WHUFC.com
The manager was frustrated for his side after they lost in cruel fashion
away to Arsenal
30.10.2010
Avram Grant hailed his "heroic" players after only a late goal cost them a
precious point at high-flying Arsenal on Saturday evening. Reflecting on the
late Alex Song strike that gave the Gunners a 1-0 victory, the manager said
he could not fault the attitude and application of his team - led by
magnificent displays from Robert Green, Mark Noble and Scott Parker. Grant
said: "I have watched Arsenal in many games and I think they created fewer
chances than usual in this game. We have defended well and to lose in the
last minute it is very disappointing. "After a game against a very good
team, we can take a lot of positive things from this match and also the last
week [and the Carling Cup win against Stoke City]. We are not in a situation
that we cannot change. We will win games, we deserve to win games and we
will try to do that at Birmingham next Saturday. "We are in a good situation
in terms of our performances and I really believe we can do it. We have
fighting spirit. It was a heroic performance today and it bodes well for the
future."
The manager singled out goalkeeper Green for his superlative display in
repelling the Arsenal attack but had praise for the whole side. "I believe
in my team," he added. "If we had a bad performance, then it would be
different. We need to continue how we have been in the last eight games - we
have lost one and then we lost today in a match that was very close. We know
the difference between losing and winning is not that great."
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Vernon's Wembley aim
WHUFC.com
West Ham United fan Vernon Davis will be in action for the NFL's San
Francisco 49ers in London on Sunday
30.10.2010
American football star and West Ham United fan Vernon Davis will follow in
the footsteps of Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds and Trevor Brooking this weekend.
Davis will line up at tight end for the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth
annual NFL International Series fixture at Wembley on Sunday. The
26-year-old recently revealed his love for the Hammers, admitting the club's
claret and blue shirts were the major pulling point, rather than their FA
Cup victories in 1964, 1975 and 1980. "West Ham United are my team," said
Davis. "I don't know why, but I was just browsing the net and checking out
all the teams and flipping through the tube watching some of the games and I
thought: 'I like the colour, I like the team, they're pretty good' "So it's
West Ham baby, I just love them, they're awesome."
Like the club he follows, Davis will be hoping to inspire his team to a
morale-boosting victory on Sunday. The 49ers have struggled so far this
season and go into their clash with the Denver Broncos with a 1-6 record and
sitting bottom of the NFC West Division standings. Davis, who is considered
to be one of the NFL's best players in his position, is not the club's only
link to American football. Former West Ham striker Clive Allen spent two
seasons kicking field goals, extra points and punts for the NFL Europe's
London Monarchs during the 1997 and 1998 seasons. "I was working at Sky at
the time and they covered NFL Europe," Allen explained. "Each team had a
national kicker and my name was put forward for London. I was proud to be
asked and it was a great experience for me. "It's a fantastic sport. I had
the pleasure of playing myself when I finished my soccer career, playing for
London Monarchs in NFL Europe. "I found it intriguing. It's a very tactical
game, but obviously power and strength-based as well with fantastic
athletes. It was a great experience for me. I was able to kick, which was
the specialist skill I had to show and it's a great game. "I do hope to go
to the game. It would be great to experience a full-on NFL game at Wembley."
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Man United next in cup
WHUFC.com
Manchester United are the club's opponents in the Carling Cup quarter-finals
28.10.2010
West Ham United have been paired with Manchester United in the Carling Cup
quarter-finals. The Hammers will take on Sir Alex Ferguson's men at the
Boleyn Ground, knowing they are just one win away from a two-legged
semi-final and only two ties from Wembley. The tie will be played in either
the week beginning 29 November or 6 December - depending on the visitors
European commitments.
Draw in full
Arsenal v Wigan Athletic
Birmingham v Aston Villa
West Ham United v Manchester United
Ipswich Town v West Bromwich Albion
The selling dates, including a special priority day for those who can prove
a previous purchase history for either Oxford United and Stoke City, are as
follows:
Season ticket holders - Tuesday 2 to Tuesday 9 November
Club members - Wednesday 10 to Thursday 11 November
Oxford and Stoke priority period - Friday 12 November (internet sales not
available)
General sale - Saturday 13 November onwards
Manager Avram Grant has a Wembley pedigree with Chelsea and Portsmouth, and
believed this year's competition could have a hugely positive impact on his
men. "I believe in this team, I believe in this club. I believe if we do the
right things, as we are trying, we will succeed. We're going forward step by
step. When you want to build a winning mentality, you need to show desire
and passion. For us it is a good competition. We wanted to be in the last
eight after working so hard in the previous round before Stoke against
Sunderland. Now we just want to be in the last four. A home draw is good."
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Hall signs
WHUFC.com
Academy striker Robert Hall is the latest prospect to commit his future to
the club
29.10.2010
Robert Hall has pledged to work hard to achieve his goals after signing his
first professional contract. The 17-year-old striker has risen through the
ranks since first coming to West Ham United nine years ago. Hall, who comes
from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, is now a regular in the Under-18 set-up,
after a successful summer helping England to win the UEFA European Under-17
Championship. "It is a great feeling," Hall told whufc.com after signing. "I
am here with mum and dad and I owe them a lot. "It is nine years that we
have been coming up the M25 every day to get here. Now I am in the Academy
house and I am happy with this achievement. it is a family thing for me.
They have helped me through and I always feel my family are with me when I
am on the pitch. "They always make the effort to come and support me,
whether it is abroad or near my house. That is why I love playing football
because I have my family right behind me." Hall was also grateful to his
second family, the Academy. "It has been a big part of my life. Tony Carr
has known me for so long and I can talk to him in a good way. All the people
and all the coaches have helped me over the years to get to this point and
it is like a family."
The teenager knows the new contract is just a starting point and that he has
to keep proving himself. The U18s, who play at Charlton Athletic on
Saturday, have had a tricky start to the new campaign but Hall said he and
his team-mates know what they have to do to improve. "We haven't started
well but we will get it together . We just need to relax and listen to what
we are being told. We need to work hard on the training pitch and show what
we are made of."
Hall, like his colleagues, relishes getting advice from the first-team
players, describing the input from the senior squad as "great". He added:
"They have all been where we are. Mark Noble and James Tomkins, players like
that have been in our shores. They make you feel comfortable and help you
with your game. "This club is famous for bringing players through. All of us
have this belief that this is the right club to be at. We know we will get a
chance if we work hard, that is the only way."
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Arsenal 1 - 0 West Ham
BBC.co.uk
By David Ornstein
Alex Song headed an 88th-minute winner as Arsenal snatched a dramatic
victory to keep West Ham bottom of the table. The visitors looked on course
for a hard-earned point thanks to a string of outstanding saves from Robert
Green. He reacted brilliantly to repel a Cesc Fabregas shot in the first
half and later thwarted Theo Walcott and Fabregas for the second time. Samir
Nasri hit the bar and Walcott the post before Song nodded in Gael Clichy's
cross to seal the points. The result keeps Arsenal second in the Premier
League, five points behind leaders Chelsea, while West Ham stay 20th, cut
three points adrift of any other team after Wolves shocked Manchester City.
Arsene Wenger's side looked to have hit a brick wall as Green and the
tireless Hammers defence saw off attack after attack in the second half.
But their pressure eventually told thanks to Song's late intervention and
Wenger's men can head into Wednesday's Champions League game at Shakhtar
Donetsk in high spirits. West Ham must now regroup ahead of their trip to
Birmingham next Saturday and, despite this demoralising late defeat, they
deserve plenty of credit for a resilient display. Both sides arrived off the
back of morale-boosting victories in the Carling Cup, but a return to league
action brought with it a reminder of the current disparity between the two
clubs. While financially-sound Arsenal appear well set to launch a sustained
challenge for the Premier League title, cash-strapped West Ham have
struggled badly in Avram Grant's first season at the helm.
Having collecting just six points from their first nine matches, midfielder
Valon Behrami had admitted his side were taking to the field "a little bit
scared" - and a lack of belief was apparent in the early stages as they
struggled to make it out of their own half. The busy Andrey Arshavin shot
wide after a flowing move and it took a superb challenge from Danny Gabbidon
to deny Nasri, whose corner was then headed over by Song. West Ham did well
to emerge from the opening quarter unscathed and they soon settled into a
tidy rhythm, looking dangerous from both set-pieces and on the
counter-attack. Free-kicks by Mark Noble and Victor Obinna caused trouble,
Frederic Piquionne squandered a promising opening after surging in from the
right and Arsenal had to be alert following Obinna's run and cross from the
left. The Gunners carved out the best chance of the first half when Song and
Bacary Sagna combined to tee up Fabregas, but Green showed quick reaction to
save the Spaniard's curling effort with an athletic dive to his right.
Arsenal were not at their fluent best but still carved out chances and Green
did well to thwart Song and Sebastien Squillaci before the break. There was
a greater sense of urgency about the hosts after half-time and Nasri rattled
the woodwork with a 35-yard free-kick to set the tone. West Ham were working
hard to keep their opponents at bay but Nasri, Fabregas and Arshavin began
to station themselves higher up the pitch in support of lone-striker
Marouane Chamakh and Walcott came on for Denilson as Arsenal went all out
for the win. Chamakh glanced an Arshavin free-kick straight at Green before
Walcott latched on to Fabregas's sublime through-ball and watched his low
strike come come back off a post. West Ham once again had Green to thank for
a one-handed save from Fabregas and, with time ticking, Wenger introduced
Nicklas Bendtner in place of Arshavin. Arsenal continued to press and it
eventually paid off as Song rushed on to Clichy's floated ball in from the
left and won the match with a close-range header.
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Grant proud of players
Hammers boss praises side after narrow defeat
Last updated: 30th October 2010
SSN
West Ham manager Avram Grant was proud of his players after they slipped to
a last-gasp defeat at Arsenal. The Hammers put in a fantastic defensive
display at the Emirates in the Premier League clash with their London rivals
but were undone by an 88th minute header from Alex Songwhich sealed a 1-0
victory for the home side. It is a result which means West Ham remain bottom
of the table, but Grant was taking the positives and praised the fighting
spirit from his team. He told Sky Sports: "I think we played well today. We
played against a very good team and I think they only had two chances to
score. "We also did some things on the counter-attack and then they scored
in the last moment. "But I'm very proud of the players after what they did
today. They showed a lot of good things, fighting spirit and tactical
understanding. "Unfortunately they scored in the last moment, it happens."
Goalkeeper Robert Green was in top form to produce some impressive stops and
keep Arsenal at bay. Following his World Cup disaster the under-pressure
shot-stopper will be delighted to get a good display under his belt, and
Grant was happy with the whole backline. "He is a good keeper, he did a good
job today. All the defence did a good job today," he added. "They closed the
spaces well. It is not easy to play against Arsenal and we did do well.
"I don't remember Arsenal not able to create so many chances in a long time,
this is because of the whole team. "We can take a lot of positive things
from this game even though we lost. "I feel that we are doing the right
things and everything is getting better and better. "I'm sure that we can do
it (climb off bottom). I think the next month or two months are very
important for us because we need some points. "But if we continue to play
like this we will have points."
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Wenger hails 'amazing' Song
Gunners boss delighted with three points against Hammers
By James Riach Last updated: 30th October 2010
SSN
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hailed match-winner Alex Song after the
dramatic 1-0 win over West Ham. The Gunners left it till the 88th minute
against their London opponents at the Emirates Stadium, after Avram Grant's
men had battled valiantly in defence. Song latched on to a Gael Clichy cross
to nod past the excellent Rob Green and make it two goals in two league
games. Wenger told Sky Sports: "He is amazing because he came as a
centre-back, becomes a defensive midfielder and now he plays like a striker.
"He has added something to his game. He has good timing to get into the box
because in the first half he had two good chances, one on his right foot and
one header as well. "When you get two or three chances in the game as a
defensive midfielder that means you have good timing. "(It was a) fantastic
piece of play and Clichy has improved a lot going forward. He is calmer and
has a good right foot now as well."
West Ham remain bottom of the Premier League after the defeat but Wenger
admits his side were in a real battle. "It was a battle. It was a battle
where on our side we needed to be patient, intelligent and sometimes a bit
lucky," he added. "West Ham defended well. Their keeper as always has a
great game against us and at the end of the day our keep-going spirit got us
through. "We didn't make mistakes at the back, we kept a clean sheet and in
this kind of game this is the most important."
On the Hammers' plight, he remarked: "You would never guess (they were
bottom of the league) if you saw them play today. "If they keep that spirit
and keep going like they did today they will never remain there, they will
push up very quickly." The Gunners now travel to Ukraine to face Shakhtar
Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday and Wenger hopes the team
can earn qualification to the next stage of the competition. "We will see a
different Shakhtar Donetsk to what we have seen because they will have felt
humiliated here and will want to put much more dynamic into their game," he
said. "But there is a good opportunity to qualify and guarantee top of the
group. It's a great opportunity for us and we go there trying to win the
game."
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Song breaks Hammers hearts
Last-gasp header sees Gunners earn dramatic victory
By James Riach Last updated: 30th October 2010
SSN
Man of the match: Robert Green put in a top display between the sticks for
West Ham, finally proving his worth after a difficult year.
Goal of the match: The only goal of the game was well worked and credit must
go to Gael Clichy for showing composure to come inside and pick out Song.
Save of the match: Green produced a string of great stops, the best perhaps
coming to deny Cesc Fabregas in the first half.
Moment of the match: The goal broke West Ham hearts after such a valiant
defensive display, and you could see how disappointed the players were.
Talking point: Is Avram Grant's position under threat? His side put in a top
performance but remain bottom of the league.
An 88th minute header from Alex Song broke West Ham hearts as Arsenal nicked
a dramatic 1-0 win in the Premier League. The Gunners were clear pre-match
favourites against their London opponents who remain bottom of the table
after the defeat, but Avram Grant's men showed great spirit and were close
to stealing a fantastic point at the Emirates. Goalkeeper Robert Green
produced a string of excellent saves to finally banish his World Cup
nightmare once and for all, while defenders Manuel Da Costa and Danny
Gabbidon were also superb at the back. But the Hammers were undone in the
dying minutes as Gael Clichy cut inside from the left to chip in a dangerous
ball with his right foot and Song threw himself at it to head down and into
the roof of the net.
There was nothing the helpless Green could do as despite a valiant effort,
West Ham once more came away with nothing. Arsenal had plenty of momentum
going into the game after following up impressive UEFA Champions League
performances with victory at Manchester City and marching into the
quarter-finals of the Carling Cup.
Complacency
However, Wenger had warned against complacency, with the Irons looking to
battle their way clear of the relegation zone. Arsenal started brightly,
with Andrey Arshavin put away down the left a couple of times, but the
Russian was unable to make the most of the openings. On nine minutes, Song
tripped Frederic Piquionne conceding a free-kick on the left, which Scott
Parker - so impressive during the Hammers' Carling Cup win over Stoke -
whipped in and Lukasz Fabianski punched clear. At the other end, Arshavin's
deflected cross flew through the West Ham six-yard box before Song sent a
bullet header over. Piquionne burst clear down the right wing, but then
after getting into the box, the former Portsmouth frontman seemed to run out
of ideas and Arsenal cleared before former Gunner Luis Boa Morte drove a
20-yard effort over. Bacary Sagna arrived on the end of Song's through pass
to pull the ball back for Cesc Fabregas, who swept it goalwards, but Green
produced a superb reflex save to deny the Arsenal captain. West Ham remained
positive, though, as Mark Noble ran at the Arsenal defence, and his 22-yard
strike was straight at Fabianski. Gunners fans were starting to get restless
as half-time approached, with West Ham continuing to frustrate the home
side. Green again denied Arsenal when he kept out Song's angled drive and
from the resulting corner, the often-criticised England keeper flicked over
Sebastien Squillaci's looping header.
The hefty challenges continued in the second half, this time Parker on
Denilson, taking the legs of the Arsenal midfielder as he followed through,
but again there was no action from the referee. Arshavin broke clear down
the left and darted to the edge of the West Ham penalty area, but dragged
his low shot wide. Boa Morte was cautioned for pushing over Denilson as the
Brazilian charged forwards. From the resulting free-kick, around 35 yards
out, Samir Nasri crashed the ball against the crossbar, with Green beaten.
The Emirates Stadium faithful upped the tempo as Arsenal went on the
offensive.
Scramble
After a goalmouth scramble, play was held up to allow Parker treatment as he
had been struck in the face by Fabregas' shot. Arshavin then went tumbling
as Da Costa looked to have tugged his arm, but the referee waved away
penalty appeals. With 23 minutes left, Wenger turned to Theo Walcott as the
England man, who had scored twice in the midweek Carling Cup win at
Newcastle, replaced Denilson Chamakh got on the end of Arshavin's free-kick
into the box, but could not guide the ball either side of Green. Fabregas
sent Walcott away down the right, and he dashed into the area, before
sliding the ball under Green - only for it to come back off the inside of
the far post and bounce to the grateful Hammers keeper. Green again came to
the Hammers' rescue when he saved Walcott's deflected effort before then
keeping out Fabregas' snap-shot as the Gunners pressed for a late winner.
However, the Irons keeper was finally beaten with just two minutes left when
Song headed in Clichy's cross at the far post as Arsenal took all three
points.
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Why I'd rather West Ham won the Carling Cup and were relegated than got
knocked out and stay up
By Dan Silver in Mirror Football Blog
Published 12:31 28/10/10
The Mirror
I have a confession to make, and it it this: I am a glory hunter. Not your
average glory hunter, admittedly - no spurious Liverpool or Manchester
United connections for me - but a glory hunter all the same. I first started
supporting West Ham United in 1980. Or, more specifically, at 3.13pm on
Saturday, May 10, 1980, when Trevor Brooking scored the only goal in the FA
Cup final win over Arsenal. I remember watching the game on television as a
six year-old with my not particularly football inclined family, and being
asked by my sister who I was supporting. Having never really considered the
question before, I plumped for the team in white, who were a goal to the
good. West Ham United. 'Good,' replied my sister. 'They're our local team.'
Which, by happy coincidence, they were, our house sitting pretty much on the
border that separates North East London from Essex, the Hammers' heartland.
On that giddy spring afternoon, I envisaged a glorious - and gloriously
successful - future. One filled with famous victories, countless trophies
and world domination. Anything - everything - seemed possible. At this point
it's worth stating the obvious: I am also the world's worst glory hunter.
Over thirty years since, the only trophy I have witnessed a West Ham captain
raising is the Inter Toto Cup. A trinket so small that it quite comfortably
fit into the palm of Steve Lomas' hand.
All this and more came to mind last night during the more interminable
moments of my team's laboured victory over a workmanlike Stoke side that saw
us limp into the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup. With West Ham seemingly
snug and settled at the bottom of the Premier League, this extracurricular
cup run has taken on greater significance. The received wisdom appears to be
that midweek victory might provide the impetus for Avram Grant's chronically
confidence-shy players to start performing better at the weekend instead.
As though Carling Cup success would be a means to another, more worthwhile
end, rather than something of value in itself. And it was then that the
surprising realisation hit me (honestly - it was, for the first hour at
least, an extremely dull game): given the unlikely choice, I'd rather West
Ham win the Carling Cup this year and were relegated at the end of the
season than stay up and not win it. (Of course, in an ideal world I'd like
us to lift the trophy AND stay up. But then I'd also like to see Lionel
Messi lead the Hammers out at the Olympic Stadium in 2013. While riding a
unicorn.) For most fans, such a thought would be sacrilege. Top flight
survival has come to be seen as sacrosanct, something to be achieved at all
cost. Even if the reality is that such survival amounts to little more than
an undignified scrabble to finish in 17th place, thus ensuring the cycle may
continue for another nine miserable months.
Yes the financial repercussions would undoubtedly be severe. The future of
the club may well be put into jeopardy. And West Ham would likely find
themselves cast into the football wilderness for many years to come.
But having seen many more relegations than Cup finals in my lifetime, I'm
sure that both I - and the club - will cope. And supporters of Portsmouth FC
might argue otherwise, but the modern trend for football fans caring more
about the contents of the balance sheet than the trophy cabinet is yet
another blemish on this most beautiful of games. Tomorrow marks the occasion
of my eldest son's fourth birthday. An age when he's gradually exponentially
aware of the world around him. He's had the stock answer to the question,
'what football team do you support?', down pat for some time now. I am
nothing if not a diligent father. But it's only in the coming months and
years that he will understand what it means to support a football team. And
how sweet it would be if he - and the thousands of others like him - could
consummate his relationship with West Ham at Wembley? Perhaps at the very
moment Scott Parker scores the winning goal - a stooping header would be
nice - against Lukasz Fabianski.
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Grant: Even if Hammers were bottom in April it would not be the end of the
world
Published 18:19 30/10/10 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
West Ham boss Avram Grant maintains all is not lost following his side's 1-0
defeat to Arsenal this afternoon. Arsenal 1-0 West Ham: Song scores in 88th
minute to break Hammers' hearts The final result was somewhat harsh on
West Ham, who had fought a brave rearguard action and also looked dangerous
on counter-attacks as well as at set-pieces. "When you come to just two
minutes from the end, and it was 0-0, Arsenal almost did not create many
chances, because we defended well and played well, so we are very
disappointed," the Israeli said. "We have played a game against a very good
team who just beat us in the last minutes, so we can take a lot of positive
things and also from many things which have happened in the past week. "I
don't want to talk about history, whether things are possible or not
possible. "We are not in a situation where we cannot do it - we can do it.
"We need to win games, we have deserved to win games and will try to do it
in the next game. "We are not yet in November, so we have time to do it.
There are six or seven months until the end of the season. "Even if we were
in this situation in April, I would not think it was the end of the world."
Grant added: "We are not in a good situation in the league, but we are in a
good situation with our performances so we need to take more points like we
deserve. "I really believe we can do it because the team have a good spirit
and it was an heroic performance today. "We know the difference to us
winning games is not so big, so let's continue to fight. "The players are
not giving up, they are fighting, it is a good basis for the future."
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Arsenal 1 West Ham 0: Last-gasp Alex Song strike steals points and scuppers
Hammers' hard work
By IAN RIDLEY Last updated at 10:41 PM on 30th October 2010
Daily Mail
The criticism of Arsenal has been that they struggle to beat the top teams.
Yesterday, the problem was with the bottom one. Far from their fluent best,
they probed and picked at an admirably steadfast West Ham for 88 frustrating
minutes. Then came Alex Song's header. They could have been seven points
behind Chelsea. Instead Arsenal remain alive at five. No wonder an anxious
Emirates roused itself into raucous relief. And no wonder Robert Green was
left bellowing at his defence in disgust. The England goalkeeper had
produced a string of outstanding saves to thwart the home side and West Ham
were within reach of a precious, unexpected point. 'A relief, yes,' said
Arsene Wenger. 'But we kept trying to be intelligent and that paid off with
the goal. We have matured. When it doesn't work for us, the players remain
calmer than before.
'We have a good chance,' the Arsenal manager added of his side's title
challenge. 'But we want to get some consistency first. We still need to step
up a gear to achieve that. There is more to come from this team.' A deflated
Avram Grant - though it is admittedly difficult to distinguish from elated
with him – was left with the standard mantra of the losing manager: plenty
of positives to take away. 'We played well and we defended well,' said the
West Ham boss. 'Even if we are in this situation in April, it would not be
the end of the world.'
It is doubtful that Hammers fans, and owners likely to be swayed by popular
opinion, will see it that way. Grant does, however, deserve games against
Blackpool and Wigan in November to see if he can turn it around. The level
of determination evident yesterday would help. They staved off the expected
demolition by an Arsenal side averaging three goals a game thanks also to
Scott Parker's manful job in holding the midfield and cutting off the
passing lanes to Cesc Fabregas. As a result - and with Fabregas also nursing
his suspect hamstring through the piece - Arsenal struggled to find rhythm
and create chances. When they did break through, Green was in the sort of
form that not so long ago had him above Joe Hart in the national rankings.
A rare incisive first-half move saw Song send Bacary Sagna clear for a low
cut-back that found Fabregas but Green scrambled across his line to push it
aside brilliantly. He then kept out a drilled shot by Song and tipped
Sebastien Squillaci's header from Samir Nasri's corner over the bar. Indeed,
West Ham often looked the more menacing on the break in the first period,
with Lukasz Fabianski having to punch clear a couple of free-kicks and also
grateful to clutch a shot from the industrious Mark Noble, who had robbed
the off-the-pace Denilson. The Hammers remained tenacious as Arsenal came at
them with renewed purpose in the second half, Parker's tackle through
Denilson illustrating resolve, if bordering on the dangerous. They were
swift to press the man in possession and fling bodies in front of shots.
Nasri did hit the top of the West Ham crossbar with a 35-yard free-kick but
such was the home side's growing concern that Andrey Arshavin went down
theatrically in the penalty area for a coming together of arms with Manuel
Da Costa. Arsenal needed to find a key. On came Theo Walcott and it almost
brought reward. Dropping deeper to find space, Fabregas found the flying
right winger with a neat ball inside Herita Ilunga and his cross-shot beat
Green - only to rebound off the inside of the far post and into the
goalkeeper's arms. 'You do think that's not a good sign,' Wenger admitted.
West Ham countered with Carlton Cole and they too fashioned a decent chance
as Arsenal worried about who should be marking him at a corner. From Noble's
kick, Da Costa headed down but into Fabianski's arms. With a deflected shot,
Walcott drew another fine save from Green, who also dived to good effect to
grasp Fabregas's snap low drive. Then, in the final wave, Song played a ball
wide to Gael Clichy, who turned inside on to his right foot and clipped in a
teasing ball. West Ham's defence left it to Green but Song nipped in to head
home. A Song sung blue for West Ham but sweet music to Arsenal.
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Arsenal 1 West Ham United 0: match report
Read a full match report of the Premier League game between Arsenal and West
Ham United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday Oct 30 2010.
Telegraph.co.uk
ARSENAL 1 - 0 WEST HAM
Saturday, October 30 15:00
Premier League
Emirates Stadium
Song (88)
(HT 0-0)
ATT: 60,086
By Jeremy Wilson
Published: 5:00PM BST 30 Oct 2010
Mark Noble christened Robert Green with the nickname 'Spiderman' when West
Ham United were victorious at the Emirates in 2007 but another super-hero's
performance could not deny Arsenal today. Green had made no fewer than five
outstanding saves before West Ham's resilience was finally broken in the
87th minute when Alex Song converted Gael Clichy's cross with a diving
header. With Manchester City dropping points and Chelsea also scoring a late
winner, the importance of Song's goal even at this early stage of the
Premier League title race was underlined by ecstatic celebrations both on
and off the pitch. For West Ham and particularly Green, it was cruel that
such a dogged performance should go unrewarded and their disappointment will
be further compounded by Wolves' surprise win against Manchester City. It
leaves West Ham now three points adrift at the bottom of the Premier League
table. The strength in depth that now exists throughout the entire Arsenal
squad was apparent as Wenger made nine changes from the team that so
effortlessly defeated Newcastle United in the Carling Cup. Despite a return
of six goals in six matches this season, Theo Walcott was relegated back to
the bench as Samir Nasri and Andrei Arshavin returned to the wide positions
in support of Marouane Chamakh. Yet with Denilson often wasteful in
possession, Arsenal clearly missed the midfield presence of the suspended
Jack Wilshere. West Ham were well organised and generally defended deeply to
leave Arsenal in need of an element of surprise from someone who could burst
forward from a deep position. Despite dominating possession, Arsenal were
restricted to three clear first-half chances. A neat exchange of passes
between Alex Song and Bacary Sagna created space in the penalty area for
Cesc Fabregas, but Green scurried across his goal to make a diving save. He
then got down quickly to his right to block Song's low drive, before
acrobatically turning a Sebastien Squillaci header over.
West Ham were occasionally dangerous on the counter-attack, with Mark Noble
shooting straight at Lukasz Fabianski with their best first-half chance.
There was more urgency from Arsenal at the beginning of the second-half but
still not enough variety to pierce a dogged West Ham defence. Nasri wobbled
the cross-bar with a swirling free-kick from 30 yards while Arshavin had
penalty appeals waved away after tangling with Manuel da Costa. Replays
suggested he was pulled back, but also that he made the most of the
infringement.
As frustration built, Walcott was brought on with 23 minutes remaining and
the impact was immediate. His pace allowed him to latch-on to Fabregas'
intelligent through-ball, but the finish from a tight angle bounced
agonisingly off the inside of the post and back into Green's hands.
Green, though, was still not finished and produced two further
demonstrations of his outsanding reactions to deny Arsenal. First from
Walcott's deflected shot off Da Costa and then to block Fabregas's low
drive. It looked certain to clinch a share of the points, but Arsenal never
stopped pushing forward and were ultimately rewarded with Song's dramatic
late finish.
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Alex Song's late header for Arsenal breaks West Ham's stout resistance
David Hytner at Emirates Stadium
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 30 October 2010 17.16 BST
When you knock on the door as loudly as Arsenal did here in the second half,
the law of probability dictates that it has to open eventually. But football
does not always work like that and, for so long, it looked as if West Ham
would deal another blow to the credibility of Arsenal's title challenge. The
ghosts of West Brom could almost be heard to clear their throats.
Rob Green, the West Ham goalkeeper, was ready to take the acclaim as the
afternoon's hero. He made a string of excellent saves, most notably from
Cesc Fábregas, while the woodwork came to his rescue on a further two
occasions.
At the very death, however, just as tempers and nerves were fraying
intolerably among the home support, Green's resistance was broken. Whether
he ought to have come for Gaël Clichy's tantalising cross was a moot point.
What was indisputable was that Alex Song had sensed his moment and nothing
was going to deny him. Having arrived at speed, he plunged low to guide a
diving header into the net and, at a stroke, spark wild scenes of delight
and relief.
"It's always a relief when you score late on," said Arsène Wenger, the
Arsenal manager. "But you can see we have matured. When it does not work for
us, the players remain calmer. We have a good chance of the title but we
have to show consistency first. We still need to step up a gear. I feel that
Song has the taste to go forward, he has added that to his game, even if
it's a bit too much for a holding midfielder. But that's our game."
West Ham prop up the table going into November, which is never a good omen
in the battle against relegation. Avram Grant, the manager, said that
history did not interest him, that there was plenty of time to turn
fundamentally decent performances into points. He was particularly pleased
with the "fighting spirit" of his players, which was epitomised once again
by the captain Scott Parker, who was magnificent.
But there have to be deep concerns in the East End. Despite a bright start,
in which Mark Noble featured prominently, West Ham never looked to have the
ammunition in the final third to hurt Arsenal. Lukasz Fabianski did not have
to make a serious save.
At the other end, meanwhile, they were played through too easily,
particularly on their left side, where Herita Ilunga was exposed on a number
of occasions. Arsenal sleepwalked through the first-half but they still
looked the more threatening team and Green needed to make three smart saves.
Wenger said that he almost took off Fábregas at half-time, as the captain
had some tension in his hamstring which will need to be monitored, but he
saw his players show greater urgency in the second period, when they swept
forward in waves. The in-form Samir Nasri rattled the crossbar with a
35-yard thunderbolt of a free-kick while the substitute Theo Walcott hit the
inside of the far post.
The thought that it might be one of those days for Arsenal gathered pace
when Green kept out Walcott's deflected shot and then brilliantly repelled
Fábregas. Song, though, had other ideas.
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Late header gives Arsenal deserved points
Arsenal 1 West Ham 0
By Jim van Wijk, PA
Saturday, 30 October 2010
Independent.co.uk
Alex Song's late header gave Barclays Premier League title chasers Arsenal a
narrow victory over West Ham to deny the bottom club a deserved point at
Emirates Stadium. Robert Green, in front of watching England manager Fabio
Capello, had pulled off a string of fine saves to keep the Gunners at bay.
However, with just two minutes left, Song dived to head home Gael Clichy's
cross as Arsene Wenger's improving side kept up the pressure on leaders
Chelsea. Arsenal had plenty of momentum going into this afternoon's game
after following up impressive Champions League performances with victory at
Manchester City and marching into the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup.
However, Wenger had warned against complacency, with the Irons looking to
battle their way clear of the relegation zone. Arsenal started brightly,
with Andrey Arshavin put away down the left a couple of times, but the
Russian was unable to make the most of the openings. On nine minutes, Song
tripped Frederic Piquionne conceding a free-kick on the left, which Scott
Parker - so impressive during the Hammers' Carling Cup win over Stoke -
whipped in and Lukasz Fabianski punched clear. At the other end, Arshavin's
deflected cross flew through the West Ham six-yard box before Song sent a
bullet header over. Piquionne burst clear down the right wing, but then
after getting to the box, the former Portsmouth frontman seemed to run out
of ideas and Arsenal cleared before former Gunner Luis Boa Morte drove a
20-yard effort over.
Bacary Sagna arrived on the end of Song's through pass to pull the ball back
for Cesc Fabregas, who swept it goalwards, but Green produced a superb
reflex save to deny the Arsenal captain. West Ham remained positive, though,
as Mark Noble ran at the Arsenal defence, and his 22-yard strike was
straight at Fabianski. Gunners fans were starting to get restless as
half-time approached, with West Ham continuing to frustrated the home side.
Green again denied Arsenal when he kept out Song's angled drive and from the
resulting corner, the often-criticised England keeper flicked over Sebastien
Squillaci's looping header. The hefty challenges continued in the second
half, this time Parker on Denilson, taking the legs of the Arsenal
midfielder as he followed through, but again there was no action from the
referee. Arshavin broke clear down the left and darted to the edge of the
West Ham penalty area, but dragged his low shot wide. Boa Morte was
cautioned for pushing over Denilson as the Brazilian charged forwards. From
the resulting free-kick, around 35 yards out, Samir Nasri crashed the ball
against the crossbar, with Green beaten. The Emirates Stadium faithful upped
the tempo as Arsenal went on the offensive. After a goalmouth scramble, play
was held up to allow Parker treatment as he had been struck in the face by
Fabregas' shot.
Arshavin then went tumbling as Manuel Da Costa looked to have tugged his
arm, but the referee waved away penalty appeals. With 23 minutes left,
Wenger turned to Theo Walcott as the England man, who had scored twice in
the midweek Carling Cup win at Newcastle, replaced Denilson Chamakh got on
the end of Arshavin's free-kick into the box, but could not guide the ball
either side of Green. Fabregas sent Walcott away down the right, and he
dashed into the area, before sliding the ball under Green - only for it to
come back off the inside of the far post and bounce to the grateful Hammers
keeper. Green again came to the Hammers rescue when he saved Walcott's
deflected effort before then keeping out Fabregas' snapshot as the Gunners
pressed for a late winner. However, the Irons keeper was finally beaten with
just two minutes left when Song headed in Clichy's cross at the far post as
Arsenal took all three points.
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