West Ham United Season 2005-2006 (continued)

PREMIER LEAGUE/CARLING CUP/FA CUP
= Dublin Hammers Meeting (Live on television). LP = League Position.

FEBRUARY 2006

01st Arsenal (a). 3-2. (reo-coker, zamora, etherington). LP:9th.
"Not even the most optimistic of us could have foreseen Nigel Reo-Coker and Bobby Zamora putting us into a two-nil lead half an hour in though, and the amazement and bewilderment was not restricted to the dumbfounded Gooners, heads were scratched and eyes rubbed in disbelief amongst the visiting fans too; such was Campbell's distress at being shrugged aside as the two Hammers' goalscorers bundled past him to score, that he asked to be excused and allowed to go home, at half-time", "Robert Pires eventually pulled one back as Arsenal pushed forward with increasing menace as the first half ended. They continued in the same manner after the break, looking as though the equaliser would come, and perhaps it was that which proved their undoing at the back. Etherington sneaked in a third for the Hammers, but although Pires did grab a second for Arsenal, that goal erffectvely took the wind out of their sails" from the OTT website.

04th Sunderland (h). 2-0. (aston, konchesky).
"Although the opposition had a player sent off barely half an hour in, the goals took some time to arrive, but perhaps the fact that Alan Pardew has imparted a sense of patience into this Hammers' squad and that it paid off, shows the positive strides that both and they have made. I so doing, they earned themselves a sixth consecutive victory with two late goals", "There were only ten minutes remaining when Harewood sent a shot across goal that the keeper could only parry, and the ball fell to Dean Ashton, who could not miss, and duly marked his Upton Park debut with a goal. Paul Konchesky thumped in the second" from the OTT website.

13th Birmingham (h). 3-0. (harewood 2 (1xp), aston). LP:6th.
"On a night when tribute was paid to Ron Greenwood, the man who laid the foundations for the West Ham Academy, the former manager will have appreciated and approved of a performance which was full of the kind of attacking verve", "Dean Ashton bagged his second goal, scoring the Hammers' third after Marlon Harewood's brace put them two up, and coming quickly on the heels of the latter of the reinstated striker's pair, put and end to any hopes that Birmingham had of getting anything out of a game which, for an hour, they had contributed their fair share to" from the OTT website.

18th Bolton (h). FA Cup 5th Rd. 0-0.
"The match delivered little save an intriguing tactical tussle and a result neither team wanted", "the presence of a numerous, vociferous travelling support", "Gardener's firm challenge forced Aston to head wide", "Bolton held the upper hand after the break", "Etherington and Konchesky began to combine in a menacing fashion and Bolton became increasingly rankled with the visitor's off-side trap", "It was never pretty, but it was increasingly absorbing", "Aston should have broken the dead-lock after 67 minutes when he was left unguarded at the far post to meet Etheringtons cross", "During the closing 10 minutes both teams hurled themselves against each other with commendable enthusiasm", "As the teams trudged off, the travelling East End fans were singing the loudest".
from The Sunday Times.

MARCH 2006

04th Everton (h). 2-2. (ashton, harewood).
"West Ham will be disappointed not to have notched up a sixth straight Premiership victory, having twice led at home to Everton, but ending up with a two-all draw, and perhaps relieved to have done so", "It was very much a game of two halves, with the Hammers surviving an early score to go in front when Harewood scored from Benatyoun's pass. They looked like they were getting in the groove, but were rocked when Osman equalised, only to find it once again, when Ashton muscled his way in on goal to restore the lead. There should have been more, and if the Hammers had put away at least one of the handful of chances they created before the break, it would surely have put the result beyond doubt", "Everton's luck took a turn for the better as the second half failed to live up to the first, Hibbert was VERY lucky not to get a second yellow card for what must have been his sixth or seventh foul on Etherington, and Beattie lobbed Hislop to get them level", "West Ham were thankful that Gabbidon kept his concentration till the end, clearing off the goal line to ensure that at least they got a point. from the OTT website.

11th Bolton (a). 1-4. (sheringham). LP:9th.
"The damage was done in a first half which Bolton dominated, mostly thanks to some truly awful defending and a team line-up that did not seem to make sense", "Elliott Ward took over the central defensive slot alongside Gabbidon, and his Premiership debut was one to forget, lasting forty-five minutes and ending with West Ham conceding the third of the half's three goals. Sheringham pulled one back, but Pederson hammered home a fourth".
from the OTT website.

15th Bolton (h). FA Cup 5th Rd. Replay. 2-1 a.e.t. (og, harewood).
"The Hammers had to withstand a lot of Bolton pressure, and be strong at the back, as the visitors took the game to them and tested their resolve. There was a touch of good fortune about the goal which put them in front, but only the last one before the ball hit the net, since it originated with an excellent cross field pass to put Harewood clear down the right, and a good cross was met with a defender's boot and the ball went in off the keeper", "An equaliser always looked likely, Bolton passed the ball better and were better at breaking up the Hammers' moves, finally making their possession tell shortly before the break; a well struck shot swerved wickedly to beat Hislop. The visitors continued to dominate, but a defence superbly led by Gabbidon kept them at bay, whilst Benayoun dithered too long with the Hammers' best chance to win the tie in normal time", "Perhaps it was down to his not having played in the four-one defeat that meant Harewood still had sufficient energy to get ahead of his marker in extra-time and poke his shot past Jasskaleinen, the goal seemed to give the whole team the lift they needed to hold out for victory". from the OTT website.

18th Portsmouth (h). 2-4. (sheringham, benayoun). LP:10th
"A much changed West Ham side were on the wrong end of a second successive Premiership defeat", "those who did start conceded so much in the first half that there was never any doubt about who'd take the points by the end of it", "As at Bolton last week, three goals conceded in a shambolic first half meant the points were thrown away by the break, and though, as then, there was something of a second half rally, with the frame of the goal being struck twice as well as two goals lending the final result a bit of respectability". from the OTT website.

20th Manchester City (a). FA Cup Quarter Final. 2-1. (aston x2).
"For the vast majority of the first half, it was telling that neither side created any real chances, and that there was very little width for either to do so, but close to half-time, Dean Ashton showed a sharp turn of mind and foot to fire a precision shot off the post and past James", "City's hopes were further reduced when Sun Jai was sent off for a touchline tussle with Etherington, but they pushed forward in search of an equaliser and saw Collins head one goal bound effort off the line", "Spaces began to open up on City's wide pitch and Ashton swept in to meet a ball played in to sidefoot his and the Hammers' second", "It was just as well, because with nothing really to lose, Stuart Pearce, as well as the ever passionate City fans, urged a last few minutes of effort from their team, and got it, with their increasingly frantic efforts to score, and the Hammers' equally as frantic efforts not to concede, producing a goal which, while it proved to be a mere consolation, set up a nail biting finale that only the likes of the F.A. Cup can". from the OTT website.

25th Wigan (a). 2-1. (harewood, reo-coker). LP:9th.
"Pardew's Hammers got back to winning ways in the Premiership, but they had to wait until very, very late before nailing the points.", "For the 7th time this season, they turned a deficit into a positive", "There was not much between the two teams in the first half, and it seemed to be ending goal less, but McCulloch drilled a well struck shot past Hislop just before the break", "the Hammers stepped up a gear or two and Harewood's equaliser was just reward, even if it arrived perhaps a little earlier than their endeavours warranted", "West Ham's quality finally told; Sheringham's pass into the six yard box found Nigel Reo-Coker, and the skipper poked home". from the OTT website.

29th Man. United (a). 0-1.
"If faint hearts, as the saying goes, never won fair maiden, the same can be said of winning three points at Old Trafford, something rarely as clear as it was for West Ham on tihs occasion", "True, Manchester United twice struck the frame, and were far and away the better side, but when a single goal is all you have to show for your dominance, one slip, or a shrewd tactical switch by the oppositon manager, can prove fatal. The former did not come to the Hammers' aid with time running down, and sadly, it was too late for the latter by the time Pardew threw Teddy Sheringham and Bobby Zamora on to supplement Marlon Harewood; goal scoring would also have been easier and a more reasonable prospect had Dean Ashton not been one of the players to make way", "Dull and uninspired are suitable adjectives for both Pardew and the lacklustre Hammers as they succumbed to Van Nistelroy's goal on his return to first team action, arriving as so many others have this season, with the kettle on in preparation for the half-time cuppas..." from the OTT website.

APRIL 2006

02nd Charlton (h). 0-0.
"Harewood's early deflected effort, which span just a foot or so wide of the post, was as close as the Hammers came in what was a first half as patchy and inconsistent as the East London weather", "Pardew's substitutions - notably Sheringham - undoubtedly tipped the scales in the Hammers' favour, but for all the pretty approach play and intricate passing, end product was non-existant. Sheringham was only denied celebrating his 40th in style by a fantastic reflex save late on" from the OTT website.

08th Chelsea (a). 1-4. (collins).
"So easy for Chelsea that, even as a Hammers' fan, it was hard to take, hard to see how West Ham went from being a goal, and man, up, to losing in near embarrassing fashion by four goals to one", "The feeling was somewhat different half an hour in, when Maniche was dismissed shortly after James Collins' goal had stunned Chelsea by giving the Hammers the lead. They responded by switching to what appeared to be turbo charged mode, with Drogba and Crespo both scoring within a couple of minutes to turn the game on it's head", "For some reason, the Hammers wilted under the pressure, failing to stick to the principle that you make the other team work hard to even get the ball, never mind score, when they are a man down, but so bad did they get that it would probably not have mattered one iota if Chelsea had only had eight players on the pitch, the result would have been the same; to illustrate the point, their second half goals were both scored by defenders." from the OTT website.

15th Man. City (h). 1-0. (newton).
"A few interesting changes made by Pardew to his team, with Hislop, Harewood and Etherington rested, and Ferdinand given more to recover and prepare for the semi-final, giving Jimmy Walker his Premiership debut, and chances for Shaun Newton and Bobby Zamora to impress", "The Hammers got off to a scrappy start, conceding early free-kicks with the kind of reckless abandon which better sides would probably have punished; fortunately, the visitors' arrived on the back of five straight losses, and the lack of confidence showed", "Shaun Newton, set up by Zamora on the edge of the City penalty area, put a sweetly struck shot past James with quarter of an hour gone", "Former Hammer, Trevor Sinclair, showing the sort of form which won him a late place in the last England World Cup squad, was unlucky to have seen Micah Hyde "assist" his first half goal bound lob into the Hammers' net from an offside position, whipped in a shot which Walker did well to tip round the post. He also made his presence felt at the other end, clearing a succession of Benayoun corners, before causing problems for the Hammers' defence with some decent crosses" from the OTT website.

17th Middlesbrough (a). 0-2.
"Both managers opted to start with three strikers, and although it was the Hammers who made the early running, with Harewood going close, it was Boro's who made it count, as Viduka and Hasselbaink combined for the latter to finally beat Shaka Hislop, who'd previously denied both of them with excellent saves, five minutes before the break", "If luck was with the Hammers against Manchester City, it had certainly deserted them at the Riverside, clearly illustrated when the lead was doubled after a dubious penalty decision went against Scaloni for a tackle on Johnson, Maccarone squeezing the spot kick between Hislop's outstretched arm and the post, and when Johnson appeared to handle in his own area and get away with it. Luck, however, had nothing to do with Teddy Sheringham's uncharacteristic miss from six yards out, or Dean Ashton ballooning the ball over the bar from three yards" from the OTT website.

23rd Middlesbrough (Villa Park). FA Cup Semi Final. 1-0. (harewood).
"After a first half in which they were unable to impose themselves on Midllesbrough, West Ham began to look a bit tired as their opponents picked up, but Marlon Harewood struck with quarter of an hour remaining and put them on the road to the F.A. Cup Final", "It was always going to be an emotional day for the Hammers whatever happened, as the man who led them to that Final, John Lyall, was honoured before the game following his death last week; the silence around Villa Park was quickly punctuated by a loud and respectful chorus of, "Johnny Lyall's Claret and Blue Army.", from their fans. Perhaps the pressure of the situation got to some of the players, because they could not get to grips with an undoubtedtly tired Middlesbrough side, and at times they laboured and were very much second best", "The longer that went on the more it helped Boro, and as the second half progressed they began to look the more likely to break the deadlock, but, at just the time the Hammers needed to lift themselves, Marlon Harewood smashed home", "Quite how that lead was maintained is a bit of a mystery, maybe John Lyall's spirit put the wobbles on Boro as they pressed forward and missed a few easy chances". from the OTT website.

22nd Liverpool (h). 1-2. (reo-coker).
"The outcome of this Premiership match at Upton Park was decided more on the depth and quality of the visitors' squad than anything else, with both teams containing several of their second stringers", "Cisse's performance should be enough to have won him a place in the starting eleven for the Cup Final, he caused problems for a Hammers' defence missing the authority and strength of Danny Gabbidon all night. He gave Ferdinand a torrid time, beating him too easily too often for comfort, and the same can be said about Walker, who was beaten at his near post for the first, and nutmegged for the second", "The goals were punctuated by the Hammers' best football of the match, and it from their best move that what was at the time, the equaliser, came. A flowing move down the pitch ended with Zamora unselfishly - perhaps a little too unselfishly for a striker - squaring for Reo-Coker, who could not miss", "There were less than ten minutes left when Mullins and substitute Garcia tangled for the ball, the latter swung an elbow which the former reacted to with a shove that was nowhere near as powerful as to leave Garcia hitting the deck clutching his face like he did, but the referee felt he had no option but to send the pair off. That means missing out on playing in the Cup Final" from the OTT website.
29th West Brom (a). 1-0. (reo-coker).
"Welcome as the three points are, they must have mattered very little to West Ham manager, Alan Pardew, if the cost of them is - as is possible - F.A. Cup Final appearances for Matty Etherington and Dean Ashton. Ashton limped off midway through the first half with what seemed to be a pulled hamstring, whilst Etherington failed to start at all, after picking up an injury during the pre-match warm-up, necessitating a sooner than anticipated first team debut for Kyle Reid", "However, there are still players capable of winning games within the Hammers' ranks, and though West Brom are no Liverpool, skipper Nigel Reo-Coker has proved adept at scoring against both" from the OTT website.

MAY 2006

07th Tottenham (h). 2-1. (fletcher, benayoun). LP:9th.
"A winning end to a fantastic Premiership season for the Hammers, cementing a top ten finish with a two-one victory at home to Spurs, and to cap it all, a result which denied them fourth spot, and with it, the Champions' League place that had been within their grasp for so long...", "The Hammers made all the early running, but Spurs' disarray was only capitalised on by a well struck shot from distance by Carl Fletcher, and the visitors equalised - very much against the run of play - when Jermain Defoe silenced the boos which had greeted his every touch with a sharp finish", "Spurs' need to chase the game in order to win the points, meant they had to make the running, something that was sure to leave gaps at the back, if only they could be exposed and exploited. Zamora was too quick in his turning in the area for his marker, winning a penalty that offered the Hammers' other former Spurs' striker, Teddy Sheringham, a great opportunity to put a spanner in the works for their Champions' League ambitions. The lack of determination about the spot kick perhaps said enough?", "The strain of the morning's food poisoning on so many players can not have helped Spurs' cause, but seeing Yossi Benayoun firing a second past Robinson, hearing that Thierry Henry had scored a hat-trick to haul Arsenal back from being two-one down to winning four-two, and being unable to rouse themselves to a grand stand finish must have left them feeling REALLY sick..." from the OTT website.

13th Liverpool (Cardiff). FA Cup Final. 3-3 aet. lost 3-1 on penalties. (OG, aston, konchesky).
No matter the outcome of this F.A. Cup Final, at least not for the purists who have been waiting so long for one to restore some of the Old Magic of this competition, as West Ham and Liverpool threw up enough excitement and thrilling, attack minded football to sate the most jaded palette. Penalties were a cruel way to end such a fantastic spectacle, with most of the players running themselves into the ground during their pursuit of the trophy and glory which go with it.
If Alan Pardew was thankful that striker, Dean Ashton, was passed fit to start the F.A. Cup Final against Liverpool, that joy was magnified a thousand fold some twenty minutes in, when he captialised on a poor pass out from the back to force Jamie Carragher to put the ball into his own net, to put the Hammers in front. That level of joy was not to last long, because Ashton doubled the lead five minutes later, bundling the ball over the line after the other Hammer about whom there were doubts, Matty Etherington, pinged in a cross which Reina spilled and his cohorts failed to deal with. However, Liverpool did not get where they are by giving up hope, and the experience of coming back from being three-nil down in last season's Champions' League Final must have kept their belief going. The jitters hit the Hammers almost immediately, Liverpool had one disallowed before Cisse added to the decisive brace he scored in the Premiership at Upton Park with another. By half-time- with West Ham leading two-one - everyone knew they were witnessing an epic encounter, a feeling which only grew as the second half progressed, with Liverpool pressing as hard as they knew how, and West Ham not only repelling them, but forcing them onto the back foot. Etherington was in such an irrepressible mood that it made you wonder how he has been left out of the England World Cup squad, something that can not be said of the even more inspirational Liverpool captain, Steve Gerrard, who beat Hislop all ends up with a rocket of a shot, and just as his goal in the Champions' League Final galvanised his team mates and propelled them from what seemed to be failure, to instilling belief. There were just four minutes left when Paul Konchesky's shot elicited the same sort of response that produced the Hammers' goals, and all of a sudden, the Cup seemed within reach. Oh, cruel fate, as Gerrard stepped up to the plate once more, driving in an amazing piledriver just as the fourth official signalled four mintes of injury time.... With so much energy and emotion expended, it was little surprise that players from both sides began to feel the fatigue, going down like nine pins as extra-time wore on, and wore them out, and that it went down to the penalties. You know the rest...
The Hammers' excellent season is at an end, no-one can feel sorry for having lost this match, they tried their best and gave it their all. It will be a day to remember, a day when West Ham played with the verve and dash which has made the club famous, the things this club - thanks to Ron Greenwood and John Lyall - has been built on. Those two men will have been proud of West Ham today, they made us fans feel proud, and that is exactly how the players and Alan Pardew should feel. from the OTT website.

West Ham United Goalscorers 2005-2006

16 x Marlon Harewood. (2 x pen, FA.Cup x2)..
10 x Bobby Zamora. (C.Cup x2).
7 x Teddy Sheringham. (2 x pen)..
6 x Dean Aston. (FA.Cup x3).
5 x Yossi Benayoun.
5 x Nigel Reo-Coker.
3 x Mathew Etherington. (FA.Cup x1).
2 x James Collins.
2 x Anton Ferdinand.
2 x Paul Konchesky. (FA.Cup x1).
1 x David Bullion. (C.Cup x1).
1 x Carl Fletcher.
1 x Christian Dailly. (C.Cup x1).
1 x Hayden Mullins. (FA.Cup x1).
1 x Shawn Newton.
6 x Own Goal.

West Ham United Live on Television 2005-2006

1. WEST HAM 4 vs ASTON VILLA 0.
Monday 12th September 2005 (8.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
2. SUNDERLAND 1 vs WEST HAM 1.
Saturday 1st October 2005 (5.15pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
3. MANCHESTER CITY 2 vs WEST HAM 1.
Sunday 16th October 2005 (4.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
4. LIVERPOOL 2 vs WEST HAM 0.
Saturday 29th October 2005 (3.00pm kick off). LIVE ON RTE.
5. WEST HAM 1 vs MANCHESTER UNITED 2.
Sunday 27th November 2005 (4.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
6. BIRMINGHAM CITY 2 vs WEST HAM 1.
Monday 5th December 2005 (8.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
7. WEST HAM 1 vs CHELSEA 3.
Monday 2nd January 2006 (12.45pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
8. WEST HAM 2 vs FULHAM 1.
Monday 23rd January 2006 (8.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
9. ARSENAL 2 vs WEST HAM 3.
Wednesday 1st February 2006 (8.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
10. WEST HAM 3 vs BIRMINGHAM CITY 0.
Monday 13th February 2006 (8.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
11. BOLTON 4 vs WEST HAM 1.
Saturday 11th March 2006 (3.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SETANTA SPORTS.
12. WEST HAM 2 vs BOLTON 1. (FA Cup 5th Rd. Replay).
Wednesday 15th March 2006 (7.45pm kick off). LIVE ON BBC1.
13. MANCHESTER CITY 1 vs WEST HAM 2 . (FA Cup Quarter Final).
Monday 20th March 2006 (8.00pm kick off). LIVE ON BBC1.
14. WEST HAM 0 vs CHARLTON ATH 0.
Sunday 2nd April 2006 (4.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
15. CHELSEA 4 vs WEST HAM 1.
Sunday 9th April 2006 (12.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
16. MIDDLESBROUGH 0 vs WEST HAM 1. (FA Cup Semi Final).
Sunday 23rd April 2006 (4.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
17. W.B.A. 0 vs WEST HAM 1.
Monday 1st May 2006 (8.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
18. LIVERPOOL 3 vs WEST HAM 3. aet (FA Cup Final).
Saturday 13th May 2006 (3.00pm kick off). LIVE ON BBC1.