It was a good night for Valon Behrami with Switzerland while Matthew Upson
was on the bench for England
20.08.2008
Valon Behrami figured as Switzerland cruised to a 4-1 home victory against
Cyprus on Wednesday night while Matthew Upson had a watching brief with
England.
Summer signing Behrami was in the starting lineup for the Swiss in Geneva
and while he was not on the scoresheet he played the whole game. Valentin
Stocker, a 19-year-old midfielder, got the ball rolling before veteran
playmaker Hakan Yakin doubled the advantage. Alain Nef and Johan Vonlanthen,
with Behrami playing a part in his stunning goal, added to the score late on
to give new coach Ottmar Hitzfield a winning start.
Upson was an unused substitute as England drew 2-2 at home to the Czech
Republic at Wembley, with Jonathan Woodgate getting a chance off the bench
when Rio Ferdinand made way. Milan Baros put the visitors in front before
Wes Brown equalised just before half-time with a thumping header. Marek
Jankulovski then restored the Czech lead with a superb free-kick three
minutes after the interval. Joe Cole then scrambled in a last-gasp equaliser
to ensure it finished all-square.
Elsewhere, the sidelined Jack Collison would have been frustrated by Wales
Under-21s 1-0 home defeat by Romania that has handed the Group 10 qualifying
initiative for the 2009 European Championship to their visitors. The two
teams will meet again on 9 September, three days after Romania go to
Bosnia-Herzegovina. If Wales finish second in the group they will hope to be
one of the four best runners-up in qualifying to join the ten group winners
in October's seven-match play-offs for the finals.
Finally, Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson got another game for Iceland Under-21s, who
are well out of the reckoning for next summer's U21 final round in Sweden.
Still only 17, he played in the 2-0 home friendly defeat by Denmark in
Reykjavik with the visitors scoring a goal in each half.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham silent on Sunderland swoop - SunderlandEcho
West Ham have refused to comment on reports that defender Anton Ferdinand is
set to complete a £6million switch to Sunderland in the next 48 hours
despite firm indications the fee has been agreed between the two clubs. The
ex-England Under-21 international is set to be unveiled as one of three
major signings at the Stadium of Light according to reports, although
neither club will comment. The move is now thought to hinge upon the younger
brother of Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand settling personal terms to join
Roy Keane's Black Cats. The successful comeback by James Collins in a
behind-closed-doors friendly against QPR following knee ligament damage
which saw him miss virtually all last season, means Hammers boss Alan
Curbishley is well-stocked with central defenders - especially when Jonathan
Spector, James Tomkins and Danny Gabbidon return from injuries.
Curbishley has not ruled out a late plunge into the transfer market before
the August window closes though - despite the board wanting to make further
cuts to an inflated wage bill after terminating Swedish midfielder Freddie
Ljungberg's expensive contract. And a hefty fee for Ferdinand would give the
manager more financial muscle. Curbishley said: "We're hoping to have one or
two more players back from injury this weekend so we will wait and see.
"But like most people we are trying to sign new ones, too."
Midfielder Nigel Quashie, who has also been a long-term absentee with a foot
injury, joined Collins in what was largely a reserve-team friendly against
QPR yesterday and both successfully came through a planned 45 minutes.
Midfielder Scott Parker, however, could be a doubt for Sunday's Premier
League visit to Manchester City after being withdrawn early from Saturday's
2-1 win over Wigan. Curbishley added: "He felt his thigh tighten and so we
got him off because, with our injury record, we just can't afford to take
any risks."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's Parker in new injury scare
tribalfootball.com - August 20, 2008
West Ham midfielder Scott Parker has suffered a fresh injury scare. Parker
could be a doubt for Sunday's Premier League visit to Manchester City after
being withdrawn early from Saturday's 2-1 win over Wigan. Hammers boss Alan
Curbishley said: "He felt his thigh tighten and so we got him off because,
with our injury record, we just can't afford to take any risks."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Upson sits out as lacklustre England draw - Echo
9:52pm Wednesday 20th August 2008
By Rob Pritchard »
BEFORE October is out, Fabio Capello's England will face three Eastern
European sides in their opening four 2010 World Cup qualifiers. But if
tonight's lacklustre 2-2 friendly draw against a fourth – the Czech Republic
- at a sodden Wembley is anything to go by, then the Italian has his work
cut out in leading his adopted nation to South Africa. Before the game, Joe
Cole had spoken of the need to forget about England's failure to qualify for
Euro 2008, but many of England's old problems resurfaced before the former
West Ham United midfielder snatched a share of the spoils with a 92nd minute
equaliser.
Yes, this was an improvement on the aimless showings under Steve McClaren,
but too often possession was squandered too easily in vital areas, while
clearly Capello has not been informed that Steven Gerrard is not a
left-winger. While the Czechs – distinctly unimpressive themselves at the
European Championship finals – knocked the ball around crisply and break
incisively on a zippy Wembley pitch, England's players were often reduced to
shooting from distance. As a result, former Liverpool and Portsmouth
striker Milan Baros was able to find the space inside the England penalty
area to test David James before putting the visitors ahead via Ashley Cole's
boot on 22 minutes.
At the other end, Chelsea's Petr Cech dealt comfortably with a bombardment
of long-range shots fired at him by Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and, on three
occasions, Jermain Defoe. And then, as if by magic, the equaliser arrived
from a source that another former England manager, Sven Goran Eriksson,
relied upon so heavily. The hosts won a right-wing corner, Eriksson's
darling David Beckham delivered a peach of a cross, and former Manchester
United team-mate Wes Brown out-jumped Czech captain Tomas Ujfalusi to power
home his first international goal. But England were not on level terms for
long.
Just two minutes after half-time, Gareth Barry felled Jan Polak on the edge
of the penalty area and Milan's Marek Jankulovski curled an unstoppable,
exquisite free-kick into David James' top right hand corner.
And Vaclav Sverkos should have made it 3-1 on the hour mark when David James
rushed 40 yards from goal, but the substitute could only fire weakly wide
after rounding the former Irons goalkeeper. And the striker came close
again seven minutes later when James could only gather his skidding low
drive at the second attempt. The game lost any shape it had as Capello
delved deep into his pool of substitutes in an attempt to find an equaliser,
but still his England side could not forge a meaningful opening until David
Bentley's late corner caused chaos inside the Czech penalty area and Cole
poked home.
*WEST Ham United defender Matthew Upson was an unused substitute as Capello
instead chose to look at Tottenham Hotspur's Jonathan Woodgate.
England: (4-4-2) James, Brown, A.Cole, Ferdinand (Woodgate 57), Terry,
Beckham (Jenas 80), Gerrard (J.Cole 57), Barry, Lampard (Bentley 79), Rooney
(Downing 69), Defoe (Heskey 46). Unused Subs: Robinson, Johnson, Bridge,
Upson, Walcott, Hart.
Czech Republic: (4-5-1) Cech, Grygera (Pospech 46), Jankulovski, Ujfalusi,
Rozenhal, Vlcek (Jarolim 46), Sirl (Kadlec 76), Plasil (Papadopulos 90),
Kovac (Rajnoc 76), Polak, Baros (Sverkos 46). Unused Subs: Zitka.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Are West Ham selling themselves short? - FootballFancast.com
Football FanCast columnist Jim Logan feels that West Ham should not be
selling themselves short.
If there is one player that has many split, then it is Anton Ferdinand.
Loved by some, loathed by others, I have to admit I side with the latter, as
the player constantly fails to live up to the early promise he once showed.
In truth he has all the attributes to be a top class player, but for
whatever reason he struggles to get it all together. Whether it is being in
his brother's shadow; the subsequent weight of expectation on him, we will
never know, but you can't help feel that a split is in the best interests
for both club and player.
They say you don't need a weatherman to tell you when it's raining and you
don't need to be a member of Mensa to realise there seems to be a tension
between Anton and Curbs. Whether it was from that infamous trip to America,
the whole 'Baby Bentley' thing, I'm unsure but there doesn't seem to be the
same harmony that the player shared with Alan Pardew.
Anton has constantly been linked with various moves in the summer and that
has intensified this weekend with reports that West Ham has supposedly
accepted an offer from Sunderland in the region of £6m. For all my
reservations I have for the player, shouldn't we be holding out for a bigger
fee? Are we selling ourselves short?
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carr gives youngsters diabetes training - Echo News
7:00pm Wednesday 20th August 2008
By Rob Pritchard »
MORE than 130 youngsters with diabetes enjoyed a special training session
with West Ham United Academy director Tony Carr at Upton Park on Wednesday.
The children, many of whom hailed from south Essex, were put through their
paces on the hallowed turf by Carr – who was himself diagnosed with Type 2
diabetes in 2005 – at the Around U Soccer Skills Day. The event, organised
and sponsored by diabetes resource website Diabetes.co.uk and
pharmaceuticals equipment manufacturer Bayer Diabetes Care, was designed to
help youngsters and their families "keep close control" of their blood
glucose levels. Diabetes causes sufferers to produce abnormally high blood
sugar levels which, if not checked by the injection of insulin, can lead to
weight loss, blurred vision and lethargy. Carr, whose Academy has produced a
host of future England internationals including Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole and
Frank Lampard, also spoke to the youngsters and parents about the need to
lead a healthy lifestyle. "I hope that, by offering this once in a lifetime
opportunity to train and play football in exactly the same way as our elite
players, we can show these young people that having diabetes should not be a
barrier to leading a normal, healthy life," said Carr, who was diagnosed
after suffering from bouts of severe thirst and excessive urine production.
"Being healthy and fit, eating the right foods and properly managing your
condition means there is no reason to fear diabetes."
Around 2.2 million people in the UK – around one in 30 – suffer from
diabetes, while another 700,000 people, mainly adults, have yet to be
diagnosed.
Diabetes.co.uk was set up in 2005 to help sufferers and their families learn
more about the condition, while also providing them with a forum to discuss
their experiences with others. "There is a considerable amount of
information available on diabetes but sometimes first-hand experience and
hands-on advice can make a big difference for people living with diabetes,"
said the website's director David Holyoak. "To get the chance to play and
train on such hallowed turf is a once in a lifetime thing for these
youngsters, while we also hope they'll also learn more about how to control
their blood glucose levels."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment