WHUFC.com
Selection headaches are a welcome distraction for the manager as he gets
ready for Millwall
12.09.2011
Sam Allardyce was left to enthuse about the options at his disposal as he
looked towards Millwall next weekend on the back of a five-match unbeaten
run and a first home win of the season. The 4-3 win against Portsmouth on
Saturday was more ultimately comfortable than the scoreline suggested with a
red card for substitute Frederic Piquionne and a last-gasp Pompey penalty
too late to matter. The visitors had no answer to the Irons' strength in
depth and that prospect excited the manager as much as the goals from Matt
Taylor, Henri Lansbury, Mark Noble and a fourth in four starts for the
in-form Carlton Cole on an afternoon where the players had to show real
resilience to come out on top. "We have a good squad and more players to
come in," he said. "We have got to get them fitter and some of the players
are going to be disappointed now as they won't even make the bench. I will
have to handle that in the right way but all the players will get used over
the course of the 46 games."
Lansbury certainly caught the eye on his debut. The midfielder came into the
match on the back of two Premier League run-outs for Arsenal and two England
U21 internationals so was always a leading candidate to start. David
Bentley, meanwhile, was deemed fit enough for the bench and both new boys
were to make their mark on the manager. "Henri has set the bar high so I
will be saying to him that I expect at least that every week! We are happy
to be able to have got him on loan from Arsenal. He lives not too far away
and experienced a great season with Norwich last year winning automatic
promotion, so his talent and experience will be invaluable for us. "David
Bentley also showed his ability when he came on and that kind of experience
is going to be important for us in being able to change personnel and
systems whenever the need be. "We are really looking a lot better than I
thought we would be and can only get better and better as the season goes
on."
Unless there is a successful appeal, Piquionne will miss the trip to
Millwall next Saturday but the manager will have Jack Collison and John
Carew to consider. Both missed out at the weekend after their international
commitments meant just a couple of days training with the side. Guy Demel
and Papa Bouba Diop will spend the week working on their fitness and could
both feature in a development squad game against Tottenham Hotspur on
Monday. New forward Brian Montenegro, Freddie Sears and Frank Nouble could
also all get a run to remind of the attacking depth within the squad. "There
are still a lot of players that have to catch up with match fitness,"
reminded Allardyce. "At the moment, they are not quite there and that is why
I am saying they can only get better and better. "Guy and Papa are a couple
of weeks away and will have hard intensive training and some matches behind
closed doors to get their fitness up. David Bentley will also benefit, while
John Carew only got two substitute appearances with the national side."
The Hammers will return to Upton Park for the visit of Peterborough United
on Saturday 24 September and another full stadium is likely with kids
getting in for just a fiver. Allardyce was clear a bumper Boleyn gate could
only help his team in their pursuit of points and in turn promotion - citing
the support as a major factor in the way his team came back from going a
goal down against Portsmouth "It was great to see a full stadium and I am
pleased the fans have been fully entertained after spending their
well-earned money. In some ways the performances against Cardiff and Leeds
were a lot better but this match was about winning a game of football and
digging in."
Before Peterborough comes Millwall away next Saturday lunchtime and the
Hammers know a fourth straight away victory would give them top spot in the
npower Championship - even if only temporarily - for the first time this
campaign. The manager was keen to stress what was expected from the derby
date. "We go to Millwall in good spirits. Our job is to produce the quality
of football that we have within our abilities to make it a thoroughly
entertaining game against our local rivals in the right way. We need to use
the atmosphere that will be at the stadium to bring the best out of us."
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Barking FC back Dylan
WHUFC.com
Local club Barking FC turned out in force for a special event that involved
young striker Dylan Tombides
10.09.2011
Dylan Tombides took part in a special charity event to raise funds for
Cancer Research UK over the Bank Holiday Weekend. The matches were organised
by Barking FC at their Mayesbrook Park home, with Dylan having previously
attended Barking Abbey School along with several of the Barking FC squad.
The young Hammers forward is doing well as he continues chemotherapy
treatment for testicular cancer. The charity initiative was centred around
Sam Jones, a friend of Dylan's, who set out to raise £1,000 by having his
head shaved on the day. In the end, more than double that amount was
collected.
The games saw Manor House FC of the Essex Sunday Corinthian League Senior
Division take part in two friendlies against Barking reserves and a Barking
veterans team. The reserves went down 3-1 in a competitive contest before
Dylan took hold of the clippers and began shaving Sam's hair. He was joined
by former Hammers midfielder Alan Dickens who then took part in the vets
game. A prize auction followed with fans bidding on an array of items
including a holiday in Cyprus and dinner for four in The Colony
restaurant/casino in Mayfair plus a limo taxi. It was then time for the
all-star veterans to take to the field. Dylan ceremonially kicked off the
proceedings and a lively match again finished with a 3-1 scoreline in favour
of Manor House. Event organiser Sue Jones said: "First and foremost we
wanted to raise awareness amongst the younger male generation that
testicular cancer is not just diagnosed in the older man. Self-examine and
if in doubt - check it out.
'I would like to thank everyone who sponsored Sam and supported the event on
Monday. The generosity received from friends, family & colleagues has been
overwhelming. Last but not least a big thank you goes to Barking FC and
staff for hosting the event. "We wish Dylan all the very best in a speedy
and healthy recovery and look forward to seeing him back on the pitch as
soon as possible."
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Big Sam meets kids
WHUFC.com
Young schoolchildren had a special treat during a recent day at the Boleyn
Ground
10.09.2011
Sam Allardyce was a star guest as West Ham United Inspire Learning Centre
concluded its successful Sports Reporting programme funded by Newham Summer
School this August. In all 19 pupils aged eight to eleven from across the
Borough came together at the Boleyn Ground to take part in creating their
very own media companies. Pupils were tasked to launch their fantasy 'sports
media' brand by putting together a marketing campaign. All of the children
created lovely logos, phenomenal posters, remarkable radio ads and terrific
television shows relating to the theme of sports using state of the art
Apple Mac multimedia facilities at the centre, which is named in honour of
former manager John Lyall. The pupils were then delighted to have a visit
from the West Ham United manager on the final day where they got to put
their reporting skills to the test by asking Big Sam a series of searching
questions. The first was to ask him how long he had been a manager, before
the second proved slightly trickier with the youngster concerned keen to
find out how players were kept in check. 'Do you ever fine players?' was the
question, to which the manager responded. "Yes, if they don't do things as
they should. For example if they are late for a team meeting or training. If
anyone does anything wrong on the field, they also get an automatic fine. It
is important to keep discipline."
A follow-up asking the manager to name which players get in the most trouble
was quickly dodged in skilful style before the group gathered for a series
of photos.
To finish off the week in fitting fashion, the pupils showcased their work
at the Inspire Centre by pitching their brand to a judging panel of
'dragons'. All of the groups did a fantastic job presenting their work
leaving the audience of parents, friends and dragons in awe. 'Racing
Reporters' were crowned champions for their polished pitch and received some
brilliant West Ham United goodies from the club. All participants received
certificates, small rewards and their work on CD. The staff involved were
teacher Pia Tanneraho, senior learning mentor Tom Gregory, lead learning
mentor Baber Hussain, learning mentor Feroza Bakht and peer mentor Sahar
Khalid from Lister School performing arts college in Plaistow.
To see more, check out the following websites -
You Tube - www.youtube.com/user/westhampfs
Facebook - www.facebook.com/westhamunitedpfs
Website - www.newhaminspire.org.uk
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Blanchflower double downs Argyle
WHUFC.com
The Hammers Ladies got back to winning ways in spectacular fashion on Sunday
afternoon
11.09.2011
West Ham United Ladies 4-0 Plymouth Argyle Ladies
The Hammers romped to a fine home win against Plymouth Argyle on Sunday and
kept their first clean sheet of the new season in the process. An early
Stacey Little goal, her first of the campaign, on 13 minutes settled the
hosts down in difficult windy conditions at Thurrock, before three
second-half strikes gave the scoreline a one-sided feel. Kelly Blanchflower
struck twice before Gemma Shepherd kept up her run of registering in every
match in the 2011/12 season. In truth, after Little's excellent opener,
Blanchflower and Shepherd could have scored before the interval. Visiting
keeper Rebekah Kyle was in good form, though, to frustrate the home
attackers. It was a different story after the break when Blanchflower
converted after a flowing Hammers move on 53 minutes. The same scorer made
it 3-0 as the hour approached, just 60 seconds after having a previous
effort ruled out for offside. The one that counted saw Blanchflower beat the
offside trap with a well-timed run to side foot home her second.
With victory assured and only minutes remaining, Shepherd added a fourth
when she collected the ball wide on the right edge of the Plymouth box.
Without hesitating, she looked up and lobbed a high shot over the keeper and
deep into the far corner of the net. It was an excellent result and one that
will give the Ladies great confidence after their 4-3 home defeat by
Keynsham Town a week ago. They will next be in action when they head to
Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.
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Cotterill on... West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 11th September 2011
By: Staff Writer
A fractious Steve Cotterill insisted that his Portsmouth side deserved to
beat West Ham - before confusing Julien Faubert and Henri Lansbury during
his post-match press conference...
Steve: Sam thought the red card was a turning point. Presumably you would go
along with that?
Oh, that was nice of him. It was, wasn't it. We were the better side today.
To come to a club like West Ham, a full house and a great place to play your
football - I thought we did play our football today, I thought we were
really good today. We were very, very unfortunate not to get three points. I
don't think the booking for the sending off [was wrong], I don't have any
problem with that one. But the booking before the booking that got him sent
off? I thought he [the referee] was very pernickety today with a few things,
you know. It's a competitive game and I think there were three or four of
our lads that got booked today and three or four of our lads that didn't
deserve to be booked.
The Championship's like that, it's tough and uncompromising and I thought
there was two teams out there today that... you know. Perhaps he thought
he'd evened things up by sending Freddie Piquionne off on Sunday, it was
that late in the game. What was the point of that? Perhaps he thought he'd
evened it up with that; it was nearly Sunday by the time he sent him off,
wasn't it? Ridiculous; ridiculous.
Presumably your mood didn't get any better when they were given a penalty
for hand ball. What was your view on that?
It's ball to hand. It is ball to hand. Listen, I know you might expect me to
come in here and say that, because that's what the other manager does and he
complains about it. But I've watched it and I've watched it and if I watch
it five times Jason Pearce is like that [raises hands], he's like this -
he's not even looking at the ball, it's hit him on the hand. Faubert [it was
actually Lansbury], to be fair to him is trying to lift it over him so he's
trying to look for a nice bit of skill.
The crowd got them the penalty. The crowd got them the penalty and good luck
to West Ham becasue that's what they did today. The crowd got them the
penalty. We were the team in the ascendancy and for me, the sending off and
the penalty... The fourth goal was a fantastic header. It was a great ball
and a fantastic header. Absolutely no complaints about that whatsoever. But
we were very disappointed today, we thought we passed the ball really well
against a very good team. But I think today, we were a very good team also.
How did you rate Erik [Huseklepp]'s contribution today?
Okay, yeah. Look - it's a team performance, I'm not going to go on, it's not
the Erik Huseklepp show, ok?
No, I'm just...
It's not his show. You know, I mean I don't want to do that, I'd rather talk
about the team to be honest. He's part of the team, he's just settling in. I
thought he was ok going forward - good going forward, in fact. He needs to
work a little bit on this side of his game, which has to happen being over
here in the UK. But I thought they were all good today, a very, very good
team performance.
Were you encouraged by the fluency? it seems a lot more fluid than against
Cardiff last time?
Yeah, well we've played differently.
Differently?
I was disappointed with the first half against Cardiff, not so much the
second. But today I thought the fluency in our play was great. But the
system we set up today was for that. We've had a little bit of time because
we've had two weeks to think about it and look at how West Ham play. You
don't always get that when you get Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday games in this
league. So, I thought we were good today; well worth the three points,
really.
You mentioned the Liam [Lawrence] situation but if a player's already been
booked you then have to stay on your feet..
Yeah I've just said that afterwards. There was also one when Luke Varney had
been booked and he pressed Tomkins over on the far side. Tomkins flicked it
away and then he [Varney] clipped Tomkins. But this is where I think the
referee has to... You see, the booking for Liam for the sending off I've got
no problem with. That is a booking. 100 per cent, I've looked at that - it's
a booking. The first one I'm not sure about, I think it's...
When you start booking players early in the game like he did today that's a
problem then, the game never flows. The game never flows, because every time
there's a booking the opposition are in the fourth official's earhole - and
the referee, and we all have a good... I'm the same, when it happens to us.
But I'd rather there not be a booking. Some of them I thought, today, were
not for me. And them bookings always lead to sending offs. Always.
You must have been encouraged by the start. But to get that kick a couple of
minutes later having got the lead, that must be a bit of a killer as well?
Well it wasn't, was it? It wasn't a killer for us because we got back in the
game and we were the better team. So it wasn't a killer. It's a
disappoinment when a goal goes in but we've got to bear in mind here we're
playing West Ham United. You know? With all due respect, we're not playing
some non-league team. We're playing West Ham United, it's a fantastic club
with fantastic tradition. I don't know how many people were here today;
probably 30,000? How many were here? It's not going to be far off that
probably, was it? So big game, big game. I'm really pleased with us, I'm
just disappointed for all the lads. I'm disappointed for the lads. They put
a lot of work into it this week.
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Vinny's Portsmouth Report
Vinny 4:16 Sun Sep 11
West Ham Online
West Ham United 4 Portsmouth 3
An entertaining seven goal thriller saw West Ham win their first home game
of the season as their good start to the season continues. So far we cannot
say that our time in the Championship has been uneventful and this was the
third time in six games we have scored four goals which certainly puts to
bed any of those concerns that we would not score enough goals. We deserved
the win in the end but we did over complicate matters by letting Portsmouth
back into the game in the second half when it looked as though we had taken
control of matters. There is still a fragility when we are playing in front
of our own crowd and whilst it was important to get the first home win of
the season I am still wary of our home form and the style of play we are
producing.
My main issue is playing with just one up front because this game was crying
out for us having two strikers on the pitch. It was clear that Carlton Cole
was very isolated and although he did manage to score a little bit more
support I believe would have seen us win more comfortably. But of course you
can counter that argument but looking at the fact at we have again scored
four goals and picked up three points which is the most important thing.
Maybe I am just being greedy but I believe there is more to come from the
team and there are we are winning games in first gear at the moment.
Leading up to this game we had the transfer window which saw two players
leave the club. The most notable being Scott Parker who left for Tottenham
Hotspur in a deal believes to be worth £5m. It was very disappointing to see
Parker leave given how well he has played for the club over the last few
seasons and whilst I wish him nothing by misery at Tottenham I am happy to
thank him for his efforts whilst at West Ham. Also moving on to pastures new
was Junior Stanislas who joined fellow Championship side Burnley for an
undisclosed fee. I was surprised that we let him go on a permanent transfer.
I always thought he had something that could make him into a good player and
am sure he will do well in his career.
Sam Allardyce was busy bringing in players too with four new signings.
Midfielder Papa Bouba Diop, Right Back Guy Demal were signed on permanent
deals and two impressive loan signings were also made with Henri Lansbury
and David Bentley coming in from Arsenal and Tottenham respectively. These
for me were all good signings and I was especially impressed with the
signing of Bentley who despite a torrid time at Spurs is still a very good
player and one I wanted West Ham to sign before his move to North London. To
have a player like him in the Championship is a great addition.
The Team
One change was made to the side who demolished Nottingham Forest at the City
Ground two weeks ago. The change came in midfield with Jack Collison
dropping out of the centre of midfield and the entire squad with Henri
Lansbury making his West Ham debut. On the bench was one of the other new
signings, David Bentley.
Starting for Portsmouth was midfielder Hayden Mullins who was at West Ham
from 2003 until his move to the South Coast in 2009. Mullins played 179
times for the club scoring 4 goals and was part of our last Promotion
campaign. He received a good reception from the crowd who should remember
him for being a hard working albeit limited player who did a job for us for
many seasons. Also starting for Portsmouth was Tal Ben Haim who was on loan
at the club for the first half of last season and played 8 games.
First Half
A packed out Upton Park would witness a first half which started off with
much promise but was bogged down by late challenges, players on both sides
moaning at the referee and constant breaks in play for players going down
injured. It was the away side who were the better in the opening stages with
their attempts to get the ball to the flanks to both Liam Lawrence and Luke
Varney being apparent . With just over five minutes gone Pompey won their
first corner when Varney saw his cross charged down by Faubert. The corner
was met by Nolan and then Taylor completed the long clearance away which
Faubert nearly got on to.
Pompey came back again with Varney whose cross deflected slightly off
McCartney for another corner. The corner was taken low in an obvious
training ground technique as Lawrence saw his corner met by Luke Varney
whose shot cannoned off Carlton Cole and past Robert Green to put the away
side one up. A poor start no doubt but if you are going to react to
conceding then you do it exactly the way we did and that is reply within a
minute.
From kick off a long ball towards Cole saw the striker dumped to the ground
by Pearce around 25 yards from goal. It was a perfect angle for a left foot
and luckily we have a player with one of the best left foots in the division
so when Matthew Taylor stepped up to take it you had a feeling he would at
least go close and his left foot strike took a slight deflection but the
ball ended up beating Ashdown in the Pompey goal to make it 1-1.
The first booking of the day came for Joey O'Brien who was played into
trouble by Noble and hacked down Tal Ben Haim receiving a booking which was
difficult to argue with. The game was very compact and there was not much
room for either side to play a short passing game. Our midfield were doing
well to close players down with Noble and Lansbury impressing. Our Captain
Kevin Nolan seemed to be extremely wound up and was getting into far too
many arguments with the ref, the Pompey players and even his own team mates.
A strong run from Lansbury saw the ball break for Carlton Cole who hit a
first time shot which was on target but had no power and Ashdown got down to
save easily.
Mokoena and Lawrence were both booked for Pompey for poor challenges on
Noble and Lansbury in a game which was beginning to spice up regarding the
challenges. Even though there were so many bookings I never thought this was
a dirty game although it is difficult to argue many of the yellow card which
were produced.
A corner from Taylor was met by James Tomkins whose header down to Nolan
nearly saw the midfielder turn and shot but the ball was just behind him.
The visitors should have scored a second goal on 39 minutes and again it was
from a corner. The corner swung in by Lawrence was met by the head of Pearce
whose powerful header was kept out brilliantly by Robert Green who then got
down low to pick up the loose ball amid a number of bodies in the six yard
box.
A free kick won by Noble in a similar postion (a little wider) then from
where we scored was again taken by Taylor but it went just over the bar in
what was a good effort. Pompey ended the half the brighter and nearly scored
again when the ball broke for Benjani who got the ball Husekleep although
this saw Benjani being hacked down by Winston Reid which for me was a clear
penalty yet no Pompey player protested and nothing has been said since but I
was convinced it was a foul.
Nevertheless the ball broke to Husekleep whose shot was saved by Robert
Green and the ball evaded the other Pompey players present in the area and
went behind for a corner. Half time came and we went in to the break all
square with room for improvement certainly and a little more going forward
required.
Second Half
The West Ham players came out early and had to wait a few minutes for the
Portsmouth side and officials to appear. It would seem that whatever Sam's
message was, it was short and clear.
And within 30 seconds we had won a corner which I have noticed we have now
down in our last three league home games when coming out for the second
half. The corner evaded everyone in the area and came out to O'Brien who put
the ball back into the area for Tomkins to attempt to challenge for the ball
but go down as cries for a penalty came from the Bobby Moore Stand but I saw
little to suggest there was much of a foul. A loose ball saw Nolan go in
hard on Varney and pick up a booking which I was surprised he hadn't picked
up in the first half.
An infuriating moment came when Greg Halford went down under a challenge.
Portsmouth played on and seemed happy to continue without putting the ball
out for their team mate and when we won the ball back the Portsmouth players
were up in arms that we were playing on. The West Ham crowd were urging the
side to continue and they were obviously listening until the referee stopped
the game. Now I was under the impression this was no longer the case when
players went down unless it was a head injury. The fact is , Portsmouth
played on without putting the ball out so why should have we?
This tiny bit of 'injustice' seemed to spur the side on and two minutes
later we made it 2-1. It was a good move too involving McCartney and Noble
down the left hand side. It was Mark Noble who put in an excellent cross
towards Faubert who did well to head the ball back for Henri Lansbury to
meet it with a low shot which deflected off Pearce and past the keeper.
Lansbury probably didn't hit the ball as well as he seemed set up to do but
they all count and this was a debut goal for the midfield man who was
looking sharp on his first appearance.
Portsmouth nearly hit back straight away when a shot from Benjani was
blocked by Winston Reid. If this block hadn't been made this was going in.
The hope was that we were going to go on and take the game to them and
secure the win but we started to panic and it wouldn't be long until we
would be pegged back again.
Varney brought the ball forward and fed Husekleep who put in an excellent
cross to the back post for David Norris to head towards past Robert Green.
The ball was stopped by Winston Reid but he missed his clearance and the
ball went over the line with the linesman flagging straight away. It was
made sure by Benjani but was definitely Norris' goal as the 2,000 Portsmouth
fans went wild.
Shortly after the equaliser David Bentley was brought on by Sam Allardyce
and replaced the unlucky Julien Faubert who was having a decent game.
Bentley was only on the pitch five minutes when he had a telling
contribution which saw him hacked down by Liam Lawrence in a poor challenge
from the Pompey winger. Having already been booked in the first half he was
given his marching orders in an incident which changed the game.
Three minutes later and we were back in front. O'Brien received the ball on
the right hand side and fed Lansbury who controlled the ball, attempted to
lift it over the defender Pearce which clearly hit him on his arm which was
raised. Soft? Yes, but handball nonetheless and a Penalty was awarded. The
Penalty was taken by Mark Noble who sent Ashdown the wrong was to make it
3-2.
We were in control now and looking good for another goal. Buoyed by his goal
from the penalty Mark Noble went a brilliant run having actually won the
ball when on the floor and he fed Cole whose shot went wide with the angle
against him. But just two minutes later that goal would come. It was my
favourite goal of the game as Taylor received the ball on the left and put
in a wonderful cross fro Carlton Cole to peel off his marker and plant his
excellent header past the keeper to make it 4-2. A fantastic cross and top
class finish. That was four goals in four starts for Cole.
The game was effectively over at this point but there was still some late
drama to report and all our own doing. On the 85th Minute Frederique
Piquionne was brought on to replace Carlton Cole who received a standing
ovation from the majority of the Boleyn Ground. Deep into injury (94th
minute to be exact) Lansbury went very close with a right foot effort which
fizzed just wide.
As the goal kick was about to be taken Piquionne was involved in an incident
with Greg Halford which many of us missed and the referee gave Piquionne his
marching orders in a very confusing incident. Confusing in the sense that no
one seemed to have a clue what was going on. Replays show Piquionne did put
his hand in the face of Halford in a needless incident which will now see
Piquionne suspended for three games. Two minutes later (yes the 96th minute)
Ben Haim burst into the area and was clipped by Mark Noble for the referee
to point to the spot and award Portsmouth a penalty. Greg Halford stepped up
and scored to make it 4-3 with the referee blowing for full time immediately
after the penalty was dispatched. It took the gloss off the scoreline but
when you haven't won at home since March then any win on your own turf is
welcome.
Player Reviews
Robert Green
Another solid performance from Green although he will wonder just how he has
conceded three goals. The deflection (possibly even an own goal) took the
first one in, the second he was exposed as Norris was unmarked and the third
was a penalty. Made one brilliant save in the first half from point blank
range which was at an important time of the game.
Joey O'Brien
Struggled at times to keep up with the impressive Varney and then Lawrence
when the wingers switched sides. Overall it was a decent display from
O'Brien who is not looking out of place in our side and has made that
position his own.
Winston Reid
A shaky display from the centre half who has done well this season so far
but seemed rattled by the busy Benjani who was using all his experience to
get the better of him. But he did keep going and kept his head up but I do
have a few concerns if he comes up again a striker on form.
James Tomkins
A hard game for Tomkins and his most difficult of the season. As I mentioned
regarding Reid, the Pompey strike force whilst nothing special worked hard
to cause our two young centre backs a few problems. As the game went on
Tomkins looked more steady.
George McCartney
Quietly went about his business and was decent.
Julien Faubert
Lazy is not a term you can associate with Faubert who worked hard in all the
time he was on the pitch. He was at times playing almost as a striker and
was always the closest player to Carlton Cole when we attacked. I thought he
was a bit harshly taken off and whilst Bentley will add something to the
team Faubert remains our only player with pace.
Mark Noble
I was impressed with Noble who I hope will really step up in that battling
midfield role now that Parker has left the club. He was running for the
entire 90 minutes and unlike previous seasons he lasted the full game
without looking dead on his feet. Scored his first goal of the season from
the penalty spot was dispatched well as he proves to be a very good penalty
taker.
Henri Lansbury
The on loan midfielder had a very good debut. He seems to be a very high
energy player who likes to get stuck in but can also pick out a pass which
you would expect him to be good out coming from Arsenal. Capped his first
performance with a goal and was unlucky to have scored in injury time.
Kevin Nolan
Wound up from the first few minutes and was a little erratic throughout the
game. The thing with Nolan is that he never hides and this is man who will
moan, whinge but ultimately sweat blood for the team he is playing for. This
is his character and this is a type of passion we haven't seen for a while
at West Ham. He needs to work on his own game though as his passing and
movement is not at the level it should be and this game seemed to pass him
by.
Matthew Taylor
He is proving to be a quite brilliant signing because he simply makes things
happened. Scored the first goal and made the fourth. Every game we play he
is creating something and he is absolutely vital to our season.
Carlton Cole
It really is great to see him doing well and I am pleased for him and also
the club for sticking with him. He is repaying the confidence Sam Allardyce
has shown in him. Four starts, four goals and you get the feeling he is
going to score a lot of goals this season.
Subs Used
David Bentley (on for 63 mins)
Bit rusty and slow but he clearly has ability on the ball and we have a good
player on our hands here.
Frederique Piquionne (On for Cole 85 mins)
To come on in the 85th minute and end up getting sent off is reckless and a
very poor showing. Yes, Halford went down like he had been shot but why even
get involved.
Subs Not Used: Boffin, Baldock, Faye
Bookings: O'Brien, Noble, Nolan
Sent Off: Frederique Piquionne
Man Of The Match: Henri Lansbury
Portsmouth: Ashdown, Mokoena, Pearce, Halford, Ben Haim, Lawrence, Mullins,
Norris, Varney, Huseklepp, Benjani
Subs: Henderson, Ward, Rocha, Futacs, Kanu
Attendance: 33,465
Overall
Portsmouth manager Steve Cotterill may claim that they were the better team
but they really were not. They did well down the flanks and possibly were a
little unfortunate with the penalty but the fact is Lawrence deserved to be
sent off and we had the firepower to undo them. It wasn't the smooth victory
we may have hoped for but we got the three points, scored four goals and can
come away feeling thoroughly entertained. We certainly have something about
us and the players we have should continue to produce results and my early
season confidence remains.
Next Game - Millwall (a) Saturday 17th September 12.30 KO.
People talk about all these derbies in British football but the only one
which actually shows the passion and dislike between two clubs continues to
be West Ham vs. Millwall. Obviously we all remember the last game in the
League Cup and the aftermath which followed. It is about time that we beat
Millwall in the league and I am confident that this team can be the ones to
do it. Obviously this is Millwall's cup final and there are likely to be
many Millwall fans who would rather beat us twice this season that actually
get promoted but our aims are of course a little higher as they have always
been throughout the history of the clubs. They will be up for it and we need
to match their passion because form means nothing going into a game like
this. It's all about who wants it more.
Sam's View
"It was good entertainment, I think, From the perspective of the fans coming
to pay their money, they saw an awful lot of entertainment from both sides.
"It was an open, attacking game which ebbed and flowed and swung one way and
then the other and then we finally finished it off after the sending-off
from Portsmouth when Liam Lawrence dived in. That then turned the game in
our favour and we took full advantage of it with two very good goals. "We
were disappointed after getting 2-1 up to concede the second goal when the
midfield didn't do their jobs properly and we got caught out. "It was an
excellent victory because it's been a while coming. This was our third home
game and we played well. The opposition have played well like they all do
here but we got what we wanted in the end and this was the right result."
We've scored four goals but we've conceded three and conceded two in the
last home game, so that's where we need to brush up. We don't look like
conceding a goal away from home. We've scored four at Watford and four at
Nottingham Forest and now four here and it could have been more, but
defensively we weren't as good as we should have been. "I thought it was a
4-2 game rather than a 4-3 with the penalty at the end. I thought both
penalties were slightly harsh. "That aside, it was a very entertaining
game."
"It was a fantastic ball and a great header. There is a new energy about
Carlton, everyone is telling me, but all I'm seeing is a very good player.
"He's enjoying his time with us after a big shock for us after the deadline
had shut when Galatasaray came in with an audacious bid which upset the
player because of the size of money he was offered. "It was hugely
disappointing to face that situation but we managed to overcome it and we
saw Carlton in full cry and enjoying his football. As a front man with two
working off him and Henri Lansbury supporting in the 4-3-3, I thought he was
very good from an attacking point of view. "David Bentley came on and his
quality of passing opened the opposition up more. The additions before the
window shut look exciting, I've got to say."
Allardyce closed by revealing that he expects more from his new signings in
weeks to come as the likes of Bentley, George McCartney, Joey O'Brien and
Papa Bouba Diop continue to improve their fitness levels. The Hammers will
go to Millwall for next Saturday's derby in fourth place, within striking
distance of the promotion spots.
"I've got the squad but they are not all ready and match-fit yet. I think
you could see somebody who has gone through a full pre-season and has played
in a couple of Under-21 games in Henri, because he just dropped straight in
and was one of our top players. "Whereas David Bentley, Joey O'Brien and
George McCartney had basically been discarded by the clubs they were at and
had not got the right amount of training, so it'll take some time for them
to catch up. "We'll have the same with Papa when he gets in and around the
first team, but once we get them all on song and match fit, I think we'll be
a force. "With the goals we're scoring, it's very exciting and I certainly
hope we can continue that at Upton Park."
Season 2011/12 Scorers and Bookings
Carlton Cole - 4 (4 League)
Kevin Nolan - 2 (2 League)
Own Goal - 2 (2 League)
James Tomkins - 1 (1 League)
Joey O'Brien - 1 (1 League)
Scott Parker - 1 (1 League)
Winston Reid - 1 (1 League)
Matthew Taylor - 1 (1 League)
Henri Lansbury - 1 (1 League)
Mark Noble - 1 (1 League)
Junior Stanislas - 1 (1 Cup)
Yellow Cards
Mark Noble - 2
Kevin Nolan - 2
James Tomkins - 1
Julien Faubert - 1
Joey O'Brien - 1
Red Cards
Callum McNaughton - 1 (vs Aldershot home)
Frederique Piquionne - 1 (vs Portsmouth home)
There will not be a report for the Millwall game as due to other commitments
I won't be going.
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Allardyce: Lansbury and Bentley give us quality strength and depth
TalkSPort
By Anton Stanley
Sunday, September 11
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes the additions of Henri Lansbury and
David Bentley to his squad will give them the quality and strength they need
to mount a promotion push. The Hammers defeated Portsmouth 4-3 at Upton Park
in a tasty affair which saw a player sent off for either side. And Allardyce
was delighted with the stand out performance by Lansbury, on-loan from
Arsenal and Bentley's 30 minute cameo. He said: "I think it just gives us
another direction from an attacking point of view and quality counts and
[Lansbury] certainly showed some good qualities today and on today's
performance he has set the bar high hasn't he! "I'll be kicking him up the
backside saying, 'if you don't perform to that level now, I'm going to be on
your back son'. "And David Bentley was quality when he came on as well and
that's going to be important to us, being able to change when we need to,
being able to rotate when we need to, being able to change personnel and
systems whenever the need be."
Allardyce was also happy to remind he detractors that the Hammers are in
sensational scoring form, scoring after hitting 15 goals in six games. He
added: "Not to forget we've scored four goals at Watford, four goals at
Forest and four goals here today, so we are an attacking force, for all
those who keep moaning that we only play one up front, we don't."
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