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Nolan: Scores the opener for West Ham

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West Ham kept Reading and Southampton in their sights in the Championship’s automatic promotion race thanks to a 4-0 win at Barnsley.

The Hammers, who started the game seven points adrift of new leaders Reading, never looked back once midfielder Kevin Nolan tapped the ball home in the sixth minute after Nicky Maynard’s corner had bounced between Barnsley striker Craig Davies’ legs.

Maynard added a fine second with a low finish from the edge of the penalty area after a neat interchange with Nolan in the 23rd minute and Mark Noble cashed in on some more hapless defending 12 minutes later to curl home a third goal from a tight angle.

Five straight draws last month meant Sam Allardyce’s side have seen Reading cruise past them into the top two, but their second league win in eight games was already secured when Ricardo Vaz Te added a fourth goal from close range against his former club early in the second half.

Barnsley have now won only one of their last 10 league matches and were left looking anxiously over their shoulders despite a nine-point cushion between themselves and the bottom three.

Maynard went close to making it five with a spectacular 30-yard shot which crashed back off the crossbar soon after Vaz Te’s effort.

It took the Hammers only six minutes to make the breakthrough as Maynard’s corner from the right somehow found its way to an unmarked Nolan on the goal line and the midfielder prodded the simplest of finishes beyond Barnsley goalkeeper David Button.

Vaz Te, on his first return to Oakwell since his January move to West Ham, saw his overhead kick comfortably held by Button, on loan from Tottenham, before the Hammers extended their advantage in the 23rd minute.

Nolan was this time the provider, cutting the ball back inside on the edge of the penalty area, where Maynard drilled a low shot into the bottom corner.

Barnsley then gave themselves a mountain to climb with some more shocking defending 10 minutes before the break.

Winger David Cotterill played Button into trouble with a short back pass and when the goalkeeper’s clearance rebounded to Noble on the left edge of the area, the Hammers midfielder curled the ball home in some style from a tight angle.

West Ham defender George McCartney’s 20-yard shot was well saved by Button soon after the restart before Vaz Te put the Hammers out of sight with a fourth goal in the 55th minute.

The Portuguese striker latched on to McCartney’s cross from the left six yards from goal and buried the ball beneath Button into the centre of goal.

Barnsley substitute Jim O’Brien went close with a raking drive in the closing stages, but it was another afternoon to forget for Keith Hill’s side.

Steven Davis: Desperate to see Rangers overcome their monetary troubles

Steven Davis is pleased to see the Rangers camp sticking together through tough times, but appreciates the club’s next move will be crucial.

The fate of the financially-stricken Gers lies in the hands of administrators Duff and Phelps, with three bidders vying for control at Ibrox.

The players have done all they can do to ease the crisis by accepting sizeable pay cuts and it is now down to the powers-that-be to ensure the Glasgow giants are inherited by the right buyer.

Davis said: “The good thing from our point of view is that everybody in the dressing room has stuck together.

“We are all in this together, we want to be here and we want the club to survive. There is good camaraderie between the boys.

Invest

“We have shown over the last few seasons that we have stuck together and it’s been evident again through this difficult time.

“Everybody enjoys coming in to work every day and we are just hopeful the situation can get resolved. There is not really much more we can do.

“It’s in the administrators’ hands to hopefully choose the right people to take the club forward.

“It’s difficult to speculate but we are all just hopeful that by the start of next season there will be money for the manager to spend and invest in the team and we can all move forward.

“It’s hard to reflect when you don’t really know people’s plans for the club.”

Liquidation

As a Rangers fan himself, Davis does not want to see a scenario whereby the club is liquidated in the event that an exit from administration via a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) cannot be achieved.

He said: “From the fans’ point of view, they fear liquidation and they want to keep the history of the club intact. That’s important.

“I grew up as a Rangers fan and I’ve probably got that viewpoint myself.

“Whether that entirely makes business sense is for other people to make their minds up.

“From the players’ point of view, we have made cuts between now and the end of the season and we can’t really do much more than concentrate on the football side. Hopefully it takes care of itself.”

Scott Sutter: Zurich defender failed to gain a move to Blackburn in January

FC Zurich full-back Scott Sutter hopes Blackburn Rovers will resurrect a move to bring him to the Premier League this summer.

Sutter, 25, was given permission by his club to have talks with Steve Kean in January, but right at the death Rovers opted to conclude a deal for Bradley Orr.

The English-born defender, however, has not given up hope of playing for Rovers and is still haunted by the way his dream move collapsed at such a late stage.

“It wasn’t a pleasant experience,” he told GiveMeFootball.

Emotional

“Those last three or four days of the transfer window, including having to train, was a very physical and emotional time especially after it had fallen through and me coming so close.

“It was literally taken out of my hands and that it didn’t work out was obviously heart-breaking for me.”

Kean, however, went up in Sutter’s estimations by the way he explained to the player intricacies surrounding his deal.

“I went in, sat down with Steve and he just said to be completely honest with you, we’ve put an offer in for Bradley Orr, three weeks before you came, the first one got rejected and we improved that offer,” he added.

Rejected

“For the last two weeks it’s been on the table and it hasn’t been rejected but it hasn’t been accepted.

“If that doesn’t go through today, which I don’t think it will, then we’d like to take you on.

“Sometime later he called me and said I’m really sorry but the offer was accepted from QPR and because we had him on our radar that’s the direction we’re going in.”

Kris Commons: Enjoying his football in Glasgow

Kris Commons insists he has no intention of leaving Celtic in the summer and returning to English football.

The former Nottingham Forest and Derby forward was strongly linked with a switch to Southampton during the January transfer window.

While no move materialised then, it has been suggested that the Scotland international could be lured away from Parkhead at the end of the season.

Commons, though, is adamant that he will not be pushing for a switch, with it his desire to stick with a club he only joined in January 2011.

“No, not at all,” he said when asked if he would be open to a summer exit.

Magnificent

“I love it here. It is the best club I have ever played for.

“I love living in Glasgow and playing with such quality players week in, week out is magnificent. I couldn’t think of anywhere better to play my football.”

Commons is reluctant to walk away from Celtic on the back of what he admits has been a hugely frustrating campaign on a personal level, with ‘niggling injuries’ preventing him from playing a leading role in the Bhoys’ title chase.

“This season has been hindered by niggling injuries and pretty poor performances early on by my standards,” he said.

“It has been frustrating for me but hopefully everything I have been working for in the last 12 or 13 months will pay off.”

Brian McDermott believes his current Reading side boast a number of the same traits as the Royals team that swept to the Championship title in 2006.

A hard-fought 2-0 victory over 10-man Leeds on Friday saw Reading to the second-tier summit for the first time since they booked a Premier League ticket six years ago.

McDermott is refusing to speculate on whether the class of 2012 can replicate that achievement, but he is delighted with their efforts so far.

“I was here in 2006, so I have got a good memory,” he told Sky Sports.

“Six years ago, the first time we have been top, but where we are now is not particularly relevant, it will be where we are on 28th April that will be very relevant.”

Character

He added: “They have got character. They know how to win games, as that group did in 2005/06. They know what’s required.

“We had a fantastic group of people in 2005/06 and we have got the same in the dressing room now as far as what they’re about, what their ethics are, and they know how to win, so there are similarities.”

Patience was the order of the day at the Madejski Stadium in the Royals’ latest outing, with Adam Le Fondre stepping off the bench to net twice in the final six minutes.

McDermott said: “I watched Man United play Blackburn on Monday night and Man United came through it and they won 2-0. What a bunch they are, and I’ve got a fantastic bunch of players here.

“We just had to keep going and we hoped that if we kept knocking on the door we would get a chance or an opportunity, and Adam Le Fondre is one of the best men in the game to finish it off.”

Paul Ince: His last managerial role was at Notts County but he would like Wolves job

Paul Ince has indicated he is ready to take the reins at Wolves in a last-ditch attempt to save them from relegation.

Ince, 44, played at the club for four years towards the end of his illustrious career and helped them win promotion to the Premier League during his first season.

Terry Connor has been appointed as interim Wolves manager until the end of the campaign but the former England skipper feels he could inspire them to safety.

Wolves have taken just one point from six games since Connor replaced Mick McCarthy at the end of February and are still bottom of the table.

Experience

Ince has revealed he spoke to chief executive Jez Moxey about the role the day before Connor was appointed, and was surprised by the club’s decision having managed Macclesfield, MK Dons, Blackburn and Notts County.

“When I spoke to Jez about the situation, he said the job was about experience, but a day later they appointed Terry,” Ince told the Express and Star.

“With all due respect to TC (Connor), I’ve got more managerial experience than him. I’ve saved teams from relegation, I’ve got teams promoted and I’ve managed in the Premier League.

“But the job at the moment is about motivating players and the fans and I feel I can do that. I feel I should be at the club now.

Massive

“If someone said: ‘Take it for the last seven games’ I’d do it, because it’s Wolves and they’re my club and they’re only going one way at the moment.”

Ince added: “Wolves is a massive club. I went there when they hadn’t been in the top division for 19 years and we won promotion at the first attempt.

“I played there for four years so Wolves is a massive part of my life.

“If I went there, they’d have nothing to lose. I’d tell the players the hard facts and say: ‘Everyone thinks you’re going down anyway’ and try to get something extra out of them.”

Ince was interviewed for the Wolves job in 2006 before the appointment of McCarthy.

Tony Pulis: Keen for Jonathan Woodgate to stay at Britannia Stadium

Stoke manager Tony Pulis is poised to offer defender Jonathan Woodgate a new deal to remain at the Britannia Stadium for another season.

The 32-year-old has made 21 league and cup appearances for the Potters this campaign and needs to play in just three more games to trigger a clause in his current deal, which would extend his stay at the club for another year.

Woodgate, who was restricted to just four games in his last two years at Tottenham, returned to training last week after a month out with a calf problem and is determined to earn a recall to the side and earn a new deal.

But with just seven Premier League games remaining, the former England centre-back is unsure he will reach his magic tally.

However, Pulis has indicated that he is not willing to let Woodgate depart the club and is keen for the player to sign a new 12-month contract.

“If he doesn’t get the games in that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to offer him a new contract,” said Pulis.

“Woody has been brilliant, playing in a lot more games than people probably thought he could play, and he’s good to have around.

“He’s been very good for (Ryan) Shawcross and (Robert) Huth in lots of respects.

“So let’s get the season out of the way and then we’ll sit down and discuss everything with (chairman) Peter (Coates) and the family.”

Roy Hodgson: Faced criticism at Liverpool similar to that of Kean at Blackburn

West Bromwich Albion manager Roy Hodgson thinks he and Blackburn Rovers counterpart Steve Kean have only benefited from the ‘tests’ during the adversity and criticism of their careers.

Kean has been Public Enemy No.1 with some Rovers fans for a large part of the season, while 15 months ago Hodgson experienced a similar scenario when in charge of Liverpool before being sacked.

But Rovers are still in contention to avoid relegation ahead of Saturday’s meeting at The Hawthorns and West Brom need to halt a run of four games without a win having previously appeared safe from the drop.

Hodgson said: “I’ve been very impressed with Steve Kean, because it is not easy when everything seems to be going against you and you are facing demonstrations.

“We should be safe. We’d like to get more points, but realistically it is not easy to make up eight points in seven games.”Roy Hodgson Quotes of the week

“It is not easy each game when you are hearing your name being shouted in a derogatory way. It is not easy to put all that aside and keep your concentration and focus where it needs to be.

Patience and tolerance

“If they survive this season, it will make him and the club a lot stronger and I’m sure he will get all the credit he deserves for conducting himself so well in difficult circumstances.

“I experienced something similar recently at Liverpool where we weren’t doing very well and the crowd were clearly displeased with my appointment and the way things were going at the club.

“I think it makes you stronger. It certainly tests you out. It tests your powers of diplomacy and your powers of patience and tolerance in the face of very unpleasant questioning or unpleasant chanting.”

Hodgson wants his West Brom players to ensure they stay well above the bottom three – they are currently eight points clear – for the finale of the season.

He said: “We should be safe. We’d like to get more points, but realistically it is not easy to make up eight points in seven games.

“We would have to go on a really bad run of losing virtually every game to make it a danger. It is up to us to ensure we don’t go on that run of seven or eight games without a win.”