Cole on the hunt for more goals

21 January 2013 21:01

West Ham attacker Joe Cole is targeting more goals after netting for the first time since returning to the club during the 1-1 draw with QPR.

The 31-year-old ended a frustrating three-year spell at Liverpool with a move to his boyhood club earlier this month.

And, having scored a close-range equaliser as the Hammers were held to a draw on Saturday, the former Chelsea man is keen to keep contributing.

"It was nice to score. I know we're going to put a lot of crosses in and it's up to me to try to get on the end of things," he told the club's official website.

"It was good and, of course, the main thing was to get a point and keep us moving forward and getting points on the board.

"It's always nice to score any goal. When you have days like that in football, you just have to try and enjoy them. I'm happy and playing with a smile on my face.

"Playing in that position a bit further forward out wide, you have got to score goals. Myself and Matt Jarvis are working on getting in the box and scoring more goals.

"I thought it was a good, strong team performance and we bounced back from a poor performance last week [at Sunderland]."

Despite being happy with his goal and the overall team performance, Cole expressed his belief that the hosts had deserved more than a point.

"It was a game we should have won. We had a lot of possession and put a lot of crosses in the box but credit to QPR because they defended strongly," he said.

"It's two points dropped, but we'll try to take the positives. It's another draw and a point on the board and we'll go to Arsenal on Wednesday in full spirits knowing that we put in a good performance on Saturday.

"I think 38 points will probably be enough this year [to stay up]. Like I said, you can only perform well and sometimes things don't fall for you - you have balls coming off people's backsides and that.

"It was a good performance I thought from the team, strong and together. It was good to have Joey O'Brien back from injury as well, and Mo Diame, of course. We looked strong."

The Paddington-born midfielder has been beset by injuries in recent years, but feels his physical condition is constantly improving.

"I felt a bit stronger. It's just about getting my body hardened to playing 90 minutes again. It's nice to have an effect on games. I have played three games now and I've had an effect on them," he added.

"It's good and I'm enjoying it - I'm enjoying my football and that's the main thing. I'm just settling in and all I want to do is be part of a good team and a good bunch of lads, help my team to win and enjoy my football - that's all I want.

"We'll go to Arsenal to win the game. We have done it before as West Ham. We've just got to go there and frustrate them because they have got great footballers - your Jack Wilsheres, your Theo Walcotts and people like that.

"We'll go there and try to stifle them a little bit and we'll always be a threat from set pieces, so we'll go and have a go.

"If we keep performing like we did on Saturday, then I think we'll win games."

Cisse in Al Gharafa loan

20 January 2013 16:44

QPR striker Djibril Cisse has joined Al Gharafa on loan until the end of the season.

The Frenchman had scored four goals in 21 appearances for Rangers in 2012/13 but is surplus to new manager Harry Redknapp's requirements following the signing of Loic Remy from Marseille.

Remy scored his first goal for his new club in Saturday's 1-1 draw with West Ham, with Jay Bothroyd and Junior Hoilett edging Cisse out for a place on the bench.

The 31-year-old links up with former Portsmouth manager Alain Perrin, who is in charge of the Qatari side.

Cisse has been a QPR player for less than a year, joining on January 31, 2012, and scored six goals for the Londoners in the second half of last season, including one in the dramatic Premier League finale against Manchester City.

The France international took to Twitter to thank Rangers fans for their support during his time at the club.

"Thanks to all the QPR fans and sorry I didnt do as good as last season. Thanks for all the support and no doubt we are staying up," Cisse wrote.

Redknapp rues letting Cole slip away

19 January 2013 20:32

QPR boss Harry Redknapp has revealed his club were in the market for Joe Cole, who scored the leveller for West Ham in their 1-1 draw on Saturday.

Debutant Loic Remy gave QPR the lead at Upton Park, but Cole - in his second stint at West Ham after spells at Chelsea, Liverpool and Lille - levelled for the home side with a tap-in to secure a share of the spoils.

Redknapp, who managed Cole at West Ham, said he had been keen to secure the winger's services once again.

"I wanted Joe and I think we could have had Joe. We were talking to him three weeks before West Ham even came on the scene but it just went on too long," Redknapp said.

"Once West Ham came in for him he was only ever going to go there, this is his club, but the deal just dragged on too long.

"Sometimes with deals you have to get them done quickly and once others get alerted it can change. He had some bits and pieces to sort at Liverpool which held it up."

Redknapp also said he was in talks with Rennes midfielder Yann M'Vila.

"We're still working on it, you need to get deals done quickly. The longer it drags on the more people get involved, he’s good value," he said.

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes Redknapp has made QPR more difficult to beat since taking charge, drawing favourable comparisons to the side West Ham beat 2-1 at Loftus Road back in October under predecessor Mark Hughes.

"They are (more difficult to beat), they're not as open now and they're not playing the attacking football that Mark Hughes tried to get them to play," Allardyce said.

"Now they make life extremely difficult for you to break them down, but we couldn't find a way to put the ball into the back of the net more. They're going a long time without losing too many games.

"Ultimately in the end (Redknapp) knows he's going to have to start winning more games and it frustrated us, just as it did with Chelsea and Tottenham. They've got a system that works for them, when you play with the tactics of QPR there's not a lot of space to break them down."

Premier League: West Ham 1 QPR 1

19 January 2013 18:12

West Ham came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against QPR on Saturday during a closely-fought but scrappy encounter at Upton Park.

Visitors QPR took the lead in the first half after a fantastic piece of finishing from debutante Loic Remy, who collected Adel Taarabt's brilliant pass before firing home days after signing from Marseille for a reported fee of eight million pounds.

Joe Cole, recently returned to the Hammers from Liverpool, equalised with a simple tap-in for his first West Ham goal in a decade to level the game.

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce made seven changes to the side that lost 1-0 away to Manchester United in their FA Cup third round replay in midweek, with on-loan Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh handed his first start for the club, and James Collins missing due to a calf injury.

QPR boss Harry Redknapp handed Remy his debut, with Park Ji-Sung dropping to the bench in the only change from the team that drew 0-0 with Tottenham last weekend.

After a bright start from the hosts, some typically tenacious work by Mohamed Diame down the left flank saw his low ball across the box result in a corner, from which Julio Cesar had to be at his best to turn away a Kevin Nolan header from close range.

However, against the run of play, Remy handed the Hoops the lead in the 13th minute after latching on to Taarabt's superb through ball in behind the back four before coolly slotting home past Jaaskelainen.

With West Ham struggling to gain a foothold in midfield and being increasingly forced to utilise the long ball, Chamakh had a penalty appeal turned down by referee Howard Webb after going down in the box under some heavy pressure from Jamie Mackie.

Despite huffing and puffing for the remainder of the half, though, aside from a Diame effort which blazed over the bar and poorly-hit strike from Joe Cole, the home fans had little to cheer about, going in at the break a goal behind.

Manager Sam Allardyce's half-time teamtalk must have had an impact, the hosts racing out of the traps in pursuit of an equaliser in the second half, as Chamakh saw an effort well blocked by Clint Hill in the six-yard box after a scrappy goalmouth scramble.

They didn't have to wait much longer for the equaliser, though, with Joe Cole prodding the ball in after Julio Cesar parried substitute Carlton Cole's towering header after a lovely cross into the box from Matt Jarvis in the 67th minute.

By this point, QPR were merely clinging on and West Ham went close through a Winston Reid drive before Joe Cole saw an effort cleared off the line by Fabio after he rounded Cesar on the break.

Despite their lacklustre display in the second half, the visitors still posed a threat on the break, with Stephane Mbia doing well to intercept a Kevin Nolan pass before driving up the pitch and playing in Remy only to see Reid get across to block.

Nevertheless, even though they were outplayed in the second half, Redknapp's side managed to hold on to claim a point, with the hosts unable to find a way through late on.

Premier League preview: West Ham v QPR

17 January 2013 09:39

Loic Remy could make his debut for Queens Park Rangers at West Ham United on Saturday in what looms as a major London derby for both teams.

Bottom-placed QPR have broken their own transfer record to lure French forward Remy from Marseille as part of their uphill battle to avoid relegation from the English Premier League.

Under the guidance of manager Harry Redknapp, QPR boosted their top-flight survival credentials with clean sheets against Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in their past two league outings.

QPR accounted for European champions Chelsea 1-0 away from home, before holding Redknapp's former side Tottenham to a 0-0 stalemate the following week.

The Loftus Road team are five points adrift of Premier League safety, but will be full of confidence against an 11th-placed West Ham side that are themselves just seven points above the relegation zone.

West Ham have won just two of their past 12 matches in all competitions, with a 3-0 loss to Sunderland last time out in the league and a 1-0 defeat at Manchester United in the FA Cup on Wednesday adding to their woes.

Despite the results, manager Sam Allardyce was delighted with the performance of his charges at Old Trafford following a dismal display away to Sunderland.

"We had a fantastic level of performance on Wednesday, but what I cannot accept was the level of performance we produced against Sunderland," he said.

"We cannot have anything other than this on Saturday when we face QPR."

West Ham will give striker Andy Carroll every opportunity to prove his fitness as the Liverpool loanee battles to overcome a knee injury in what would be a welcome addition for the hosts.