Daily WHUFC News - 14th December 2014

Downing strike earns away point
WHUFC.com
West Ham United come from behind to secure a 1-1 stalemate at the Stadium of
Light
13.12.2014

Barclays Premier League
Sunderland 1-1 West Ham United

West Ham United battled back from a goal behind against Sunderland to secure
a 1-1 Barclays Premier League draw at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
After James Tomkins was harshly adjudged to have felled Adam Johnson in the
box, Jordi Gomez set the hosts on their way with a 21st-minute penalty. But
Sam Allardyce's men trailed for just eight minutes, as Stewart Downing's
deflected drive nestled in the far corner of Costel Pantilimon's goal. The
stalemate extends the Hammers' unbeaten sequence to four, while they have
now suffered just one defeat in their last ten. On the back of his
destructive second-half display against Swansea City, Diafra Sakho was
restored to the starting XI, with Enner Valencia the man to make way. And
looking to pick up where they left off on Sunday, the Hammers thrice created
presentable openings in the first ten minutes here.

Sakho firstly hared down the right and brilliantly picked out Andy Carroll,
who sought to find the opposite corner, but headed into the arms of
Pantilimon. Then Carl Jenkinson tested the former Manchester City stopper.
Pouncing on Anthony Reveillere's poor header, the full-back's side-footed
effort was palmed away. And arguably the best of the bunch followed, when
Carroll met Downing's left-wing cross squarely on the forehead, but powered
it over the top. Not that West Ham were having it all their own way, with
Johnson's right-wing cross hanging invitingly in the air for Connor Wickham,
who glanced a header wide of Adrian's right-hand upright. Johnson was in the
thick of it again after 21 minutes, twisting and turning in the Hammers box,
before tumbling under the faintest of Tomkins challenges. Referee Phil Dowd
obliged and Gomez promptly sent Adrian the wrong way from 12 yards. The
Mackems' lead, however, lasted just eight minutes, with Downing taking
matters into his own hands. Once a Sunderland player himself, the
30-year-old cut inside onto his left foot and let fly, with a telling
deflection off Gomez's boot taking it beyond the dive of Pantilimon.

An open game to this point and so it continued, with a long ball over the
top setting Sakho away, only for the Senegalese to blast wide from the
right-hand side of the box. At the other end, Gomez flashed one across the
face, though there was no-one in a red and white shirt to turn it home. And
with the final action of the half, Seb Larsson skipped to the byline and
squared for Jozy Altidore, who looked certain to score, but somehow failed
to make any meaningful contact whatsoever.

The second half began in strange fashion, with Winston Reid coming off worse
in an awkward tangle with Wes Brown, as the duo prepared to contest a
Hammers corner. After lengthy treatment, the New Zealander was eventually
given the all clear to continue.

Larsson, meanwhile, tried his luck from 20 yards, but crashed his shot into
a West Ham wall. Moments later and Song was adjudged to have handled on the
edge of the box, gifting Johnson a good-looking opportunity to the right of
centre. Thankfully, his free-kick was straight at Adrian, who punched it
clear of danger.

For their part, West Ham had a gilt-edged chance on the hour, when Aaron
Cresswell found himself closing in on the six-yard box, but his attempted
cut-back was blocked and the chance gone.

In the 64th minute the visitors went closer still. This time Carroll picked
up the pieces in the box and dinked a measured effort over Pantilimon, only
to narrowly clear the crossbar too. Having weathered an early second-half
storm, the Hammers were well on top by now and some excellent build-up play
culminated in a deflected Carroll header drifting wide.

Sunderland were soon appealing for a second spot-kick of the afternoon when
Santiago Vergini's right-wing cross inadvertently struck the arm of Reid,
but on this occasion Dowd was unmoved.

Big Sam introduced Valencia for the final ten minutes, but it was Sunderland
who came desperately close to snatching it. Wickham collected the second
ball 20 yards from goal and only a stunning Adrian stop prevented his rocket
from flying in.

Carroll subsequently saw a side-footer from the edge of the box drift inches
past the upright of Pantilimon's goal, but the Hammers would ultimately have
to settle for a share of the spoils.

Sunderland: Pantilimon, Cattermole, Larsson, Wickham, Johnson (Alvarez 70),
Gomez, Reveillere, O'Shea, Altidore (Fletcher 62), Vergini
Subs: Mannone, Bridcutt, Rodwell, Coates, Buckley

Goal: Gomez 21

Booked: Gomez, Wickham

West Ham United: Adrian, Jenkinson, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell, Song, Kouyate,
Nolan (c) (Valencia 81), Downing, Sakho, Carroll
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Zarate, O'Brien, Collins, Amalfitano, Cole

Goal: Downing 29

Booked: Reid, Downing

Referee: Phil Dowd

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Song - 'We showed character'
WHUFC.com
West Ham United midfielder Alex Song was pleased to earn a point after
falling behind at Sunderland
13.12.2014

Alex Song was satisfied with the point after West Ham United extended their
unbeaten run to a fourth game with a 1-1 draw at Sunderland on Saturday. For
the third match in succession, the Hammers had to come from behind to earn
the result, as Stewart Downing cancelled out Jordi Gomez's opener from the
spot. The point kept West Ham in the top four and Song says there were
plenty of positives to take back home. "We are happy to come away with a
point," he said. "I think it is a good point - it is never easy when you go
to play Sunderland
"We conceded the first goal, but then scored ourselves and managed the game
well. We had opportunities to score more, but it didn't come.
"It's good to not lose, you can see the good spirit and we have to focus on
the way we are playing."

The penalty award, for a James Tomkins foul on Adam Johnson, looked harsh on
the Hammers' No5 and Song felt on another day that decision could have gone
the visitors' way, "For me, I don't think it was a penalty. I will have to
see it again, but it was a difficult one," he added. "We showed good
character to come back into the game and it's always good to know that if
we're losing we can come back. "The team has character and everyone is happy
to come away on Saturday having not lost. We want to stay in the top four,
so it's very important to not lose."

Downing's equaliser was his third goal of the season and a further example
of his worth to the team, according to Song. He explained: "I think Stewart
is a very good player. He's shown a lot of things and I'm very happy for him
because he is a good guy as well. "In football sometimes you might try to do
something, and if it doesn't work you have to keep focused on what you're
doing and improve yourself in training, and then you see it on the pitch.
"I'm very happy for him and when he plays like this, good things can happen
for him. He's been back in the national team, and we have to help him do his
job very well. "We've seen what's happened for him and it's a pleasure to
play with him because he is a very good player."

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Big Sam applauds Hammers' spirit
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce took heart from his side's spirit as West Ham United again
came from behind
13.12.2014

Sam Allardyce was yet again able to hail the spirit within his West Ham
United team after they Hammers came from behind to draw 1-1 at Sunderland.
Big Sam's side fell a goal down for the third Barclays Premier League match
in succession, but for the third time in a row took a positive result as
Stewart Downing cancelled out Jordi Gomez's controversial penalty. Speaking
to West Ham TV, the manager was not impressed with the decision to award
Sunderland a spot-kick on 21 minutes, when Adam Johnson fell under minimal
contact from James Tomkins. To their credit, the visitors regrouped at the
Stadium of Light, levelling eight minutes later when Downing's shot
deflected off Gomez's boot and past Costel Pantilimon. Both teams passed up
chances to take all three points during an entertaining, if goalless, second
half, but Big Sam was content to see his side extend their run to one defeat
in ten matches. "I am delighted in the performance of the team and I'm
really pleased with the way that they played," he began. "Right from the
very start, unlike how we started at West Brom, we took a grip on the game,
created several chances but couldn't put the ball in the net. "We then had
to overcome a massive setback when they were awarded a penalty which wasn't
a penalty, of course. "We got a quick response and another Stewart Downing
goal - I thought he was terrific. I thought the whole of the team played to
their best, apart from the final bit where we couldn't find the clinical
finish we needed to end up winning the game. "Coming back from a goal down
again, albeit against the run of play and from a penalty that wasn't a
penalty, showed the spirit in the team."

When asked about the incident which saw Sunderland awarded their penalty,
Big Sam suggested Johnson had been hugely fortunate to get the decision from
the match officials. "I can sum up the situation just like this as to why
the Sunderland player went down - he was running towards the touchline, he
has overhit the ball, he's not going to get a cross in and there is no
danger, so he had a little dive and made the referee or the assistant
referee make a decision. "There was no danger, there was no need for us to
go tackling him because he wasn't going to anywhere or create any danger.
All those assessments have to be made very quickly by players and by
officials on what they do and unfortunately the assistant referee has made a
horribly wrong decision by giving the penalty. "Phil Dowd, in his position
that we've had a look at on the analysis, could not have seen it because
there were three players in front of him."

Having fallen behind in such circumstances, Big Sam was thrilled that his
players did not sulk, but rather regrouped immediately and hit back through
Downing's equaliser. "Our overall performance was one where we would get to
the last ten or 15 minutes and sit back in and protect the point, but this
time we didn't. "We wanted to win it and you could see all the players went
and tried to win it. I'm delighted that all the defenders did their jobs
correctly and didn't let themselves get caught out by the odd breakout
Sunderland did have. "Like I said, away from home a point is always
acceptable, but overall we're disappointed we didn't win."

Perhaps the mark of how well West Ham have been playing is that the staff,
players and supporters are going into every game expecting a positive
result. For Big Sam, the challenge is to ensure that confidence does not
turn into complacence. "Well, we can't get too greedy, can we! We had three
wins on the trot and have one defeat in ten. "Under normal circumstances,
the chances we created and who they fell to, apart from the one golden
chance that fell to Aaron Cresswell who is not a natural finisher, fell to
our natural finishers. Unfortunately they didn't convert them. "In the end,
one defeat in ten off the back of a week with three victories, picking up a
point away from home, has us ready for Leicester at home next week and
trying to get three more before we go into the Christmas mayhem."

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U18s suffer Chelsea defeat
WHUFC.com
West Ham United U18s ended 2014 with a 5-2 home league defeat by rivals
Chelsea
13.12.2014

West Ham United ended a disappointing week with a 5-2 Barclays U18 Premier
League defeat by Chelsea at Little Heath. The young Hammers, who were
knocked out of the FA Youth Cup at Southampton in midweek, were on the back
foot for the majority of their meeting with the Blues. West Ham goalkeeper
Sam Howes saved an early penalty from Isaac Christie-Davies, but it was not
long before Ike Ugbo put Chelsea in front in a goalmouth scramble following
a corner. Grady Diangana saw a shot deflected narrowly wide as West Ham
looked to hit back immediately, only for the Hammers to concede a second
penalty just before the half-hour mark, which was despatched by Kyle Scott.
Steve Potts' side did pull a goal back just before half-time, when Joe
Powell's free-kick was spilled by Bradley Collins and Fatai Adebayo was on
hand to poke the loose ball into the net. Into the second half and Howes
denied Chelsea a third with a fantastic save from Kasey Palmer, but the
stopper was beaten again moments later when Faiq Bolkiah converted Fikayo
Tomori's cross. Palmer added a fourth from long range before Ugbo made it
5-1 after Howes had saved Palmer's initial shot. There was still time for
Howes to deny Bolkiah a sixth before substitute Decarrey Sheriff made the
final scoreline a little more respectable by finishing low into the corner
in the closing stages. West Ham's youngsters now take a break from
competitive action over the festive season before returning to the pitch
against Reading on Saturday 10 January.

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Sunderland 1 West Ham 1
13 December 2014
Last updated at 17:28
By Luke Reddy
BBC Sport

West Ham maintained their place in the Premier League's top four by coming
from behind to draw at Sunderland. They trailed to Jordi Gomez's penalty,
given when Sunderland's Adam Johnson fell under James Tomkins' challenge.
That decision angered Hammers boss Sam Allardyce but Stewart Downing
levelled from 18 yards via a deflection. Jozy Altidore's glaring close-range
miss proved crucial for Sunderland, who drop to 15th, and the visitors'
Aaron Creswell had a one-on-one chance saved. Sunderland have now drawn 10
games from 16 but may take some comfort from the fact their latest point
comes against a side enjoying their best start in 31 years. The West Ham
side of 1973-74, boasting players such as Trevor Brooking and Frank Lampard
Snr, imploded after the turn of the year, but Downing's equaliser at the
Stadium of Light perhaps shows their current team are made of stern stuff.
Goalkeeper Adrian made a stunning late save to deny Connor Wickham, while
Winston Reid and Tomkins completed twice the number of clearances made by
their opposing central defenders. Tomkins was furious when his challenge on
Johnson was penalised, resulting in Gomez's coolly-taken spot-kick, and
Allardyce berated referee Phil Dowd when the official walked to the
touchline to calm the West Ham boss. Stewart Downing created five chances
and, of all the midfielders and forwards on the pitch, he was most accurate
with his passing in the opponents' half, completing 87.9%. He settled,
briefly, but punched the air jubilantly moments later when Downing cut in
from the right to drive in from 18 yards via a deflection.
Downing, recalled to the England squad after a two-year absence last month,
has now scored twice and created three goals in his last six West Ham
outings. Fresh from fixtures with Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool,
Sunderland boss Gus Poyet said his side must start winning ahead of kick-off
and they will look at Altidore's miss with the final kick of the opening
half as key. The American striker is yet to score in 10 league outings this
season for a Sunderland side who have failed to score in seven of their last
12 games. Their shortcomings in front of goal are not for lack of willing
and indeed both sides, each operating a 4-4-2 system, pressed for a winner,
with Adrian's tipped save from Wickham pivotal. And at the other end Andy
Carroll, who had seven attempts on goal, also fired wide with minutes
remaining as West Ham's three-game winning run ended. They now go into a
Christmas fixture list, which includes meetings with Arsenal and Chelsea, in
their highest league position at this stage of the season during the Premier
League era.

Sunderland manager Gus Poyet: "We cannot ask the players for more, we cannot
be more organised, but there is something missing and we need to find it.
"Luck helps, but we need to hit the target. When you have a break you need
to put in a good cross. "To play the football I want, at the moment we are
quite far away. We are doing as much as we can at the moment."

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "It was not a penalty and it is as simple as
that. It was given by the assistant referee and he got it horribly wrong. "I
wanted three points. I think the performances and chances created deserve
that but we respect a point away from home in the Premier League. "The
overall performance from the players was excellent and you have to be
satisfied when you come back from a goal down."

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Sunderland 1-1 West Ham Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 13th December 2014
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce was far from happy at the decision to award Sunderland a first
half penalty - but could have been rueing a second had referee Phil Dowd not
blundered again.

The Hammers boss was left seething on the touchline when Dowd awarded the
home side a first half penalty after Adam Johnson took a tumble in the box
following the slightest of nudges from James Tomkins.

However he was equally relieved that Dowd failed to award a second spot kick
to the home side when Winston Reid clearly handled the ball in the area 18
minutes from time.

In the end a point each was probably a fair result from a game that ebbed
and flowed, with both sides having a series of chances to win the game.

Whilst West Ham created the better opportunities and could lay reasonable
claim to being stronger on the day, they still had Adrian to thank for
preserving a point with a stunning save late on.

Both goals arrived in a busy first half; Gomez sent Adrian the wrong way
from the spot on 21 minutes after the hosts had been awarded an incredibly
soft spot kick following James Tomkins' intervention as Johnson drove into
the penalty box.

The Sunderland winger had no hesitation in throwing himself to the ground
upon feeling a nudge from Tomkins, whose challenge was clumsy but not worthy
of a penalty. The angry protestations of both Tomkins and Allardyce were
ignored.

But their joy was to be shortlived - eight minutes, to be precise - before a
former Black Cat levelled for the Hammers. A trademark strike from Stewart
Downing, who spent a short spell on loan at Sunderland several years ago
restored parity for West Ham moments ahead of the half hour mark.

Drifting in from the right flank, Downing beat 6'8" 'keeper Costel
Pantilimon, albeit with the aid of a slight deflection, low to the 'keeper's
right to make it 1-1 - just as he had at Crystal Palace earlier in the
season.

That's how it stayed until the final whistle - somehow - although both teams
had their goalkeepers to thank for that being the case.

Pantilimon was called into action as early as the sixth minute when he
denied Carl Jenkinson from close range after the marauding full back had
squeezed his way into the penalty box.

Meanwhile Adrian had to be at his very best to deny substitute Steven
Fletcher five minutes from time with a superb fingertip save. The striker's
fierce drive was heading for the roof of the net before the Spanish's
stopper's intervention almost certainly saved a point for the Hammers.



West Ham could have had the game won by then - Andy Carroll being most
guilty of missing a gilt-edged chance on 64 minutes, when the ball broke to
him from a corner but he could only chip an effort onto the roof of the net.

It was a frustrating day for the England striker, who has been outstanding
against Swansea at the Boleyn last weekend. He was left just as annoyed in
the final minute of normal time when he drilled a shot narrowly wide of the
post, with the goal at his mercy.

Yet had 'dozy' Jozy Altidore - without a goal in his last 28 Premier League
appearances stretching back to last December - tucked away the game's best
chance on the stroke of half time, the points may have already have been won
by then.

Fortunately for West Ham, Gomez's low centre got caught under Altidore's
feet and he failed to convert, despite having the goal at his mercy.

The draw ensures West Ham once again end the weekend in the Champions League
spots, level on points with Manchester United (who face Liverpool tomorrow).

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Alex Song open to extended stay
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 13th December 2014
By: Staff Writer

On-loan midfielder Alex Song says he would consider extending his stay at
West Ham beyond the end of the current season. The 27-year-old midfielder is
at the Boleyn for the duration of the 2014/15 campaign and speaking in an
interview with the BBC's Football Focus this lunchtime, admitted he would
consider signing a permanent deal. "The most important thing for me is to be
playing every single game and for my fitness to be 100 per cent," he said.
"We will see at the end of the season and see what's happening. "At the
moment I'm very happy here with the fans and the club. I'm back in London
and I have my house here, so I'm very happy at West Ham. So why not? We will
see!"
Despite the obvious financial riches that a player of such quality could
command, the Caeroon international - who is living in London with his young
family - insisted that personal contentment was of more importance than
fiscal reward. "I hadn't played for a long time and I wanted to come back -
that's what I needed," he added. "West Ham is a massive club and it was a
big opportunity. I can make make my mark here it'll be very good. "I didn't
play for a long time at Barcelona. That was very difficult for me as I
wanted to show the people [what I can do]. When you're not playing people
start to say it's because you're not good enough. "That why I chose West
Ham, to show them - and at the moment I'm every happy. When you're somewhere
you're happy, that's the most important thing. I was very happy at Barcelona
but I wasn't playing - and when you're not playing, it's very difficult to
be 100 per cent happy."

And in terms of what West Ham - currently fourth in the Premier League - can
achieve this season, Song remains optimistic - yet pragmatic at the same
time. When asked to predict where United would end this season, he replied:
"Don't set the target very high. For me [to qualify for the] Europa League
would be fantastic."

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West Ham miss out on third place after draw at Sunderland
Last Updated: 13/12/14 7:03pm
SSN

West Ham United missed the chance to climb to third in the Premier League
after being held 1-1 by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
The hosts took the lead through a controversially awarded penalty despatched
by Jordi Gomez after 22 minutes, but Stewart Downing earned Sam Allardyce's
in-form side a point with a deflected left-footed strike seven minutes
later. Gus Poyet was left frustrated with Sunderland's inability to find a
winner in their 1-1 draw with West Ham. Jozy Altidore missed a superb chance
for Sunderland just before half-time and Andy Carroll fired centimetres wide
in the 90th minute for West Ham as both teams spurned fine opportunities to
claim victory. The result sees West Ham remain fourth in the table, level on
points with third-placed Manchester United, while Sunderland stay 15th after
their fifth draw in six games.

Sluggish Sunderland

West Ham made the more potent start and could have been out of sight inside
10 minutes. Carl Jenkinson and Diafra Sakho both had point-blank shots saved
by Costel Pantilimon from promising positions inside the area, and then
Carroll should have done better than head over from 15 yards after a superb
cross from Downing.

The hosts looked toothless in attack and equally susceptible to the counter,
with Downing on the left, Sakho on the right and Carroll through the middle
all threatening to overwhelm the Sunderland back line.

However, down the other end, Adam Johnson was proving just as a dangerous
and when he ran at an exposed James Tomkins in the right channel, the
slightest of contact was enough for him to go down and referee Phil Dowd
gave a penalty, much to the disgust of an irate Allardyce.

Gomez converted comfortably, but it was only a brief lead for Sunderland,
whose defenders inexplicably allowed Downing to shoot left-footed from the
edge of the area eight minutes later. The strike needed a deflection to
defeat Pantilimon and find the bottom corner, but it was nevertheless a
well-deserved equaliser.

Sakho had a fine chance to give West Ham the lead after another direct ball
down the right cut hapless Sunderland left-back Anthony Reveillere out of
the game, but once again the Senegal striker couldn't capitalise and pulled
his shot wide.

Fluffed lines

Sakho's miss was made to look forgivable on the stroke of half-time when
Altidore – six yards out and unmarked - inexplicably failed to make contact
with a low Sebastian Larsson cross.

Sunderland improved markedly after the break, but it was still West Ham who
enjoyed the better chances and Aaron Cresswell saw a low shot stopped by
Pantilimon after a deft pass from Downing.

The visitors' shot tally continued to rise, with Carroll chipping narrowly
over after a latching on to a loose ball 10 yards out, before Winston Reid
found the roof of the net with a looping header.

Sunderland manager Gus Poyet responded by sending on Steven Fletcher for the
ineffective Altidore, and the Scot almost repaid him with a rasping
left-foot shot that Adrian in the West Ham goal did well to save.

The game was now wide open and Connor Wickham thought he had stolen victory
for the hosts with a shot that was tipped narrowly over, but the best chance
fell to Carroll, whose low right-footer on the cusp of injury time flew just
the wrong side of the post.

Soccer Saturday verdict – Charlie Nicholas

Charlie Nicholas believes Gus Poyet will be the happier of the two managers
after Sunderland's 1-1 draw with West Ham. "Gus Poyet might be the happier
manager. I think Sam Allardyce will be pretty agitated to have the penalty
given against him. As the game wore on he ended up having a little bit of a
chuckle with the referee and by the time it was level it was obviously
easier for him. West Ham didn't get too many decisions given to them, but it
was a half-decent game. It lacked a bit of quality and a bit of drive at
times, but West Ham were more ambitious. It's 10 draws for Sunderland and
that tells you the type of team they are."

PLAYER RATINGS

Sunderland: Pantilimon (8), Vergini (6), Reveillere (4), O'Shea (5), Brown
(5), Cattermole (6), Larsson (6), Gomez (7), Johnson (7), Wickham (6),
Altidore (4).

Used subs: Fletcher (6), Alvarez (6).

Leicester City: Adrian (7), Jenkinson (7), Cresswell (7), Reid (6), Tomkins
(5), Kouyate (6), Song (7), Nolan (6), Downing (8), Carroll (7), Sakho (6).

Used subs: Valencia (6).

Man of the match: Stewart Downing.

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Sam Allardyce angry at penalty decision after West Ham draw 1-1 at
Sunderland
Last Updated: 14/12/14 7:20am
SSN

West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce criticised referee Phil Dowd and his
assistants for awarding the penalty that denied his side victory in a 1-1
draw against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. The hosts took the lead
after 22 minutes through a Jordi Gomez spot-kick after Adam Johnson had gone
to ground under a light challenge from James Tomkins. West Ham equalised
through Stewart Downing's deflected shot, but couldn't force a winner and
consequently missed the chance to climb to third in the Premier League. "No,
I'm not [happy]," Allardyce told Sky Sports. "We might have been celebrating
three points here, with the fact that the penalty decision is the wrong one.


'Took a dive'

Charlie Nicholas believes Gus Poyet will be the happier of the two managers
after Sunderland's 1-1 draw with West Ham "I don't think there's any doubt
about the fact that he [Johnson] took a dive. It has not been given by Phil
Dowd because he can't see it - there are three players in front of him - so
it had to be the assistant referee, who, unfortunately for us, has got a
decision horribly wrong.
Would we have won the game 1-0 if that hadn't have happened? Who knows?"

Sunderland had a second claim for a penalty in the second half, when Winston
Reid handled a cross that bounced up on to his arm. This time Dowd waved
play on, and Allardyce thought it was the right decision. "Handballs have to
be intentional," he added. "It says in the rules that if you are going to
handle the ball, it has to be hand to ball, not ball to hand. "When a ball
comes through and bounces and hits you on the arm, it's not a handball in
the interpretation of the rules."

'Attacked constantly'

West Ham are now unbeaten in four matches and, despite his disappointment at
the result at the Stadium of Light, Allardyce was happy to see his team's
high level of performance continue. "Our overall performance was excellent,"
he said. "We came here to attack and we attacked constantly. We made enough
chances in the first 20-25 minutes to win two games but never converted
them. "We left the back door open occasionally because we were attacking so
much and trying to get the winner, which gave Sunderland a couple of
chances, but our goalkeeper has had little to do. "Performance-wise it was
very good, but result-wise we are slightly disappointed because of the
circumstances it has ended up being a draw."

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SUNDERLAND 1, WEST HAM 1. SHOULD HAVE WON, COULD HAVE LOST.
By David Hautzig 13 Dec 2014 at 18:55
West Ham Till I Die

The buildup to a match is often amplified by whatever rational or irrational
dislike I have for the opposition. Which made today's game a little
different. I don't really have anything against Sunderland. I remember going
to my local pub in Manhattan at something like 6am to watch Freddie Kanoute
score in a 1-0 win in the FA Cup, and the Sunderland supporters there were
fantastic to be around even in defeat. Barry Glendenning of the Football
Weekly podcast, my favorite guest on the pod, is a Sunderland supporter. And
even though his reign was short by any measure, Di Canio's time there made
every West Ham supporter look out for Sunderland results. I have no issues
with them.

That isn't to say there wasn't anything of intrigue about today's match.
When Sam was supposedly a dead man walking last year many bookies had Gus
Poyet as the favorite to take over at Upton Park. As for the guys on the
pitch, last week we got to see Andy Carroll take the stand and tell the jury
why the debate about him or Bony ain't quite over. This week Diafra Sakho
had the opportunity to show Connor Wickham why West Ham bought the right
guy. I'm pretty sure he has already convinced Sam that he's lucky he can't
always get what he wants, and that instead he got what he needed.

Keith Richards would do well in the transfer market.

With basically a fully fit squad to choose from, the anticipation for the
2pm announcement of the starting eleven wasn't that exciting. There was
speculation that Mark Noble could return and Kouyate could start on the
bench. The fact that such a suggestion about a key signing didn't send
shockwaves through the supporter community spoke volumes about how different
the club is now and how we all feel about it. As it turned out, Noble wasn't
quite fit enough to be selected.

Sunderland looked more comfortable on the ball in the opening five minutes,
with West Ham comfortable to deal with the pressure and settle themselves
down. For the first time in many years, we have the kind of attacking
options and prowess that can erupt at any moment. Which is what happened in
the 6th minute when the ball broke to Jenkinson near the back post, but his
shot was saved by Pantilimon. A few minutes later Sakho sent a cross into
the box that had nobody there to meet it, and then Carroll had a shot on
target that was easily handled by Pantilimon.

West Ham continued to apply the pressure when Aaron Cresswell made his way
down the left hand side before passing to Downing. Carroll made a run in the
box, and Downing found the most expensive skull in history but the attempt
went over the bar.

The Christmas season has many predictable features. Shops are dressed up in
lights and holiday decorations, the same Christmas music is played over and
over again in virtually every public space, and Kevin Nolan gets a three
match vacation. In the 12th minute, Santiago Vergini was brought down by
Captain Kev and while I knew it wouldn't be a red card, I thoroughly
expected a yellow. However, Phil Dowd decided to have a word with him
instead and he escaped a booking. Maybe that's an ancillary benefit of being
higher up the table?

The words "Song passes to Jenkinson down the right side" are becoming so
commonplace I wonder why defenders more often than not look utterly
unprepared for it. I mean, if we know its gonna happen shouldn't they? This
time, instead of a ball into the box, Jenkinson cut back and attempted a
shot. With good players in and around the area, our fullbacks have options.
And those options will create chances. Nothing came from this mini chance,
but it made the moment stick out.

When he is on his game, Adam Johnson can be a handful for defenders. He's
quick with the ball, able to turn defenders around and create just enough
space to either shoot or make an accurate pass. In the 21st minute, he did
that to James Tomkins on the right side of the penalty area and got behind
our central defender. Tomkins then tried to recover, put his forearm on
Johnson's back, and the striker went down. I may take some stick
here…actually I will certainly take some because every one of my Twitter
friends were furious at the call. But I immediately expected Dowd to award
the penalty. It was a matter of positioning in my opinion, and once Johnson
got behind Tomkins we were in trouble. Maybe if JT had not touched Johnson
and let him continue his run, the resulting cross would have been dealt
with. I, for one, had no problem with the call other than being upset we
would likely go down 1-0. Which we did.

Sunderland 1, West Ham 0.

For the third consecutive match, West Ham had conceded the opening goal. We
all know how the last two ended up, so unlike previous years the depression
that settled in was replaced by resolve. Fine, we'll just make you feel that
much more disappointed when you don't win the game.

When Stuart Downing scored his goal at Crystal Palace, the jokes about him
being fined by Sam for shooting from outside the box were plentiful. So when
the television screen showed our rejuvenated playmaker collect the ball from
Kevin Nolan outside the box in the 29th minute and cut to his left before
firing, you could have superimposed the goal at Selhurst Park over the
action today and it would have been hard to tell the difference. Yeah, the
ball took a deflection. Yeah, that needed a bit of luck. But players make
their own luck with hard work and skill, and Downing has done that all
season.

Sunderland 1, West Ham 1.

The Hammers were certainly energized by the equalizer. In the 38th minute
Kouyate put a ball downfield that at first glance looked like a clearance.
Until, that is, Sakho came into the picture to chase it down and have a
crack at goal. It was easily handled, but Sakho is making it clear that when
there is even a sniff of nylon in the air he will go for goal. It's how he
is wired.

The first name to be written down by Phil Dowd was Winston Reid when he took
Jozy Altidore down right after my fellow American flicked the ball forward
to Larsson. Dowd played the advantage, and Sunderland had the ball in a
dangerous area for more time than I was comfortable with. Thankfully for us,
all that time amounted to nothing.

Two minutes of injury time were added to the end of the half, and both teams
tried to sneak into halftime with a second goal. First Jordi Gomez collected
a quick free kick that caught West Ham by surprise. It also, however, caught
most of the Sunderland players by surprise as well so nobody attacked his
ball in the box that was there to be slotted in. Carroll then earned a free
kick after receiving a pass from Downing but couldn't create a real chance
from it. The pendulum swung back to Sunderland when Larsson found Altidore
all alone in front of Adrian. The ball was a shade behind him, and he
couldn't control it. West Ham escaped that one, and Altidore's woes in the
Premier League continued.

Halftime.

West Ham started the second forty five minutes the better side. Early on,
Jenkinson made a very tasty pass to Sakho down the right side and his cross
was deflected out for a corner. Downing took it, and the ball floated across
the penalty area, which included Winston Reid laying on the ground clutching
his head. Replays showed Wes Brown giving him a little tug which sent him to
ground, and then Brown's boot caught the side of Reid's head as the
Sunderland defender fell over our defender. No autopsy, no foul I guess. A
second corner went to Carroll, but his header went right to Pantilimon.

In the 53rd minute Sunderland took their turn on attack. A nice one-two for
Larsson led to a shot that was deflected out for what would be the first of
three quick corners for the home side. Carroll cleared the first one with
his head, reminding us that he can use that part of his body on both ends of
the pitch. The second presented itself to Connor Wickham who couldn't finish
the job, and the third was cleared out of danger. If anything, it got the
home crowd to make some noise.

Some things in life happen so infrequently that if you miss it, you may
never see it again. A comet streaking through the sky comes to mind. Return
trips for them are measured in the thousands of years. So too are absolute
foul ups by Alex Song. That happened in the 54th minute when he misjudged a
looping ball to him so badly it bounced off his upper arm inches outside the
penalty area, resulting in a Sunderland free kick. Adrian punched the ball
away, and moments later West Ham were on the counter with Downing running
the ball up with a full head of steam. Jordi Gomez would have none of that,
and tripped Downing from behind to earn himself a place in Phil Down's book.

Connor Wickham had a half chance in the 58th minute when he was played into
the box, but Jenkinson took the half a chance and turned it into no chance
by getting between Wickham and the ball as it rolled out for a goal kick.
West Ham then had a full blown chance in the 60th minute. Song fed Downing
on the left side of the box. Downing found Cresswell making an overlapping
run, but Pantilimon came out to meet the left back's attempt and made the
save. It was the best chance of the second half for either side up to that
point.

I have a soft spot for Jozy Altidore, so I was disappointed when he was
subbed for Steven Fletcher in the 62nd minute. I'd like Altidore to show the
side of him we here in America have seen many times, although not against
West Ham. I also hated to see Fletcher come on because he is a goal scorer,
and him nicking one would not have shocked me at all.

Carroll came close to giving West Ham the lead in the 64th minute when
Downing got on the end of a ball on the right side just before it went out
for a goal kick. He crossed to Sakho, who went down from a Wes Brown
challenge but not before flicking the ball to Carroll whose chip over
Pantilimon was so close you could hear the gasps throughout our community. A
minute later, Reid tried a back header from a corner that also went over the
bar. Then Song and Nolan played a one-two that ended up on Cresswell's boot.
His cross was intended for you know who, but O'Shea steered it out for a
corner. Nothing came from it, but we were far better than the hosts.

The football gods love to play jokes. Just when we think they are against
us, they show that while we play our little games they play theirs. Larsson
curled a cross into the box that looked to hit Reid right on the arm. The
Stadium Of Light illuminated with cries for a second spot kick, but Dowd
ignored them. Maybe he remembered Sam's protests on the penalty in the first
half and decided our manager would burst a blood vessel in his huge neck at
another one and such a scene would best be avoided.

The minute Andy Carroll was fit and returned to the side, I have wanted to
see him on the pitch with both Sakho and Valencia. That is not to say I have
any tactical nous to explain why I think it would be a good idea. I just
think that if it worked, then we could be so deadly on attack it would defy
our wildest dreams. In the 81st minute I got my wish when Valencia replaced
Nolan. There was no way ANYONE could accuse Allardyce of doing anything but
going for the win.

Larsson showed his worth on the defensive end of the pitch in the 84th
minute when he tracked back to chase down a dangerous run from Downing.
After winning the ball and getting it to Fletcher, the Scottish
international laid the ball off for Connor Wickham. Would this be his moment
like Carroll had his last week against Bony? No, but it was close as Adrian
pushed it out for a corner. A few minutes later West Ham were back on the
front foot when Carroll collected a deflection inside the penalty area. His
low shot was just a few inches wide of the bottom right hand corner. Both
sides wanted it, but would either get it?

Five minutes of added time saw Sakho win a header from a free kick, and Reid
break up a last ditch effort by Wickham. Those same joking gods wanted a
draw, and they got one.

Final score. Sunderland 1, West Ham 1.

In sales, sometimes slow and steady growth is better than explosive growth.
The same can be said for football. In that vain, a draw today should not be
looked as two points dropped. Either team could have won, and either team
could have lost. Overall, West Ham were the slightly better team with more
meaningful possession and intent with the ball. But Sunderland had their
chances as well and showed why they don't fall over when the likes of
Chelsea come for a visit.

My weekend mood is dictated by our club. Not easy on the family, I know. But
it's how I'm wired. I wanted to win. But I'm still feeling ok.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's Ravel Morrison has door slammed shut on possible return to Upton
Park
Dec 13, 2014 22:30 By Tom Hopkinson
Former Man United starlet's loan at Cardiff hasn't worked out and if the
Hammers cannot find a taker for him in January they may try to cancel his
contract
The Mirror

West Ham have told Ravel Morrison there is no way back for him at Upton Park
and that they will look to move him on in the January transfer window,
reports Tom Hopkinson in the Sunday People. Former Manchester United starlet
Morrison has been sent back to West Ham from Championship club Cardiff,
where he was on loan. And that has proved the last straw for the Hammers,
who have finally run out of patience with the gifted midfielder. If a buyer
cannot be found for the 21-year-old, then the club could even explore the
option of cancelling his contract.
Morrison joined West Ham in 2012 after his Old Trafford manager Sir Alex
Ferguson tired of the youngster's wayward ways. Irons boss Sam Allardyce
decided to take a chance on the player. However, he has never managed to get
a consistent run of games at Upton Park, with the Mancunian's behavioural
issues continuing to prove a problem. His deal – which contained an
£18million release clause – expires at the end of the season. If there are
no takers in January, and the club cannot cancel his contract, then they
will let him go for nothing in the summer.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce slams referee Phil Dowd over Adam Johnson 'dive'
in Sunderland draw
Dec 13, 2014 19:51 By Colin Young
The hosts were awarded a first-half spot-kick at the Stadium of Light for a
foul on the winger but Allardyce believes he conned official Dowd
The Mirror

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce accused England winger Adam Johnson of diving as
his side squandered a chance to stay third at the Stadium of Light. Jordi
Gomez stroked home from the penalty spot after referee Phil Dowd, under
guidance from his assistant David Bryan, awarded a first half spot-kick
against James Tomkins for a foul on Johnson. But Allardyce, who led furious
protests by the touchline, claimed Johnson had cheated to win the penalty.
The Hammers boss said: "It's a dive. I have seen four angles on the laptop
and the assistant referee has made the wrong decision, in my opinion. "It
was not the referee's decision because he couldn't see from where he was
because he was obscured by three players. "You can only ask him why he has
made the decision. After all the years experience he has gained how if he
doesn't see that is a dive it is concerning I have to say. "To recover from
a poor decision on the penalty shows good character. A good point in the end
and we went all out to get three."

Sunderland boss Gus Poyet rubbished Allardyce's attack on Johnson, who was
substituted before the end. Poyet said: "It is a little bit harsh to say he
dived, but I don't think it was a penalty. "I didn't think he dived. The
defender was in front of him and stronger and bigger. If the referee gives a
penalty, you are not going to say no. "He probably didn't talk about the
second half penalty but I bet if it had been the other way round I bet it
would not be a dive and it would be a blatant handball.' Gomez's second
Sunderland goal was cancelled out by former Middlesbrough winger Stewart
Downing, who spent a seven-game spell on loan at the Stadium of Light. Both
sides had chances to win three points but Jozy Altidore fluffed an open goal
and former Newcastle striker Andy Carroll twice narrowly missed the target.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Song's "I may stay" interviews raise worries
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on December 13, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham reckon Alex Song will take the best deal available to him at the
end of the season despite the player's constant reminders he could stay with
the Irons. Song has given numerous interviews in which he has made
essentially the same point – "that there's a chance he could stay." Regular
interviews in the written press were followed today by a BBC Football Focus
interview in which he declared: "The most important thing for me is to be
playing every single game and for my fitness to be 100 per cent,. We will
see at the end of the season and see what's happening. "At the moment I'm
very happy here with the fans and the club. I'm back in London and I have my
house here, so I'm very happy at West Ham. So why not? We will see!" There's
a danger in such circumstances that the board will go overboard in trying to
convince him NOW or over the next few weeks and making rushed offers. A top
source told ClaretandHugh: "It hasn't escaped our attention that Alex is
saying the same thing publicly to different media outlets very regularly and
it doesn't help things. "What is does do is remind clubs that he is still
very much available and thus there's an obvious danger we are a shop window
.
"Yes, we want to keep him, yes we will make a strong offer but in the end
the player is likely to take the best offer he receives. It's the way of the
world. We're interested in his actions not words"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Downing earns battling Irons share of spoils
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on December 13, 2014 in Whispers
Sunderland 1 Irons 1

Claret & Hugh

Stewart Downing earned the Irons a hard won point in a dour affair. The home
side had taken the lead via a Jordi Gomez penalty after a very dodgy
decision by Phil Dowd against James Tomkins with Johnson gaining a very soft
decision.r. We had looked the better side in the early exchanges with Alex
Song protecting a well organised back four whilst looking dangerous on the
break. We were pressing high with Nolan pushing forward to join Carroll and
Sakho and although the home side battled they carried little threat. However
Johnson managed to gain his penalty running at Tomkins to draw the foul in
the 23rd minute. Gomez sent Adrian the wrong way from the spot. It made
little difference to the thrust of the game which saw the Irons pushing
forward and always looking likely to score. Downing got us back on terms
with a left-foot shot from the right-hand edge of the box which took a
deflection past keeper Pantilimon. Sakho dragged a shot wide in the 38th
minute and saw the Sunderland keeper save on the break as the two sides went
blow for blow without the home side ever look seriously potent. Song had a
fine game in midfield for West Ham, stifling almost all of Sunderland's play
through the middle although the home team were finding more tempo as the
second half progressed. And we were lucky to escape a second penalty in the
72nd minute when replays showed Reid had handled and later. Immediately
afterwards Fletcher tested Adrian who saved well. Sunderland were looking
the more likely at this stage and Adrian was in fine touch when finger
tipping over a Wickham thunderbolt. Carroll and Sakho had half chances but
with the hosts attacking towards the final whistle a draw was probably a
fair result.

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