Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce said his side must not let the 3-1
defeat by Crystal Palace dent their confidence ahead of facing Chelsea on
Wednesday 4 March. In a sluggish display, the Hammers conceded three goals,
all from set pieces, before Enner Valencia's strike gave the Hammers a
lifeline. Speaking ahead of the game with Jose Mourinho's Blues, Sam
Allardyce expressed his disappointment at the performance, but highlighted
the fact that it followed a run of impressive displays against Manchester
United, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur. "We have to take responsibility
for Saturday's performance, and use the big negative as a big push, as
motivation for a tough game against Chelsea on Wednesday night. "I think our
level of performances generally has been good and we have to maintain that.
We have to make sure Saturday doesn't dent our confidence, which is the last
thing we want."
The West Ham manager continued by highlighting the positive impact new
signing Nene had on the game, when he replaced Alex Song after 61 minutes.
The experienced Brazilian hit the post with a curling effort as well as
demonstrating an array of impressive touches and range of passing. "I
thought Nene did well, he showed some nice touches and it's encouraging for
us for the upcoming games. I think had his shot gone instead of hitting the
post it would've given us the lift we needed. "It'll take a few games to get
up to the required speed of this level, but he showed he can find space in a
crowded area which is an important quality. The more he plays, the better
he'll get and we're looking forward to seeing more from him soon."
While the result on Saturday was a blow to the Hammers' chances of a
European qualification spot, Allardyce can take heart in the fact that his
side responded positively to their last defeat, with three excellent
performances against higher opposition. "We've had a run of difficult games,
Manchester United, Southampton, Tottenham and now Crystal Palace, but we
could've had seven points from those games.
"I can't fault the performances, apart from Saturday. Turning performances
into victories has been a big issue for us and something we need to address,
starting with Chelsea on Wednesday night."
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Loan round up
WHUFC.com
Elliot Lee played 72 minutes in Luton Town's 2-0 win over Accrington
Stanley. The striker set up Luton's second goal when he laid a ball off for
Luke Guttridge to lash home. Before Lee was substituted, he could have won
his side a penalty when he looked to be fouled in the box.
Fellow West Ham United loanee Sean Maguire was also involved in this game,
coming on in the 82nd minute for Stanley.
Raphael Spiegel played the full game in Carlisle United's 2-0 defeat away at
Southend United. Michael Timlin opened the scoring with an impressive
20-yard shot before Barry Corr's volley sealed the victory.
Modibo Maiga played the full game in Metz' 2-1 home defeat to Evian. After a
bright start to the season, the French outfit have faded and are now bottom
of Ligue Un with 22 points from 27 games.
Nathan Mavila played the full game for Wealdstone FC in their 3-1 away win
at St Albans City.
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I feel good when I play against Mourinho!'
WHUFC.com
Adrian relishes facing Chelsea
Adrian is planning to give Jose Mourinho another reminder of his talents on
Wednesday evening. The goalkeeper has twice left the Special One scratching
his head with his heroics – first by helping Real Betis beat Mourinho's Real
Madrid 1-0 in November 2012, then by denying Chelsea in West Ham United's
goalless draw at Stamford Bridge in January 2014. This week, the Spanish
stopper will get a chance to complete a frustrating hat-trick for the
Portuguese manager when the Barclays Premier League-leading Blues visit the
Boleyn Ground.
"With Betis, we won the game 1-0 and personally I was the Man of the Match
and I was very happy with that result!" recalled Adrian, with a smile. "I
don't know if Mourinho remembers me but when I play against him I have got
some good results – a win with Real Betis and a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge
last season. "Personally, I feel good when I play against Mourinho!"
For Adrian, the prospect of facing Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and company
reminds him of the night he denied Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel di Maria and
Karim Benzema. "It's more or less the same sort of game, facing Chelsea as
it was facing Real Madrid, with all their attacking players," he explained.
"We need to concentrate for the full 90 minutes and if we play well and show
our performance level like we did against Liverpool, Man City and Man United
at home, we can get points. "This game, the 'keeper is busy because they
have good players and good strikers, so you normally need to make good saves
to keep your side in the game. I hope Wednesday will be a good game for me
and for the team.
Adrian says West Ham are determined to end a run of disappointing results
when they host Mourinho's men under the Boleyn Ground floodlights.Having
relinquished late leads against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur and
gone down to a home defeat by Crystal Palace on Saturday, the popular
goalkeeper says the Hammers have to give it their all to get back to winning
ways against Chelsea.
"When you lose, the result is always bad," said the No13. "We were playing
at home and we had a good chance to get three points, but Palace played
together and on the counter-attack. They are really good at set plays and
they used three of them to win the game.
"We need to recover and play to our top level against Chelsea. It's another
really big London derby. "I try to keep a clean sheet every time but
sometimes it's impossible, like it was on Saturday. I play every game at 100
per cent and that will be the same against Chelsea and I hope to get a good
result on Wednesday. "Not just one player can win the game, though. We need
the whole team to concentrate for the full 90 minutes. It is a big game for
us, for the fans and for the Club and we need to get the three points to
stay in a good position in the league."
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Mile Jedinak: Crystal Palace player charged with violent conduct
BBC.co.uk
Crystal Palace midfielder Mile Jedinak has been charged with violent conduct
by the Football Association after appearing to elbow West Ham's Diafra
Sakho. Jedinak, 30, looked to catch Sakho near the end of the game as Palace
won at Upton Park on Saturday. The incident was not seen by the match
officials but caught on video, allowing the FA to take retrospective action.
Jedinak has until 18:00 GMT on Tuesday to respond to the charge. If banned
for violent conduct, the Palace captain would miss four games as he has
already been sent off this season, in a 3-1 home defeat to Sunderland in
November. Palace are away to Southampton at 19:45 GMT on Tuesday, then meet
QPR at home, Stoke City (away) and Manchester City (home). A three-man panel
reviewed Saturday's footage and unanimously agreed Jedinak should have been
sent off. Earlier on Monday, Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew said he
would be "surprised" if Jedinak faced any action for his challenge.
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Alex Song move off as Hammers baulk at wage demands
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 2nd March 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham's attempt to sign Alex Song from Barcelona on a permanent basis
have been scuppered by the players huge financial demands.
The on-loan midfielder enjoyed a sparking start to his career at the Boleyn
Ground, although his form has trailed off since Christmas. Despite this,
West Ham have been keen to tie up a permanent deal for the 27-year-old with
negotiations ongoing.
However KUMB has learnt that West Ham have baulked at Song's latest demands,
with the former Cameroon international demanding upwards of £100,000 per
week to sign on a permanent basis - a figure the club are not prepared to
pay for a player they view as a luxury.
Song, who moved to Spain two-and-a-half years ago is understood to be paid
circa £65,000 per week by Barcelona. For the duration of his loan spell,
West Ham have taken on the former Arsenal star's salary with an additional
£20,000 loan fee going to Song's parent club on a weekly basis.
West Ham were prepared to match their current investment over the course of
a permanent contract. However Song is understood to have rejected the offer,
since when he has also rather bizarrely removed all images featuring West
Ham from his Instagram page.
The club's current highest earner is the injured Andy Carroll, who earns in
the region of £4.8million per year.
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Big Eg hankers for West Ham move
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 2nd March 2015
By: Staff Writer
Warri Wolves' giant defender Azubuike Egwuekwe says he remains hopeful of
completing a move to West Ham this summer. The 25-year-old, who stands 6ft
5in tall was linked with a move to London during the recent transfer window
but his club's valuation exceeded that of the Hammers, who were seeking an
additional central defensive option. Despite that setback Egwuekwe, who has
been capped 33 times by Nigeria and saw a recent move to Israeli club Hapoel
Tel Aviv fall through, admits that his destination of choice would still be
the Boleyn Ground. "I will very likely move in the summer. I still don't
know if I will go to Hapoel, I really don't know." he told Supersport.
"Everything is in God's hands but what I know is that I will likely leave in
the summer. "Like I said, the future can only be decided by God but if I had
to make a choice, I would love to go to West Ham." West Ham were reported to
have offered around £500,000 for Egwuekwe back in January, an offer
instantly rejected by the Wolves who were holding out for around £4million.
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Jedinak charged by FA for Sakho assault
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 2nd March 2015
By: Staff Writer
Crystal Palace's Mile Jedinak has been charged with violent conduct
following an incident during West Ham's 3-1 home defeat by Crystal Palce on
Saturday lunchtime. In the closing stages of the second half of last
weekend's London derby, Jedinak clearly struck West Ham's Senegal
international with a deliberate blow to the face with what was a nasty,
spiteful challenge.# And this afternoon the FA confirmed that they would be
charging the midfielder retrospectively as referee Mike Dean either failed
to see the incident or deemed it a challenge not worthy of a caution. "Mile
Jedinak has been charged for an alleged act of violent conduct which was not
seen by the match officials but caught on video," read an FA Statement. "The
Crystal Palace midfielder was involved in an incident with West Ham United's
Diafra Sakho in the 87th minute of the game on Saturday (28 February 2015).
"Off the ball incidents in Premier League matches which are not seen at the
time by the match officials are referred to a panel of three former elite
referees. "Each panel member will review the video footage independently of
one another to determine whether they consider it a sending-off offence. For
retrospective action to be taken, the decision by the panel must be
unanimous. Jedinak has until 6pm tomorrow (Tuesday 3 March) to reply to the
charge."
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Alan Pardew says Mile Jedinak should not be banned for Diafra Sakho incident
Last Updated: 02/03/15 5:54pm
SSN
Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew believes Mile Jedinak should not be
banned for his elbow on West Ham striker Diafra Sakho. The Australian
midfielder looks set to be charged with violent conduct by the Football
Association following the incident during the Eagles' 3-1 win at Upton Park
on Saturday. Crystal Palace could be without Mile Jedinak when they face
Southampton. Jedinak will be banned for four games if the case is proven as
it will be his second red card offence of the season. Pardew, speaking ahead
of Tuesday's game at Southampton, said: "I have seen it (the incident). I
have seen it immediately after the game because it was highlighted to me by
the press. "I have seen worse incidents where nothing has happened so I'll
be surprised if something happens with this, but the media, as they are,
have highlighted it and we will have to see where it goes." Pardew admits he
is concerned about the current trend of players being tried by media. "Yes I
think it's a problem and I think the FA need to be very careful of it," he
said. "We had an incident with (West Brom defender) Craig Dawson on (Palace
keeper) Julian Speroni earlier in the season - it was far worse than this
incident and nothing was done. "It is about where are the guidelines and
what are we doing? In retrospect it is very, very difficult anyway and I
think the FA has a tough job as well. "It's difficult, where do you draw the
line? Does the referee ref it and see what he has seen, but retrospective on
sending offs and diving? All of this is in the agenda, of course, and we
need to have some clear guidelines."
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Mile Jedinak charged by FA after clash with Diafra Sakho
Last Updated: 02/03/15 7:00pm
SSN
Crystal Palace midfielder Mile Jedinak has been charged with violent conduct
by the Football Association after an alleged elbow on Diafra Sakho. The
Australia international is in the dock following the incident during the
second half of Palace's 3-1 win at Upton Park on Saturday. The 88th-minute
clash was not seen by the match officials but was caught on video, allowing
the FA to take retrospective action. Jedinak has until 6pm on Tuesday to
respond to the charge. An FA statement read: "Off the ball incidents in
Premier League matches which are not seen at the time by the match officials
are referred to a panel of three former elite referees. "Each panel member
will review the video footage independently of one another to determine
whether they consider it a sending-off offence. For retrospective action to
be taken, the decision by the panel must be unanimous." Jedinak will be
banned for four games if the case is proven as it will be his second red
card offence of the season. Palace boss Alan Pardew, speaking ahead of
Tuesday's game at Southampton, defended his player and said he would have
been surprised if he was charged. He said: "I have seen it (the incident). I
have seen it immediately after the game because it was highlighted to me by
the press. "I have seen worse incidents where nothing has happened so I'll
be surprised if something happens with this, but the media, as they are,
have highlighted it and we will have to see where it goes." Pardew also
admitted he is concerned about the current trend of players being tried by
media. "Yes I think it's a problem and I think the FA need to be very
careful of it," he said. "We had an incident with (West Brom defender) Craig
Dawson on (Palace keeper) Julian Speroni earlier in the season - it was far
worse than this incident and nothing was done. "It is about where are the
guidelines and what are we doing? In retrospect it is very, very difficult
anyway and I think the FA has a tough job as well. "It's difficult, where do
you draw the line? Does the referee ref it and see what he has seen, but
retrospective on sending offs and diving? All of this is in the agenda, of
course, and we need to have some clear guidelines."
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THE INDICATORS ARE GOOD FOR THE FUTURE - AS LONG AS WE LEARN OUR LESSONS!
By S J Chandos 2 Mar 2015 at 08:09
West Ham Till I Die
I sincerely hope that the squad will learn the short-term lessons, galvanize
and put another winning run together between now and the end of the season.
In the longer term, West Ham must maintain its forward movement as a club.
As I wrote on here months ago, the board are duty bound to consider their
options where the manager is considered. If a superior manager becomes
available (and I assume that they are currently exploring that) they will
seriously consider making the change. Whilst there is no point appointing a
new manager who is not a significant upgrade on the current incumbent. And I
feel that the management situation will ultimately be resolved this summer
in these exact same terms. But what I will say is if they can attract the
right candidate then I personally would favour change at this forthcoming
juncture. Ideally, what I would like to see in a replacement is a
manager/coach who can develop the club's young players as well as operate
effectively in the transfer market.
In terms of the playing staff, we must continue to upgrade the squad. We
need a new keeper to compete with Adrian, whilst developing the potential of
Spiegel and Howes in the longer-term. One of the successes this season has
been the effectiveness of our full-back/wings. Jenkinson and Cresswell have
been a revelation, this season, and brought a whole new dimension to our
play. We must resist any bids from Man City for Cresswell and attempt to
land Jenkinson on a permanent contract. The arrival of Stephen Hendrie
should give us more strength in depth and selection options; while I would
definitely sign another right-back, in addition to Jenkinson, and if Glen
Johnson is available on a Bosman, he would be a good addition. That would
give us real strength in depth in those key positions. And with the likes of
Oscar Borg coming through the Academy the future looks promising.
If Winston Reid leaves in the summer (as looks likely) then we need a top
quality addition. Diijk, at Celtic, has been linked with us, but the club
almost certainly has a number of other targets identified. The important
thing is to ensure that any addition is an upgrade on Reid. It was
undoubtedly the right decision to retain Reid for the remainder of this
season and, if necessary, secure a replacement who can settle in over
pre-season. Encouragingly, Tomkins seems to be realising his full potential
and we now have Don Henry, Reece Burke and (the exciting) Reece Oxford in
the pipeline; while Collins is probably good cover for another season or
two, while the younger players come through. Who knows, perhaps Reid might
even confound us and sign a new deal, although that seems unlikely in the
present circumstances.
In midfield, Alex Song is a class act and his addition in the summer would
send out the right message. Noble has signed a new 5 year contract and
Kouyate has become the influential player that I confidently predicted when
he signed. Plus there is much more to come from Diego Poyet and hopefully he
will figure more in the first team before the end of the season.
Controversially (as far as some are concerned) there is an argument that
Nolan should see out the final year of his contract, with the proviso that
his role is as club Captain and impacting from the substitutes bench. Nolan
is a great Captain and influence on the squad and it might be a good idea to
keep him for another season. Of course, much will depend on Sam Allardyce's
future, the first team plans of a managerial successor and whether Nolan is
happy to see out his contract on that basis? Amalfitano has done well this
season (prior to his transgression against WBA) and could be offered a new
contract. Similarly, the prospect of finally signing Lassana Diarra is an
intriguing prospect. Further forward, it would be good to see another
creative play-maker added to compete Stewart Downing. Might we resuscitate
our earlier interest in Yevhen Konoplyanka or even go for a promising
youngster like Derby County's Will Hughes?
Up front, there are a number of questions. Firstly, can the club afford to
continue with an expensive, injury prone, striker like Andy Carroll? That
aside, does he facilitate a style of play that we want to see at the club?
Personally, I think if he is fit then he stays, but not as a permanent
fixture like under Allardyce. Carroll offers something different and can
compliment our other strikers. Ultimately, it will be interesting to see if
the Lakaku rumours are true? If so, then it could be that Carroll will
eventually make way for him. In terms of our other strikers, we arguably
need to retain the services of Sakho and Valencia.
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HOW DO YOU MEASURE PROGRESS?
By Iain Dale 2 Mar 2015 at 15:22
West Ham till I Die
Guest Post by DC
How do we measure whether a football club is making progress on the pitch –
or not as the case may be? Bagging 40 points last season compared to the 46
points we bagged two seasons back is hardly progress you might argue.
Personally, I prefer to take at the very least a 'mid-term' view when
measuring progress (unless of course a Manager drives me to despair in terms
of playing one-dimensional soul-destroying football) – Nudge, Nudge, Wink,
Wink, No What I Mean? No What I Mean?
So how do the Stats of the 'Stat Man' himself Mr. Samuel Allardyci stack up
over 3 Premier League seasons for the Hammers?
WEST HAM'S LAST 3 PREMIER LEAGUE SEASONS WITH ALLARDYCI Played 103, Won 33,
Drawn 26, Lost 44, Goals For 125, Goals Against 146, Goal Difference -21,
Points 123
WEST HAM'S LAST 3 PREMIER LEAGUE SEASONS BEFORE ALLARDYCI Played 114, Won
29, Drawn 32, Lost 53, Goals For 132, Goals Against 181, Goal Difference
-49, Points 119
Win – Allardyce 32% | Pre Allardyce 25.5%
Draw – Allardyce 25% | Pre Allardyce 28%
Lose – Allardyce 43% | Pre Allardyce 46.5%
Goals per game – Allardyce 1.21 | Pre Allardyce 1.15
Goals conceded per game – Allardyce 1.41 | Pre Allardyce 1.58
Goal difference – Allardyce -0.20 | Pre Allardyce 0.43
Points per game = Allardyce 1.19 | Pre Allardyce 1.04
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Sak's new deal on the table!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 2, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Diafra Sakho will sign his improved Hammers deal following the last game of
the season! The striker – with 11 goals to his name in his first season –
was promised a bumper increase after making 25 League appearances. But
ClaretandHugh was told today: "Whether he reaches that number or not the
deal is on the table, He is firmly under lock and key for another five and
half years anyway but the improved deal is important to him and us. "He
needs to know the value we put on him and given that a percentage of his
earnings are based on appearances this will bring him into line with the
rest of the first team." ClaretandHugh understands the new deal will give
him £30k a week basic wage plus goal and appearance incentives." Despite a
first season interrupted by injury and the controversy surrounding his
absence from the African Cup of Nations, the Senegal international has
remained focused and professional. Our source said: "His back injury is okay
at the moment but he is always going to have to be careful with it and may
go on a muscle strengthening programme in the summer."
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Nene looks for long-term deal
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 2, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Nene is hoping to get the chance to stake his claim for a permanent West Ham
deal at the end of the season. The Brazilian is desperate to emulate his
footballing idol – Ryan Giggs – who played on into his 40th year. And given
the chances over the next 11 games, the 33 year old is ready to prove his
point to Sam Allardyce and the board. A well placed club insider told us:
"The club can of course make it a long term deal at the end of the season
and the player wants to make an impact. He's not fully match fit yet but did
okay on Saturday had the shot which hit the post gone in on it could have
been a game changer. "He's certain to get chances with Andy Carroll injured
and the last 11 games will tell us a lot. He's a low wage player but with a
decent appearance clause written in. "His football idol is Ryan Giggs and
would love the chance to finish his career with a Premier League club."
Nene will be staying at Upton Park when the squad leave for Dubai on
Thursday as he bids to get up to fully fitness via an intensive training
programme
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Adrian loves Mourinho games
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 2, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Adrian has good memories of his clashes with Jose Mourinho! Speaking to
www.whufc.com he recalled matches for Real Betis against Mourinho's Real
Madrid plus his sensational performance against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge
last season. He said: "I don't know if Mourinho remembers me but when I play
against him I have got some good results – a win with Real Betis and a 0-0
draw at Stamford Bridge last season. With Betis, we won the game 1-0 and
personally I was the Man of the Match and I was very happy with that result!
"Personally, I feel good when I play against Mourinho!" And he claims
clashing with Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and the rest reminds him of the night
he denied Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel di Maria and Karim Benzema. He said:
"It's more or less the same sort of game, facing Chelsea as it was facing
Real Madrid, with all their attacking players. "We need to concentrate for
the full 90 minutes and if we play well and show our performance level like
we did against Liverpool, Man City and Man United at home, we can get
points. "This game, the 'keeper is busy because they have good players and
good strikers, so you normally need to make good saves to keep your side in
the game. I hope Wednesday will be a good game for me and for the team.
"It's a tough game for us, but all our players are motivated for this game."
Having let leads slip against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur and
gone down to a home defeat by Crystal Palace on Saturday, the says there's
lots riding on the match. He said: "We need to recover and play to our top
level against Chelsea. It's another really big London derby. "I try to keep
a clean sheet every time but sometimes it's impossible, like it was on
Saturday. I play every game at 100 per cent and that will be the same
against Chelsea and I hope to get a good result on Wednesday. "Not just one
player can win the game, though. We need the whole team to concentrate for
the full 90 minutes. It is a big game for us, for the fans and for the club
and we need to get the three points to stay in a good position in the
league."
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Sam fails against 'Pardew's Bolton'
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 2, 2015 in Whispers
By Rich Sprent
Claret & Hugh
That the lines are well drawn over the manager is a given. That those
wanting change have pointed all that was wrong on Saturday at Allardyce has
been well voiced. On balance both sides have legitimate concerns following
the Palace debacle. The best XI was on show but the the front six couldn't
control their own bladders let alone the football. Instead of keeping the
ball they tried to force things.
Amazingly, Palace had been set up by Alan Pardew in precisely the same way
as Allardyce had done in his Bolton era! Yet here was Song trying Hollywood
passes when an easy square ball was on, Downing, choked of space became more
and more marginalised. He looked bereft of ideas. His game is running at a
player, not a whole team. Kouyate and Noble toiled well but continually ran
into the South Londoner's cloying midfield led ably by Jedinek. That he and
Jason Puncheon looked so much more effective against our best four in the
midfield is testament to a mid market squad competing up with the big boys.
When you begin to do well, teams like Palace will shut up shop on you. The
game was crying out for one of two plans: either be patient and creative and
work the opportunity or out-bully the opposition to earn the right to play.
West Ham did neither and pigheadedly tried to impose the plan that worked so
often this season- get the ball for the front two to create all the space
behind the back four. But there wasn't any space. Trying to force passes
through Pard's well marshalled team didn't work. Neither Sakho or Valencia
dropped off to create space or allow the midfield to get in front of them.
The full backs were frustrated but still looked the best bet. However with a
Palace back four made up from the Land of Giants it was unlikely that
anything but a perfect cross would do. It didn't materialise.
The three set piece goals conceded were dreadful. Yes, that Murray was on
FIVE fouls before being booked can be complained about. Yes, Jedinek
assaulted Sakho. But collectively the team simply did not have the patience
or guile to unlock the Eagles.
And with no adequate option to challenge their strength by battering them,
it was patience and guile that was required. This is where both sides of the
manager fence can throw their stones: the only options on the books with
twinkle toes are Amalfitano and Zarate. The Frenchman was obviously
suspended. That the South American is unavailable for selection can be
looked at two ways: a/ he's not good enough and we should have got someone
better or b/ the manager failed to integrate him into the squad and use him
effectively. Either way, we have a mid market squad size and the options off
the bench are sparse. Our best starters flopped to a determined Palace side.
That the manager could not get get the team to slow it down and work an
opening is damning. It however makes little difference if he is seen to be
jumping up and down like a moronic monkey on jungle juice or not. There are
ways to convey messages onto the field without being a Martin O'Neill or
Paolo Di Canio. The team now has two of the best sides up next to prove that
they are worthy of the fight to reach Europe. Both sides will allow West Ham
to try to play their best.
After that, the run-in will be full of teams wanting to stop the Hammers
first. The team will need to shoe some patience and show some guile to make
their mark on the remaining games.
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Hammers set for sunshine 'charge-up'
Posted by Sean Whetstone on March 2, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham's first team are jetting off to the Dubai sun after the Chelsea
midweek match as they have done in previous years. Sam Allardyce has
previously said he believes the short winter breaks in Dubai are vital to
his team's fortunes in the Premier League season run-in.
A Hammers source told ClaretandHugh after the news had been broken on
WHUFCTV.com: "A few players are staying behind to work on fitness. In
previous years the Hammers have stayed at Dubai Sports City. "We need to be
freshened up for the last nine games as the haul from the last ten games has
simply not been good enough." With many points still to play for, Allardyce
is hopeful that the trip gives the squad a real charge as he looks to gain
an end of season edge. After last season's trip, the manager said: "I've
been coming here for about 14 years with various teams and we have always
found the facilities in Dubai exceptionally good, obviously the warm weather
is guaranteed and the lads are really enjoying it. "The horrendous climate
we have in England and the amount of games we have to play in December and
January is our peak time so physically and mentally they are very tired.
"Getting out and training in the sun, and enjoying each other's company is
extremely important. Our data has told us that players' levels have
increased when they got back even if it is only after a few days away, they
can recharge the batteries physically and mentally and results have always
improved for me."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammer's future remains on hold
Posted by Sean Whetstone on March 2, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sebastian Lletget's agent has denied widespread speculation the young Hammer
is on his way to LA Galaxy. A number of football sites say the 22 year old
who is out of contract in the summer will sign a three-year agreement with
the MLS club. It has also been claimed the Irons will not receive any
compensation for the player, but will keep a sell on clause which means they
will keep a percentage of a possible future transfer. However FIFA
registered agent Chris Megaloudis has denied his client is moving to LA
Galaxy saying "Sebastian Lletget hasn't signed with the MLS. He is at West
Ham and looking at options in England/Europe. Spain 2nd/England are
options." Lletget is one of many Academy players thought to be surplus to
requirements as Terry Westly has a clear out of the Academy squad.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce: 'Win only performances now'
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 2, 2015 in Whispers
Claret &
Hugh
Sam Allardyce is no longer interested in great performances without the
victory to go with them. Still clearly shocked by the Crystal Palace defeat,
the manager has made his expectations clear before Chelsea, Arsenal and the
rest of the season. Like everybody else he has loved the general
performances against such as Manchester United and Spurs – a habit we have
adopted most of the season against the better sides. But after being caught
late and now beaten by a team below us, a winning agenda has been firmly
laid on the table. Hopes of a top finish have been downgraded regularly
since Christmas with predictions slumping from top four to top six, top
eight and now top ten so something has to change fast as there are no
genuinely "easy games " left given that perhaps eight of them will be
involved in top and bottom of the table issues!. With one win in 10 League
games Allardyce said: "I can't just accept good performances now, I need
good performances with victories. "We've been so close to being brilliant in
terms of performances, in games against Man United, Southampton and
Tottenham, but we've now got only three points out of four games when we
could have had seven.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
From the Terraces
WHUFC.com
Canada-based supporter James Sneddon gives his verdict on Saturday's game.
Saturday's 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace could be taken as an indicator of
West Ham's recent dip in form. Following the loss, the Hammers have only
recorded one win in their last ten and taken eight points from a possible
30. If a good start to the season plays a big role in determining where
you'll be come May, then Sam Allardyce must be kicking himself. The
post-Christmas period has proven to be the downfall as of late and there has
been a lack of consistency in form.
West Ham's first win of 2015 came on 18 January and after a dip in-form the
manager said they "needed a reality check." But it wasn't the sign of more
positives to come; three defeats and two draws followed against Manchester
United and Tottenham Hotspur in games where the opposition equalised at the
depths of injury time.
The game against Crystal Palace was a challenge in itself. Under new manager
Alan Pardew, Palace had an unbeaten away record of four wins in four on the
road and were a rejuvenated side from the one in the first half of the
season. Compared to West Ham's form being more than below-par, Crystal
Palace made the short trip to E13 as arguably the favourites.
The game started off with the Hammers testing the Eagles, but they looked
like a desperate side rather than one wanting to hand it to Palace. Mark
Noble had the best chances early on and West Ham made something, but the
opposition took the lead with four minutes left until the break.
Miscommunication in the defence allowed Glenn Murray to head the ball and,
although Aaron Cresswell did his best to clear it, the ball slipped under
the number three and Palace were ahead. Big Sam looked on with a face like
thunder.
West Ham will need to learn from their mistakes if they are to change this,
and the next two goals further demonstrated that. Defender Scott Dann was
completely unmarked to double the lead. The claret and blue looked like a
side with no game plan and no hope of recovering.
The away side tripled the lead with another feeling of déjà vu; Glenn Murray
headed again from a cross, marked this time by Winston Reid. Murray was
dismissed a few minutes later for fouling Reid, and Ecuadorian Enner
Valencia pulled one back for the Hammers.
But it wasn't good enough and Sam Allardyce said in his post-match interview
how he was "shocked" by the defeat because his side didn't do what he asked.
The dream of European football is fading quickly, and Big Sam faces an
enormous task to make things better swiftly, with Chelsea next up.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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Tuesday, March 3
Monday, March 2
Daily WHUFC News - 2nd March 2015
From the Boardroom
WHUFC.com
Like everyone else at the game, I was really disappointed with the result. I
do not think we can blame anyone but ourselves as we put out our best team.
I think if you had asked most West Ham fans to pick the team they would have
gone with the same starting XI and if you look at the substitutions, it is
difficult to see how we could have done anything different.
I was pleased to see Nene make his debut as I think he will offer something
different to our attack. It was just a real shame that his shot hits the
post rather than the back of the net as who knows what might have happened
had that gone in.
On the other hand, everything came off for Crystal Palace. They had three
shots on goal and scored three goals. But while it is disappointing,
bizarrely that same team can go out and beat Chelsea on Wednesday based on
the performances we have seen this season.
We had a bad performance at West Bromwich Albion and a bad performance
against Crystal Palace but equally we have had some good performances since
Christmas.
We now have to pick ourselves up for Chelsea as we always seem to be at our
best when we play the top teams.
It really would not surprise me if on Wednesday we went and beat Chelsea and
we were all wondering how on earth we lost to West Brom and Crystal Palace!
David Gold
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Downing - 'We had to be more patient'
WHUFC.com
Stewart Downing says West Ham United need to get better against teams who
set up to frustrate them if they are to push back towards the top end of the
Barclays Premier League table. Despite enjoying 66 per cent possession
against Crystal Palace on Saturday, the Hammers were defeated 3-1 by an
Eagles team content to sit back and hit their hosts on the break. Downing is
certain his team will take that experience as a lesson and use it to improve
for the rest of the campaign. He explained: "We went into Saturday's game
off a good result at Tottenham, but I think a lot of teams are coming here
and trying to frustrate us. "They're getting people behind the ball and I
don't think we were patient enough. We tried to force it too much, and it
wasn't until they went 2-0 up that we started to penetrate. "We got the goal
back, but we left it a little too late. Hopefully it's just a blip and we
don't want it to continue because we were really confident we could win the
game on Saturday." Downing's eighth assist of the season set up Enner
Valencia's 76th minute consolation and the 30-year-old midfielder was
pleased to see his teammate score a first league goal since November. He
continued: "It was a good strike from Enner. The keeper got his hand to it
but he had a couple of good shots. "We needed to get him on the ball in
those kind of areas but it was difficult in the first half. "I'm sure he's
happy to be back on the scoresheet, but overall we're disappointed we didn't
win because we had it down as a winnable game."
With Chelsea next up, Downing knows the Hammers need to bounce back swiftly.
He said: "Our best performances have come against the teams at the top, but
if we want to be in the top half we need to win games like Saturday's.
"Chelsea will be difficult but we've got nothing to lose. We've got a good
record at home against the top teams and we need to get back to basics."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ladies suffer semi-final heartbreak
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies suffered a 1-0 FA Women's Premier League Plate defeat
at Preston North End on Sunday. Hammers goalkeeper Nikita Runnacles had kept
the visitors in the game on several occasions throughout, but she could do
nothing to keep out Chelsea Flanagan's 80th-minute winner. Julian Dicks'
side were looking to book their second cup final in as many weeks after
their 2-0 London FA Capital Women's Cup semi-final victory away to Queens
Park Rangers the previous Sunday. However, Dicks was forced into making
three changes ahead of kick-off, with the unavailable Nikki Duncan and
Kelley Blanchflower being replaced by Runnacles and Adele Sale. Jade Smith
also dropped to the bench, giving Lily Mellors a starting role. After making
the long trip to Lancashire, Dicks would have been hoping for some early
inspiration from his side, but the visitors failed to threaten the hosts'
back line in the opening minutes. The remainder of the opening half
continued in similar fashion, with Runnacles needing to be at her best to
keep the game level. Preston did let slip and allow the Hammers a chance
just after the hour-mark, but after latching onto a weak backpass from
Alison Taberner, striker Vicky Kinsman was closed down and denied by
Danielle Brown. With 80 minutes on the clock, Flanagan booked the Lilywhites
a ticket to the final against Huddersfield Town Ladies when she controlled
the ball well and finally found a way past Runnacles. The Hammers will hope
to pick up a more positive result on Sunday 8 March when they make another
long trip down to Plymouth Ladies in the FA Women's Premier League Southern
Division.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Pardew on... West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 1st March 2015
By: Staff Writer
Alan Pardew, once of this parish was delighted to enjoy another return to
the Boleyn Ground - from where his Palace side gained three vital Premier
League points...
Alan: I don't think too many people were expecting you to win so
convincingly. Were you surprised at how easily you won?
No, because I was a little bit disappointed in the first half that we hand't
contained the ball and worked it better than we had. We had a tough period
in that first half. Second half, we kind of nailed it, especially in the
first period. We were terrific and although we got three set play goals
today we caused lots of dangerous balls going across the front and it was
good to feel that because I keep saying to this team they're better than
they think they are.
But we had to show another side. Glenn has gone for a ball in the box that
all striker's are going to go for and gets sent off. I looked at that clock
with 16 minutes to go and thought 'blimey, that's going to be a long time' -
and it was. It felt like 160 minutes, but we got there.
How would you assess Glen's performance today? He was excellent up until
[the red card]?
He was, wasn't he. He's just got that nouse as a number nine to find a bit
of space and be in the crucial place at the crucial time. He had three good
chances today, he could have had a hat-trick in the first half just purely
by. I hope he doesn't feel I'm insulting him but he ain't the quickest. But
Teddy coaches here now and when I had him as a player here he is a little
bit like Teddy in that he can create space for himself but not a great deal
of pace. Clever.
Did he want to in the window? I read somewhere that he wanted to go out on
loan.
We must have had three or four Championship teams who felt they had a chance
of him on loan; Reading probably the most prominent because he'd already
been there. But I gave him a new contract and said he can stay and help us
get out of this situation.
He's been unfortunate that Fraser came in and did brilliantly for us so he's
had to be patient, even in the spell I've been here. But he's rewarded me
today and I can't thank him enough, I thought he was terrific. I felt sorry
for him when he got sent off, it was probably my fault as well as I should
have done it earlier. I was getting Shola ready but it was too late.
You looked a handful today; hopefully you can stay up with a bit to spare?
Well for us the away win was so important. It gives us now a platform that
if we win our home games or at least three of them we can stay in the
division and you can't really ask for any more than that at this stage in
our second season in the Premier League. We've got ourselves in a great
position tonight and now we have to see it home.
Sorry to have to ask this, but TV showed that Mile Jedinak followed through
with an elbow on Sakho. What did you make of that and have you spoken to him
about that?
Yes, I've seen the incident and there's no doubt that he' gone to
aggressively kick the ball into the stand to buy us a little bit of time and
his elbow's high. I don't think there was anything malicious in it and I do
hope the authorities look kindly on it.
You would hope that there's no retrospective action then?
No, of course. His performance today was phenomenal and he won almost every
header in midfield. Anyone who knows him knows that he hasn't got any
nastiness in him and it's a shame that those two incidents are probably
going to grab some headlines, Glen getting sent off and Mile's incident
-because we warrant more than that.
The strength of your squad showed through today. It showed that Palace now
have a really strong squad of players?
Yeah. We've been a little bit unlucky with injuries. Sonogo we lost, Chamakh
we lost. I left Joe out today for Mile to return to play a crucial part.
And, of course, McArthur for Mutch. It's that depth that we managed to get
in the last window that has probably helped us to get us this win today, so
I owe a little bit of a debt to the Chairman and the board for that.
You picked a very attacking line-up today. Did you think West Ham were here
for the taking?
No, of course not, but I knew after Yanick's 20 minutes at Arsenal there was
no way I'm was going to leave him out, I'm not a complete fool. He was
absolutely unbelievable and he had his moments today. We know that those two
can create for us and it's just about whether we can get enough bodies in
the box. We managed to do that at times today. We found a new role for
Puncheon, I thought he was terrific too.
It's a great to see Jonas Gutierrez back on the bench for Newcastle today at
Aston Villa?
Big news, because wow, we had the profile of raised today about cancer
awareness so it was close to my heart today and that applause around the
ground was magnificent I thought. I'm please about Jonas, so pleased for him
to come through that and get himself on the bench.
Is Murray going to claim that first goal?
Yes, he said he got so much spin on it that Cresswell had no chance to clear
it! [laughs] That's what he said to me.
What happens there, do the FA look at it?
I think Sky said to me they'll give it to Glen and I don't if the referee
has a shout. I don't really know if I'm honest.
What's your record like here? Have you lost much coming back here with other
clubs?
No, I've lost here - this is a tough place to come, but it worked out for us
today. I'm so pleased for the group, we really worked hard this week on a
lot of aspects of our game and I was really pleased with the way the players
have conducted themselves in terms of their tactical performance.
Did you work very hard on the set pieces?
We're good at set plays, we've got people who can really attack it. My
record at Newcastle was awful. I kept saying to the board I need someone to
attack the bloody ball, we need a couple of players in this group. Luckily
I've come to this club and they're here. Scott Dann is a real threat and it
was a great goal because to win that header against Reid showed his quality.
What was the new contract with Glen Murray?
He's got an extension until the year ending next season. Thank you.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
DG's website views raise a smile
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 1, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Club websites by their nature exist to provide a positive spin on even the
most desperate results and situations. West Ham has just upgraded its site
and visually it's a massive improvement on what went before and I
congratulate them on that. However, like every club site in the land, it
won't be providing serious gossip , comings and goings or serious criticisms
of anybody inside the club - it simply doesn't go with the territory. Mark
Noble telling us how pleased he is a to sign a new deal, Sam Allardyce
telling us the team had let the fans down yesterday, Stewart Downing
explaining how the team was made to be patient despite having a lion's share
of the possession, latest videos and a discussion on Player of the Year is
the staple diet of such operations This morning DG in a 'From the Boardroom'
piece said for example: ""We now have to pick ourselves up for Chelsea as we
always seem to be at our best when we play the top teams.
"It really would not surprise me if on Wednesday we went and beat Chelsea
and we were all wondering how on earth we lost to West Brom and Crystal
Palace!"
Such comments are known in the journalistic profession as "Programme Notes."
It's how is is! Some ClaretandHugh readers on the FB forum immedoately
suggested his backing of Sam Allardyce's team selection was the strongest
possible indicator that the manager would soon get a new deal. Let's not get
carried away.the site is there to present the best possible shop window for
the club and we would hardly expect the joint boss to say: "We're gonna get
hammered if we play like that - we were rubbish." My immediate response was
a wry smile rather than an outburst of exasperation. The club site has many
useful features but don't expect hard hitting features and inside scoops.
That's not part of the remit.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'Soft' West Ham United are heading for Chelsea humbling after loss to
Crystal Palace
Julian Shea for Metro.co.ukSunday 1 Mar 2015 12:01 pm
If Chelsea win the Capital One Cup this afternoon, they should have the
decency to thank West Ham for giving them such a sound night's sleep with
their display against Crystal Palace on Saturday. In John Terry and
Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea possess two monsters in the air, and after
watching West Ham's feeble surrender to the Eagles, the pair will probably
be striking a private bet to see who will win the most aerial challenges and
headed chances when they face the Irons this Wednesday. Palace weren't
brilliant - they were just much better than their hosts. Solid, reliable
and, unfortunately for West Ham, a cut above them in all areas, particularly
the air, with three headed goals proving decisive. Ok so the first one,
which some might say proved the turning point in the game after a moderately
encouraging start for West Ham, took a massive deflection off Aaron
Cresswell, but the fact Glenn Murray won the ball in the first place was
key. A further headed effort for Murray early in the second half, after
Scott Dann had nodded in one of his own, had home fans streaming for the
exits with almost a third of the game remaining. They missed the excitement
of Murray's dismissal for a second bookable offence and the previously
anonymous Enner Valencia's first league goal in four months - as well as
debutant Nene hitting the post.
But with the Eagles happy to sit back and soak up the punches, there was
little serious threat of West Ham getting back into the game.
Of course, it would have been different if Mark Noble's early free-kick had
not hit the bar, and Cresswell's fizzing shot had been a few inches lower,
but they weren't. West Ham surrendered control of the air to the Eagles, and
with it, the match - and they were made to pay. With Jonjo Heuerman's
800-mile fundraising trek coming to an end before the game, and the Dylan
Tombides Foundation also being launched, charity was in the air at the
Boleyn, but there was no need for West Ham to be so generous. The recent
league results are hugely disappointing - three draws (two to last-minute
equalisers) and two defeats in the last five matches - or to put it another
way, 12 points dropped out of a possible 15. With Chelsea and Arsenal up
next, there is no sign of that form changing soon. Jose Mourinho's
description of West Ham's 19th century football may have been laughed at,
but the sad truth is, on the basis of this showing, West Ham are light years
behind their next opponents. Despite having the better of early exchanges
against Palace, the Irons showed all the cutting edge of a butter knife. A
team of Chelsea's capabilities would have been even less forgiving.
European qualification, which seemed a brass ring within reach a month ago,
is now more akin to one made of smoke. Unless ideas are bucked up before
Wednesday, Chelsea's regular European travellers could hammer that point
home far more brutally than Palace did.
Be warned.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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WHUFC.com
Like everyone else at the game, I was really disappointed with the result. I
do not think we can blame anyone but ourselves as we put out our best team.
I think if you had asked most West Ham fans to pick the team they would have
gone with the same starting XI and if you look at the substitutions, it is
difficult to see how we could have done anything different.
I was pleased to see Nene make his debut as I think he will offer something
different to our attack. It was just a real shame that his shot hits the
post rather than the back of the net as who knows what might have happened
had that gone in.
On the other hand, everything came off for Crystal Palace. They had three
shots on goal and scored three goals. But while it is disappointing,
bizarrely that same team can go out and beat Chelsea on Wednesday based on
the performances we have seen this season.
We had a bad performance at West Bromwich Albion and a bad performance
against Crystal Palace but equally we have had some good performances since
Christmas.
We now have to pick ourselves up for Chelsea as we always seem to be at our
best when we play the top teams.
It really would not surprise me if on Wednesday we went and beat Chelsea and
we were all wondering how on earth we lost to West Brom and Crystal Palace!
David Gold
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Downing - 'We had to be more patient'
WHUFC.com
Stewart Downing says West Ham United need to get better against teams who
set up to frustrate them if they are to push back towards the top end of the
Barclays Premier League table. Despite enjoying 66 per cent possession
against Crystal Palace on Saturday, the Hammers were defeated 3-1 by an
Eagles team content to sit back and hit their hosts on the break. Downing is
certain his team will take that experience as a lesson and use it to improve
for the rest of the campaign. He explained: "We went into Saturday's game
off a good result at Tottenham, but I think a lot of teams are coming here
and trying to frustrate us. "They're getting people behind the ball and I
don't think we were patient enough. We tried to force it too much, and it
wasn't until they went 2-0 up that we started to penetrate. "We got the goal
back, but we left it a little too late. Hopefully it's just a blip and we
don't want it to continue because we were really confident we could win the
game on Saturday." Downing's eighth assist of the season set up Enner
Valencia's 76th minute consolation and the 30-year-old midfielder was
pleased to see his teammate score a first league goal since November. He
continued: "It was a good strike from Enner. The keeper got his hand to it
but he had a couple of good shots. "We needed to get him on the ball in
those kind of areas but it was difficult in the first half. "I'm sure he's
happy to be back on the scoresheet, but overall we're disappointed we didn't
win because we had it down as a winnable game."
With Chelsea next up, Downing knows the Hammers need to bounce back swiftly.
He said: "Our best performances have come against the teams at the top, but
if we want to be in the top half we need to win games like Saturday's.
"Chelsea will be difficult but we've got nothing to lose. We've got a good
record at home against the top teams and we need to get back to basics."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ladies suffer semi-final heartbreak
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies suffered a 1-0 FA Women's Premier League Plate defeat
at Preston North End on Sunday. Hammers goalkeeper Nikita Runnacles had kept
the visitors in the game on several occasions throughout, but she could do
nothing to keep out Chelsea Flanagan's 80th-minute winner. Julian Dicks'
side were looking to book their second cup final in as many weeks after
their 2-0 London FA Capital Women's Cup semi-final victory away to Queens
Park Rangers the previous Sunday. However, Dicks was forced into making
three changes ahead of kick-off, with the unavailable Nikki Duncan and
Kelley Blanchflower being replaced by Runnacles and Adele Sale. Jade Smith
also dropped to the bench, giving Lily Mellors a starting role. After making
the long trip to Lancashire, Dicks would have been hoping for some early
inspiration from his side, but the visitors failed to threaten the hosts'
back line in the opening minutes. The remainder of the opening half
continued in similar fashion, with Runnacles needing to be at her best to
keep the game level. Preston did let slip and allow the Hammers a chance
just after the hour-mark, but after latching onto a weak backpass from
Alison Taberner, striker Vicky Kinsman was closed down and denied by
Danielle Brown. With 80 minutes on the clock, Flanagan booked the Lilywhites
a ticket to the final against Huddersfield Town Ladies when she controlled
the ball well and finally found a way past Runnacles. The Hammers will hope
to pick up a more positive result on Sunday 8 March when they make another
long trip down to Plymouth Ladies in the FA Women's Premier League Southern
Division.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Pardew on... West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 1st March 2015
By: Staff Writer
Alan Pardew, once of this parish was delighted to enjoy another return to
the Boleyn Ground - from where his Palace side gained three vital Premier
League points...
Alan: I don't think too many people were expecting you to win so
convincingly. Were you surprised at how easily you won?
No, because I was a little bit disappointed in the first half that we hand't
contained the ball and worked it better than we had. We had a tough period
in that first half. Second half, we kind of nailed it, especially in the
first period. We were terrific and although we got three set play goals
today we caused lots of dangerous balls going across the front and it was
good to feel that because I keep saying to this team they're better than
they think they are.
But we had to show another side. Glenn has gone for a ball in the box that
all striker's are going to go for and gets sent off. I looked at that clock
with 16 minutes to go and thought 'blimey, that's going to be a long time' -
and it was. It felt like 160 minutes, but we got there.
How would you assess Glen's performance today? He was excellent up until
[the red card]?
He was, wasn't he. He's just got that nouse as a number nine to find a bit
of space and be in the crucial place at the crucial time. He had three good
chances today, he could have had a hat-trick in the first half just purely
by. I hope he doesn't feel I'm insulting him but he ain't the quickest. But
Teddy coaches here now and when I had him as a player here he is a little
bit like Teddy in that he can create space for himself but not a great deal
of pace. Clever.
Did he want to in the window? I read somewhere that he wanted to go out on
loan.
We must have had three or four Championship teams who felt they had a chance
of him on loan; Reading probably the most prominent because he'd already
been there. But I gave him a new contract and said he can stay and help us
get out of this situation.
He's been unfortunate that Fraser came in and did brilliantly for us so he's
had to be patient, even in the spell I've been here. But he's rewarded me
today and I can't thank him enough, I thought he was terrific. I felt sorry
for him when he got sent off, it was probably my fault as well as I should
have done it earlier. I was getting Shola ready but it was too late.
You looked a handful today; hopefully you can stay up with a bit to spare?
Well for us the away win was so important. It gives us now a platform that
if we win our home games or at least three of them we can stay in the
division and you can't really ask for any more than that at this stage in
our second season in the Premier League. We've got ourselves in a great
position tonight and now we have to see it home.
Sorry to have to ask this, but TV showed that Mile Jedinak followed through
with an elbow on Sakho. What did you make of that and have you spoken to him
about that?
Yes, I've seen the incident and there's no doubt that he' gone to
aggressively kick the ball into the stand to buy us a little bit of time and
his elbow's high. I don't think there was anything malicious in it and I do
hope the authorities look kindly on it.
You would hope that there's no retrospective action then?
No, of course. His performance today was phenomenal and he won almost every
header in midfield. Anyone who knows him knows that he hasn't got any
nastiness in him and it's a shame that those two incidents are probably
going to grab some headlines, Glen getting sent off and Mile's incident
-because we warrant more than that.
The strength of your squad showed through today. It showed that Palace now
have a really strong squad of players?
Yeah. We've been a little bit unlucky with injuries. Sonogo we lost, Chamakh
we lost. I left Joe out today for Mile to return to play a crucial part.
And, of course, McArthur for Mutch. It's that depth that we managed to get
in the last window that has probably helped us to get us this win today, so
I owe a little bit of a debt to the Chairman and the board for that.
You picked a very attacking line-up today. Did you think West Ham were here
for the taking?
No, of course not, but I knew after Yanick's 20 minutes at Arsenal there was
no way I'm was going to leave him out, I'm not a complete fool. He was
absolutely unbelievable and he had his moments today. We know that those two
can create for us and it's just about whether we can get enough bodies in
the box. We managed to do that at times today. We found a new role for
Puncheon, I thought he was terrific too.
It's a great to see Jonas Gutierrez back on the bench for Newcastle today at
Aston Villa?
Big news, because wow, we had the profile of raised today about cancer
awareness so it was close to my heart today and that applause around the
ground was magnificent I thought. I'm please about Jonas, so pleased for him
to come through that and get himself on the bench.
Is Murray going to claim that first goal?
Yes, he said he got so much spin on it that Cresswell had no chance to clear
it! [laughs] That's what he said to me.
What happens there, do the FA look at it?
I think Sky said to me they'll give it to Glen and I don't if the referee
has a shout. I don't really know if I'm honest.
What's your record like here? Have you lost much coming back here with other
clubs?
No, I've lost here - this is a tough place to come, but it worked out for us
today. I'm so pleased for the group, we really worked hard this week on a
lot of aspects of our game and I was really pleased with the way the players
have conducted themselves in terms of their tactical performance.
Did you work very hard on the set pieces?
We're good at set plays, we've got people who can really attack it. My
record at Newcastle was awful. I kept saying to the board I need someone to
attack the bloody ball, we need a couple of players in this group. Luckily
I've come to this club and they're here. Scott Dann is a real threat and it
was a great goal because to win that header against Reid showed his quality.
What was the new contract with Glen Murray?
He's got an extension until the year ending next season. Thank you.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
DG's website views raise a smile
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 1, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Club websites by their nature exist to provide a positive spin on even the
most desperate results and situations. West Ham has just upgraded its site
and visually it's a massive improvement on what went before and I
congratulate them on that. However, like every club site in the land, it
won't be providing serious gossip , comings and goings or serious criticisms
of anybody inside the club - it simply doesn't go with the territory. Mark
Noble telling us how pleased he is a to sign a new deal, Sam Allardyce
telling us the team had let the fans down yesterday, Stewart Downing
explaining how the team was made to be patient despite having a lion's share
of the possession, latest videos and a discussion on Player of the Year is
the staple diet of such operations This morning DG in a 'From the Boardroom'
piece said for example: ""We now have to pick ourselves up for Chelsea as we
always seem to be at our best when we play the top teams.
"It really would not surprise me if on Wednesday we went and beat Chelsea
and we were all wondering how on earth we lost to West Brom and Crystal
Palace!"
Such comments are known in the journalistic profession as "Programme Notes."
It's how is is! Some ClaretandHugh readers on the FB forum immedoately
suggested his backing of Sam Allardyce's team selection was the strongest
possible indicator that the manager would soon get a new deal. Let's not get
carried away.the site is there to present the best possible shop window for
the club and we would hardly expect the joint boss to say: "We're gonna get
hammered if we play like that - we were rubbish." My immediate response was
a wry smile rather than an outburst of exasperation. The club site has many
useful features but don't expect hard hitting features and inside scoops.
That's not part of the remit.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'Soft' West Ham United are heading for Chelsea humbling after loss to
Crystal Palace
Julian Shea for Metro.co.ukSunday 1 Mar 2015 12:01 pm
If Chelsea win the Capital One Cup this afternoon, they should have the
decency to thank West Ham for giving them such a sound night's sleep with
their display against Crystal Palace on Saturday. In John Terry and
Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea possess two monsters in the air, and after
watching West Ham's feeble surrender to the Eagles, the pair will probably
be striking a private bet to see who will win the most aerial challenges and
headed chances when they face the Irons this Wednesday. Palace weren't
brilliant - they were just much better than their hosts. Solid, reliable
and, unfortunately for West Ham, a cut above them in all areas, particularly
the air, with three headed goals proving decisive. Ok so the first one,
which some might say proved the turning point in the game after a moderately
encouraging start for West Ham, took a massive deflection off Aaron
Cresswell, but the fact Glenn Murray won the ball in the first place was
key. A further headed effort for Murray early in the second half, after
Scott Dann had nodded in one of his own, had home fans streaming for the
exits with almost a third of the game remaining. They missed the excitement
of Murray's dismissal for a second bookable offence and the previously
anonymous Enner Valencia's first league goal in four months - as well as
debutant Nene hitting the post.
But with the Eagles happy to sit back and soak up the punches, there was
little serious threat of West Ham getting back into the game.
Of course, it would have been different if Mark Noble's early free-kick had
not hit the bar, and Cresswell's fizzing shot had been a few inches lower,
but they weren't. West Ham surrendered control of the air to the Eagles, and
with it, the match - and they were made to pay. With Jonjo Heuerman's
800-mile fundraising trek coming to an end before the game, and the Dylan
Tombides Foundation also being launched, charity was in the air at the
Boleyn, but there was no need for West Ham to be so generous. The recent
league results are hugely disappointing - three draws (two to last-minute
equalisers) and two defeats in the last five matches - or to put it another
way, 12 points dropped out of a possible 15. With Chelsea and Arsenal up
next, there is no sign of that form changing soon. Jose Mourinho's
description of West Ham's 19th century football may have been laughed at,
but the sad truth is, on the basis of this showing, West Ham are light years
behind their next opponents. Despite having the better of early exchanges
against Palace, the Irons showed all the cutting edge of a butter knife. A
team of Chelsea's capabilities would have been even less forgiving.
European qualification, which seemed a brass ring within reach a month ago,
is now more akin to one made of smoke. Unless ideas are bucked up before
Wednesday, Chelsea's regular European travellers could hammer that point
home far more brutally than Palace did.
Be warned.
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Sunday, March 1
Daily WHUFC News - 1st March 2015
'We've let the fans down'
WHUFC.com
Big Sam admitted his players simply did not defend well enough
Three set pieces sent West Ham United spiralling to an unwelcome 3-1 home
defeat by Crystal Palace on Saturday. The Hammers' unwanted recent Barclays
Premier League record stretched to one win in ten games as Jason Puncheon
set up all three goals for Alan Pardew's Eagles. After a bitty start that
saw Mark Noble rattle the crossbar with a free-kick, Puncheon found Glenn
Murray from a corner, and his header went in via Aaron Cresswell's left foot
four minutes before the break. Eight minutes after half-time, the lethargic
Hammers were caught cold again when Puncheon's corner was powered home at
the far post by Scott Dann, then Murray dived in to convert the midfielder's
free-kick and make the game safe. Murray was then sent-off for two bookable
offences and Enner Valencia's rasping effort on 76 gave West Ham hope, but
despite an eye-catching cameo from debutant Nene and laying siege to the
Palace goal in the closing stages, the hosts could not mount a late
comeback. "It was far too late when we were 3-0 down," Big Sam lamented. "I
suppose you could say we hit the woodwork twice and had those gone in, they
could have made all the difference. "The other reason was that we pointed
out the most dangerous side of Crystal Palace in terms of scoring threat was
set plays, with 50 per cent of their goals coming from set plays, and we've
lost the game on three of them. "Irrespective of our performance not being
good enough, if we'd done that part of the job right, Enner Valencia's goal
may have brought us something, but it wasn't to be. "I'm really struggling
with the performance because what we've built for the West Ham fans is an
expectation, particularly against Manchester United, but then Crystal Palace
came here and we've let ourselves down and we've let them down. "We came so
close to getting fabulous victories against Tottenham and Man United, so to
lose 3-1 at home was because we couldn't defend three set plays well enough.
Our main disappointment is that we didn't do well enough to get anything out
of the game."
Of the few positives that the manager could take, two were the performance
of debutant Nene and the return to the Barclays Premier League goals column
for Enner Valencia for the first time in four months. Big Sam and his
players now have to re-group ahead of the visit of leaders Chelsea on
Wednesday evening. On the face of Saturday's performance, West Ham will have
to tighten things up considerably if they are to stop Jose Mourinho's side
from extending their unwanted recent winless run to six matches. "We have
built the expectation and we have to live with it and I don't think we have
lived with the expectation and that's a shame. The lads know they didn't
perform to their best. "When you sit in the league where we sit, the defined
lines are between whether you maintain and improve that level or not, and we
haven't seen it out against Man United or Tottenham, which leaves us with
less points than we should have. "Now, we face Chelsea and Arsenal and it's
been a while since we've won. These are massive asks for us to gain
victories from, but we will certainly try. "That is why the Palace game was
more winnable than the two we faced before and the two games we're going to
face now."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tomkins frustrated by Palace reverse
WHUFC.com
James Tomkins spoke of the Hammers' frustration after they slipped to a 3-1
defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace on Saturday. Prior to this meeting
with the Eagles, West Ham had only been defeated by a team lower than them
in the table once this campaign – at Everton in November – so the Boleyn
Ground reverse came as something of a shock to the system. The defender was
disappointed to concede from three set-plays and said it was a performance
out of keeping with the team's season. "It was a frustrating afternoon for
sure," he said. "We were not expected to lose, especially in the fashion we
did. "It was out of character for us. This season we've beaten all the teams
below us in the league, but it wasn't to be on Saturday. "Crystal Palace
frustrated us, sat deep and scored three set plays, which is bad from our
point of view."
Palace's three goals – two for Glenn Murray and the other for Scott Dann –
all came from Jason Puncheon dead ball deliveries and Tomkins believes the
Hammers should not have been caught cold by Palace's prowess from set pieces
as they knew all about it. "The Gaffer said before the game that they are
good from set plays," he explained. "They attack them well and have good
delivery and they got it right on the day. "From our point of view the first
one is unlucky, the second one is a good header and the other one is a good
delivery. You could say it's good from them, but it is sloppy on our part."
West Ham enjoyed 66 per cent of the ball and had 22 shots to Palace's 12,
but were thwarted in their efforts to impose themselves on the game until
the final 20 minutes, leaving Tomkins disappointed. "They sat back and
frustrated us, but once they had the player sent off we were always going to
have more possession and push them deeper," he added. "It was a matter of
trying to break them down. We did that, but it was a bit late really. The
third goal killed us and 3-1 is majorly disappointing. "If Nobes' free-kick
had gone in rather than hit the bar it would have been a different game, and
Nene hit the post as well. "You could say we're a little bit unlucky and
things aren't really going our way luck wise, but hopefully we can change
that around quickly because we have a big game on Wednesday night."
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U18s put Royals to the sword
WHUFC.com
West Ham United U18s ended their Barclays U18 Premier League regular season
with a convincing 4-0 victory over Reading at Rush Green on Saturday The
Hammers raced into a three-goal lead with half an hour, as Djair
Parfitt-Williams and Joe Powell slotted home from close range, before the
latter turned provider for Josh Pask. Mark Phillips' men added a fourth
after the break when Parfitt-Williams was afforded too much space in the box
to head home his second of the contest. U18s coach Phillips had earlier
made two changes to the side that started last weekend's 2-1 home defeat by
Norwich City. Neither Alex Pike nor Jordan Brown were available for
selection, allowing England youth defenders Reece Burke and Vashon Neufville
to return to the side. Powell and Parfitt-Williams both threatened from the
wings in the opening quarter of an hour, while Reece Oxford, in a new
holding midfield position, add strength to the Hammers back line.
On 17 minutes, West Ham hit the front when Powell picked up the ball on the
right-hand touchline and aimed a direct through ball towards
Parfitt-Williams. It looked as if either Tom McIntyre or Axel Andresson
would deal with it, although they only succeeded in heading it into the path
of Parfitt-Williams who finished calmly from close range. Just a minute
later, the hosts spurned a chance to double their lead when Jahmal
Hector-Ingram fired over from close range. The Hammers did, however, get
their second goal within five minutes of their first, with Powell being
given far too much space inside the penalty box to slide a shot into the
corner of Lewis Ward's net. And the goals continued to come as the hosts
added a third on 26 minutes when Powell again supplied the assist for Pask
to head home from point-blank range.
Powell continued to threaten after the interval and might have added to his
own tally, firstly volleying wide before Ward acrobatically tipped his low
shot around the post. The Hammers rounded off their thumping win by adding a
fourth in second-half stoppage time. Once Ward had conceded a corner after
parrying a shot from Parfitt-Williams, the Bermudan-born winger was
perfectly placed to head home his second.
Phillips' side end the regular season with 32 points from 22 games and will
now have for their fellow Southern-based sides to conclude their seasons
before finding out which play-off group they will enter.
U18: Howes, Knoyle (c), Pask, Burke, Neufville (Borg), Carter, Oxford,
Powell (Sylvestre), Diangana, Parfitt-Williams, Hector-Ingram.
Subs not used: Rice, Boness.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 1 Crystal Palace 3
28 February 2015
Last updated at 15:29
By Simon Stone
BBC Sport
Glenn Murray scored twice and was sent off as Crystal Palace recorded an
excellent win over West Ham, who were booed off by their own fans. Murray
put Palace ahead four minutes before the break when Aaron Cresswell sliced
his header into the Hammers net. Scott Dann doubled Palace's lead before
Murray added another when he turned home Jason Puncheon's free-kick. Murray
was sent off after charging into Winston Reid for a second booking before
Enner Valencia's consolation. Saturday's result was the 300th Premier League
defeat for the Hammers - and continued a concerning run of form for Sam
Allardyce's team. They have won only one of their last 10 league games - and
taken just eight points from a possible 30. This is in sharp contrast to
Palace, who have won four of their last seven league fixtures and are now
nestled firmly in mid-table. Alan Pardew, who spent three years in charge of
the Hammers before he was dismissed in late 2006, described it as a "huge"
win for his team. But it was West Ham who started better as Cresswell almost
caught Julian Speroni off-guard with a shot from the corner of the area
before Diafra Sakho had a shot deflected over. Palace responded, with Adrian
twice denying Murray before he opened the scoring with a header, although
Cresswell should have cleared close to the goal-line but sliced his attempt
to do so.
The introduction of James McArthur for Jordon Mutch, who appeared to be
suffering from a thigh injury, just after the half-hour mark provided Palace
with another avenue of attack. McArthur had a shot from the edge of the area
blocked by a West Ham side who failed to manage a single shot on target in
the opening period. It took Palace only six minutes of the second-half to
increase their lead. Yet again, West Ham were unable to deal with Puncheon's
corner. This time, Dann got above Reid at the far post to power home his
fourth goal of the season. Worse was to follow when Murray, who has spent
most of the season on loan at Reading, turned home Puncheon's free-kick,
taking him to three goals in two games after his effort against Arsenal
seven days ago.
The 31-year-old's day came to an abrupt end following his foul on Reid and,
with the man advantage, West Ham clawed themselves back into the game.
Substitute Nene struck a post after being introduced for his debut before
Valencia's shot proved too strong for Speroni to keep out. Carl Jenkinson,
Stewart Downing and Valencia threatened to set up a thrilling finale but,
ultimately, Palace were able to claim a win that took them to a Premier
League club record of five away games without defeat.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "I'm shocked. Our level of performance
wasn't where I expected it to be. It's disappointing when we've built
expectation levels so high at home. "It's about the basics, really. If we
don't play to our best, we'll struggle. We warned the lads about Crystal
Palace's set plays because 50% of their goals have come from set-plays. And
we've conceded from two corners and a free-kick.
"I think Glenn Murray could have been sent off in the first half for the
number of fouls he committed. He was lucky to stay on for that long. We
should have had a penalty for the foul on Diafra Sakho, and it should have
been a red card for Mile Jedinak too. That would have made it 3-2, and then
you never know."
Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew: "Up until the sending off, we were in
total control, but we don't make it easy for ourselves. We had some scary
moments. "It was a mixed afternoon for Glenn Murray. He could have had a
hat-trick in the first half. He gets into the right positions. The sending
off was a little bit unlucky. He has to go for the ball, and I don't think
he deserved that. "I spoke to him at half-time. We all knew he was on a
knife edge. But I'm absolutely delighted with him. He was terrific. It
shouldn't take away from a terrific performance."
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Allardyce on... Crystal Palace
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 28th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce reflects on a hugely frustrating afternoon as he reflects on
hs side's 3-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace in tonight's post-match press
conference, which we bring to you exclusively in full...
Sam: you must be really disappointed to give away three goals from set
pieces as that's so unlike a Sam Allardyce team. But the main talking point
must be that their main man should have been given a second yellow card in
the first half?
If we look at the set plays first, you're absolutely right. We spent a long
time looking at Crystal Palace's set pieces based on the fact that when we
did the analysis, 50 per cent of Palace's goals this season have come from
set plays. So you know how dangerous they are they put a good ball in to
five or six big players who can attack the ball.
So we've been setting out our plans to make sure we compete and stop that -
and of course, we haven't done that. Even though Palace were better than us
today, we've lost the game on that tactic alone which was really
disappointing. If you concede one then you give Crystal Palace credit. If
you concede three, then that's our fault. It's something that we should have
done better.
The amount of fouls Murray committed in the first half? Certainly the one he
got booked for and the one on Winston Reid were enough for a yellow, but for
me so the sending off came too late for me as in between those he scored a
goal. But it's mainly our problem we've lost and not so much down to the
referee today.
It's really frustrating for us based on the expectation we'd built and the
performances we've been giving. I really didn't see this coming today but
we've got to accept it. We didn't play our best and let ourselves down a bit
today.
We've got to get back to our top form, especially with the next two games
coming up. That's when you look at how we've faced this period; Manchester
United, Southampton, Tottenham, Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal. Even if
we'd lost today we really should be sat with seven points out of those games
now, but we've only got three. That makes a whole lot of difference.
Jedinak looked like he caught one of your players. Do you have a view on
that?
Yeah, he did. For me, when you're in a winning position there's no need to
even attempt something like that. He's pretty lucky he's got away with it
because at that stage, if Mike Dean sees it - and I don't think he was in a
position to because I'm sure if he was he had given a red card and a penalty
to us.
That said, I don't want to make any excuses for our poor performance today.
It would have been nice to have been given a little lifeline at that stage
to rally the troops and maybe get to a position where we might get something
out of the game.
One win in ten league games now Sam?
Yeah. Lots of draws though, eh?
There are a lot of draws, but people won't buy that!
Well you won't, none of you do! So we're a margin away from winning at West
Brom, we're 1-0 up and draw 1-1; Swansea, 1-0 up and draw 1-1; Man United,
1-0 up and draw 1-1; Tottenham, 2-0 up and drew 2-2. So we could be sat here
with those four victories that were in our grasp. That's where we've slipped
up, there's no doubt about that.
Performances overall, not a problem apart from today's. Turning good
performances into victories is the hardest thing at this level and we have
really slipped up in that area; we've been in great positions to win
football matches and we haven't done it.
If you take those four games and not be greedy and take two wins, we'd sit
on 43 points and be in a very good position to qualify for Europe. Now we're
letting that scenario slip and with the next two games, life gets more
difficult for us.
You can't let that gap get too big, can you?
We shouldn't have done, but we have. Some of the players may be feeling the
pace of the Premier League for the first time and not quite performing as
well as they were before. That can happen whilst they're getting used to the
league.
We've got to make sure that we get back together and come Wednesday night,
we need to see our very best performance. As I've said many times, you can
play your very best against Chelsea and still not win. They can still beat
you.
Thank you.
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Mile Jedinak's 'elbow' on Diafro Sakho was intentional, says Jamie Redknapp
By Jamie Redknapp | Last Updated: 28/02/15 8:51pm
SSN
Mile Jedinak was fortunate to escape punishment for an intentional elbow on
Diafro Sakho in Crystal Palace's 3-1 win at West Ham, according to Jamie
Redknapp. The Eagles captain appeared to unnaturally strike Sakho with his
arm when clearing the ball out of his side's penalty area. The incident in
the 88th-minute went unchallenged by referee Mike Dean, but Redknapp feels
the nature of the event could draw retrospective action from the Football
Association. "My version is different to Jedinak's. It's completely wrong
what he's done here," he told Sky Sports. "You can see it there. There is no
way that's unintentional, that is not a natural movement of your elbow. When
you do that into someone's face it's not nice because you can break
someone's jaw. "I'm a big fan of Jedinak's, the way he plays with tremendous
desire. He's Palace's manager on the pitch. But you can't go around
brandishing your elbows like that towards someone's head. "It's a dangerous
move, and we'll wait and see what happens."
Australian Jedinak, who made his first appearance under new Palace manager
Alan Pardew, argued his case, reiterating that the collision with Sakho was
completely unintentional. "I've just seen the ball come across and I think
it was just a reaction," Jedinak said. "I didn't even know he was there, it
was one of those ones where I just ran through with the clearance. "How I
caught him, I'm not aware of it but it is what it is. I haven't
intentionally gone out to try to catch him."
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West Ham 1-3 Crystal Palace: Glenn Murray scores two, then sent off
By Richard Morgan. Last Updated: 28/02/15 6:40pm
SSN
Glenn Murray scored twice and was sent off as Crystal Palace beat West Ham
United 3-1 at Upton Park in the Saturday lunch-time kick-off.
The striker netted either side of half-time, before then being given his
marching orders after picking up his second yellow card 21 minutes from
time. By that stage of the match, Palace were already 3-0 ahead, with
centre-back Scott Dann powering home yet another header from a set piece in
between Murray's brace. And despite West Ham forward Enner Valencia pulling
a goal back after 76 minutes, it was too little, too late as far as the home
team were concerned. However, anything other than a Palace victory would
have been harsh on Alan Pardew's side, who registered a club-record third
Premier League away win in a row in the process. The visitors dominated the
contest against a lacklustre West Ham until Murray's late red card, with the
frontman guilty of spurning numerous presentable openings before eventually
giving his team a deserved lead four minutes before the break. West Ham boss
Sam Allardyce will be furious though with the manner of Palace's opener,
especially after highlighting their threat from set plays before the game.
His players failed to deal with man-of-the-match Jason Puncheon's left-wing
corner, before Murray's header somehow got past both Adrian and Aaron
Cresswell on the line in the 41st minute.
But if that goal was bad enough, then Palace's second six minutes after the
break was even worse as Dann beat opposite number Winston Reid to another
Puncheon corner, before bulleting a header past a helpless Adrian. And the
game was then over as a contest when 12 minutes later, Murray - who was only
starting up front due to injuries to Fraizer Campbell, Marouane Chamakh and
Yaya Sanogo - got a glancing header to Puncheon's free kick from the
left-hand corner of the box. West Ham, who were unlucky not to have taken
the lead when Mark Noble's 20-yard free kick hit the bar after just 15
minutes, then threw the kitchen sink at their London rivals in the final 15
minutes as they sought to exploit their one-man numerical advantage. And
they came close on several occasions to making it a truly nervous finale
after Valencia's long-range strike had given them initial hope. However,
substitute Nene hit the outside of the post with virtually his first touch
in English football, before Carl Jenkinson was denied by Julian Speroni at
his near post and Valencia then fired just over with a curler from distance
at the death.
Player ratings
West Ham: Adrian (6), Jenkinson (6), Tomkins, (6), Reid (6), Cresswell (7),
Song (5), Kouyate (6), Noble (7), Downing(7), Valencia (7), Sakho (5)
Subs: Nene (7)
Crystal Palace: Speroni (7), Ward (7), Dann (8), Delaney (7), Kelly (7),
Jedinak (8), Zaha (8), Puncheon (9), Mutch (6), Bolasie (7), Murray (8)
Subs: McArthur (6), Ameobi (6), Ledley (6)
Man of the match: Jason Puncheon
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce fumes at set-piece Crystal Palace goals
Last Updated: 28/02/15 4:46pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce was left fuming with his team after going down
3-1 at home to Crystal Palace. Allardyce said he had prepared his team for
Palace's set-piece barrage all week, but all three goals came straight off
the training ground. A combination of Glenn Murray and the unfortunate Aaron
Creswell were responsible for the first, from Jason Puncheon's corner. Scott
Dann then powered home a header from another Puncheon corner, and the game
was then over as a contest when 12 minutes later, Murray - who was only
starting up front due to injuries to Fraizer Campbell, Marouane Chamakh and
Yaya Sanogo - got a glancing header to Puncheon's free kick from the
left-hand corner of the box. Murray was later sent off for a second yellow,
and Allardyce felt the Palace striker had been lucky to remain on the pitch
for as long as he did. He also lambasted Mile Jedinak for a late elbow to
Diafra Sakho, but was more critical of his own side's display. "We spent a
long time looking at Palace's set-plays and 50 per cent of their goals this
season came from them," he said. "So you know how dangerous they are, they
put a good ball in and have five or six big players that attack the ball.
But we were setting out our plan to compete with that. "Even though Palace
were better than us on the day we lost on that tactic alone and that is
really disappointing. "You concede one then you give Palace credit. When you
concede one that is our fault. That is something we should have done better
on."
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THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE BOARD NOT SUPPORTING SAM
By Iain Dale 1 Mar 2015 at 08:36 69 comments
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Brian Jones
So, after such a great first half of the season, what's gone wrong? Is it
Sam or the players? Well, I'm not a Sam fan, and a couple of years ago, I
put up a post on here calling for him to go. But I'm going to cut him some
slack and shift the focus to the Board, the third part of the equation. If
you were Sam, what would you be thinking right now? "I've met all the
targets I was set, I've even tried to promote some free flowing , attacking
football, but the buggers don't love me!"
The online and print media are rife with stories about rifts between Sam and
David Sullivan. Sullivan is supposed to have brought in players that Sam
didn't want. Sam was supposed to have stuck two fingers up to Sullivan over
whether Nene was fit or not. There is speculation everywhere as to whether
the Board are going to replace Sam now or at the end of the season. Some
media outlets are convinced Sam is already a dead duck. So what effect does
this have on the team? Well, James Tomkins was quoted in the media as saying
it doesn't affect the team and they just get on with the job. I wonder if
this is really the case?
Surely all this speculation does have an effect on the team? Don't they
wonder what the future is and don't they struggle to get really motivated if
there is a pall of uncertainty over Sam's position? Surely one of the roles
of the Board is to ensure there is a positive atmosphere at the club, an
environment in which everyone feels positive about the future and wants to
do their best to bring on higher achievements. Why is Winston Reid stalling
on a new contract? Supposedly there have been no bids for him. Is he just
waiting to see the way the wind blows?
Right now the role of the Board should be to tell the media, the players and
everyone else, that there is no problem, Sam is our man and we are going
onwards and upwards and any other clichés they can think of – even if they
don't mean it. Because that would be positive for the club and address all
the uncertainty that is there at the moment. If they are not happy with Sam,
they should be keeping that to themselves. But all this "we will assess the
situation at the end of the year" and the deafening silence about whether
Sam is our man or not is helping to create a negative atmosphere at the
club. It helps to lead to uncertainty among the players and with Sam
himself. His laid back (literally) body language at matches surely speaks
for itself. When did he last wear a West Ham tie at a match? Why should he
when he doesn't know if the Board support him or not? Or maybe he does know
and realises he is just filling in time?
Whether Sam stays or not, I want the Board to play their role in creating a
positive atmosphere in which the players can flourish. I don't see them
doing that right now.
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WEST HAM 1, CRYSTAL PALACE 3. LOSING UGLY.
By David Hautzig 28 Feb 2015 at 16:06
West Ham till I Die
There are matches that simply haunt me for weeks, sometimes months. The 4-3
loss to Spurs at home during the Great Escape year tortured me, and if we
had gone down that year I might have needed medication to survive. Last
Sunday was almost as bad. All week I've replayed those last few moments in
my mind, envisioning a different outcome. Alex Song ignoring Harry Kane.
Adrian holding onto the penalty kick. In my mind I could see those things
happening. And then reality takes over again. I was hoping West Ham would be
able to shed the demons of White Hart Lane against the men from Selhurst
Park. Instead they added insult to injury with one of the, if not the worst
performance of the season.
Since I'm not a real journalist I don't have to even pretend to be
objective. So here's the deal. I cannot stand Alan Pardew. I took immense
pleasure when Charlton went down under him. Equally so when Southampton
floundered with him in charge. I heard a story from a mate at a pub in
Manhattan a few months after he was sacked by Eggy, and then heard the same
one from supporters while in Toronto to watch us play the MLS All Stars.
When Pards was summoned by the board, instead of trying to plead his case he
sat down and simply asked how much compensation he was getting. I have no
idea if the story is true, but it seemed consistent with other things we had
heard about him. I bought it then, and I've bought it since then. But with
the way he has galvanized Palace into the team we saw today, I'm going to
shed that idea and admit he is a talented manager on many levels.
The first real chance of the game came in the 12th minute when Cresswell
intercepted a poor pass by Puncheon. The Palace defense rightfully expected
him to look for a pass or a cross into the box. Instead he unleashed a good
shot that curled over the bar. Two minutes later, after some interplay
between Sakho and Valencia and a foul on Noble, the skipper on the day
launched a free kick that beat Speroni only to ricochet off the cross bar.
West Ham's fine form at the start of the season was due largely to the kind
of passing on the floor that supporters had wanted to see more of. Today,
however, it looked like the very notion of technical ability was completely
lost on them. Sloppy passing and awful first touches by the very players we
expect to be able to do those things is what has replaced it. In the 25th
minute a Valencia giveaway led to a Palace counter. Puncheon burst into the
West Ham half and sent a through ball in for Glen Murray, but Reid was able
to nudge the Palace striker just enough for him to send his shot wide.
The most memorable and important moment of the game was the 38th minute when
both sets of supporters rose to their feet to offer a minutes applause in
the memory of Dylan Tombides. It was a touching moment made all the more
memorable by the involvement of the opposition. While it's cliché to say, it
made the game seem trivial.
Aaron Cresswell has been one of the brightest spots for West Ham this
season, so much so that rumors of interest from Manchester City have sprung
up in recent weeks. But as we've seen a few times this season when me messes
up, he messes up big time. In the 41st minute, after Palace earned
themselves a corner, the free kick into the box came to Glen Murray. His
header seemed to be floating right at Adrian, but Cresswell completely
missed his attempt to clear it and sent the ball spinning past our keeper
and into the net.
West Ham 0, Crystal Palace 1.
During the halftime break, there was talk on Twitter of how Sam would give
them a swift kick in the arse and that would give us hope of a better second
half. That optimism disappeared five minutes after the break when Zaha
sprinted down the right and won what would be the first of two quick
corners. The first was headed towards goal by Scott Dann but cleared out by
Reid. The second corner was a replay of the first, only this time Dann's
header went into the back of the net.
West Ham 0, Crystal Palace 2.
The decline in form for Alex Song has been shocking, not only due to it
actually occurring but for how quickly it has happened. It's as if one
moment we had this on field general pulling all the right strings, and the
next we have someone that has forgotten what to do. In the 56th minute, Song
did what any child playing on a Sunday knows not to do. He stopped playing.
He just stopped playing. That allowed Ward to run past him and pick up the
loose ball before Noble was forced to foul him. Jedinak then came inches
away from a third Palace goal when his resulting free kick went just wide of
a diving Adrian. Minutes later, Song was replaced by Nene. The man most of
us said we should sign this summer regardless of the cost, replaced by a
free agent striker that Sam reportedly didn't want.
That just about personified our day.
Before the game today, the inclusion of Glen Murray in the Palace starting
eleven at the expense of Dwight Gayle raised many an eyebrow. The television
commentators talked about it, and West Ham supporters on Twitter thought we
had been handed a gift. In the 63rd minute, Murray slammed the book shut on
that argument when he earned a free kick after creating contact with Kouyate
outside the West Ham penalty area. It might have been soft, but anyone
complaining about the referee today should reconsider. Puncheon curled the
free kick into the box, where Murray was able to meet it with a diving
header that beat Adrian.
West Ham 0, Crystal Palace 3.
At that point I threw down my pen and stopped taking notes. Yes, Nene hit
the outside of the post. And Murray saw a second yellow and Palace had to
play the final 21 minutes with ten men. When Valencia scored in the 76th
minute, I admit I thought maybe. Just maybe. And perhaps if Jenkinson had
chipped the ball over Speroni in the 82nd minute we could have had an
exciting final 8 minutes plus stoppage time. Instead, we left the game
wondering what on earth happened to the team that should have beaten both
Manchester United and Tottenham.
Final Score: West Ham 1, Crystal Palace 3.
Before I sat down to write this, my best mate Jon called me. He threw these
thoughts at me. The last two games have seen us blow a 2-0 lead and today
give up three goals from set pieces. Two things that are decidedly not Sam
things to happen. Could he know he's gone? Has the board actually told him
that, and if so could he be shutting down a bit? And if that's a
possibility, could the players know that as well and thus their
concentration has dipped? And if all of that is a possibility, could some
fault lie with the board for leaking stuff to the media about it? In truth,
more of the blame today lies with the players. They were, almost to a man,
awful.
Wednesday could be ugly.
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Crystal Palace's Mile Jedinak in elbow storm after clashing with Diafra
Sakho - but insists he "didn't mean it"
17:43, 28 February 2015 By Dean Jones
The Australian caught the West Ham striker in the face as he cleared the
ball late on with Sam Allardyce claiming he was fortunate to avoid
punishment
The Mirror
Mile Jedinak has defended himself over a nasty elbow on Diafra Sakho that
could land him in trouble. The Crystal Palace midfielder insists he meant no
harm when he clattered into Sakho late in the game and caught the West Ham
man in the side of the face. The challenge went unpunished - but he could
yet face retrospective action. And Jedinak said: "I am not sure how I caught
him, but I did not mean to."
The incident came on a day when the Hammers crashed to a 3-1 defeat that
raises major doubts over their attempt to qualify for European football.
Boss Sam Allardyce added: "When you are in a winning position there is no
need to even attempt something like that. I think he is pretty lucky to have
got away with it. It could have been a red card and it would have been nice
to have given us a lifeline in the game - but I don't want to make any
excuses for our performance." Palace also had two-goal Glenn Murray sent off
but on Jedinak's challenge boss Pardew said: "I don't think there was
anything malicious in it." The defeat at Upton Park saw West Ham slip to
ninth in the Premier League table and Allardyce was far from impressed with
his side. "I'm shocked. Our level of performance wasn't where I expected it
to be. It's disappointing when we've built expectation levels so high at
home. It's about the basics, really. "If we don't play to our best, we'll
struggle. We warned the lads about Crystal Palace's set plays because 50% of
their goals have come from set-plays. And we've conceded from two corners
and a free-kick."
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Massive Chelsea/Arsenal lifeline 'asks'
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 1, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
The game may not be quite up but Sam Allardyce knows that he needs a couple
of massive results and fine end of season run to take into the summer review
board meeting. That may yet give him a Hammers lifeline as speculation
continues to swirl around his future. A stunning victory over Chelsea on
Wednesday evening followed by a result of some kind against Arsenal will set
the team up for a series of games which look less daunting than in previous
run-ins. Yesterday's shocker gives little mental recovery time for a team
shattered by conceding three times from set pieces and Allardyce knows he
and the team are facing a "massive ask." Having built expectation he
commented after the game he doesn't believe "we have lived with the
expectation." Accepting the Palace game was "more winnable" than those
immediately before and after the Palace debacle he said: "Now, we face
Chelsea and Arsenal and it's been a while since we've won. These are massive
asks for us to gain victories from, but we will certainly try." The upside
of course us that all our best performances have come against the top teams
and we thus live in more than hope – or we should.
Hopefully, Stewart Downing will be back to his best should he be played at
the tip of the diamond assuming of course the manager plays that formation
for that appeared a real problem against Palace. And defensively – given we
were utterly shambolic – it's to be hoped the squad is in for extra training
on this Sunday morning!
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Noble/Tomkins: The finances
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Local boys Mark Noble and James Tomkins signed deals worth less than the
personal terms reported in the general media. It was widely believed that
Nobes had signed a deal worth £50k a week and his pal Tomkins' new contract
was valued at around the £40k a week mark.
ClaretandHugh understands according to sources that the midfield loyalist
settled at around £45k and the big defender £35k a week – up from £25k.
These are basic wages but the two have clauses written in which would give
them appearance, win and league position bonuses like the remainder of the
squad. Tomkins2It means that TOGETHER the duo's joint salary is the same as
Andy Carroll's and just £10k in advance of loanee Alex Song. One source
said: "These two lads obviously want the best deals they can get but playing
for the club they love is the No 1 issue.
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Sam's a busted flush – call the cab Daves!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 28, 2015 in Whispers
Calret & Hugh
I've been attacked many times on forums as a Sam hater! In fact I hate
nobody – far too strong a word. So before writing this piece I went back
through the various pieces I have written on the manager this season to
decide whether that's justified as a perception. To be honest I couldn't
have been a lot fairer; there have been times when I've praised him to the
skies, others – notably at the start of the season – when I said we all
needed to reserve judgement and others when I've gone for the throat after
particularly poor performances. The truth is I am not a fan of Sam Allardyce
as a manager or a man. He has down the years made a practice of filling his
teams with journeymen pros as he has adopted a "survive at all costs"
approach. It's why very few kids have emerged from his set-ups as he has
fulfilled the objective of becoming, by and large, an eight, nine or tenth
placed manager – with of course the odd exception.
As a man I find him arrogant, stubborn and an excuse finder for defeat but
ready to glory in his self-given Allerdici title when it all goes right. Not
good. Whichever way you want to call it – Sam Allardyce is not a winner
-never has been over the 20 years or so he's managed. I gave my knee jerk
reaction to the events at the Boleyn earlier this afternoon but the facts
are that today we were appalling – again showing the unacceptable face of a
side which has lost the knowledge of how to win.
Here's the League record since Christmas:
Played 10 Won 1 Drawn 5 Lost 4 Pts 8
That simply is not good enough, nor is it acceptable to remind us that we
played very well against the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Spurs
because the playing well yielded one point from nine.
This afternoon we have slipped into ninth place with Chelsea and Arsenal on
the horizon. The bright new dawn has turned into a dank, dreary evening and
the only person you can point a finger at is the boss simply because he's
the bloke in charge. He has to make things happen.
If he doesn't, he has to go and I believe he is now a busted flush with
nothing left to offer West Ham United.
The owners got it right when appointing a man who is a survivalist, handed
him the biggest transfer kitty of any Championship club but even then were
forced to sweat it out as he got us up via the play offs when it should have
been automatic.
But I believe they will get it completely wrong if they decide to let him
stay because winning things is simply not in his pedigree or it seems his
nature – 4-0 defeat at West Brom. Blimey!
We need far far more than Sam has produced in his career when we move into
our new home with all the high ambition the club has placed on that.
Don't ask me who the next boss should be. I don't know who is available or
indeed wants the job so any name I put forward would be pointless anyway.
What I do know is there are many who can keep teams in the Premier League
and some – like Pards ( remember) who can take us much closer to a trophy
than Sam Allardyce has managed.
So Daves, it's time to be brave. Thank him for his services, shake his hand
and watch him head for Hull, Queens Park Rangers or even one of those
foreign clubs which he thinks his could manage with ease.
Bye Sam – it really is time to call the cab!
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Shocked Allardyce tries to make a case
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Stunned Sam Allardyce had one or two excuses for the shocking defeat at the
hands of Palace. And with Palace reduced to ten men for the last 30 minutes,
the defeat became even less bearable despite the team waking up and managing
an Enner Valencia goal and plenty of pressure and chances. However, if you
only start playing when you are three behind there's something very wrong
and the manager clearly accepted that. He said: "I'm shocked. Our level of
performance wasn't where I expected it to be. It's disappointing when we've
built expectation levels so high at home. It's about the basics, really. "If
we don't play to our best, we'll struggle. We warned the lads about Crystal
Palace's set plays because 50 per cent of their goals have come from
set-plays. And we've conceded from two corners and a free-kick."
Then he waded into the dismissed striker and started adding up the other
awards that should have been made against Palace and on our behalf! He
said:"I think Glenn Murray could have been sent off in the first half for
the number of fouls he committed. He was lucky to stay on for that long. We
should have had a penalty for the foul on Diafra Sakho, and it should have
been a red card for Mile Jedinak too. That would have made it 3-2, and then
you never know."
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Irons 1 Palace 3 The knee jerk reaction
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
We have come to a place where we simply don't know which West Ham are going
to turn up from week to week! And for a Sam Allardyce team o concede three
goals from three set pieces is unthinkable and simply not acceptable. To
watch the team deciding to play only when they are three goals behind is
totally out of order – this will no longer do. One league win in two months
is a shocking return from a team which has been hailed by many as a top six
team. There will be a deeper and less emotional response later when the full
extent of this has sunk in but right now it's easy to see why a list of
replacements is being drawn up for the manager. It's gone to pot and he has
no answers it seems. The end of this season is a natural time to say thanks
for everything Sam and goodbye
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WHUFC.com
Big Sam admitted his players simply did not defend well enough
Three set pieces sent West Ham United spiralling to an unwelcome 3-1 home
defeat by Crystal Palace on Saturday. The Hammers' unwanted recent Barclays
Premier League record stretched to one win in ten games as Jason Puncheon
set up all three goals for Alan Pardew's Eagles. After a bitty start that
saw Mark Noble rattle the crossbar with a free-kick, Puncheon found Glenn
Murray from a corner, and his header went in via Aaron Cresswell's left foot
four minutes before the break. Eight minutes after half-time, the lethargic
Hammers were caught cold again when Puncheon's corner was powered home at
the far post by Scott Dann, then Murray dived in to convert the midfielder's
free-kick and make the game safe. Murray was then sent-off for two bookable
offences and Enner Valencia's rasping effort on 76 gave West Ham hope, but
despite an eye-catching cameo from debutant Nene and laying siege to the
Palace goal in the closing stages, the hosts could not mount a late
comeback. "It was far too late when we were 3-0 down," Big Sam lamented. "I
suppose you could say we hit the woodwork twice and had those gone in, they
could have made all the difference. "The other reason was that we pointed
out the most dangerous side of Crystal Palace in terms of scoring threat was
set plays, with 50 per cent of their goals coming from set plays, and we've
lost the game on three of them. "Irrespective of our performance not being
good enough, if we'd done that part of the job right, Enner Valencia's goal
may have brought us something, but it wasn't to be. "I'm really struggling
with the performance because what we've built for the West Ham fans is an
expectation, particularly against Manchester United, but then Crystal Palace
came here and we've let ourselves down and we've let them down. "We came so
close to getting fabulous victories against Tottenham and Man United, so to
lose 3-1 at home was because we couldn't defend three set plays well enough.
Our main disappointment is that we didn't do well enough to get anything out
of the game."
Of the few positives that the manager could take, two were the performance
of debutant Nene and the return to the Barclays Premier League goals column
for Enner Valencia for the first time in four months. Big Sam and his
players now have to re-group ahead of the visit of leaders Chelsea on
Wednesday evening. On the face of Saturday's performance, West Ham will have
to tighten things up considerably if they are to stop Jose Mourinho's side
from extending their unwanted recent winless run to six matches. "We have
built the expectation and we have to live with it and I don't think we have
lived with the expectation and that's a shame. The lads know they didn't
perform to their best. "When you sit in the league where we sit, the defined
lines are between whether you maintain and improve that level or not, and we
haven't seen it out against Man United or Tottenham, which leaves us with
less points than we should have. "Now, we face Chelsea and Arsenal and it's
been a while since we've won. These are massive asks for us to gain
victories from, but we will certainly try. "That is why the Palace game was
more winnable than the two we faced before and the two games we're going to
face now."
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Tomkins frustrated by Palace reverse
WHUFC.com
James Tomkins spoke of the Hammers' frustration after they slipped to a 3-1
defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace on Saturday. Prior to this meeting
with the Eagles, West Ham had only been defeated by a team lower than them
in the table once this campaign – at Everton in November – so the Boleyn
Ground reverse came as something of a shock to the system. The defender was
disappointed to concede from three set-plays and said it was a performance
out of keeping with the team's season. "It was a frustrating afternoon for
sure," he said. "We were not expected to lose, especially in the fashion we
did. "It was out of character for us. This season we've beaten all the teams
below us in the league, but it wasn't to be on Saturday. "Crystal Palace
frustrated us, sat deep and scored three set plays, which is bad from our
point of view."
Palace's three goals – two for Glenn Murray and the other for Scott Dann –
all came from Jason Puncheon dead ball deliveries and Tomkins believes the
Hammers should not have been caught cold by Palace's prowess from set pieces
as they knew all about it. "The Gaffer said before the game that they are
good from set plays," he explained. "They attack them well and have good
delivery and they got it right on the day. "From our point of view the first
one is unlucky, the second one is a good header and the other one is a good
delivery. You could say it's good from them, but it is sloppy on our part."
West Ham enjoyed 66 per cent of the ball and had 22 shots to Palace's 12,
but were thwarted in their efforts to impose themselves on the game until
the final 20 minutes, leaving Tomkins disappointed. "They sat back and
frustrated us, but once they had the player sent off we were always going to
have more possession and push them deeper," he added. "It was a matter of
trying to break them down. We did that, but it was a bit late really. The
third goal killed us and 3-1 is majorly disappointing. "If Nobes' free-kick
had gone in rather than hit the bar it would have been a different game, and
Nene hit the post as well. "You could say we're a little bit unlucky and
things aren't really going our way luck wise, but hopefully we can change
that around quickly because we have a big game on Wednesday night."
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U18s put Royals to the sword
WHUFC.com
West Ham United U18s ended their Barclays U18 Premier League regular season
with a convincing 4-0 victory over Reading at Rush Green on Saturday The
Hammers raced into a three-goal lead with half an hour, as Djair
Parfitt-Williams and Joe Powell slotted home from close range, before the
latter turned provider for Josh Pask. Mark Phillips' men added a fourth
after the break when Parfitt-Williams was afforded too much space in the box
to head home his second of the contest. U18s coach Phillips had earlier
made two changes to the side that started last weekend's 2-1 home defeat by
Norwich City. Neither Alex Pike nor Jordan Brown were available for
selection, allowing England youth defenders Reece Burke and Vashon Neufville
to return to the side. Powell and Parfitt-Williams both threatened from the
wings in the opening quarter of an hour, while Reece Oxford, in a new
holding midfield position, add strength to the Hammers back line.
On 17 minutes, West Ham hit the front when Powell picked up the ball on the
right-hand touchline and aimed a direct through ball towards
Parfitt-Williams. It looked as if either Tom McIntyre or Axel Andresson
would deal with it, although they only succeeded in heading it into the path
of Parfitt-Williams who finished calmly from close range. Just a minute
later, the hosts spurned a chance to double their lead when Jahmal
Hector-Ingram fired over from close range. The Hammers did, however, get
their second goal within five minutes of their first, with Powell being
given far too much space inside the penalty box to slide a shot into the
corner of Lewis Ward's net. And the goals continued to come as the hosts
added a third on 26 minutes when Powell again supplied the assist for Pask
to head home from point-blank range.
Powell continued to threaten after the interval and might have added to his
own tally, firstly volleying wide before Ward acrobatically tipped his low
shot around the post. The Hammers rounded off their thumping win by adding a
fourth in second-half stoppage time. Once Ward had conceded a corner after
parrying a shot from Parfitt-Williams, the Bermudan-born winger was
perfectly placed to head home his second.
Phillips' side end the regular season with 32 points from 22 games and will
now have for their fellow Southern-based sides to conclude their seasons
before finding out which play-off group they will enter.
U18: Howes, Knoyle (c), Pask, Burke, Neufville (Borg), Carter, Oxford,
Powell (Sylvestre), Diangana, Parfitt-Williams, Hector-Ingram.
Subs not used: Rice, Boness.
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West Ham 1 Crystal Palace 3
28 February 2015
Last updated at 15:29
By Simon Stone
BBC Sport
Glenn Murray scored twice and was sent off as Crystal Palace recorded an
excellent win over West Ham, who were booed off by their own fans. Murray
put Palace ahead four minutes before the break when Aaron Cresswell sliced
his header into the Hammers net. Scott Dann doubled Palace's lead before
Murray added another when he turned home Jason Puncheon's free-kick. Murray
was sent off after charging into Winston Reid for a second booking before
Enner Valencia's consolation. Saturday's result was the 300th Premier League
defeat for the Hammers - and continued a concerning run of form for Sam
Allardyce's team. They have won only one of their last 10 league games - and
taken just eight points from a possible 30. This is in sharp contrast to
Palace, who have won four of their last seven league fixtures and are now
nestled firmly in mid-table. Alan Pardew, who spent three years in charge of
the Hammers before he was dismissed in late 2006, described it as a "huge"
win for his team. But it was West Ham who started better as Cresswell almost
caught Julian Speroni off-guard with a shot from the corner of the area
before Diafra Sakho had a shot deflected over. Palace responded, with Adrian
twice denying Murray before he opened the scoring with a header, although
Cresswell should have cleared close to the goal-line but sliced his attempt
to do so.
The introduction of James McArthur for Jordon Mutch, who appeared to be
suffering from a thigh injury, just after the half-hour mark provided Palace
with another avenue of attack. McArthur had a shot from the edge of the area
blocked by a West Ham side who failed to manage a single shot on target in
the opening period. It took Palace only six minutes of the second-half to
increase their lead. Yet again, West Ham were unable to deal with Puncheon's
corner. This time, Dann got above Reid at the far post to power home his
fourth goal of the season. Worse was to follow when Murray, who has spent
most of the season on loan at Reading, turned home Puncheon's free-kick,
taking him to three goals in two games after his effort against Arsenal
seven days ago.
The 31-year-old's day came to an abrupt end following his foul on Reid and,
with the man advantage, West Ham clawed themselves back into the game.
Substitute Nene struck a post after being introduced for his debut before
Valencia's shot proved too strong for Speroni to keep out. Carl Jenkinson,
Stewart Downing and Valencia threatened to set up a thrilling finale but,
ultimately, Palace were able to claim a win that took them to a Premier
League club record of five away games without defeat.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "I'm shocked. Our level of performance
wasn't where I expected it to be. It's disappointing when we've built
expectation levels so high at home. "It's about the basics, really. If we
don't play to our best, we'll struggle. We warned the lads about Crystal
Palace's set plays because 50% of their goals have come from set-plays. And
we've conceded from two corners and a free-kick.
"I think Glenn Murray could have been sent off in the first half for the
number of fouls he committed. He was lucky to stay on for that long. We
should have had a penalty for the foul on Diafra Sakho, and it should have
been a red card for Mile Jedinak too. That would have made it 3-2, and then
you never know."
Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew: "Up until the sending off, we were in
total control, but we don't make it easy for ourselves. We had some scary
moments. "It was a mixed afternoon for Glenn Murray. He could have had a
hat-trick in the first half. He gets into the right positions. The sending
off was a little bit unlucky. He has to go for the ball, and I don't think
he deserved that. "I spoke to him at half-time. We all knew he was on a
knife edge. But I'm absolutely delighted with him. He was terrific. It
shouldn't take away from a terrific performance."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce on... Crystal Palace
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 28th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce reflects on a hugely frustrating afternoon as he reflects on
hs side's 3-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace in tonight's post-match press
conference, which we bring to you exclusively in full...
Sam: you must be really disappointed to give away three goals from set
pieces as that's so unlike a Sam Allardyce team. But the main talking point
must be that their main man should have been given a second yellow card in
the first half?
If we look at the set plays first, you're absolutely right. We spent a long
time looking at Crystal Palace's set pieces based on the fact that when we
did the analysis, 50 per cent of Palace's goals this season have come from
set plays. So you know how dangerous they are they put a good ball in to
five or six big players who can attack the ball.
So we've been setting out our plans to make sure we compete and stop that -
and of course, we haven't done that. Even though Palace were better than us
today, we've lost the game on that tactic alone which was really
disappointing. If you concede one then you give Crystal Palace credit. If
you concede three, then that's our fault. It's something that we should have
done better.
The amount of fouls Murray committed in the first half? Certainly the one he
got booked for and the one on Winston Reid were enough for a yellow, but for
me so the sending off came too late for me as in between those he scored a
goal. But it's mainly our problem we've lost and not so much down to the
referee today.
It's really frustrating for us based on the expectation we'd built and the
performances we've been giving. I really didn't see this coming today but
we've got to accept it. We didn't play our best and let ourselves down a bit
today.
We've got to get back to our top form, especially with the next two games
coming up. That's when you look at how we've faced this period; Manchester
United, Southampton, Tottenham, Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal. Even if
we'd lost today we really should be sat with seven points out of those games
now, but we've only got three. That makes a whole lot of difference.
Jedinak looked like he caught one of your players. Do you have a view on
that?
Yeah, he did. For me, when you're in a winning position there's no need to
even attempt something like that. He's pretty lucky he's got away with it
because at that stage, if Mike Dean sees it - and I don't think he was in a
position to because I'm sure if he was he had given a red card and a penalty
to us.
That said, I don't want to make any excuses for our poor performance today.
It would have been nice to have been given a little lifeline at that stage
to rally the troops and maybe get to a position where we might get something
out of the game.
One win in ten league games now Sam?
Yeah. Lots of draws though, eh?
There are a lot of draws, but people won't buy that!
Well you won't, none of you do! So we're a margin away from winning at West
Brom, we're 1-0 up and draw 1-1; Swansea, 1-0 up and draw 1-1; Man United,
1-0 up and draw 1-1; Tottenham, 2-0 up and drew 2-2. So we could be sat here
with those four victories that were in our grasp. That's where we've slipped
up, there's no doubt about that.
Performances overall, not a problem apart from today's. Turning good
performances into victories is the hardest thing at this level and we have
really slipped up in that area; we've been in great positions to win
football matches and we haven't done it.
If you take those four games and not be greedy and take two wins, we'd sit
on 43 points and be in a very good position to qualify for Europe. Now we're
letting that scenario slip and with the next two games, life gets more
difficult for us.
You can't let that gap get too big, can you?
We shouldn't have done, but we have. Some of the players may be feeling the
pace of the Premier League for the first time and not quite performing as
well as they were before. That can happen whilst they're getting used to the
league.
We've got to make sure that we get back together and come Wednesday night,
we need to see our very best performance. As I've said many times, you can
play your very best against Chelsea and still not win. They can still beat
you.
Thank you.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Mile Jedinak's 'elbow' on Diafro Sakho was intentional, says Jamie Redknapp
By Jamie Redknapp | Last Updated: 28/02/15 8:51pm
SSN
Mile Jedinak was fortunate to escape punishment for an intentional elbow on
Diafro Sakho in Crystal Palace's 3-1 win at West Ham, according to Jamie
Redknapp. The Eagles captain appeared to unnaturally strike Sakho with his
arm when clearing the ball out of his side's penalty area. The incident in
the 88th-minute went unchallenged by referee Mike Dean, but Redknapp feels
the nature of the event could draw retrospective action from the Football
Association. "My version is different to Jedinak's. It's completely wrong
what he's done here," he told Sky Sports. "You can see it there. There is no
way that's unintentional, that is not a natural movement of your elbow. When
you do that into someone's face it's not nice because you can break
someone's jaw. "I'm a big fan of Jedinak's, the way he plays with tremendous
desire. He's Palace's manager on the pitch. But you can't go around
brandishing your elbows like that towards someone's head. "It's a dangerous
move, and we'll wait and see what happens."
Australian Jedinak, who made his first appearance under new Palace manager
Alan Pardew, argued his case, reiterating that the collision with Sakho was
completely unintentional. "I've just seen the ball come across and I think
it was just a reaction," Jedinak said. "I didn't even know he was there, it
was one of those ones where I just ran through with the clearance. "How I
caught him, I'm not aware of it but it is what it is. I haven't
intentionally gone out to try to catch him."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 1-3 Crystal Palace: Glenn Murray scores two, then sent off
By Richard Morgan. Last Updated: 28/02/15 6:40pm
SSN
Glenn Murray scored twice and was sent off as Crystal Palace beat West Ham
United 3-1 at Upton Park in the Saturday lunch-time kick-off.
The striker netted either side of half-time, before then being given his
marching orders after picking up his second yellow card 21 minutes from
time. By that stage of the match, Palace were already 3-0 ahead, with
centre-back Scott Dann powering home yet another header from a set piece in
between Murray's brace. And despite West Ham forward Enner Valencia pulling
a goal back after 76 minutes, it was too little, too late as far as the home
team were concerned. However, anything other than a Palace victory would
have been harsh on Alan Pardew's side, who registered a club-record third
Premier League away win in a row in the process. The visitors dominated the
contest against a lacklustre West Ham until Murray's late red card, with the
frontman guilty of spurning numerous presentable openings before eventually
giving his team a deserved lead four minutes before the break. West Ham boss
Sam Allardyce will be furious though with the manner of Palace's opener,
especially after highlighting their threat from set plays before the game.
His players failed to deal with man-of-the-match Jason Puncheon's left-wing
corner, before Murray's header somehow got past both Adrian and Aaron
Cresswell on the line in the 41st minute.
But if that goal was bad enough, then Palace's second six minutes after the
break was even worse as Dann beat opposite number Winston Reid to another
Puncheon corner, before bulleting a header past a helpless Adrian. And the
game was then over as a contest when 12 minutes later, Murray - who was only
starting up front due to injuries to Fraizer Campbell, Marouane Chamakh and
Yaya Sanogo - got a glancing header to Puncheon's free kick from the
left-hand corner of the box. West Ham, who were unlucky not to have taken
the lead when Mark Noble's 20-yard free kick hit the bar after just 15
minutes, then threw the kitchen sink at their London rivals in the final 15
minutes as they sought to exploit their one-man numerical advantage. And
they came close on several occasions to making it a truly nervous finale
after Valencia's long-range strike had given them initial hope. However,
substitute Nene hit the outside of the post with virtually his first touch
in English football, before Carl Jenkinson was denied by Julian Speroni at
his near post and Valencia then fired just over with a curler from distance
at the death.
Player ratings
West Ham: Adrian (6), Jenkinson (6), Tomkins, (6), Reid (6), Cresswell (7),
Song (5), Kouyate (6), Noble (7), Downing(7), Valencia (7), Sakho (5)
Subs: Nene (7)
Crystal Palace: Speroni (7), Ward (7), Dann (8), Delaney (7), Kelly (7),
Jedinak (8), Zaha (8), Puncheon (9), Mutch (6), Bolasie (7), Murray (8)
Subs: McArthur (6), Ameobi (6), Ledley (6)
Man of the match: Jason Puncheon
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce fumes at set-piece Crystal Palace goals
Last Updated: 28/02/15 4:46pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce was left fuming with his team after going down
3-1 at home to Crystal Palace. Allardyce said he had prepared his team for
Palace's set-piece barrage all week, but all three goals came straight off
the training ground. A combination of Glenn Murray and the unfortunate Aaron
Creswell were responsible for the first, from Jason Puncheon's corner. Scott
Dann then powered home a header from another Puncheon corner, and the game
was then over as a contest when 12 minutes later, Murray - who was only
starting up front due to injuries to Fraizer Campbell, Marouane Chamakh and
Yaya Sanogo - got a glancing header to Puncheon's free kick from the
left-hand corner of the box. Murray was later sent off for a second yellow,
and Allardyce felt the Palace striker had been lucky to remain on the pitch
for as long as he did. He also lambasted Mile Jedinak for a late elbow to
Diafra Sakho, but was more critical of his own side's display. "We spent a
long time looking at Palace's set-plays and 50 per cent of their goals this
season came from them," he said. "So you know how dangerous they are, they
put a good ball in and have five or six big players that attack the ball.
But we were setting out our plan to compete with that. "Even though Palace
were better than us on the day we lost on that tactic alone and that is
really disappointing. "You concede one then you give Palace credit. When you
concede one that is our fault. That is something we should have done better
on."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE BOARD NOT SUPPORTING SAM
By Iain Dale 1 Mar 2015 at 08:36 69 comments
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Brian Jones
So, after such a great first half of the season, what's gone wrong? Is it
Sam or the players? Well, I'm not a Sam fan, and a couple of years ago, I
put up a post on here calling for him to go. But I'm going to cut him some
slack and shift the focus to the Board, the third part of the equation. If
you were Sam, what would you be thinking right now? "I've met all the
targets I was set, I've even tried to promote some free flowing , attacking
football, but the buggers don't love me!"
The online and print media are rife with stories about rifts between Sam and
David Sullivan. Sullivan is supposed to have brought in players that Sam
didn't want. Sam was supposed to have stuck two fingers up to Sullivan over
whether Nene was fit or not. There is speculation everywhere as to whether
the Board are going to replace Sam now or at the end of the season. Some
media outlets are convinced Sam is already a dead duck. So what effect does
this have on the team? Well, James Tomkins was quoted in the media as saying
it doesn't affect the team and they just get on with the job. I wonder if
this is really the case?
Surely all this speculation does have an effect on the team? Don't they
wonder what the future is and don't they struggle to get really motivated if
there is a pall of uncertainty over Sam's position? Surely one of the roles
of the Board is to ensure there is a positive atmosphere at the club, an
environment in which everyone feels positive about the future and wants to
do their best to bring on higher achievements. Why is Winston Reid stalling
on a new contract? Supposedly there have been no bids for him. Is he just
waiting to see the way the wind blows?
Right now the role of the Board should be to tell the media, the players and
everyone else, that there is no problem, Sam is our man and we are going
onwards and upwards and any other clichés they can think of – even if they
don't mean it. Because that would be positive for the club and address all
the uncertainty that is there at the moment. If they are not happy with Sam,
they should be keeping that to themselves. But all this "we will assess the
situation at the end of the year" and the deafening silence about whether
Sam is our man or not is helping to create a negative atmosphere at the
club. It helps to lead to uncertainty among the players and with Sam
himself. His laid back (literally) body language at matches surely speaks
for itself. When did he last wear a West Ham tie at a match? Why should he
when he doesn't know if the Board support him or not? Or maybe he does know
and realises he is just filling in time?
Whether Sam stays or not, I want the Board to play their role in creating a
positive atmosphere in which the players can flourish. I don't see them
doing that right now.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEST HAM 1, CRYSTAL PALACE 3. LOSING UGLY.
By David Hautzig 28 Feb 2015 at 16:06
West Ham till I Die
There are matches that simply haunt me for weeks, sometimes months. The 4-3
loss to Spurs at home during the Great Escape year tortured me, and if we
had gone down that year I might have needed medication to survive. Last
Sunday was almost as bad. All week I've replayed those last few moments in
my mind, envisioning a different outcome. Alex Song ignoring Harry Kane.
Adrian holding onto the penalty kick. In my mind I could see those things
happening. And then reality takes over again. I was hoping West Ham would be
able to shed the demons of White Hart Lane against the men from Selhurst
Park. Instead they added insult to injury with one of the, if not the worst
performance of the season.
Since I'm not a real journalist I don't have to even pretend to be
objective. So here's the deal. I cannot stand Alan Pardew. I took immense
pleasure when Charlton went down under him. Equally so when Southampton
floundered with him in charge. I heard a story from a mate at a pub in
Manhattan a few months after he was sacked by Eggy, and then heard the same
one from supporters while in Toronto to watch us play the MLS All Stars.
When Pards was summoned by the board, instead of trying to plead his case he
sat down and simply asked how much compensation he was getting. I have no
idea if the story is true, but it seemed consistent with other things we had
heard about him. I bought it then, and I've bought it since then. But with
the way he has galvanized Palace into the team we saw today, I'm going to
shed that idea and admit he is a talented manager on many levels.
The first real chance of the game came in the 12th minute when Cresswell
intercepted a poor pass by Puncheon. The Palace defense rightfully expected
him to look for a pass or a cross into the box. Instead he unleashed a good
shot that curled over the bar. Two minutes later, after some interplay
between Sakho and Valencia and a foul on Noble, the skipper on the day
launched a free kick that beat Speroni only to ricochet off the cross bar.
West Ham's fine form at the start of the season was due largely to the kind
of passing on the floor that supporters had wanted to see more of. Today,
however, it looked like the very notion of technical ability was completely
lost on them. Sloppy passing and awful first touches by the very players we
expect to be able to do those things is what has replaced it. In the 25th
minute a Valencia giveaway led to a Palace counter. Puncheon burst into the
West Ham half and sent a through ball in for Glen Murray, but Reid was able
to nudge the Palace striker just enough for him to send his shot wide.
The most memorable and important moment of the game was the 38th minute when
both sets of supporters rose to their feet to offer a minutes applause in
the memory of Dylan Tombides. It was a touching moment made all the more
memorable by the involvement of the opposition. While it's cliché to say, it
made the game seem trivial.
Aaron Cresswell has been one of the brightest spots for West Ham this
season, so much so that rumors of interest from Manchester City have sprung
up in recent weeks. But as we've seen a few times this season when me messes
up, he messes up big time. In the 41st minute, after Palace earned
themselves a corner, the free kick into the box came to Glen Murray. His
header seemed to be floating right at Adrian, but Cresswell completely
missed his attempt to clear it and sent the ball spinning past our keeper
and into the net.
West Ham 0, Crystal Palace 1.
During the halftime break, there was talk on Twitter of how Sam would give
them a swift kick in the arse and that would give us hope of a better second
half. That optimism disappeared five minutes after the break when Zaha
sprinted down the right and won what would be the first of two quick
corners. The first was headed towards goal by Scott Dann but cleared out by
Reid. The second corner was a replay of the first, only this time Dann's
header went into the back of the net.
West Ham 0, Crystal Palace 2.
The decline in form for Alex Song has been shocking, not only due to it
actually occurring but for how quickly it has happened. It's as if one
moment we had this on field general pulling all the right strings, and the
next we have someone that has forgotten what to do. In the 56th minute, Song
did what any child playing on a Sunday knows not to do. He stopped playing.
He just stopped playing. That allowed Ward to run past him and pick up the
loose ball before Noble was forced to foul him. Jedinak then came inches
away from a third Palace goal when his resulting free kick went just wide of
a diving Adrian. Minutes later, Song was replaced by Nene. The man most of
us said we should sign this summer regardless of the cost, replaced by a
free agent striker that Sam reportedly didn't want.
That just about personified our day.
Before the game today, the inclusion of Glen Murray in the Palace starting
eleven at the expense of Dwight Gayle raised many an eyebrow. The television
commentators talked about it, and West Ham supporters on Twitter thought we
had been handed a gift. In the 63rd minute, Murray slammed the book shut on
that argument when he earned a free kick after creating contact with Kouyate
outside the West Ham penalty area. It might have been soft, but anyone
complaining about the referee today should reconsider. Puncheon curled the
free kick into the box, where Murray was able to meet it with a diving
header that beat Adrian.
West Ham 0, Crystal Palace 3.
At that point I threw down my pen and stopped taking notes. Yes, Nene hit
the outside of the post. And Murray saw a second yellow and Palace had to
play the final 21 minutes with ten men. When Valencia scored in the 76th
minute, I admit I thought maybe. Just maybe. And perhaps if Jenkinson had
chipped the ball over Speroni in the 82nd minute we could have had an
exciting final 8 minutes plus stoppage time. Instead, we left the game
wondering what on earth happened to the team that should have beaten both
Manchester United and Tottenham.
Final Score: West Ham 1, Crystal Palace 3.
Before I sat down to write this, my best mate Jon called me. He threw these
thoughts at me. The last two games have seen us blow a 2-0 lead and today
give up three goals from set pieces. Two things that are decidedly not Sam
things to happen. Could he know he's gone? Has the board actually told him
that, and if so could he be shutting down a bit? And if that's a
possibility, could the players know that as well and thus their
concentration has dipped? And if all of that is a possibility, could some
fault lie with the board for leaking stuff to the media about it? In truth,
more of the blame today lies with the players. They were, almost to a man,
awful.
Wednesday could be ugly.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Crystal Palace's Mile Jedinak in elbow storm after clashing with Diafra
Sakho - but insists he "didn't mean it"
17:43, 28 February 2015 By Dean Jones
The Australian caught the West Ham striker in the face as he cleared the
ball late on with Sam Allardyce claiming he was fortunate to avoid
punishment
The Mirror
Mile Jedinak has defended himself over a nasty elbow on Diafra Sakho that
could land him in trouble. The Crystal Palace midfielder insists he meant no
harm when he clattered into Sakho late in the game and caught the West Ham
man in the side of the face. The challenge went unpunished - but he could
yet face retrospective action. And Jedinak said: "I am not sure how I caught
him, but I did not mean to."
The incident came on a day when the Hammers crashed to a 3-1 defeat that
raises major doubts over their attempt to qualify for European football.
Boss Sam Allardyce added: "When you are in a winning position there is no
need to even attempt something like that. I think he is pretty lucky to have
got away with it. It could have been a red card and it would have been nice
to have given us a lifeline in the game - but I don't want to make any
excuses for our performance." Palace also had two-goal Glenn Murray sent off
but on Jedinak's challenge boss Pardew said: "I don't think there was
anything malicious in it." The defeat at Upton Park saw West Ham slip to
ninth in the Premier League table and Allardyce was far from impressed with
his side. "I'm shocked. Our level of performance wasn't where I expected it
to be. It's disappointing when we've built expectation levels so high at
home. It's about the basics, really. "If we don't play to our best, we'll
struggle. We warned the lads about Crystal Palace's set plays because 50% of
their goals have come from set-plays. And we've conceded from two corners
and a free-kick."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Massive Chelsea/Arsenal lifeline 'asks'
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 1, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
The game may not be quite up but Sam Allardyce knows that he needs a couple
of massive results and fine end of season run to take into the summer review
board meeting. That may yet give him a Hammers lifeline as speculation
continues to swirl around his future. A stunning victory over Chelsea on
Wednesday evening followed by a result of some kind against Arsenal will set
the team up for a series of games which look less daunting than in previous
run-ins. Yesterday's shocker gives little mental recovery time for a team
shattered by conceding three times from set pieces and Allardyce knows he
and the team are facing a "massive ask." Having built expectation he
commented after the game he doesn't believe "we have lived with the
expectation." Accepting the Palace game was "more winnable" than those
immediately before and after the Palace debacle he said: "Now, we face
Chelsea and Arsenal and it's been a while since we've won. These are massive
asks for us to gain victories from, but we will certainly try." The upside
of course us that all our best performances have come against the top teams
and we thus live in more than hope – or we should.
Hopefully, Stewart Downing will be back to his best should he be played at
the tip of the diamond assuming of course the manager plays that formation
for that appeared a real problem against Palace. And defensively – given we
were utterly shambolic – it's to be hoped the squad is in for extra training
on this Sunday morning!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Noble/Tomkins: The finances
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Local boys Mark Noble and James Tomkins signed deals worth less than the
personal terms reported in the general media. It was widely believed that
Nobes had signed a deal worth £50k a week and his pal Tomkins' new contract
was valued at around the £40k a week mark.
ClaretandHugh understands according to sources that the midfield loyalist
settled at around £45k and the big defender £35k a week – up from £25k.
These are basic wages but the two have clauses written in which would give
them appearance, win and league position bonuses like the remainder of the
squad. Tomkins2It means that TOGETHER the duo's joint salary is the same as
Andy Carroll's and just £10k in advance of loanee Alex Song. One source
said: "These two lads obviously want the best deals they can get but playing
for the club they love is the No 1 issue.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam's a busted flush – call the cab Daves!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 28, 2015 in Whispers
Calret & Hugh
I've been attacked many times on forums as a Sam hater! In fact I hate
nobody – far too strong a word. So before writing this piece I went back
through the various pieces I have written on the manager this season to
decide whether that's justified as a perception. To be honest I couldn't
have been a lot fairer; there have been times when I've praised him to the
skies, others – notably at the start of the season – when I said we all
needed to reserve judgement and others when I've gone for the throat after
particularly poor performances. The truth is I am not a fan of Sam Allardyce
as a manager or a man. He has down the years made a practice of filling his
teams with journeymen pros as he has adopted a "survive at all costs"
approach. It's why very few kids have emerged from his set-ups as he has
fulfilled the objective of becoming, by and large, an eight, nine or tenth
placed manager – with of course the odd exception.
As a man I find him arrogant, stubborn and an excuse finder for defeat but
ready to glory in his self-given Allerdici title when it all goes right. Not
good. Whichever way you want to call it – Sam Allardyce is not a winner
-never has been over the 20 years or so he's managed. I gave my knee jerk
reaction to the events at the Boleyn earlier this afternoon but the facts
are that today we were appalling – again showing the unacceptable face of a
side which has lost the knowledge of how to win.
Here's the League record since Christmas:
Played 10 Won 1 Drawn 5 Lost 4 Pts 8
That simply is not good enough, nor is it acceptable to remind us that we
played very well against the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Spurs
because the playing well yielded one point from nine.
This afternoon we have slipped into ninth place with Chelsea and Arsenal on
the horizon. The bright new dawn has turned into a dank, dreary evening and
the only person you can point a finger at is the boss simply because he's
the bloke in charge. He has to make things happen.
If he doesn't, he has to go and I believe he is now a busted flush with
nothing left to offer West Ham United.
The owners got it right when appointing a man who is a survivalist, handed
him the biggest transfer kitty of any Championship club but even then were
forced to sweat it out as he got us up via the play offs when it should have
been automatic.
But I believe they will get it completely wrong if they decide to let him
stay because winning things is simply not in his pedigree or it seems his
nature – 4-0 defeat at West Brom. Blimey!
We need far far more than Sam has produced in his career when we move into
our new home with all the high ambition the club has placed on that.
Don't ask me who the next boss should be. I don't know who is available or
indeed wants the job so any name I put forward would be pointless anyway.
What I do know is there are many who can keep teams in the Premier League
and some – like Pards ( remember) who can take us much closer to a trophy
than Sam Allardyce has managed.
So Daves, it's time to be brave. Thank him for his services, shake his hand
and watch him head for Hull, Queens Park Rangers or even one of those
foreign clubs which he thinks his could manage with ease.
Bye Sam – it really is time to call the cab!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Shocked Allardyce tries to make a case
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Stunned Sam Allardyce had one or two excuses for the shocking defeat at the
hands of Palace. And with Palace reduced to ten men for the last 30 minutes,
the defeat became even less bearable despite the team waking up and managing
an Enner Valencia goal and plenty of pressure and chances. However, if you
only start playing when you are three behind there's something very wrong
and the manager clearly accepted that. He said: "I'm shocked. Our level of
performance wasn't where I expected it to be. It's disappointing when we've
built expectation levels so high at home. It's about the basics, really. "If
we don't play to our best, we'll struggle. We warned the lads about Crystal
Palace's set plays because 50 per cent of their goals have come from
set-plays. And we've conceded from two corners and a free-kick."
Then he waded into the dismissed striker and started adding up the other
awards that should have been made against Palace and on our behalf! He
said:"I think Glenn Murray could have been sent off in the first half for
the number of fouls he committed. He was lucky to stay on for that long. We
should have had a penalty for the foul on Diafra Sakho, and it should have
been a red card for Mile Jedinak too. That would have made it 3-2, and then
you never know."
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Irons 1 Palace 3 The knee jerk reaction
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
We have come to a place where we simply don't know which West Ham are going
to turn up from week to week! And for a Sam Allardyce team o concede three
goals from three set pieces is unthinkable and simply not acceptable. To
watch the team deciding to play only when they are three goals behind is
totally out of order – this will no longer do. One league win in two months
is a shocking return from a team which has been hailed by many as a top six
team. There will be a deeper and less emotional response later when the full
extent of this has sunk in but right now it's easy to see why a list of
replacements is being drawn up for the manager. It's gone to pot and he has
no answers it seems. The end of this season is a natural time to say thanks
for everything Sam and goodbye
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