sjg11 Posted September 5, 2016 Author Share Posted September 5, 2016 December 2006 Sunderland (Peter Reid) vs West Ham And so we move onto a trip to Sunderland. This is a tough game, Sunderland have started the season excellently and have already battered us in the League Cup this season. I name an unchanged line-up from the United game. Some bad news after just 18 minutes as Erlend Hanstveit was injured and I didn't have a LB on the bench. I put Alan Tate there but that was a big blow. Despite that, however, we managed to reach half-time with the game still goalless. The pattern continued in the second half with Sunderland largely dominating but with us being able to hold them. The game finished goalless and I'll take that as a good point for us. Sunderland 0-0 West Ham Hanstveit is out for a month which isn't great news. West Ham vs Liverpool (Gerard Houllier) Next up a home game against Liverpool, who are a strong side on paper but have been pretty poor so far this season. Paul Konchesky replaces Hanstveit and Tommy Smith is back fit so replaces Leon Knight up front. A long-range strike from Luis Boa Morte put Liverpool in front. Fortunately Igor Biscan then got sent off giving us real hope that we can turn the game around in the second half. Alex Neil (replacing Samir Fazlagic) then equalised with a great run and shot just after the hour mark. We pressed for the winner but it looked like it wasn't going to be our day. Well until Steven Gerrard fouled Chris Beardsley (replacing Tommy Smith) in the box and Manolis Dermitzakis drilled in the penalty for an injury time winner. A nervy yet excellent win. Oh and you will not be surprised to hear that Paul Konchesky only got a 5 in this game. West Ham 2-1 Liverpool We travel to Lincoln in the Third Round of the FA Cup. Annoyingly Tony Carss is now injured for a month too. Fulham (Nigel Winterburn) vs West Ham Frode Kippe moves forward to CDM and Alan Tate moves alongside Jamie Browne at CB. Other than that another unchanged line-up. Fulham started well but we were the ones who took the lead, Tommy Smith volleying home a cross from Samir Fazlagic. Tommy Smith then doubled the lead, heading in a cross from Tonton. Annoyingly Leon Brown prodded home to pull one back for Fulham. Still, a good first half from us. We still looked comfortable until the last 15 minutes when Fulham really started piling on the pressure. Fortunately we held on and managed to secure three more points. Fulham 1-2 West Ham West Ham vs Arsenal (Arsene Wenger) Another unchanged line-up for this one. A really tough game against potential title challengers, I'd be content with a point here. Arsenal took the lead early in this one, Thierry Henry firing them in front in the first 10 minutes. To be honest we were abysmal in the first half and deserved to go in a goal behind. Sol Campbell then doubled Arsenal's lead with about 20 minutes left and it was game over. We came into it a little towards the end of the match but, to be honest, we were outclassed in this one by a better team. Unsurprisingly Paul Konchesky was abysmal, maybe this game would have gone differently if Hanstveit was fit. West Ham 0-2 Arsenal West Ham vs Wolves (Dave Jones) I brought Steven Clark in for Konchesky. Other than that an unchanged line-up for another tough game. It was a poor first half which we just about shaded, the Wolves keeper made a couple of decent saves but we never really looked like going in with a goal advantage. Fortunately Tommy Smith headed us in front after 62 minutes from an Alex Neil (replacing Fazlagic) cross to finally break Wolves' resistance. Things then got even better with Alan Tate volleying in his first goal of the season from a corner. Overall a very good win against a very good side. Having Steven Clark playing instead of Konchesky made a massive difference. West Ham 2-0 Wolves Mattias Lindberg now joins our ever growing injury list. He's out for two weeks. Sheffield Wednesday (Sven-Goran Eriksson) vs West Ham And so we finish the month with a trip to Hillsborough to face Sheffield Wednesday. (Chiotis: Dermitzakis, Browne, Tate, Clark: Kippe: Neil, de Vries: Fazlagic, Amoo: Tommy Smith) Well it was a fairly even first half punctuated with a magical Tommy Smith goal as he beat three players and smashed us in front just before half-time. Annoyingly their young striker Mark Parkinson equalised almost straight after half-time. Then Leo Roget headed them in front. They held on for the win. The Christmas schedule this season is pretty much impossible to navigate so we were always going to slip up somewhere. Of course the fact it coincided with a couple of bad injuries really didn't help. Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 West Ham Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Man Utd 21 8 1 1 20 9 8 2 1 20 8 51 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Arsenal 21 6 3 1 17 5 7 2 2 18 9 44 3rd Leeds 21 7 2 1 18 11 6 2 3 23 17 43 4th Wolves 21 8 2 0 16 2 4 2 5 10 13 40 5th Leicester 20 9 2 0 18 7 3 2 4 8 13 40 6th West Ham 21 8 0 3 23 8 3 2 5 8 11 35 7th Sunderland 21 6 2 2 20 11 3 3 5 12 12 32 8th Sheff Wed 21 4 4 2 12 6 5 1 5 10 12 32 9th Chelsea 21 7 2 3 20 9 2 2 5 6 11 31 10th Tottenham 21 6 3 2 18 7 2 2 6 12 23 29 11th Man City 20 6 2 3 19 19 2 2 5 12 16 28 12th Liverpool 19 4 2 2 12 10 3 3 5 10 15 26 13th Newcastle 21 6 0 5 13 13 2 1 7 12 27 25 14th Blackburn 21 5 1 5 12 11 2 2 6 7 15 24 15th Everton 21 5 2 4 11 9 1 1 8 6 22 21 16th Middlesbrough 21 4 4 3 17 15 1 1 8 7 22 20 17th Wigan 21 2 1 7 8 13 3 3 5 9 14 19 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th Portsmouth 21 3 5 2 10 5 0 3 8 2 14 17 19th Fulham 21 2 1 6 10 16 2 2 8 10 18 15 20th Birmingham 21 1 2 8 13 22 1 3 6 6 15 11 We're still having a very good season though. Survival is pretty much secure already so it's really a case of how high we can finish this season. I'm hoping for a UEFA Cup spot and I think that's an achievable aim this season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjg11 Posted September 6, 2016 Author Share Posted September 6, 2016 January 2007 And so we move onto 2007, starting with a game at home against Portsmouth. West Ham vs Portsmouth (Dave Thompson) Next up is a home game against Portsmouth. (Chiotis: Dermitzakis, Danny Smith, Tate, Clark: Kippe: de Vries, Whalley: Tonton, Amoo: Tommy Smith) This game was only two games after the game at Wednesday, hence the changes which were made in between the two games. Tommy Smith put us in front with a half-volley from a cross by Ryan Amoo. Tonton then doubled the lead on 20 minutes. Unfortunately substitute Jamie Browne decided that he wanted to get sent off for two yellow cards having only replaced Danny Smith at half-time. Portsmouth then had a spell of pressure but, fortunately, couldn't score. Three more points for us. West Ham 2-0 Portsmouth Hanstveit returned from injury after this game. Lincoln (John Hollins) vs West Ham Next is a Cup tie away at Lincoln. A few changes made to give a couple of players a run out. (Moberg: Duff, Danny Smith, Tate, Clark: Kippe: Whalley, Neil: Tonton, Amoo: Boere) Henk Boere fired us in front after an Alex Neil shot was saved on 9 minutes. Alex Neil then went off injured after 21 minutes. Tonton then doubled our lead with a volley after 43 minutes. Ryan Amoo (replacing Neil with Fazlagic dropping back to CM and Amoo playing alongside Tonton) then drilled in a third goal on 51 minutes. Tonton then fired in a fourth on 63 minutes. And that was pretty much it. A good performance, a good win and we march onto the fourth round. Lincoln 0-4 West Ham Neil's out for two weeks. Oh and we were the poor mugs who drew Manchester United away in the next round of the Cup. So much for having a decent run in that competition this season. Leeds (Terry Yorath) vs West Ham Next up an incredibly tough trip to Elland Road to face Leeds. (Chiotis: Dermitzakis, Browne, Tate, Hanstveit: Kippe: de Vries, Fazlagic: Tonton, Amoo: Tommy Smith) Well this game started badly, Leeds taking an early lead after Michael Bridges headed home. Fortunately we levelled on 25 minutes, a Tonton corner was headed at goal by Tommy Smith and deflected in off Harry Kewell for the equaliser. Tommy Smith then fired us in front. Unfortunately Ryan Amoo then went off injured (another injury) meaning Fazlagic moved to CAM and Gareth Whalley came into CM. Annoyingly Alan Smith blasted them level just after the re-start. Fortunately we managed to hold on for a good point away from home. Leeds 2-2 West Ham Ryan Amoo is now out for 10 days. Tommy Smith then joined my legion of walking wounded, he's out for 10 days too. Mattias Lindberg and Tony Carss return to fitness. Oh, cut that, Lindberg's injured again, now for three weeks. West Ham vs Manchester City (David Mitchell) And next on the agenda, a home game against Manchester City. (Chiotis: Dermitzakis, Kippe, Tate, Hanstveit: Carss: de Vries, Whalley: Fazlagic, Tonton: Beardsley) The first half was fairly even and finished goalless. We were starting to dominate by the end of the half though. Annoyingly Peter Ofori-Quaye fired City in front just after half-time. We then pressed and the last 10 minutes was a constant wave of pressure. We did manage to equalise through Tonton in injury time but I'm not happy. Our injury crisis has destroyed us. West Ham 1-1 Manchester City Mike Duff then got injured for two weeks. This is actually getting ridiculous now. Boere's also injured for 10 days. At least Amoo's back to full fitness. Alex Neil's back too. Manchester United (David O'Leary) vs West Ham So here we go.The nasty Cup trip to United. Let's see if we can nick something here. (Chiotis: Dermitzakis, Browne, Kippe, Hanstveit: Carss: de Vries, Fazlagic: Tonton, Amoo: Knight) Marinho headed them in front from a corner after 17 minutes. Fortunately Jamie Browne then equalised from another corner on 44 minutes to ensure we go in level. Unbelievably Ryan Amoo then volleyed us in front just before the hour mark. Then things got even better, Chris Beardsley (on for Knight) firing in a third goal. The end of the match was fairly uneventful. I still can't quite believe that just happened. Yes they battered us in terms of stats just like we'd battered City in the previous game. But still, we won at Old Trafford. That doesn't happen every day when you're playing for West Ham. Manchester United 1-3 West Ham Pascal de Vries is suspended for too many yellow cards which is frustrating. We travel to Palace in the next round of the FA Cup. When are we actually going to get a home draw in a Cup by the way? We've been drawn away from home in every Cup tie this season. Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Man Utd 24 9 1 2 21 11 8 3 1 23 11 55 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Arsenal 24 6 4 1 18 6 8 2 3 21 11 48 3rd Leeds 24 7 3 1 20 13 7 3 3 26 18 48 4th Wolves 24 8 3 0 18 4 4 3 6 11 16 42 5th Leicester 24 9 3 1 20 11 3 2 6 9 16 41 6th West Ham 24 9 1 3 26 9 3 3 5 10 13 40 7th Liverpool 24 7 3 2 20 13 4 3 5 12 15 39 8th Chelsea 24 7 2 3 20 9 4 3 5 14 13 38 9th Sunderland 24 7 2 2 21 11 4 3 6 15 16 38 10th Sheff Wed 24 4 5 2 13 7 5 1 7 12 16 33 11th Man City 24 7 2 3 23 20 2 4 6 14 20 33 12th Tottenham 24 7 3 3 22 12 2 2 7 12 24 32 13th Newcastle 24 7 1 5 16 14 2 2 7 13 28 30 14th Blackburn 24 5 3 5 14 13 2 3 6 8 16 27 15th Middlesbrough 24 5 4 4 18 17 1 2 8 9 24 24 16th Everton 24 5 3 4 12 10 1 1 10 7 28 22 17th Portsmouth 24 4 5 2 11 5 0 4 9 3 17 21 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th Wigan 24 2 1 8 8 17 3 4 6 11 18 20 19th Birmingham 24 3 2 8 17 22 1 4 6 7 16 18 20th Fulham 24 2 3 7 16 23 2 2 8 10 18 17 We're still looking very good in the League and we're on a bit of a Cup run. In other words, I really can't complain with how we're doing this season. I'm really hoping we can snatch a European spot here as it would make persuading players to travel to Upton Park so much easier in the summer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjg11 Posted September 8, 2016 Author Share Posted September 8, 2016 February 2007 Some good news to start the month, Tommy Smith is back from injury. Henk Boere also returns from injury. West Ham vs Everton (Walter Smith) And so we start with a home game against struggling Everton. This has to be a win in my opinion. We were the Monday night game and I entered it knowing that Wolves, Leicester and Liverpool had all won their games this weekend. Oh, Chelsea won too meaning we started this game in eighth. I name an unchanged line-up from the win at Old Trafford. Tony Carss put us in front after 41 minutes with a brilliant strike from outside the box. A run and strike from Samir Fazlagic doubled the lead on 45 minutes. Everton were atrocious in the first half. Walter Pandiani made things nervous when he headed Everton back into the game on the hour. Fortunately we remained in control of the game and Chris Beardsley (on for Tommy Smith) headed in a third goal with 5 minutes left. And that was pretty much it. A good performance and a comfortable win. Just what the doctor ordered. West Ham 3-1 Everton Frode Kippe is suspended for a match after picking up too many yellow cards. Newcastle (Paul Bracewell) vs West Ham And two days after the Everton game we travel to Newcastle. Thank you for that nasty Fixture Machine. Oh and Newcastle got to play on the Saturday just to magnify the difference. (Chiotis: Dermitzakis, Browne, Kippe, Clark: Carss: de Vries, Neil: Fazlagic, Tonton: Tommy Smith) Surprisingly we dominated the first half but couldn't find a way through. They only had 1 shot all half while we had 6 but we only managed to have one shot on target all half. I brought Chris Beardsley on for Tommy Smith at half-time and it was a move which was rewarded when he headed us in front after 72 minutes. Newcastle finally started to come into the game at that point but it was too little too late. A really good performance and a really good result in some challenging conditions for us considering the fact that we'd played two days earlier. Very happy with that result. Liverpool, Chelsea and Leicester all slipped up too meaning we leapfrog Leicester to move into 5th. Newcastle 0-1 West Ham Chelsea (Kenny Dalglish) vs West Ham And next we have another very tough away game, this time against a Chelsea who are still one of our main competitors for a UEFA Cup spot for next season. Pascal de Vries was suspended for this one, I forget why. Kippe's suspension will kick in soon. (Chiotis: Dermitzakis, Browne, Kippe, Hanstveit: Carss: Neil, Fazlagic: Tonton, Amoo: Tommy Smith) The first half didn't go well for us, Mikael Forssell blasting Chelsea in front before Sean Davis doubled their lead just before half-time. We weren't terrible but Chelsea were definitely the better side in the first half. We were abysmal in the second half and never looked like getting back into the match. A missed opportunity to put some distance between us and Chelsea. We stay 5th though. Chelsea 2-0 West Ham Some more bad injury news, Pascal de Vries picked up an injury in training which ruled him out for a month. Crystal Palace (Alex McLeish) vs West Ham (Chiotis: Dermitzakis, Browne, Kippe, Hanstveit: Carss: Fazlagic, Neil: Tonton, Amoo: Boere) A largely unchanged side for this match. I don't want to leave anything to chance, Palace may be in the Second Division but we are still playing away from home so nothing is guaranteed going into this match. Well any worries I had about this match were swiftly erased as two headers from Henk Boere on 17 and 20 minutes respectively gave us an early 2-0 lead. Another Boere header after half-time completed his hat-trick and put us 3-0 in front. Overall a very comfortable win and we march onto the quarter-finals. Now can we please have a home tie this time. Pretty please with Paul Konchesky on top. Hell I'm willing to offer Konchesky as a human sacrifice to guarantee a home draw. Please. Crystal Palace 0-3 West Ham Yay, we got a home draw! Against Sunderland. Time to avenge our defeat in the League Cup I think. And we didn't even have to sacrifice Konchesky to get it. West Ham vs Tottenham (Billy Davies) Meanwhile this is a really important game for our European hopes. Put simply it's must-win. Alan Tate comes in for the suspended Frode Kippe but other than that I decided to name an unchanged side from the win at Palace. I want to see how Boere fares in a League match, he's been a beast in the Cups all season and I feel like he deserves this opportunity. We played well in the first half but couldn't find a way past the Spurs defence. In the second half, Tony Carss headed us in front on 65 minutes after a sustained spell of pressure from a Fazlagic cross. Henk Boere then scored yet another header from a Tonton cross before Tonton himself blasted in a third goal. Overall a nice, routine home win that means we stay fifth. That's a very impressive result. Henk Boere is really starting to look like a special talent. The guy's so good in the air that he's like a Dutch Andy Carroll. Well, a Dutch Andy Carroll who's more consistent and less injury prone than the real Andy Carroll is. West Ham 3-0 Tottenham Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Man Utd 28 10 1 3 24 13 8 5 1 23 11 60 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Leeds 28 8 4 1 23 15 8 3 4 28 21 55 3rd Arsenal 28 8 4 2 24 8 8 2 4 22 15 54 4th Wolves 28 9 4 0 21 4 6 3 6 17 19 52 5th West Ham 28 11 1 3 32 10 4 3 6 11 15 49 6th Liverpool 28 9 3 2 27 15 5 3 6 14 18 48 7th Leicester 28 10 4 1 22 11 3 4 6 11 18 47 8th Chelsea 28 8 2 4 22 10 5 4 5 16 13 45 9th Sunderland 28 7 3 4 24 17 5 3 6 17 17 42 10th Blackburn 28 7 3 5 20 15 4 3 6 10 16 39 11th Man City 28 8 3 3 26 21 2 4 8 15 25 37 12th Sheff Wed 28 5 5 3 16 9 5 1 9 13 21 36 13th Tottenham 28 7 4 3 24 14 2 2 10 13 31 33 14th Newcastle 28 7 1 6 16 15 2 4 8 17 33 32 15th Everton 28 7 3 4 16 11 1 1 12 9 33 28 16th Wigan 28 4 1 8 12 19 3 5 7 12 23 27 17th Middlesbrough 28 5 5 5 19 20 1 2 10 10 28 25 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th Birmingham 28 5 2 8 22 23 1 4 8 8 20 24 19th Portsmouth 28 4 7 2 12 6 0 4 11 5 23 23 20th Fulham 28 3 3 8 19 27 2 3 9 12 21 21 And so we move up to fifth in the table. 10 games left and we're still in the Cup and still in the running for a European spot for next season. This is turning into an excellent season. Henk Boere is also looking like a special talent. Bear in mind he's only 19. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjg11 Posted September 9, 2016 Author Share Posted September 9, 2016 March 2007 West Ham vs Blackburn (Graham Rix) Next up a home game against a Blackburn side who struggled for most of the season but have recently moved up to midtable. This game is followed by three successive away games in the League so we really, really could do with a win in this one. Some bad news before the match, Jamie Browne is injured for two weeks. Kippe comes in for Tate, other than that it's an unchanged line-up. Tonton Zola Moukoko put us in front after 13 minutes after the Blackburn keeper spilled a cross straight towards him for a tap in. However the first half ended with a spell of sustained Blackburn pressure which didn't bode well for the second half. At half-time I brought Mattias Lindberg on for Ryan Amoo and the move paid off when Lindberg fired in a second goal. Unfortunately Hermann Hreidarsson almost immediately pulled one back for Blackburn with a header. Fortunately we held on for an extremely nervy victory. That win took us up to fourth in the table since Wolves dropped points. West Ham 2-1 Blackburn West Ham vs Sunderland (Peter Reid) And so we move onto a massive game in the FA Cup against a Sunderland side who have already dumped us out of the League Cup this season. This is a huge game for us. I name a completely unchanged side from the win against Blackburn. We started brilliantly as Tonton played the ball to Ryan Amoo who drilled us in front after 4 minutes. Unfortunately some guy called Andrew Francis equalised for Sunderland almost immediately. However we retook the lead on 41 minutes as Tonton headed in a cross from Alan Tate. Unfortunately Gary Doherty headed them back level on 62 minutes. Fortunately Doherty was then sent off on 69 minutes given us 20 minutes to find a winner and seal a place in the semi-finals. Unfortunately we couldn't break them down. I'm starting to really hate Sunderland in this save. West Ham 2-2 Sunderland If we win the replay we'll face Wigan in the semi-final. Middlesbrough (Bryan Robson) vs West Ham So we now start our run of three successive away games in the League with the replay at Sunderland nestled in as well. It's another unchanged line-up for us. Emmanuel Osei Kuffour looked to have put them in front after he lobbed Chiotis but fortunately it was ruled out for offside. We then took the lead when an Alex Neil shot deflected off Sean Gregan and into the net to put us in front. Unfortunately West Ham alumni Richie Wellens swiftly smashed in an equaliser for Middlesbrough. The rest of the second half was fairly even until I brought Mattias Lindberg on for Ryan Amoo. Tonton then drilled in a goal to put us back in front on 88 minutes and Lindberg completed the victory with a goal on 89 minutes to seal another important league win. Middlesbrough 1-3 West Ham Pascal de Vries is back to full fitness. As is Jamie Browne. Sunderland (Peter Reid) vs West Ham And so we move onto to the replay of the quarter-final against Sunderland. One positive before this match was that Sunderland had played on the Sunday while we played on the Saturday so we can hope their players are a little bit tired ahead of this one. Even better, this game was scheduled for a Tuesday. Unfortunately my pre-match preparations were disrupted by the news that Tonton was selected by Ghana. For a ****ing friendly. Why couldn't you have chosen to play for Sweden instead? Tonton's been in such good form recently that that's a big blow. Anyway, Lindberg comes in for Tonton, Browne comes in for Tate and de Vries comes in for Alex Neil before this game. Mike Duff also comes in for Dermitzakis. Probably the biggest game we've played so far in this save. Unfortunately things started going wrong. That Andrew Francis bloke headed them in front after 26 minutes and they held onto that lead until half-time. At half-time I brought Chris Beardsley on for Boere and Alex Neil on for Fazlagic. Alex Neil repaid me with a goal on 62 minutes to level the game up again. Mattias Lindberg then scored a brilliant free-kick to continue his recent excellent form and put us in front on 66 minutes. We held on for an excellent win. Wigan wait for us in the semi-finals at Filbert Street next month. Sunderland tiring in the second half may have played a part in our win. Thank you Magic Fixture Computer! Sunderland 1-2 West Ham Some transfer news now, John Welsh joins us from Liverpool for £600,000. This is a signing which I'm fairly happy about, he's cheap, versatile and will add defensive depth to the squad. Plus it will allow me to change formations at times next season by giving me someone else who can play CDM. Wigan (George Graham) vs West Ham But first we have a League game against Wigan. Another away game by the way. (Chiotis: Dermitzakis, Browne, Kippe, Hanstveit: Carss: de Vries, Neil: Tonton, Lindberg: Tommy Smith) This was an entertaining yet goalless first half with both sides creating plenty of chances. Tonton was a threat but couldn't score while Wigan also had plenty of spells of pressure during the match. We looked far more positive after half-time and Alex Neil continued his surprising run of good form by poking in a Tonton cross at the near post. We continued to control the game and to press until the final whistle. Another good away win for us in what is turning into a brilliant first season in the top flight. Wigan 0-1 West Ham So, an unbeaten month with a 100% winning record in the League. I'll gladly take that at this stage of the season. We're into the semi-finals of the FA Cup too. Only two months of the season remain for us to seal a European spot. We also managed a clean sweep at this month's awards. I won Manager of the Month, Chiotis won Player of the Month and Lindberg won Young Player of the Month. Chiotis even dedicated his victory to me. Some bad news came our way though, Everton won the League Cup and that means there's one less European spot to compete for in the League. Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Man Utd 30 11 1 3 26 14 9 5 1 25 12 66 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Leeds 31 9 5 1 25 15 8 4 4 30 23 60 3rd West Ham 31 12 1 3 34 11 6 3 6 15 16 58 4th Wolves 31 11 4 0 24 5 6 3 7 17 21 58 5th Arsenal 31 8 5 2 26 10 8 2 6 23 18 55 6th Liverpool 31 10 3 2 29 15 6 4 6 16 18 55 7th Leicester 30 11 4 1 23 11 4 4 6 12 18 53 8th Chelsea 31 10 2 4 26 10 5 4 6 17 15 51 9th Sunderland 31 8 3 4 26 18 5 4 7 17 19 46 10th Sheff Wed 31 7 5 3 21 9 5 1 10 13 23 42 11th Blackburn 31 7 4 5 22 17 4 3 8 11 19 40 12th Newcastle 31 9 1 6 20 15 2 4 9 17 34 38 13th Tottenham 31 8 4 4 26 15 2 3 10 15 33 37 14th Man City 30 8 3 4 26 23 2 4 9 15 26 37 15th Everton 30 7 3 5 17 13 1 2 12 9 33 29 16th Middlesbrough 31 5 5 6 20 23 2 2 11 13 31 28 17th Portsmouth 31 5 8 2 13 6 0 4 12 6 25 27 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th Wigan 31 4 1 10 13 23 3 5 8 12 24 27 19th Birmingham 31 5 3 8 22 23 1 4 10 8 24 25 20th Fulham 31 4 3 8 20 27 2 3 11 12 27 24 As you can see, it's incredibly congested in terms of competing for European spots currently. Manchester United will almost certainly win the League. From Leeds down to Chelsea though it really is all up for grabs over the next two months. We're currently third which would be an unbelievable season and which would allow us to play Champions' League football next season. We also still have our remaining FA Cup game/games to navigate. The bad news is that our remaining away games in the League are at Leicester, Liverpool. Manchester United and Arsenal. Three of whom are direct rivals for a European spot and one of whom will almost certainly win the League this season. But yeah I would have taken this position if it had been offered to me at the start of the season. Still all to play for. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjg11 Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 April 2007 West Ham vs Wigan (George Graham) And so we move onto our FA Cup semi-final against Wigan. Some good news emerged before the match, Leicester's game in hand was a defeat to Everton which helps us in our quest for a European spot. (Chiotis: Dermitzakis, Browne, Kippe, Hanstveit: Carss: Fazlagic, de Vries: Tonton, Lindberg: Tommy Smith) So a largely unchanged line-up from our League win against Wigan at the end of March. We had a nightmare start when Mark Summerbell volleyed Wigan in front in the opening minute. We were largely pinned back for the opening 20 minutes, after that we came into the game and started creating chances but couldn't find an equaliser before half-time. Then we had a goal disallowed which I'm fuming about. Moukoko hits a free kick, the Wigan keeper saves it. The ball breaks for Alex Neil and Cahill tackles him before Frode Kippe drills in a goal. Unfortunately the goal was disallowed because Tony Carss was offside when Carss had no influence on the way the move developed. Chris Beardsley then had another goal disallowed, although I don't really have any complaints with this one. I'm absolutely fuming about that first disallowed goal. The referee was a wanker and he's cost us a place in the FA Cup final with his rank incompetence. Some good news came from this weekend though, Wolves dropped points at home to Portsmouth. West Ham 0-1 Wigan Leicester (Chris Kamara) vs West Ham I named an unchanged side from the Wigan game for a tough trip to Leicester in our first League game of the month. We took a very early lead in this one as a Samir Fazlagic shot flew into the net after a deflection off Ian Breckin. The first half was generally pretty even and a little bit dull but Tonton added to our growing collection of disallowed goals with another goal that was disallowed just before half-time. Just after half-time Leicester had a huge chance, with Trevor Benjamin managing to miss three great chances in the same move. However Leicester were starting to apply some serious pressure and we cracked on 59 minutes with Benjamin scoring an equaliser for them. And that was pretty much it for this match. Not a bad point. Leicester 1-1 West Ham West Ham vs Birmingham (Trevor Francis) Next up we have a must-win home match against a Birmingham side who are currently bottom of the league. Plus after their poaching of my players last season I'm always going to enjoy beating Birmingham in this save. Henk Boere in for Tommy Smith. Other than that, unchanged line-up again. We were abysmal in the first half, frankly I'm surprised that we managed to get in level. Birmingham were all over us. A really disappointing first half performance. I brought Ryan Amoo on for Mattias Lindberg and the move paid off when Amoo put us in front on the hour mark. Manolis Dermitzakis then doubled the lead shortly afterwards. Their keeper Jamie Langfield then brought down Alex Neil (on for Fazlagic) in the box and Dermitzakis converted the penalty to seal the win. Chris Beardsley (on for Boere) then continued our recent habit of having goals disallowed. Overall it was a comfortable win but I'm still not happy about the first half performance. Ryan Amoo changed the game when he came on. Arsenal dropped points at City while Leicester lost to Middlesbrough which has probably ended their European challenge. Wolves, Liverpool and Chelsea all won. West Ham 3-0 Birmingham Liverpool (Gerard Houllier) vs West Ham An absolutely massive game in the race for Europe now as we travel to Anfield to face Liverpool. Ryan Amoo replaces Mattias Lindberg in the only change from the win against Birmingham. We had the perfect start to this game as Jamie Browne headed us in front from a corner on 5 minutes. Robbie Fowler equalised for Liverpool on 20 minutes though. Fortunately, on 22 minutes, Henk Boere justified his inclusion by scoring a volley from a corner. Unfortunately Fowler headed in another equaliser on 40 minutes to end an entertaining first half. Liverpool were actually dominating the second half until the 69th minute when Tonton headed home from a free kick to put us 3-2 up. Then Chris Beardsley (on for Boere) drilled in a fourth goal. Norwegian Kristian Tanem scored a consolation for Liverpool but it was too little too late. Probably one of the games of the season and a truly brilliant win for us. Possibly the most important win of my reign at West Ham so far. And a result which probably puts Liverpool out of the European race in the League (they're in the FA Cup final so a UEFA Cup spot is certainly not beyond them). Liverpool 3-4 West Ham West Ham vs Fulham (Nigel Winterburn) And so we move onto another must-win match at home to Fulham. I made no changes from the win at Anfield for this one. Fulham started the game dangerously but we grew into the game and had plenty of chances before half-time. We had some good chances in the period before half-time but couldn't break through. Tonton put the ball in the net but it turned out to be another addition to our growing collection of disallowed goals this month. We continued to toil in the second half until substitute Chris Beardsley (on for Boere) volleyed home to put us in front on 70 minutes. Beardsley then doubled the lead shortly afterwards heading in a cross from fellow substitute Mattias Lindberg (on for Amoo). And that was that, a nice, routine home win which is always welcome. Beardsley scoring a pair of crucial goals. Leeds drew at City meaning we overtake them, although they do have a game in hand. Wolves also lost 3-0 against Chelsea while Arsenal won at Goodison Park against Everton. Overall, that's a good set of results for us. West Ham 2-0 Fulham Manchester United (David O'Leary) vs West Ham And so we move on. It's time for the trip to Manchester United, the three time champions who are currently top of the League and who are in the semi-finals of the Champions' League. This should be fun. Another unchanged line-up for this one. Henk Boere had an early header cleared off the line before Ryan Amoo was injured and had to be replaced by Mattias Lindberg on 16 minutes. Overall it was an entertaining first half with both sides creating plenty of chances without being able to establish an advantage. Overall the second half followed a similar pattern for the first 20 minutes or so before United really started to dominate as the game neared its end. Fortunately we managed to hold on for a potentially valuable point. Leeds and Arsenal won while Wolves only managed to draw at home to Manchester City. Manchester United 0-0 West Ham Ryan Amoo's out for three weeks so that injury pretty much ended his season. Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Man Utd 35 12 2 3 29 14 10 5 3 30 16 73 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Leeds 35 11 5 1 31 15 9 5 4 33 25 70 3rd West Ham 36 14 1 3 39 11 7 5 6 20 20 69 4th Wolves 36 12 6 0 27 7 7 3 8 18 24 66 5th Arsenal 35 10 5 2 29 10 9 3 6 28 21 65 6th Liverpool 36 11 4 3 34 19 7 4 7 18 20 62 7th Chelsea 35 12 2 4 31 10 5 5 7 17 16 58 8th Leicester 36 11 5 2 25 14 5 5 8 14 23 58 9th Sunderland 36 10 4 4 31 21 5 5 8 18 22 54 10th Blackburn 35 9 4 5 24 17 5 3 9 14 22 49 11th Sheff Wed 36 9 5 4 25 11 5 1 12 13 27 48 12th Tottenham 36 10 4 4 28 15 3 4 11 18 36 47 13th Newcastle 35 10 2 6 24 17 2 4 11 17 39 42 14th Man City 36 8 5 5 31 31 2 6 10 21 33 41 15th Middlesbrough 36 7 5 6 25 25 3 3 12 19 34 38 16th Everton 36 8 3 7 21 18 1 2 15 10 39 32 17th Portsmouth 35 6 8 3 16 9 0 5 13 7 27 31 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th Wigan 35 5 1 11 15 25 3 5 10 12 30 30 19th Fulham 36 5 4 9 25 30 2 3 13 13 32 28 20th Birmingham 36 5 5 9 24 29 1 4 12 8 28 27 Well, we're still on course for a Champions' League place next season. Our next game is at home to Sunderland and that's another must-win game. After that we travel to Highbury to face Arsenal in what could be a massive game to end the season. Hell, mathematically we could still overtake United although, somehow, I doubt that we'll actually manage to do so. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjg11 Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 May 2007 And so onto the last month of the 2006-07 season. Only two games this month (Sunderland at home and Arsenal away) to worry about. West Ham vs Sunderland (Peter Reid) So firstly another must-win game against a side who have caused me plenty of problems so far this season. Arsenal won their game in hand at home to Newcastle while Leeds only drew against Chelsea in their game in hand. I make no changes from the draw at Old Trafford before this match. Some terrible news early on as Mattias Lindberg was injured after 13 minutes meaning I had to move Fazlagic forward and bring Alex Neil on at CM. Overall it was a dull first half and we failed to break Sunderland down. We had a couple of half-chances but nothing which was particularly dangerous. When the final whistle went we had failed to break Sunderland down. Sunderland are a side who I'm really growing to loathe in this save. West Ham 0-0 Sunderland Well, Arsenal lost at White Hart Lane so we move two points ahead of them but Wolves won at Newcastle meaning they move a point behind us. If we had beaten bloody Sunderland we'd pretty much have third wrapped up at this point. Arsenal (Arsene Wenger) vs West Ham And so we end our season with an absolutely massive game against Arsenal. If we don't lose this we're guaranteed some form of European football next season. A win would guarantee Champions' League football. A defeat could mean that we get nothing after such a good first season in the division. Lindberg was fortunately back fit again for this match as is Ryan Amoo. Pascal de Vries was injured but we had a two week break in between the Sunderland game and this one meaning he had just enough time to get back to full fitness. I brought John Welsh in for Tony Carss in the only switch from the game against Sunderland. Abubakari Yakubu put them in front after 12 minutes in a disastrous start, We then had a penalty appeal turned down shortly afterwards. Wolves also took the lead against Spurs to complete a really bad first half. Freddie Ljungberg doubled their lead and that was that. A really, really cruel end to the season. Arsenal 2-0 West Ham Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st C Man Utd 38 14 2 3 33 15 11 5 3 32 17 82 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Leeds 38 11 7 1 31 15 10 5 4 36 26 75 3rd Wolves 38 13 6 0 28 7 8 3 8 19 24 72 4th Arsenal 38 12 5 2 34 10 9 3 7 28 22 71 5th West Ham 38 14 2 3 39 11 7 5 7 20 22 70 6th Liverpool 38 12 4 3 35 19 7 4 8 19 22 65 7th Chelsea 38 13 2 4 33 10 5 7 7 18 17 63 8th Leicester 38 11 5 3 26 16 6 5 8 15 23 61 9th Sunderland 38 11 4 4 34 23 5 6 8 18 22 58 10th Blackburn 38 10 4 5 27 17 5 3 11 15 25 52 11th Tottenham 38 11 4 4 29 15 3 4 12 18 37 50 12th Sheff Wed 38 9 6 4 26 12 5 1 13 13 29 49 13th Man City 38 9 5 5 33 31 2 6 11 22 36 44 14th Newcastle 38 10 2 7 24 18 2 5 12 17 42 43 15th Middlesbrough 38 8 5 6 27 26 3 3 13 21 37 41 16th Wigan 38 6 2 11 20 28 4 5 10 13 30 37 17th Everton 38 8 3 8 22 21 1 3 15 10 39 33 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th R Portsmouth 38 6 9 4 16 10 0 5 14 7 29 32 19th R Birmingham 38 5 5 9 24 29 1 5 13 10 32 28 20th R Fulham 38 5 4 10 25 31 2 3 14 13 35 28 After the way the season ended I'm devastated to be honest with you. To have had the season we've had and to come away with just the Intertoto Cup to show for it... I feel a little bit hard done by. We were so close to an incredible season but we couldn't get over the finish line in either the League or the Cup. Oh well, there's always next season. And I do intend to take the Intertoto Cup seriously during the summer as it is a route to qualify for the UEFA Cup after all. Which I really want to do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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