WHUFC.com
Blair Turgott scored twice as a young Hammers side were beaten 4-3 at
Victoria Road
27.03.2012
West Ham United's Development Squad were edged out at Dagenham and Redbridge
on Tuesday afternoon, going down to a narrow 4-3 defeat. In a game littered
with chances, West Ham were boosted by two spectacular goals from Blair
Turgott (pictured), but coach Ian Hendon was left disappointed as defensive
errors saw his team beaten by the odd goal in seven at Victoria Road. Hendon
told whufc.com he was disappointed with the avoidable nature of the Daggers'
goals, two of which came from direct free-kicks from Dominic Green.
"Defensively we were poor today. We consistently gave away free-kicks in
dangerous areas. Their player has bent a great free-kick in and two minutes
later we've given away another one in the same area and he's scored again,"
said the coach. "They are young kids looking to learn but they were
schoolboy mistakes. The lads should've learnt from the first free-kick not
to give away silly fouls but they didn't. We scored two great goals through
Blair but let ourselves down by giving away free-kicks in silly areas"
A goalless first half gave way to an action-packed second period during
which the visitors were the first to strike. In the 64th minute, winger
Turgott picked up the ball on the right-hand side and slammed a fantastic
20-yard effort past goalkeeper Dave Hogan and into the top corner. It was a
fantastic strike by the youngster and it saw the game open up with six more
goals coming in the remaining 25 minutes. Dagenham replied within minutes of
West Ham taking the lead. Pelly Ruddock gave away a free-kick on the right
side of the box and Daggers striker Dominic Green struck the ball expertly
over the wall and into the bottom right-hand corner. Dagenham then took the
lead with what was almost a carbon copy of their equaliser. The Hammers gave
away a free-kick on the edge of their own penalty area and again Green
stepped up to place the ball in the same corner of the goal. However the
Hammers didn't give up and continued to push forward with Elliot Lee making
good runs up top supported by Ravel Morrison and Turgott. They got their
reward when, in the 81st minute, a Dagenham player handled in the area and
Lee stepped up to level score from the spot. The Daggers were not to be
denied however, and went back in front moments later through Josh Scott. The
hosts then made it 4-2 when some nice inter-play between Brian Woodhall and
Scott ended with the latter slamming the ball home from 20 yards for his
second of the game. There was still time for West Ham to hit the net again,
with Turgott firing in another long-range special. The England Under-18
international picked the ball up 30 yards out, expertly flicked it past his
marker and hit a powerful drive into the top corner. However, it was too
little, too late to prevent the Daggers from registering a victory.
West Ham United: Baxter, Driver (Young 86), Fanimo, Ruddock (Powell 76),
Wearen, K.Lee, Turgott, Lletget (Sadlier 76), E.Lee, Morrison, Vose (Miles
76)
Goals: Turgott (2), E.Lee (1)
Subs not used: Guzman, Shaw
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Peterborough 0 West Ham 2
Vaz Te 51′ O'Neil 57′ 90 +5
HT 0-0
27 March 2012
Last updated at 23:08
BBC.co.uk
Ricardo Vaz Te and Gary O'Neil both scored to help strengthen West Ham's
automatic promotion hopes. Vaz Te broke the deadlock after a goalless first
half at London Road when he headed home a Matt Taylor cross. O'Neil's
curling effort from 25 yards sealed an 11th away win for Sam Allardyce's
side. West Ham move one point behind second-placed Reading with seven games
remaining, while Peterborough have lost five of their last seven. The home
side started brightly with Paul Taylor's powerful shot rattling the bar.
West Ham's 11 away wins
13 Aug: Doncaster 1-0
16 Aug: Watford 4-0
28 Aug: Nottingham Forest 4-1
24 Oct: Brighton 1-0
05 Nov : Hull 2-0
19 Nov: Coventry 2-1
29 Nov: Middlesbrough 2-0
14 Jan: Portsmouth 1-0
21 Feb: Blackpool 4-1
04 Mar: Cardiff 2-0
27 Mar: Peterborough 2-0
West Ham struggled for long periods, but were much sharper after the
interval, and they took the lead in the 52nd minute when Vaz Te connected
with Taylor's cross. It went from bad to worse for Peterborough six minutes
later. Former Middlesbrough player O'Neil decided to try his luck from 25
yards and, to the delight of West Ham's 5,000 travelling fans, the ball flew
past Paul Jones into the net. West Ham were denied a third when Kevin Nolan
hit the woodwork before Peterborough's Lee Frecklington was frustrated by an
excellent Rob Green save. However, the visitors finished strongly with
Nolan, Carlton Cole, George McCartney and Vaz Te all going close.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce on fans' chants criticising their style of
play: "The perception of some people is deluded as the facts about my teams
clearly speak for themselves. "It is a tag that has followed me around for a
long time and one I'm never going to be able to shift. I can't do anything
about that but I can win football matches. "We have had to overcome home
teams playing with a lot of energy in front of full houses throughout this
season. We did it again here and once we got the goals, we out-passed and
outplayed Peterborough. "It was a good performance, although not as good as
at Burnley on Saturday. We only drew that game though so everyone was
miserable whereas they will be happy tonight."
Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson: "We paid the price for not scoring
when we were having the better of the game. If George [Boyd] had taken that
chance right on the stroke of half-time, I feel sure we would have gone on
to win. "We should have had a penalty just before that and I feel sure it
would have been given had it happened in the other area, but the really
disappointing thing was the way in which we reacted to going behind. "Too
many players went into their shells and you can't afford to do that against
any team, let alone one aiming to return to the Premier League."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Peterborough Utd 0 West Ham Utd 2
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 27th March 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are right back in the hunt for automatic promotion after a
quick-fire double from Ricardo Vaz Te and Gary O'Neil secured all three
points against Peterborough tonight. Despite riding their luck at times in
the first half the Hammers moved to within a point of second-placed Reading
- who visit the Boleyn this weekend - with a thoroughly deserved win at
London Road. And much of the credit for that must go to manager Sam
Allardyce, who got his tactics absolutely right on the night despite being
taunted by a section of the travelling support during the first half. Having
survived a couple of major scares in the opening 45 minutes the Hammers -
who were once again booed off by some at half time - looked a different side
after the break and could have won by an ever greater margin had they made
the most of their numerous opportunities.
As it was they had to settle for a 2-0 win - West Ham's first victory since
winning by the same scoreline at Cardiff last month - and a record-equalling
ELEVENTH away win of the campaign. Peterborough - whose manager Darren
Ferguson and captain Grant McCann insisted ahead of the game that they would
push West Ham all the way - twice went close to breaking the deadlock in a
first half from which West Ham produced virtually nothing. Paul Taylor was
unlucky not to score from a 10th minute chance that drew a fantastic save
from Rob Green, tipping Taylor's shot onto his crossbar - whilst James
Tomkins was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time to
clear a George Boyd effort off the line in first half injury time.
But the second half was a different story entirely as the Hammers enjoyed
near total domination. Allardyce, having seen his team just about maintain a
clean sheet until the break introduced the more attacking Julian Faubert for
the second period - and the Frenchman played an influential role in West
Ham's more attacking outlook. It took just seven minutes for the Hammers to
reap the reward for their inventive approach as Ricardo Vaz Te offered a
glimpse of exactly what the Hammers have been missing during his recent
enforced absence. Matt Taylor's deep cross was perfect for the Portuguese
winger who nodded home the opening goal with a thumping header to the
delight of the 5,000-strong travelling contingent, who almost equalled the
home fans in number.
As was the case at Burnley last weekend, it was two goals within a short
period of time that turned the game on its head - although the second
tonight came from the most unlikely of sources. Gary O'Neil, whose recent
inclusion in first team affairs had been questioned in some quarters picked
up the ball some 35 yards from goal before driving forward and unleashing an
unstoppable drive into goalkeeper Paul Jones' left-hand corner to put the
game beyond a shell-shocked Peterborough side.
Kevin Nolan could have added a third for West Ham just a few minutes later
when his cheeky effort completely bamboozled 'keeper Jones before cannoning
off the crossbar - whilst Carlton Cole, desperately in need of a goal
spurned a couple of decent opportunities towards the end to make the winning
margin even more emphatic.
But Sam Allardyce will no doubt be absolutely delighted with the two-goal
margin and three points that set his side up nicely for what promises to be
a real humdinger against the Royals at the Boleyn Ground this Saturday
afternoon.
Peterborough 0 West Ham Utd 2: match facts
West Ham Utd: Green, O'Brien (Faubert 46), Tomkins, Faye (Collins 46),
McCartney, Noble, Nolan, O'Neil (Maynard 88), Vaz Te, Taylor, Cole.
Subs not used: Baldock, Carew.
Goals: Vaz Te (51), O'Neil (57).
Shots on/off target: 10/8 (18).
Peterborough Utd: Jones, Zakuani (Little 62), Tomlin (Sinclair 62), Boyd,
McCann, Rowe, Bennett, Brisley, Frecklington (Kearns 88), Taylor, Alcock.
Subs not used: Lewis, Ball.
Booked: Sinclair (71).
Shots on/off target: 7/5 (12).
Possession: Peterborough Utd 34%; West Ham Utd 66%.
Referee: Christopher Sarginson.
Assistants: Matt Foley and Danny Gratton.
Fourth Official: John Farries.
Attendance: 13,517.
Did You Know? West Ham have now played Peterborough four times in
competitive fixtures - and won every match.
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You don't know what you're doing
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 27th March 2012
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce's factious relationship with the club's fan base hit a new low
tonight after he called opponents of his footballing philosophy 'deluded'.
Allardyce led his team to a 2-0 win over Peterborough United at London Road
tonight, yet faced criticism from travelling supporters disappointed with
his team's playing style during the first half of the match. The large
contingent of West Ham fans sang "we're West Ham United, we play on the
floor" in response to a disappointing first half performance from which
United were lucky to escape on level terms after Posh hit the crossbar and
had another shot cleared off the line. But Allardyce, speaking after the
game hit back at his detractors - accusing them of being both 'deluded' and
inconsistent. "The perception of some people is deluded as [are] the facts
about my teams," he said. "It is a tag that has followed me around for a
long time and one I'm never going to be able to shift. "I can't do anything
about that, but I can win football matches. "We've had to overcome home
teams playing with a lot of energy in front of full houses throughout this
season. We did it again here and once we got the goals, we out-passed and
out-played Peterborough. "It was a good performance, although not as good as
at Burnley on Saturday. We only drew that game though so everyone was
miserable, whereas they will be happy tonight."
Allardyce was once again forced to endure chants of "Paolo Di Canio" in the
opening 45 minutes from the several thousand-strong travelling contingent,
whilst some boos were heard as the half ended (although it has been
suggested these came from home supporters angry at referee Christopher
Sarginson's failure to award a penalty). However the mood in the away stand
was one of jubilation by the end of the match after West Ham completely
dominated the second half having produced some of their best football of the
season. Tonight's victory was West Ham's 11th away win of the current
campaign, thereby equalling a record first set in the 1922/23 season some 80
years ago.
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The dirty dozen
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 27th March 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham need one more win away from home to beat the club record number of
away wins after equalling the previous best with tonight's 2-0 win at
Peterborough.
Sam Allardyce's side have now won ELEVEN times away from home this season -
a figure achieved twice before in the 1922/23 and 1957/58 seasons - both of
which ended with the Hammers being promoted to the top flight. However they
have already gone one better this term by reaching the historic total in
just 39 games. In 1922/23 United's 11th away win came in the penultimate
game of the 42-match season - whilst that record was only equalled in the
final game of the (42 game) 1957/58 campaign. The 2011/12 team now have
three remaining away fixtures in which to beat the 80-year-old record,
starting at Barnsley on 6th April. West Ham's final two away fixtures take
place at Bristol City (17th April) and Leicester City (21st April).
Hard to beat: How the 2011/12 squad beat the record
2011
13th August: Doncaster 0-1 West Ham Utd (match 2)
16th August: Watford 0-4 West Ham Utd (match 3)
28th August: Nottingham Forest 1-4 West Ham Utd (match 5)
24th October: Brighton & Hove Albion 0-1 West Ham Utd (match 13)
5th November: Hull CIty 0-2 West Ham Utd (match 16)
19th November: Coventry City 1-2 West Ham Utd (match 17)
29th November Middlesbrough 0-2 West Ham Utd (match 19)
2012
14th January: Portsmouth 0-1 West Ham Utd (match 26)
21st February: Blackpool 1-4 West Ham Utd (match 31)
4th March: Cardiff City 0-2 West Ham Utd (match 33)
27th March: Peterborough 0-2 West Ham Utd (match 39)
Previous best: the 1922/23 season
1922
2nd September: Bradford City 0-1 West Ham Utd (match 3)
25th November: Clapton Orient 0-2 West Ham Utd (match 16)
16th December: Wolves 1-4 West Ham Utd (match 19)
25th December: Manchester Utd 1-2 West Ham Utd (match 21)
30th December: Coventry City 1-3 West Ham Utd (match 23)
1923
20th January: Port Vale 1-3 West Ham Utd (match 25)
15th February: Leicester City 0-6 West Ham Utd (match 28)
31st March: Crystal Palace 1-5 West Ham Utd (match 33)
2nd April: Bury 2-5 West Ham Utd (match 34)
14th April: Fulham 0-2 West Ham Utd (match 37)
30th April: Sheffield Weds 0-2 West Ham Utd (match 41)
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Allardyce defends tactics
Hammers defiant after 2-0 win over Posh; Ferguson frustrated
Last Updated: March 27, 2012 11:20pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce hit back at critics of West Ham's style of play after
Tuesday's 2-0 victory over Peterborough, while Darren Ferguson bemoaned
missed chances. Two goals in the space of six second-half minutes from
Ricardo Vaz Te and Gary O'Neil settled the contest at London Road as the
Hammers closed to within a point of promotion rivals Reading ahead of a
mouth-watering Saturday meeting between the two teams. But the 2-0 win was
marred by negative chants about Allardyce'sperceived direct style of play
which rung out from the visiting supporters. Allardyce said: "The perception
of some people is deluded as the facts about my teams clearly speak for
themselves. "It is a tag that has followed me around for a long time and one
I'm never going to be able to shift. I can't do anything about that but I
can win football matches. "We have had to overcome home teams playing with a
lot of energy in front of full houses throughout this season. We did it
again here and once we got the goals, we out-passed and outplayed
Peterborough. "It was a good performance, although not as good as at Burnley
on Saturday. We only drew that game though so everyone was miserable whereas
they will be happy tonight."
Ferguson reaction
Posh boss Ferguson was adamant his team should have had a penalty when Tommy
Rowe went down in the box, while George Boyd was also denied by a stunning
block from Hammers defender James Tomkins seconds before the break with the
goal at his mercy. Ferguson said: "We paid the price for not scoring when we
were having the better of the game. If George had taken that chance right on
the stroke of half-time, I feel sure we would have gone on to win. "We
should have had a penalty just before that and I feel sure it would have
been given had it happened in the other area, but the really disappointing
thing was the way in which we reacted to going behind. "Too many players
went into their shells and you can't afford to do that against any team, let
alone one aiming to return to the Premier League."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Win puts Hammers back on track
Last updated: 27th March 2012
SSN
Second-half goals from Ricardo Vaz Te and Gary O'Neil helped West Ham return
to winning ways with a 2-0 win at Peterborough on Tuesday evening. Despite
heading into the game - which was postponed due to weather on February 11 -
unbeaten in 10 matches in the npower Championship, the Hammers had drawn
their last five, equalling a club record. But two goals in the space of six
minutes early in the second half put the Hammers in control as they moved to
within one point of second-placed Reading with their 11th away win of the
season. They took the lead in the 51st minute when Vaz Te headed home a Matt
Taylor delivery and then O'Neil doubled his side's advantage with a
brilliant curling effort from 25 yards, his second goal for the club. Kevin
Nolan also hit the bar for the Hammers while Peterborough - who hit the
woodwork in the early stages - failed to mount a fightback as they lost for
the fifth time in seven matches. Peterborough went straight on to the
offensive from the kick-off and Lee Tomlin fired in a bobbling shot from 18
yards which Hammers keeper Robert Green comfortably collected. The home side
went even closer in the 10th minute. Paul Taylor cut inside from the left
and curled an excellent shot against the crossbar, with Lee Frecklington's
weak follow-up saved by Green.
West Ham struggled to get going in the opening 15 minutes but produced their
first effort at goal moments later when Vaz Te's strike from range, which
was heading for the bottom corner, was saved by Posh keeper Paul Jones.
Peterborough continued to pass the ball around neatly and another patient
move resulted in Taylor having another pop at goal this time failing to test
Green from 25 yards. West Ham started to get on top and had a good spell of
pressure. Taylor lofted a shot over the bar before doing likewise with
another effort after jinking his way past a couple of defenders and into the
box. The Hammers then had a huge let-off in the closing stages of the first
half. A swift Peterborough counter-attack saw George Boyd take the ball down
on his chest and volley towards goal but a brilliant block by James Tomkins
prevented him from opening the scoring. Boss Sam Allardyce would have been
looking for the away side to up the ante in the second half and that is
exactly what they did as Vaz Te headed Taylor's cross back across goal and
inside the far post six minutes after the restart. Kevin Nolan then flashed
a shot just wide and things got even better six minutes later when O'Neil
produced a fine curling effort into the corner past Jones. Green produced a
stunning save to deny Frecklington and the Hammers nearly added a third in
the 67th minute but Nolan's effort hit the bar.
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Peterborough 0-2 West Ham: Allardyce Hammers "deluded" fans
Published 21:46 27/03/12 By Neil McLeman
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce labelled critical West Ham fans as "deluded" after his side
recorded a record 11th away win of the season. Second-half goals from
Ricardo Vaz Te and Gary O'Neil lifted the Hammers to within one point of
second-placed Reading, who visit Upton Park on Saturday. But during a first
half dominated by Peterborough, the 5,000 travelling fans sang the name of
former favourite Paolo Di Canio and "We're West Ham United, we play on the
floor". The repeated chants were aimed at Allardyce's direct style of
football. And after extending his side's unbeaten run to 11 matches at a
crucial time of the season, Allardyce looked genuinely upset to be forced to
defend his record - and insisted he would not change his approach. "I'm
sick of all that rubbish - it just keeps rearing its head," he said. "For
me, I look at the facts and the facts are that we outplayed, outpassed all
the other six teams we have played recently. "The facts speak for
themselves and the perception of people that it is anything other than that
are deluded. "It started off from other managers years ago who were jealous
I kept beating them. Whoever says we play that way are deluded because we
don't. They get frustrated and want to sing something. "Let's face it, it
has followed me around for a long time. I can't get away from the tag and
that's life. "It's there and I've just got to carry on. I personally
don't let it affect me. I know how to win football matches and I know
what's good for West Ham."
Paul Taylor hit the bar after 10 minutes and in first-half injury time, Posh
claimed a penalty when Gary O'Neil brought down Tommy Rowe before James
Tomkins made a goal-line block from George Boyd. But Vaz Te, who scored and
won for his former club Barnsley at London Road in December, headed home
after 52 minutes in his first game back after a hamstring strain. And O'
Neil settled the game with a 25-yard shot five minutes later. Allardyce
added: "We were running short of looking after our own destiny. This was
getting towards our last chance."
Manager Darren Ferguson said: "When we were dominant in the first half we
didn't score." Peterborough remain nine points clear on the drop zone
despite losing five of their last seven games.
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PETERBOROUGH 0 WEST HAM 2: ANGRY SAM ALLARDYCE BLASTS FANS
Daily Express
Wednesday March 28,2012
SAM ALLARDYCE branded the West Ham supporters who remain critical of his
side's style of play 'deluded' following a record-equalling success at
Peterborough.
Life should be just rosy for Allardyce now that their 11th away win of the
season brought the Hammers to within one point of second-placed Reading,
their opponents at Upton Park on Saturday. Ricardo Vaz Te's headed opener
in the 51st minute was followed by Gary O'Neil's 25-yarder six minutes
later and Peterborough knew they could have suffered a far heavier defeat by
the final whistle. No West Ham team has won more than 11 times away from
home in a season, yet Allardyce was forced to defend himself afterwards
because of chants made by 3,500 away fans throughout the game. The majority
of the West Ham fans were less than impressed by an unruly first 45 minutes
of hoofball and told Allardyce, 'We're West Ham United and we play on the
floor'. The Hammers were much improved after the break but Allardyce
admitted the long-ball tag would never leave him, as fans who had also
chanted the name of former Hammers favourite Paolo Di Canio, then sang, 'We
played on the floor and won 2-0'. look at the facts and the facts are that
we outplayed, outpassed them and all the other six teams we have played
recently
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce : "I'm sick of all that rubbish," said an
angry Allardyce. "It just keeps rearing its head. I look at the facts and
the facts are that we outplayed, outpassed them and all the other six teams
we have played recently. "The only game we haven't outplayed anyone is
Southampton and that was eight games ago. It started off from other jealous
managers years ago because we kept beating them. Whoever says we play that
way are deluded because we don't.
"I don't let it affect me. I know how to win matches and I know what's
good for West Ham. In the first 45 minutes it is difficult to play against a
team with a high tempo and make it difficult to play football on the floor.
"It is bound to be a scrap away from home. The last few games have produced
more in terms of passing and creating chances."
Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson was also a disappointed man, having
seen his side command the first half for zero reward. Paul Taylor hit the
bar in the 10th minute, with Robert Green helpless and the final minute of
the half saw a strong penalty shout ignored by referee Chris Sarginson.
Stoppage-time also saw James Tomkins make a bold block to deny George Boyd
from four yards out. "We needed to score," said Ferguson. "If Boydy had
scored right on half-time then I would have fancied us to win it."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce shrugs off fans' chants as West Ham ease pressure
Peterborough United 0 West Ham United 2
RICHARD RAE LONDON ROAD WEDNESDAY 28 MARCH 2012
The Independent
Listening to the 5,000 West Ham supporters who travelled to London Road
chanting the name of Paolo Di Canio and repeatedly reminding Sam Allardyce
theirs is a club that "plays on the floor", it was hard to imagine that even
if he takes them up, the former Bolton centre-half will become one of the
club's longer-serving managers.
"I'm sick of all that rubbish, it keeps rearing its head," said Allardyce,
with some justification after his side had out-played Peterborough in the
second-half to end a run of five successive draws to move within a point of
Reading, currently occupying the second automatic promotion position.
"I can't do anything about it, so I don't let it affect me," said Allardyce.
"We keep out-playing teams, so the facts speak for themselves. "
West Ham meet Reading at Upton Park on Saturday in a game that will go a
long way towards deciding which of the two avoids the purgatory of the
play-offs.
The Hammers may have been boosted by the returns from injury of Abdoulaye
Faye and Ricardo Vaz Te, but it was Peterborough who made the early running.
Lee Tomlin came close to putting them ahead in the first minute, but not as
close as Paul Taylor, whose 25 yard drive shortly before the quarter hour
came back off the top of Robert Green's crossbar.
West Ham began to see more of the ball as the half progressed, Vaz Te on the
right in particular. To the frustration of lone striker Carlton Cole,
though, the winger's delivery was poor. Peterborough seemed certain to go in
ahead when Tyrone Barnett nodded the ball back to George Boyd, but with
Green out of position, James Tomkins made a great block.
Its importance was emphasised six minutes into the second half when Taylor
delivered a cross to the far post, and Vaz Te's less than powerful header
somehow made it's way past Jones and inside the post. Six minutes later,
Gary O'Neil picked up possession and from around 25 yards curled a shot
beyond Jones, and West Ham were coasting.
Peterborough United (4-1-3-2): Jones; Alcock, Zakuani (Little, 62), Brisley,
Rowe; McCann: Frecklington (Kearns, 88), Tomlin (Sinclair, 62), Boyd; P
Taylor, Barnett. Substitutes not used Lewis, Little, Ball.
West Ham United (4-4-1-1): Green; O'Brien (Faubert, 46), Tomkins, Faye,
McCartney; Vaz Te, Noble, O'Neil (Maynard, 88), M Taylor; Nolan; Cole.
Substitutes not used Baldock, Carew, Collins.
Referee C Sarginson (Staffordshire).
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Sam Allardyce defends West Ham's tactics after win at Peterborough
Guardian report
Peterborough 0 West Ham United 2
Vaz Te 51, O'Neil 57
Press Association
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 27 March 2012 23.05 BST
Second-half goals from Ricardo Vaz Tê and Gary O'Neil helped West Ham make
their game in hand count as they bounced back to winning ways. However,
despite the return to form, their manager, Sam Allardyce, again had to
defend his tactics after negative chants about his side's direct style of
play which rang out from the visiting supporters.
Allardyce said: "The perception of some people is deluded as the facts about
my teams clearly speak for themselves. It is a tag that has followed me
around for a long time and one I'm never going to be able to shift. I can't
do anything about that but I can win football matches.
"We have had to overcome home teams playing with a lot of energy in front of
full houses throughout this season. We did it again here and once we got the
goals we out-passed and outplayed Peterborough.
"It was a good performance, although not as good as at Burnley on Saturday.
We only drew that game, though, so everyone was miserable whereas they will
be happy tonight."
Despite heading into the game unbeaten in their last 10 matches in the
Championship, the Hammers had drawn their last five thus equalling a club
record. But two goals in six minutes early in the second half put them in
control as they moved to within one point of second-placed Reading, whom
they entertain on Saturday.
They took the lead in the 51st minute when Vaz Tê headed home a Matt Taylor
delivery and then O'Neil doubled his side's advantage with a brilliant
curling effort from 25 yards, his second goal for the club.
Kevin Nolan later hit the bar for the Hammers while Peterborough � who hit
the woodwork in the early stages � failed to mount a fightback as they lost
for the fifth time in seven matches.
Peterborough went straight on to the offensive from the kick-off and Lee
Tomlin fired a shot from 18 yards which Robert Green comfortably collected.
The home side went even closer 10 minutes later. Paul Taylor cut inside from
the left and curled an excellent shot against the crossbar, with Lee
Frecklington's weak follow-up saved by Green.
West Ham struggled to get going in the opening 15 minutes but produced their
first effort at goal moments later when Vaz Tê's long-range strike, which
was heading for the bottom corner, was saved by the Posh keeper, Paul Jones.
Peterborough continued to pass the ball neatly and a patient move resulted
in Taylor having another effort at goal, this time failing to test Green
from 25 yards. But West Ham started to get on top and had a good spell of
pressure. Taylor lofted a shot over the bar before doing likewise with
another effort after jinking his way past a couple of defenders and into the
box.
The Hammers then had a huge let-off in the closing stages of the first half.
A swift Peterborough counter-attack saw George Boyd take the ball down on
his chest and volley towards goal but a brilliant block by James Tomkins
prevented him from opening the scoring.
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Peterborough United 0 West Ham United 2: match report
By Marc Isaacs, at London Road10:00PM BST 27 Mar 20122
Telegraph.co.uk
Sam Allardyce has labelled West Ham supporters who have questioned his style
of football as "deluded" and is adamant he will never change his
philosophy as he looks to help the club gain automatic promotion. The West
Ham manager came under fire from the travelling 5,000 supporters who
continually sang "West Ham United � we play on the floor". Allardyce has
built up a reputation in his career for playing direct football and it has
not gone down well with a large number of fans.
The timing of the criticism is questionable as West Ham finally managed to
get their promotion hopes back on track after five consecutive draws with a
convincing victory. They helped narrow the gap on second place Reading to
just one point. Second half strikes from Ricardo Vaz Te and Gary O'Neil
extended their unbeaten run to 11 games and helped them notch their 11th
away win of the season, equalling a club record. The victory could not have
come at a better time for West Ham as they prepare to face Reading in a
crucial game at Upton Park on Saturday. But despite securing a crucial three
points, Allardyce was left having to defend his management skills and says
he will never be able to shrug off the perception fans have of him.
Allardyce said: "I'm sick of all that rubbish. It just keeps rearing its
head. I look at the facts and the facts are that we outplayed and outpassed
all the six teams we have played recently. The only game we haven't
outplayed anyone is Southampton and that was eight games ago. The facts
speak for themselves and the perception of people that it is anything other
than that is deluded.
"It started off from other managers years ago who got jealous because we
kept beating them. Whoever says we play that way are deluded because we
don't. [The fans] get frustrated because we don't win so they want to sing
something. Let's face it, it has followed me around for a long time. I
can't do anything about.
"It's there and I've just got to carry on. I don't let it affect me. I
know how to win football matches and I know what's good for West Ham. I
can't get away from the tag and that's life."
West Ham supporters had good reason to question their side's tactics
following a nervy first half which should have seen them go a goal down on
the stroke of half-time after George Boyd had his shot cleared off the line
by James Tomkins. But they hit back after the break and Vaz Te met a deep
Matt Taylor cross and headed the ball past Paul Jones into the corner of the
net. The goal spurred the away side and O'Neil doubled the lead on 57
minutes when he shot curled in from the edge of the area.
Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson felt the result would have been much
different if his side had made their first half dominance count.
Ferguson said: "When we were dominant in the first half we didn't score
and we didn't recover when they scored. That is the disappointment for me.
For the first 25 minutes, I thought we were the better team. But they were
very professional."
Match details
Peterborough: Jones; Alcock, Brisley, Zakuani (Little 62mins), Rowe;
Frecklington (Kearns 88mins), McCann, Tomlin (Sinclair 62mins), Boyd;
Taylor, Barnett. Subs: Lewis, Ball
West Ham: Green; (BBrien (Faubert 46mins), Faye (Collins 46mins), Tomkins,
McCartney; Vaz Te, (BNeil (Maynard 88mins), Noble, Nolan, Taylor; Cole.
Subs: Baldock, Carew. Goals: Vaz Te 51, O'Neil 57
Referee: C Sarginson Att: 13,517
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