Results tagged “football”

Alan Curbishley’s men sealed 10th spot with Sunday’s point against Aston Villa, thanks to a superb 88th minute strike from Dean Ashton.

But the 24-year-old’s future at the club is in doubt. He wants to stay but talks about extending his contract, which has two years to run, have yet to happen.

An England recall for the games with the USA and Trinidad and Tobago won’t harm his bargaining position and team-mate Robert Green thinks Ashton deserves a long-overdue first cap.

West Ham 2 Aston Villa 2

Dean Ashton's late strike earned West Ham a share of the spoils at Upton Park, and then learned he's made Fabio Capello's latest England squad.

The 24-year-old forward's 88th minute goal, a superb first time effort from the edge of the box, rescued a point for the Hammers after Villa looked set to snatch a win on the last day of the Premier League season.

The point, coupled with Tottenham's 2-0 home defeat against Liverpool, meant West Ham finished 10th in the table, although for most of the second half the most likely outcome looked to be a comprehensive defeat against a determined and enterprising Villa side.

That’s the view of ex-Chelsea star Graeme Le Saux on this weekend’s Premier League climax, which sees the two clubs both in with a shout of clinching the title.

Le Saux, speaking at the launch of the Real Man Cycling Challenge yesterday, thinks defending champions United hold the aces.

He said: “The advantage is still with Manchester United. They are effectively a point ahead with their goal difference and I don’t think they’ll slip up at Wigan.

“Chelsea are at home to Bolton and that’s not a dead cert. But the atmosphere on Sunday at Stamford Bridge, and the form of the team means they will beat Bolton, so at least they’ll finish the season giving themselves the best chance if Manchester United do slip up.”

“I WANT to stay. I love Millwall and I’d love to be here next season.”

Millwall legend Neil Harris has sent out a plea to extend his stint at The Den, and give him the chance to break Teddy Sheringham’s all-time goal-scoring record.

Alan Curbishley takes his 100 per cent record against the Premier League Champions to Old Trafford on Saturday (May 3), knowing a point would be good enough to guarantee the Hammers 10th place.

The Irons will be without Freddie Ljungberg, whose cracked rib sustained in last Saturday's (April 26) 2-2 draw with Newcastle will rule him out for a month, and possible the European Championships.

With last Saturday’s excellent 3-0 home win over promotion chasing Carlisle United, the Lions have secured their position in League for next season with just one more game to go.

This was one of our best performances of the season, partly because we capitalised on our chances, something we have failed to do regularly enough this season.

The inspiration for the performance came from Millwall’s all-time leading league scorer, Neil Harris, who set up two goals and scored another in a man-of-the-match performance that reminded many fans of our former striker Teddy Sheringham.

The away win at Hartlepool was hugely important.

The win on Saturday hasn’t yet guaranteed our safety in League One, but it was a pretty large step
towards it.

In fact, it even dragged a couple of other clubs back into the relegation dogfight.

The huge importance of the game was demonstrated by the supporters up there, who were all talking nervously in the pub before the game as to where we were going to get the points needed between now and the end of the season.

It’s pretty much as you were a week ago, after the spoils were shared between Millwall and Gillingham last Saturday.

The atmosphere at The Den was one of the best this season as both sets of supporters realised just how close both teams are to relegation and possible administration.

The Lions fans really got behind the team early doors and when we did equalise in the second half for a deserved point the celebrations nearly took the roof off!

Saturday’s (March 22) 1-1 draw at Everton saw defender James Tomkins make his senior debut, following in the footsteps of fellow teenagers Jack Collison and Freddie Sears.

Curbishley had no hesitation in pitching Tomkins into the side after injuries ruled out all his senior centre-backs bar Anton Ferdinand.

With Sears coming off the bench and almost snatching another away win for the Hammers with a late effort that hit the post, the fabled West Ham production line seems to be in full working order. And with the amount of money available to the manager to strengthen his squad this summer likely to be limited it’s timely.

THESE are troubled times at Upton Park but the West Ham board are placing their faith in manager Alan Curbishley – for the time being.

His future has become the subject of increasing media speculation after the recent run of poor results, culminating in Sunday’s (March 9) capitulation at Tottenham, their third 4-0 defeat in a row.

Some of our timewaster websites are ideal for a quick 10-minute ‘break’, while others are perfect for those lunchtimes when you can put your feet up for a while.

Others – like this footy game – are more for those lunchtimes that happen to extend into the afternoon BUT you can’t hide in the pub.

West Ham's dismal recent run continued as they slumped to their third consecutive 4-0 defeat.

Sunday's (March 9) rout at White Hart Lane was particularly hard for Hammers' fans, who were looking for their team to bounce back from similar heavy beatings at the hands of Chelsea and Liverpool respectively.

Two goals from Dimitar Berbatov and one apiece from Gilberto and Darren Bent saw off Alan Curbishley's men, with Luis Boa Morte's sending off compounding their misery.

Greater consultation between football clubs such as West Ham and transport providers has been called for after the news that Tube engineering works forced a game to be moved to a different date.

The change for the Upton Park match against Portsmouth, originally intended for April 5 but now undecided, was announced last week and a London Assembly member is urging better treatment of fans.

It surely strengthens any attempts the Hammers make to move to a new ground. They are interested in land next to West Ham Tube station which has been used as a Parcelforce depot.

CHARLTON travel to Sheffield United on Saturday (March 1) and former player Graham Stuart believes the Addicks will have to be on top form to get a result.

A star for both sides during his playing career, Stuart says Charlton will not only have to beat the United team but also its vocal support, buoyed by the return of former assistant manager Kevin Blackwell.

“They’ve appointed Kevin who’s a good manager,” said Stuart. “The fans like him and he’ll have the players up for it."

IT’S GOING down to the wire – the final title in the Wharf Leagues is still up for grabs with just a week left.

The latest round of matches at the David Beckham Academy on Tuesday night (February 19) saw Edwin Coe and Revolution City stay neck-and-neck for the Men’s A League crown.

Revolution beat the Dark Horses, representing Lloyds TSB, 4-2 while Edwin Coe also won three points after their opponents failed to turn up. KFC beat FC Dynamo 4-1 and Maple beat Forester 4-2. Forester’s Paul Alexander looks set to pick up the golden boot, having bagged 23 goals this season.

THE FA Cup minnows might have grabbed the recent headlines but for Premier League clubs it’s business as usual this weekend.

West Ham are back in action on Saturday (February 23) when they visit Craven Cottage to face relegation strugglers Fulham. The Irons will be looking to repeat the 2-1 win they had over the same opposition at Upton Park on January 12.

The two-week break since the Hammers’ last game against Birmingham has seen their squad bolstered by the return to fitness of Bobby Zamora, who looks likely to compete for a place up front with Carlton Cole and Dean Ashton.

NEW signing Andy Gray was delighted to get his first win in a Charlton shirt in Tuesday night's game against Stoke City.
The former Burnley man said he has been itching to start for the club since joining last week and believes the better team won in a hard-fought match.
"It's a massive, massive win considering that the team we were playing against are above us, and to keep a clean sheet and grind out a 1-0 win was fantastic," said Gray.

THEY may not be able to communicate much off the pitch, but Zheng Zhi believes he and Matt Holland have developed a great understanding in the Charlton midfield.
It has been a tough time for the club in recent weeks but it's argued that the duo have been a consistent force, and last week Holland said Zheng is one of the best he has played with.
Now Zheng, who is having weekly English lessons and spoke to The Wharf through an interpreter, has repaid the compliment.

CHARLTON'S FA Cup replay against West Bromwich Albion may have ended in heartache but it could yet turn out to be one of the most significant results of the season.
Despite a stirring fightback from two goals down - courtesy of Darren Ambrose and substitute Chris Dickson - the Addicks tumbled out of the oldest cup competition in the world on a penalty shoot-out late on Tuesday (January 15).
But, for all the romance of the cup, there is no doubt that Alan Pardew would gladly swap a decent cup run for a place among the country's elite next season and, by avoiding fixture congestion, player fatigue and possible injuries, going out of the tournament may be a blessing in disguise.

MATT Holland loves playing alongside Zheng Zhi, but he believes not all is as it seems with the Chinese international.
Zheng, 27, scored twice in Charlton's 4-1 win over Blackpool at the weekend, taking his tally for the season to 10.
But Holland believes shy Zizi, who is having English lessons and is helped by a translator, has learnt more of the language than he lets on.

"WE'RE delighted with the points and the position we find ourselves in and if we get a few of the bodies back it could be an interesting run-in."
Alan Curbishley is looking on the bright side as his squad finally starts to recover from the injury crisis that has blighted their season, and he's looking for his returning stars to push West Ham towards European qualification.
Saturday's (January 12) 2-1 win over struggling Fulham cemented the Hammers' place in the top half of the Premier League and Curbs is confident it will only get better as his big names get back to fitness. Lee Bowyer, Matt Etherington and Freddie Ljungberg all returned to the fray against Fulham and the good news for the Upton Park faithful is that other absentees are coming back.

THE TRANSFER window is open but Alan Pardew may not have to look outside the club for new talent.
As well as Kelly Youga's inspired debut against West Brom on Saturday (January 5), Chris Dickson came off the bench to give the Addicks faithful a glimpse of the man who has just scored seven goals on loan at Gillingham.
Now the 23-year-old, who signed from Dulwich Hamlet last March, is looking to become a success in SE7 as well as Medway.

AT LAST - some good news on the injuries front.
Summer signing Julien Faubert made a scoring return for the reserves on Monday (January 7) and could be in first team contention soon.
The Frenchman, 24, injured his achilles in pre-season and has yet to make his competitive debut but his pace and eye for goal could boost the Hammers' hopes of a European spot.

THE sheer number of games played over the festive period gives clubs a great opportunity to embark on a winning run and dramatically move themselves up the table.
This is when the tables really begin to take shape and gaps can start opening up between teams in terms of points. That is why it was important that Millwall responded to a poor outing at Walsall where they lost 3-0 to follow up with two important home wins: 3-0 versus Brighton on Boxing Day and 2-0 against Crewe three days later.
One of the most pleasing, if slightly unexpected, aspects of the Brighton match was seeing Gary Alexander not only score his first goal of the season but then go on and get a hat-trick.

CHARLTON boss Alan Pardew admitted his side simply isn't good enough to win promotion after the Addicks suffered a Christmas to forget and a new year hangover from hell.
After three largely forgettable 1-1 draws over the festive period, The Valley outfit started 2008 in the worst possible way with a home defeat against the league's bottom side which dealt a heavy blow to their lingering hopes of automatic promotion.
The 2-1 loss to Colchester United - courtesy of old boy Kevin Lisbie's double against his former employer - means the Addicks now find themselves seven points behind the Championship's top three, having taken just three points from their last five games.

A YEAR ago Alan Pardew took over a club in turmoil.
Taking on the manager's job at Charlton on Christmas Eve, his side were rooted to the bottom of the division and facing relegation.
After racking up 18 points from Christmas to April the chances of staying up looked good, before a disappointing four points from their last seven matches condemned them to the Championship.

THE start of 2008 brought the same old worries for West Ham boss Alan Curbishley as his squad continues to be ravaged by injury.
Tuesday's (January 1) 2-0 defeat at Arsenal took the gloss off a decent Christmas period for the Irons, including wins over Middlesbrough and Manchester United, which left them in 10th place in the Premier League.
But the Hammers paid a high price for the points with Scott Parker, Nobby Solano and Freddie Ljungberg all picking up knocks likely to keep them out for the next few weeks.

WHILE most of the country winds down for Christmas, Charlton's players are about to enter a period that will determine if they enjoy a winter wonderland or a very bleak mid-winter indeed.
With four games in 11 days - starting against Hull City at The Valley on Saturday (December 22) - the festive period is arguably the most critical time of the season for Alan Pardew and his side.
The immediate build-up to Christmas has been far from ideal. The 4-2 away defeat last Saturday (December 15) against West Bromwich Albion cost the Addicks three vital points and saw them slump to fifth place in the table.

WHEN Steve Gritt was playing many young fans had posters of him on their wall, and now it's come full circle.
With 435 appearances to his name for the Addicks, spanning three decades, he was one of the most popular players at the club he later went on to manage.
Now, as academy manager, it's the posters of youth team products Grant Basey and Harry Arter that adorn Gritt's wall, which show the pride he has in his young stars.

IT'S BEEN a bad week for West Ham and it could get worse unless their injury crisis improves.
The Irons saw their dream of Wembley glory dashed when they lost 2-1 to Everton in the Carling Cup quarter final last Wednesday (December 12), and then the same opponents returned to Upton Park on Saturday (December 15) and grabbed all three points in a 2-0 win.
To add to the Hammers' woes, their injury problems increased when Carlton Cole limped off with a recurrence of a hip injury, reducing manager Alan Curbishley's striking options still further. With Dean Ashton looking anything but match-sharp, and Craig Bellamy a long-term casualty, it's a worrying state of affairs, as Curbishley acknowledged.

IT WAS a mixed week for Lions supporters as we got a great, if somewhat unexpected, away win on Tuesday in the derby match with League One high-flyers Leyton Orient.
But then we had our match away to Luton last Saturday called off just one hour before kick-off when most Lions supporters were either at the ground or very close by.
Personally, I was on my second pint at a nearby pub and was left frustrated at having to make another trip to Luton but this time on a midweek night.