Daily WHUFC News - 5th November 2012

Manager on Monday
WHUFC
Sam Allardyce is expecting confidence to be high after Saturday's draw
with Manchester City
05.11.2012

Sam Allardyce wants West Ham United to build on his 'best point yet'
since joining the club last summer.
West Ham United matched the expensively-assembled squad of Manchester
City with heart and determination on Saturday to earn a
thoroughly-deserved 1-1 draw as they kicked-off a testing run of games
with an encouraging performance. Another thorough examination awaits
on Sunday as Big Sam and his squad travel to Newcastle United, but the
manager feels the whole party will have been boosted by the City
result.
"I think it was my best point yet," Allardyce said. "They arrive as
champions and you set out your gameplan and you have to earn the right
to play. Once you've done that, you get the opportunity to expose the
opposition's weaknesses, no matter how small they are.
"Wigan have beaten Spurs and Swansea have drawn with Chelsea so we all
know it can be done and it's that type of enthusiasm that gets you
that result and the subsequent belief it gives you.
"The players will have woken up on Sunday morning and will have seen
we're in the top half with 15 points after ten games and we've just
drawn with the champions. It gives you a massive boost of confidence
as a player."
The Hammers won praise across much of Sunday's media for the way they
approached the game - showing their dangerous offensive capabilities
in the first half before matching it with well-organised and valiant
defending in the second as the visitors hunted a winner. Big Sam's
side were unlucky to see Kevin Nolan's early strike ruled out for
offside, as many felt he was in an onside position when Mark Noble
lofted the ball to him.

"From start to finish we've done the best we could and we maintained
the standard for 95 minutes, which was really good. To do that you
have to be as consistent as we were. We could have used the ball a bit
better on occasions but we've worked so hard out of possession that
when we won it back we didn't get any forward movement.
"We wanted to nullify the opposition so they couldn't get in the best
areas and we frustrated them. What we did with the ball in the first
half was impressive as we had a number of attacks that got the fans on
the edge of their seats.
"I suppose the disappointing thing was that if Kevin Nolan had scored,
the home crowd would have gone up even more decibels. In the end we've
got a point and we're very happy with that."
Andy Carroll had arguably his best game yet for his new side as he
came close to registering his first goal in claret and blue on three
occasions. A first-half shot spun agonisingly wide, while a
spectacular overhead kick in the second was deflected past the post
for a corner.
"We'll keen on practising and encouraging Andy and to get more
deliveries to him and in the end the percentages will pay off for him.
Eventually the goal will come but it was always going to be difficult
to create a lot of chances.
"The overhead kick was goalbound but got a deflection and the chance
in the first half was close. If he keeps getting in the right areas
and he gets the first one I'm sure he'll be up and running."

The only real downsides to Saturday's match were James Tomkins'
absence through a groin strain and James Collins suffering a hamstring
injury. Both will be assessed in earnest at Chadwell Heath on Monday,
with their manager hoping for good news in the face of other injuries
that have already hit his squad.
"We had James Tomkins injured on Friday and then late on we got Ginge
(Collins) injured, which was a big worry for me. We put young Jordan
Spence on at right-back, which was a worry as you think they are going
to exploit what they might see as a weakness as he's only played a
couple of games in the Premier League.
"They didn't so now it's about getting those players fit quickly. It
was a fantastic performance."
Saturday's game was the third straight Boleyn Ground sell-out and with
the £20 and £25 Adult tickets for the next home match with Stoke
selling quickly, fans should move fast to make sure they don't miss
out.

________________________________________________________

Collins makes case for defence
WHUFC
James Collins hailed the Hammers' resilience in taking a point from
champions Manchester City
04.11.2012

Newsflash! James Collins has found a new part of his body with which
to block a shot!
West Ham United's fearless centre-back has thrown himself in the way
of no fewer than 15 goalbound efforts in ten Barclays Premier League
appearances this term - good enough for second in the division behind
his Wales international team-mate Ashley Williams of Swansea City.

During Saturday's heroic 1-1 home draw with champions Manchester City,
Collins was at it again, repelling Gael Clichy's 75th-minute shot with
his torso after diving full-length, head-first, on the edge of the
penalty area!

A clean sheet was no more than Collins, his central defensive partner
WInston Reid and the rest of the West Ham team deserved for a superbly
resolute performance against City's £120m strikeforce of Carlos Tevez,
Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko and substitute Sergio Aguero.

"We were good but we knew we had to do it at home because, by our
standards, we were poor last week at Wigan," said the man known to
everyone at the club as Ginge. "Especially with the run of games
coming up, we knew we had to come and play well and defend well and we
have done that.

"Certainly in the second half we were camped on the edge of our box
for long periods but that's what you have got to do against such a
quality team. You know you are going to have to defend and not make
mistakes. I think we did both of those things well.

"My performance was about right for me - I head it, kick it and block
it! I'm happy. We're keeping clean sheets and defending well apart
from a few games when we've been a bit slack and not on our game.
Overall we've defended well as a team this season."

Collins said the Hammers had learned from their 3-1 home defeat by
Arsenal on 6 October. Then, with the score at 1-1 going into the final
15 minutes the Hammers had committed men forward in search of a
winner, only to be picked off by Theo Walcott's counter-attacking goal
and go on to lose the game.

On Saturday, the tactical approach was to defend deep, conserve energy
and not allow City space to play in and around the home penalty area.
The plan paid off.

"In games gone by we have gone out all guns blazing and chasing and
chasing to try to close the other team down and win the ball back, but
on Saturday the boss played it perfectly. We sat back let them play in
front of us and then nicked the ball off them and went on the break -
I think it worked perfectly.

"I think we opened ourselves up a little bit too much against Arsenal
going for the goal and going for the win. Against teams like that you
are going to get opened up [if you do that] but on Saturday we sat in
and defended well and that was enough to get something from the game."

West Ham could even have won the game had Kevin Nolan's early volley
not wrongly been ruled out for offside.

"On the pitch, I knew it wasn't offside. Sometimes you can just tell
that it wasn't offside - especially Kev, as well, with the way he
makes his runs he is rarely offside so that was disappointing, but we
are happy with a point."

Next up for Collins and his colleagues is the long trip north to take
on Newcastle United on Sunday. The Hammers were thrashed 5-0 at St
James' Park on their most-recent visit in January 2011 and the Hammers
will be determined to put on a better show this time around.

"Every game away from home is tough. Going back to the WIgan game,
we've gone up there and not performed so fingers crossed we can go to
Newcastle and put in a good performance there."


_______________________________________________________________________


Season Ticket holder discount weekend
Season Ticket holders can save 20 per cent this weekend instore and online
WHUFC
05.11.2012

Season Ticket holders can get their Hammers Christmas shopping done
early this year and for 20 per cent cheaper with an exclusive
discount period this weekend instore and online.
Season Ticket holders get much more than just a guaranteed seat to all
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This special shopping weekend starts 9am Friday 9 November through to
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To claim your discount online make sure you log in with your season
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To claim your discount instore you must show your Season Ticket card
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any one of our stores or online.
Season Ticket holders also get access to fantastic hospitality offers.
They can get 10% discount on all hospitality purchases or upgrade
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benefits.


__________________________________________________________________

West Ham Utd 0 Man City 0
KUMB
Filed: Sunday, 4th November 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United's impressive form this season continued with a well-
earned point against Manchester City at the Boleyn Ground this
afternoon.

The Hammers may have been known for possessing a weak underbelly in
the past but there was no sign of that yesterday as Sam Allardyce's
side fought tooth and nail to hold on for a point they fully deserved
against the reigning league champions.

And but for a contentious decision by referee Howard Webb, who ruled
out Kevin Nolan's technically-excellent first half strike for offside,
that one point could well have been three.

Naturally West Ham rode their luck at times - as one would expect
against a team consisting of players of the very highest quality - but
there will be few present at the Boleyn Ground who left feeling either
side was hard done in earning a share of the spoils.

Chances for either United or City were few and far between on a day
when defences had the upper hand although fortunately for West Ham,
Italian enigma Mario Balotelli was having one of those days that no
doubt leaves his manager tearing his (well-coiffeured) hair out.

The 22-year-old, who was linked with West Ham before eventually
joining to the Citizens forged three good chances in the first half
but saw his final touch desert him badly - much to the enjoyment of
the home support who naturally baited the temperamental youngster at
every available opportunity.

Predictably there was also a rousing welcome for Carlos Tevez upon his
latest return to the Boleyn Ground, although it was perhaps odd to see
an opposition player receive a bigger round of applause upon his
substitution than West Ham's own players.

Like Balotelli, the Argentinian also had an off day in front of goal
although some of his link-up play was a joy to behold. But whilst West
Ham may have been featuring two of his former team mates in Yossi
Benayoun and Mark Noble, neither gave any quarter with both receiving
a word of caution from match official Webb for a couple of crunching
tackles on their former colleague.

With James Tomkins ruled out having failed a late fitness test - the
result of tweaking a groin in training on Friday - Joey O'Brien
returned to shore up a defence already weakened by the loss of Guy
Demel and the perpetually injured Alou Diarra.

The Irishman, along with fellow defenders James Collins, Winston Reid
and George McCartney performed superbly throughout and continued to
thwart the opposition all afternoon - although it looked as if their
work would come undone in the final moments of the game when Gareth
Barry slipped through the net.

Suspicions of hand ball were dismissed by referee Webb (sporting an
identical kit of yellow shirt and black shorts to that of City 'keeper
Joe Hart), only for the irregular England midfielder to inexplicably
fire wide from no more than six yards out with the goal at his mercy.

Had that gone in, it would have been incredibly harsh on West Ham who,
despite only fashioning six attempts at goal to the opposition's 18
could have scored two or three themselves.

Captain Nolan's aforementioned effort (which TV replays confirmed was
very harshly ruled out) was followed by a Yossi Benayoun volley that
forced a fingertip save from Hart - that resulted in a goal kick - and
a second half overhead kick from Andy Carroll that flew inches wide of
its intended target with the England goalkeeper well beaten.

Carroll, one of two £35million strikers on show - the other, City's
Sergio Aguero, had to wait until the 69th minute to see any action -
yet again failed to score his first West Ham goal but once again
proved vital as West Ham's most advanced forward.

The 23-year-old, who is on a season-long loan at the Boleyn bullied
the two City centre halfs all afternoon before being given a
well-deserved rest for the final few minutes in order to allow Carlton
Cole a brief cameo. That first goal surely can't be too far away -
whilst his next chance to secure it comes against his home town club
next weekend.

The point lifts West Ham to eighth place in the Premier League with a
quarter of the season now played, whilst Manchester City remain in
third spot behind Manchester United and Chelsea.


West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City: match facts

West Ham United: Jaaskelainein, O'Brien, McCartney, Collins (Spence
84), Reid, Noble, Nolan, Diame (O'Neil 71), Jarvis, Benayoun, Carroll
(Cole 77).

Subs not used: Spiegel, Chambers, Hall, Maiga.

Booked: Collins (56), Benayoun (61), McCartney (82).

Shots on/off target: 6 - 1/5.

Possession: 39%.

Manchester City: Hart, K.Toure, Nastasic, Kompany, Clichy, Milner,
Y.Toure, Nasri (Sinclair 90), Tevez (Garcia 84), Balotelli (Aguero
69), Dzeko.

Subs not used: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Barry.
Shots on/off target: 18 - 8/10.
Possession: 61%.
Referee: Howard Webb.
Attendance: 35,005.

__________________________________________________________________


Hammers facing defensive crisis
KUMB
Filed: Sunday, 4th November 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham have been rocked by fresh injuries following yesterday's
goalless draw against current league champions Manchester City.

Already missing Guy Demel and Alou Diarra, Sam Allardyce may also be
without James Tomkins and James Collins - who was outstanding against
City at the Boleyn Ground - for next weekend's trip to Newcastle.

Tomkins, who was due to cover for the injured Demel at right back
sustained a groin strain in training on Friday morning and
subsequently failed a late fitness test on Saturday morning.

Meanwhile Collins pulled up with a hamstring strain with just six
minutes of yesterday's goalless draw remaining.

Speaking to reporters after the game yesterday, Sam Allardyce
confirmed that both players had joined an ever-increasing injury list.

"The big disappointment for me is the number of injuries," he said.
"Joey [O'Brien] did a great job but Ricardo Vaz Te, Guy Demel, Alou
Diarra, Matt Taylor, Jack Collison plus James Collins and James
Tomkins now is too many for us.

"We've got to get those lads back as quickly as we can."

Both Collins and Tomkins now face a week of intense treatment in order
to be fit for next Sunday's fixture at St.James Park, whilst Taylor
and Demel will also be hoping to be involved in some way.

_________________________________________________________________________


Allardyce on... Manchester City

Filed: Sunday, 4th November 2012
By: Staff Writer
A delighted Sam Allardyce was full of praise for his team after they
managed to shut out a Manchester City team featuring
'£150million-worth' of attacking talent. His post-match press
conference for you in full, exclusively here on KUMB.com...

Sam: You must be very pleased with that performance?

Yes, I'm really pleased. Our performance today from start to finish
was very good indeed. The way we started the game was bright, trying
to see if we could test Man City early on and of course we did that
with a fantastically-taken goal by Kevin Nolan that was a little bit
unfortunate to be ruled out for offside.

In the first half we tried the best we possibly could do to put more
pressure on Man City and at the end of the day, we would have to do
some severe defending somewhere along the line. That wasn't so much in
the first half but it certainly was in the second. In fairness to the
lads, they kept on going and going; we had the odd break in the second
half which caused them a problem or two.

Certainly Andy [Carroll's] overhead kick would have been a fabulous
goal had it [gone in]. It was goal bound and I don't know whether
Harty would have saved it. But we have to be satisfied that we've
taken a point off of the champions and it really is a good day for us.

Do you think West Ham's emphasis recently on attacking football and
goals got a little bit lost amongst last-ditch blocks and tackles in
defence?

Well you're going to be forced back by a team that's got the quality
they've got. Whatever you say about Manchester City, the front four -
who all played today at some stage; Balotelli, Djeko, Tevez and Aguero
- are worth about £150million, aren't they? So you're going to have to
do some defending at some stage with that amount of quality on the
pitch!

The more the game went on, the more we knew that Man City would try
and push harder and further forward, to take more risks and try and
get a result. We hoped to capitalise on that by exploiting any
mistakes on the counter attack, which we didn't quite do as well as we
would have liked. But in the end we've done great and limited Man City
to a few chances today.

Even the Gareth Barry one that he missed would have been an absolute
disaster for us had it gone in because he hand-balled it to get
himself through. So not just the [Kevin Nolan] offside, had that one
been a goal it would have been a real sickener - but it wasn't and I
think we got what we deserved today, which was a point.

There were eight clubs talking to Roberto Mancini in the summer before
he decided to continue at Man City. Is it pleasing for you to have
matched him today?

Wow. That's a question-and-a-half, isn't it? No clubs talked to me in
the summer so what does that mean? [laughs] And I got them promoted!

I'm just glad I'm back where I've been for a long, long time. I like
pitting my wits against every manager in this league and it's been a
fantastic thrill for me over the last 12 years or so at Bolton,
Blackburn, Newcastle and here now to go out in the best league in the
world, the most entertaining league in the world. It wasn't
entertaining in terms of goals today but it was entertaining
tactically, for me. Our boys set out a tactical plan that mastered the
champions of the Barclays Premier League, which is great from our
point of view.

Yossi Benayoun went close as well today; it was a terrific shot that
looked like Joe Hart got a touch on?

Yes. It was a great ball from Mark Noble to start with into Jarvo,
Jarvo to the far post and Yossi smashed the volley against the bar.
It's one of those that thrills the supporters if it goes in as well.
It's quality on three occasions and if it's an inch lower then it goes
in. But Andy Carroll had a couple of chances as well, particularly the
overhead kick.

The best bit of technique today from both sides, Kevin Nolan's 'goal'
- ball over the shoulder, swivel, volley first time, back of the net -
was ruled out. It's just a great shame that that was ruled out for an
offside that really wasn't offside.

Does that performance today against the champions give you heart going
into the tough fixtures that lie ahead?

Well it gives us a lot of hope and a lot of confidence. Today was the
icing on the cake for us. We were disappointed we didn't get anything
at Wigan and we've now got this hugely-difficult fixture list coming
up - Man City being the first, but we also played Arsenal a couple of
weeks ago.

That was also difficult, but we had a lot more chances in that game
than we had in this - but lost the game. It's a really tough group of
fixtures and we've started by playing the champions of the Premier
League and getting a point, so that gives us great confidence going
on.

The big disappointment for me is the injury list. James Tomkins ruled
himself out with a groin strain yesterday and James Collins came off
with a hamstring today. Joey [O'Brien], coming back, did a great job
but Vaz Te, Guy Demel, Alou Diarra, Matt Taylor, Jack Collison plus
James Collins and James Tomkins now is too many for us. We've got to
get those lads back as quickly as we can, of course.

Roy Hodgson was here today...

Was he?

Which of your England contingent will he have been looking at?

I've no idea! That's up to Roy, not me.


_______________________________________________________________

United 0-0 City: the opposition view

Filed: Sunday, 4th November 2012
By: Staff Writer
Manchester City fans reflect on yesterday's goalless draw at the
Boleyn Ground that saw West Ham United rise to eighth place in the
Premier League...

"We weren't great today. West Ham really battled for that point and
you have to give them a lot of credit as they deserved the draw. We
couldn't break them down. The biggest positive for me was Nastastic;
he dealt with Carroll and Cole very well."
- davymcfc

"A very decent point today, not many teams will go there and get a
win. It's still very early in the league and we are very much still in
race. West Ham are a cracking home team who know how to defend."
- Petetheblu

"Our finishing wasn't great but its hard to get through so many
defenders. We were incredibly positive in that second half. Credit to
the Hammers, it was like watching Chelsea v Barcelona. They defended
with their lives. If we had got one we would have had a hatful."
- citymad

"We bossed possession but failed to make the vital breakthough, but
other than not scoring I didn't really see that much wrong with our
display today. It's difficult to play when a team defends in depth and
as resolutely as West Ham did. We could easily have lost it, West
Ham's 'goal' SHOULD have stood. Mind you, in view of the fact that
Hammers lost last week and we have won the last two away from home, I
suppose a draw was always on the cards."
- black mamba

Teams park the bus and sometimes you're not going to break them down;
it will happen to all top four teams at some point this year. There's
no point in saying West Ham are a newly-promoted side, they are a
mid-table Premier League team who have bought more players since
promotion and have a striker who cost more than any of our four."
- bluemc1

"Did you see how many West Ham players were in their penalty box for
pretty much the whole second half? We needed to go wide more, it's so
hard trying to go through the middle all the time. West Ham defended
brilliantly."
- citymad

"West Ham defended very well and picked up most of the corners we put
over. Their back four played very well and in the end they could have
sneaked a goal, it was one of those games. I enjoyed watching it. It
should have been three points but one may be very important come May.
We're still undefeated."
- City For Life

"Always a top away day at Upton Park and once again what great set
fans the Hammers lot are with great humour. 'You're just a shit Paulo
Wanchope' to Balotelli and 'You're just a shit Carlos Tevez' to Sergio
did make me laugh. The spirit of 1987 is still strong among the two
sets of fans."
- Colin_Bell

"West Ham and Fulham are the only London clubs I've got any time for.
Compare and contrast with the arrogant, bitter, billy-big-time
b*stards that follow Spurs and Arsenal."
- mainemanc1066

"Once we got organised it wasn't a bad display. West Ham defended for
their lives, a hallmark of Allardyce's teams. I wasn't as despondant
about it as the queue for the tube..."
- getdressedmctavish


* Comments originally posted at bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk and mancityfans.net.

___________________________________________________________________________

Mancini on..... West Ham United

Filed: Sunday, 4th November 2012
By: Staff Writer No.2
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini quietly muses on his side's 0-0
draw at the Boleyn this weekend....

Roberto was the draw a fair result?

No. When you have 65% of the possession, 22 shots on goal maybe you
deserve to win and we were missing four incredible chances to score. I
am happy for the performance - we played well. I am happy for the
chances we missed.

It must have been a frustrating afternoon watching so much possession..

Yes when you're playing well and missing incredible chances it can be
frustrating. The players are like me. But it's football. If you don't
score you can't win.

Do you see that as two points dropped today then?

Yeah [pause] we lost two points.

Are you finding it a lot harder defending the title? They always say
that it's harder to win it again than to win it the first time. Are
you finding that the opposition are defending harder, stronger?

I think that when you win the title yje yearafter is more difficult.
We had some problems with injuries to important players in the first
two matches. This was the biggest problem we had. We've improved our
defensive face but we need to score like last year. We need to work on
this.

Do you think you needed to play a bit quicker today? Going forward?

Yes sometimes we need this. But three or four chances were incredible.

Mario [Balotelli] must be very frustrated. I mean he cannot seem to
find the net can he?

I think all the players played at 100% All the players wanted to win
the game. If you don't score you can't win. West Ham defended very
well.

Is Joleon Lescott injured

Yes he's injured. It's his back. Will he be available for the Ajax game? No.

If Ajax were watching you tonight what would they be thinking?

It's not important!

You could be out of the Champions' League next week

Yeah . We don't have [a] good chance to go through in the Champions'
League because we lost two important games. It's important we finish
the group stage well then after...

What the Ajax team think is not important. What the players think is important.

What were you thinking to yourself while you were sitting on your own
before the players came out after half time?

Nothing. I'd spoken with the players for three or four minutes and finished!

How is James Milner?

Milner had a problem in the warm up I think it will be difficult for Tuesday.

Did you say anything to Balotelli at half time after those two very
obvious missed chances?

He's a footballer. If a player like Balotelli has a chance like today
he should score. When you are a top player if you have a chance you
should score. I don't think that he didn't want to score!


__________________________________________________________________________

City stalled
SSN
As part of our Premier League snap-shots feature, we look back on West
Ham and Manchester City's goalless stalemate at Upton Park
Last Updated: November 3, 2012 10:48pm

West Ham defended resolutely to earn a valuable draw against champions
Manchester City, who slipped two points behind new leaders Manchester
United.

Roberto Mancini's side squandered several chances as a hard-working
and well-organised West Ham side held firm.

And it could have been much worse for the champions, with Kevin
Nolan's legitimate early goal disallowed for offside, while Yossi
Benayoun hit the crossbar.

Selection

Sam Allardyce made just one change to his West Ham team, with Joey
O'Brien drafted into defence in place of James Tomkins.

City boss Mancini made three changes for the clash, bringing in
strikers Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko up front, while also handing
centre-half Kolo Toure his first league start since August. Mancini
also recalled James Milner but the England international was injured
in the warm-up so Gareth Barry retained his place in the team.

Tactics

For West Ham, Allardyce employed a 4-4-2, with Nolan playing ahead of
England striker Andy Carroll at times. This almost paid off, with
Nolan having a goal disallowed early on for offside, while Benayoun
hit the crossbar. The Hammers then held firm against increasing City
dominance through hard work and organisation and continued to look
dangerous on the break.

City unleashed Balotelli, Carlos Tevez and Dzeko in the same starting
line-up for the first time in a bold 4-3-3 formation. But if the City
boss hoped this would unpick the Hammers' defence, he was proved wrong
as City created few clear-cut chances despite the lion's share of
possession.

Substitutions

Allardyce used his full quota of substitutions towards the end of the
game, bringing on Gary O'Neil for the hard-working Mohamed Diame in
the 71st minute, Carlton Cole for Carroll upfront, with the big
frontman holding the ball up well to take some of the pressure off the
hard-worked defence, while Jordan Spence worked hard when he came on
for injured defender James Collins late on to help the Hammers hold on
for a valuable point.

Mancini also used three substitutes, but despite the deadlock, waited
until the 69th minute to replace Balotelli with Sergio Aguero. The
Argentinian showed good touches but he failed to provide the spark the
City boss was looking for. Late on, Mancini replaced the lively Tevez
with Javi Garcia, who had little impact, while Scott Sinclair had no
time to influence proceedings when he came on at the death for Samir
Nasri.
Referee

Howard Webb let the game flow well, and there could be no complaints
about the three yellow cards he handed out, all for late challenges.
But the officials got three decisions wrong, including the early goal
from Nolan which would have changed the course of the game. At the
other end, Dzeko headed a rebound from close range wide but was
flagged offside when he wasn't. And later on, the officials missed
Barry handling the ball when collecting it in the box but the Hammers
were let off when he then shot wide.

Main men

Tevez was the most potent threat for City against his former club,
with the Argentinian proving a real livewire as the champions tried to
break through the stubborn Hammers defence. Tevez showed great touch
and vision when linking up with his team-mates, although his crossing
from dead-ball situations sometimes left something to be desired. His
place among the Hammers' hearts was shown with the warm applause he
received from the Upton Park faithful throughout the game and when he
was substituted late on.

James Collins put in a great performance in the heart of the West Ham
defence, going that extra mile to keep City out, but the whole of the
Hammers' backline deserve praise for the way they held firm in the
face of increasing pressure. Despite hovering around the Hammers' box,
City rarely found a way through, with high crosses particularly well
cleared. Collins also got a standing ovation as he left the field soon
after Tevez.

Looking ahead

Allardyce was delighted with the resolve his side showed to bounce
back from their defeat at Wigan last time. It earned the Hammers
another valuable point in their bid to stay in the top flight this
season - with the hosts sitting in eighth in the table on a
respectable 15 points from their opening ten games. The Hammers face
Newcastle, Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal before the turn of
the year and Allardyce's side can head into what could prove a testing
period with renewed vigour.

For City, Mancini will see this goalless draw - his side's first since
Boxing Day - as a one-off blip. The champions fell two points behind
Manchester United, but there is still a long way to go in the title
race with, like last year, plenty of twists and turns on the way.
Mancini must raise his troops for the must-win game against Ajax on
Tuesday as City look to give themselves some hope of progressing into
the knock-out phases of the UEFA Champions League. The clash with the
Dutch side is the first of four home games for Mancini's side
including the mouth-watering meeting with Real Madrid later this
month, with league games against Spurs and Aston Villa also on the
agenda. Following this run of four home matches is the massive trip to
title rivals Chelsea as the games come thick and fast - seven in
November.


______________________________________________________________________

Midnight approaches: Clock's about to strike 12 hours on Carroll's goal drought
Mirror
4 Nov 2012 22:32
Will Biffa turn back into a pumpkin? Or could Fairy godmother
Allardyce coax a goal out of the on-loan Liverpool striker

Andy Carroll was backed to break his duck for West Ham - despite
firing another blank in the 0-0 with Manchester City which took his
Hammers' drought to 500 minutes.

England striker Carroll's last goal in club football was in the FA Cup
final for Liverpool against Chelsea, 11hr 53min of playing time ago.

But he came close to bringing the house down against City with a
goalbound overhead kick deflected inches wide by Gael Clichy, and
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce said: "We'll keep on practising, we'll keep
encouraging Andy to get in the right areas and get on the end of more
deliveries into the box.

"In the end, percentages will pay off for him - the better the
service, the better the quality, eventually the goal will come for
him.

"It was always going to be difficult to create a lot of chances
against Manchester City, he had an overhead kick which was goalbound
until it took a slight deflection and an even better chance in the
first half.

"If he keeps getting in the right areas eventually it will go in for
him, whether it's off the head, knee, shoulder, arm or whatever. Get
the first one and I'm sure he will be off and running."

West Ham winger Matt Jarvis ran Kolo Toure ragged at times, and the
Hammers' record £11.75m signing said: "The idea is for me to put the
crosses in for Andy to put them away.

"Hopefully we can keep linking up and become a force to be reckoned with.

"But it's a great stat that City hadn't failed to score for seven
months before today. We defended well, stopped them playing and that
was a solid performance."