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The Hammers beating Swansea on Saturday might be the start of something good in my opinion.
It brought a smile to my face as the final whistle was blown and the Irons snatched a decent 3 points from one of the Premier League success stories this season. I knew it was going to be a tough game and the 1-nil scoreline reflected that. [Read more…]
After all the chit chat about Blackpool’s sour grapes especially from Baptiste of all people, Carlton Cole comes to the rescue with some true Hammers spirit.
Did you know that our boy Cole took a 50% cut in wages to play for the irons, the club he loves, to help get us back to the Premier League where the claret and blues belong? Cole is a gentleman and a scholar in my book and deserves a round of applause!
I mean, there he was on 28 grand a week before the irons dropped off the radar and into the Championship last season and he slashes his wages to 14 grand a week because he loves his team and wanted to get back to the Prem. The guy’s a legend!
Ok, a lot of us would say “Mmmm, 14 grand a week’s not bad either” and rubbished the generosity of the player. But guys and gals, don’t forget that these players have different living standards, higher taxes, businesses to run etc etc and all I can think of is that he’s a great guy.
I wonder if some of the Manchester city stars would take a 50% pay cut “to help out”? i don’t think so, especially with the likes of Nasri et al who have left decent clubs that have made them the players that they are today for some easy cash up the road which has fallen off the back of a camel đ Maybe Jermain Defoe should take a look at himself and make a self examination. You remember, he was that guy that jumped ship and handed in a transfer request the day the Hammers got demoted in 2003 – nice fella.
Don’t forget that Cole was offered a lifeline by Stoke City to stay in the Premier League, too. He turned it down though to help the lads get back up.Such loyalty is rarely seen today especially when you have the likes of City splashing their cash and changing the face of football in the process. Anyway, so much for splashing the cash, they only won the league on goal difference at the death of it.
Carlton Cole had this to say about his pay cut:
âIâve kept my mouth shut for quite a while but I did take a wage cut to stay in the Championship. Half of my wages just went.
âBut I thought âYou know what? I want to help this club get back where we belong.â
âI didnât want to leave the ship, I am that sort of guy. I would not have been able to live with myself.
âIt is just such a reward today to get to the Premier League again with West Ham at the first time of asking. This was D-Day for all of us”.
Cole believed in Sam Allardyce and his team and that was a big factor that led the player to hang around at West ham and not jump ship. The player doesn’t intend on taking another hit in the wages department and plans to fire the Hammers into the big time and stay there.
The Tangerines have apparently “got out of their prams” about a “new away kit” that sports the premier League logo on it! I couldn’t stop laughing when I heard this and thought it must be the seasiders new take on Fergie’s mind games!
Therefore the Hammers have come out and denied all rumours of a new away kit with the premier League logo after âsomebodyâ posted a draft version of it online. The tangerines are said to be âriledâ, who we play on Saturday at Wembley for Premiership glory in a 90 Million pound showcase.
Ian Evatt, a Tangerines defender has called the Hammers âdisrespectfulâ and overconfident ahead of Saturdayâs big game.
And defender Evatt had this to say about the away kit photo scandal:
“If you listen to them, they’re already up aren’t they?” “If I was them I wouldn’t be counting my chickens just yet because what I have learned over the past five or six seasons is these players never give up.
“A guy has just told me that their new kit’s come out with Premier League badges on, which I think is jumping the gun a bit and it’s disrespectful towards our group of players.
“I’m not going to sit here and say Blackpool are going to win, but we’re going to give them a better game than they think we’re going to give them.”
This outburst has surprised the Irons especially as their preparation and build up has been very low key â almost deliberately if you ask me. The Hammers have now responded to Evattâs rants in a statement by the club:
“West Ham United can confirm that reports of replica shirts being produced with Premier League badges on ahead of Saturday’s play-off final are completely erroneous.
“The photograph of a shirt is a hoax and in no way connected to West Ham United Football Club.
“Comments made as to the conduct of our club in regards to our opponents on Saturday, Blackpool, are also false and have again, nothing to do with the club.”
In my opinion I think the seasiders are playing mind games with us ahead of the Wembley game in a bid to distract our focus and attention. These things happen all the time and anyone who’s worth their salt as a designer could create a mock up and post it on the Net – it’s not that hard believe me!
Ian Evatt should shut up ahead of this game as it doesn’t make too much sense going into a match like this unless you’re up for a few mind games before-hand. There’s just two days to go and the hammers will get to respond to the Tangerines tactics on the pitch with a brace from Vaz TĂ©!
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A brace by Hammer Jack Collison at Cardiff last night gave the irons hope in the first leg of their playoff with the Welsh team.
Even Sam Allardyce had to admit that “it was a great night” as his boys firmly planted one foot on the Wembley turf on their road to redemption and back to the Prem.
Cardiff now have to come down to our “manor” in East London and bring it if they want any glory. It’s going to be a tough game at Upton Park for the boyos in blue and the hammers are ready to take them on.The match will be on Bank Holiday Monday so expect a large and lively crowd for that one.
Of course, anything can happen in these games as we have seen all throughout this season. I think the Hammers can hold their heads cool and keep their nerves – I can’t see it being too big a problem to put away another few goals at the Park.
Big Sam said:
âThis has been a great night for us but itâs only 90 minutes gone of a two-legged game and anything can happen.â
âWe nullified their threat and restricted them to minimal chances on their own ground. Tactically, we did everything right.
âThereâs no pressure on Cardiff, they can come and try to claw something but this result gives us a great platform”.
I have to agree with the boss on nullifying Cardiff as the boys did a good job and to be fair Cardiff looked pretty dangerous at times throughout the game and even tested Rob Green in the first 10 minutes or so of the first half.
Ok, so it might not be a cakewalk but we are two goals up thanks to Jack Collison and Cardiff will have to attack if they want to spoil the party.
This is just what West ham needed, too. A clean sheet and a couple of goals – you can’t ask for anymore, can you?
Cardiff boss Malky Mackay said this about his team:
âWeâre disappointed with their first goal and our defending”.
Make no mistake though Cardiff will come down here on Monday thinking they are two down and it’s only half time. The boys need to be on the ball and a goal or two will seal the deal I think.
The funny thing is that Collison is a Wales midfielder, so that must have gone down like a hole in the head for the boyos down at Cardiff đ Cardiff have been trying to get into the Premier League for three seasons now and Collison’s double might make the Welsh side wait another year – we will see!
An in form Ricardo Vaz TĂ© helped the Irons to an awesome 6 nil demolishing of Brighton and Hove Albion at Upton Park where he scored a hat-trick.
Vaz TĂ© 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 TĂ© 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 TĂ© 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 TĂ© 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 TĂ© 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 TĂ© 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 TĂ©, 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
