WHUFC.com
Although the club's survival chances were dented at the weekend, the Hammers will have to keep going
08.05.2011
Thomas Hitzlsperger was delighted to score at the weekend but admitted West Ham United face a tall order to stay in the Barclays Premier League. The Hammers must take six points from their last two games and then hope results go their way elsewhere, especially after Wolverhampton Wanderers raised the gap to safety to four points on Sunday. Wolves travel to Sunderland on Saturday lunchtime and could be out of sight before Avram Grant's men go to Wigan Athletic on Sunday afternoon. Speaking after his 78th-minute equaliser that earned a 1-1 draw against Blackburn Rovers, Hitzlsperger revealed the team were frustrated at not being able to snatch a late winner. "We came back from 1-0 down so you saw some very good things in the game from us, but we came into the game to win and we didn't so we are disappointed. "We have no other option but to be positive. We lost five games but we have stopped that run with a draw. We must stay optimistic and not allow it to drag us down. We came back from being 1-0 down so that gives us something to go on again."
Hitzlsperger's third goal for the club was the most important, given that it is given the slenderest of lifelines to the Hammers. He is hoping he gets a chance to add to that tally in the final two matches. "We needed to score and we haven't been scoring that many goals lately. I was thinking when I had the ball, 'shall I take another touch?' But I think made the right decision in how I hit it. "I was delighted to see it go in. We had created many chances before that didn't go in, hopefully though I can score more in the next couple of weeks."
Even two wins might ultimately prove not enough to ensure survival, but Hitzlsperger said the team had to keep going until the end. "It is never going to be easy. Wigan are playing for the points as well as us. "We all know it. We have to win our last two games. There have been other games, especially at home, we haven't won, but now we must win these games. We will be doing our very best to get the points."
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Lee hat-trick downs Chelsea
WHUFC.com
A 4-1 win away to Chelsea was a fine way for Tony Carr's side to end their 2010/11 campaign
08.05.2011
Chelsea U18s 1-4 West Ham United U18s
Elliott Lee scored a hat-trick as West Ham United won 4-1 away at Chelsea to end their Premier Academy League campaign on a high. The young forward, who has now scored five goals in three games since stepping up from the Under-16, was in clinical form and began the rout with a close-range strike after excellent work by Dominic Vose. Robert Hall then kept his own good run going with a penalty just before the interval, having been brought down himself. Lee doubled his tally with a fine lofted effort over the Chelsea keeper and rounded out his treble with an individual effort after winning back possession. The home side got a late consolation but the final whistle ensured a tremendous result to follow a last week's 5-1 success at Reading, which itself came after a 4-1 home win against Watford.
West Ham United: Larkins, Young (Siafa 65), Potts, Sanchez (Sadlier 72), K Lee, Hunt, Hall (Miles 70), Powell, E Lee, Hurley, Vose
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Grant banks on Wigan win
WHUFC.com
The manager is banking on six points from the last two games to have a chance of survival
08.05.2011
Avram Grant once again was left to rue missed opportunities after a 1-1 home draw with Blackburn Rovers left the club's Barclays Premier League status in the balance. With two games to play, the Hammers have to make up four points on Wolverhampton Wanderers who recorded a home win against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday lunchtime. Thomas Hitzlsperger salvaged a point on Saturday with a fine strike after Jason Roberts was able to open the scoring with an easy close-range finish on just 12 minutes. Hitzlsperger's thumping drive with 78 minutes played was the prelude to a barnstorming closing stages that saw Robbie Keane, Demba Ba and Carlton Cole all go so close to a winner. It was what the home fans had expected to see from the off when they arrived for the match, even with Matthew Upson, Gary O'Neil, Mark Noble and Scott Parker all sidelined through injury. Grant said: "We had a lot of chances. In the whole game we were on top. Maybe this is the story of our season. We created good moments but again we didn't score. It has happened again and again and it has cost us points. At least we drew from one-nil down, it kept us still alive. We are still in business."
The catalyst for the frenetic finish was the introduction of substitutes Keane and Freddie Piquionne, who had a big hand in the equaliser before sliding a superb ball across the area that Keane looked certain to score from in the dying moments - only for the Irishman to fail to make proper contact with the goal gaping. "Robbie and the other players want to score but they didn't and of course I wish I knew why. It could define our season but I cannot kill him for this and I will not. I must say he gets into these positions because he has intelligent movement and we needed this more in the first half of the season. "At the end of the day all that counts is getting the ball in the net and there is no one more frustrated than me because most of the games this season have been like this. From the football side and in terms of effort, I cannot say anything against the players today. They gave a lot of effort. The other team scored from one chance but this is what football is about."
Grant was hopeful Upson and Parker could be back next week, while Noble may even have a chance after making good progress from his hernia operation. Jack Collison was also a welcome returnee after 13 months out and was the third lively replacement of the afternoon. It was Parker, though, that was the name on most people's lips. "When we had a good run we played with a midfield that was Thomas, Scotty, Mark Noble and Gary O'Neil. Three of the four are not playing now, especially Scott as we know what his contribution is to the team. I think the other players who have come in have done well but of course it is better to play with Scott. There is no one who wants him to play more than me but if he cannot he cannot."
Whoever lines up against Wigan next Sunday, Grant is certain the team can and will deliver in front of more than 4,500 travelling supporters. "We have to win against Wigan and I think we can do it. We would then be above them. It is the most important game but we always say this. We need to win but they will want to win and they are at home. We have to come out on top."
The manager admitted it was a "gamble" to play Collison but added he was delighted with what he saw from his No10. "He did a good job, with lots of enthusiasm. He is a very god player and it is not easy to play after more than a year out."
Grant stressed that he accepted responsibility for the team's situation and remained steadfast that there was still time to write a positive ending to the season - even if it required help from others. "Everyone in the club wants West Ham to succeed. This was our target [from the beginning]. We thought things would be different but this is the situation. "We can win the last two games. We are playing good football and creating chances but we have to get the ball in the net. That is what counts at the end of the day. I hope we play like we have been and just take 50 per cent of our chances against Wigan. "I know the supporters look at the table and see we are not in an easy situation but they will know it can look different if we win against Wigan. I believe we can do it."
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Wolves deliver fatal blow
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 8th May 2011
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United are all but relegated to the Championship after Wolves beat neighbours West Brom 3-1 at Molineux this lunchtime.
A Steven Fletcher brace and a third from Adlene Geudioura gave Wolves a 3-1 win that takes them to 37 points and above the relegation zone - but most importantly, four points about West Ham with only two games of the 2010/11 Premier League campaign left to play.
The Wanderers' final two games of the season come away to Sunderland and at home to Blackburn on the final day; should they win either fixture then they cannot be caught by West Ham.
Yesterday's opponents Blackburn and Carling Cup finalists Birmingham City - both currently on 39 points - can still be caught although both have considerably better goal differences (-18 and -14 respectively, compared to West Ham's -23).
Premier League table: as it stands
15 Blackburn 36 39 -14
16 Birmingham 36 39 -18
17 Wolves 35 37 -21
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18 Blackpool 36 36 -22
19 Wigan 36 36 -23
20 West Ham 36 33 -23
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Hammers defender a surprise target for Chievo
Published 23:00 08/05/11 By Neil McLeman
The Mirror
West Ham's Winston Reid is a target for Serie A side Chievo. The New Zealand defender was signed after playing in last summer's World Cup but has made only three Premier League starts. The 22-year-old is under contract at Upton Park until June 2013 but will be available if the Hammers are relegated.
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Hammers defender wants to stay long-term
Published 23:00 07/05/11 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
West Ham defender Lars Jacobsen is desperate to secure a long-term deal at Upton Park. Jacobsen, 31, moved from Blackburn on a one-year deal at the start of the season and will become a free agent during the summer.
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West Ham 1 Birmingham 1
By Neil Ashton
May 7, 2011
News of the World
THE GAME is almost up for Avram Grant, a goner whatever happens to West Ham. He has been well and truly found out, exposed by the brutality of life at the bottom of the Premier League. Tomorrow he will discover whether he still has a job. David Sullivan and David Gold are considering the options again, coming up with the shortest of short-term solutions. West Ham's co-owners believe they have nothing to lose by sacking the manager, cutting him off at the knees with two games to go.
That is one of the dramatic plans being considered for a team so meekly surrendering their place in the top flight. They came close to firing him last week, only sparing him when the team put in a spirited second-half performance at Manchester City. Instead they dragged it out for another depressing week and were rewarded with a home draw after another dramatic reprieve. The alternative is to put the team on autopilot, firing the manager and leaving the coaching staff to pick up the pieces. The boardroom is split again - there's a surprise - full of indecision as they contemplate a drop into the Championship.
It has been six years since West Ham played Coventry, Preston and Barnsley, but they can start to prepare for it after failing to beat Blackburn. The fans certainly know it but they still retain a sense of humour, singing their way into the second tier of English football. The braying mob in the Bobby Moore Stand belted out a new song, "We're heading to Coventry, que sera sera" as the seconds ticked away. Soon enough, perhaps as early as 6pm at the DW Stadium next Sunday, it could replace Bubbles as the club anthem. Grant's team are simply not responding to him, a fact highlighted brilliantly by Robbie Keane's miscue three minutes from time.
Keane had the chance to win this game when Frederic Piquionne crossed from the left, willed on by 34,000 hopefuls. Instead he left them open-mouthed, bewildered by his failure to connect properly with Piquionne's set-up.
West Ham did not deserve to win the game but that does not matter when you are down among the dead men. All that counts is creeping clear of danger, scrapping away for the wins that will take you clear of the bottom three. The alternative is to slide out of the Premier League and become the bookies' favourites to bounce back first time. It will take a massive change in personnel to do that, starting with a manager who is out of his depth.
Grant's top-flight record is remarkable. He has spent 66 of the last 70 weeks in the bottom three of the Premier League. It is something no other manager in the history of English football has been able to get away with. He hides behind an FA Cup Final appearance with Portsmouth and a couple of decent cup wins with West Ham, but the show is almost over.
Grant fails to inspire teams, as former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon pointed out after he watched them train last week. He accurately described them as a rabble, with rows and rucks punctuating a first-team practice session. That lack of discipline is unprofessional, an alarm bell that should still be ringing in Grant's lug-holes. After just 12 minutes the Hammers defenders left their stations to allow Jason Roberts to put Steve Kean's Rovers ahead. Kean has so much to prove as a Premier League manager, but at least his team is organised, focused and playing within an established framework. He knows it's not pretty, stringing five across midfield to stifle the modicum of mobility in West Ham's team. The Hammers missed Scott Parker again but that is a soft excuse that can be passed off as routine manager-speak. They need soldiers from here on in, men of courage who will stand toe to toe with Steven Nzonzi or Jermaine Jones. Rovers were robust, difficult to beat and determined to secure at least a point. It doesn't matter that the football isn't pretty, they're playing for their future in the Premier League. Kean's men scored highly in that department, well-drilled and determined to secure another season of top-flight football. Christopher Samba and Gael Givet were outstanding at the heart of their defence, snuffing out the threat of Carlton Cole. But at least Cole showed some enthusiasm and some of the battling qualities that will be required times 10 at the DW Stadium next weekend.
Wigan have not been beaten at home since February, a record they will be confident of extending against a team as bad as West Ham. The Hammers barely showed their teeth against Blackburn, save for the odd chance that got the claret and blue off their seats. There was a roar of approval when Thomas Hitzlsperger's strike beat Paul Robinson 12 minutes from time. It was tough on Rovers, so close to safety as they suffocated the Hammers whenever they threatened the odd sortie. The fixture list has been mean to Blackburn, hosting Manchester United at Ewood Park next week and then travelling to Wolves on the final day. With 39 points, they should have enough to see it through, a target West Ham can only dream of. The reality, as the Hammers are well aware, is something different.
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Samba shows survivor's instinct so clearly lacking at West Ham
West Ham 1 Blackburn 1
By Nick Szczepanik at Upton Park
Monday, 9 May 2011
The Independent
When Robbie Keane missed an open goal three minutes from the end of Saturday's game, West Ham's grip on a place in the Premier League was loosened, perhaps fatally. A winner then and the Hammers' task, although still daunting, would have looked less like mission impossible. As it is, they must now win their two remaining games to have a realistic chance of avoiding relegation, and even that might not be enough.
Anyone who witnessed the first 75 minutes of this game would have no confidence that they can do so. Their first opponents are Wigan Athletic, at the DW Stadium, who can be relied upon to give a battling display, which is more than can be said for West Ham. Avram Grant's men played some pretty football at times on Saturday, but for long spells there was nothing approaching passion or urgency.
And when the home side finally mounted their late rally, Rovers showed that they had the fighting spirit that West Ham, with Scott Parker still out injured, did not. Christopher Samba, throwing himself in the way of a series of crosses and shots, provided the on-field leadership that was missing in the claret-and-blue ranks. You wonder where West Ham would be if they had a central defender of Samba's quality and determination. In fact, you wonder the same about Arsenal, let alone West Ham.
Grant was unrepentant about his team's approach and, in any case, unless Parker recovers from his Achilles injury, he does not have the personnel to make changes. "We don't know any other way," he said. "You don't want us to kick the ball and run. This is not the nature of West Ham. We cannot do it and I don't believe it will bring points. But football is a game of chances. All the season we are not [taking] even 20 per cent of chances. And this is maybe the story of our year. [Keane] is not happy. He came here to score. He said, 'I wish I knew why I missed'."
Defeat, though, would have been harsh on Blackburn, who took an early lead through Jason Roberts before Thomas Hitzlsperger equalised with an unstoppable shot 12 minutes from time. They are not safe yet, and a visit from Manchester United in their next game complicates their prospects, but they appear more unified on and off the field than West Ham.
Venky's, the Blackburn owners, have been mocked for their grandiose ambitions, but how much better it must be for the morale of supporters and management to hear about possible marquee signings than chairmen talking about players leaving in the event of relegation. Significantly, while West Ham's senior board members did not turn up for the club's last away game, against Manchester City, Venky's were at Upton Park. "They've been in the dressing room giving positive messages to the lads," Steve Kean, the Blackburn manager, said. "And we'll get through the sticky spell we're in."
Scorers: West Ham United Hitzlsperger 78 Blackburn Roberts 12.
Substitutes: West Ham Keane 4 (Boa Morte, 55), Collison 5 (Sears, 63), Piquionne 7 (Jacobsen, 64) Blackburn Andrews 5 (Hoilett, 69), Santa Cruz 4 (Roberts, 69), Rochina (M-B Diouf, 90).
Booked: West Ham Spector, Da Costa, Boa Morte
Man of the match Samba. Match rating 4/10.
Possession: West Ham 58% Blackburn 42%.
Attempts on target: W Ham 14 Blackburn 4.
Referee P Walton (Northants). Att 33,789.
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West Ham United let down by Robbie Keane's late miss against Blackburn
WEST HAM UNITED 1 - 1 BLACKBURN ROVERS
Saturday, May 07 15:00
Premier League
Upton Park
at Upton Park 6:35AM BST 09 May 2011
"I wish I knew why I missed," was the substitute's response to his manager after somehow failing to apply a simple touch to Frédéric Piquionne's gift-wrapped cross two minutes from the end that would have transformed West Ham United's battle against the drop. It has been a wretched run for the man borrowed from Tottenham in January for a reported £65,000 a week to provide sting up front. Six days earlier he missed in a one-on-one with goalkeeper Joe Hart as West Ham lost narrowly at Manchester City. The week before, Keane, for whom West Ham have agreed to pay Spurs £6 million to make his move permanent if they do survive, spurned his side's best chance at Chelsea. It was not how it was meant to be. "When I went on loan at Celtic, I scored 17 goals in 19 games. If I do half as well here, I will be happy," he said upon arriving in January. Three-and-a-half months on and it's two goals in nine league appearances. "He is not happy. He came here to score. The last three games he had three big chances but I cannot blame him that he doesn't work," West Ham manager Avram Grant sympathised. "I feel sorry for him. He did everything good but it doesn't count. Football is a game of using chances and all this season we are not using even 20 per cent of chances. Maybe this is the story of our year."
Keane and his chronically underperforming team-mates have two remaining shots at redemption. Grant admits that Saturday's visit to Wigan is a must-win match for which the club board, in one of their smarter PR moves, are laying on free transport for 4,500 travelling fans. If West Ham survive until the final day, a visit from mid-table Sunderland appears winnable, though they will require results elsewhere to go their way. Crisis hour looms but Grant has no intention of changing West Ham's style. "You don't want us to kick the ball and run. This is not the nature of West Ham. I don't believe it will bring points," he said. Again without Achilles injury victim Scott Parker, West Ham toiled grimly for almost 80 minutes, attempting to wipe out Jason Roberts's early smash and grab for Blackburn. The visitors were holding on comfortably until Thomas Hitzlsperger, left unattended inside the penalty area, drove home with 12 minutes remaining. Now, at last, Blackburn came under sustained threat, Keane's miss was followed by another heart-in-mouth moment when Christopher Samba crowned an outstanding performance in the heart of defence by hurling himself to block Carlton Cole's close-range blast moments from the end. That inched Blackburn towards survival but with Manchester United next up, they may yet need a point from their final match, at relegation-threatened Wolverhampton. Steve Kean, the Blackburn manager, was upbeat. "We'll get through the sticky spell we are in. We are almost there and we will be a lot stronger for this experience," he said.
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West Ham left with sinking feeling despite avoiding Blackburn defeat
Telegraph.co.uk
David Lacey at Upton Park
The Guardian, Monday 9 May 2011
West Ham United continue to blow the bubbles of drowning men. Any relief at having avoided a home defeat by Blackburn Rovers was soon overtaken by the realisation that they almost certainly now have to win their remaining matches against Wigan Athletic and Sunderland to have any chance of staying up, and only once this season have Avram Grant's side won back-to-back games in the Premier League.
One mistake alone does not mar a whole campaign. A goof in August can be as guilty as a howler in May. Yet when Robbie Keane, presented with a chance to win the match for West Ham in the 88th minute, missed the sitter of all sitters it was hard to avoid the feeling that this was the moment when Upton Park began to pack its bags for the Championship.
Clearly West Ham had Keane's experience as a penalty‑area predator in mind when he joined them on loan from Tottenham Hotspur in January. For most of his career he has been putting away the sort of chance which presented itself on Saturday without a blink of hesitation. When Frédéric Piquionne, who had come on as an extra attacker just past the hour, crossed low into the goalmouth Keane, an earlier substitute, timed his run perfectly to meet it but in attempting to side‑foot the ball into the far corner of the net merely sliced it wide.
Steve Kean, the Blackburn manager, was as surprised as anyone: "When it gets flashed across the six-yard box and you can see Robbie Keane running on to it you think it's just going to open up and hit the far post and go in. It's a big point for us."
"Keane is not happy," said Grant. In that the striker was not alone. "He didn't score and I wish I knew why," the West Ham manager added. Maybe Keane was momentarily distracted by Demba Ba, who was also going for the ball, although that is being kind.
In the 12th minute Jason Roberts, presented with a similar opportunity for Blackburn after the West Ham defence had allowed Brett Emerton an inordinate amount of time and space to centre from the right, did not miss and not until Thomas Hitzlsperger's mighty left foot had brought the scores level with 12 minutes remaining did Upton Park sense salvation.
Before the game Grant was reckoning that seven points would be enough to avoid relegation so the draw on Saturday was a small step in the right direction. But expecting a team that have taken one point out of a possible 18 to win twice to order is a big ask. West Ham, moreover, are likely still to be without Scott Parker, who has an achilles injury, for the visit to Wigan and without his cerebral influence in midfield their attack appeared lobotomised until Hitzlsperger scored.
Grant's insistence that "we were on top of them for most of the game" was at eccentric odds with reality. Until the last quarter-hour Blackburn played the more composed football and were usually quicker to the ball when it was not being given to them by the opposition's lackadaisical passing. They may have the worst defensive record in the Premier League away from home but this was not evident in the way they kept West Ham out at the last, with Christopher Samba an awesome presence at centre-back. Samba's block on a goalbound shot from Carlton Cole in stoppage time capped an exceptional performance by the defender.
"My position is not important," said Grant when he was asked about his future as the West Ham manager. Having previously plummeted with Portsmouth he remains football's answer to Jacques Cousteau, the underwater explorer for whom the only way was down. "No one can say that we don't play good football," he said after Saturday's game as his bathysphere prepared for the next descent.
The problem is West Ham have not played enough of it to keep up with the rest.
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