West Ham 1 Watford 1
A late equaliser from sub Ricardo Vaz Te rescued a point for the Hammers as their promotion bid stumbled against the gutsy Hornets.
By Andrew Dillon West Ham 1 Watford 1 WEST HAM blew the chance to go top of the table as the Upton Park curse struck again.
A late equaliser from sub Ricardo Vaz Te rescued a point for the Hammers but boss Sam Allardyce admits the bid for automatic promotion is under threat from the home hoodoo.
They have now dropped a worrying 19 points from 17 games on their own turf by rolling out a welcome mat for visiting teams.
Allardyce said: "What we are not good at is taking chances when they come along.
"We haven't got a single player who has scored 10 goals this season.
If we had Ricky Lambert we'd have won the league by now.
"We can't find a cutting edge at Upton Park and nearly paid the price for it. It's a psychological blow for us because we could have gone top of the league tonight."
Despite buying two strikers in the January transfer window, West Ham are still failing to kill off teams on their own patch while blowing the opposition off the park on their travels.
It was the same last night when battling Watford were allowed to take a surprise lead when a rare chance presented itself against overwhelming pressure.
Watford's on loan keeper Tomasz Kuszczak made two great saves from Mark Noble and James Tomkins in the first half but there was little other serious danger from the home side.
Hammers keeper Rob Green was rarely tested but well beaten on 68 minutes when Sean Murray sneaked a shot out of nothing.
The sharp-eyed Republic of Ireland U-21 midfielder struck from the corner of the box and his effort took a slight deflection off Abdoulaye Faye before beating Green and going in off the far post.
Watford's deserved point was even more gallant because of the loss of impressive centre half Dale Bennett with 22 minutes left in a clash of heads with his skipper John Eustace.
Play was held up for seven minutes while the stricken centre half received treatment before being taken to hospital.
Hornets boss Sean Dyche said: "We're waiting for feedback form the hospital but we don't think it's as serious as we first thought."
West Ham did go close through a James Tomkins header early in the second half but the strikers are failing to deliver regular goals while Lambert has hit 25 for promotion rivals Southampton.
Carlton Cole is West Ham's leading marksman with nine this season but did not look like scoring last night.
Allardyce said: "People have got to lash it into the back of the net."
The Eastenders have now dropped 19 points on their own turf — drawing the last three — while blowing teams away on their travels.
They face another nervy test at home to Doncaster on Saturday.
Keeper Rob Green was rarely tested but was well beaten when one of Watford's few chances sneaked through the defence.
And despite Vaz Te's late contribution, Sam Allardyce's team remain a point behind leaders Southampton.
Watford held out well against an Irons team which created a lot of chances but lacked a vital touch in front of goal, which could put their hopes of an automatic return to the Premier League in serious jeopardy.
Watford keeper Tomasz Kuszczak made two stunning saves in the first half but West Ham looked anything but red-hot promotion favourites and were booed off for the second home game in a row.
The battling Hornets claimed a precious point after losing impressive centre-half Dale Bennett to a serious head injury early in the second half.
But soon after, the visitors took a surprise lead through Irishman Sean Murray on 58 minutes.
Green looked in no danger with the ball pinging around on the right flank some 30 yards from his goal.
But sharp-eyed Murray picked up the ball on the corner of the box and fired across the keeper and in off the far post.
Hammers winger Matt Taylor's first touch of the ball back from a three-match suspension was a 30-yard shot which smashed against the Watford crossbar after only 56 seconds.
But West Ham failed to produce much more and looked set to pay for their wastefulness until Vaz Te fired home from the edge of the box after Watford failed to clear properly from a corner with three minutes remaining.
the mirror
West Ham 1-1 Watford: Hammers fail to go top
Sam Allardyce watched his West Ham side blow the chance to go top of the Championship, then claimed they would have won the title already with Rickie Lambert leading the attack.
The Hammers needed an 88th minute equaliser from sub Ricardo Vaz Te to salvage a home draw and were again booed from the Upton Park pitch after a drab performance with little spark in front of goal.
Allardyce’s side moved within a point of leaders Southampton with a game in hand but have now dropped 19 points at home this season.
And the Irons boss reckons they would have already booked an immediate return to the Premier League if Saints' 25-goal forward Lambert was wearing claret and blue instead.
“It is very frustrating - you need to take your chances,” said Big Sam. “What we are not good at is taking our chances when they come along.
“If we had Lambert in our team, we would have won the Championship already.
"We haven’t got one person with 10 goals yet (Carlton Cole is top scorer with nine). That is the key element. We are second in the league without anyone scoring 10.
"That is a magnificent achievement in terms of the lack of goals efficiency.
"Vaz Te has got two now, so hopefully he will go on. He scored 14 at Barnsley - we could have done with him at the start of the season.
“If you are not clinical enough, it nearly ended up with us losing. At least we had the ability and desire to claw it back for a draw.”
The promotion favourites have still got a better record away from Upton Park than on home turf.
“It comes down to sticking the ball in the net - it eases the anxiety on everybody,” Allardyce continued. “What we have got to do is do the same at home as we do away and be clinical.”
The match had started with more promise for the home side - Matt Taylor announced his return from a three-match ban by hitting the bar with a 35-yard shot after only 58 seconds.
And on-loan Manchester United keeper Tomasz Kuszcak denied Mark Noble and James Tomkins with two fine first-half saves.
The game was delayed for over six minutes at the start of the second half when Watford pair Dale Bennett and John Eustace clashed heads in their own box.
While the Hornets' skipper returned with a bandage and clean shirt, his centre-back was stretchered off and taken to hospital for scans.
It was the plucky visitors who benefited from the break in the game.
After 68 minutes, Watford-born teenager Sean Murray rifled a low shot home off Abdoulaye Faye and the far post.
Allardyce reacted with a double substitution and switched to 4-3-3 - replacement Sam Baldock immediately added more movement and January signing Vaz Te forced Kuszczak into another good stop.
From the resulting Mark Noble corner in the 87th-minute corner, the Portuguese drove home a low shot off the post.
Watford then held out for the nine minutes of injury time for a deserved point.
“My only disappointment is their goal was a foul,” said manager Sean Dyche. “There was an overhead from Carlton Cole at head height and anywhere else on the pitch it is a foul.
"I cannot see why it was not a foul. But there is only a smidgen of disappointment because we played very well.”
the star
WEST HAM 1 - WATFORD 1: VAZ MAKES HIS POINT BUT SAM FAILS TO TOP IT
SUBSTITUTE Ricardo Vaz Te’s first goal at Upton Park saved West Ham from a shock defeat – but couldn’t lift them to the Championship summit.
Vaz Te, a mid-season signing from Barnsley, netted late on after teenager Sean Murray had put Watford in front with just over 20 minutes to go.
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce, though, missed out on the win that would have seen his side overtake leaders Southampton.
The Hornets battled away all night to frustrate a West Ham side fresh from a 2-0 win at Carling Cup finalists Cardiff.
Allardyce made three changes, with Matt Taylor returning from a three-match ban, while Carlton Cole and Julien Faubert were handed recalls.
Watford made four changes from the side that had beaten Burnley at the weekend and were soon under pressure.
Taylor thumped the bar from 35 yards in the first minute after the Hornets failed to deal with a punt upfield.
Jonathan Hogg replied for the visitors with a free-kick that beat the wall but was comfortably saved by Robert Green.
Faubert then fluffed a great chance for the home side from a Taylor cross.
Alex Kacaniklic, on loan from Fulham, fired across goal and just wide as Watford kept the Hammers on their toes.
Mark Noble was booked for stopping the Swede in full flow before Nolan and Lloyd Doyley had a brief bust-up over a penalty shout in the Watford box.
Hogg scuffed a good chance wide for Watford before Kacaniklic forced Green into a save at his near post.
It was then Tomasz Kuszczak’s turn to shine, with the Polish keeper – on loan from Manchester United – saving from Noble, then thwarting James Tomkins at the far post.
Watford had to soak up a barrage of pressure early in the second half, with Tomkins heading a corner just over.
But the mood changed instantly when Hornets defender Dale Bennett suffered what looked like a serious neck injury trying to clear his lines.
Bennett received around eight minutes of treatment on the pitch before being stretchered off.
Skipper John Eustace had also been hurt in the collision and needed stitches in a head wound.
Watford went ahead when Murray let fly from an angle on the right and the ball went in off Green’s right-hand post.
But Vaz Te netted the leveller – also via a post – after a goalmouth scramble.
the mail
On target: Vaz Te rescued a point for West Ham in the closing stages
Up for the battle: West Ham missed the chance to leapfrog Southampton
Down and out: Bennett suffered a nasty injury and was stretchered off
West Ham 1 Watford 1: Vaz Te rescues point but Hammers miss chance to go top
West Ham fluffed their lines on Monday night when presented with the chance to take the lead role in the Championship title race.
Sam Allardyce's promotion-chasing side missed a glut of chances and were thankful for a late Ricardo Vaz Te equaliser at Upton Park after Watford had taken a shock lead through Sean Murray.
MATCH FACTS
West Ham: Green, O'Brien (Lansbury 74), Tomkins, Faye, McCartney, Noble, Nolan, Taylor (Vaz Te 74), Faubert, Maynard (Baldock 62), Cole.
Subs not used: Boffin, O'Neil.
Booked: Noble.
Scorer: Vaz Te 87.
Watford: Kuszczak, Doyley, Mariappa, Bennett (Taylor 58), Dickinson, Murray (Buaben 88), Hogg, Eustace, Kacaniklic, Deeney, Iwelumo.
Subs not used: Loach, Trotta, Garner.
Booked: Hogg, Kacaniklic.
Scorer: Murray 68.
Referee: Keith Stroud.
Attendance: 31,674
Southampton’s home draw against Ipswich 24 hours earlier provided the Hammers with the perfect incentive going into last night’s match. They knew victory would take them to the Championship summit and the chance to strike a major psychological blow against Nigel Adkins’ side.
But their poor home record continued as they failed to secure all three points. ‘It’s very frustrating. We didn’t have enough quality in terms of final ball and we paid the price for that,’ said Allardyce.
‘We just can’t find that cutting edge here at Upton Park. If we had someone like Rickie Lambert at Southampton, we would have won the league already. We’ve not got one striker who has scored 10 goals this season.’
Matt Taylor hit the bar with a vicious 30-yard effort in the second minute, and the theme continued throughout the first half.
Julien Faubert, Mark Noble and James Tomkins all missed clear chances as the Upton Park crowd grew increasingly restless.
The half-time break did not cure West Ham’s wastefulness, Tomkins picking up where he left off by sending a header over the bar from Noble’s corner.
Watford defender Dale Bennett was carried off and replaced by Martin Taylor 13 minutes into the second period after a nasty clash with Faubert and team-mate John Eustace.
Bennett needed around eight minutes of treatment before he was carried off wearing a neck brace and an oxygen mask. He was sent to hospital for a head X-ray but manager Sean Dyche said the injury was not as bad as first feared.
Watford put their team-mate’s sickening blow behind them to take a 68th-minute lead when Murray somehow squeezed in a shot from just outside the area.
Abdoulaye Faye, Noble and Nolan all missed clear chances to level before substitute Vaz Te hammered home from 10 yards in the 87th minute after Watford had failed to deal with a Noble corner.
Watford endured nine minutes of added time but held on as the Hammers dropped their 19th home point of the season.
Dyche said: ‘We knew it would be a tough test here, but we believe in what we do. The only tinge of disappointment for us is that we feel there was a foul in the lead-up to the equaliser. Carlton Cole clearly catches one of our boys with an overhead kick. Anywhere else on the pitch, that’s a free-kick.’
the express
WEST HAM 1 - WATFORD 1: RICARDO VAZ TE SO LATE TO THE RESCUE
RICARDO VAZ TE saved West Ham from another home defeat with a late, late strike.
But it was another two precious points thrown away by Sam Allardyce’s men.
West Ham had dominated, but Sean Murray, above, fired home from the edge of the area with a goal out of the blue for Watford.
The Hammers were staring at the prospect of a fourth home defeat until substitute Vaz Te scored from close range with four minutes left.
West Ham almost got off to the perfect start as Matt Taylor, making his comeback after a three-game ban, struck the bar with a thunderous drive in the first minute.
Allardyce’s side went close again when Taylor crossed, but Julien Faubert somehow miscued his volley only six yards out. The Hammers, beaten only once in their last eight games, knew that a win would put them back at the top of the Championship.
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Ricardo Vaz Te is the man of the hour for the Hammers
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Struggling Watford were penned back for long spells, but Jonathan Hogg did force Robert Green into a good, low save with his well-struck free-kick, and then Alex Kacaniklic pulled a shot wide of the far post.
But then Carlton Cole put Mark Noble away with a superb reverse pass and only a leaping save by Hornets goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak kept out his shot.
Kuszczak, on loan from Manchester United, then pulled off another excellent stop from James Tomkins. Watford had to reshuffle their defence after Dale Bennett was laid out after a clash of heads with team-mate John Eustace.
Tomkins saw his header bounce over as the Hammers piled on the pressure, but Watford were stubborn and well-organised.
It has been at Upton Park where Allardyce’s teams have had their problems this season, with 17 points dropped before last night in 16 home games.
And it looked like the home hoodoo was striking again as Watford, to everyone’s surprise, took the lead against the run of play.
Irishman Murray, lurking on the edge of the area, suddenly let fly with a ferocious angled drive that beat Green and bounced in off the far post.
But then substitute Vaz Te fired home off the post in a final scramble for West Ham.
the guardian
Watford's Troy Deeney, left, tries to keep Mark Noble of West Ham away from the ball
Ricardo Vaz Tê saves West Ham's blushes with equaliser against Watford
Championship 2011-12
West Ham United 1
Vaz Te 87
Watford 1
Murray 68
Just when the door had opened for West Ham United to glide smoothly through and regain their place at the top of the Championship, it slammed shut again. A weak-willed display against lowly Watford left them with a single frustrating point to show for their tame efforts – and the hard-to-please natives seriously restless.
Victory would have taken West Ham above Southampton. Instead, they remain one point below the leaders from the south coast and two points clear of Reading in third place.
But for an 87th-minute equaliser from Ricardo Vaz Tê, a substitute, they would have been embarrassed further. The Portuguese forward drove home through a crowd of bodies, the ball going in off a post, but West Ham could not find a winner in the nine minutes of stoppage time added by the referee following a double injury. A chorus of boos from their fans followed.
Home-not-so-sweet home has been the main headache this season, with West Ham dropping 19 points on their own turf. "We just can't find our cutting edge at Upton Park," said Sam Allardyce, their manager. "Basically, we've got to do the same at home as we've been doing away. We've got to be more clinical. We're just not showing enough quality here and we nearly paid the price for that. But at least we showed the desire and the ability to claw our way back into it."
West Ham under Allardyce might not please the East End purists – only rarely are the club now referred to as the "Academy of Football" – but their style, if not easy on the eye, is normally effective. They beat Watford 4-0 at Vicarage Road back in August and went into the return encounter on a five-match unbeaten run, which appeared to have been sparked by their 5-1 hammering by Ipswich Town at Portman Road at the end of January.
They could have been in front with less than a minute on the clock. Matt Taylor, returning from a three-match suspension, took aim from 30 yards and sent a shot thundering against the crossbar. Tomasz Kuszczak, the Watford goalkeeper, barely saw it.
Julien Faubert should have done better when miscuing a Taylor cross and Kuszczak had to work minor miracles to keep out efforts from Mark Noble, after a clever back-heel from Carlton Cole, and James Tomkins. But for all their earnest endeavours, West Ham could not break through, and what little rhythm they had was disrupted soon after the interval.
A clash of heads between John Eustace and Dale Bennett, Watford team-mates, forced a seven-minute delay. Eustace left the pitch, returning with a large bandage on his head, but Bennett, his neck in a brace, was taken off on a stretcher and then to hospital. "We suspect it's not as serious as it looked," Sean Dyche, the Watford manager, said. "We're waiting on the doctors to see if he'll be kept in overnight."
Watford responded better after the resumption, and Sean Murray drilled home a cross-shot via the far post and a deflection off Abdoulaye Faye. Vaz Tê's late intervention just about prevented open rebellion among the home crowd. Failure to beat Doncaster Rovers at the same venue on Saturday, though, and the mood could get ugly.
the telegraph
n celebration: West Ham United's Ricardo Vaz Te shows his delight after levelling the scores
West Ham United 1 Watford 1: match report
This was one of those rare curios: a draw that felt like a defeat to both sides. Ricardo Vaz Te may have risen from the substitutes’ bench to break Watford's hearts three minutes from time, but there was no euphoria at full-time after a performance as tepid as this; just a loud chorus of boos.
Increasingly, West Ham are beginning to look over their shoulders.
They are a point behind Southampton with a game in hand, but Reading’s charge has brought them within striking distance in what is looking like a tripartite promotion race.
This was an opportunity to restore some breathing space, and for all their late relief, it was an opportunity squandered.
West Ham played like a team haunted by the implications of failure, crippled by their own wealth and the expectation it brings.
They have won nine out of 17 games at home — impressive, but hardly rampant. And on nights like this, when chances go begging and passes go astray, Upton Park quivers with a cold fear.
“There’s always an anxiety when you go out to win a game of football,” manager Sam Allardyce said. “What you must do is use your superior skills by taking your chances. What we ain’t good at is taking our chances.
"If we’d have had Rickie Lambert in our team we’d have won the Championship already. We haven’t got one person with 10 goals.”
Sean Dyche’s Watford, by contrast, were fearless. Outclassed on paper, they defended heroically and “looked after each other”, as Dyche put it.
Leaders stood tall all over the pitch. Captain John Eustace shed blood for the cause. Goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak, in his third game on loan from Manchester United, kept Watford in the game with some excellent saves.
“We believe in what we do,” Dyche said. “We’re realistic, you know you’re in for a tough task at a place like this. But the mentality of the team is fantastic, and that was on show tonight.”
Watford’s wholehearted commitment was brought into sharp focus early in the second half when a clash of heads between Eustace and centre-half Dale Bennett brought play to a sickening halt.
Eustace groggily rose to his feet, but after seven minutes of treatment, Bennett was carried off and taken to hospital, with Dyche optimistic about his prognosis.
For all the pressure they were made to withstand, for all their scrambling, Watford emerged from the first half on level terms.
When they attacked, they attacked with numbers, and midway through the second half, the effervescent 18 year-old Sean Murray shocked the home crowd with an outstanding volley from 20 yards.
Gathering a headed clearance from Lloyd Doyley’s cross on the corner of the penalty area, he simply let fly. The shot clipped Abdoulaye Faye, clattered off a post and crept in. Audacious, ambitious and utterly fearless.
Cue half an hour, including nine minutes’ injury time, of desperate defence from Watford. Julien Faubert and Kevin Nolan squandered good opportunities to equalise before Vaz Te popped up in the penalty area to slot a low effort past Kuszczak, off a post and in.
If a pall of disquiet still hangs over West Ham, this at least was a moment to stave off disaster.
West Ham (4-4-2): Green; O’Brien (Lansbury 75), Tomkins, Faye, McCartney; Faubert, Nolan, Noble, Taylor (Vaz Te 75); Cole, Maynard (Baldock 62).
Subs: Boffin, O’Neil.
Booked: Noble.
Watford (4-4-2): Kuszczak; Dooley, Bennett (Taylor 58), Mariappa, Dickinson; Murray (Buaben 88), Hogg, Eustace, Kacaniklic; Deeney, Iwelumo.
Subs: Loach, Trotta, Garner.
Booked: Kacaniklic, Hogg.
Referee: K Stroud (Hampshire).
the independent
Allardyce laments lack of proven goalscorer
West Ham United 1 Watford 1
Sam Allardyce spent January adding strikers to his West Ham squad, just as in August, but still he fears that he lacks the firepower to secure automatic promotion in May. This game was a case in point. Chances were created, chances were spurned and in the end it was down to Ricardo Vaz Te, a substitute, to score the late equaliser that stopped Watford taking all three points.
Southampton are top, a point ahead of the Hammers, and Allardyce wishes his squad contained the equivalent of Saints' Rickie Lambert. "It all boils down to sticking the ball in the net," the manager said. "If we had Lambert in our team we would have won the title already. "We haven't got a anybody with 10 yet."
At least Vaz Te found the net, from 12 yards and off a post, just as Watford's teenage winger Sean Murray had at the other end in the 68th minute.
Sean Dyche, the Watford manager, was convinced that the home side's goal should not have been allowed.
"It should have been a free-kick for an overhead kick to the head by Carlton Cole in the build-up," he said. "Anywhere else on the pitch and it would have been a foul."
Allardyce countered that fortune had favoured the Hornets with their goal. Murray's shot beat the Hammers' goalkeeper, Robert Green, from a tight angle on the right. Replays indicated a deflection off Abdoulaye Faye.
"It was going nowhere until it was deflected," Allardyce said, "and when it went in I thought it was going to be one of those nights. Fair play to the lads, they got back into a winning position."
Allardyce admitted that his side's home form was poor. "It is very frustrating," he said. "We haven't shown nearly enough quality in the chances we created and nearly paid the price for it. We just can't find the cutting edge here at Upton Park. The chances we had and missed were disappointing. We nearly ended up losing this one.
"If we had won we would have been where we wanted to be but now we have dropped behind again. The most important thing is two points a game because I know what that gives us – automatic promotion."
A point was bittersweet for Dyche, not least because of an injury suffered by the defender Dale Bennett, who had to be carried off with his neck in a brace after receiving lengthy treatment on the pitch, early in the second half.
"He has gone to hospital and we are waiting for feedback," Dyche said. "We have been told it might not be as bad as it looked."
West Ham United (4-4-2): Green; O'Brien ( Lansbury, 74), Faye, Tomkins, McCartney; Faubert, Noble, Nolan, Matt Taylor (Vaz Te, 74); Maynard (Baldock, 62), Cole. Substitutes not used Boffin (gk), O'Neil.
Watford (4-4-2): Kuszczak; Doyley, Mariappa, Bennett (Martin Taylor, 58), Dickinson; Murray (Buaben, 88), Eustace, Hogg, Kacaniklic; Deeney, Iwelumo. Substitutes not used Loach (gk), Trotta, Garner.
Referee K Stroud (Hampshire).
sheffield star
Double loan spell for Nouble at Reds
BARNSLEY have signed West Ham striker Frank Nouble on a one-month loan deal.
Nouble played four games for the Reds on loan last season and has returned for a second playing spell at Oakwell.
Barnsley boss Keith Hill said: “Frank represents value for money. We’ve got him for a month initially, then we’ll see what happens. I know he’s been to the club on loan but it’s a good opportunity for us to have a look at him. Everyone forgets he’s a young lad, but he’s very talented and he’s a little bit more mature now.”
Nouble, 20, has played 13 times for West Ham but has struggled to cement a regular starting place. The former England U17 and U19 international has featured three times as a second half substitute for the Hammers, but has spent most of this season on loan at Gillingham.
He scored six goals in 14 games for the Gills and in the past two season has been on loan at six clubs in an attempt to gain experience.
“He’s been pulled from pillar to post, I think he’d benefit from a home,” added Hill. “It’s an ideal opportunity for him to come in and play some games.
“He’s match fit and will be in our squad for Saturday’s match at Southampton.
“Whether he starts or not I’ll decide later in the week. We need to make sure we look after him and give him the chance to be successful. It’s a good deal for us because we have definitely been missing an ingredient from our creative side.”
the guardian
West Ham United boss claims they would have won Championship by now if they had Southampton striker Rickie Lambert
West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce claims his team would already be crowned champions if they had Southampton striker Rickie Lambert in their team.
The Hammers failed to go top of the Championship after a frustrating 1-1 draw with Watford as they again paid the price for a number of missed chances. Lambert has netted 25 goals this season for the league leaders while West Ham's players have yet to hit double figures for them this campaign.
Allardyce said: "What we haven't been good at is taking our chances when they come along. If we'd had Lambert in our team we'd have won the Championship already.
"We haven't got one person with ten goals yet. That's the key element missing. To be second in the league without anyone scoring ten is a magnificent achievement from the squad in terms of the lack of goal efficiency we knew we had to show."
sky sports
[img]mg.skysports.com/12/02/660x350/SamAllardyceWestHam2012_2711185.jpg[/img]
Sam Allardyce: West Ham boss not happy with dropped points at home to Watford
Sky Bet
West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce bemoaned his side's failure to beat Watford at Upton Park.
The Hammers went into the match knowing victory would put them on top of the Championship but they missed their chance and were held to a 1-1 draw.
It even seemed like they were heading for defeat after Sean Murray put Watford ahead with just over 20 minutes left.
But with three minutes left on the clock Ricardo Vaz Te struck for West Ham to salvage a point for the home side.
However, Allardyce was less than amused with the efforts of his side.
Frustrated
"If we are to get where we want to get this is where you have to get your three points," he told Sky Sports.
"And with all due respect to Watford we should be beating them at Upton Park.
"We are capable of beating them and have the players, but we didn't show enough desire in terms of the quality of our finishes.
"And that is something that has disappointed me and frustrated me."
Dyche
Watford boss Sean Dyche felt his side could easily have taken victory away from East London as he felt Vaz Te's goal should not have stood.
"In the end on the night, we are disappointed at the decision to allow them the goal," said Dyche.
"But overall to come here, a massive club, with big players, you have to deal with how they play and it can be hard at times."
Barcelona wonderkid Cristian Tello, 20, who scored twice in his side's 7-1 demolition of Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, is wanted by Liverpool, Benfica, Malaga and Valencia, according to his agent.
Inside Futbol
Sought-after Napoli forward Edinson Cavani, who has scored 41 goals in 57 games for the Naples team, has told Chelsea and Manchester City his future lies in Italy.
talkSPORT
Championship side Blackpool have failed with an audacious bid to sign one-time Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler. The Bloomfield Road outfit offered the former England international a £100-a-week, pay-as-you-play deal.
Daily Mirror
Brazilian playmaker Kaka, who had the chance to join Chelsea last summer, has reiterated his plans to stay at Real Madrid.
talkSPORT
Manchester United's midfielder Paul Pogba, 18, has agreed a transfer to Juventus.
Daily Mail
Liverpool are planning a double swoop for young English footballing talent and are preparing bids for Wilfied Zaha of Crystal Palace and Wigan winger Victor Moses.
caughtoffside.com
Top English referee Howard Webb is in the midst of a bout of fixture congestion, with a remarkable four games in eight days including one European match to oversee.
: Daily Express
Howard Webb
Howard Webb is a busy man
Clubs such as Manchester City should be prevented from accepting stadium sponsorship deals from companies with business links to their owners, according to the Council of Europe.
the Independent
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has told his squad to "waken up" in an effort to kickstart the Red Devils' European exploits.
Full story: the Guardian
Gary Speed's eldest son has been called up to the Wales Under 16 squad. Ed Speed delivered an emotional speech at the memorial match in honour of his late father only a week ago.
CARLOS CUELLAR admits his Aston Villa future is in the balance as he is still waiting for a contract offer from the club.
The Spaniard's deal runs out this summer and though he has opened talks over extending his stay Villa have not yet come back with anything.
Defender Cuellar, 30, said: "I'm happy here and would like to stay. There's interest from other clubs but I've said 'no.'
"If they want me to stay here it'll be easy — if not my contract will be finished."
FIFA bumped up staff pay by more than THIRTY PER CENT in the year of the World Cup bidding process.
A statement from the Council of Europe, which also revealed the average pay for a FIFA employee in 2010 was a staggering £107,000, said: "The financial report does not explain these increases and gives no information about the salaries of key management personnel."
Senior politicians also want an investigation into the unopposed re-election of president Sepp Blatter last year.
Speed 'n Craig lads in Wales nod
THE sons of Gary Speed and Craig Bellamy have been called up by Wales Under-16s.
Ed Speed and Ellis Bellamy will take part in a four-day training camp next week in Cardiff.
Boss Osian Roberts said: "They are very good young players who are following the dream."
Stoke eye Matt finish
STOKE are eyeing a £3million summer swoop for Blackpool winger Matt Phillips.
Phillips, 20, has hit 16 goals this term.
Let's Taye him down
QPR'S Taye Taiwo is wanted by Spurs.
The Nigeria left-back, 26, is on loan from AC Milan until the end of the season.
babe of the day (NSFW)
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