WHUFC.com
Steve Lomas and his youngsters kept up their their title challenge with a
fine victory at Bloomfield Road
23.03.2011
BLACKPOOL v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER RESERVE LEAGUE
WEDNESDAY 23 MARCH 2011
KICK-OFF: 3PM
Final score score - Blackpool reserves 2-4 West Ham United reserves
92 mins - Modelski makes a fine challenge and the referee blows for
full-time. What a fantastic result! The goals were spread around, with
Tombides, Moncur, Sears and Montano all getting their names on the
score-sheet. To see them all, plus the other highlights from a super day in
the Lancashire sunshine, keep a close eye on West Ham TV. For exclusive
post-match reaction, log on to whufc.com
The reserves return to action on Monday, when they return to the north west
and head to Blackburn Rovers. Manchester United then provide the opposition
at Bishop's Stortford on Friday 2 April. Both matches will, of course, be
covered by live text updates on whufc.com
91 mins - Phillips crosses and McNaughton towers high above his Blackpool
striker to head clear. Abdulla heads on and Phillips lashes a first-time
left-foot shot out for a throw on the far side. West Ham have done superbly
during the second half, in particular. McNaughton has captained the side
superbly, while Fry alongside him and Boffin in goal have kept communicating
and urging their team-mates on. This has been a real collective display
against a very experienced Blackpool side.
90 mins - We're going to have at least two added minutes...
89 mins - Substitute Tomsett shoots from 30 yards. The ball flicks off
Moncur, but Boffin throws his giant frame down to his left to make the save.
87 mins - Reid picks out Phillilps but Driver does well initially. Phillips
wins the ball back and crosses, but Boffin is there with safe hands at the
near post.
84 mins - Lomas makes his third and final change, with Robert Hall replacing
Sears. Blackpool boss Steve McPhee replaces Kornilenko with Liam Tomsett.
83 mins - Into the closing stages and victory would take West Ham above
Aston Villa and into second place in the Southern Group table. Arsenal would
remain four points clear, but the Hammers would have two games in-hand.
82 mins - Lee gets a foot in and West Ham have a three-on-three break.
Moncur plays in McCallum, but the substitute is offside. That must have been
close.
81 mins - Reid is booked for a foul on Modelski. The full-back had robbed
him of the ball and he just pushed him to the ground. A bit of frustration,
perhaps?
79 mins - Abdulla gives away a free-kick for a foul on Reid. The break in
play sees Tombides replaced by Paul McCallum. Abdulla didn't really like the
decision and receives a talking-to from the referee.
77 mins - Modelski flies forward again down the right and wins a corner. It
is headed clear to Fry on the edge of the box, who controls with his left
foot and sends a right-foot volley a couple of yards wide. Good effort from
the defender, who has recently returned from a loan spell at Charlton
Athletic.
75 mins - This game is not over! Phillips has space to pick out Kornilenko
at the far post, but his header hits a defender and goes behind. The corner
is headed clear and McNaughton pokes the ball to Montano. He swaps passes
with Sears and makes for the penalty area. Moncur screams for the ball at
the far post, but it's a difficult cross for Montano and he over-hits it
ever so slightly.
73 mins - GOAL! Well, you could say the change had the desired effect! Sears
brings the ball forward before drawing a defender and playing it wide right
to Modelski. The Pole's first touch is an inch-perfect cross for Montano,
who leaps and sends an unstoppable header into the top left-hand corner.
Fantastic goal!
72 mins - A first change from Lomas as Edgar is replaced by full-back
Modelski. Driver comes across to left-back and Montano moves forward. It's
now a 4-5-1 for West Ham, with Sears wide on the right and Montano wide
left.
71 mins - Another chance, this time for West Ham. Sears collects a pass from
Edgar 25 yards out and shoots. He catches it well, but it's straight at
Rachubka, who pats the ball down and gathers.
70 mins - Boffin will need a new pair of gloves at this rate! Ormerod gets
in behind Driver and shoots powerfully, but again the goalkeeper is there to
parry. The ball was hit with such power that it rebounds about 30 yards up
the pitch.
69 mins - Take a bow Ruud Boffin! Reid crosses and Fry heads clear to
Phillips. He shoots powerfully with his right foot but Boffin flies to his
right to push the ball away at full stretch. The ball drops to Reid, but
he's offside.
68 mins - I wonder if Lomas might make a change soon...
67 mins - Kornilenko has another chance from Reid's pass, but he spins on to
his left foot under pressure from McNaughton and can only stab the ball a
fair way wide of the post. The home side are in the ascendancy at present.
West Ham need a spell in possession.
66 mins - That would have been controversial. Carney beats a couple of men
and the ball drops to Kornilenko, but the defenders think he's offside. The
big striker shoots a yard over the top when he really should do better.
64 mins - Ormerod releases Phillips and his cross is of the looping and
dangerous variety, but Boffin shows good footwork and handling to catch the
ball falling backwards. Good, assured stuff from the big Belgian.
62 mins - Good play by Callum Driver, who plays the ball to Tombides and
continues his run. When Moncur lofts the ball over the top, the right-back
forces Reid to track him and head the ball behind. Moncur's corner is low
and easily cleared.
61 mins - Blackpool think they have an equaliser and the home fans cheer,
but the assistant referee's flag rules out Ormerod's smart finish. The
striker latched on to the loose ball after Boffin had done well to push
aside Southern's low shot. An escape for the visitors.
59 mins - Lee fouls Reid about 35 yards out. Martin fancies himself from
this range and shoots 'Ronaldo-style'. The result is not Ronaldo-esque,
though, as the ball thuds into the faded tangerine seats halfway up the
stand.
57 mins - GOAL! That's why I don't bet! Sears steams through the centre
before drawing Basham and finding Edgar. He returns the favour and Sears
lofts the ball into the net from close-range. Sbai tried to keep the ball
out, but he could not stop it from crossing the line.
56 mins - This is like a basketball match. Seriously. It is just attack,
attack, attack from both teams. I'd wager my walk home on another goal, but
I'm not normally a betting man!
54 mins - A great chance for Edgar, who has time to pick his spot from 20
yards, but shoots straight at the goalkeeper. He had time and space then,
did the No11.
53 mins - This is breathless. West Ham attack and Moncur tries to lob
Rachubka from 45 yards, but the ball flies over the top.
52 mins - This is ridiculously end-to-end. Phillips is played in by Reid and
crosses low towards his two strikers, but McNaughton is there to clear at
the near post. Seconds later, Kornilenko's cross hits McNaughton on the
hand, but it was never deliberate. No penalty.
52 mins - West Ham come again, but Lee's low shot from 25 yards does not
trouble the replacement goalkeeper.
51 mins - Blackpool's turn to attack through Martin. He gets in behind
Driver and crosses low, but Boffin shows good handling to gather the
bouncing ball.
50 mins - Unlucky for Moncur, who makes a fine run to receive Montano's
pass. He takes on Basham, but is crowded out on the edge of the box.
49 mins - Montano beats two men down the left before his cross is blocked
behind. Edgar sends a deep corner over and McNaughton rises like a salmon.
His header lands on the top of the net.
49 mins - Moncur is snapping away at his opponent's heels whenever he gets
the chance. This has been a good performance so far from the young
midfielder, who looks so composed in possession and dangerous whenever he
gets on the ball.
48 mins - Rachubka spent time at Manchester United as a youngster, but has
missed most of this season with a serious knee injury.
46 mins - Blackpool kick-off. About 40 seconds into the second half,
Southern gets down the right and crosses for Ormerod. He's unmarked, but
chooses to shoot first-time on his left foot, but the ball screws miles wide
of the target.
Blackpool make a half-time change, with Rachubka replacing Halstead in goal.
Half-time score - Blackpool reserves 2-2 West Ham United reserves
47 mins - Moments after Blackpool kick-off, the half-time whistle goes. What
a first half that was!
46 mins - GOAL! Moncur equalises with a superb low shot from 16 yards. Sears
creates the goal by running at the defence and cutting the ball across the
edge of the penalty area for the midfielder. Moncur takes a touch and slams
his shot past Halstead and the net billows.
45 mins - Edgar is fouled about 25 yards out. He takes the free-kick himself
and thuds a shot into the defensive wall. The ball drops to Abdulla, but his
volley flies high and wide.
43 mins - GOAL! I'm not sure West Ham deserve to be behind but they are.
Martin and Carney attack down the left and the ball is worked inside to
Ormerod. The No10 is allowed the time and space to turn, so he does just
that and plants a low shot inside the left-hand post from the edge of the
penalty area.
41 mins - So close! Tombides wins a corner. Edgar takes it short to Moncur,
who crosses. The ball curls a yard past the angle of the far post and
crossbar with goalkeeper Halstead stood watching. That wasn't a shot, but it
so nearly ended up in the net.
38 mins - Carney has acres down the left and finds the over-lapping Martin.
He plays the ball to Ormerod, who cuts it back for Kornilenko. The No9
slides, but his shot flies a couple of yards the wrong side of the near
post.
35 mins - Half a chance. Tombides gets the ball about 30 yards out and tries
to play in Edgar. He over-hits the pass and Edgar is forced wide. Moncur
screams for the ball on the edge of the box, but Edgar floats it over his
head.
34 mins - It will be interesting to see how West Ham respond to conceding.
Blackpool had thrown plenty at them prior to the goal but had not tested
Boffin. This will be a test of character.
32 mins - GOAL! Martin feeds Kornilenko about 30 yards out and he lets fly
with his left foot. The ball screams into the top left-hand corner past
Boffin's dive. Great effort from the Belarus international. The home fans
cheer loudly. There are probably about 200 of them in the stand opposite me.
27 mins - Tombides could have a second. Montano gets forward down the left
and crosses high for the Australian, but he slightly mis-times his leap and
heads the ball up and over the crossbar from six yards.
24 mins - GOAL! It's been coming! Tombides scores again. He shows great
composure to latch on to a through ball and slot past goalkeeper Halstead
from 16 yards. The ball did take a slight nick off the goalkeeper, but
rolled safely into the net. Superb stuff, and the 17-year-old has saved me a
long walk home!
24 mins - Good play by Lee to bring the ball clear. He finds Moncur, who
passes the ball on to Sears, but his cross for Tombides is headed powerfully
clear by Basham inside the area.
23 mins - The helicopter pilot has seen enough of the action and has flown
off towards Blackpool Tower.
22 mins - A helicopter is hovering almost directly over the stadium. Very
menacing! It is a black helicopter, like 'Airwolf'!
21 mins - Driver gets forward well down the right before Edgar crosses
towards Tombides. The ball skips up and is worked back to Montano, whose
cross drops to Driver. He controls and Edgar shoots, but it is blocked.
20 mins - Carney plays a neat pass to Martin down the left and makes his way
forward. When the Frenchman lays the ball inside to him, the Australian
shoots first-time, but drags his effort well wide of the right-hand post.
18 mins - It's all quietened down a bit in terms of goalmouth action, but
both teams look keen to get their noses in front. Blackpool are literally
attacking with everyone bar their centre-backs, leaving plenty of room for
Sears and Edgar to exploit.
12 mins - Another good chance, this time for Ormerod, who flashes a header
past the angle of far post and crossbar from Phillips' right-wing cross.
This is going to be an entertaining 90 minutes, I can assure you. If this
remains goal-less, I'll walk back to east London!
11 mins - Tombides is back on and does well to hold off Sbai and lay the
ball back to Lee, whose low shot takes a slight deflection and flies inches
wide. The corner is taken short and Edgar crosses, but Tombides is beaten in
the air. West Ham are getting a foothold in this game and look very
dangerous.
9 mins - Blackpool's attacking formation means they are very open at the
back. Moncur takes advantage and gets a left-wing cross in. Tombides is all
alone six yards from goal but the ball glances off his head as he dives and
flies wide of the far post. The Australian has hurt himself trying to put
that chance away and needs the physio on.
8 mins - Sears looks dangerous on the counter. He runs at Carney before
letting fly from about 25 yards. The shot arrows low and a yard wide of the
far post. Good effort from the No7. West Ham are playing in a 4-3-3 shape,
with Sears and Edgar supporting Tombides.
6 mins - Blackpool are employing a very attacking formation, with the
full-backs Phillips and Carney really pushing on. Ormerod crosses but it's
just too high for Kornilenko. Phillips controls on his chest but Montano is
there to hack clear.
5 mins - Reid picks ouf Phillips with a lovely pass. The No2 crosses low
towards Kornilenko, but McNaughton gets a foot in to stab the ball out for a
throw. The Irishman looks like he's going to try and control the game from a
deep-lying midfield role.
4 mins - Phillips gets forward down the right and wins the first corner of
the game for the home side. It is taken short to Reid, who tries to beat
Edgar, but loses control and the ball rolls behind for a goal kick.
2 mins - It's all happening early doors! Kornilenko controls on the edge of
the area before trying to spin between Fry and Montano. He goes to ground,
but the referee waves his penalty appeals away.
2 mins - Sears beats three men with a jinking run down the right before
cutting inside and trying to find the unmarked Edgar, but Basham makes a
sliding interception. Edgar picks up possession but his cross from Tombides
is too strong.
2.58pm - Moncur and Abdulla get us underway.
2.57pm - The Hammers will kick-off...
2.55pm - Here come the two teams. West Ham are in white shirts, light blue
shorts and light blue socks, while Blackpool are in their home strip of
tangerine shirts, white shorts and tangerine socks. Our referee is Paul
Hodskinson, while West Ham are captained today by Callum McNaughton.
2.50pm - The two teams have completed their pre-match warm-ups and headed
back to their respective dressing rooms. This will be a big test for Steve
Lomas' young side against a Blackpool team full of Premier League
experience. Malaury Martin and Salaheddine Sbai are the only two Tangerines
not to have featured for Ian Holloway's team this season. In contrast, only
Freddie Sears and Ruud Boffin have turned out at senior level this term.
2.40pm - It really is a gorgeous day here on the Fylde Coast. The coach took
a quick trip down the Promenade earlier and there are the first signs of
life ahead of the busy summer season - the rock shops are open and there are
a few holiday-makers dotted about the place. It's certainly nicer today than
it was when the first team visited Bloomfield Road last month, when the high
winds and rain made it a bracing afternoon by the seaside!
Good afternoon and welcome to Bloomfield Road for this afternoon's Barclays
Premier Reserve League fixture between Blackpool and West Ham United.
The Hammers will be looking to extend their unbeaten run under new manager
Steve Lomas to five matches, with a victory taking the visitors above Aston
Villa and into second place in the Southern Group table.
With six matches still to play, West Ham have every chance of winning the
Southern Group title, as they go into today's match seven points behind
leaders Arsenal with three games in-hand.
Blackpool themselves have enjoyed a less successful season at reserve-team
level, but have picked up their form in recent weeks and have defeated
Liverpool and Manchester United in their previous two fixtures.
Team news-wise, Lomas has a largely inexperienced squad at his disposal,
with Freddie Sears and Ruud Boffin the only regular first-team squad members
to make the long journey north during the current international break.
First-year professional defender Matt Fry (pictured) is back from a
successful loan spell at League One side Charlton Athletic, while scholars
Dylan Tombides, George Moncur and Callum Driver will be keen to maintain
their recent good form.
Blackpool have named a very strong starting XI, with experienced strikers
Sergei Kornilenko and Brettt Ormerod leading the line ahead of a midfield
that includes Republic of Ireland international Andy Reid and a back four
featuring Australia full-back David Carney.
Blackpool reserves: Halstead (Rachubka 46), Phillips, Sbai, Basham, Carney,
Southern, Sylvestre, Reid, Martin, Ormerod, Kornilenko (Tomsett 84)
Subs: Dodd, Reynolds, Mitter
West Ham United reserves: Boffin, Driver, McNaughton, Fry, Montano, Lee,
Moncur, Abdulla, Sears (Hall 84), Edgar (Modelski 72), Tombides (McCallum
79)
Subs not used: Mehmet, Craig
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Hammers join cancer fight
WHUFC.com
Cancer Research UK have been supported by team-mates Robert Green and
Carlton Cole
23.03.2011
Robert Green and Carlton Cole have thrown their weight behind a Cancer
Research UK drive to make help people make positive changes to their
lifestyle and reduce their risk of cancer. The duo were appearing on behalf
of the England Footballers Foundation with the aim to fund a Cancer
Awareness Roadshow Unit. The Roadshow visits local communities and provides
information on how to reduce the risk of cancer and the importance of early
detection. Since launching in 2006, the mobile units have welcomed over
175,000 visitors on board. Green said: "We're proud to be supporting such a
great cause and would urge as many people as possible to visit the unit to
find out more information about cancer - it could save your life."
Cole added: "This unit will help save lives. Spotting signs and symptoms at
an early stage is key to reducing cancer related deaths." Former Hammers
defender and Manchester United captain Rio Ferdinand has also supported the
initiative. He said: "The Cancer Awareness Roadshow unit is somewhere people
can go if they are worried about cancer. "The staff on board can advise on
how to make healthy lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of cancer, and why
it's important to spot cancer early."
The unit aims to raise awareness of how people can reduce their risk of
cancer and spot signs and symptoms at an early stage, as well as providing
support to help people make positive changes to their lifestyle. For free,
visitors can talk to a specialist nurse in a private consultation room, take
a BMI test to find out whether their weight is within a healthy range, and
pick up useful health information to take away. The Cancer Awareness
Roadshow will spread the word about how to reduce the risk of cancer and
detect it early:
. Know your body - by getting to know your body and what's normal for you it
will be easier to spot a change. A change won't usually turn out to be
cancer, but if it is something serious then finding it early could make all
the difference
. Live a healthy life - being a non-smoker, keeping a healthy weight, being
physically active, cutting down on alcohol, being SunSmart and eating a
healthy diet can all lower the risk of cancer
To find out more about the Roadshow or how to reduce the risk of cancer and
detect it early, visit www.cancerawarenessroadshow.org
To find out more about how the England Footballers are supporting Cancer
Research UK, visit www.englandfootballersfoundation.com
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Guest Post by Earls Court Hammer: An Appreciation of Scott Parker
March 23rd, 2011 - 8:54 am by Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die
By Matthew Pratt aka Earls Court Hammer
I wrote this a few months ago and actually wanted to rewrite the entire
thing before posting it. Instead I've rushed through a quick edit. With the
sad news that Scott Parker's father passed away just before last weekend's
Tottenham match - and Scott still went out and delivered a man of the match
performance - I can't think of a better time to post my thoughts on one of
football's last gentlemen and my West Ham hero; Scott Parker.
If you take the time to actually watch Scott Parker play 90 minutes for West
Ham, you'd be forgiven for thinking that he was a die hard Hammers fan. The
back-to-back, and reigning, Hammer of the Year has been one of the few
shining lights in an otherwise dark couple of seasons for West Ham.
Despite signing under the promise of better days, Parker shrugged off the
adversity and has been West Ham's engine for years now. After initially
suffering a few niggling injuries he slowly crept into West Ham's midfield
and before long it started to become clear just how important he was to our
struggling team. I remember the first time we were talking about him in the
Boleyn pub before the game and my old man muttered the phrase, 'Parker is an
absolute animal!'
That phrase stuck with me because of its truth. He is an animal on the
football field; a proper no-nonsense footballer. If you've got possession
then watch out because, before you even know he's coming, he'll win the ball
back. He's a physical player but tackles with such efficiency that he'll
usually take the ball fairly and leave the player in a crumpled heap.
His passing is behind most of West Ham's best play. Any nice passing move
that leads to a goal will have involved him from box to box and only
recently has he had help in this department with the arrival of Hitzlsperger
and the re-emergence of Mark Noble.
For the first few seasons he rarely found the net, probably because he was
just to busy marshalling the rest of the field; a one-man army trying to
take control of his troops, but in the last two seasons this has changed.
Parker has become one of the Irons' top scorers, coming up with goals
ranging from tap-ins to quite exquisite volleys and long distance hits, yet
somehow this hasn't affected his efforts and effectiveness all over the
field. One second he's desperately lunging at the ball to try and score, the
next he is the last man back, throwing himself at a cross out on the wing as
if his life depended on it.
And his goals have that heroic quality of being very, very important. His
deciding goal against Wigan towards the end of last season proved to be the
goal that truly eased our fears of relegation. The passion in his face after
he scored that goal will stay with me till I die as one of my favourite West
Ham moments.
Despite the hard times the club has faced recently, Scott Parker has been an
example to his team-mates and fans of the club. Despite even the most
deflating results coming more often than not his head has never dropped.
When club captain Matthew Upson has struggled during the hard times, it was
Parker who kept on going, kept carrying the team; he never gives up.
Even during the lowest points of the last few seasons, Scott didn't let his
head be turned by continued interest from other clubs. A strict
professional, he simply did what he is paid to do and did it to his best
ability. A lot of players at less successful clubs play well to earn a
transfer to one of the big teams; Parker plays well because he appreciates
his position and is one of a handful of professional footballers who could
justify their inflated wages.
Called up by England in the initial World Cup squad he worked so hard in
training that Harry Redknapp spoke of how he had been the standout player in
the England camp. He was disgustingly overlooked by Capello for the inferior
Gareth Barry, who was returning from serious injury and hadn't even played.
How did Scott react? Publicly, he didn't. He carried on in dignified silence
and went about the next season the same as he finished the last. When
England called upon him again recently he held no grudges and answered the
call.
But just how good a footballer is Scott Parker? His sheer work rate almost
make it hard to recognise the basic skills he possesses. An immaculate
tackle, a vision of passing comparable to Europe's elite players and a
fantastic shot are all complemented by an insatiable desire to simply be the
best he can be.
It's ironic that while some players lost form Scott has been playing the
best football of his career. Recently recalled to the England squad and
February Premier League Player of the Month, he deserves every accolade he
gets. The good news for him is that the rest of the team are now playing at
good levels, add that to the new players the club have worked hard to bring
in and things are looking a bit better for the Irons. It's good to see
Parker and other players leaving the pitch with smiles on their faces and
points in the bank.
I met Scott just before Christmas and he was a very nice, grounded bloke. He
was genuinely humbled by my words of thanks for the work he puts in for the
team.
"Thank you so much for your commitment and efforts to the club. It means so
much to me and all of us."
"Oh, thank you. It means a lot to me to hear that. I appreciate it."
To summarise the appreciation West Ham fans have for Scott; if he requested
a transfer our thoughts of him wouldn't diminish in the slightest. In a few
years of real turmoil supporting this club he singlehandedly makes me feel
proud to support this club. You get what you earn in life and he has
undoubtedly earned the respect of West Ham fans forever. There's talk that
if he sees out his career with the club then he'll go down as one of the
greats, but that's rubbish. He's already there.
Scott can be 100% sure that he made his Dad one of the proudest men in the
country. He is the man that we'd all want our sons to be like and when I
have kids he will sit alongside Bobby Moore in the stories I tell them of
when gentleman still played football.
A Hammers legend; Moore, Brooking, Bonds, Parker.
Matthew Pratt's West Ham blog is http://idontknowjack.co.uk/.
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West Ham's Parker fancied for PFA award
Betfairfootball.com
Ask any West Ham fan and they will tell you that Scott Parker has been in
fantastic form for close to two years now but it's only over the last few
months that his performances for the relegation battlers have earned
nationwide recognition as a result of his return to the England team.
The 30-year-old had been called up by Fabio Capello on numerous occasions,
including in his initial World Cup squad, however it was only in last
month's friendly against Denmark that he made it onto the pitch for his
fourth international appearance, performing well enough to retain his place.
A fair few punters clearly believe that the former Charlton and Chelsea
midfielder's fantastic season will be acknowledged by his fellow
professionals, as odds of 11.5 are offered on him becoming one of the most
unexpected winners of the PFA Player of the Year award in history.
The shortlist for the 2010-11 gong will be announced over the next few weeks
and both Parker and Charlie Adam (12.0) are considered to be in with a
chance of surprise success despite each of the last 11 victors playing for a
Big Four side and seven of those representing that year's champions.
The current favourite is Gareth Bale at 3.6 to follow Ian Rush, Mark Hughes
and Ryan Giggs as the fourth ever Welshman to receive the honour, yet doubts
have been raised over his prospects because his most notably displays have
come in the Champions League.
In recent years, the player that has received the most press coverage has
tended to take the prize though, so Bale's position as market leader is
understandable. Joining him near the top are Samir Nasri (5.9), Nemanja
Vidic (7.0), Dimitar Berbatov (7.2), Carlos Tevez (7.4) and Rafael van der
Vaart (7.6).
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