WHUFC.com
The manager has hailed the performance of his West Ham United side in
winning 1-0 at Portsmouth
14.01.2012
Sam Allardyce has hailed his West Ham United side for their resilience and
defensive strength following Saturday's 1-0 npower Championship victory at
Portsmouth.
The Hammers, boosted by the return of Kevin Nolan, James Tomkins, Carlton
Cole, Julien Faubert and match-winner Mark Noble to the starting XI
following last weekend's FA Cup defeat at Sheffield Wednesday, clinched
their first away win since 29 November with a confident display at Fratton
Park. Pompey were condemned to their first home defeat in eight matches by a
powerful performance by Big Sam's men, who dominated the opening period
before going ahead through Noble's 24th-minute penalty - earned when former
Hammer Tal Ben Haim pulled down WInston Reid. Two Robert Green saves
preserved the advantage before half-time. After the break, Portsmouth
midfielder David Norris was sent-off for a late challenge on Reid, allowing
West Ham to play out time with relative ease. "It was a welcome win," Big
Sam told West Ham TV. "When you think it's eight wins away from home and we
haven't won away since November, it shows we had pretty miraculous form up
until our devastating month of December really in terms of results. "It was
a great victory and was obviously helped by the sending-off, but I thought
it was thoroughly deserved. If I have to be a little disappointed, it is
because we haven't made it more comfortable than it was with the chances we
created after they had gone down to ten men. I have been talking about that
for the last few weeks. "Our defensive side of our game is so outstanding at
the moment that teams against us, home or away, are finding it so difficult
to create chances. That's a great platform to build on and Saturday was
another very precious three points and we've got to kick on from there.
"We've got almost a full squad back and available which showed in the
performance all-round and players can come in whenever needed now and make
an impact. Looking forward from here, hopefully we can have the sort of
month we had in November and get as many victories back-to-back as possible
and make sure we push forward to our ultimate goal."
The manager was proud of the way his side sprang out of the blocks,
silencing the usually vociferous home crowd and pushing Michael Appleton's
team on to the back foot. "Like many games we played away from home, we took
control of the game from the start. Portsmouth had won seven, drawn three
and only lost two at home and everybody said they would come out and go
straight at us but we didn't let them do that. "We controlled the game,
should have had a penalty for a foul on Julien Faubert and had a couple of
half-chances, then got the penalty on Winston Reid and put that away. We
then slipped up a little bit in the last ten minutes of the first half when
we let some pressure come on ourselves particularly from set plays rather
than Portsmouth's open play. "Then, of course, the game changed completely
when we went down to ten men and we dominated completely and the gameplan
changed. We just needed to keep the ball and wait and wait and we kept the
ball well. We created several chances but failed to put them in the back of
the net. "It could have been more comfortable but it was still a
well-deserved victory."
The victory could have been far more convincing had Faubert and Nolan not
missed a succession of second-half chances. Big Sam also believed his side
should have had another spot-kick when Greg Halford brought down the
Frenchman four minutes before referee Kevin Friend did point to the spot for
a foul on Reid. "We should have had two penalties. If you look at the Julien
Faubert incident before we got the penalty, it was more of a penalty than
the penalty we got because Halford completely takes Julien out after he
played the ball. Tal Ben Haim has got his arms around Winston and pulls him
to the floor - there is no doubt about it. "In terms of the sending-off,
like everything you either get them or not and unfortunately for Portsmouth
their player David Norris, who is a terrific little player who I had at
Bolton, was a big loss for them. I'm not sure if it was or it wasn't [a red
card]."
With a second straight league victory secured, the manager is now looking to
continue the perfect start to 2012 when struggling Nottingham Forest visit
the Boleyn Ground next Saturday. Big Sam is also hoping to add more strength
to his squad between now and the end of January. "That's how big a task it
is - you have got to win four on the trot to get back to your targets. Even
though we had only fallen four points behind, it's a tough ask to get them
back. We're clawing them back by virtue of the fact we have won the last
two. "The squad is bigger, stronger and better than it's been for a long
time and there is of course still Guy Demel and Matt Taylor who are close to
coming back as well. "So, if we can add one along the front to that, we have
got George John now and Gary O'Neil back, things are looking good
squad-wise."
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Loanees round up
WHUFC.com
Six young Hammers were in action for their loan teams on Saturday
14.01.2012
West Ham United had no less than six players in action across the Football
League on Saturday. The majority of the youngsters out on loan did not enjoy
the same good fortune as the first-team did at Portsmouth with only George
Moncur's debut for AFC Wimbledon providing any points return. Moncur
impressed for The Dons as they secured an impressive 2-1 win away at Port
Vale.
In League One, Peter Kurucz had a testing afternoon as ten-man Rochdale lost
5-1 at home to Stevenage. The home side were reduced to ten men in the 56th
minute, when former Hammer Joe Widdowson was sent off.
Elsewhere, in League Two Cristian Montano and Ahmed Abdulla drew a blank as
Dagenham and Redbridge lost 1-0 at home to Hereford United.
Eoin Wearen also came on as a late substitute for the hosts.
Callum Driver was also in action as he started for Burton Albion in their
2-1 loss at bottom club Plymouth Argyle.
Further afield, Sebastian Lletget is on international duty at a United
States U23 training camp in Carson, California.
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Portsmouth 0 - 1 West Ham
BBC.co.uk
Page last updated at 18:38 GMT, Saturday, 14 January 2012
Mark Noble's penalty earned West Ham victory over 10-man Portsmouth to keep
the Hammers level with league leaders Southampton. Noble converted after
Winston Reid was upended by Tal Ben-Haim. Referee Kevin Friend further
angered Pompey when he sent David Norris off just after the break for a foul
on Reid. Kevin Nolan had a great chance to add a second for West Ham late on
but he struck over with four minutes to go. The win for Sam Allardyce's West
Ham means they remain level on points with leaders Southampton at the top of
the Championship. However, the visitors should have been behind early on but
Greg Halford lifted his header from Liam Lawrence's free-kick over the bar.
Noble's penalty found the net despite the best attempts of Portsmouth keeper
Stephen Henderson who managed to get a hand to the ball. West Ham have the
best defensive away record in the Championship having conceded just 11 goals
on their travels this season Dave Kitson sprayed a pass to Lawrence just
before the break and the midfielder burst through before hitting a fierce
strike that West Ham keeper managed to palm away. However, any chance the
hosts had of getting back in the game diminished when Norris was given his
marching orders for a foul on Reid. West Ham were in control but a second
goal eluded them as Jack Collison struck the bar before Nolan missed his
late chance.
Portsmouth manager Michael Appleton: "It was not a sending off, it was
harsh. I do not think it was a two-footed challenge and it was not a tackle
from behind. "The biggest disappointment was I have never seen a red card
pulled out of a pocket so quickly in my life. We were put on the back foot
after that. "It was not a penalty. It was harsh. I think there was two or
three West Ham players refereeing the game. We should have had a handball at
the end as well. "You need the referee to be strong and I do not think he
was. I felt some of the West Ham players were having an influence on his
decisions."
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "Even with all the chances we created we
have only won the game by a penalty so it was very important it was put
away. "I am looking for another striker because from the chances we created
we have not been clinical enough and that has been a problem. "The good
thing is we have one of the best defensive records in the league and that is
a positive for us and means we will always be up where we want to be. "Apart
from the last 10 minutes of the first half we were solid defensively. We
took control of a game against a side who are brilliant at home. "We could
have won more convincingly after the sending off. We are delighted with the
performance and the result."
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Portsmouth 0 West Ham Utd 1
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 14th January 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham returned to winning ways with a narrow win at Fratton Park - but
flattered to deceive against a side who were forced to play with ten men for
much of the second half. Mark Noble's 24th minute penalty was good enough
for West Ham to pick up all three points on a chilly afternoon here on the
south coast. However Sam Allardyce will no doubt feel disappointed at his
team's failure to add to Noble's early opener - despite having the run of
play for much of the game. Portsmouth, who it should be stressed had only
lost at home twice in the Championship this season prior to today, and not
at all since September - were heavily handicapped by the dismissal of David
Norris who received his marching orders - a straight red card - just 12
minutes into the second half for a badly-mistimed challenge on Winston Reid.
Bur despite the numerical advantage, West Ham failed to produce a single
shot on target following Norris' departure - and in the end, it was the home
side who looked the more likely to score as they piled on the pressure.
Unfortunately for Pompey, goalkeeper Robert Green - who is set to leave West
Ham at the end of the season having failed to sign an extension to his
existing contract - was once again in imperious form. At the end of the
first half he produced stunning saves from Liam Lawrence and Jason Pearce to
preserve West Ham's lead before standing strong throughout the latter stages
as Portsmouth threatened to grab an unlikely point in the cirsumstances. The
win leaves West Ham joint top of the Championship behind Southampton - who
won comfortably at Nottingham Forest today - on goal difference only.
However Middlesbrough's defeat at home to Burnley and Cardiff's goalless
draw at Doncaster moves United four points clear of third place.
Whilst it was far from a classic performance by Allardyce's side today, the
manner of victory will soon be forgotten should Big Sam manage to lead the
Hammers back to the Premier League at the first attempt. And in all
fairness, it should be noted that West Ham took the lead having started the
brighter and then being denied a decent penalty shout five minutes before
they scored. Julian Faubert appeared to be felled on the edge of the box but
referee Kevin Friend - who made few on the day - adjudged otherwise.
Fortunately Mr Friend saw things rather differently a few minutes later when
Winston Reid was dragged down by Pompey's Jason Pearce as the New Zealander
attempted to latch on to Kevin Nolan's back heel. Noble - whose three goals
this season prior to today had all came from the penalty spot - placed his
subsequent spot kick just inside the left-hand post - and his accuracy
proved vital as 'keeper Stephen Henderson guessed correctly and managed to
get a touch on the ball as it whizzed past him. Should no further
complications ensue, Sam Allardyce will have a fully fit squad to select
from when Nottingham Forest visit the Boleyn Ground next weekend. Matt
Taylor, whose season has been constantly interrupted by a string of minor
injuries is back in training and is expected to be fit for next week.
Whether or not any further additions to the first team squad arrive before
then remains to be seen.
Portsmouth 0 West Ham Utd 1: match facts
West Ham Utd: Green, O'Brien, Tomkins, Reid, McCartney, Diop, Noble, Nolan,
Faubert, Collison, Cole.
Goals: Noble (pen 24).
Shots on target/off target: 3/8.
Booked: Nolan (74).
Subs: Faye, O'Neil, Lansbury, Baldock, Carew.
Portsmouth: Henderson, Mokoena, Pearce, Ward, Ben Haim, Halford, Mullins,
Lawrence, Norris, Kitson, Futacs.
Subs: Ashdown, Webster, Williams, Huseklepp, Benjani.
Shots on target/off target: 9/4.
Booked: Kitson (22), Pearce (43), Mullins (73).
Sent Off: Norris (57).
Attendance: 18,492.
Referee: Kevin Friend.
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Congratulations, Jimmy
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 14th January 2012
By: Staff Writer
Former Hammer Jimmy Walker will become Walsall's record appearance holder
this afternoon when he starts his 530th game for the Saddlers. Once referred
to as 'the best English goalkeeper outside of the Premier League', the
popular goalkeeper - known to friends and colleagues as 'Wacka' - spent five
years at West Ham between 2004 and 2009 and played a pivotal role in the
Hammers' return to the Premier League in 2005. After joining Tottenham for a
year as back-up Walker, now 38, returned to Walsall - for whom he had made
in excess of 450 appearances before moving to West Ham - in 2010. Having now
made 529 starts for the Saddlers, Walker has equalled the club record
previously held by Colin Harrison. "I'll be sad to see the record broken but
that's what happens to them," Harrison told the Express & Star. "It's been
about 30 years since I did it and I can remember it was a good feeling. "If
Jimmy keeps fit he could carry on. Brad Friedel is about 40 and he's still
going. Without any injuries he could maybe get past 600. The way he's going
he could play another 100 games. And really I can't see anyone who would
beat that, certainly not an outfield player."
Jimmy Walker: five WHUFC moments
5. Making his West Ham debut against Southend in a 2-0 Carling Cup win in
August 2004.
4. Keeping fans entertained on a regular basis through his 'Walker's World'
match day programme column.
3. Making his Premier League debut (against Portsmouth) at the ripe old age
of 32.
2. Busting a cruciate in the Championship play-off final against Preston -
an injury that almost certainly saved him from a red card after he
hand-balled outside the area.
1. Saving Frank Lampard's penalty at Stamford Bridge in a Carling Cup tie
which earned him a rare perfect '10' from KUMB's match reporter.
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Mail take a flyer, Piq still here
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 14th January 2012
By: Staff Writer
A story that appeared in the Daily Mail late last night suggesting Freddie
Piquionne has moved to Wolves has been dismissed as complete fabrication.
The story - which is still live on the Daily Mail's website - claimed that
"Wolves [have] signed striker Frederic Piquionne, 33, on a free transfer
from West Ham," adding that "the one-time France international was available
of a cut-price fee."
Whilst the latter of those two comments may indeed be correct, with West Ham
deserate to offload a player who has scored just twice in 20 appearances for
United this season, the story was rubbished this morning by Midlands
journalist Tim Nash, Wolves' correspondant for the Express & Star. "Wolves
have NOT signed West Ham's Frederic Piquionne, as reports elsewhere say," he
said via Twitter. "He's available but no deal. Agent trying to find him
club. Wolves not close to any more signings at the moment. Lot of players
being offered them, but the ones they want, clubs don't want to sell."
Piquionne, who was dropped by Sam Allardyce's following the 2-1 defeat at
Derby on 31 December is set to miss out again as West Ham take on Portsmouth
in this afternoon's Championship clash at Fratton Park.
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Noble on the spot for Hammers
Last updated: 14th January 2012
SSN
West Ham kept up the pressure at the top of the Championship with a 1-0 win
over 10-man Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Saturday. Mark Noble's first-half
penalty proved enough to see off Pompey, who had David Norris sent off after
the break. Victory means Sam Allardyce's men, who were unceremoniously
dumped out of the FA Cup by Sheffield Wednesday in their previous match,
remain level with Southampton at the top of the table, while Michael
Appleton's Portsmouthmay still be looking nervously over their shoulders at
the relegation zone seven points below. The hosts carved out the first
opening as Liam Lawrence lifted in a free-kick and Greg Halford eluded his
marker to get to the ball first before steering his header over the bar. But
it was the Hammers using the ball to greater effect on the floor and midway
through the half they crafted a move of genuine quality which saw Noble and
Winston Reid play a clever one-two before the latter was brought down by Tal
Ben-Haim in the box.
Referee Kevin Friend did not hesitate to point to the spot and Noble stroked
home his fourth penalty of the season despite Stephen Henderson getting a
hand to it.
Pompey were forced to make a change with just over half an hour gone as
defensive midfielder Aaron Mokoena limped off following a challenge with
Carlton Cole.
Appleton took the opportunity to introduce a more attacking player, bringing
on Norway international Erik Huseklepp, who almost made an immediate impact.
He brilliantly controlled a lofted pass on his chest before cutting inside
and feeding Norris, whose shot deflected wide off James Tomkins. The same
two players linked up again to earn a corner two minutes later as the home
side cranked up the pressure, but the visitors cleared at the second
attempt.
Portsmouth closed the half with another well-crafted opportunity as Dave
Kitson sprayed a pass wide for Lawrence and the midfielder surged past
George McCartney before stinging Robert Green's palms with a powerful
effort. The hosts continued to press after the break and looked the more
likely to score next, although Jason Pearce's 40-yard effort proved a little
too ambitious as it sailed clear of the bar. Their chances of claiming
something from the game were dealt a critical blow after 57 minutes though
when Norris was dismissed for a foul on Reid. Despite their numerical
disadvantage, Portsmouth still looked a threat in front of goal and Marko
Futacs pounced on Reid's poor defensive header but dragged his shot just
wide from 20 yards.
It was West Ham who went closest in the second half, however, as Jack
Collison curled in a superb long-range effort which came back off the angle
of bar and post.
Henderson then had to be alert to keep out a wayward chested backpass from
Halford as Allardyce's side sought to make the points safe. They controlled
possession for the final 15 minutes, sporadically threatening Henderson's
goal and, crucially, denying Portsmouth any clear-cut opportunities to
snatch a draw. Kevin Nolan should have put the icing on the cake with four
minutes left when Collison played him in but he lifted his shot over and,
with Southampton winning comfortably at Nottingham Forest, the Hammers
stayed second on goal difference.
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Win delights Big Sam
Hammers boss pleased to keep up promotion push at Fratton Park
Last Updated: January 14, 2012 7:24pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce was delighted with promotion-chasing West Ham's 1-0 win at
Portsmouth, whose boss Michael Appleton blasted referee Kevin Friend.
Midfielder Mark Noble scored the only goal of the game from the spot to keep
up the second-placed Hammer's pursuit of Championship table-toppers
Southampton. And Allardyce admits he is going to have to sign another
forward after watching his side score just one in a dominant performance
over ten-men Pompey, who had David Norris sent off at Fratton Park. The West
Ham boss said: "Even with all the chances we created we have only won the
game by a penalty so it was very important it was put away. "I am looking
for another striker because from the chances we created we have not been
clinical enough and that has been a problem. "The good thing is we have one
of the best defensive records in the league and that is a positive for us
and means we will always be up where we want to be. "Apart from the last 10
minutes of the first half we were solid defensively. We took control of a
game against a side who are brilliant at home. "We could have won more
convincingly after the sending off. We are delighted with the performance
and the result."
Marching orders
Pompey went down to ten-men on 57 minutes when Norris was given his marching
orders for a tackle from behind on Winston Reid. Appleton blasted referee
Friend, accusing him of allowing the West Ham players to influence his
decisions. He said: "It was not a sending off, it was harsh. I do not think
it was a two-footed challenge and it was not a tackle from behind. "The
biggest disappointment was I have never seen a red card pulled out of a
pocket so quickly in my life. We were put on the back foot after that. "It
was not a penalty. It was harsh. I think there was two or three West Ham
players refereeing the game. We should have had a handball at the end as
well. "You need the referee to be strong and I do not think he was. I felt
some of the West Ham players were having an influence on his decisions."
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Vinny's Portsmouth Report
Vinny 12:04 Sun Jan 15
West Ham Online
Portsmouth 0 West Ham United 1
West Ham remain on course for automatic promotion after another victory,
this time away at Fratton Park against a Portsmouth side who were forced to
play much of the second half with ten men after David Norris was dismissed
for a foul on Winston Reid. The only goal of the game came from the penalty
sport with Mark Noble making no mistake and it would be this sport kick
which would give us the three points in a truly dire game void of any
invention, skill or entertainment.
And once again the debate rages on to what as supporters of this football
club do we want to see when we go to watch West Ham. Is it simply just about
gaining promotion or is there something more we should be hoping for?
I was unhappy at the way we went about last week's FA Cup game against
Sheffield Wednesday and thought it was a bit disrespectful to the fans that
travelled that Allardyce clearly had no interest in the Cup at all and he is
solely focussed on one thing only no matter what is sacrificed. I saw no
reason to play a weakened team and it was not as if we had a midweek game to
play either.
If you have seen West Ham play this season then this performance would have
not come as much of a shock as it was the same as every other. We set out
our stall to contain and attempt to play possession football but offered
very little going forward. With this tactic we shut the opposition out and
ensure that they create very few chances and whilst this is effective it is
so fucking boring to watch.
Perhaps I have unreasonable expectations and need to fall in line with our
main objective which is to return to the Premiership (how fun) and forget
about being entertained at all. We sit joint top of the League and continue
to push Southampton as every week goes by.
The Team
After making seven changes against Sheffield Wednesday last weekend,
Allardyce reinstated all of the missing players.
In defence James Tomkins was back at centre half alongside Winston Reid with
George McCartney back in his familiar left back slot. Joey O'Brien retained
his play at right back.
It was a five man midfield of Faubert, Noble, Diop, Nolan and Collison with
Carlton Cole up front on his own.
Some will call this formation 4-3-3 but neither Faubert nor Collison played
in forward role, and neither got in front of Cole at any point so they
cannot be considered as forwards. It was a five man midfield no doubt about
it.
I had been expecting Sam Baldock to start but the striker was only named on
the bench alongside Carew, Lansbury, Faye and O'Neil. There was no
substitute goal keeper on the bench.
Starting for Portsmouth was midfielder Hayden Mullins who was at West Ham
from 2003 until his move to the South Coast in 2009. Mullins played 179
times for the club scoring 4 goals and was part of our last Promotion
campaign. Also starting for Portsmouth was Tal Ben Haim who was on loan at
the club for the first half of last season and played 8 games.
First Half
It is always bitterly cold down at Pompey and today was no exception. I
recall playing Portsmouth a couple of seasons ago in a night game which was
one of the coldest nights of football I have ever been to.
The cold didn't seem to bother the travelling West Ham support who had
turned out in numbers and sold out the away end just as they have done so
many times this season.
We saw a lot of the ball in the early stages although both sides were guilty
of gifting possession back to the other in those opening moments.
It was Pompey who had the first chance of the game when the won a free kick
midway into our half which was taken by Liam Lawrence who drifted the ball
into the area and found the head of Greg Halford but his header was poor and
over the bar when he should have worked the keeper.
With nine minutes on the clock Faubert won our first corner which was taken
by Mark Noble but it was too close to the keeper who punched away.
Like most sides in this division Pompey were closing us down quickly and
preventing us from finding space to move the ball about. Given how many
central midfielders were on the pitch and our lack of width they were
finding it relatively easy to shut us out.
A counter attack from the home side saw Fuctas burst into the area only for
James Tomkins to make a fantastic challenge which was inch perfect as the
Pompey supporters cried foul and demanded a penalty but Tomkins had executed
the tackle perfectly.
As we moved forward with the ball from that Pompey attack, Diop was bundled
over and awarded a free kick. This set piece was played into the area and
cleared only as far as Faubert who took a touch and was taken out by a
Pompey player just outside the area.
We do not seem to have a player who can take a free kick and it was Noble
who had a go but the shot was poor and into the wall and out for a throw in.
The throw in was flicked on by Tomkins to Faubert in the area who looked as
though he had been fouled again as the ball was cleared. I thought this
looked identical to the challenge on him a few moments earlier which was
given as a free kick just outside the box. Kevin Nolan unsurprisingly had a
few words to say to the referee regarding this.
A poor challenge by Pompey striker Dave Kitson on Joey O'Brien saw the flame
haired forward booked by referee Kevin Friend.
Noble took the free kick quickly into the feet of Nolan who flicked the ball
back for Winston Reid who was pulled down by the centre half Pearce with the
referee pointing to the penalty spot. This was the second penalty Reid had
one in as many weeks but unlike last weekend we would take this chance.
Stepping up to take the penalty was Mark Noble who dispatched the spot kick
despite the keeper Henderson guessing the right way and getting a hand to
the ball. This was the fourth goal Noble has scored this season with all of
them coming from the penalty spot.
Noble would be in the thick of the action again minutes later and he took a
shot from outside the area which he dragged wide of the Portsmouth goal.
All the noise inside Fratton Park could be heard from the away end as the
3500 West Ham fans were in full voice.
Portsmouth had their best spell of the game at this point and forced a
number of corners which were dealt with well on every occasion. Getting the
ball clear without it coming straight back into the area was another thing
as we struggled to complete a clearance.
The pressure Pompey were applying was giving their fans some confidence and
the atmosphere seemed to increase a notch as a number of crosses were put
into our area. Unlike in recent games we stayed solid and did not get
rattled seeing out a tough period.
With five minutes of the half remaining Kitson found Lawrence out on the
right who cut inside and hit a shot which was superbly saved by Robert Green
with Tomkins putting the loose ball out for a corner. From the resulting
corner Green again made a great stop to deny Pearce from equalising.
You could have argued that we were looking forward to half time and were
certainly the side who would have wanted the whistle to blow.
We survived the two minutes of first half stoppage time and went in at the
break leading 1-0.
Second Half
The second half continued in the scrappy fashion that the first half had
presented with both sides struggling with their passing. If any player
epitomised our football it was Papa Bouba Diop who would make a challenge
and then always find an opposition player with his subsequent pass.
Things were made a lot easier for us on 57 minutes when Portsmouth were
reduced to 10 men.
Winston Reid received the ball, chested it down and played the ball to Cole.
Reid was taken out late by Norris with a poor challenge and referee Friend
pulled out the red card immediately.
Having only seen this incident as it happened I was very surprised to see
the red card come out as it wasn't two footed and he almost came in from the
side of Reid. Until I see it again I cannot really make a judgement but on
first look it seemed a harsh decision.
What this sending off did was highlight how little creativity we have in our
team because at no point did it seem as though we had an extra man. I
suspected if Pompey had gone down to nine men we would have noticed very
little difference as we seem to have one way of playing and will not alter
this unless losing.
On 61 minutes Nolan played a good ball out to the right for Jack Collison to
cut inside and hit a curling left foot shot which went inches wide.
Our best chance of the second half game four minutes later when the ball was
worked wide to Collison who put a good cross into the area and the ball was
inadvertently chested at his own goal by Greg Halford with the keeper
Henderson having to make a fantastic save to stop the ball from going in.
Faubert got down the right hand side and beat the defender crossing low for
Cole to dummy and leave for Kevin Nolan who dragged his shot well wide when
she had to hit the target.
Faubert was unlucky a few moments later when he controlled the ball just
outside the area and hit a left foot volley which went just over the bar in
what would have been a magnificent goal.
Portsmouth did very little going forward and the sending off had really
killed their momentum that they were building in the first half. They really
could only offer some long range efforts which either went well wide or were
easily saved by Green.
With eight minutes of normal time remaining the hosts decided to attempt to
get something from the game and take a risk by taking off midfielder Mullins
and was replaced by Striker Benjani.
We made a change ourselves with Julien Faubert being replaced by Henri
Lansbury.
There was another chance of us to kill the game on 86 minutes when Cole got
behind the defence and laid the ball off to Nolan who attempted to curl the
ball in but it went over the bar.
As we went into injury time (although I do not recall any minutes actually
being held up) Pompey were awarded a free kick on the edge of the area when
Tomkins was adjudged to have brought down Benjani. It was Liam Lawrence who
stepped up to take it but the ball crashed into the wall.
As we got to the 94th minute in an identical position to the previous Pompey
free kick they were awarded another one with Diop adjudged to have gone in
with a high boot. This was a ridiculous decision given that the Pompey
player had gone in with his head down.
This time the kick was taken by Huseklepp but it hit the wall and went over
the bar for a corner but before this could be taken the ref blew the full
time whistle to the delight of the West Ham fans and once again we had won
on the road.
Player Reviews
Robert Green
Another clean sheet for Green as he put in another solid display. There
wasn't many saves he had to make but he did make an excellent stop in the
first half.
Joey O'Brien
Slipped over a few times in the first half and his distribution of the ball
was pretty poor. Knocks the ball long far too much and needs to look for a
West Ham player when playing these passes.
James Tomkins
It would be a great shame if Tomkins was to leave the club during the
transfer window for a number of reasons but none as important as how vital
he is for us. He was terrific again and kept everything simple and won just
about every header presented to him.
Winston Reid
Reid also needs to be praised for his display as he was solid and dealt with
the physical presence of Kitson with ease. Won his second penalty in last
two games and although I feel more at ease with Faye in our defence, Reid is
clearly starting to regain his early season form.
George McCartney
He continues to try and offer us width on the left and you can see clearly
how much running he does as he gets up and down that left hand side
continuously. Defended well as always and McCartney continues to be a
consistent and dependable performer.
Julien Faubert
Saw a lot of the ball and never shied away from getting stuck in but quite
simply the things he did were poor. His passing, his crossing, and overall
decision making was not up to standard. Should have been taken off sooner
than he was with Baldock coming on.
Papa Bouba Diop
He was as dominant in the challenge as you would want a defensive midfielder
to be. He covered a lot of ground, won the ball back on so many occasions I
lost count but the man cannot pass. His passing was so bad it was a bit
perplexing seeing as he did everything else well.
Mark Noble
The penalty aside Noble never really got going and found it difficult to
find any space to pick out a pass and switch the play. The game was flooded
with central midfielders and Noble couldn't get a hold of the game.
Kevin Nolan
Now don't be shocked here but I thought Nolan had a good game. The man ran
and ran and both he and Diop were our battling midfielders. He should have
scored in the second half (or at least got a shot on target) but this was a
good display from the captain.
Jack Collison
Last week he was at the centre of most things we did as he was able to get a
hold of the game but out on the wing he offers very little. He doesn't have
the pace to beat a man and if you are going to play Collison you need him to
get on the ball and move forward with his quick passing.
Carlton Cole
Extremely isolated and there was not enough support in and around him
especially in the first half. He worked hard, chased everything he could but
we did not create one chance for him in the entire game. He needs a strike
partner and either a new striker or Baldock needs to start against Forest.
Subs Used
Henri Lansbury (on for Faubert 82 mins)
Played better in his ten or so minutes than he did in the entire game
against Sheffield Wednesday. Looked sharp and willing to beat his man.
Subs Not Used: O'Neil, Carew, Baldock, Faye
Bookings: Nolan
Man Of The Match: James Tomkins
Portsmouth: Henderson, Mokoena, Pearce, Ward, Ben Haim, Halford, Mullins,
Lawrence, Norris, Kitson, Futacs
Subs: Ashdown, Webster, Williams, Huseklepp, Benjani
Attendance: 18,492
Overall
Boring, uneventful and certainly uninspiring but victorious once again and
we keep the title challenge going with another three points. I thought we
could have taken the game to Portsmouth when they went down to ten men and
felt we looked far too cautious throughout the second half. The game was
crying out for Baldock in my opinion as he can create space which is what we
found difficult to do. There obviously has to be some positivity as we are
on 50 points and joint top of the league.
There was a point where we thought Southampton were going to keep extending
their lead at the top but we are there with them and just goal difference
separates us. This goal difference should be in our favour as we have had
the chances to score goals against many of our last few oppositions.
Next Game – Nottingham Forest (h) 21st January 3pm Kick Off
Forest were smashed today at home by Southampton and are on a poor run of
form. We have got to take the game to them and show our superiority. Yes, to
win 1-0 will do but I do not make any apologies for perhaps wanting to see a
bit more. I want to see us take some risks and attack with purpose instead
of simply grinding a result.
I believe we have it in us to give a team a good beating and we were scoring
goals earlier in the season but we seem to be making life difficult for
ourselves by not taking chances. I still firmly believe we will be
promoted, I just would like to see a bit more to our attacking play.
The View From Allardyce
"When you think it's eight wins away from home and we haven't won away since
November, it shows we had pretty miraculous form up until our devastating
month of December really in terms of results. "It was a great victory and
was obviously helped by the sending-off, but I thought it was thoroughly
deserved. If I have to be a little disappointed, it is because we haven't
made it more comfortable than it was with the chances we created after they
had gone down to ten men. I have been talking about that for the last few
weeks. "Our defensive side of our game is so outstanding at the moment that
teams against us, home or away, are finding it so difficult to create
chances. That's a great platform to build on and Saturday was another very
precious three points and we've got to kick on from there. "We've got almost
a full squad back and available which showed in the performance all-round
and players can come in whenever needed now and make an impact. Looking
forward from here, hopefully we can have the sort of month we had in
November and get as many victories back-to-back as possible and make sure we
push forward to our ultimate goal."
"Like many games we played away from home, we took control of the game from
the start. Portsmouth had won seven, drawn three and only lost two at home
and everybody said they would come out and go straight at us but we didn't
let them do that. "We controlled the game, should have had a penalty for a
foul on Julien Faubert and had a couple of half-chances, then got the
penalty on Winston Reid and put that away. We then slipped up a little bit
in the last ten minutes of the first half when we let some pressure come on
ourselves particularly from set plays rather than Portsmouth's open play.
"Then, of course, the game changed completely when we went down to ten men
and we dominated completely and the gameplan changed. We just needed to keep
the ball and wait and wait and we kept the ball well. We created several
chances but failed to put them in the back of the net. "It could have been
more comfortable but it was still a well-deserved victory."
Season 2011/12 Scorers and Red Cards
Carlton Cole - 8 (8 League)
Kevin Nolan - 7 (7 League)
Sam Baldock - 5 (5 League)
Mark Noble - 4 (4 League)
John Carew - 2 (2 League)
Frederique Piquionne - 2 (2 League)
Jack Collison - 2 (2 League)
Own Goal - 2 (2 League)
James Tomkins - 1 (1 League)
Papa Bouba Diop - 1 (1 League)
Joey O'Brien - 1 (1 League)
Scott Parker - 1 (1 League)
Winston Reid - 1 (1 League)
Matthew Taylor - 1 (1 League)
Henri Lansbury - 1 (1 League)
Julien Faubert - 1 (1 League)
Frank Nouble - 1 (1 League)
Junior Stanislas - 1 (1 Cup)
Red Cards
Callum McNaughton - 1 (vs Aldershot home)
Frederique Piquionne - 1 (vs Portsmouth home)
Joey O'Brien - 1 (vs Reading away)
Jack Collison - 1 (vs Reading away)
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Transfer Update 14th January:
January 14th, 2012 - 7:11 pm by Bradley Palmer
West Ham Till I Die
I am being informed that an offer of £3m will go in for Watford's Striker
Marvin Sordell after a £2.2m was recently rejected. The club are hoping that
this will tempt Watford into selling. Another player I am told the club are
monitoring is Burnley striker Jay Rodriguez. A very young and talented
player who could be an excellent addition to the club. Only an enquiry made
so far with no official bid on the table. Watch this space. The report
saying Wolves had signed Piquionne was unfortunately off the mark. However,
the club are looking to offload both Piq and Sears and are prepared to use
both as makeweight in any potential deals. The only done deal I can confirm
is that George John completed his switch to us from FC Dallas for a 2 month
loan with a view to making the move permanent if it goes well. I would like
to say welcome George and I wish you the very best of luck. As always, I
will keep you informed as and when I receive any information or am able to
put up the transfer gossip for debate. Three points today, not pretty nor
comfortable but we remain joint top and now have a four point cushion. Keep
the faith and lets push on from this and go on a run of wins.
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PORTSMOUTH 0 - WEST HAM 1: MARK NOBLE HAMMERS HOME FOR BIG SAM ALLARDYCE
Sunday January 15,2012
By Daily Express reporter
MARK NOBLE'S clinical spot kick enabled West Ham to improve their impressive
away form and keep the pressure on Championship leaders Southampton.
Pompey's hopes of salvaging a point suffered a huge setback early in the
second half when midfielder David Norris was red carded for what seemed a
fairy innocuous challenge on Winston Reid. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce said:
"Apart from a 10-minute spell towards the end of the first half we
controlled the game, and could have won more comfortably after the sending
off. "I am not sure about the sending off, but it put the game in our favour
and allowed us to dominate possession." Hammers took a grip on the game
early with their neat passing style and edged in front in the 23th minute.
Winston Reid, with his back to goal, tried to turn in the area only to be
hauled back by Tal Ben Haim, giving referee Kevin Friend an easy penalty
award. Mark Noble hammered the spot kick high to Stephen Henderson's rig ht,
even though the keeper did well to get a touch. I thought the sending off
was a bit harsh, as was their penalty Pompey boss Michael Appleton Pompey
boss Michael Appleton said: "I thought the sending off was a bit harsh, as
was their penalty."
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Noble effort puts Hammers back on road
Portsmouth 0 West Ham United 1
NICK SZCZEPANIK FRATTON PARK SUNDAY 15 JANUARY 2012
Independent.co.uk
West Ham restored their reputation as the road warriors of the Championship
with their eighth away win of the season yesterday. They remain behind
Southampton, the leaders, on goal difference, but stumbles by Middlesbrough
and Cardiff widened their advantage over their closest pursuers. After
failing to win in their previous three games on their travels, Sam
Allardyce's team inflicted a first home defeat on Portsmouth in eight
matches, but failed to press home a man advantage after David Norris,
Portsmouth's joint top-scorer, was shown a straight red card in the 57th
minute. Allardyce praised his team's "solid defending" but admitted that a
goalscorer is his main target during the transfer window. "Chances are being
created, but the finishing has not been clinical enough," he said. "It would
only have taken one slip or one piece of brilliance from them and it could
have been 1-1. "But we took control from the start against a side with a
fantastic home record, and we look a very good side defensively when we
score the first goal."
Portsmouth were unhappy with Kevin Friend, the referee, for dismissing
Norris and awarding a penalty from which Mark Noble scored the only goal of
the game. "Not [a penalty] from where I was standing," the Portsmouth
manager, Michael Appleton, said. Of the sending off, he added: "David left
the ground but it wasn't two-footed and it wasn't from behind. The biggest
disappointment was that I've never seen a red card pulled out so quickly in
my life. They had some experienced players on the field and I think they had
an influence on some central decisions."
The goal came after 24 minutes. From Noble's free-kick, Kevin Nolan cleverly
backheeled the ball to Winston Reid, who was dragged over by Tal Ben Haim.
Noble converted the penalty although Stephen Henderson, the goalkeeper, got
a hand to it. Portsmouth rallied and Robert Green saved in quick succession
from Liam Lawrence and Jason Pearce, but their chances were damaged when
Norris was sent off for a late challenge on Reid. But West Ham were unable
to capitalise and Greg Halford, almost chesting the ball past his own
keeper, looked keener to score for the visitors than any of their forwards.
They could have paid when Benjani headed the ball back for Marko Futacs to
drive over, or if Friend had been friendlier to the home side when the ball
appeared to hit Joey O'Brien's arm in a late mêlée.
Portsmouth (4-4-2): Henderson; Ben Haim, Mokoena (Huseklepp, 34), Pearce,
Halford (Webster, 75); Lawrence, Mullins (Benjani, 83), Norris, Ward;
Kitson, Futacs.
West Ham (4-1-4-1) Green; O'Brien, Reid, Tomkins, McCartney; Bouba Diop;
Faubert (Lansbury, 84), Noble, Nolan, Collison; Cole.
Referee Kevin Friend.
Man of the match Nolan (West Ham).
Match rating 6/10.
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West Ham youngster extends loan
London 24
Joshua Richards
Saturday, January 14, 2012
11:39 PM
West Ham midfielder Cristian Montano has extended his loan spell with
Dagenham & Redbridge. The 20-year-old has made a big impact since his
arrival at Victoria Road in November, scoring three goals in seven games.
Montano is not eligible to play in the FA Cup and will miss Tuesday night's
third round replay with Millwall, despite the Hammers elimination from the
competition, as he was unavailable for the original tie. However, the
Colombian winger will stay with Daggers for an indefinite period. Manager
John Still confirmed: "With a youth loan you can just keep it going, there's
no particular time span. "There's always a clause to be called back after a
month, but at the moment we're ok. "He's been terrific for us."
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Portsmouth 0 West Ham United 1: match report
By Thore Haugstad, Fratton Park10:06PM GMT 14 Jan 2012
Telegraph.co.uk
West Ham produced a rugged defensive performance to record a first away win
in five matches and keep up with Championship leaders Southampton, but their
chronic inability to convert chances remains a concern for manager Sam
Allardyce. They looked in control until Mark Noble's 24th-minute penalty,
awarded after Tal Ben-Haim was deemed to have brought down Winston Reid, and
were aided further by David Norris's second-half sending-off. Yet a string
of opportunities were then wasted, just a week after Allardyce lamented
missed chances following their FA Cup loss away to Sheffield Wednesday. "It
continues to be [a problem] because the chances are being created but the
finishing isn't really clinical enough," he said. "The good thing is we've
got one of the best defensive records in the league and people find it very
difficult to score against us. That means that we'll always be around where
we want to be."
Still, that problem allowed Portsmouth, who were undefeated in seven home
games prior to yesterday, to mount a late finish, and if Marko Futacs's
finish and Erik Huseklepp's free-kick had been more precise, the run could
easily have been stretched to eight. "It would only have taken one slip
towards the end, or one piece of brilliance from Portsmouth, to make it 1-1
and leave us sick," Allardyce admitted. "But it didn't happen and we're
delighted ."
Despite early dominance, West Ham produced little until Noble's penalty –
his fourth conversion of the season, and Portsmouth suddenly woke up on the
half-hour mark. Liam Lawrence first cut inside to force a fingertip save
from Robert Green before Jason Pearce's flick forced another save from the
resulting corner. However, Norris's red card, brandished by referee Kevin
Friend after a late challenge on Winston Reid, instead left West Ham trying
to kill the game. Jack Collison first went close with a shot, before
Portsmouth keeper Stephen Henderson was forced into a reflex save from his
own defender, Greg Halford, who miscalculated his attempt to chest down a
cross. Kevin Nolan then side-footed wide after running on to Julien
Faubert's low cross . Portsmouth manager Michael Appleton felt West Ham's
penalty, Norris's red card and the overruled penalty shout for handball were
all incorrect decisions. "It's a situation where little has gone for us,
it's disappointing and you need the referee to be strong," he said. "I
didn't think he was."
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Portsmouth 0 West Ham 1: Noble spot on to keep Hammers in touch at top
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 5:23 PM on 14th January 2012
Daily Mail
West Ham kept up the pressure at the top of the npower Championship with a
win over 10-man Portsmouth. Mark Noble's first-half penalty proved enough to
see off Pompey, who had David Norris sent off after the break. Victory means
Sam Allardyce's men, who were unceremoniously dumped out of the FA Cup by
Sheffield Wednesday in their previous match, remain level with Southampton
at the top of the table, while Michael Appleton's Portsmouth may still be
looking nervously over their shoulders at the relegation zone seven points
below. The hosts carved out the first opening as Liam Lawrence lifted in a
free-kick and Greg Halford eluded his marker to get to the ball first before
steering his header over the bar. But it was the Hammers using the ball to
greater effect on the floor and midway through the half they crafted a move
of genuine quality which saw Noble and Winston Reid play a clever one-two
before the latter was brought down by Tal Ben-Haim in the box. Referee Kevin
Friend did not hesitate to point to the spot and Noble stroked home his
fourth penalty of the season despite Stephen Henderson getting a hand to it.
Pompey were forced to make a change with just over half an hour gone as
defensive midfielder Aaron Mokoena limped off following a challenge with
Carlton Cole.
Appleton took the opportunity to introduce a more attacking player, bringing
on Norway international Erik Huseklepp, who almost made an immediate impact.
He brilliantly controlled a lofted pass on his chest before cutting inside
and feeding Norris, whose shot deflected wide off James Tomkins. The same
two players linked up again to earn a corner two minutes later as the home
side cranked up the pressure, but the visitors cleared at the second
attempt. Portsmouth closed the half with another well-crafted opportunity as
Dave Kitson sprayed a pass wide for Lawrence and the midfielder surged past
George McCartney before stinging Robert Green's palms with a powerful
effort.
The hosts continued to press after the break and looked the more likely to
score next, although Jason Pearce's 40-yard effort proved a little too
ambitious as it sailed clear of the bar. Their chances of claiming something
from the game were dealt a critical blow after 57 minutes though when Norris
was dismissed for a foul on Reid.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Portsmouth still looked a threat in
front of goal and Marko Futacs pounced on Reid's poor defensive header but
dragged his shot just wide from 20 yards. It was West Ham who went closest
in the second half, however, as Jack Collison curled in a superb long-range
effort which came back off the angle of bar and post. Henderson then had to
be alert to keep out a wayward chested backpass from Halford as Allardyce's
side sought to make the points safe.
They controlled possession for the final 15 minutes, sporadically
threatening Henderson's goal and, crucially, denying Portsmouth any
clear-cut opportunities to snatch a draw. Kevin Nolan should have put the
icing on the cake with four minutes left when Collison played him in but he
lifted his shot over and, with Southampton winning comfortably at Nottingham
Forest, the Hammers stayed second on goal difference.
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