Former West Ham United midfielder Graham Paddon has died aged 57
19.11.2007
Graham Paddon - a member of the 1975 FA Cup-winning side - has died aged 57
at his home in Norfolk.
The Manchester-born midfielder spent three years at West Ham United between
1973 and 1976, making 150 league and cup appearances and scoring 15 goals.
West Ham United manager Alan Curbishley, a former team-mate, paid tribute to
his friend. "Graham was one of the nicest people you could meet," he said.
"At the time I was breaking into the first team, he was an established
player having signed from Norwich. He was a terrific player and every West
Ham fan will remember his cultured left foot. He will be sorely missed."
Paddon was best known for his midfield partnership with Billy Bonds and
Trevor Brooking, playing a key role in the 2-0 defeat of Fulham in the 1975
triumph at Wembley before earning a runners-up medal in the European Cup
Winners' Cup the following year. En route to the 4-2 final defeat by RSC
Anderlecht in Brussels, Paddon scored a stunning 30-yard goal in the 2-1
semi-final first leg loss at Eintracht Frankfurt. He then helped the club
win 3-1 in the home return for a 4-3 aggregate success.
West Ham United assistant manager Mervyn Day played with Paddon in both the
1975 and 1976 finals. He said: "As a member of the same side as Graham, I'll
remember his dynamism, the balance he brought to the side but, above all
else, the ferocity of his left foot in shooting practice. My heartfelt
thoughts go out to his family at this sad time."
Paddon leaves behind his wife Sandra and three children - Guy, Jenny and
Heather. Either side of his time at the Boleyn Ground, Paddon had two spells
with Norwich City - making 340 appearances- while he also played for
Coventry City, Millwall and the US side Tampa Bay Rowdies. As a coach, he
worked for Stoke and Portsmouth and he also acted as a scout for Liverpool,
Derby County and Leicester City.
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Community matters for Curbishley - WHUFC
Alan Curbishley has been highlighting the club's firm commitment to helping
others
19.11.2007
Alan Curbishley has spoken of the importance of community work to West Ham
United - both in reaching out to fans and also in attracting talented young
players.
In a special interview featured today on WHUTV, the manager underlined his
firm commitment to Creating Chances, the Premier League's flagship community
programme. Curbishley was speaking after taking part in a presentation to
coaches who had been training for their Level 1 accreditation, a course run
in partnership with Havering Adult College which gives them valuable skills
to share in the wider community.
Curbishley revealed there was a commitment throughout the club to highlight
such worthy initiatives and that such an approach dated back to when he was
a player at the Boleyn Ground in the 1970s and even before that to his own
childhood. "I remember going to a local school and during the week West Ham
players would come in and coach us," he said. "They were encouraged to do it
and we are trying to bring that back.
"The club is really demanding that the players get involved in the community
and it is part and parcel of being at a football club," said Curbishley. "We
have been saying to our players in the last year or two - 'you don't just
play for West Ham, you work for West Ham'. The community is a big part of
it, because out there is firstly our new generation of fans and secondly
some of them fans may become footballers. We have got to do our best to
promote that and do our best to try and get that to happen."
One such fan that lived the dream and became a West Ham United player was
Mark Noble, and Curbishley emphasised the young midfielder's importance both
on and off the pitch. "I think every club needs some homegrown talent and I
don't think it is any coincidence that the biggest-selling shirt in our club
at the moment is Mark Noble. The fans can have an affinity with him, can
appreciate him and he knows what they are about. He is one of them."
While Curbishley has been highlighting the efforts made to train up young
community coaches - which you can see in action on WHUTV - his players have
been getting out and about to highlight other worthy causes. The most recent
of these was when Craig Bellamy and Kieron Dyer visited a special school
scheme. Click here to read more about it and check out Sunday's matchday
programme for a special feature.
# Havering Adult College has been working with West Ham United since 2003 to
help members of the local community gain their Level 1 coaching badge. The
course begins with an induction at the Boleyn Ground, features three
practical sessions with a club coach, classroom sessions, emergency first
aid, two practical assessment days and finally a child protection workshop.
All learners are supported with any literacy or numeracy needs. For more
information about the club's Community work, click here
FIFA 08
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Ladies hit 12 past Reading - WHUFC
An emphatic weekend performance saw Carly Roache lead from the back
19.11.2007
West Ham United 12-0 Reading Royals
West Ham United Ladies romped to their record league victory on Sunday
against a valiant Reading side at Harlow Town.
The emphatic FA Premier Women's League South victory surpassed the club's
previous best scoreline - an 11-0 success against Collier Row back in 1994
in the Greater London Regional Women's League. Katy Ling and Tracy Duxbury
both registered their first hat-tricks for the club with Sam Pittuck adding
two. The remaining goals came from Natalie Grafton, Clare Rogers and Dani
Hoy and - to compound a miserable day for the visitors - an own goal in the
final minute.
Manager Tony Marshall said: "Whilst the score speaks for itself, you have to
give credit to the visitors, they have obviously had a lot of internal
problems and have lost a lot of players. They came here with a very young
side that have been thrown in at the deep end. They never gave up, so many
times a team on the end of a drubbing get frustrated and the game turns
nasty. There were never any signs of this happening and the Reading girls
just kept on trying to play their football.
"I think that they may have accepted that it may be a tall order to avoid
relegation this season, but I am sure that if this group of girls continue
to show the character that they showed today that they would be back within
a season or two. They did not win any points today or score any goals but
they won a lot of friends and we all wish them well."
Marshall also paid tribute to the professionalism in his side. "The whole
team impressed me but Sam Pittuck was superb today," he said. "Katy Ling
showed some tremendous quality in front of goal and with her build up play
and, at the back, Carly Roache personified composure." The team are next in
action on Sunday when they travel to Cornwall to take on Newquay at the home
of Truro City FC. "We have come on in leaps and bounds just in the last
month and we will be travelling down in the right spirit," Marshall added.
West Ham United: Toni Monro, Carly Roache, Jess Barling (Dani Hoy), Clare
Rogers, Grace Coombs, Lauren White, Sam Pittuck (Chelsea Fowler), Katy Ling,
Tracy Duxbury, Lindsay Morgan (Natalie Grafton).
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Manchester United ticket update - WHUFC
The latest ticket news for the 29 December visit of the English champions
19.11.2007
Academy members are reminded that tickets for the Manchester United home
game go on sale to them from 9am on Tuesday.
The Saturday 29 December fixture, which kicks-off at 3pm, should see out
2007 in style at the Boleyn Ground with Alan Curbishley hoping his side can
stage a repeat of last season's 1-0 home win in the corresponding fixture -
his first game in charge.
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Return of the Mc - KUMB
Filed: Monday, 19th November 2007
By: Matthew O'Greel
George McCartney could play for Northern Ireland against Spain on Wednesday
night - less than a week after sustaining ankle ligament damage. The United
full-back limped out of West Ham's 5-0 win at Derby after just 13 minutes
less than nine days ago, and was later informed that he had damaged ankle
ligaments. Yet with the Irish requiring a win in Spain to keep their slender
hopes of qualifying for next summer's European Championships alive Norn Iron
boss Nigel Worthington is set to name McCartney in his starting XI on
Wednesday. Talking this morning, Worthington said: "George wants to play but
we must see how he comes through the training session. "He wants to play
and we will do everything we can to get him here."
McCartney is set to fly out to Las Palmas to join up with the squad should
he be passed fit to play. Manchester United youngster Jonny Evans, who
deputised for McCartney against Denmark at the weekend is ruled out through
suspension.
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Collins bemoans 'nightmare' - SSN
Defender frustrated by injuries
By Lewis Rutledge Last updated: 19th November 2007
James Collins is hoping his injury problems have finally cleared up so he
can establish himself in the West Ham side again. Collins played his first
full 90 minutes in a month as Wales drew 2-2 with Republic of Ireland on
Saturday.
He has been sidelined with a calf problem and there has been speculation
suggesting he will be a transfer target for Fulham in January. Collins is
looking forward to facing Germany in a Euro 2008 qualifier on Wednesday and
is then looking to get more regular football under his belt. He said: "This
season has been a nightmare for me. At the end of last season I was playing
the best football of my career and now I have kept getting niggly injuries
that have constantly kept me out for weeks at a time. "I can't get myself
into a run of games but hopefully this spell with Wales will be the start of
a good spell for me. "We know it will be tough in Germany, we expect that,
so we must stand up to them and do our very best. "It is a good game to be
involved in. We can't go there thinking we are going to get a real beating,
there would be no point in even travelling if that was the case."
Collins believes the game against Germany is important even though Wales
cannot qualify for Euro 2008. He explained: "We have our confidence restored
now and we are looking to get a good result but we are really looking
towards the next World Cup qualifying campaign now. "We aim to get as much
experience from this game in Germany as we can. We did pretty well away to
the Czechs and we battered Slovakia, so we know we can produce good results
against better countries."
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WHUFC v Spurs - A Turning Point? - West Ham Online
Pee Wee - Mon Nov 19 2007
The game at home to Spurs last year was in my mind the turning point of our
season. Tevez breaking his duck, Quashie getting injured and Noble starting
every game from thereon in are some of the factors.
However important those factors were i think the reaction of us the fans
that should not be under estimated. If the likes of NRC were to be believed
the players had been trying their hardest all season and when 'you're not
fit to wear the shirt' was sung, it was unjustified.
Although i'm not one for booing or singing songs like that i do realise that
the fans have few opportunities to show their frustration and after the
games at Bolton and Reading – well, they weren't fit to wear the shirts.
What the Spurs game proved was – the results that we had during the season
wasn't the major problem it was the effort and the performances. I think for
the first time that year the players realised that if they put the effort in
then we would respond by giving them our full support. I remember at the
final whistle after snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, the chorus of
Bubbles was immense – it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and
i'm not ashamed to admit, i filled up.
Much has been said of the atmosphere –or the lack of, at The Boleyn this
season and it's true it hasn't been great. The best has been against
Arsenal, again a game we lost but put in the effort we expect from every
player in Claret and Blue.
Well now we look forward to Sunday and a match against arguably our fiercest
rivals – in this division at least. I would hate it if this game kick
started their season like it did ours last year and i really think a win
over this lot can give us (players and Fans) that we can kick on to great
things this season.
Much has been said recently by players such as Ashton and Lucas Neill about
the positive effect the fans have on the players. The old cliche about the
fans being the 12th man can be proved true but it is up to every single one
of us on Sunday. So join in the songs, sing, shout, cheer and chant to the
top of your voice - if you sit in a quieter area of the ground like me - all
the more reason to stand up shout and scream - you might look a cock but
hopefully it will spur (pun intended) others around you to give the team the
vocal support it both needs and deserves.
Let's show our team what we are all about, let's show them we're behind
them, let's show them we appreciate the efforts they have made with a
weakened squad – and let's show the Tottenham fans what REAL support is.
COME ON YOU IRONSSS!!!!!
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FA Cup winner Graham Paddon dies - Telegraph
By Martin Smith
Last Updated: 1:11am GMT 20/11/2007
Graham Paddon, who died suddenly at home in Norfolk yesterday aged 57, made
290 League appearances in two spells for Norwich City, yet he achieved his
greatest period of success during three years sandwiched in between with
West Ham.
When he arrived in December 1973 in the deal that took Ted MacDougall in the
opposite direction, West Ham were in serious relegation trouble; by the time
he rejoined Norwich in November 1976, he had an FA Cup winner's medal and
had played in a European Cup-Winners' Cup final.
1975: Graham Paddon (r) receives an award with Trevor Brooking at Upton Park
in his West Ham days
Paddon played in a midfield that included Billy Bonds and Trevor Brooking,
and latterly Alan Curbishley, the current manager. Paddon, the man with the
fair hair and the trademark 1970s moustache, was by no means overawed or
outshone by the more illustrious names around him. Indeed he was an
important part in the jigsaw that Ron Greenwood and John Lyall put together
after the glory days of the mid-Sixties.
Having helped West Ham keep their place in the old First Division in his
first season there, he ended his second at Wembley. Indeed, it was his shot
that Peter Mellor, the Fulham goalkeeper, spilled, allowing Alan Taylor to
nip in and score his second goal in West Ham's 2-0 victory.
The following season Paddon would score the important away goal, a stunning
30-yard drive, in the first leg of the semi-final in the Cup-Winners' Cup
against Eintracht Frankfurt that enabled West Ham to return home under the
Upton Park lights just 2-1 in arrears. On a famous night, Brooking scored
twice as West Ham went through to the final 4-3 on aggregate. He was also
part of the team who twice equalised in the final against Anderlecht in the
Heysel Stadium, but ultimately lost 4-2.
Curbishley said yesterday: "Graham was one of the nicest people you could
meet. He was a terrific player and every West Ham fan will remember his
cultured left foot." Curbishley's assistant, Mervyn Day, who played in goal
in both finals, added: "I'll remember his dynamism, the balance he brought
to the side but, above all else, the ferocity of his left foot in shooting
practice."
Paddon, Manchester-born, had joined Norwich from Coventry City, where he
started his career. He played in Norwich's promotion-winning team in 1972,
and was in the side beaten by Tottenham in the following year's League Cup
final.
In his post-playing days he was assistant manager at both Portsmouth and
Stoke, as well as acting as a scout for Derby, Liverpool and Leicester. He
leaves a wife, Sandra, and three children.
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Collison tipped for bright future - TeamTalk
West Ham midfielder Jack Collison is on the fast-track to a full
international cap after starring for Wales Under-21s in the win over Bosnia.
The 4-0 victory puts the Welsh in with a chance of qualifying for the UEFA
Championship finals, and they will boost those hopes further on Tuesday
night if they can beat group favourites France at Cardiff's Ninian Park.
Collison, 19, is boss Brian Flynn's latest Welsh discovery, the Watford-born
youngster having a grandfather from the Rhondda. Flynn said: "Jack was
outstanding on his debut and scored a great goal. He is already in John
Toshack's thoughts for a move up to the seniors. "But he has been told he
has to get himself into West Ham's first team. There is stiff competition
there for him, but he has to have targets. "He has been in their squad a
couple of times recently, and we are hearing good things from West Ham about
how soon he might make the breakthrough there. We are confident."
But with Scott Parker, Hayden Mullins, Mark Noble and Lee Bowyer in front of
him, the competition is fierce for Collison. Wales, though, will monitor his
progress and he will certainly come into the reckoning for their senior home
friendly with Norway at Wrexham in February. Flynn's new breed have made
quite an impact this season, with 15 goals in five games and only three
defeats in 13 matches. But he warned: "The trouble is that people are making
us favourites to beat France, and that is unrealistic. They are one of the
best sides at this level in Europe. "But the lads know that to have any
chance of qualifying, these are the games they must win and against teams
better than us."
Flynn, who has called up Wrexham's Marc Williams in place of the injured
Rhys Williams, will not be resorting to using the half-dozen lads in the
senior squad still qualified for the under-21s. He said: "Yes, we have
several lads like Wayne Hennessey, Chris Gunter and Joe Ledley who could
still play for us. But I will always stick with the young players I have now
in my squad, if they get a chance of qualifying for a finals then it is up
to them to achieve it. "Let's face it, England haven't used Wayne Rooney in
their under-21s, although he has been qualified. You must have confidence in
your own lads and stick by them."
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Cole expects no favours from Bilic - TeamTalk
Joe Cole is not expecting any favours from his former West Ham team-mate
Slaven Bilic in England's do-or-die clash with Croatia on Wednesday. Cole
was just breaking into the Irons side when Bilic was a star performer and
the Croatian coach has been tipped to eventually return to Upton Park as
manager. Croatia have already qualified for the finals in Austria and
Switzerland but Cole knows Bilic will want to finish the campaign with a
flourish. He said: "Slaven was a big player for West Ham when I was very
young and he'll get his team going on Wednesday. He's a professional and
there'll certainly be no favours from him. "He'll put a side out there to
win the game. Frank (Lampard) knew him more than me and played with him for
a few years at West Ham. "Slaven was well liked and well appreciated at West
Ham. He was a really top player and he's proving himself as a manager as
well."
Cole is aware the threat Croatia, who defeated England 2-0 earlier in the
campaign, could pose at Wembley and they are defending an unbeaten record in
their group. He said: "I didn't play in the game in Croatia but Eduardo da
Silva up front is a threat and they keep the ball well. They're a very good
technical team and very good at home. "They'll come to Wembley and maybe
relax and try to knock the ball around. But it's all about us, really. We
have to perform as we know we can. "Apart from 10 minutes in Russia, we've
done very well for the last six months or so since the summer draw with
Brazil at Wembley. "We've found a style of play that has suited us. There's
a belief there. We've performed for the last 10 games and we want to keep
that going."
Cole believes the slice of luck England received via Israel's win over
Russia was overdue after some of the heartache they have suffered in past
tournaments. He said: "I know it can be a cruel game at times but you get
what you deserve. "England have been notoriously unlucky at times in the
past in major tournaments so maybe we're getting a little bit back now. "If
we qualify, we will have deserved to qualify. It's all about how we play on
Wednesday night. Let's not forget that this is a big game and let's not get
over-excited because Israel beat Russia."
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West Ham accept Colchester offer for Ephraim
tribalfootball.com - November 19, 2007
West Ham United prospect Hogan Ephraim is signing permanently with
Colchester. The Sun says Colchester have agreed a £500,000 fee with West Ham
to buy Ephraim. The striker, 19, whose loan spell at QPR has expired, was a
hit with the U's last term and owner Robbie Cowling will splash out in
January.
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Curbishley: West Ham fans love local lad Noble
tribalfooball.com - November 19, 2007
West Ham boss Alan Curbishley isn't surprised by the popularity of local lad
Mark Noble. He told WHUTV: "I think every club needs some homegrown talent
and I don't think it is any coincidence that the biggest-selling shirt in
our club at the moment is Mark Noble. The fans can have an affinity with
him, can appreciate him and he knows what they are about. He is one of
them."
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West Ham want Makelele - Sportigo
Mon, Nov 19, 07 13:57
Mark Apostolou
Chelsea's veteran French midfielder Claude Makelele has admitted he's unsure
of his future at the club beyond the end of this season (L'Equipe), and
apparently this uncertainty has alerted West Ham boss Alan Curbishley.
Makalele, 34, has found himself short of first-team action under Grant and
has found his appearances with the national side suffering as a result.
The former Real Madrid and Marseille battler said: "Will I go on after my
contract in 2009? I don't know. It will depend on my desire and my physical
condition. I will go on as long as I can. I will first take stock after Euro
2008."
How would Hammers fans feel about a move for a player who has won national
titles in three countries? Sure, he is a bit long in the tooth but he still
seems able to do a good job even at the highest level. I think he would be a
good signing for the Upton Park side.
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George McCartney ruled out of Spain game - Telegraph
By Malcolm Brodie
Last Updated: 1:11am GMT 20/11/2007
George McCartney, the West Ham defender, has been ruled out of Northern
Ireland's clash with Spain at Las Palmas tomorrow. He missed Saturday's 2-1
victory over Denmark at Windsor Park with an ankle injury but had planned to
join up with the party in Gran Canaria yesterday. West Ham medical staff
decided the 26-year-old could not start training for another 48 hours,
however, and opted to keep him at home for further treatment. Cardiff's Tony
Capaldi or Fulham's Chris Baird could take over, while Bristol City winger
Ivan Sproule appears the obvious stand-in for Keith Gillespie, who is
suspended. Nigel Worthington, the manager, has also to decide whether to
recall Burnley's Kyle Lafferty, after a one-match suspension, or retain
Cardiff's Warren Feeney, who hit the equaliser and made a big impact against
the Danes. Raymond Kennedy, Irish FA president, said they would be making
representations to Uefa for David Healy to be recognised after establishing
a Euro qualifying record with 13 goals in this campaign. Kennedy said: "It's
an amazing achievement considering the big names there are with major
nations."
Healy has scored 33 goals in 61 internationals and 1982 World Cup hero Gerry
Armstrong says the 50 mark could be reached if he avoids injuries and
suspensions. Meanwhile a large group of fans from Northern Ireland, on their
way to the match against Spain, were evicted from their plane at Madrid
because they were drunk and disorderly. A total of 153 passengers had to
leave the midnight flight to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, when 64 passengers
were alleged to have caused mayhem in the cabin. The Iberia Airlines crew
could not make them take their seats and the captain ordered everyone off. A
company spokeswoman said: "We let the other passengers leave and arranged
later flights for 60 of the fans who apologised, but four fans who refused
to say sorry were refused boarding passes."
Wales face a potential striker crisis going into their final Group D
qualifier against Germany in Frankfurt tomorrow.
Already robbed of Craig Bellamy with a groin problem, they now have fitness
doubts about Wolves' Freddy Eastwood, their lone striker in Saturday's 2-2
draw with the Republic of Ireland. Derby forward Robert Earnshaw trained
yesterday for the first time in almost a week after recovering from illness
and is unlikely to be ready in time. So John Toshack could be forced to
field either David Cotterill, who has started only three games for Wigan, or
Jermaine Easter, the Wycombe forward on loan at Plymouth. Wales are also
without Gareth Bale and Carl Robinson while Jason Koumas is suspended.
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