England Under-19s have named Jordan Spence in their squad for a prestigious
friendly in early September
25.08.2008
Jordan Spence has been rewarded for his first-team involvement at West Ham
United this season with a call-up to the England Under-19 squad for a
friendly next month.
The 18-year-old defender has been an unused substitute for the first two
Barclays Premier League games of the 2008/09 campaign, having also been
taken on the club's high-profile summer tour of North America. He has been
named in Brian Eastick's selection to face the Netherlands at Shrewsbury on
Tuesday 9 September.
Spence has made great strides for the Young Lions. In 2007, he captained
England U17s to the European Championship final and then played his part,
including a match-winning goal against Brazil, as England reached the U17
World Cup quarter-finals. Last season, he stepped up to become the regular
skipper at U18 level and got his first taste at U19 level, where James
Tomkins, Junior Stanislas and Freddie Sears have also made their mark. All
four could be involved in next year's U20 World Cup in Egypt in September
2009.
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Just not good enough - Curbishley - BBC
West Ham manager Alan Curbishley is threatening to make changes following
Sunday's heavy 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at Eastlands. "Let's not beat
about the bush, the performance was not good enough and we can't hide from
that," Curbishley told BBC London 94.9. "We've not done as well as we can,
and should do, and that's got to change. "Whoever goes out against
Macclesfield is putting themselves in the frame for the Blackburn game."
West Ham take on Macclesfield in the Carling Cup second round at Upton Park
on Wednesday night (a game you can hear live on BBC London 94.9) before
Saturday's Premier League date with Paul Ince's Blackburn Rovers. Midfielder
Mark Noble will miss the midweek cup tie due to his red card for two
bookable offences at Eastlands, but should be back to compete for a place on
Saturday.
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Marseille stand firm on Givet - SSN
Defender linked with move to West Ham
By Francisco Acedo Last updated: 25th August 2008
Marseille have insisted that defender Gael Givet will only leave the club
for the right price. President Pape Diouf confirmed last week that Marseille
would be willing to let the 26-year-old France international go. Diouf
revealed that there had been interest in Givet from Panathinaikos and a
number of English clubs. West Ham have been linked with Givet for some time
and reports on the continent have now suggested they are in advanced
negotiations over a deal. Givet is thought to favour a move to the Premier
League but Marseille's directors have made it clear they will not part with
him cheaply. "We only are interested in a good deal," they said in a
statement. "If this is not possible he will stay at Marseille." Givet, who
joined Marseille from Monaco in 2007, is valued at around 7million euros
(£5.6million).
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HATCHET MAN: Unlucky Hammers fans, Curbs won't get the push from frugal
Icelanders - Daily Mail
By Hatchet Man
Last updated at 10:34 AM on 25th August 2008
Bad news for West Ham fans: Alan Curbishley is not about to get the sack.
His team may have looked uninterested pushovers in their 3-0 drubbing at
Manchester City, but the club's Icelandic owner wants to give him a bit more
time. With the currency in his homeland still struggling, chairman
Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson is happy to stick with the manager's cautious,
low-spending approach. Curbishley may have served his purpose in keeping the
club up and made them a stable (euphemism for boring) Barclays Premier
League club, but he would be due a hefty pay-off if he was jettisoned and
the owners are in no mood for immediate change. Gudmundsson is hoping that
with West Ham's relatively easy early fixture list - they don't play any of
the big four until Arsenal on October 26 - even Curbishley cannot screw up
too badly. That would also take the club way beyond the transfer window and
the costly upheaval of the squad a new broom would require. So, Hammers
fans, if you want them to change their minds you had better start supporting
the teams facing your lot in the coming weeks like Macclesfield, Blackburn
(with Paul Ince!), Newcastle, Fulham, Bolton and Hull. If West Ham lose to
that lot Curbishley and the board can have no arguments.
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Roy Keane insists that Anton Ferdinand must prove his fitness before
Sunderland will pay £8m - Daily Mail
By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 4:42 PM on 25th August 2008
Roy Keane has demanded that Anton Ferdinand proves his fitness before the
Sunderland manager will complete his £8million pursuit of the West Ham
defender. Sportsmail understands that the former United midfielder will
insist that Ferdinand, 23, will undergo a more-rigorous-than-usual medical
at the Stadium of Light - at the very least - before any move can be
finalised. West Ham manager Alan Curbishley has claimed that the Hammers
have accepted a bid from Sunderland for Ferdinand. Curbishley, whose team
lost 3-0 in the Barclays Premier League at Manchester City on Sunday, told
BBC Radio 5 Live: "The board have accepted the bid - he's not renegotiated
his contract - and the decision was taken out of my hands. "I don't know
where Anton is in terms of signing for Sunderland - but once the club accept
the bid it moves on." Ferdinand's current contract is set to end in 2010.
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Hammers meltdown: Curbishley out of the loop as board agree to cash in on
Ferdinand - Daily Mail
By Neil Ashton
Last updated at 11:53 PM on 25th August 2008
Alan Curbishley is on collision course with West Ham chairman Bjorgolfur
Gudmundsson and chief executive Scott Duxbury following the club's
controversial decision to agree to sell Anton Ferdinand to Sunderland.
Curbishley, who told the board last week that he did not want to lose
Ferdinand, has admitted to friends that he fears he is being deliberately
undermined as the club implement a series of cost-cutting measures. The
club's cashflow crisis would be eased by an £8million transfer fee for
Ferdinand. The defender is stunned he is being forced out, although he is
one of the lowest paid first-team players at West Ham on around £15,000 a
week and would earn four times that at Sunderland. Curbishley, who has been
told by the board that they expect to finish seventh in the Barclays Premier
League, fears a potential fire sale at Upton Park before the end of the
transfer window. England squad member Matthew Upson has been touted around
and may be forced out before the transfer deadline on Monday. His former
club Arsenal, who fear Kolo Toure's career is coming to an end, expressed an
interest, but Arsene Wenger went for a cheaper option by signing Mikael
Silvestre. The Hammers are also in talks with Sunderland over the sale of
striker Carlton Cole, who has an option to join Hamburg, but that is another
potential move which has not been sanctioned by the manager.
Although Curbishley has signed full back Valon Behrami from Lazio for £5m
during the summer, John Pantsil and Bobby Zamora were sold to balance the
books. Pantsil has since claimed that leaving to join Fulham 'was the best
thing I've ever done' and Zamora, a West Ham fan as a youngster, believes
the decision to sell him to Craven Cottage was made over Curbishley's head.
The West Ham manager is undoubtedly paying for the profligate spending of
former chairman Eggert Magnusson, who was relieved of his duties last season
as the credit crisis began to affect West Ham's backers Landsbanki.
Magnusson was responsible for the £85,000 a week paid to Freddie Ljungberg,
who has since been paid £6m to leave Upton Park, along with the astronomical
salaries for Scott Parker, Kieron Dyer, Lucas Neill, Craig Bellamy and
Upson. Each earns in excess of £3m a year. Although Magnusson agreed to the
salaries and signing-on fees, Curbishley has been held accountable for
identifying the signings. Parker, Dyer and Bellamy have spent most of their
West Ham careers on the sidelines with various long-term injuries, but there
are also question-marks over a number of other acquisitions. Luis Boa
Morte, another ageing player, was signed by Curbishley for £7m, but he is
not popular with fans, who prefer Matthew Etherington and made their
feelings clear after they lost 3-0 at Manchester City on Sunday. Curbishley
believes he is being made the scapegoat for the financial mismanagement that
threatens the club's ability to compete in the Premier League. After the
Hammers' miraculous escape from relegation on the final day of the 2006-07
season , Magnusson began making noises about a team equipped to qualify for
the Champions League and beyond. They began plans to move to a new stadium,
situated on a Parcelforce site near West Ham Tube station, and a string of
signings began to arrive as part of an exciting adventure. Curbishley
believes the board's expectations are unrealistically high, with the club's
emphasis on youth. Duxbury, board members Gudmundur Oddsson and Thor
Kristjansson and technical director Gianluca Nani were seen talking in
hushed tones at City after their embarrassing defeat.
Despite Curbishley's track record at Charlton and West Ham, who finished
10th last season, he is well aware that potential replacements are already
being considered in case, as one insider told Sportsmail last night, 'we
have to go nuclear'. Incredibly, Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is one of
them, but the more realistic target remains Croatia manager Slaven Bilic.
The former West Ham defender is a cult hero at the club and although he
would not discuss a romantic return to London yesterday, he would
undoubtedly take the job if it became available.
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Premiership - KUMB
Sunday, 24th August 2008
Manchester City 3 West Ham United 0
By Alex Shilling
United travelled up to Manchester for this late afternoon kick off with more
hope than optimism, for traditionally away trips to City have not been
profitable for the Irons, with only two wins at Maine Road or The City of
Manchester Stadium since 1993. The second win came as recently as March
2006, when a Dean Ashton brace saw West Ham through to the FA Cup
semi-finals via a 2-1 victory.
Manager Alan Curbishley stuck with the same starting eleven that saw off
Wigan last Saturday, and both Scott Parker and Dean Ashton, who had been
injury worries in mid-week, made it onto the team sheet. Making his first
appearance in the first-team squad as well, was 18-year-old Jordan Spence, a
product of the Academy, with European Under-17 Championships and reserve
football under his belt. Also on the bench were Spence's fellow academy
products Freddy Sears and Kyel Reid, along with Hayden Mullins, recent
signing Jan Lastuvka, Lee Bowyer and Luis Boa Morte.
The game kicked off in decent weather, which quickly changed to sunshine,
and the Hammers began to knock the ball about well in the early stages, but
after about 10 minutes it became obvious that City would create the more
chances. Matthew Etherington and Julien Faubert got to the byline well, but
delivered few crosses of any quality, and when the ball did fall to Ashton
or Cole inside the 18-yard box, they were quickly surrounded by City
defenders. Meanwhile, down at the other end, the home side began to press
for the opening goal, and forced several corners.
Lucas Neill, played out of position once more in the absence of George
McCartney, was having a torrid time against the pacy Elano, who could whip
in a mean cross or corner too. From one of these set-pieces, West Ham
struggled to clear their lines and Calum Davenport was forced to head out
from under his own crossbar. The ball was still not cleared, and City hit
the crossbar itself. Finally Upson got it clear for West Ham, but the signs
were there that the home side were on top.
Things got worse for the Irons after Carlton Cole succumbed to injury after
half an hour, and 18-year-old Freddy Sears came on to partner Dean Ashton.
Valon Behrami wasn't having the best of times either against Martin Petrov,
and was conceding too many free-kicks. Eventually, the right back was
cautioned for a body-check on the Bulgarian international. The whole team,
not just Behrami, was struggling to contain Petrov, and he almost scored
when a free kick from about 25 yards out struck the foot of the post. A few
minutes later, Mark Noble, already on a yellow card for a handball more out
of frustration than anything else, crunched into Michael Johnson for a
tackle that would have got a yellow card in any situation. It was mistimed
rather than reckless, but to even go for that tackle when the ball was
virtually gone was naive of the England Under-21 midfielder, and he was
rightly sent off.
The home side had a decent appeal for a penalty turned down when Neill
controlled the ball with his arm from a corner, but it was turned down,
resulting in mass shouts of 'handball' from the travelling supporters
whenever a City player touched the ball. Minutes later, Johnson's swerving
shout was superbly turned round the post by a diving Green.
The start of the second half was delayed while Micah Richards of City
received treatment for concussion after a clash of heads with Ben Haim.
However, west Ham looked no better in the second half than they did in the
first, despite Curbishley bringing on Mullins in place of Sears to fill the
midfield gap left by Noble's dismissal.
It had been coming for practically the whole game, but City finally got
their noses in front when Petrov ran at Behrami after good work from Elano,
his cross was half cleared, and young striker Daniel Sturridge controlled
the ball, and fired it past Green into the roof of the net. It was
completely and utterly deserved,
Almost immediately however, there was action down the other end as
Etherington and Faubert fashioned a chance, but they dithered over the ball,
and the chance was gone in an instant. City doubled their lead soon after
when Johnson gathered the ball in centre midfielder, played it out to
wantaway Corluka, making a run from right-back, who knocked it down the line
for Stephen Ireland, the Eire international drew Green out of his goal and
lobbed it back for Brazilian Elano to finish into the bottom corner with
Davenport on the line unable to stop the ball's progress as it hurtled into
the net.
Six minutes later, the home side finished the job as Ireland again rampaged
down the left side, and once more knocked it back for Elano, who finished
emphatically. And just to rub it in for West Ham, after the game Alan
Curbishley revealed that the board had accepted an offer from Sunderland for
young defender Anton Ferdinand, and he had little say in the matter. Anxious
times at Upton Park.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Vinny's Manchester City Report - West Ham Online
Vinny - Mon Aug 25 2008
Manchester City 3 West Ham United 0
Ten man West Ham were crushed by Manchester City with three second half goal
making it a miserable trip for players and supporters.
This is a difficult game to judge because the moment Carlton Cole came off
injured and Mark Noble was stupidly sent off, the game was over. Now I'm not
a massive fan of Alan Curbishley's dull and uninspiring brand of football,
but there is nothing he could have done to prevent this result.
There is no way as a manager you can plan for the idiotic Noble picking up
two deserved bookings in such a short space of time. You can't factor for
Carlton Cole getting injured and our game plan being fucked before it really
got going.
I look at Curbishley in the post match interview and he looks truly fed up.
If you think we as supporters are pissed off then that frustration is all
over his face. Ok, we can look at the players he purchased last year and
make a case for their injury records, but even the most cynical supporter
(like myself) could not have imagined the amount of injuries we would
continue to pick up.
Curbishley obviously has no money to spend, because if he did he would have
surely purchased players in the positions which we are terribly lacking.
After an very expensive train journey from reading and a number of pre match
pints in and outside the ground it was time for the game to being with the
City of Manchester Stadium not looking at it's fullest.
The same team who beat Wigan last week at Upton Park was named by Alan
Curbishley, as Manchester City started the game brightly. Their supporters
seemed up for the game and in full voice, with a couple of strained versions
of "Bubbles" squeaking out of the mouths of our limited support.
Despite us knocking the ball around nicely there was little end product and
I do not remember a shot which tested City keeper Joe Hart.
The home side thought they had broke the deadlock when after a almighty goal
mouth scramble, Stephen Ireland saw his shot cleared off the line by
Davenport and the follow up from Ben Haim was deflected by Davenport onto
the cross bar and eventually cleared.
The wood work was rattled again when a silly free kick given away about 30
yards from goal was taken by Petrov whose shot left Green stranded but
thankfully it crashed off the post.
Petrov who had taken Lucas Neill apart last season started in the same vain
up against Behrami and it didn't take long for a yellow card to be produced
for the Swiss international for a foul on the left winger.
Petrov was involved in the chance moments later which fell to Sturridge
after the cross from the left was not cleared well enough by Behrami and the
young striker turned and hit his shot wide.
Any game plan we had set was up in the air when Carlton Cole had to come off
injured with a knock he had seemed to be carrying all throughout the game.
Freddie Sears came on to replace him.
To make things worse, Mark Noble thought he would turn into a idiot. After
slipping the ball was about to run away from him but he stuck his hand out
and prevented Man City from breaking. The ref Howard Webb had no choice but
to give him a yellow card.
Then just moments later he lunged at Michael Johnson and did not take any of
the ball. Again it was a clear booking and if we want referee's to be more
consistent he did the correct thing in sending him off.
A number of our supporters thought Noble was a hero for being sent off and
decided to clap him. He did come through the youth system you know…
With Noble off we hung on with ten men until the half time whistle with
obvious changes needed to be made. I said to my mate that Sears will now
have to come off and I do not understand why many people were up in arms
about it. Just what is it about players who 'support" West Ham. Are they not
immune to substitutions?
Sears is still largely untried and still lightweight. With a man down we
needed to bolster the midfield as this was the safe option to take, and Alan
Curbishley is well known for his safe approach. I would have also taken
Etherington off and brought on Boa Morte but if all we were going to do is
counter attack then Etherington does have the speed to get that going as we
have seen on many occasions.
Mullins replaced Sears and went into the center alongside the anonymous
Scott Parker.
The early stages of the second half saw City's Micah Richards go down with
what looked like a nasty injury and he was on the floor for a good seven
minutes.
The host's began to gradually wear us down and get on top and although they
had not been creating many clear cut chances, you felt a goal was coming.
A ball into the area was poorly cleared by Matthew Upson as the ball fell
straight to the feet of Daniel Sturridge who belted the ball past Green with
an unstoppable shot.
Being a man down, you need your defence to be on top form but that clearence
from Upson was not good enough and despite the finish being good, it cost us
the goal.
Straight from kick off we should have equalised in the most frustration
moment of my day (even worse than watching idiots do the conga).
Ashton played a wonderful pass which cut Man City open and let Faubert AND
Etherington through on goal. But neither one of dumb and dumber would take
responsibility of the ball and it seemed to be like "you have it, no you
have it". It could have been taken control by one of them and belted into
the back of the net. The ball was eventually cleared.
A second goal for City soon followed when Ireland hooked the ball back to
the center for Elano to coolly finish past the unsighted Robert Green.
The Manchester City fans were really enjoying taking the piss now, but our
support continue to stay quiet. There was something wrong with our fans
today, because they really were shit. Maybe they always are and I just
haven't noticed but when City scored their third from another Ireland cut
back and Elano finish, we could only respond by doing the conga and "lets
prentend we scored a goal". Cutting edge stuff from the "best supporters.
"Worst support we've ever seen" bellowed out from the City support, and they
weren't too far off the mark.
I had decided before the game not to buy the official programme but to have
a look at a Manchester City fanzine instead. "King of the Kippax" was it's
name and is produced once a month in a massive A4 size. If you think we
mention Tottenham a lot, the bitterness City have living in the shadow of
Manchester United is pretty unbelievable. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing
against Manchester City, as I think they are a good club with good support,
but pages of Alex Ferguson bashing makes our banter with Tottenham appear
mere hand bags.
Oh yes, the game. Ten Minutes of injury time were awarded by the ref, but
alas no great come back from the ten men. A cab back to the station, KFC and
the long train home rounded off our first away game of the season.
Player Reviews
Robert Green
Nothing he could do about the first goal although his position was
questionable for the second and third. His kicking throughout the game was
poor as it had no direction at all.
Valon Behrami
Mixed reviews so far I have seen about his performance. I thought after a
difficult first half he did quite well for the remainder and was getting
forward well to help Faubert. In fact, I thought he was by passing Faubert
half the time as the French man did not seem to want to move.
Callum Davenport
He is an excellent last ditch defender and you will regularly see him
putting his body in the way to stop a shot or making a goal line header.
Although he can recover well, it is what get's him there in the first place
which is a worry. His first tough is better than many people's shot as it
seems to go a long distance. He is slow, his distribution is poor and he is
not good enough to play week in and week out for West Ham.
Matthew Upson
Like Davenport he is slow, but Upson's strengths are his ability to read the
game and his strength. His clearance cost us a goal and I expect much better
from a player with international aspirations.
Lucas Neill
Seemed to get done for pace throughout the game. Their second and third
goal's came from his lack of speed as both were cut backs. He is a
questionable right back and a shit left back.
Julien Faubert
Despite being on the ball on a number of occasions when were in attacking
areas, I don't think I can recall him doing anything right. His crosses were
either too high or too low and he lost the ball far too many times
especially when at ten men we needed to keep the ball for as long as
possible. The jury is still out on him and a verdict is soon to be made.
Mark Noble
One of the main reasons we lost today as he was sent off for being reckless
and stupid.
Scott Parker
You're telling me he was on the pitch? I don't believe you.
Matthew Etherington
When you need all your players to get involved, get stuck in and sweat blood
for the cause, you can always rely on Matthew Etherington.
Carlton Cole
Was doing quite well when he was on the pitch as most of our play was going
through him. Took a knock and came off early.
Dean Ashton
Given the thankless task of being up front on his own with no one near him
for support. Ran his socks off and is all he could do.
Subs
Freddie Sears (on for Cole 31 mins)
Never really got involved.
Hayden Mullins (on for Sears 45 mins)
Like the rest of our midfield, he seemed to go missing.
Luis Boa Morte (on for Etherington 74 mins)
Should have been brought on much sooner in my opinion. Was booed by a number
of the supporters again. At 3-0 down, with ten men, up in Manchester after a
long journey, the thing we wanted to be unhappy about is Luis Boa Morte
coming on as sub.
Overall
Following West Ham away from home will always give you days like this. We
have never been good away since I can remember and games like Manchester
City are places we have always been beaten at.
There is little to judge from this performance as the game plan was ruined
when Cole came off and Noble got himself sent off. As I said earlier, I am
not big fan of Curbishley, but nothing at all is going his way at the
moment.
With Anton Ferdinand about to leave we have to get another defender in and
quickly. Selling Anton in my opinion is total madness. West Ham fans have
always hated losing one of their home grown talents yet Anton does not seem
to be looked upon in that way by many.
We are lacking all over the pitch and unless Curbishley has been given a
load of funds to make some last minute purchases we are going to struggle
this season.
People may say that is negative but I just can't see otherwise.
Next up is Macclesfield in the League Cup which of course should be a
victory. Then it is a home tie against Paul Ince's Blackburn Rovers. With a
long season ahead it is imperative that we have a good home record.
Att: Att: 36,635
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Paul Ince ready for a hot reception when he returns to West Ham with
Blackburn Rovers - Telegraph
Paul Ince has insisted he is ready to blank out his West Ham tormentors when
he returns to Upton Park for the first time as a manager.
By Mark Ogden
Last Updated: 12:46AM BST 26 Aug 2008
Ince has been a hate figure since his controversial move to Manchester
United as a 20-year-old in 1989. The Blackburn manager angered West Ham fans
by posing in a United shirt before his £1.5 million transfer had been
agreed, and has since endured a hostile reception whenever he has played
there. But Ince, who takes Rovers to West Ham this weekend, claims he is
well-prepared for his 90 minutes in the Upton Park dugout. He said: "The
game is not about West Ham and Paul Ince, it's about us getting a result. I
looked at the fixtures when they came out and noticed straight away that
West Ham away was the third game in. "The trip to Upton Park was the one
that stood out to me for some reason, although I can't think why. But I can
already feel a chest infection coming on!"
Meanwhile, striker Roque Santa Cruz said he passed up the chance to leave
Blackburn in order to prove that he was no one-season wonder. The Paraguayan
agreed a new four-year deal last Friday, despite interest from Manchester
City, Manchester United, Spurs and Aston Villa. Santa Cruz scored 23 goals
following a £3.8 million move from Bayern Munich last summer. After being
dogged by injuries at Bayern, the 27-year-old admitted that he had to stay
to show he is capable of building on last year's impressive start. He said:
''With everything that happened to me in the past, I need another year
playing and with a performance as good as the last one. To have a season
like the last one gave me the confidence to believe that my body is still
100 per cent to keep playing as well as I used to."
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Hammers defender McCartney set for shock Carling Cup return? - Guardian
Series
7:54am Tuesday 26th August 2008
NORTHERN Ireland full-back George McCartney could make a shock return to
action to the West Ham United line-up in Wednesday evening's Carling Cup
second round visit of League Two Macclesfield Town. The 27-year-old, an
ever-present last season, has yet to feature this term after being sidelined
with a hamstring injury and a bout of pneumonia. However, West Ham manager
Alan Curbishley has revealed that the Belfast-born player, who returned to
training on Monday, has an outside chance of being involved against the
Silkmen. The Irons boss was less upbeat about the prospects of any of his
other crocks returning to first-team action in the near future. "George
McCartney may feature, but other than that we're a bit light on the ground
with regard to one or two of the others coming back," he said. "But we had
these sorts of problems last year. "They haven't gone away yet so we've got
to work as hard as we possibly can to get these players back."
Kieron Dyer, Craig Bellamy, James Collins, James Tomkins, Danny Gabbidon,
Jonathan Spector, Nigel Quashie and Jack Collison are all currently on the
sidelines. And they have been joined by striker Carlton Cole, who was
withdrawn during Sunday's 3-0 Premier League defeat at Manchester City with
a back injury. Curbishley confirmed that the former England Under-21 player
would miss the Carling Cup tie, but could be back for Saturday's visit of
Blackburn Rovers to Upton Park. "It's a straight blow to his back. I don't
think he's twisted anything so hopefully he'll be ok for the weekend, but
we've got Wednesday to get through," lamented the manager, who lost Dyer,
Gabbidon and Bellamy to injury during last year's run to the Carling Cup
quarter-finals.
"Last year we attacked the cup competitions and we're going to do it again
this year. "With what we've got left, we will try and attack that. "We've
got a home game against Macclesfield and we've obviously got to go and get
the result, then worry about Blackburn at the weekend."
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HAMMERS TALK: Irons eye Marseille defender as replacement for Ferdinand -
Guardian Series
6:44pm Monday 25th August 2008
WEST HAM are reportedly stepping up their interest in Marseille defender
Gael Givet as they seek to replace Anton Ferdinand. London-born Ferdinand is
in talks with Sunderland over a possible move after the Hammers agreed a bid
- believed to be in the region of £8million - from the Wearsiders. But with
Danny Gabbidon, James Collins, Jon Spector and James Tomkins all sidelined
with injury, Irons boss Alan Curbishley has admitted that the club is "thin
on the ground" at centre back. 26-year-old France international Givet has
been heavily linked with a move to Upton Park, and it now appears the Irons
are looking to seal a deal by the end of the week. A fee of around £5million
is being mooted for the player.
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Curbishley Resigns as West Ham Manager 28-August-2008 - Cmon Yu Irons
25 August 2008
Could that be the headline we will all see on Thursday morning, after we
play Macclesfield on Weds Night?
A defeat against Macclesfield could prove to be the final straw for AJ and
anyone who doubts that are surely as deluded as he is.
The board, the West Ham fans and the Press will expect nothing else but a
victory even if it is only by 1 goal, the same 3 sets of people will also be
prepared for the worst as Journalists sit at their desks and the fans will
want blood, the board will have to give in and release Curbs from his
nightmare of trying to run a premier league football team.
Every one of us deep down has wanted Curbs to succeed and even at our own
expenses have travelled to games fit for comedy acts, if we lose against
Macclesfield on Weds night and Curbs is still in power, I can definitely say
i will not attend any more away games until he is removed.
BG is no angel, the club gained £47.75m in value since last year and that is
a 25% increase in value, we are now the 22nd richest football club in the
world, but play like the 22nd from poorest, where is the Money BG?.
A temporary stay of execution will be almost certain from a win against
Macclesfield, so why prolong your fait Alan, go why we still can forgive
you.
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