SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT ... Alan Pardew saw his side pick up a share of the spoils
SURVEYING THE SCENE ... West Ham boss Sam Allardyce
BATTLE FOR POSSESSION ... Hatem Ben Arfa goes up against Kevin Nolan
UNDER PRESSURE ... Toon manager Alan Pardew
JUMP FOR IT ... Andy Carroll beats Fabricio Coloccini to the ball
HANDS UP, IF YOU LOVE WEST HAM ... Sam Allardyce endured a frustrating afternoon
West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
NEWCASTLE’S fate is no longer in their own hands.
Three seasons mixing it with the best on the planet is in danger of coming to an end — and they have only themselves to blame.
For almost the entire season, the Toon have managed to stay out of the bottom three but now we are at the business end of the campaign, the drop beckons.
Local rivals Sunderland and veteran relegation campaigners Wigan can both put the boot in.
The pair will move above Toon if Sunderland do not lose tomorrow night against Stoke and the Latics win their one game in hand at home to Swansea on Tuesday.
The reality boss Alan Pardew has been banging on about has now arrived and, come Tuesday night, they could be in the bottom three and waving goodbye to an estimated £90million next season.
Newcastle have not so much opened the relegation trapdoor themselves as kicked it down with an appalling run that has stretched nerves to breaking point.
At least Hammers’ Toon old boys Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan did not kick them when they were down, as they both passed on decent chances that could have made it a whole lot worse at Upton Park.
Just how did it get to this state of affairs when Newcastle were marching along comfortably in Europe and looked like a solid top 10 side?
Well, if you are of a nervous disposition look away now as stats condemn Newcastle.
Along with fellow strugglers Norwich they boast only ONE win on the road this season.
Pards’ Magpies have scored just three goals in their last seven Premier League matches and have suffered four defeats in that dismal run.
The dreaded drop looms large on the back of accusations of a dressing-room split, while fingers have pointed at a lack of effort following the 6-0 humiliation by Liverpool at St James’ Park last Saturday and, of course, that 3-0 derby defeat to Sunderland.
The only crumb of comfort for Pardew on a return to his old East End stomping ground was Newcastle’s record of three wins and only one defeat in six trips to the Boleyn.
Their most recent victory in October 2010 came courtesy of a goal apiece from... Carroll and Nolan.
Talk about the past coming back to haunt you as Geordie striker Carroll has hit such a rich vein of form on loan at the Hammers from Liverpool.
He is being tipped for an England recall and is the Hammers’ seven-goal joint top scorer with his one-time Tyneside housemate Nolan. But that is enough about the main characters as there were enough subplots yesterday to do any TV soap proud.
We had two managers out for revenge against the clubs who sacked them for not being good enough, while Newcastle’s French imports have been accused of lacking pitch craft.
But it is the Toon’s scrap against relegation that has turned into a real thriller and almost predictably nerves got the better of them.
Twice in the opening 10 minutes West Ham sliced through the visitors’ defence to serve warning of their intention that three points would underline their top-10 status.
Mohamed Diame timed his run well but could not supply a good enough finish with his right foot and hammered the sixth-minute chance over the bar from close in. Ricardo Vaz Te was the next to create panic in Newcastle’s area when keeper Robbie Elliott mis-judged a 10th-minute clearance.
But the striker’s header was knocked away to safety by Steven Taylor.
And they do not come any closer than Newcastle’s first serious attempt on goal after 21 minutes when, somehow, Winston Reid nicked Papiss Cisse’s goalbound shot off the line with millimetres to spare.
Success and failure depend on those hair’s-breadth decisions and the travelling fans can argue that linesman Matthew Wilkes got this one wrong when he refused to signal a goal for Cisse.
Wilkes had angered Newcastle earlier this season as he was the official who made sure Wigan’s Callum McManaman went unpunished for his horror tackle on Massadio Haidara.
At least referee Phil Dowd did them a favour when he refused to give West Ham a 51st-minute penalty after Fabricio Coloccini appeared to barge over Vaz Te.
Dowd made another debatable decision when he waved off a 65th-minute spot-kick appeal from Carroll, who was sent crashing to the deck by Danny Simpson.
And how Nolan missed TWO attempts to stick the loose ball in the net is anyone’s guess.
West Ham’s willingness to search for a winner left gaps at the back but Newcastle refused to throw off their own shackles and settled for a point.
We will learn on May 19 when Newcastle host Arsenal if it is enough as this one is going right to the proverbial wire.
West Ham: Jaaskelainen, Demel (Taylor 80), Collins, Reid, O’Brien, Diame, O’Neil, Vaz Te (Collison 58), Nolan, Jarvis (Joe Cole 84), Carroll. Subs Not Used: Henderson,Carlton Cole,Noble,Pogatetz.
Booked: O’Brien.
Newcastle: Elliot,Simpson,Steven Taylor,Coloccini,Yanga-Mbiwa, Ben Arfa (Ameobi 65),Cabaye,Tiote,Gouffran (Gosling 76), Gutierrez,Cisse. Subs Not Used: Harper,Williamson,Anita,Perch,Campbell.
Booked: Tiote.
Att: 34,962
Ref: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).
Tall order: West Ham prepare move for Peter Crouch
Peter Crouch is being lined up for a move to West Ham, writes the Sunday People.
And Stoke City have already started to plan for life without the big striker – by plotting a surprise swoop for Arsenal’s Nicklas Bendtner.
Crouch, 32, moved to Stoke from Tottenham for £10million in 2011 and has hit 21 goals for the Potters since then. This season has been a frustrating one though, as he scored just twice since September, and the Hammers are ready to offer him a move back to London.
The former QPR and Spurs striker is keen to head south again and believes a switch to Upton Park is the perfect option.
West Ham are still trying to seal a deal for Liverpool’s Andy Carroll, but have spent the past month looking at other options.Hammers boss Sam Allardyce believes the former England hitman would bring vital experience to his side.
is this some sort of a joke?? if we sign this clown i will give up on west ham jesus h chirst peter crouch
West Ham are also leading the race to sign Birmingham teenager Nathan Redmond.
Allardyce has kept close tabs on the 19-year-old winger and is planning a summer move.
The cash-strapped Blues have slapped a £10m price tag on the former England Under-20 ace, who is under contract at St Andrew’s for another year.
Manchester United are still interested in signing Tottenham's Gareth Bale, 23, rated by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy at £60m.
Sunday Mirror
Sunday Express
But one of Ferguson's targets Robert Lewandowski is set to ignore the advances from the Premier League with the 24-year-old Borussia Dortmund striker set to stay in Germany and sign for Bayern Munich.
Daily Star Sunday
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 28, says he is prepared to rejoin former club Manchester United, whom he left for the Bernabeu in 2009.
Daily Star Sunday
Chelsea midfielder w ank Lampard, 34, is wanted by French club AS Monaco. The England midfielder's contract at Stamford Bridge expires in the summer.
Sunday Mirror
The Sun
West Ham will try to sign 32-year-old Stoke striker Peter Crouch in the summer.
Sunday People
QPR striker Loic Remy, 26, hopes to complete a summer transfer to Arsenal. The France international will be available for £6m because of a relegation release clause in his contract.
Sunday Mirror
Everton are stepping up their interest in £5m-rated FC Copenhagen and Denmark striker Andreas Cornelius.
The Sun
Manchester City defender Aleksandar Kolarov is set to consider his future at the club this summer with the 27-year-old frustrated after losing a regular place in the team.
Mail on Sunday
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich arranged to meet Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho on his yacht to discuss the Portuguese's potential return to Stamford Bridge.
Sunday People
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini fears he will still get the sack in the summer, despite guiding the club to the FA Cup final.
Metro
Rafael Benitez will be offered the chance to manage German side Schalke when his Chelsea contract expires in the summer.
Mail on Sunday
Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, 26, says he will stay at Anfield after he finishes serving his 10-match ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic.
The Sun
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says his side are still the best team in the city, despite being five points behind their neighbours Everton in the Premier League table.
Sunday Express
Manchester United are ready to offer 21-year-old England defender Phil Jones a new deal.
Sunday People
Former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli believes the FA Cup will once again be the springboard for the club he left earlier this season to become champions.
Sunday Mirror
A warm May afternoon was not enough to stop Newcastle midfielder Cheick Tiote from wearing gloves in his side's clash with West Ham.
Metro
Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio has dismissed the need for sports psychologists at the club and claims he knows all he needs to know about getting inside the minds of his players.
Sunday Telegraph
SWANSEA are close to clinching a deal for QPR striker Junior Hoilett.
Rangers have accepted a modest fee in order to remove the £60,000-a-week star from their wage bill. Hoilett, 22, joined from Blackburn last summer.
TERRY BUTCHER is in the frame for the vacant Doncaster job.
Chairman John Ryan has his eyes on Inverness boss Butcher and former Oldham chief Paul Dickov.
Brian Flynn moved upstairs after winning promotion from League One.
STOKE keeper Thomas Sorensen, 36, has told pals he is looking for a new club this summer.
The big Dane wants first-team action after playing in just four games this season.
WEST HAM are favourites to land Birmingham winger Nathan Redmond.
Skint Brum have slapped a £10million price tag on the 19- year-old, who has two years left on his deal.
IPSWICH are to take Bristol City midfielder Cole Skuse, 27, on a three-year deal. The Tractor Boys will also snap up Jay Tabb from Reading after the 29-year-old did well on loan.
MARLON PACK has vowed to get the Wembley arch inked onto his body if he leads Cheltenham to promotion.
The midfielder, who claims to be the most tattooed player in the League, said: “I have them down both arms and a red skull on my chest.
“If we get to the final and win I would not say no to having the arch put somewhere on my body.
“It would have to be somewhere discreet, though.”
Cheltenham host Northampton in today’s League Two play-off semi-final second leg trailing 1-0.
BRADFORD’S Garry Thompson is on a crusade to clock up a hat-trick of Wembley wins.
And he is banking on St George to help him today.
City go into the second leg of their League Two play-off semi 3-2 down to Burton. But winger Thompson reckons an overnight stay at England’s St George’s Park will pay off.
Thommo, a play-off winner with Morecambe and Scunthorpe, said: “Staying at St George’s is a master-stroke. It’s an inspirational place.”
PORT VALE are trying to sign former Crewe defender Dave Artell, 32, to join next term’s League One campaign. Boss Micky Adams has had talks after Northampton released the player.
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cheers cockers 
