WHUFC.com
Hammers fans have voted Mark Noble as thier SBOBET Player of the Month for
February
07.03.2012
Mark Noble was the overwhelming winner of February's SBOBET Player of the
Month poll on whufc.com. The club's longest-serving player polled 51.5% of
the vote after a fantastic month in which he netted a crucial penalty
against Southampton and helped West Ham United pick up eight points and
remain unbeaten in all four February games. That run was all the more
remarkable given the fact that the Hammers went down to ten men in three of
those games. The Hammers No16 picked up his award before the Watford match
from reality star Amy Childs. Robert Green marked his call up to the England
squad with some outstanding, match-winning saves that secured him second
place with 30% of the vote, while James Tomkins continued his outstanding
season with 9% of the vote in third place. It was Noble's second consecutive
win and he joins previous winners Tomkins (August), Henri Lansbury
(September), Sam Baldock (October), Carlton Cole (November), Dan Potts
(December) and Noble (January).
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Under 2,500 left for Doncaster
WHUFC.com
Saturday's Kids for a Quid game with Doncaster is proving popular
07.03.2012
Tickets for Saturday's Kids for a Quid game with Doncaster are selling fast
so fans should move fast to avoid missing out. The Hammers are into the
final stretch in their push for promotion and are still riding high in the
npower Championship. With West Ham's last Kids for a Quid game at home to
Crystal Palace selling out in advance, fans wanting to attend this vital
Championship match should buy now to avoid disappointment. The scheme
entitles all Under-16s to purchase a match ticket for just £1 and with adult
tickets starting from just £32 it's never been cheaper to bring the whole
family down to the Boleyn Ground. With the game against Doncaster coming
only three days after playing Watford, the fans will need to play their part
in cheering the Hammers towards their promotion goal.
Manager Sam Allardyce is a great supporter of the Kids for a Quid Scheme. He
said "When you look at the current economic climate, to come and enjoy a
game of football for a quid with your son or daughter is fantastic. I think
a bus or train fare costs more these days so this is increasing the West Ham
support and the future support. "I hope we can repay everybody that comes
along to the Doncaster game by giving them a victory to celebrate."
Tickets are already on General Sale and fans should book now to avoid
disappointment. To do so call 0871 222 2700 (calls cost 10p per minute plus
network extras), visit the Alpari Stand Ticket Office during normal opening
hours or book online here.
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West Ham 1 Watford 1
BBC.co.uk
7 March 2012
Last updated at 22:26
West Ham needed a late Ricardo Vaz Te goal to earn a point as they blew
their chance to go top of the Championship. Teenager Sean Murray fired
Watford ahead midway through the second half with a fierce low drive.
Hornets keeper Tomasz Kuszczak, on loan from Manchester United, produced
excellent saves to deny Mark Noble and James Tomkins. But Vaz Te scored via
the far post as West Ham moved to within a point of Championship leaders
Southampton. Although the Hammers have a game in hand over Southampton,
manager Sam Allardyce will see this as two points dropped, particularly as
his side created enough chances to secure a comfortable victory. Watford,
for their part, defended doggedly and were just three minutes away from
securing a third successive win at Upton Park. Matt Taylor, back in the West
Ham line-up after a three-match ban, crashed a shot against the crossbar
from 30 yards with less than a minute of the game gone. The Hammers twice
opened up a stubborn Watford defence just before half-time, only for
Kuszczak to come to the visitors' rescue with saves from Noble and Tomkins.
Just before the hour mark, Watford lost Dale Bennett, who was carried off on
a stretcher wearing a neck brace after colliding with team-mate John
Eustace. West Ham's failure to punish Watford proved costly as 18-year-old
midfielder Murray shot home off the far post. However, Vaz Te fired
goalwards from a corner and the ball squeezed over the line before Kuszczak
could react.
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West Ham Utd 1 Watford 1
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 8th March 2012
By: Staff Writer
Super sub Ricardo Vaz Te's late strike salvaged a point for Sam Allardyce's
underperforming West Ham side against Watford at the Boleyn Ground tonight.
Despite controlling the vast majority of the game, the Hammers has to rely
on the Portuguese forward's second goal since joining the club in order to
get them out of jail on a frustrating night. The midweek curse - which has
seen West Ham win just one of their home matches under the lights this
season (drawing two and losing the remaining three) - struck again as
Watford came perilously close to grabbing all three points. The Hornets -
who have managed just three wins away from Vicarage Road all season - were a
matter of minutes away from winning for a third successive time at the BG
after Murrays's goal out of nothing gave the visitors an 68th minute lead.
The freak goal - which came completely against the run of play - was scored
just as the Hammers were appearing to run out of ideas. Murray's speculative
effort was going wide before taking a deflection off Abdoulaye Faye that
turned it into the corner of Rob Green's net. Fortunately for a
disappointing West Ham, Vaz Te - who looked lively from the moment he
entered the fray - popped up with just two minutes of normal time remaining
to fire home from close range and earn United a point - the very least they
deserved for their efforts.
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Watch out watch out, there's a steward about
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 7th March 2012
By: Staff Writer
Supporters are being advised not to stand for prolonged periods during
tonight's Championship clash with Watford after a handful of fans received
warning letters from the club threatening to ban them from the Boleyn
Ground. Around ten supporters, all of whom are understood to be season
ticket holders in the corner of the Trevor Brooking Stand that meets the
West Stand were sent a copy of the letter - headed 'Final Warning- Standing'
- last week. The letter threatened to withdraw access to the stadium should
they continue to refrain from being seated, with the Police to be advised of
any such banning order. However one of the handful of supporters who
received a copy of the letter following the home clash with Crystal Palace
is furious at being picked out. The season ticket holder - who asked not to
be named - told KUMB.com he was angered not just because he was one of a
select few to receive the warning, but also because once he complied with
the steward's demands to be seated he was unable to see much of the ensuing
game due to fellow fans standing in front of him - many of whom continued to
stand.
"There was defintely people standing in front of me," the fan told KUMB.com.
"The guy in front of me is about 6'2" and 14-15 stone! "I was asked as I
took my seat to sit, if possible. We agreed that if everyone in front - and
to the side, due to the angle we are at - sat then so would we. That was it;
I was not asked [to sit] again during the game and neither was anyone around
us. I have never received any other warnings in the time I have held that
seat."
The problem, claims the fan, was due mainly to one particular over-zealous
steward randomly picking out supporters from those standing, rather than
beginning at the front and working backwards. "I saw [the steward] picking
on groups in the middle of large standing areas," the season ticket holder
continued. "We were joking at the time that she may have been a Millwall fan
on a power trip! "But I am annoyed that there has been no dialogue with the
club. And where does it end? If i stand to celebrate a goal and am one of
the last to sit, will that be used against me? It's the run-in to an
important season and I can't believe they are doing this."
West Ham told us that they have no option but to comply with the
requirements of the football authorities who banned standing in the nation's
top divisions following the reccomendations made by the Taylor Report back
in 1990. Although the club would prefer not to ban any supporters, they too
face sanctions from the authorities if it is deemed that they are not taking
appropriate measures in order to prevent standing at the Boleyn Ground.
Moves to relax the rules and reintroduce safe standing areas at football
grounds recently led to 145 Members of Parliament signing an Early Day
Motion calling for the debate to be re-opened.
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Late Vaz Te strike saves Hammers
Last updated: 7th March 2012
SSN
West Ham needed a late Ricardo Vaz Te goal to earn a point in a 1-1 draw
with Watford as they missed the chance to go top of the Championship. The
Hammers, needing a win to leapfrog Southampton at the summit, created a host
of chances at Upton Park only to fall behind to a second-half sucker-punch
from Watford teenager Sean Murray. Substitute Vaz Te struck with three
minutes of normal time to play and West Ham laid siege on the Watford goal
throughout nine minutes of stoppage time following a nasty injury to Dale
Bennett. Manager Sam Allardyce felt they should have had a last-gasp penalty
as the final whistle approached when Carl Dickinson appeared to handle. But
an expectant crowd, anticipating a comfortable home win against a side they
had beaten 4-0 in August, had to settle for a point.
Matt Taylor was back in the West Ham line-up after a three-match ban and
looked determined to make up for lost time, crashing a shot against the
crossbar from 30 yards with less than a minute on the clock. It set the tone
for the match with Julien Faubert then missing a gilt-edged chance when, six
yards out at the far post, he sidefooted the ball back across goal. The
Hammers twice opened up a stubborn Watford defence just before half-time,
only for Tomasz Kuszczak to come to the visitors' rescue with saves from
Mark Noble and James Tomkins. The hosts began the second half in the same
vein, Tomkins heading Noble's cross into the ground and over the bar after
just two minutes.
Moments later, as three Watford players threw themselves in front of Joey
O'Brien's shot, defender Bennett came off worse in a clash of heads with
team-mate John Eustace. Eustace returned to the field in a heavy bandage but
Bennett received lengthy treatment on the pitch before he was gingerly
carried from the field in a neck brace.
Allardyce sent on Sam Baldock in a bid to pep up his misfiring attack, but
instead it was Watford who took a shock lead. There appeared to be little
danger when Murray collected the ball 20 yards out to the right of West
Ham's penalty area, but the rookie midfielder lashed a fierce low drive
across Green and in off the post.
Watford promptly retreated back into their own half and Faubert fired over,
Nolan shot wide and Kuszczak pushed a Vaz Te header wide. But from the
resulting corner Vaz Te fired goalwards and the ball squeezed over the line,
via the far post, before Kuszczak could react. There was still time for the
Hammers' penalty appeals to fall on the deaf ears of referee Keith Stroud to
leave them contemplating a missed opportunity in the title race.
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Big Sam annoyed with draw
Allardyce feels his side should be beating Watford
By Graeme Bailey - Tweet me: @skygraemebailey. Last Updated: March
7, 2012 11:06pm
SSN
West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce bemoaned his side's failure to beat
Watford at Upton Park. The Hammers went into the match knowing victory would
put them on top of the Championship but they missed their chance and were
held to a 1-1 draw. It even seemed like they were heading for defeat after
Sean Murray put Watford ahead with just over 20 minutes left. But with three
minutes left on the clock Ricardo Vaz Te struck for West Ham to salvage a
point for the home side.
However, Allardyce was less than amused with the efforts of his side.
Frustrated
"If we are to get where we want to get this is where you have to get your
three points," he told Sky Sports. "And with all due respect to Watford we
should be beating them at Upton Park. "We are capable of beating them and
have the players, but we didn't show enough desire in terms of the quality
of our finishes. "And that is something that has disappointed me and
frustrated me."
Dyche
Watford boss Sean Dyche felt his side could easily have taken victory away
from East London as he felt Vaz Te's goal should not have stood. "In the end
on the night, we are disappointed at the decision to allow them the goal,"
said Dyche. "But overall to come here, a massive club, with big players, you
have to deal with how they play and it can be hard at times."
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West Ham 1-1 Watford: Hammers fail to go top
Published 21:58 07/03/12 By Neil McLeman
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce watched his West Ham side blow the chance to go top of the
Championship, then claimed they would have won the title already with Rickie
Lambert leading the attack. The Hammers needed an 88th minute equaliser from
sub Ricardo Vaz Te to salvage a home draw and were again booed from the
Upton Park pitch after a drab performance with little spark in front of
goal. Allardyce's side moved within a point of leaders Southampton with a
game in hand but have now dropped 19 points at home this season. And the
Irons boss reckons they would have already booked an immediate return to the
Premier League if Saints' 25-goal forward Lambert was wearing claret and
blue instead. "It is very frustrating - you need to take your chances," said
Big Sam. "What we are not good at is taking our chances when they come
along. "If we had Lambert in our team, we would have won the Championship
already. "We haven't got one person with 10 goals yet (Carlton Cole is top
scorer with nine). That is the key element. We are second in the league
without anyone scoring 10. That is a magnificent achievement in terms of the
lack of goals efficiency. "Vaz Te has got two now, so hopefully he will go
on. He scored 14 at Barnsley - we could have done with him at the start of
the season. "If you are not clinical enough, it nearly ended up with us
losing. At least we had the ability and desire to claw it back for a draw."
The promotion favourites have still got a better record away from Upton Park
than on home turf. "It comes down to sticking the ball in the net - it eases
the anxiety on everybody," Allardyce continued. "What we have got to do is
do the same at home as we do away and be clinical." The match had started
with more promise for the home side - Matt Taylor announced his return from
a three-match ban by hitting the bar with a 35-yard shot after only 58
seconds. And on-loan Manchester United keeper Tomasz Kuszcak denied Mark
Noble and James Tomkins with two fine first-half saves. The game was delayed
for over six minutes at the start of the second half when Watford pair Dale
Bennett and John Eustace clashed heads in their own box. While the Hornets'
skipper returned with a bandage and clean shirt, his centre-back was
stretchered off and taken to hospital for scans. It was the plucky visitors
who benefited from the break in the game. After 68 minutes, Watford-born
teenager Sean Murray rifled a low shot home off Abdoulaye Faye and the far
post. Allardyce reacted with a double substitution and switched to 4-3-3 -
replacement Sam Baldock immediately added more movement and January signing
Vaz Te forced Kuszczak into another good stop.
From the resulting Mark Noble corner in the 87th-minute corner, the
Portuguese drove home a low shot off the post. Watford then held out for the
nine minutes of injury time for a deserved point. "My only disappointment is
their goal was a foul," said manager Sean Dyche. "There was an overhead from
Carlton Cole at head height and anywhere else on the pitch it is a foul. "I
cannot see why it was not a foul. But there is only a smidgen of
disappointment because we played very well."
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Double loan spell for Nouble at Reds
www.thestar.co.uk
Barnsley FC
By Neil Goulding Barnsley
Published on Thursday 8 March 2012 06:32
BARNSLEY have signed West Ham striker Frank Nouble on a one-month loan deal.
Nouble played four games for the Reds on loan last season and has returned
for a second playing spell at Oakwell. Barnsley boss Keith Hill said: "Frank
represents value for money. We've got him for a month initially, then we'll
see what happens. I know he's been to the club on loan but it's a good
opportunity for us to have a look at him. Everyone forgets he's a young lad,
but he's very talented and he's a little bit more mature now."
Nouble, 20, has played 13 times for West Ham but has struggled to cement a
regular starting place. The former England U17 and U19 international has
featured three times as a second half substitute for the Hammers, but has
spent most of this season on loan at Gillingham. He scored six goals in 14
games for the Gills and in the past two season has been on loan at six clubs
in an attempt to gain experience. "He's been pulled from pillar to post, I
think he'd benefit from a home," added Hill. "It's an ideal opportunity for
him to come in and play some games. "He's match fit and will be in our squad
for Saturday's match at Southampton. "Whether he starts or not I'll decide
later in the week. We need to make sure we look after him and give him the
chance to be successful. It's a good deal for us because we have definitely
been missing an ingredient from our creative side."
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Allardyce laments lack of proven goalscorer
West Ham United 1 Watford 1
JON WEST UPTON PARK THURSDAY 08 MARCH 2012
The Independent
Sam Allardyce spent January adding strikers to his West Ham squad, just as
in August, but still he fears that he lacks the firepower to secure
automatic promotion in May. This game was a case in point. Chances were
created, chances were spurned and in the end it was down to Ricardo Vaz Te,
a substitute, to score the late equaliser that stopped Watford taking all
three points.
Southampton are top, a point ahead of the Hammers, and Allardyce wishes his
squad contained the equivalent of Saints' Rickie Lambert. "It all boils down
to sticking the ball in the net," the manager said. "If we had Lambert in
our team we would have won the title already. "We haven't got a anybody with
10 yet."
At least Vaz Te found the net, from 12 yards and off a post, just as
Watford's teenage winger Sean Murray had at the other end in the 68th
minute.
Sean Dyche, the Watford manager, was convinced that the home side's goal
should not have been allowed.
"It should have been a free-kick for an overhead kick to the head by Carlton
Cole in the build-up," he said. "Anywhere else on the pitch and it would
have been a foul."
Allardyce countered that fortune had favoured the Hornets with their goal.
Murray's shot beat the Hammers' goalkeeper, Robert Green, from a tight angle
on the right. Replays indicated a deflection off Abdoulaye Faye.
"It was going nowhere until it was deflected," Allardyce said, "and when it
went in I thought it was going to be one of those nights. Fair play to the
lads, they got back into a winning position."
Allardyce admitted that his side's home form was poor. "It is very
frustrating," he said. "We haven't shown nearly enough quality in the
chances we created and nearly paid the price for it. We just can't find the
cutting edge here at Upton Park. The chances we had and missed were
disappointing. We nearly ended up losing this one.
"If we had won we would have been where we wanted to be but now we have
dropped behind again. The most important thing is two points a game because
I know what that gives us – automatic promotion."
A point was bittersweet for Dyche, not least because of an injury suffered
by the defender Dale Bennett, who had to be carried off with his neck in a
brace after receiving lengthy treatment on the pitch, early in the second
half.
"He has gone to hospital and we are waiting for feedback," Dyche said. "We
have been told it might not be as bad as it looked."
West Ham United (4-4-2): Green; O'Brien ( Lansbury, 74), Faye, Tomkins,
McCartney; Faubert, Noble, Nolan, Matt Taylor (Vaz Te, 74); Maynard
(Baldock, 62), Cole. Substitutes not used Boffin (gk), O'Neil.
Watford (4-4-2): Kuszczak; Doyley, Mariappa, Bennett (Martin Taylor, 58),
Dickinson; Murray (Buaben, 88), Eustace, Hogg, Kacaniklic; Deeney, Iwelumo.
Substitutes not used Loach (gk), Trotta, Garner.
Referee K Stroud (Hampshire).
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Vaz Te rescues a point for West Ham
London 24
Dave Evans, West Ham Correspondent
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
11:01 PM
Ricardo Vaz Te rescued a point for the lacklustre Hammers against Watford on
Wednesday night as they missed their chance to go back to the top of the
Championship. The Hammers seemed to be heading to a dismal home defeat after
Sean Murray had given the Hornets the lead with 20 minutes left, but on 87
minutes West Ham finally earned some reward for their efforts. Mark Noble's
corner led to a goalmouth scramble and when the ball came out to the edge of
the box, substitute Vaz Te was there to thump a shot through a crowd of
players and in off the post to make it 1-1. A head injury to Dale Bennett
led to a lengthy stoppage, resulting in nine minutes of injury time, but the
tiring Hammers could not summon the effort to force a last-gasp victory. The
nearest they came was when the lively Vaz Te pulled the ball back for George
McCartney and when his cross went to the far post, Julien Faubert's effort
was straight at the keeper.
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce had opted for a 4-4-2 formation with Carlton
Cole partnering Nicky Maynard up front, while Matt Taylor returned after his
three-match ban, and it was the winger who almost opened the scoring in the
opening minute when his thumping 25-yarder crashed against the crossbar.
Taylor provided the perfect cross for Faubert on the far post, but he
somehow managed to shoot away from goal, while the best chance came on 37
minutes when Cole's clever pass released Mark Noble in the box, but his shot
was superbly saved by Tomasz Kuszczak. But as the half wore on, West Ham's
passing became more erratic and the fans grew more impatient, with Murray
going close for Watford with a drilled shot that went inches wide.
Things did not improve after the break with only James Tomkins' header into
the ground and over the bar to get the fans off their feet and after the
injury to Bennett, it was Watford who seemed to capitalise on the break as
first Alex Kacaniklic saw his shot deflected inches wide and then John
Eustace almost caught Rob Green out with a 30-yard chip. On 69 minutes,
Murray hit a shot which flew in off the post and West Ham looked
shell-shocked as Kacaniklik forced a save from Green five minutes later.
Allardyce threw on Vaz Te and Henri Lansbury, but the equaliser still did
not look like coming despite some pressure and plenty of corners. They
finally managed it on 87 minutes with Vaz Te's strike, but that was as good
as it got for the Hammers and they remain second in the table.
West Ham: Green, O'Brien (Lansbury 75), McCartney, Tomkins, Faye, Faubert,
Nolan, Noble, Taylor (Vaz Te 75), Maynard (Baldock 62), Cole.
Unused subs: Boffin, O'Neil.
Attendance: 31,674.
Referee: Keith Stroud.
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West Ham United boss claims they would have won Championship by now if they
had Southampton striker Rickie Lambert
11:04pm Wednesday 7th March 2012 in News By Simon Mail
Guardian Series
West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce claims his team would already be crowned
champions if they had Southampton striker Rickie Lambert in their team. The
Hammers failed to go top of the Championship after a frustrating 1-1 draw
with Watford as they again paid the price for a number of missed chances.
Lambert has netted 25 goals this season for the league leaders while West
Ham's players have yet to hit double figures for them this campaign.
Allardyce said: "What we haven't been good at is taking our chances when
they come along. If we'd had Lambert in our team we'd have won the
Championship already. "We haven't got one person with ten goals yet. That's
the key element missing. To be second in the league without anyone scoring
ten is a magnificent achievement from the squad in terms of the lack of goal
efficiency we knew we had to show."
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