WEST HAM UNITED
FOOTBALL PROGRAMMES &
Memorabilia through the Decade
theyflysohigh : Steve Marsh
A Pictorial History
2011-12 npower Championship
Manager: Sam Allardyce
Sam Allardyce was appointed as the new manager and his first signings were four of his old Bolton players, midfielders Kevin Nolan and Matt Taylor, together with defenders Joey O’Brien and Abdoulaye Faye. The aim this season was to gain promotion at the first attempt, so it was a shock to lose 1–0 in the opening home game against Cardiff City. The side then bounced back with successive away wins at Doncaster Rovers and Watford. The League Cup brought another setback when League Two side Aldershot came to the Boleyn Ground and won 2–1.
There were further signings with the acquisition of forwards John Carew, David Bentley and Sam Baldock together with midfielder Henri Lansbury and full-back Guy Demel. Leaving West Ham – to the dismay of the fans – was Scott Parker, who joined rivals Tottenham Hotspur. The side started to adjust to life in the Championship and the goals began to flow. A 4–1 win at Nottingham Forest was followed by a 4–3 home victory against Portsmouth. Sam Baldock scored twice in the 4–0 thrashing of Blackpool as the side moved into second place. The good form continued through November with four successive victories and despite three defeats in December the Hammers went into the New Year in second place.
West Ham fielded a weakened side at Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup and lost 1–0 to the League One side. Two more league games were won before the Hammers slumped to their worst defeat of the season in losing 5–1 away to Ipswich Town. This was a wake-up call, and the Hammers responded by going on an 11-game unbeaten run, including victories against Millwall and Blackpool playing with ten men. Going into April the side were on top form, beating Barnsley 4–0 away and Brighton 6–0 at home, where Vaz Te scored a hat trick.
Finishing in third place, they qualified to play Cardiff City in the playoffs. Two goals from Jack Collison at Cardiff saw the Hammers win 2–0 in the first leg. Back at home in the second leg the Hammers cruised to a 3–0 victory and now looked forward to the playoff final with Blackpool at Wembley. Promotion to the Premier League was achieved as goals from Cole and Vaz Te gave the Hammers a 2–1 win before their 40,000 delirious fans. The pride was back at West Ham as they prepared for a return to the big time.
Note:
Players in BOLD made their debuts for West Ham United
CARDIFF CITY
Upton Park
0 - 1
7 August 2011
Att: 25,680
Green
JOEY O'BRIEN
Ilunga
Reid
Tomkins
Noble (Collison)
Parker
KEVIN NOLAN
Sears (Barerra)
MATTHEW TAYLOR
Piquionne (Cole)
Sam Allardyce could not hide the disappointment after seeing the season start with a 1-0 home defeat against Cardiff City. Although Kenny Miller's added-time winner was against the run of play and came courtesy of a defensive lapse, Allardyce said his men paid the price for their profligacy throughout the 90 minutes. He counted 14 chances for the Hammers at a rain-sodden Boleyn Ground but while they were to be denied, Cardiff were to profit from what was probably the one lapse in concentration at the back for the home side.
ALDERSHOT TOWN
Upton Park
9 August 2011
Postponed : Police Advice due to London Riots
REPORT:
DONCASTER ROVERS
Keepmoat Stadium
1 - 0 (Nolan)
13 August 2011
Att: 11,344
Green
O'Brien
Tomkins
Reid
Ilunga (Stanislas)
Parker
Noble
Collison (Sears)
Nolan
Taylor
Piquionne (Cole)
REPORT:
WATFORD
Vicarage Road
4 - 0 (Cole, O'Brien, Parker, Tomkins)
16 August 2011
Att: 14,747
Green
O'Brien
Tomkins (ABDOULAYE FAYE)
Reid
Ilunga
Parker
Noble
Collison (Faubert)
Nolan
Taylor
Cole (Piquionne)
West Ham United made it two away wins in the space of four days with this comprehensive success at Vicarage Road in 2011. Having collected their first points of the campaign courtesy of a 1-0 success at Doncaster Rovers, Big Sam's men travelled to north-west London hoping to repeat the feat.
And they could have hardly have made a better start, as James Tomkins rose to meet Matt Taylor's corner, heading the Hammers into a third-minute lead. Ironically, it was another defender who doubled the visitors' advantage, when Joey O'Brien slalomed into the penalty area in first-half stoppage time, before slotting beyond Scott Loach.
West Ham all but sealed the points with 20 minutes to play, with Carlton Cole converting Herita Ilunga's low centre, before Scott Parker rounded off a thoroughly satisfactory night's work, curling home from 20 yards in the dying seconds. Victory saw the Hammers climb into third with six points from a first possible nine, not to mention two clean sheets and two wins out of two on the road.
LEEDS UNITED
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West Ham United missed out on the chance of going fourth in the npower Championship table as a last-gasp Adam Clayton goal cost them dear at the Boleyn Ground. The Hammers looked well-set to record their third straight league victory and first home success of the season as added time began, only for Clayton to ram the ball into the net after Jonathan Howson's shot had cannoned back off the underside of the crossbar and inside of the post. Earlier, West Ham had twice taken the lead - first through Carlton Cole's well-taken sixth-minute volley from a Matt Taylor comer, then through Patrick Kisnorbo's 61st-minute own-goal. In between, Leeds had missed a penalty when Max Grade! rolled the ball wide following Matt Taylor's handball before getting back on level terms when Ross McCormack converted aftergood work from Robert Snodgrass and Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Andy Keogh. In truth, Leeds were good value for their point, with Snodgrass hitting the woodwork and Robert Green making a series of smart saves. At the other end, the Hammers had two claims for penalties of their own turned down -the first for Kisnorbo's tug on James Tomkins and the second when Cole appeared to be upended by Aidan White.
ALDERSHOT TOWN : FL Cup (First Round)
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Sam Allardyce said the sending off of debutant Callum McNaughton proved pivotal as West Ham United exited the Carling Cup first round at the hands of Aldershot Town.
The manager was firm in his conviction that the Hammers would have built on their one-goal lead at the time McNaughton was dismissed two minutes after the interval for bringing down eventual match-winner Danny Hylton in a goalscoring opportunity. The Shots were buoyed by the extra-man advantage and struck twice in the last 13 minutes to win 2-1 and book a second-round tie with Carlisle United.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
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West Ham United put Nottingham Forest to the sword at the City Ground. Sam Allardyce's men had already triumphed at Doncaster and Watford before they travelled to the East Midlands in late August, and this victory made it three wins from three away games.
West Ham roared into a three-goal lead with just 32 minutes gone and Forest had no answer. Luke Chambers' 21st minute own goal got the romp started, and Kevin Nolan doubled the lead three minutes later.
Carlton Cole made it three just after the half hour, and although Forest pulled one back with 20 minutes to go through Robbie Findley, the Hammers were undeterred and restored their three-goal advantage thanks to Winston Reid.
4-1 was how it ended as the Hammers moved up to fifth in the table.
PORTSMOUTH
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Seven goals, seven yellow cards, three debutants, two red cards and two penalties - Sam Allardyce's first competitive home win as West Ham United manager had almost everything.
The Hammers came from behind having squandered the lead, gone ahead and conceded a sending-off, spot-kick and goal in added time before recording their first Boleyn Ground success in more than six months - defeating Portsmouth 4-3 in a thrilling rollercoaster of a game in front of 33,465 supporters. Also on the plus side, man of the match Henri Lansbury marked his debut with a goal, Carlton Cole netted in his fourth straight npower Championship match and David Bentley showed glimpses of why he has been capped by England.
On the negative, Frederic Piquionne will face a suspension after a late coming together with Greg Halford, while manager Allardyce was not happy about his side's defending as a team as they conceded three times on home turf.
MILLWALL
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Sam Allardyce settled for a point from a competitive London derby at Millwall but knew his team had made enough chances to have taken all three. The Hammers headed to The Den in great away form and could have had a tremendous start inside the first minute when Henri Lansbury caught home keeper David Forde napping. Lansbury shot towards an empty net from fully 40 yards only to see it just flash wide.
He also hit the bar and Julien Faubert went close in the first half before Kevin Nolan and David Bentley spurned golden opportunities in the second 45. Although it is six games unbeaten, a first win at Millwall since 1991 still eludes the Hammers.
PETERBOROUGH UNITED
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IPSWICH TOWN
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CRYSTAL PALACE
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BLACKPOOL
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SOUTHAMPTON
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BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION
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LEICESTER CITY
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BRISTOL CITY
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HULL CITY
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COVENTRY CITY
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DERBY COUNTY
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MIDDLESBROUGH
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BURNLEY
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READING
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BARNSLEY
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BIRMINGHAM CITY
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DERBY COUNTY
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COVENTRY CITY
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SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY : FA Cup (Third Round)
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PORTSMOUTH
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NOTTINGHAM FOREST
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IPSWICH TOWN
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MILLWALL
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PETERBOROUGH UNITED
London Road
11 February 2012
Postponed : Snow
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SOUTHMPTON
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BLACKPOOL
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CRYSTAL PALACE
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CARDIFF CITY
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WATFORD
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DONCASTER ROVERS
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LEEDS UNITED
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MIDDLESBROUGH
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BURNLEY
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PETERBOROUGH UNITED
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READING
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BARNSLEY
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BIRMINGHAM CITY
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BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION
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BRISTOL CITY
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LEICESTER CITY
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HULL CITY
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CARDIFF CITY : Play-Off Semi-Final 1st leg
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CARDIFF CITY : Play-Off Semi-Final 2nd leg
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BLACKPOOL : Play-Off Final
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