WHUFC.com
It is crunch time for the Hammers, starting with a huge home game with
Blackburn on Saturday
02.05.2011
Avram Grant is aiming for a hat-trick of strong performances from his West
Ham United team in order to secure Barclays Premier League survival. West
Ham welcome Blackburn Rovers this coming Saturday before successive Sunday
outings away to Wigan Athletic and then at home to Sunderland. Grant's men
are three points from safety but he believed heart could be taken from the
2-1 loss at Manchester City on Sunday. "We saw [positives] in this game and
the last game [against Chelsea] as well," he said. "I think we showed a lot
of spirit and character, after a very bad start, and we had a great
comeback."
The Hammers were two-nil down before they knew it at the City of Manchester
Stadium via Nigel de Jong and a Lars Jacobsen own goal but refused to give
in - despite Matthew Upson picking up a dead leg and being forced off the
pitch. Robbie Keane had a gilt-edged opportunity to score before Demba Ba
pounced to halve the deficit at half-time. The second half saw both teams
have their moments - stand-in captain Robert Green had to be particularly
alert - but FA Cup finalists City hung on. "There were a lot of positive
things to take for the next game against Blackburn and the next game is the
most important game. "We have to take points next weekend - these are now
the last games. There is no time to recover after this. We need to build on
our performances against good teams."
Grant is hopeful of having Scott Parker back for the run-in after his third
successive absence with an achilles problem, while the ineligible Wayne
Bridge will return after being forced to sit out City. Jack Collison, who
travelled to Manchester, could also return to help fill the void created by
Mark Noble's hernia operation. "We coped well without so many players who
were key when we had a good run until a month ago. Gary O'Neil, Scott
Parker, Mark Noble and Wayne Bridge was a major part in this. "We played
without them and we showed the difference between teh two sides wasn't
great. We can take a lot of positive things for the next game which will be
very difficult but it is at our home and we can do it."
Grant reiterated that two wins and a draw could be enough for survival but
is asking his men to look for the maximum from every match. He will hope his
squad will rise to the occasion and not dwell on the fact they have lost
five matches in a row. "First we need to win the next game and not be busy
with speculation. We need to take the points. There is no doubt about it. We
cannot do anything except take points. We are in a position to take points
and I think we showed that we can do it.
"In the last two games, everyone could see we deserved more but we didn't
take any points. In the next game, we need to take the points and it doesn't
matter how.
"It will be very important for us. I know the supporters are waiting for
this game so it will be a good opportunity. Apart from Blackburn, the other
teams around us didn't win so it stayed more or less the same. We have the
chance to stay in the league."
"It is pressure but it is a challenge. If we can win next weekend then
everything will be open to stay in the league. This is the most important
game and it is a great chance."
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Da Costa takes SBOBET prize
WHUFC.com
Central defender Manuel da Costa has been voted the fans' favourite for the
month of April
02.05.2011
Manu da Costa has won the SBOBET player of the month award for April 2011.
In what was a difficult month for the team, the Portugal defender won after
securing 54.3 per cent of the vote, just ahead of Robert Green on 29.9 per
cent. He succeeds Demba Ba, who took the title in March. Da Costa's success
was the second time he has been voted the main man this season in the
SBOBET-sponsored award, having previously taken the award in September.
Scott Parker is still out in front, having won it in three consecutive
months between December and February and seems set to make it a hat-trick of
Hammer of the Year titles when the votes are all counted.
The previous SBOBET winners this season have been:
March 2011 - Demba Ba
February 2011 - Scott Parker
January 2011 - Scott Parker
December 2011 - Scott Parker
November 2011 - Victor Obinna
October 2011 - Mark Noble
September 2011 - Manuel da Costa
August 2011 - Kieron Dyer
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Man City 2 - 1 West Ham
BBC.co.uk
Nigel De Jong scores his first goal for City to give the hosts the lead
By Alistair Magowan
Manchester City boosted their Champions League hopes by beating bottom of
the table West Ham in a fluctuating match. The hosts were rampant early on
and scored through an unlikely source when Nigel De Jong got his first City
goal. Pablo Zabaleta compounded West Ham's misery with a second on 15
minutes after a fine exchange with David Silva. But Demba Ba fired in after
the half hour to change the mood of the match and although Mario Balotelli
hit the bar in the second half, City held on. It could have been far more
comfortable for Roberto Mancini's side as Silva squandered a fine one-on-one
opportunity too. And it will puzzle their fans that they were so fluent in
the first half hour only to become more ragged as the game wore on. With the
points in the bag they will not worry too much as the victory cements their
status in the fourth Champions League spot, seven points clear of nearest
rivals Liverpool and Tottenham with just four Premier League games
remaining.
For West Ham the defeat represents their fifth on the bounce and although
there were signs around the turn of the half that they could overcome
Mancini's men, they remain at the foot of the table. From the start City
were quick to get the ball to their right where Adam Johnson could run at
stand-in left-back Danny Gabbidon, who replaced the ineligible Wayne Bridge.
Johnson twice combined with the roaming Silva and it was from the Spaniard's
blocked shot that City carved out their first chance, with Balotelli heading
wide from a corner. City's dominance was such that it was no surprise when
they took the lead on 10 minutes via another corner.
Aleksandar Kolarov swung the ball in from the left and Thomas Hitzlsperger's
half-clearance was gobbled up by De Jong, who defied his goal drought since
joining the club in January 2009 to shoot calmly past Robert Green. Gabbidon
was being offered little cover in front of him by Luis Boa Morte, and
Mancini's side again exploited this weakness to double their advantage.
Zabaleta poured forward from full-back, exchanged a delightful one-two with
Silva and fired towards goal where Lars Jacobsen could only divert the ball
into the roof of the net. It was a nightmare start for the Hammers and boss
Avram Grant looked exasperated on the touchline as the next 10 minutes
almost descended into tedium. But without any counter-attack of note up
until that point, City were guilty of switching off when Robbie Keane was
put through in acres of space and was denied by Joe Hart. The hosts did not
heed that warning and West Ham changed the whole mood of the game soon after
when they got a goal back through Ba on 33 minutes.
Hitzlsperger picked up a half-cleared corner and delivered the ball into the
danger area where, despite a penalty claim when the ball hit Joleon
Lescott's arm, Ba pounced, latching on to the loose ball to fire into the
corner. That inspired the Hammers, who were now without Matthew Upson after
he picked up a knock, and Grant's side managed to shore up their left side
by placing Ba wider to curtail the runs of right-back Zabaleta. Though they
enjoyed a good spell after the break it was City who came closest to scoring
when Balotelli hit the bar after good work again by Silva. And the visitors
were fortunate that Silva did not opt to shoot when clean through, the
Spaniard choosing to square to Balotelli, whose shot was cleared off the
line. Between those two chances, though, Manuel Da Costa had a header from a
corner well saved and, with City becoming more ragged, there were several
half-chances where West Ham failed to capitalise. Sensing they needed to
score again to calm their nerves, City began to reaffirm their grip on the
game thanks to some wonderful Yaya Toure passing. And they should have made
it easier for themselves when Silva, and substitutes James Milner and Edin
Dzeko had chances to give them breathing space. But that would have been too
easy for their supporters, who had to watch the denouement of the contest
nervously, with Carlton Cole going closest when his late goalbound shot was
blocked.
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Manchester City 2 West Ham United 1
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 1st May 2011
By: Staff Writer
West Ham remain rooted to the bottom of the Premier League after a
predicatable defeat at the City of Manchester stadium this afternoon.
An horrific start for Avram Grant's side saw them go two goals behind after
just quarter-of-an-hour - a margin that, despite a spirited effort
thereafter, proved too much to eradicate.
As if the task in hand wasn't hard enough to begin with, manager Grant was
forced to field an unfamiliar midfield including Freddie Sears and Luis Boa
Morte with Gary O'Neil, Mark Noble and Scott Parker all sidelined through
injury.
And it soon got worse for Grant and his side when Nigel De Jong gave the
Citizens a 10th minute lead; the Dutch midfielder pouncing on a clearance
via a corner to fire home through a crowd of bodies from outside the box. It
was the Dutch midfielder's first goal since joining City nearly two years
ago - and came just a week after Fernando Torres was allowed to break his
Chelsea stalemate against West Ham.
Five minutes later and it looked as if we may be heading for a cricket score
when Lars Jacobsen turned the ball into his own net whilst trying to hook
clear a goalbound Zabaleta effort. However as City, in possession a two-goal
cushion relaxed, West Ham continued to press forward - and Demba Ba profited
in the 33rd minute when he fired home from inside the six yard box. Had the
Senegalese striker not scored referee Howard Webb would almost certainly
have awarded a penalty for a hand ball moments earlier.
City, finally realising that the game may not quite be the walk in the park
it had appeared after 15 minutes stepped up the pace as the half ended to
finish the stronger. But Avram Grant will no doubt be delighted at the way
his team responded after the break as they pretty much matched City -
despite failing to find the goal that would have given them a valuable point
in the battle to avoid the drop.
The Citizens - for whom the win virtually guarantees Champions League
football next season - had the better chances after the break, if not the
possession; Mario Balotelli saw one effort crash off the underside of Rob
Green's bar whilst Manuel Da Costa - on as a first half replacement for the
injured (again) Matthew Upson - was forced to clear another effort off the
line. Da Costa's 62nd minute header from a Thomas Hitzlsperger corner was
the closest United went to grabbing an equaliser.
So overall it was a reasonable performance from which encouragement should
be taken, despite the defeat - and although a disappointing result, with
none of the bottom four managing to secure a win this weekend (Wolves drew
1-1 at Birmingham earlire in the day) United go into the final three games
of the season just three points away from safety.
A difficult, yet far from insurmountable task. The season begins now.
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Grant sees seven as heaven
Hammers chief remains hopeful of staying up
Last Updated: May 1, 2011 9:19pm
SSN
West Ham boss Avram Grant has set his side a target of seven points from
their last three games to secure Premier League survival. The Hammers remain
rooted to the bottom of the table, three points adrift of safety after going
down 2-1 to Manchester City at Eastlands. West Ham tackle Blackburn, Wigan
and Sunderland in their final three games and Grant believes seven points
could help them escape relegation. "Now we play against a team that are in
our area, so we have to win this
game," Grant told Sky Sports HD 1. "I thought that other teams would take
more points in the last two games, so the gap stays three points. "Our
target is to take seven points - and we will try to take all nine - but we
are playing against teams that also want the points. "But we believe if we
use character we have shown in past games away against top teams, we can win
games."
Reaction
Grant was happy with how his side played against City after going 2-0 down
in the opening 15 minutes. "At 2-0 they were on top of us, and then our
reaction was very good," added Grant. "I thought we showed a lot of
character today. The second half was good."
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City see off Hammers
Hammers remain bottom after Eastlands defeat
Last Updated: May 1, 2011 9:08pm
SSN
Manchester City took a step closer to the Champions League with a
hard-fought 2-1 win over West Ham to leave the visitors rooted to the bottom
of the table.
Man of the Match: David Silva. Lescott and Zabaleta were outstanding but
Silva was at the heart of most City attacks and put in a shift for the home
side.
Moment of the Match: Ba's goal gave West Ham hope and opened the game up,
with opportunities being created at both ends. Attempt of the Match:
Balotelli's second half shot violently rebounded off the crossbar to deny
the Italian a gem.
Save of the Match: Green's instinct save to a deflected Silva shot was
brilliant as he tipped the ball over the bar.
Talking point: Manchester City seem to have sealed fourth place but are West
Ham destined for the drop after their fifth successive defeat?
Goal of the game: De Jong's 30 yard strike was well controlled and hit with
enough power to give Green no chance of saving it.
The home raced into a 2-0 lead inside the first 15 minutes with Nigel de
Jong firing home his first goal for the club with a shot from the edge of
the box and Pablo Zabaleta seeing his shot turned into his own net by Lars
Jacobsen. West Ham pulled a goal back on 33 minutes when Thomas
Hitzlsperger's cross into the area struck Joleon Lescott on the arm, but
Demba Ba reacted quickly to fire past Joe Hart. The Hammers poured forward
in search of an equaliser in the second half, but City held on to move seven
points clear of Liverpool in the race to finish fourth. The defeat leaves
West Ham three points adrift of safety with only three games left in the
season. After the visitors had won an early corner and Danny Gabbidon sent a
wild effort over from distance, City were soon in the ascendancy and driving
forward.
David Silva saw a shot deflect wide and from the resulting corner, Mario
Balotelli headed the wrong side of the post. Silva then teed up Gareth
Barry, who sent a shot into Robert Green's arms. At the other end, Thomas
Hitzlsperger sent a free-kick into the box and it fell to James Tomkins, who
could not fashion a proper shot. Almost immediately City were back on the
attack, with the lively Adam Johnson cutting inside from the right and
hitting a low drive narrowly wide.
Opener
A minute later the hosts were in front as the Hammers failed to deal with
Aleksandar Kolarov's corner and the ball came out to De Jong, who fired it
into the corner from outside the area. It took another five minutes for City
to double their lead, Zabaleta playing a neat one-two with Silva and sending
the ball across Green towards goal. Jacobsen rushed in to try to make a
clearance but could only fire it into the roof of his own net. West Ham were
looking bruised and their captain Matthew Upson - who had been involved in a
collision with Balotelli - had to come off in the 26th minute, Manuel Da
Costa the man coming on in his place. They had a great chance to pull a goal
back just after the half hour mark, though, as Robbie Keane found himself
through one-on-one against Joe Hart. The Irishman failed to make the most of
the opportunity as Hart got down to save, but moments later the visitors did
make it 2-1 through Demba Ba. Hitzlsperger's cross into the box appeared to
be handled by Joleon Lescott, but the ball fell straight to Ba, who
dispatched it past Hart.
Pressure
West Ham looked to keep up the pressure but City continued to create
chances, with Balotelli miscuing an acrobatic attempt and Adam Johnson
having the final shot of the first half, which Green collected. Despite De
Jong having to be substituted for James Milner at the break, City made a
bright start to the second period and Balotelli crashed a shot against the
bar 10 minutes in, Yaya Toure hitting the rebound at Green. West Ham went
close when Da Costa brought a save out of Hart with a flicked header from a
corner, but soon after City wasted a glorious chance to restore their two
goal advantage. Having been put clean through by Toure, Silva danced around
Green and squared to Balotelli, who had the goal at his mercy but saw his
effort blocked on the line by James Tomkins. Hammers boss Avram Grant then
refreshed his forward line by replacing Keane with Carlton Cole. Opposite
number Roberto Mancini did likewise by bringing on Edin Dzeko in place of
Gareth Barry and City had another good chance moments later, only for Silva
to opt to pass when he might have shot. Grant threw on Victor Obinna for
Luis Boa Morte before Ba struck wide, but back came City, Dzeko unleashing
an attempt that bounced off Green. The goalkeeper then tipped a deflected
Silva shot over the bar before Balotelli was taken off for Patrick Vieira.
Silva and Dzeko had further late attempts but City had done enough as
referee Howard Webb confirmed their victory at the final whistle.
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Man City 2 West Ham 1
From NEIL CUSTIS at Eastlands
Published: 01 May 2011
The Sun
FOR City it was another step towards the promised land of the Champions
League, its riches and fame. For West Ham another depressing step towards
the hell of relegation, the Championship, no riches and little fame either.
At least they will have the best ground in the second tier of the game if
they are still down when they move to the Olympic Stadium. Quite how they
will fill it is another thing. This was a fifth straight league defeat to
leave Avram Grant's side rooted to the foot of the table. They have the
easier runs-in of the strugglers. But none of Blackburn, Wigan and
Sunderland will be quaking in their boots at the prospect of facing this
lot. For City it was a third straight win. Yet after their woeful 3-0 defeat
at Anfield on April 11 trouble seemed to be brewing and some fans started to
turn. But their famous FA Cup victory over United has done great things for
this club and they have followed it up with two league wins. Two wins from
their last four league games will seal what they set out to achieve back in
August with a place among Europe's elite. If they lift the FA Cup too this
club will be flying. Yesterday's game took off through an unlikely source.
In his 93 appearances for the club Nigel De Jong had never scored. But in
the 10th minute Aleksander Kolarov's corner was only half cleared and De
Jong drilled it into the corner. The City fans replied with their now famous
'Poznan', arms around each others shoulder, backs to the pitch and jumping
up and down.
Five minutes later City got a second. Pablo Zabaleta and David Silva linked
and the Argentine held off Daniel Gabbidon only for his goalbound shot to be
turned in by Lars Jacobsen. City were overpowering their opponents and when
Yaya Toure burst forward and shot just wide, West Ham were starting to
resemble... well, West Ham.
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Hammers chiefs snub crunch loss
Published: Today
The Sun
WEST HAM'S board of directors were nowhere to be seen as their team slumped
further towards the Championship. Joint chairman David Sullivan had
questioned the commitment of the players nearing the end of their contracts
last week. But he was conspicuous by his absence at Eastlands - along with
David Gold, vice chairman Karren Brady and honorary vice president Terry
Brown. West Ham refused to comment on the amazing no-show last night but
Manchester City sources confirmed they were expecting the Hammers to be
represented in the boardroom. The indications were that Brown and his wife,
along with Gold, were due to make the journey up to the North West. But the
snub is sure to raise eyebrows among the squad, who came under fire from
Sullivan due to their recent performances. Had they turned up they would
have seen the Hammers slip to a fifth straight defeat and remain rooted to
the bottom of the Premier League. Boss Avram Grant admitted afterwards that
this Saturday's home game against fellow strugglers Blackburn is now a
do-or-die match. He said: "Of course we have to get something because these
are the last games, there is no time to recover after this. "We need to take
the points on Saturday, there is no doubt about this. We can't do anything
except take the points.
"We can take a lot of positives into the next game, which will be difficult,
but we are at home and we can do it."
The Hammers made a shocking start as City threatened to run up a cricket
score and took control thanks to Nigel de Jong and a Lars Jacobsen own goal.
But Demba Ba pulled one back and although they only threatened occasionally,
there was enough to suggest Grant's men could yet have an outside chance of
survival. After back-to-back matches against Chelsea and City, the Hammers
now have a favourable looking run-in. They tackle Rovers, then go to another
relegation candidate Wigan before finishing with a home match against a
woefully out-of-form Sunderland. Grant said: "I think we will need seven to
nine points from our last three matches. "In the last two weeks most of the
teams fighting relegation were playing at home and I thought they would take
more points than they did. "I thought last week we might need nine points
but now I think it might be seven. "We showed here, though, that we can do
it. The last two games everyone has seen that we deserved more than what we
have got."
Yet the Upton Park chief, who was left red-faced as his notebook caught the
wind and scattered all over the pitch, admits performances do not matter any
more.
He said: "The thing now is that we have to get points and it doesn't matter
how we get them. Saturday will be a good game, it's a good opportunity. "Not
many of the teams around us have won so I still think we have a good chance
to stay in this league. "The next game is the most important and it's a big
challenge. If we win it everything will be open and we don't need to think
about other things."
City now need just two wins from four games to seal a Champions League spot.
They are now seven points clear of Liverpool, who jumped into fifth spot on
goal difference from Spurs following their 3-0 win over Newcastle. City
still have to play Spurs but chief Roberto Mancini said: "We have another
game before Tottenham so we should know by then how many points we will
need. "We know we will be ahead though and everything will be in our hands."
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Beat Blackburn or we're down, admits Grant
Published 22:58 01/05/11 By Neil McLeman
The Mirror
Avram Grant admitted West Ham must beat -Blackburn at home on Saturday to
stay in the Premier League. The injury-hit Hammers suffered their fifth
consecutive defeat at Manchester City to remain two points adrift at the
bottom of the table. West Ham still have the chance to stay up by winning
their final three fixtures against Blackburn, Wigan and Sunderland. But they
have now not won in seven games and two months in all competitions and have
only seven Premier League victories all season. Depending on other results,
defeat at Upton Park to Steve Keane's side could see the Hammers relegated.
And Grant, who went down last season with Portsmouth, conceded there was no
margin left for error in an error-strewn season. "We have to take points
next weekend - these are now the last games," said the Israeli. "There is no
time to recover after this. "It is pressure but it is a challenge. We have
the chance to stay in the league if we win these three games. "First we have
to look to the next game. I think the next game is the most important and is
a great chance. If we win, everything will be open to stay in the league.
"We need to take points. In the last two games (against Chelsea and
Manchester City) everyone could see we deserved more but we didn't take any
points. In the next game, we need to take the points and it doesn't matter
how. It will be very important for us. I know the supporters are waiting for
this game so it will be a good opportunity."
Co-owner David Sullivan last week questioned the commitment of players out
of contract. But Grant said: "I think we had a great comeback today after a
very bad start. We showed a lot of spirit and character in the team - there
were a lot of positive things to take for the next game."
Scott Parker should also be back from an Achilles injury but captain Matthew
Upson limped off yesterday with a suspected dead leg. The best results for
West Ham United yesterday came away from the City of Manchester Stadium with
Wolves failing to beat ten-man Birmingham and Manchester United losing to
keep the title alive. Sir Alex Ferguson's side still to face Blackburn and
Blackpool in their last two games. "We wanted Blackburn to be fighting
against relegation as well," Grant added. "The other teams didn't win so it
stayed more or less the same. We have the chance to stay in the league."
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