Ipswich 0-2 West Ham Utd - Manager Reaction

Last updated : 01 January 2005 By Site Editor
Town boss Joe Royle admitted letting in a sloppy goal in the opening minutes was the downfall of his side: "The start killed us, but pay them credit, from one to eleven they were better than us.

"Whether they have under-achieved or not, they got such a boost from the early goal and got better, while it took us half an hour to settle.

"We never threatened and to be honest they could have scored two or three more goals. The first goal was really a collective cock-up, you could blame half the team for it.

"The lads have been terrific though and there was no post-mortem afterwards as they have done great to get where they are."

West Ham boss Alan Pardew meanwhile admitted that the first goal was a present from Town's defence: "The opening goal was a gift. We can beat the top teams, but concentration and consistency have been a problem in the past.

"The most pleasing thing was that Ipswich fans clapping us when we went off, as they appreciated a good performance from a good side.

West Ham also had a goal disallowed, and it was a decision that Pardew did not agree with: "I did not think Nigel Reo-Coker's effort was offside. I spoke to the linesman and he told me a player was in an offside position.

"In the last three or four games we have really been having a go. We feel we can be amongst the top teams, but we have to show we can do it."