Upton Park saw a goalless draw ensue as few chances were created by either West Ham or Blackburn.
Both teams denied penalties in quiet affair
Upton Park saw a goalless draw ensue as few chances were created by either West Ham or Blackburn as the two sides shared the spoils.
Morten Gamst Pedersen came the closest for the visitors when he saw his curling free-kick cannon off the bar in the first-half.
Substitute Jason Roberts, who has been linked with a move to Upton Park, could have put Rovers ahead late on when he side-stepped James Tomkins and found himself one-on-one with Rob Green. However the striker's effort was tame and the England goalkeeper gathered well.
The Hammers had good possession and seemed to step up a gear when long-term absentee Carlton Cole came off the bench and added another dimension and strength up front to trouble Rovers at times.
Frank Nouble could have had a penalty when Ryan Nelsen tugged at his shirt in the box, but the 18-year-old stayed on his feet and could not regain his momentum to have a strike on goal. Blackburn's Christopher Samba also went down in the box earlier on, but nothing was given.
West Ham began a new era of Upton Park as new co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold watched from the stands for the first time since their successful takeover.
However their performance failed to merit new beginnings as neither side looked likely to break the deadlock in a quiet game.
The home side could have found themselves behind just before half-time when Gamst Pedersen's 25-yard free-kick crashed against the crossbar and then substitute Roberts failed to beat Green when clean through with 15 minutes left.
Sullivan and Gold have been working hard to bring in new talent ahead of Monday's transfer deadline, with a deal for Rovers striker Benni McCarthy expected to be concluded shortly - something on this afternoon's evidence which cannot come soon enough.
Pressure
The Hammers started the day out of the relegation zone only on goal difference and faced a Rovers side who had won back-to-back league games despite their Carling Cup semi-final defeat to Aston Villa.
However, the hosts slowly built some pressure, with Valon Behrami almost getting on the end of a decent cross by Alessandro Diamanti from the left channel.
Christopher Samba diverted a dangerous ball into the six-yard box from the right wing behind as West Ham pressed again.
Jack Collison and Behrami then got in each other's way as a loose ball presented itself just inside the 18-yard area.
The home side continued to have the better possession, but lacked a decisive pass.
In a rare moment of action at the other end, Nikola Kalinic went down under pressure from Jonathan Spector, but referee Peter Walton waved away half-hearted penalty appeals.
West Ham had another chance to send the ball into the Rovers danger area when Nelsen fouled Behrami wide on the right channel. Diamanti whipped in the resulting free-kick goalwards and Paul Robinson punched clear at his near post.
After 35 minutes, an in-swinging corner from Pedersen had Hammers 'keeper Green backpedalling to tip the ball over.
Tripped
Just before half-time, Rovers came within inches of going ahead when Behrami tripped Pedersen around 25 yards out.
The midfielder took the shot himself and was unfortunate to see his effort crash off the crossbar with Green beaten.
There was little action in the opening exchanges of the second half, and just before the hour mark, West Ham made a change when Cole - returning for the first time since November following a knee injury - replaced Radoslav Kovac.
The visitors had a chance to deliver a decent ball into the West Ham box after Julien Faubert brought down Kalinic.
However in a game littered with poor deliveries, Pedersen failed to clear the wall and when the ball fell to Pascal Chimbonda, the defender lashed his volley well wide.
The introduction of Cole gave the Hammers fresh impetus, and they forced a succession of corners, but yet again they came to nothing.
Rovers injected some fresh legs into their attack as Roberts replaced Kalinic.
A scramble in the box saw Green push Pedersen's goal-bound drive away and Cole was back to clear Gael Givet's shot off the line after it appeared to hit Mark Noble on the arm.
Roberts should have beaten Green when shrugging off James Tomkins just inside the penalty area, only to then, 12 yards out, shoot too close to the England goalkeeper.
At the other end, Robinson tipped Diamanti's 25-yard free-kick over.
Substitute Scott Parker also rolled the ball invitingly across the six-yard box after a decent surge forward, but there was no-one on hand for what would have been a tap in.
| West Ham United |
Team Statistics |
Blackburn Rovers |
| 0 |
Goals |
0 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 3 |
Shots on Target |
3 |
| 3 |
Shots off Target |
4 |
| 3 |
Blocked Shots |
1 |
| 10 |
Corners |
7 |
| 17 |
Fouls |
17 |
| 4 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 0 |
Yellow Cards |
1 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 71 |
Passing Success |
56.6 |
| 13 |
Tackles |
22 |
| 69.2 |
Tackles Success |
68.2 |
| 57.2 |
Possession |
42.8 |
| 42 |
Territorial Advantage |
58 |
|
