WHUFC.com
John Carew and George McCartney feature as Pablo Barrera scores twice for
the development squad
17.08.2011
COLCHESTER UNITEED v WEST HAM UNITED XI
WEDNESDAY 7 AUGUST 2011
WALLACE BINDER GROUND, MALDON
KICK-OFF: 1pm
Final score - Colchester United 2-2 West Ham United XI
90 minutes - Colchester have a chance right at the death, but McNaughton
makes a fantastic block before Cowler helps the ball over the crossbar. The
referee blows for full-time before the corner can be taken, so a draw it is.
Post-match reaction will follow shortly on whufc.com.
89 mins - Not long to go now and it looks odds-on that we're going to have
to settle for a draw here. So, John Carew has made his debut and George
McCartney got through 75 minutes unscathed. Both looked fit and strong and
should be challenging for a first-team place soon. More options for manager
Sam Allardyce and that can only be a good thing.
86 mins - The corner is too deep, but McNaughton retrieves the ball. Moncur
crosses from the left, but it's too high and goes behind for a goal kick.
85 mins - Unlucky. Hall breaks down the right and crosses for Sears. The
striker nearly picks out the England Under-18 star, but his backheel is cut
out inside the area. Moments later, West Ham win a corner.
81 mins - West Ham are pushing hard for a late winner here. They are playing
some neat football, but it just won't fall for them in the Colchester
box...yet.
77 mins - Good running from Nouble to get himself goal-side of the defender
and win a corner. It's taken short to Hall, but his cross is cleared.
75 mins - McCartney gets a rest as he is replaced by a trialist, while Sam
Cowler is on for Boffin in goal for the remaining 15 minutes.
74 mins - Sears crosses and the ball is headed only as far as Stanislas. He
shoots, the ball hits a defender and spins just wide. The corner comes to
nothing.
73 mins - Wally Downes is with Hendon in the technical area. Good to see the
first-team coach taking a strong interest in many of the players who could
be the future of the club.
71 mins - The young Hammers have found their stride now and are looking more
threatening. A nice one-touch move ends when McCartney's cross is headed
clear from inside the penalty area.
67 mins - West Ham win a pair of corners in quick succession, but neither
Nouble nor McNaughton can direct their headers on target. Colchester make a
change, with the No9 being replaced.
65 mins - Colchester are coming on strong now. First, McNaughton makes a
diving block, then Boffin has to be alert to collect a well-struck shot in
front of his face.
60 mins - GOAL! This time it is West Ham's turn to relinquish a lead
quickly. Colchester's No10 slams a low shot between Boffin and the post from
the corner of the box. Fine finish.
58 mins - Faubert, Sanchez, Barrera, Piquionne and Carew go off, with
Wearen, Driver, Abdulla, Moncur and Robert Hall coming on in their places.
Sears and Nouble are now up front. Wearen is at centre-back.
57 mins - GOAL! Barrera bags his second of the game following good work from
Piquionne. The striker beats a man and cuts the ball back. Carew lets it run
and Barrera finishes left-footed from 12 yards.
57 mins - Hendon is preparing a whole host of substitutes. I presume the
plan was for some of the senior lads to get an hour.
56 mins - West Ham have been well on top since the break, but they haven't
fashioned a clear opportunity as yet. Barrera is probing down the right, but
has twice seen crosses cleared, while Nouble's cut-back was easily smashed
upfield from inside the Colchester penalty area.
54 mins - Captain McNaughton has looked strong this afternoon. He has led
his team well, too, organisingly and communicating well with his team-mates.
52 mins - The players are giving their all in this game. Faubert and
Piquionne have both loudly chastised themselves for poor passes. There is
competition for places in Sam Allardyce's side and everybody wants to be
part of it.
49 mins - Carew flicks-on McNaughton's clearance in typical style, but
Nouble can't latch on to the loose ball. Piquionne then crosses high towards
Nouble, but the goalkeeper claims under pressure from the young forward.
47 mins - Piquionne clears the corner at the near post. West Ham break after
McNaughton steps in and Stanislas picks up a loose ball, but his low shot is
well off-target.
46 mins - Carew and McCartney are both back out there as Colchester get the
second half underway. In fact, Ian Hendon has not made any changes.
Colchester attack from the kick-off and McCartney heads behind for a corner.
Half-time score - Colchester United 1-1 West Ham United XI
45 mins - As the 45th minute ends, the referee blows for half-time.
44 mins - Good strength by Carew to hold off his marker and shoot on the
turn, but the Colchester goalkeeper's handling is sound as he dives to his
right. I wonder if the Norway international will appear again after the
break?
41 mins - Piquionne beats one man and draws another before trying to slip in
Sears. A defender gets a foot in and it's a corner. Barrera's delivery is
not great and Colchester clear to Stanislas, who slices his volley and the
hosts again get the ball away.
38 mins - Ooof! Colchester come within a lick of paint of going ahead for a
second time, but the No14's shot cannons back off the angle of post and bar
and flies all the way out for a throw-in.
35 mins - Piquionne and Faubert combine down the right, but the latter's
cross is too high for Carew. Shame. Seconds later, a long ball from Sanchez
is mis-controlled by a Colchester defender, but Barrera's cushioned volley
is off-target.
32 mins - Stanislas takes the corner short and receives the ball back from
McCartney. His cross is volleyed behind again. The second corner is also
cleared back to Stanislas, whose cross is too high and goes behind.
31 mins - Super stuff from Nouble, who chests the ball down from Carew
before galloping down the left and collecting the return pass. He beats his
defender and crosses. The ball is headed behind.
30 mins - After a rather frenzied opening period, the game has calmed down a
bit now.
29 mins - Apologies for the slight mis-communication on the website earlier.
West Ham are playing Colchester United, but the game is taking place at
Maldon Town FC.
27 mins - Great stuff from McCartney, controlling with his head before
bursting forward 40 yards. He cuts the ball inside for Sears, who takes a
touch, loses his man and unleashes a fierce shot that the goalkeeper does
well to turn over the top. The corner is headed clear by the blond No3.
26 mins - Piquionne beats the goalkeeper to a through ball but is forced
wide. He controls, finds Nouble and the striker feeds Barrera. The Mexican
tries to beat his man on the edge of the box, but is tackled.
25 mins - Carew looks lively. He is dropping deep to link-up the play
regularly. In fact, he appears to be playing slightly behind Piquionne at
times. It's a 4-1-3-2 formation I think, with Stanislas sitting in front of
the back four.
24 mins - This is good end-to-end stuff. Colchester come close twice in
quick succession. First, a cross from No3 is volleyed by No10 straight at
Boffin, then No14 in midfield shoots from 30 yards, and again the Belgian
makes the stop.
22 mins - Good work from Piquionne this time, winning the ball in midfield
before making 30 yards and shooting from 25. Colchester's goalkeeper makes a
safe save low down in the centre of his goal.
20 mins - West Ham attack again through Sears and then Piquionne. He has two
men to pick out in the box in Barrera and Carew, but is challenged as he
enters the penalty area. Hands on head for the Frenchman.
17 mins - GOAL! West Ham break down the left before the ball is worked
across the face of the box to Barrera. He runs at his man on the outside
before drilling a low shot across the goalkeeper and into the bottom
left-hand corner. That's a good finish from the Mexico winger.
16 mins - Two chances for Colchester to double their advantage. First, the
No3 heads across the face of goal, then the No9 sees his shot charged down
by Faubert.
15 mins - Piquionne instructs Sanchez to try to pick out Nouble with long
diagonal passes. The Spaniard does just that, but Colchester's right-back
wins the header with ease.
12 mins - GOAL! Colchester's No8 springs through the middle, latches on to a
slide-rule pass and calmly tucks his finish high past Ruud Boffin and into
the roof of the net. Colchester lead.
9 mins - I'm afraid I don't have the Colchester team as a team sheet wasn't
available before kick-off. West Ham have a very attacking XI out there, with
Stanislas and Sears in central midfield, Nouble wide left and Barrera wide
right.
7 mins - The West Ham United XI lineup is now at the bottom of the page.
Meanwhile, West Ham win a free-kick 25 yards out in a central position.
Stanislas takes, but he curls his shot wide of the left-hand post.
4 mins - So close to an opening goal for the Hammers as McNaughton volleys
Barrera's corner against the crossbar. The ball clips the woodwork and
bounces over the top.
3 mins - Barrera's cross is volleyed out for a corner by Colchester's No5.
1 min - Carew has his first run in claret and blue, but his pass for Barrera
is mis-placed.
12.56pm - We have kicked-off early here in Essex, with Carew and Piquionne
getting things under way
Welcome to the Wallace Binder Stadium in Maldon, Essex for a
specially-arranged behind-closed-doors match for West Ham United. Ian
Hendon's development squad has been strengthened by new recruits George
McCartney and John Carew. The Hammers also have Julien Faubert, Abdoulaye
Faye and Frederic Piquionne in action, after their appearances off the bench
in the 4-0 win at Watford last night.
West Ham United XI: Boffin (Cowler 75), Faubert (Driver 58), McCartney
(Trialist 75), Sanchez (Wearen 58), McNaughton, Barrera (Hall 58),
Stanislas, Sears, Nouble, Piquionne (Moncur 58), Carew (Abdulla 58)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Vinny's Watford Report
Vinny 10:05 Wed Aug 17
West Ham Online
Watford 0 West Ham United 4
A tentative start to the season burst into life for West Ham as they came
away from Vicarage Road with a comfortable victory and a dominating
performance as Watford were brushed aside easily. This was a wonderful
result and one which should send out a clear message to the rest of the
Championship that West Ham are not here to make up the numbers or just to
challenge for the play offs. We are here to win the league and this sort of
display was a joy to see.
After beating Doncaster in the previous game, you could have been forgiven
for not being too convinced of our prospects given that we made hard work or
a poor and injury ravaged Doncaster team. But that win seems to kicked us
into life and whilst Watford themselves are not a great team you cannot take
away how well we played and how much better we were.
The game did have a few key moments such as a great save from Robert Green
in the first half to keep it at 1-0 and the timing of the second goal on the
stroke of half from (super) Joey O' Brien gave us comfort going into the
second period. Players played their part and defensively we were excellent.
Watford struggled to get near our midfield and to see the statistics point
out that we had a whopping 70% possession should tell you all you need to
know about how we controlled the game from start to finish.
Whilst it was a fantastic night on the pitch, in the stands it was equally
as brilliant with nearly 4000 West Ham fans packed behind the goal making as
much noise as possible from the first whistle to the last. It felt like such
a long time since the fans had been this joyous in watching an away game. I
don't really care what division we are in when it comes to enjoying an away
day. Seeing your side win on the road is always a great feeling as to do it
like we did just made it even more special.
This hopefully is the beginning of some good form as we look to bounce back
to the Premiership at the first attempt. Certainly if we are able to keep
hold of all our players going into September then we really do have a great
opportunity to do so.
The Team
Sam Allardyce made one change from the side who started at Doncaster and
that was Carlton Cole making his first start of the season as Fredrique
Piquionne dropped to the bench. Also on the bench were Julien Faubert and
Pablo Barrera. This saw Freddie Sears and Junior Stanislas ommited from the
squad.
First Half
Straight from the Kick Off we looked up for the challenge ahead. Watford had
won the toss and had elected to change ends which saw us kick towards our
support during the first half. After a couple of minutes Carlton Cole won a
free kick which was blasted towards goal from around 40 yards out by Matthew
Taylor and off a Watford defender for a corner kick. The resulting corner
was swung in by Taylor and met in the area by the head of James Tomkins and
this header went past Scott Loach in the Watford goal to make it 1-0 to the
visitors after just 3 minutes.
Having missed the Doncaster game I was delighted to be able to celebrate a
goal as it seems so long since I was able to do so. It was just what we
needed to keep the momentum from the supporters going. Watford were trying
to get on the ball and get back into the game but were given very little
time on the ball when in possession and the amount of midfielders we had on
the pitch seemed to serving their purpose even from a very early stage.
From our attacking point of view Cole was having some joy against the
Watford defenders and seemed to be winning the majority of headers which is
not something we can say about Cole too much. Cole won another free kick
this time more central and closer to the area. Taylor again stepped up to
take the free kick and although his attempt did get over the wall it was
well wide of the goal in a disappointing set piece.
Watford were attempting to get forward in numbers and get the ball into our
area quickly but most of the time and their best chance of the half and
indeed only real chance of the game came on the 15 minute mark when Sordell
cut inside and hit a good shot with this right foot which was tipped over
the bar by Robert Green in what was an excellent stop.
Cole forced another corner which was again taken by Taylor. This caused
havoc in the area as Tomkins won the header again. It came out to Nolan who
flicked the ball back over his head when Cole met the ball with a glancing
header which seemed to be heading into the path of Winston Reid for a tap
in, but the defender couldn't reach the ball and it trickled wide.
The hosts were still working hard to get the ball into our area and cause us
some problems and although down the left they were looking better, when the
crosses were put into the box they were easily snuffed out by one of the
multiple players we had swarming about. They came close to getting the
equaliser when a corner was met by the head of striker Iwelumo but Green was
equal to it and the ball was eventually cleared.
A great counter attacking move saw Kevin Nolan set Matthew Taylor away down
the left and his cross to the back post found Jack Collison unmarked but
instead of controlling the ball or even put it back into the area towards
Cole he attempted a shot from an impossible angle and it went well wide.
There were times in the first half where we would play some very neat
football and watching Noble and Nolan stroke the ball about was very nice to
watch. The long ball game was not something we seemed to have in mind for
every attack and the one touch football was certainly apparent.
One minute was added on by the referee at the end of the first period and
with time just about up we would manage to score again from nothing to send
up into half time even happier. Full back Joey O'Brien picked up a loose
ball around the half way mark and burst forward. He got into the area beat
around four players, got a bit of luck as he powered his way through and hit
a low left foot shot past Loach to make it 2-0 with a quite brilliant
finish.
Any concerns the fans may have had about our lack of constant attacking were
soon evaporated by that goal which goes to show again what a fine line it is
between a good performance and a supposedly bad one.
2-0 up away from home at half time – you couldn't really ask any more than
that.
Second Half
It was a slow start to the half as Watford looked to try and get that early
goal to give them some confidence and put us on the back foot. But our
defence was standing strong and even after a few early long throws into the
area we did not look as though we were going to buckle any time soon.
Sordell saw his low shot matched by Robert Green but the save was not clean
and it bounced off his body and away for a corner.
Taylor forced a corner and of course took it and the ball hit Tomkins and
nearly fell to Winston Reid but Watford managed to scramble the ball away
before a finish could be applied.
We kicked into 'keep the ball' mode and started spraying passes about
without them doing much in the way of going forward. The 'Ole's' could be
heard from the away support as we looked to frustrate the home side who
could not get near us. We really looked a far superior outfit at this moment
and whilst some fans may have wanted us to go gung ho , I was pleased at how
professional the side were looking.
For me up until this point James Tomkins was by far and away our man of the
match so it was not great to see him forced off with injury. He seemed to be
holding his hamstring area, which I hope, doesn't keep him out for very
long. Replacing Tomkins was summer signing Abdoulaye Faye who was making his
debut for the club. He went straight to centre half alongside Reid.
Two minutes later on the 70th minute mark the game was wrapped up as we
scored our third goal. Some nice quick passing saw Nolan attempt to slide
the ball through but this hit of a defender but luckily into the path of
Ilunga who had continued his run and his cross was met by Carlton Cole who
had the easiest of tap ins to make it 3-0. It was good to see Cole get off
the mark in his first start of the season as we are going to need at least
one of our strikers to score some goals this season. I'm sure I even caught
Big Sam celebrating that goal. A few minutes later Allardyce took off Cole
and replaced him with Piquionne.
Just a minute after that we made our final sub of the evening with Jack
Collison coming off and being replaced on the right wing by Julien Faubert.
The first booking of the evening game on the 81st minute mark when a lovely
turn and spin by Piquionne saw John Eustace take him out with an ugly
challenge. Kevin Nolan should have had his second goal of the season when a
cross was headed down by Piquionne into his path but his shot from just a
few yards out went over the bar.
The fans continued to belt out songs right up until the final whistle with
chants of 'Don't Go Greeno' being sung in the direction our goalkeeper. No
injury time was announced as we entered the 91st minute but the icing was
put on the cake during this minute as we scored a fourth. A long ball
forward saw Faubert control the ball well and flick it back to Scott Parker
who strode forward and curled a lovely left foot shot past the keeper to
make it 4 -0. A fitting end to a rampant West Ham performance and I
personally can count on one hand the amount of times I have seen West Ham
score four goals away from home.
Player Reviews
Robert Green
Had to make a few stops and made one excellent in the first half which kept
us in the lead. Fumbled a few shots but nothing which caused us too many
problems. The fans were very vocal in their support for Green and I would
hope he would be here this time next month.
Joey O' Brien
Super Joey O'Brien (as he is now known to me) was super. Strong in the
tackle, great going forward, good distribution, and a brilliant goal. So far
he is proving to be an excellent signing and this was a really good
performance from the Irishman.
Winston Reid
Despite having the relatively young centre back pairing of Tomkins and Reid
they both performed really well and did not give Watford a sniff. Reid was
dominant in the air and on the whole he was good with his passing although
he does struggle when clearing with his left foot.
James Tomkins
I believe he was our best player. He just won everything he seemed to go for
and even got himself on the score sheet. It was a shame he had to come off
midway through the second half and he will be a big loss if out for any
significant time. Tomkins continues to impress me and is one of my favourite
players at the club.
Herita Ilunga
There are still a few lapses in concentration but Ilunga played well for the
majority of the game and got an assist for the third goal which was
converted by Carlton Cole. He worked well with Taylor down the left and I
thought it was Ilunga who actually the more effective going forward.
Jack Collison
Of all our players he was the least involved in the game. He was playing out
on the right wing and has neither the skill or pace to get past his man.
When he cut inside he did play some nice one touch football with the rest of
the midfielders and like all our midfield he was willing to put his foot in.
He has been out of the game for a while so needs games to build up his
fitness and on that basis I would keep him in the side for the next game.
Scott Parker
I thought he had a pretty low key first half in which he didn't go in for
challenges hard enough and some of his passing was wayward. He controlled
the game in the second half and made some good tackles and interception. He
seemed to be everywhere during that second period and it was not too much of
a shock to seem him stride forward and score a really good goal.
Mark Noble
Watford could not get to grips with the quick passing of our midfield and
Noble was often at the heart of it. He sprayed some nice passes around and
his movement was better than in recent game which is important given how
packed our midfield is. Did have a couple of chances to shoot but opted for
the pass instead. I would like to see him get more shots off as he has good
technique and I have always believed he should be scoring more goals than he
does.
Kevin Nolan
Another busy performance from Nolan who put himself about and made a number
of challenges to break up play. He did not have much joy going forward and I
only recall one chance he had to score which was in the second half which he
should have done better with. A good display nonetheless and he is becoming
a very important player for us.
Matthew Taylor
I didn't feel he really go going as most of our play was concentrated down
the middle and with the pitch being small he never seemed to have enough
space to run into. His corners were a constant threat and having the quality
of delivery he possesses is a real asset to the side.
Carlton Cole
His first half performance was decent enough and he did win quite a lot in
the air and forced a number of free kicks, corners and throw ins. He had one
half chance to score in the first half in which is first touch was actually
quite good but he has no pace to beat a defender. He did of course get off
the mark with a simple tap in but they all count and we need him in those
areas to score goals such as these. Whilst Piquionne may look more skilful,
Cole continues to show that he looks more likely to score than the French
forward.
Subs Used
Abdoulaye Faye (on for Tomkins 67 mins)
Making his debut for the club Faye looked a beast in the air and I think he
won every header that went near him.
Fredrique Piquionne (on for Cole 74 mins)
Not for the first time when coming on as a sub he looks sharp and dangerous.
At the time there were some tired legs out there he looked skilful and
forward thinking.
Julien Faubert (On for Collison 75 mins)
Sharp again can be used as a description as Faubert played quite well in his
15 minutes on the pitch. He was clearly desperate to get on the ball and his
control and lay off led to Parker's goal.
Subs Not Used: Boffin, Barrera
Bookings: Noble
Man Of The Match: James Tomkins
Watford: Loach, Dickinson, Mariappa, Taylor, Doyley, Yeates, Eustace,
Jenkins, Forsyth, Sordell, Iwelumo
Subs: Gilmartin, Deeney, Bennett, Mirfin, Massey
Attendance: 14,747
Overall
You could argue that perhaps I am getting a little carried away seeing that
we were playing a team who are likely to be in a relegation battle this
season but we can only beat what is in front of us and I have grown tired of
feeling gloomy about West Ham and will jump on any positive result. Whilst
this doesn't mean we have achieved anything yet we must take heart from this
display and this result which should give players and fans alike confidence
and belief that we are going to do well this season. I want us all to into
every game confident that we are going to win and I am aware that the
Cardiff game knocked the stuffing out of a lot of us but with these recent
victories I am going into the Leeds game convinced we will do well.
Next Game – Leeds United, Sunday 21st August 1.15pm
The last time we were in the Championship we did not have too much joy
against Leeds, losing at their place and only managing a draw on a Friday
night in which Luke Chadwick scored. This time around we are a much stronger
side than Leeds and this hopefully will show in the way we will apply
ourselves. Leeds themselves are going into this game having beaten Hull 4-1
at Elland Road so they will also be confident of getting something from the
game. I hate Sunday games and despise 1.15pm Kick Off.
Our last home game may not have gone very well but with the last two games
giving us six points I am hoping we can continue to build and keep picking
up points.
Sam's Comments
"If you have got good footballers you play good football, don't you," he
said, when asked about the way his team dominated the contest. "If you have
got good footballers, we need to let them show their attributes, after they
have earned the right to play. Once you get that right then you can go and
play the kind of football we played in the second half."
"It doesn't get much better than that. The pleasing thing for me is how we
have won the game. There is no doubt that the quality of our goals, all four
goals, was something to be admired. We withstood the early pressure from
Watford and obviously the goal helped, but it was how we defended. We never
let Watford get a sniff tonight."
We have seen some outstanding finishing tonight which we didn't see against
Cardiff. We then had Kevin Nolan's goal against Doncaster but we had some
sloppy finishing after that. We have got everything tonight. It is not often
you see all the team playing at their best. I hope it can get better but i
wouldn't have thought they can get much better.
"It was a wonderful run from a lad [O'Brien] I have known for many years who
everyone else has forgotten about. He has come to West Ham and that goal
will do him the world of good, as it has for us.
"He is finally coming to terms with the fact he can be a top grade
footballer again. Six months or 12 months ago, he thought his career was
finished. He thought it was over before it had even started. Now look at
him. He is so glad to be back, playing football and that is a great reward
for all the effort he put in over pre-season."
"I was very pleased with Carlton. I got performance in possession and I got
good movement. A lot of our midfield play could go forward then off Carlton
and then come back and go into wide areas. And then start creating and
sliding little balls down the side."
"For us to win two games on the trot is obviously thrilling and now the
pressure comes on the players not to waste that effort they have put in and
ability to gain six points away from home. To slip up again now against
Leeds as we did against Cardiff [on the opening day] is something we do not
want to do.
"We have really got to work on being patient and as skilful and as clinical
as we were tonight. If we can do that against Leeds we are going to cause
them lots of problems."
"When you do what you do tonight confidence floods back and it flows into
the players. They play football to win football matches and when they do
that they are happy ... if you breed confidence, you breed a winning
mentality. At this early stage of the season , I hope that has started
already and that it continues."
Season 2011/12 Scorers and Bookings
Kevin Nolan - 1 (1 League)
James Tomkins - 1 (1 League)
Joey O'Brien - 1 (1 League)
Carlton Cole - 1 (1 League)
Scott Parker - 1 (1 League)
Yellow Cards
Mark Noble - 1
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QPR are poised to make an £8million offer for Scott Parker
Ken Dyer
17 Aug 2011
Evening Standard
Scott Parker scored his first goal of the season as West Ham recorded
back-to-back away wins for the first time since 2007 - but it could be his
last in the claret and blue shirt with Queens Park Rangers poised to make an
£8million bid for the England midfielder. Malaysian businessman Tony
Fernandes plans to make Parker his first marquee signing once his takeover
of QPR is confirmed. Parker is keen to return to the Premier League with
Euro 2012 on the horizon while Fernandes, a self-confessed West Ham
supporter, wants the 2011 Player of the Year to boost manager Neil Warnock's
squad. Tottenham are also preparing a bid for the 30-year-old but West Ham
value the player at more than twice the £3.5m their London rivals are ready
to offer. Should Parker go, West Ham could turn their attention to
Newcastle's controversial star Joey Barton, who the north-east club have
said can leave on a free transfer. West Ham, meanwhile, moved up to third
place in the Championship following their 4-0 win at Watford. Defender James
Tomkins, who could miss Sunday's match at home to Leeds with a hamstring
strain, headed the Hammers into the lead last night and full-back Joey
O'Brien added a second just before half-time. Carlton Cole and Parker added
two more in the second half and manager Sam Allardyce said: "The pleasing
thing is the way we won the game. "The quality of our goals, after we
withstood the early Watford pressure, was a pleasure to see. "We played some
great football in the second half and that was because we had earned the
right to play. That was the most pleasing thing for me - seeing off the
opposition threat by defending well early on and then punishing them to the
hilt by picking out the right passes."
O'Brien's goal was his first since January 2005, when he went on loan to
Sheffield Wednesday from Bolton. "He's a lad I've known for many years but
everyone else has forgotten about," added Allardyce. "That goal will do him
a world of good because it will tell him he can become a top grade player
when, a few months ago, he thought his career was over before it had even
started. "Look at him now, he's so glad to be back playing football and that
goal was a reward for all the efforts he's put in during pre-season."
O'Brien, who played under Allardyce at Bolton, said: "I don't score many
goals and it's great to be back and playing again. It's been a horrible
couple of years, what with three operations and some of the top specialists
telling me I might not play again. "I had to face the reality that, at the
age of 23, I might have to look at doing something else with my life but
hopefully it's all behind me now and I can get back to playing regularly
with no aggravations. "There have been some dark times and I've put a lot of
lonely hours in the gym but hopefully, with the work I still do now with the
medical staff at West Ham, they will help keep me out there on the pitch."
Watford played well enough in the first half and only a superb save by
Robert Green prevented them from equalising through Marvin Sordell. West Ham
were comfortable in the second half, though, and Watford manager Sean Dyche
soon pointed out their quality. He said: "One of their players earns more
than our entire squad! "Usually, when you spend that amount of money, you
are going to get quality. They could have done something similar against
Cardiff and Doncaster and it was just unfortunate for us they were clinical
tonight. "For me, they will go on to win the Championship."
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Barton set to go under the Hammer as West Ham renew bid for Toon bad boy
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 10:14 AM on 17th August 2011
Daily Mail
West Ham are set to renew their interest in Newcastle bad boy Joey Barton.
Barton is available on a free transfer, and Sam Allardyce is keen to reunite
the 28-year-old with Kevin Nolan at the heart of West Ham's midfield. The
former Manchester City midfielder would be forced to take a pay cut from his
current £80,000-a-week wages. A move to the Championship club also hinges
on the future of wantaway midfielder Scott Parker. Parker, who scored in
West Ham's 4-0 rout at Watford on Tuesday night, is desperate to seal a move
back to the Premier League. But his current pursuers, which include
Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal, have so far failed to meet West Ham's
£8million valuation of their star midfielder.
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Burnley close in on West Ham United striker
10:10am Wednesday 17th August 2011
By Suzanne Geldard »
Burnley FC reporter
Guardian Series
BURNLEY are today expecting to make West Ham United striker Zavon Hines
their second signing this week. The Clarets were last night awaiting the
results of Hines' knee scan before finalising the deal, which is thought to
be worth £250,000. I understand the 22-year-old got the all-clear from a
regulation medical yesterday, and has agreed personal terms. However, the
club was keen to seek clarification, through a scan, that old injuries that
have curtailed his progress would have no bearing on the England Under 21
international in the future. Hines missed much of the 2008/09 season with a
knee injury, and underwent knee surgery after the following campaign ended
prematurely for the Jamaica-born front man. He recovered to make 15 first
team appearances for the Hammers last season – six of them starts, including
four in the Premier League. I understand Burnley manager Eddie Howe looked
into bringing Hines in on loan towards the end of last season, but West Ham
wanted to keep him for the relegation run-in. But now he is on the verge of
swapping the claret and blue of West Ham for the claret and blue of Burnley,
and Howe will be looking forward to adding the striker's pace, athleticism
and Premier League pedigree into the squad. Hines refused to sign a new
contract at Upton Park in the summer, but his age means he would command a
fee under the Bosman ruling. Burnley captured fellow forward Danny Ings from
Bournemouth on Monday. It is possible Burnley's transfer dealings may not be
over this week as they continue in their bid to sign defender Ryan Shotton
from Stoke City, although their involvement in the Europa League qualifiers
may lead to their pursuit extending into next week.
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West Ham boss delighted with Watford win
10:33am Wednesday 17th August 2011
By Simon Mail »
Guardian Series
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes his players performed close to their
best after thrashing Watford 4-0 at Vicarage Road. The Hammers recorded
consecutive away wins for the first time in four years and climbed up to
third in the Championship table. Allardyce said: "We've got everything right
tonight and for me it's not often you see all your team play what is
probably the best they can play. I hope it can get better but I wouldn't
have thought they can get much better than they got tonight. "When you do
what we did tonight then confidence flows back into the players. You play
football to win matches. "When you win football matches they're happy and
when you lose then you get sad and lose confidence very quickly. In the same
mode you breed confidence when you breed a winning mentality.
"Winning games in the way we did tonight can do a lot for that winning
mentality. At this early stage of the season I hope it's started already and
it continues. I'm not quite sure yet but I hope it does."
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Hines set to move north in claret and blue swap
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 10:55 PM on 16th August 2011
Daily Mail
Burnley are poised to sign Zavon Hines from West Ham but will have to pay
compensation for the 22-year-old. The striker had rejected a contract at
Upton Park but because of his age the Hammers are still due a training fee.
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West Ham's Tomkins - Injury latest
London24
Dave Evans, West Ham Correspondent
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
9:25 AM
Hammers defender James Tomkins is battling to be fit for Sunday's Upton Park
showdown against Leeds United. West Ham centre half James Tomkins looks set
to miss Sunday's Championship clash with Leeds United at Upton Park after
hobbling off during Tuesday night's thumping 4-0 victory over Watford. The
22-year-old defender suffered a hamstring injury and was replaced by debut
boy Abdoulaye Faye after 67 minutes and manager Sam Allardyce thinks he may
not be ready for Sunday's televised game. "It was a hamstring injury,"
confirmed the West Ham boss. "It might not be too bad, but he might not have
enough recovery time for Sunday."
Tomkins opened the scoring after just three minutes at Watford, heading home
Matt Taylor's corner to get the Hammers off to a perfect start. And
Allardyce was full of praise for the young defender. "He's been outstanding
in both boxes and tonight he's scored one that he has threatened to do in
the last two games. "He had one cleared off the line against Cardiff, had
another good header against Doncaster and tonight he's got the ball rolling
by scoring from our first corner."
With Tomkins struggling, Faye is likely to make his first start against
Leeds United, but it brings the question of cover at centre half to the
fore, something that Allardyce is monitoring. "I think we might and could
run into problems because if one is injured and then another gets injured we
have got little cover in that position," said the boss. "But it is one of
those things that you have to deal with in the Championship.If it runs
through till after the deadline, I have the good fortune in this division
where I can use an emergency loan and it may be a question of us using
that."
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West Ham produce stylish 4-0 win at Watford
Evening Standard 17 Aug 2011
Carlton Cole and Scott Parker were on target to help West Ham to victory at
Watford and make it back-to-back wins in the Championship. Sam Allardyce
gave Cole his first start of the season and the striker, who is still
expected to leave before the end of the month, grabbed his first goal since
February. England midfielder Parker, another player whose future remains
uncertain, put the seal on a convincing display late on. The unlikely
figures of defenders James Tomkins and Joey O'Brien had put West Ham two up
at half-time. The relegated Hammers won only two away games all last season,
but they have matched that tally after just two road trips this term.
They beat Doncaster with a fifth-minute goal on Saturday, and opened their
account even earlier at Vicarage Road. Matt Taylor's free-kick was turned
behind at full stretch by Hornets goalkeeper Scott Loach, and when Taylor
swung in the corner Tomkins planted a firm header inside the far post after
two minutes. Former Bolton midfielder Taylor was inches away from doubling
the lead when he curled a free-kick over the wall and inches wide. But
Watford looked dangerous themselves early on and Marvin Sordell's turn and
shot forced a fine save from Hammers keeper Robert Green. Hornets skipper
John Eustace then shot straight at Green from close range following a
corner, and Chris Iwelumo put the rebound over the top. West Ham should have
gone further ahead on the half hour when Mark Noble played Taylor's corner
back across goal and centre-half Winston Reid, from all of three yards out,
poked the ball wide. The visitors got stronger as the first half drew to a
close strongly with Noble fizzing a cross narrowly out of the reach of Kevin
Nolan, Jack Collison heading Parker's cross over and Loach denying Cole. And
their pressure told in added time when O'Brien, another of Allardyce's
ex-Bolton brigade, burst forward from the halfway line, reached the penalty
area and drilled a low shot across Loach and into the far corner.
Watford are still looking for their first win of the season, but there was
no way back for the hosts after Cole tucked in number three in the 70th
minute. Left-back Herita Illunga crossed and Cole was on hand to sweep the
ball past Loach. Parker wrapped up the victory with a classy finish from 20
yards in stoppage time as the duo sent a timely reminder to one or two
top-flight clubs with the transfer window closing in a fortnight.
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Soccer star's bill for fly-tipping
Evening Standard 17 Aug 2011
West Ham striker Frederic Piquionne has been ordered to pay £449 prosecution
costs after admitting fly-tipping. The French footballer drove from his home
in Stapleford Abbotts, Essex, to the village of Stapleford Tawney three
miles away to dump rubbish in 10 black bin bags, two recycling bags and a
cardboard box on a grass verge, Harlow magistrates heard. Residents told
Epping Forest district council about the rubbish and investigators traced it
back to Piquionne's home.
The player, 32, was given a 12-month conditional discharge. The court heard
that he left the rubbish near a wheelie bin and may have been confused by
the British system of waste disposal.
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