SEASON REVIEW & ANALYSIS
Everything had seem rosy enough when the Irons moved to top spot after their first two games of the new Premier League season, but a disastrous soul-destroying run of consecutive defeats in which the Hammers just couldn't score for love nor money saw the East London club sink into the relegation places. This was also despite a major transfer coup which shocked the footballing world when it was announced that Argentinian superstars Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez had moved to Upton Park from Brazilian side Corinthians.
A takeover from Icelandic businessman Eggert Magnusson during November was extremely good news for the club with an investment of around £100million, and meant the team could finally concentrate on matters on the pitch instead. However, Magnusson was quick to remove Alan Pardew as West Ham boss and legendary ex-Hammer Alan Curbishley was appointed as manager.
Curbishley's reign got off to a dream start with victory over runaway leaders Manchester United, but after a hard-earned point at Fulham, two home defeats followed and the pressure was really on. Read on for DJ Wittzy's review of the astonishing final run-in and a very improbable end to a real rollercoaster ride of a season. But we pick up the story from New Year's Day at the Madejski Stadium, where things went from bad to worse with the worst possible start to 2007 imaginable.......
FA Premier League
READING (4) 6
WEST HAM UNITED (0) 0
Key Incidents:
12th minute: GOAL (Reading 1 West Ham 0) – West Ham’s day begins badly when the Royals take the lead through Gunnarsson’s effort, the result of poor Hammers defending.
15th minute: GOAL (Reading 2 West Ham 0) – Stephen Hunt scores a simple header from close in with Rob Green out of his goal, exposed at the back again, yet more shocking defending from the visitors.
30th minute: GOAL (Reading 3 West Ham 0) – Another Reading set-piece, another mix-up in the Hammers defence, but for once it’s a West Ham defender who gets his head on the ball. Unfortunately Anton Ferdinand gets in the way of Robert Green and his header finds the back of his own goal.
36th minute: GOAL (Reading 4 West Ham 0) – What a surprise. More non-existant West Ham defending, a dangerous cross which is not cut out and Kevin Doyle nips in to score from 2 yards. 4-0 down and still ten minutes to half time...
53rd minute: GOAL (Reading 5 West Ham 0) – Another cross causes havoc in the visitor’s defence and Leroy Lita stabs the ball underneath the body of Robert Green, who really should have kept the ball out.
78th minute: GOAL (Reading 6 West Ham 0) – Kevin Doyle rubs salt into the West Ham wound when he heads home from a corner to seal his brace, and Reading rack up half a dozen in another horrible, horrible display from West Ham United. What an extremely sad way to start 2007...
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 18th
Hammers’ Position After Match: 18th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 9th
Opponent’s Position After Match: 9th
Trivia: West Ham’s worst defeat since losing to Manchester United by the same scoreline in the fourth round of the FA Cup in 2003; also our worst league defeat since the 7-1 capitulation at newly-promoted Blackburn Rovers in October 2001. The last time Hammers lost 6-0 in the Premiership was a forgettable day at Everton at the tail end of the 1998/99 season. Also Reading’s biggest-ever Premiership victory (and probably will be for a while yet), and their third (easy) consecutive win over the Hammers at the Madejski Stadium.
The DJ Wittzy view: What a complete and utter embarrassment. It was hard for me to keep a straight face when the 4-0 scoreline was read out at half time at the Woking vs St. Alban’s City game (Just for your information, that was a shit game as well – Woking, after going 1-0 up after 5 minutes, then decided to give up and eventually lost 1-2 in the pouring rain against the relegation-threatened Hertfordshire side). As a West Ham fan, it’s not completely alien to experience such a thumping, but the manner in which the goals were conceded is hard to take, and to be quite honest the home side might have got double figures on another day. I said the 0-4 loss at Bolton was atrocious, but this might possibly eclipse that, although I was lucky enough not to have seen this debacle from start to finish, only the highlights. Again, what a crap way to start a new year – complete disaster!
Saturday 6th January 2007, KO 3.00pm
FA Cup 3rd Round
WEST HAM UNITED (0) 3
BRIGHTON & HOVE (0) 0
Key Incidents:
49th minute: GOAL (West Ham 1 Brighton 0) – Young prospect Mark Noble nets just West Ham’s fourth goal in the past 11 games, and reduces the chances of a Brighton upset.
58th minute: GOAL (West Ham 2 Brighton 0) – A clever cross from Carlos Tevez finds Carlton Cole who blasts a half-volley home from inside the box, despite Brighton’s (incorrect) appeals for offside.
90th minute: GOAL (West Ham 3 Brighton 0) – Hayden Mullins seals the Hammers’ biggest victory of the season and sends last season’s runners-up safely into round 4 of the FA Cup.
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 18th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 15th (League One)
Trivia: Brighton won on their last visit to Upton Park, a 1-0 victory in the Championship in November 2004 when Hayden Mullins and Guy Butters were sent off in a brawl.
The DJ Wittzy view: It was just nice to experience a win again, only the sixth Hammers win in total this season, and a convincing one at that in the end, although Brighton still had a chance with the score 0-0 at half-time.
The fourth round draw (which I completely forgot about, and only found out a day later) was again kind to the Hammers, who were handed a home tie against bottom-placed Premiership side Watford.
Saturday 13th January 2007, KO 3.00pm
FA Premier League
WEST HAM UNITED (1) 3
FULHAM (1) 3
Key Incidents:
17th minute: GOAL (West Ham 0 Fulham 1) – Tomaz Radzinski pokes home a deflected effort from a poorly-defended Fulham corner and again West Ham find themselves a goal behind early on.
28th minute: GOAL (West Ham 1 Fulham 1) – After a barren spell infront of goal, Bobby Zamora finally nets again for the first time since his burst of 5 goals inside the first four games at the very start of the season.
46th minute: GOAL (West Ham 2 Fulham 1) – Immediately from kick-off, West Ham’s first attack sees Yossi Benayoun produce a stunning, inch-perfect chip over the Fulham goalkeeper from outside the penalty area. Infact, very similar to the chip he produced against Fulham in the same fixture last season – WHAT A GOAL!
59th minute: GOAL (West Ham 2 Fulham 2) – Brian McBride punishes West Ham’s flimsy defending again, and he is allowed to place a header past Roy Carroll, and West Ham’s good work early in the second half is undone.
64th minute: GOAL (West Ham 3 Fulham 2) – Yossi Benayoun nips in to take advantage of a horrible mix-up in the Fulham defence between goalkeeper and defender, and Benayoun keeps his cool to round the ‘keeper and then squeeze it past two defenders on the line to restore West Ham’s advantage.
76th minute: SENDING OFF – Earlier scorer Bobby Zamora makes the home side’s task of collecting 3 much-needed points unnecessarily more difficult, when he collects his second booking in quick succession after a rather silly lunging tackle.
90th minute: GOAL (West Ham 3 Fulham 3) – As Fulham pour forward desperately for a corner, West Ham fail to clear their lines and Christanval is left all on his own and he makes no mistake, firing past Carroll into the top corner, and two points slip away down the drain at the death...
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 18th
Hammers’ Position After Match: 18th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 12th
Opponent’s Position After Match: 12th
Trivia: The second draw between the two sides this season and the second time this fixture has ended all square at Upton Park in the league, the other occasion was a 1-1 draw in December 2002 (when Tomas Repka was sent off).
The DJ Wittzy view: A good West Ham fightback, but it was absolutely galling to concede such a crucial goal so late on, and our search for a win goes on painfully. Yossi finally found the net this season, with two well-taken goals, the first was absolutely brilliant! Which really annoyed me that Match Of The Day decided to overlook it for their January Goal Of The Month contest – what a load of rubbish! But after our goal-drought up front for most of the season, we’ve actually managed six in the past two games, maybe a sign of things to come?
Saturday 20th January 2007, KO 3.00pm
FA Premier League
NEWCASTLE UNITED (1) 2
WEST HAM UNITED (2) 2
Key Incidents:
18th minute: GOAL (Newcastle 0 West Ham 1) – Carlton Cole reacts quickest when Newcastle fail to deal with a West Ham corner, and Cole notches his second goal in 3 games.
22nd minute: GOAL (Newcastle 0 West Ham 2) – Marlon Harewood outmuscles Peter Ramage in the Newcastle defence with incredible ease and plants his shot past Shay Given to double the Hammers’ lead.
45th minute: GOAL (Newcastle 1 West Ham 2) – James Milner’s low shot from the edge of the West Ham area bamboozles everyone including Roy Carroll as it finds the corner of the net, but Nicky Butt (standing right infront of Roy Carroll, and therefore obstructing his vision) is in an offside position, but is seen as “not involved” with play by referee Uriah Rennie (when he quite clearly is), but as so many times this season, the luck goes against the Hammers – the goal is allowed to stand and the whole game changes.
53rd minute: GOAL (Newcastle 2 West Ham 2) – Luis Boa Morte inexplicably handles the ball inside the penalty area from a Newcastle free-kick and Nolberto Solano’s penalty brings the Geordies level against the demoralised Hammers.
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 18th
Hammers’ Position After Match: 18th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 11th
Opponent’s Position After Match: 12th
Trivia: Hammers’ last win at St. James’ Park was in late 1998, since then they’ve drawn three and lost three, keeping just one clean sheet; on all the other occasions Newcastle have scored at least two. Newcastle also won 4-2 on aggregate last season in the two league meetings, again with a draw at home and a 2-goal victory at Upton Park.
The DJ Wittzy view: West Ham played really well against a poor Newcastle side, recently thumped 5-1 at home by Championship side Birmingham City in the FA Cup 3rd round replay, early on and fully deserved their 2-0 lead, but as Newcastle came back into the game, they received a huge slice of luck with Milner’s effort, which shouldn’t have counted. Typically, that “goal” gave the home side the confidence they lacked early on and they began to control most of the second half. However, Boa Morte’s stupid handball needlessly gave them a point which they didn’t look like getting after trailing 0-2. Fortunately Roy Carroll made some good saves from Obafemi Martins which kept the scores at 2-2 as the visitors came under increasing pressure late on, although we had a couple of chances to win the game ourselves. 2-2 doesn’t seem a bad result, it’s just the manner in which the game was taken away from us, and we were absolutely cruising at 2-0. Same old story this season, I’m afraid.
Saturday 27th January 2007, KO 3.00pm
FA Cup 4th Round
WEST HAM UNITED (0) 0
WATFORD (1) 1
Key Incidents:
42nd minute: GOAL (West Ham 0 Watford 1) – Roy Carroll stupidly decides to come out of his goal to try and collect a cross which he couldn’t possibly claim; inevitably he misses it and Anthony McNamee’s overhead kick beats the Hammers defender on the line to give Watford what turns out to be the match-winning goal, a rare win for the Hornets.
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 18th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 20th
Trivia: Watford’s first win at Upton Park for since the Premiership was formed, and something like their first win here since the 1950’s. The two sides met in the FA Cup third round in January 1994, when the visitors also took the lead, but a late West Ham comeback condemned Watford to a 2-1 defeat that day.
The DJ Wittzy view: A very poor result, and the performance wasn’t particularly good either. It was a terrible goal to concede – a really bad error by Carroll and that poor decision has seen us knocked out of a cup competition at an early stage again, when we should have progressed. More bad injury news – with Ashton still weeks away, new signing Lucas Neill hobbles off on his debut in the first half.
Tuesday 30th January 2007, KO 7.45pm
FA Premier League
WEST HAM UNITED (0) 1
LIVERPOOL (0) 2
Key Incidents:
46th minute: GOAL (West Ham 0 Liverpool 1) – Liverpool’s first attack straight from kick-off ends up with Dirk Kuyt blasting an unstoppable 30-yard dipping effort which clips the underside of the crossbar on its way in.
53rd minute: GOAL (West Ham 0 Liverpool 2) – Peter Crouch volleys in another long-range screamer to give the Scousers a comfortable lead.
77th minute: GOAL (West Ham 1 Liverpool 2) – Substitute and debutant, the on-loan Kepa Blanco, with just his second touch in a West Ham shirt, taps in from close range (possibly in an offside position) to give the home side just a glimmer of hope with time running out.
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 18th
Hammers’ Position After Match: 18th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 3rd
Opponent’s Position After Match: 3rd
Trivia: Liverpool won last season’s corresponding fixture by the same scoreline, and also won this season’s encounter at Anfield in August by the same score. Indeed this is Liverpool’s fourth 2-1 win at Upton Park in the Premiership, and the sixth in total.
The DJ Wittzy view: Although West Ham offered little and looked a little uncertain at times, Liverpool never really troubled the Hammers, and after being under pressure early on the home side looked to be coming into the game towards the end of the half. Unfortunately any hopes of that continuing were immediately dashed and then completely extinguished as the Scousers stormed into a 2-0 lead with two strikes in 8 minutes at the start of the second half. The only positive thing was seeing Kepa Blanco score his first Hammers goal on his debut. Yet another costly defeat, though, and the winless run continues...
Saturday 3rd February 2007, KO 3.00pm
FA Premier League
ASTON VILLA (1) 1
WEST HAM UNITED (0) 0
Key Incidents:
36th minute: GOAL (Aston Villa 1 West Ham 0) – The menacing new Villa partnership of strikers Ashley Young and John Carew combine to give the Villans the lead when Carew nets his first goal in claret and blue when his bouncing shot from the edge of the area beats Roy Carroll.
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 18th
Hammers’ Position After Match: 18th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 14th
Opponent’s Position After Match: 13th
Trivia: Villa’s fifth home Premiership win over West Ham. This is the fourteenth time (in 26 games) that the Hammers have failed to net – more than half of our games we have not scored in = Oh dear.
The DJ Wittzy view: Another frustrating afternoon. I seem to be saying that every single week now. More bad luck for Hammers as new £6m signing defender Matthew Upson limps off after 30 minutes of his debut, and the weak West Ham backline concedes moments later. Despite pushing hard for the equaliser, which included a desperate scramble in the Villa box, resulting in an effort coming back of the crossbar, our miserable performance infront of goal (and just everywhere else, too) continues, and the slide towards relegation becomes ever more inevitable.
Saturday 10th February 2007, KO 3.00pm
FA Premier League
WEST HAM UNITED (0) 0
WATFORD (1) 1
Key Incidents:
12th minute: GOAL (West Ham 0 Watford 1) – In a vitally important game, West Ham get off to the worst possible start when Anton Ferdinand stupidly hauls down Darius Henderson in the box and he makes no mistake with (incredibly) the visitors’ first penalty award in the Premiership this season.
57th minute: MISSED PENALTY – Ironically, the only other team yet to win a penalty in the Premiership this season finally get their first one when Nigel Reo-Coker’s burst into the Watford area is illegally ended. Marlon Harewood has a golden chance to pull West Ham back into the game, but, unlike Henderson’s earlier penalty, Harewood puts his spot-kick wide of the left-hand upright and the Hornets hold on for victory.
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 18th
Hammers’ Position After Match: 18th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 20th
Opponent’s Position After Match: 20th
Trivia: Watford’s first-ever Premiership win against West Ham, and their second consecutive 1-0 win at Upton Park this season, having won the FA Cup tie 3 weeks earlier. Neither side had been awarded a penalty in the Premiership before today’s encounter, and were the only two remaining teams in the division not to have been given one.
The DJ Wittzy view: Another horrible result – it was so important we won this, but what hope is there if we cannot beat the bottom team at home – not just that but they have beaten us twice on home soil in 3 weeks. Lucas Neill’s return from injury was short-lived – the team he was injured against on debut was also the team he limped off against on his return from a spell on the sidelines – simply no luck at the moment. But if you don’t play well enough, you don’t deserve to win, and we didn’t play well enough. Only Watford’s third Premiership win, but they are now catching us up, which is very worrying, as is the fact that Charlton have drawn level on points with us, having been adrift of us a few weeks ago. Also possibly more worrying was 17th-placed Wigan’s victory over Portsmouth last weekend which moved them 5 points ahead of us. It doesn’t look good. At all.
Saturday 24th February 2007, KO 3.00pm
FA Premier League
CHARLTON ATHLETIC (3) 4
WEST HAM UNITED (0) 0
Key Incidents:
24th minute: GOAL (Charlton 1 West Ham 0) – If the game against Watford was crucial, this is even more pivotal, but the Hammers start poorly again and yet more bad and disorganised defending allows Darren Ambrose to deservedly give the home side the lead, as Pardew competes against his former employers for the first time since his unnecessary sacking in December.
34th minute: GOAL (Charlton 2 West Ham 0) – Jerome Thomas is allowed to waltz down the Charlton left and makes poor Calum Davenport look like the useless defender he really is by taking the ball past him with ease and placing a low shot past the stranded Rob Green.
41st minute: GOAL (Charlton 3 West Ham 0) – Paul Konchesky twices gives the ball away in midfield, and, also aided by Anton Ferdinand’s untimely slip, Darren Bent runs clear to place his shot into the corner of the West Ham net – game over...already.
80th minute: GOAL (Charlton 4 West Ham 0) – Jerome Thomas notches his second and completes the rout with the goal of the game. Again poor West Ham defending allows a cross to come in from the Charlton right, and Thomas swivels to hit a 15-yard half-volley into the corner past Green. A truly miserable return to the Valley for Curbishley, and for those unfortunate Hammers fans who made the short trip as well.
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 18th
Hammers’ Position After Match: 19th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 19th
Opponent’s Position After Match: 18th
Trivia: Charlton’s biggest Premiership victory over West Ham, and also their current biggest win of the 2006/07 season. Hammers are still yet to record a win at the Valley, but ironically their biggest win of the season (in the league) is the 3-1 opening day over the Addicks. No goals and no points for West Ham in the entire of February, having lost to both the sides below them in the Premiership.
The DJ Wittzy view: That was our last chance to try and save our season – and we completely blew it. Not just slightly – we completely and utterly f*cked it up. I thought the defeat to Watford was bad, but this was almost Reading all over again. Where was the passion, the desire, the hard work, the determination??? If we get trounced by a team fighting relegation, what chance do we have when we play the teams above the relegation zone – absolutely none, to be honest. I can take a 0-4 defeat once in a (long) while, but when it is against your relegation rivals and the Hammers play as pathetically as that, then it is just that much harder to take. It’s official – we will be playing Scunthorpe in the league next season (and probably losing to them as well...). The sad thing is I’m not joking – Scunthorpe are running away with the League One title at the moment, and we won’t be staying up with results like this.
Sunday 4th March 2007, KO 4.00pm
FA Premier League
WEST HAM UNITED (2) 3
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (0) 4
Key Incidents:
16th minute: GOAL (West Ham 1 Tottenham 0) – Young Mark Noble fires in fantastic low shot past Paul Robinson, after Carlos Tevez’s wonderful chest control set him up.
41st minute: GOAL (West Ham 2 Tottenham 0) – Finally, finally, Carlos Tevez scores his (overdue) first Hammers goal – and what a goal! A 20-yard free-kick which curls over the Spurs wall and off the underside of the crossbar before bouncing into the roof of the net, Robinson completely and utterly beaten. What a goal! And if the goal was spectacular, so were Tevez’s celebrations (for which he received a booking) – a massive jump into the Hammers crowd, who absolutely mobbed him with glee!
51st minute: GOAL (West Ham 2 Tottenham 1) – Just what West Ham didn’t need, but it takes Spurs – outplayed in the first half - just 5 minutes of the second period to haul themselves right back into the game when Lee Bowyer’s silly, clumsy trip on Aaron Lennon in the penalty area gives ex-Hammer Jermaine Defoe the chance to score from the spot. Unfortunately he does, much to the disgust of the home support.
63rd minute: GOAL (West Ham 2 Tottenham 2) – You could see it coming...Spurs level through Tainio after Lennon’s audacious flick finds him free just inside the Hammers penalty area, and his low shot beats Rob Green.
85th minute: GOAL (West Ham 3 Tottenham 2) – Having been on the pitch for just a minute, Bobby Zamora is the hero when he heads in a free-kick to surely give West Ham a dramatic late victory!
89th minute: GOAL (West Ham 3 Tottenham 3) – You just knew it was going to happen - typical......this time it’s Spurs who win a free-kick in an almost identical position to where Tevez scored from in the first half, and Dimitar Berbatov’s chip over the West Ham wall beats Paul Konchesky on the line and the home side’s hard work is undone yet again...
90th minute: GOAL (West Ham 3 Tottenham 4) – In desperate search of another dramatic winner, Spurs catch the Hammers on the break and Defoe’s shot slips out of Green’s grasp only for Paul Stalteri to steal the points for Tottscum in the 95th minute of the game – a victory they really didn’t deserve.
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 20th
Hammers’ Position After Match: 20th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 9th
Opponent’s Position After Match: 8th
Trivia: West Ham defeated Spurs 4-3 at Upton Park in early 1997. Tottenham’s first win at West Ham since November 2001, and first double over the Hammers since 1994/95, meaning they become the fifth team this season to “double” the Irons. The first seven-goal match in the Premiership this season.
The DJ Wittzy view: For once West Ham played superbly – but not for the first time (the 23rd time to be precise), ended up on the losing side. This pretty much confirms our relegation, as we will not make up the ten-point gap (plus a horrible negative goal difference of minus 29) which separates us from 17th-placed Manchester City. It all looked so good at half time – Noble and Tevez were outstanding, and both scored brilliant goals. But I was not getting carried away – so many times this season the Hammers have thrown away a lead (Liverpool, Fulham, Newcastle the worst examples) and it was typical of our season to get pegged back to 2-2. But the boys showed tremendous fight to get the third, only to completely throw it away again in dramatic style... Tottenham were poor first half and although they improved in the second half, they certainly weren’t deserving of the three points – infact they were fortunate that Tevez didn’t net just after Berbatov to put us 4-3 up instead, but his shot flashed just wide of Robinson’s left post. A horrible, devastating, gut-wrenching, demoralizing way to lose to the f*cking scum in a pulsating London derby - by far the most exciting game of a dreadfully dull Premiership season, but relegation is now just a matter of when rather than if...
Saturday 17th March 2007, KO 5.15pm
FA Premier League
BLACKBURN ROVERS (0) 1
WEST HAM UNITED (0) 2
Key Incidents:
47th minute: GOAL (Blackburn 1 West Ham 0) – After good work from the Hammers to keep Blackburn at bay in the first half, more poor defending from an inswinging corner sees the visitors up against it when Samba heads in unmarked from point-blank range.
71st minute: GOAL (Blackburn 1 West Ham 1) – The hard-working Carlos Tevez rewards an improved West Ham effort in the second half when his run is ended illegally by Brett Emerton in the penalty area. Admittedly the penalty decision by Howard Webb is debatable, Tevez may have had his ankles clipped as he went to ground on the wet Ewood Park surface, although it looked a little soft. Despite the angry Blackburn protests, and after a little scuffle which sees Zamora and Emerton booked, Tevez sends Friedel the wrong way from the spot, placing his effort perfectly into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal to give the visitors an unlikely equaliser.
75th minute: GOAL (Blackburn 1 West Ham 2) – Incredibly, West Ham turn the game on its head within the space of 5 second half minutes. But if the penalty decision was questionable, there is no doubt that Bobby Zamora’s effort clearly did not cross the line and therefore should not have been a goal. After a succession of West Ham corners, the ball breaks to Lee Bowyer inside the six-yard box, and with his back to goal, backheels the ball past Friedel, but his effort is hacked off the line only to return to Bowyer who handles the ball (not spotted by Howard Webb), but Zamora is there in a desperate scramble to poke the ball home – or rather his effort is inadvertently stopped on the line by an offside Carlos Tevez who tries to jump out of the way. But finally the Hammers get a large slice of luck when the goal is awarded, much to the disgust and fury of Blackburn.
90th minute: SENDING OFF – In the fourth and final minute of stoppage time, and as the ball is pumped to the edge of the Hammers’ box, David Bentley needlessly sticks up a hand and receives a second yellow card, and his marching orders. From his facial expression he thought the decision was a little rough, but he deserved to be cautioned for such a blatant handball.
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 20th
Hammers’ Position After Match: 19th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 10th
Opponent’s Position After Match: 10th
Trivia: West Ham’s first Premiership win since 17th December, and their first win at Blackburn since September 1993 – only West Ham’s second win at Ewood Park in the Premiership’s history. Hammers’ first double over Rovers in the Premiership, and the first team they have doubled this season. West Ham finally get their first away win in this season – before today they were the only team in the entire professional English league not to have won an away game in the league. Hammers net just their fifth and sixth away goals in the 06/07 Premiership season.
The DJ Wittzy view: Finally, finally, I can celebrate a West Ham win! Although it’s come far too late to save the club from relegation, sadly. It was another good performance from the Hammers, continuing on from the brave effort against Spurs last time out. The Irons battled well in the first half to keep out an in-form Rovers side, whilst creating the odd good opportunity themselves – unfortunately the badly out-of-form Harewood screwed his shot wide after good work from the tireless Carlos Tevez with West Ham’s best opportunity in the first half. Not that I saw the first half as bloody PremPlus had “technical difficulties” meaning we were forced to stare at a black screen for all of 43 and a half minutes with just the commentary. But that battling first half display was seemingly undone immediately after the break when yet again the Hammers self-destruct from set-piece defending, not for the first time this season – here we go again... However, the Irons fought back very impressively and dominated large parts of the game after that, putting the Rovers defence under pressure, and although both of our goals had various elements of luck, our second half fightback meant we fully deserved our win. It was also nice to get some luck in our favour for a change, although ideally I’d prefer to win the game without the controversy. But that’s too bad for Blackburn, the fact is that we are finally beginning to play some good football and today’s win was a very good one – Ewood Park is not exactly an easy place to go to (as Hammers fans have found out in recent years). Another two-week break now, coming at just the wrong time for us, but it means I can savour a rare win for two weeks. Come on you Irons!
Saturday 31st March 2007, KO 3.00pm
FA Premier League
WEST HAM UNITED (2) 2
MIDDLESBROUGH (0) 0
Key Incidents:
2nd minute: GOAL (West Ham 1 Middlesbrough 0) – Hammers get off to the perfect start when ‘Boro are caught napping from a throw-in inside their own half and Carlos Tevez’s cross from the right takes a double deflection on its way to finding Bobby Zamora in the penalty area, and he lashes the ball home from six yards.
45th minute: GOAL (West Ham 2 Middlesbrough 0) – Tevez is again influential in a West Ham goal as McCartney’s left-wing cross is not dealt with and the ball falls kindly off the chest of a Middlesbrough defender to Tevez, who rifles home in similar fashion to Zamora.
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 19th
Hammers’ Position After Match: 19th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 12th
Opponent’s Position After Match: 12th
Trivia: West Ham’s fifth consecutive home win over ‘Boro in the Premiership. ‘Boro have still only recorded one win at Upton Park in the Premiership – a 1-0 triumph thanks to a Brian Deane penalty on 29 April 2000. This equals Hammers’ highest league win of the season, matching the 3-1 opening day win over Charlton. After going through a long barren spell infront of goal, Tevez has now scored in three consecutive games since opening his account for the Hammers. Only the second time this season West Ham have put back-to-back wins together.
The DJ Wittzy view: A good win against a poor ‘Boro side sees the Hammers close the gap on 17th-placed Sheffield United to five points. Unfortunately, Charlton snatched a late 1-0 over Wigan (who themselves are not safe yet) with a slightly dubious late penalty, and remain four points ahead of the Hammers on 30 points. But finally it appears the Irons have hit some form, although I still believe it is too late to save our season as games with Arsenal and Chelsea follow in the next two and a half weeks, along with a crucial match away to Sheffield United. Let’s not forget we also have to visit the Mancs on the final day – oh well maybe they will have won the title by then and will have nothing to play for? Who knows... anyway it’s good to see the Hammers improving and Tevez playing some amazing football! It’s not over yet... Come on you Irons!!
Saturday 7th April 2007, KO 3.00pm
FA Premier League
ARSENAL (0) 0
WEST HAM UNITED (1) 1
Key Incidents:
45th minute: GOAL (Arsenal 0 West Ham 1) – In the second minute of first half stoppage time, and very much against the run of play, Lucas Neill’s long ball into the Arsenal half finds the only Hammers man in an attacking position, Bobby Zamora, whose brilliant lob over the stranded Jens Lehmann from 25 yards gives the Irons an unlikely lead.
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 19th
Hammers’ Position After Match: 19th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 4th
Opponent’s Position After Match: 4th
Trivia: West Ham United become the first team EVER to win at Arsenal’s new Emirates Stadium, and therefore condemning the Gunners to their first home defeat of the season in the process. Only West Ham’s second clean sheet away from Upton Park, and second consecutive away victory for the Hammers, having failed to win any of their first fourteen away games in the league. West Ham become the first team to ‘double’ Arsenal this season, having recorded two 1-0 wins over our London neighbours. Also the first time Arsenal have failed to score at home in the Premiership this season. Hammers have now recorded three successive victories over the Gunners in the league. The Irons have now won away four times at Arsenal in the Premiership, and the last time they won 1-0 in North London was in early March 1995. Hammers have now won 3 in a row – the best run all season – and kept two consecutive clean sheets.
The DJ Wittzy view: What a fantastic result! Absolutely amazing!! And not only that – we managed to complete a double over the Gooners without conceding a goal! In all fairness, the Arsenal dominated the game, putting the shaky West Ham defence under enormous pressure throughout virtually the whole of the 90 minutes – incredibly the home side had almost 30 shots on goal without managing to break through. But it was a battling, courageous defensive display, not without luck at times (but I think we’ve earned that, seeing as we have been unfortunate on several other occasions earlier on this season), but the real hero was goalie Robert Green who made several outstanding saves to deny the Gunners frontline. And when Bobby Zamora had a half-chance right on half time, he took his goal superbly well – his lob just dipping below the crossbar – a fantastic finish, even if Lehmann was in no man’s land. Infact substitute Luis Boa Morte (who replaced Zamora) could have scored a second late on when he rounded Lehmann, only to see his chip fall the wrong side of the post. However, Arsenal on another day would have scored five or six (they did hit the woodwork twice), but it was a brilliant, determined, fighting effort from the Irons who now sit just two points behind Sheffield United and Charlton (who replaced United in 17th spot) with both teams on 31 points. Good news too, as Wigan (16th, 33 points) were also beaten, 1-3 at home to Bolton. So we have a realistic chance of surviving, but I still think it’s going to be very, very difficult as we have a tricky fixture list for the final six games. But the Hammers are fighting at least! Come on you Irons!
Saturday 14th April 2007, KO 3.00pm
FA Premier League
SHEFFIELD UNITED (1) 3
WEST HAM UNITED (0) 0
Key Incidents:
39th minute: GOAL (Sheffield Utd 1 West Ham 0) – After Anton Ferdinand gives away a free-kick right on the edge of the West Ham penalty area, and escapes a second yellow card, Michael Tonge’s bullet free-kick crashes off the underside of the bar and into the back of the net before rebounding out in the blink of an eye. Great goal, but a big blow to the Hammers just before the interval.
68th minute: GOAL (Sheffield Utd 2 West Ham 0) – After controlling most of the opening period in the second half, and wasting some very good opportunities, Phil Jagielka heads in from a corner in almost slow-motion. Such a simple goal, but a very poor one to concede and the Hammers are really up against it to salvage anything from the match.
78th minute: GOAL (Sheffield Utd 3 West Ham 0) – Game over. Jon Stead easily cuts inside Anton Ferdinand on the right wing and plants a low 25-yard shot past Robert Green and another horrible day for West Ham is complete.
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 19th
Hammers’ Position After Match: 19th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 18th
Opponent’s Position After Match: 17th
Trivia: Sheffield United have won both encounters between the sides in the Premiership, winning the other game 3-2 (after being 0-2 behind) in March 1994 – the season they were relegated. Hammers had previously managed to avoid defeat at Bramall Lane on the two previous meetings in the Championship, winning 2-1 the last time the sides met in September 2004. Sheffield United’s biggest, and possibly most crucial, win in the Premiership this season. West Ham’s best run of the season – three consecutive victories – is brought to an abrupt halt.
The DJ Wittzy view: What an absolute disaster. We really needed to get something out of this – a draw wouldn’t have been the end of the world, but Hammers’ untimely defeat condemns them ever closer to the Championship trap-door. I can’t say I’m completely shocked at the result – it’s not as if we haven’t been thumped before this season by teams we shouldn’t have – but the Irons finally seemed to be putting a nice little run together and found some much-needed confidence and the all-important luck. But instead we are now five points behind Sheffield and really up against it again. It’s not over yet but it will be bloody hard to avoid the drop. It was a poor performance today but just after the restart, West Ham created some good chances – Carlos Tevez managed to spoon the ball over the bar from 8 yards out, and Paddy Kenny denied Lucas Neill with a good low save to his right. But same old story as the Blades got the all important second, and then the killer third. Looks like we’re gonna have to do it the really hard way...
Wednesday 18th April 2007, KO 8.00pm
FA Premier League
WEST HAM UNITED (1) 1
CHELSEA (2) 4
Key Incidents:
31st minute: GOAL (West Ham 0 Chelsea 1) – After the home side have most of the play in the opening half hour, typically Chelsea take the lead when Shaun Wright-Phillips beats several Hammers defenders before shooting past Rob Green.
35th minute: GOAL (West Ham 1 Chelsea 1) – Carlos Tevez’s long-range screamer goes through the hands of the normally reliable Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal to give West Ham a deserved equaliser.
36th minute: GOAL (West Ham 1 Chelsea 2) – But no sooner has Tevez equalised, the Blues go up the other end straight from kick-off and regain the lead when Wright-Phillips nets his second goal in six minutes when he nips in with a volley to beat Green at his near post.
52nd minute: GOAL (West Ham 1 Chelsea 3) – The game is put beyond doubt when after a frantic sramble in the West Ham box results from a corner, Saliman Kalou pokes home a very (s)crappy and untidy third Chelsea goal six minutes into the second period.
62nd minute: GOAL (West Ham 1 Chelsea 4) – Didier Drogba easily defeats Lucas Neill on his way to netting the fourth Chelsea goal with almost a third of the game remaining, and is later taken off by Mourinho, inciting the home crowd on his way to the visitor’s bench – what a complete f*cking c*nt.
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 19th
Hammers’ Position After Match: 19th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 2nd
Opponent’s Position After Match: 2nd
Trivia: Chelsea’s biggest away victory this season; West Ham’s heaviest home defeat this year. The Blues complete back-to-back doubles over the Hammers after 3-1 and 4-1 triumphs last season. Chelsea’s biggest win at Upton Park in the Premiership. The fifth time that West Ham have conceded four or more goals in the league this season – not a complete shock as the Irons have leaked four or more goals the most times in Premiership history. Consecutive 3-goal defeats for the Hammers, but only the second time that West Ham have lost 1-4 at home in the Premiership; the other occasion was a convincing win for Aston Villa in late 1995.
The DJ Wittzy view: It was never going to be easy to get a result against Chelsea, but Hammers showed their fighting spirit in the first half and had most of the play before, typically, it was the Stamford Bridge outfit who took the lead – their first meaningful shot on goal. But the Irons shot back with a Tevez screamer, only to let our horrible neighbours regain the lead within seconds of the equaliser. And when Zamora missed a decent chance to level at 2-2 just after the restart, it wasn’t going to be our night. Another emphatic defeat which pushes us ever-closer to the inevitable demotion to the second tier of English football. Apparently, a brick was thrown at the Chelsea team bus on its way into Upton Park, smashing a window. No-one was hurt. Now, I don’t condone violence, but I wouldn’t have been too upset had that brick hit Drogba or Lampard or one of their arrogant, overpaid, thuggish, nasty, team members. The only highlight was hearing the Upton Park faithful taunting Mourinho – “You’re getting sacked in the summer!” Let’s hope so.
Saturday 21st April 2007, KO 3.00pm
FA Premier League
WEST HAM UNITED (1) 1
EVERTON (0) 0
Key Incidents:
13th minute: GOAL (West Ham 1 Everton 0) – After a lovely backheel from Yossi Benayoun wrongfoots a couple of Everton defenders, Bobby Zamora unleashes a fantastic, curling 25-yard effort which flies perfectly into the top-right hand corner of Tim Howard’s net.
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 19th
Hammers’ Position After Match: 19th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 5th
Opponent’s Position After Match: 5th
Trivia: Only the fourth time West Ham have recorded a home victory over the Evertonians in the Premiership – they also recorded a 1-0 win in 2001/02, and won by the same scoreline at Goodison Park on New Year’s Day, 1994. Four wins out of the last six for Hammers, and their seventh clean sheet this season.
The DJ Wittzy view: A very good and crucial win against Europe-chasing Everton, and what a goal from Zamora! That was desperately needed after consecutive thrashings at Sheffield United and at home to Chelsea, and again we are just three points behind the safety line, albeit with a much worse goal difference (so it is effectively four, unless the other teams get absolutely hammered – not likely). But the Irons are still very much against the odds; victory against relegation rivals Wigan next week is imperative – if we lose, we’ve blown our last chance and will no doubt join Watford (whose relegation was confirmed after a 1-1 draw at home to Man City) in next season’s Championship. Even a draw probably won’t help us. And our record against the teams around us is very poor so it’s going to be very difficult. But we still have hope. Come on you Irons!!!
Saturday 28th April 2007, KO 3.00pm
FA Premier League
WIGAN ATHLETIC (0) 0
WEST HAM UNITED (1) 3
Key Incidents:
30th minute: GOAL (Wigan 0 West Ham 1) – Luis Boa Morte nets his first goal in a Hammers shirt when he beats Wigan ‘keeper John Filan to the ball just outside the Wigan penalty area, lifting the ball over the goalkeeper, and bouncing agonising over the line in almost slow-motion.
57th minute: GOAL (Wigan 0 West Ham 2) – Hammers hit the Latics on the break when Carlos Tevez battles brilliantly to win the ball back and release George McCartney who races into the Wigan half, plays in Bobby Zamora, who releases Yossi Benayoun, and he slots it low past Filan into the net, with the assistance of the inside of the post.
82nd minute: GOAL (Wigan 0 West Ham 3) – It just gets better and better for the Irons as another lethal breakaway sees Boa Morte all on his own up front with a one-on-one situation, but instead of shooting himself, he rolls the ball left to Marlon Harewood who makes no mistake with a low, decisive finish.
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 19th
Hammers’ Position After Match: 18th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 16th
Opponent’s Position After Match: 17th
Trivia: West Ham’s biggest away win of the season, and biggest victory in the Premiership this year. Hammers remain unbeaten at the JJB Stadium, having won 2-1 on three occasions with only one draw in five meetings. West Ham’s biggest away win since a 3-0 triumph at Crewe Alexandra in September 2003, and their biggest away win in the Premiership since a 3-0 success at Coventry City in September 2000.
The DJ Wittzy view: Best result of the season, bar none! What a fantastic, clinical performance from the Irons! And finally we are able to stamp our authority on one of our relegation rivals by taking three fully-deserved points off them. And it should have been more than just the three goals – Carlos Tevez hit the post after excellent solo work, with Reo-Coker scuffing the resulting rebound, which was cleared off the line, whilst the Hammers also had an effort hacked off the line in the first period, too. This vital victory drags Wigan right into the mess as we draw level on points with them, also denting their goal difference in the process. Unfortunately, Sheffield United won, but Charlton lost and Fulham have to play at Arsenal on Sunday. More good news this week as the club avoided a points deduction over the “dodgy” deal which brought Tevez and Mascherano to the club in August, although a record £5.5million fine was handed out. Now we have to put up with the complaints of our relegation rivals and other clubs punished by being deducted points for fielding ineligible players etc. saying we were lucky to escape a points deduction because we are a “big club” and we’re in the South - mainly biased Northern wankers – i.e. Sheffield United, Wigan, Middlesbrough, Bury and so on. In all fairness I don’t know much about the deal so I don’t know whether we should have had points taken off or not, but I’m pleased that we haven’t. The fact is that whilst we are one of the biggest teams in England, we don’t have the finances of the really big teams, Manchester United, Chelsea etc. and to say that we got away with it because West Ham are based in London is completely bollocks. On a brighter note, it was lovely to see the Hammers shove it down Wigan throats and for Marlon and Yossi to score rare, but very timely goals. Come On You Irons!
Saturday 5th May 2007, KO 3.00pm
FA Premier League
WEST HAM UNITED (3) 3
BOLTON WANDERERS (0) 1
Key Incidents:
10th minute: GOAL (West Ham 1 Bolton 0) – Newly named “Hammer Of The Year”, and deservedly so, Carlos Tevez wins a free-kick on the edge of the Bolton penalty area and takes the kick himself, striking a fantastic 20-yard effort over the wall and Jaaskelainen in the Bolton goal. Top corner! What a start for the Hammers.
21st minute: GOAL (West Ham 2 Bolton 0) – The Hammers pick up possession on the halfway line and Mark Noble releases Luis Boa Morte on the left wing and his clever ball gives Tevez an easy tap-in. The Argentinian superstar firmly justifies his “Hammer Of The Year” tag with a brace inside 20 minutes.
29th minute: GOAL (West Ham 3 Bolton 0) – West Ham are absolutely on fire! Again Tevez is involved; his cross on the left side of the Bolton box finds Mark Noble who fires an unstoppable screamer of a volley past the helpless Jaaskelainen. Not even half an hour gone and the Irons are already 3-0 up!
67th minute: GOAL (West Ham 3 Bolton 1) – New player/coach Gary Speed reduces the arrears when his low shot nutmegs a West Ham defender and finds the bottom-left corner of Rob Green’s goal.
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 18th
Hammers’ Position After Match: 17th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 5th
Opponent’s Position After Match: 6th
Trivia: Some sweet revenge for the Hammers after the 0-4 thumping at the Reebok stadium in December. Hammers also defeated Charlton 3-1 at home, losing the away game 0-4. The last time West Ham put three goals past the Trotters was autumn 1997 in a 3-0 triumph at Upton Park. The Irons match their best run of consecutive wins, equalling the three they managed in March/early April. New Bolton boss Sammy Lee’s first game ends in defeat. Hammers find themselves 3-0 up for the second game in succession, but the 3-1 scoreline equals the Irons’ biggest home win in the league this season. With an incredible run of six wins in the last eight games (who’d have predicted it?) West Ham finally drag themselves out of the bottom three at the expense of Wigan Athletic; ironically, the last time West Ham weren’t in the bottom three was before the 0-4 drubbing at Bolton on 9th December. Finally, this is West Ham’s first win over Bolton since the final day of the 2001/02 season, the Hammers winning 2-1 at Upton Park with a late goal.
West Ham’s home record in the 2006/07 Premiership ends as follows – Played: 19, Won: 8, Drawn: 2, Lost: 9, For: 24, Against: 26. Although Hammers have suffered their highest number of home defeats in the Premiership ever, they only picked up four points less than last season, which tells you that our away record this season has been much worse than 2005/06.
The DJ Wittzy view: Another fantastic win! And what a win – 3-0 up against UEFA Cup-chasing Wanderers inside half an hour! Tevez was simply superb in notching a brace and setting up Noble’s belter of a volley – WHAT A GOAL!!! Another vital win and a great performance lifts the Irons to 17th, three points ahead of Wigan. But we travel to Old Trafford next Sunday with an inferior goal difference to the sides around us, whilst Wigan face a must-win game at Sheffield United – themselves not completely safe on 38 points, like the Hammers. Charlton must win both their games (tricky ties against Tottenham and Liverpool) or they will join Watford in the Championship. Unfortunately, Liverpool decided to field a weak team at Fulham and got beaten by a single goal, effectively confirming the Cottagers’ safety. And as the Mancs have sewn up the title, they effectively have nothing to play for. Not that it will prevent them from trying to send us down. Anyway, we just have to hope Sheffield United do us a favour by beating the Latics, as getting something from Old Trafford won’t be easy. COME ON YOU IRONS!
Sunday 13th May 2007, KO 3.00pm
FA Premier League
MANCHESTER UNITED (0) 0
WEST HAM UNITED (1) 1
Key Incidents:
45th minute: GOAL (Man Utd 0 West Ham 1) – The genius that is Carlos Tevez can do no wrong as he wriggles his way through the home defence, and is first to pounce when the ball loops up into the air off Wes Brown, and beat the oncoming Edwin van der Sar by slotting the ball underneath him. Despite the fact Wigan retake the lead at Bramall Lane deep into an extended added time period, the Hammers are staying up as the Latics cannot catch them as things stand!
The final whistle blows at Old Trafford with another incredible victory for the Hammers, guaranteeing their Premiership survival. Minutes later in Sheffield, the full time whistle goes, which sees a jubilant Wigan side record a crucial 2-1 win and stay up on goal difference, by having scored a solitary goal more than the Blades, sending the hosts back down to the Championship after a solitary season in the top flight.
After their relegation, Sheffield United confirmed they are still trying to “seek justice” in the Tevez/Mascherano transfer, that is despite West Ham receiving their punishment already. The drama goes on...
Hammers’ Position Before Match: 17th
Hammers’ Position After Match: 15th
Opponent’s Position Before Match: 1st
Opponent’s Position After Match: 1st
Trivia: West Ham’s first Premiership double over United, having recorded 1-0 wins home and away. The Irons also doubled Arsenal 1-0 home and away, making them the first team to double both the Gunners and United for 30 years. Only the Red Devils’ second home defeat this season; they also lost 0-1 to Arsenal in September. Hammers’ second win at Old Trafford in the Premiership – they also won 1-0 in 2001/02. West Ham’s last three wins at Man United have all been 1-0. Despite collecting their least number of points in a Premiership season, West Ham United end the season in 15th position. Four years ago, the Hammers were relegated in 18th despite collecting 42 points, a figure which had seen finishes of 14th and 15th in previous seasons.
West Ham’s away record in the Premiership is as follows - Played: 19, Won: 4, Drawn: 3, Lost: 12, For: 11, Against: 33. In the last five away games, the Hammers’ away record was – Won: 4, Drawn: 0, Lost: 1, For:7, Against:4 (not bad after failing to win any of their first fourteen away games!). West Ham’s overall record in the 2006/07 Premiership is – Played: 38, Won: 12, Drawn: 5, Lost: 21, For: 35, Against: 59. More crucially, in the last nine games, the Hammers performance was – Won: 7, Drawn: 0, Lost: 2, For: 14, Against: 9, Points: 21. An incredible turnaround from the Irons after slumping to 20th place following a 3-4 home defeat to Spurs, against very difficult opposition, too.
The DJ Wittzy view: What a brilliant result! Another crucial game, and another excellent performance! This has been the most incredible escape from the Hammers – very few people would have predicted that the team in 20th could have defeated Blackburn (away), Middlesbrough (home), Arsenal (away), Everton (home), Wigan (away), Bolton (home) and Man Utd (away) – absolutely amazing! A mammoth team effort from the Irons, Tevez and Green in particular were outstanding! But despite this quite phenomenal achievement, the likes of Sheffield United and Wigan are still trying to get the club further punishment over the transfers of Tevez and Mascherano. Unfortunate as their relegation may be, Sheffield want a points deduction for the Hammers so the Blades can be reinstated in the Premiership – what a complete load of shit! The fact is Tevez (and Mascherano) were eligible to play for the club, and therefore the resulting points deduction for playing ineligible players is irrelevant and should not under any circumstances be enforced. They simply have no case, and it appears this is a desperate attempt so they can remain in the Premiership for next year. The punishment was handed out, and prior to it, all Premiership clubs agreed to the appointment of an independent panel to decide the punishment – and now the Blades are unhappy because they have gone down. The fact is they wouldn’t have complained if they had been good enough to stay up. Sheffield United – FUCK OFF!
Let’s hope all Hammers fans can look forward to the prospect of a better, less stressful 2007/08 season in the top flight.
HAMMERS ARE STAYING UP!
<<<< THIS WAY <<<<