West Ham Stays In

Saturdays match verse Wigan Athletic was one that Scott Parker and the Hammer faithful will remember for some time to come.

West Ham went down by a goal early in the fourth minute when Jonathan Spector accidentally headed a Wigan cross past Robert Green and was charged with the own goal. But the Hammers did not break there only five minutes later Carlton Cole almost scored only to have it barely cleared away.

The equalizer came in the 31st when Ilan connected with a Cole pass to get his fourth goal while on loan with the Hammers.

Then right before the half-time whistle Radoslav Kovac nodded the ball into the net after Wigan keeper Chris Kirkland deflected a Mark Noble free-kick. making the score at the break Hammers two, Wigan one.

The second half proved to be near fatal for West Ham. The attacking ceased and the Hammers only had one run on the goal by Ilan, who was taken off in the 71st as a precaution by Gianfranco Zola for Guillermo Franco.

In the 52nd the Wigan side began to move the ball and scored a goal from Hugo Rodallega, making it two to two.

But reigning Hammer of the Year and team leader Scott Parker wasn't going to let his Hammers fail at the Boelyn Ground. Coming off his two match suspension, Parker was the rallying cry the Hammers needed to win the match.

Parker made a surge from mid-field and struck a zipping ball from 25 yards out, beating Kirklanf and giving West Ham the lead three goals to two.

The play if Zola's side picked up, with Green playing spectacular in the closing minutes to not let up an equalizer. Giving West Ham the victory with the final being West Ham 3, Wigan 2.

The Hammers did what they had to do to secure their spot in the Premier League for the next season. Now it came down to watching the match between Hull City and Sunderland. If Hull City lost then the Hammers would have to lose their last two, and the Tigers would have to win their last two, matches with a goal differential of 24 goals.

The Hammers now have a 99.9% for sure shot of being in the Premier League next season. This seasons final two matches are against Fulham and Manchester City.

West Ham United Forever!

West Ham is Full of Happy Hammers Riding the Waves of Ilan's recent Success

The Hammers got their first win in their last seven matches at home last Saturday at Upton Park beating the Sunderland Black Cats one to nil.

Hammer's loanee Ilan has enjoyed his recent success for Manager Gianfranco Zola and earned his second start as part of the Claret and Blue. He gave Zola a good name and West Ham fans a reason to cheer as he scored the lone goal of the match after a header from Carlton Cole was found by his foot and crashed into the goal.

The match could have gone either way with both clubs having multiple chances to score, and even a goal being called back from Guillermo Franco after his initial touch was ruled a hand ball by the side judge. But none the less the Irons came out victorious.

The Hammers are now in 16th place with 31 points on the table. earning a four point reprieve from the bottom three. With Burnley beating Hull City on the same day it secured West Ham's move away from the other two teams for the first time the last few weeks now.

Next weekends match is going to be crucial for the Hammers and will need the likes of Ilan and his mates to conjuror up some more magic against Liverpool. A win or draw would be crucial for the Hammer's with a key match against Wigan Athletic shortly following. The Wigan match could even possibly decide who drops into the bottom three.

The match is on Monday the 19th at 8:00 p.m. London time.

Forever Blowing Bubbles!

Wolves Disaster

West Ham fell hard at the Boelyn to Wolverhampton on Tuesday losing 3 to 1 in a discouraging manner.

The Hammers never got going in the match after giving up a first half goal to Wolverhampton's Kevin Doyle in the 28th. Then the Irons were pushed away in the second half with two goals in three minutes shortly following the re-start. One from Ronald Zubar in the 58th and the next by Matthew Jarvis in the 61st.

The Irons only goal came from Guillermo Franco in the 93rd, giving the Hammers some consolation.

This lack luster display from West Ham gave Wolverhampton some breathing room from relegation and pushed the Hammers down farther into the pit of relegation.

No one was angry then new Co-Chairman and Owner David Gold, who wrote an open letter to the fans on the official site, www.whufc.com shortly following the match. In his letter Gold called the Hammers play against Wolves "Shambolic," he also went on the say that the side gave, "Wolves too much space so that they looked more Manchester United."

While the statement about Wolves may be true, one must question the motives of Mr. Gold. Is he trying to force Gianfranco Zola out? Was he trying to inspire the players to be angry at him and rally to win like they did when he first put Zola under the microscope? Only time will tell.

Come On You Irons!