Manager on Monday
WHUFC
Sam Allardyce is expecting confidence to be high after Saturday's draw
with Manchester City
05.11.2012
Sam Allardyce wants West Ham United to build on his 'best point yet'
since joining the club last summer.
West Ham United matched the expensively-assembled squad of Manchester
City with heart and determination on Saturday to earn a
thoroughly-deserved 1-1 draw as they kicked-off a testing run of games
with an encouraging performance. Another thorough examination awaits
on Sunday as Big Sam and his squad travel to Newcastle United, but the
manager feels the whole party will have been boosted by the City
result.
"I think it was my best point yet," Allardyce said. "They arrive as
champions and you set out your gameplan and you have to earn the right
to play. Once you've done that, you get the opportunity to expose the
opposition's weaknesses, no matter how small they are.
"Wigan have beaten Spurs and Swansea have drawn with Chelsea so we all
know it can be done and it's that type of enthusiasm that gets you
that result and the subsequent belief it gives you.
"The players will have woken up on Sunday morning and will have seen
we're in the top half with 15 points after ten games and we've just
drawn with the champions. It gives you a massive boost of confidence
as a player."
The Hammers won praise across much of Sunday's media for the way they
approached the game - showing their dangerous offensive capabilities
in the first half before matching it with well-organised and valiant
defending in the second as the visitors hunted a winner. Big Sam's
side were unlucky to see Kevin Nolan's early strike ruled out for
offside, as many felt he was in an onside position when Mark Noble
lofted the ball to him.
"From start to finish we've done the best we could and we maintained
the standard for 95 minutes, which was really good. To do that you
have to be as consistent as we were. We could have used the ball a bit
better on occasions but we've worked so hard out of possession that
when we won it back we didn't get any forward movement.
"We wanted to nullify the opposition so they couldn't get in the best
areas and we frustrated them. What we did with the ball in the first
half was impressive as we had a number of attacks that got the fans on
the edge of their seats.
"I suppose the disappointing thing was that if Kevin Nolan had scored,
the home crowd would have gone up even more decibels. In the end we've
got a point and we're very happy with that."
Andy Carroll had arguably his best game yet for his new side as he
came close to registering his first goal in claret and blue on three
occasions. A first-half shot spun agonisingly wide, while a
spectacular overhead kick in the second was deflected past the post
for a corner.
"We'll keen on practising and encouraging Andy and to get more
deliveries to him and in the end the percentages will pay off for him.
Eventually the goal will come but it was always going to be difficult
to create a lot of chances.
"The overhead kick was goalbound but got a deflection and the chance
in the first half was close. If he keeps getting in the right areas
and he gets the first one I'm sure he'll be up and running."
The only real downsides to Saturday's match were James Tomkins'
absence through a groin strain and James Collins suffering a hamstring
injury. Both will be assessed in earnest at Chadwell Heath on Monday,
with their manager hoping for good news in the face of other injuries
that have already hit his squad.
"We had James Tomkins injured on Friday and then late on we got Ginge
(Collins) injured, which was a big worry for me. We put young Jordan
Spence on at right-back, which was a worry as you think they are going
to exploit what they might see as a weakness as he's only played a
couple of games in the Premier League.
"They didn't so now it's about getting those players fit quickly. It
was a fantastic performance."
Saturday's game was the third straight Boleyn Ground sell-out and with
the £20 and £25 Adult tickets for the next home match with Stoke
selling quickly, fans should move fast to make sure they don't miss
out.
________________________________________________________
Collins makes case for defence
WHUFC
James Collins hailed the Hammers' resilience in taking a point from
champions Manchester City
04.11.2012
Newsflash! James Collins has found a new part of his body with which
to block a shot!
West Ham United's fearless centre-back has thrown himself in the way
of no fewer than 15 goalbound efforts in ten Barclays Premier League
appearances this term - good enough for second in the division behind
his Wales international team-mate Ashley Williams of Swansea City.
During Saturday's heroic 1-1 home draw with champions Manchester City,
Collins was at it again, repelling Gael Clichy's 75th-minute shot with
his torso after diving full-length, head-first, on the edge of the
penalty area!
A clean sheet was no more than Collins, his central defensive partner
WInston Reid and the rest of the West Ham team deserved for a superbly
resolute performance against City's £120m strikeforce of Carlos Tevez,
Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko and substitute Sergio Aguero.
"We were good but we knew we had to do it at home because, by our
standards, we were poor last week at Wigan," said the man known to
everyone at the club as Ginge. "Especially with the run of games
coming up, we knew we had to come and play well and defend well and we
have done that.
"Certainly in the second half we were camped on the edge of our box
for long periods but that's what you have got to do against such a
quality team. You know you are going to have to defend and not make
mistakes. I think we did both of those things well.
"My performance was about right for me - I head it, kick it and block
it! I'm happy. We're keeping clean sheets and defending well apart
from a few games when we've been a bit slack and not on our game.
Overall we've defended well as a team this season."
Collins said the Hammers had learned from their 3-1 home defeat by
Arsenal on 6 October. Then, with the score at 1-1 going into the final
15 minutes the Hammers had committed men forward in search of a
winner, only to be picked off by Theo Walcott's counter-attacking goal
and go on to lose the game.
On Saturday, the tactical approach was to defend deep, conserve energy
and not allow City space to play in and around the home penalty area.
The plan paid off.
"In games gone by we have gone out all guns blazing and chasing and
chasing to try to close the other team down and win the ball back, but
on Saturday the boss played it perfectly. We sat back let them play in
front of us and then nicked the ball off them and went on the break -
I think it worked perfectly.
"I think we opened ourselves up a little bit too much against Arsenal
going for the goal and going for the win. Against teams like that you
are going to get opened up [if you do that] but on Saturday we sat in
and defended well and that was enough to get something from the game."
West Ham could even have won the game had Kevin Nolan's early volley
not wrongly been ruled out for offside.
"On the pitch, I knew it wasn't offside. Sometimes you can just tell
that it wasn't offside - especially Kev, as well, with the way he
makes his runs he is rarely offside so that was disappointing, but we
are happy with a point."
Next up for Collins and his colleagues is the long trip north to take
on Newcastle United on Sunday. The Hammers were thrashed 5-0 at St
James' Park on their most-recent visit in January 2011 and the Hammers
will be determined to put on a better show this time around.
"Every game away from home is tough. Going back to the WIgan game,
we've gone up there and not performed so fingers crossed we can go to
Newcastle and put in a good performance there."
_______________________________________________________________________
Season Ticket holder discount weekend
Season Ticket holders can save 20 per cent this weekend instore and online
WHUFC
05.11.2012
Season Ticket holders can get their Hammers Christmas shopping done
early this year and for 20 per cent cheaper with an exclusive
discount period this weekend instore and online.
Season Ticket holders get much more than just a guaranteed seat to all
19 Barclays Premier League home matches. One of the exclusive benefits
is a double discount weekend where they can claim a 20% discount on
all retail merchandise including Macron replica kit.
This special shopping weekend starts 9am Friday 9 November through to
12 midnight Sunday 11 November 2012 and is available both instore and
online.
To claim your discount online make sure you log in with your season
ticket client reference number in order to receive the discount.
To claim your discount instore you must show your Season Ticket card
or you will not receive the discount. You can claim your discount at
any one of our stores or online.
Season Ticket holders also get access to fantastic hospitality offers.
They can get 10% discount on all hospitality purchases or upgrade
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To check package availability and for more information call our
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number ready to give to our team and take advantage of your exclusive
benefits.
__________________________________________________________________
West Ham Utd 0 Man City 0
KUMB
Filed: Sunday, 4th November 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United's impressive form this season continued with a well-
earned point against Manchester City at the Boleyn Ground this
afternoon.
The Hammers may have been known for possessing a weak underbelly in
the past but there was no sign of that yesterday as Sam Allardyce's
side fought tooth and nail to hold on for a point they fully deserved
against the reigning league champions.
And but for a contentious decision by referee Howard Webb, who ruled
out Kevin Nolan's technically-excellent first half strike for offside,
that one point could well have been three.
Naturally West Ham rode their luck at times - as one would expect
against a team consisting of players of the very highest quality - but
there will be few present at the Boleyn Ground who left feeling either
side was hard done in earning a share of the spoils.
Chances for either United or City were few and far between on a day
when defences had the upper hand although fortunately for West Ham,
Italian enigma Mario Balotelli was having one of those days that no
doubt leaves his manager tearing his (well-coiffeured) hair out.
The 22-year-old, who was linked with West Ham before eventually
joining to the Citizens forged three good chances in the first half
but saw his final touch desert him badly - much to the enjoyment of
the home support who naturally baited the temperamental youngster at
every available opportunity.
Predictably there was also a rousing welcome for Carlos Tevez upon his
latest return to the Boleyn Ground, although it was perhaps odd to see
an opposition player receive a bigger round of applause upon his
substitution than West Ham's own players.
Like Balotelli, the Argentinian also had an off day in front of goal
although some of his link-up play was a joy to behold. But whilst West
Ham may have been featuring two of his former team mates in Yossi
Benayoun and Mark Noble, neither gave any quarter with both receiving
a word of caution from match official Webb for a couple of crunching
tackles on their former colleague.
With James Tomkins ruled out having failed a late fitness test - the
result of tweaking a groin in training on Friday - Joey O'Brien
returned to shore up a defence already weakened by the loss of Guy
Demel and the perpetually injured Alou Diarra.
The Irishman, along with fellow defenders James Collins, Winston Reid
and George McCartney performed superbly throughout and continued to
thwart the opposition all afternoon - although it looked as if their
work would come undone in the final moments of the game when Gareth
Barry slipped through the net.
Suspicions of hand ball were dismissed by referee Webb (sporting an
identical kit of yellow shirt and black shorts to that of City 'keeper
Joe Hart), only for the irregular England midfielder to inexplicably
fire wide from no more than six yards out with the goal at his mercy.
Had that gone in, it would have been incredibly harsh on West Ham who,
despite only fashioning six attempts at goal to the opposition's 18
could have scored two or three themselves.
Captain Nolan's aforementioned effort (which TV replays confirmed was
very harshly ruled out) was followed by a Yossi Benayoun volley that
forced a fingertip save from Hart - that resulted in a goal kick - and
a second half overhead kick from Andy Carroll that flew inches wide of
its intended target with the England goalkeeper well beaten.
Carroll, one of two £35million strikers on show - the other, City's
Sergio Aguero, had to wait until the 69th minute to see any action -
yet again failed to score his first West Ham goal but once again
proved vital as West Ham's most advanced forward.
The 23-year-old, who is on a season-long loan at the Boleyn bullied
the two City centre halfs all afternoon before being given a
well-deserved rest for the final few minutes in order to allow Carlton
Cole a brief cameo. That first goal surely can't be too far away -
whilst his next chance to secure it comes against his home town club
next weekend.
The point lifts West Ham to eighth place in the Premier League with a
quarter of the season now played, whilst Manchester City remain in
third spot behind Manchester United and Chelsea.
West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City: match facts
West Ham United: Jaaskelainein, O'Brien, McCartney, Collins (Spence
84), Reid, Noble, Nolan, Diame (O'Neil 71), Jarvis, Benayoun, Carroll
(Cole 77).
Subs not used: Spiegel, Chambers, Hall, Maiga.
Booked: Collins (56), Benayoun (61), McCartney (82).
Shots on/off target: 6 - 1/5.
Possession: 39%.
Manchester City: Hart, K.Toure, Nastasic, Kompany, Clichy, Milner,
Y.Toure, Nasri (Sinclair 90), Tevez (Garcia 84), Balotelli (Aguero
69), Dzeko.
Subs not used: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Barry.
Shots on/off target: 18 - 8/10.
Possession: 61%.
Referee: Howard Webb.
Attendance: 35,005.
__________________________________________________________________
Hammers facing defensive crisis
KUMB
Filed: Sunday, 4th November 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham have been rocked by fresh injuries following yesterday's
goalless draw against current league champions Manchester City.
Already missing Guy Demel and Alou Diarra, Sam Allardyce may also be
without James Tomkins and James Collins - who was outstanding against
City at the Boleyn Ground - for next weekend's trip to Newcastle.
Tomkins, who was due to cover for the injured Demel at right back
sustained a groin strain in training on Friday morning and
subsequently failed a late fitness test on Saturday morning.
Meanwhile Collins pulled up with a hamstring strain with just six
minutes of yesterday's goalless draw remaining.
Speaking to reporters after the game yesterday, Sam Allardyce
confirmed that both players had joined an ever-increasing injury list.
"The big disappointment for me is the number of injuries," he said.
"Joey [O'Brien] did a great job but Ricardo Vaz Te, Guy Demel, Alou
Diarra, Matt Taylor, Jack Collison plus James Collins and James
Tomkins now is too many for us.
"We've got to get those lads back as quickly as we can."
Both Collins and Tomkins now face a week of intense treatment in order
to be fit for next Sunday's fixture at St.James Park, whilst Taylor
and Demel will also be hoping to be involved in some way.
_________________________________________________________________________
Allardyce on... Manchester City
Filed: Sunday, 4th November 2012
By: Staff Writer
A delighted Sam Allardyce was full of praise for his team after they
managed to shut out a Manchester City team featuring
'£150million-worth' of attacking talent. His post-match press
conference for you in full, exclusively here on KUMB.com...
Sam: You must be very pleased with that performance?
Yes, I'm really pleased. Our performance today from start to finish
was very good indeed. The way we started the game was bright, trying
to see if we could test Man City early on and of course we did that
with a fantastically-taken goal by Kevin Nolan that was a little bit
unfortunate to be ruled out for offside.
In the first half we tried the best we possibly could do to put more
pressure on Man City and at the end of the day, we would have to do
some severe defending somewhere along the line. That wasn't so much in
the first half but it certainly was in the second. In fairness to the
lads, they kept on going and going; we had the odd break in the second
half which caused them a problem or two.
Certainly Andy [Carroll's] overhead kick would have been a fabulous
goal had it [gone in]. It was goal bound and I don't know whether
Harty would have saved it. But we have to be satisfied that we've
taken a point off of the champions and it really is a good day for us.
Do you think West Ham's emphasis recently on attacking football and
goals got a little bit lost amongst last-ditch blocks and tackles in
defence?
Well you're going to be forced back by a team that's got the quality
they've got. Whatever you say about Manchester City, the front four -
who all played today at some stage; Balotelli, Djeko, Tevez and Aguero
- are worth about £150million, aren't they? So you're going to have to
do some defending at some stage with that amount of quality on the
pitch!
The more the game went on, the more we knew that Man City would try
and push harder and further forward, to take more risks and try and
get a result. We hoped to capitalise on that by exploiting any
mistakes on the counter attack, which we didn't quite do as well as we
would have liked. But in the end we've done great and limited Man City
to a few chances today.
Even the Gareth Barry one that he missed would have been an absolute
disaster for us had it gone in because he hand-balled it to get
himself through. So not just the [Kevin Nolan] offside, had that one
been a goal it would have been a real sickener - but it wasn't and I
think we got what we deserved today, which was a point.
There were eight clubs talking to Roberto Mancini in the summer before
he decided to continue at Man City. Is it pleasing for you to have
matched him today?
Wow. That's a question-and-a-half, isn't it? No clubs talked to me in
the summer so what does that mean? [laughs] And I got them promoted!
I'm just glad I'm back where I've been for a long, long time. I like
pitting my wits against every manager in this league and it's been a
fantastic thrill for me over the last 12 years or so at Bolton,
Blackburn, Newcastle and here now to go out in the best league in the
world, the most entertaining league in the world. It wasn't
entertaining in terms of goals today but it was entertaining
tactically, for me. Our boys set out a tactical plan that mastered the
champions of the Barclays Premier League, which is great from our
point of view.
Yossi Benayoun went close as well today; it was a terrific shot that
looked like Joe Hart got a touch on?
Yes. It was a great ball from Mark Noble to start with into Jarvo,
Jarvo to the far post and Yossi smashed the volley against the bar.
It's one of those that thrills the supporters if it goes in as well.
It's quality on three occasions and if it's an inch lower then it goes
in. But Andy Carroll had a couple of chances as well, particularly the
overhead kick.
The best bit of technique today from both sides, Kevin Nolan's 'goal'
- ball over the shoulder, swivel, volley first time, back of the net -
was ruled out. It's just a great shame that that was ruled out for an
offside that really wasn't offside.
Does that performance today against the champions give you heart going
into the tough fixtures that lie ahead?
Well it gives us a lot of hope and a lot of confidence. Today was the
icing on the cake for us. We were disappointed we didn't get anything
at Wigan and we've now got this hugely-difficult fixture list coming
up - Man City being the first, but we also played Arsenal a couple of
weeks ago.
That was also difficult, but we had a lot more chances in that game
than we had in this - but lost the game. It's a really tough group of
fixtures and we've started by playing the champions of the Premier
League and getting a point, so that gives us great confidence going
on.
The big disappointment for me is the injury list. James Tomkins ruled
himself out with a groin strain yesterday and James Collins came off
with a hamstring today. Joey [O'Brien], coming back, did a great job
but Vaz Te, Guy Demel, Alou Diarra, Matt Taylor, Jack Collison plus
James Collins and James Tomkins now is too many for us. We've got to
get those lads back as quickly as we can, of course.
Roy Hodgson was here today...
Was he?
Which of your England contingent will he have been looking at?
I've no idea! That's up to Roy, not me.
_______________________________________________________________
United 0-0 City: the opposition view
Filed: Sunday, 4th November 2012
By: Staff Writer
Manchester City fans reflect on yesterday's goalless draw at the
Boleyn Ground that saw West Ham United rise to eighth place in the
Premier League...
"We weren't great today. West Ham really battled for that point and
you have to give them a lot of credit as they deserved the draw. We
couldn't break them down. The biggest positive for me was Nastastic;
he dealt with Carroll and Cole very well."
- davymcfc
"A very decent point today, not many teams will go there and get a
win. It's still very early in the league and we are very much still in
race. West Ham are a cracking home team who know how to defend."
- Petetheblu
"Our finishing wasn't great but its hard to get through so many
defenders. We were incredibly positive in that second half. Credit to
the Hammers, it was like watching Chelsea v Barcelona. They defended
with their lives. If we had got one we would have had a hatful."
- citymad
"We bossed possession but failed to make the vital breakthough, but
other than not scoring I didn't really see that much wrong with our
display today. It's difficult to play when a team defends in depth and
as resolutely as West Ham did. We could easily have lost it, West
Ham's 'goal' SHOULD have stood. Mind you, in view of the fact that
Hammers lost last week and we have won the last two away from home, I
suppose a draw was always on the cards."
- black mamba
Teams park the bus and sometimes you're not going to break them down;
it will happen to all top four teams at some point this year. There's
no point in saying West Ham are a newly-promoted side, they are a
mid-table Premier League team who have bought more players since
promotion and have a striker who cost more than any of our four."
- bluemc1
"Did you see how many West Ham players were in their penalty box for
pretty much the whole second half? We needed to go wide more, it's so
hard trying to go through the middle all the time. West Ham defended
brilliantly."
- citymad
"West Ham defended very well and picked up most of the corners we put
over. Their back four played very well and in the end they could have
sneaked a goal, it was one of those games. I enjoyed watching it. It
should have been three points but one may be very important come May.
We're still undefeated."
- City For Life
"Always a top away day at Upton Park and once again what great set
fans the Hammers lot are with great humour. 'You're just a shit Paulo
Wanchope' to Balotelli and 'You're just a shit Carlos Tevez' to Sergio
did make me laugh. The spirit of 1987 is still strong among the two
sets of fans."
- Colin_Bell
"West Ham and Fulham are the only London clubs I've got any time for.
Compare and contrast with the arrogant, bitter, billy-big-time
b*stards that follow Spurs and Arsenal."
- mainemanc1066
"Once we got organised it wasn't a bad display. West Ham defended for
their lives, a hallmark of Allardyce's teams. I wasn't as despondant
about it as the queue for the tube..."
- getdressedmctavish
* Comments originally posted at bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk and mancityfans.net.
___________________________________________________________________________
Mancini on..... West Ham United
Filed: Sunday, 4th November 2012
By: Staff Writer No.2
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini quietly muses on his side's 0-0
draw at the Boleyn this weekend....
Roberto was the draw a fair result?
No. When you have 65% of the possession, 22 shots on goal maybe you
deserve to win and we were missing four incredible chances to score. I
am happy for the performance - we played well. I am happy for the
chances we missed.
It must have been a frustrating afternoon watching so much possession..
Yes when you're playing well and missing incredible chances it can be
frustrating. The players are like me. But it's football. If you don't
score you can't win.
Do you see that as two points dropped today then?
Yeah [pause] we lost two points.
Are you finding it a lot harder defending the title? They always say
that it's harder to win it again than to win it the first time. Are
you finding that the opposition are defending harder, stronger?
I think that when you win the title yje yearafter is more difficult.
We had some problems with injuries to important players in the first
two matches. This was the biggest problem we had. We've improved our
defensive face but we need to score like last year. We need to work on
this.
Do you think you needed to play a bit quicker today? Going forward?
Yes sometimes we need this. But three or four chances were incredible.
Mario [Balotelli] must be very frustrated. I mean he cannot seem to
find the net can he?
I think all the players played at 100% All the players wanted to win
the game. If you don't score you can't win. West Ham defended very
well.
Is Joleon Lescott injured
Yes he's injured. It's his back. Will he be available for the Ajax game? No.
If Ajax were watching you tonight what would they be thinking?
It's not important!
You could be out of the Champions' League next week
Yeah . We don't have [a] good chance to go through in the Champions'
League because we lost two important games. It's important we finish
the group stage well then after...
What the Ajax team think is not important. What the players think is important.
What were you thinking to yourself while you were sitting on your own
before the players came out after half time?
Nothing. I'd spoken with the players for three or four minutes and finished!
How is James Milner?
Milner had a problem in the warm up I think it will be difficult for Tuesday.
Did you say anything to Balotelli at half time after those two very
obvious missed chances?
He's a footballer. If a player like Balotelli has a chance like today
he should score. When you are a top player if you have a chance you
should score. I don't think that he didn't want to score!
__________________________________________________________________________
City stalled
SSN
As part of our Premier League snap-shots feature, we look back on West
Ham and Manchester City's goalless stalemate at Upton Park
Last Updated: November 3, 2012 10:48pm
West Ham defended resolutely to earn a valuable draw against champions
Manchester City, who slipped two points behind new leaders Manchester
United.
Roberto Mancini's side squandered several chances as a hard-working
and well-organised West Ham side held firm.
And it could have been much worse for the champions, with Kevin
Nolan's legitimate early goal disallowed for offside, while Yossi
Benayoun hit the crossbar.
Selection
Sam Allardyce made just one change to his West Ham team, with Joey
O'Brien drafted into defence in place of James Tomkins.
City boss Mancini made three changes for the clash, bringing in
strikers Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko up front, while also handing
centre-half Kolo Toure his first league start since August. Mancini
also recalled James Milner but the England international was injured
in the warm-up so Gareth Barry retained his place in the team.
Tactics
For West Ham, Allardyce employed a 4-4-2, with Nolan playing ahead of
England striker Andy Carroll at times. This almost paid off, with
Nolan having a goal disallowed early on for offside, while Benayoun
hit the crossbar. The Hammers then held firm against increasing City
dominance through hard work and organisation and continued to look
dangerous on the break.
City unleashed Balotelli, Carlos Tevez and Dzeko in the same starting
line-up for the first time in a bold 4-3-3 formation. But if the City
boss hoped this would unpick the Hammers' defence, he was proved wrong
as City created few clear-cut chances despite the lion's share of
possession.
Substitutions
Allardyce used his full quota of substitutions towards the end of the
game, bringing on Gary O'Neil for the hard-working Mohamed Diame in
the 71st minute, Carlton Cole for Carroll upfront, with the big
frontman holding the ball up well to take some of the pressure off the
hard-worked defence, while Jordan Spence worked hard when he came on
for injured defender James Collins late on to help the Hammers hold on
for a valuable point.
Mancini also used three substitutes, but despite the deadlock, waited
until the 69th minute to replace Balotelli with Sergio Aguero. The
Argentinian showed good touches but he failed to provide the spark the
City boss was looking for. Late on, Mancini replaced the lively Tevez
with Javi Garcia, who had little impact, while Scott Sinclair had no
time to influence proceedings when he came on at the death for Samir
Nasri.
Referee
Howard Webb let the game flow well, and there could be no complaints
about the three yellow cards he handed out, all for late challenges.
But the officials got three decisions wrong, including the early goal
from Nolan which would have changed the course of the game. At the
other end, Dzeko headed a rebound from close range wide but was
flagged offside when he wasn't. And later on, the officials missed
Barry handling the ball when collecting it in the box but the Hammers
were let off when he then shot wide.
Main men
Tevez was the most potent threat for City against his former club,
with the Argentinian proving a real livewire as the champions tried to
break through the stubborn Hammers defence. Tevez showed great touch
and vision when linking up with his team-mates, although his crossing
from dead-ball situations sometimes left something to be desired. His
place among the Hammers' hearts was shown with the warm applause he
received from the Upton Park faithful throughout the game and when he
was substituted late on.
James Collins put in a great performance in the heart of the West Ham
defence, going that extra mile to keep City out, but the whole of the
Hammers' backline deserve praise for the way they held firm in the
face of increasing pressure. Despite hovering around the Hammers' box,
City rarely found a way through, with high crosses particularly well
cleared. Collins also got a standing ovation as he left the field soon
after Tevez.
Looking ahead
Allardyce was delighted with the resolve his side showed to bounce
back from their defeat at Wigan last time. It earned the Hammers
another valuable point in their bid to stay in the top flight this
season - with the hosts sitting in eighth in the table on a
respectable 15 points from their opening ten games. The Hammers face
Newcastle, Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal before the turn of
the year and Allardyce's side can head into what could prove a testing
period with renewed vigour.
For City, Mancini will see this goalless draw - his side's first since
Boxing Day - as a one-off blip. The champions fell two points behind
Manchester United, but there is still a long way to go in the title
race with, like last year, plenty of twists and turns on the way.
Mancini must raise his troops for the must-win game against Ajax on
Tuesday as City look to give themselves some hope of progressing into
the knock-out phases of the UEFA Champions League. The clash with the
Dutch side is the first of four home games for Mancini's side
including the mouth-watering meeting with Real Madrid later this
month, with league games against Spurs and Aston Villa also on the
agenda. Following this run of four home matches is the massive trip to
title rivals Chelsea as the games come thick and fast - seven in
November.
______________________________________________________________________
Midnight approaches: Clock's about to strike 12 hours on Carroll's goal drought
Mirror
4 Nov 2012 22:32
Will Biffa turn back into a pumpkin? Or could Fairy godmother
Allardyce coax a goal out of the on-loan Liverpool striker
Andy Carroll was backed to break his duck for West Ham - despite
firing another blank in the 0-0 with Manchester City which took his
Hammers' drought to 500 minutes.
England striker Carroll's last goal in club football was in the FA Cup
final for Liverpool against Chelsea, 11hr 53min of playing time ago.
But he came close to bringing the house down against City with a
goalbound overhead kick deflected inches wide by Gael Clichy, and
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce said: "We'll keep on practising, we'll keep
encouraging Andy to get in the right areas and get on the end of more
deliveries into the box.
"In the end, percentages will pay off for him - the better the
service, the better the quality, eventually the goal will come for
him.
"It was always going to be difficult to create a lot of chances
against Manchester City, he had an overhead kick which was goalbound
until it took a slight deflection and an even better chance in the
first half.
"If he keeps getting in the right areas eventually it will go in for
him, whether it's off the head, knee, shoulder, arm or whatever. Get
the first one and I'm sure he will be off and running."
West Ham winger Matt Jarvis ran Kolo Toure ragged at times, and the
Hammers' record £11.75m signing said: "The idea is for me to put the
crosses in for Andy to put them away.
"Hopefully we can keep linking up and become a force to be reckoned with.
"But it's a great stat that City hadn't failed to score for seven
months before today. We defended well, stopped them playing and that
was a solid performance."
Monday, November 5
Sunday, November 4
Daily WHUFC News - 4th November 2012
Big Sam proud of City point
WHUFC
Sam Allardyce said his players followed his plans perfectly to gain a
draw with Manchester City
03.11.2012
Sam Allardyce congratulated his West Ham United players on following
their game-plan to the letter in Saturday's goalless home draw with
Barclays Premier League champions Manchester City.
The Hammers were well-organised and defended from the front against
Roberto Mancini's side. Every player did their job perfectly, keeping
the expensively-assembled visitors at bay with a resolute and
resilient display.
Indeed, had Kevin Nolan's early goal not been wrongly ruled out for
offside, Big Sam could even have been celebrating a famous victory.
Yossi Benayoun hit the crossbar, while Andy Carroll came agonisingly
close to opening his account in a claret and blue shirt.
"I think tactically we were very good," the manager told West Ham TV.
"You have to earn the right to play in this league, no matter who you
are, and I think that the first thing was to stop Manchester City
doing what they wanted to do and, from there, use our possession
correctly.
"We didn't use our possession quite as well in the second half as we
did in the first but we caused them real problems - Yossi's volley hit
the bar, Andy's shot just went wide of the post and we scored a goal
that wasn't a goal that we'll all unfortunately be talking about for a
day or two. The assistant should have kept his flag down but instead
he put it up.
"We then produced some last-ditch defending when it was needed in the
second half, either by the goalie or the back four. We had the odd
break-out and Andy's overhead kick looked goalbound until it hit one
of their defenders on the back. Andy also had a side-footer from Matt
Jarvis's cross that he'll be disappointed with. They might have been
against the run of play, but that's what you do because Man City threw
more and more men forward because they wanted to win and they left
more and more gaps that we exploited but unfortunately we couldn't
turn them into a goal.
"It is very satisfying, particularly after last week [at Wigan]. We've
played ten games and got fifteen points and we're right in the top
half of the Premier League. There are about five or six of us who have
got fifteen points. There's a massive credit to the players for that
performance that they gave against the champions of the Barclays
Premier League."
Keeping a clean sheet for the first time in six league matches was
perhaps the most pleasing thing for Big Sam, whose players kept out an
attack comprising Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko and former Hammer Carlos
Tevez, as well as second-half substitute Sergio Aguero.
The only negative news came in the shape of injuries suffered by James
Collins and James Tomkins which could put their appearance at
Newcastle United next Sunday in jeopardy.
"We haven't had a clean sheet for a while so that's another plus and
another bonus. We have to make up the points we lost at Wigan and we
had to do it against the champions. We have done that and nicked one
point back that nobody expected, so that's really good.
"We've got to go on from here now. The disappointing thing for us,
other than the disallowed goal, was that James Collins picked up a
hamstring injury and James Tomkins did a little bit of a groin on
Friday. Thank goodness for Joey O'Brien because I thought he did great
coming back in. Numbers are becoming a big, big problem for us, so we
have to get these players fit and back in the squad as quickly as
possible.
"Ricardo Vaz Te is coming along well but it will be ten or twelve
weeks in total. If it's any sooner than that like it was with Andy's
hamstring, but we've got to get him right. Guy Demel starts training
this week so that might be important to us, and hopefully Tomkins and
Collins are not too bad when we have them in on Sunday and see what
they're like.
"Going to Newcastle is going to be a big occasion for Kevin Nolan and
Andy and we want to give our best performance, not just for us but for
them going back to St James' Park."
______________________________________________
West Ham United 0-0 Man City FT
WHUFC
The Hammers hold the Barclays Premier League champions and pick up a
deserved point
03.11.2012
Send Print RSS
WEST HAM UNITED v MANCHESTER CITY
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SATURDAY 3 NOVEMBER 2012
KICK-OFF: 5.30PM
REFEREE: HOWARD WEBB
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
Full-time score - West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City
94 mins - The home fans are whistling and Mr Webb answers by blowing
his own whistle for full-time. West Ham worked their socks off and
thoroughly deserved a draw. As I have mentioned already, Nolan's early
goal should have stood. City worked Jaaskelainen a few times, but the
Finn was equal to everything. The back four were superb, but the whole
team take credit for a resolute display. West Ham failed to score at
home for the first time in 16 matches in all competitions, but it
matters not. That's a point gained against the champions. We go on to
Newcastle United next weekend. Join us then!
93 mins - Into the final minute and Cole has the ball deep in the City
half before finding Benayoun, who concedes a goal kick.
91 mins - We are going to have three added minutes. West Ham win a
throw in front of the City bench. Mancini waves his arms around.
90 mins - Sinclair replaces Nasri. Match Sponsors Suremen name Andy
Carroll as their man of the match. He certainly put a shift in, did
the big man. He was so unlucky not to register his first goal for the
club today.
88 mins - Benayoun and Jarvis work an opening down the left but the
former's cross doesn't reach Nolan. City get the ball down their right
and the cross is headed behind by O'Brien.
Jaaskelainen applauds the Irishman. The corner is taken short and Yaya
Toure collects. It's worked across to the left before the same player
punts his shot over the top from the edge of the box.
87 mins - West Ham are defending resolutely. O'Brien smashes the ball
upfield and Cole forces a throw-in on halfway. The attendance is
35,005 - a sell-out.
85 mins - Do that every time you get it, Matt. Jarvis runs Kolo Toure
again and wins the foul near the halfway line. Good play.
84 mins - Tevez gets a great reception as he is replaced by Javi
Garcia. He applauds all four corners of the ground. Spence is on for
Collins. He goes to right-back and O'Brien goes into the centre
alongside Reid.
83 mins - Spence is going to come on for Collins. It looks like the
Welshman might have hurt himself. We need a stoppage to make the
change, though. Jaaskelainen kicks the ball out after catching a
header.
82 mins - McCartney is booked for a foul on Barry wide on the left.
That came after Collins had made another heroic block on the edge of
his own penalty area. I think it winded him as he needs a few seconds
to compose himself before the free-kick.
81 mins - Benayoun gets in two challenges inside the West Ham half. He
has worked his backside off, has the No15.
80 mins - O'Neil is penalised for clipping Nasri. The free-kick is
taken quickly to Aguero and his shot is beaten away by Jaaskelainen at
the near post. Cole hacks away for a throw into the East Stand.
78 mins - Cole is on for Carroll.
77 mins - After another hearts-in-mouth moment that sees the ball end
up in the hands of Jaaskelainen, West Ham break through Jarvis. He
runs at Kolo Toure and beats the defender on his outside before
cutting the ball back for Carroll. He slides in and shoots over the
top. He wants a corner, but Mr Webb gives a goal kick. Kolo Toure
receives treatment before the game starts again.
75 mins - James Collins uses his body any which way he can and he goes
full-length to block Clichy's shot with his midriff. Amazing stuff.
74 mins - City work an opening but Reid is there inside the box to
clear after O'Brien had slipped over. The visitors are dominating
possession again.
71 mins - Jarvis and McCartney both pass up chances to cross before
the former sees his cross blocked and City break. Thankfully, the pass
for Aguero is overhit and the striker cannot keep it in. Goal kick.
Diame is the man to be replaced by O'Neil before the re-start.
70 mins - O'Neil will be on shortly. Neil McDonald hands the sheet to
the fourth official. Diame is my man to be replaced.
69 mins - That would have been a very controversial goal. Tevez
crosses and Barry clearly handles as he controls before dragging his
shot wide from inside the six-yard box. He should have scored, but it
should have been disallowed. Before the goal kick can be taken,
Balotelli is replaced by Sergio Aguero.
68 mins - Mr Webb spots some pushing at the near post between
Balotelli and Benayoun.The ball is flicked on before Collins heads
back in, but Nolan cannot flick on and City clear and break...
67 mins - Jarvis and McCartney swap passes before the left-back wins a
corner. He did well to keep that ball in on the slide. Noble's
delivery to the near post is headed behind by Balotelli for another
corner.
66 mins - The fireworks are going off behind the Bobby Moore Stand
now. A few loud booms keep sounding away to our right.
65 mins - Tevez wastes a chance. Diame loses the ball and O'Brien is
caught out of position. Balotelli plays in Tevez but the Argentine
slashes his shot high and wide of the left-hand post.
62 mins - Tevez gets into a space behind O'Brien and crosses low for
Dzeko, but the striker cannot get enough contact on his shot and it
rolls harmlesslty wide of the far post. It's an enthralling game,
this, despite being goalless.
61 mins - Benayoun is booked for a foul on Tevez near the halfway
line. The free-kick bounces away for a goal kick beyond the far post.
60 mins - Better. Much better. Jarvis and McCartney combine well down
the left before the latter beats his man and crosses. Carroll shapes
superbly and sends his overhead kick goalwards. It hits a defender and
bounces just wide. The corner is headed out to Jarvis on the edge of
the box, but he completely misses his kick before Noble's cross is
blocked.
58 mins - The Hammers finally show some attacking intent as Carroll
wins a header and it drops to Benayoun. His first cross is cleared,
but the No15's second effort is headed wide of the near post by Nolan.
56 mins - Mr Webb shows Collins the yellow card for pulling back
Dzeko. West Ham just cannot keep the ball.
55 mins - Finally some respite as Diame is fouled on halfway. Collins
lifts the ball in but Carroll is offside 25 yards out. City break at
pace down the left and Balotelli's cross takes a nick off the boot of
Reid and rolls across the face of goal. City try to work an opening
from the left but Benayoun scrambles the ball behind for a corner. Mr
Webb spots an infringement and West Ham have a free-kick.
53 mins - That is a major let-off. Jaaskelainen drops a routine catch
from the Tevez corner and the ball bounces just wide off the legs of
O'Brien. The corner is cleared, but City are dominant at the moment
and soon have the ball back.
51 mins - The home side are under the cosh here. Barry's deep cross is
put behind by McCartney. The corner is cleared, but Jarvis passes it
back to City on halfway. They attack again and Diame concedes another
corner.
50 mins - Jaaskelainen is in action again, making a routine save from
Tevez's shot low to his left. The goalkeeper dives and holds on at the
second attempt.
49 mins - Diame races forward through the middle unchallenged. There
is space in front of him but he chooses to try to find Jarvis instead
of shooting and the ball runs away for a goal kick. Maybe the wrong
decision from the No21.
47 mins - Collins is hopping around after a challenge on Tevez. The
big defender rolled his right ankle. That is painful! The physio is
on. I'm sure Ginge will be fine to continue after some treatment.
Balotelli throws the ball back to Jaaskelainen and, sure enough,
Collins is back on.
46 mins - City get the second half underway through Tevez's touch.
It's a murky night here in east London now, with the fireworks going
off behind the East Stand adding to the atmosphere.
Half-time score - West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City
47 mins - 63 seconds after the 45 minutes are up, Mr Webb blows for
half-time. Applause from the home fans. The Hammers have held their
own and, but for a flag that may have been incorrectly raised, could
be ahead. Join us again for the second half shortly.
45 mins - Close! Dzeko does well against Reid and Diame before finding
Nasri. His cross is behind Balotelli, but the Italian swivels and
volleys narrowly wide. That was fairly close. We'll have one added
minute, at least.
44 mins - O'Brien loses out to Yaya Toure wide on the left and City
attack. The cross hits Collins and goes behind. The corner is headed
powerfully clear by Carroll, but Benayoun passes the ball straight
back to the visitors. It's worked right to Yaya Toure, who takes a
touch before slamming his shot wide of the near post. It catches the
outside of the net on its way.
42 mins - Needless to say, it is vital that West Ham keep it tight
until half-time. Right now they are on the attack through Jarvis, but
he lacks support. He does well to hold it up for a while by running to
the byline, but his cross clears Hart and bounces away from Benayoun
for a throw on the far side.
40 mins - Benayoun is pulled back by Yaya Toure 35 yards out. West Ham
take it quickly and the chance is lost.
38 mins - West Ham are making trouble for themselves by giving the
ball away inside their own half on occasion. This time it is Diame who
drives his clearance straight at Kolo Toure, who holds off Reid and
pulls back for Balotelli, but the Italian's shot flashes wide of the
near post.
35 mins - Jarvis collects a pass from McCartney down the left and cuts
on to his right foot. It's a driven cross that Hart punches clear
under pressure from the jumping Carroll.
33 mins - That's a let-off. Balotelli is unmarked on the six-yard line
from the resulting free-kick but somehow lifts his shot way over the
top. He should have buried that chance.
32 mins - Two shots are blocked before Benayoun gets above Yaya Toure
to head out for a corner. It pings around a bit inside the area before
Carroll swings his left boot to clear. Not for long, though, as Diame
is penalised for a foul wide right. He might be close to a yellow
card, the midfielder.
31 mins - A third of the game gone and West Ham could, maybe should,
be ahead. They have had the better chances, but City always carry a
threat.
28 mins - West Ham have numbers forward and the ball wide left, but
Diame's cross is too strong for Carroll. Goal kick.
27 mins - Dzeko's poor touch allows Jaaskelainen to collect inside his
penalty area. England manager Roy Hodgson is here tonight watching on.
Mark Noble has been tipped for England honours once or twice this
season. He's caught the eye tonight already.
23 mins - Noble wins the ball from Dzeko with an outstanding sliding
challenge. The home crowd love that. Moments later, the Hammer of the
Year loses the ball on the byline but City cannot benefit as Dzeko's
weak shot is easily held by Jaaskelainen. A bit of a let-off, that.
22 mins - Brilliant stuff from the home side. McCartney crosses
diagonally from deep and Carroll heads down for Benayoun. The Israeli
finds the striker on the edge of the box. He makes a yard of space and
smashes a left-foot shot a yard wide with Hart rooted to the spot. So
close for the Hammers!
21 mins - A poor clearance from an off-balance Collins falls to Yaya
Toure. The midfielder has runners in front of him, but instead shoots
from 30 yards. It flies hard and over the top.
19 mins - Diame is penalised for a foul on Dzeko about 20 yards out.
Tevez sizes up the free-kick and curls it over the wall and the
crossbar. The home crowd cheer, then break into a chorus of 'One
Carlos Tevez'! You have to love their sense of humour.
18 mins - Moments after one cross into the box narrowly eludes
Carroll, Jarvis gets onto a crossfield pass from Noble and immediately
crosses to the far post for the unmarked Benayoun. He catches the
volley flush and Hart tips it on to the crossbar on its way over! The
officials don't spot the touch and award a goal kick. How close was
that?!
15 mins - A dangerous ball into the box from Tevez is hacked clear by
Collins. It looks for a moment like Jarvis might get in behind Kolo
Toure and on to the ball, but the Ivorian uses his strength and decent
pace to hold off the Hammers winger.
14 mins - A decent crossing chance as O'Brien and Benayoun combine
down the right. The Irishman crosses first-time but rather gets under
the ball, meaning Hart can catch high above his head.
13 mins - West Ham fire their first shot at City. Jarvis collects wide
left and prods a neat ball through to Diame, who turns, cuts outside
his man onto his right foot and shoots a yard over the top. That was
travelling, too. 'Oooooohs' from all corners.
11 mins - Noble is penalised for a foul as he slides in about 30 yards
out. Balotelli's low free-kick deflects wide off the wall and
McCartney collects before winning a throw-in near the corner flag.
Well defended all round.
9 mins - Jaaskelainen is called into action for the first time. The
Finn dives to his right to parry Nasri's shot. Dzeko gets to the loose
ball first but his downward header bounces wide. He was also flagged
offside, but replays suggested the Bosnian was level.
7 mins - Whether they should be ahead or not, the Hammers have started
well here. As I type, a loose pass falls to Dzeko, whose thunderous
shot is well blocked by Noble. The ball hit him right on the bottom of
the boot and appears to have jarred the No16's leg. He's OK to
continue after a quick bit of TLC from his team-mates.
5 mins - Nolan's goal probably should have stood. A defender on the
near side - the furthest side from the assistant - appeared to be
level with the Hammers No4. A big talking point early on.
4 mins - No real pattern to the game as yet. A cross comes in from
Barry but it's too far in front of his team-mates and Jaaskelainen
catches unopposed. He launches the ball and it drops to
Carroll, who is fouled. The free-kick is lifted into Nolan by Noble,
and the skipper buries the volley first-time! Unfortunately, the goal
is ruled out for offside as the assistant has his flag raised.
2 mins - West Ham win a throw deep in City territory but Benayoun is
crowded out. Balotelli barrels through the middle but is stopped by an
interception from Reid.
40 seconds - After West Ham cross into the box and Hart collects, City
attack. A ball is lofted through for Balotelli from the left edge of
the penalty area, but it's too strong and bounces away for a goal
kick.
5.32pm - The Hammers kick-off shooting towards the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand.
5.29pm - The wreath-laying party of Joint-Chairman David Gold, Mike
Summerbee and Sir Geoff Hurst walk to the centre circle before taking
their places next to the officials. The two teams are lined up along
the centre circle as referee Howard Webb blows his whistle. The
silence is immaculately respected, as always.
5.26pm - Here come the two teams, led by captains Nolan and Kompany.
Manchester City are kitted out all in black, while the Hammers are in
their traditional claret and blue. The firework display has started
behind the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand. It's quite a show!
5.22pm - We will be marking Remembrance Day here this afternoon. Sir
Geoff Hurst and Mike Summerbee will be carrying wreaths to the centre
circle ahead of a minute's silence before kick-off. Representatives
from the Armed Forces are currently stood to attention along the
touchline in front of the Alpari Stand. The club invited 40 troops
from the local 7 Rifles Company of the infantry as the club's guests
this afternoon.
5.18pm - A late change to the City lineup, with James Milner dropping
out due to an injury picked up in the warm-up. Gareth Barry replaces
him. No62 Abdul Razak is drafted onto the bench.
5.10pm - You can join the conversation now on social media. Log into
twitter and use the hashtag #WHULIVE to give your opinions on the
game. We'll retweet the best comments. Please mind your language and
naturally abusive comments will not be tolerated. Thanks for your
support. Come on you Irons! We're also retweeting the best of your
matchday photos, wherever you are in the world. Simply upload them to
twitter with the hashtag #COYI.
5.05pm - There are some fireworks going off over behind the Bobby
Moore Stand. I can't actually see them, but I can hear them. Pardon
the pun, but I'm expecting some fireworks here this afternoon. City
have three forwards in their starting lineup and plenty of other goal
threats, while the Hammers have scored in every home match this season
and their last 15 home matches in total.
5pm - Lots of famous faces here at the Boleyn for the visit of the
champions. It's like a Hammers hall of fame! Sir Geoff Hurst, Julian
Dicks, Alan Devonshire, Phil Parkes and Alan Taylor are all here!
Former England internationals Chris Waddle and Stan Collymore are both
here in broadcasting roles.
4.37pm - The team news is in! One change for the Hammers, with Joey
O'Brien replacing James Tomkins at right-back.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainein, O'Brien, McCartney, Collins, Reid,
Noble, Nolan, Diame, Jarvis, Benayoun, Carroll
Subs: Spiegel, Chambers, Spence, O'Neil, Hall, Maiga, Cole
Manchester City: Hart, K.Toure, Nastasic, Kompany, Clichy, Milner,
Y.Toure, Nasri, Tevez, Balotelli, Dzeko
Subs: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Barry, Sinclair, Garcia, Aguero
____________________________________
See Stoke for just 20 quid
WHUFC
20 quid tickets for the Stoke City match under the lights at the
Boleyn Ground are selling out quickly
03.11.2012
There is now limited availability for West Ham United's next home game
with Stoke City on Monday 19 November, where tickets are on offer for
just £20 and £25 for adults and only £15 for Kids
As part of the Board's 'Affordable Football For All' campaign, prices
for this game have been reduced to £25 for Bands One and Two and just
£20 for Bands Three and Four. With the discounted prices, the game is
expected to sell out before kick-off so fans are advised to move fast.
Tickets can be purchased in person at the Alpari Stand Ticket Office,
by phone on 0871 222 2700 via Option 3 (calls cost 10p per minute plus
network extras) or online
___________________________________________________
West Ham 0 Man City 0
3 November 2012
Last updated at 19:22 GMT
By Chris Bevan
BBC Sport
Manchester City maintained their unbeaten start in the Premier League
but had to settle for a point from a hard-fought encounter with West
Ham.
The Hammers started brightly and were unlucky to see a Kevin Nolan
goal ruled out for offside before Yossi Benayoun slammed a volley
against the bar.
City's best first-half chance saw Mario Balotelli miss from point-blank range.
But the visitors improved after the break and Tevez and Gareth Barry
wasted good opportunities before the end.
Missed chances concern Mancini
It was a difficult evening for City boss Roberto Mancini, who perhaps
gave a sign of his current frustrations when he came out early for the
second half and sat on his own in his dug-out waiting for his players
to emerge.
Mancini saw his side fail to score for the first time since April and
also had to deal with a temperamental reaction from striker Balotelli
after taking the Italian off in the second half.
But things could have been even worse for the champions had the
officials not come to their rescue just four minutes into the game.
Nolan found space to steer home Mark Noble's floated free-kick with a
fine first-time finish but the goal was disallowed for offside -
incorrectly, TV replays showed.
The hoisted ball into the box, usually aimed towards Andy Carroll, was
predictably a favourite tactic of Sam Allardyce's side but they came
forward with intelligence down the flanks too.
Mohamed Diame cut in from the left to fizz in a shot that was rising
as it flew over Joe Hart's crossbar and Benayoun went even closer
after running in to meet an enticing Matt Jarvis cross with a volley
that clattered against the same piece of woodwork.
Carroll's mere presence was a nuisance to City but he went close to
breaking the deadlock himself too, when Benayoun returned his
knockdown and the Hammers striker, with England boss Roy Hodgson
watching from the stands, sent a low shot skidding inches wide.
At the other end, City were functional rather than free-flowing in the
early stages, perhaps because of an unfamiliar front-line that saw
Balotelli, Tevez and Edin Dzeko starting together for the first time.
Mancini's men showed little of the guile they will need to break down
Ajax in their vital Champions League meeting on Tuesday until
Balotelli blazed a Tevez free-kick over the bar 10 minutes before
half-time.
City did improve in attack after the break but they still struggled to
test Hammers keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen, and his stop after Tevez met a
deflected Dzeko cross was his first serious save.
West Ham were never likely to lie down and Nolan and Andy Carroll both
remained dangerous, with Carroll seeing an acrobatic effort deflect
wide off Gael Clichy.
But it was City who looked increasingly likely to take home the three
points, with Tevez blasting over as he tried to round off a neat move
and Barry bundling the ball wide after referee Howard Webb missed what
appeared to be a handball from another Dzeko cross.
By now the visitors had all the possession and Mancini tried a
different combination in attack in an attempt to make a difference in
front of goal, hauling off a visibly unhappy Balotelli and sending on
Sergio Aguero instead.
It was to no avail. Aguero stung Jaaskelainen's palms from a
quickly-taken free-kick but that was as close as City came to
snatching a late victory, leaving Mancini to dwell on dropped points
as well as planning for next week's crunch clash with the Dutch
champions.
Why City usually enjoy Hammer time
West Ham have now won just one of their last 13 meetings against
Manchester City, a 1-0 victory in March 2009 when Jack Collison scored
the winner. Gianfranco Zola was Hammers boss and Mark Hughes was
Manchester City manager. City's record against the Hammers since the
2006-07 season is P13 W8 D3 L1 F19 A6
West Ham United
22 Jaaskelainen
02 Reid
03 McCartney Booked
17 O'Brien
19 Collins Booked (Spence - 84' )
04 Nolan
07 Jarvis
15 Benayoun Booked
16 Noble
21 Diame (O'Neil - 71' )
08 Carroll (Cole - 77' )
Substitutes
30 Spiegel
27 Spence
44 Chambers
32 O'Neil
09 Cole
11 Maiga
46 Hall
Manchester City
01 Hart
04 Kompany
22 Clichy
28 K Toure
33 Nastasic
08 Nasri (Sinclair - 90' )
18 Barry
42 Y Toure
10 Dzeko
32 Tevez (Garcia - 84' )
45 Balotelli (Aguero - 69' )
Substitutes
30 Pantilimon
05 Zabaleta
13 Kolarov
11 Sinclair
14 Garcia
62 Razak
16 Aguero
Ref: H Webb
Att: 35,005
MATCH STATS
Possession
West Ham United 39%
Manchester City 61%
Shots
West Ham United
Manchester City 18
On target
West Ham United 1
Manchester City 8
Corners
West Ham United 3
Manchester City 7
Fouls
West Ham United 11
Manchester City 12
__________________________________________________________
Man City boss Roberto Mancini unhappy at wasted chances
BBC
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini pointed to "four incredible
chances to score" at West Ham and, in particular, a miss from striker
Mario Balotelli.
The Italian striker missed a chance from close range in the goalless draw.
"I think that a player like Balotelli, when he has a chance like
[that], he should score," said Mancini.
"It's not a fair result," he added. "When you have 65% ball
possession, 22 shots - maybe less shots on goal - you deserve to win."
Balotelli started alongside fellow strikers Carlos Tevez and Edin
Dzeko but the trio could not prevent City failing to score for the
first time since April, a result that leaves them third, two points
behind table-topping local rivals Manchester United.
Mancini, who took Balotelli off after 69 minutes, continued: "When you
are a top player, if you have a chance, you should score this - but I
don't think [Balotelli] didn't want to score."
Asked about the scoreline, he said: "No, no, [it was] not a fair result.
"But I am happy with the performance, because we played well - I'm
unhappy with the chances that we're missing.
"When you're playing well and you have a chance, and you're missing an
incredible chance, you can be frustrated - but this is football. If
you don't score, you can't win - we lost two points."
West Ham could have taken an early lead when Kevin Nolan had what
appeared a legitimate goal ruled out for offside but Hammers boss Sam
Allardyce was delighted with the result.
"I'm really pleased," he said. "I think that our performance from
start to finish was very, very good indeed.
"The way we started the game was bright, trying to see if we could
test Man City early on.
"Of course, we did that with a fantastically taken goal by Kevin Nolan
that I think was a little unfortunate to be given offside.
"But the first half, we tried the best we possibly could to put more
and more pressure on Man City.
"Of course we would have to do some severe defending somewhere along
the line and that wasn't so much in the first half but certainly was
in the second."
________________________________________________
West Ham exceed Sam Allardyce's expectations
WHUFC
Manager Sam Allardyce says West Ham have performed better than he
expected in the Premier League after they drew 0-0 with champions
Manchester City.
The Hammers, promoted from the Championship via the play-offs last
season, sit eighth in the Premier League.
Allardyce says Kevin Nolan's early strike, which was ruled out for
offside, should have been allowed to stand.
______________________________________________________________
Manchester City slip to third as West Ham hold on for goalless draw
Last Updated: November 3, 2012 10:13pm
SSN
Manchester City missed the chance to join neighbours United at the
summit after a frustrating stalemate at West Ham.
Few more awkward-looking trips before Tuesday's must-win Champions
League visit of Ajax could Roberto Mancini have picked out and his
side would have gone behind inside five minutes had it not been for a
wrongly-raised flag.
Kevin Nolan watched Mark Noble's lofted ball all the way over his
right shoulder before lashing a fierce volley past Joe Hart but Sam
Allardyce was left raging by the offside decision and he had a point.
Edin Dzeko was dubiously ruled offside at the other end but, in any
case, missed his header on the rebound and while the hosts continued
to knock the ball about with comfort, City struggled to find their
groove.
Mohamed Diame cut inside and blazed goalwards, Yossi Benayoun watched
a sidefoot volley hit the bar and Andy Carroll dragged a shot wide but
the space Yaya Toure was allowed to stride into at the other end
served as a warning.
City's best chance came from a Carlos Tevez inswinger but Mario
Balotelli - wasteful on several occasions - lifted the ball over the
bar from close-range and Mancini blew out his cheeks in frustration.
The Italian boss glowered in his dug-out for several minutes before
his players returned but his verbal volley drew a response. City
pressed higher up the pitch and a string of corners came, threatening
the breakthrough.
Ex-Hammer Tevez looked like being the man, but sliced across the ball
with the goal in his sight, and then Gareth Barry charged into the box
only to poke past the post, that miss the cue for Sergio Aguero's
introduction.
Jussi Jaaskelainen pushed away a fierce shot from the new boy, and
James Collins threw his body in front of blue shirts to preserve a
deserved deadlock.
Allardyce punched the air while Mancini wore a grimace: it was his
side's first goalless draw since Boxing Day.
Mancini had sprung a surprise before kick-off by again tinkering with
his starting line-up and the decision to start with Balotelli, Tevez
and Dzeko in the same XI for the first time failed to deliver the
goods.
After a three at the back experiment cost City against Ajax 10 days
ago, Mancini's radical tactics are becoming reminiscent of another
Italian, famously dubbed 'The Tinkerman', and we all know what
happened to Claudio Ranieri.
He had also handed Kolo Toure his first league start since August and
recalled James Milner, although he was forced into a last-minute
change when the latter hurt his hamstring in the warm-up and was
replaced by Barry.
And, on this evidence, City really will need the "miracle" Mancini
predicted to rescue their Champions League campaign, starting in
Tuesday's revenge mission against Ajax.
Best of the Match
Man of the match: James Collins. The West Ham centre-half put in a
great performance in holding City before being replaced late on
Save of the match: Jussi Jasaskelainen saved well to his left to deny
Samri Nasri's long range first half effort.
Attempt of the match: Andy Carroll's overhead kick took a deflection
and went out for a corner.
Moment of the match. Kevin Nolan's early disallowed 'goal' which
replays showed stood have stood.
Talking point: City remain unbeaten but lost ground on rivals Man
United. West Ham earned a vaulable point.
The champions enjoyed ample possession in east London but their
unbeaten start in the Premier League continues to be an underwhelming
one and West Ham were denied what seemed a legitimate early goal.
_______________________________________________
West Ham 0 Manchester City 0
The Sun
NET LOSS ... Mario misses out against West Ham
By VIKKI ORVICE
Last Updated: 04th November 2012
MARIO BALOTELLI made the cover of Time magazine this week but the wait
for his first Premier League goal of the season goes on.
The Manchester City striker wasted a host of chances to seal victory
for the defending champions — and put them level with new leaders
Manchester United.
And with City facing their must-win Champions League game against Ajax
on Tuesday, manager Roberto Mancini's concern was visible to see.
Balotelli had at least three chances to put City ahead — blazing one
effort over the bar from just eight yards out.
After subbing the controversial Italian in the 68th minute, replacing
him with Sergio Aguero, Mancini could not bring himself to even
acknowledge Balotelli, never mind speak to him.
Balotelli did not look much happier himself, as he sank into his seat.
City are still unbeaten in their last 16 Premier League matches.
But this was anything but a convincing performance against a team who
were plying their trade in the Championship a year ago.
Mancini admitted: "It's not as if he didn't want to score but for a
player like Balotelli to miss a chance like this... he should score.
"We deserved to win. We had 69 per cent of possession and 22 shots. We
missed four, five incredible chances to score and when you miss these
chances you don't deserve to lose the game.
"I'm happy for the chances we created but it's frustrating. West Ham
defended well but this was two points dropped."
Mancini also admitted this season is proving to be harder as defending
Premier League champs.
He said: "When you win the title, the year after is more difficult.
This is maybe the biggest problem we have had.
"We conceded a lot of goals at the start of the season but now we have
improved that defensive problem and we need to start scoring like we
did last year. We need to work on our attacking."
Mancini was forced into a last-minute change when James Milner
suffered an injury in the warm-up, drafting Gareth Barry into the
starting line-up.
The shake-up seemed to affect the champions and it was West Ham who
started the brighter.
The home side thought they had gone ahead as early as the third minute
when Kevin Nolan latched on to a free-kick from Mark Noble, slamming
the ball into the back of the net past Joe Hart. But much to the
Hammers' dismay the assistant referee raised his flag, TV replays
later showing Nolan to be inches onside.
Nine minutes later the Hammers were surging forward again, Mohamed
Diame having the perfect chance to score after he cut in from the
left.
Instead his curling right-foot effort cleared the bar by a yard.
Yossi Benayoun then forced Hart into a save when he chipped the ball
into the area before finally City were stirred into action at the
other end.
Former Hammers striker Carlos Tevez set up Edin Dzeko in the 14th
minute only for his shot to be blocked on the edge of the area by
James Collins. Then, three minutes later, Noble sent a long pass to
Matt Jarvis whose cross was superbly volleyed by Benayoun — only for
Hart to parry the ball over the bar.
Benayoun was on fire, passing the ball to Andy Carroll whose effort
went inches wide of the right post.
But if Carroll, yet to score since his loan move from Anfield, was
lacking in front of goal, then Balotelli was no better.
He produced an astonishing miss just after the half-hour from a
curling Tevez free-kick.
With only Jussi Jaaskelainen to beat from eight yards, the Italian
kicked the ball high over the bar and into the stands. If that was bad
enough, Balotelli failed to convert another great chance four minutes
later. This time around a stunned Mancini had to sit down.
City, astonishingly, have now not scored in the opening 30 minutes of
a Premier League game since April 22, when Aguero found the net
against Wolves.
Balotelli spurned a third chance from Samir Nasri's cross just before half-time.
And even the break did not seem to help the 22-year-old Italian, as
within minutes of the restart he fluffed another chance.
Dzeko's cross from the right was deflected but Balotelli could not
make contact with the ball.
After 59 minutes Carroll produced a scissor-kick shot which was
stopped by Gael Clichy.
City responded as Barry poked a shot wide from six yards.
But ref Howard Webb signalled the England midfielder had handled in
the build-up anyway.
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce could sense this game was there for the taking.
In the end he had to settle for a share of the points but a raised
fist at the final whistle showed Big Sam was happy enough with that.
If only the same could be said for Mancini.
West Ham: Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Reid, Collins (Spence 84), McCartney,
Jarvis, Noble, Diame (O'Neil 71), Benayoun, Nolan,Carroll (Cole 77).
Subs not used: Spiegel, Maiga, Chambers, Hall. Booked: Collins,
Benayoun, McCartney.
Man City: Hart, Nastasic, Kompany, Kolo Toure, Clichy, Barry, Yaya
Toure, Nasri (Sinclair 90), Tevez (Javi Garcia 84), Dzeko, Balotelli
(Aguero 69). Subs not used: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Razak.
Att: 35,005
_________________________________________
Sam in a rage
The Sun
West Ham 0 Man City 0
SAM ALLARDYCE hit out at the officials after West Ham were denied victory.
Hammers skipper Kevin Nolan had a goal chalked off after just four
minutes — but replays showed he was onside.
Big Sam said: "It should've been a goal. You want it to stand when
it's a perfectly good goal — and we feel it was.
"At such an early stage it would have given us the momentum to carry on.
"You want the officials to get decisions right — and it wasn't a
correct decision.
"Had City won it would've been a bitter blow because any team that
goes behind away from home finds it difficult to win, even Manchester
City, United or Arsenal.
"But we have to be satisfied we've taken a point off the champions.
"Their four strikers cost £150million so you know you have to do some
good defending at some stage.
"But in the end we limited them to a few chances."
_________________________________________________________________________
West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City: Mancini's gamble fails to come off...again
3 Nov 2012 19:45
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City
Mirror
City boss started with Balotelli, Tevez and Dzeko but none of them
could find the back of the net
AP
For West Ham it was further evidence that they can achieve their
target of survival. For Manchester City, more proof that retaining the
title is going to be tougher than winning it initially.
City's problems started before a ball was kicked in anger. During the
warm-up, James Milner damaged a hamstring and was forced out. Gareth
Barry came in and proved a more than adequate replacement in his
holding midfield role.
Carlos Tevez, whose goal kept West Ham in the Premier League five
years ago, was greeted like a homecoming hero. "One Carlos Tevez" was
the song from the Bobby Moore Stand and as West Ham fans are not
strong on irony, it was clearly a compliment.
Not so lucky was Mario Balotelli. Each miss – including an alarming
one from Samir Nasri's cross in the 33rd minute – was jeered.
But while Tevez was welcome at Upton Park, referee Howard Webb was
not. To be fair, the disallowed fourth-minute strike from Kevin Nolan
that beat Joe Hart was the assistant's decision.
Replays showed that Nolan was onside but Hammers boss Sam Allardyce
admitted an early goal could also have had an advsere affect.
He said: "It should have been goal but it could have kicked Man City
up the backside and they could easily have won the game. It would have
been an unbelievable start. At such an early stage you never know what
is going to happen.
"You want officials to get the decisions correct and had City won this
game, it would have been a bitter blow. It was a great performance and
a great point for us."
Given the quality at the disposal of manager Roberto Mancini and the
status of his team as champions, City were always going to look smooth
in possession. Their movement was easy on the eye and one shot from
Nasri forced Jussi Jaaskelainen into a flying save in the ninth
minute.
But West Ham defended with resolve. James Collins looked rock-like
when the ball came into his penalty area. It was outside it where he
had problems, as he showed in the 56th minute when he was booked for
an ugly challenge on Edin Dzeko.
Mark Noble and Mohamed Diame worked manfully against City's talented
midfield and they used the craft and guile of Yossi Benayoun to great
effect when they had the chance to break.
It was the kind of spirit that kept the crowd onside and on the hour,
Andy Carroll came close to opening his account for the club when he
acrobatically turned George McCartney's cross towards goal but it was
deflected for a corner.
For all their class in attack, City still look far from secure at the
back and West Ham clearly felt they could make the breakthrough on the
counter – especially with City continuing to squander the openings
they carved. Tevez was the culprit in the 65th minute when from inside
the area he shot wildly over.
But the most glaring miss of all came from Barry in the 67th minute.
Tevez teed him up perfectly and somehow he shot wide.
Mancini had clearly seen enough of Balotelli's strut with no end
product and with 22 minutes to go, he brought on Sergio Aguero.
But it was Carroll who threatened when he went for a cross but the
ball ballooned over the bar.
Aguero was soon in action with a snap shot that Jasskelainen turned
away in the 79th minute. As City's late pressure grew, McCartney was
booked for a late lunge on Barry.
Such was the affection for Tevez that he was given a standing ovation
by the crowd when he went off.
A more worrying sight for the West Ham fans was Collins limping off to
be replaced by Jordan Spence and Jaaskelainen's goal was now under
virtual siege.
But the Hammers hung on for a hard-earned point.
Mancini said: "I am happy with the performance but I'm not happy for
the result because we deserved to win.
"We played well but we needed to score. We defended well – it is not
easy to defend against Carroll."
____________________________________________________________________
West Ham United draw comfort from keeping Manchester City at bay
West Ham United 0
Manchester City 0
Jamie Jackson at Upton Park
The Observer, Saturday 3 November 2012 19.40 GMT
The Premier League's only unbeaten show rolls on. Manchester City are
yet to find anything like the rhythm that chewed up sides during the
opening of last season, although a hunch is that sometime soon Roberto
Mancini's team will teach an opponent a lesson.
Not here, though. With Manchester United's win over Arsenal and
Chelsea's draw at Swansea, a 4-0 victory over West Ham would have
placed City top for the first time this term. Yet by the close,
Mancini would have killed for a scrappily fought 1-0, with this result
meaning they stay third, two points behind Sir Alex Ferguson's team.
Mancini, who will be without Joleon Lescott and James Milner for
Tuesday's must-win Champions League visit of Ajax, said: "We played
well. But if we want to win, we've got to score and we missed four,
five, six incredible chances. The guys played well and defended well.
I'm happy for that performance but not the result."
Mancini set up his side in what, when the break arrived, had proved a
fluid 4-2-1-3. This had Samir Nasri as the conductor behind an
attacking trident of Mario Balotelli, Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko.
Sergio Agüero was on the bench alongside Pablo Zabaleta, a right-back
who was returning from injury. Kolo Touré was chosen to fill the berth
for a first league start since late August, as Lescott's back injury
caused him to miss out. After Milner went down with an injured
hamstring in the warmup, Gareth Barry also made the XI, playing in
tandem with Yaya Touré in a midfield shield that was overrun at times
during the opening period.
Noting City's weak spot along Kolo Touré's corridor, Sam Allardyce was
spied early on waving at James Collins to pepper the auxiliary
right-back with a high ball for Andy Carroll to feed off. West Ham,
who just about shared the opening half, had the ball beyond Joe Hart
first but this was ruled offside, perhaps unfairly – Mark Noble's
dinked free-kick having been finished expertly by Kevin Nolan.
"You never know how a game is going to pan out when you score so
early," Sam Allardyce said: "But we should have scored and it could
have kicked Manchester City up the backside. We believe we scored a
perfectly good goal. We want the officials to get the decisions
correct."
City, as is the case so far this campaign, were fluid only in flashes.
While at Arsenal, Nasri yearned to play through the middle, although
the ambition was stymied by Cesc Fábregas's presence. Here, with David
Silva injured, the onus was on the Frenchman to prompt the visitors
and he impressed when doing so. There was a chipped pass to Tevez that
West Ham managed to snuff out and, as the half neared its end, a
clever ball to Balotelli from which the Italian attempted an acrobatic
scissors kick that went wide.
City's best move of the half also involved Balotelli. Kolo Touré
pinged a pass into Tevez's feet. The forward instantly hit Balotelli,
who in turn banged his own first-time ball sweetly into Dzeko's path,
which he failed to control. The disappointing Balotelli, who is yet to
score in the league, was replaced by Agüero in the 69th minute, and
Mancini said of his countryman: "A player like Balotelli when he had a
chance like today, he should score. But I don't think he didn't want
to [score]."
West Ham were coming off a 2-1 defeat at Wigan. After this visit of
the champions, their next sequence reads: Newcastle United, Stoke
City, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. Of
this draw, Allardyce said: "It gives us hope and confidence. We have a
difficult fixture list coming up and this one is the icing on the
cake, to get a point against the champions."
Any spoils had looked unlikely when City occupied home territory at
the start of the second half. A Tevez corner that was dropped by Jussi
Jaaskelainen was scrambled away, and when West Ham did attack, an
agricultural boot of the ball at Carroll in the City area came to
nothing when the on-loan Liverpool man was penalised for a foul.
"When the Premier League champions are unbeaten and you play them at
home and get a draw, you've got to be happy. Their front four, who all
got on at some point, were [worth] about £150m, so you're going to
have to do some defending," Allardyce said.
WHUFC
Sam Allardyce said his players followed his plans perfectly to gain a
draw with Manchester City
03.11.2012
Sam Allardyce congratulated his West Ham United players on following
their game-plan to the letter in Saturday's goalless home draw with
Barclays Premier League champions Manchester City.
The Hammers were well-organised and defended from the front against
Roberto Mancini's side. Every player did their job perfectly, keeping
the expensively-assembled visitors at bay with a resolute and
resilient display.
Indeed, had Kevin Nolan's early goal not been wrongly ruled out for
offside, Big Sam could even have been celebrating a famous victory.
Yossi Benayoun hit the crossbar, while Andy Carroll came agonisingly
close to opening his account in a claret and blue shirt.
"I think tactically we were very good," the manager told West Ham TV.
"You have to earn the right to play in this league, no matter who you
are, and I think that the first thing was to stop Manchester City
doing what they wanted to do and, from there, use our possession
correctly.
"We didn't use our possession quite as well in the second half as we
did in the first but we caused them real problems - Yossi's volley hit
the bar, Andy's shot just went wide of the post and we scored a goal
that wasn't a goal that we'll all unfortunately be talking about for a
day or two. The assistant should have kept his flag down but instead
he put it up.
"We then produced some last-ditch defending when it was needed in the
second half, either by the goalie or the back four. We had the odd
break-out and Andy's overhead kick looked goalbound until it hit one
of their defenders on the back. Andy also had a side-footer from Matt
Jarvis's cross that he'll be disappointed with. They might have been
against the run of play, but that's what you do because Man City threw
more and more men forward because they wanted to win and they left
more and more gaps that we exploited but unfortunately we couldn't
turn them into a goal.
"It is very satisfying, particularly after last week [at Wigan]. We've
played ten games and got fifteen points and we're right in the top
half of the Premier League. There are about five or six of us who have
got fifteen points. There's a massive credit to the players for that
performance that they gave against the champions of the Barclays
Premier League."
Keeping a clean sheet for the first time in six league matches was
perhaps the most pleasing thing for Big Sam, whose players kept out an
attack comprising Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko and former Hammer Carlos
Tevez, as well as second-half substitute Sergio Aguero.
The only negative news came in the shape of injuries suffered by James
Collins and James Tomkins which could put their appearance at
Newcastle United next Sunday in jeopardy.
"We haven't had a clean sheet for a while so that's another plus and
another bonus. We have to make up the points we lost at Wigan and we
had to do it against the champions. We have done that and nicked one
point back that nobody expected, so that's really good.
"We've got to go on from here now. The disappointing thing for us,
other than the disallowed goal, was that James Collins picked up a
hamstring injury and James Tomkins did a little bit of a groin on
Friday. Thank goodness for Joey O'Brien because I thought he did great
coming back in. Numbers are becoming a big, big problem for us, so we
have to get these players fit and back in the squad as quickly as
possible.
"Ricardo Vaz Te is coming along well but it will be ten or twelve
weeks in total. If it's any sooner than that like it was with Andy's
hamstring, but we've got to get him right. Guy Demel starts training
this week so that might be important to us, and hopefully Tomkins and
Collins are not too bad when we have them in on Sunday and see what
they're like.
"Going to Newcastle is going to be a big occasion for Kevin Nolan and
Andy and we want to give our best performance, not just for us but for
them going back to St James' Park."
______________________________________________
West Ham United 0-0 Man City FT
WHUFC
The Hammers hold the Barclays Premier League champions and pick up a
deserved point
03.11.2012
Send Print RSS
WEST HAM UNITED v MANCHESTER CITY
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SATURDAY 3 NOVEMBER 2012
KICK-OFF: 5.30PM
REFEREE: HOWARD WEBB
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
Full-time score - West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City
94 mins - The home fans are whistling and Mr Webb answers by blowing
his own whistle for full-time. West Ham worked their socks off and
thoroughly deserved a draw. As I have mentioned already, Nolan's early
goal should have stood. City worked Jaaskelainen a few times, but the
Finn was equal to everything. The back four were superb, but the whole
team take credit for a resolute display. West Ham failed to score at
home for the first time in 16 matches in all competitions, but it
matters not. That's a point gained against the champions. We go on to
Newcastle United next weekend. Join us then!
93 mins - Into the final minute and Cole has the ball deep in the City
half before finding Benayoun, who concedes a goal kick.
91 mins - We are going to have three added minutes. West Ham win a
throw in front of the City bench. Mancini waves his arms around.
90 mins - Sinclair replaces Nasri. Match Sponsors Suremen name Andy
Carroll as their man of the match. He certainly put a shift in, did
the big man. He was so unlucky not to register his first goal for the
club today.
88 mins - Benayoun and Jarvis work an opening down the left but the
former's cross doesn't reach Nolan. City get the ball down their right
and the cross is headed behind by O'Brien.
Jaaskelainen applauds the Irishman. The corner is taken short and Yaya
Toure collects. It's worked across to the left before the same player
punts his shot over the top from the edge of the box.
87 mins - West Ham are defending resolutely. O'Brien smashes the ball
upfield and Cole forces a throw-in on halfway. The attendance is
35,005 - a sell-out.
85 mins - Do that every time you get it, Matt. Jarvis runs Kolo Toure
again and wins the foul near the halfway line. Good play.
84 mins - Tevez gets a great reception as he is replaced by Javi
Garcia. He applauds all four corners of the ground. Spence is on for
Collins. He goes to right-back and O'Brien goes into the centre
alongside Reid.
83 mins - Spence is going to come on for Collins. It looks like the
Welshman might have hurt himself. We need a stoppage to make the
change, though. Jaaskelainen kicks the ball out after catching a
header.
82 mins - McCartney is booked for a foul on Barry wide on the left.
That came after Collins had made another heroic block on the edge of
his own penalty area. I think it winded him as he needs a few seconds
to compose himself before the free-kick.
81 mins - Benayoun gets in two challenges inside the West Ham half. He
has worked his backside off, has the No15.
80 mins - O'Neil is penalised for clipping Nasri. The free-kick is
taken quickly to Aguero and his shot is beaten away by Jaaskelainen at
the near post. Cole hacks away for a throw into the East Stand.
78 mins - Cole is on for Carroll.
77 mins - After another hearts-in-mouth moment that sees the ball end
up in the hands of Jaaskelainen, West Ham break through Jarvis. He
runs at Kolo Toure and beats the defender on his outside before
cutting the ball back for Carroll. He slides in and shoots over the
top. He wants a corner, but Mr Webb gives a goal kick. Kolo Toure
receives treatment before the game starts again.
75 mins - James Collins uses his body any which way he can and he goes
full-length to block Clichy's shot with his midriff. Amazing stuff.
74 mins - City work an opening but Reid is there inside the box to
clear after O'Brien had slipped over. The visitors are dominating
possession again.
71 mins - Jarvis and McCartney both pass up chances to cross before
the former sees his cross blocked and City break. Thankfully, the pass
for Aguero is overhit and the striker cannot keep it in. Goal kick.
Diame is the man to be replaced by O'Neil before the re-start.
70 mins - O'Neil will be on shortly. Neil McDonald hands the sheet to
the fourth official. Diame is my man to be replaced.
69 mins - That would have been a very controversial goal. Tevez
crosses and Barry clearly handles as he controls before dragging his
shot wide from inside the six-yard box. He should have scored, but it
should have been disallowed. Before the goal kick can be taken,
Balotelli is replaced by Sergio Aguero.
68 mins - Mr Webb spots some pushing at the near post between
Balotelli and Benayoun.The ball is flicked on before Collins heads
back in, but Nolan cannot flick on and City clear and break...
67 mins - Jarvis and McCartney swap passes before the left-back wins a
corner. He did well to keep that ball in on the slide. Noble's
delivery to the near post is headed behind by Balotelli for another
corner.
66 mins - The fireworks are going off behind the Bobby Moore Stand
now. A few loud booms keep sounding away to our right.
65 mins - Tevez wastes a chance. Diame loses the ball and O'Brien is
caught out of position. Balotelli plays in Tevez but the Argentine
slashes his shot high and wide of the left-hand post.
62 mins - Tevez gets into a space behind O'Brien and crosses low for
Dzeko, but the striker cannot get enough contact on his shot and it
rolls harmlesslty wide of the far post. It's an enthralling game,
this, despite being goalless.
61 mins - Benayoun is booked for a foul on Tevez near the halfway
line. The free-kick bounces away for a goal kick beyond the far post.
60 mins - Better. Much better. Jarvis and McCartney combine well down
the left before the latter beats his man and crosses. Carroll shapes
superbly and sends his overhead kick goalwards. It hits a defender and
bounces just wide. The corner is headed out to Jarvis on the edge of
the box, but he completely misses his kick before Noble's cross is
blocked.
58 mins - The Hammers finally show some attacking intent as Carroll
wins a header and it drops to Benayoun. His first cross is cleared,
but the No15's second effort is headed wide of the near post by Nolan.
56 mins - Mr Webb shows Collins the yellow card for pulling back
Dzeko. West Ham just cannot keep the ball.
55 mins - Finally some respite as Diame is fouled on halfway. Collins
lifts the ball in but Carroll is offside 25 yards out. City break at
pace down the left and Balotelli's cross takes a nick off the boot of
Reid and rolls across the face of goal. City try to work an opening
from the left but Benayoun scrambles the ball behind for a corner. Mr
Webb spots an infringement and West Ham have a free-kick.
53 mins - That is a major let-off. Jaaskelainen drops a routine catch
from the Tevez corner and the ball bounces just wide off the legs of
O'Brien. The corner is cleared, but City are dominant at the moment
and soon have the ball back.
51 mins - The home side are under the cosh here. Barry's deep cross is
put behind by McCartney. The corner is cleared, but Jarvis passes it
back to City on halfway. They attack again and Diame concedes another
corner.
50 mins - Jaaskelainen is in action again, making a routine save from
Tevez's shot low to his left. The goalkeeper dives and holds on at the
second attempt.
49 mins - Diame races forward through the middle unchallenged. There
is space in front of him but he chooses to try to find Jarvis instead
of shooting and the ball runs away for a goal kick. Maybe the wrong
decision from the No21.
47 mins - Collins is hopping around after a challenge on Tevez. The
big defender rolled his right ankle. That is painful! The physio is
on. I'm sure Ginge will be fine to continue after some treatment.
Balotelli throws the ball back to Jaaskelainen and, sure enough,
Collins is back on.
46 mins - City get the second half underway through Tevez's touch.
It's a murky night here in east London now, with the fireworks going
off behind the East Stand adding to the atmosphere.
Half-time score - West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City
47 mins - 63 seconds after the 45 minutes are up, Mr Webb blows for
half-time. Applause from the home fans. The Hammers have held their
own and, but for a flag that may have been incorrectly raised, could
be ahead. Join us again for the second half shortly.
45 mins - Close! Dzeko does well against Reid and Diame before finding
Nasri. His cross is behind Balotelli, but the Italian swivels and
volleys narrowly wide. That was fairly close. We'll have one added
minute, at least.
44 mins - O'Brien loses out to Yaya Toure wide on the left and City
attack. The cross hits Collins and goes behind. The corner is headed
powerfully clear by Carroll, but Benayoun passes the ball straight
back to the visitors. It's worked right to Yaya Toure, who takes a
touch before slamming his shot wide of the near post. It catches the
outside of the net on its way.
42 mins - Needless to say, it is vital that West Ham keep it tight
until half-time. Right now they are on the attack through Jarvis, but
he lacks support. He does well to hold it up for a while by running to
the byline, but his cross clears Hart and bounces away from Benayoun
for a throw on the far side.
40 mins - Benayoun is pulled back by Yaya Toure 35 yards out. West Ham
take it quickly and the chance is lost.
38 mins - West Ham are making trouble for themselves by giving the
ball away inside their own half on occasion. This time it is Diame who
drives his clearance straight at Kolo Toure, who holds off Reid and
pulls back for Balotelli, but the Italian's shot flashes wide of the
near post.
35 mins - Jarvis collects a pass from McCartney down the left and cuts
on to his right foot. It's a driven cross that Hart punches clear
under pressure from the jumping Carroll.
33 mins - That's a let-off. Balotelli is unmarked on the six-yard line
from the resulting free-kick but somehow lifts his shot way over the
top. He should have buried that chance.
32 mins - Two shots are blocked before Benayoun gets above Yaya Toure
to head out for a corner. It pings around a bit inside the area before
Carroll swings his left boot to clear. Not for long, though, as Diame
is penalised for a foul wide right. He might be close to a yellow
card, the midfielder.
31 mins - A third of the game gone and West Ham could, maybe should,
be ahead. They have had the better chances, but City always carry a
threat.
28 mins - West Ham have numbers forward and the ball wide left, but
Diame's cross is too strong for Carroll. Goal kick.
27 mins - Dzeko's poor touch allows Jaaskelainen to collect inside his
penalty area. England manager Roy Hodgson is here tonight watching on.
Mark Noble has been tipped for England honours once or twice this
season. He's caught the eye tonight already.
23 mins - Noble wins the ball from Dzeko with an outstanding sliding
challenge. The home crowd love that. Moments later, the Hammer of the
Year loses the ball on the byline but City cannot benefit as Dzeko's
weak shot is easily held by Jaaskelainen. A bit of a let-off, that.
22 mins - Brilliant stuff from the home side. McCartney crosses
diagonally from deep and Carroll heads down for Benayoun. The Israeli
finds the striker on the edge of the box. He makes a yard of space and
smashes a left-foot shot a yard wide with Hart rooted to the spot. So
close for the Hammers!
21 mins - A poor clearance from an off-balance Collins falls to Yaya
Toure. The midfielder has runners in front of him, but instead shoots
from 30 yards. It flies hard and over the top.
19 mins - Diame is penalised for a foul on Dzeko about 20 yards out.
Tevez sizes up the free-kick and curls it over the wall and the
crossbar. The home crowd cheer, then break into a chorus of 'One
Carlos Tevez'! You have to love their sense of humour.
18 mins - Moments after one cross into the box narrowly eludes
Carroll, Jarvis gets onto a crossfield pass from Noble and immediately
crosses to the far post for the unmarked Benayoun. He catches the
volley flush and Hart tips it on to the crossbar on its way over! The
officials don't spot the touch and award a goal kick. How close was
that?!
15 mins - A dangerous ball into the box from Tevez is hacked clear by
Collins. It looks for a moment like Jarvis might get in behind Kolo
Toure and on to the ball, but the Ivorian uses his strength and decent
pace to hold off the Hammers winger.
14 mins - A decent crossing chance as O'Brien and Benayoun combine
down the right. The Irishman crosses first-time but rather gets under
the ball, meaning Hart can catch high above his head.
13 mins - West Ham fire their first shot at City. Jarvis collects wide
left and prods a neat ball through to Diame, who turns, cuts outside
his man onto his right foot and shoots a yard over the top. That was
travelling, too. 'Oooooohs' from all corners.
11 mins - Noble is penalised for a foul as he slides in about 30 yards
out. Balotelli's low free-kick deflects wide off the wall and
McCartney collects before winning a throw-in near the corner flag.
Well defended all round.
9 mins - Jaaskelainen is called into action for the first time. The
Finn dives to his right to parry Nasri's shot. Dzeko gets to the loose
ball first but his downward header bounces wide. He was also flagged
offside, but replays suggested the Bosnian was level.
7 mins - Whether they should be ahead or not, the Hammers have started
well here. As I type, a loose pass falls to Dzeko, whose thunderous
shot is well blocked by Noble. The ball hit him right on the bottom of
the boot and appears to have jarred the No16's leg. He's OK to
continue after a quick bit of TLC from his team-mates.
5 mins - Nolan's goal probably should have stood. A defender on the
near side - the furthest side from the assistant - appeared to be
level with the Hammers No4. A big talking point early on.
4 mins - No real pattern to the game as yet. A cross comes in from
Barry but it's too far in front of his team-mates and Jaaskelainen
catches unopposed. He launches the ball and it drops to
Carroll, who is fouled. The free-kick is lifted into Nolan by Noble,
and the skipper buries the volley first-time! Unfortunately, the goal
is ruled out for offside as the assistant has his flag raised.
2 mins - West Ham win a throw deep in City territory but Benayoun is
crowded out. Balotelli barrels through the middle but is stopped by an
interception from Reid.
40 seconds - After West Ham cross into the box and Hart collects, City
attack. A ball is lofted through for Balotelli from the left edge of
the penalty area, but it's too strong and bounces away for a goal
kick.
5.32pm - The Hammers kick-off shooting towards the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand.
5.29pm - The wreath-laying party of Joint-Chairman David Gold, Mike
Summerbee and Sir Geoff Hurst walk to the centre circle before taking
their places next to the officials. The two teams are lined up along
the centre circle as referee Howard Webb blows his whistle. The
silence is immaculately respected, as always.
5.26pm - Here come the two teams, led by captains Nolan and Kompany.
Manchester City are kitted out all in black, while the Hammers are in
their traditional claret and blue. The firework display has started
behind the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand. It's quite a show!
5.22pm - We will be marking Remembrance Day here this afternoon. Sir
Geoff Hurst and Mike Summerbee will be carrying wreaths to the centre
circle ahead of a minute's silence before kick-off. Representatives
from the Armed Forces are currently stood to attention along the
touchline in front of the Alpari Stand. The club invited 40 troops
from the local 7 Rifles Company of the infantry as the club's guests
this afternoon.
5.18pm - A late change to the City lineup, with James Milner dropping
out due to an injury picked up in the warm-up. Gareth Barry replaces
him. No62 Abdul Razak is drafted onto the bench.
5.10pm - You can join the conversation now on social media. Log into
twitter and use the hashtag #WHULIVE to give your opinions on the
game. We'll retweet the best comments. Please mind your language and
naturally abusive comments will not be tolerated. Thanks for your
support. Come on you Irons! We're also retweeting the best of your
matchday photos, wherever you are in the world. Simply upload them to
twitter with the hashtag #COYI.
5.05pm - There are some fireworks going off over behind the Bobby
Moore Stand. I can't actually see them, but I can hear them. Pardon
the pun, but I'm expecting some fireworks here this afternoon. City
have three forwards in their starting lineup and plenty of other goal
threats, while the Hammers have scored in every home match this season
and their last 15 home matches in total.
5pm - Lots of famous faces here at the Boleyn for the visit of the
champions. It's like a Hammers hall of fame! Sir Geoff Hurst, Julian
Dicks, Alan Devonshire, Phil Parkes and Alan Taylor are all here!
Former England internationals Chris Waddle and Stan Collymore are both
here in broadcasting roles.
4.37pm - The team news is in! One change for the Hammers, with Joey
O'Brien replacing James Tomkins at right-back.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainein, O'Brien, McCartney, Collins, Reid,
Noble, Nolan, Diame, Jarvis, Benayoun, Carroll
Subs: Spiegel, Chambers, Spence, O'Neil, Hall, Maiga, Cole
Manchester City: Hart, K.Toure, Nastasic, Kompany, Clichy, Milner,
Y.Toure, Nasri, Tevez, Balotelli, Dzeko
Subs: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Barry, Sinclair, Garcia, Aguero
____________________________________
See Stoke for just 20 quid
WHUFC
20 quid tickets for the Stoke City match under the lights at the
Boleyn Ground are selling out quickly
03.11.2012
There is now limited availability for West Ham United's next home game
with Stoke City on Monday 19 November, where tickets are on offer for
just £20 and £25 for adults and only £15 for Kids
As part of the Board's 'Affordable Football For All' campaign, prices
for this game have been reduced to £25 for Bands One and Two and just
£20 for Bands Three and Four. With the discounted prices, the game is
expected to sell out before kick-off so fans are advised to move fast.
Tickets can be purchased in person at the Alpari Stand Ticket Office,
by phone on 0871 222 2700 via Option 3 (calls cost 10p per minute plus
network extras) or online
___________________________________________________
West Ham 0 Man City 0
3 November 2012
Last updated at 19:22 GMT
By Chris Bevan
BBC Sport
Manchester City maintained their unbeaten start in the Premier League
but had to settle for a point from a hard-fought encounter with West
Ham.
The Hammers started brightly and were unlucky to see a Kevin Nolan
goal ruled out for offside before Yossi Benayoun slammed a volley
against the bar.
City's best first-half chance saw Mario Balotelli miss from point-blank range.
But the visitors improved after the break and Tevez and Gareth Barry
wasted good opportunities before the end.
Missed chances concern Mancini
It was a difficult evening for City boss Roberto Mancini, who perhaps
gave a sign of his current frustrations when he came out early for the
second half and sat on his own in his dug-out waiting for his players
to emerge.
Mancini saw his side fail to score for the first time since April and
also had to deal with a temperamental reaction from striker Balotelli
after taking the Italian off in the second half.
But things could have been even worse for the champions had the
officials not come to their rescue just four minutes into the game.
Nolan found space to steer home Mark Noble's floated free-kick with a
fine first-time finish but the goal was disallowed for offside -
incorrectly, TV replays showed.
The hoisted ball into the box, usually aimed towards Andy Carroll, was
predictably a favourite tactic of Sam Allardyce's side but they came
forward with intelligence down the flanks too.
Mohamed Diame cut in from the left to fizz in a shot that was rising
as it flew over Joe Hart's crossbar and Benayoun went even closer
after running in to meet an enticing Matt Jarvis cross with a volley
that clattered against the same piece of woodwork.
Carroll's mere presence was a nuisance to City but he went close to
breaking the deadlock himself too, when Benayoun returned his
knockdown and the Hammers striker, with England boss Roy Hodgson
watching from the stands, sent a low shot skidding inches wide.
At the other end, City were functional rather than free-flowing in the
early stages, perhaps because of an unfamiliar front-line that saw
Balotelli, Tevez and Edin Dzeko starting together for the first time.
Mancini's men showed little of the guile they will need to break down
Ajax in their vital Champions League meeting on Tuesday until
Balotelli blazed a Tevez free-kick over the bar 10 minutes before
half-time.
City did improve in attack after the break but they still struggled to
test Hammers keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen, and his stop after Tevez met a
deflected Dzeko cross was his first serious save.
West Ham were never likely to lie down and Nolan and Andy Carroll both
remained dangerous, with Carroll seeing an acrobatic effort deflect
wide off Gael Clichy.
But it was City who looked increasingly likely to take home the three
points, with Tevez blasting over as he tried to round off a neat move
and Barry bundling the ball wide after referee Howard Webb missed what
appeared to be a handball from another Dzeko cross.
By now the visitors had all the possession and Mancini tried a
different combination in attack in an attempt to make a difference in
front of goal, hauling off a visibly unhappy Balotelli and sending on
Sergio Aguero instead.
It was to no avail. Aguero stung Jaaskelainen's palms from a
quickly-taken free-kick but that was as close as City came to
snatching a late victory, leaving Mancini to dwell on dropped points
as well as planning for next week's crunch clash with the Dutch
champions.
Why City usually enjoy Hammer time
West Ham have now won just one of their last 13 meetings against
Manchester City, a 1-0 victory in March 2009 when Jack Collison scored
the winner. Gianfranco Zola was Hammers boss and Mark Hughes was
Manchester City manager. City's record against the Hammers since the
2006-07 season is P13 W8 D3 L1 F19 A6
West Ham United
22 Jaaskelainen
02 Reid
03 McCartney Booked
17 O'Brien
19 Collins Booked (Spence - 84' )
04 Nolan
07 Jarvis
15 Benayoun Booked
16 Noble
21 Diame (O'Neil - 71' )
08 Carroll (Cole - 77' )
Substitutes
30 Spiegel
27 Spence
44 Chambers
32 O'Neil
09 Cole
11 Maiga
46 Hall
Manchester City
01 Hart
04 Kompany
22 Clichy
28 K Toure
33 Nastasic
08 Nasri (Sinclair - 90' )
18 Barry
42 Y Toure
10 Dzeko
32 Tevez (Garcia - 84' )
45 Balotelli (Aguero - 69' )
Substitutes
30 Pantilimon
05 Zabaleta
13 Kolarov
11 Sinclair
14 Garcia
62 Razak
16 Aguero
Ref: H Webb
Att: 35,005
MATCH STATS
Possession
West Ham United 39%
Manchester City 61%
Shots
West Ham United
Manchester City 18
On target
West Ham United 1
Manchester City 8
Corners
West Ham United 3
Manchester City 7
Fouls
West Ham United 11
Manchester City 12
__________________________________________________________
Man City boss Roberto Mancini unhappy at wasted chances
BBC
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini pointed to "four incredible
chances to score" at West Ham and, in particular, a miss from striker
Mario Balotelli.
The Italian striker missed a chance from close range in the goalless draw.
"I think that a player like Balotelli, when he has a chance like
[that], he should score," said Mancini.
"It's not a fair result," he added. "When you have 65% ball
possession, 22 shots - maybe less shots on goal - you deserve to win."
Balotelli started alongside fellow strikers Carlos Tevez and Edin
Dzeko but the trio could not prevent City failing to score for the
first time since April, a result that leaves them third, two points
behind table-topping local rivals Manchester United.
Mancini, who took Balotelli off after 69 minutes, continued: "When you
are a top player, if you have a chance, you should score this - but I
don't think [Balotelli] didn't want to score."
Asked about the scoreline, he said: "No, no, [it was] not a fair result.
"But I am happy with the performance, because we played well - I'm
unhappy with the chances that we're missing.
"When you're playing well and you have a chance, and you're missing an
incredible chance, you can be frustrated - but this is football. If
you don't score, you can't win - we lost two points."
West Ham could have taken an early lead when Kevin Nolan had what
appeared a legitimate goal ruled out for offside but Hammers boss Sam
Allardyce was delighted with the result.
"I'm really pleased," he said. "I think that our performance from
start to finish was very, very good indeed.
"The way we started the game was bright, trying to see if we could
test Man City early on.
"Of course, we did that with a fantastically taken goal by Kevin Nolan
that I think was a little unfortunate to be given offside.
"But the first half, we tried the best we possibly could to put more
and more pressure on Man City.
"Of course we would have to do some severe defending somewhere along
the line and that wasn't so much in the first half but certainly was
in the second."
________________________________________________
West Ham exceed Sam Allardyce's expectations
WHUFC
Manager Sam Allardyce says West Ham have performed better than he
expected in the Premier League after they drew 0-0 with champions
Manchester City.
The Hammers, promoted from the Championship via the play-offs last
season, sit eighth in the Premier League.
Allardyce says Kevin Nolan's early strike, which was ruled out for
offside, should have been allowed to stand.
______________________________________________________________
Manchester City slip to third as West Ham hold on for goalless draw
Last Updated: November 3, 2012 10:13pm
SSN
Manchester City missed the chance to join neighbours United at the
summit after a frustrating stalemate at West Ham.
Few more awkward-looking trips before Tuesday's must-win Champions
League visit of Ajax could Roberto Mancini have picked out and his
side would have gone behind inside five minutes had it not been for a
wrongly-raised flag.
Kevin Nolan watched Mark Noble's lofted ball all the way over his
right shoulder before lashing a fierce volley past Joe Hart but Sam
Allardyce was left raging by the offside decision and he had a point.
Edin Dzeko was dubiously ruled offside at the other end but, in any
case, missed his header on the rebound and while the hosts continued
to knock the ball about with comfort, City struggled to find their
groove.
Mohamed Diame cut inside and blazed goalwards, Yossi Benayoun watched
a sidefoot volley hit the bar and Andy Carroll dragged a shot wide but
the space Yaya Toure was allowed to stride into at the other end
served as a warning.
City's best chance came from a Carlos Tevez inswinger but Mario
Balotelli - wasteful on several occasions - lifted the ball over the
bar from close-range and Mancini blew out his cheeks in frustration.
The Italian boss glowered in his dug-out for several minutes before
his players returned but his verbal volley drew a response. City
pressed higher up the pitch and a string of corners came, threatening
the breakthrough.
Ex-Hammer Tevez looked like being the man, but sliced across the ball
with the goal in his sight, and then Gareth Barry charged into the box
only to poke past the post, that miss the cue for Sergio Aguero's
introduction.
Jussi Jaaskelainen pushed away a fierce shot from the new boy, and
James Collins threw his body in front of blue shirts to preserve a
deserved deadlock.
Allardyce punched the air while Mancini wore a grimace: it was his
side's first goalless draw since Boxing Day.
Mancini had sprung a surprise before kick-off by again tinkering with
his starting line-up and the decision to start with Balotelli, Tevez
and Dzeko in the same XI for the first time failed to deliver the
goods.
After a three at the back experiment cost City against Ajax 10 days
ago, Mancini's radical tactics are becoming reminiscent of another
Italian, famously dubbed 'The Tinkerman', and we all know what
happened to Claudio Ranieri.
He had also handed Kolo Toure his first league start since August and
recalled James Milner, although he was forced into a last-minute
change when the latter hurt his hamstring in the warm-up and was
replaced by Barry.
And, on this evidence, City really will need the "miracle" Mancini
predicted to rescue their Champions League campaign, starting in
Tuesday's revenge mission against Ajax.
Best of the Match
Man of the match: James Collins. The West Ham centre-half put in a
great performance in holding City before being replaced late on
Save of the match: Jussi Jasaskelainen saved well to his left to deny
Samri Nasri's long range first half effort.
Attempt of the match: Andy Carroll's overhead kick took a deflection
and went out for a corner.
Moment of the match. Kevin Nolan's early disallowed 'goal' which
replays showed stood have stood.
Talking point: City remain unbeaten but lost ground on rivals Man
United. West Ham earned a vaulable point.
The champions enjoyed ample possession in east London but their
unbeaten start in the Premier League continues to be an underwhelming
one and West Ham were denied what seemed a legitimate early goal.
_______________________________________________
West Ham 0 Manchester City 0
The Sun
NET LOSS ... Mario misses out against West Ham
By VIKKI ORVICE
Last Updated: 04th November 2012
MARIO BALOTELLI made the cover of Time magazine this week but the wait
for his first Premier League goal of the season goes on.
The Manchester City striker wasted a host of chances to seal victory
for the defending champions — and put them level with new leaders
Manchester United.
And with City facing their must-win Champions League game against Ajax
on Tuesday, manager Roberto Mancini's concern was visible to see.
Balotelli had at least three chances to put City ahead — blazing one
effort over the bar from just eight yards out.
After subbing the controversial Italian in the 68th minute, replacing
him with Sergio Aguero, Mancini could not bring himself to even
acknowledge Balotelli, never mind speak to him.
Balotelli did not look much happier himself, as he sank into his seat.
City are still unbeaten in their last 16 Premier League matches.
But this was anything but a convincing performance against a team who
were plying their trade in the Championship a year ago.
Mancini admitted: "It's not as if he didn't want to score but for a
player like Balotelli to miss a chance like this... he should score.
"We deserved to win. We had 69 per cent of possession and 22 shots. We
missed four, five incredible chances to score and when you miss these
chances you don't deserve to lose the game.
"I'm happy for the chances we created but it's frustrating. West Ham
defended well but this was two points dropped."
Mancini also admitted this season is proving to be harder as defending
Premier League champs.
He said: "When you win the title, the year after is more difficult.
This is maybe the biggest problem we have had.
"We conceded a lot of goals at the start of the season but now we have
improved that defensive problem and we need to start scoring like we
did last year. We need to work on our attacking."
Mancini was forced into a last-minute change when James Milner
suffered an injury in the warm-up, drafting Gareth Barry into the
starting line-up.
The shake-up seemed to affect the champions and it was West Ham who
started the brighter.
The home side thought they had gone ahead as early as the third minute
when Kevin Nolan latched on to a free-kick from Mark Noble, slamming
the ball into the back of the net past Joe Hart. But much to the
Hammers' dismay the assistant referee raised his flag, TV replays
later showing Nolan to be inches onside.
Nine minutes later the Hammers were surging forward again, Mohamed
Diame having the perfect chance to score after he cut in from the
left.
Instead his curling right-foot effort cleared the bar by a yard.
Yossi Benayoun then forced Hart into a save when he chipped the ball
into the area before finally City were stirred into action at the
other end.
Former Hammers striker Carlos Tevez set up Edin Dzeko in the 14th
minute only for his shot to be blocked on the edge of the area by
James Collins. Then, three minutes later, Noble sent a long pass to
Matt Jarvis whose cross was superbly volleyed by Benayoun — only for
Hart to parry the ball over the bar.
Benayoun was on fire, passing the ball to Andy Carroll whose effort
went inches wide of the right post.
But if Carroll, yet to score since his loan move from Anfield, was
lacking in front of goal, then Balotelli was no better.
He produced an astonishing miss just after the half-hour from a
curling Tevez free-kick.
With only Jussi Jaaskelainen to beat from eight yards, the Italian
kicked the ball high over the bar and into the stands. If that was bad
enough, Balotelli failed to convert another great chance four minutes
later. This time around a stunned Mancini had to sit down.
City, astonishingly, have now not scored in the opening 30 minutes of
a Premier League game since April 22, when Aguero found the net
against Wolves.
Balotelli spurned a third chance from Samir Nasri's cross just before half-time.
And even the break did not seem to help the 22-year-old Italian, as
within minutes of the restart he fluffed another chance.
Dzeko's cross from the right was deflected but Balotelli could not
make contact with the ball.
After 59 minutes Carroll produced a scissor-kick shot which was
stopped by Gael Clichy.
City responded as Barry poked a shot wide from six yards.
But ref Howard Webb signalled the England midfielder had handled in
the build-up anyway.
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce could sense this game was there for the taking.
In the end he had to settle for a share of the points but a raised
fist at the final whistle showed Big Sam was happy enough with that.
If only the same could be said for Mancini.
West Ham: Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Reid, Collins (Spence 84), McCartney,
Jarvis, Noble, Diame (O'Neil 71), Benayoun, Nolan,Carroll (Cole 77).
Subs not used: Spiegel, Maiga, Chambers, Hall. Booked: Collins,
Benayoun, McCartney.
Man City: Hart, Nastasic, Kompany, Kolo Toure, Clichy, Barry, Yaya
Toure, Nasri (Sinclair 90), Tevez (Javi Garcia 84), Dzeko, Balotelli
(Aguero 69). Subs not used: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Razak.
Att: 35,005
_________________________________________
Sam in a rage
The Sun
West Ham 0 Man City 0
SAM ALLARDYCE hit out at the officials after West Ham were denied victory.
Hammers skipper Kevin Nolan had a goal chalked off after just four
minutes — but replays showed he was onside.
Big Sam said: "It should've been a goal. You want it to stand when
it's a perfectly good goal — and we feel it was.
"At such an early stage it would have given us the momentum to carry on.
"You want the officials to get decisions right — and it wasn't a
correct decision.
"Had City won it would've been a bitter blow because any team that
goes behind away from home finds it difficult to win, even Manchester
City, United or Arsenal.
"But we have to be satisfied we've taken a point off the champions.
"Their four strikers cost £150million so you know you have to do some
good defending at some stage.
"But in the end we limited them to a few chances."
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West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City: Mancini's gamble fails to come off...again
3 Nov 2012 19:45
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City
Mirror
City boss started with Balotelli, Tevez and Dzeko but none of them
could find the back of the net
AP
For West Ham it was further evidence that they can achieve their
target of survival. For Manchester City, more proof that retaining the
title is going to be tougher than winning it initially.
City's problems started before a ball was kicked in anger. During the
warm-up, James Milner damaged a hamstring and was forced out. Gareth
Barry came in and proved a more than adequate replacement in his
holding midfield role.
Carlos Tevez, whose goal kept West Ham in the Premier League five
years ago, was greeted like a homecoming hero. "One Carlos Tevez" was
the song from the Bobby Moore Stand and as West Ham fans are not
strong on irony, it was clearly a compliment.
Not so lucky was Mario Balotelli. Each miss – including an alarming
one from Samir Nasri's cross in the 33rd minute – was jeered.
But while Tevez was welcome at Upton Park, referee Howard Webb was
not. To be fair, the disallowed fourth-minute strike from Kevin Nolan
that beat Joe Hart was the assistant's decision.
Replays showed that Nolan was onside but Hammers boss Sam Allardyce
admitted an early goal could also have had an advsere affect.
He said: "It should have been goal but it could have kicked Man City
up the backside and they could easily have won the game. It would have
been an unbelievable start. At such an early stage you never know what
is going to happen.
"You want officials to get the decisions correct and had City won this
game, it would have been a bitter blow. It was a great performance and
a great point for us."
Given the quality at the disposal of manager Roberto Mancini and the
status of his team as champions, City were always going to look smooth
in possession. Their movement was easy on the eye and one shot from
Nasri forced Jussi Jaaskelainen into a flying save in the ninth
minute.
But West Ham defended with resolve. James Collins looked rock-like
when the ball came into his penalty area. It was outside it where he
had problems, as he showed in the 56th minute when he was booked for
an ugly challenge on Edin Dzeko.
Mark Noble and Mohamed Diame worked manfully against City's talented
midfield and they used the craft and guile of Yossi Benayoun to great
effect when they had the chance to break.
It was the kind of spirit that kept the crowd onside and on the hour,
Andy Carroll came close to opening his account for the club when he
acrobatically turned George McCartney's cross towards goal but it was
deflected for a corner.
For all their class in attack, City still look far from secure at the
back and West Ham clearly felt they could make the breakthrough on the
counter – especially with City continuing to squander the openings
they carved. Tevez was the culprit in the 65th minute when from inside
the area he shot wildly over.
But the most glaring miss of all came from Barry in the 67th minute.
Tevez teed him up perfectly and somehow he shot wide.
Mancini had clearly seen enough of Balotelli's strut with no end
product and with 22 minutes to go, he brought on Sergio Aguero.
But it was Carroll who threatened when he went for a cross but the
ball ballooned over the bar.
Aguero was soon in action with a snap shot that Jasskelainen turned
away in the 79th minute. As City's late pressure grew, McCartney was
booked for a late lunge on Barry.
Such was the affection for Tevez that he was given a standing ovation
by the crowd when he went off.
A more worrying sight for the West Ham fans was Collins limping off to
be replaced by Jordan Spence and Jaaskelainen's goal was now under
virtual siege.
But the Hammers hung on for a hard-earned point.
Mancini said: "I am happy with the performance but I'm not happy for
the result because we deserved to win.
"We played well but we needed to score. We defended well – it is not
easy to defend against Carroll."
____________________________________________________________________
West Ham United draw comfort from keeping Manchester City at bay
West Ham United 0
Manchester City 0
Jamie Jackson at Upton Park
The Observer, Saturday 3 November 2012 19.40 GMT
The Premier League's only unbeaten show rolls on. Manchester City are
yet to find anything like the rhythm that chewed up sides during the
opening of last season, although a hunch is that sometime soon Roberto
Mancini's team will teach an opponent a lesson.
Not here, though. With Manchester United's win over Arsenal and
Chelsea's draw at Swansea, a 4-0 victory over West Ham would have
placed City top for the first time this term. Yet by the close,
Mancini would have killed for a scrappily fought 1-0, with this result
meaning they stay third, two points behind Sir Alex Ferguson's team.
Mancini, who will be without Joleon Lescott and James Milner for
Tuesday's must-win Champions League visit of Ajax, said: "We played
well. But if we want to win, we've got to score and we missed four,
five, six incredible chances. The guys played well and defended well.
I'm happy for that performance but not the result."
Mancini set up his side in what, when the break arrived, had proved a
fluid 4-2-1-3. This had Samir Nasri as the conductor behind an
attacking trident of Mario Balotelli, Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko.
Sergio Agüero was on the bench alongside Pablo Zabaleta, a right-back
who was returning from injury. Kolo Touré was chosen to fill the berth
for a first league start since late August, as Lescott's back injury
caused him to miss out. After Milner went down with an injured
hamstring in the warmup, Gareth Barry also made the XI, playing in
tandem with Yaya Touré in a midfield shield that was overrun at times
during the opening period.
Noting City's weak spot along Kolo Touré's corridor, Sam Allardyce was
spied early on waving at James Collins to pepper the auxiliary
right-back with a high ball for Andy Carroll to feed off. West Ham,
who just about shared the opening half, had the ball beyond Joe Hart
first but this was ruled offside, perhaps unfairly – Mark Noble's
dinked free-kick having been finished expertly by Kevin Nolan.
"You never know how a game is going to pan out when you score so
early," Sam Allardyce said: "But we should have scored and it could
have kicked Manchester City up the backside. We believe we scored a
perfectly good goal. We want the officials to get the decisions
correct."
City, as is the case so far this campaign, were fluid only in flashes.
While at Arsenal, Nasri yearned to play through the middle, although
the ambition was stymied by Cesc Fábregas's presence. Here, with David
Silva injured, the onus was on the Frenchman to prompt the visitors
and he impressed when doing so. There was a chipped pass to Tevez that
West Ham managed to snuff out and, as the half neared its end, a
clever ball to Balotelli from which the Italian attempted an acrobatic
scissors kick that went wide.
City's best move of the half also involved Balotelli. Kolo Touré
pinged a pass into Tevez's feet. The forward instantly hit Balotelli,
who in turn banged his own first-time ball sweetly into Dzeko's path,
which he failed to control. The disappointing Balotelli, who is yet to
score in the league, was replaced by Agüero in the 69th minute, and
Mancini said of his countryman: "A player like Balotelli when he had a
chance like today, he should score. But I don't think he didn't want
to [score]."
West Ham were coming off a 2-1 defeat at Wigan. After this visit of
the champions, their next sequence reads: Newcastle United, Stoke
City, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. Of
this draw, Allardyce said: "It gives us hope and confidence. We have a
difficult fixture list coming up and this one is the icing on the
cake, to get a point against the champions."
Any spoils had looked unlikely when City occupied home territory at
the start of the second half. A Tevez corner that was dropped by Jussi
Jaaskelainen was scrambled away, and when West Ham did attack, an
agricultural boot of the ball at Carroll in the City area came to
nothing when the on-loan Liverpool man was penalised for a foul.
"When the Premier League champions are unbeaten and you play them at
home and get a draw, you've got to be happy. Their front four, who all
got on at some point, were [worth] about £150m, so you're going to
have to do some defending," Allardyce said.
Friday, November 2
Daily WHUFC News - 2nd November 2012
George sets top-half target
WHUFC.com
George McCartney wants the Hammers to maintain their top-ten position over the coming weeks
31.10.2012
George McCartney says that the next target for West Ham United is to make sure they do not waste their encouraging start to the season. The Northern Irish defender said that expectations had been exceeded in the first part of this season. That has heightened the confidence and spirit around the club, but no one will resting on their laurels with 29 more Barclays Premier League matches still to be played. As the Hammers prepare to face Barclays Premier league champions Manchester City this Saturday, McCartney said a solid start to the campaign means Hammers can go into games like this with nothing to fear. "At start of season, we had a few meetings where we talked about where we would want to be after eight games or so and we are very happy to have surpassed that," said the No3. "We have started off really well. We have picked up some really good results which has resulted in us sitting in the top half of the table, but there is a long way to go yet in the season and we must make sure we continue as much as we can what we have started. That is what the gaffer is drumming into us."
Following the visit of City, West Ham's run of forthcoming matches includes trips to Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United and home games against Stoke City, Chelsea and Liverpool. McCartney is relishing the tests ahead and has set his team-mates the challenge of staying in the Barclays Premier League's top ten. " Over the next few games we are playing teams that finished in Champions League spots last season so, yes, it is a difficult run but aren't all games difficult, as it was at Wigan last Saturday? Our aim, whatever the run or whoever we play, is still to pick up as many points as we can to try and stay in the top half of the table."
McCartney said the spirit of togetherness in the camp has only been improved by the four victories the Hammers have achieved in their opening nine league games - together with the leadership shown and important goals scored by captain Kevin Nolan. "Until last season, I had never played with Kevin, but had seen him scoring goals for Newcastle and Bolton, so I knew what he was about. He is doing that here at West Ham and scoring important goals and for me, Kevin played a big part in us getting promoted last season. "This year, his goals already have helped us get into the top half of the table. He is a big player at the club on and off the pitch where he has time for everyone. He is a great captain and a great lad as well."
McCartney himself, who had to miss three Premier League games before returning at the 2-1 away win at Queens Park Rangers on 1 October, has settled back into the starting XI and is looking forward to the remainder of the campaign. "It was great for me last season when the Chairmen and the manager gave me the opportunity to come back down here. It was a loan deal then but thankfully they made it permanent in the summer. "I am getting on a bit in my career now but it is great to be back at a club like West Ham where I'm enjoying my football and I hope to play my part in helping the club have a good season again."
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Players score Golf Day victory
WHUFC.com
The players secured the West Ham United Ryder Cup on a thrilling day at the London Club
31.10.2012
Neil McDonald won the battle but lost the war at the West Ham United Ryder Cup Golf Day. Now in its second year, the annual event saw the assistant manager and his fellow staff take on eight players at the London Golf Club in Kent, where midfielder and scratch handicapper Gary O'Neil is a member. McDonald and Big Sam were paired against No1 seeds O'Neil and James Collins in the opening greensome, with the more senior pair pulling off an outstanding 4 and 3 victory. Unfortunately, the staff were unable to maintain their form throughout the day, with the players winning the trophy courtesy of a 7 1/2 to 4 1/2 overall success. McDonald also lost his perfect overall record during the afternoon singles, when he was narrowly beaten 2 and 1 by O'Neil. "Myself and Sam were in a team together and we beat the number one seeds James and Gary," said McDonald. "We are chuffed because it keeps our perfect record going since I have been playing with two points out of two. "We complemented each other very well, Sam had a good five iron, a good seven iron and was good with the putter and I have been driving really well. "The sledging was fierce and they were the number one seeds so we wanted to put them off as much as we could. They did it too and now Ginge is dropped and Gary is never allowed to play golf again!"
The assistant manager also believes that the Golf Day will boost the players' morale ahead of Saturday's visit of Barclays Premier League champions Manchester City to the Boleyn Ground. "It was great, but the weather was absolutely atrocious. This is the second time we have held this competition and unfortunately it has rained on both occasions. Thankfully that has not had an effect, as both the players and staff were out in their numbers and it was great for team spirit."
Last weekend ended in disappointment but, according to McDonald, the Golf Day was a great way for the players to relax ahead of Saturday's big game.
Indeed, Kevin Nolan and his team-mates showed no ill-effects by producing a consistent all-round display on the course. The skipper teamed up with Andy Carroll to defeat head of player recruitment Martyn Glover and his assistant Greg Mathieson in the greensomes, while George McCartney and Jack Collison overcame Wally Downes and groundsman Ian Denny. In the afternoon, O'Neil, Collins, Mark Noble and George McCartney all won their singles matches to secure overall victory, but Development Squad coach Ian Hendon scored a fine 4 and 3 win over James Tomkins.
Now the golf is out of the way, the focus turns to Manchester City. "We were very disappointed with the performance against Wigan but we will move onto the next game against the champions. We have still had a very good start to the season and the pressure is all on them. We just need to go out and play the same way we have all season at home and hopefully we will get something out of the game. "It is a good time to play them and we would certainly prefer to play them at home first because our record has been very good and we want to continue that as much as we can. "It is going to be very difficult playing against the champions because they are good, no matter what their form. They have got some excellent players who I am sure will respond well under the pressure of a full house at Upton Park."
McDonald remained tight-lipped on any possible changes following last weekend's defeat, stating that whoever takes to the field will need the fans' full support for their biggest task yet. "The fans have been brilliant so far and they certainly came in their numbers for the trip to Wigan, but the home fans have also been exceptional. It has been a full house every time. "That is lifting the players and it is giving them so much confidence and I would like to think that the way we have played and the amount of goals we have scored has excited them too. I am sure everybody is very happy with the team at the moment."
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Sam Allardyce acknowledges that West Ham are entering a testing run of fixtures
Last Updated: November 1, 2012 12:57pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce feels West Ham United's start to the 2012/13 campaign has them well placed to tackle a testing run of fixtures. The Hammers, in their first season back in the Premier League, have collected 14 points from nine games and are handily perched in the top half of the table. Allardyce feels the efforts of his side so far means they have margin for error heading into potentially tricky ties against Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. "We knew (about the fixtures) at the start of the season and that is why we were looking to get the points on the board that we did and, like I say, nine games have passed and we have had two disappointing results, both away (from home)," he said. Allardyce concedes that he is not expecting to collect masses of points over the coming weeks, but feels a number of West Ham's top-flight rivals would happily trade places. "Certainly Southampton and Reading will be looking at us and be a little jealous, but there is this group of fixtures and it will be very difficult indeed," he added. "We accept that we probably won't get as many points as we have collected in the first part of the season but we have got to try and get as many points as we possibly can and then move on to late December and January."
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The November and December Fixtures - What's a Realistic Points Target?
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
Much has been written about the toughness of West Ham's fixtures over November and December. And it is undoubtedly the case that we face some very tough opponents in that period. The sequence of fixtures is as follows: Man City (H), Newcastle Utd (A), Stoke City (H), Spurs (A), Man Utd (A), Chelsea (H), Liverpool (H), WBA (A), Everton (H) and Reading (A). With a very credible 14 out of 21 points won to date, we go in to November in a strong position. But how are we likely to do in this period leading up to the New Year? There are a total of 30 points up for grabs. So, what is a credible minimum points target for this potentially crucial second phase of the season?
Well, lets take the tougher teams out of the equation for just a moment. Surely, victories over Stoke City (H), Liverpool (H), WBA (A), Everton (H) and Reading (A) (15 points - 50% of the total) are not totally out of the question. We should beat Stoke City at home; this current Liverpool team are beatable, specially at home; WBA away should carry good prospects of success; Everton are admittedly a bit of a bogey team for us, but again it is winnable; and Reading away should not hold any fears. We are bound to drop points, but 10/15 points (3 wins and a draw) is a realistic target.
Next, we turn to the remainder of our opponents. Of these, we are arguably capable of earning draws away at Newcastle Utd and Spurs, even if, for the purpose of this exercise, we write off the matches against Man City at home; Man Utd away; and Chelsea at home. Of course, we cannot actually do that, we must go in to them with the intention of (a) competing with the opposition; and (b) emerging with a result. So, my assessment is that we should target a minimum of 12 out of 30 points over this period. And hope that we can pull off at least one win or draw over the tough, PL title chasing, triumvirate of City, Utd and Chelsea! 12 points (3 wins/3draws/4 losses) would give us on a total of 26 points, with the second half of the season still to come. In which, we would need to accrue another 14 points to reach the widely accepted safety margin of 40 points.
Even presuming, in actuality, that we lost an additional match to give a final total of 9 poiints for the period (2 wins/3 draws/5 losses), that would still give us a total of 23 points. Setting us the revised target of winning 17 points, in the second half of the season, to reach the 'magic' 40 point safety margin. Obviously, this is all based on West Ham doing the minimum to achieve survival. However, there is a need to underline the fact that there is nothing that dictates that we cannot do better than this and storm to a comfortable top 10 finish.
West Ham being West Ham, of course, they are just as likely to include Man City, Spurs or Newcastle amongst their wins; lose to Reading and draw with Stoke City!! But seriously, somewhere in Sam Allardyce's office, next to the opta statistics, there will be a projected points haul for this phase of the season. That would make very interesting reading. But unfortunately we do not have access to it, so this is an attempt to 'set the bar' from a supporter's perspective. Some will consider 12 out of 30 points too optimistic; others will predict that the 'PL sky' is about to fall in on Sam Allardyce's head; whilst a brave minority will argue the bar can be placed a bit higher.
Obviously, points won against Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea are a bonus. The Spurs and Newcastle games are likely to be tough, but a draw is not beyond the realms of possiblity. But it is against Stoke City, Liverpool, WBA, Everton and Reading that we stand the best prospects of success. It is possible that this could be a very punishing period for us and we could lose a significant bit of the advantage that we won in the first phase. If it happens, we must deal with it and come strongly again. However, I do not think so, I feel that we will navigate this difficult 2nd phase and be in a reasonable position to 'push on' in the New Year.
As with most things, time will tell. However, I view the Man City match with little dread, more with interest at how the side will respond to one of the two or three toughest challenges in the PL. If we end up losing, I will be looking for positives, principally the side being competitive and pushing the opposition all the way. In that context, avoiding a demoralising heavy defeat is essential. But who knows, Nolan and co might even spring a surprise and do far, far better than most pundits anticipate. COYI !
SJ. Chandos.
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Big Sam: We're up against it
Published: 01st November 2012
The Sun
SAM ALLARDYCE admits his Hammers face a daunting task in the coming weeks as they prepare to do battle against the Premier League's elite. West Ham currently sit ninth in the league but face champions Manchester City at the weekend before taking on Newcastle, Tottenham, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. And Allardyce said: "Our season is determined on what we do against the bottom eight, not the top five or six. The top five or six is an ultimate bonus if you get a result against them. "We knew about the fixtures at the start of the season and that is why we were looking to get the points on the board that we did. "Nine games have passed by and we have had two disappointing results, both away from home. "Certainly Southampton and Reading will be looking at us and be a little jealous but there is this group of fixtures and it will be very difficult indeed. "We accept that we probably won't get as many points as we have collected in the first part of the season but we have got to try and get as many points as we possibly can and then move on to late December and January."
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You'll Hammer one in soon, Andy!
The Sun
Pic: MARK ROBINSON
By JAKE RYAN
Published: 01st November 2012
Andy Carroll's barren spells
11. From February 2007 to December 2008, Carroll went 11 Prem games without scoring for Newcastle.
11. Three months and 11 goalless league games came at Liverpool between October 2011 and January 2012.
11. West Ham loanee Carroll has not scored for 11 league games — his last goal was for Liverpool against Blackburn on April 10.
SAM ALLARDYCE admits Andy Carroll's frustration at his goal drought is just making it worse. The West Ham boss says his star striker should have already bagged his first Hammers goal. Carroll has failed to score in 11 league games since his deadline-day loan move from Liverpool. If the £35million England forward, 23, does not find the target against Manchester City tomorrow he will set a new record for a dry patch. Allardyce said: "I think he's a little frustrated by it but that's the issue. "I don't think frustration helps you. I think you like to come, start and get off the mark as quickly as you possibly can. "So we have got to keep providing the service and eventually, he'll start putting it in the net, we hope. "The more he plays with our players, the more he can start to read how the situation develops and hopefully get on the end of it."
Allardyce insists he is still more than happy with Carroll's displays and the Hammers fans still love the Geordie hitman. Big Sam said: "What I do think is that he's not just a goalscorer. That's 90 per cent of his game. "I think he's an all-round front man in terms of his hold-up play and his movement as well as his ability to score goals. "The fans at West Ham love committed players and I think Andy wears his heart on his sleeve." Allardyce reckons an in-form Carroll would already be off the mark after a perfect chance fell to him in last week's 2-1 Wigan defeat. Carroll's last Prem goal was in April for Liverpool against Blackburn. Allardyce added: "He had one very good chance at Wigan, which dropped to his right foot. "In his heyday, he probably would have just volleyed it straight away but he just tried to bring it down and failed to control it." The 6ft 3in pony-tailed striker faces one of his favourite clubs in City. Carroll has netted four times in games with the Premier League champions — more than he has against any other club. Big Sam wants nothing more than for Carroll to break his duck against Roberto Mancini's inconsistent side — who will be preparing for an aerial bombardment at Upton Park. He added: "Mancini's trying a different system and he's lost De Jong — it is encouraging. "But it's not all about Andy and his heading ability, he's very, very good at scoring goals on the floor." Carroll finished with 10 goals in his first full season at Liverpool — after that mega transfer from Newcastle in January 2011. But he was allowed to leave by Brendan Rodgers. West Ham team-mate and pal Kevin Nolan is convinced the Kop boss made a big mistake. Nolan said: "We want him here for as long as possible. I'm really baffled he couldn't fit into their system and the way they apparently play."
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Hammers keen on Courtois
The Sun
Published: 01st November 2012
WEST HAM are keen to swoop for Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois, who is starring on loan at Atletico Madrid. The Belgian international, 20, is due to return in June. But Chelsea may now want him to become Petr Cech's eventual successor.
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Noble believes 'settled' West Ham role is aiding his football
After recently reaching 200 games for the club, the midfielder has declared that life under Sam Allardyce has led to him playing the best football of his career to date
Goal.com
2 Nov 2012 00:13:00
By Joe McPhee
West Ham midfielder Mark Noble believes his new role under Sam Allardyce is producing the best football he has ever played. The Hammers star enjoyed his most successful season with the club in terms of both goals and assists last year in the Championship, and has continued his rich vein of form in the Premier League. And the 26-year-old, who came through the east London club's youth team ranks, believes his current performances are the best he has ever put in.
"I'm thoroughly enjoying life under Sam," Noble told talkSPORT. "I'm probably playing the best football I've played in a long, long while. "I'm settled in my position. I'm settled at the club and obviously I've just signed a new contract, so I was happy with that." Noble has never been capped by his country at senior level, but he insists international recognition is not an accolade he strives for as his domestic duties come first. He added: "I'm just looking forward to being out on the pitch every week. I keep working harder and harder in training every week, trying to improve, trying to get better and I just want to keep working hard and get performances under my belt."
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West Ham vs Manchester City
Cityam.com
Friday 2nd November 2012, 12:39am
Tomorrow 5.30pm
SHOULD Man United and Chelsea win earlier on in the day, then it will be imperative for Manchester City to claim three points from tomorrow's early evening showdown at West Ham. They certainly have the tools to do just that and Coral's offer of 8/11 for a City victory is very tempting. The champions might not have hit top gear yet, but they are the only remaining unbeaten team and have won their last two away games, at Fulham and West Brom, even if they did have to come from behind – and strike late – to do so. West Ham have made a decent start to the season and go into the game joint eighth on 14 points, but they haven't had too many tough tests yet. The biggest challenge they faced was Arsenal at home, and they lost that one 3-1. The Hammers were defeated by the same scoreline when City last visited Upton Park, in December 2010, and Roberto Mancini's charges are capable of victory by a similar margin. At 15/2 with Coral, City to triumph 2-0 appeals in the correct score market, with the visitors netting, on average, exactly two goals-per-game this season, while Joe Hart has kept a clean sheet in two of their last three league matches. Selling goals at 3.0 with Sporting Index is recommended.
■ Pointers…
Manchester City at 8/11 with Coral
City to win 2-0 at 15/2 with Coral
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*** Apologies but this will be the last digest until 10th November when I return from my holiday as I had no volunteers to take over for a week. ***
PeterR
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
George McCartney wants the Hammers to maintain their top-ten position over the coming weeks
31.10.2012
George McCartney says that the next target for West Ham United is to make sure they do not waste their encouraging start to the season. The Northern Irish defender said that expectations had been exceeded in the first part of this season. That has heightened the confidence and spirit around the club, but no one will resting on their laurels with 29 more Barclays Premier League matches still to be played. As the Hammers prepare to face Barclays Premier league champions Manchester City this Saturday, McCartney said a solid start to the campaign means Hammers can go into games like this with nothing to fear. "At start of season, we had a few meetings where we talked about where we would want to be after eight games or so and we are very happy to have surpassed that," said the No3. "We have started off really well. We have picked up some really good results which has resulted in us sitting in the top half of the table, but there is a long way to go yet in the season and we must make sure we continue as much as we can what we have started. That is what the gaffer is drumming into us."
Following the visit of City, West Ham's run of forthcoming matches includes trips to Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United and home games against Stoke City, Chelsea and Liverpool. McCartney is relishing the tests ahead and has set his team-mates the challenge of staying in the Barclays Premier League's top ten. " Over the next few games we are playing teams that finished in Champions League spots last season so, yes, it is a difficult run but aren't all games difficult, as it was at Wigan last Saturday? Our aim, whatever the run or whoever we play, is still to pick up as many points as we can to try and stay in the top half of the table."
McCartney said the spirit of togetherness in the camp has only been improved by the four victories the Hammers have achieved in their opening nine league games - together with the leadership shown and important goals scored by captain Kevin Nolan. "Until last season, I had never played with Kevin, but had seen him scoring goals for Newcastle and Bolton, so I knew what he was about. He is doing that here at West Ham and scoring important goals and for me, Kevin played a big part in us getting promoted last season. "This year, his goals already have helped us get into the top half of the table. He is a big player at the club on and off the pitch where he has time for everyone. He is a great captain and a great lad as well."
McCartney himself, who had to miss three Premier League games before returning at the 2-1 away win at Queens Park Rangers on 1 October, has settled back into the starting XI and is looking forward to the remainder of the campaign. "It was great for me last season when the Chairmen and the manager gave me the opportunity to come back down here. It was a loan deal then but thankfully they made it permanent in the summer. "I am getting on a bit in my career now but it is great to be back at a club like West Ham where I'm enjoying my football and I hope to play my part in helping the club have a good season again."
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Players score Golf Day victory
WHUFC.com
The players secured the West Ham United Ryder Cup on a thrilling day at the London Club
31.10.2012
Neil McDonald won the battle but lost the war at the West Ham United Ryder Cup Golf Day. Now in its second year, the annual event saw the assistant manager and his fellow staff take on eight players at the London Golf Club in Kent, where midfielder and scratch handicapper Gary O'Neil is a member. McDonald and Big Sam were paired against No1 seeds O'Neil and James Collins in the opening greensome, with the more senior pair pulling off an outstanding 4 and 3 victory. Unfortunately, the staff were unable to maintain their form throughout the day, with the players winning the trophy courtesy of a 7 1/2 to 4 1/2 overall success. McDonald also lost his perfect overall record during the afternoon singles, when he was narrowly beaten 2 and 1 by O'Neil. "Myself and Sam were in a team together and we beat the number one seeds James and Gary," said McDonald. "We are chuffed because it keeps our perfect record going since I have been playing with two points out of two. "We complemented each other very well, Sam had a good five iron, a good seven iron and was good with the putter and I have been driving really well. "The sledging was fierce and they were the number one seeds so we wanted to put them off as much as we could. They did it too and now Ginge is dropped and Gary is never allowed to play golf again!"
The assistant manager also believes that the Golf Day will boost the players' morale ahead of Saturday's visit of Barclays Premier League champions Manchester City to the Boleyn Ground. "It was great, but the weather was absolutely atrocious. This is the second time we have held this competition and unfortunately it has rained on both occasions. Thankfully that has not had an effect, as both the players and staff were out in their numbers and it was great for team spirit."
Last weekend ended in disappointment but, according to McDonald, the Golf Day was a great way for the players to relax ahead of Saturday's big game.
Indeed, Kevin Nolan and his team-mates showed no ill-effects by producing a consistent all-round display on the course. The skipper teamed up with Andy Carroll to defeat head of player recruitment Martyn Glover and his assistant Greg Mathieson in the greensomes, while George McCartney and Jack Collison overcame Wally Downes and groundsman Ian Denny. In the afternoon, O'Neil, Collins, Mark Noble and George McCartney all won their singles matches to secure overall victory, but Development Squad coach Ian Hendon scored a fine 4 and 3 win over James Tomkins.
Now the golf is out of the way, the focus turns to Manchester City. "We were very disappointed with the performance against Wigan but we will move onto the next game against the champions. We have still had a very good start to the season and the pressure is all on them. We just need to go out and play the same way we have all season at home and hopefully we will get something out of the game. "It is a good time to play them and we would certainly prefer to play them at home first because our record has been very good and we want to continue that as much as we can. "It is going to be very difficult playing against the champions because they are good, no matter what their form. They have got some excellent players who I am sure will respond well under the pressure of a full house at Upton Park."
McDonald remained tight-lipped on any possible changes following last weekend's defeat, stating that whoever takes to the field will need the fans' full support for their biggest task yet. "The fans have been brilliant so far and they certainly came in their numbers for the trip to Wigan, but the home fans have also been exceptional. It has been a full house every time. "That is lifting the players and it is giving them so much confidence and I would like to think that the way we have played and the amount of goals we have scored has excited them too. I am sure everybody is very happy with the team at the moment."
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Sam Allardyce acknowledges that West Ham are entering a testing run of fixtures
Last Updated: November 1, 2012 12:57pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce feels West Ham United's start to the 2012/13 campaign has them well placed to tackle a testing run of fixtures. The Hammers, in their first season back in the Premier League, have collected 14 points from nine games and are handily perched in the top half of the table. Allardyce feels the efforts of his side so far means they have margin for error heading into potentially tricky ties against Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. "We knew (about the fixtures) at the start of the season and that is why we were looking to get the points on the board that we did and, like I say, nine games have passed and we have had two disappointing results, both away (from home)," he said. Allardyce concedes that he is not expecting to collect masses of points over the coming weeks, but feels a number of West Ham's top-flight rivals would happily trade places. "Certainly Southampton and Reading will be looking at us and be a little jealous, but there is this group of fixtures and it will be very difficult indeed," he added. "We accept that we probably won't get as many points as we have collected in the first part of the season but we have got to try and get as many points as we possibly can and then move on to late December and January."
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The November and December Fixtures - What's a Realistic Points Target?
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
Much has been written about the toughness of West Ham's fixtures over November and December. And it is undoubtedly the case that we face some very tough opponents in that period. The sequence of fixtures is as follows: Man City (H), Newcastle Utd (A), Stoke City (H), Spurs (A), Man Utd (A), Chelsea (H), Liverpool (H), WBA (A), Everton (H) and Reading (A). With a very credible 14 out of 21 points won to date, we go in to November in a strong position. But how are we likely to do in this period leading up to the New Year? There are a total of 30 points up for grabs. So, what is a credible minimum points target for this potentially crucial second phase of the season?
Well, lets take the tougher teams out of the equation for just a moment. Surely, victories over Stoke City (H), Liverpool (H), WBA (A), Everton (H) and Reading (A) (15 points - 50% of the total) are not totally out of the question. We should beat Stoke City at home; this current Liverpool team are beatable, specially at home; WBA away should carry good prospects of success; Everton are admittedly a bit of a bogey team for us, but again it is winnable; and Reading away should not hold any fears. We are bound to drop points, but 10/15 points (3 wins and a draw) is a realistic target.
Next, we turn to the remainder of our opponents. Of these, we are arguably capable of earning draws away at Newcastle Utd and Spurs, even if, for the purpose of this exercise, we write off the matches against Man City at home; Man Utd away; and Chelsea at home. Of course, we cannot actually do that, we must go in to them with the intention of (a) competing with the opposition; and (b) emerging with a result. So, my assessment is that we should target a minimum of 12 out of 30 points over this period. And hope that we can pull off at least one win or draw over the tough, PL title chasing, triumvirate of City, Utd and Chelsea! 12 points (3 wins/3draws/4 losses) would give us on a total of 26 points, with the second half of the season still to come. In which, we would need to accrue another 14 points to reach the widely accepted safety margin of 40 points.
Even presuming, in actuality, that we lost an additional match to give a final total of 9 poiints for the period (2 wins/3 draws/5 losses), that would still give us a total of 23 points. Setting us the revised target of winning 17 points, in the second half of the season, to reach the 'magic' 40 point safety margin. Obviously, this is all based on West Ham doing the minimum to achieve survival. However, there is a need to underline the fact that there is nothing that dictates that we cannot do better than this and storm to a comfortable top 10 finish.
West Ham being West Ham, of course, they are just as likely to include Man City, Spurs or Newcastle amongst their wins; lose to Reading and draw with Stoke City!! But seriously, somewhere in Sam Allardyce's office, next to the opta statistics, there will be a projected points haul for this phase of the season. That would make very interesting reading. But unfortunately we do not have access to it, so this is an attempt to 'set the bar' from a supporter's perspective. Some will consider 12 out of 30 points too optimistic; others will predict that the 'PL sky' is about to fall in on Sam Allardyce's head; whilst a brave minority will argue the bar can be placed a bit higher.
Obviously, points won against Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea are a bonus. The Spurs and Newcastle games are likely to be tough, but a draw is not beyond the realms of possiblity. But it is against Stoke City, Liverpool, WBA, Everton and Reading that we stand the best prospects of success. It is possible that this could be a very punishing period for us and we could lose a significant bit of the advantage that we won in the first phase. If it happens, we must deal with it and come strongly again. However, I do not think so, I feel that we will navigate this difficult 2nd phase and be in a reasonable position to 'push on' in the New Year.
As with most things, time will tell. However, I view the Man City match with little dread, more with interest at how the side will respond to one of the two or three toughest challenges in the PL. If we end up losing, I will be looking for positives, principally the side being competitive and pushing the opposition all the way. In that context, avoiding a demoralising heavy defeat is essential. But who knows, Nolan and co might even spring a surprise and do far, far better than most pundits anticipate. COYI !
SJ. Chandos.
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Big Sam: We're up against it
Published: 01st November 2012
The Sun
SAM ALLARDYCE admits his Hammers face a daunting task in the coming weeks as they prepare to do battle against the Premier League's elite. West Ham currently sit ninth in the league but face champions Manchester City at the weekend before taking on Newcastle, Tottenham, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. And Allardyce said: "Our season is determined on what we do against the bottom eight, not the top five or six. The top five or six is an ultimate bonus if you get a result against them. "We knew about the fixtures at the start of the season and that is why we were looking to get the points on the board that we did. "Nine games have passed by and we have had two disappointing results, both away from home. "Certainly Southampton and Reading will be looking at us and be a little jealous but there is this group of fixtures and it will be very difficult indeed. "We accept that we probably won't get as many points as we have collected in the first part of the season but we have got to try and get as many points as we possibly can and then move on to late December and January."
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You'll Hammer one in soon, Andy!
The Sun
Pic: MARK ROBINSON
By JAKE RYAN
Published: 01st November 2012
Andy Carroll's barren spells
11. From February 2007 to December 2008, Carroll went 11 Prem games without scoring for Newcastle.
11. Three months and 11 goalless league games came at Liverpool between October 2011 and January 2012.
11. West Ham loanee Carroll has not scored for 11 league games — his last goal was for Liverpool against Blackburn on April 10.
SAM ALLARDYCE admits Andy Carroll's frustration at his goal drought is just making it worse. The West Ham boss says his star striker should have already bagged his first Hammers goal. Carroll has failed to score in 11 league games since his deadline-day loan move from Liverpool. If the £35million England forward, 23, does not find the target against Manchester City tomorrow he will set a new record for a dry patch. Allardyce said: "I think he's a little frustrated by it but that's the issue. "I don't think frustration helps you. I think you like to come, start and get off the mark as quickly as you possibly can. "So we have got to keep providing the service and eventually, he'll start putting it in the net, we hope. "The more he plays with our players, the more he can start to read how the situation develops and hopefully get on the end of it."
Allardyce insists he is still more than happy with Carroll's displays and the Hammers fans still love the Geordie hitman. Big Sam said: "What I do think is that he's not just a goalscorer. That's 90 per cent of his game. "I think he's an all-round front man in terms of his hold-up play and his movement as well as his ability to score goals. "The fans at West Ham love committed players and I think Andy wears his heart on his sleeve." Allardyce reckons an in-form Carroll would already be off the mark after a perfect chance fell to him in last week's 2-1 Wigan defeat. Carroll's last Prem goal was in April for Liverpool against Blackburn. Allardyce added: "He had one very good chance at Wigan, which dropped to his right foot. "In his heyday, he probably would have just volleyed it straight away but he just tried to bring it down and failed to control it." The 6ft 3in pony-tailed striker faces one of his favourite clubs in City. Carroll has netted four times in games with the Premier League champions — more than he has against any other club. Big Sam wants nothing more than for Carroll to break his duck against Roberto Mancini's inconsistent side — who will be preparing for an aerial bombardment at Upton Park. He added: "Mancini's trying a different system and he's lost De Jong — it is encouraging. "But it's not all about Andy and his heading ability, he's very, very good at scoring goals on the floor." Carroll finished with 10 goals in his first full season at Liverpool — after that mega transfer from Newcastle in January 2011. But he was allowed to leave by Brendan Rodgers. West Ham team-mate and pal Kevin Nolan is convinced the Kop boss made a big mistake. Nolan said: "We want him here for as long as possible. I'm really baffled he couldn't fit into their system and the way they apparently play."
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Hammers keen on Courtois
The Sun
Published: 01st November 2012
WEST HAM are keen to swoop for Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois, who is starring on loan at Atletico Madrid. The Belgian international, 20, is due to return in June. But Chelsea may now want him to become Petr Cech's eventual successor.
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Noble believes 'settled' West Ham role is aiding his football
After recently reaching 200 games for the club, the midfielder has declared that life under Sam Allardyce has led to him playing the best football of his career to date
Goal.com
2 Nov 2012 00:13:00
By Joe McPhee
West Ham midfielder Mark Noble believes his new role under Sam Allardyce is producing the best football he has ever played. The Hammers star enjoyed his most successful season with the club in terms of both goals and assists last year in the Championship, and has continued his rich vein of form in the Premier League. And the 26-year-old, who came through the east London club's youth team ranks, believes his current performances are the best he has ever put in.
"I'm thoroughly enjoying life under Sam," Noble told talkSPORT. "I'm probably playing the best football I've played in a long, long while. "I'm settled in my position. I'm settled at the club and obviously I've just signed a new contract, so I was happy with that." Noble has never been capped by his country at senior level, but he insists international recognition is not an accolade he strives for as his domestic duties come first. He added: "I'm just looking forward to being out on the pitch every week. I keep working harder and harder in training every week, trying to improve, trying to get better and I just want to keep working hard and get performances under my belt."
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West Ham vs Manchester City
Cityam.com
Friday 2nd November 2012, 12:39am
Tomorrow 5.30pm
SHOULD Man United and Chelsea win earlier on in the day, then it will be imperative for Manchester City to claim three points from tomorrow's early evening showdown at West Ham. They certainly have the tools to do just that and Coral's offer of 8/11 for a City victory is very tempting. The champions might not have hit top gear yet, but they are the only remaining unbeaten team and have won their last two away games, at Fulham and West Brom, even if they did have to come from behind – and strike late – to do so. West Ham have made a decent start to the season and go into the game joint eighth on 14 points, but they haven't had too many tough tests yet. The biggest challenge they faced was Arsenal at home, and they lost that one 3-1. The Hammers were defeated by the same scoreline when City last visited Upton Park, in December 2010, and Roberto Mancini's charges are capable of victory by a similar margin. At 15/2 with Coral, City to triumph 2-0 appeals in the correct score market, with the visitors netting, on average, exactly two goals-per-game this season, while Joe Hart has kept a clean sheet in two of their last three league matches. Selling goals at 3.0 with Sporting Index is recommended.
■ Pointers…
Manchester City at 8/11 with Coral
City to win 2-0 at 15/2 with Coral
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*** Apologies but this will be the last digest until 10th November when I return from my holiday as I had no volunteers to take over for a week. ***
PeterR
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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