Daily WHUFC News - 3rd November 2013

Hammers fail to hit the target
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce lamented his West Ham United side's failure to find a way past
Aston Villa on Saturday
02.11.2013

Sam Allardyce said West Ham United's failure to hit the target cost them two
points in Saturday's goalless Barclays Premier League draw with Aston Villa.
The Hammers unleashed 17 shots on Brad Guzan's goal, but only four of them
tested the American, leaving Big Sam lamenting his players' inability to
find the net. At the other end, Villa threatened sporadically but ironically
went closest to breaking the deadlock when Belgium striker Christian Benteke
rattled the crossbar with a second-half header. "Villa had one chance and
that was Benteke's header," said Big Sam, "and our chances came and went
because we didn't hit the target enough. When you have the chances and don't
hit the target, people tend to forget them or dismiss them as not being
chances. Several chances went begging for us to have done better, but they
were either blocked, saved or we failed to hit the target. "We put 38 balls
into the opposition box and Villa had eight in our box in total, so that
shows the dominating factors in our game. Basically, Villa in the final
third got eight balls into our box and we had 38 and everybody's
responsibility to score goals has deserted them at the minute. "Our great
ammunition last year in scoring and winning was everybody scoring and I
don't think we had a player in our first 14 or 15 players who didn't score,
other than Guy Demel. Joey O'Brien, James Tomkins, Winston Reid, James
Collins, Mark Noble, Kevin Nolan, Matt Taylor, Carlton Cole, Andy Carroll,
Ricardo Vaz Te and Matt Jarvis all chipped in with a goal when we needed
them which meant we finished tenth. "Kevin Nolan was our leading goalscorer
with ten and that wouldn't normally get you tenth place, unless one other
player scored at least ten or more, and we didn't. We only had Andy with
seven, which showed how many goals we shared around the team. That
goal-sharing has deserted us at the minute and that is the real reason why
we're not on about 14 or 15 points. "We've had six games when we haven't
conceded a goal, which meant we only needed to score one goal to win the
three points. We scored three at Tottenham and haven't scored a goal in any
of the others [apart from Cardiff City] to get that lovely cushion of a
three-point which we've richly deserved on several occasion but failed
miserably. It's only been our fault, nobody else's."

When asked, Big Sam explained why he felt his team were not scoring enough
goals. "The quality of the creation of the chances, for one, but then on
numbers created balls should drop down to someone who should finish them
off. Occasionally, you want one to get you on your way through a fluke goal
or a penalty or somebody scoring a free-kick. "We wasted a free-kick [taken
short by Mark Noble to Jack Collison] which just wasn't on, so that's the
players' fault. You've got to assess all the free-kicks we practice every
week and assess the right one to use at that particular time, depending on
what the opposition do. We didn't do that, so we wasted it. "We've got to
pull one out of the bag somewhere, no matter how we do it, and make sure we
get three points instead of one. We're OK in terms of performances, we've
got too many injuries - as Villa had - and we've got to get them fit, and
keep playing the way we are and keep believing we're going to turn the
chances we're creating into goals and into victories. "We did it at
Tottenham - one of the hardest places to do it in the Premier League - so I
demand we go and do it again at Norwich next week."

The feeling of disappointment comes at the end of a week when West Ham have
actually kept three clean sheets in seven days, drawn at Swansea City and
won a tricky Capital One Cup fourth-round tie at Burnley. "Like everybody in
the Premier League, visiting teams sit deep and make it hard for you to
break them down. Villa are suffering the same and Swansea have only won once
at home in ten matches, so there are many teams who have had problems
similar to ours this season. "Even if we had been determined enough
defensively to draw two of the defeats we've had, we'd be on 12 points now.
Victories don't always have to be the order of the day - it's making sure
you don't lose - and if we had 12 points, we'd be sitting halfway up or just
above and that keeps the pressure off. Even at this early stage, people talk
about the relegation zone and area and if we had drawn two more games we'd
be much better off. "We haven't but on a positive we have got a result
against Villa and, after three defeats that's pretty big from our point of
view, even if it is disappointing from our point of view that we didn't win
it. At least we have stopped the run of defeats at the Boleyn Ground, which
was very important to do."

West Ham go to Norwich City in their next Barclays Premier League game, with
the Canaries having lost 4-0 at Manchester United in the Capital One Cup and
7-0 at Manchester City on Saturday. Despite those results, Big Sam is not
expecting an easy afternoon at Carrow Road. "Those results will make no
difference to next Saturday whatsoever. It will be about us finding our best
form to beat Norwich. I thought they were hugely unlucky not to win their
last home league game [against Cardiff] listening to it on Sky Sports Soccer
Saturday, where it went to Norwich missing this chance and that chance here,
there and everywhere. "I watched Norwich versus Aston Villa and Norwich
absolutely pelted them, but Villa won 1-0. Norwich are suffering the same
problems as we are - good performances and creating chances, but our
difference is that we're absolutely brilliant at defending at the minute and
Norwich aren't. We're suffering, but not suffering badly at the moment."

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Stalemate at the Boleyn
WHUFC.com
West Ham United and Aston Villa played out a 0-0 draw at the Boleyn Ground
on Saturday
02.11.2013

West Ham United 0-0 Aston Villa
Barclays Premier League

West Ham United played out their second Barclays Premier League 0-0 draw in
succession when Aston Villa proved stubborn opposition on Saturday.
The Hammers' defensive prowess has been almost unmatched in the top flight
this season - this was their sixth clean sheet in ten starts - but they were
unable to force a way through at the other end and so had to settle for a
point. It has been a frustration for Sam Allardyce this season that his side
have not been able to make the most of their defensive solidity and no doubt
he would have felt the same on an afternoon when they could have moved up to
12th in the table with three points. It was an open start to proceedings and
Andreas Weimann was presented with a fine opportunity to open the scoring
with just six minutes on the clock, when Ashley Westwood's clipped through
ball sent him clear. The Austrian was the wrong side of James Tomkins, but
Jussi Jaaskelainen closed the angles down and smothered the danger. At the
other end former Villa man Stewart Downing was looking to impress against
his old club and he cut in from the right flank on 13 minutes before sending
a shot straight down Brad Guzan's throat from the edge of the box.

Four minutes later Hammers hearts were in mouths when a rapid Villa counter
threatened to catch them out directly from their own corner. Weimann was
again the man streaking clear and Ravel Morrison had to track all the way
back. The pair tussled as they reached the cusp of the penalty box and
Weimann went to ground, but referee Howard Webb deemed no foul to have
occured and waved play on. Weimann was bemused, but Morrison deserved praise
for sticking to his task and nullifying the danger. With 20 minutes on the
clock, Kevin Nolan slipped a pass through to Matt Jarvis. He took the ball
round Guzan, but was forced wide and the goalkeeper recovered to block from
an angle before Ron Vlaar hacked clear. Despite, the lively opening, that
was about that as goalmouth action for the first half was concerned, as the
defences gradually got on top and restricted the attacking opportunities.

The second period started in much the same way, and the Hammers looked to
the bench just after the hour by introducing both Coles as they searched for
more penetration. It was Villa who so nearly found it 20 minutes from the
end though when Matthew Lowton crossed from the right and Christian Benteke,
who had been quiet up until that point, crashed a header against the
crossbar. West Ham broke immediately and were not far away themselves when
Downing moved inside from his station and slipped a neat reverse pass to
Nolan, who took the shot on first time but could not direct the ball between
the posts.
Benteke forced a sprawling stop in the final minute when he flashed a shot
towards the far post, then Joe Cole's near post drive needed a save from
Guzan, but neither team could force the breakthrough and 0-0 was how it
ended.

West Ham United: Jaaskelainen; Demel, Tomkins, Reid, Rat (Diame 90);
Collison (C.Cole 62), Noble, Morrison; Downing, Nolan, Jarvis (J.Cole 62)
Subs: Adrian, Maiga, O'Brien, Potts

Aston Villa: Guzan; Vlaar, Baker, Clark; Lowton, Sylla, Westwood, El Ahmadi,
Bacuna; Weimann (Kozak 57), Benteke
Subs: Steer, Helenius, Herd, Bowery, Tonev, Johnson

Booked: Bacuna, Lowton
Referee: Howard Webb
Attendance: 34,977

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SAB meeting set
WHUFC.com
The Supporter Advisory Board will be meeting on 20 November to discuss a
range of topics
02.11.2013

The Supporter Advisory Board (SAB) will meet at the Boleyn Ground on
Wednesday 20 November to discuss a host of key topics ranging from Stadium
Migration to the Matchday Experience. As the Club's move to the Olympic
Stadium in 2016 draws closer, the input of the supporter group becomes ever
more important and as such the SAB will be holding an initial meeting to
cover the central topics for the season ahead.
These are:

1. Stadium Migration and expanding our fan base
2. Fitting farewell to the Boleyn
3. Matchday Experience (with focus on Olympic Stadium facilities and
products; OS matchday experience; transport etc)
4. Media (primarily new website)
5. Community and Charities

The Club are also delighted to welcome on board a number of new SAB members
for the new campaign, who will bring with them enthusiasm and ideas to match
the quality and passion of our existing members. At the meeting on 20
November, members will be given a full presentation on the topics above,
before breaking into focus groups to express their ideas and suggestions to
key personnel at the Club. In line with the Club's policy of listening to
those who matter most, the SAB was originally established for the 2011/12
campaign, to give fans the opportunity to have their say. To date, the SAB
continues to go from strength to strength and has enjoyed considerable
successes along the way. The passion of SAB members paved the way for the
lucrative adidas deal, while they were instrumental in helping the Club
understand key issues in negotiating with the LLDC, and their input will
continue to prove key to the Club's strategy as it moves forward.

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Nasha nets in U18s draw
WHUFC.com
West Ham United were held to a 1-1 Barclays U18 Premier League draw by
Newcastle United on Saturday
02.11.2013

West Ham United played out a dramatic 1-1 Barclays U18 Premier League draw
with Newcastle United at Little Heath on Saturday morning. Defender Amos
Nasha headed the home side ahead in the opening 20 minutes, but Jonathyn
Quinn's bundled effort meant the sides shared the points, despite the
visitors playing the whole second half with ten men after Oliver Kemen was
given a straight red card. U18 manager Steve Potts named a strong line-up as
he searched for a sixth unbeaten game in a row, with captain Kieran Bywater
and the speedy Jerry Amoo supporting lone striker Jordan Brown in attack.
The unfamiliar partnership of Emmanual Onariase and Nasha started in the
centre of defence, with regular starters Kyle Knoyle and Lewis Page
completing the back four.
The game started quickly with the Hammers looking for the early goal, but
Ben Marlow's effort from 25 yards did not trouble Newcastle goalkeeper
Jonathan Mitchell.

It was then Bywater's turn to fire a long-range shot at goal, but although
the captain went closer with his effort, he again narrowly missed the
target.
West Ham were controlling the first half, with the visitors' efforts on goal
limited. One of them fell to Callum Roberts, but the Toon winger failed to
keep his shot down. The home side's pressure paid off after 18 minutes when
Nasha perfectly headed home Bywater's left-wing free-kick after Page was
knocked to the floor. Nasha's goal appeared to give the Hammers confidence
and they launched several more attacks. None of which caused Mitchell any
problems in the visitors' goal, however. Newcastle came back strong as the
first half wore on and had two chances of goal. First, Ryan McKinnon's free
header from five yards went flying over the bar, before Quinn bundled the
ball over the line to draw the Magpies level. The smiles soon turned to
frowns for the visitors in the closing stages of the first half, however, as
Kemen reacted badly to Marlow's sliding challenge by pushing the Hammers No4
in the face, receiving a straight red card.
Into the second half and the Hammers were denied a goal after the offside
Amoo knocked the ball past Toon goalkeeper Mitchell as he came flying out
from his goal and rolled it into the net.

As the game continued, chances on goal dried up. The closest seemed to be
when Josh Cullen's whipped effort towards the top right-hand corner forced
Mitchell into a smart catch. The Hammers continued to apply pressure to the
Toon back line and had two penalty box scrambles, but the home side failed
to take their chance to go ahead. As the game stretched into the final 20
minutes and changes were made to both teams, West Ham changed their
formation to a more attacking shape, looking for the all-important winning
goal. It was Amoo who was offered the next chance to win the game, but after
Bywater directed a left wing cross towards him in the centre of the six-yard
box, he struggled to jump high enough to control the header. In the final
stages, West Ham had two golden chances to win it, but neither Brown nor
Amoo could bury the chance to grab all three points for West Ham.

The result means Potts' side extended their recent unbeaten run to six games
ahead of the visit of Aston Villa on Saturday 9 November at 1pm.

U18s: Howes, Knoyle, Nasha, Onariase, Page, Cullen (Bailey), Makasi
(Mavila), Marlow (Martins), Bywater, Brown, Amoo
Subs not used: Nemrava, Pask

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Haycock rues refereeing decisions
WHUFC.com
Nick Haycock was left unhappy after the Development Squad were denied a
penalty against Chelsea
02.11.2013

Nick Haycock was left disappointed with refereeing decisions after a last
minute equaliser saved Chelsea from defeat against the young Hammers. Nathan
Ake was in the right place to fire home after Billy Clifford's shot cannoned
off the cross bar and fell into his path with the last seconds of the four
minutes of stoppage time reached. Moments before, with the Hammers leading
3-2, Dylan Tombides had been wiped out in the penalty area when clean
through on goal. The referee waved away appeals for a penalty and it was
that decision which riled Haycock. He told West Ham TV: "It's disappointing
because in the games going back to Tottenham with the offside goal,
Manchester City with the offside goal and tonight is a clear penalty to go
4-2 up. "The disappointment for me is the Premier League talking about it
being the hardest playground in the world and I'm left disappointed with the
officials for a third time this season. "It was obvious for all to see, the
Chelsea player's reaction gave it away and it's lost us the game. We work
diligently all week to prepare the boys to play in the Barclays Under-21
Premier League and we feel robbed tonight."

The match was a fantastic advert for Under-21 football with both teams
playing their part in entertaining a big crowd who seemed to favour the boys
in Claret and Blue more than the home side, They had plenty to shout about
when Pelly Ruddock put the visitors in front after 25 minutes with a right
footed shot which found the bottom corner. Matthias Fanimo then doubled the
lead with his first goal of the season just three minutes later. Chelsea
managed to draw level after 79 minutes but weren't on terms for long as
Blair Turgott scored a brilliant long-range effort just sixty seconds later;
it was a great game and one which Haycock enjoyed. "The scoreline could have
been ten all with the chances that both sides created and it was an
excellent advert in what is a good league. "It's hard for a manager to
control his emotions in the dressing room after a game like that but I'm
always honest with the players and they're a terrific set. "The West Ham
crowd here tonight were fantastic, it felt like a home game and I thank them
for travelling out on a wet and windy night in Aldershot."

A super team performance was all the more impressive given that the side
were without regulars Sebastian Lletget, George Moncur, Elliot Lee, Leo
Chambers and Dan Potts. Haycock drafted in four of Steve Potts' Under-18s
and he was delighted with how the much-changed team performed. "We made five
changes but it's testament to the squad and the training group every day.
"Sam [Allardyce[ wants the best and when they go in they've got to be ready
to perform at tip-top level to cement a place in his squad. "The selection
that he gave in the Capital One Cup the other night was testament to us as a
Club and him as a manager in that you don't see any other teams with seven
youth players starting or on the bench in the Capital One Cup."

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Rav takes Player of the Month prize
WHUFC.com
Ravel Morrison is the Club's Player of the Month for October
02.11.2013

Ravel Morrison has been named as the Club's Player of the Month for October
after winning a fan vote on whufc.com The 20-year-old midfielder takes the
award for the second month in succession after bursting onto the Boleyn
Ground scene in style this season. The month started in spectacular fashion
for the England U21 international as he scored a breathtaking solo goal
against Totttenham Hotspur, picking the ball up in his own half, before
driving past both Michael Dawson and Jan Vertonghen before clipping over
Hugo Lloris in a 3-0 win for the Hammers. He also started the Barclays
Premier League games against Manchester City and Swansea City as Sam
Allardyce's men gained four points from the three league games contested in
October.

He took 40% of the vote to beat Jussi Jaaskelainen into second with 32%. It
was a good month defensively for the Club, with two clean sheets in the
three league fixtures, and another defensive player, James Tomkins, came in
third.

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West Ham 0 Aston Villa 0
2 November 2013
Last updated at 17:42
By Michael Emons
BBC Sport

West Ham ended a run of three home Premier League defeats as they were held
to a goalless draw by Aston Villa. Christian Benteke came closest to scoring
for the visitors when he headed Matthew Lowton's deep cross against the
crossbar from six yards out. Jack Collison shot wide from a quickly-taken
free-kick for the hosts and Stewart Downing and substitute Joe Cole both had
shots saved by Brad Guzan. But a draw was a fair result as both sides
struggled to create chances. Aston Villa have now failed to score a Premier
League goal in six hours and 15 minutes, and this result leaves them 13th,
only three points above the bottom three. But of greater concern to Villa
boss Paul Lambert will be the hamstring injury sustained by Andreas Weimann,
who limped off early in the second half after he had been his side's most
dangerous player. West Ham, one place below Villa in the league table, also
have attacking problems of their own and their failure to score was their
sixth blank in 10 Premier League games. Despite seeing more possession,
especially down the wings through Matt Jarvis on the left and Downing on the
right, the Hammers frustrated the fans at Upton Park with the final delivery
often being disappointing. With Andy Carroll still two weeks away from a
return to training and Carlton Cole lacking match practice after he
re-signed for the club, West Ham looked short of ideas up front as they
started without a recognised centre-forward for the fourth successive
Premier League game.

Another draw
Nine of the 18 Premier League matches between West Ham and Aston Villa at
Upton Park have ended in draws. Aston Villa, operating in a 3-5-2 formation,
were sitting deep and struggled to provide service for Benteke, but were
still a threat on the counter-attack. After six minutes, Weimann raced on to
a long ball but Jussi Jaaskelainen was well positioned to block the
Austrian's shot. England winger Downing, who spent two seasons at Aston
Villa, is yet to score for the Hammers following a £5m move from Liverpool
in the summer and had the first clear opportunity for the hosts, but shot at
Guzan from 20 yards. But West Ham were nearly caught out when, from their
own corner, Villa counter-attacked. Weimann was through on goal but Ravel
Morrison, the last home player back, recovered and referee Howard Webb
decided the Hammers midfielder won the ball cleanly on the edge of the
penalty area.

West Ham looked more likely to score after the restart but Morrison's
20-yard effort was well blocked by Villa defender Nathan Baker, with Kevin
Nolan firing the rebound over. Substitute Joe Cole shot straight at Guzan,
before Benteke nearly won the points for Villa with his first opportunity
but powered a header against the bar.

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce said: "After three home defeats on the trot
it was very important we didn't lose. "We tried to win it but we didn't find
the quality to put the ball into the net. We delivered 38 balls into the
box, but it's a spell we are having where we can't find the net. "In the
last two home games we have conceded three in both so it was vital to get
back to keeping clean sheets. "There's only one thing missing, and that's
scoring a goal or two, but we are only a small margin away from being a
three-point team instead of a one-point team."

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert said: "On balance we had the best clear-cut
chances, with Christian hitting the bar and Andreas going through. "It was
always going to be hard here and it was a difficult, physical game, but we
competed brilliantly. "Our counter-attacking is a threat and I'm delighted
with the lads' attitude and I thought our resilience was excellent."

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Allardyce on... Aston Villa
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 2nd November 2013
By: Staff Writer

Big Sam was once again left disappointed at his team's failure to find the
net - but happy with the performance otherwise. Read his full post-match
press conference here...

Sam: Villa defended very well today?

Well I think you get most teams defending well in the Premier League these
days. That's why there's so many teams playing at home who have found it
difficult to get a result this season. Our opponents today have had a
problem winning at home over the last eight or ten games. Swansea, when we
played them last week had only won one game in ten at home.

We did one thing really right today and that was to attack the opposition
when we got the opportunity whenever we possibly could. To try and create as
many chances and hopefully break their defensive unit down. But at the end
of the day, as we've done on many occasions this time this season, we failed
to convert any opportunities into goals.

Another thing we got right today was to make sure that we didn't concede and
stop the run of defeats that we've suffered, unusually, at home so early on
in the season. So the clean sheet was very important and the opportunities
to win the game were there but not taken.

We have to keep working at it, we have to keep believing and sooner or later
the ball will end up going in the back of the net for a three point victory
instead of a draw. That will be a big relief to us as we all know how big
Premier League wins are when they come along. So, we have to get one as
quickly as we can.

I know you get asked about this all the time, but can you give us any
indication when Andy Carroll will be back?

No. Not really, no. When Andy Carroll gets back to full training then he's
the best part of another four weeks away before he gets on the field in the
first team. He has to start a four-week pre-season, which is the minimum
time for a pre-season we can possibly fit in. We'll try and speed that up if
we possibly can.

We're in a similar position with Carlton Cole at the moment. We have to use
him sparingly because he's still in the middle of a pre-season, trying to
catch up with the rest of the lads. Our other strikers are Modibo Maiga -
who's had several opportunities this season to stake a claim but hasn't
scored - and Mladen Petric.

Unfortunately when Mladen was ready to come and play - and he was ahead of
Carlton - he ends up with a tight calf from a warm-up with the Under 21s.
We've only just got him back fit again. So that's the the problem [we face].

Our goals were shared out last year; all of the first 16 or 17 players in
our team scored, bar perhaps Guy Demel. Kevin [Nolan] got 10, Andy [Carroll]
got eight and everyone else got two or three - or whatever it was - which is
why we finished tenth.

At the moment, none of those players in the team are scoring when they get
the opportunity, like they did last year. So it's not just up front, it's
all the players not contributing in goalscoring terms as much as they did
last season. If we get that right, which I think we eventually will, we'll
start getting three points instead of one.

Is it as a result of the way opposition teams line up you can...

Well not really. Against Everton we were 2-1 up and looking like we'd go on
to win the game. Then Mark Noble got himself sent off - and you've not seen
Leighton Baines put another free kick in since then. He put two in [that
day]!

Jermaine Pennant has hardly played for Stoke since [he scored here] but he
came on as a sub and put another one in. So in that particular area, in
conceding goals, we've been slightly unlucky that opposition players hit the
true ball against us more often than they have done - well, they haven't
done it against any other team since then and we're ten games in already. So
that's a bit of fate that goes against you.

Today we tried our very, very best to get that all important victory - but
one of the most impoprtnt things was making sure we didn't suffer another
defeat. The defensive unit today was magnificent again, apart from one
situation where Benteke got in with the header that hit the bar.

So we've limited Aston Villa to one chance in the entire game, we've limited
them to eight crosses only into our penalty area whereas we've put 38 balls
into their box. It's all about somebody putting the ball in the back of the
net when you get so many opportunities; unfortunately it's our Achilles heel
at the moment.

What's your view of the Morrison and Weimann incident?

Yeah, great wasn't it!? A little tussle between two players. Two players,
one striving to stop a one-on-one for the opposition and one who's striving
to be the hero who scores the goal. Ravel came out on top beautifully!
[laughs]

Thank you.

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Aston Villa held on for a 0-0 draw against West Ham at Upton Park
Last Updated: November 2, 2013 7:20pm
SSN

West Ham were made to settle for a point in a close Premier League encounter
as they drew 0-0 with Aston Villa at Upton Park. It ended a dismal run of
three straight home league defeats for the Hammers but the West Ham faithful
must be wondering if there is a curse this season at Upton Park. Villa
striker Christian Benteke came closest to breaking the deadlock when his
second-half header struck a post, but that would have been an injustice in a
match during which West Ham proved just how much they are missing injured
striker Andy Carroll. The Hammers have now gone 375 minutes without a goal
at Upton Park and have scored just eight goals in 10 league games.

Best of the match:

Man of the match: Downing pips it ahead of Vlaar, Benteke and Jarvis

Save of the match: Jaaskelainen produced a great low save to deny Benteke
late on

Moment of the match: Debate rages on as to whether Ravel Morrison brought
down Andreas Weimann when the Austrian was clean through

Talking point: Are either of these sides in danger of relegation this
season?

In truth, they have been an enigma so far this season. They have lost once
and conceded just one goal in five matches away from home, the best away
defensive record in the Premier League. This match was supposed to be Sam
Allardyce's line in the sand, the start of the home revival, and he drafted
in midfielder Jack Collison for his first league start of the season in a
bid to deliver some extra verve. Collison formed a midfield triangle with
Mark Noble and Matt Jarvis, and there was no lack of zip or endeavour during
a first half in which West Ham dominated possession and territory without
seriously troubling Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan. Stewart Downing, playing
against his former club and spraying passes around with some aplomb, jinked
inside with the pace he once showed for England to drill a left-foot shot
straight into the arms of Guzan. And Jarvis went close when his direct
running precipitated a frantic melee in the Villa penalty area, Jarvis
rounding Guzan only for the goalkeeper to scramble back to block the shot.
Villa were content to do what they usually do best, play on the break.


We deserved three points – Allardyce
It nearly paid off when Andreas Weimann broke through, only to have his shot
blocked by the legs of West Ham goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen. But it was
clear Villa were missing the injured Gabriel Agbonlahor. They lacked his
searing pace to make their counter-attacking style effective, although Villa
boss Paul Lambert clearly believed West Ham should have been reduced to 10
men after 15 minutes. Ravel Morrison and Weimann tangled in a frantic foot
race which ended with the Villa striker appearing to be hauled down when he
was bearing down on goal. Morrison was clearly the last man and if referee
Howard Webb had not been generous in his judgement then Morrison would have
seen red. One of the main reasons for West Ham's impressive defensive
statistics this season, however, is James Tomkins. He provides composure and
organisation in the Hammers defence, one crunching tackle on Benteke at the
start of the second half perfectly illustrating his worth.

Lambert pleased with point
Just after the hour mark Allardyce attempted to beef up the firepower,
throwing on Joe Cole for Jarvis and Carlton Cole for Collision. It brought a
wave of West Ham attacks but Nolan squandered yet another chance when he
stabbed his right-foot shot wide from eight yards. But it was Villa who had
the best chances, Benteke hitting a post with a header and then seeing a
left-foot shot skew just wide after being deflected by a defender, although
Joe Cole could have snatched it at the death if his shot had not been
smothered by Guzan. In the end, however, the result was probably fair.
Neither side did enough to merit the three
points.

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am Allardyce unhappy after West Ham's 0-0 draw with Aston Villa
Last Updated: November 2, 2013 6:53pm
SSN

Sam Allardyce was left to rue his light forward line as a dominant West Ham
drew 0-0 with Aston Villa at Upton Park. Despite the home side's best
efforts, Villa held on for a point and could even have snatched all three at
the death when Jussi Jaaskelainen saved excellently from Christian Benteke.
West Ham did have the best chances however, with Kevin Nolan, Ravel Morrison
and Joe Cole going close in a relatively even game. Allardyce, while
disappointed to have to settle with the draw at home, was quick to look to
the positives of a long-awaited clean sheet at home, following two
consecutive defeats with three goals conceded in each to Everton and
Manchester City. "The amount of dominating play we had today, you're
disappointed you didn't get three points," Allardyce told Sky Sports. "In
terms of territorial advantage and opportunities in Aston Villa's box we've
absolutely dominated, but at the end of the day we still haven't converted
that into goals. "We're disappointed from that point of view but on the
positive side we've got back to our clean sheet mentality at home."

Villa started the game perhaps the brighter, but the Hammers quickly found
their bearings, to which Allardyce was happy. "I felt we were going to score
today and I think we got a little shaky start," he added. "After 10 minutes
we got settled down though, and we looked like we would get one or two.
"We've got to take the positives about stopping the defeats and getting a
point on the board. "We'll try and move on from there in the hope that,
eventually, in the way we're playing both home and away, we'll convert that
into three points."

With record signing Andy Carroll still in the treatment room with a heel
injury, West Ham's forward line looks decidedly lightweight at the moment,
though Allardyce was more than pleased with his side's forward play so far
this season. "There's enough quality balls in the box, but when we need
somebody on the end of it we can't get it," he said. "What we couldn't find
is the ultimate finish."

Allardyce was left to bemoan his injury-stricken side, however, with Carroll
joined by the likes of Mladen Petric, James Collins, Alou Diarra and Matthew
Taylor on the sidelines. "We've got seven out I think, and a lot of those
players are long-term injuries. "Andy Carroll, we hope, is coming to the end
so we can get him back, but we've got a few too many. "That happens, though,
so what we've got to try and do is get them fit and keep them fit. "There's
eight games in December for us, so we're going to need the squad fit and
hopefully we'll continue playing the way we are at the moment."

Another positive Allardyce found was the home return of Carlton Cole, who
re-signed with the club in the summer but has had his fitness questioned
more than once since his arrival. "Carlton's getting better and better. We
went for three big strikers in the Premier League on loan but we couldn't
get them, so we've brought Carlton and Petric in," he said. "We are where we
are with the strikers, and it's everybody else's responsibility to score as
well. That's just eluding us at the moment."

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West Ham United 0-0 Aston Villa: Bore draw at Upton Park as Hammers end run
of home defeats
2 Nov 2013 22:30
The Mirror

When Aston Villa ran out at Upton Park wearing vivid lime-green shirts it
was just the first shocking sight of the afternoon. The passing from both
teams was shocking. The defending was shocking. The shooting was shocking.
The fact that these two teams will very probably stay in the Premier League
come the end of the season is also shocking. That a top-flight side can
start with two wingers but no recognised striker, as West Ham did, is pretty
shocking too. Villa have now not scored for 375 minutes – that's over four
matches – so the fact they didn't find the net was the least surprising
thing of the afternoon. And when Yacouba Sylla's shot landed in the upper
tier of the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand, well, it was just in keeping with all
the rubbish that had gone before. In fact, Villa really should have ended
their goal drought in the opening exchanges, but Jussi Jaaskelainen came to
the rescue of James Tomkins when Andreas Weimann outpaced him.

Villa believed that Ravel Morrison was lucky to stay on the pitch a few
minutes later after the Hammers had won a corner but left ­themselves
completely exposed at the other end. Weimann and the covering Morrison went
stride for stride from inside the Villa half. But when Weimann went down
just outside the West Ham box after he was grabbed across the shoulder,
referee Howard Webb waved play on.

The Hammers have also found goals hard to come by and it was easy to see
why. Stewart Downing was their stand-out performer against his former team,
but with Andy Carroll still injured and the re-signed Carlton Cole on the
bench until the hour-mark, it was left to Kevin Nolan to play as not so much
a false No.9 as a fake one. He has been one of the Hammers' best performers
but an out and out striker he most certainly isn't. Downing's wing play
desperately needed someone who knew what they were doing to benefit, but
there wasn't anyone. West Ham boss Sam Allardyce said: "We delivered 38
balls into the box. There's only one thing missing, and that's a goal or
two. We are only a small margin from being a three-point team instead of a
one-point team."

After the break Christian Benteke headed a Matthew Lowton cross against the
bar for Villa, and in the dying seconds West Ham sub Joe Cole forced a good
save from Brad Guzan. Despite their problems in front of goal Villa have
lost just once away and manager Paul Lambert said: "We are creating chances
and had the best chances today, so I have no worries about us scoring. "It
is huge the way that the ­resilience has improved this season."

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