What the Papers say - West Ham Thrashing

[AthleticoSpizz]

I might as well start putting my articles in here, all-be-it they're from a Reading point of view.

From Reading.vitalfootball.com

Six Is The Magic Number

The Royals returned to winning ways in somewhat spectacular fashion with today’s mauling of West Ham United. For the first time in well over a decade, and the first since moving to the Madejski Stadium, the mighty Reading put six goals past their hapless opponents, who were, in truth, lucky to escape without the score being stretched even further.

On a day in which Reading fans will have waved away the greatest year in the club’s history with a saddened but overly proud look on their faces, the team ensured that 2007 got off to the best possible start in their attempts to surpass what was achieved during the calendar of 2006.

Returning home after two extremely testing away trips, and having not taken maximum points since claiming the scalp of Bolton Wanderers back in early December, it was clear what the doctor was ordering for his first fixture of the new year; and with Nicky Shorey and Steve Sidwell taking turns in conducting the onslaught, the doctor would get exactly as he pleased.

Ironically it was the visiting Hammers who started the game the brighter of the two teams. After a neat passing move Lee Bowyer made his way into the Reading area but goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann saved his tame shot comfortably, despite the fact he dived the opposite way. Irons’ skipper Nigel Reo-Cocker then hit a shot directly at Hahnemann soon after.

Leroy Lita, having scored in each of his last two games, unselfishly teed up Steve Sidwell for the Royals’ first attempt on goal but the commanding midfielder fired over from 30 yards.

In the twelfth minute, however, Brynjar Gunnarson cranked open the rusty floodgates to score his first ever Premiership goal.

Welsh defender Danny Gabidon’s over-enthusiastic hold on Kevin Doyle rewarded the Royals with a crossing opportunity from a set piece on the right hand side. With Nicky Shorey and Glen Little standing over the ball, the former sent an inviting delivery sailing into the box, to which Icelandic midfielder Gunnarsson applied the perfect nodded finish and put his jubilant team ahead, securing the first of the day’s many goals.

The home crowd had barely finished celebrating their side’s first when they were prompted into jumping back up from their seats and joining Stephen Hunt in marking his first goal in the top flight just three minutes later.

Again, good work from Kevin Doyle was the catalyst as his tenacious play found Glen Little on the right-hand touchline. The Royals winger played a delicately chipped-pass into the run of Sidwell who stood a near-perfect ball up at the back stick. It was from here that Hunt would apply the unlikeliest of headed finishes, guiding the ball past a stranded Robert Green.

West Ham simply had no answer for the rampant Royals, and the their afternoon took a considerable turn for the worse when midfielder Bowyer suffered a dislocated shoulder and had to be replaced by Shaun Newton, back from a seven-month drugs ban. Doyle then tried his luck from range but dragged his shot narrowly wide.

In the 29th minute their day would get worse still. From another Nicky Shorey free kick, this time whipped in towards the near post, calamity defender Anton Ferdinand headed through his own net, under pressure from the towering Ibrahima Sonko, to push the deficit up to three.

Minutes later the Royals were again on the attack as the whole team were seemingly queuing up for a slice of scoresheet cake. Irish winger Stephen Hunt floated a brilliant ball across the box after turning his marker inside out, and but for a deflection from Danny Gabidon, Glen Little would have too netted his first Premier League strike.

At the opposite end of the field, Israeli captain Yossi Benayoun’s desperate penalty appeal was turned down after going to ground from a challenge by Hunt.

In clinical fashion the Royals then made the score 4-0 inside thirty-five minutes. The fantastic Nicky Shorey collected a loose ball halfway down the park, before venturing on a mazy run past a number of visiting players. Upon breaching the penalty area, Shorey unselfishly slid the ball through to James Harper who fizzed a dangerous cross speeding across the face. With both Leroy Lita and Kevin Doyle on hand to apply the finish at the back post, it was the Irishman who was the quicker to react as he prodded the ball home with a simple side-footed conclusion.

Going in at the break 4-0 to the good was certainly a luxury the Royals don’t experience too often, but all the signs were pointing to a very encouraging half of football that had almost come to be expected here at the Madejski Stadium during 2006.

West Ham manager Alan Curbishly sent his wounded troops out with a clear message after the interval – damage limitation. The replacement of striker Marlon Harewood, the club’s leading goalscorer of the past two seasons, with defender Jonathan Specter, certainly highlighted this approach to the second half.

Displaying an obvious hunger for more, Reading began the half in complete control of their opponents. With 52 minutes played, Leroy Lita decided it was time to continue his goalscoring run and duly hit the onion bag for his side’s fifth of the day.

Some brilliant work from Doyle down the right allowed Steve Sidwell to get forward, and the midfielder crossed low into the area. Lita showed great anticipation to reach the ball ahead of the Hammers defence, and stabbed the ball goalwards. Robert Green, who was required to retrieve the ball from his net just the four times when his Norwich side were brushed aside here at the Madejski last season, was unable to keep the ball out as it spun off his arm and clearly crossed the line.

With the game seemingly out of sight, Steve Coppell took the opportunity to give Sonko and Little a well-deserved rest, with Andre Bikey and John Oster their respective replacements for the remaining half an hour.

With his first contribution to the game, Oster almost created a sixth for Lita. Sidwell, who didn’t put a foot wrong for the whole match, found the winger with an excellent cross-field ball on the half volley. Oster, with oceans of space ahead of him, raced clear and played an enticing ball on the angle. His pass was a fraction too strong, which allowed Green to smother before Lita could connect.

Green produced a wonderful save on 66 minutes to deny Doyle after another great Reading move with flowing football full of panache and confidence. The Royals were getting forward at will, with West Ham completely unable to deal with them.

Shorey found himself in an advanced position on the left and played a ball in towards Leroy Lita. The striker controlled the ball on his chest before Doyle duly smashed it towards goals. Green showed his quality with a sharp save down to his right.

The score was 6-0 on 78 minutes, and again Shorey was the provider. His whipped corner was headed on by Bikey before Doyle applied the final touch at the front post.

Bobby Zamora almost capitalised on Hahnemann's loose punch with two minutes to go, but his powerful effort clipped the bar, summing up his team's day.

Reading lost Gunnarsson through a late injury, and were forced to play out the remaining minutes with just ten men, but this was only a minor mark on a fabulous and historic day; the first time Reading had ever scored six at Fortress Madejski.

Star Player

This was fiercely contested by both Nicky Shorey and Steve Sidwell, who laid on all six goals between them.

Nicky Shorey, who has been by far the most impressive left back in the Premiership this season, was simply a class above. His set piece delivery is second to none, and his inspired run which provided the forth was an example of his overall excellence.

I believe the club should strive to secure Sidwell's future, and today was a prime example of why. I cannot recall a single misplaced pass from the midfielder, and his sheer attitude and work-rate typifies what we as a club are about. I would be personally lifting trees to keep him if I was in charge.

that is a bloody good report... Thanx

[Deadlock]

Shorey's swinging free-kicks and corners led to three goals, and he also set up a fourth with a stirring slalom run through the flimsy West Ham cover. Not bad for £75,000 from Leyton Orient.

WRONG it was £25,000!
I thought the telegraph was a bit better than that!

£25K per year for four years if truth be told.

[M4 Junction 11]

The Times


Substitutions
Reading: Oster (for Little, 53min), Bikey (for Sonko, 53), Seol (for Harper, 71) Not used: Long, Federici Booked: Harper
West Ham: Newton (for Bowyer, 19), Spector (for Harewood, 46), Cole (for Benayoun, 77) Not used: Carroll, Tévez

Curbishley endures a hammer horror
Russell Kempson
Reading 6 West Ham United 0

A new era dawned at West Ham United three weeks ago when Alan Pardew, the struggling manager, was dismissed and Alan Curbishley returned to the club whom he had supported as a boy and gone on to play for. The marriage made in heaven got off to a good start, with a joyous 1-0 victory over Manchester United, the Barclays Premiership leaders, at Upton Park. “Curbsâ€

[frenchroyal]

From the Independent, as with the rest of the coverage it is more about how shite West Ham were rather than how amazing we were, but I guess that is the bigger story with Curbishley just arriving and them having just been bought.


http://sport.independent.co.uk/football ... 119060.ece

Reading 6 West Ham United 0: Curbishley shocked at Hammers' humbling
By Glenn Moore
Published: 02 January 2007

The Icelandic acquisition of West Ham is beginning to look the worst football investment since Sam Hamman trousered £20m from two Norwegian oil barons 10 years ago on the supposition that Wimbledon were about to move to Dublin.

Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson and Eggert Magnusson moved into West Ham in the belief that it was an upwardly mobile Premiership club suffering a blip in form. They now know better. Both men watched aghast yesterday as Reading, who had taken two points from the previous 18, humiliated their team.

The victory over Manchester United in Alan Curbishley's first match as manager was a distant memory as Reading helped themselves to goal after goal. Since defeating United, West Ham have won one point, and scored once, in four games. They are now four points adrift of safety and it seems only a huge outlay in the transfer window can save them.

Curbishley, who looked shell-shocked on the touchline, blamed the attitude of his players, not just on the day but throughout the season. "Reading had everything we didn't have: enthusiasm, pace, shape, aggression and, above all, hunger. The West Ham team that was playing last year - and most of the personnel are the same - was the Reading we saw today: full of hunger and commitment. They wanted to be in the Premiership and drive the Baby Bentley.

"They [West Ham] have shown me in the last couple of weeks why they are down there. The dressing room before the game was probably the bubbliest and noisiest we've been but it's all right having confidence in the dressing room, you have to go out and perform. We are very fragile and this has been coming."

West Ham actually began the brighter with Lee Bowyer and Nigel Reo-Coker having chances. Then Reading scored and the visitors crumbled. In an ironic touch the first goal came from an Icelandic head, Brynjar Gunnarsson, glancing in Stephen Hunt's free-kick after 12 minutes. Three minutes later, with the Hammers defence in shreds, Hunt headed in. The third, a near-post headed own goal from Anton Ferdinand, came on the half-hour, the fourth, a tap-in from Kevin Doyle after the left-back Nicky Shorey had dribbled through the heart of the visitors' rearguard, six minutes later.

At the half-time interval, Curbishley, grim-faced, interrogated Danny Gabbidon on the touchline, then switched to 4-5-1 in an attempt to keep the score down. "It was a case of stopping it being eight," he admitted. With Reading easing up, he succeeded, though when Leroy Lita tucked in the fifth eight minutes into the half double figures seemed on the cards. In the event Reading declared at six, Doyle heading in with 12 minutes left.

As the game wound down Bobby Zamora hit the bar but by then the travelling support had turned on the team. "You're not fit to wear the shirt" was the chorus, with the West Ham players being booed when in possession.

Their shambolic, lazy defending was typified by Reading's second. Gabbidon and Ferdinand went for the same bouncing ball but Doyle beat both to it, then found Glen Little on the right. He picked out the untracked Steve Sidwell, who crossed to the far post where Hunt, unmarked in the six-yard box, headed in.

Reading's biggest win since 1990, and West Ham's heaviest Premiership defeat, made it nine games since the Hammers' last away League goal. Curbishley now turns to the transfer market for salvation but, as he said: "Our last few results may have shot that to pieces. It's very difficult to attract players when you are in the bottom three."

Goals: Gunnarsson (12) 1-0; Hunt (15) 2-0; Ferdinand og (30) 3-0; Doyle (36) 4-0; Lita (53) 5-0; Doyle (78) 6-0.

Reading (4-4-2): Hahnemann; Gunnarsson, Ingimarsson, Sonko (Bikey, 54), Shorey; Little (Oster, 54), Harper (Seol, 71), Sidwell, Hunt; Lita, Doyle. Substitutes not used: Federici (gk), Long.

West Ham United (4-4-2): Green; Dailly, Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Konchesky; Bowyer (Newton, 19), Reo-Coker, Mullins, Benayoun (Cole, 78); Harewood (Spector, h-t), Zamora. Substitutes not used: Carroll (gk), Tevez.

Referee: L Mason (Lancashire).

Booked: Reading Harper.

Man of the match: Sidwell.

Attendance: 24,073.

[Don Finch]

Interesting to see that 3 different players were named as man of the match, great team performance. I thought Lita was excellent too but would have to plump for Shorey and his wand of a left foot.

[RoyalBlue]

As expected, after a brief mention of how well Reading had played, MOTD concentrated on WHU defensive and other general woes.

In contrast the Sky commentary team (Martin Tyler and Warren Barton) repeatedly mentioned how maginficently Reading were playing and kept stressing how it would be unfair to allow West Ham's problems and poor performance to detract from Reading's performance. Warren Barton kept singing our team's praises throughout the game.

[Bucks Dave]

Best quote is from Independent though:

"Reading declared at 6".

[papereyes]

Rampant Reading add to Curbishley's woes
By Clive Tyldesley
Telegraph

Reading (4) 6 West Ham United (0) 0

Reading were certainly good enough to make the most of West Ham's crisis of confidence. Their bright and breezy football blew holes in a defence that never came to terms with the menace of Kevin Doyle or the dead-ball delivery of Nicky Shorey. The unheralded left back epitomises Reading's collective knack of getting the very best out of every individual. Shorey's swinging free-kicks and corners led to three goals, and he also set up a fourth with a stirring slalom run through the flimsy West Ham cover. Not bad for £75,000 from Leyton Orient.

•Man of Match: Kevin Doyle (Reading).

WRONG it was £25,000!
I thought the telegraph was a bit better than that!

no doesnt surprise me, these broadsheets reporters are the worst

Actually. tabloid sports coverage is a bit pile of oxf*rd - reactionary, know nothing rubbish.

[Stranded]

Rampant Reading add to Curbishley's woes
By Clive Tyldesley
Telegraph

Reading (4) 6 West Ham United (0) 0

Reading were certainly good enough to make the most of West Ham's crisis of confidence. Their bright and breezy football blew holes in a defence that never came to terms with the menace of Kevin Doyle or the dead-ball delivery of Nicky Shorey. The unheralded left back epitomises Reading's collective knack of getting the very best out of every individual. Shorey's swinging free-kicks and corners led to three goals, and he also set up a fourth with a stirring slalom run through the flimsy West Ham cover. Not bad for £75,000 from Leyton Orient.

•Man of Match: Kevin Doyle (Reading).

WRONG it was £25,000!
I thought the telegraph was a bit better than that!

no doesnt surprise me, these broadsheets reporters are the worst

Actually. tabloid sports coverage is a bit pile of oxf*rd - reactionary, know nothing rubbish.

Isn't that technically correct though. Shorey was £25k up front and we have since had to make two further payments of £25k due to appearance clauses etc. Makes £75k.

[papereyes]

Either way, if he thinks that the Sun would have got it right, he's quite wrong.

[Stranded]

No disagreement there - just stating that I think the Telegraph have actually got the Shorey fee correct.

[thefruits]

Probably the best review yet...

Shorey the destroyer as Reading hit West Ham for six
By NEIL ASHTON

Reading 6 West Ham 0

West Ham staggered into the New Year with one of the most embarrassing performances in the club’s recent history.

Instead of rolling their sleeves up at Reading for new manager Alan Curbishley, they rolled over and relegation alarm bells should be ringing in the ears of every player today.

• Curbishley slams his players


Remember, this is the club that went within a whisker of winning the FA Cup flast May, finished ninth in the Premiership and beat Manchester United a week before Christmas in Curbishley’s first game in charge.

All credit to Steve Coppell’s side because they had the scent of victory in their nostrils from the moment referee Lee Mason signalled the start of this drubbing.

They were ahead within 12 minutes and then rubbed the Hammers’ noses in the dirt with a devastating attacking display.

While it is far too early to judge Curbishley, West Ham’s players should be too ashamed to pick up their salaries after this shambolic performance.

They now have 16 Premiership games to save their skins, but the team humbled by Reading is unlikely to be the team that finishes the season.

Curbishley planned to dismantle this side the moment he walked through the door at Upton Park, but he will accelerate that process after the club’s heaviest defeat since Manchester United beat them 6-0 at Old Trafford four years ago.

Coppell’s side had not recorded a victory in a month, but the prospect of playing West Ham — who have not won on their travels this season — must have had them licking their lips with anticipation.

Reading left back Nicky Shorey deserves an honourable mention for a performance that justified Reading supporters’ demand for his inclusion in the England squad.

Shorey played a significant part in four of their goals and his memorable display was the icing on the cake for a club that can already start planning for a second season in the Premiership.

Reading took the lead when Stephen Hunt’s free kick was met by Brynjar Gunnarsson’s head in the 12th minute and they doubled their lead moments later.

Hunt, who has emerged from the shadows at the Madejski Stadium to perform a crucial role for the club, scored his first Premiership goal when he met Steve Sidwell’s right-wing cross.

That was the cue for West Ham to hoist the white flag and even Curbishley conceded that he expected Reading to rack up "seven or eight". Instead, they settled for six.

They added a third when Anton Ferdinand inexplicably steered Shorey’s free kick beyond goalkeeper Robert Green on the half-hour.

By then, Lee Bowyer had limped off the pitch with a suspected dislocated shoulder, but the West Ham midfielder was better off out of it.

Reading went further ahead when Shorey initiated an outstanding move by tricking his way past the visitors’ defence to set James Harper free inside the area.

The midfielder squared for Kevin Doyle and the Irishman applied the finishing touch. It was a magnificent move and even their mild-mannered manager was moved to pat his players on the back.

Coppell said: "We are 22 games into the season but, in many ways, this was the complete performance.

"Everything went our way, but we know for a fact that it won’t be like that next week.

"It was an occasion to enjoy. We played well and that surprised me because we have had so many games — tiring games against Chelsea and Manchester United — in a short space of time.

"Shorey was excellent and that fourth goal was magical because it was created by him."

With three points secured, Reading could have taken their foot off the gas at half-time, but they ripped the Hammers apart again after the break.

Sidwell, who will be offered the most lucrative contract in the club’s history when he sits down with director of football Nicky Hammond this week, was the creator after he latched on to Doyle’s pass.

The midfielder cruised past Danny Gabbidon as if he was not there and his near-post cross was met by Leroy Lita.

Curibishley’s side offered nothing in return and their supporters turned on the team. Reading finished off the job when Shorey’s 78th-minute corner was steered beyond Green by Doyle.

Although Reading are now sitting snugly in mid-table, Coppell will make sure his team does not rest on their laurels.

He added: "This division can strangle you to death and we only need a couple of injuries to make us vulnerable.

"The Premiership was a novelty at first and we kept ourselves going with hunger and enthusiasm, but teams start to work you out.

"That’s when you have to learn to do things better, but the second season will always be the hardest."

That is something West Ham will already know.

[Lieutenant Pigeon]

Like it - where was this from...


C.

[thefruits]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... ge_id=1779

Todays Daily Mail... click on match report...

Nice to see the bit about Sidders sitting down to sign a lucrative deal with the club this week.. what a xmas pressie that would be !!!

TF

[Royal Rother]

probably the same t**t who wrote the piece on Man u v reading......manu deserved their lead...my arse he was wathcing a different game.....first half reading just edged it...second man u were miles better and deserved to win but most of their shots came when we down to 10 men...their 1st and 3rd goal were def offside!

Let's get this straight - The 1st and 3rd goals were not offside. Excellent decisions by the lino.

Not to say they wouldn't have been disallowed if we'd scored them though.

[Tails]

No no my friend... third definately offside... wouldnt have given the others mind

[Platypuss]

probably the same t**t who wrote the piece on Man u v reading......manu deserved their lead...my arse he was wathcing a different game.....first half reading just edged it...second man u were miles better and deserved to win but most of their shots came when we down to 10 men...their 1st and 3rd goal were def offside!

Let's get this straight - The 1st and 3rd goals were not offside. Excellent decisions by the lino.

Not to say they wouldn't have been disallowed if we'd scored them though.

By the letter of the law they were both offside, however they were close enough for the linesman to be forgiven in giving the benefit of the doubt to the atatcker.

[biscuitsrus]

KUMB


http://www.kumb.com/story.php?id=12026

Reading 6 West Ham Utd 0

Filed: Monday, 1st January 2007

By: Matthew O'Greel


Alan Curbishley's team produced one of the most inept and gutless performances ever by a West Ham United side as they were humiliated at the Madejski stadium this afternoon.

Steve Coppell's Reading - who had picked up just two points from their previous six games - ran out 6-0 winners against a spineless United side that have now played more than 14 hours of league football on their travels without scoring a goal.

So bad was it that tonight a number of West Ham United followers are calling for those supporters who parted with their hard-earned cash in order to follow the team today to be reimbursed in full by the club by way of apologising for a display as inept as any witnessed in recent years.

New Chairman Eggert Magnusson was one of those who watched on grim-faced as the goals flew in, and will no doubt be imploring Curbishley to get spending in order to save the team from what currently seems an inevitable relegation.

However Curbishley's selections have hardly helped to inspire the supporters; today he drafted Christian Dailly - a player who must have thought his first team days were over - back into the starting XI whilst dropping Matthew Etherington in favour of Yossi Benayoun. Further, Curbishley's decision to leave Carlos Tevez on the bench will yet again cause murmerings of discontent amongst the supporters.

Despite the final humilating scoreline West Ham started the game the brighter of the sides, and had Lee Bowyer or Nigel Reo-Coker made more of their 8th and 9th minute chances the game could have taken a different path.

But once Reading opened the scoring through Kevin Doyle the game was only going to go one way as United's fragile confidence was exposed.

Irish striker Doyle opened the scoring on 11 minutes and yet again West Ham were undone from a set-piece - all the more worrying following Curbishley's recent comments suggesting that he intended to build the team from the back.

Three minutes later Reading doubled their lead when Nicky Hunt, unmarked at the far post had the easiest of chances to nod home Reading's second after a looping cross from the right of the penalty box.

West Ham United made an enforced change on 19 minutes when Lee Bowyer was replaced by Shaun Newton, back for the first time following his lengthy ban. Bowyer had damaged his shoulder after falling awkwardly.

However Newton's introduction made little difference to United, and it was no surprise when Reading added a third on 29 minutes. It was possibly the worst of all the goals; a simple free-kick from wide on the right saw Anton Ferdinand collide with Rob Green, and the ball cannoned off the hapless defender into his own net.

Doyle then had a chance to add his second before Yossi Benayoun's excruciating tumble in the box was rightly ignored by the referee. However so bad were West Ham United that Doyle had to wait only a further four minutes before getting another chance - which he took to make it four-nil.

Marlon Harewood then showed exactly why he has scored only once this season when after being put through he could only drive woefully wide of the target. It was an effort that perhaps summed up United's season so far - lots of initial promise let down badly by the execution.

Alan Curbishley - clearly stunned at what was unfolding before his eyes - no doubt gave his side a rocketing at half-time, but it proved to have little effect as the second half followed a similar pattern to the first.

It took just seven minutes for Reading's fifth goal to arrive; Leroy Lita left Christian Dailly in his wake as he stole in to convert Steve Sidwell's low cross. Rob Green hardly covered himself in glory either when he fumbled the shot, allowing it to trickle over the line.

Reading made their delirious supporters wait a further 26 minutes before adding the final goal of the day through Doyle, in between which we were treated to the curious sight of West Ham United's travelling contingent celebrating a rare corner as if it were a goal. Well it has been more than four months since the last.

Bobby Zamora had a chance to break that record-breaking run in the 88th minute when the ball fell to him from a melee in the six-yard box, but he could only fire over - although to be fair it probably grazed the bar on the way, making it the nearest West Ham United have come to scoring on the road since the same player fluked one at Anfield all those months ago.

Over the years West Ham United supporters have become accustomed to the odd humiliating defeat. 8-2 v Blackburn in 1962; 6-0 v Sunderland in 1978; more recently, 7-1 v Blackburn and 4-1 v Millwall. Sadly, today was as bad as any of them.

NICKY HUNT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dirk Gently]

NICKY HUNT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Give them a break - they were typing with tears in their eyes.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

The Times


Substitutions
Reading: Oster (for Little, 53min), Bikey (for Sonko, 53), Seol (for Harper, 71) Not used: Long, Federici Booked: Harper
West Ham: Newton (for Bowyer, 19), Spector (for Harewood, 46), Cole (for Benayoun, 77) Not used: Carroll, Tévez.

we win 6-0 and only 4 players merit more than 6/10, with Hunt getting 5/10?