http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/ en Copyright 2009 Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:55:52 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss One step forward, two steps back; there is no denying this was a desperately disappointing result against a side that always seem to do us at home. That's bad enough, but, like last season, the result was a travesty as the Hammers deserved something from a game they dominated for long periods. Everton's goals came against the run of play and picking the ball from the net seemed to be the only thing Rob Green had to do all afternoon. But, we lost and undid the good work of mid-week, been dumped back into the trouble zone and also, once gain, surely given the fragile confidence a knock. So what went wrong? http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/11/west_ham_1_everton_2_home.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/11/west_ham_1_everton_2_home.php Match Reports Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:55:52 +0000 There were three minutes of a four minute period of stoppage time on the clock when young Zavon Hines swivelled and hit home a precious goal to give West Ham a 2-1 win against Aston Villa. The crowd erupted and I, for one, can't remember the last time I've been hugged by so many fat, bald blokes (?). It was late - very late - but I didn't think it was anything less than West Ham deserved for a battling display that was full of conviction, tenacity and good football. In fact, this was a cracking match with both sides showing good form. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/11/west_ham_2_aston_villa_1.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/11/west_ham_2_aston_villa_1.php Match Reports Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:08:52 +0000 To nobody's great surprise, former boss Alan Curbishley has won the court battle for unfair dismissal against his old club and can look forward to significant compensation from the Premier League manager's tribunal as a result. Whatever the rights and wrongs of Curbishley's resignation, it can be pretty much guessed that if there is any chance of the Hammers having to fork out money somewhere, then someone from the Upton Park offices is going to be seen running down to the bank with a cheque book before the month is out. The ruling that decided that Curbishley had been forced to resign when certain clauses in his contract were not upheld, is yet another financial blow for the Hammers. Curbishley was quoted after saying: "The club completely ignored my contract when selling Anton Ferdinand, and when George McCartney was then sold, the club having given me assurances that no players would be leaving the club after the sale of Anton Ferdinand, I had no alternative but to resign." "My authority and integrity were undermined and my position was made untenable.'' http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/11/curbishley_wins_unfair_dismiss.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/11/curbishley_wins_unfair_dismiss.php Blagg's Burblings Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:14:08 +0000 I suppose, for the sake of symmetry, I should say this is a draw that felt like a defeat as the Hammers had done to them what they did to Arsenal last week; but that would be a lie as Sunderland bossed the second half and a point seemed only fair and was, in any case, probably a result I would have taken before the game began. Gianfranco Zola though looked dispirited after the match and was obviously annoyed at the way the Hammers let a two goal lead slip away by allowing the home side to dominate for long spells in the second half even though they were down to ten men for most of it. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/11/sunderland_2_west_ham_2_away.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/11/sunderland_2_west_ham_2_away.php Match Reports Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:46:09 +0000 This was a draw that felt more like a win and the home point, perhaps, may represent a solid base that could kick start West Ham's season, such was the impact felt in pulling back a two goal deficit from a strong Arsenal side who looked solidly in command until the final 15 minutes of the match. It would be unfair to suggest that West Ham were outclassed by Arsenal until the latter stages; certainly in the first 15 minutes the Hammers had given as good as they got, but, once the home side were forced to chase the game after poor defensive errors, there is no doubt that the likelihood of a Hammers comeback looked extremely unlikely. I'm ashamed to admit at one stage that I was just hoping that the score finished 2-0 rather than it turning into a rout. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/10/west_ham_2_arsenal_2_home.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/10/west_ham_2_arsenal_2_home.php Match Reports Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:40:26 +0000 It was a week in which football moved from the back pages to the front and then to centre. A week in which web pages buzzed and the gossip in the office was all on the same topic. You could hear it on trains and buses; whispered in libraries and debated loudly in pubs; spoken of in reverent tones as young lovers nestled between the sheets. Even our local vicar was moved to mention it in his sermon on Sunday (not that I was there to hear it, of course). "And, lo, verily the word went out that David Beckham was to grow a beard. And the Lord looked and he saw that it was good". I have always suspected that the early 21st Century finds us as a Nation with too much time on its hands. Now I am certain. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/10/the_return_of_bristle_rovers.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/10/the_return_of_bristle_rovers.php From The Archives Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:12:55 +0000 I can't help but feel that West Ham are trying to fulfill a self-perpetrating prophecy here. A few weeks back, with less matches played than their rivals and only two home games, one against local rivals who've got a bit of a sign on us currently and Liverpool, who we've not beaten since referees last wore top hats, we find ourselves in the lower reaches of the division. "Woe is us - it's relegation" scream the knee-jerkers and, all of a sudden, we start playing like a relegation haunted team; Confidence drains away and top players - not the ones usually open to fans criticism - suddenly start looking second rate. Saturday's game was a case in point. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/10/stoke_city_2_west_ham_1_away.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/10/stoke_city_2_west_ham_1_away.php Match Reports Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:34:41 +0000 “I have always resisted the temptation to describe any match as the most exciting I have ever seen, but this was the exception. This really was the greatest” Peter Batt – The Sun “If this match had been presented as a piece of football fiction-writing, you would have rejected it as being too ridiculous” Desmond Hackett – The Daily Express ]]> http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/10/one_step_beyond_part_three.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/10/one_step_beyond_part_three.php From The Archives Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:32:18 +0000 The second part of the story of one of West Ham's greatest ever cup runs and the League Cup's finest semi-finals. This week; Gordon Banks' wonder penalty save from Geoff Hurst. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/10/one_step_beyond_part_two.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/10/one_step_beyond_part_two.php From The Archives Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:38:39 +0000 Well thanks, West Ham. I have been telling all and sundry this week that the Hammers position in the bottom three was mainly down to the vagaries of the fixture list, and that our real direction would be revealed when we played Fulham. On this showing though, I'd have to admit that direction may be backwards! One up against ten men with only a last gasp equaliser to spare the blushes, is really not good enough at this stage. More worringly, the lack of onfield leadership, defensive mistakes, bad luck and positional confusion is merely giving ammunition to neutrals and pessimistic fans who sense that a season long fight against relegation is the best we can hope for. It should have all been so different though. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/10/west_ham_2_fulham_2_home.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/10/west_ham_2_fulham_2_home.php Match Reports Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:59:49 +0000 A fantastic cup run in which West Ham beat some of the best teams of the day, eventually taking part as odd-on favourites in one of the great cup semi-finals decided over four games and 420 pulsating minutes before cruel fate and controversy intervenes to ensure it all ends in heart-breaking defeat, may not be the type of story that you think will need re-telling after 37 years. In some ways though, the 1971/2 League Cup run is everything that West Ham represents. Like it or loath it, the very reason that you - young or old - support the Hammers can be laid bare on a miserable, cold, rain-sodden Manchester night in January 1972. Read on if you dare. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/10/one_step_beyond_part_one.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/10/one_step_beyond_part_one.php From The Archives Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:04:09 +0000 I'm not employed by Soccernet and I'm nothing to do with Radio Five Live; I was born and raised in the east end of London and I support West Ham - the name is on my birth certificate. Therefore, I do not have go overboard in praise of a team that have spent hundreds of millions of pounds, nor abuse a cash-strapped lightweight side who struggle when injuries occur. I will merely say that West Ham's season gets under way at home to Fulham on Sunday and leave it at that. As I heard the City team being named as I drove to the 'Fustillian and Bucket' to watch this game on ESPN, it wasn't the names of Tevez, Wright-Phillips or Bellamy that made me groan aloud but rather that of Martin Petrov, returning from injury, one of the myriad of players who seems to love playing against the Hammers. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/09/manchester_city_3_west_ham_1_a.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/09/manchester_city_3_west_ham_1_a.php Match Reports Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:25:06 +0000 Less a match report - I've neither the money nor the wherewithal to travel to Bolton in mid-week currently - more a match moan. I don't know why I let Carling Cup defeats like this get to me - God knows I should be used to them by now - but they always do. I said before the season began that I always think this competition is a way for a club like West Ham to bring some silverware back to the boardroom. Working on the premise that we are a mid-table club then, if we put out a decent side and play to our potential, then we should only be concerned about the clubs above us and when most of them send kids out until the final is it really asking too much to get further than the 3rd round occasionally? http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/09/bolton_wanderers_3_west_ham_1.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/09/bolton_wanderers_3_west_ham_1.php Match Reports Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:56:54 +0000 Gianfranco Zola's admission that he is concerned over the future of Dean Ashton is at least a recognition of something that most fans have been discussing for some time. Even someone with a bit part on 'Casualty' knows only too well that an ankle injury that has taken the best part of two years to heal does not sound right and it can only be guessed at the problems that have really taken their toll on the Hammer's striker. It's hard not to feel sorry for both parties in this matter; Dean Ashton would surely have been contemplating South Africa next summer had he remained fit and West Ham would either have benefited from the 15+ goals a season Ashton would have supplied or, perhaps, the £30m+ that Dean would surely have recouped in the transfer market as his Premiership goal tally mounted. The fact that the infamous Hammers injury blight originally occured at an England training session is an ironic fact not lost on anyone http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/09/blood_relations.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/09/blood_relations.php Blagg's Burblings Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:21:00 +0000 West Ham's Liverpool hoodoo struck yet again as the men from Anfield came away from Upton Park with all three points in an action packed game. Liverpool will probably point to a period of second half domination as cause for celebration, but the Hammers will equally bemoan some injury woes that ensured their three substitutes would be used just to replace limping players, at a time when they could have done with some tactical opportunities. It could have been so different though had the excellent youngster Zavon Hines made the most of a glorious chance after only two minutes when he robbed defender Carragher - who looked unsteady against the attacker all evening - and shot against the post. Fair play though, Reina came out quickly and replays later showed that Hines probably did well to even bend the ball onto the post. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/09/west_ham_2_liverpool_3_home.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westhamunited/archives/2009/09/west_ham_2_liverpool_3_home.php Match Reports Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:08:05 +0000