Daily WHUFC News - 22nd March 2015

West Ham United 1-0 Sunderland
Barclays Premier League
WHUFC.com

Diafra Sakho struck a dramatic late winner to fire West Ham United to all
three Barclays Premier League points against struggling Sunderland at the
Boleyn Ground on Saturday. With 88 minutes on the clock, Sakho collected
from Mark Noble before slamming emphatically into the opposite corner beyond
Mackems stopper Costel Pantilimon. The returning Jermain Defoe had earlier
spurned Sunderland's best chance, as he volleyed wide with only Adrian to
beat, while matchwinner Sakho had twice gone agonisingly close with his
head. Elsewhere, Hammers skipper Kevin Nolan could and should have won a
penalty, but it mattered not as Sakho came to the rescue to earn Sam
Allardyce's men a first league win in eight. Predictably, Defoe was in the
thick of it early on. He sped away down the right, squared up James Collins
and picked out Connor Wickham on the left-edge of the box. The former
Ipswich man controlled on his chest before lashing a volley goalwards. It
was vicious, but straight at Adrian, who gathered at the second time of
asking.

If that was, at best, a half chance, Defoe's opportunity after 15 was
gilt-edged. Wickham turned provider with an excellent header on, leaving the
England striker bearing down on Adrian's goal. But thankfully his predatory
instincts escaped him, as he skewed high and wide. Cue the West Ham
response. Sakho scrapped for it on the by-line and an attempted clearance
fell at the feet of Nolan. He swept a snapshot on target but straight into
the gloves of Costel Pantilimon.

Moments later and the Hammers went closer still. Aaron Cresswell crossed
from the left and though Sakho met it, his header drifted inches wide of
Pantilimon's left-hand upright. The Romanian stopper, by now a busy boy, was
soon called upon once more. Alex Song's technique was sublime as his volley
from the edge of the box forced Pantilimon into a smart stop down low to his
right. At the other end, Defoe continued to threaten. In space on the left
he cut inside onto his right foot and let fly. Not his best though, far from
it, as it sped along the grass and into Adrian's arms at the near post.

Big Sam shuffled his pack at the interval, with Carlton Cole the man to
replace winger Matt Jarvis. Meanwhile, Wickham tried the spectacular but his
curling effort from all of 25 yards sailed into the traveling Mackems behind
the goal.West Ham's most likely route to goal looked to be via the head of
Sakho. Just as in the first period, Cresswell swung it in from the left and
there was Sakho, almost with his back to goal, to head for goal. Under the
circumstances, it was an excellent effort, but an unmoved Pantilimon watched
it fly past the upright.

With 63 gone West Ham had claims for a spot-kick and valid claims they were
too. A long ball into the box brushed off the head of John O'Shea and into
the path of Nolan. As the skipper looked to turn he was quite obviously
hauled back. No doubting that but the linesman raised his flag to get the
visitors out of jail. Nolan understandably enraged.

As the clock ticked down, Patrick Van Aanholt sought to take matters into
his own hands. The full-back tried his luck from miles out and though it
might have been sneaking wide, Adrian was taking no chances and was at full
stretch to tip it round the post.

Without exactly throwing caution to the wind, West Ham threw everything at
Sunderland in the latter stages, but nothing fell for them in the 18-yard
box. Nolan, Sakho and substitute Nene were all denied by timely blocks as
Dick Advocaat's men looked destined for an important point.

But Sakho had other ideas. Noble's lofted ball on the edge of the box sat up
perfectly for the Senegal man who made absolutely no mistake, smashing his
strike into the ground and into the bottom-left corner. It was no more than
the No15 deserved.

West Ham United: Adrian, Jenkinson, Collins, Kouyate, Cresswell, Song,
Noble, Nolan (c) (Nene 80), Jarvis (Cole 46), Downing, Sakho (O'Brien 90)
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Poyet, Amalfitano

Goal: Sakho 88

Sunderland: Pantilimon, Reveillere, O'Shea (c), Brown (Vergini 13), Van
Aanholt, Rodwell, Gomez, Larsson, Wickham, Fletcher (Johnson 73), Defoe
(Graham 88)
Subs: Mannone, Jones, Bridcutt, Watmore

Booked: Wickham

Referee: Lee Mason

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Big Sam hails 'biggest win of the season'
WHUFC.com

The result was all that mattered to Sam Allardyce after Diafra Sakho's late
goal saw West Ham United edge past Sunderland 1-0 at the Boleyn Ground. With
Sunderland playing their first Barclays Premier League game under new head
coach Dick Advocaat, the tea-time kick-off was always likely to be a
competitive affair and so it proved until Sakho settled matters with his
12th goal of the season. The first half was tight, with both teams creating
and spurning a limited number of chances – Sakho heading narrowly wide and
Kevin Nolan shooting straight at Costel Pantilimon for West Ham; Connor
Wickham volleying straight at Adrian and Jermain Defoe lobbing wildly
off-target for the Black Cats. At half-time, Big Sam replaced Matt Jarvis
with a second striker in Carlton Cole and the move slowly saw the Hammers
increase their attacking threat. Sakho again nodded just past the post
before the Senegalese popped up with the winner with just two minutes
remaining, finishing clinically after Mark Noble and substitute Nene had
battled for possession on the edge of the Sunderland penalty area.

"It was a big game and probably our biggest win of the season," the manager
told West Ham TV. "It settled everybody's nerves, because you could see the
fans have come here so often recently, seen some really good performances
and gone away having applauded the lads off the field but disappointed about
the result. "The performance wasn't as good as it was against Manchester
United or Chelsea but I'm sure, like us, all they wanted to see was a
victory. When it came as late as it did, it is always sweeter that way. "Our
dominance was proven by one stat in particular and that was 42 balls into
the Sunderland box. We created and missed our chances, but finally our
leading goal scorer has done what we needed him to do more than ever before
and that was put the winner in."

As so often happens in football, West Ham found a way to win, despite
arguably not producing the same level of performance as they had in recent
draws with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, as well as the home
defeat by Chelsea. "You have to give the team credit for the other side of
it because they have got the clean sheet, and had we done that against Man
United and Tottenham we'd be sat with another four points. Then we could
have got another as Chelsea's winner was offside. "We would then be talking
about 46 or 47 points instead of 42, but we've had to come through that
spell without the victories that we deserved. We had to face that we were in
a bad run of results and we've come through that by beating Sunderland. "For
us, with our run-in and history against teams below us – we've only lost to
Everton and Crystal Palace this season – it's hopefully going to be a good
one with plenty of points to be picked up. Hopefully the lads will finish
the season strongly."

Again, the manager had his options limited by injuries to key players, with
Cheikhou Kouyate dropping into the centre of defence and Sakho starting the
game as the lone frontman. At half-time, the manager sent on Cole to support
the No15 and the move paid off. "I wanted to give more support to Sakho and,
without Enner Valencia and Andy Carroll being with us because of injuries,
Carlton has only just come back from injury so I couldn't start him – that's
why I played one out and out striker from the start. "At half-time, the
system I chose wasn't working as well as I'd hoped in terms of creating goal
scoring opportunities, so Carlton came on and had no problem doing 45
minutes. It did us good getting Stewart Downing in the hole and it's paid
off for us. "Our leading goal scorer has got the headlines, and credit also
to our defence for restricting them to one shot on target in the second
half. Everything was how it should have turned out."

With two weeks until his team travel to bottom side Leicester City, Big Sam
will hope to welcome a number of absent players back into the fold for the
trip to the King Power Stadium. "This result means we can now try to achieve
the target we set after Christmas. It's still there to try to achieve it and
if Winston Reid comes back and stays fit, as does everybody else, during the
run-in that will be very important for us. "Winston, James Tomkins, Enner
Valencia and Andy Carroll have played a major part in our success this
season and we were without them and that is a lot of absences to try and
cope with. Against Sunderland, the players went out there and coped with it
very well indeed. "It's been a tough old period, but hopefully we'll see
more victories as the season draws to a close. "Hopefully we'll have Reidy
and Enner back after the international break, so it's probably come at a
good time for us with regard to getting some of the injured players back,
which would be great."

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Cresswell - 'We're buzzing'
WHUFC.com

Aaron Cresswell was thrilled to turn recent form on its head as West Ham
United scored late to secure three points against Sunderland on Saturday.
Having conceded late against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur to drop
points not long ago, the boot was on the other foot on this occasion with
Diafra Sakho scoring the only goal of the game with just two minutes left.

It meant that West Ham's eight-game wait for a league win came to an end, at
just the right time for 25-year-old defender Cresswell.
"We're all buzzing and delighted because it was a much-needed three points
after the run we've been on," he explained. "We hadn't really been good
enough lately, but we ground it out and kept going until the end. Thankfully
Diafra made a great finish. "We said at half time to keep it tight at the
back, make sure they don't score and then you've still got another 45
minutes. It took until the 88th minute for us to score, but you'll take a
1-0 and a clean sheet all day."

Sakho's strike was his tenth league goal of a terrific debut season in
England and Cresswell was delighted to see him get on the scoresheet again.
He continued: "Diafra has been fantastic all season for us. When he came in
he was fairly unknown and people hadn't heard much of him, but he's been one
of our main men scoring all those goals. Long may it continue. "Scoring a
late goal ourselves is a great feeling and the main thing was to get the
three points. We needed that win and we got there in the end. "We've still
got eight games to go and we want to finish as high as we can – try to push
for that seventh-place spot, whatever's available we're going to keep going
every week."

With two weeks until the Hammers' next fixture due to the international
break, the timing of the victory was even better for Cresswell.
He added: "It would have been a long two weeks if we hadn't got the win, so
now it's going to be a good couple of weeks with a little break before our
next game when we go again. "Cheik's had to fill in a few times over the
last couple of weeks now and he's done it again on Saturday and been
fantastic. "We got the clean sheet so what more could we ask for? We have
two weeks until the next game, so it's a chance for a few of the injured
lads to get back for Leicester."

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U18s downed at Derby
WHUFC.com

Matt Carter started for the U18s just hours after turning out for the
Development Squad

Derby County U18s 2 West Ham United U18s 0

Two second-half goals helped Derby County to a 2-0 Barclays U18 Premier
League Tier Two Play-Off victory over West Ham United on Saturday.
After both sides had a goal disallowed for offside during the opening 45
minutes, Derby's Charles Vernam and Kellan Gordon both beat Hammers
goalkeeper Danny Boness to give the hosts all three points. After picking up
just a single point in their opening Play-Off fixture at home to Brighton &
Hove Albion a week earlier, U18s coach Mark Phillips was without a number of
Academy players, who featured in Steve Potts' Development Squad team at
Liverpool on Friday night.

Sam Howes was replaced between the sticks by Boness, while Jake Eggleton
stepped in at full-back for of Alex Pike. Noha Sylvestre was paired with
Matt Carter in the middle, despite the latter appearing for 45 minutes in
the Development Squad's defeat at Liverpool just 15 hours previously.

Grady Diangana was the only player to keep his place in midfield from the
Brighton draw, meaning Oscar Borg, Kieran Bailey and Idris Kanu came into
the starting XI form a new attacking line up for the visitors.

The Hammers started the game strongly and were immediately causing Derby
goalkeeper Josh Barnes to panic, although Borg's free-kick from the edge of
the penalty was deflected wide of the target before Vashon Neufville fired
over from distance.

Derby came back into the match and within the opening 20 minutes they had
the ball in the back of the net. However, the assistant referee had deemed
that Vernam was offside before he rounded Boness and finished.

West Ham bounced back after that narrow escape and could have led on three
occasions before the half-time interval. Bailey watched his shot rebound off
the post, before Carter was denied by Barnes and Sylvestre was also caught
offside before placing the ball into the back of the net.

Into the second half and Derby came close on the hour-mark when Ethan
Wassall headed over from close range. However, six minutes later the hosts
did take the lead when Vernam was well positioned in the penalty area to
divert Gordon's pass in off the inside of the post.

Schoolboy striker Kanu had a great chance to level moments later but, after
getting through on goal, the young forward fired his shot straight at
Barnes.

Into the final ten minutes and Derby confirmed their victory when Gordon
turned from provider to scorer after latching onto a long ball to finish
past the helpless Boness.

The Rams were then denied a third minutes later when Vernam was released
behind the Hammers back line, as Boness got down low to make the save.

West Ham will hope to record their first win of the Play-Off phase when they
host Reading at Little Heath on Saturday 28 March at 11am.

U18s: Boness, Eggleton, Rice, Akinola, Neufville, Carter, Sylvestre,
Diangana (Lewis), Bailey, Borg, Kanu
Subs not used: Ware, Barrett, Diallo, Henry

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Early goals crucial for five star Liverpool
WHUFC.com

West ham United U21 coach Steve Potts said conceding two goals in five
minutes proved costly as Liverpool secured a 5-0 win on Friday 20 March. The
Merseyside outfit were in rampant mood as they raced to 2-0 lead through
goals from Kevin Stewart and Ryan McLaughlin. The Reds went on to score a
third before half time as Cameron Brannagan capped of a wonderful one-touch
move with a composed finish. Speaking after the game, Potts said of the
defeat: "Everything we spoke about before the game went out of the window.
We watched clips of the opposition and the warning signs were there. "They
showed how quick they can be and quick they can hurt you. Before we knew it,
we were 2-0 down within five minutes and we had a mountain to climb."

Into the second half and the Dev Squad came out of the traps with a lot more
intensity and desire. Despite their best efforts however they couldn't turn
openings into any meaningful chances and it was the hosts who put the game
to bed through McLaughlin's second goal of the match and Sergi Canos' neat
turn and finish. "While we then got into the game a little bit more they
still looked more of a threat. We couldn't handle their pace and a third
goal before half time killed the game. Had it been 2-0 you never know. "In
the second half I thought we did better but we gave another two goals away.
They were good, they played very similar to the way the first team play.
They were swarming after us and they're tough to play against. This is U21
football and there is clearly another huge step to go to first team
football."

The Dev Squad's next game is another tough match away at Manchester United
on Tuesday 6 April and Potts is hoping for a swift improvement. "We need to
lick our wounds really. Our second half was slightly better because we mixed
it up more. We moved the ball better and kept hold of it a bit better.
Conceding the fourth goal killed the good stuff that we were doing."

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Ladies produce five-star show
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Ladies returned to winning ways with an outstanding 5-1 FA
Women's Premier League Southern Division victory over Gillingham Ladies on
Thursday. The Hammers suffered a setback after just four minutes when Ashlee
Hincks was perfectly placed in the penalty area to put the visitors ahead,
before Emma Sherwood's left-footed volley and Vicky Kinsman's precision
strike turned the game on its head. Into the second half at Aveley FC and
Sherwood added her second of the game from Kelley Blanchflower's low cross,
before a volleyed brace from winger Lily Mellors rounded off a five-star
performance from Dicks' side. Ladies manager Julian Dicks was pleased with
the result, but is still demanding more from this team going forward. "Over
the whole game, I still think that my girls could've played better, but the
second half was much better than the first half," admitted Dicks.
"Gillingham came out quick and scored against the run of play. After that,
though, my players worked harder and got themselves back into the game and
pushed on to score more goals in the second half. "There are still some
issues around tempo and listening to advice, but we are getting there
hopefully. I told my two centre-backs at the start that they had two
potential threats going forward so get tight to them and don't let them
turn, but they let them turn. I told them again at half-time and they
stopped letting them turn and marshalled them out of the game, which then in
turn took all threat out of Gillingham's play. "Compared to the last couple
of games, this was a much improved performance. The Plymouth and QPR
performances were awful and we didn't deserve anything from those games,
whereas they did on Thursday so I'm happy with the difference in quality
from Sunday."

After Sunday's 1-1 draw with Queens Park Rangers, manager Dicks made just
one change to his starting eleven, with full-back Kerry Stimson coming in
for Vicki King. However, the change did not pay immediate dividends as
Gillingham got themselves ahead when Louise Lorton was released down the
right touchline she and crossed perfectly for the unmarked Hincks to finish.
Before long, though, the Hammers dragged themselves level when Sherwood
managed to lob Gillingham goalkeeper Courtney Shanley with her left foot
from the right corner of the penalty area. The equaliser gave the Hammers
inspiration to turn the game in their favour and they did so when the
Gillingham defence failed to clear from inside their own penalty box,
allowing Kinsman to step in and fire low into the bottom corner of the net.

After the half-time break, the game went from bad to worse for Kent side
when Sherwood was on hand to bury home from Blanchflower's low cross to make
it 3-1. The Hammers punished Gillingham further when Mellors was released
down the right touchline and after making it to the byline, her teasing
cross found its way past Shanley and into the back of the net. With just 15
minutes remaining, Mellors doubled her tally for the game and made it 5-1 by
lobbing Shanley from 18 yards out. The result took the Hammers up to fifth
in the FA Women's Premier League South table, with 27 points from their 15
league fixtures

West Ham have a weekend off before taking on the Gills in the return fixture
at Chatham Town FC on Sunday 29 March.

Ladies: Duncan, Stimson (King), Baxter, Revell, Bottom, Blanchflower,
Little, Bowers (Sale), Mellors, Sherwood (Smith), Kinsman
Sub not used: Locke

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West Ham 1 Sunderland 0
21 March 2015
Last updated at 19:52
By Richard Winton
BBC Sport

Dick Advocaat's tenure as Sunderland manager began with defeat after Diafra
Sakho struck a late winner for West Ham at Upton Park.
The Dutchman, who replaced sacked Gus Poyet on Tuesday, was left to rue a
glaring miss by Jermain Defoe when Sakho lashed in with two minutes left.
The Black Cats - for whom Adam Johnson played 17 minutes after the club
lifted his suspension following his arrest - are a point clear of the bottom
three. It was just a second win in 12 Premier League matches for Sam
Allardyce's side, who were fourth at Christmas. But Sunderland's wretched
run continues. They have recorded just one league victory this year and
scored just once in their last seven matches. Defeats for relegation rivals
Burnley, Leicester and Aston Villa earlier on Saturday means this defeat is
not as penal as it might have been, but Advocaat, 67, will likely reflect on
a missed opportunity and one missed chance in particular. Defoe was one of
three forwards selected by Sunderland's fifth manager in six years and
should have given his side the lead against a side equally low on
confidence. However, the former England international lacked composure when
presented with a glaring chance, lashing over after being released by Steven
Fletcher.

Match stats
Guus Hiddink is the only Dutch manager to win his first Premier League game
(D1, L5).
Mark Noble provided his 23rd Premier League assist. Only Paolo Di Canio (31)
and Trevor Sinclair (25) have more for West Ham.
Sakho's winner was West Ham's latest league goal this season (87:42).
Sunderland have failed to score in 15 games this term. Only Aston Villa (17)
have drawn more blanks.

Had he converted, who knows how West Ham might have reacted given they -
like Sunderland - had earned just three points from their last six matches.
Instead, Allardyce's men were allowed to work themselves into the contest.
Before the break, Kevin Nolan, Sakho and Alex Song exercised goalkeeper
Costel Pantilimon, who leaked four in 45 minutes against Aston Villa last
weekend. And after the interval, West Ham took command and perhaps should
have been awarded a penalty just after the hour. Substitute Santiago Vergini
had his arms wrapped around Nolan as a ball was flighted in to the penalty
area only for the Hammers' captain to be judged offside, even though the
delivery flicked off the head of Sunderland's John O'Shea. Johnson was
introduced after 73 minutes, Sunderland having lifted his suspension
following his arrest on suspicion of sexual activity with a 15-year-old
girl. But West Ham remained the side most likely to score and the goal did
finally come with two minutes to play. Mark Noble's cute flick found Sakho
in a pocket of space in the area and the Senegal striker scudded a finish
across the helpless Pantilimon.

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "The way we have let leads slip here easily,
the 1-0 was a fantastic victory for us, because it was a difficult game. "I
felt that when a chance does come along we will score and we got a clean
sheet - a rarity for us - so we got both ends right today."

Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat: "I am happy with the effort, we had a
discussion about that - how to show our fans what we can do.
"It is hard to play against West Ham with long balls, but we didn't give
away of lot chances. They are a good side but I did not expect them to score
in the 88th minute."

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Allardyce on... Sunderland
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 22nd March 2015
By: Staff Writer

Big Sam was a combination of both happy and relieved this evening as he
reflected upon a late win against strugglers Sunderland at the Boleyn. His
full, unedited post-match presser for you below...


Sam: the amount of late goals West Ham have shipped this season, you must be
delighted to finally get one yourself?

Yes, it's nice to get a win and secure it just at the end there with our
leading goalscorer making everybody's life a little more comfortable this
weekend. We're really chuffed. Our failure to win over the last ten games or
so has been down to our inability to keep a clean sheet from a winning
position. We've done that today. Even though at times I felt the game was a
bit scrappy, we deserved to win.

A late one-nil puts us into a better frame of mind going into the
international week and comes at the right time for us. We want to get our
injured players fit - particularly Enner Valencia and Winston Reid. We won't
have Andy Carroll or James Tomkins for the rest of the season but those two
are very important to get fit again, to make the squad a bit stronger.

Carlton Cole, our only other option as a striker is just back from injury
and wouldn't have been capable of 90 minutes - but made a difference at half
time. So the strength and depth of the squad, if we can keep those fit, is
good and our run-in suggests we can hopefully win more games than we lose or
draw. Then we can push on and try and finish as high as we can.

How pleased are you that Sakho scored the winner so late on in the game,
especially as he'd missed a couple of headers before that?

Yeah; I think he's the leading goalscorer of headed goals this season as
well so he would have been disappointed - but he was delighted he did what
he did. For him, being leading goalscorer at West Ham - in the Premier
League, in his first season - is a Hell of an achievement, even though he
hasn't scored so many recently. That was a very important one for us.

Do you think it was a foul [by Nene in the build-up to the goal]?

Probably yes, but it's about time something went our way rather than against
us. It probably was a foul. When things are going for you those decisions go
for you, when they go against you they can be devastating. In the end it's a
devastating decision for Sunderland because we scored from it but on the
back of the poor decisions we've had over the last ten or 11 games, it's
about time one went in our favour!

We watched your TV interview when the issue of Karren Brady's comments were
brought up. Does that help in the situation when...

[Paul Stringer, West Ham's press officer intervenes to confirm that Sky
mis-quoted Brady, adding that it was later corrected. He states it would be
unfair to ask Allardyce about a quote that was never made]

I'm going to fine Sky for mis-quoting me! [laughs] And getting me to say
something that looked like I was criticising the vice Chairman, which
obviously I'd never want to do publicly.

For me, Sky shouldn't have slipped up and shouldn't have asked that
question. Certainly if they were quoting correctly, fine - but if they were
quoting incorrectly they should stick to football and stop asking questions
like that. That goes to Sky News, not to them.

It was more the response, because you felt you hadn't been getting the
performances...

The performances are there, the results are not - and that's been the case
over the last ten or 11 games. Particularly Chelsea and Man United here,
Tottenham away. We just haven't been able to find the victory we deserved -
and we certainly didn't deserve to lose against Chelsea. For us it's a
massive win.

We're still in a great position, even though wins have eluded us. We're on
42 points, that's the same total as last year and we got 46 in year one.
We're probably heading for the best points total we've had since being back
in the Premier League - and if anyone wants more than that, I don't really
know how they can ask for more.

This squad needs to grow, it needs to get bigger and better, but we need to
finish this season off with much better than 46 points and make sure that we
finish what we set out to do at Christmas when we reset our goals to make
sure that we get more points in the Premier League this year than we even
have done.

Can I just confirm those injuries; Andy Carroll's out for the season?

Carroll's out for the season and Tomkins is out for the season. Winston Reid
being back will be very important to us - and Enner Valencia.

How many more do you think you need for a full squad?

A big bonus to our defence is securing Winston Reid, who was an
out-of-contract player this season. We've managed to persuade him to stay
and that's one in the bag already, as we say. It's one less talented player
we need for next year.

That new talent needs to be talent which challenges these players for a
first team place from August 8th, the start of next season. When we start
next time round, some of the new players are in the team challenging these
players and making us better.

Thank you.

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West Ham Utd 1-0 Sunderland
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 21st March 2015
By: Staff Writer

West Ham secured their first Premier League win in eight games at the Boleyn
this afternoon - but left it late in doing so. Leading goalscorer Diafra
Sakho was in the right place at the right time to steer an effort past
Sunderland's giant goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon with less than two minutes
of normal time remaining. And whilst it was the latest goal West Ham have
scored in a Premier League fixture this season few have been welcomed more
than this one, which secured West Ham's first three points since the 3-0
victory over Hull back in January.

Despite enjoying more of the ball during the game, the Hammers failed to
make much of an impression during the opening 45 minutes - although Kevin
Nolan, perhaps the most effective midfielder in the team today should have
been awarded a penalty when he was tugged down inside the six-yard box as he
prepared to convert a low cross.

However the clearest opportunity of the first half fell to former Hammer
Jermain Defoe, who could only find the upper seats in the Bobby Moor Lower
when set clear on goal halfway through the first period.

The game continued in a similar vein after the break, with the Hammers
enjoying more possession but failing to break through a stubborn Black Cats
defence - that was until Sakho, who had previously missed at least three
clear chances to score with his head finally found the net.

The goal may have well been disallowed for a foul by substitute Nene in the
build-up had the game been officiated by someone more alert than Lee Mason,
who added his name to the long list of refs to enjoy a stinker at the Boleyn
this season.

However play was allowed to continue and Sakho, no more than eight yards
from goal managed to steer his effort across Pantilimon into the far corner
to win the game for the Hammers.

Sunderland, under the direction of new (and vastly experienced) manager Dick
Advocaat for the first time played the entire game with a three-pronged
attack but rarely troubled Adrian.

Indeed, the closest they came to finding the net bar Defoe's aforementioned
gaff came via a stinging long-range drive from Patrick Van Aanholt that
Adrian tipped wide for a corner.

The win lifts West Ham back above Stoke into ninth place on goal difference,
with both teams on 42 points. Sam Allardyce and his squad can now enjoy the
ensuing two-week break before action recommences at bottom-placed Leicester
after the forthcoming international break.


Match Facts: West Ham Utd 1-0 Sunderland

West Ham Utd: Adrian, Jenkinson, Collins, Kouyate, Cresswell, Song, Noble,
Nolan (Nene 80), Jarvis (Cole 46), Downing, Sakho (O'Brien 90) .

Subs not used: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Poyet, Amalfitano

Goals: Sakho (88).

Possession: 54%.

Shots (on target/off target/blocked): 15 (4/4/7).

Sunderland: Pantilimon, Reveillere, O'Shea (c), Brown (Vergini 13), Van
Aanholt, Rodwell, Gomez, Larsson, Wickham, Fletcher (Johnson 73), Defoe
(Graham 88).

Subs not used: Mannone, Jones, Bridcutt, Watmore.

Booked: Wickham (63).

Possession: 46%.

Shots (on target/off target/blocked): 7 (3/3/1).

Referee: Lee Mason (5) - fussy throughout and got the game's two big
decisions wrong.

Attendance: 34,914.

Man of the Match: James Collins.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's late show please Kevin Nolan
Last Updated: 21/03/15 11:03pm
SSN

West Ham captain Kevin Nolan conceded his side's 1-0 win over Sunderland was
far from pretty, but was delighted to finally see the Hammers on the right
end of a late goal for once. Sam Allardyce's men have shipped several late
goals in recent months, costing them the chance of at least two victories,
but it was them celebrating at the death on Saturday thanks to Diafra
Sakho's 88th-minute winner. That earned West Ham their first win in nine
league and cup games, and Nolan admitted it was much welcomed. "Better late
than never! We've had a few of them against us in the last five-six weeks.
It's been a long time coming this win," Nolan told Sky Sports 1. "We've been
playing ever so well but probably not getting the points we deserved. "We
knew it wasn't going to be pretty but we won and that's the main thing. "I'm
just delighted to get the three points. I thought we deserved it overall. It
wasn't our best performances of the season here, but it's three points and
it's massive for us."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 1-0 Sunderland: Diafra Sakho's late strike ruins Dick Advocaat's
debut
Last Updated: 21/03/15 9:52pm
SSN

West Ham beat Sunderland 1-0 at Upton Park as Diafra Sakho's last-gasp
effort ruined Dick Advocaat's first match in charge of the Wearsiders. The
home side won their first match of 2015, with Sakho's 88th-minute winner
coming just as it seemed Sunderland would hold out for a well-deserved
point. That defeat keeps Advocaat's side just one point above the relegation
zone, while West Ham move up to ninth in the table. It was the visitors who
made the better start of the two teams, with Connor Wickham linking up well
with strike partner Jermain Defoe, before testing Adrian at his near post
with a well-struck volley just eight minutes in. And it was Defoe – signed
by previous boss Gustavo Poyet in January to score the goals to keep the
club in the top flight – who was guilty of missing the best opening of the
first half after being played clean through on goal by Steven Fletcher's
flick on the quarter-hour mark, only for the diminutive striker to blaze
horribly off target.

West Ham, meanwhile, played like a side who had failed to win any of their
previous seven matches, a poor run that included losing their last two at
Upton Park, in the opening period, with the nearest they came to scoring
coming when Alex Song's 25-yard volley forced Costel Pantilimon into a smart
near-post stop. Other than that, however, the Hammers huffed and puffed, but
barely looked like blowing the visitors' house down, despite them producing
25 crosses before the break. After the interval it was much the same as
Sunderland's rear-guard, led impressively by captain John O'Shea, repelled
all that West Ham could throw at them, while at the same time trying to
catch their opponents on the break using the pace of Defoe. But all Advocaat
and Co. had to show for their attacking endeavours was left-back Patrick van
Aanholt's speculative effort from distance that Adrian turned behind for a
corner with 13 minutes to go.

And even the introduction of the returning Adam Johnson after 73 minutes,
greeted by a predictable chorus of boos from the home fans, could not
increase the Black Cats' threat up front. As the minutes ticked by, however,
so West Ham's pressure began to build as Sakho glanced a header inches past
the post, before two strong penalty appeals were turned down by referee Lee
Mason. The Hammers were not to be denied a morale-boosting victory, though,
and with just two minutes left a neat move on the edge of the Sunderland box
involving substitute Nene and Mark Noble saw the latter's lovely flick play
Sakko through, with the Senegalese making no mistake by firing low past a
helpless Pantilimon for his 10th league goal of the campaign.

Player ratings

West Ham United: Adrian (6), Jenkinson (6), Kouyate (6), Collins (6),
Cresswell (7), Song (6), Noble (7), Jarvis (5), Nolan (6), Downing (6),
Sakho (7)

Subs: Nene (6), O'Brien (6), Cole (6)

Sunderland: Pantilimon (7), Reveillere (6), O'Shea (7), Brown (6), van
Aanholt (7), Larsson (6), Rodwell (6), Jordi Gomez (5), Fletcher (6), Defoe
(7), Wickham (8

Subs: Johnson (6), Graham (6), Vergini (6)

Man of the match: Connor Wickham

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce hits back at Karren Brady's criticism
Last Updated: 21/03/15 10:53pm
SSN

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce hailed his side's 1-0 win over Sunderland on
Saturday as a "fantastic result" after recent late slip-ups against the
likes of Manchester United and Tottenham. Allardyce also defended his team's
performances this season in the wake of criticism from West Ham
vice-chairwoman Karren Brady, who said the Hammers had been
"underachieving". Although the question put to Allardyce actually referenced
Brady's comment as 'underperforming' rather than 'underachieving', the West
Ham boss was quick to defend his players. "She's wrong. We're not
under-performing, we're under-results getting so she's wrong in what's she's
saying," he told Sky Sports after the match. "Performances have been there,
there's not been too many poor performances this year, hardly
any....performances here have been outstanding. "Our performances have been
good, results haven't matched the performances we've given. So
under-performing no. Should we have got a lot more results than we did? Yes.
"It shows that the squad isn't quite big enough this season, that we haven't
quite got the strength in depth we need to maintain a place in the top
eight."

Allardyce has been linked with the Sunderland manager's job following Gus
Poyet's recent dismissal, but the 60-year-old was in no mood to answer
anything on that subject, saying: "Give over and don't ask silly questions."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEST HAM 1, SUNDERLAND 0. GLASS HALF FULL, OR HALF EMPTY?
By David Hautzig 22 Mar 2015 at 02:27
West Ham till I Die

My best mate, Jon, is an attorney. His work allows him to collect air miles
the way we used to collect sports trading cards as kids. London is a regular
destination, but his travel dates don't always cooperate with him to visit
Upton Park. Last season he was able to attend one game. Home against
Sunderland. It was, by virtually any measure, one of the most dire matches
seen in East London for years. West Ham's lone moment of happiness that game
came when James Tomkins ran with the ball. He did nothing with it, but the
act of exerting energy that day was worth noting. For 88 minutes, today's
match was only a little better. Then it was much better.

Full disclosure. I saw this game in two ways. The first way was by sneaking
glimpses on my IPhone before taking my kids to the theatre, and then during
intermission. The second was in the evening courtesy of my DVR. There is
something to be said for knowing the result while watching the game. Far
easier on the nerves.

There are narratives before some games that just stare you in the face and
seem certain to come to fruition. Today, would anybody have been shocked if
Jermain Defoe had scored? In the opening 15 minutes of the game Defoe had a
number chances to write that chapter. In the third minute Van Aanholt slid a
pass to Fletcher, who tried to get the ball to Defoe but Cresswell
intervened and sent the ball out for a corner. Minutes later Defoe chased
down a ball outside the 18-yard box and sent a cross to Wickham. The man Sam
thought would be better than Sakho did a good job to control the pass with
his chest and hit a volley that Adrian did well to stop. Then in the 15th
minute Fletcher sent Defoe in alone on Adrian but his shot sailed over the
bar in what could only be described as a wasted chance.

The Hammers then started to ask a few questions of the Black Cats. Sakho won
West Ham their first corner, and then a few minutes later outfought Van
Aanholt on the touchline and sent a quick cross into Nolan whose shot was
saved by Pantilimon. A minute later Jarvis found the Senegalese Superman in
the box with a cross but Sakho's header went just wide.

A few months ago, I would have supported a deal to sign Alex Song on a
permanent contract regardless of the cost. Thankfully I have nothing to say
on such matters. In the 32nd minute, a Mark Noble free kick into the box was
cleared only as far as Song. In what almost looked like a carbon copy of the
disallowed goal against Arsenal in December, Song's volley went through a
crowd in the Sunderland penalty area and forced a diving save by Pantilimon.

There are many on Twitter whose opinions I trust, usually more than my own.
One of them, my other West Ham boss Graeme Howlett of KUMB, tweeted right
after the game that referee Lee Mason had a shocker. The first of many
moments that more than a few thought he botched was in the 34th minute.
Jarvis collected the ball on the left, beat Vergini and sent a low cross
into the box. Kevin Nolan tried to meet the pass but was tracked and
seemingly held by Larsson, allowing Pantilimon to get their first. Was it a
penalty? Based on Mason's overall performance, I'd have to assume he screwed
that up and West Ham should have gotten the ball on the spot.

Halftime: West Ham 0, Sunderland 0.

It's pretty clear, if not downright transparent that Sakho does not show his
best when he is played as a lone striker. Maybe that's why Jarvis was
replaced by Carlton Cole to start the second half despite Jarvis being one
of West Ham's better performers in the opening 45. Yet Sakho's will and
athleticism allow him to pose a threat even in less than ideal
circumstances. In the 52nd minute Cresswell pushed forward before sending
yet another cross into the box. Despite jumping away from goal, Sakho was
able to connect with his head and put the ball only inches wide of the post.
A few minutes later Sakho's mere presence and aggression forced Pantilimon
to turn a simple back pass into a panic induced clearance for a West Ham
throw.

In the 64th minute, Lee Mason again incurred the wrath of Captain Kev. After
Wickham saw yellow for a harsh challenge on Noble, James Collins sent the
free kick into the Sunderland area. The ball deflected off of John O'Shea
and was coming right to Nolan. Once again Vergini took matters into his own
hands, both literally and figuratively, and bear hugged Nolan. The offside
flag had gone up, incorrectly because the ball had come off O'Shea, and
Mason was spared having to make a penalty call. Two wrongs don't make a
right, and in this case they made two officials look incompetent.

In the 77th minute, Sunderland had their best opportunity of the half and it
came from basically nothing. Van Aanholt picked up the ball near the center
circle. He strolled in another 15 yards or so before firing a rocket off of
his left foot that Adrian had to dive to his left to send wide for a
Sunderland corner.

In the 85th minute, the television commentator gave a statistic that I can't
say I was aware of. West Ham were the only team in the Premier League to not
score a goal in the final ten minutes of a match. I'm hoping that's accurate
since I'm quoting it here. But if that information is incorrect, it won't
matter because in the 88th minute West Ham got the late goal that in recent
games they have conceded. Nene won a contentious header at the edge of the
penalty area. The ball fell to Noble, who laid it off for Sakho. The Hammers
leading striker and biggest bargain calmly slid the ball past Pantilimon and
into the far right hand corner.

West Ham 1, Sunderland 0.

Glass Half Full version. With only one win since New Years, three points in
any form is welcome. Despite being played as a lone striker, Diafra Sakho
was menacing and forceful the entire 88 minutes he played leading to his
winner. Kevin Nolan played well, as did Jenkinson and Collins. And of
course, Sam can sleep tight tonight with visions of sugar plum clean sheets
dancing in his head.

Glass Half Empty version. Coming into the game, Sunderland were as woeful as
any team in England. Prior to last week, Aston Villa had only scored four
away goals all season. They doubled that total in 45 minutes at The Stadium
Of Light. It's not like West Ham thoroughly dominated the game the way they
did against Villa in October, only to have Guzan stand on his head. We had a
few half chances, and were harshly treated by an awe inspiringly bad Lee
Mason. But Defoe could have scored a couple, and Wickham came close. This
was a game we should not have struggled to win.

Looking at both glasses, the only rational thing to do is have another drink
and call it a night.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham plotting summer swoop for Tottenham Hotspur striker Emmanuel
Adebayor
22:30, 21 March 2015 By Dean Jones
Togo international was close to moving to Upton Park in January before Spurs
chairman Daniel Levy pulled the plug on the deal
The Mirror

West Ham are planning a fresh attempt to sign Tottenham's Emmanuel Adebayor
this summer – and their slide down the table has boosted their chances.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy blocked Adebayor's proposed move to Upton Park in
the last transfer window because he saw the Hammers as rivals for European
qualification. But it is understood the Tottenham board now feel more
relaxed about a transfer to West Ham for the 31-year-old striker, who wants
to stay in London. Adebayor's Spurs contract expires in 2016 and it is most
likely West Ham will try to sign him on loan ahead of next season. The Togo
star earns around £100,000-a-week – and the Hammers would want Tottenham to
subsidise a chunk of that.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Cheick Tiote heading out of Newcastle with West Ham and Southampton set to
pounce
22:30, 21 March 2015 By Football Spy
The Ivorian only has two years to run on his contract and the Magpies would
prefer to cash in now rather than risk losing him for a free next summer
The Mirror

Cheick Tiote is set to leave Newcastle at the end of the season. The
tough­-tackling Ivory Coast international will be a target for both West Ham
and Southampton if Newcastle decide to sell. The asking price will be around
£7.5million for the man who helped his country win the African Cup of
Nations earlier this season. Tiote – who will be 29 in June – has two years
left on his contract and is unlikely to agree to an extension. That would
tempt Newcastle to cash in now – and that will spark interest from both East
London and the South Coast. West Ham will be keen if they fail to secure
Alex Song on a permanent deal from Barcelona.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
David Moyes ready to reject West Ham approach to replace Sam Allardyce to
stay at Real Sociedad
22:30, 21 March 2015 By Neil Moxley
Speculation has been rife that the Scot was on the Hammers' short-list to
replace Allardyce if he is unable to reach agreement over the renewal of his
contract
The Mirror

David Moyes will reject any approach from West Ham this summer - as he looks
set to remain with Real Sociedad, writes Neil Moxley in the Sunday People.
Speculation has been rife that the Scot was on the short-list of those set
to replace Sam Allardyce at Upton Park if the Hammers' current boss is
unable to reach agreement over the renewal of his contract. But Peoplesport
understands that Moyes has made only a couple of fleeting returns to the UK
since he was given the chance to take over at the Basque club. Furthermore,
he is looking to organise a proper backroom set-up with several of the staff
he has worked with before at both Everton and Preston North End. Moyes has
drawn up a shortlist himself of people he wants to help with Sociedad's
recruitment and to form part of a fitness team. With him set to make those
offers in the coming weeks, it is the clearest signal yet that he remains
determined to make his mark in La Liga following his nightmare at Old
Trafford.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce says West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady is 'wrong' over
'under-achieving' comments
21:18, 21 March 2015 By James Whaling
Big Sam continues to come under pressure from sections of the West Ham
support, and Brady said he needs to 'rectify' their situation
The Mirror

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has hit back at comments made by Hammers
vice-chairman Karren Brady following their 1-0 win over Sunderland.
Brady had accused the Irons of 'under-achieving' despite comfortably sitting
in the top half of the Premier League, and having amassed more points
already this term than they did last season. Big Sam continues to come under
pressure from sections of the West Ham support, and Brady said prior to this
evening's fixture that he needs to 'rectify' their situation. Brady said:
"The fact is that West Ham are underachieving and it is Sam Allardyce's task
to identify the reason and rectify it. He would wish it no other way." A
late goal from Diafra Sakho gave the Hammers all three points at Upton Park,
and Allardyce hit back at the comments following the game. "She's wrong," he
blasted. "She's wrong in what she's saying. Under-performing? No. Should we
have got more results than we have? Yes." Allardyce revealed after the game
that he felt comfortable enough at half-time to switch to a more attacking
system. He introduced Carlton Cole from the bench - a switch he believes was
pivotal in the Irons battling to a late winner. He told Sky Sports: "I
looked at it at half-time and thought - we need more goalscorers on. "Kevin
(Nolan) was on, Sakho was on, Stewart Downing has scored all his goals
playing in the hole and Carlton Cole has got two or three from the bench.
"When that chance does come along, you hope it falls to one of those and it
fell to our leading goalscorer. "He was pretty disappointed he didn't score
with his head again today, but he got there in the end and he moves on to 12
in his first season in the Premier League which is fantastic for him and
us."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Lady Brady: Do your job Sam
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 21, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Lady Brady has decided that Sam Allardyce needs to do his job a little
better starting this afternoon. After making it clear a couple of weeks back
he had her full support she has decided that her newspaper column in The Sun
is an appropriate place to give him a tip on how to operate. You may recall
she claimed that he would be leaving the club almost over her dead body a
few weeks ago after a bookie rold her they had his card marked for
Sunderland. However, she now wants Allardyce to get the side to start
performing after her support appeared to go nowhere in terms of results. She
writes "Someone says in the press today that we flattered to deceive up to
Christmas – but I 100 per cent disagree. "The fact is that West Ham are
underachieving and it is Sam Allardyce's task to identify the reason and
rectify it. He would wish it no other way."

SIGH ZZZZZ

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce rips into Sky over Brady question!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 21, 2015 in Whispers
Harry Sherlock reporting…
Claret & Hugh

Sam Allardyce launched a scything attack on Sky Television after he was
forced to criticise vice chairman Karren Brady. He was asked on air how he
reacted to Brady's remarks that the team had been under performing recently
and immediately snapped: "She's wrong – we've been under points getting!"
Later in the press room he snarled: ""I'm gonna fine Sky for making me
criticise the vice-chairman which I would never do publicly. They shouldn't
have slipped up. Stick to football and stop asking questions like that. The
performances are there, the results are not, that's been the case over the
last 11 games. Chelsea here, Man United here, Tottenham away, we haven't
been able to find a result. For us it's a massive win, we're still in a
great position, 42 points, I think that's the same as last year and we're
heading for the best points tally since we returned to the Premier League.
This squad needs to grow and get bigger but we need to finish this season
well."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Advocaat view
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 21, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Disappointed Sunderland boss Dick Advocaat was bitterly disappointed at the
defeat but believes signs are good for the future. He said: "We deserved
more. Especially the way they scored the goal. We did not expect they would
score, the game was equal and there were not a lot of chances. We had the
first chance in the first half with Jermain Defoe. "With his quality, that
was a 100 per cent chance. He had to at least hit the goal. We can take that
with us into the next game because if you work hard you get the results too.
I have still seen some things we need to improve, and some players are
coming back. So for me it is positive. "We have to win that game
(Newcastle). With our home fans, if they stand behind us, like they did
today because they appreciated what we did, we will make it very difficult
for Newcastle. This game has given us the tools. "I am happy with the
effort, we had a discussion about that – how to show our fans what we can
do, and if you work you get results. It is hard to play against West Ham
with long balls, but we didn't give a way of lot chances. They are a good
side, with some good players, and we had also some opportunities to score
and I did not expect them to score in the 88th minute, that was really
disappointing. Today we deserved the result as well."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Allardyce view
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 21, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Sam Allardyce – speaking on Sky Sports – said: "Today was all about getting
the win, and we got that. The way we have let leads slip here easily, the
1-0 was a fantastic victory for us, because it was a difficult game. We
eventually changed the shape and put more pressure on Sunderland and that
finally paid off. I looked at things at half-time and thought we needed more
support to Diafra Sakho.
"Carlton Cole has scored two or three from the bench this year, so I felt
that when a chance does come along we will score. "It eventually fell to
Diafra Skaho, our leading scorer, who was disappointed not to have scored a
couple of chances with his head today. A clean sheet – a rarity for us – so
we got both ends right today."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Irons 1 S'dld 0: Sakho saves Sam's bacon
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 21, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Diafra Sakho's 88th minute strike gave us a win to celebrate at last but
make no mistake this was hard, desperate and ugly against one of the
league's poorest sides. With Sam Allardyce under enormous pressure for his
job defeat or a draw today would have been entirely unacceptable and the
manager knew it – Sakho has saved his bacon for now. The striker fired home
across keeper Pantilimon from a fabulous Noble 'dink' unto the box to have
Allardyce celebrating as if the team had won the Champions League. In fact
we'd beaten a very poor side who should have been there for the taking.

We deserved to win on the balance of play and given that ref Lee Mason
turned down clear penalty appeals when Nolan was clearly fouled and the ball
brushed Adam Johnson's arm. Nolan said afterwards he believed it was a pen
and added: "It wasn't our best performance of the season but we'll take it,
And Mark Noble added: "We played really well against Man United, Spurs and
Chelsea without winning so I'm over the moon today."

Sam Allardyce had stressed a win was of total importance and said it didn't
matter how it came but the first half had us all wondering how that would
ever be fulfilled. Former Iron Jerman Defoe in fact blasted wide from close
range after being left alone following a huge hoist out from the back. Sakho
– who battled brilliantly without a lot of support – saw a fine header fly
wide and a 25 yard drive from Song brought a decent save from keeper
Pantilimon. Sunderland had their moments with Connor Wickham impressive but
the Hammers – whilst never at their best – worked hard to the end for Sak to
grab his 12th goal of the season. Relief yes…pleasure NO. For so long there
was no real plan, purpose or power but what we do have is that man Sakho.

Allardyce took a little pop at Karren Brady in his post match interview
after her morning comments when saying we'd been under performing. He said:
"She's wrong! We haven't been under-performing. We've been under-results
getting! Err we centainly under-performed today but give thanks -we're on
our way again…HOPEFULLY!"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com



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