WHUFC.com
The manager was frustrated to see his side not take all three points at
Birmingham City
06.11.2010
Avram Grant was once again left to rue a late decision after Birmingham City
battled back from two goals down to earn a draw on Saturday. The manager was
convinced that Lars Jacobsen had been tugged back as he entered the Blues
penalty area with four minutes to play. He was as mystified not to see a
spot-kick awarded as he was by the ruled out 'goal' at Wolverhampton
Wanderers three weeks ago - when Frederic Piquionne was penalised despite
not handling the ball. Grant said: "I don't know if the word is 'unlucky',
it's more 'farce' because the referee was just five metres away, when he saw
that Lars Jacobsen's shirt was pulled and he didn't give us a penalty. What
more can you ask for? "I'm very disappointed because it's not the first time
that it's happened [this season] I don't understand why he did not give the
penalty. Perhaps it's because we are a polite team and do not jump on the
referee. Maybe next time we will have to do things differently."
The manager could not fault his players' again as they took a two-goal lead
before the hour. First, Piquionne drilled the ball past Ben Foster after
latching on to a sublime Luis Boa Morte pass two minutes after the interval.
Then, Valon Behrami slammed the ball in after superb work from Scott Parker,
Boa Morte and the magnificent Carlton Cole
"It was a good performance today and that makes the referee's decision not
to give a penalty even harder to take," added Grant. ""We played well and
I'm not even sure that it was a foul for the free-kick that led to their
second goal. The performance was good, we played well." Cole could have
scored in the first half but for a wonder save from Foster, Victor Obinna
produced an equally fine stop from the England man that would have made it
three-nil and surely a first away win since the opening day of last season.
As it was, Blues roared back to reduce the deficit through Cameron Jerome
before former Academy trainee Liam Ridgewell pounced in the 73rd minute to
level. Reflecting on his team's football with the fit-again Matthew Upson
and Cole - for the injured Manu da Costa and Mark Noble - the only changes
from last week's narrow loss at Arsenal, Grant said: "Our goals came from
good combinations, good passes and good football. We could've scored a third
one but Ben Foster made two unbelievable saves today from Carlton Cole and
Victor Obinna. We deserved three goals. I'm happy with the performance but
disappointed with the result.
"At 2-0, I think we tried to do the right thing we continued to pass the
ball and we hit the bar but because Birmingham realised that they could not
play how they wanted to, they started to play the direct ball. "When we were
winning 2-0 we needed to keep the ball. I cannot say that Birmingham scored
great goals, they scored from direct play and a set-piece. Sometimes you
need to be able to deal with these situations, too, but today we didn't do
that.
"There were a lot of encouraging signs today. We were the better side. We
played the football and were denied by their keeper, the post and the
crossbar.
The keeper was great - he saved them from two or three goals more."
The point may prove a precious one - especially as only a Gabbidon
deflection on to the crossbar denied the home side late on - and the Hammers
will head into the visits of West Bromwich Albion and Blackpool on Wednesday
and Saturday respectively in good heart. "Over the past two months we've
shown that we deserve to be in the middle of the table and we will be if we
play like this. "I want points and today we did everything to get a win and
we deserved all three of them. I don't like to say the word deserved but
we've deserved more in many matches on the football-side this season. If we
continue with this attitude and effort then the points will come."
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Sears does it again
WHUFC.com
Hammers youngster Freddie Sears continues to make a big impression at
Scunthorpe United
06.11.2010
Freddie Sears was in sparkling form again as he helped Scunthorpe United to
a third win in four games since joining the Championship club on loan.
The West Ham United forward, still only 20, set up the last-gasp winner for
team-mate Michael O'Connor as the Iron were 1-0 winners against Hull City at
Glanford Park. Sears has yet to find the net for the club he joined on a
one-month loan on 19 October but has been hailed for his contribution in
each of their successes since arriving. O'Connor was particularly glowing in
praise for Sears on Saturday. He said: "I told Freddie Sears that I'm on the
edge of the box all the time and I wanted him to pull the ball back for me.
Thankfully he did today and I thought I took the goal well. In the second
half we stepped it up. Freddie enjoyed a lot of success against their
defenders and I felt we were very good." Elsewhere, on loan defender Matt
Fry played the whole 90 minutes again for Charlton Athletic as they drew 0-0
with Barnet in their FA Cup first-round tie at Underhill. The League One
club will be confident of progressing with a replay to come at The Valley
against the League Two strugglers.
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Birmingham 2 - 2 West Ham
BBC.co.uk
By Paul Fletcher
Birmingham scored twice in nine second-half minutes to rescue a point
against rock-bottom West Ham at St Andrew's. Blues keeper Ben Foster
brilliantly denied Carlton Cole but low finishes by Frederic Piquionne and
Valon Behrami gave the visitors the upper hand. The home side rallied and
Cameron Jerome struck after a knockdown from Nikola Zigic before Liam
Ridgewell pounced on a rebound to equalise. Jerome then saw a shot deflected
against the woodwork by Danny Gabbidon. It was a result that scarcely seemed
possible when the Hammers scored twice after the break to put themselves on
course for a first away success in the Premier League since the opening day
of the 2009-10 campaign.
They played some fine, flowing football but Birmingham have proved
themselves tough to beat at home and raised their game considerably, with a
series of cross-field balls aimed towards giant striker Zigic causing the
east Londoners considerable problems. There was little hint of the
excitement of the second half during a largely disappointing opening 45
minutes. The on-pitch water sprinklers provided a moment of comedy after
three minutes, appearing from beneath the playing surface in one half of the
pitch and dousing several players and 25-year-old referee Michael Oliver.
Play stopped for more than a minute while the problem was rectified and it
was the most noteworthy incident until Foster's athletic save after 18
minutes.
Victor Obinna's right-wing cross was flicked on by Behrami and Cole showed
excellent reflexes to guide the ball towards the bottom corner, but Foster
demonstrated great agility to deflect the ball against the post. The ball
ran agonisingly across the face of goal from a West Ham point of view before
it was put out for a corner. Cole, one of two changes to Hammers boss Avram
Grant's starting line-up from the side that lost at Arsenal, wrong-footed
Foster with a shot on the turn before the break but his connection was poor
and the keeper was able to readjust his position. Grant claimed during the
week that he had been encouraged by the quality of his team's performances
despite winning only once in the league this season going into Saturday's
fixture. He must have been pleased by their dominance during the first half,
but concerned by their failure to turn possession into goals.
That changed shortly after the restart when Luis Boa Morte's beautifully
weighted through ball carved open the Blues backline and presented Piquionne
with a chance that he gratefully accepted. And when Behrami finished an
incisive move with his first-time finish from 14 yards the match look out of
reach for a home team who had showed precious little goal threat. The match
would definitely have been beyond Birmingham if Obinna's powerful strike had
not rebounded off the crossbar shortly after the Hammers' second goal. The
home side had scored just four in their previous seven top-flight fixtures
and looked short of confidence in attack. Roger Johnson had headed wide from
a corner and Sebastian Larsson had failed to connect with a super Barry
Ferguson cross early in the second half, but they suddenly found another
gear after the hour mark. The recalled Jerome struck from close range after
Zigic's knockdown and Ridgewell pounced after Rob Green could only parry a
free-kick from Larsson. The complexion of the match had changed completely
and Zigic shot wide before Gabbidon deflected a goal-bound strike from
Jerome against the crossbar with his thigh. The Hammers did have a late
penalty appeal after Jean Beausejour appeared to tug the shirt of Lars
Joacobsen but the decision was not given in their favour.
Birmingham manager Alex McLeish: "We are disappointed to drop points at home
and I would have taken a draw when we were 2-0 down because it was crucial
to take something. "We will take a piece of the pie, especially when it
looked as though we were down and out. "But with a few minutes to go I
thought we could have won the game."
West Ham manager Avram Grant on the late penalty appeal: "We came here and
played well but it was an undoubted penalty. "I saw it on the pitch and I
was 50 yards away, the referee was five yards away but he did not give it.
"You should not make a mistake from five yards. Like my friend Harry
[Redknapp] would say, it is a farce and it is very frustrating."
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Ridgewell rescues Birmingham
Hammers relinquish winning position as Blues come back to draw
By Elliot Ball Last updated: 6th November 2010
SSN
Man of the match:
Seb Larsson. Although Carton Cole was West Ham's main man, the Blues winger
played a key role in Birmingham's comeback, having a hand in both goals.
Moment of the match:
Cameron Jerome's goal sparked a dramatic change in West Ham, who went into
their shell before conceding another.
Save of the match:
Ben Foster's 18th minute save to deny Carlton Cole was out of the
top-drawer. The former Manchester United man dived low to his right to turn
his England team-mate's shot onto the post.
Talking point:
West Ham's inability to hold onto a lead - will that be their undoing in
their bid to stay in the Premier League? On the flip-side, will Birmingham's
resilience keep them afloat?
West Ham United let a two goal lead slip as Birmingham City fought back to
claim a 2-2 draw at St Andrews. Liam Ridgewell rescued a point for Blues,who
were staring defeat in the face as second-half goals from Frederic Piquionne
and Valon Behrami put the Hammers in the clear. But Avram Grant's side -
chasing their first away win of the season - collapsed as first, Cameron
Jerome gave the hosts a lifeline on 64 minutes, before Ridgewell popped up
with the decisive equaliser nine minutes later to see Alex McLeish's side
earn a share of the spoils. The result sees West Ham remain rooted to the
bottom of the table while Blues are two points above the relegation zone in
14th place. Former Birmingham co-owner David Sullivan was denied victory on
his return to St Andrews as his current club showed the frailties that have
plagued them throughout the current campaign. Sullivan looked on impassively
but at least he was able to witness proceedings at first hand after former
Blues chairman David Gold had been banned after comments about the midlands
club. West Ham looked to have the points in the bag after playing with a
confidence that belied their lowly position. Carlton Cole impressed as the
lone striker and his occupying of the City defenders allowed Victor Obinna
to find space to exploit. In contrast Blues struggling for long periods to
pose any sort of threat - until they went 2-0 down.
Insipid
Birmingham, operating with the 4-3-1-2 formation which had been successful
against Blackpool in their previous home game, found plenty of room down the
flanks in the early stages There was a brief delay when the pitch sprinklers
suddenly burst into life and it was one of the better moments of an
otherwise insipid opening period. West Ham began to threaten and it needed a
brilliant save from Ben Foster to deny Cole the opening goal after 17
minutes. Cole's close-range shot from Obinna's low centre looked destined
for the corner of the net, but Foster somehow finger-tipped the ball onto
the post at full stretch and it rebounded out. Scott Dann blocked a shot on
the turn from Piquionne and Roger Johnson did a similar job to deny Luis Boa
Morte.
In a rare Birmingham attack Alexander Hleb picked out the run of Keith Fahey
but he was crowded out as he prepared to shoot. That was the duo's only
significant contribution and they would later be subbed. West Ham needed
only three minutes of the second half to break the deadlock through
Piquionne's fourth goal of the campaign. Boa Morte picked out the run of
Piquionne in between Ridgewell and Johnson and he drilled his shot across
Foster into the far corner of the net.
Retaliate
Blues tried to retaliate and Ferguson's angled ball almost picked out
Larsson's well-timed surge into box. But the Sweden international failed to
make contact and Robert Green was able to collect. Cole came close to making
it 2-0 when his glancing header was only just too high from Obinna's corner
and it came as no surprise when Behrami doubled the Hammers lead after 57
minutes. Cole had time to tee up the run into the box of Behrami and his
first-time shot flew past Foster from 12 yards. City manager McLeish
responded by bringing on Jean Beausejour and Craig Garner in place of Hleb
and Fahey, although they could only watch on as Obinna nearly put the game
out of sight when his shot crashed against the woodwork. Then, Jerome gave
Birmingham a life-line by reducing the arrears after 63 minutes. Zigic
headed a cross from Larsson into his path and the former England Under 21
striker made no mistake from close range. And after 73 minutes, Ridgewell
equalised and a question mark has to be placed against Green. He only
succeeded in pushing a free-kick from Larsson straight into the path of the
former Aston Villa man who tucked it away from eight yards out. Birmingham
came close to taking the lead when Jerome burst into the area and saw his
shot deflect off West Ham defender Daniel Gabbidon onto his own crossbar
before Obinna was yellow carded after a late challenge on Larsson. City
ended the match on the front foot, but West Ham were denied a penalty late
on as Beausejour grabbed a chunk of Lars Jacobsen's shirt in the penalty
area and it ended all square.
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Grant rages over penalty claim
Hammers boss insists side were denied late spot-kick
Last updated: 6th November 2010
SSN
West Ham United manager Avram Grant was critical of referee Michael Oliver
following their 2-2 draw at Birmingham City. The Hammers were on the cusp of
their first away win since the opening game of the 2009-10 campaign after
second-half goals from Frederic Piquionne and Valon Behrami put them in the
clear. But the East Londoners surrendered their two-goal advantage as Liam
Ridgewell rescued a point for the Blues after Cameron Jerome had given the
Midlanders a lifeline. Grant focused his post-match interview on official
Oliver, who failed to give the visitors a penalty late on when Lars Jacobsen
had his shirt pulled in the box by City substitute Jean Beausejour.
Farce
The Hammers boss told Sky Sports after the game: "I don't like to talk about
referees but it's happened against Wolves, Aston Villa Bolton and now and it
has cost us two points. It's a farce." West Ham remain bottom of the table
but Grant insists he is pleased with the way his side are playing after
seeing them dominate Birmingham for the first hour of Saturday's game. And
the Iron boss was keen to praise striker Carlton Cole, who was restored to
the first team at St Andrews and proved a real menace to City's backline all
afternoon. "Coley was great," added the Israeli tactician. "He was unlucky
from Foster's save (in the first half). He is in good shape now, he's trying
hard in training and you can see he is a striker who causes the other teams
lots of problems."
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Grant in blast at farcical ref
The Sun
Published: Today
AVRAM GRANT blasted Michael Oliver's refereeing display as farcical after
West Ham were denied. Hammers boss Grant insisted Birmingham sub Jean
Beausejour pulled Lars Jacobsen inside the penalty box. But referee Oliver
ignored penalty appeals and the Londoners had to settle for a point after
throwing away a two-goal lead. A fuming Grant rapped: "Harry Redknapp used
the word farce about the decisions of a referee and I agree with him.
"The referee was five metres from the incident when the shirt of Lars was
pulled and he did not give a penalty. "I'm very disappointed because this is
not the first time it has happened to us. "Similar things have happened
against Wolves, Stoke, Aston Villa, Bolton and Manchester United where
decisions have gone against us. "What we saw from 50 metres, the referee
could see from five metres and he needs to give a penalty. This is a farce.
"Sometimes you don't see things but this was in front of his eyes. I don't
understand why he didn't give a penalty.was proud of his side's performance
at St Andrew's despite goals from Freddie Piquionne and Valon Behrami being
cancelled out by Cameron Jerome and Liam Ridgewell. He said: "You saw a team
that deserves to be in the middle of the table. "We conceded a couple of
easy goals and it cost us but if we continue to play like this, and show the
same attitude, the points will come. "We carried on like we have been
playing in the last two games and Ben Foster made two unbelievable saves
from Carlton Cole and Victor Obinna.manager Alex McLeish believes Foster
will be pushing for an England spot if he continues to maintain his current
form. He said: "It was a fantastic save from Cole and Ben has been totally
on top of his game from the day he arrived. "He is in the frame for England,
and him and Joe Hart are playing out of their skin at the moment.admitted:
"In the first half there was no penetration from us, we were not a threat
but when we went more direct in the second half we caused more problems.
"West Ham are not a bad side. They have good individuals and Avram is trying
to get them playing as a team. "For an hour they played well but, when we
got at them, we were a different side.
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Grant blames refereeing 'farce' for failure to win at Birmingham
Published 18:37 06/11/10 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
West Ham manager Avram Grant hit out at referee Michael Oliver after his
side surrendered a two-goal lead in the 2-2 draw at Birmingham. Grant felt
that Oliver should have awarded his side a late penalty after City
substitute Jean Beausejour appeared to pull back Lars Jacobsen inside the
penalty box, and labelled the decision "a farce". Grant believed it was the
latest in a line of decisions from officials to go against the bottom-placed
Hammers, who had looked on course for their first away win of the season
after scoring through Frederic Piquionne and Valon Behrami. But the home
side fought back and goals from Cameron Jerome and Liam Ridgewell rescued a
point. Grant said: "Harry Redknapp used the word farce about the decisions
of a referee and I agree with him. "The referee was five metres from the
incident when the shirt of Lars was pulled and he did not give a penalty.
"I'm very disappointed because this is not the first time it has happened to
us. "Similar things have happened against Wolves, Stoke, Aston Villa, Bolton
and Manchester United where decisions have gone against us. "What we saw
from 50 metres, the referee could see from five metres and he needs to give
a penalty. This is a farce. "Sometimes you don't see things but this was in
front of his eyes. I don't understand why he didn't give a penalty."
Grant took solace from his side's performance and said: "You saw a team that
deserves to be in the middle of the table. "We conceded a couple of easy
goals and it cost us but if we continue to play like this, and show the same
attitude, the points will come. "We carried on like we have been playing in
the last two games and Ben Foster made two unbelievable saves from Carlton
Cole and Victor Obinna." City manager Alex McLeish believes Foster will be
pushing for an England spot if he continues to maintain his current form. He
said: "It was a fantastic save from Cole and Ben has been totally on top of
his game from the day he arrived. "He is in the frame for England, and him
and Joe Hart are playing out of their skin at the moment." McLeish admitted:
"In the first half there was no penetration from us, we were not a threat
but when we went more direct in the second half we caused more problems.
"West Ham are not a bad side. They have good individuals and Avram is trying
to get them playing as a team. "For an hour they played well but, when we
got at them, we were a different side."
Ridgewell has often weighed in with important goals for City and he produced
another clinical finish to salvage a share of the spoils. McLeish said:
"Liam has had an eye for a goal going back to his youth team days and he's
brought that into his time as a senior player. "He takes a gamble in
following the ball into the box and sometimes gets on the end of things."
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