What the Papers say - West Ham Thrashing

[Uke]

Presumably the first of a string of "West Ham loose" rather than Reading Win reports

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/6205803.stm

[zac naloen]

Reading 6-0 West Ham
By Sarah Holt

Reading tore apart West Ham as Alan Curbishley came no closer to dragging the Hammers out of the relegation zone.

Brynjar Gunnarsson nodded in Nicky Shorey's free-kick for the opener and Stephen Hunt's header doubled the lead.

Anton Ferdinand headed an own goal to make it 3-0 inside 30 minutes before Kevin Doyle rifled home a fourth.

The one-way traffic continued after the break as Leroy Lita slotted in a fifth on 53 minutes before Doyle headed in Shorey's corner to complete the rout.

The way West Ham's back line capitulated, Curbishley could be looking for a wholesale defence in the January transfer window.

The flood gates opened on 12 minutes when Danny Gabbidon's over-enthusiastic hold on Doyle led to Reading's opener.

Shorey sailed the resulting free-kick high into the box, where Gunnarsson rose to nod past Rob Green for his first Premiership goal.

Just three minutes later, Hunt was unfathomably allowed to find enough space to comfortably head home Steve Sidwell's cross.

Curbishley stood grimacing on the sidelines as West Ham continued to let Reading run past them with Glen Little and Hunt mercilessly weaving through the defence.

More bad luck was to follow when Hammers midfielder Lee Bowyer left the field after 18 minutes with a dislocated shoulder and was replaced by Shaun Newton, back after a seven-month drugs ban.

Ferdinand soon added to the misery when he bundled in another Shorey free-kick to hand Reading a 3-0 lead after half an hour.

West Ham's inability to deal with set-pieces was coupled with a sense of bemusement, shared by the shell-shocked away fans.

And, unbelievable as it was, Reading added a fourth when a brilliant run through the middle from Shorey set free James Harper, who knocked the ball to Doyle to slot home.

West Ham had offered next to nothing upfront in the first 45 minutes and a reshuffle saw Marlon Harewood replaced by defender Jonathan Spector at half-time, leaving Bobby Zamora to chase down the four-goal deficit as a lone striker.

But after a sedate start to the half, it was Reading who conjured another goal seemingly out of nothing.

Sidwell was again on hand to provide the cross into the box to Lita, who sidefooted the ball under Green for Reading's fifth on the 53rd minute.

Lita nearly added a second when he met substitute John Oster's cross, only for Green to clear any danger and he got down well again to smartly save Doyle's thudding attempt.

West Ham's attacks were very tentative and what breakthroughs Newton or Nigel Reo-Coker could muster petered out into offside decisions for Benayoun and Ferdinand.

While the Hammers could do no right, Reading could do no wrong and, as the visiting fans poured out of the ground, Doyle nodded in Shorey's corner to make it six for the Royals.

Zamora came as close to scoring as he got all match in the dying minutes when his piledriver skimmed over the bar.

West Ham owner Eggert Magnusson, watching stoney-faced, will wonder how deep he must dive into his coffers to pull his disorientated side out of the drop-zone.
Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1 ... 205803.stm

Published: 2007/01/01 16:53:44 GMT

and from the sun

Reading 6 West Ham 0

January 01, 2007

WEST HAM suffered a hammer blow in their bid for survival by getting thrashed at Reading.

Brynjar Gunnarsson was given a free header for the opener before Stephen Hunt nodded in a second.

Anton Ferdinand scored an own goal to extend the lead and Kevin Doyle added to the embarrassment for the relegation-threatened Hammers.

Leroy Lita and Doyle added the fifth and sixth goals after the break.

Reading were the first to offer a threat, stand-in skipper Ivar Ingimarsson heading over from an early free-kick on the left flank.

Steve Sidwell then volleyed straight at Hammers keeper Robert Green after keeping his eye on a high clearance that fell to him 25 yards out.

West Ham got the first genuine sight of goal when Lee Bowyer collected the ball from Harewood but could not get power on his shot in a threatening position.

Nigel Reo-Coker and Hayden Mullins tried from long distance but the hosts were ahead after 12 minutes.

Doyle had earned a foul on the right and Nicky Shorey's set-piece found Gunnarsson unmarked six yards out, and he headed home.

The lead was doubled in the 15th minute, with West Ham's defence sliced open once more.
*

Glen Little's chip found Sidwell who volleyed to the back post where Hunt headed calmly past Green.

The visitors had to replace Bowyer with Shaun Newton as the midfielder picked up a shoulder injury after falling awkwardly after a challenge by James Harper.

The Hammers' indecisiveness allowed Doyle to get another strike on goal but the Irishman hit the side-netting from the edge of the area.

The visitors were punished on the half-hour mark from another Shorey free-kick after Danny Gabbidon had fouled Lita on the right touchline.

Left-back Shorey whipped in another set-piece and Anton Ferdinand jumped in front of his keeper and headed into his own net.

Little could have added another when found unmarked, only for Gabbidon to clear, but the hosts did find a fourth in the 36th minute.

Shorey was again the provider, this time dancing defence before passing to Harper, who crossed for Doyle to rifle into the roof of the net.

Jonathan Spector was brought on for Harewood at the break, but an extra defender could not prevent Reading scoring a fifth in the 53rd minute.




Doyle's telling pass released Sidwell on the right and his cross was stabbed in by Lita, despite the efforts of Green.

Royals boss Steve Coppell admitted in his programme notes that Lita had been "dissatisfied" with getting left out earlier in the season.

But the hitman now has three goals in three games after strikes against Chelsea and Manchester United.

Reo-Coker fired into the side netting for the visitors but Reading remained in full control.

Coppell took the chance to rest Ibrahima Sonko and Little, with John Oster and Andre Bikey coming on.

They continued to battle for every ball despite their lead, with Harper receiving a caution for sliding in on Mullins.

Doyle could have added another with a fierce volley but Green was down sharply to save, while Oster crashed a shot into the side netting shortly after.

Hammers fans, in superb voice despite the scoreline, ironically cheered winning a corner, but their side made nothing of the rare attack.

Doyle added a sixth with a header from a corner delivered again by Shorey.

Bobby Zamora bit the bar late on for the visitors - the closest they came to beating Marcus Hahnemann all afternoon.

Reading: Hahnemann, Gunnarsson, Ingimarsson, Sonko (Bikey 54), Shorey, Little (Oster 54), Sidwell, Harper (Ki-Hyeon 71), Hunt, Doyle, Lita. Subs Not Used: Federici, Long. Booked: Harper. Goals: Gunnarsson 12, Hunt 15, Ferdinand 30 og, Doyle 36, Lita 53, Doyle 78.

West Ham: Green, Dailly, Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Konchesky, Bowyer (Newton 19), Reo-Coker, Mullins, Benayoun (Cole 78), Harewood (Spector 46), Zamora. Subs Not Used: Carroll, Tevez.
Att: 24,073
Ref: L Mason (Lancashire).

[Far Canal]

sportinglife.com

Reading 6 West Ham 0
By Mike McGrath, PA Sport

http://tinyurl.com/tlkyt

West Ham's season sunk to new depths at the Madejski Stadium as Reading exposed their defensive
inadequacies in a comprehensive thrashing.

Kevin Doyle scored twice, Brynjar Gunnarsson, Stephen Hunt and Leroy Lita also netted, while Anton Ferdinand's
own goal illustrated the extent to which the visitors self-destructed.

Alan Curbishley knew even a win would not have got his side out of the bottom three, and Charlton and
Watford below them could be breathing down their necks soon if their run of three consecutive defeats continues.

Hammers fans remained in good voice until the sixth went in, while their Reading counterparts were almost
sympathetic in their assessment as they watched Curbishley's men get dismantled.

The visitors were looking for their first away goal since the defeat to Chesterfield in the Carling Cup last
October when Marlon Harewood struck early.

That defeat was one of the more damaging results under Alan Pardew, but the first 45 minutes against
Steve Coppell's men was equally as embarrassing.

The Hammers were looking for a positive reaction after back-to-back defeats since Christmas but they
suffered a New Year hangover that left their defenders looking in bewilderment at each other.

The initial signs were good, with Lee Bowyer bursting through early on but failing to get power on his shot - then
Reading seized their chances and stunned the visitors.

After 12 minutes Doyle earned a foul on the left flank and Nicky Shorey's set-piece found Gunnarsson unmarked
six yards out.

Gunnarsson, filling in for injured skipper Graeme Murty at right-back, made no mistake with his header
to start the rout.

The lead was doubled in the 15th minute, with West Ham's defence sliced open by a deft Glen Little chip,
Steve Sidwell volleying to the back post where Hunt headed calmly past goalkeeper Robert Green.

West Ham's indecisiveness in defence allowed Doyle to get another strike on goal, but the Republic of Ireland
striker hit the side netting from the edge of the area.

The visitors were punished, however, on the half-hour mark from another Shorey free-kick after Danny Gabbidon
had fouled Lita on the right touchline.

Left-back Shorey whipped in another set-piece and Ferdinand jumped in front of his own goalkeeper and
headed into his own net.

Little could have added another when found unmarked, only for Gabbidon to clear, but the hosts did score a
fourth in the 36th minute.

Shorey was again the provider, this time dancing through the Hammers defence before passing to James Harper,
who crossed for Doyle to rifle into the roof of the net.

The visitors had already lost Bowyer to a shoulder injury following a challenge by Harper, with Shaun Newton
coming on for his first appearance since completing his drugs ban for taking cocaine.

Striker Harewood was then taken off for Jonathan Spector at the end of a first half that had new chairman
Eggert Magnusson looking shocked up in the directors' box.

Aside from a tame penalty shout by Yossi Benayoun when he was clipped by Hunt, the Hammers had created
very little in the first half and Spector's introduction looked like damage limitation.

However, an extra defender could not prevent Reading scoring a fifth in the 53rd minute.

Doyle's telling pass released Sidwell on the right and his cross was stabbed in by Lita, despite the
efforts of Green.

Royals boss Coppell admitted in his programme notes that Lita had been "dissatisfied" with getting left out
earlier in the season, but the striker now has three goals in three games after strikes against Chelsea and
Manchester United.

Skipper Nigel Reo-Coker, returning from suspension, fired into the side netting for the visitors but Reading
remained in full control and took the chance to rest Ibrahima Sonko and Little, with John Oster and Andre Bikey
coming on.

They continued to battle for every ball despite their lead, with Harper receiving a caution for sliding in on
Hayden Mullins.

Doyle could have added another with a fierce volley but Green was down sharply to save, while Oster crashed
a shot into the side netting shortly after.

Doyle added a sixth with a header from a corner delivered again by Shorey, completing West Ham's
embarrassment.

They did hit the bar through Bobby Zamora late on but it would have been the smallest of consolations.

STAT ATTACK
Reading.....West Ham
9 Shots On Target 3
9 Shots Off Target 6
6 Fouls (Conceded) 13
3 Corners 3
1 Yellow Cards 0
0 Red Cards 0

[Doyle_Is_A_Royal]

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.

[AthleticoSpizz]

and from the sun

Reading 6 West Ham 0

January 01, 2007

They continued to battle for every ball despite their lead

Reading: Hahnemann, Gunnarsson, Ingimarsson, Sonko (Bikey 54), Shorey, Little (Oster 54), Sidwell, Harper (Ki-Hyeon 71), Hunt, Doyle, Lita. Subs Not Used: Federici, Long. Booked: Harper. Goals: Gunnarsson 12, Hunt 15, Ferdinand 30 og, Doyle 36, Lita 53, Doyle 78.

says it all for me

[Arch]

Presumably the first of a string of "West Ham loose" rather than Reading Win reports

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/6205803.stm

In fairness, we've had a good deal of very positive press this season. While a 6-0 win for a newly promoted side enjoying a fine season is obviously newsworthy, West Ham's utter dissolution especially given the fanfare surrounding Curbishley's appointment is headline stuff.

[M4 Junction 11]

Reading's dream day deepens Curbishley nightmare
Rob Smyth at the Madejski Stadium
Tuesday January 2, 2007
The Guardian

When Alan Curbishley arrived at Upton Park three weeks ago, it was blithely assumed that his expertise would enable West Ham to avoid relegation with ease. When he won his first game, against Manchester United, it was apparently a done deal. Not any more. Curbishley has presided over three consecutive defeats that have left his side deep in the mire, and while excuses could be made for the first two this one was as bad as it gets.

Reading were excellent, ending a six-match run without a win, but if they stay in the Premiership for the next century they will never have as easy a game as this. West Ham were pathetic, four goals down by half-time and lucky not to take an even bigger pasting.

Curbishley's excellence at Charlton means he has limited experience of relegation battles, but he will get a crash course now. This West Ham side has three main problems: a jittery defence, a non-existent midfield and a miserable excuse for an attack. As soon as they went a goal down they played like a side who knew they had lost. While that was hardly an unwarranted conclusion - they have not scored away in the Premiership since August - the defeatist body language, unremitting infighting and brattish dissent were appalling. Curbishley may not be the messiah, but he has inherited some very naughty boys.

"That has been coming," he said. "The players have shown me why they're down there. When I came to the club I saw the full picture - I'm not that naive. Today, Reading had everything we didn't: enthusiasm, pace, shape, aggression and, above all, hunger. They want to be in the Premiership, they want to drive a Bentley."

West Ham have been on the road to nowhere since their appearance in last season's FA Cup final. "Everyone should forget last year," said Curbishley. "If Reading finish ninth this year, they won't go on an open-top bus ride. To keep going back to last year is nonsense. We're in this year now.

"The players haven't got the experience to sort this out for themselves. You're not a Premiership player until you've done it for five or six years. Some of them have done it for one and a bit seasons. They've got the ability, but they have to start showing it."

The only thing they showed yesterday was the white flag, from the moment Reading took the lead in the 12th minute. Danny Gabbidon took limpet-like defending too far by attaching himself to Kevin Doyle 30 yards out, and the outstanding Nicky Shorey sent in a dipping free-kick for the unchallenged Brynjar Gunnarsson to head past Robert Green in the West Ham goal.

If that was a prosaic strike, the second goal three minutes later was exquisite in its simplicity. Glen Little clipped a neat ball in behind the defence for the marauding Steve Sidwell, and his lobbed cross was headed in by the unmarked Stephen Hunt at the far post. It was Hunt's first Premiership goal and he celebrated deliriously, limbs flailing everywhere like those of a nightclub raver.

West Ham could not shake their left knee and they were three down after half an hour when Shorey, from wide on the right, whipped in another free-kick that the besieged Anton Ferdinand could only head into his own net. It was hard not to feel sympathy for Ferdinand: in another industry, anyone this overworked would get automatic union representation.

Shorey is a decent outside bet to get representation of a different sort, in an England shirt, if he carries on like this. In the 36th minute he made the fourth goal with a glorious slalom that took him infield and passed three players before he poked the ball through to James Harper, whose low cross was rammed in gleefully by Doyle.

"A magical goal," said the Reading manager Steve Coppell, who even broke the habit of a lifetime and smiled when it went into the net. "He [Shorey] has been a big part of what we're about," Coppell added. "He's grown in stature as the season has gone on."

Curbishley settled for damage limitation by bringing on Jonathan Spector for Marlon Harewood at half-time ("Our aim was to stop it being eight," he explained later). But the goals continued to flow. The fifth, like all the others, came across from the right: Doyle released Sidwell, and his low centre was squeezed past Green by Leroy Lita.

Green made an outstanding save to deny Doyle the sixth, but he could do nothing when another sublime dead-ball delivery from Shorey invited Doyle to head his 10th Premiership goal of the season. From there it could have been anything, but Reading's fans and players were content to "Olé!" their way through the rest of the game. "You just enjoy the moment," said Coppell, "and accept the fact that it won't continue next week." If only Curbishley could be so sure.

Man of the match: Nicky Shorey (Reading)

[higher]

Love this bit from the Gaurdian report:

Shorey is a decent outside bet to get representation of a different sort, in an England shirt, if he carries on like this. In the 36th minute he made the fourth goal with a glorious slalom that took him infield and passed three players before he poked the ball through to James Harper, whose low cross was rammed in gleefully by Doyle.

"A magical goal," said the Reading manager Steve Coppell, who even broke the habit of a lifetime and smiled when it went into the net. "He [Shorey] has been a big part of what we're about," Coppell added. "He's grown in stature as the season has gone on."

Be interesting if the MOTD notice Shoreys display (indeed the whole teams)or whether it`ll be the detailed delve into Sir Trevors current heartache spew.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Love this bit from the Gaurdian report:

Shorey is a decent outside bet to get representation of a different sort, in an England shirt, if he carries on like this. In the 36th minute he made the fourth goal with a glorious slalom that took him infield and passed three players before he poked the ball through to James Harper, whose low cross was rammed in gleefully by Doyle.

"A magical goal," said the Reading manager Steve Coppell, who even broke the habit of a lifetime and smiled when it went into the net. "He [Shorey] has been a big part of what we're about," Coppell added. "He's grown in stature as the season has gone on."

Be interesting if the MOTD notice Shoreys display (indeed the whole teams)or whether it`ll be the detailed delve into Sir Trevors current heartache spew.

well (by default of the amount of goals), it's got be more than it's usual cameo appearance.

As aforementioned many times elsewhere on here.....lets hope that they focus on us and not WHU's big name teams' failings.

[glass half full]

Reading 6-0 West Ham
By Sarah Holt

Reading tore apart West Ham as Alan Curbishley came no closer to dragging the Hammers out of the relegation zone.

Brynjar Gunnarsson nodded in Nicky Shorey's free-kick for the opener and Stephen Hunt's header doubled the lead.

Anton Ferdinand headed an own goal to make it 3-0 inside 30 minutes before Kevin Doyle rifled home a fourth.

The one-way traffic continued after the break as Leroy Lita slotted in a fifth on 53 minutes before Doyle headed in Shorey's corner to complete the rout.

The way West Ham's back line capitulated, Curbishley could be looking for a wholesale defence in the January transfer window.

The flood gates opened on 12 minutes when Danny Gabbidon's over-enthusiastic hold on Doyle led to Reading's opener.

Shorey sailed the resulting free-kick high into the box, where Gunnarsson rose to nod past Rob Green for his first Premiership goal.

Just three minutes later, Hunt was unfathomably allowed to find enough space to comfortably head home Steve Sidwell's cross.

Curbishley stood grimacing on the sidelines as West Ham continued to let Reading run past them with Glen Little and Hunt mercilessly weaving through the defence.

More bad luck was to follow when Hammers midfielder Lee Bowyer left the field after 18 minutes with a dislocated shoulder and was replaced by Shaun Newton, back after a seven-month drugs ban.

Ferdinand soon added to the misery when he bundled in another Shorey free-kick to hand Reading a 3-0 lead after half an hour.

West Ham's inability to deal with set-pieces was coupled with a sense of bemusement, shared by the shell-shocked away fans.

And, unbelievable as it was, Reading added a fourth when a brilliant run through the middle from Shorey set free James Harper, who knocked the ball to Doyle to slot home.

West Ham had offered next to nothing upfront in the first 45 minutes and a reshuffle saw Marlon Harewood replaced by defender Jonathan Spector at half-time, leaving Bobby Zamora to chase down the four-goal deficit as a lone striker.

But after a sedate start to the half, it was Reading who conjured another goal seemingly out of nothing.

Sidwell was again on hand to provide the cross into the box to Lita, who sidefooted the ball under Green for Reading's fifth on the 53rd minute.

Lita nearly added a second when he met substitute John Oster's cross, only for Green to clear any danger and he got down well again to smartly save Doyle's thudding attempt.

West Ham's attacks were very tentative and what breakthroughs Newton or Nigel Reo-Coker could muster petered out into offside decisions for Benayoun and Ferdinand.

While the Hammers could do no right, Reading could do no wrong and, as the visiting fans poured out of the ground, Doyle nodded in Shorey's corner to make it six for the Royals.

Zamora came as close to scoring as he got all match in the dying minutes when his piledriver skimmed over the bar.

West Ham owner Eggert Magnusson, watching stoney-faced, will wonder how deep he must dive into his coffers to pull his disorientated side out of the drop-zone.
Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1 ... 205803.stm

Published: 2007/01/01 16:53:44 GMT

and from the sun

Reading 6 West Ham 0

January 01, 2007

WEST HAM suffered a hammer blow in their bid for survival by getting thrashed at Reading.

Brynjar Gunnarsson was given a free header for the opener before Stephen Hunt nodded in a second.

Anton Ferdinand scored an own goal to extend the lead and Kevin Doyle added to the embarrassment for the relegation-threatened Hammers.

Leroy Lita and Doyle added the fifth and sixth goals after the break.

Reading were the first to offer a threat, stand-in skipper Ivar Ingimarsson heading over from an early free-kick on the left flank.

Steve Sidwell then volleyed straight at Hammers keeper Robert Green after keeping his eye on a high clearance that fell to him 25 yards out.

West Ham got the first genuine sight of goal when Lee Bowyer collected the ball from Harewood but could not get power on his shot in a threatening position.

Nigel Reo-Coker and Hayden Mullins tried from long distance but the hosts were ahead after 12 minutes.

Doyle had earned a foul on the right and Nicky Shorey's set-piece found Gunnarsson unmarked six yards out, and he headed home.

The lead was doubled in the 15th minute, with West Ham's defence sliced open once more.
*

Glen Little's chip found Sidwell who volleyed to the back post where Hunt headed calmly past Green.

The visitors had to replace Bowyer with Shaun Newton as the midfielder picked up a shoulder injury after falling awkwardly after a challenge by James Harper.

The Hammers' indecisiveness allowed Doyle to get another strike on goal but the Irishman hit the side-netting from the edge of the area.

The visitors were punished on the half-hour mark from another Shorey free-kick after Danny Gabbidon had fouled Lita on the right touchline.

Left-back Shorey whipped in another set-piece and Anton Ferdinand jumped in front of his keeper and headed into his own net.

Little could have added another when found unmarked, only for Gabbidon to clear, but the hosts did find a fourth in the 36th minute.

Shorey was again the provider, this time dancing defence before passing to Harper, who crossed for Doyle to rifle into the roof of the net.

Jonathan Spector was brought on for Harewood at the break, but an extra defender could not prevent Reading scoring a fifth in the 53rd minute.




Doyle's telling pass released Sidwell on the right and his cross was stabbed in by Lita, despite the efforts of Green.

Royals boss Steve Coppell admitted in his programme notes that Lita had been "dissatisfied" with getting left out earlier in the season.

But the hitman now has three goals in three games after strikes against Chelsea and Manchester United.

Reo-Coker fired into the side netting for the visitors but Reading remained in full control.

Coppell took the chance to rest Ibrahima Sonko and Little, with John Oster and Andre Bikey coming on.

They continued to battle for every ball despite their lead, with Harper receiving a caution for sliding in on Mullins.

Doyle could have added another with a fierce volley but Green was down sharply to save, while Oster crashed a shot into the side netting shortly after.

Hammers fans, in superb voice despite the scoreline, ironically cheered winning a corner, but their side made nothing of the rare attack.

Doyle added a sixth with a header from a corner delivered again by Shorey.

Bobby Zamora bit the bar late on for the visitors - the closest they came to beating Marcus Hahnemann all afternoon.



Reading: Hahnemann, Gunnarsson, Ingimarsson, Sonko (Bikey 54), Shorey, Little (Oster 54), Sidwell, Harper (Ki-Hyeon 71), Hunt, Doyle, Lita. Subs Not Used: Federici, Long. Booked: Harper. Goals: Gunnarsson 12, Hunt 15, Ferdinand 30 og, Doyle 36, Lita 53, Doyle 78.

West Ham: Green, Dailly, Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Konchesky, Bowyer (Newton 19), Reo-Coker, Mullins, Benayoun (Cole 78), Harewood (Spector 46), Zamora. Subs Not Used: Carroll, Tevez.
Att: 24,073
Ref: L Mason (Lancashire).

Bobby Zamora bit the bar? That must have been painful!

[handbags_harris]

Love this bit from the Gaurdian report:

Shorey is a decent outside bet to get representation of a different sort, in an England shirt, if he carries on like this. In the 36th minute he made the fourth goal with a glorious slalom that took him infield and passed three players before he poked the ball through to James Harper, whose low cross was rammed in gleefully by Doyle.

"A magical goal," said the Reading manager Steve Coppell, who even broke the habit of a lifetime and smiled when it went into the net. "He [Shorey] has been a big part of what we're about," Coppell added. "He's grown in stature as the season has gone on."

Be interesting if the MOTD notice Shoreys display (indeed the whole teams)or whether it`ll be the detailed delve into Sir Trevors current heartache spew.

well (by default of the amount of goals), it's got be more than it's usual cameo appearance.

As aforementioned many times elsewhere on here.....lets hope that they focus on us and not WHU's big name teams' failings.

You can guarantee that the detailed analysis will focus on where West Ham lost the game, and not where Reading won the game. It'll be typical MOTD. Anybody notice how they completely glossed over the key issues at Old Trafford? Offside goals? Sodje sending off?

[PieEater]

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

Hammered! Curbs slams his side after Reading hit them for six
By NEIL ASHTON Last updated at 22:24pm on 1st January 2007

Reading 6 West Ham 0

Alan Curbishley accused West Ham’s shell-shocked players of acting like Premiership prima donnas after an incredible bust-up with Anton Ferdinand and Danny Gabbidon during their 6-0 defeat at Reading.

The Hammers were humiliated by Steve Coppell’s rampant side and Curbishley confronted his central defensive partnership as they walked off the pitch at the break.

• Match report

He appeared to shove the pair in the chest, but he was in no mood for apologies after a devastating defeat that leaves West Ham firmly in the bottom three of the Premiership.

The furious Hammers chief, who may be tempted to move for Rangers midfielder Barry Ferguson after he was dropped and stripped of the Ibrox captaincy, said: "Last year, this team was full of hunger and commitment.

"They wanted to play in the Premiership and they wanted to drive the Baby Bentleys. Unfortunately, we haven’t got any of that now.

"If Reading finish ninth this year, you can be sure they won’t go round in an open-top bus.

"They (the West Ham team) are not Premiership players until they have been at this level for five or six years. They have only been here for one-and-a-half seasons.

"This is probably my worst defeat as a manager. We were very fragile, but no one can hold their head up. We haven’t got the experience in the side and this result has been coming.

"You need your players to be hungry and work hard for 90 minutes. I feel so sorry for the fans because they don’t deserve this.

"At half-time, it was a question of stopping them scoring seven or eight because it could have gone that way.

"Reading had a lot of the things I would like to see in our side, but it’s up to the players to get results."

On the prospect of bringing in new recruits to the club, Curbishley said: "The biggest problem will be trying to attract players because we are still in the bottom three and don’t look quite so attractive to them now."

[M4 Junction 11]

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

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

You will not hear anybody say that West Ham are too good to go down now. Alan Curbishley has problems aplenty but complacency is no longer one of them.

A rampant Reading shredded any last remnants of the fresh supplies of confidence the new broom swept into the club 19 days ago. West Ham's chairman Eggert Magnusson has promised Curbishley a small fortune to spend on new players, but big appetites are top of his wish list after this hammering.

"Reading had everything that we didn't," said the West Ham manager. "They were full of enthusiasm, pace, shape, aggression, and above all, hunger. "They have commitment, they want to be in the Premiership, they want to drive the baby Bentleys. We don't have anything of that right now. The players have shown me why we are down there. We are very fragile." Fragile and endangered.

West Ham had buckled and folded by half-time, conceding four goals in front of their bewildered travelling supporters. Scores of them made for the exits before the interval, the rest sang "you're not fit to wear the shirts" before the end.

It is only four years since they saw their team relegated against the expectations of most. Nothing surprises West Ham fans any more, but their team's body language was as bad as their defending. It was a tame surrender, and the club's heaviest league defeat for over five years.

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.

West Ham have a reported war chest of £20 million to spend in the January sales. It may not be enough. They have not scored on their Premiership travels since August. They did create the first good chance of the game. Lee Bowyer combined smoothly with Yossi Benayoun before screwing a mis-hit a at the goalkeeper. Bowyer was soon being led from the pitch with a sprung shoulder. Insult was quickly added to the injury.

Doyle's close control earned the Shorey free-kick from which Brynjar Gunnarsson headed a simple opening goal. It was the teetering domino that brought the rest tumbling down. Two minutes later, Doyle laid claim to the ball again to set up a sweet scoring move. Glen Little lifted a crafty pass into the path of the onrushing Steve Sidwell, and he hooked the ball across goal for Stephen Hunt to pick his spot with a precise downward header. West Ham were all at sea, Reading were all over them.

Shorey's next searching free kick came arcing in from a wide position, and Anton Ferdinand headed the ball out of his goalkeeper's hands and into his own net. Once again, West Ham's brittle state led to two goals in quick succession. Shorey came dancing through their defence, weaving his way past half-hearted challenges from Hayden Mullins and Danny Gabbidon before slipping a pass to James Harper. He crossed quickly and Doyle was on hand to make it 4-0 after 36 minutes.

At half-time, Curbishley took off a forward and replaced him with a defender. "I had to stop it becoming eight-nil. I was fearing a lot worse," he admitted.

Eight minutes into the second period, Reading scored again. Doyle released Gunnarsson and the full-back crossed for Leroy Lita to slide in ahead of Christian Dailly and force the ball past a beleaguered Robert Green. Shorey's corner provided the sixth, a flashing header from Doyle.

Curbishley's demeanour was grim. He claimed to have been under no illusions about the size of the challenge, but still looked shaken by the size of the defeat and its possible consequences. "Our plans to bring people in may have been shot to pieces by these last three results," he said with more than a hint of irritation. Magnusson's millions come with no guarantees.

•Man of Match: Kevin Doyle (Reading).

[exileinleeds]

Would someone please send these reports to the twat at the News of the World who wrote the insightful piece on us at the start of the season, predicting our automatic relegation?

[zac naloen]

The furious Hammers chief, who may be tempted to move for Rangers midfielder Barry Ferguson after he was dropped and stripped of the Ibrox captaincy, said: "Last year, this team was full of hunger and commitment.

"They wanted to play in the Premiership and they wanted to drive the Baby Bentleys. Unfortunately, we haven’t got any of that now.

"Reading had everything that we didn't," said the West Ham manager. "They were full of enthusiasm, pace, shape, aggression, and above all, hunger. "They have commitment, they want to be in the Premiership, they want to drive the baby Bentleys. We don't have anything of that right now. The players have shown me why we are down there. We are very fragile." Fragile and endangered.

The Daily mail in shitty journalism shocker.

[Pool and Darts]

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!

[Thomas L'Heureux]

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.

[royalsteve]

Would someone please send these reports to the twat at the News of the World who wrote the insightful piece on us at the start of the season, predicting our automatic relegation?

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! the c**k is a man u supporter you can tell....sonko's and lit's goals were down to sloppy play from man u, not good play from reading

today was awesome...bought time we spanked someone

[royalsteve]

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

[AthleticoSpizz]

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