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Boro Give Hammers A Lifeline

April 21, 2012 By Iron Bobby Leave a Comment

Watching the Middlesbrough v Southampton game I was hoping Boro could do us a favour against the much fancied Saints, especially as Boro needed a win to keep their own play off hopes alive.

After all of 46 seconds my hopes started to fade when up popped Billy Sharp with a goal to make it 1 – 0 to the St Mary’s outfit!

However being a Hammer you need to believe so I carried on watching and after a lot of half chances for both teams Boro got back in it on the stroke of half time with a cross converted by Bailey. Good times there was a glimmer of hope!

Second half I was hoping Boro would turn the screw but Southampton came out the traps wanting to put the promotion battle to bed and gave their hosts a bit of a battering for the few period of the second half.

A spot of controversy reigned a few moments later when Lallana went through on goal only to be fouled by the last man who had already been booked, I thought oh dear 10 men for Middlesbrough but unbelievably the ref kept his cards in his pocket and Lambert fired over from the free kick.

middlesbrough-vs-southampton

Then after being slightly battered from Southampton attacks the Tee Siders got a free kick and it was curled home beautifully by Zemmama!

So after a nervous 90 minutes watching on behalf of my team I am pleased our very slim automatic promotion hopes are still alive! So all we need now is victory over Leicester and Southampton to slip up against the already relegated Coventry City! Should be an exciting last day if we win Monday with the odds stacked in Southampton’s favour, but hey stranger things have happened! COYI!

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Reading Back In The Prem

April 18, 2012 By Stevo Leave a Comment

You’ve heard that right, Reading are back in the Premier league thanks to a one nil win at Forest with a goal from hero Mikele Leigertwood.

The Royals are back in top flight football thanks to an 81st minute strike by Mikele Leigertwood. They must be walking on air now as this is only the second time they’ve been in the Premier League. The last time they enjoyed top flight football was for two seasons before being relegated in 2008.

Brian McDermott, a former Arsenal midfielder, who took over from Brendan Rogers in 2009 had this to say:

“It’s my best moment in football, considering the worst moment was losing the play- off final.

“We are in the Premier League and I will celebrate for the next couple of months. But this doesn’t seem real at the moment.

“It’s a strange feeling. In fact it feels like it’s happening to someone else.

“But I’ve been very lucky with the players and staff I have. They have carried me along.

“I’m happy. I’m content. But you do it for the fans.

“I had the worst summer after losing in the play-off final last season. I’ll have the best summer now.”

So where does that leave the Hammers, you may be wondering? To put it bluntly, Big Sam may be forced to use the playoffs to reach the top flight where we belong! The game against Bristol last night ended in a draw thanks to Cole Skuse’s equalizer that leaves the irons 5 points behind Saints with just two “freaking” games left! Rob Green should have done a bit better, we think.

Allardyce admitted that it was difficult now and they only have themselves to blame. I cannot believe it myself, if the Hammers fail to reach the Prem, then what? Another year in the wilderness, simple as that!

West Ham roared into the lead from a Tomkins header which came courtesy of a Mark Noble free-kick just after 25 minutes.That gave us some hope until blooming Skuse stuck one in for Bristol 4 minutes later!

And on that note i’ll leave you with what one Hammers fan posted:

Yes lets prepare for the white knuckle ride the play- offs lottery, worth 90m to the winners,US hammers fans wouldn’t have it any other way lol……….COYI – source here

Come on you irons!

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Hammers 6 Brighton and Hove Albion 0: Match Report

April 14, 2012 By Stevo Leave a Comment

An in form Ricardo Vaz Té helped the Irons to an awesome 6 nil demolishing of Brighton and Hove Albion at Upton Park where he scored a hat-trick.

Vaz Té now makes it 8 goals in 5 games but more importantly has put the Hammers back in contention for an automatic promotion place. The Portuguese striker has now put West Ham 3 points behind Southampton who are sitting in second place with just three games to play. Vaz Té has breathed some life into the claret and blues just lately and today’s performance at Upton Park is no exception.

Brighton’s defending today has been atrocious to say the least which was highlighted when the Hammers hit their crossbar with just 40 seconds on the clock! This was the seagulls heaviest defeat this season and they only have themselves to blame.

Brighton’s chances of making the playoffs look left for dead now as they stand five points behind Cardiff City who are sitting at sixth place. Gus Poyet will certainly not be pleased with his team’s performance today!

To be honest lads, it wasn’t much of a contest, was it? You could say that with a quarter of an hour on the clock it was all over bar the shouting.

Ricardo Vaz Té got on the scoreboard first just after 3 minutes after skipper Kevin Nolan won the ball on the left and threaded it through to the striker, who was 30 yards out. Vaz Te’s shot was powerful and flew through Peter Brezovan’s hands. His second goal came just five minutes after. Vaz Té was left on his own at the far post to head home a cross from Gary O’Neill. Next up was Nolan three minutes later to stick the ball in the net after Tonks headed Matt Taylor’s free-kick back across the goal.

The Hammers had to wait a bit for the next goal and it didn’t come until 63 minutes when Vaz Té found the net and got his hat-trick with a spectacular hook shot over his shoulder. The ref had waived play on when Henri Lansbury was brought crashing down in the box but the ball found the magical Vaz Té and it was crashed home in spectacular style!

Carlton Cole then made it five after his shot was deflected off Lansbury’s heel. To complete the drubbing Seagulls’ Gary Dicker turned a Kevin Noble corner into his own net with 13 minutes left on the clock. West Ham came away on a high note and they could smell the Premier League in the air!

Match Stats:

West Ham 4-4-2
Green, Demel, Tomkins, Reid, Taylor, O’Neill, Nolan, Noble, Lansbury, Vaz Té, Cole

Subs: Henderson, Maynard, Colison, Carew, Collins

Brighton and Hove Albion 4-4-1-1
Brezovan, Calderon, Greer, El-Abd, Painter, Bridcutt, Dicker, Navarro, Assulin, Vicente; Barnes

Subs: Ankergren, Noone, Mackail-Smith, Lualua, Jara

Ref: Roger East

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West Ham United 3 Birmingham City 3: Match Report

April 10, 2012 By Stevo Leave a Comment

Ricardo Vaz Té’s late penalty saved West Ham’s bacon yesterday as the match ended 3 apiece against Birmingham City.

The first half of the match was something out of a horror story and threatened to damage West Ham’s promotion chances. Snatching just a point was not what the Hammers really wanted but they showed incredible spirit to come back from 3-1 down at the break.

The Hammers knew that Saints had won their game and were now 7 points adrift. With the pressure now on West ham could not afford to waste this opportunity of a game in hand. Sadly though, this is what they did and gifted Birmingham their goals to make it 1-3 at half time.

The lads from Birmingham punished the Irons for some sloppy football especially from the midfield where the ball was given away far too many times.Birmingham scored twice, both from the home side’s errors that saw them give the ball away in the midfield. Ricardo Vaz Té showed courage and scored almost straight after to make it 1-2 but then Birmingham got a corner and some defensive errors cost West Ham a third. The Hammers were booed off the park at half time.Big Sam Allardyce could only shake his head at such a poor performance from his lads.

After the break, Carlton Cole scored to make it 2 apiece and gave an invigorated West Ham some hope. West Ham had a lot of possession early on in the second half but it wasn’t used wisely as the best chances fell to their opponents with Rob Green keeping the Hammers’ hopes alive with a reflex save from Chris Burke. Curtis Davies also headed wide from a Jordan Mutch corner.

Allardyce was livid as two possible spot kicks were not given. Gary O’Neil went to ground in the penalty area after a challenge by Ramage but no penalty was given.Then West Ham’s players were angry as another penalty appeal went begging after Carlton Cole went down while tussling with Steven Caldwell in the penalty area.

West ham’s comeback was finally complete when Burke handled Henri Lansbury’s shot in the box, allowing Ricardo Vaz Té to rescue a point from the penalty spot for the Hammers that he confidently knocked in.

Match details

West Ham (4-4-2): Green; A Faye, Tomkins, Reid, McCartney (Collins 34); O’Neil, Noble (Baldock 82), Nolan; Vaz Te, Cole, Maynard (Lansbury 45).

Subs: Taylor, Demel.

Booked: Nolan, Lansbury.

Birmingham (4-5-1): Myhill; Ramage, Davies, Caldwell, Murphy; Burke, Fahey, N’Daw (Zigic 67), Mutch, Elliott; King (Townsend 85).

Subs: Doyle (gk), Huseklepp, Redmond.

Booked: N’Daw, Zigic, Burke.

Referee: Jonathan Moss.

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Hammers Demolish Barnsley 4 – 0

April 7, 2012 By Stevo Leave a Comment

It was a nice sight yesterday watching the Hammers demolish Barnsley 4 nil away.

This result gives the Hammers some hope as it means they have both Southampton and Reading within touching distance. If this was ever a time for the “squeaky bum” syndrome, then this is it as the top two can feel the heat of the irons breathing down their necks.It was a great match and I must admit that Barnsley had a nightmare in defence which started with a goal mouth scramble and a toe poke in for the hammers’ captain to make it one nil.

With Reading beating Leeds United earlier on, the Hammers started the game 7 points behind and needed to produce the goods if they were ever to steal a promotion place. But once captain Nolan tapped the ball in from a Nicky Maynard corner they never looked back.

23 minutes into the game and it was Maynard who got onto the scoresheet after a nice piece of play with his captain. then it was Mark Noble’s turn just 12 minutes after to crash home a third for the Hammers. Noble curled the ball in from a tight angle to find the net and also helped the visitors to a new club record of 12 away wins in a season. Nice one Noble!

“We found a cutting edge and it was a fantastic, professional performance,” said the West Ham manager, Sam Allardyce.

“We’ve broken the club record for away wins in a season, which is a great achievement. It’s very pleasing because it’s always difficult to play away from home. It’s just a pity we haven’t won more games at home.”

With the second half under way Ricardo Vaz Tê added a fourth goal for the Hammers against his old side from close range. We hope with this performance, last months five straight draws in a row is a thing of the past as the Upton Park boys have seen Reading, who are the new leaders, cruise past the them.

Barnsley looked shell shocked after the game who still have a 9 point cushion to fall back on at the bottom of the league table.

“The pressure was on us after Reading won earlier in the day,” Allardyce said. “Winning was the only thing for us and we did that. We did that with style and showed we could handle the pressure situation.

“We now face Birmingham City on Monday and that will be a tough test for us. We need to try and grasp another three points and see where we go from there.”

Allardyce can spend Saturday enjoying his win but as he said, “there’s a tough game on Monday against Birmingham”. If the hammers can grab some points there then there’s hope. Surely the hammers, after beating Barnsley on their own turf at Oakwell will be well up for the game at Birmingham. Do not disappoint us lads, we are counting on you 🙂

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