WHUFC.com
Ricardo Vaz Te continued his hot scoring streak with a treble in Saturday's win over Brighton
14.04.2012
Ricardo Vaz Te continued his fantastic start to life as a West Ham United player with a hat-trick in Saturday's 6-0 npower Championship thrashing of Brighton and Hove Albion. The No12 took his personal haul to eight goals in five games and ten in 12 appearances since joining the Hammers from Barnsley in January. He now has 22 in total for the season. Vaz Te's treble against the Seagulls capped West Ham's biggest win since the Tykes were beaten 6-0 at the Boleyn Ground in the Premier League way back on 10 February 1998. Speaking to West Ham TV, the forward was typically modest about his spectacular individual performance and keener to speak about the importance of a victory that keeps the Hammers in contention for automatic promotion. "Maybe from the fans' point of view [that was the best performance I have produced], but it was important that we got a win at home," he said. "As long as everyone is happy and we keep getting the three points, that is the main thing. We just need to keep the pressure on the teams above us and keep winning. "I am more than happy and I have been happy since day one. I always thought it was the right decision to come here, so I have nothing to complain about. Everybody has been really great to me - the fans and the support that I get from them. It was easy for me to settle quickly and that's important."
Vaz Te put his amazing opening ten weeks as West Ham player down to his happiness at the club and in London. However, he is not about to rest on his laurels and take life at the Boleyn Ground for granted. "I'm very happy - I might not appear to be but I'm very happy! I'm just focused on trying to do the right things all the time. It is one of the key factors as to why I've played well because you have to be happy in the club that you're in and the team that you're playing in. "It's important to be happy and I am. I am focused, determined and learning and I want to improve. I still feel I can go an extra mile and I feel this is the right club in which to learn and improve."
Vaz Te's goals were all different - the first was a 25-yard rocket that fizzed past Peter Brezovan, the second a far-post header and the third an eye-catching scissor kick that gave the Brighton goalkeeper no chance. "The first, after the game kicked-off we retained the possession and I managed to find the space between the midfield and the defenders. I passed the first one to Lansbury and he had a shot. I thought if we got another one then that was the space to be in. Luckily Kevin Nolan found me and I just thought 'Why not?' and I took a shot and luckily it went in. "The second, I knew the cross was going to come in so I just had to position myself right and give myself a chance. Again I was in the right place and the ball came in the right place and I was able to head it in. "The third, I just thought I would take it early while it was in the air and I managed to hit it right and it went in."
Saturday's performance and result left the vast majority of the 33,000-plus fans inside the Boleyn Ground with broad smiles on their faces. Vaz Te, for one, was delighted to bring happiness to the Claret and Blue Army. "This club is mainly about the fans. Sometimes you can't keep them happy because you have to play in a style to win the game and it doesn't matter how you win it. "On a day like Saturday when you're winning by three or four, you can give them a bit more to cheer about and give them a bit more flair. I just do my thing and try to improve and get better and if they are pleased with that, I am pleased as well. "I'm flattered when they say 'You're doing well Vaz, you have pace and you have trickery'. I don't really see it that way. I just try to get on with my job and to create as much as possible for other people. I'm happy that they are happy."
Vaz Te had been substituted by the time the game ended and he had to rely on his team-mates to salvage the matchball for him to take home! "The boys found it for me, luckily, because I had come off. They have been great. They found it for me and they all signed it and I'm very happy about that!" A focused figure, Vaz Te will not be out celebrating his first hat-trick in West Ham colours - instead he will be back at Chadwell Heath on Sunday morning preparing for Tuesday's trip to relegation-threatened Bristol City. "This has gone now. It's all about the next game. We have three more games to go and nine points to play for and we have to make sure we are contenders."
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Big Sam delighted with dominant win
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was understandably pleased with Saturday's 6-0 win against Brighton
14.04.2012
West Ham United put in a commanding display as they put six goals past Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon in their biggest win since January 1998.
Ricardo Vaz Te made it ten goals in ten starts for the club after grabbing a hat-trick and there were goals for Kevin Nolan and Carlton Cole too with the sixth coming via an own goal. The result marked West Ham's first home win since beating Millwall at the beginning of February and was fully deserved as they controlled the game from start to finish. The Hammers began the game in imperious form, scoring three times in the opening twelve minutes. Vaz Te powered a 30-yard swerving drive in the goal after only three minutes before scoring his second of the game five minutes later when he nodded in at the back post following Gary O'Neil's cross.
The game was virtually over after twelve minutes when James Tomkins headed a Matt Taylor free-kick back across goal to leave Nolan with the simple task of tapping into an empty net. West Ham continued in the same vein after the break and Vaz Te completed his hat-trick just after the hour mark with a wonderfully taken acrobatic scissor kick volley that flew into the net. Just two minutes later it was five with Cole's shot taking a deflection off Henri Lansbury's heel and looping over Peter Brezovan in the Brighton goal. The final nail in The Seagull's coffin came when midfielder Gary Dicker put a Mark Noble corner into his own goal as the Hammers maintained their discipline to secure their first home clean sheet since Crystal Palace's visit at the end of December. "It was a tremendous victory for us today I think that since Millwall at home this is close to as good as we have played," Big Sam said. "The pressure we were under to deliver a result was huge and the quality of our football and final third of play was fantastic. "We started the game so brightly and we scored the goals that we deserved to score from the amount of chances we created. Kevin Nolan drove the team on today and got a goal too. Carlton Cole played very well up top and got a goal too. Matt Taylor did well filling in at left back. "There wasn't really a player that didn't do his job properly today. Vaz put in a scintillating performance today he took his goals very, very well."
The win also moves the home side to within three points of Southampton, who lost 3-1 to Reading on Friday night, while also massively boosting their goal difference. A win at Briston City on Tuesday is now essential if the Hammers are to maintain the pressure on the Saints, who travel to Peterborough on the same night. "We got a clean sheet too so if we carry on like this, hopefully we can win all three games we have got left. The six goals also is a massive benefit to our goal difference, we are now only three goals behind them and in the end that could make a massive difference. All we can do now is win on Tuesday and hope somebody else slips up."
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West Ham 6 Brighton 0
Vaz Te 3′, 8′, 62′ Nolan 11′ Cole 64′ Dicker (og) 78′
BBC.co.uk
14 April 2012
Last updated at 16:52
West Ham maintained their hopes of automatic promotion after thrashing a Brighton side whose play-off hopes were dented by a loss at Upton Park. The Hammers are three points behind second-placed Southampton and took the lead through a Ricardo Vaz Te strike. A Vaz Te header and Kevin Nolan tap-in put West Ham 3-0 up in 11 minutes. A bicycle kick from Vaz Te, Carlton Cole's deflected shot off team-mate Henri Lansbury and a Gary Dicker own goal completed the rout. The victory was West Ham's first in eight games at home, while Brighton are five points adrift of the play-off places. Southampton had been beaten by top-of-the-table Reading on Friday and West Ham made a blistering start as they attempted to capitalise. Vaz Te broke the deadlock before quickly adding a second as he took his tally to seven goals in the last five games. Nolan added to Brighton's woes and it could have been worse for the visitors when a deflected Lansbury shot came off the crossbar. Brighton had a rare chance when Gordon Greer saw a header saved by keeper Robert Green but Gus Poyet's side did not help their cause by giving away possession on a regular basis. West Ham were a far cry from the team that had drawn six and lost one at Upton Park during the end-of-season run-in as they carried an air of confidence and creativity. Vaz Te's acrobatic goal in the second half completed his hat-trick before Cole's shot came off his team-mate Lansbury to add to the Hammers lead. Brighton's misery was compounded when their midfielder Dicker put a Mark Noble corner into his own goal as the Hammers also reduced the goal difference gap on Southampton to three.
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Te-ke that
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 14th April 2012
By: Staff Writer
Ricardo Vaz Te insisted that keeping a clean sheet was key to victory against Brighton at the Boleyn this afternoon - despite bagging the first hat-trick of his Hammers career. The Portuguese forward joined West Ham on transfer deadline day back in January, since when he has proved to be an astute piece of business by Sam Allardyce - not to mention something of a revelation in front of goal. Whilst Vaz Te's fellow strikers have failed to provide the necessary cutting edge this season, the 25-year-old has scored 10 goals for the Irons since signing from Barnsley in a cut price £750,000 deal giving him 22 for the season, including the 12 he scored for the Tykes. Eight of those goals have come in his last five games, in which he has scored on each outing (against Peterborough, Reading, former club Barnsley, Birmingham and Brighton this afternoon). However he was keen to underplay his part in today, victory, preferring instead to praise the efforts of his team mates.
When asked to comment on his hat-trick by SkySports, Vaz Te said: "I'm more pleased with three points really and the performance of the whole team. The main thing is to keep a clean sheet. "We've been scoring lately and we knew if we kept a clean sheet we would win the game. Once the first two went in everything opened up. We just had to contain ourselves and attack in the right manner. But yes, I'm very pleased."
And when asked to explain the reasons for United's poor run of home form - West Ham's last win at the BG prior to today came on February 4th against Millwall eight matches ago - Vaz Te failed to conjure an explanation but insisted that the ghost had been well and tuly laid to rest following today's thrashing of Brighton. "I can't really see why it's been so difficult," he mused. "When we're not winning everything is difficult - it can be home or away, it doesn't matter. Unfortunately for us when we should have been strong at home we weren't - but today we put that behind us. "Like against Birmingham [in the second half], we showed tremendous effort and character to pull back a 3-1 deficit. We just approached the game in the same manner and instead of leaving it too late, we just started right - and it worked out."
Back of the net... Vaz Te's West Ham goals
21st February: Blackpool 1-4 West Ham Utd (1)
7th March: West Ham Utd 1-1 Watford (1)
27th March: Peterborough 0-2 West Ham Utd (1)
31st March: West Ham Utd 2-4 Reading (1)
6th April: Barnsley 0-4 West Ham Utd (1)
9th April: West Ham Utd 3-3 Birmingham City (2)
14th April: West Ham Utd 6-0 Brighton & Hove Albion (3)
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West Ham United 6 (SIX) Brighton & Hove Albion 0
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 14th April 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are right back in the hunt for automatic promotion after demolishing play-off contenders Brighton at the Boleyn Ground this afternoon - and silencing one of their biggest critics in the process. Following West Ham's 1-0 win at Brighton's Amex Stadium back in October, Albion boss Gus Poyet slammed Sam Allardyce's tactics, telling reporters, "if you kick it long and you put it in the other half, there's no risk - and for me there's no glory winning without risk." However the former Uruguayan international was forced to swallow a sizeable portion of humble pie this afternoon as his side were torn apart by Allardyce's rampant Hammers, who smashed SIX past Poyet's hapless side on a glorious day in Upton Park. The game was all but over inside the opening 11 minutes of the first half after West Ham came out of the blocks on fire. Man of the Match Ricardo Vaz Te opened the scoring for an ebullient West Ham in the third minute, firing home from all of 25 yards after being fed by left back for the day Matt Taylor who did superbly to win a 50/50 ball with a crunching tackle in midfield. And just five minutes later the former Bolton and Barnsley forward doubled his tally - and West Ham's lead - when he made it 2-0, nodding home Gary O'Neil's probing cross from no more than three yards despite being under pressure from an opposing defender. With Brighton still recovering from a second fatal blow, Kevin Nolan took full advantage to make it 3-0 when he converted a Matt Taylor free kick that had been nodded back into the centre by James Tomkins. Carlton Cole could - and perhaps should - have made it 4-0 five minutes later but fluffed his lines having been set up by Vaz Te, before Henri Lansbury missed possibly West Ham's best chance of the opening 45 minutes on the stroke of half time when he fired over the bar from six yards despite having only goalkeeper Peter Brezovan to beat.
After a quiet opening quarter-of-an-hour, Vaz Te made it 4-0 and completed his hat-trick with a stunning scissors kick from close range - even if the Hammers should have been awarded a penalty moments earlier when Lansbury was clearly bundled over in the box. Two minutes later it was 5-0 when Cole, who was a constant thorn in Brighton's side all afternoon turned inside the box before firing across Brezovan - with the aid of Henri Lansbury's ankle that lifted the ball over the despairing goalkeeper's dive. And Brighton's misery was finally completed twelve minutes from time when the hapless Gary Dicker scored a shocker of an own goal when he inadvertently passed Matt Taylor's corner into his own net. The winning margin could have been even greater for the Hammers had Henri Lansbury's deflected effort that rattled the crossbar after 30 seconds gone in - or had Kevin Nolan not missed an open goal from two yards out in the game's closing stages. Had both those efforts found the net, West Ham would have equalled their record league win of 8-0 - last achieved against Sunderland in 1968 when a certain Geoff Hurst hit a double hat-trick. And whilst Ricardo Vaz Te may not be quite as prolific as the former World Cup winner, today's hat-trick hero could yet prove the difference to West Ham achieving automatic promotion or ending up in the play-offs come the end of the season.
United's chances of displacing a wobbling Southampton from a position which they have maintained since the opening month of the season have been given a massive boost in the last 24 hours following the Saints 3-1 home defeat last night and today's win for the Hammers. Not only has the points deficit been halved from six to three, but Southampton's superior goal difference has also been virtually wiped out overnight; their 11 goal advantage has been reduced to just three over West Ham following the two matches. The next test for Sam Allardyce's side comes at Bristol City on Tuesday night (City, who grabbed an impressive point at Birmingham today are just four points clear of the relegation zone). Meanwhile Nigel Adkins' Saints travel to Peterborough the same night knowing that defeat could see them slip out of the top two for the first time since last August.
The Championship: how it stands
1. Reading 43-85 +29
2. Southampton 43-82 +34
3. West Ham Utd 43-79 +31
West Ham Utd 6 Brighton & Hove Albion 0: match facts
West Ham Utd: Green, Demel (Collins 68), Tomkins, Reid, Taylor, Noble, Nolan, O'Neil (Collison 55), Lansbury, Vaz Te (Carew 77), Cole.
Subs not used: Henderson, Maynard.
Goals: Vaz Te (3, 8, 62), Nolan (11), Cole (64), Docker OG (78).
Booked: Cole (87).
Shots on/off target: 12/6 (18).
Brighton & Hove Albion: Brezovan, Painter, Calderon, Greer, El-Abd, Dicker, Bridcutt, Navarro, Assulin (Lua Lua 53), Vicente (Noone 64), Barnes (Mackail-Smith 53).
Subs not used: Ankergren, Jara.
Booked: Dicker (77).
Shots on/off target: 5/3 (8).
Possession: West Ham Utd 52%; Brighton & Hove Albion 48%.
Referee: Roger East (5).
Assistants: Michael George and Mark Russell.
Fourth Official: Carl Brook.
Attendance: 32,339.
Man of the Match: Ricardo Vaz Te.
Did you know? West Ham's 6-0 win was the first time they have scored six goals in a game since beating Barnsley by the same margin in a Premiership meeting back in January 1998.
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Allardyce - Race is back on
Poyet embarrassed by defeat
Last Updated: April 14, 2012 7:22pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce believes the race for automatic promotion is back on after West Ham's stunning 6-0 victory over Brighton on Saturday. After seven games without a win at home, the Hammers finally put a smile on their fans' faces by blitzing Gus Poyet's play-off hopefuls at Upton Park. Portuguese winger Ricardo Vaz Te started the rout with a quickfire brace before skipper Kevin Nolan added the third. Vaz Te completed a sparkling hat-trick in the second half before Henri Lansbury and a Gary Dicker own goal completed the rout. It means Allardyce's side are now just three points behind second-placed Southampton with three games to play and the West Ham boss is determined to at least ensure the race goes all the way to the final day.
Overdue
"That was overdue and that is the problem," admitted Allardyce. "We needed three points and to win them in such style was thrilling and gives everyone a little bit more belief we can do what we wanted to do at the start of the season. "Everything about the game was fantastic from start to finish and they were a well-deserved six goals. "Now we have to see if we can keep up our magnificent away record at Bristol City on Tuesday. "We are in the race still, and we have closed on Southampton's goal difference which could be a factor. "We're still feeling the pressure as we have no margin for error. It's got to be three wins, starting on Tuesday, and then we can rush and see if anyone has slipped up. "We have to make sure we still have automatic promotion to play for on the last day against Hull."
There was no doubt who the star of the show was at Upton Park with hat-trick hero Vaz Te taking his tally to 10 goals from 10 starts since his bargain £500,000 January switch from Barnsley. "He was scintillating today and he's been outstanding before that," added Allardyce. "He scored 14 for Barnsley that's 10 for us now. They were three great goals as well, a great shot, a brave header and the overhead kick was the icing on the cake - as good as Wayne Rooney."
Embarrassing
Brighton manager Gus Poyet was embarrassed by the drubbing but felt it only proved his assertion that his team are not ready for promotion. The Seagulls were promoted from League One last year and have enjoyed an impressive campaign, flirting with the play-off places for long periods. But the season has not been without its low points against superior opposition and this defeat had echoes of the 6-1 thrashing against Liverpool at Anfield in the FA Cup fifth-round back in February.
"We knew how West Ham would start but we didn't deal with it," said Poyet. "The result is embarrassing. I said a few months ago we were not ready and I think Liverpool and West Ham have proved it. "I know what I've got to change for next season."
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Vaz Te stars in Hammers romp
Last updated: 14th April 2012
SSN
Ricardo Vaz Te's hat-trick hauled West Ham back into the automatic promotion race in a stunning 6-0 demolition of Brighton at Upton Park. The Hammers shrugged off their recent home misery by blitzing Gus Poyet's play-off hopefuls with three goals in the first 10 minutes, before finishing them off in the second half. Portuguese forward Vaz Te started the rout with a quickfire brace before skipper Kevin Nolanadded the third. Vaz Te struck again with a superb scissor kick just after the hour mark to take his tally to five goals in his last two matches. Carlton Cole added the fifth and Brighton's misery was complete when Gary Dicker put through his own net. Sam Allardyce's side, who had slipped off the pace following a rotten run of seven home matches without a win, are now just three points behind second-placed Southampton with three games to play. Poyet, by contrast, has maintained for most of the season his team are not ready for promotion, and they certainly set about proving him right in a disastrous start to the match. Henri Lansbury set the tone when his shot from the edge of the area hit the crossbar after only 30 seconds. Two minutes later West Ham were ahead when Nolan robbed Brighton's Spanish midfielder Vicente and played in Vaz Te, who let fly from 25 yards. His shot had some swerve on it but should not have troubled Peter Brezovan unduly, yet the Seagulls keeper was flapping at thin air as the ball whistled past him. With West Ham suddenly laying siege to the visitors' goal Brezovan was beaten again in the eighth minute. Guy Demel launched a deep cross from the right and Vaz Te sneaked around the back to squeeze a header inside the far post.
There was no respite for Brighton with Nolan making it three two minutes later, the midfielder tucking his 12th of the season past the hapless Brezovan after James Tomkins headed Matt Taylor's free-kick back across goal. The shell-shocked Seagulls eventually managed to stem the flow and even came close to pulling one back before half-time, but Rob Green clawed away Gordon Greer's header with the Seagulls defender claiming in vain that the ball had crossed the line. But normal service was resumed after the interval with Vaz Te completing his sparkling treble in the 62nd minute. Cole headed the ball across goal and, as West Ham appealed for a penalty for a push on Lansbury, Vaz Te launched himself in the air and crashed his acrobatic effort into the net. Two minutes later Cole's shot was deflected off the heels of Lansbury to dupe Brezovan yet again. And with 11 minutes left Dicker diverted Mark Noble's corner into his own net to seal an emphatic win to take some of the heat off Allardyce - and maybe set a few nerves jangling on the south coast.
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The joy of six
Merse
Last Updated: April 14, 2012 6:53pm
SSN
West Ham 6-0 Brighton
Soccer Saturday analysis
"They were outstanding, they got the crowd on their side and they were brilliant."
Paul Merson
Quotes of the week
Paul Merson believes automatic promotion is in West Ham's sights after their 6-0 demolition of Brighton. Many had written off the Hammers' hopes of finishing in the top two after a run of seven home games without a win, but they ended that sequence in emphatic style by putting six past play-off contenders Brighton. And Merson, who watched the game in the Soccer Saturday studio, said a fine opening period soon translated into a fine performance. "I was very impressed, especially with how they started," he said. "When you watch West Ham, they usually start off very nervy at home, but they hit the bar in the first two minutes and in the third minute they were 1-0 up. "They were outstanding, they got the crowd on their side and they were brilliant. They absolutely smothered Brighton and gave them a lesson in the end."
West Ham have narrowed the gap on second-placed Southampton to three points and - crucially the Saints' goal difference is now only three superior. Merson says that if they can take maximum points from their remaining three fixtures - away to Bristol City, away to Leicester and home to Hull - then that would be enough to finish in an automatic promotion spot. "Away from home they are decent," he said. "By the time Hull come there they won't have anything to play for and Nick Barmby will be looking at certain kids to see if they're good enough for next season. He'll be trying stuff. "Bristol City are not great, so they've got a chance of winning there, but the problem's Leicester. Whatever team Nigel Pearson puts out, he'll make sure he gets 100 per cent. "That would be the game. If they can win that game - and win all three - I think they'll catch Southampton, especially now they've got those six goals."
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Match Report: West Ham 6 Brighton 0
By Iain Dale About 13 hours ago
West Ham Till I Die
Well no one can say they saw that one coming. It is a victory which puts us three points behind Southampton and we have an inferior goal difference of only three goals - on Thursday it was 11. Let's hope Peterborough can do us a favour and beat Southampton.
I have had a season ticket for twenty years and I cannot think of a game I have seen at Upton Park where we have scored three goals in the first ten minutes. And it could have been more, but we mustn't be greedy. As I said in the Match Preview, Ricardo Vaz Te has been a revelation since he joined us from Barnsley. His hattrick today means he has scored 10 goals in ten starts. Amazing for someone none of us really saw as an out and out striker. I loved the way he drifted all the way across the front three today. Brighton didn't know what to do with him. He and Cole seem to be developing a bit of an understanding now. I'm also glad Carlton chalked up another one. He's looked off his game for a few games and he didn't have a brilliant game today, but he worked very hard indeed and held the line well.
Defensively we never looked in any trouble. I thought Winston Reid was superb and didn't put a foot wrong. Guy Demel looked a little rusty and Brighton only ever looked threatening down his side of the pitch, but he's been out for so long he needs a few games to get into form.
I thought the midfield was more balanced than I have seen it in recent games. Noble was as industrious as ever, while Lansbury looked solid and Nolan was strong. None of the midfield three had outstanding games, but that shows what a team performance this was. Apart from Reid and Vaz Te I don't think anyone really merited more than a seven. Again, the only weak link, I thought, was Gary O'Neil. He hit the bar in the first minute and came close later on too, but I just don't see him as a creative, dangerous player. Perhaps he is my new Boa Morte, and I have a bit of a blind spot for him.
So, we live to fight another day.
Next up, Bristol City, who drew 2-2 at Birmingham today.
Green 7, Demel 5, Tomkins 6, Reid 8, Taylor 6, O'Neil 5, Nolan 6, Noble 6, Lansbury 6, Vaz Te 9, Cole 6, Collins 5, Carew 5
And finally, renewed congratulations to Ricardo Vaz Te. He's rapidly becoming a crowd favourite.
Actually, one more thing. I hope no one makes anything of the fact that there were some songs on the North Bank directed to the Briighton fans, along the lines of "We can see you holding hands" and "Stand up if you can't sit down", in references to Brighton's reputation as the UK's gay capital. There was also a bit of banter directed at the Brighton subs, who took it in good heart. The politically correct would no doubt see this as evidence of homophobia among football fans. It is nothing of the sort. The Brighton fans were laughing and responded in kind. It was light hearted banter. If anyone was offended, they need to get a sense of humour bypass.
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West Ham 6-0 Brighton: Vaz Te grabs hat-trick as Albion crushed
Published 18:01 14/04/12 By Mike Allen
The Mirror
It may have come too late, but West Ham finally sent a warning they are still in the promotion shake-up. Ricardo Vaz Te led them out of the maze of confusion they have suffered at Upton Park with a brilliant hat-trick that brought a first win there since early February. West Ham boss Sam Allardyce said: "We had to get three points no matter what. Winning like that is thrilling for everyone. "It gives us belief we can still do what we want to achieve. It should give us great confidence. Everything about us was fantastic."
Brighton's own prospects via the play-offs took a damaging blow from a game Gus Poyet claimed would tell him a lot about his players. What he discovered is that even at Upton Park, where the fans boo their own team too readily, and the manager tells those same supporters they are "deluded", you can't give the ball away cheaply or lack hunger. Poyet said: "I learned a lot. People talk about us being in the Premier League but we are not ready. If we are go to places like Manchester City and Chelsea with this team I will stay at home."
While Brighton slunk back to the south coast to lick their wounds, West Ham finally discovered the joy of six. After all, six draws from their last seven home games had seen them drop to outside the automatic promotion spots. Now their best hope is that Southampton slip up over their final three games. But they must learn from this win. Start quickly, get the fans onside and feed Vaz Te. His treble took his tally to eight in five games and Allardyce said: "Vaz Te was outstanding. Scintillating. He scored three great goals and the technique for his third – an overhead kick – was the best. We still rave about Wayne Rooney's goal [against Manchester City], but it even surpassed that."
Allardyce first signed the Portuguese as a 16-year-old at Bolton, but he lost his way before pitching up at Barnsley. Allardyce paid £500,000 for him and added: "He has been great. I hope he keeps it up."
Henri Lansbury had already struck the bar before Vaz Te's swerving dipper deceived Peter Brezovan after referee Roger East waved play on when Kevin Nolan was fouled. As Brighton were stunned by West Ham's high-tempo opening Brezovan blocked a Nolan effort but he was fighting a lone battle as his team-mates succumbed to the pressure. All this and still only eight minutes gone when West Ham went 2-0 ahead, Vaz Te converting Gary O'Neil's cross at the far post. This was not what Brighton had expected. Like so many before them in recent weeks, they felt if they could restrict West Ham's possession, the fans would turn restless and then they could add to the pain.
But the agony was all Brighton's. Within a few more torrid minutes they were three down. Mark Noble's free-kick was headed back by James Tomkins and Nolan tapped in at the far post. Vaz Te had another howitzer which moved all over the place before Brezovan fisted it away, but West Ham did not burst into life again until after the break. Vaz Te duly completed his treble with an overhead kick as fans and team-mates alike appealed for a penalty for what looked a push on Lansbury. The finish was good but not quite Rooneyesque, despite Allardyce's claims. A couple of minutes later Carlton Cole ran into the area and his shot clipped the heel of Lansbury to beat the suffering Brezovan. The final insult for Brighton came when Noble's corner hit Gary Dicker and went in to round off the half-dozen and confirm West Ham's biggest win since January 1998 against Barnsley.
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Vaz Te scores three as Brighton are hammered
West Ham United 6 Brighton & Hove Albion 0
JON WEST UPTON PARK SUNDAY 15 APRIL 2012
Independent.co.uk
West Ham fans had been waiting all season for a performance like this. Now Sam Allardyce and his players must prove it has not come too late as far as automatic promotion is concerned. Ricardo Vaz Te scored three of the six, with Kevin Nolan and Henri Lansbury the other scorers on a day when Brighton also contributed an own goal. This was West Ham's first home win since 4 February, a seven-game run that allowed Reading to march past them all the way to the Championship summit. Southampton have also been left in the Royals' wake but this result, coupled with Reading's Friday night success at St Mary's, means West Ham are three points behind Saints with three games to play. "It was overdue," Allardyce said. "We needed three points and to win them in such style was thrilling and gives us a bit more belief we can do what we wanted to at the start of the season."
The Hammers were on top from the off, Lansbury, the on-loan Arsenal midfielder, striking the crossbar after 40 seconds. The reprieve was short-lived for Brighton as Vaz Te, having received the ball from Nolan, cut inside from the left and saw his effort from 25 yards swerve through the hands of Peter Brezovan. Brezovan was picking the ball out of the net again in the eighth minute when Vaz Te's head was on the end of Gary O'Neil's delivery to the back post. Nolan made it 3-0 from close range – he almost put it over – when James Tomkins had won a grappling duel with a defender to head Matt Taylor's free-kick across goal. West Ham relaxed after that as Brighton passed it around without effect for 20 minutes, although Robert Green had to paw a header from Gordon Greer round the post before the break. Vaz Te got his hat-trick with an overhead kick after Marcos Painter failed to head clear. The January signing from Barnsley has now scored nine in seven games.
The fifth was a freak as Carlton Cole's shot, which was going wide, flicked off Lansbury's boot and in. Gary Dicker will not want reminding of the sixth. He missed his kick attempting to clear and felt the ball ricochet off his standing leg and into the net. "I said a few months ago we were not ready," Gus Poyet said as Brighton's play-off hopes dimmed. "I know what to change for next season."
West Ham (4-4-2): Green; Demel (Collins, 68), Reid, Tomkins, Taylor; O'Neil (Collison, 55), Lansbury, Noble, Nolan; Cole, Vaz Te (Carew, 77).
Brighton (4-3-2-1): Brezovan; Calderon, El-Abd, Greer, Painter; Navarro, Bridcutt, Dicker; Vicente (Noone, 63), Assulin (Mackail-Smith, 53); Barnes (LuaLua, 53).
Referee Roger East.
Man of the match Vaz Te (West Ham).
Match rating 7/10.
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West Ham United 6 Brighton and Hove Albion 0: match report
By Gerry Cox, at Upton Park4:58PM BST 14 Apr 20121
Telegraph.co.uk
Ricardo Vaz Te scored a hat-trick to make it eight goals in five games and more importantly, put West Ham right back in contention for an automatic promotion place.
The Portuguese striker has now scored ten times since being signed from Barnsley in January, and this comprehensive victory means West Ham are now just three points and three goals behind second-placed Southampton, with three games to play. The result also effectively killed off Brighton's hopes of making the play-offs, with Gus Poyet's side five-points behind sixth-placed Cardiff. On this evidence Brighton are well behind the likes of West Ham and had only themselves to blame for their heaviest defeat of the season. Brighton's defending was appalling, with West Ham rattling their crossbar inside 40 seconds. As a contest it was over within 11 minutes of the start. Vaz Te scored his first in the third minute after Kevin Nolan won the ball on the left and fed it inside to the striker, 30 yards from goal. Vaz Te's shirt was powerful, but flew through Peter Brezovan's hands at shoulder height for what looked a soft goal. His second goal, five minutes later, was just as poor defensively, with Vaz Te unmarked at the far post to head home Gary O'Neill's deep cross.
And it was all over three minutes later when Brighton's defence were again at sea as Nolan crept in unnoticed at the far post to roll the ball home after James Tomkins headed Matt Taylor's free-kick back across goal. With Brezovan saving at close range from Mark Noble and another Taylor cross scrambled off the line in that opening period, it looked like West Ham were going to do their goal difference a power of good. But it took a while for the next goal to come and Vaz Te to complete his hat-trick. Henri Lansbury was appealing for a penalty after being pushed over in the 63rd minute, but play continued and the ball bounced up for Vaz Te to hook a spectacular shot over his shoulder and into the net. The home side's celebrations had barely faded when Carlton Cole made it 5-0, the striker's shot being deflected off Lansbury's heel on its way into the net. When Gary Dicker turned a Noble corner into his own net with 13 minutes remaning, it completed a miserable afternoon for the visitors - but left the home fans dreaming of a return to the Premier League.
Teams;
West Ham 4-4-2
Green; Demel,, Tomkins, Reid, Taylor; O'Neill, Nolan, Noble Lansbury; Vaz te, Cole.
Subs: Henderson, Maynard, Colison, Carew, Collins
Brighton 4-4-1-1
Brezovan; Calderon, Greer, El-Abd, Painter; Bridcutt, Dicker, Navarro, Assulin; Vicente; Barnes.
Subs: Ankergren, Noone, Mackail-Smith, Lualua, Jara
Ref: Roger East
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West Ham 6 Brighton 0: Vaz Te hat-trick helps Hammers close on Saints
By MICK COLLINS
Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 17:37, 14 April 2012 | UPDATED: 21:26, 14 April 2012
Their biggest win for more than 14 years; a first home triumph in eight attempts and, with Reading's victory over Southampton on Friday night, a huge boost to their automatic promotion hopes. All things considered, West Ham United have had worse afternoons. Ricardo Vaz Te claimed the sort of hat-trick Roy Race used to collect, combining a stinging drive, a header and a spectacular bicycle kick, while the Brighton defence looked on helplessly. It was a pose they were to strike all afternoon.
From the outset, the day took on a claret and blue gloss as Brighton's defence showed a horrible lack of conviction and a completeabsence of composure. After 40 seconds they stood off and watched Henri Lansbury bounce a drive off their crossbar and never, for a moment thereafter, showed any sign of learning from their mistake. Vaz Te's first goal arrived two minutes later as he cut inside a disinterested challenge before launching a speculative shot goalwards from 30 yards which Brighton keeper Peter Brezovan contrived to miss. Seven minutes in, and Brezovan went in search of a deep cross from Gary O'Neil, emerging empty handed. On the far post, Vaz Te climbed higher than Gordon Greer, nodded home and Brighton's task already seemed impossible. Three minutes later and James Tomkins headed Matt Taylor's free-kick into the path of Kevin Nolan and from close range his finish ended the contest. 'You know what you have to do here when you arrive,' said Brighton manager Gus Poyet afterwards. 'You need to apply pressure, close them down and keep it at 0-0 for the first 20 minutes. Just because you know what to do, doesn't mean that you can do it, though. 'We weren't as good as them. We didn't match their power or their strength. I told you we weren't ready to go up. People might want us to go to places like Manchester City and Chelsea next year, but I'm not going. I'm staying at home!'
Having survived the first 15 minutes after the break, three goals in 16 minutes sealed Brighton's misery. Vaz Te claimed his hat-trick in spectacular fashion, leaping with his back to goal to crash Carlton Cole's knock-down past Brezovan, before Cole added a fifth, two minutes later. The visitors' day was hard enough without the deflection from Lansbury which turned a tame strike into a fortuitous goal. Perfect 10: The striker has now scored at least a goal a game in his 10 appearances for West Ham since joining from Barnsley Then, 12 minutes from the end, Gary Dicker horribly misjudged a clearance, allowing the ball to bounce off his standing foot and trickle over the line for the sixth goal. 'What we had to do was deliver a proper performance,' said West Ham manager Sam Allardyce. 'More importantly, though, we needed to get the win; claim three points. 'That's given everyone a bit of belief, I think. It was a thrilling performance from the first minute to the last. We said before the start, we'd try to play in the opposition's half and not slow the game down. 'Everything we did went right, and as a result we're still in the race for an automatic spot. We went into the game nine goals behind Southampton, and now we're just three back. There's still no margin for error, though. We need to win every game and then worry about what the others might have done. If we don't win, nothing else matters.' With two away games to come, at Bristol City and Leicester, in a season containing a record-breaking number of away wins, West Ham could still have a say in their future by the time Hull arrive at Upton Park on the last day of the season.
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Ricardo Vaz Tê scores a hat-trick as West Ham thrash Brighton
John Ashdown at Upton Park
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 14 April 2012 17.20 BST
AC/DC's Highway to Hell was played over the Tannoy pre-match and with West Ham seemingly heading towards the play-offs, that appeared rather apt – any supporter who has suffered the sting of failure in the post-season lottery finds the prospect of Beelzebub and an eternity of probing pitchforks starts to lose its edge.
The Hammers, though, kept themselves in with a chance of avoiding that particular road with a scintillating Ricardo Vaz Tê-inspired display that included an opening salvo of three goals in 11 minutes and moved Sam Allardyce's side to within three points of second-placed Southampton. It was Brighton who endured a hellish afternoon.
Vaz Tê, who scored a hat-trick, was the standout performer. "The only way he's become the talent that he has is that he's been down and out and left to ponder his career, and whether he wanted to resurrect it or not," said Allardyce of a the player he first signed as a 16-year-old at Bolton. "When he got cast aside [from Bolton] he ended up in Greece for a year, in Scotland for a year, and then Barnsley. When I had a look at him and found out he only had six months left on his contract, I said to David Sullivan: 'We've got to get this lad, I think he'll be great.' And he has been."
West Ham's home form had not so much been an achilles heel as a whole lame leg – before this fixture they had failed to win in six at Upton Park and had picked up fewer points at home than mid-table Derby County. But on this occasion Allardyce's side attacked Brighton from the off with the relish a barfly attacks whisky in the last chance saloon.
After 35 seconds Henri Lansbury saw his deflected shot ping back off the bar, but two minutes later the home side were in front. Vaz Tê cut inside from the left to thrash home a swerving shot that deceived Peter Brezovan in Albion's goal. Brighton had barely touched the ball.
Six minutes later Vaz Tê had his second, heading home from Gary O'Neil's deep cross. Still Brighton had barely touched the ball. Three minutes after that Matt Taylor floated in a free-kick, James Tomkins headed across goal and Kevin Nolan poked home. And still Brighton had barely touched the ball.
It was a blistering, almost brutal, opening, one that left Brighton's Gus Poyet flummoxed in the technical areaIt must also have puzzled a few on the home terraces, who have watched their side drop points to Watford and Doncaster and four others on home soil since their win over Millwall at the start of March.
Albion, now five points adrift of the play-off contenders after three straight defeats, could have been forgiven for thinking they had ridden out the storm, but Vaz Tê had not finished. Just after the hour, the Portuguese forward completed his hat-trick with a glorious bicycle kick. Cole added a fifth moments later after his shot hit Lansbury and looped past Brezovan, and Gary Dicker completed a miserable afternoon for the visitors by shinning a corner into his own net with 12 minutes to go.
"The good thing about today is that we cannot blame anyone," Poyet said. "Sometimes there is luck, sometimes there is referees, but today there is nothing. It's all about us, what we did and what we didn't do. I've learned a lot today."
It was the Hammers' biggest win since January 1998 and the margin is not inconsequential. Southampton's goal difference was 11 goals superior to West Ham's at the start of the weekend. The gap is now a far-less-certain three. "We're still in the race," Allardyce said.
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Vaz Te treble as Albion are hit for six
The Argus
4:51pm Saturday 14th April 2012 in Albion By Brian Owen
Ricardo Vaz Te scored a superb hat-trick as Albion were thumped 6-0 at West Ham today. The Seagulls were three down in 11 minutes against a Hammers side who had not won in seven home games. This result keeps Sam Allardyce's men in with a chance of catching Southampton for second spot in the Championship. But Albion's play-off dreams are fading fast. Their bewildered travelling fans saw three early goals go into the net right in front of them – after initially believing they had enjoyed a reprieve. Henri Lansbury's shot after just 40 seconds hit the top of the bar after looping off the foot of Gary Dicker as the midfielder slid in to challenge. Sighs of relief did not last long. Hammers went ahead in only the third minute as Vaz Te let fly from 25 yards and his shot, well-struck but central, somehow went past the grasp of Peter Brezovan, who was on his knees by the time the ball got to him. The Albion keeper then made a point-blank save from Kevin Nolan at the far post before the shellshocked visitors fell further behind in the eighth minute. This time they were caught under-manned on the left of their defence. Marcos Painter was dragged inside to block Nolan's shot but the ball was then worked wider to Gary O'Neil and his deep cross was headed home by Vaz Te, who rose above Gordon Greer. Worse followed in the 11th minute, this time from two threats the Seagulls would have known all about – James Tomkins' aerial presence at set-pieces and Nolan's penchant for getting forward. Matt Taylor angled a free-kick in behind the defence. Tomkins was too strong for the recalled Painter and nodded across goal and Nolan arrived to score from close range. Albion played some nice stuff in the rest of the half, most of it revolving round Vicente and Gai Assulin. Nolan saw the ball fly off his head and just past his own far post as he tried to clear a Vicente cross. Dicker took the resulting corner and Greer met it with a header which was pawed off the line by Robert Green, who himself was behind the line as he scrambled across goal. Albion were unable to turn their improvement into a first goal in three games, however, and their hosts added a quick double just after the hour. Vaz Te completed his hat-trick on 63 minutes as he played to the whistle and connected with a superb overhead kick as team mates appealed that Lansbury had been shoved over by Liam Bridcutt. Two minutes later, Lansbury got lucky when Cole's shot flicked off his heel and looped gently over Brezovan. Lansbury, who was trying to get out of the way, may well have been offside but it barely mattered.
The sixth was a Dicker own goal as he turned in a corner on 78 minutes. Nolan missed an open goal in the 90th minute. Vicente went off in the short space of time between the fourth and fifth goals to save his legs for Tuesday's home game with Watford. A top-six finish is theoretically still within reach – but Albion and their fans will not be thinking about the play-offs as they head back south tonight.
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