West Ham United Season 2006-2007 (continued)

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

JANUARY 2007

01st Reading. (a). 0-6.
According to BBC FiveLive... we were pathetic... and Shite!

West Ham sign Louis Boa Morte from Fulham.

06th Brighton Hove Albion. (h). FA Cup 3rd Rd. 3-0. (noble, cole, mullins)
"Alan Curbishley rang the changes, giving new signing, Luis Boa Morte, his debut, and also handing starts for the first time since he took over, for Mark Noble, Carlton Cole and Roy Carroll", "lack of confidence in the side told, as they huffed and puffed their way through the goal less first half, though Benayoun did provide some moments of skill, which stood out more for their rarity than anything else", "Mark Noble, making his first appearance of the season following a spell out on loan, who got the ball rolling with a well taken shot, and the goal arrived not long after the restart, giving the Hammers team and fans a much needed confidence boost. Carlton Cole doubled the lead with an equally as well taken shot, having been set up by Boa morte", "Mullins' injury time third lent a lop-sided edge to the final score, but the fact that the team did keep going forward in search of goals, rather than sitting on their lead, is a very good sign" from OTT Website.

West Ham sign Nigel Quashie from West Bromich Albion.

13th Fulham. (h). 3-3. (benayoun x2, zamora).
"The two points thrown away by the Hammers failing to hold out against Fulham at Upton Park could, at the end of the season, prove to be the death knoll of their Premiership dream", "This was a match which highlighted both the good and bad about West Ham, with Yossi Benayoun taking centre-stage with a sparkling performance that included one sublime chip and a real sniffer's goal. The latter strike restored the lead the former had given the Hammers within seconds of the second half starting, adding to the one scored by Bobby Zamora which levelled the scores", "Fulham came with a game plan to stop Carlos Tevez pulling the strings, and it consisted of kicking him hard and early, necessitating his substitution with less than fifteen minutes gone. It was not the first replacement Alan Curbishley had had to forced into, defender James Collins had already disappeared down the tunnel, and minutes later, the visitors took the lead", "Benayoun's glorious goals proved that there was still life and hope for the home fans to cling on to, but Zamora's stupidity in going for a tackle which he was never going to win, allied to the knowledge that Graham Poll was in a card happy mood, saw him sent off", "Having just about held it together for the last twenty-odd minutes, the panic which increased as the time ran down eventually told. Having needlessly conceded a corner, too many of them watched and waited as the ball bounced around the penalty area, before finally finding it's way to Christenval, and the back of the net" from OTT Website.

West Ham sign Calum Davenport from Spurs.

20th Newcastle Utd. (a). 2-2. (cole, harewood).
"Seeking a first Premiership away win of the season, goals by Carlton Cole and Marlon Harewood in the space of six first half minutes seemed to be pointing towards the Hammers taking the points against a disjointed Newcastle side. But, just as the half was coming to close, referee Uriah Rennie over ruled one of his assistants, waving away his assertion that Scott Parker was in an offside position, and with most of the Hammers' defence waiting for a whistle, none came, but a goal for Newcastle did", "the Geordies got a lifeline they did not deserve, and West Ham knew that it was going to be an uphill battle just to hold out for a point. Boa Morte's handball gave them the opportunity to equalise, one Martins did not pass up, and just to rub salt into the Hammers' wounds, Calum Davenport had a goal ruled out in circumstances it is difficult to see being applied by Rennie had it been scored by Newcastle", "It's hard to know whether this is a positive or negative result, it's certainly good that the team held out for the point, but to throw away a two goal lead for the second game running, and with it four points, well, that's certainly not good, is it" from OTT Website.

West Ham sign Lucas Neill from Blackburn Rovers.
Also, striker Kepa Blanco has joined on loan from Sevilla until the end of the season.

27th Watford. (h). FA Cup 4th Rd. 0-1.
New signing Lucas Neill goes off injured in the first half. Out for 3 weeks!

30th Liverpool. (h). 1-2. (blanco).
Too little too late.

West Ham sign Mathew Upson from Birmingham City.

FEBRUARY 2007

03rd Aston Villa. (a). 0-1.
Upson lasted 15minutes before going off injured. West Ham had two chances in the dying seconds to level the scores... too little too late!

10th Watford. (h). 0-1.
Poor, no heart... Barnsley here we come!

24th Charlton Ath. (a). 0-4.
Disgraceful!

MARCH 2007

03rd Tottenham. (h). 3-4. (noble, tevez, zamora). LP: Bottom!
Just when you thought it couldn't any worse.. it did! They scored twice in injury time.

17th Blackburn. (a). 2-1. (tevez - pen, zamora). LP: One from bottom!
Bloody Hell... an away win! Coming back from 1-0 down and a bit of luck as zamora's winner was given by the ref, but tv replays proved the ball hadn't crossed the line!

31st Middlesbrough. (h). 2-0. (zamora, tevez). LP: One from bottom!
What is going on?... two wins on the trot and more luck as deflections put zamora and tevez into goal scoring positions!

APRIL 2007

07th Arsenal. (a). 1-0. (zamora)
"West Ham pulled off one of the most amazing wins of this and any other Premiership season, by snatching a one nil victory at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.", "Arsenal ought to have been three up within five minutes, five up within ten, and possibly seven or eight nil to the good by the time the officials indicated injury time at the end of the first half. It was then that Lucas Neill's long ball over the top was latched on to by Bobby Zamora, and promptly lobbed over Lehman and into the net", "the excellence of Robert Green, who time after time thwarted them, and at one point, even had to return the kitchen sink they'd thrown at him, it got to the stage where even Arsenal themselves seemed to have got it into their minds that they weren't going to beat him whatever they did; they could have played with four balls and still not done so,", "a double over the Gunners, ensured the visitors' place in the annals of the history - being the first away team to win at the emorates stadium - to go alongside the one they claimed when being the last to beat Arsenal at their old Highbury ground. From a fans' point of view, there is little better than a victory acheieved against all the odds, and when you see your team battered from start to finish, only to emerge with the points on the back of, as it was so succintly put from the visitors' sold out enclosure, "One shot, we've only had one shot...", it is all the more delicious to savour" from OTT Website.

14th Sheffield Utd. (a). 0-3.
Normal service resumes!

18th Chelsea. (h). 1-4. (tevez)
"West Ham's chances of surviving in the Premeirship took a big dent when they were beaten four-one by Chelsea at Upton Park. Shaun Wright-Phillips scored his first and second goal for the Blues in the space of six minutes, with a Tevez wonder strike sandwiched between them. Drogba got the other two" from OTT Website.

21st Everton. (h). 1-0. (zamora)
"West Ham's survival chances recieved a massive boost when they overcame Everton, and other results went their way. Zamora cracked home from the edge of the area with 15 minutes gone, and through perspiration and inspiration, the Hammers kept the visitors at bay to live and fight another day", "The raucous home crowd was as good as an extra man", "Bobby Zamora cut in from a wide position and passed to Benayoun, whose clever back heel one-two took several defenders completely out of the game and opened up the space for Zamora to smash an unstoppable left-footed shot past a glue footed keeper" from OTT Website.

28th Wigan. (a). 3-0. (boa morte, benayoun, harewood).
"West Ham were asked to turn up at Wigan by manager Alan Curbishley, and that they certainly did, putting on what must be their best away performance of the season, beating the Latics three-nil. In doing so, the Hammers have given themselves a fantastic chance of staying up", "Wigan were outclassed on and off the field by West Ham and their fans, unable to cope with the pace, skill and trickery of Benayoun and Tevez, and the sheer volume and intensity of the near 6,000 supporters who kept up their barrage of noise from start to finish. Boa Morte, Benayoun and Harewood got the goals, but the plaudits must be equally divided amongst the players, coaching staff and fans" from OTT Website.

MAY 2007

05th Bolton Wanderers. (h). 3-1. (tevez 2, noble). LP: 4th from bottom!
"A sold out Upton Park was rocking from about two o'clock onwards, and the contribution the Hammerrs' fans made was no less important, because given the situation - defeat would have almost certainly meant relegation", "West Ham brushed aside Bolton Wanderers with the sort of ease, skill and precision normally associated with those chasing the title and promotion, rather than languishing in the relegation zone; Carlos Tevez scored twice, Noble got the other one in a three-one win", "Carlos Tevez has the quality which would/will make him an incredible asset for ANY club with big ambitions, and following on from last week's showing at Wigan, he added another dimension to his game, and a couple of goals, along with an assist for the other one with an exsquisite chip any golfer would've been proud of. To say that he took the game to Bolton, put them through the mixer and left them scrambled is something of an understatement, and there is no way that the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool are going to be ignoring it" from OTT Website.

It's a nightmare... 2 months ago I had resigned myself to relegation... now after a good run in we have to get a point at ManU or hope other results go for us... Come on you Irons!

13th Manchester Utd. (a). 1-0. (tevez)
Needing a point to ensure Premiership survival, and at the home of the newly crowned champions, West Ham pulled off a fantastic one-nil victory with - inevitably - Carlos Tevez the man whose goal lifted them up to finish fifteenth in the table.
Of course, there will be those who will never stop asking the question, and forever doubt the integrity of both West Ham and those who run the Premiership, and who'll insist that the Hammers' place in it has been achieved by what they feel are illegal means. What a diservice they do to Alan Curbishley, Eggert Magnusson, Carlos Tevez, his team mates, and our fantastic support, who have shown the dedication, perseverance, and unswerving loyalty that other clubs can only fantasise about. Despite Manchester United only giving us 3,000 tickets, reserving more than 70,000 for their own, the only real singing to be heard came from the visitors' small enclosure. And, they were supposed to be celebrating winning the Premiership and sending West Ham down...
The two teams' performances on the pitch reflected that of their supporters off it, with the Hammers having everything to play for, and United nothing, it showed. With Robert Green marshalling the defence, Benayoun busier than ever in midfield, and the incredible Carlos Teves running things up front, this was a win that was on the cards from the off, and confirmed with one of the best goals of the season. It was deep into first half injury time when Tevez played a cute one-two with Zamora and swivelled between four defenders to fire, first time, a ball which had spun off a foot past the keeper; it was a superb bit of control the like of which only the most skillful of players can manage...
Quite where the ref found three minutes of time to add on at the end is a mystery, never mind the extra thirty seconds he added on after that, but by then, it was academic anyway, as we'd found out by then that Wigan had beaten Sheffield United.
Happy days... from OTT Website.

WE STAY UP!

West Ham United Goalscorers 2006-2007

11 x Bobby Zamora.
7 x Carlos Tevez.
4 x Marlon Harewood.
3 x Yossi Benayoun.
3 x Carlton Cole.
3 x Hayden Mullins.
3 x Mark Noble.
2 x Teddy Sheringham.
1 x Kepa Blanco.
1 x Nigel Reo-Coker.
1 x Louis Boa Morte.
0 x Own Goals.

West Ham United Live on Television 2006-2007

1. LIVERPOOL 2 s WEST HAM 1.
Saturday 26th August 2006 (12.45pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
2. WEST HAM 1 vs ASTON VILLA 1.
Sunday 10th September 2006 (4.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
3. WEST HAM 0 vs PALERMO 1.
Sunday 14th September 2006 (8.00pm kick off). LIVE ON ITV.
4. CHESTERFIELD 2 vs WEST HAM 1. Carling Cup 3rd Rd.
Tuesday 24th October 2005 (7.45pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
5. WEST HAM 2 vs BLACKBURN ROVERS 1.
Sunday 29th October 2005 (4.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
6. WEST HAM 1 vs ARSENAL 0.
Sunday 5th November 2006 (1.30pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
7. EVERTON 2 vs WEST HAM 0.
Sunday 3rd December 2006 (4.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
8. BOLTON 4 vs WEST HAM 0.
Saturday 9th December 2006 (5.15pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
9. WEST HAM 1 vs MANCHESTER UNITED 0.
Sunday 17th December 2006 (4.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
10. FULHAM 0 vs WEST HAM 0.
Saturday 23rd December 2006 (12.45pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
11. WEST HAM 1 vs LIVERPOOL 2.
Tuesday 30th January 2007 (7.45pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
12. WEST HAM 3 vs SPURS 4.
Sunday 4th March 2007 (4.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
13. BLACKBURN ROVERS 1 vs WEST HAM 2.
Saturday 17th March 2007 (5.15pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
14. WEST HAM 1 vs CHELSEA 4.
Wednesday 18th April 2007 (7.45pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.
15. WIGAN 0 vs WEST HAM 3.
Saturday 28th April 2007 (3.00pm kick off). LIVE ON RTE.
16. WEST HAM 3 vs BOLTON 1.
Saturday 5th May 2007 (3.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SETANTA.
17. MANCHESTER UTD 0 vs WEST HAM 1.
Sunday 13th May 2007 (3.00pm kick off). LIVE ON SKY.