WHUFC.com
Captain Kevin Nolan says West Ham United have got to start taking the
clear-cut chances they create
24.03.2012
Kevin Nolan is remaining upbeat, despite being left hugely frustrated by
Saturday's 2-2 npower Championship draw at Burnley. The captain netted his
tenth goal of the season to help West Ham United battle back from two goals
down at Turf Moor, but admitted the Hammers should have won the game at a
canter. Nolan saw a first-half header chalked-off for a foul on Burnley
goalscorer Marvin Bartley a minute after the midfielder had put the Clarets
in front, while he was also one of a host of players guilty of missing
gilt-edged chances. Speaking to West Ham TV, the No4 said the Hammers would
have to start converting their opportunities if they are to reclaim an
automatic promotion place before the end of the season.
What was your assessment of the game - a point gained or two points dropped?
"We were disappointed, more than anything, because we thought we started the
game well and created a few chances. When you're not putting your chances
away, and we had plenty, then you're going to get punished. "We conceded two
sloppy goals, but at the other end we should have been banging them in. At
least we battled back to get a draw, so we go to Peterborough now and we've
got to win."
Manager Sam Allardyce changed his tactics and introduced Sam Baldock and
Nicky Maynard at half-time. What did he say to you after going in 2-0 down
at the break?
"I think it was important that we got in at half-time and the gaffer sat us
down and told us what he wanted us to do. The first thing was that we didn't
panic, that we continued playing the same game but we tightened up at the
back. "He told us to move the ball quickly and get it into the box and it
seemed to come off. The lads who came on were very disappointed to miss the
chances that were created for them and hopefully, when the next one comes
along, they'll put it in the back of the net.
"We've been saying for a few weeks now that we're creating lots and lots of
chances but we're not putting them away and that's the main part of the game
we've got to get right."
That is five draws in succession. How are we going to starting turning draws
into wins?
"We've played well in the past few weeks and we should have won more games
than we've drawn,but that's the way it is. We're West Ham United and teams
are going to hang on and battle away to make sure that they get a result.
"You can see that by the way they celebrate when they beat us or react when
they draw with us, but we knew that from the start of the season. "We've
made it hard for ourselves by not taking the chances we've created and we've
got to make sure we do that between now and the end of the season. If we
don't we'll put massive pressure on the back four, who have been fabulous
all season. "On Saturday, we had eleven or 12 shots on target and they were
good chances - they were from a yard and not shots from 40 yards, so we need
to take them."
Can you talk us through your disallowed goal - a header ruled out for a foul
a minute after Burnley had taken the lead?
"I spoke to the referee and he said from where he was standing I had pushed
him and I did put my hand on his back, but I don't think it was enough to
push him out of the way to win the ball. "I did think I'd got it and I'd
scored, as you could see from the celebration, but it wasn't to be. It was
important that we competed after that and that's what we did do, even after
they scored a second goal."
Despite the recent run of draws, West Ham United are still in contention for
automatic promotion and will go second with wins at Peterborough United on
Tuesday and at home to second-place Reading next Saturday. Can you still do
it?
"The lads are upbeat after a good second-half performance and hopefully we
can start putting wins together back-to-back. We've got a few big games
coming up and we're looking forward to them. "The plan is to be top by 5pm
next Saturday night. We do want to go to Peterborough and win but that's
going to be a tough game. They beat Reading last week and they play good
attacking football so it'll be a good game to watch. "Hopefully we'll come
out of there with the three points and then we'll be looking forward to a
home game with Reading. "There is a long way to go and a lot of points to
play for and we're still fighting and chomping at the bit to make sure get
what we want and that's automatic promotion."
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Baldock wants Posh performance
WHUFC.com
Sam Baldock is determined to make sure the team take their chances on
Tuesday evening
26.03.2012
West Ham United striker Sam Baldock is looking to make sure Tuesday night's
game against Peterborough is not another missed opportunity in the race for
promotion. Like the rest of the Hammers' squad, Baldock was at a loss to
explain how the team dominated the game so heavily and yet still only come
away with a point. The 23-year-old striker did not find the back of the net
after coming on at half-time as the visitors passed up numerous goalscoring
chances. "I think it's a match that with the chances we had we probably
should've won the game. I'm guilty of missing a couple myself and the team
missed I think around ten in total. It's been a big problem for us of recent
weeks," Baldock said. "I won't let it affect me and nor will the other
players I'm sure of that. If anything it will make us more determined to
convert them next time."
Baldock entered the game on Saturday at half time along with Nicky Maynard
and the duo combined well and aided the Hammers in clawing themselves back
into the game. "I enjoyed playing with Nicky. I think the team has to play
differently when we are both up top. We both make different runs and our
movement varies from coming deep to staying up top, which I think confused
their defenders and opened up opportunities."
Looking ahead to Tuesday night's must win game against Peterborough, Baldock
says the team are fully focused on bringing three points back to East
London. The striker also recognised how much the fans' support will aid the
team during the crucial upcoming games. "We are going into Tuesday's game
looking for three points. If the fans show up and support us like they did
on Saturday they will help us to achieve that goal," Baldock said. "The
spirit is still there within the camp we just need to convert the chances
and turn one point into three."
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Loanee round-up
WHUFC.com
George Moncour scored his debut goal for AFC Wimbleon on a busy weekend for
the club's loanees
26.03.2012
West Ham United youngster George Moncour scored his debut goal for AFC
Wimbledon on Saturday as the Dons beat Burton Albion 4-0. The 18-year old
son of former West Ham player John Moncour scored the second of Wimbledon's
four with a half-volley from the right-hand side of the area. Moncour, who
had his loan extended by another month at the beginning of March, played the
full 90 minutes at The Cherry Red Records Stadium as Wimbledon climbed to
15th in League Two.
Elsewhere in League Two, fellow loanee Cristian Montano played the last 20
minutes for Oxford United as they fought out a 0-0 draw against promotion
rivals Cheltenham Town.
In League One, Freddie Sears, on loan at Colchester United, played five
minutes for The U's as they looked to snatch a winner against Carlisle in a
1-1 draw.
In the npower Championship, Frederic Piquionne played the full 90 minutes
for Doncaster against Southampton but was unable to prevent the Saints from
securing a 2-0 victory. Oliver Lee at Gillingham, Rob Hall at MK Dons and
Frank Nouble at Barnsley were all unused substitutes for their respective
clubs.
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Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce is demanding a win at Peterborough on Tuesday evening
following Saturday's Burnley draw
24.03.2012
Sam Allardyce says it is imperative that West Ham United give them
themselves the perfect springboard for Saturday's pivotal game with Reading
by beating Peterborough on Tuesday evening. The West Ham United manager was
frustrated after leaving Burnley with only a single point despite dominating
Saturday's 1-1 draw, but knows there is little time to dwell on the result
with the London Road clash arriving so soon. If the Hammers are going to
narrow the gap to second-placed Reading to just one point then Big Sam knows
his team have to be more ruthless in front of goal than they were in
Lancashire. "If I get a performance like that then I'm sure we can win," Big
Sam said. "We deserved a win on Saturday so let's make sure we get it on
Tuesday. We play Reading on Saturday and that's our chance to get back into
second sport. "I'm disappointed by the end result, not at all by the total
performance that we gave for 90 minutes. I'm not disappointed with the
chances created, just massively disappointed that our final finish wasn't
good enough again. "We controlled the game from start to finish, not just
the second-half performance as it was there in the first half. Sloppy
defending from us and good finishing from Burnley got them in front. "We
have to pick ourselves up and go again and if we have another performance
like this I'm confident we'll win."
The Peterborough fixture was originally scheduled for February but snow and
ice got the better of London Road pitch that day and as a result the Hammers
are one fixture behind their promotion rivals. A win on Tuesday, followed by
a win against the Royals on Saturday would put Big Sam's side back in the
driving seat for automatic promotion. "It's a big game as it's our game in
hand and then after that it's Reading so if we really want to get amongst
the automatic promotion side of it we've got to beat Peterborough. If we
beat Reading we know we go back to second spot. "We know we've got to go
back after Saturday's disappointment, It's sad we can't go there on the
crest of a wave after getting the three points we deserved."
The Hammers did have the ball in the back of the Burnley goal three times,
but sadly on the first of those occasions, the referee deemed Kevin Nolan
had fouled his marker before planting a header into the corner of the net.
The disallowed effort came seconds after the hosts had taken the lead and if
the strike had stood, it could have made for quite a different final
outcome. "That was at a critical time and we might well be sat here with a
win. It's more our own fault than the officials though. That alone was a big
decision that went against us but the amount of times we had chances for
that to not affect the result was massive. One of the plus points from the
Burnley result was that the Hammers are now unbeaten in ten games, although
just three of that run have been wins. Allardyce knows that statistic has to
change if the Hammers are to fulfil their ambition of automatic promotion.
"Not converting our chances has really left me disappointed. We'd have been
on a massive high if we'd come back from 2-0 down, which is what we
should've done. "We should have won 4-2 or 5-2 or 6-3 and that would
probably be the turning point for us to go on and get automatic promotion
but now it has become more difficult. "We've had seven draws and three
victories out of ten but it should be the other way round. It's costing us
dear at the moment but we're still in with a shout with eight massive games
to go so let's turn the draws back into victories."
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Ladies advance in League Cup
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies are through to the FA Women's Premier League Cup
quarter-finals
25.03.2012
Becky Merritt was the match-winner as West Ham United Ladies clinched their
place in the last-eight of the FA Women's Premier League Cup with a fine 1-0
win over Millwall Lionesses on Sunday. Midfielder Merritt hit the target
with a first-half goal as the Hammers defeated their Southern Division
rivals at Ship Lane to set up a quarter-final meeting with National Division
side Coventry City. The Sky Blues, who reached the quarter-finals courtesy
of a 1-0 home win over Barnet last weekend , will travel to Essex on Sunday
8 April. Three days before that big game, the Hammers will try to lift their
first piece of silverware of the season when they take on Southern Division
leaders Colchester United in the Essex FA County Cup final at AFC
Hornchurch. Setford's side will warm-up for those two matches by welcoming
Cardiff City to Ship Lane for a friendly on Sunday afternoon, with kick-off
at 2pm.
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Peterborough v West Ham
KO 19:45
26 March 2012
Last updated at 18:43
NPOWER CHAMPIONSHIP
Venue: London Road Date: Tuesday 27 March Kick-off: 1945 BST
TEAM NEWS
Peterborough's Grant McCann is a doubt after he came off with calf trouble
during Saturday's defeat to Barnsley. Should he miss out, it would end a run
of five matches where manager Darren Ferguson named the same side.
West Ham pair Julien Faubert (groin) and Ricardo Vaz Te (hamstring) are both
nearing first-team contention, but Tuesday's match could come too soon.
Centre-half Abdoulaye Faye could return after he missed Saturday's draw with
Burnley with a slight knock.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• West Ham's fourth match against Peterborough and only their second
visit to London Road was originally a victim of the weather on 11 February.
They won the first trip there 3-1 in September 1992 at second league level.
• The Hammers maintained their 100% record over Posh with a 1-0
victory at Upton Park in September, when an 11th minute penalty from Mark
Noble settled the issue.
Peterborough United
• 18th placed Posh are chasing a third successive home win, having
lost four of the last six Championship outings, home and away.
• The London Road club have only kept three clean sheets in this
league campaign, but also boast the second best home attack in the division.
Their 37 goals is only five fewer than table toppers Southampton have netted
at St Mary's.
• Peterborough are trying to compete with an average gate of 8,637. It
is the lowest in the division; West Ham have the highest (30,500).
West Ham United
• West Ham are four points adrift of the automatic promotion places
with this game in hand on second placed Reading, after a 10-match unbeaten
run, and a club record equalling five successive league draws.
• Sam Allardyce sends out a side on his 300th day in charge, still
boasting the best away record in the division. The Hammers are hunting an
11th victory on the road.
• They have lost just seven Championship games; only Southampton have
been beaten as infrequently.
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Allardyce aiming for second best
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 27th March 2012
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce believes that the next five days will define the rest of West
Ham's season - whilst conceding that his team's chances of winning the title
have all but disappeared. The Hammers face Peterborough at London Road
tonight before hosting Reading at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday afternoon,
with the winners of that game likely to be favourites to join Southampton in
the Premier League next year. And Allardyce, speaking ahead of the short
trip up the M11 firmly believes that it will be either West Ham or Reading
who will join the Saints - with no chance of both achieving automatic
promotion. "I think that's gone now," he said. "I can't see Southampton
losing three or four on the trot for us to gain those points back. I think
we've made life a little easier for them now. "They must look back now and
think, "we never thought we would be this far in front at this stage"
because we were always on their heels. We've slipped up and Reading are
closer to them now than we are, so they must be delighted at the position
they're in. "When we played them [recently] we drew 1-1 and it was nip and
tuck who was going to go for it [the title]. We've slipped up and they
haven't - and fair play to them [because] they've been there all season.
"They've been top a lot longer than we were and we've been playing catch up.
It looked like we were going to catch them at the right time - but
unfortunately not."
Despite having all but conceded the title, Allardyce remains confident that
his side can overturn the four point deficit between second and third place
that would take his side back about the Royals - starting with their game in
hand at Peterborough tonight. "We've got to make a difference, by the end of
Saturday's game, to our season," he insisted. "It's in our hands by getting
two victories on the trot, which we're more than capable of the way we are
playing at the moment. But we can't have any more excuses, we can't slip up
any more - it's just got to be that way. "It's not over if we don't win the
next two games, but if we can then we put it back in our own hands. We'd
have [to] get three points on Tuesday against a side that's just beat
Reading 3-1 on their own patch, so it won't be easy. Then we play Reading -
and if we win that one then we know we're going to go above them. That then
takes us into the last six games of the season and we'll see where we go
from there."
However Big Sam admitted that his team will have to turn their run of
indifferent form around if they are to stand a chance of doing so - even if
he felt his side had been extrmely unlucky to drop so many points of late.
"It's been a cruel, cruel blow for us," he said. "We had our best run
undefeated - 10 games - and we're all miserable because we've drawn seven
and only won three! "We have to make sure we don't give away sloppy goals
any more and we've got to look to deliver eight clean sheets; I think if we
do that we go up automatically."
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Strike force zero
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 26th March 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United's strikers have managed to score just 20 goals between them
all season - that's EIGHT less than the Championship's leading goalscorer on
his own.
Much has been made of West Ham's misfiring forwards this season, with
Carlton Cole in particular having come under fire for failing to hit double
figures despite having scored four more than his closest rival, Sam Baldock.
In stark contrast, Southampton's Ricky Lambert - who currently tops the
league's goalscoring charts - has hit 28 this season. Or the remaining
forwards to find the back of the net Sam Allardyce's side this term, John
Carew and Freddie Piquionne - currently on loan at Doncaster - have a pair
each, whilst recent signing Nicky Maynard and Frank Nouble - currently at
Barnsley - have one each. The only West Ham player to reach double figures
thus far this season is captain Kevin Nolan, who scored his tenth of the
campaign aganst Burnley at the weekend - thus makng him the first midfielder
to reach double figures since Frank Lampard scored 14 goals in the 1999/2000
season some 12 years previously.
Barn Doors and Banjos: 2011/12 Stats (WHU appearances only)
Carlton Cole
Goals this season: 9
Goals in 2012: 1
Appearances: 34
Last goal: 4th February 2012 (West Ham Utd 2-1 Millwall)
2011/12 Strike rate: 1 goal every 3.8 appearances
Sam Baldock
Goals this season: 5
Goals in 2012: 0
Appearances: 21
Last goal: 5th November 2011 (Hull 0-2 West Ham Utd)
2011/12 Strike rate: 1 goal every 4.2 appearances
Frank Nouble
Goals this season: 1
Goals in 2012: 0
Appearances: 5
Last goal: Last goal: 31st December 2011 (Derby 2-1 West Ham Utd)
2011/12 Strike Rate: 1 goal every 5 appearances
Nicky Maynard
Goals this season: 1
Goals in 2012: 1
Appearances: 8
Last goal: 21st February 2012 (Blackpool 1-4 West Ham Utd)
2011/12 Strike rate: 1 goal every 8 appearances
John Carew
Goals this season: 2
Goals in 2012: 0
Appearances: 19
Last goal: 15th October 2011 (West Ham Utd 4-0 Blackpool)
2011/12 Strike rate: 1 goal every 9.5 appearances
Freddie Piquionne
Goals this season: 2
Goals in 2012: 0
Appearances: 21
Last goal: 29th November (Middlesbrough 0-2 West Ham Utd)
2011/12 Strike rate: 1 goal every 10.5 appearances
Freddie Sears
Goals this season: 0
Goals in 2012: 0
Appearances: 11
Last goal: 21st February 2011 (West Ham Utd 5-1 Burnley)
2011/12 Strike Rate: n/a
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Peterborough United v West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 26th March 2012
By: Preview Percy
Recent events have given us an idea. In the wake of the "Cash For Access"
scandal we thought we'd try a similar idea with Preview Percy. So, for a
fiver we'll introduce you to him. For a tenner, we won't. Here's his updated
look at this week's visit to London Road. Historical data as ever from John
Northcutt..
Next we journey up the A1(M) to London Road where our hosts will be
Peterborough United for the rearranged match that should have taken place
last February when, you may recall, it got just a wee bit nippy. Those of
you who made the most of the weekend sun will be aware that there should be
no such problem for Tuesday's 7.45pm kick-off.
At the moment Peterborough sit in 18th spot with 44 points from 38 games.
That's nine points clear of the third bottom club, currently Coventry,
though Posh do have a game in hand. Their last six has seen them pick up six
points having won two (both at home to Reading and Blackpool both 3-1) and
lost four (1-0 at Palace, 3-0 at home to Millwall, 3-2 at Ipswich and, most
recently 1-0 at the weekend at Barnsley).
Their boss is Darren Ferguson. Ferguson is in his second spell at the club
having departed back in 2009 to take over at Preston. After he got the sack
at Deepdale his Dad, in an act that was breathtakingly petulant even by his
pretty tawdry standards, recalled all three players that were on loan from
Manchester United. Just to rub salt into the wounds Ferguson senior
persuaded his mate Tony Pulis to do the same with a couple of Stoke players
who were also on loan. Thus at a stroke just about half a team were lost
because of a fit of pettiness.
Ferguson returned to Peterborough in January 2011 after the incumbent boss
Gary Johnson left following a disagreement over "policy" with the club's
"Director Of Football" Barry Fry. Ferguson managed to keep up the good work
and get them promoted to the Championship following a surprising 3-0
play-off win over Huddersfield Town.
Along with the Preston loan scandal, another thing that the Ferguson family
won't go out of their way to publicise is the incident that saw Darren pick
up a £1,500 fine from the beak in 2010 for common assault, the victim being
his now ex-missus. Now lord knows the former Mrs Preview Percy was a
complete pain in the backside and here in the Avram Grant Rest Home the
anniversary of my Decree Absolute is celebrated with the same spirit of joy
that accompanied VE day. However, the thought of giving her a clout round
the earhole never once crossed my mind so the Posh boss will get no sympathy
from this quarter.
Back onto football, rather than domestic violence matters, and the club
initially had a less than successful transfer window. Despite Ferguson's
protestations that he wasn't in the market for anyone, it transpired that
moneybags club Crawley had turned down a double bid for defender Kyle
McFazdean and striker Tyrone Barnett. However, subsequent to the closure of
the window Posh made shrewd use of the loan system and signed Barnett on
loan to the end of the season whereupon the deal will be made permanent for
a reported £1.1m
They lost highly-rated England U21 defender Ryan Bennett to Norwich City.
Bit of a strange deal this one as it included an immediate loan back to
Peterborough until the end of February. Ferguson seemed somewhat put out
that Norwich took delivery of their new asset at the end of the loan period
and was heard muttering about some sort of "gentleman's agreement" that
Norwich were going to loan some other players as a result of the deal. This
seemed to come as some sort of surprise to the Canaries who denied that any
such agreement existed. Meanwhile the former Mrs Ferguson and Preston were
heard querying the use of the word "gentleman" whilst stifling a quiet
giggle at the fact that Ferguson had been stitched up by someone using the
loan system.
Bennett's departure has left them very short-handed at the back, with only
the Congolese Gabriel Zakuani and not Congolese Shaun Brisley in the squad
as recognised centre halves. Brisley is currently on loan from Macclesfield
with a view to a permanent deal in the summer and the lack of defensive
cover in the squad has meant that he has been playing on with a broken toe.
Yet another example of the fall from popularity of the word "metatarsal"
then.
The 'keeper is former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Joe Lewis. The 24
year old has been touted in some circles as a potential replacement for
Robert Green if/when Green ever leaves the Boleyn. He's already been
included in a couple of squads for the full England set-up though for both
the matches concerned he was an unused sub. He does have a number of U21
caps, one of which was gained in Sealey-esqe fashion when he came on as an
outfield player in a match against Azerbaijan.
There are a couple of ex-Hammers in the squad. Grant McCann is the club
captain and spent five years on the books from 1998-2003. Most of that time
he was out on loan and he only made four sub appearances for the first team.
There's a quiz question lurking somewhere in the fact that he's managed
play-off promotions with three different clubs (Cheltenham, Scunthorpe and
Posh) at three different stadiums (Millennium, Wembley and Old Trafford
respectively).
The other academy graduate in the squad is Daniel Kearns. Like McCann,
Kearns was born in Belfast. However, controversially, after gaining
representative honours for Northern Ireland at U19 level Kearns switched
allegiance to the Republic for whom he has subsequently been capped at U19,
U21 and U23 level. The Republic has had something of an aggressive
recruiting policy at age level in recent years, and the row between the IFA
and the FAI continues to fester, though the views of the Judean Popular
Front and the Popular Front of Judea have not as yet been canvassed.
There's an interesting character up front in the shape of scouser Paul
Taylor. He started off on the books of Man City after which things started
to go all silly. A spell with Vauxhall Motors saw him come to the attention
of Chester City in 2008. A six-month loan with a view to a permanent deal
was agreed. The loan lasted less than three months as Chester's failure to
pay his wages was cited as the reason for his missing a number of away
games. There was also the small matter of a positive drug test for cocaine
which saw the player given a six month ban.
So where next? The Belgian fifth division. Obviously. A few goals at some
outfit called Montegnee saw Anderlecht swoop but it wasn't long before they
loaned him out to strugglers Charleroi. That deal lasted about a month
before he got tired of the all-chip diet and signed an 18 month deal with
Posh. He's currently stalling on a new contract and Barry Fry claims that
there has been interest from the Premiership. Blackburn is one team that
have been mentioned. So that would be back to the all-chip diet then.
And so to us. Another day another draw then. Saturday was another one of
those days. Our forwards have got to pull their fingers out. Poor old
Carlton is currently operating with all the confidence of an acne-ridden
teenager asking out a supermodel at the moment and the system we're
operating isn't playing to the strengths of either Maynard or Baldock. We
created enough genuine chances to win two matches so it was galling that
defensive errors cost us the two points.
Injuries, Well Demel (detached tucktoo) is still out – but has been seen
training strongly and may be about in the next few weeks. Possibly. Diop is
still hamstrung. Faubert (groin)and Vaz Te face fitness tests though Reading
is probably a more realistic return for those two. Faye is said to have
recovered from the unspecified knock picked up in training last week and
should be in contention. Reid, however, is somewhat worryingly still dazed
and confused.
Prediction? Well if we win our next two (no, bear with me) the league table
will look a whole lot nicer. The fact that we created chances at Burnley was
a plus of sorts – and if we can keep doing so someone will get a walloping.
The problem is the longer we go on not winning the nervier we'll get. This
game will go a long way to defining the season for us. I'm therefore placing
the rest home painkiller budget (£2.50) on a 2-0 win to make Saturday just
that little bit more interesting.
Enjoy the game!
When last we met: Won 1-0 Mark Noble's winner came from the spot (obviously)
after Lansbury had been bundled over in the box. The manager later referred
to Abdoulaye Faye as "one cool dude". Nobody knows why.
Referee: Chris Sargison - first time for us. Much of his experience thus far
has been in Leagues one and two - this will be only his fifth match at this
level this season, though he was down to take charge of the original
fixture.
Danger Man: Grant McCann As an ex-Hammer he is automatically 23.96432% more
likely to get on the scoresheet than any of his colleagues according to my
Rosie 47 computer. He's also their joint second top scorer with 8 this
season.
Daft Fact Of The Week: Peterborough has been famous over the years for being
the centre of the British brick industry. The most famous brick to come from
Peterborough is the "Fletton Special" that starred in the Father Ted episode
"Speed 3". The brick, you will recall, was placed on the accelerator pedal
of a milk float to prevent it from slowing down below 4mph thus detonating a
bomb.
The brick retired from show business a few years ago following the emergence
of its acting prodigy, Keanu Reeves (though film critics maintain that
Reeves has never managed to convey the warmth and feeling to his roles for
which his mentor was famous). In retirement, the brick is a regular at
London Road where it watches home matches from an executive box constantly
moaning about how much better the defensive walls were "back in my day".
Stat man John: Northcutt's corner
Friendlies (all away)
Aug 1967 4-2 Hurst, Peters, Sissons 2
Aug 1973 2-1 Brooking Robson
Aug 1995 1-1 Cottee
Jul 2004 1-1 Dailly
Jul 2008 2-0 Bellamy 2
Jul 2010 2-1 Cole, Edgar
They Played For Both
Bobby Barnes, Matthew Etherington, Bill Green
Dave Llewellyn, Grant McCann, Adam Newton
Terry Woodgate
Bossing It
Our former captain Noel Cantwell had two spells as the Peterborough manager.
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Peterborough v West Ham preview
Last updated: 26th March 2012
SSN
Team news ahead of the Championship clash between Peterborough and West Ham
at London Road on Tuesday. Peterborough captain Grant McCann remains a
slight concern. McCann will have his troublesome calf checked again before
his place against one of his former clubs is confirmed. The midfielder was
also a doubt to face Barnsley at the weekend and came off after an hour of
the 1-0 defeat at Oakwell. Posh boss Darren Ferguson described that loss as
'inept' and 'unacceptable' and expects a response against the title-chasing
Hammers but he must decide whether to make changes or give those players
concerned a chance to redeem themselves.
Any changes would be the first in five matches. Defender Mark Little,
midfielder Daniel Kearns and strikers David Ball and Emile Sinclair are
among the options for Ferguson.
West Ham will check on Julien Faubert, Ricardo Vaz Te and Abdoulaye Faye.
Faubert has been out for four matches with a groin problem and fellow winger
Vaz Te has missed the last three due to a hamstring injury, but both are
close to returning. Centre-half Faye was a late withdrawal from the 2-2 draw
at Burnley after picking up a knock in training on Friday but the problem is
not serious and he could return. Winston Reid is still unavailable after
suffering concussion playing for New Zealand and fellow defender Guy Demel
remains sidelined with a thigh problem. Midfielder Papa Bouba Diop is also
recovering from a thigh injury and misses out again.
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Barnes in-demand
Midfielder set to leave on free at end of the season
By Graeme Bailey - Tweet me: @skygraemebailey. Last Updated: March
26, 2012 10:27am
SSN
A clutch of Premier League clubs are keeping close tabs on Doncaster
midfielder Giles Barnes, Sky Sports understands. The former England Under 21
international has rebuilt his career at the Keepmoat Stadium, starting over
20 games for Dean Saunders' side this term. Now, after proving his fitness
with Rovers, his form has been catching the eye, with Swansea and Everton
among the clubs who have sent scouts to watch Barnes in recent weeks, while
promotion chasers West Ham are also taking an interest. Barnes' displays
have also attracted interest from overseas, having nearly signed for Monaco
in August 2011, with Sampdoria and Lorient also tracking the former West
Bromwich and Derby man. The career of the promising midfielder, who was once
on Juventus' radar, has stalled in recent seasons due to a cruciate ligament
injury which kept him on the sidelines for 18 months. But Barnes finally
looks to be over his injury problems and has been a regular at the Keepmoat
Stadium this season. The 23-year-old's current deal with Doncaster expires
at the end of the season.
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Nolan wants change of luck
Hammers skipper targets wins over Peterborough and Reading
Last Updated: March 26, 2012 10:54am
SSN
West Ham United captain Kevin Nolan is targeting successive wins this week
in order to put the club's bid for promotion to the Premier League back on
track. The Hammers have drawn their last five Championship games to slip
down to third and four points adrift of second-placed Reading, However,
back-to-back victories over Peterborough United and Reading would lift West
Ham back into the automatic slots and Nolan is staying confident. "The lads
remain upbeat and there's still all to play for," said the midfielder after
Saturday's 2-2 draw at Burnley. "We knew this would be a tough season and
accept we should have won some of the games that have ended all-square. "Of
course we are disappointed we did not win this one. We started well but we
got punished for it. "The gaffer told us not to panic when we were 2-0 down.
He made a few tactical changes and told us to tighten up. "We need to change
our luck but if we win our next two games against Peterborough on Tuesday
and Reading at the weekend we could be in second place again by Saturday."
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Sam Allardyce: facts count. not opinions
23 March 2012
It was another home draw and more frustration the other night against
Middlesbrough. Perhaps that frustration showed a little when I was
interviewed by Sky's Andy 1 Burton afterwards but all I really said was that
we should have had two penalties — I knew what I was talking about. Matthew
Bates made a movement towards the ball, stopped it going into an empty net
and it doesn't matter how much or how little of the arm the ball has hit, as
long as some of it has been struck by the ball — and it had. Compare that
one with the penalty given against Michael Essien at Manchester City on
Wednesday night. The ball was going way over the crossbar and was a powerful
volley from less than five feet away. Decisions like that change games and
even help to decide titles. If City hadn't been given that penalty, in my
opinion, they wouldn't have won the game. They might have drawn but they
wouldn't have won.
Our other claim on Tuesday night was equally strong. Matt Taylor was clearly
caught by their goalkeeper but it wasn't highlighted and not many saw it. My
job is to see everything. When I am asked my opinion I give it from a
position of knowledge — and therefore strength. That is different from
people who have an opinion often affected by the desire to say the things
that others, say TV viewers, want to hear.
My opinion on Tuesday night and at other times is based on information from
officials on how they want their referees to operate. I remember that
information so that when I give an opinion or talk to referees, it has a
base, it's not plucked out of thin air. I don't have an agenda. Telling the
truth often hurts and if you're an open and honest person, telling the
truth, especially in football, can be detrimental to your career. I have
always been honest. At Bolton we achieved great results because we were
clever enough to prepare the team tactically to beat bigger opposition. But
the problem then was that opposition managers, either out of embarrassment
and as an excuse, would sometimes criticise how we played. That was picked
up by the media and no matter what I did or said after that, eventually it
became fact.
Against Middlesbrough the other night, we were accused of lumping the ball
up. We didn't, we comfortably out-passed them but once again, the long ball
thing was brought up. It annoys me but I can't let it get me down. As I'm
often saying, I don't live in the world of perception, I inhabit the world
of reality. For example, the perception on Tuesday night was that we didn't
play well — in reality, we did. We did everything other than finish with a
scoreline better than Middlesbrough's.
They didn't play better football than us and we made more passes, even
though the perception was different. That's what slightly annoyed me about
the TV interview afterwards. Middlesbrough didn't play lovely football but
they did employ a well-structured defensive game and then counter-attacked.
That is difficult to break down but we did and we had enough chances. Our
failure was not to confirm that advantage by scoring.
None of the teams who we've played recently have played better than us. Not
Crystal Palace, not Watford, not Doncaster, not Leeds and not Middlesbrough.
What we have failed to do is deliver the final product. The bottom line is
how many clean sheets can we keep and how many goals can we score? Our
defensive record remains solid but, at the moment, we're not scoring enough
goals. We can't cure those deficiencies by getting other players in, only by
the players we have scoring. We know the opposition will go the extra mile
when they play us. Leeds played so hard against us that, in their next game
against Nottingham Forest, the tank was empty. On Tuesday night
Middlesbrough celebrated as if they had won. It's nothing we didn't expect.
We have to face up to it and the players must be big enough to take it. If
we do under-perform, it has to be less than anyone else.
There has been criticism this season that we have loads of strikers yet I
play just one up front. My answer to that is that it is antiquated nonsense.
The reality is that I usually play three up, not one. When we change it and
play two up front and don't score, as has been the case, no one seems to
mention that. No one has more knowledge and data at this football club than
me. That's fact. It's not arrogance but it is self-confidence and there is
an important difference. I'm always learning, I never stop learning and
that's why I am confident. If I was arrogant I would be out of work now
because I would have stopped listening in the misapprehension that I was
already great. This approach can be misconstrued as self-praise yet when a
foreign coach comes here and says he is the 'Special One', the reaction is
very different. I do what I do for those players at West Ham. They are my
priority. They are 95 per cent of my life, the rest revolves around other
parts of the job and seeing the family. The one thing about football, about
life in general, is that if you don't get the basics right, you don't
succeed.
We had a young chap in recently to talk to the players. He was a soldier in
Afghanistan and lost the use of his arm after being shot. He emphasised
that, if they don't get their basics right out there, they could be dead.
One of the hardest jobs is to keep sight of the reality. It's an emotional
game and sometimes that results in people saying things they later regret.
We're all guilty of that. There's nothing to be negative about, though. Yes,
we're frustrated because, as I've said before, the players and me want to
win games more than anyone. It's our job, our responsibility.
Tevez shows that it's possible to forgive and forget
The return to action of Carlos Tevez created a bit of a stir this week and
he didn't take long to make an impact, playing a big part in Samir Nasri's
goal for Manchester City which was football of the highest quality. The
reception of the crowd at Etihad Stadium when Carlos came off the bench was
a little mixed according to those who were there, which is understandable.
In my experience, though, he could soon win over most of the rest of the
City supporters because, in football, it almost doesn't matter what you do,
they will forgive you if you help their team win. As a manager, there is
always some baggage somewhere. It's your job to do exactly what it says on
the tin and manage the situation. If the performance outweighs the baggage
you go with it but if it is the other way around, then you try and get rid
of the player.
Another little striker was also in the news this week when Lionel Messi
broke the Barcelona scoring record. Is he the best-ever player? He could
certainly be but the one query is at international level. Messi has never
performed in the same way for Argentina as he has for Barcelona. A big part
of that is the fact Argentina are not the team they were but until Messi
does it on the international stage he could still be compared unfavourably
with Pele, Maradona — and don't forget, George Best.
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Big Sam's big week
The Sun
By PAT SHEEHAN
Last Updated: 26th March 2012
SAM ALLARDYCE has admitted West Ham are entering a critical week that will
define their season. The West Ham manager takes his team to Burnley today
and catches up on the game in hand against Peterborough on Tuesday. He then
faces promotion rivals Reading next Saturday. Boss Allardyce has seen the
Hammers' bid to return to the Premier League at the first attempt falter
over the past month. And he insisted: "This could be the defining week,
we've got to try to get three wins on the trot. We've got to beat Reading.
"The hard bit is if we win the two, it's having enough energy to play
Reading. Let's hope I'm coping with the hard bit by beating Reading."
Hammers have stumbled as their strikers have dried up in front of goal and
in the last 14 games, they've scored 19 goals — only five of which have been
claimed by strikers. Carlton Cole has netted just once in 14, Nicky Maynard
one in seven, John Carew none in 12 and Sam Baldock none in 11. Allardyce
added: "It's not that the lads are not trying are or not good enough it's
just a spell that we've got to conquer and overcome as quickly as possible.
"We obviously need to score a few more goals from the chances we create,
particularly our front line, but we obviously need a bit of a rub of the
green. "Carlton's dealt with West Ham for a number of years, so he knows
better than me what it's all about, so he's well aware of the situation."
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Karren Brady's football diary
By KARREN BRADY
Last Updated: 26th March 2012
Saturday, March 17
The Sun
THAT Fabrice Muamba, such a wonderful example to all young footballers,
should collapse on the pitch at White Hart Lane hit me like a hammer blow. I
knew Fabrice at Birmingham well enough to appreciate his outstanding
qualities as a well-mannered, considerate and cheerful young man, the son of
a Congolese refugee. He was as full of grace to the dressing-room cleaners
as he was to his managers. And it was typical of him — but of no other
player I have ever met — that he gave me his first England Under-21 shirt as
a thank you to everyone behind the scenes. When Bolton chairman Phil
Gartside came on the phone to complete Fabrice's transfer to the Reebok
Stadium, I expressed similar opinions. "I can see you fluttering your eyes
from here," Phil laughed. So I stressed that what I was saying was true. It
will always be true. Fabrice is one of the best.
Sunday, March 18
HOW do you console a manager who has lost his first Football League job? My
husband Paul Peschisolido was sacked by Burton Albion yesterday after a bad
run and he is embarrassed as well as bereft. It's little consolation that he
left the League Two club in a better state than he found it, taking them
further in the FA Cup than ever. But he's a genuinely decent human being, my
husband, and I know how upset the players are. The truth is, though, at one
time or another every manager gets the bullet or just dodges it.
Monday, March 19
DIMITAR BERBATOV'S agent says the player is embarrassed about being paid
high wages when he plays so rarely. I doubt if Man United's fans even know
what hairstyle he now sports. Samson-like, when he cut his locks, the
striker mislaid his potency. I'm sorry for him but if the cash is burning a
hole in his pocket, he could hand a bundle to Sports Relief.
Tuesday, March 20
EXPECTATIONS among players and staff at West Ham are at least as high as
those of the fans. So a fifth straight draw is frustrating to us all. Not
that anyone in the management thought Championship promotion was going to be
a romp. Long experience told us that the battle was going to be fluctuating
and fraught. My consolation is that I've never seen a team work harder.
Wednesday, March 21
ROBERTO MANCINI puts an arm around Carlos Tevez's shoulder after he helps
Man City to beat Chelsea. But what about the man who has been missing even
longer than him, Fernando Torres? I guess neither hugs nor comfort have
worked for Torres, once the silkiest in the Prem — now about as dangerous as
a scarecrow. It's as big a mystery as his weird arm tattoos.
Thursday, March 22
A SCENE to be shown soon on EastEnders features a Peggy Mitchell-like woman
shouting 'Get out of my stadium' to one of the actors inside Upton Park. The
director's idea for the actress was... ME. Whether friends think I'm a bit
of an actress, I don't know. I'm not. I once appeared as a fairy and tripped
over my wand. So I say 'no' and offer the idea of Russell Brand in drag.
Friday, March 23
AT West Ham, our ambition to transform the Olympic Stadium into a
world-class football and athletics venue remains as keen as ever. Today,
I've committed the club to bid to become anchor concessionaire for a
60,000-capacity stadium in two years' time. We have a thrilling conception,
fulfilling the legacy pledges. It will break my heart if we don't win it for
the East End. We are, I like to think, a giant club in the making. Perhaps
with the stadium, one of the few capable of breaking into the Prem's top
five or six. They are the stakes.
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Big Sam: The title is Southampton's
The Sun
By JIM MUNRO
Published: 26th March 2012
WEST HAM boss Sam Allardyce says Southampton have the Championship title
sewn up. The Hammers face a trip to Peterborough on Tuesday before a home
game with second-place Reading on Saturday. And Big Sam says it's that
second automatic promotion spot that his team is fighting for. He said: "The
title's gone now. "I can't see Southampton losing three or four on the trot
for us to gain those points back. "We've made life a little easier for them
now. They must look back and say 'we never thought we would be this far
ahead at this stage' because we were always on their heels. "We've slipped
up and Reading are closer to them now than we are.
"They must be delighted this morning, the position they're in. "When we
played them when we drew 1-1 it was nip and tuck who was going to go for the
title. Since then we've slipped up and they haven't "Fair play to them,
they've been there all season. We've always been playing catch up. "It
looked like we were going to catch them at the right time but unfortunately
not."
As for that second automatic promotion spot, Allardyce says that his players
still have their destiny in their own hands. He said: "We've got to make a
difference, by the end of Saturday's game, to our season. "We need to get
two victories on the trot, which we're more than capable of the way we are
playing. "But we can't have any more excuses, we can't slip up any more.
"It's not over if we don't win the next two games, but if we can then we put
it back in our own hands "We know we're going above Reading if we win the
next two games. That takes us into the last six games of the season and we
see where we go from there. Allardyce also voiced his frustration at West
Ham dropping points by drawing the last six games on the bounce. He added:
"It's really sad at the moment. What we came through before we started
drawing all of these games was quite miraculous. "We got seven points out of
three games having had 10 men on the trot — winning two and drawing one, and
one of those was against the league leaders. "To hit this run of draws has
just been a cruel, cruel blow for us "We've had our best run of undefeated
games, 10. We're into double figures and we're all so miserable because
we've drawn seven and only won three." "So I think now we have to deliver
eight clean sheets. If we can deliver eight clean sheets we'll go up
automatically."
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We can't win the title admits Hammers' Allardyce
Published 22:29 26/03/12 By Mike Walters
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce is going back to the drawing board after admitting West Ham
have blown their chances of winning the Championship title. Big Sam is now
sweating on automatic promotion – and the Eastenders' boss will discover at
London Road on Tuesday whether Posh spice will be too hot for his bland of
brothers. Defeat at Peterborough would take West Ham's bid to finish in the
top two out of their hands for the first time. And with fans increasingly
concerned that he has sacrificed flair for pragmatism, a downbeat Allardyce
conceded the title, admitting: "I think that's gone now. I can't see
Southampton losing three or four on the trot for us to make up those
points. "We've slipped up, they haven't and credit to them because they have
been there all season. "If we deliver eight clean sheets in our last eight
games, I think we'll go up automatically – but we've had seven draws and
three wins in our last 10 games when it should have been the other way
round. "It's costing us dear, but we are still in with a shout if we turn
the draws into victories. "If I get a performance like the one at Burnley,
I'm sure we can win at Peterborough. Then we play Reading on Saturday, and
that's our chance to get back into second spot. "But if we really want to
get in among the automatic promotion side of it, we have to beat
Peterborough – it's just sad that we can't go there on the crest of a wave
after taking the three points we deserved."
The Hammers dug themselves out of a 2-0 hole at Turf Moor last Saturday
after former England striker Carlton Cole was hauled off at the interval.
Allardyce expected Cole to lead the Championship goalscoring charts, along
with Saints' 28-goal hitman Rickie Lambert, this season. But Cole has
managed only nine goals, and Allardyce admitted his strike rate had been a
major disappointment. "It has been a real gut-wrencher," he said, "and none
more so than for Carlton and the rest of the strikers, because it is their
responsibility to put the ball in the net."
Skipper Kevin Nolan insists the Hammers can still return to the Premier
League without having to survive the play-offs lottery. "The plan is still
to be back in the top two by 5pm on Saturday," he said. "but we know it's
going to be tough at Peterborough - they beat Reading the other week and
they play good attacking football."
Meanwhile, Posh maager Darren Ferguson has warned his players they could be
playing for their futures after blasting their "inept" 1-0 defeat at
Barnsley. Ferguson scowled: "The players owe us a performance. They will be
hurting and there will be a reaction - at least there had better be, or any
decisions I have to make in the summer will be very easy."
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Sam Allardyce urges West Ham to find killer instinct
Evening Standard
27 March 2012
Sam Allardyce has urged West Ham to find the killer instinct needed to boost
their hopes of automatic promotion from the npower Championship. The Hammers
face Peterborough tonight unbeaten in 10 games, but having won only three of
those and slipped to third place, four points behind this Saturday's
opponents Reading. And manager Allardyce knows one point has to start
becoming three if his side are to avoid the play-offs and ensure their
top-flight status. "We've had seven draws and three victories out of 10 but
it should be the other way round," he told the club website. "It's costing
us dear but we're still in with a shout with eight massive games to go so
let's turn the draws back into victories. "It's a big game as it's our game
in hand and then after that it's Reading, so if we really want to get
automatic promotion we've got to beat Peterborough. If we beat Reading (as
well) we know we go back to second spot. "It's sad we can't go there on the
crest of a wave after getting the three points we deserved (against Burnley
on Saturday). We should have won 4-2 or 5-2 or 6-3."
Another team currently dwelling in the play-off positions, Middlesbrough,
make the lengthy trip to Ipswich with midfielder Malaury Martin hoping for
an overdue first league start for the club. The Frenchman earned his side a
point against Bristol City on Saturday when, for the third time this season,
he scored after stepping off the bench. But he is keen to avoid the
"super-sub" tag and told the Northern Echo: "It's disappointing that I have
not been able to get more time on the pitch this season, but I hope that my
performance in the second half has given me a better chance of staying in
the team."
The draw with the Robins left Boro winless in four, but they remain fifth
and Martin added: "There are not many teams who are winning a lot of matches
in a row. It is a very close league and we are still in the play-off
positions."
At the other end of the table, bottom two Portsmouth and Doncaster are in
action against Hull and Crystal Palace respectively, with Pompey boss
Michael Appleton warning this week's home games against the Tigers and
Burnley will shape his side's hopes. "We've got very good form at home, but
we've only got eight games left and we're at the stage where we need to
start picking up the points," he told the club website. Nottingham Forest,
four points outside the bottom three, travel to Leicester in tonight's other
game.
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Championship Previews: Hammers to grab overdue win
Championship / Andrew French / 27 March 2012 / Leave a Comment
Betfair.com
"The Hammers have still found the net in each of their last eight away
games, and in this fixture will face the team with the next-to-worst home
defensive record in the division." After five home draws in a row and seven
draws from their last 10 games it's been a frustrating time for West Ham,
but Andrew French believes they are an excellent price to beat out-of-form
Peterborough in midweek.
Peterborough v West Ham, KO: Tuesday 19:45, Match Odds: Peterborough 3.9,
West Ham 2.06, The Draw 3.8
I'm a massive believer in digging out current form, short-term trends and
recent results when looking for bets in the all-too-unpredictable world of
the Championship.
But with this one I am shifting slightly, simply because even allowing for
their indifferent recent form, the Hammers should be able to win this. If
they don't, then their game in hand is spent and they will be at least a win
behind the top two. And let's be honest, even though their recent form is no
wins in five attempts, this is a West Ham side that has not lost in 10
league games, dating back to January 31.
The fact they have drawn seven and only won three of them is the reason why
we can back a team arguably stronger than any in this division at 2.06 to
win at a side that was playing League One last season and has itself only
won three in 15.
Despite having more strikers on the books than on your average picket line,
Hammers' boss Sam Allardyce bemoans the fact his side are failing to their
chances and kill opponents off. Yet the Hammers have still found the net in
each of their last eight away games, and in this fixture will face the team
with the next-to-worst home defensive record in the division.
Peterborough have conceded a goal in all but two of their 18 league games at
London Road, and they have a poor record against teams in the top four,
losing five of the six they have played so far. Equally telling in the fact
that the Hammers have won 10 of 13 so far against teams in the bottom third
of the table. At the price available, you have to back the away win.
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West Ham Join Race to Sign Exciting Doncaster Midfielder
Sportsvibe.co.uk
Doncaster midfielder Giles Barnes could have his pick of clubs at the end of
the season with a number of teams interested in signing the former England
Under-21 international. Barnes was once considered to be a bright prospect
after earning rave reviews at Derby County, but his career was somewhat
halted by a number of injuries that set him back. Derby felt that he would
follow in the footsteps of Tom Huddlestone and join a big Premier League
side but a cruciate injury stalled his progress and he has since had spells
at West Brom and now Doncaster. The 23-year-old has shown glimpses of the
form that made so many people talk about him and it now seems he is being
tracked by the likes of Everton and Swansea. According to the Daily Mail,
fellow Championship side West ham are also hoping to sign the midfielder but
much will depend on whether the Hammers are able to gain promotion to the
Premier League. Barnes is out of contract at the end of the season and the
fact that he will be available on a free transfer makes him an even more
appealing prospect. The midfielder has made 25 league appearances this
season and seems to have overcome the injuries that have somewhat halted his
career.
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Claret & Blue View: West Ham need more goals from their forward line
London 24
Ben Surdeau, London24 West Ham blogger
Monday, March 26, 2012
12:37 PM
Well it's safe to say that it really is time now to start winning games if
we're serious about securing automatic promotion. We certainly didn't help
ourselves with two mistakes in defence in the first half that were punished
by a Burnley side who, in truth, were flattered by the half-time score line.
Given our manager's penchant for lambasting officials when decisions go
against us, I'm astounded that so little was made of the referee's decision
to disallow Nolan's header in the first half. I don't approve of placing the
blame on others and it was good to see that Big Sam wasn't making excuses
but if there was an offence in the penalty area then I don't know anybody
who saw it.
The half time score line forced the manager's hand and to a certain extent
it paid off. On came Baldock and Maynard for Cole and Taylor. We certainly
created plenty of chances but in the end it was Nolan and Tomkins who scored
the two goals. Our forward players have now scored less than a quarter of
our goals this year. This statistic needs to change starting at Peterborough
on Tuesday night.
On Friday we were greeted with the news that we would again bid for the
Olympic Stadium. It's difficult to say what the general consensus is amongst
the West Ham faithful – the subject is so complicated that it may be that
there isn't a general consensus.
Personally, I think we should do everything we can to secure the stadium. As
much as I would miss the Boleyn I believe in ambition; something which our
current infrastructure limits. I would caveat this by saying that the
stadium would have to be converted properly to cater for football. The seats
would have to be as close to the pitch as they are at the Boleyn, it has to
be branded as a West Ham stadium, it needs to feel like home and we
shouldn't be sharing the stadium for any period of the football season. If
these conditions can be met then we would be foolish not to go for the
stadium and exploit the increased opportunity such a stadium would provide.
I understand the misgivings of some fans who don't want to see us leave our
current home, and I don't think there is a single West Ham fan who wouldn't
be sad to leave. Currently I can't see that redeveloping the East Stand or
building a new stadium from scratch are viable options so is there going to
be better opportunity to get a brand new 60,000 seat stadium? The compromise
comes in that we'll only be leaseholders (not dis-similar to Manchester
City's arrangement) and we will have to have a seating system to allow the
running track to be used during the summer. Personally I see these as
concessions worth making.
More pressingly however, we need to strive to get out of this league to
ensure that if we do move to Stratford, we're offering people the chance to
watch Premier League football in a world class stadium. There's no more room
for slip ups, nothing less than six points from the next two games will do.
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Gotta make it
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 26th March 2012
By: Willis Jamieson
KUMB.com is delighted to welcome Willis Jamieson - who at just 11 years of
age is without doubt the youngest member to join our contributory team - to
the KUMB family. For Willis' first article, he set off to Little Heath in
order to interview one of Tony Carr's rising stars...
West Ham United has been known as the Academy of Football for nearly 50
years. It has produced many talented footballers who have gone on to enjoy
successful careers at both club and international level. World Cup winners
Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters all started their careers at West
Ham and since then, through the last five decades, the Academy has continued
to produce many more. This season we have already seen first team debuts for
Dan Potts and Rob Hall. Trying to add his name to an impressive list is
Blair Turgott who, at just 17 years of age, has already signed a
professional contract with the club.
I caught up with Blair recently to find out a bit more on one of our most
promising youth prospects - and get his thoughts on the Academy...
WJ: Tell us a bit about yourself before joining The Academy?
BT: My Dad (Bob) runs a football team in South London where I grew up and at
about six years old, myself and some lads got together and played for him.
We got quite good and so entered a league, then when I was nine I got a
trial at West Ham.
WJ: Were any other clubs interested in you at that time?
BT: Yes, most of the other London clubs were interested in me, Charlton and
other South London clubs wanted me and I was close to signing for Arsenal.
WJ: How did it feel having big clubs interested in you and why did you
choose West Ham?
BT: It was brilliant, but especially having West Ham interested because they
are known for their Academy. When I heard they wanted me I knew that's where
I wanted to be. My brother had been here a few years ago so I knew it was a
good place to be.
WJ: Did you know the scout was watching you? How does that work?
BT: No not really, a couple of times a scout would come up to my dad or the
manager after a game and give him his business card and say I'm interested
in this player, or that player. I remember once there was a big cup final
game between us and our closest rivals and we knew that a lot of clubs would
have been watching, so although I was quite nervous when you're so young you
just concentrate on enjoying the football. From that team about six or seven
players went on to sign for league clubs, including me and Lamar Hurley here
at West Ham.
WJ: Describe an average day at the Academy?
BT: We come here to Little Heath in the morning and have certain jobs that
have to be done, only once the jobs are done do we start training. After
morning training we come back in and change before heading over to Chadwell
Heath to have lunch and in the afternoon either do another training session
or a gym session.
WJ: Do you get to mix with the first team and manager at all?
BT: Yes, quite a lot actually. On a Friday we have a 11 v 11 game with the
first team starting 11 for the next match against the under 18s. We are
asked to watch videos of the opposition and then line up and play as we
expect them to. So for instance, when we played Leeds I was asked to play
the role [Robert] Snodgrass would play, hopefully it gives the first [team]
an idea on what to expect and we get to learn from the first team - plus it
means Mr Allardyce gets a good look at us too.
WJ: I've seen you play right midfield, left midfield and striker; where do
you think is your best position?
BT: Probably right midfield, but I also like to play the number 10 free role
just off the striker where you're not too restricted and can get involved
with play more.
WJ: Who is the best player you have played against?
BT: Really hard question because there is a lot of talent around at youth
level. When I was 15 I was playing for the under 16s and came up against
Josh McEachran; he was really good.
WJ: You made your England debut in 2009 against Northern Ireland; explain
how that felt?
BT: Ah it was just amazing! There was a camp before where we did light
training and got the squad together. The night before we all sat down and
there was a Powerpoint presentation of who is in the team and how and where
we are going to play. When I found out I was playing I was just buzzing, had
butterflies the lot. Pulling on the England shirt, walking out [down] the
tunnel and singing along with the National Anthem was one of the best
experiences ever. Sadly I'm too old for the under 17s for the Euros this
year but I aim to push into the under 19s squad for next year.
WJ: How would you like to see your career progress?
BT: I just want to keep playing football, keep doing well and hopefully
break into the West Ham first team. When I first started out I just wanted
to do the best I could, now when I'm around a big club and big players I
want to fulfil my potential - and of course, the dream is to play in the
Premier League.
WJ: Do you think you are good enough for the first team now?
BT: I still need to strengthen up my frame, playing against men I know I
need to work on getting a bit stronger. Technically I might be in with a
shout but I just need to work hard and be patient and whether I'm in youths,
reserves or the first team. Just work hard and be the best I can.
WJ: Lots of the youths seem to go out on loan, is that something you'd be
happy doing?
BT: It's something I would consider, of course. I need to concentrate on
doing well for the development squad next year and then if clubs see me and
want to take me on load I'd consider it then. Getting first team experience
is needed, it's all very well doing good with the reserves but that three
o'clock kick-off in front of lots of fans is different. Going out on loan
can give you that experience.
WJ: What other players should we be looking out for from the Academy?
BT: As a group we have some very good players, it would be unfair to mention
just one or two as there are quite a few who have a good future. We've
already seen Rob Hall and Dan Potts get their debuts this year but I really
think that in the next year we could see a few more.
WJ: Is there more or less of a chance of that happening should we get
promoted?
BT: It's hard because [if and] when we get in the Premier League the aim
will be to stay there so a manager could be tempted to go and buy
experienced players. But if as a reserve player you're doing well in the
Development Squad or out on loan then there is no reason you wouldn't be in
with a shout.
WJ: @blairturgott is your Twitter name, you seem to enjoy it on there; why
should people follow you?
BT: Ha yeah I enjoy it, I like the banter. I speak my mind and don't take
myself too seriously. It's good to be able to go somewhere and be able to
speak your mind.
WJ: Thanks very much for taking the time to chat. When you get your first
team debut maybe I can interview you again?
BT: Nice one little man, yeah I'd like that. Thank you, it's been good.
I would like to thank Blair again for chatting to me in my first (hopefully
of many) interview with the youth team. Blair will be starting the second
year of his professional contract next year and will be moving on to the
reserve team/development squad. We wish him well and look forward to seeing
him progress into the first team.
You can keep up to date with him on Twitter @blairturgott or with the whole
of the youth team by following me on Twitter @WillisJamieson or here on
KUMB.com.
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