Hammers denied by stubborn Baggies
WHUFC.com
West Ham United had to settle for a point against West Bromwich Albion on
New Year's Day
01.01.2015
Barclays Premier League
West Ham United 1-1 West Bromwich Albion
West Ham United were held to a 1-1 Barclays Premier League draw at home to
struggling West Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day, as Saido Berahino's tidy
finish cancelled out Diafra Sakho's headed opener. The Hammers had looked to
be heading for a first win in three when Sakho stooped to nod home his
eighth league goal of the campaign after eleven minutes, but Berahino
rounded off an excellent Albion counter with a cool 42nd-minute finish.
Aaron Cresswell struck a post for the hosts, while Youssouf Mulumbu spurned
Albion's best chance of the half as Sam Allardyce's men were forced to
settle for a frustrating point at the Boleyn Ground.
Big Sam had earlier made just two changes to the side edged out by Arsenal
on Sunday, with Carl Jenkinson back in his familiar right-back berth and
James Collins drafted in for the suspended James Tomkins. Though the
Baggies gave as good as they got in the opening exchanges, West Ham were
soon into their stride and had a first sight of goal in the seventh minute.
It came courtesy of some lovely crisp football on the edge of the box, with
Cresswell fizzing it into Stewart Downing and then collecting a return ball
from Cheikhou Kouyate. Now in on goal, the full-back could not quite shake
off the attentions of Gareth McCauley whose intervention ensured the No3's
effort was a tame one.
If the first move was stylish, that which brought the goal four minutes
later was majestic. Downing's lofted pass was belatedly collected by Morgan
Amalfitano and the Frenchman, against his old club, slid a brilliant ball
inside the full-back into the path of Cresswell. Without breaking stride,
Cresswell whipped a first-time ball toward the near post, where Sakho
stooped to guide a header into the far corner.
With the newly-appointed Tony Pulis watching on from the stands, the Hammers
stepped on the gas and Downing ran menacingly at McCauley, before testing
Ben Foster in the Albion goal. At the other end, Adrian pulled off a
magnificent stop to deny Chris Baird midway through the half, as the
Spaniard dove to his left to repel a rocket of a volley from Mulumbu's
centre. Sessegnon should have done a great deal better when teed up by
Andre Wisdom, but screwed horribly wide of the near post. He would make
amends three minutes before the interval, as the architect of the visitors'
simple, but well-worked leveller. The Beninese man ran at Collins and as he
made his way into the box squared it for Berahino, whose first-time finish
into the right corner was unerring.
Adrian was called upon again four minutes after the restart, when Berahino's
low drive clipped Collins and required a smart stop from the Spaniard down
low to his right. They came closer still through Mulumbu moments later,
though having been played in by Sessegnon, he slammed an effort into the
side netting. As the hour-mark approached, West Brom had the woodwork to
thank for keeping the Hammers at bay. After Sakho had been felled, Cresswell
took charge of the set-piece and was so unlucky to see his curler thud back
off the right-hand upright, with Foster well beaten. Downing was next to try
his luck, with his trademark jink inside onto his left foot, though this
time his strike flew narrowly over the top.
With quarter-of-an-hour still to play, substitute Enner Valencia picked out
Jarvis from the right, but the former Wolverhampton Wanderers man failed to
connect properly with his right and Foster gathered. Carlton Cole joined the
fray late on, but it was the Baggies who had the better of the dying
minutes, with Silvestre Varela curling a right-footed strike a yard or two
wide of the far post.
West Ham United: Adrian, Jenkinson Collins, Reid, Cresswell, Song (c),
Amalfitano (Jarvis 60), Kouyate, Downing, Sakho (Valencia 72), Carroll (Cole
84)
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Nolan, Noble, O'Brien
Goal: Sakho 11
Booked: Kouyate
West Bromwich Albion: Foster, Wisdom, Baird, Lescott, McAuley, Mulumbu
(Yacob 66), Brunt, Sessegnon, Morrison, Dorrans (Varela 79), Berahino (Ideye
73)
Subs: Myhill, Gamboa, Dawson, Nabi
Goal: Berahino 42
Referee: Jonathan Moss
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'We weren't ruthless or clinical enough'
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce admitted his West Ham United team did not hit top gear against
West Bromwich Albion
01.01.2015
Sam Allardyce admitted his West Ham United team had not hit top gear as they
began 2015 with a 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion.
The Hammers looked to be on course for the happiest of New Years when Diafra
Sakho headed the hosts in front at the end of a flowing move on ten minutes
- his first goal in five appearances.
However, Albion gradually worked their way back into the game and, with West
Ham struggling with their own passing rhythm, Stephane Sessegnon and Saido
Berahino capped a counter-attack when the Benin international set up the
young forward for his ninth goal of the season.
A second half change in formation and personnel - Matt Jarvis replacing
former Baggie Morgan Amalfitano - saw the home side regain the ascendancy,
but the closest they came to a winner was when Aaron Cresswell's 25-yard
free-kick hit the post.
"I think we went chasing the second goal too much when we didn't need to,"
the manager observed. "It was a slower game because both sets of players
were fatigued after three games in six days, so if you take your using the
ball and be more patient, then don't over-extend yourselves.
"We over-extended ourselves when we didn't need to and allowed the
opposition a quick breakaway goal from a counter-attack. We left ourselves
two-on-two at the back and that's the last thing you do when you're winning.
"You might do it if you're 1-0 down with ten minutes to go, but you don't do
it when you're 1-0 up and just coming to the end of the first half. It
wasn't Ginge or Reidy's fault, but the fault of the full-backs and midfield
players gallivanting forward and over-committing to try and score another
goal.
"That was the sad thing, because the result was the all-important thing for
us and we didn't get the win that we wanted.
"I can't praise the players enough for the effort they have put in over the
last three games, even though we've only got one point.
"In the end it was disappointing we didn't win, because I thought Aaron had
won it for us with a super-duper free-kick that hit the post. The other
chances that fell to us, we unfortunately didn't find the quality to finish
West Brom off when, in all fairness, they were there for the taking.
"We weren't quite ruthless or clinical enough to get the three points, but
one point is accepted and moves us forward after two defeats on the trot. We
get ready for Everton now and pick a team with what's available to us, with
the lads going off to the African Nations Cup, and move on from there.
"It's a big FA Cup third-round tie on Tuesday night, which is a bit bizarre
and something I don't think I've done before, but it gives the lads time to
rest and recover and make sure we can put a team out to try to get through
to the next round."
West Ham's goal against West Brom was their one moment of outstanding
quality from open play, with a move involving Stewart Downing, Amalfitano
and Cresswell, ended with the left-back's cross being nodded in by a diving
Sakho.
Unfortunately, the Hammers could not replicate that fluency against a West
Brom team determined to impress watching new manager Tony Pulis. Big Sam
said that could be put down to the busy festive schedule taking its toll on
his players.
"When fatigue kicks in, more mistakes happen and that happened to both
sides. The crowd got frustrated, but they have to accept that these boys
have given everything they've got over the last three games and this one was
always going to be one where the energy levels would not be as high.
"That's three big games over Christmas and our points tally was very
disappointing in the end, but we have to accept that and try and bounce
back. "We've stopped the losing run with a draw and now we want to go to
Everton and get a winning run going again."
One worrying moment was the sight of goalscorer Sakho being led off with a
back injury following a goalmouth scramble midway through the second half.
Big Sam said the injury would be assessed on Friday. "We have to have a scan
on it and see what condition his back is in. Obviously it's a similar
situation to when he last came back from [international duty with] Senegal,
so on Friday the lads will send him for a scan and we'll see how it goes
from there."
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Downing - 'A point was fair'
WHUFC.com
Stewart Downing was disappointed the Hammers did not make more of their
clash with West Brom
01.01.2015
Stewart Downing was disappointed to miss an opportunity to move back into
the Barclays Premier League top five on New Year's Day.
The Hammers suffered a frustrating start to the New Year when Saido Berahino
cancelled out Diafra Sakho's early opener, and Downing felt the team's
performance did not warrant the maximum reward. He said: "I think a point
was probably a fair result, but from our point of view it's disappointing.
"With our home form we wanted to get back to winning ways after Christmas,
but they made it difficult for us and on our part our final third ball was
disappointing. "It was a really good goal to put us 1-0 up. It was a good
move and we felt we could kick on after getting the early goal. We sat back
a little bit, got sloppy and got caught on the counter attack, which we said
before the game we didn't want to do because they've got quality players.
"They made it difficult for us and it's just disappointing because I
expected us to get three points on Thursday."
That expectation is something the Hammers have to get used to after their
stunning start to the season, according to Downing. He added: "The standard
we've set, with the teams we've beaten at home, means people expect you to
win these kind of games. Obviously it doesn't work like that, they're
fighting for their lives and a new manager coming in has given them a
gee-up. "We didn't capitalise, if we had kicked on after the goal, pressed
them and gone for the second goal we might have closed the game out. But
when it's 1-0 they've always got a chance. "Teams are catching us up and for
us we need to get back to how we've been doing. We had a few half chances to
nick it, but we've got Everton in the Cup before Swansea. We've beaten them
already in the league so we're looking to get back to winning ways."
Downing is looking forward to taking on Everton in the FA Cup, with progress
deep in that competition at the forefront of his mind. He explained: "It's a
big game for us on Tuesday. Everyone wants to do well and progress and we'll
have a couple of days rest before getting back to normal week-to-week
football. "I'm not sure if it's a good time to be playing them. Everton is
always a difficult place to go, no matter how they're doing. They play some
great football and it's only one result around the corner rom them kicking
on and we don't want to be that team. "We were unlucky in the league there
so we owe them one."
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West Ham 1 West Brom 1
1 January 2015
Last updated at 19:58
By Saj Chowdhury
BBC Sport
New manager Tony Pulis watched West Brom produce a gutsy performance to pick
up a deserved point at West Ham. Despite taking a seat in the stands, Pulis
appeared to relay instructions to the players and also visited the dressing
room at half-time. His new side conceded in the 10th minute when Diafra
Sakho headed in Aaron Cresswell's left-wing cross. Saido Berahino levelled
just before the break when he converted Stephane Sessegnon's cross from 10
yards. West Brom stay a point clear of the relegation zone in 17th while
West Ham drop to seventh, after Tottenham defeated Chelsea 5-3 in the
evening fixture.. Hammers manager Sam Allardyce said he was wary that West
Brom's players would raise their levels in order to impress their new
manager and they certainly played positively. The defence showed the sort of
resilience associated with Pulis sides, with Gareth McAuley and Joleon
Lescott keeping the in-form Andy Carroll quiet.
At the other end, most attacks went through Beninese midfielder Sessegnon,
who combined pace with intelligent play in the final third to give the
Hammers backline a tough workout. It was the home side, on the back of two
defeats, who started the brightest and took the lead when striker Sakho
scored as he charged in to meet Cresswell's cross. It was the Senegal
international's fifth headed goal in the Premier League this season. Instead
of crumbling, the Baggies regrouped and were unfortunate not to equalise
when Chris Baird's instinctive toe-poked volley was brilliantly saved by
Adrian.
They did beat the Spanish keeper with the move of the match. Straight from a
West Ham set-piece in their own area, the Baggies broke with Berahino
feeding Sessegnon who returned the ball with a precise square pass, which
was converted with a calm finish. After the break, Albion's technical
director Terry Burton and Dave Kemp, Pulis's former assistant at Stoke and
Crystal Palace, were sent to the bench by the new manager with instructions
for assistants Rob Kelly and Keith Downing. Pulis need not have worried too
much because, aside from a Cresswell free-kick against the foot of the post,
the Hammers rarely worried West Brom keeper Ben Foster. In fact, it could
have been all three points in his first match had Berahino's shot caught a
big enough deflection off James Collins to beat Adrian. Pulis's first match
on the bench will be an FA Cup third-round tie against Gateshead, before his
side are at home to fellow strugglers Hull.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "In terms of the players and where they are
it was a big effort. "It would be nothing else other than a tired
performance from both teams today. When you fatigue like the lads are going
to do, more mistakes happen and that has to be accepted. "Today it was about
the result, not about the performance because the performance was never
going to be great. Never. Not after you have asked the players to play a
third time in six days - what we needed was to get the result and,
unfortunately, we didn't get it."
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Exposing the long ball myth?
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 1st January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Andy Carroll's return to the first team has increased West Ham's use of the
'long ball' - although not by as much as you might imagine.
Prior to the Christmas programme, KUMB published a table showing how
frequently the long ball was being used, in the wake of constant claims that
Sam Allardyce's team was still as direct as before.
A popular view is that the return of Andy Carroll to the starting XI has
seen increased use of long, direct passes to the front man - and as our
table illustrates, of West Ham's 20 Premier League games so far this season
Carroll appears in all but two of of the top ten games in which the long
ball has been most employed.
Yet only once this season have more than a quarter of West Ham's passes been
of the long variety - and that was in the 2-1 win against Manchester City,
when Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia were the chosen front two.
To give an indication of whether Carroll's return had seen a return to more
direct football, we've updated our chart to include all games leading up to
and including today's 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion.
And although the evidence suggests the team are slightly more inclined to go
direct with Carroll in the team, the difference is negligible - which goes
some way to exposing the myth that West Ham with Carroll have just one way
of playing.
West Ham United: long passes this season
(total passes in parenthesis)
1. Sakho & Valencia v Man City (h): 70 (239) 29.3%
2. Carroll v Chelsea (a): 72 (300) 24.0%
3. Carroll & Sakho v Leicester (h): 78 (347) 22.5%
4. Carroll & Zarate v West Brom (a): 80 (362) 22.1%
5. Valencia v Stoke (a): 64 (307) 20.8%
6. Carroll & Cole v Everton (a): 69 (340) 20.3%
7. Carroll & Valencia v Swansea (h): 81 (405) 20.0%
8. Carroll & Sakho v Arsenal (h): 76 (385) 19.7%
9. Cole & Vaz Te v Southampton (h): 63 (337) 18.7%
10. Carroll v Newcastle (h): 68 (367) 18.5%
11. Carroll & Sakho v Sunderland (a): 61 (334) 18.3%
12. Sakho & Valencia v Liverpool (h): 50 (276) 18.1%
13. Sakho & Valencia v Queens Park Rangers (h): 72 (402) 17.9%
14. Sakho & Valencia v Burnley (a): 75 (425) 17.6%
15. Carroll & Sakho v West Brom (h): 68 (396) 17.2%
16. Sakho & Valencia v Aston Villa (h): 68 (431) 15.8%
17. Cole & Vaz Te v Tottenham (h): 65 (414) 15.7%
18. Cole & Vaz Te v Crystal Palace (a): 69 (454) 15.2%
19. Sakho & Valencia v Man Utd (a): 50 (351) 14.3%
20. Sakho & Valencia v Hull (a): 55 (478) 11.5%
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West Ham to miss Sakho, Kouyate and Song for FA Cup tie
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 1st January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce has confirmed that he will be without all three of his
prospective AFCON players when West Ham travel to Everton for the 3rd round
of the FA Cup on Tuesday evening.
Cheik Kouyate and Diafra Sakho are both set to feature for Senegal in the
tournament, which begins in a fortnight's time, whilst Alex Song may yet
resolve his differences with Cameroon manager Volker Finke and feature for
his country.
However none will be available for the trip to Goodison Park on Tuesday
evening, as confirmed by Allardyce in his post-match press conference this
evening.
When asked whether Song would be going, Big Sam replied: "I don't know, is
the answer to that. Alex is having his own conversation with the manager of
Cameroon and they'll decide between them.
"It's not our decision - we've got no rights over Alex in terms of whether
he goes or doesn't go."
There is also some doubt as to whether Sakho will now be going, after he was
substituted with what appeared to be a re-occurrence of the back injury
which kept him out of action earlier in the season.
When asked to clarify the situation, Allardyce answered: "We don't know
until we assess the back injury he came off with today. That will have to be
scanned tomorrow and we'll see what the extent of the damage is."
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Mauro Zarate move to QPR in doubt
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 1st January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Mauro Zarate's loan switch to Queens Park Rangers could be OFF, according to
Rs boss Harry Redknapp. Redknapp, who watched his side draw 1-1 with Swansea
this afternoon was asked about the delay with the transfer, which some
sources had claimed was a done deal as early as last weekend, in his
post-match press conference tonight. "I'm not sure [what the situation is],"
he replied. "We'll wait and see what happens. We'll have to look at it and
see where we go." And when pushed for a definitive answer on whether Zarate
would be joining Rangers, he replied simply: "Maybe. I'm not sure."
Rumours that emerged on the KUMB forum this morning prior to Redknapp
commenting suggested that the delay was due to a failed medical, although
this remains unsubstantiated. Either way, Zarate is currently in limbo
having burnt his bridges with Sam Allardyce last week.
Speaking via his brother, the 27-year-old Argentine had insisted the reason
he hadn't featured more often was because his arrival at West Ham had been
engineered by Chairman David Sullivan, not Allardyce.
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Allardyce on... West Bromwich Albion
KUMb.com
Filed: Thursday, 1st January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce was as frustrated as the rest of us at his team's inability to
break down a stubborn West Brom. Hear what the boss had to say in his
post-match press conference, exclusively in full here...
Sam: what did you make of that performance?
In terms of the players and where they are - it was their third game in six
days - it was a big effort. The effort was there to try and break down a
stubborn West Brom defence in the end. When we went one-nil up we didn't
need to start being over-adventurous, but that's exactly what we carried on
doing and we paid the price for that.
West Brom weren't offering a lot but we left the back door open on the
counter attack. Then we had to go and break a more stubborn defensive unit
down once they'd got back to one-one and we found that difficult to do in
the end. I though Aaron Cresswell had done it with one fantastic free kick.
It looked a goal all-ends-up, it fooled the 'keeper but unfortunately it hit
the post and came out.
Our finishing quality was something we needed to finish West Brom off, but
we couldn't find it today. Effort-wise it was a tremedous effort from the
players, giving everything they'd got but it wasn't quite good enough in the
final third to finish West Brom off.
Was it a tired performance after that recent run?
We've put so much effort into the last three games that it'd be nothing else
but a tired performance from both teams today. It was always going to be a
lower temo game, having played three games in six days and that's why we
needed to be a little more patient, take a litle bit more care of the ball.
But when you're fatigued, like the lads are definitely going to be at this
stage of the season, playing that many games in a short space of time,
mistakes are going to happen. That has to be accepted, when players are
asked to go again and again and again three times in six days - more
mistakes will occur.
We just needed to find a little bit more quality in the final third but
couldn't find it today. Whislt we got in front with a very good goal - a top
quality finish from Diaf and a quality cross - we couldn't find that quality
again to break West Brom down.
Was it a worry with their new manager in the stands? Do the players find
that extra yard?
Yes and no, but I didn't think there was a lot there, a lot of adventure
from West Brom today. We're facing more and more of this type of defensive
solidarity from the opposition that we have to break down on the basis of
how much we've achieved this year. Today we couldn't find enough quality to
break that down after it went to one-one.
We did find enough quality to get us one-nil in front and for me the players
should have focused on keeping a clean sheet. Once we'd got one-nil up we'd
won the game by then. Today was about the result, not the performance
because the performance was never going to be great today. Never. Not when
you ask the players to play three games in six days. We needed to get a
result, but unfortunately we didn't get it.
Can you just clear up the situation with Alex Song? Is he now not going to
the AFCON?
We don't know until we assess the back injury he came off with today. That
will have to be scanned tomorrow and we'll see what the extent of the damage
is.
Sorry - I thought you meant Diafra Sakho. Song, Sakho... [laughs] I don't
know, is the answer to that. Alex is having his own conversation with the
manager of Cameroon and they'll decide between them. Not us, it's not our
decision - we've got no rights over Alex in terms of whether he goes or
doesn't go.
The two Senegal players - will they be available for the Everton game?
No. Neither will Alex. Happy new year, lads.
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Kelly on... West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 1st January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Rob Kelly faced the press on behalf of West Brom in tonight's post-match
press conference for the first and last time, with new man Tony Pulis
waiting in the wings and dipping into the dressing room...
Rob: A good point, do you feel?
Yes, I felt it was. In the end it could have gone either way; they've hit
the post and we've had a couple of good opportunities late on but I thought
we deserved to get something out of the game, overall.
Everyone was talking about the Tony Pulis effect; how much input did he have
today?
I'm sure it had an effect. He introduced himself this morning to the players
and popped in at half time and said one or two things. He came in at the end
of the game but he's let myself, Keith and Dean get on with the preparation
and organisation. As I said the other day, anyone who knows Alan knows how
well organised and planned he is.
We'd spoken about the group of games as a whole. We had an outline, but that
can change a little bit as there's a lot of games in a short period of time
and people pick up bumps, knocks and bruises. We'd gone through it all with
Alan [Irvine] and we did most of the work there. Then we spoke about the
team that we were thinking of playing. So a lot of it was done and Tony and
David Kemp let us get on with the preparation and organisation side.
We saw David come down into the dugout in the second half before a
substitution?
He just came up with one or two suggestions, that was it.
Do you think the quick appointment helped the players?
I don't know, you'd have to ask them that.
What were the suggestions at half time?
Well they were football suggestions in the dressing room, so that's dressing
room-type stuff.
Considering where West Ham are in the table, how much of a lift will that
give everyone?
I think it will. They're a top six side, West Ham and they've built and
built. Sam and his staff have done a fantastic job here to keep moving it
on. It's a difficult place to come. We played them a month ago and they beat
us at our place. We played well in the second half. But when you come to
somewhere like this to go away with something is pleasing. We're pleased we
got something.
Morale must have been affected by the events of the past few days. Can you
tell us how Tony's appointment affected the players today?
You'd have to ask them that. It was brief, me and the staff were told this
morning. He introduced himself to the players and we got on with it. They're
very professional so the preparation was done before hand. They were
organised...
But what changes did you see, being in the dressing room?
I saw what I see every week, really - a group of footballers, focused
professionals determined to do well. I can't look inside their heads, I
don't know what they're thinking. Were they any more fired up? I didn't see
that , but you'd have to ask them. They're individuals, they're human beings
so yuo'd have to ask them.
It was a bit of an odd game in the sense that for 20 minutes West Ham seemed
to be on top, but then they seemed to stop playing and you came into the
game. Any explanation for why that happened?
Obviously the goal rocked us but we recovered quite quickly. We set up the
way we were going to play and the way we thought West Ham would play. We've
worked for the last couple of days on that, although we've not been able to
do loads and loads. Like West Ham and everybody else, we're playing a lot of
games in a short period of time and it all unfolded that way.
We felt as long as we stayed - even at 1-0, as long as we didn't concede
another one - that [we were still in the game]. We've got good players and
as long as we did what we were capable of doing, we are capable of giving
any team a problem. That's how it unfolded. There's never a bad time to scoe
a goal, but obviously the equaliser helped. We created a couple of good
chancecs before that, so we stuck at it.
Among those good players is Saido Berahino; how important is it that the
club resist whatever interest there may be out there?
He's a promising young player and the game isn't littered with them - an
English striker who scores goals. He's obviously a big asset to the club.
What does this team need to do to get back up the table and to safety, which
is obviously the aim?
I think they've got to keep doing a lot of what they've been doing. It's
been little small things - and eventually small things make big things. In
the last couple of games we've had people uncharacteristically make
individual erros - which you get in a period of time during the season. Ours
have sort of collated, all in a number of games - but there's not a great
deal wrong.
They've got to stick with and believe what they do. The club had a big
change in the summer, a lot of players - 13 or 14 out, and 10 or 11 in.
Whatever you say, that does take some time to bed in and bring to fruition.
Everyone wants it now, they want it today which we all understand but it was
always going to take a little bit of time. You can't have that sort of
chance and it all just automatically happen - or very rarely. It was always
going to need a bit of time.
Was the decision to start with Sessegnon taken by yourself?
Myself, Keith and Dean. Alan [Irvine] had already spoke about the games he'd
play, or Brown Ideye. Sess has probably done a little bit more than we'd
planned but he's been great and just got on with it.
Anyone who knows Alan knows how well he's organised structurally and on the
football front. We'd planned it as best we could but we can't look into the
future and say 'he'll definitely play', becasue you're going to pick up
bumps and bruises. Generally the outline was there with Saido earmarked to
play in this one.
He took his goal well?
He did take his goal well. He's a good finisher.
Did Tony say anything in the dressing room after? Did he congratulate the
players, or..?
I'm here. I've come to sort it out pretty quick, so...
Thank you, gentlemen.
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West Brom end run of three defeats with 1-1 draw at West Ham as Tony Pulis
watches on
Last Updated: 01/01/15 6:49pm
SSN
Tony Pulis watched from the stands as his new West Bromwich Albion team
earned a battling 1-1 draw with West Ham United at Upton Park.
Saido Berahino struck just before half-time to cancel out an early opener
from Diafra Sakho in an entertaining first period, while Aaron Cresswell's
thundering free-kick against the post was a rare highlight in the second.
With Pulis set to take charge of the first team for Saturday's FA Cup tie
with Gateshead, Albion turned in an impressive performance that ended a run
of three consecutive defeats, although they have won only one of their last
10 matches. The visitors were the better team in the early stages, with
Stephane Sessegnon in particular pulling the strings in midfield from the
outset. The Benin international had a shot well blocked by James Collins
after the first of many incisive, driving runs, while Cresswell stabbed
tamely at Ben Foster as West Ham began to atone for a sluggish start.
Sucker punch
The Hammers barely got out of their own half in the first 10 minutes, but
they still managed to take the lead in the 11th minute as Cresswell whipped
in a superb first-time cross from the left for an unmarked Sakho to glance
past Foster from close range. Stewart Downing's deflected shot was blocked
by Foster before the Baggies almost levelled when Youssuf Mulumbu's cross to
the far post was met by a cracking first-time volley from Chris Baird, but
Adrian pulled off a smart reaction save to keep his side in front. Sessegnon
scuffed wide and Chris Brunt hooked inches past the upright as Albion
continued to press, while James Morrison's curling effort sailed narrowly
over the bar. But three minutes before the break, West Brom were rewarded
for their attacking intent as Sessegnon sauntered down the left from a
flowing counter-attack and crossed low for Berahino, who side-footed calmly
past Adrian from 10 yards.
Close shaves
Berahino came close to doubling his tally five minutes after the interval,
when his shot took a wild deflection off Collins and was beaten away at full
stretch by Adrian. Mulumbu blazed into the side-netting from another neat
lay-off by Sessegnon, but it was West Ham who came closest to another goal
when Cresswell's cracking 25-yard free-kick cleared the wall and beat
Foster, only for the ball to cannon off the foot of the post. Matt Jarvis
failed to make a decent connection with a near-post centre from Enner
Valencia, and Sessegnon dragged another shot wide in the closing stages.
With legs tiring after another hectic festive schedule, Silvestre Varela
almost bagged a dramatic winner in added time as his strike from the edge of
the box flicked off Collins and shaved the outside of the post with Adrian
struggling to reach.
Player ratings
West Ham: Adrian (6), Jenkinson (6), Collins (7), Reid (5), Cresswell (7),
Song (5), Amalfitano (5), Kouyate (5), Downing (6), Carroll (5), Sakho (6).
Used subs: Jarvis (5), Valencia (5), Cole (5)
West Brom: Foster (6), Wisdom (6), McAuley (6), Lescott (6), Baird (6),
Mulumbu (6), Brunt (6), Dorrans (6), Sessegnon (8), Morrison (6), Berahino
(7).
Used subs: Yacob (5), Varela (6), Ideye (5)
Man of the match: Stephane Sessegnon.
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Sam Allardyce blames busy schedule for 'flat' performance from West Ham
Last Updated: 01/01/15 7:58pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce thought his West Ham side gave everything but couldn't find a
winner in their 1-1 draw against West Brom. West Ham boss Sam Allardyce
insisted the hectic festive schedule had caught up with his players as they
were held to a 1-1 draw by lowly West Brom. The Hammers were favourites to
get back to winning ways after defeats to London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal
over Christmas, but they were unable to build on an 11th-minute opener from
Diafra Sakho - his ninth goal of the season.
Saido Berahino struck the equaliser three minutes before the break, and
Aaron Cresswell's free-kick against the post was the closest either side
came to a winner in a lacklustre second half.
"In terms of the players and where they are it was a big effort," Allardyce
said. "Our finishing quality was something that we wanted when we needed it
but we couldn't find it - but effort-wise it was a tremendous effort.
"When you fatigue like the lads are going to do, more mistakes happen and
that has to be accepted"
Sam Allardyce
"It would be nothing else other than a tired performance from both teams
today. When you fatigue like the lads are going to do, more mistakes happen
and that has to be accepted.
"Today it was about the result, not about the performance because the
performance was never going to be great. Never. Not after you have asked the
players to play a third time in six days - what we needed was to get the
result and, unfortunately, we didn't get it."
Chasing
Allardyce was also frustrated that his team got caught on the break for
Albion's equaliser, telling the club's website: "I think we went chasing the
second goal too much when we didn't need to.
"We over-extended ourselves when we didn't need to and allowed the
opposition a quick breakaway goal from a counter-attack. We left ourselves
two-on-two at the back and that's the last thing you do when you're winning.
"You might do it if you're 1-0 down with 10 minutes to go, but you don't do
it when you're 1-0 up and just coming to the end of the first half. It was
the fault of the full-backs and midfield players gallivanting forward and
over-committing to try and score another goal.
"That was the sad thing, because the result was the all-important thing for
us and we didn't get the win that we wanted. But I can't praise the players
enough for the effort they have put in over the last three games, even
though we've only got one point.
"I thought Aaron had won it for us with a super-duper free-kick that hit the
post. The other chances that fell to us, we unfortunately didn't find the
quality to finish West Brom off when, in all fairness, they were there for
the taking.
Point accepted
"We weren't quite ruthless or clinical enough to get the three points, but
one point is accepted and moves us forward after two defeats on the trot. We
get ready for Everton now and pick a team with what's available to us, with
the lads going off to the Africa Cup of Nations, and move on from there.
"It's a big FA Cup third-round tie on Tuesday night, which is a bit bizarre
and something I don't think I've done before, but it gives the lads time to
rest and recover and make sure we can put a team out to try to get through
to the next round."
Sakho had to be replaced after suffering a knock in a goalmouth scramble in
the second half, and his fitness will be assessed on Friday.
"We have to have a scan on it and see what condition his back is in,"
Allardyce added. "Obviously it's a similar situation to when he last came
back from Senegal, so on Friday the lads will send him for a scan and we'll
see how it goes from there."
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WEST HAM 1, WEST BROM 1. A POINT THAT'S TOUGH TO RESPECT.
By David Hautzig 1 Jan 2015 at 18:45
West ham till I Die
I think social media has added an extra and welcome dimension to our game.
Allowing supporters to connect with each other almost instantaneously has
been as valuable to me as watching the matches on Fox and NBC. Our game is
far more about community and bonding than any American sport could ever hope
to be, and without things like Twitter and blogs I'd never have "met" Iain,
ExWHUEmployee, Hugh Southon, the folks at KUMB, or any of you. I've also
become friendly with supporters of some other clubs, one of which is West
Brom supporter @AndyfromNewHamp. I first got to know Andy through a daily
radio program over here hosted by Chelsea TV's Neil Barnett, former
Newcastle midfielder Ray Hudson and a few others. We've gone on air together
to preview matches between the two clubs, and we chat via Twitter regularly.
Which we did again yesterday.
Before television coverage over here became arguably better than in the UK,
it was brutally difficult to get any info on any club other than Manchester
United, Liverpool, and maybe Arsenal. So for an American, history is not
ingrained. It's learned. Not so for UK born and bred Andy, and I got a great
little lesson from him.
"Our clubs share a tradition of style over substance, of generating talent
from within. Geoff Hurst started his career as a Hammer and ended it as a
Baggie. But above all else both clubs were at the forefront in embracing
black footballers when racism was rampant. Your Hammers provided inspiration
with Best, Barnes and Coker. We followed suit a couple of years later with
the trio of Regis, Cunningham and yesterday's recipient of an MBE, Brendan
Batson. Our clubs may not have the silverware of more celebrated rivals, but
it can be argued no two clubs have had a great influence in opening the
doors to black players than the Baggies and the Hammers."
With what has happened here in the USA recently, hearing that gave me even
more reason to wear my now 20 year old jumper with pride.
Even sitting in the stands, I suspected Tony Pulis to have some kind of
impact on his new club. He beat us in his first game in charge of Crystal
Palace. Actually, if memory serves me, wasn't Roy Hodgson appointed West
Brom manager the day we overcame a 3-0 halftime deficit to draw them at The
Hawthorns? While that season was an absolute nightmare, the draw that day
wasn't half bad. I can't say I feel anything like that today.
I was waiting for the starting eleven with the hope that Valencia and Sakho
would lead the attack again. Pretty dumb of me, I guess. At least Amalfitano
kept his place.
Early yellow cards to important players will always cause uneasy feelings,
and those feelings were provided in the 4th minute when Kouyate made a
reckless challenge and brought down Sessegnon from behind. The free kick
didn't cause many problems, but the ball came back to Sessegnon giving him
room to make a run into the West Ham box and unleash a hard shot that was
blocked out by Collins. It was the first of many problems caused by
Sessegnon.
The first chance for West Ham showed some impressive movement with and
without the ball. The only thing missing was the final touch, and when
Downing and Cresswell combined for a nice one-two in the penalty area our
left back appeared to be pulled down by McAuley just as he shot. The attempt
went over the bar, and the referee ignored Cresswell's protests for a
penalty.
When West Ham have looked their best this season it has been the added pace
and skill of players like Sakho, Amalfitano and Cresswell that have made the
difference. Downing has basically been a new signing with his switch to the
top of a diamond formation, and he combined with the aforementioned three to
give West Ham the lead after ten minutes. Downing sent a chip to Amalfitano
at the top of the eighteen yard box. After quickly turning towards goal,
Amalfitano made a gorgeous pass with the outside of his right foot to
Cresswell on the left side of the box. His cross found Sakho doing what he
does best, running into a dangerous area to receive a pass and have a go at
goal. Pass received, ball in net. Simple.
West Ham 1, West Brom 0.
It could have, and maybe should have been 2-0 a few minutes later when Song
found Downing speeding down the left flank. Downing cut inside and beat
McAuley, but his angle was tight and his hard shot was well saved by Foster.
By the number of comments posted on virtually every article on this site,
it's plain to see that you all like to debate and discuss. Well, I want to
throw this out there right now. In the 16th minute, Cresswell sent in a long
cross that was obviously intended for Carroll. Foster came out to collect
the ball in his gloves before AC's skull had a chance, and that was that.
Here's my question. If it were Valencia out there with Sakho, would
Cresswell have even made that pass? Or would he have looked for a one-two
with a midfielder to get deeper and allow the strikers to run into areas? Or
something like that. Anything but a long cross into the box?
Sam recently said Adrian is as good a keeper as DeGea, and that he should be
challenging for a spot on the Spanish national team. Based on his save in
the 22nd minute I won't argue with him. After beating Song on the right
side, Mulumbu sent a cross to Baird on the edge of the box. The defender
took his shot straight out of the air and would have ripped the net if
Adrian hadn't gotten his left hand in the way.
From that moment on, until halftime, West Ham looked complacent. Unworried
that West Brom could hurt them. We gave up the ball in midfield and looked
like we didn't believe there could ever be any consequences. Sessegnon and
Wisdom combined in the 25th minute with a quick series of passes inside the
West Ham box before Sessegnon's shot went wide. Sessegnon then sent Brunt
down the left but his shot also went wide. Next came a free kick from Brunt
after Mulumbu was taken down by Song that didn't have enough hook or bend
and went wide. Add in an attempt by Morrison that curled over the bar and
you have a long stretch of West Brom dominance.
The inevitable finally happened in the 42nd minute after West Ham lost
possession for the 641st time in the half and led to a counter attack by
Sessegnon. He cut towards the box and found Berahino running at goal and he
side footed the equalizer behind Adrian. I'm guessing Sam will blame Collins
for backing off Sessegnon, and probably Reid for not marking Berahino. And
both of those accusations would be true. But those two mistakes were only a
small part in the larger picture that led to the goal.
West Ham 1, West Brom 1.
At halftime I took to Twitter as I usually do to gauge what the West Ham
faithful were saying. I wasn't surprised to see the majority calling for
Valencia to come in for Carroll, who simply had not been a factor in the
first half. If we all could see that Valencia's pace might be a better
option to Carroll as a target man against this particular defense, then the
13th highest paid manager in the world would see it as well, right?
There I go again, being silly. No changes to start the second half.
Early in the second half Downing found Sakho breaking into the box but our
leading scorer was called offside. Note to Teddy. Work on Sakho's timing on
runs a bit because he is called for offside quite a bit. A couple of crosses
later that Foster collected easily and it was all West Brom again. Berahino
got a little help from a deflection off Collins to force a good save from
Adrian, and then Mulumbu and Sessegnon combined on the right side but the
latter's shot hit the outside netting. With so much space in front of him
and so much time on the ball, it's a miracle Sessegnon didn't score or set
up two or three goals.
Over the summer there was a rumor that West Brom were interested in Matt
Jarvis. Remember him? Speedy winger who was supposed to be the best crosser
on the planet? Cost us a lot of dough? Yeah, that guy. Well, he came on for
Amalfitano in the 54th minute. The TV showed Pulis sending messages down to
the bench a lot during the game. I wonder if he sent one to Sam asking him
if he could have a look at that Jarvis fellow. A few minutes after entering
the game he did beat two West Brom defenders before sending a low cross into
the box. It was meant for Carroll, but it went to McAuley.
West Ham came inches away from taking the lead and possibly all three points
in the 59th minute after Mulumbu fouled Sakho outside of the box to earn the
Hammers a free kick. When Cresswell stood over it to take it I was
surprised. After his kick went off the post I see why he took it and hope
there is more from him like that in the future.
There were more than a few cynical Tweets today about Valencia coming on.
Sure he would, the Tweets said. But not for Carroll. The conspiracy
theorists promised it would be for Sakho. In the 70th minute, Downing
collected the ball on the right side of the West Brom penalty area. After a
few twists and turns he sent a low cross in for the onrushing Sakho, but the
striker couldn't get his feet on the ball and Foster smothered it. Sakho
stayed down, and seemed to tell Foster he was OK. But he got up slowly,
holding his lower back. The same part of his body that was assaulted by the
Senegal team physio. So even if Sam wanted to take Carroll off for Valencia,
he couldn't. I wonder how Sam felt about that.
Valencia showed what his pace can do in the 75th minute when Song sent a
probing ball down the right side. Valencia looked like he had a different
gear available than the West Brom defenders and ran onto it right before the
touchline. His cross found Jarvis running across the area but he couldn't
get more than a slight touch and the ball rolled comfortable to Foster. We
can only wonder what might have happened had Valencia at least come on
earlier.
After what can only be said was a non-descript performance, Carroll came off
in the 84th minute for Carlton Cole. I'd like to say more about that…but I
won't.
For the final five minutes of the second half and the four minutes of added
time, the only side that looked to have a second goal in them was West Brom.
Sessegnon had tons of space in front of him in the 89th minute but his shot
was poor. Then he and Morrison linked up well, ending in a pass towards
Varela that Reid was able to intercept.
Final Score. West Ham 1, West Brom 1.
Let's look at today in a vacuum, forgetting our strong start this season.
Are we so good that a loss/draw to a team like West Brom is a shameful
result? No. Are we a work in progress, in which there will be stretches
where we play out of our skin and others where we are dire? Yes. I'm not
happy, and I'm guessing many of you aren't either. We had a full squad
available to us today, and we were generally outplayed by West Brom. Some
may disagree, but I think Sam cost us points today. Despite being flagged
offside many times, Sakho's ability to get behind the Baggies back four was
our one tactical bright spot. A spot that would have been even brighter had
Valencia started alongside him instead of Carroll. My fear is that this will
begin a very tough stretch for us, with more frustrating results like we saw
today. And when the going gets tough for Sam, he digs his heels in and
retreats even further into the system he is most comfortable with. The
system we thought we had left in the bin.
I wonder what David Sullivan is thinking right about now.
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West Ham hamper fraud investigated by police
Manager Sam Allardyce and striker Andy Carroll among those 'targeted with
fake Fortnum & Mason hampers'
Telegraph
By Telegraph Sport10:02AM GMT 01 Jan 2015
Police are investigating a scam reportedly targeting players and staff at
West Ham United Football Club. The Sun reported on Thursday that both
striker Andy Carroll and manager Sam Allardyce had fallen prey to a
fraudster at the Premier League club's training ground in Essex in
mid-December. The con artist was offering cut-price Fortnum & Mason hampers
and Harrods champagne and the pair paid £11,000 but never saw the goods
delivered, according to the newspaper, which also said the fraudster took
£30,000 in total from players and staff and had also targeted Norwich City.
Police were informed on Christmas Eve and have now launched a probe into the
allegations. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "Newham officers
are investigating an allegation of fraud. This occurred on December 12 and
was reported to police on December 24. Inquiries continue and there has been
no arrest."
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AC and one other! We're going backwards Sam
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 1, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
This won't take long! We are going backwards – launching long and refusing
to play the most successful strike partnership we have seen at the club
since Cottee and McAvennie. Andy Carroll most certainly has a role to play
but not as a permanent fixture come hell or high water. Also we have been
told by the manager himself that with so many games coming in such a hurry
over Christmas and the New Year there needed to be some rotation…unless. it
seems, your name is Carroll! We have reached the point where it really is AC
and one other – some rotation policy that! It didn't work at Chelsea and it
didn't work today. Diafra Sakho is unquestionably Carroll's equal. Enner
Valencia has pace to burn and on his days is electric but the manager does
love his big man up front however unsuited – as was the case at Chelsea –
the tactic may be to the game conditions. These things are so self evident
they don't really need to be repeated but such is the obsession with AC
under the current manager we are forced to do so over and over again . The
result of the Carroll love-in is that we launch long and the 'to feet' game
which brought us all our early success is slowly disappearing unlike Carlton
Cole who Sam Allardyce admitted earlier this week is "one of my favourites."
That is pretty worrying and another example of the way things are going.
'Back to the Future' has been on the box about five times this Christmas.
Seems we are seeing another re-run at the Boleyn and it's nothing like as
entertaining!
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Noble looks to be the missing link
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 1, 2015 in Whispers
By Richard Oses
Bubbles Fanzine Editor
https://www.facebook.com/bubblesfanzine
Another disappointing afternoon has left everyone debating what has gone so
horribly wrong lately for the Hammers.
Much has been said and written about Sam Allardyce's tactics or squad
selection, Andy Carroll's form compared to Enner Valencia, Mauro Zarate
being shunned out of the squad instead of the likes of Carlton Cole and many
other theories and opinions.
All of these may have played their part as well as fatigue from a packed
Christmas fixture list and some bad luck from referee decisions going
against the team.
The Arsenal game was deserving of at least a point which can maybe act as
some sort of consolation for the fans. Likewise to ease the pain, no one
expected anything away to Chelsea.
However for me, over the entire Christmas period, there is one thing that
stands out over everything else and that is the absence of Mark Noble.
Since his return to the squad from injury, he has not featured in the first
team despite being a regular until injury sidelined him. Noble is a
workhorse who bleeds passion and desire.
Today's match against West Brom is a great example of why West Ham have
missed Noble's presence in the team. With some of the players feeling the
effects of playing so many games in such a short space of time and the
complacent attitude towards the opponents I believe Noble would have made a
huge difference.
A lot of players (and fans) seemed to think that three points were already
in the bag today. This was even more evident after Diafra Sakho's opener on
10 minutes.
The team took the foot off the pedal and let West Brom back into the game.
Even in the second half the players wlacked urgency and desire to kill the
game and bag all three points. Had Mark Noble been playing today he could
have been the driving force behind a West Ham win.
How many games this season has the team been in front and carried on with
the job in hand and killed the game off? Or for that matter when the side
have been losing and come back to win the game?
It is all to do with the attitude and desire on display and as foolhardy as
it would be to say that Noble is the only player that can muster the
required oomph to keep going, it is plain to see the difference when he
isn't in the team.
Yes, by all means we can point out the lack of the coveted Valencia-Sakho
partnership or the countless other things that have gone against us lately.
But if you want a nutshell explanation there is no need to look any further
than this: Should there have been a stronger desire and urgency in the last
two games – a draw would have been earned against Arsenal and a win would
have been rescued today against West Brom
And there is no better player at injecting the right mental attitude
required than Mr West Ham himself; Mark Noble.
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Carroll fury at Sun story
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 1, 2015 in Whispers
Claret 7 Hugh
Andy Carroll has rubbised the front page story in today's Sun in which the
downmarket tabloid claimed he had been at the centre of a Christmas con!
The paper said he and Sam Allardyce were tricked out of £11,000 when a
conman turned up at the training ground promising cut-price Fortnum & Mason
hampers and Harrods champers. T he pair allegedly paid £11,000 but the
conman did not deliver! However, Carroll has denied the incident happened
and wonders how the paper can away with writing such stuff tweeting his
feelings on the matter.
He tweeted: Don't know how @TheASunNewspaper can get away with making up
stories #MyMonyIsSafe
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Cameroon "make contact" with Song
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 1, 2015 in Whispers
Calret & Hugh
The Cameroon FA are keeping West Ham in the dark over the possible late
call-up of Alex Song for the African Nations Cup. But ClaretandHugh has
learned that contact has been made with the player and that there remains a
chance he will be called into his nation's squad. Rumours have been
circulating for several days that Cameroon bosses could do a big U turn and
turn to Song after omitting him from the original squad. And this morning we
made contact with a well placed Irons insider who confirmed that it remains
a live possibility.
He said: "They have been in touch with the player but beyond that we really
don't know whats going on. However, they can call him up right up to two
days before their first game. "Obviously we are keeping our fingers firmly
crossed but sadly the situation is entirely out of our hands and it's become
totally a waiting game."
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