. He is also known to be an obsessive statistician who endlessly analyses performances not only based on the number of passes, fouls, corners, shots and possession percentages – as most managers do – but also states that is often his reason for his purchases.
Infamous for his 'long-ball' strategy, Allardyce has never been shy about his disinterest in "pretty football"; he has been criticized as being a "dinosaur".
Is it possible that simply his preference for his brand and philosophy of traditional football is becoming extinct in a modern game that has become more cultured? One thing's for sure: when the old-fashioned and the new-fashioned ideologies of the game go head-to-head it certainly won't be "pretty."
But critics should remember that direct and deliberately dirty don't necessarily go hand in hand, despite what eight bookings may suggest.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Thursday, October 4
Wednesday, October 3
Daily WHUFC News - 3rd October 2012
The Big Interview - Andy Carroll
WHUFC.com
The returning England striker played his part as West Ham United scored a
fine 2-1 win at Queens Park Rangers
02.10.2012
Andy Carroll was all smiles after making a successful return from injury for
West Ham United in Monday's 2-1 Barclays Premier League victory at Queens
Park Rangers. The England centre forward was back after missing four matches
with a hamstring strain suffered on his debut against Fulham on 1 September.
After a month of hard work and rehabilitation, Carroll was clearly eager to
do well at Loftus Road. The 23-year-old was at his physically-imposing best
during a late cameo, coming close to beating home goalkeeper Julio Cesar
with two rasping efforts and just missing out on finishing crosses from Matt
Jarvis and Kevin Nolan. Speaking exclusively to West Ham TV, Carroll paid
tribute to the club's medical staff and his new team-mates for making his
return as speedy and painless as possible. Now, the No8 is targeting a start
and a win in Saturday's big tea-time clash with Arsenal at the Boleyn
Ground.
After making such an impact on your debut, you must have been itching to
return to action?
AC - "Yes, since the Fulham game I have been dying to get back. I've been
working hard in the gym and the staff here have helped me to get back fit
and obviously coming on at QPR and helping the lads to get the win was
great. It was hard. I was devastated when I got injured but I've worked hard
and I've been the gym every day. I've only been out on the training pitch a
handful of times since so it was great to be out there at Loftus Road
playing football again."
Is it a testament to your fitness that you have returned a lot quicker than
was originally forecast?
AC - "All the medical staff here are great and they have worked well with
us. I've been over the moon with what I've been doing and obviously that has
made for a speedy recovery. I had only trained a handful of times so it was
touch-and-go but all the staff have been great with me. I felt fine and
obviously they wouldn't have risked me if I had any problems. The medical
side have been great. As soon as I stopped feeling the hamstring a week or
two ago I wanted to get back on the pitch but they wouldn't let me because
they told me it wasn't right. I've had to keep working on it and I've got it
right and got 20 minutes on
Monday night. I'm absolutely fine."
Monday's game was an interesting one to make your return in as it certainly
wasn't for the faint-hearted, was it?
AC - "No, there were a few tackles going in and it was a good game to watch.
I was glad I got on and it was great for the lads that we got the three
points."
You spoke about the importance of Big Sam and Kevin Nolan being here in
helping you to decide to move to West Ham United. Has their presence made it
easier to get over the disappointment of being injured on your debut and to
settle in generally?
AC - "It's been great. All the lads are spot-on and there is always banter
flying around and they are a great group of lads. Everyone is in it for each
other and you can see they are behind each other in games. It's the same on
the training ground. It's just great so I'm enjoying it."
Are you looking forward to playing alongside Matt Jarvis on a regular basis,
considering his crossing ability?
AC - "That is what Matt is about. He loves putting balls in the box and that
is what I really thrive on, crosses coming in and getting my head on the end
of them. As you saw when I got on at QPR, he put four or five balls in
straight away. I didn't get on the end of them but he is putting them in
every time."
You have played for Newcastle United and Liverpool, but how do you assess
the quality in the current Hammers squad?
AC - "Yes, I think it is great. All the lads get on well and you can see the
quality in training. We showed that quality at QPR on Monday in what was a
tough game at a tough place to go. It was great to get the win and the three
points."
We move on to Arsenal on Saturday, but presumably we don't have to fear
anyone with the way we have been performing in the Barclays Premier League
so far?
AC - "No, we've obviously been playing really well and we proved that on
Monday. We had quite a few chances but we didn't put them all away. We've
been playing well and I think all the lads are looking forward to Arsenal on
Saturday."
How are you settling in down in London?
AC - "It's completely different. It's a huge city! I'm really enjoying it.
It's completely different but I like it."
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Ladies fightback earns point
WHUFC.com
West Ham United came from two goals down to snatch a valuable 2-2 draw with
Gillingham
02.10.2012
West Ham United Ladies came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Gillingham
in the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division on Sunday. The Gills took
the game by storm and could have been four goals clear within the opening 30
minutes had it not been for some excellent goalkeeping from Toni-Anne Wayne
at Thurrock FC's Ship Lane stadium. Unfortunately for the Hammers, however,
the visitors' persistence paid off and they took a 2-0 lead by scoring twice
in two minutes before the interval. Charlotte Gurr opened the scoring by
firing into the corner of the net past Wayne and just seconds later the
opportunistic Lauren Williams netted from close-range. The home side reacted
well, though, and responded with a goal of their own just before half-time.
With the consent of the referee, Becky Merritt (pictured) took a quick
free-kick from 25 yards which flew past the stranded Gills goalkeeper, who
was still attempting to build her wall. West Ham came out for the second
half rejuvenated by their goal and it took just under 20 minutes for the
Gills to crack under the relentless Hammers pressure. With 26 minutes
remaining in the contest Lindsey Morgan brought the sides level with a
wonderfully-taken goal. Morgan allowed a long ball to float over her
shoulder before lashing a dipping volley into the back of the net. Emma
Thomas almost snatched a late winner when she beat the offside trap but her
powerful shot went just the wrong side of the post. The Ladies' draw means
they now trail early pace-setters Millwall Lionesses by eight points, but
the Hammers do have a game in-hand on their south London rivals. Julia
Setford's side return to action on Sunday, when they travel to Tottenham
Hotspur.
West Ham United Ladies: Wayne, Barling, King, Revell, Sullivan, Little,
Roache, Morgan, Merritt, Rowland, Thomas
Subs used: Stimson, Lipley-Hinton
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Happy birthday, Sir Trevor
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 2nd October 2012
By: Staff Writer
One of West Ham United's greatest servants, Sir Trevor Brooking, is 64
today.
The former England midfielder, who had the former North Bank stand at the
Boleyn Ground named in his honour in 2009, made over 500 appearances for
United in a career that spanned some 17 years.
Born in Barking three years after the end of World War II, Brooking - the
son of a police footballer (a tough-tackling centre half) - was one of the
most gifted pupils at his school. He left Ilford County High with 11
O-Levels (the pre-cursor to GCSE's) and two A-Levels before joining West Ham
at the age of 16.
"I was at one of the old Grammar schools where the Academic side was quite
important," he told KUMB.com in a 2001 interview. "West Ham understood the
problems of leaving and not finishing your GCSE's as they are now.
"So I came to an agreement with West Ham that instead of signing in 1964 I
said I'd join them in 1965 when I'd finished my GCEs. I signed a two year
apprenticeship in the summer of 1965 which was a month after the Cup Winners
Cup final."
It was to be another two years before the talented young Brooking finally
made his debut, in a Division One fixture against Burnley at Turf Moor - and
it was a day to remember, with all three World Cup heroes from the previous
summer getting on the score sheet.
"I was really chuffed that we drew 3-3 and it was weird that they [Moore,
Peters and Hurst] scored," he recalled. "I think that I did okay, and
certainly enjoyed it - it was a decent performance. It was a fairly tough
place to get a result, so 3-3 was excellent."
Brooking soon became a firm fixture in the first team and it wasn't long
before he began to gain admirers - including former Derby manager Brian
Clough who made an audacious bid to sign Brooking and team mate Bobby Moore
in 1972.
"Bobby's agent did some work for me and I was part of the deal," said
Brooking. "Bobby and I were going to go but it was agreed at board level and
then referred to Ron [Greenwood] - and Ron said no.
"There was a spell in 1970/71 when I was on the [transfer] list. There were
a couple of clubs - Luton and Millwall, both second division clubs at the
time - who came in but Ron told them I wasn't for sale. So although I was on
the list, the word came back to me that I wasn't being offered and they
weren't accepting any bids."
That was good news for Hammers fans who saw the youngster blossom at the
Boleyn Ground following the departure of one of West Ham's World Cup winning
triumvirate, Martin Peters, to Tottenham.
Over the course of the next decade Brooking went on to star in all of West
Ham's biggest games - including FA Cup Finals against Fulham and Arsenal, a
Cup Winners' Cup Final against Anderlecht and a League Cup Final against
Liverpool - and make in excess of 50 appearances for England, including a
brief appearance at the 1982 World Cup Finals.
Of those games, the one he will be most remembered for by Hammers fans is
the 1980 FA Cup Final, when he headed home the only goal of the game to
bring the Cup back to east London.
"Bill [Bonds] and Alvin [Martin] never gave them a kick," he recalled. "The
key tactic was Stuart Pearson playing in midfield - we had five in midfield.
At half-time we were one-nil up and assumed that Arsenal would change it,
but they never changed their tactics throughout the 90 minutes - which was a
big mistake!"
It was that FA Cup-winning squad - and the subsequent promotion-winning team
which ran away with the Division Two title the following season - that
Brooking feels was the best West Ham team he was part of in his 17 years at
the club.
"There's no question that the 1980-83 team was the best," he affirmed.
"Parksie in goal; Ray Stewart, Alvin Martin, Bonzo and Frank [Lampard]; Pat,
Pikey, myself and Alan Dev with Crossie and Paul Goddard [up front]. That
was the best, most balanced team that I played in."
Brooking's final appearance for West Ham came on 14th May 1984 in a 1-0 home
defeat to FA Cup Finalists Everton - two years before John Lyall led the
Hammers to their best-ever top flight finish (third in 1985/86).
Since hanging up his boots Brooking has enjoyed spells as a TV pundit, as an
ambassador for Sport England and as Director of Football Development at the
FA. In 2004 he was knighted for his services to sport - a year after he made
his only appearance as a manager when stepping in for Glenn Roeder at West
Ham.
All of the team at KUMB.com would like to wish Sir Trev a very happy
birthday.
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce happy for Andy Carroll to be called up by
England
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated:
October 2, 2012 9:53am
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce says he has no problem with Andy Carroll being
called up to the England squad for the forthcoming games against San Marino
and Poland. Carroll made a successful return to action in Monday's win over
Queens Park Rangers, playing the final 18 minutes after recovering from a
hamstring injury. England boss Roy Hodgson was an interested observer at
Loftus Road and Allardyce insists Carroll is ready to return for the Three
Lions despite being short of fitness after a month on the sidelines. "I will
speak to Roy personally and give him the lowdown on his match fitness," said
Allardyce.
"He only played twice for Liverpool, he has played 68 minutes for us and now
another 18, so he is short of match fitness which I am sure Roy will deal
with in the right way. "[England duty] gives him match fitness if it is done
sensibly but I don't want to tell Roy how to do his job. "I have to say we
have spent a huge amount of time getting him here and because of fatigue he
pulled his hamstring in the first game so we have to manage that. If England
call him up they will manage that."
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West Ham's Andy Carroll is delighted at his early return from a hamstring
injury
Last Updated: October 2, 2012 4:17pm
SSN
Andy Carroll is delighted with his return to action from injury that came
much sooner than expected. The striker was thought be have been ruled out
for around six weeks when he strained a hamstring in his first match for
West Ham after moving to Upton Park on loan from Liverpool. But his
18-minute cameo against QPR on Monday night came around two weeks ahead of
schedule, and the England international has revealed he was desperate to get
back in claret and blue.
"I have been dying to get back," he admitted. "I was devastated when I got
injured, but I've worked hard and I've been in the gym every day. "I've only
been out on the training pitch a handful of times since so it was great to
be out there at Loftus Road playing football again. "All the medical staff
here are great and they have worked well with us. I've been over the moon
with what I've been doing and obviously that has made for a speedy recovery.
"I had only trained a handful of times so it was touch-and-go, but all the
staff have been great with me. I felt fine and obviously they wouldn't have
risked me if I had any problems."
Carroll, who had made his presence felt in the 68 minutes he managed in the
3-0 win over Fulham on 1st September, says he had to be held back from
making himself available even earlier. He explained: "As soon as I stopped
feeling the hamstring a week or two ago, I wanted to get back on the pitch,
but they wouldn't let me because they told me it wasn't right. "I've had to
keep working on it and I've got it right. I'm absolutely fine."
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West Ham striker Ricardo Vaz Te has told his team-mates they must build on
their positive start to the Premier League campaign.
Last Updated: October 2, 2012 4:36pm
SSN
West Ham striker Ricardo Vaz Te has warned his team-mates they must not rest
on their laurels despite a promising start to the season. The Portuguese
scored the second goal in their 2-1 win away to QPR on Monday night, a
victory that leaves the Hammers seventh in the Premier League table. But
with the club having only just returned to the top-flight after a season in
the Championship, Vaz Te knows they have a long way to go before they can
claim to have had a successful campaign. "It is a great start but we just
have to keep it going. We haven't achieved anything," he said. "We have to
make sure our objectives (are reached) and we have to make sure we don't get
carried away. Week in and week out, we just have to make sure we keep on
performing. "We haven't won anything, we have not done anything. It has been
what six or seven games? It means nothing so far." As for his goal against
London rivals QPR, Vaz Te added: "If I score, it is a bonus. As long as the
team wins and we get the three points, that is the main thing."
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Real Madrid, West Ham and Barca!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
There is an interesting peice in the Sports Mail today, which focuses upon
the Opta statistics for the number of 'long balls' played by teams. A 'long
ball' being defined as a pass or forward ball over 25 yards or more. These
statistics show that so far this season, Real Madrid have played (67), West
Ham (65) and Barca (59). So it would seem, based on this Opta data, that
West Ham are broadly comparable to both of the Spanish giants, in this
respect.
In the PL, so far this season, the statistics for other PL teams are as
follows: Newcastle Utd have played (78), Wigan (67), Liverpool (66), Chelsea
(65), Fulham (64), WBA (64), Villa (62), Sunderland (62), Norwich (60) and
Spurs (61). Even the PL title chasing Manchester teams have played quite a
few such balls: Utd (56), and City (54). This would indicate, domestically,
that Newcastle Utd are the most direct team in the PL, followed by Wigan and
Liverpool; while we are on a par with Chelsea! So, as I have consisently
argued this season, it all comes down what you define as a 'long ball.' But
these statistics make interesting reading. Is it a case of Disraeli's 'lies,
damn lies and statistics' ? Or does it illustrate the fact that there is a
lot of ill defined and stereotypical talk about what constitutes a so-called
'long ball' team or 'direct' style of play. And that other managers use
direct play, without being labelled and stigmatized for it.
Against QPR we saw clear evidence of an another argument that I have
consistently made, that Allardyce's West Ham team will mix up its play,
playing it 'long,' and passing it as circumstances dictate. On Tuesday
evening, West Ham moved the ball very well, with some sharp passing play.
Look at the opening goal, where a well played one-two got behind the QPR
defence for Jarvis's headed goal. Later in the game, we successfully played
the ball around and retained possession. These are all traits that common
wisdom says that you do not see in a 'Big Sam team,' with the big boot
forward supposedly being the MO of their playing style.
The Sportsmail peice also sheds an interesting light on Allardyce's training
methods. Far from the defenders spending training sessions booting it long
to Carroll and Cole, McDonald and Downes put the players in to small groups
where the ball is passed quickly, and they are pressed by team mates, to
reduce the amount of time available on the ball. This not only refines the
ability of players to play the ball in tight, heavily marked games, but
assists with a key tactic of defending high and pressing the opposition in
their own half. As the week progresses Allardyce becomes more directly
involved in training sessions and, towards the end of the week, on Thursday
and Friday, they work on set peices.
Remarking on the victory over QPR, the article concludes by stating that:
'Allardyce has always been prickly about the accusations that his teams know
only one way to play, but he has adjusted to the demands of modern football.
At times they might kick it long, but on Monday night they joined the
culture club.'
I know 'one swallow does not a summer make,' but one wonders if this fair
and interesting peice constitutes the start of a media re-assessment of
Allardyce's methods and playing style? If so, it will be a case of, to
paraphrase George Bernard Shaw's Professor Higgins, in Pygmalion (My Fair
Lady to fans of Cinema), 'By Jove I think they've got it.'
SJ. Chandos.
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Carroll a happy Hammer
Published: 02nd October 2012
The Sun
WEST HAM UNITED hitman Andy Carroll is pleased with his comeback performance
in win at QPR. The big striker - on a season long loan to the Hammers from
Liverpool - made a late cameo appearance in his first game since pulling a
hamstring in his debut against Fulham on September 1. Carroll said: "I have
been dying to get back. "I was devastated when I got injured, but I've
worked hard and I've been in the gym every day. "I've only been out on the
training pitch a handful of times since so it was great to be out there at
Loftus Road playing football again. "All the medical staff here are great
and they have worked well with us. I've been over the moon with what I've
been doing and obviously that has made for a speedy recovery." He added: "I
had only trained a handful of times so it was touch-and-go, but all the
staff have been great with me. I felt fine and obviously they wouldn't have
risked me if I had any problems. "As soon as I stopped feeling the hamstring
a week or two ago, I wanted to get back on the pitch, but they wouldn't let
me because they told me it wasn't right.
"I've had to keep working on it and I've got it right. I'm absolutely fine."
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Carroll's singing! Vaz Te risks Big Sam's wrath by urging England to pick
Andy
The Mirror
West Ham striker Andy Carroll is desperate for an England call-up - and has
been backed to turn Roy Hodgson's men into world beaters. Carroll's West Ham
team-mate Ricardo Vaz Te is convinced that the Geordie centre-forward will
relish the chance of a call-up for England's World Cup qualifiers with San
Marino next Friday and Poland four days later. Anxious Hammers boss Sam
Allardyce has warned Hodgson, who names his party on Thursday, that Carroll
is "woefully, woefully" short of fitness and sharpness. But, after Carroll
came on as a sub in Monday's win at QPR following a month out with a
hamstring injury, Vaz Te said: "He's great to have back. He's such a
handful. He is an England striker. "I'm not sure if he's back in time -
that's for Roy to prove. He [Carroll] proved for us that when he is fit he
is ready. We have one more game, hopefully, that will show [it too]. "Give
him a call - a player will know if he is ready.
"With Andy's strength, England can do anything. Every time you play a ball
to him, you know he is going to control it. He lets the team breathe, he
lets you push on. He buys you time. "Normally, you get big players who are
strong but not so good with their feet. Andy is an all rounder. He is not
fast - but not slow either. He showed that at QPR. "He is a terrific
player."
Carroll, who suffered the injury on his Hammers debut after joining on a
season's loan from Liverpool, said: "I have been dying to get back. "I was
devastated when I got injured, but I've worked hard and I've been in the gym
every day. "As soon as I stopped feeling the hamstring a week or two ago, I
wanted to get back on the pitch, but they wouldn't let me because they told
me it wasn't right. "I've had to keep working on it and I've got it right.
I'm absolutely fine."
Hodgson is also considering recalling Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon after
being impressed with his recent displays. The England boss watched him in
person as Spurs won at Manchester United on Saturday.
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Allardyce's Hammers play just like Real Madrid and Barcelona... but not how
you think
By NEIL ASHTON
PUBLISHED: 23:42, 2 October 2012 | UPDATED: 23:44, 2 October 2012
Daily Mail
Take a look at these statistics and see whether you can spot a trend: Real
Madrid 67. West Ham 65. Barcelona 59. At first glance it is difficult to
think of a single reason why Sam Allardyce's team could possibly be
mentioned in the same sentence as two of the biggest clubs in world
football. Some would even say it is deeply offensive for Sam Allardyce's
long-ball merchants to even be mentioned in the same breath as Jose Mourinho
or Tito Vilanova's eye-catching teams.
After watching West Ham's impressive and stylish victory over QPR at Loftus
Road from the halfway line on Monday night, it is easier to make sense of
the numbers. The figures above for the three teams represent the average
number of long balls that the teams have played in their respective leagues
this season.
For the purposes of this analysis, produced by Opta and freely available on
the excellent website whoscored.com, any attempted pass which is 25 yards or
more constitutes a long ball. They are surprising figures, particular for
two Spanish teams who pride themselves on short, incisive passing to slice
through the opposition. The purists will claim that Gerard Pique can change
gear at will, picking out Lionel Messi and sending a ball from one half to
the other with his superior skills. The reality is that even Barcelona and
Real Madrid, in times of trouble, will resort to the outlets up front and
send something long for Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi to chase down. Perhaps
this is the reason that Allardyce, in an interview in September 2010 that
brought much mirth and derision in football, claimed he could manage Real
Madrid. At the time he claimed he would walk away with league titles year
in, year out if he was given the chance to manage one of the world's biggest
football clubs. Even last weekend, Allardyce's protests continued in an
extensive interview with the Observer, when he argued for 'winning football'
as opposed to 'pretty passing'. His case is helped by the number of long
balls his rivals in the Barclays Premier League are playing. Liverpool, who
are supposed to be taking the short passing game to another level under
Brendan Rodgers, average 66 long balls every match.
These are the average number of long balls played, on average, this season
by the teams who finished in the top four:
Champions Manchester City (54), Manchester United (56), Arsenal (49),
Tottenham (61).
As for the rest of the Premier League, there are some eye-catching
statistics among the other sides.
Newcastle (78), Everton (69), Reading (67), Wigan (67), Chelsea (65) Fulham
(64), West Bromwich (64), Aston Villa (62), Sunderland (62), Norwich (60),
QPR
(59), Stoke (59), Swansea (55) and Southampton (51).
Pity Rodgers, Alan Pardew, David Moyes, Brian McDermott, Roberto Martinez
and Roberto Di Matteo when people become aware of the statistics. With the
exception of Arsenal, Southampton and Swansea, it would be easy to argue
that the rest of the Premier League is made up of hit and hope teams.
Clearly that is not the case, with teams refining their systems to suit the
demands of skilful players and a demanding public. No manager likes negative
Press, particularly Allardyce. Although he has strengthened the team for the
Premier League, he has refined the pattern and style for the Hammers' return
to the top flight. At Loftus Road they looked like an established Premier
League team, pouncing on the defensive deficiencies of a team who are afraid
to play at home. Rangers are seizing up at Loftus Road, a legacy of their
5-0 opening day defeat against Swansea and their failure to win in the
Premier League this season. Allardyce has a specific system in place
designed to hunt down the opposition and take advantage of teams who want to
play The Beautiful Game, but play it badly. At this moment, QPR fall into
that category. The idea that Allardyce takes training at Chadwell Heath each
day with full-backs launching endless long balls towards Andy Carroll or
Carlton Cole is a myth.
At the beginning of the week, his coaches Neil McDonald and Wally Downes
take training and Allardyce has input from the sidelines. They are not
trying to reinvent the wheel, but they play small-sided, passing and
pressing games to take time away from the players and put them under
pressure. As they build up towards matchday, Allardyce's role becomes more
prominent and he is heavily involved on the training pitches. On Thursday
and Friday, like most teams across the country, they practise set-pieces
ahead of a Saturday fixture. Even then, for a team tagged 'long ball', they
have won only 50 per cent of their aerial duels this season. Allardyce has
always been prickly about the accusations that his teams know only one way
to play, but he has adjusted to the demands of modern football. At times
they might kick it long, but on Monday night they joined the culture club.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
The returning England striker played his part as West Ham United scored a
fine 2-1 win at Queens Park Rangers
02.10.2012
Andy Carroll was all smiles after making a successful return from injury for
West Ham United in Monday's 2-1 Barclays Premier League victory at Queens
Park Rangers. The England centre forward was back after missing four matches
with a hamstring strain suffered on his debut against Fulham on 1 September.
After a month of hard work and rehabilitation, Carroll was clearly eager to
do well at Loftus Road. The 23-year-old was at his physically-imposing best
during a late cameo, coming close to beating home goalkeeper Julio Cesar
with two rasping efforts and just missing out on finishing crosses from Matt
Jarvis and Kevin Nolan. Speaking exclusively to West Ham TV, Carroll paid
tribute to the club's medical staff and his new team-mates for making his
return as speedy and painless as possible. Now, the No8 is targeting a start
and a win in Saturday's big tea-time clash with Arsenal at the Boleyn
Ground.
After making such an impact on your debut, you must have been itching to
return to action?
AC - "Yes, since the Fulham game I have been dying to get back. I've been
working hard in the gym and the staff here have helped me to get back fit
and obviously coming on at QPR and helping the lads to get the win was
great. It was hard. I was devastated when I got injured but I've worked hard
and I've been the gym every day. I've only been out on the training pitch a
handful of times since so it was great to be out there at Loftus Road
playing football again."
Is it a testament to your fitness that you have returned a lot quicker than
was originally forecast?
AC - "All the medical staff here are great and they have worked well with
us. I've been over the moon with what I've been doing and obviously that has
made for a speedy recovery. I had only trained a handful of times so it was
touch-and-go but all the staff have been great with me. I felt fine and
obviously they wouldn't have risked me if I had any problems. The medical
side have been great. As soon as I stopped feeling the hamstring a week or
two ago I wanted to get back on the pitch but they wouldn't let me because
they told me it wasn't right. I've had to keep working on it and I've got it
right and got 20 minutes on
Monday night. I'm absolutely fine."
Monday's game was an interesting one to make your return in as it certainly
wasn't for the faint-hearted, was it?
AC - "No, there were a few tackles going in and it was a good game to watch.
I was glad I got on and it was great for the lads that we got the three
points."
You spoke about the importance of Big Sam and Kevin Nolan being here in
helping you to decide to move to West Ham United. Has their presence made it
easier to get over the disappointment of being injured on your debut and to
settle in generally?
AC - "It's been great. All the lads are spot-on and there is always banter
flying around and they are a great group of lads. Everyone is in it for each
other and you can see they are behind each other in games. It's the same on
the training ground. It's just great so I'm enjoying it."
Are you looking forward to playing alongside Matt Jarvis on a regular basis,
considering his crossing ability?
AC - "That is what Matt is about. He loves putting balls in the box and that
is what I really thrive on, crosses coming in and getting my head on the end
of them. As you saw when I got on at QPR, he put four or five balls in
straight away. I didn't get on the end of them but he is putting them in
every time."
You have played for Newcastle United and Liverpool, but how do you assess
the quality in the current Hammers squad?
AC - "Yes, I think it is great. All the lads get on well and you can see the
quality in training. We showed that quality at QPR on Monday in what was a
tough game at a tough place to go. It was great to get the win and the three
points."
We move on to Arsenal on Saturday, but presumably we don't have to fear
anyone with the way we have been performing in the Barclays Premier League
so far?
AC - "No, we've obviously been playing really well and we proved that on
Monday. We had quite a few chances but we didn't put them all away. We've
been playing well and I think all the lads are looking forward to Arsenal on
Saturday."
How are you settling in down in London?
AC - "It's completely different. It's a huge city! I'm really enjoying it.
It's completely different but I like it."
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Ladies fightback earns point
WHUFC.com
West Ham United came from two goals down to snatch a valuable 2-2 draw with
Gillingham
02.10.2012
West Ham United Ladies came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Gillingham
in the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division on Sunday. The Gills took
the game by storm and could have been four goals clear within the opening 30
minutes had it not been for some excellent goalkeeping from Toni-Anne Wayne
at Thurrock FC's Ship Lane stadium. Unfortunately for the Hammers, however,
the visitors' persistence paid off and they took a 2-0 lead by scoring twice
in two minutes before the interval. Charlotte Gurr opened the scoring by
firing into the corner of the net past Wayne and just seconds later the
opportunistic Lauren Williams netted from close-range. The home side reacted
well, though, and responded with a goal of their own just before half-time.
With the consent of the referee, Becky Merritt (pictured) took a quick
free-kick from 25 yards which flew past the stranded Gills goalkeeper, who
was still attempting to build her wall. West Ham came out for the second
half rejuvenated by their goal and it took just under 20 minutes for the
Gills to crack under the relentless Hammers pressure. With 26 minutes
remaining in the contest Lindsey Morgan brought the sides level with a
wonderfully-taken goal. Morgan allowed a long ball to float over her
shoulder before lashing a dipping volley into the back of the net. Emma
Thomas almost snatched a late winner when she beat the offside trap but her
powerful shot went just the wrong side of the post. The Ladies' draw means
they now trail early pace-setters Millwall Lionesses by eight points, but
the Hammers do have a game in-hand on their south London rivals. Julia
Setford's side return to action on Sunday, when they travel to Tottenham
Hotspur.
West Ham United Ladies: Wayne, Barling, King, Revell, Sullivan, Little,
Roache, Morgan, Merritt, Rowland, Thomas
Subs used: Stimson, Lipley-Hinton
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Happy birthday, Sir Trevor
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 2nd October 2012
By: Staff Writer
One of West Ham United's greatest servants, Sir Trevor Brooking, is 64
today.
The former England midfielder, who had the former North Bank stand at the
Boleyn Ground named in his honour in 2009, made over 500 appearances for
United in a career that spanned some 17 years.
Born in Barking three years after the end of World War II, Brooking - the
son of a police footballer (a tough-tackling centre half) - was one of the
most gifted pupils at his school. He left Ilford County High with 11
O-Levels (the pre-cursor to GCSE's) and two A-Levels before joining West Ham
at the age of 16.
"I was at one of the old Grammar schools where the Academic side was quite
important," he told KUMB.com in a 2001 interview. "West Ham understood the
problems of leaving and not finishing your GCSE's as they are now.
"So I came to an agreement with West Ham that instead of signing in 1964 I
said I'd join them in 1965 when I'd finished my GCEs. I signed a two year
apprenticeship in the summer of 1965 which was a month after the Cup Winners
Cup final."
It was to be another two years before the talented young Brooking finally
made his debut, in a Division One fixture against Burnley at Turf Moor - and
it was a day to remember, with all three World Cup heroes from the previous
summer getting on the score sheet.
"I was really chuffed that we drew 3-3 and it was weird that they [Moore,
Peters and Hurst] scored," he recalled. "I think that I did okay, and
certainly enjoyed it - it was a decent performance. It was a fairly tough
place to get a result, so 3-3 was excellent."
Brooking soon became a firm fixture in the first team and it wasn't long
before he began to gain admirers - including former Derby manager Brian
Clough who made an audacious bid to sign Brooking and team mate Bobby Moore
in 1972.
"Bobby's agent did some work for me and I was part of the deal," said
Brooking. "Bobby and I were going to go but it was agreed at board level and
then referred to Ron [Greenwood] - and Ron said no.
"There was a spell in 1970/71 when I was on the [transfer] list. There were
a couple of clubs - Luton and Millwall, both second division clubs at the
time - who came in but Ron told them I wasn't for sale. So although I was on
the list, the word came back to me that I wasn't being offered and they
weren't accepting any bids."
That was good news for Hammers fans who saw the youngster blossom at the
Boleyn Ground following the departure of one of West Ham's World Cup winning
triumvirate, Martin Peters, to Tottenham.
Over the course of the next decade Brooking went on to star in all of West
Ham's biggest games - including FA Cup Finals against Fulham and Arsenal, a
Cup Winners' Cup Final against Anderlecht and a League Cup Final against
Liverpool - and make in excess of 50 appearances for England, including a
brief appearance at the 1982 World Cup Finals.
Of those games, the one he will be most remembered for by Hammers fans is
the 1980 FA Cup Final, when he headed home the only goal of the game to
bring the Cup back to east London.
"Bill [Bonds] and Alvin [Martin] never gave them a kick," he recalled. "The
key tactic was Stuart Pearson playing in midfield - we had five in midfield.
At half-time we were one-nil up and assumed that Arsenal would change it,
but they never changed their tactics throughout the 90 minutes - which was a
big mistake!"
It was that FA Cup-winning squad - and the subsequent promotion-winning team
which ran away with the Division Two title the following season - that
Brooking feels was the best West Ham team he was part of in his 17 years at
the club.
"There's no question that the 1980-83 team was the best," he affirmed.
"Parksie in goal; Ray Stewart, Alvin Martin, Bonzo and Frank [Lampard]; Pat,
Pikey, myself and Alan Dev with Crossie and Paul Goddard [up front]. That
was the best, most balanced team that I played in."
Brooking's final appearance for West Ham came on 14th May 1984 in a 1-0 home
defeat to FA Cup Finalists Everton - two years before John Lyall led the
Hammers to their best-ever top flight finish (third in 1985/86).
Since hanging up his boots Brooking has enjoyed spells as a TV pundit, as an
ambassador for Sport England and as Director of Football Development at the
FA. In 2004 he was knighted for his services to sport - a year after he made
his only appearance as a manager when stepping in for Glenn Roeder at West
Ham.
All of the team at KUMB.com would like to wish Sir Trev a very happy
birthday.
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce happy for Andy Carroll to be called up by
England
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated:
October 2, 2012 9:53am
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce says he has no problem with Andy Carroll being
called up to the England squad for the forthcoming games against San Marino
and Poland. Carroll made a successful return to action in Monday's win over
Queens Park Rangers, playing the final 18 minutes after recovering from a
hamstring injury. England boss Roy Hodgson was an interested observer at
Loftus Road and Allardyce insists Carroll is ready to return for the Three
Lions despite being short of fitness after a month on the sidelines. "I will
speak to Roy personally and give him the lowdown on his match fitness," said
Allardyce.
"He only played twice for Liverpool, he has played 68 minutes for us and now
another 18, so he is short of match fitness which I am sure Roy will deal
with in the right way. "[England duty] gives him match fitness if it is done
sensibly but I don't want to tell Roy how to do his job. "I have to say we
have spent a huge amount of time getting him here and because of fatigue he
pulled his hamstring in the first game so we have to manage that. If England
call him up they will manage that."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's Andy Carroll is delighted at his early return from a hamstring
injury
Last Updated: October 2, 2012 4:17pm
SSN
Andy Carroll is delighted with his return to action from injury that came
much sooner than expected. The striker was thought be have been ruled out
for around six weeks when he strained a hamstring in his first match for
West Ham after moving to Upton Park on loan from Liverpool. But his
18-minute cameo against QPR on Monday night came around two weeks ahead of
schedule, and the England international has revealed he was desperate to get
back in claret and blue.
"I have been dying to get back," he admitted. "I was devastated when I got
injured, but I've worked hard and I've been in the gym every day. "I've only
been out on the training pitch a handful of times since so it was great to
be out there at Loftus Road playing football again. "All the medical staff
here are great and they have worked well with us. I've been over the moon
with what I've been doing and obviously that has made for a speedy recovery.
"I had only trained a handful of times so it was touch-and-go, but all the
staff have been great with me. I felt fine and obviously they wouldn't have
risked me if I had any problems."
Carroll, who had made his presence felt in the 68 minutes he managed in the
3-0 win over Fulham on 1st September, says he had to be held back from
making himself available even earlier. He explained: "As soon as I stopped
feeling the hamstring a week or two ago, I wanted to get back on the pitch,
but they wouldn't let me because they told me it wasn't right. "I've had to
keep working on it and I've got it right. I'm absolutely fine."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham striker Ricardo Vaz Te has told his team-mates they must build on
their positive start to the Premier League campaign.
Last Updated: October 2, 2012 4:36pm
SSN
West Ham striker Ricardo Vaz Te has warned his team-mates they must not rest
on their laurels despite a promising start to the season. The Portuguese
scored the second goal in their 2-1 win away to QPR on Monday night, a
victory that leaves the Hammers seventh in the Premier League table. But
with the club having only just returned to the top-flight after a season in
the Championship, Vaz Te knows they have a long way to go before they can
claim to have had a successful campaign. "It is a great start but we just
have to keep it going. We haven't achieved anything," he said. "We have to
make sure our objectives (are reached) and we have to make sure we don't get
carried away. Week in and week out, we just have to make sure we keep on
performing. "We haven't won anything, we have not done anything. It has been
what six or seven games? It means nothing so far." As for his goal against
London rivals QPR, Vaz Te added: "If I score, it is a bonus. As long as the
team wins and we get the three points, that is the main thing."
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Real Madrid, West Ham and Barca!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
There is an interesting peice in the Sports Mail today, which focuses upon
the Opta statistics for the number of 'long balls' played by teams. A 'long
ball' being defined as a pass or forward ball over 25 yards or more. These
statistics show that so far this season, Real Madrid have played (67), West
Ham (65) and Barca (59). So it would seem, based on this Opta data, that
West Ham are broadly comparable to both of the Spanish giants, in this
respect.
In the PL, so far this season, the statistics for other PL teams are as
follows: Newcastle Utd have played (78), Wigan (67), Liverpool (66), Chelsea
(65), Fulham (64), WBA (64), Villa (62), Sunderland (62), Norwich (60) and
Spurs (61). Even the PL title chasing Manchester teams have played quite a
few such balls: Utd (56), and City (54). This would indicate, domestically,
that Newcastle Utd are the most direct team in the PL, followed by Wigan and
Liverpool; while we are on a par with Chelsea! So, as I have consisently
argued this season, it all comes down what you define as a 'long ball.' But
these statistics make interesting reading. Is it a case of Disraeli's 'lies,
damn lies and statistics' ? Or does it illustrate the fact that there is a
lot of ill defined and stereotypical talk about what constitutes a so-called
'long ball' team or 'direct' style of play. And that other managers use
direct play, without being labelled and stigmatized for it.
Against QPR we saw clear evidence of an another argument that I have
consistently made, that Allardyce's West Ham team will mix up its play,
playing it 'long,' and passing it as circumstances dictate. On Tuesday
evening, West Ham moved the ball very well, with some sharp passing play.
Look at the opening goal, where a well played one-two got behind the QPR
defence for Jarvis's headed goal. Later in the game, we successfully played
the ball around and retained possession. These are all traits that common
wisdom says that you do not see in a 'Big Sam team,' with the big boot
forward supposedly being the MO of their playing style.
The Sportsmail peice also sheds an interesting light on Allardyce's training
methods. Far from the defenders spending training sessions booting it long
to Carroll and Cole, McDonald and Downes put the players in to small groups
where the ball is passed quickly, and they are pressed by team mates, to
reduce the amount of time available on the ball. This not only refines the
ability of players to play the ball in tight, heavily marked games, but
assists with a key tactic of defending high and pressing the opposition in
their own half. As the week progresses Allardyce becomes more directly
involved in training sessions and, towards the end of the week, on Thursday
and Friday, they work on set peices.
Remarking on the victory over QPR, the article concludes by stating that:
'Allardyce has always been prickly about the accusations that his teams know
only one way to play, but he has adjusted to the demands of modern football.
At times they might kick it long, but on Monday night they joined the
culture club.'
I know 'one swallow does not a summer make,' but one wonders if this fair
and interesting peice constitutes the start of a media re-assessment of
Allardyce's methods and playing style? If so, it will be a case of, to
paraphrase George Bernard Shaw's Professor Higgins, in Pygmalion (My Fair
Lady to fans of Cinema), 'By Jove I think they've got it.'
SJ. Chandos.
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Carroll a happy Hammer
Published: 02nd October 2012
The Sun
WEST HAM UNITED hitman Andy Carroll is pleased with his comeback performance
in win at QPR. The big striker - on a season long loan to the Hammers from
Liverpool - made a late cameo appearance in his first game since pulling a
hamstring in his debut against Fulham on September 1. Carroll said: "I have
been dying to get back. "I was devastated when I got injured, but I've
worked hard and I've been in the gym every day. "I've only been out on the
training pitch a handful of times since so it was great to be out there at
Loftus Road playing football again. "All the medical staff here are great
and they have worked well with us. I've been over the moon with what I've
been doing and obviously that has made for a speedy recovery." He added: "I
had only trained a handful of times so it was touch-and-go, but all the
staff have been great with me. I felt fine and obviously they wouldn't have
risked me if I had any problems. "As soon as I stopped feeling the hamstring
a week or two ago, I wanted to get back on the pitch, but they wouldn't let
me because they told me it wasn't right.
"I've had to keep working on it and I've got it right. I'm absolutely fine."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carroll's singing! Vaz Te risks Big Sam's wrath by urging England to pick
Andy
The Mirror
West Ham striker Andy Carroll is desperate for an England call-up - and has
been backed to turn Roy Hodgson's men into world beaters. Carroll's West Ham
team-mate Ricardo Vaz Te is convinced that the Geordie centre-forward will
relish the chance of a call-up for England's World Cup qualifiers with San
Marino next Friday and Poland four days later. Anxious Hammers boss Sam
Allardyce has warned Hodgson, who names his party on Thursday, that Carroll
is "woefully, woefully" short of fitness and sharpness. But, after Carroll
came on as a sub in Monday's win at QPR following a month out with a
hamstring injury, Vaz Te said: "He's great to have back. He's such a
handful. He is an England striker. "I'm not sure if he's back in time -
that's for Roy to prove. He [Carroll] proved for us that when he is fit he
is ready. We have one more game, hopefully, that will show [it too]. "Give
him a call - a player will know if he is ready.
"With Andy's strength, England can do anything. Every time you play a ball
to him, you know he is going to control it. He lets the team breathe, he
lets you push on. He buys you time. "Normally, you get big players who are
strong but not so good with their feet. Andy is an all rounder. He is not
fast - but not slow either. He showed that at QPR. "He is a terrific
player."
Carroll, who suffered the injury on his Hammers debut after joining on a
season's loan from Liverpool, said: "I have been dying to get back. "I was
devastated when I got injured, but I've worked hard and I've been in the gym
every day. "As soon as I stopped feeling the hamstring a week or two ago, I
wanted to get back on the pitch, but they wouldn't let me because they told
me it wasn't right. "I've had to keep working on it and I've got it right.
I'm absolutely fine."
Hodgson is also considering recalling Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon after
being impressed with his recent displays. The England boss watched him in
person as Spurs won at Manchester United on Saturday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce's Hammers play just like Real Madrid and Barcelona... but not how
you think
By NEIL ASHTON
PUBLISHED: 23:42, 2 October 2012 | UPDATED: 23:44, 2 October 2012
Daily Mail
Take a look at these statistics and see whether you can spot a trend: Real
Madrid 67. West Ham 65. Barcelona 59. At first glance it is difficult to
think of a single reason why Sam Allardyce's team could possibly be
mentioned in the same sentence as two of the biggest clubs in world
football. Some would even say it is deeply offensive for Sam Allardyce's
long-ball merchants to even be mentioned in the same breath as Jose Mourinho
or Tito Vilanova's eye-catching teams.
After watching West Ham's impressive and stylish victory over QPR at Loftus
Road from the halfway line on Monday night, it is easier to make sense of
the numbers. The figures above for the three teams represent the average
number of long balls that the teams have played in their respective leagues
this season.
For the purposes of this analysis, produced by Opta and freely available on
the excellent website whoscored.com, any attempted pass which is 25 yards or
more constitutes a long ball. They are surprising figures, particular for
two Spanish teams who pride themselves on short, incisive passing to slice
through the opposition. The purists will claim that Gerard Pique can change
gear at will, picking out Lionel Messi and sending a ball from one half to
the other with his superior skills. The reality is that even Barcelona and
Real Madrid, in times of trouble, will resort to the outlets up front and
send something long for Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi to chase down. Perhaps
this is the reason that Allardyce, in an interview in September 2010 that
brought much mirth and derision in football, claimed he could manage Real
Madrid. At the time he claimed he would walk away with league titles year
in, year out if he was given the chance to manage one of the world's biggest
football clubs. Even last weekend, Allardyce's protests continued in an
extensive interview with the Observer, when he argued for 'winning football'
as opposed to 'pretty passing'. His case is helped by the number of long
balls his rivals in the Barclays Premier League are playing. Liverpool, who
are supposed to be taking the short passing game to another level under
Brendan Rodgers, average 66 long balls every match.
These are the average number of long balls played, on average, this season
by the teams who finished in the top four:
Champions Manchester City (54), Manchester United (56), Arsenal (49),
Tottenham (61).
As for the rest of the Premier League, there are some eye-catching
statistics among the other sides.
Newcastle (78), Everton (69), Reading (67), Wigan (67), Chelsea (65) Fulham
(64), West Bromwich (64), Aston Villa (62), Sunderland (62), Norwich (60),
QPR
(59), Stoke (59), Swansea (55) and Southampton (51).
Pity Rodgers, Alan Pardew, David Moyes, Brian McDermott, Roberto Martinez
and Roberto Di Matteo when people become aware of the statistics. With the
exception of Arsenal, Southampton and Swansea, it would be easy to argue
that the rest of the Premier League is made up of hit and hope teams.
Clearly that is not the case, with teams refining their systems to suit the
demands of skilful players and a demanding public. No manager likes negative
Press, particularly Allardyce. Although he has strengthened the team for the
Premier League, he has refined the pattern and style for the Hammers' return
to the top flight. At Loftus Road they looked like an established Premier
League team, pouncing on the defensive deficiencies of a team who are afraid
to play at home. Rangers are seizing up at Loftus Road, a legacy of their
5-0 opening day defeat against Swansea and their failure to win in the
Premier League this season. Allardyce has a specific system in place
designed to hunt down the opposition and take advantage of teams who want to
play The Beautiful Game, but play it badly. At this moment, QPR fall into
that category. The idea that Allardyce takes training at Chadwell Heath each
day with full-backs launching endless long balls towards Andy Carroll or
Carlton Cole is a myth.
At the beginning of the week, his coaches Neil McDonald and Wally Downes
take training and Allardyce has input from the sidelines. They are not
trying to reinvent the wheel, but they play small-sided, passing and
pressing games to take time away from the players and put them under
pressure. As they build up towards matchday, Allardyce's role becomes more
prominent and he is heavily involved on the training pitches. On Thursday
and Friday, like most teams across the country, they practise set-pieces
ahead of a Saturday fixture. Even then, for a team tagged 'long ball', they
have won only 50 per cent of their aerial duels this season. Allardyce has
always been prickly about the accusations that his teams know only one way
to play, but he has adjusted to the demands of modern football. At times
they might kick it long, but on Monday night they joined the culture club.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Tuesday, October 2
Daily WHUFC News - 2nd October 2012
Big Sam delighted with QPR win
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was a happy man as West Ham United got their away campaign
started with a win at QPR
02.10.2012
Sam Allardyce said he was simply 'delighted' to see West Ham United get the
first away win of the 2012/13 Barclays Premier League season under their
belt with a 2-1 victory at Queens Park Rangers on Monday night. Big Sam's
side were the dominant force for much of the game, and took the spoils
courtesy of Matt Jarvis' first goal for the club and Ricardo Vaz Te's maiden
goal of the season. The Hammers were driven to victory by the inspired
midfield trio of Mark Noble, Momo Diame and Kevin Nolan, who dominated the
game for the visitors and ensured that it was east London who ended up with
the bragging rights. "It was a great, great victory for us and our first
away in the Barclays Premier League this season," Allardyce said. "We showed
great character, great spirit and great belief from the team. "I'm
delighted. Against a lot of the odds we still went ahead and won this game
and won it a lot more comfortably than the score suggested. To be honest at
2-0 at half time you'd have thought I'd be satisfied but because of the
amount of chances we created in the first half I was disappointed it wasn't
three. "I thought Mark Noble, Kevin Nolan and Momo Diame controlled the game
for us. All three were the reason why got so many things going forward. The
service that they provide to the wide men was key as it allowed us to create
the chances. The goals were two very good finishes as the angles were very
acute. We had easier chances than them and missed them."
The night could not have really got off to a better start as Jarvis nodded
in Nolan's looping cross from the right from three yards out. It got even
better for the Hammers ten minutes before the break, when Vaz Te expertly
flicked home a James Tomkins cross with the outside of his foot from an
acute angle. "It was a great start for us and a great piece of football from
our team. We were on the front foot and completely dominating the game
playing away from home in the Premier League for the first time since we got
promoted. People would expect us to sit back but we have shown our ability
as an attacking side. We got two exceptionally good goals. "The difficulty
came in the second half when Taarabt scored that wonderful goal. One goal
changes the game. If it was 3-0 at half time that one goal wouldn't have
mattered at all. They put us under the cosh but we showed our defensive
resilience."
Abdel Taarabt had pulled one back for the Hoops with a sensational 30-yard
strike just minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute. The goal
instantly game the home team and their supporters a lift and some courageous
defending and fine goalkeeping from Jussi Jaaskelainen were needed to help
keep them at bay. There was some cause for concern midway through the half
when Jaaskelainen accidently caught Winston Reid in the face with his elbow.
After spending a few minutes on the floor, the New Zealand international
gingerly made his way to his feet to trudge off the pitch to be replaced by
James Tomkins. Joey O'Brien was also taken off for George McCartney after
tweaking a hamstring. "QPR have gone out and spent a lot of money. We've
come to their place and been the better side. We've had to overcome two
injuries in the first half. Unfortunately Jussi knocked out Reid and then
Joey felt his hamstring. We didn't look defensively any weaker when George
McCartney and James Tomkins came on, which is fantastic for me. "The
defensive unit was brilliant and the attacking unit was first class too,
other than one or two finishes that could have been better "We'll find out
how Winston is on Tuesday but he seems OK in the dressing room. The medical
team think he might have had a slight concussion but hopefully he will
recover in time for Saturday's game with Arsenal."
Vaz Te and Matt Jarvis were also hugely influential as part of an effective
counter-attacking unit,causing QPR full-backs Nedum Onuoha and Clint Hill no
end of problems. Vaz Te had double reason to celebrate after his goal as it
fell on the day he turned 26, with his manager happy to see another step
taken towards rediscovering his very best form. "He's got to feel his way
into the Barclays Premier League. He's been there as a young man and
injuries took their toll along with a lack of experience. Now he's got all
the experience he needs to show the ability that he's got and he certainly
showed that. "The goals will do him and Matt Jarvis the world of good as the
more variety we get from different players, the better we become and the
more points we will pick up."
Carlton Cole had an impressive game up front but missed a good opportunity
on 67 minutes to grab the goal his performance deserved. The West Ham No9
made way for the fit-again Andy Carroll on 72 minutes, and the loan signing
quickly set about hassling the home defence, with the Hammers' cause helped
by the sending off of QPR substitute Samba Diakite for a second booking. "We
came out and moved the ball quickly and caught them on the break and got
better after the sending off. "Andy could be very important for us alongside
Carlton Cole. Modibo Maiga could also be key for us. We kept bringing Maiga
on as sub and in the Capital Cup games so we think he is improving. What we
needed against QPR was Andy Carroll just for the last 20 minutes when
Carlton tired. "His aim was to hold the ball up and be a target for us so we
could stop QPR's pressure and it changed the game back in our favour. The
sending off did as well of course. Andy started holding the ball up and we
started creating more chances but for some great saves from the goalkeeper
we could have won this game by more."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Turgott provides Hope
WHUFC.com
Blair Turgott featured as England ended their UEFA European U19 Championship
qualifiers on a high
01.10.2012
Blair Turgott notched a vital assist in England Under-19s' UEFA European
Championship 1-1 qualifying draw with Ukraine on Monday. Both sides had
already qualified for next spring's Elite Round going into the game but
Hallum Hope's added-time header from Turgott's free-kick meant England
topped the group ahead of their opponents. England will now receive a more
favourable draw in the Elite Round of qualifying for next year's finals in
Lit huania.Noel Blake's side looked set to finish second in their group when
Vladyslav Pavlenko hit the net with just two minutes remaining, but England
refused to be beaten and the Everton youngster nudged home with seconds to
spare. Turgott will now return to West Ham United and join up with the
Development Squad ahead of their next Barclays U21 Premier League Group 1
fixture at Blackburn Rovers on Monday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
QPR 1 West Ham 2
By Ben Smith
BBC Sport
West Ham heaped more misery on 10-man Queens Park Rangers as they held on to
win at Loftus Road and keep their hosts bottom of the Premier League.
Record signing Matt Jarvis gave West Ham a dream start by heading in after
three minutes and Ricardo Vaz Te poked in to double the lead before
half-time.
QPR rallied after the interval and Adel Taarabt cut the deficit, but the
hosts had Samba Diakite sent off late on. And West Ham held on despite eight
yellow cards - a Premier League record. The result, West Ham's first away
win of the season, moves Sam Allardyce's side up to seventh in the table and
there was more cause for optimism as striker Andy Carroll played the final
20 minutes after returning from his hamstring problem. But this was another
damaging defeat for winless QPR, who have now taken only two league points
from a possible 18 this season. Having been backed heavily by owner Tony
Fernandes during the summer transfer window, the pressure is likely to mount
on manager Mark Hughes, who will in turn point to a string of defensive
injuries. Sharper to the ball and swifter to use it, West Ham dominated the
opening 45 minutes. QPR finally found their rythym in the second half,
inspired by the creativity and energy of Taarabt, but it was too little, too
late. West Ham worked hard and counter-attacked intelligently, using the
energy of Mohamed Diame and the guile of Vaz Te, but it was by no means a
classic performance and both of their goals owed more to perspiration than
inspiration. Their first came as early as the third minute after Vaz Te
skipped beyond a desperate lunge from Clint Hill on the right. The
Portuguese cut the ball back to Kevin Nolan on the edge of the area and his
looping cross was headed in by Jarvis at the back post. QPR threatened in
fits and starts, with Bobby Zamora firing well over from 12 yards and
Djibril Cisse drawing an acrobatic save from Jussi Jaaskelainen with an
athletic volley. But West Ham remained the better side and the second goal
followed soon after. James Tomkins lofted the ball to the back post after
QPR failed to clear from a corner and Vaz Te stretched out his right leg,
with the ball beating goalkeeper Julio Cesar thanks to the slightest
deflection off Stephane Mbia's arm. QPR responded to their manager's
half-time words with the kind of spirit and energy that they had been
lacking. Taarabt shattered the mediocrity with the game's single moment of
brilliance, unleashing a fizzing 30-yarder that flashed into the top corner,
84 seconds after coming on as a substitute.
West Ham's Jaaskelainen was the busier of the two goalkeepers now, saving
brilliantly from Esteban Granero's shot after a clever touch by Cisse,
although Carlton Cole should have made the victory more comfortable for West
Ham but prodded wide with the goal at his mercy after a slide-rule pass by
the tireless Nolan. But just as QPR came again, Diakite lunged in on Vaz Te
to collect a second yellow card, 25 minutes after coming on as a substitute,
to take the wind out of QPR's sails. West Ham manager Sam Allardyce said:
"We've achieved our first Barclays Premier League away win, which is no mean
feat for a newly promoted team. I think the outstanding qualities we showed,
both in our ability to take the game to the opposition away from home and
our ability to score goals. were fantastic to see. "As the underdogs, having
just been promoted, to come to QPR and take the game to them and dominate
that first half was great. If I had to say anything, I was a little bit
disappointed we didn't get more than two. "There were an awful lot of fouls
and decisions the referee gave that he didn't need to do and an awful lot of
yellow cards he gave nearly spoilt the game."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
QPR 1 West Ham Utd 2
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 2nd October 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are celebrating their first away win in the Premier League since
February 2011 after beating Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road tonight. A
scintillating first half display was the foundation upon which United's
first away win of the 2012/13 campaign - and the first since winning 3-1 at
Blackpool under Avram Grant - was built. Goals from Matt Jarvis and Ricardo
Vaz Te saw the Hammers take a 2-0 lead into the break and although they
conceded early on in the second period, the Hammers clung on to rise to
seventh spot in the table. Rangers, who have endured a shocking start to the
campaign offered little and ended the match with ten men after substitute
Diakite - who had only been on the pitch for 19 minutes - received his
marching orders with quarter-of-an-hour to go. Trigger-happy referee Mark
Clattenburg booked ten players on the night - an astonishing EIGHT of which
were from West Ham - yet somehow Sam Allardyce's team managed to finish the
game with all eleven still on the field. He was also criticised for playing
six minutes of extra time when there had been few reasons to add on time in
the second period bar substitutions. However West Ham amanged to cling on to
record a much deserved win regardless. The healthy and vocal travelling
contingent, which had made the short trip across London waited just three
minutes for the first goal of the night to arrive. Skipper Kevin Nolan's
initial shot - the result of some interplay between him and Ricardo Vaz Te -
was heading wide of the target before club-record signing Jarvis appeared at
the back post to send a deft header across Rangers 'keeper Julio Cesar into
the far corner. The Hammers almost scored a second on 11 minutes when Momo
Diame's 25-yard effort dipped just over the crossbar. However they were
forced to wait until ten minutes from the break before eventually doubling
their lead.
Mark Noble's free kick found its way out to James Tomkins, on as a
substitute for the injured Winston Reid. The central defender lobbed the
ball back into the mix where Vaz Te stole in at the far post to find the net
with a deft flick that took a slight deflection on the way in. The goal was
met by a wry smile from former West Ham number one Rob Green - who has
already lost his place at his new club - and captured perfectly by the TV
cameras. The only sour note of an otherwise excellent first half was the
injury to Reid which occured after he collided with Jussi Jaaskelainen as
the two sought to clear a ball into the box. The New Zealander lay prone for
several minutes before being replaced by Tomkins. The home side halved the
deficit just 12 minutes into the second half when substitute Taarabt found
the net with an impressive effort from outside the box. And although Jussi
Jaaskelainen had to be alert to keep West Ham ahead on a couple of occasions
thereafter, it was West Ham who went closest to adding what would have been
the game's fourth goal when a rejuvenated Vaz Te saw a wonderful dipping
volley turned against the cross bar by Cesar.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers pile more woe on Hoops
Jarvis and Vaz Te on target for happy Hammers
Last Updated: October 1, 2012 10:58pm
SSN
QPR remain without a Premier League win and bottom of the table after West
Ham inflicted a 2-1 defeat on the 10-man Hoops at Loftus Road in Monday
night's London derby.
Man of the match: Mark Noble gets the nod from us after shining in midfield
for the Hammers with a hard-working display.
Goal of the match: Adel Taarabt was quick to make an impact off the bench,
looping a wonderful effort over Jussi Jaaskelainen just seconds after coming
on the pitch.
Save of the match: Jaaskelainen pulled off a string of crucial blocks to
keep out the Hoops in the second half and the most notable was his
one-handed save which denied Esteban Granero.
Chance of the match: Kevin Nolan set up Carlton Cole with a gilt-edged
chance from close range after Samba Diakite had slipped to lose possession
but the striker poked it wide.
Talking point: Can QPR recover from a disastrous start to the season or is
relegation calling already? West Ham have marched into seventh but will they
be able to maintain their momentum?
The result marked a first away win for the Hammers this season and saw Sam
Allardyce's men climb into seventh at the expense of Mark Hughes'
strugglers.
West Ham wasted little time breaking the deadlock in West London as Matt
Jarvis scored in just the third minute, nodding home after Kevin Nolan and
Ricardo Vaz Te had paired up with a great one-two. The lively Vaz Te then
added another in the 35th minute, squeezing home a tidy James Tomkins cross
after the Hoops defence had failed to properly clear a Hammers corner.
Substitute Adel Taarabt pulled one back with a classy strike in the second
half only seconds after coming on the pitch to inspire glimmers of hope in
Hughes' side and Hammers goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen was forced to pull
off a string of impressive saves.
But QPR's woes were compounded with 15 minutes remaining when Samba Diakite
was sent off after earning his second booking 20 minutes after coming off
the bench and they were unable to see the comeback through. West Ham also
saw chances go begging late on, with Andy Carroll coming close after making
his comeback from a hamstring injury as a 72nd-minute substitute.
Indiscipline
Referee Mark Clattenburg handed out 11 bookings in all and eight of those
went to players in claret and blue, who will be fined for indiscipline but
held out for three valuable points. Coming into the game, the surprise team
news was that Carroll was deemed fit enough to be included amongst the
substitutes after missing the past four matches with a hamstring injury.
Former West Ham goalkeeper Rob Green was on the opposing bench and was
taunted from the start by the vocal visiting support, having lost his place
in the QPR team just four games after his summer move from Upton Park.
The England international was reminded of his decision throughout the match
by 1,681 away supporters, who had a goal to cheer after just three minutes.
Kevin Nolan linked up well with Vaz Te down the left but struck a poor
scooped effort that was going harmlessly wide until Jarvis snuck in to nod
home past Julio Cesar. It was a bolt out of the blue in what was an
unspectacular opening, although the Hammers came close to a second in the
11th minute when Mohamed Diame's 25-yard thunderbolt deflected off Ryan
Nelsen and flew just over.
Joey O'Brien reacted quickly to stop James Collins putting into his own goal
from an Esteban Granero free-kick that saw an unfortunate collision between
Winston Reid and his own goalkeeper. The New Zealand international required
nearly four minutes of treatment after appearing to be knocked out by Jussi
Jaaskelainen and saw James Tomkins come on in his place. The break in play
did not change the game's momentum as only Stephane Mbia's quick reactions
prevented Diame getting a head on a right-wing Nolan cross.
It was not all positive for West Ham, though, as O'Brien became their second
casualty of the first half and had to be replaced by George McCartney 11
minutes from half-time. The injuries were the only blot on a fine opening 45
minutes for West Ham, which got better as Vaz Te doubled the visitors'
advantage moments later. Mark Noble swung in a free-kick and the resulting
penalty-box melee was cleared only as far as Tomkins, whose superb
first-time cross was met by an equally impressive acrobatic effort from Vaz
Te. "Greeno, what's the score?" rung around Loftus Road following the goal
and would have gone up a notch had a Carlton Cole header or Noble's
deflected long-range strike found the target. The latter and Diame were both
booked heading into the break from which West Ham returned on top. Cesar did
well to deny Diame three minutes after the restart and it took until the
55th-minute introductions of Taarabt and Diakite to change course. The
former was welcomed with particularly loud cheers and showed why within two
minutes, making space to curl home an exquisite 25-yard effort into the top
right-hand corner.
Celebration
Taarabt was booked for lifting his shirt and was soon joined in
Clattenburg's notebook by fellow replacement Diakite. West Ham's McCartney
was the next, before Jaaskelainen was reprimanded shortly after denying
Granero with an excellent stop. Cole and Nolan both received yellow cards as
the match became a bit of a farce and Allardyce soon brought on Carroll for
the former. Jaaskelainen spilled a driven Cisse shot at the near post as QPR
pushed for an equaliser, before the hosts' task was made all the more
difficult as Diakite received a second yellow a late lunge on Diame. Vaz Te
had an excellent strike palmed onto the bar by Cesar after Collins became
the seventh West Ham player to be booked. Cisse and Alejandro Faurlin were
both denied by Jaaskelainen as QPR pushed for a leveller that never came as
West Ham held out for victory, although not before Tomkins became the final
player booked.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham captain Kevin Nolan hails crucial win for his side against QPR
Last Updated: October 2, 2012 12:06am
SSN
West Ham captain Kevin Nolan was glad to see his side claim an 'absolutely
vital' first away triumph of the Premier League season. The promoted Hammers
took a third-minute lead against hosts QPR through Matt Jarvis' first goal
for the club before Ricardo Vaz Tedoubled their advantage in the 35th
minute, both goals coming from far-post finishes. QPR pulled a goal back
with a stunning 57th-minute effort from Adel Taarabt just moments after he
came on as a substitute, but they lost Samba Diakite to a second yellow card
15 minutes from time and the remaining 10 men could not find an equaliser.
The result leaves QPR rooted to the foot of the standings with only two
points from six games, while West Ham moved into the top seven, with
Tottenham and West Brom on 11 points.
Nolan told Sky Sports of the win: "It was absolutely vital. Absolutely
delighted with the win today. "They made us work for the win in the second
half. It was a fantastic first-half performance, the second half I thought
we dug in and we could have won it by more in the end really." Nolan also
praised his side for the way they fought to hold off QPR's attempted
comeback after the break. "We knew at some point they had to make changes,
we had to be ready for that and I thought we dealt with it well," he said.
"It was a great goal (from Taarabt ) but I thought after that we responded
well, we dug in, they had the man sent off which helped us, but I thought
overall we were well deserving of the win. "Tonight we proved we are tough
to beat and we have quality."
Resilience
Man-of-the-match Mark Noble also hailed West Ham's resilience after QPR
battled for a way back and is already looking ahead to another London derby
when the Hammers host Arsenal this weekend. He said: "I think in the first
half we controlled the game. We got an early goal, then got another one and
controlled it from then on. "It's a tough place to come and play here and
when they scored their goal we had to dig in and fight and we've done that
tonight, the lads were brilliant. "The morale's brilliant, we've had a good
start. Obviously we've got Arsenal next week so we've got to concentrate on
that one now, it's going to be a tough game."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce felt his side put on a Jekyll and Hyde
performance in the 2-1 win at QPR
Last Updated: October 1, 2012 11:22pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce felt his side put on a Jekyll and Hyde
performance in the 2-1 win at QPR. The result, courtesy of goals from
Ricrado Vaz Te and Matt Jarvis,lifted West Ham to seventh - their highest
position in four years - but the manager felt his side could have made
matters easier for themselves.
"We showed two sides of our team," he told Sky Sports. "The one side was the
great first half we gave and completely dominated the opposition on their
own ground. "We are a newly promoted team and we have taken the game to QPR
and led through two quality finishes. Let's face it it could have been more
than 2-0 at half-time. "Adel Taarabt's brilliant strike to make it 2-1 was a
worry for us because it lifted the crowd and their players. "We had to show
the other side of our character which is good honest hard work and
defending. After they had a man sent off, we should really have seen the
game off with more goals."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Should we Attempt to Sign Andy Carroll in January?
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
Tonight's victory is the first at Loftus Road that I can recall since the
mid-1970s. I said that we had to break that duck some time and so it prove
tonight. Thankfully, Allardyce set up a very attacking away formation and we
took the game to QPR from the kick off. Going in at half-time 0-2 up was
fully deserved, considering our domination of the game up to that point.
That first half performance was extremely impressive and at the heart of it
was the industry and skill of the midfeld triumvirite of Noble, Diame and
Nolan. Their collective work in midfield allowed us dominate QPR and bring
the sparkling skills of Vaz Te and Jarvis in to the game. It was also a very
brave and hard running performance from Carlton Cole, which should have
rightfully been rewarded with a goal.
Overall, it was an excellent team performance and everyone played their
part. It was particularly good to see Tomkins, McCartney and Carroll enter
the fray. Cole gave a committed performance, full of running and the use of
his physicality to disrupt the QPR defence, and then he duly gave way to
Andy Carroll, who had an instant positive impact on the course of the game.
QPR made changes early in the 2nd half and scored soon thereafter. From the
time Taarabt scored with his powerful drive, QPR managed to gain the upper
hand, for a period, and West Ham had to really dig in and fight to prevent
an equaliser. Seeing this, Sam Allardyce obviously felt that Carroll's
introduction would set QPR different problems and give his team a new outlet
to relieve the mounting pressure on the West Ham defence. And so it proved,
as West Ham found Carroll with balls forward that (in conjunction with the
QPR red card) changed the flow of the game back in West Ham's favour.
Carroll was clearly a lacking in match fitness, after his injury lay-off,
but made a willing target man, caused the QPR defenders continual problems
and even had time to carry out defensive duties, when called upon to do so.
It was an impressive re-introduction to the West Ham Utd FC first team and
the club's management and board must know (in the unlikely event that they
did not know before!) what an absolute gem they have in Andy Carroll. One
wonders whether, if Carroll's performances continue in this impressive vein,
the board might consider financing a permanent deal in January? Obviously,
if Liverpool honour the full one year loan agreement, then West Ham will
stick to the original plan to thrash out a permanent deal next summer.
However, if there is any suggestion of a Liverpool recall, might not the
board consider exercising its 'first option in to buy' in January instead?
Of course, it all depends on the finances of the club and whether we are in
a position to do it in January. However, if our PL status looks fairly safe
come the New Year, might not the board splash out in anticipation of the
following season's increased TV revenue being virtually in the bag?
Similarly, another positive background factor might be West Ham winning the
tenancy of the Olympic Stadium, with the anticipated additional revenue from
the sale of Upton Park and access to strong, new revenue streams, from 2014
onwards, as a result of occupying a 60,000 capacity OS.
Personally, I suspect that recall will not be an issue as long as Rogers
remains the Liverpool Manager. Carroll does not fit in to his system or
intended playing style, so a recall would most likely be to finance a deal
to sign an alternative striker. But, in practical terms, can they actually
do that in January? Would not such a deal break FIFA rules, in terms of
Caroll appearing for three different clubs in a single season? As such, the
probability is that, whilst Rogers is at the helm, Liverpool would leave
Carroll at West Ham, with a view to cashing in next summer. At least at West
Ham, Carroll would be playing regularly, in the shop window and proving his
worth, rather than just warming the bench at Anfield.
It's an interesting situation but, I guess, we will have to wait and see
what happens this January?
SJ. Chandos.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Be Carr-ful with Andy
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: 5 hrs ago
The Sun
SAM ALLARDYCE last night urged Roy Hodgson to go easy on star striker Andy
Carroll. England boss Hodgson saw Carroll return from a month out with a
hamstring injury as a sub in West Ham's 2-1 win at QPR. Carroll could
feature when Hodgson names his squad on Thursday for the World Cup
qualifiers against San Marino and Poland. But boss Allardyce warned: "Andy's
woefully short of match practice — I'm sure Roy will deal with that in the
right way."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
QPR 1 West Ham 2
Last Updated: 02nd October 2012
The Sun
MARK HUGHES is sure he will be given time to put things right at QPR.
Rock-bottom Rangers are still looking for their first top-flight win of the
season after crashing to the Hammers. The odds on Harry Redknapp taking over
at the Hoops were last night slashed to 15-8. But current boss Sparky said:
"I think I will be given the time to see this job through. "We've had big
investment in the club and we're looking to improve — and we will. "It's
still early days but until we get positive results on board, everything is
up for debate and focus comes on the club. We just need to start winning
football matches and then everything else will go away." On this evidence,
that is easier said than done. First-half goals from Matt Jarvis and Ricardo
Vaz Te put West Ham firmly in control. And although Rangers hit back
strongly after sending on Adel Taarabt for the last 35 minutes, they looked
like a team destined for relegation. Hughes admitted: "I thought our
performance in the first half was a step backwards."
Vaz Te pulled the ball back to his skipper Kevin Nolan, whose outstretched
right leg sent it spiralling to the far post where the unmarked Jarvis
nodded back across the face of goal and into the net. Mo Diame almost made
it 2-0 with a deflected effort which flew inches wide before West Ham were
dealt a blow when defender Winston Reid went off seeing stars in the 23rd
minute following a collision with his own keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen. Yet the
New Zealander's replacement, James Tomkins, crossed for Vaz Te to hook the
second goal past a flapping Julio Cesar 10 minutes before the break. With
the natives restless, Hughes sent on Taarabt and Samba Diakite on 55 minutes
and the game almost turned. Taarabt, axed after Rangers' opening-day 5-0
home spanking by Swansea, announced his return in glorious fashion. The
Moroccan's first touch saw him mug Guy Demel, before cutting inside and
curling a beauty past Jaaskelainen. Esteban Granero and Alejandro Faurlin
were both denied equalisers by superb stops from the Finnish keeper. But
just when it looked like Rangers might salvage a point, Diakite was sent off
in the 75th minute after his second booking following a rash challenge on
Demel.
Andy Carroll returned as a late sub for West Ham and should have made it
3-1. But he was thwarted by Cesar, then blasted the rebound into Row Z. It
was West Ham's first league away win this season — but they face a £25,000
fine after fussy ref Mark Clattenburg booked EIGHT of their players. Boss
Sam Allardyce said: "It didn't spoil the result as far as we were concerned
but some of his decisions nearly spoilt the game as a spectacle." The
Hammers are now up to seventh yet Big Sam added: "I'm just a bit
disappointed we didn't score more."
DREAM TEAM
SUN STAR MAN — COLLINS (WEST HAM)
QPR: Julio Cesar 6, Hill 5, Nelsen 5, Mbia 5, Onuoha 5, Wright-Phillips 6,
Granero 7, Faurlin 6, Park 5, Zamora 6, Cisse 6. Subs: Diakite (Park 55) 4,
Taarabt (Wright-Phillips 56) 7, Hoilett (Onuoha 84) 5. Not used: Green,
Mackie, Ephraim, Ehmer. Booked: Taarabt, Diakite. Sent off: Diakite.
WEST HAM: Jaaskelainen 7, Demel 6, Reid 5, Collins 7, O'Brien 5, Noble 7,
Diame 6, Vaz Te 6, Nolan 7, Jarvis 7, Cole 7. Subs: Tomkins (Reid 23) 7,
McCartney (O'Brien 35) 5, Carroll (Cole 72) 5. Not used: Henderson, Maiga,
Benayoun, O'Neil. Booked: Diame, Noble, McCartney, Jaaskelainen, Cole,
Nolan, Collins, Tomkins.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce thrilled with win, but not ref
Thurrockgazette.co.uk
6:17am Tuesday 2nd October 2012 in National Sport © Press Association 2012
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce was delighted by his side's performance at
QPR on Monday night but rather less enamoured by referee Mark Clattenburg.
The Hammers secured their first away league win of the season thanks to a
fine 2-1 victory in west London, with record signing Matt Jarvis netting
after three minutes. Ricardo Vaz Te acrobatically doubled the visitors'
advantage and, while substitute Adel Taarabt pulled one back in style, West
Ham held on for a victory that propels them to seventh. "We've achieved our
first Barclays Premier League (away) win, which is no mean feat for a
newly-promoted team," Allardyce said. "I think the outstanding qualities we
showed today both in our ability to take the game to the opposition away
from home and our ability to score goals was fantastic to see."
He added: "As the underdogs, having just been promoted, to come to QPR and
take the game to them and dominate that first half was great for me to see.
If I had to say anything, I was a little bit disappointed we didn't get more
than two." The only blot on a fine evening for the Hammers were the enforced
first-half substitutions of Winston Reid through concussion and Joey O'Brien
due to a hamstring injury. It could have been a whole lot worse, though, as
referee Clattenburg handed out eight yellow cards to West Ham players. "He
hasn't spoilt our result but if you look at the spectacle as a game I think
there were an awful lot of fouls and decisions he gave that he didn't need
to do," Allardyce said.
QPR manager Mark Hughes was also frustrated with Clattenburg, who sent off
substitute Samba Diakite after handing him two yellow cards in a 20-minute
period. "He has made two similar challenges," the Welshman said. "I wouldn't
say they were reckless. "The first one was a genuine attempt to get the ball
but the lad has just nicked it away from him. It doesn't warrant a yellow
card in my view. Some referees give them, some don't." Asked if he was
confident he would get time to see the job through, the QPR boss said: "I
would think so. We have had a big investment and we're looking to improve
this year and we will."
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WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was a happy man as West Ham United got their away campaign
started with a win at QPR
02.10.2012
Sam Allardyce said he was simply 'delighted' to see West Ham United get the
first away win of the 2012/13 Barclays Premier League season under their
belt with a 2-1 victory at Queens Park Rangers on Monday night. Big Sam's
side were the dominant force for much of the game, and took the spoils
courtesy of Matt Jarvis' first goal for the club and Ricardo Vaz Te's maiden
goal of the season. The Hammers were driven to victory by the inspired
midfield trio of Mark Noble, Momo Diame and Kevin Nolan, who dominated the
game for the visitors and ensured that it was east London who ended up with
the bragging rights. "It was a great, great victory for us and our first
away in the Barclays Premier League this season," Allardyce said. "We showed
great character, great spirit and great belief from the team. "I'm
delighted. Against a lot of the odds we still went ahead and won this game
and won it a lot more comfortably than the score suggested. To be honest at
2-0 at half time you'd have thought I'd be satisfied but because of the
amount of chances we created in the first half I was disappointed it wasn't
three. "I thought Mark Noble, Kevin Nolan and Momo Diame controlled the game
for us. All three were the reason why got so many things going forward. The
service that they provide to the wide men was key as it allowed us to create
the chances. The goals were two very good finishes as the angles were very
acute. We had easier chances than them and missed them."
The night could not have really got off to a better start as Jarvis nodded
in Nolan's looping cross from the right from three yards out. It got even
better for the Hammers ten minutes before the break, when Vaz Te expertly
flicked home a James Tomkins cross with the outside of his foot from an
acute angle. "It was a great start for us and a great piece of football from
our team. We were on the front foot and completely dominating the game
playing away from home in the Premier League for the first time since we got
promoted. People would expect us to sit back but we have shown our ability
as an attacking side. We got two exceptionally good goals. "The difficulty
came in the second half when Taarabt scored that wonderful goal. One goal
changes the game. If it was 3-0 at half time that one goal wouldn't have
mattered at all. They put us under the cosh but we showed our defensive
resilience."
Abdel Taarabt had pulled one back for the Hoops with a sensational 30-yard
strike just minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute. The goal
instantly game the home team and their supporters a lift and some courageous
defending and fine goalkeeping from Jussi Jaaskelainen were needed to help
keep them at bay. There was some cause for concern midway through the half
when Jaaskelainen accidently caught Winston Reid in the face with his elbow.
After spending a few minutes on the floor, the New Zealand international
gingerly made his way to his feet to trudge off the pitch to be replaced by
James Tomkins. Joey O'Brien was also taken off for George McCartney after
tweaking a hamstring. "QPR have gone out and spent a lot of money. We've
come to their place and been the better side. We've had to overcome two
injuries in the first half. Unfortunately Jussi knocked out Reid and then
Joey felt his hamstring. We didn't look defensively any weaker when George
McCartney and James Tomkins came on, which is fantastic for me. "The
defensive unit was brilliant and the attacking unit was first class too,
other than one or two finishes that could have been better "We'll find out
how Winston is on Tuesday but he seems OK in the dressing room. The medical
team think he might have had a slight concussion but hopefully he will
recover in time for Saturday's game with Arsenal."
Vaz Te and Matt Jarvis were also hugely influential as part of an effective
counter-attacking unit,causing QPR full-backs Nedum Onuoha and Clint Hill no
end of problems. Vaz Te had double reason to celebrate after his goal as it
fell on the day he turned 26, with his manager happy to see another step
taken towards rediscovering his very best form. "He's got to feel his way
into the Barclays Premier League. He's been there as a young man and
injuries took their toll along with a lack of experience. Now he's got all
the experience he needs to show the ability that he's got and he certainly
showed that. "The goals will do him and Matt Jarvis the world of good as the
more variety we get from different players, the better we become and the
more points we will pick up."
Carlton Cole had an impressive game up front but missed a good opportunity
on 67 minutes to grab the goal his performance deserved. The West Ham No9
made way for the fit-again Andy Carroll on 72 minutes, and the loan signing
quickly set about hassling the home defence, with the Hammers' cause helped
by the sending off of QPR substitute Samba Diakite for a second booking. "We
came out and moved the ball quickly and caught them on the break and got
better after the sending off. "Andy could be very important for us alongside
Carlton Cole. Modibo Maiga could also be key for us. We kept bringing Maiga
on as sub and in the Capital Cup games so we think he is improving. What we
needed against QPR was Andy Carroll just for the last 20 minutes when
Carlton tired. "His aim was to hold the ball up and be a target for us so we
could stop QPR's pressure and it changed the game back in our favour. The
sending off did as well of course. Andy started holding the ball up and we
started creating more chances but for some great saves from the goalkeeper
we could have won this game by more."
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Turgott provides Hope
WHUFC.com
Blair Turgott featured as England ended their UEFA European U19 Championship
qualifiers on a high
01.10.2012
Blair Turgott notched a vital assist in England Under-19s' UEFA European
Championship 1-1 qualifying draw with Ukraine on Monday. Both sides had
already qualified for next spring's Elite Round going into the game but
Hallum Hope's added-time header from Turgott's free-kick meant England
topped the group ahead of their opponents. England will now receive a more
favourable draw in the Elite Round of qualifying for next year's finals in
Lit huania.Noel Blake's side looked set to finish second in their group when
Vladyslav Pavlenko hit the net with just two minutes remaining, but England
refused to be beaten and the Everton youngster nudged home with seconds to
spare. Turgott will now return to West Ham United and join up with the
Development Squad ahead of their next Barclays U21 Premier League Group 1
fixture at Blackburn Rovers on Monday.
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QPR 1 West Ham 2
By Ben Smith
BBC Sport
West Ham heaped more misery on 10-man Queens Park Rangers as they held on to
win at Loftus Road and keep their hosts bottom of the Premier League.
Record signing Matt Jarvis gave West Ham a dream start by heading in after
three minutes and Ricardo Vaz Te poked in to double the lead before
half-time.
QPR rallied after the interval and Adel Taarabt cut the deficit, but the
hosts had Samba Diakite sent off late on. And West Ham held on despite eight
yellow cards - a Premier League record. The result, West Ham's first away
win of the season, moves Sam Allardyce's side up to seventh in the table and
there was more cause for optimism as striker Andy Carroll played the final
20 minutes after returning from his hamstring problem. But this was another
damaging defeat for winless QPR, who have now taken only two league points
from a possible 18 this season. Having been backed heavily by owner Tony
Fernandes during the summer transfer window, the pressure is likely to mount
on manager Mark Hughes, who will in turn point to a string of defensive
injuries. Sharper to the ball and swifter to use it, West Ham dominated the
opening 45 minutes. QPR finally found their rythym in the second half,
inspired by the creativity and energy of Taarabt, but it was too little, too
late. West Ham worked hard and counter-attacked intelligently, using the
energy of Mohamed Diame and the guile of Vaz Te, but it was by no means a
classic performance and both of their goals owed more to perspiration than
inspiration. Their first came as early as the third minute after Vaz Te
skipped beyond a desperate lunge from Clint Hill on the right. The
Portuguese cut the ball back to Kevin Nolan on the edge of the area and his
looping cross was headed in by Jarvis at the back post. QPR threatened in
fits and starts, with Bobby Zamora firing well over from 12 yards and
Djibril Cisse drawing an acrobatic save from Jussi Jaaskelainen with an
athletic volley. But West Ham remained the better side and the second goal
followed soon after. James Tomkins lofted the ball to the back post after
QPR failed to clear from a corner and Vaz Te stretched out his right leg,
with the ball beating goalkeeper Julio Cesar thanks to the slightest
deflection off Stephane Mbia's arm. QPR responded to their manager's
half-time words with the kind of spirit and energy that they had been
lacking. Taarabt shattered the mediocrity with the game's single moment of
brilliance, unleashing a fizzing 30-yarder that flashed into the top corner,
84 seconds after coming on as a substitute.
West Ham's Jaaskelainen was the busier of the two goalkeepers now, saving
brilliantly from Esteban Granero's shot after a clever touch by Cisse,
although Carlton Cole should have made the victory more comfortable for West
Ham but prodded wide with the goal at his mercy after a slide-rule pass by
the tireless Nolan. But just as QPR came again, Diakite lunged in on Vaz Te
to collect a second yellow card, 25 minutes after coming on as a substitute,
to take the wind out of QPR's sails. West Ham manager Sam Allardyce said:
"We've achieved our first Barclays Premier League away win, which is no mean
feat for a newly promoted team. I think the outstanding qualities we showed,
both in our ability to take the game to the opposition away from home and
our ability to score goals. were fantastic to see. "As the underdogs, having
just been promoted, to come to QPR and take the game to them and dominate
that first half was great. If I had to say anything, I was a little bit
disappointed we didn't get more than two. "There were an awful lot of fouls
and decisions the referee gave that he didn't need to do and an awful lot of
yellow cards he gave nearly spoilt the game."
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QPR 1 West Ham Utd 2
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 2nd October 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are celebrating their first away win in the Premier League since
February 2011 after beating Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road tonight. A
scintillating first half display was the foundation upon which United's
first away win of the 2012/13 campaign - and the first since winning 3-1 at
Blackpool under Avram Grant - was built. Goals from Matt Jarvis and Ricardo
Vaz Te saw the Hammers take a 2-0 lead into the break and although they
conceded early on in the second period, the Hammers clung on to rise to
seventh spot in the table. Rangers, who have endured a shocking start to the
campaign offered little and ended the match with ten men after substitute
Diakite - who had only been on the pitch for 19 minutes - received his
marching orders with quarter-of-an-hour to go. Trigger-happy referee Mark
Clattenburg booked ten players on the night - an astonishing EIGHT of which
were from West Ham - yet somehow Sam Allardyce's team managed to finish the
game with all eleven still on the field. He was also criticised for playing
six minutes of extra time when there had been few reasons to add on time in
the second period bar substitutions. However West Ham amanged to cling on to
record a much deserved win regardless. The healthy and vocal travelling
contingent, which had made the short trip across London waited just three
minutes for the first goal of the night to arrive. Skipper Kevin Nolan's
initial shot - the result of some interplay between him and Ricardo Vaz Te -
was heading wide of the target before club-record signing Jarvis appeared at
the back post to send a deft header across Rangers 'keeper Julio Cesar into
the far corner. The Hammers almost scored a second on 11 minutes when Momo
Diame's 25-yard effort dipped just over the crossbar. However they were
forced to wait until ten minutes from the break before eventually doubling
their lead.
Mark Noble's free kick found its way out to James Tomkins, on as a
substitute for the injured Winston Reid. The central defender lobbed the
ball back into the mix where Vaz Te stole in at the far post to find the net
with a deft flick that took a slight deflection on the way in. The goal was
met by a wry smile from former West Ham number one Rob Green - who has
already lost his place at his new club - and captured perfectly by the TV
cameras. The only sour note of an otherwise excellent first half was the
injury to Reid which occured after he collided with Jussi Jaaskelainen as
the two sought to clear a ball into the box. The New Zealander lay prone for
several minutes before being replaced by Tomkins. The home side halved the
deficit just 12 minutes into the second half when substitute Taarabt found
the net with an impressive effort from outside the box. And although Jussi
Jaaskelainen had to be alert to keep West Ham ahead on a couple of occasions
thereafter, it was West Ham who went closest to adding what would have been
the game's fourth goal when a rejuvenated Vaz Te saw a wonderful dipping
volley turned against the cross bar by Cesar.
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Hammers pile more woe on Hoops
Jarvis and Vaz Te on target for happy Hammers
Last Updated: October 1, 2012 10:58pm
SSN
QPR remain without a Premier League win and bottom of the table after West
Ham inflicted a 2-1 defeat on the 10-man Hoops at Loftus Road in Monday
night's London derby.
Man of the match: Mark Noble gets the nod from us after shining in midfield
for the Hammers with a hard-working display.
Goal of the match: Adel Taarabt was quick to make an impact off the bench,
looping a wonderful effort over Jussi Jaaskelainen just seconds after coming
on the pitch.
Save of the match: Jaaskelainen pulled off a string of crucial blocks to
keep out the Hoops in the second half and the most notable was his
one-handed save which denied Esteban Granero.
Chance of the match: Kevin Nolan set up Carlton Cole with a gilt-edged
chance from close range after Samba Diakite had slipped to lose possession
but the striker poked it wide.
Talking point: Can QPR recover from a disastrous start to the season or is
relegation calling already? West Ham have marched into seventh but will they
be able to maintain their momentum?
The result marked a first away win for the Hammers this season and saw Sam
Allardyce's men climb into seventh at the expense of Mark Hughes'
strugglers.
West Ham wasted little time breaking the deadlock in West London as Matt
Jarvis scored in just the third minute, nodding home after Kevin Nolan and
Ricardo Vaz Te had paired up with a great one-two. The lively Vaz Te then
added another in the 35th minute, squeezing home a tidy James Tomkins cross
after the Hoops defence had failed to properly clear a Hammers corner.
Substitute Adel Taarabt pulled one back with a classy strike in the second
half only seconds after coming on the pitch to inspire glimmers of hope in
Hughes' side and Hammers goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen was forced to pull
off a string of impressive saves.
But QPR's woes were compounded with 15 minutes remaining when Samba Diakite
was sent off after earning his second booking 20 minutes after coming off
the bench and they were unable to see the comeback through. West Ham also
saw chances go begging late on, with Andy Carroll coming close after making
his comeback from a hamstring injury as a 72nd-minute substitute.
Indiscipline
Referee Mark Clattenburg handed out 11 bookings in all and eight of those
went to players in claret and blue, who will be fined for indiscipline but
held out for three valuable points. Coming into the game, the surprise team
news was that Carroll was deemed fit enough to be included amongst the
substitutes after missing the past four matches with a hamstring injury.
Former West Ham goalkeeper Rob Green was on the opposing bench and was
taunted from the start by the vocal visiting support, having lost his place
in the QPR team just four games after his summer move from Upton Park.
The England international was reminded of his decision throughout the match
by 1,681 away supporters, who had a goal to cheer after just three minutes.
Kevin Nolan linked up well with Vaz Te down the left but struck a poor
scooped effort that was going harmlessly wide until Jarvis snuck in to nod
home past Julio Cesar. It was a bolt out of the blue in what was an
unspectacular opening, although the Hammers came close to a second in the
11th minute when Mohamed Diame's 25-yard thunderbolt deflected off Ryan
Nelsen and flew just over.
Joey O'Brien reacted quickly to stop James Collins putting into his own goal
from an Esteban Granero free-kick that saw an unfortunate collision between
Winston Reid and his own goalkeeper. The New Zealand international required
nearly four minutes of treatment after appearing to be knocked out by Jussi
Jaaskelainen and saw James Tomkins come on in his place. The break in play
did not change the game's momentum as only Stephane Mbia's quick reactions
prevented Diame getting a head on a right-wing Nolan cross.
It was not all positive for West Ham, though, as O'Brien became their second
casualty of the first half and had to be replaced by George McCartney 11
minutes from half-time. The injuries were the only blot on a fine opening 45
minutes for West Ham, which got better as Vaz Te doubled the visitors'
advantage moments later. Mark Noble swung in a free-kick and the resulting
penalty-box melee was cleared only as far as Tomkins, whose superb
first-time cross was met by an equally impressive acrobatic effort from Vaz
Te. "Greeno, what's the score?" rung around Loftus Road following the goal
and would have gone up a notch had a Carlton Cole header or Noble's
deflected long-range strike found the target. The latter and Diame were both
booked heading into the break from which West Ham returned on top. Cesar did
well to deny Diame three minutes after the restart and it took until the
55th-minute introductions of Taarabt and Diakite to change course. The
former was welcomed with particularly loud cheers and showed why within two
minutes, making space to curl home an exquisite 25-yard effort into the top
right-hand corner.
Celebration
Taarabt was booked for lifting his shirt and was soon joined in
Clattenburg's notebook by fellow replacement Diakite. West Ham's McCartney
was the next, before Jaaskelainen was reprimanded shortly after denying
Granero with an excellent stop. Cole and Nolan both received yellow cards as
the match became a bit of a farce and Allardyce soon brought on Carroll for
the former. Jaaskelainen spilled a driven Cisse shot at the near post as QPR
pushed for an equaliser, before the hosts' task was made all the more
difficult as Diakite received a second yellow a late lunge on Diame. Vaz Te
had an excellent strike palmed onto the bar by Cesar after Collins became
the seventh West Ham player to be booked. Cisse and Alejandro Faurlin were
both denied by Jaaskelainen as QPR pushed for a leveller that never came as
West Ham held out for victory, although not before Tomkins became the final
player booked.
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West Ham captain Kevin Nolan hails crucial win for his side against QPR
Last Updated: October 2, 2012 12:06am
SSN
West Ham captain Kevin Nolan was glad to see his side claim an 'absolutely
vital' first away triumph of the Premier League season. The promoted Hammers
took a third-minute lead against hosts QPR through Matt Jarvis' first goal
for the club before Ricardo Vaz Tedoubled their advantage in the 35th
minute, both goals coming from far-post finishes. QPR pulled a goal back
with a stunning 57th-minute effort from Adel Taarabt just moments after he
came on as a substitute, but they lost Samba Diakite to a second yellow card
15 minutes from time and the remaining 10 men could not find an equaliser.
The result leaves QPR rooted to the foot of the standings with only two
points from six games, while West Ham moved into the top seven, with
Tottenham and West Brom on 11 points.
Nolan told Sky Sports of the win: "It was absolutely vital. Absolutely
delighted with the win today. "They made us work for the win in the second
half. It was a fantastic first-half performance, the second half I thought
we dug in and we could have won it by more in the end really." Nolan also
praised his side for the way they fought to hold off QPR's attempted
comeback after the break. "We knew at some point they had to make changes,
we had to be ready for that and I thought we dealt with it well," he said.
"It was a great goal (from Taarabt ) but I thought after that we responded
well, we dug in, they had the man sent off which helped us, but I thought
overall we were well deserving of the win. "Tonight we proved we are tough
to beat and we have quality."
Resilience
Man-of-the-match Mark Noble also hailed West Ham's resilience after QPR
battled for a way back and is already looking ahead to another London derby
when the Hammers host Arsenal this weekend. He said: "I think in the first
half we controlled the game. We got an early goal, then got another one and
controlled it from then on. "It's a tough place to come and play here and
when they scored their goal we had to dig in and fight and we've done that
tonight, the lads were brilliant. "The morale's brilliant, we've had a good
start. Obviously we've got Arsenal next week so we've got to concentrate on
that one now, it's going to be a tough game."
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce felt his side put on a Jekyll and Hyde
performance in the 2-1 win at QPR
Last Updated: October 1, 2012 11:22pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce felt his side put on a Jekyll and Hyde
performance in the 2-1 win at QPR. The result, courtesy of goals from
Ricrado Vaz Te and Matt Jarvis,lifted West Ham to seventh - their highest
position in four years - but the manager felt his side could have made
matters easier for themselves.
"We showed two sides of our team," he told Sky Sports. "The one side was the
great first half we gave and completely dominated the opposition on their
own ground. "We are a newly promoted team and we have taken the game to QPR
and led through two quality finishes. Let's face it it could have been more
than 2-0 at half-time. "Adel Taarabt's brilliant strike to make it 2-1 was a
worry for us because it lifted the crowd and their players. "We had to show
the other side of our character which is good honest hard work and
defending. After they had a man sent off, we should really have seen the
game off with more goals."
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Should we Attempt to Sign Andy Carroll in January?
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
Tonight's victory is the first at Loftus Road that I can recall since the
mid-1970s. I said that we had to break that duck some time and so it prove
tonight. Thankfully, Allardyce set up a very attacking away formation and we
took the game to QPR from the kick off. Going in at half-time 0-2 up was
fully deserved, considering our domination of the game up to that point.
That first half performance was extremely impressive and at the heart of it
was the industry and skill of the midfeld triumvirite of Noble, Diame and
Nolan. Their collective work in midfield allowed us dominate QPR and bring
the sparkling skills of Vaz Te and Jarvis in to the game. It was also a very
brave and hard running performance from Carlton Cole, which should have
rightfully been rewarded with a goal.
Overall, it was an excellent team performance and everyone played their
part. It was particularly good to see Tomkins, McCartney and Carroll enter
the fray. Cole gave a committed performance, full of running and the use of
his physicality to disrupt the QPR defence, and then he duly gave way to
Andy Carroll, who had an instant positive impact on the course of the game.
QPR made changes early in the 2nd half and scored soon thereafter. From the
time Taarabt scored with his powerful drive, QPR managed to gain the upper
hand, for a period, and West Ham had to really dig in and fight to prevent
an equaliser. Seeing this, Sam Allardyce obviously felt that Carroll's
introduction would set QPR different problems and give his team a new outlet
to relieve the mounting pressure on the West Ham defence. And so it proved,
as West Ham found Carroll with balls forward that (in conjunction with the
QPR red card) changed the flow of the game back in West Ham's favour.
Carroll was clearly a lacking in match fitness, after his injury lay-off,
but made a willing target man, caused the QPR defenders continual problems
and even had time to carry out defensive duties, when called upon to do so.
It was an impressive re-introduction to the West Ham Utd FC first team and
the club's management and board must know (in the unlikely event that they
did not know before!) what an absolute gem they have in Andy Carroll. One
wonders whether, if Carroll's performances continue in this impressive vein,
the board might consider financing a permanent deal in January? Obviously,
if Liverpool honour the full one year loan agreement, then West Ham will
stick to the original plan to thrash out a permanent deal next summer.
However, if there is any suggestion of a Liverpool recall, might not the
board consider exercising its 'first option in to buy' in January instead?
Of course, it all depends on the finances of the club and whether we are in
a position to do it in January. However, if our PL status looks fairly safe
come the New Year, might not the board splash out in anticipation of the
following season's increased TV revenue being virtually in the bag?
Similarly, another positive background factor might be West Ham winning the
tenancy of the Olympic Stadium, with the anticipated additional revenue from
the sale of Upton Park and access to strong, new revenue streams, from 2014
onwards, as a result of occupying a 60,000 capacity OS.
Personally, I suspect that recall will not be an issue as long as Rogers
remains the Liverpool Manager. Carroll does not fit in to his system or
intended playing style, so a recall would most likely be to finance a deal
to sign an alternative striker. But, in practical terms, can they actually
do that in January? Would not such a deal break FIFA rules, in terms of
Caroll appearing for three different clubs in a single season? As such, the
probability is that, whilst Rogers is at the helm, Liverpool would leave
Carroll at West Ham, with a view to cashing in next summer. At least at West
Ham, Carroll would be playing regularly, in the shop window and proving his
worth, rather than just warming the bench at Anfield.
It's an interesting situation but, I guess, we will have to wait and see
what happens this January?
SJ. Chandos.
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Be Carr-ful with Andy
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: 5 hrs ago
The Sun
SAM ALLARDYCE last night urged Roy Hodgson to go easy on star striker Andy
Carroll. England boss Hodgson saw Carroll return from a month out with a
hamstring injury as a sub in West Ham's 2-1 win at QPR. Carroll could
feature when Hodgson names his squad on Thursday for the World Cup
qualifiers against San Marino and Poland. But boss Allardyce warned: "Andy's
woefully short of match practice — I'm sure Roy will deal with that in the
right way."
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QPR 1 West Ham 2
Last Updated: 02nd October 2012
The Sun
MARK HUGHES is sure he will be given time to put things right at QPR.
Rock-bottom Rangers are still looking for their first top-flight win of the
season after crashing to the Hammers. The odds on Harry Redknapp taking over
at the Hoops were last night slashed to 15-8. But current boss Sparky said:
"I think I will be given the time to see this job through. "We've had big
investment in the club and we're looking to improve — and we will. "It's
still early days but until we get positive results on board, everything is
up for debate and focus comes on the club. We just need to start winning
football matches and then everything else will go away." On this evidence,
that is easier said than done. First-half goals from Matt Jarvis and Ricardo
Vaz Te put West Ham firmly in control. And although Rangers hit back
strongly after sending on Adel Taarabt for the last 35 minutes, they looked
like a team destined for relegation. Hughes admitted: "I thought our
performance in the first half was a step backwards."
Vaz Te pulled the ball back to his skipper Kevin Nolan, whose outstretched
right leg sent it spiralling to the far post where the unmarked Jarvis
nodded back across the face of goal and into the net. Mo Diame almost made
it 2-0 with a deflected effort which flew inches wide before West Ham were
dealt a blow when defender Winston Reid went off seeing stars in the 23rd
minute following a collision with his own keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen. Yet the
New Zealander's replacement, James Tomkins, crossed for Vaz Te to hook the
second goal past a flapping Julio Cesar 10 minutes before the break. With
the natives restless, Hughes sent on Taarabt and Samba Diakite on 55 minutes
and the game almost turned. Taarabt, axed after Rangers' opening-day 5-0
home spanking by Swansea, announced his return in glorious fashion. The
Moroccan's first touch saw him mug Guy Demel, before cutting inside and
curling a beauty past Jaaskelainen. Esteban Granero and Alejandro Faurlin
were both denied equalisers by superb stops from the Finnish keeper. But
just when it looked like Rangers might salvage a point, Diakite was sent off
in the 75th minute after his second booking following a rash challenge on
Demel.
Andy Carroll returned as a late sub for West Ham and should have made it
3-1. But he was thwarted by Cesar, then blasted the rebound into Row Z. It
was West Ham's first league away win this season — but they face a £25,000
fine after fussy ref Mark Clattenburg booked EIGHT of their players. Boss
Sam Allardyce said: "It didn't spoil the result as far as we were concerned
but some of his decisions nearly spoilt the game as a spectacle." The
Hammers are now up to seventh yet Big Sam added: "I'm just a bit
disappointed we didn't score more."
DREAM TEAM
SUN STAR MAN — COLLINS (WEST HAM)
QPR: Julio Cesar 6, Hill 5, Nelsen 5, Mbia 5, Onuoha 5, Wright-Phillips 6,
Granero 7, Faurlin 6, Park 5, Zamora 6, Cisse 6. Subs: Diakite (Park 55) 4,
Taarabt (Wright-Phillips 56) 7, Hoilett (Onuoha 84) 5. Not used: Green,
Mackie, Ephraim, Ehmer. Booked: Taarabt, Diakite. Sent off: Diakite.
WEST HAM: Jaaskelainen 7, Demel 6, Reid 5, Collins 7, O'Brien 5, Noble 7,
Diame 6, Vaz Te 6, Nolan 7, Jarvis 7, Cole 7. Subs: Tomkins (Reid 23) 7,
McCartney (O'Brien 35) 5, Carroll (Cole 72) 5. Not used: Henderson, Maiga,
Benayoun, O'Neil. Booked: Diame, Noble, McCartney, Jaaskelainen, Cole,
Nolan, Collins, Tomkins.
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Allardyce thrilled with win, but not ref
Thurrockgazette.co.uk
6:17am Tuesday 2nd October 2012 in National Sport © Press Association 2012
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce was delighted by his side's performance at
QPR on Monday night but rather less enamoured by referee Mark Clattenburg.
The Hammers secured their first away league win of the season thanks to a
fine 2-1 victory in west London, with record signing Matt Jarvis netting
after three minutes. Ricardo Vaz Te acrobatically doubled the visitors'
advantage and, while substitute Adel Taarabt pulled one back in style, West
Ham held on for a victory that propels them to seventh. "We've achieved our
first Barclays Premier League (away) win, which is no mean feat for a
newly-promoted team," Allardyce said. "I think the outstanding qualities we
showed today both in our ability to take the game to the opposition away
from home and our ability to score goals was fantastic to see."
He added: "As the underdogs, having just been promoted, to come to QPR and
take the game to them and dominate that first half was great for me to see.
If I had to say anything, I was a little bit disappointed we didn't get more
than two." The only blot on a fine evening for the Hammers were the enforced
first-half substitutions of Winston Reid through concussion and Joey O'Brien
due to a hamstring injury. It could have been a whole lot worse, though, as
referee Clattenburg handed out eight yellow cards to West Ham players. "He
hasn't spoilt our result but if you look at the spectacle as a game I think
there were an awful lot of fouls and decisions he gave that he didn't need
to do," Allardyce said.
QPR manager Mark Hughes was also frustrated with Clattenburg, who sent off
substitute Samba Diakite after handing him two yellow cards in a 20-minute
period. "He has made two similar challenges," the Welshman said. "I wouldn't
say they were reckless. "The first one was a genuine attempt to get the ball
but the lad has just nicked it away from him. It doesn't warrant a yellow
card in my view. Some referees give them, some don't." Asked if he was
confident he would get time to see the job through, the QPR boss said: "I
would think so. We have had a big investment and we're looking to improve
this year and we will."
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