After Newcastle’s excellent 2-0 victory away to West Ham at Upton Park on Sunday, here is a roundup of media opinion on Roeder’s men…

The focus of both sets of fans was on their new forward recruits and whether they could finally open their account and justify the hype surrounding their arrival…Both looked lively and willing, but understandably both were getting used to English game.

Tevez found himself bullied and hassled for most of his time on the pitch by centre-back Craig Moore and full-back Stephen Carr…The Nigerian [Martins], paired with Shola Ameobi, worked tirelessly for the cause. And although his first touch is not quite in the Dennis Bergkamp class, his pace and strength is a huge weapon for the Magpies.

The Hammers, who edged the first half, were largely passengers after the break.

But it was to be Newcastle’s day, although the win was soured by an injury to Given, who came off the worse in a challenge with Harewood late in the second half.

BBC Sport

Second-half goals from Damien Duff and Obafemi Martins earned Newcastle a 2-0 victory to ensure Glenn Roeder made a winning return to West Ham.
Roeder’s side dominated after taking the lead through Duff early in the second half.

The setback seemed to deflate Alan Pardew’s side as only the away fans could be heard for long spells.

Football 365

IN the midst of his bleak final days as West Ham manager, Glenn Roeder once attempted to lighten the mood by joking: “You’ll have to excuse me, I’ve only got half a brain.” But just over three years after his sacking and upon his return to the East End, the Newcastle boss needed no excuses or cheap laughs. This time the joke was on West Ham.

The abuse directed at Roeder was surely as much about frustration at their own team’s failings as any deep-seated hatred. Yet at the end of a week which saw Newcastle on the brink of the UEFA Cup group stages and back on track in the top flight, Roeder probably doesn’t care too much steward steps in J [sic] either way.

The Mirror

Jose Mourinho’s childish spat with Rafa Benitez and Manchester United’s overblown feud with Arsenal over who is the best team grabbed all the attention.

Roeder was sacked by West Ham three years ago after he almost died from a brain tumour — now that’s a proper axe to grind.

And it all came bubbling up to the surface yesterday when he returned to Upton Park for the first time and walked away with three points and a huge inward smile of satisfaction.

The Sun

Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder apologised to West Ham supporters after he responded to the Newcastle fans who chanted: “Roeder, Roeder, give us a wave,” towards the end of a happy return to Upton Park for the former manager.

Most of the home fans had applauded Roeder as he took his place in the Newcastle dugout, but as he acknowledged his supporters - while goalkeeper Shay Given was receiving treatment - some of the Upton Park faithful had to be restrained by police and stewards, upset that he had waved and punched the air.

It was hardly the most inflammatory of gestures, but when your team are playing badly and losing 2-0 at home it does not take much to push some over the edge.

Martins, the former Inter Milan striker, made up for an earlier miss by making Newcastle’s first goal and scoring the second. In the 50th minute the Nigeria international made a surging run from midfield before passing to Duff on his left, and he beat Roy Carroll with a low shot, from 12 yards. In the 75th minute Martins dispossessed Danny Gabbidon and his finish gave Carroll no chance.

The Telegraph

Glenn Roeder enjoyed a happy return to Upton Park as Obafemi Martins grabbed his first Newcastle United goal in a 2-0 victory over West Ham United.
Martins weighed in with the second goal 15 minutes from time after Damien Duff’s crisp finish had put the visitors ahead five minutes into the second half. The win marked a sweet return to East London for Roeder, who had spent two years in charge of The Hammers before leaving in August 2003.

Newcastle brought on Antoine Sibierski and the midweek match-winner in the Uefa Cup was quick to state his intentions with a 30-yard drive which dipped over the crossbar.

Sibierski was then involved in the build-up to the goal which wrapped up the points for Newcastle. After the Frenchman tangled with Bowyer, the ball broke loose, Daniel Gabbidon dithered and Martins pounced to race clear and finish confidently past an exposed Carroll.

Sky Sports

Second half goals by Damien Duff and Obafemi Martins condemned Hammers to their first home Premiership defeat of the season at Upton Park.

And following a bright home start, that double-strike finally sent the returning Glenn Roeder’s Newcastle United, leapfrogging over Alan Pardew’s men, on an afternoon when the leggy east enders gradually lost their way to goal and the West Ham boss refused to make any excuses.

Tevez was replaced by Marlon Harewood for the restart and there was to be more Argentinian disappointment five minutes into the second half, when bursting from the centre-circle, the motoring Martins rode Mascherano’s attempted slide-tackle and slid the ball to Duff, who fired a low, angled fifteen-yarder into the bottom left-hand corner of Carroll’s net.

Newcastle’s second goal was not too far away, and with just a quarter-of-an-hour remaining, Martins robbed Danny Gabbidon on the edge of the Hammers area before advancing and slotting the ball beyond the helplessly exposed Hammers’ ‘keeper.

But, by then, the busiest man on the pitch was referee Styles, who took the bookings count to the half-dozen mark in an ill-tempered finale that saw Given stretchered off following an accidental collision with Harewood and Roeder calmed by the match official for an over-zealous acknowledgement of the visiting fans that infuriated the West Ham supporters in a bumper, yet disappointed 34,938 crowd.

whufc.com