12.09.2008
Barclays Premier League
The Hawthorns
Kick-off: 3pm
Referee: Lee Probert
West Bromwich Albion: Carson, Hoefkens, Barnett, Olsson, Robinson, Morrison
(Kim 64), Koren, Greening, Brunt, Borja Valero (Moore 64), Bednar (Cech 86)
Subs not used: Kiely, Beattie, MacDonald, Donk
Goals: Morrison 3, Bednar 37 pen, Brunt 83.
West Ham United: Green, Neill, Davenport, Upson, Ilunga, Behrami (Faubert
65), Parker, Noble, Boa Morte (Etherington 79), Ashton (Di Michele 19), Cole
Subs not used: Lastuvka, Bellamy, Mullins, Tomkins
Goals: Noble 29, Neill 35.
Attendance: 26,213
Referee: L Probert
Caretaker manager Kevin Keen saw his West Ham United lose unluckily in front
of the watching Gianfranco Zola at a sunny Hawthorns on Saturday.
The home side took an early lead through James Morrison but the visitors
restored parity in the 29th minute through Mark Noble. Lucas Neill then put
West Ham United in front before a Roman Bednar penalty in the 37th minute
saw the sides go into the break all-square. However, a promising day that
saw new recruits David Di Michele and Herita Ilunga shine on their debuts
ended with Chris Brunt sweeping in a late winner for West Brom.
Keen had made two changes to the team that impressively swept aside
Blackburn Rovers a fortnight ago. Ilunga came in at left-back following his
move from Toulouse with Luis Boa Morte completing a new-look left side.
Julien Faubert and Matthew Etherington both dropped down to the bench, with
Neill reverting to his regular right-back berth.
The Baggies side got off to a flying start, scoring after three minutes.
Morrison darted in front of Matthew Upson to steer a low header past Robert
Green. Four minutes later a weighted pass from Ilunga sent Carlton Cole free
into the area but he was closed down just before he could release his shot.
His strike partner Dean Ashton then tried his luck with a curling effort
from 25 yards but Carson turned it round the post.
Ashton left the field in the 17th minute after suffering what looked like a
head injury and while he was off receiving treatment the home side had a
great chance to double their lead, but Bednar headed wide when well placed.
The No9 could not continue so Di Michele came on for his first taste of
English football. Within seconds, Robert Koren raced clean through on goal,
but Green got down well to make a fantastic one-handed save.
Cole then wriggled his way into the area to cut back for Boa Morte, his shot
was blocked and when the ball eventually fell to Valon Behrami, he could not
quite direct his shot on target. Cole was a having a creative period as he
then played Di Michele in with a looping ball over the top but the new No32
was just denied by a last ditch tackle from Leon Barnett.
West Ham United finally got the goal their play deserved though when Behrami
crossed to the far post for Di Michele, but Carson somehow kept his header
out with his feet. The rebound fell to Noble and the side from east London
were level.
Di Michele was doing everything he could to mark his debut but when he was
put through in the 35th minute, Carson again denied the Italian with a smart
stop. The visiting fans, who were in good voice throughout, did not have to
wait long for a second though as from the resulting corner Neill was on hand
to smash the ball in for his first goal in a claret and blue shirt.
It was all action and a minute later the home side broke towards the other
end. Green came out to claim the ball down low but caught the attacker and a
penalty was awarded, although it did appear that the goalkeeper did get
something of the ball. The England international could not repeat the
heroics of his save from Blackburn's Jason Roberts two weeks ago as Bednar
smashed the penalty down the middle to level the game once more.
Just before the break Cole's trickery allowed him to play in Boa Morte but
the angle was just too tight and he could only hit the ball straight at
Carson. It was a lively second half as well. The first chance saw Green come
out quickly to smother the ball just as it appeared Bednar was destined to
beat him. Faubert came on in the 65th minute and showed some attacking
intent with some lively bursts down the right.
Di Michele was booked with a quarter of an hour to play to underline his
commitment to his new cause but found chances on goal few and far between -
two overhead kick efforts the closest he came although neither troubled
Carson.
Keen's last change was to replace Boa Morte with Etherington with just over
ten minutes remaining. However, it was the home side who were to have the
last word within five minutes when Brunt finished off a swift counterattack
with a low finish from Paul Robinson's cross that Green could do nothing
about.
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Keen hails new recruits - WHUFC
Herita Ilunga and David Di Michele both looked bright with the former
particularly catching the eye
13.09.2008
Kevin Keen looked back on his taste of being caretaker manager with
positivity despite the frustration of conceding a late goal in the 3-2
defeat at West Bromwich Albion.
Deadline-day recruits Herita Ilunga and David Di Michele both made
impressive debuts in an entertaining contest in which the visitors will feel
unlucky not to have taken at least a point. Ilunga played the full 90
minutes at left-back while Di Michele, who was playing his first competitive
game of the season, was on the pitch for more than 70 minutes after coming
on for Dean Ashton, who took a nasty cut to the side of his head and had to
be substituted.
The home side took the lead in the fourth minute before strikes from Mark
Noble and Lucas Neill - his first for the club - put West Ham United ahead.
West Brom soon levelled through a Roman Bednar penalty after Robert Green
was adjudged to have felled an opponent illegally, although replays
suggested he got a hand to the ball. West Bromwich Albion then sealed the
win with an 85th-minute breakaway strike from Chris Brunt.
Despite the disappointment of not getting anything from the game, Keen was
excited about what he saw from the two new faces. He said: "I thought Herita
Ilunga was superb and he will be really good for us. He only came in on
Thursday morning from the Congo DR. I think the supporters will like him,
he's got an aggressive side to him and can get forward and make things
happen."
Keen was equally impressed with Di Michele, after the striker had a major
hand in Noble's equaliser. Keen said: "That was David's first game of the
season and to be thrown in like that - especially the first half - I thought
he did really well. He got into a few pockets and made things happen.
Hopefully when he gets a little bit fitter and gets used to the Premier
League he can go on and be very creative for us."
The late goal seemed harsh on the visitors who had more than contributed to
an enthralling end-to-end game that was denied the input of Craig Bellamy
after he had "trained hard all week" in a battle to play. He added: "Putting
Craig on the bench was a bit of a risk today. He's been struggling a bit
with his hamstring. After his extended warm up he came to me and said he
wasn't quite ready."
Summing up the result, Keen said: "Having just gone through a whirlwind of
94 minutes I've come away thinking 'yes we should have got something out of
the game'.
"I think in the first half we created some good chances and a little bit of
bad luck and some good goalkeeping [stopped them scoring] so I'm
disappointed especially for the players who have been tremendous this week
and really given their all for me as they did today."
The visitors had to recover from the early loss of their No9, who was hurt
by a stray elbow in the 17th minute but should have no lasting problems.
Keen explained: "Deano's got six or seven stitches in his ear - it's not
very pretty - so the recovery of going one down and Deano going off, was a
great reaction. The only disappointing thing was to lose the second goal
just after we went in front."
The penalty decision that levelled the match also appeared to be harshly
awarded, but the caretaker manager was not looking to blame the officials.
"Greeny is the most honest person in our changing room and he honestly says
he got the ball. I see on Match of the Day every week ... they have these
cameras that go so close but the referee has got a difficult job, I'm not
going to say anything about that and I thought he was good today."
Finally, Keen was keen to acknowledge the performance of the travelling
fans. "I think we've got the best away support in the league and they were
really good today. They didn't stop singing and I'm just disappointed we
came up a fraction short today." He will now hand the reins over to
Gianfranco Zola and will play his part in building up for the visit of
Newcastle United next Saturday.
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Sears double downs Villa - WHUFC
Freddie Sears got two goals and Ahmed Abdulla the other as the Under-18s
turned on the style
13.09.2008
West Ham United Under-18s 3-0 Aston Villa Under-18s
Tony Carr was more than happy with a tremendous team display as his
Under-18s saw off a strong Aston Villa side with a home win at Little Heath
on Saturday morning.
The visitors arrived with the reputation of being one of the best Academy
sides in the country but were beaten by two goals from Freddie Sears and
another strike by Ahmed Abdulla. Sears poked in the first midway through the
first half before showing good composure to add his second just before the
interval. Abdulla's first of the season was a header as the game moved into
the closing stages.
It was the first victory of the season but, after three previous draws,
Carr's side are still unbeaten. The delighted Academy director said: "It was
our best performance so far this season and Villa's first defeat. It was a
very good result for us." They are next in action away to Birmingham City
next Saturday.
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West Brom 3-2 West Ham - BBC
By Ian Hughes
West Brom won for the first time this season and left new West Ham manager
Gianfranco Zola with lots to analyse after watching from the stands. James
Morrison headed the Baggies in front before Mark Noble tapped in a rebound
from David Di Michele's header. West Ham took the lead when Lucas Neill
volleyed in from close-range before Roman Bednar levelled with a penalty. A
draw looked likely but Chris Brunt scored a late winner to hand Zola an
unfriendly welcome to club management. The victory prevented the Baggies
from recording their worst start to a Premier League season, but for long
spells it seemed they would not take advantage of a poor Hammers defence,
which must have worried Italian Zola. The Italian, who officially takes
charge of the team from Monday, will also be concerned about his attacking
options after Dean Ashton was forced off through injury early on, although
replacement Di Michele was instrumental in dragging his side back into the
game when they looked in danger of being overrun. Morrison had already put
West Brom ahead after being allowed acres of space in the box while Robert
Koren had missed an one-one with Robert Green when Noble equalised after Di
Michele's header had been saved. West Brom, led by midfielder Borja Valero,
had bossed the game until that point and had wasted numerous chances to
build a greater advantage. But West Ham's leveller stunned them and they
soon found themselves behind when they failed to defend a corner, Matthew
Upson heading back across goal for Neill to finish smartly. It provoked a
half-smile from Zola, but his new side were about to show the defensive
frailties that the former Chelsea striker would have exploited with relish
in his playing days. The unmarked Leon Barnett put pressure on Green, who
fumbled and then tripped the Baggies man, leaving Bednar to demonstrate
perfect penalty technique. After such an incredibly open first half, it was
always likely to be a tighter contest after the break - and so it proved.
Chances were now at a premium, as the midfield became congested and players
scrapped for possession. Bednar had a shot blocked and Barnett directed a
header wide, while West Ham's attacking threat had virtually disappeared.
Yet there was to be one last twist when Brunt raced on to a long ball and
fired accurately into the bottom right corner to snatch all three points.
Scott Parker should have equalised in injury time but was denied by Scott
Carson at close range. Zola will now be under no illusions as to the size of
the task ahead of him, while West Brom have finally earned some breathing
space and move off the bottom of the table.
West Brom boss Tony Mowbray: "It's good to get that first win, the longer
you go without a win, the more psychologically it becomes difficult for the
players. "Today's game could have finished 5-5 or 6-6. But I am aware we
have got to control the football match better than we did today. "We've got
the win and now it's important we get a couple more."
West Ham caretaker manager Kevin Keen revealed new boss Zola gave little
away when he visited his players after the game. "All he [Zola] said was,
'Unlucky, and I'll see you on Monday'. "We should have got something out of
the game. We gave away an early goal but we came back well, created some
good chances to go ahead. "The disappointing thing was we let them back in
for their second goal and their equaliser too quickly."
West Brom: Carson, Hoefkens, Barnett, Olsson, Robinson, Morrison (Kim 64),
Koren, Greening, Brunt, Borja Valero (Moore 64), Bednar (Cech 86).
Subs Not Used: Kiely, Beattie, MacDonald, Donk.
Booked: Kim.
Goals: Morrison 3, Bednar 37 pen, Brunt 83.
West Ham: Green, Neill, Davenport, Upson, Ilunga, Behrami (Faubert 65),
Parker, Noble, Boa Morte (Etherington 79), Ashton (Di Michele 19), Cole.
Subs Not Used: Lastuvka, Bellamy, Mullins, Tomkins.
Booked: Di Michele.
Goals: Noble 29, Neill 35.
Att: 26,213
Ref: Lee Probert (Wiltshire).
BBC Sport Player Rater man of the match: Mark Noble 8.25 (on 90 minutes).
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Curbishley blasts Duxbury - KUMB
Filed: Saturday, 13th September 2008
By: Staff Writer
Former United boss Alan Curbishley has hit out at Scott Duxbury for
undermining him during his final days at West Ham. Curbishley, talking to
the Sun, revealed how Duxbury had told him that he had no intention of
selling any players following Anton Ferdinand's departure to Sunderland -
days before agreeing a deal that saw George McCartney follow Ferdinand to
the North East. "When Ferdinand was sold to Sunderland, Scott Duxbury told
me that he was the last player out," he said. "The other players were
becoming a bit anxious at what was going on and I reassured them by telling
them what I had been told. "Then, on the Tuesday ahead of the Carling Cup
game with Macclesfield, I said the same thing publicly in my Press
conference. Again the subject of selling players was raised after the
Blackburn game at home and once more I stated that no one else would be
sold. "Then, of course, the following Monday McCartney was sold and I'd been
completely undermined making my position untenable. I had to resign because
I couldn't accept what was going on - and if I had stayed, then I would have
condoned it."
Curbishley alos revealed that he had no input into the three arrivals - Di
Michele, Ilunga and Lopez - who joined the club after Curbishley had walked.
"I went to a meeting on September 1 — the last day of the transfer window.
It was a continuation of a conversation which began the previous day with
Gianluca Nani and Scott Duxbury," he added. "On the Sunday I told them we
must keep McCartney and if that meant no players coming in then I was happy
to stick with the squad I had. But when I arrived at 1pm I discovered that
George was already at Sunderland having a medical. "I told them that we
needed to get a defender in because having sold half of my first choice back
four — Anton and McCartney — we needed cover. Chelsea defender Paulo
Ferreira was mentioned and I agreed on a move for him as he is a versatile
player and that's what we needed. "Both Di Michele and Ilunga were mentioned
to me. However, I told Nani and Duxbury that I had never seen either player
play, and for that reason I couldn't comment on them. I stressed again the
necessity of getting a defender in. "They went ahead and signed Di Michele
and Llunga and had I stayed on, then I would not have known them on the
training ground. Walter Lopez — who was also signed on loan — had been on
trial with us for nine days but, along with the coaching staff, we opted not
to take him and he was sent back. Then, mysteriously, he's been signed for a
year as well. "It's important to me that I make it very clear I had nothing
to do with those players. I hope they are good players and help West Ham but
I want people to know they were signed without my input or permission - and
that's unacceptable."
Despite being forced out of the club he loved after less than two years in
charge Curbishley passed on his best wishes to his successor. "I want to
congratulate Gianfranco Zola on getting the job and wish him all the best,
and I mean that," he said.
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WBA 3 West Ham Utd 2 - KUMB
Filed: Saturday, 13th September 2008
By: Staff Writer
A late Chris Brunt winner was enough to lift West Bromwich Albion off the
bottom of the Premier League at the expense of Kevin Keen's West Ham.
Keen - standing in for the newly-appointed GIanfranco Zola, who watched the
game from the stands - will probably be glad to relinquish the managerial
reigns after an awful defensive display from his charges, who conceded three
goals for the second time in four games.
Alan Curbishley had blamed his resignation on the Board's decision to cash
in on half of last season's regular back four againast his wishes. Given
today's performance, it would appear that he had cause for complaint.
The Hammers - minus Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney, both recently sold
by the club's board to Sunderland - looked frail every time the Baggies came
forward, and in truth, the result could have been a lot worse but for some
good saves by Rob Green.
However the Baggies still owed a debt of gratitude to new signing Scott
Carson, for it was he who twice denied the Hammers at point blank range to
ensure the three points went to the home side.
Zola, who spent the entire 90 minutes sat alongside Technical Director
Gianluca Nani saw the Hammers get off to a nightmare start when they fell
behind just two minutes into the game. A Valero cross was headed home at the
near post by Robinson, who snuck in ahead of a daydreaming Matthew Upson to
give the Baggies a dream start.
Valon Behrami, restored to midfield in favour of the benched Julien Faubert
saw a penalty shout ignored (rightly so as it transpired) before the Hammers
lost Dean Ashton to a facial injury.
Ashton was replaced by debutant Davide Di Michele who was involved in
United's equaliser ten minutes ahead of the break. The Italian's far post
header was well saved by Scott Carson but Mark Noble tapped home the rebound
to record his first goal of the season.
The Hammers then took the lead through Lucas Neill, scoring his first ever
goal for United. The Australian defender, back in his regular right-back
slot thanks to the debut handed to left-back Ilunga was first to react to a
loose ball in the penalty box and he slammed home through a crowd of bodies
to put the Irons 2-1 ahead.
However Albion were back on level terms just two minutes later when Robert
Green was penalised - wrongly - for bringing down Leon Barnett in the
penalty area. TV replays confirmed that referee Lee Probert's decision was a
bad one as Green clearly made contact with the ball first; however that was
of little concern to Roman Bedner who levelled from the penalty spot, firing
his spot kick straight down the middle.
Kevin Keen's charges ended the half with one of the best chances of the game
when Luis Boa Morte was sent clean through on goal by Carlton Cole. However
the Portuguese winger could only fire straight at Carson when the ball was
screaming to be hit across the 'keeper.
Albion were first out of the blocks after the break and Bedner spurned a
glorious opportunity to put the home side ahead and notch his second of the
afternoon just five minutes in. Fortunately for the lax United defence,
Green was on hand to spread himself wide and divert the Albion striker's
effort. The chance was the first of three that fell to Badner within the
opening ten minutes of the half as they stretched United.
The Hammers finally got going however and substitute Di Michele treated the
watching crowd of just over 26,000 to a couple of speculative overhead
efforts before Carlton Cole saw a penalty claim dismissed. Although far from
cast-iron it was no less a penalty that the spot kick awarded by Probert to
the home side in the first half.
A spate of substitutions followed midway through the half before the game
finally got going again. Albion substitute Kim forced a good block from
Upson when his effort was headed goalbound and at the other end United
continued to hustle but with very little to show for it.
Then, with just seven minutes of normal time remaining came the killer blow.
A West Ham corner was quickly cleared and Robinson was set free on the
counter attack. His ball back into the middle was perfectly timed for the
onrushing Brunt who briefly stuttered before swivelling and firing home
across Green into the far corner.
United - who had been so impressive in the first half but frustratingly
disappointing after the break - had used all their subs so threw Calum
Davenport forward in search of a late equaliser. But it was Scott Parker who
spurned a gilt-edged chance to snatch a point one minute into injury time
when he could only fire straight at Carson, having been teed up by the
tireless Cole.
The final whistle was greeted with elation by the home fans but with a grim
stare from new boss Zola who, having witnessed his defence capitulate will
be desperately hoping he can get Steve Clarke in from Chelsea sooner rather
than later.
The defeat leaves the Hammers in seventh place in the Premier League
although several clubs have a game in hand on United.
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Available in all sizes - except XL - KUMB
Filed: Friday, 12th September 2008
By: A Different Staff Writer
The club has terminated its relationship with shirt sponsors XL. The travel
company filed for administration late on Thursday evening in a move that saw
thousands of holidays cancelled and left those already abroad scrambling for
alternative flights home. XL had paid the first year's contribution of a
three-year deal believed to be worth £7.5m but no payment had been received
for the current season, leading to today's announcement. The club have also
suspended sales of replica kits bearing the XL holidays logo and will play
tomorrow's match at West Bromwich Albion in a plain - and arguably more
tasteful - kit. The club was last sponsorless during the 1997/98 season
after the Dagenham Motors deal had come to an end. That time the car sales
company were believed to have been keen on renewing their sponsorship but
the club had entered into what ultimately proved to have been fruitless
talks with an un-named airline. Tomorrow's match may be unique in the top
flight since shirt sponsorship became universal as opponents West Brom have
yet to complete a deal for the current season, leaving both clubs to play in
plain shirts.
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Curbs eyes 'positive' Zola reign - SSN
Former Hammers boss eyes stability under Italian
By James Dall Last updated: 14th September 2008
Alan Curbishley is hopeful his former club West Ham United can put their
previous problems behind them with Gianfranco Zola now at the helm.
Curbishley left his Hammers role last week after just three games of the new
season citing 'a breach of trust and confidence' over the club's transfer
dealings. Former Chelsea star Zola has since been unveiled as the side's new
boss, and Curbishley is hopeful there will now be a sustained period of
stability at Upton Park. He told Sky Sports' Goals on Sunday "I think
perhaps now the club is on a firm footing, it's all positive. The selling
has now been done and the club can get on with it. "I hope he has a bit of
luck with injuries, if he gets a run of luck on that score he has got a
decent squad there."
Curbishley went on to insist he bears no animosity towards the club despite
the circumstances of his exit. He said: "I just felt what was happening was
things were going on which I wasn't agreeing to. I firmly stood my corner
but it didn't make any difference. "I bear no animosity to the club, the
team or the players. I want them to do well. I am a West Ham boy and was
privileged to become manager there. "I felt if you are going to be
responsible for performances and results, they have got to be your players
out there. I just felt the way it was turning out, that wasn't happening."
Reports had suggested he was prepared to sell striker Dean Ashton during the
summer transfer window, but Curbishley has moved to dismiss the rumours. He
added: "That is a figment of someone's imagination. I don't know if there
was a bid for Dean Ashton, I don't know what went on there. "In the last
couple of days there have been one or two things leaked... I was
disappointed that came out. I know nothing about anybody bidding for Dean
Ashton or whether it would be accepted. "It never passed by me and I was
disappointed with it."
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Zola to focus on fitness - SSN
New Hammers manager will embrace positive thinking
Last updated: 14th September 2008
New West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola has admitted working on his squad's
fitness will be one of his priorities. Former Chelsea striker Zola looked on
from the stands as the Hammers were beaten 3-2 by West Brom at the Hawthorns
with Chris Brunt scoring the winner after a swift break by the home side
seven minutes from time.
The Italian was impressed with how his side battled back from conceding the
opening goal inside the first three minutes and the spirit they showed
throughout, but felt they were found wanting physically at times. He told
Radio Five Live: "I think they played a very good first half after having a
bad start. In the second half they lacked a bit of physical condition but
were very unlucky to lose to the final goal. "The game is changing a little
but what I liked was that the spirit is still there. Teams want to win all
the time and they play open football and that is good for the crowd. "It was
not an easy decision. It came out of the blue and I had to consider many
things. But it is a great job and a great opportunity for me and I am very
pleased to be here."
Zola has revealed that his managerial style will be enshrined in positivity
as he looks to improve on the Upton Park club's 10th-place finish last
season. He added: "I believe you can get the best out of people by getting
their respect for what you do, and I think this a good way to get the best
out of everybody. "There may be things that can go wrong but I'm only
focusing on positive things. "My first target will be to establish positive
thinking. In football as in life you have to stay positive and think only of
the good things that can happen to you."
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Silver lining to Baggies defeat - SSN
Hammers boss rues missed opportunities
By Ashley Marshall Last updated: 13th September 2008
West Ham caretaker manager Kevin Keen says there were plenty of positives to
take from his side's 3-2 defeat away at West Brom on Saturday. Keen, who
will be officially replaced at the helm by Gianfranco Zola on Monday,
believes his side created enough chances to win the match, but that
conceding goals so early and so late cost them a point. Keen said:
"Defensively we got caught out a couple of times which is disappointing, but
on the big plus side for an away team, especially in the first half, we
created numerous chances and a mixture of a few little unlucky shots and
near misses and some really good goalkeeping. "We have come away losing but
the plus is the amount of chances we created. "It was disappointing to go a
goal down so early because we prepared really well. "The lads in training
this week have been really excellent and we already knew West Brom would
come out fast - unfortunately what we had hopefully planned against,
happened. "But it was a wonderful reaction from the boys and to go 2-1 in
front was a good effort, but obviously the penalty was disappointing."
Keen said he had not looked at replays of the controversial penalty that
allowed West Brom back into the game at 2-1, but that he trusted his
goalkeeper Green who said it was not a foul. "I've only seen it once - in
the game from 50 yards away and as far as I am concerned the referee has got
a really difficult job," he said.
"Green I would say is probably the most honest man in our changing rooms and
he said he definitely touched it, but that is part of football."
The caretaker boss says it was also hard to see his team go behind so late
in the match after carving out a number of opportunities themselves. Keen
added: "It was frustrating. Perhaps defensively we weren't quite right and
it was one of those sort of half scuffy shots that seemed to dribble around
the corner and through Matty Upson's legs. "But even at the end we have
kept going and we've chucked people up front to try and get a result and we
had a chance at the end with Scotty Parker to get a point but Carson made
another super save."
Keen was also quick to praise new signing Herita Ilunga who made his debut
at left-back on Saturday. "I think that if you consider he came into the
club on Thursday morning from the Democratic Republic of Congo, I thought
his performance was really, really good and I think he is the type of player
the West Ham fans will connect with," Keen added. Despite Keen's first, and
probably only, game in charge ending in defeat, he said Zola's appointment
will only mean positive things for the club.
He said: "It is a really exciting appointment and I think we'll end up
playing good football like we have today and hopefully we'll tighten up a
little at the back. "But it's exciting for West Ham and the supporters and I
think we can only move on and go forward."
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Late Brunt winner stuns Hammers - SSN
Late Baggies goal ensures first win of the season
By Ashley Marshall Last updated: 13th September 2008
Man of the match: Roman Bednar ran himself into the ground and made a real
nuisance of himself. Cool penalty kick drew Baggies level.
Moment of the match: Paul Robinson steaming more than 70 yards downfield on
the break in the third minute of injury time at the end of the match. When
he did get the ball played to his stride he chose to cut it back for Kim
rather than go for glory himself. His determination and will to win was
immense.
Attempt of the match: Seven minutes into the second half, Robinson played a
cutting though-ball for Bednar to chase. He had the option to ttry and take
it around the rapidly-advancing Green, but chose to try and lift it over
him. Only a smart stop kept the game level.
Save of the match: Robert Green made several key stops before being beaten
for the third time, but Scott Carson's injury-time save from Scott Parker
was the difference between one point and three.
Talking point: West Brom were awarded a penalty when they were 2-1 behind
when Green was judged to have brought down Leon Barnett. Replays show Green
touched the ball, so the decision may have been harsh on the Hammers.
Goal of the game: Chris Brunt's winner six minutes from time decided the
tie. He broke from his own half with Paul Robinson from a Julien Faubert
corner before regaining his composure to drag the ball out of his feet and
across the face of Robert Green's goal.
West Brom secured their first victory of the season with a come-from-behind
win at home to West Ham. Chris Brunt scored his first goal for the Baggies
six minutes from time to lift West Brom off the bottom of the league after
West Ham had taken the lead in an action-packed first half. James Morrison
gave the hosts a surprise lead after just two minutes, latching onto Borja
Valero's cross to head the ball past Robert Green. Mark Noble tapped the
ball in from a yard out after Scott Carson could only parry David Di
Michele's header on 29 minutes to level the game, and the Hammers took the
lead on 36 minutes when captain Lucas Neill fired into the roof of the net
from a set piece. But West Brom hit straight back just seconds later, Roman
Bednar slotting the ball home from the penalty spot after Green was deemed
to have fouled Leon Barnett. The second half was played at a slower pace,
with Bednar causing problems for the West Ham centre- backs before Brunt won
all three points for the hosts on 84 minutes when West Brom broke clear
through Paul Robinson. The chance looked to have gone when Brunt stumbled,
but he dug the ball out from behind him to fire across Green. Scott Parker
could have grabbed a share of the spoils in injury time, but Carson made a
fine one-on-one stop to deny the midfielder.
Gianfranco Zola made an unhappy start to his reign as West Ham manager and,
after watching from the stands, will be aware that much work needs to be
done defensively if the Hammers are to make strides forward. Morrison put
the Baggies ahead after only two minutes, however there appeared little
danger when a left-footed cross from Brunt went across the Hammers box.
Borja Valero was first to react to the loose ball though and he had time to
pick out the run of Morrison who sent a glancing header wide of Green into
the corner of the net, for Albion's first goal in open play since returning
to the top flight. West Ham found plenty of space to exploit down the left
flank, and West Brom goalkeeper Carson parried away a curling effort from
Dean Ashton who shortly afterwards was substituted due to a shoulder
problem. Both defences looked suspect and Green completely missed a corner
from Greening, only for Bednar to head wide from close range. Robert Koren
had a golden chance to double the home side's lead when he found himself
with only Green to beat but the goalkeeper was able to block his shot. The
visitors started to enjoy more of the possession and drew level after 28
minutes.
Calum Davenport's cross found Valon Behrami whose downward header was
parried by Carson straight to Noble and he made no mistake from close range.
A clearance from Leon Barnett then rebounded off Behrami straight to
substitute Di Michele who forced a save out of Carson at the expense of a
corner - and from it West Ham went ahead. Noble's centre was headed back
across goal by Davenport and Neill volleyed home from close range. But
within 60 seconds West Brom were level. Green brought down Barnett and up
stepped Bednar to drill the penalty powerfully into the net. It was his
second successful spot-kick of the campaign, after putting one away against
Everton in the previous home game. Albion knocked the ball around in
confident fashion at the start of the second half and a fine move ended with
Robinson finding Bednar in space inside the West Ham box, but Green reacted
quickly to parry the shot from the former Hearts player. Bednar then created
half a yard of space for himself after turning past Davenport but the
defender recovered to block the eventual shot. Home boss Tony Mowbray made a
double change after 64 minutes with Luke Moore and Do-Heon Kim replacing
Valero and Morrison respectively. Within 60 seconds West Ham had brought on
Julien Faubert for Behrami.
Kim quickly went into referee Lee Probert's book, receiving a yellow card
for a challenge on Noble. In the 83rd minute Brunt earned Albion the win
after racing onto a pass from Robinson and it proved to be worth three
points.
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Vinny's West Brom Report - West Ham Online
Vinny - Sun Sep 14 2008
West Bromwich Albion 3 West Ham United 2
Since the last match report we have seen three new players brought in,
George McCartney leaving for Sunderland, Alan Curbishley resigning,
Gianfranco Zola being appointed as manager, and shirt sponsors XL going bust
leaving us without a sponsor for the time being.
Enough has been said about all these issues so I will not comment too much
about them, but I will say that no matter the reasons surrounding Alan
Curbishley's departure I am pleased he has gone as I was not happy with the
direction the club was going with him as our manager. Some will say that it
will not change with the current board in charge, but Alan Curbishley was
playing the sort of football that I do not want to see and I am glad he has
gone.
As for Gianfranco Zola – he is unproven and has a big Chelsea connection.
Neither of these bother me in the slightest and I am confident that he is
going to be a great manager and he has my full support.
With Zola in the stands, caretaker manager Kevin Keen took charge for this
away trip to the Hawthorns, our first since beating them 1-0 with Nigel Reo
Coker scoring the winner in 2006.
Coming away from this game I cannot but feel angry and annoyed that we have
not won this game. Even a draw I would have been disappointed with because
going forward we had the beating of them yet defensively we were toilet. All
the goals conceded were frightening to look at and with that obvious
weakness we were always prone to losing a game that we should have won
comfortably.
The starting line up was changed from the one which started against
Blackburn. In defence Herita Ilunga was making his debut at left back. He
replaced Julien Faubert who dropped to the bench.
This saw Lucas Neill at right back with Valon Behrami moving forward to
right midfield. On the other flank Matthew Etherington was dropped to the
bench in favour of Luis Boa Morte.
Carlton Cole continued upfront alongside Dean Ashton.
The travelling support was in full voice on a pleasant day in the midland,
but that confidence from the support was very quickly dampened as West Brom
took an early lead.
A cross into the area found James Morrison who had somehow managed to get in
front of Matthew Upson and head the ball past Green.
A terrible looking goal to concede and I know this can be said for most
goals you will concede but I do not expect a England international like
Matthew Upson to be caught ball watching like he was.
We did manage to settle down and started to dictate the play going forward
with Carlton Cole causing the West Brom defence problems with his sharp
turning when the ball was played into his feet.
Dean Ashton picked up the ball after a good passing move and tried a curling
shot from outside the area which was saved by Carson in the West Brom goal.
Not long after that shot, Ashton went up for a header, fell to the floor and
had to come off injured which is something that we expect to happen whenever
he has to receive treatment from the physio.
This was a blow to lose such an important player but at least we had another
quality player on the bench in the form of Craig Bellamy. But no, Bellamy
was obviously not deemed fit enough to take part this early on despite
having the last two weeks to rest.
On in Ashton's place was another debutant, the 32 year old Italian forward
David Di Michele.
The hosts should have furthered their lead when we were ripped apart through
the middle and Robert Koran found himself one on one with Robert Green but
the keeper made a smart stop although the finish was poor.
We had a great chance to equalise when Cole again easily got in behind the
defence and cut the ball back for Boa Morte who saw his shot charge down.
The ball deflected out to Behrami who had the goal at his mercy but he sent
his shot over the bar.
Cole was involved in a counter attack which saw the striker play a pass over
the top for Di Michele to run onto but the defender got a last ditch tackle
in before the Italian could loop the ball over the on rushing keeper.
We managed to gain an equaliser which had been coming after a cross to the
back post by Behrami found Di Michele unmarked but his header was kept out
by Carson only for Mark Noble to be in the right place at the right time to
tap in.
It was a relief to have got this equaliser because just before I had been
thinking that it was going to be one of those days, which of course it ended
up like anyway.
A wicked deflection put Di Michele through one on one with the keeper but
the finish was very poor and Carson palmed away for a corner.
West Brom were on the back foot and had been stunned by Noble's goal. This
gave us an opportunity to get ourselves in front and when a corner was head
across goal by Upson, the captain Lucas Neill smashed the ball with his left
foot into the back of the net.
The travelling cockney boys were now in full voice and "2-1 to the cockney
boys" could be heard loudly.
But just as this was being boasted by the West Ham's claret and blue army,
it all went sour as a free kick on the left hand side was won by West Brom
and the resulting ball into the area would spell disaster.
The cross was played in low and Robert Green went down to claim but fumbled
and as the ball broke. Leon Bennett went for the ball and was clattered by
Green. From where I was it looked like a cast iron penalty.
Roman Bedner stepped up to take the penalty and put the ball coolly past
Green to make it 2-2.
We had one more chance before the half time interval with Luis Boa Morte
seeing a powerful drive from inside the area saved by Carson in this very
open first half where both sides had a number of chances to take control of
the game.
The second half was just as open but from a West Ham point of view it was
just very frustrating with too many players making the supporters want to
pull their hair out.
As an attacking force we were not creating as many clear cut opportunities
although Di Michele did see a audacious overhead kick go over the bar from
Noble's cross.
Boa Morte was doing his best to grab the game by the scruff of the neck with
some nice skill and total commitment in the tackle.
On the 65th minute a change was made but it was not the one we wanted to see
and with Craig Bellamy remaining on the bench, Julien Faubert came on to
replace Valon Behrami in a substitution which did nothing to aid our
attempts at actually winning this game.
With Di Michele now playing like a showboating prat we were crying out for
the introduction of Bellamy but Kevin Keen did not want to hear any of it.
The last change was our best player on the day Boa Morte being replaced by
Matthew Etherington who is not the type of player you want to see when you
are needing to scrap.
We forced a few corners but they were all poor and it was from one of our
own corners which led to West Brom scoring a sucker punch winner.
The hosts broke well and in numbers with the ball finally being played into
the feet of Chris Brunt who finished brilliantly despite the advances of
Davenport.
We knew we were going to get that once chance to get back into the game and
it fell to Scott Parker who had the goal at his mercy but he took to long
getting the ball out of his feet and Carson pushed away for a corner.
West Brom had won a game that they should have never won and this is the
type of game we must be taking all three points from.
Player Reviews
Robert Green
At fault for the penalty, and had earlier flapped so badly at a cross it was
just luck that we had not conceded. His kicking was awful and rarely made
it's intended target, if there was one.
Herita Ilunga
The new signing from Toulouse put in a very solid display and linked up well
with Boa Morte going forward. He was actually quite impressive and hopefully
he will continue to impress.
Callum Davenport
A familiar story with Davenport as if you play the ball in the air he will
dominate but get it on the ground and he is easy to turn inside out as he is
so slow which will ultimately be his downfall.
Matthew Upson
At fault for the first goal and like Davenport, when up against a player
with any form of pace and good movement he looks average.
Lucas Neill
Scored his first goal for the club and put in a solid defensive display. He
looked much better on the ball and he seemed to actually want the ball.
Hopefully with Zola coming in Neill can get back to being the player that we
signed.
Luis Boa Morte
The official club scape goat was our best player today. He was good going
forward and had the best work rate on the pitch. If he plays like this every
game then we have a quality player.
Scott Parker
There has to be more to his game than what he is displaying surely? I'm sure
at Charlton, Chelsea and Newcastle he showed more than he has been doing for
us. No doubt he is fearless but where his quality on the ball and what is
with his passing? All were lacking today.
Mark Noble
A good display from Noble and was great to see him getting a goal. Much more
involved and we need to get him on the ball as much as possible as if we can
he can been a very creative asset in our side.
Valon Behrami
Should have scored in the first half with a couple of chances which he would
have been disappointed not to have hit the target with. So far he has shown
more quality going forward than in defence but it remains to be seen where
Zola will choose as his primary position.
Dean Ashton
Off injured after 17 minutes. Not aware of the extent of the injury but
regardless this sort of thing we should expect.
Carlton Cole
A very easy target for fans to slag off and Cole did receive a bit of abuse
especially from where I was standing. I thought he was causing West Brom no
end of problems especially in the first half when the same trick in flicking
the ball around the defender seemed to work every time.
Subs Used
David Di Michele (on for Ashton 17 mins)
Obviously not used to the pace of the English game and was not match fit
either. Wanted all the time in the world when on the ball and his
showboating was pathetic. It his is first game and he may get better but
this performance was way below the fucking awful.
Julien Faubert (on for Behrami 65 mins)
A pointless change in my opinion and Faubert did very little when he came
on.
Matthew Etherington (on for Boa Morte 79 mins)
Another strange substitution as it really wasn't needed.
Subs Not Used: Lastuvka, Bellamy, Mullins, Tomkins.
Overall
It is difficult not to state the obvious and say that this was a fucking
terrible result. Relegation fodder such as West Brom should be beaten if we
aspire to finish in the top ten and challenge teams such as Blackburn and
Portsmouth which is not a ridiculous thing to suggest.
Gianfranco Zola begins his task of managing the team from Monday and there
are many things which he needs to get stuck into. We need to establish our
best eleven which is still very much up for debate.
We need to get Craig Bellamy back in the side as he must be fit by now. We
also need a bit more bite in the center of midfield as we keep getting over
run far too many times throughout a game.
Newcastle are next up and if you think we are a club in turmoil they are the
masters of it.
Att: 26,213
Caretaker's Comments
"All he [Zola] said was, 'Unlucky, and I'll see you on Monday'.
"We should have got something out of the game. We gave away an early goal
but we came back well, created some good chances to go ahead.
"The disappointing thing was we let them back in for their second goal and
their equaliser too quickly.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gianfranco Zola: 'I'll do it on the quiet'
Anna Kessel The Observer, Sunday September 14 2008
Gianfranco Zola produces a dark flash of honesty amid the panoply of smiles.
'I know this is a big risk,' West Ham's new manager says at his unveiling at
Upton Park. 'I am putting myself on the line completely. All the goodness
I've done is on the line.'
Then, flanked by director Mike Lee and chief executive Scott Duxbury, the
club's first foreign manager reverts to charming away the many concerns -
his lack of experience, his seven-year love affair with Chelsea and his
amiable disposition, which some feel is too soft to control self-absorbed
multimillionaires.
Many may wonder why Zola did not choose a less conspicuous managerial debut
than taking on a club whose turbulent times worsened with Friday's
announcement that XL Leisure Group, the team's shirt sponsors, had gone into
administration. At a smaller club his limited managerial experience - as an
assistant to Pierluigi Casiraghi with Italy's not particularly successful
under-21s - would not have mattered so much.
But Zola says he has his eyes wide open. 'The bigger the job the more
responsibility and attention you get, so every mistake is going to be in the
spotlight, but I'm not afraid of making mistakes. I became a better
footballer by missing penalties and crying after that. It's all part of the
process of becoming better. I like a challenge, it's something that gives me
a spark.'
He says the opportunity arrived 'out of the blue'. Earlier this year, when
the press buzzed with rumours of a potential link-up with former team-mate
and friend Dennis Wise at Newcastle, Zola had played down the likelihood of
a move to England anytime soon. 'Right now, I'm still learning how to
coach,' he said, 'although one day, yes, I would certainly like to have a
go. I would prefer to manage in England more than in Italy.'
He now feels ready to test himself, bringing with him a philosophy that many
feared had been lost to our national game. 'When we play a football match we
are not going to war, we are entertainers,' he says. 'We are trying to make
the game enjoyable for the people who come to watch. We have to inspire
them, give them joy. I keep this principle. I want to win, I don't like to
go on the pitch and give the result to the opposition, but also I want to
make it attractive.'
Football is about spirit and human values of respect and kindness, says Zola
- a philosophy that may be at odds with the Premier League, with its
super-rich club owners and boardroom wrangles, but which chimes even less
harmoniously with what is happening in Italy.
'Whatever you say, English football is so much better than Italian
football,' says the former Napoli star. 'In the 1990s we were a model for
everyone and now we are really going down. It's very sad. We are paying the
price for having bad people involved in football. They really ruined
something, they broke the spirit.
'They didn't care about the football, they cared about themselves. When
there's money involved you think about winning, no matter how you win. It's
always the same story - when there's too much money, principles are put
apart. If the money comes for the good of the game I welcome the money, I'm
not stupid. But it has to be for the good of the game.'
In England, too, football and money are now inseparable and West Ham are as
good an example of that as any. Zola may well find that his high moral
standards are challenged at a club where, in recent years, the culture on
and off the pitch has seemingly defied many of his beliefs, from the Baby
Bentley epidemic to the monotony of play under Alan Curbishley and the dodgy
dealings associated with the transfers of Carlos Tevez and Javier
Mascherano.
Zola's ideas about a form of man management based on inspiring footballers
to play beautiful football, rather than frightening them into discipline,
has been called naive. It is, though, a theory not so far from Arsène
Wenger's, a manager whom Zola greatly admires.
'Trust me, to have authority or respect from players you don't have to shout
all the time as long as you prove that what you're doing is for the goodness
of the team. I'm sure they'll understand you and respect you. If it is going
to be necessary for me to become a little bit nasty then I will become
nasty, it's not a problem for me.' Zola says he is prepared to manage young
millionaires, but wants to adopt a more holistic approach.
'That's probably the best part of the job. I like to give young players the
possibilities to come and develop. It has always been my dream to work with
young players when I retire and help them become better.'
He has witnessed first-hand what happens when young men lack guidance by
observing Diego Maradona, his predecessor, friend and great mentor at
Napoli. 'Since he was 18 Maradona had so many things around him and he
couldn't handle it. The people around him didn't help, they were always
trying to take away something from him, not give him support. They were
always willing to make him happy, when sometimes they should have given him
a bang in the head.'
Zola sees a great responsibility in protecting his future charges from such
a fate. 'It's not easy. When someone is 18 and they already have everything
they need, it's a very, very difficult and dangerous situation. But that is
why I say that the people around them have to be responsible and have to
look first of all not to the player, but to the boy. They have to look after
his education, his mind, his attitude, the same way they look after his
skills. The whole package. It's not easy, but it should be done.'
Helping him at West Ham is likely to be Steve Clarke, his former team-mate
and current Chelsea assistant coach, who is believed to be unhappy under new
manager Luiz Felipe Scolari. If Chelsea agree to the move, Clarke will
provide much-needed hands-on coaching experience.
There will be other hands at work behind the scenes, too, including
technical director Gianluca Nani. He was appointed six months ago and his
presence is thought to have been one of the factors that pushed Curbishley
to resign after decisions were made about players behind his back. Zola is
unlikely to encounter such divisions, as it was Nani who recommended his
fellow countryman in the first place.
There are many doubters, but if Zola is successful he could breathe new life
into an old and jaded club.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
CHELSEA BLASTED OVER CLARKE - News Of The World
They are treating coach with 'utter contempt'
By ROB BEASLEY, 13/09/2008
CHELSEA have been accused of treating long-serving Steve Clarke with 'utter
contempt' after Peter Kenyon blocked his move to West Ham. New Hammers boss
Gianfranco Zola wants Clarke as his No 2 but Chelsea are demanding an
incredible £4.8MILLION in compensation for their assistant coach. Clarke has
been told to stay away from Stamford Bridge and put on gardening leave by
Blues chief executive Kenyon until any deal is thrashed out. But a friend of
Clarke said: "Steve is deeply hurt and upset by Chelsea's stance.
"Basically, they are treating him with utter contempt. "He has been nothing
but loyal to the club, even when he was marginalised under Avram Grant.
"What is the reward for 21 years of loyalty? It's having it thrown back in
Steve's face. "All he wants to do is further his career working alongside a
friend he has known for over 10 years but Chelsea seem determined to punish
him for that. "He has two years on his contract which is worth £1.2m but
Chelsea want four times that before they'll even let him speak to West Ham.
"Yet they've sorted out the likes of Shevchenko, Crespo and Veron almost at
the drop of the hat — players who've contributed next to nothing to Chelsea
— but they won't do anything for somebody who has served the club loyally
through thick and thin. "He's really hurt because somebody like Avram Grant
earned more in wages and a pay-off in a year than Steve has earned in 10
years. "Under Grant, Steve was way down the pecking order behind the likes
of Henk Ten Cate — but always stayed absolutely loyal and did his job. "Now
it's obvious he's not as hands-on under Scolari as he was under Jose
Mourinho and wants to move to another Premier League club where he'll have a
chance to be far more involved. "Yet as soon as he asked, Chelsea have acted
so heavy-handedly that he's beginning to wonder what he's done wrong to be
treated like this."
Earlier this week, Zola intervened personally to break the deadlock. The
Italian spoke to Roman Abramovich's right-hand man, Eugene Tenenbaum, to
broker a peace deal — but was rebuffed. West Ham have been shocked by
Chelsea's stance. They were happy to buy out the remaining two years of
Clarke's Blues contract but simply cannot afford close to £5m in
compensation. Talks will continue but a West Ham source said: "We were
hugely surprised at the amount Chelsea were demanding. "Steve is obviously a
highly regarded member of their staff, that's why Gianfranco was keen to
recruit him. "But he's not doing the same job as he was under Jose Mourinho,
so why is the figure so high?"
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GENERAL FRANCO! - The People
WEST HAM Zola warns: 'I'll sort out awkward squad'
Dave Kidd Reports
Gianfranco Zola insists he will turn into Mr Nasty to keep West Ham's bovver
boys in check. The new Hammers boss was known as much for his permanent
smile as his sublime skills during his Chelsea days. But he will inherit an
Upton Park awkward squad which includes Craig Bellamy, Lee Bowyer and Kieron
Dyer. Yet Zola, whose only previous coaching experience was as assistant to
the Italy Under-21 team, rejects suggestions he is too much of a nice guy to
become a successful manager. Zola said: "Trust me, to have authority or
respect, you don't have to shout all the time as long as you prove that what
you're doing is for the good of the team. "But if it's going to be necessary
to become a little bit nasty then I will become nasty. It's not a problem
for me. Believe me, I can be nasty. "Fortunately, with the Under-21s it has
not been necessary, so I hope it won't be necessary here. I do have three
children and I can be nasty - you can ask them! "I am willing to do
everything I have to do to make sure I do this job well."
Zola admits that by taking the West Ham job, he risks tarnishing his
reputation as a Premier League legend after being voted Chelsea's greatest
player of all time.
He had to think long and hard about joining the Hammers, knowing he could be
the target of abuse from Chelsea-hating fans. Zola said: "This is a much
bigger challenge than going to Chelsea but I like a challenge - it's
something which gives me a spark. "I know this is a big risk. I'm putting
myself on the line completely. All the goodness I've done is on the line.
"Every mistake I make is going to be in the spotlight but I'm not afraid of
making mistakes. I became a better footballer by missing penalties and
crying - it's all part of the process of becoming better. "Obviously, there
were a few concerns about coming here because people Gianfranco Zola insists
he will turn into Mr Nasty to keep West Ham's bovver boys in check. The new
Hammers boss was known as much for his permanent smile as his sublime skills
during his Chelsea days. But he will inherit an Upton Park awkward squad
which includes Craig Bellamy, Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer. Yet Zola, whose
only previous coaching experience was as assistant to the Italy Under-21
team, rejects suggestions he is too much of a nice guy to become a
successful manager. Zola said: "Trust me, to have authority or respect, you
don't have to shout all the time as long as you prove that what you're doing
is for the good of the team. "But if it's going to be necessary to might
think that I've been a Chelsea player. What I experienced as a player at
Chelsea was the best thing inmy life, but now I'm starting a new adventure
and I hope this experience will be as good. "I know this may be a risk but
can you imagine the feeling I'll have when I get the applause of the West
Ham fans? It's going to be fantastic. That's what I am thinking about."
And Zola says he could never experience a bigger challenge than that of
replacing Diego Maradona in Napoli's No.10 shirt when he was a young player.
He said: "I know there will be difficulties on the way but I'm already
thinking about how I will do this job positively. "I didn't have negative
thoughts at all at Napoli. I was actually thinking 'How can I score a goal?
How can I make that free-kick?' "I wasn't thinking about wearing Maradona's
shirt or that he was the best player in the world."
'If it's going to be necessary to be a little bit nasty then I will become
nasty. It's not a problem for me. Ask my children!'
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DICKS: I'D BE ZO HAPPY TO RETURN - The People
WEST HAM Zola warns: 'I'll sort out awkward squad'
West Ham legend Julian Dicks has told Gianfranco Zola: I'd love to join your
Upton Park revolution. He said he would "walk back to the club from Spain
tomorrow" to join the Italian's backroom staff. Zola, unveiled as the club's
manager on a three-year contract, has yet to appoint his coaching team. A
number of West Ham fans have voiced their discontent over a former Chelsea
player taking over and the board may want to appease them by bringing in an
East End favourite. Paolo Di Canio has already been mentioned but Dicks, who
lives in Spain, admits he would jump at the chance to make a permanent
return to east London. Dicks said: "I made it perfectly clear to West Ham
that I would walk back to the club tomorrow. I put in a request when Glenn
Roeder and Alan Pardew took charge. "I know people have been talking about
Di Canio and you need someone who cares about the club. "We both showed so
much passion when we were playing for the club and that is what the West Ham
fans are looking for." But Dicks believes Zola has got to stand up to the
West Ham board after former manager Alan Curbishley accused them of going
behind his back when it came to transfer activity. He said: "If you have got
anything about you as a person, you are not going to be told as a manager
who buys your players. "He will need to be ruthless and ensure he is making
his own decisions."
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West Brom 3-2 West Ham: Gianfranco Zola sees Hammers throw it away - the
Mirror
By Ralph Ellis, sundaymirror.co.uk 14/09/2008
They've probably started teaching Gianfranco Zola the words to I'm Forever
Blowing Bubbles. If he wondered why the song belongs so well to his new club
then he knows now. Just when it looked like Hammers could mark his arrival
with a win, then at least a point, those Bubbles faded and died all over
again. This was cavalier capers. You attack, we attack, and see who scores
most. It was too much even for Albion boss Tony Mowbray's love of flair.
Three minutes into injury time, Luke Moore was still trying to score a
fourth instead of taking the ball to the corner to sit on Chris Brunt's
83rd-minute winner. "We've had that conversation in the dressing room
already," said Mowbray. "I preach entertainment all week, but there's still
a time and a place. "The game could have easily finished 6-6, but it can't
be like that every week."
Hammers clearly thought they should take their new boss's insistence he
wanted football to be fun to the letter. Zola, who will take over properly
tomorrow morning, wore the bemused look of a man who couldn't quite fathom
what he had just seen. It was fast, flowing, exciting, in the West Ham
tradition. But as so often down the years, it ended with no reward.
Caretaker boss Kevin Keen said: "Zola came in the dressing room and just
told the lads they were unlucky and he'd see them on Monday. "Was it too
much fun? Well maybe there was a bit of me in that too because I was not the
most defensive player. "I just wish we'd been better organised after we went
2-1 in front because we let them back in so quickly."
A goal up after three minutes when James Morrison met Borja Valero's cross,
West Brom set the tone as they threw caution to the wind in search of a
second. Instead, they were pulled to pieces by the skill and passing of Mark
Noble. Despite losing Dean Ashton after 19 minutes with a cut ear, West Ham
equalised when Scott Carson's attempt to save substitute David Di Michele's
header broke into Noble's path. Hammers went in front when Calum Davenport
headed Noble's corner back for skipper Lucas Neill to fire in. Three minutes
later, Robert Green dropped Brunt's free kick, and got a definite touch on
the ball in challenging Leon Barnett, only for referee Lee Probert to award
a penalty that Roman Bednar smashed away. The second half started in the
same breathless way with Green saving from Bednar. But it looked like
settling down until Brunt held off Matthew Upson's challenge to give Albion
their first win back in the Premier League.Not even Zola could say they
didn't deserve it.
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Curbishley Explains Hammers Exit - goal.com
Ex-West Ham manager Alan Curbishley has given his reasons for why he walked
out from Upton Park just over a week ago. The 50-year-old has revealed that
the sale of George McCartney to Sunderland was the final straw, as the club
had already allowed Anton Ferdinand to leave for the Stadium of Light a
couple of days before. West Ham's sponsor XL, a holiday operator, have just
gone into administration and Curbishley feels the board at West Ham knew
this was going to happen, so they sold off some of the club's better players
without Curbishley's consent. Speaking to Sky Sports' 'Goals on Sunday',
Curbishley said, "My big thing was George McCartney leaving the club. "My
big problem was that after Anton Ferdinand left I was told that we could go
to the January transfer window before anybody else would leave the club - I
came out and said that to the players before the Macclesfield game and in
the press after that game and again after the Blackburn game - but things
changed dramatically in that 24 hours. "I think you can see with what's
happened in the last couple of days with XL and whatever that, perhaps, it
(McCartney's sale) was a financial decision."
The Hammers have been quick to find a replacement manager, with former
Chelsea striker Gianfranco Zola taking charge at Upton Park, but with the
club's 3-2 defeat at West Brom yesterday, Zola has a lot to do to turn the
club's fortunes around.
Nicky Turner, Goal.com
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Hammers horror gives Gianfranco Zola much to think about - Telegraph
West Brom (2) 3 West Ham (2) 2
By Jonathan Wilson at The Hawthorns
Last Updated: 9:14PM BST 13 Sep 2008
A shambles. A highly entertaining shambles admittedly, but this was football
as scripted by the Marx Brothers. West Ham had shown their capacity for
farce in the baffling 4-1 victory over Blackburn two weeks ago, but this was
100 times sillier. As West Brom manager Tony Mowbray said: "It could have
been 6-6." Kevin Keen, in his first and only game in charge of West Ham,
referred to it as "a whirlwind".
If Gianfranco Zola had been sitting in the stands as a neutral, he would
have enjoyed himself immensely; as the man who will take up the managerial
reins at Upton Park on Monday, he must have felt a deep sense of foreboding.
"I like a challenge," Zola said. "It's something which gives me a spark."
Which is just as well. He needs to instil some sort of structure into this
West Ham side. Zola insists that, for all his nice-guy image, he is tough
enough to do so. "Trust me, to have authority or respect, you don't have to
shout all the time," he said. "If it is going to be necessary for me to
become a little bit nasty then I will become nasty, it's not a problem for
me."
He may have to be. Two wins in the first three games of the season had
rather disguised the all-too-obvious flaws in West Ham's make-up.
Against West Brom, the ugly rectangular patch covering the XL logo — their
sponsorship deal came to an end after the holiday company went into
administration on Friday — made them look like anorexic Teletubbies, and
their happy-go-lucky defending did little to dispel the image.
No wonder West Ham are so keen to bring in somebody with the defensive nous
of Steve Clarke to assist their new manager. They are prepared to go to
court to secure the services of the former Chelsea defender, who tendered
his resignation as Luiz Felipe Scolari's number two on Friday. Chelsea have
demanded £5 million in compensation, a figure that has left West Ham
bewildered given that he has only two years remaining on his £600,000-a-year
contract.
There was some wonderful football, but none of it had anything to do with
stopping the opposition scoring. West Ham were slow to regroup as Chris
Brunt's third-minute cross scooted across the box, letting an inadequately
marked James Morrison give West Brom the lead from Borja Valero's cross.
Mark Noble levelled after Scott Carson had saved from David di Michele, an
early introduction after Dean Ashton was left needing stitches in his ear
following an aerial clash with Leon Barnett. With the away side apparently
rampant, all flicks and back-heels, Lucas Neill swept in Calum Davenport's
knockdown. Two minutes later, though, Rob Green spilled a cross, and hauled
down Barnett as he sought to recover: Roman Bednar converted.
At that stage, anything could have happened. West Brom are far from
watertight themselves. Mowbray admitted that in an ideal world he would not
have played the Swedish defender Jonas Olsson, signed from NEC Nijmegen on
transfer deadline day. After one training session, he was still struggling
to adapt. "He came to me and asked what the boy Brunt's first name was,"
Mowbray said. On 83 minutes the boy Brunt, 23, collected Paul Robinson's
ball as West Ham broke, turned inside Matthew Upson and rolled a calm finish
into the bottom corner. By now, you imagine, Olsson is well aware that
Brunt's first name is Chris.
Zola, too, will be burdened with new knowledge: the realisation that he has
taken on an enormous task. As a match, it was frenetic and fun, chaotic and
comic, but, for West Ham, it was ultimately unsatisfactory: all in all, a
characteristic welcome.
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Brunt shocks West Ham - the Times
Late 3-2 loss to Premier League newcomers West-Bromwich-Albion gives new
West Ham boss a warning of the tough job ahead
Celebration time: James Morrison of West Bromwich-Albion celebrates his goal
against West Ham on the way to a 3-2 win
John Aizlewood
WEST HAM UNITED had only eight managers during the entire 20th century.
Tomorrow, when Gianfranco Zola joins a club in turmoil both on and off the
field and becomes their fifth helmsman of the 21st, he might just comprehend
that his task is to clean out East London's very own Augean Stables.
Although he visited the dressing room afterwards, the little man remained
inscrutable in the directors' box as he watched his new charges hand West
Bromwich Albion their first Premier League victory of the season.
After an exhilarating afternoon, Zola had much to ponder from the third
minute, when Albion's Chris Brunt scuffed a cross from the left. It drifted
to the right, where Borja Valero introduced himself to The Hawthorns by
ignoring overlapping full-back Carl Hoefkens and crossing for James Morrison
to leap above a flat-footed Matthew Upson and head past Robert Green for
Albion's maiden Premier League goal from open play.
Shambolic in defence post-Anton Ferdinand, George McCartney and even John
Pantsil, if the opening was bad for the visitors, it got worse before 20
minutes had passed as Dean Ashton was replaced after taking Leon Barnett's
elbow to his ear and receiving seven stitches for his trouble, and Albion
also missed a veritable smorgasbord of chances.
Roman Bednar headed wide of an open goal after Green had flapped at a
corner; Barnett hit the side-netting with an effort that was a dictionary
definition of the phrase "centre-half's shot" and when Robert Koren sprinted
through West Ham's flimsy central defence a second seemed inevitable until
the Slovenian's feeble shot.
At that point you'd have bet your shirt; an unsponsored one for both teams
since Albion have mysteriously failed to secure one and the demise of the
holiday company XL forced the visitors to rather shabbily cover the
company's logos with patches rather than use new shirts; on a home
landslide. But as Albion manager Tony Mowbray has pointed out, things are
never quite as they seem at the highest level and for all the undeniably
Premier League quality of their approach play, Albion still defend like
Championship makeweights. "It could have been 6-6," noted Mowbray.
First Calum Davenport's cross was met by David Di Michele's downwards header
as Paul Robinson chose to appeal for offside rather than jump. Scott Carson
fumbled and Mark Noble gleefully tapped home. Then, Noble's corner was met
at the back post by Davenport, who nodded down for Lucas Neill to crash home
his first West Ham goal.
The mayhem continued unabated. Green fumbled a Brunt free kick into
Barnett's path. The goalkeeper promptly felled him and Bednar smashed home
the penalty. So, after 45 minutes of thrilling attacking, inept defending
and wayward finishing, we were right back where we started.
There was no respite in the second period as both teams, having no defensive
laurels to rest upon, flung themselves at each other. At one end Carson was
foiling Bednar and at the other, a Noble corner created havoc and Di Michele
tried an overhead kick when a more utilitarian approach might have been
better.
Slowly, though, the balance of possession began to tilt the home side's way,
but when the ball fell to Jonas Olsson 10 yards out, the debutant
centre-half with the turning circle of the Titanic, more concrete booted
than spring-heeled, stood on it.
Albion's winner came when Robinson hurtled up the left and his tantalisingly
weighted pass found Brunt, who outpaced Upson with eyebrow-rais-ing ease and
after initially getting the ball caught in his feet, prodded it past Green.
Oh, we should have got something," lamented caretaker manager Kevin Keen.
"Next week I'll sit down with the new manager and see where we go from here,
but this has been a great experience."
Naturally, Albion had neither the serenity nor the clinical nature to sail
home insouciantly and before that no-win monkey was finally quelled, Carson
had to save brilliantly from an unmarked Scott Parker at point-blank range.
"It's a relief," admitted Mowbray, "but now we've got to keep winning. We
must improve.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Don't be hoodwinked by Gianfranco Zola's 'Mr Nice Guy' image - Telegraph
West Ham's players should not expect ranting and raving from Gianfranco Zola
in his first training session - he is far too much of a gentleman.
By Graeme Le Saux
Last Updated: 12:14PM BST 14 Sep 2008
MBehind the facade: The fact that Zola is one of the game's nice guys does
not mean he is not a bloody-minded winner Photo: Steve Yarnell
Rather than adopt the hairdryer approach of some managers, Franco will win
people's respect with his charm and his manner, and that is no less
effective.
Franco is a man players will not want to let down. He will offer them
responsibility and they will be desperate not to disappoint. He is such an
honest, genuine man that his new charges will give their all for him.
There is a view among Chelsea fans of Franco as the Knight of Stamford
Bridge, a hero as pure as the driven snow. But the fact that he is one of
the game's nice guys does not mean he is not a bloody-minded winner.
On one occasion in our six years together at Chelsea, we were playing a
training game under Claudio Ranieri – seven-a-side and next goal wins.
Franco had the ball on the wing and ran it out of play. I stopped trying to
tackle him, but he suddenly cut inside and unleashed a beautiful curling
shot to win the game.
"It went out, Franco," I told him. "No, no, no," he said. "Was in." I looked
to the manager for salvation, but he simply said: "Franco wouldn't lie."
They saw him as so honest that the very idea he may have pulled a fast one
never even entered their heads.
"One day I'll write a book and tell everyone what a cheat you are," I said
to him afterwards.
"OK, you write your book," he replied. "And when I write my book I will say
you look at me in the showers." That isolated incident aside, Franco is
self-effacing, humble and incredibly hard working. The essence of Franco is
that he never took his fantastic ability for granted.
At Chelsea, he paid his own money for a wooden defensive wall to practice
his free-kicks because we didn't have one. He even took it home at the end
of the day. When you see someone that talented working so hard to hone his
craft, you want to practise even more to be as good as you can be.
That is how he will approach management – leading by example. He was never
satisfied with the physical side of the game or ever thought he had
perfected something. That desire for constant improvement will rub off on
people.
Joining West Ham is a decision he has really thought through. I spoke to him
on Tuesday as he was preparing his Italy under-21 side to face Croatia. He
was exhausted, not having slept for days thinking about whether he should
take the post or not.
That is not to suggest he didn't want the job. He just wanted to make sure
whatever decision he took would be right for him, his family and for West
Ham. He has weighed up every eventuality and based his decision on that.
The only advice I gave him was that whatever decision he made would be the
right one. I believe it's a great fit, but there are two factors that need
to be right if he is to fulfil his potential.
Firstly, he must make sure he can manage expectations. Any success he has
will be relative – what do the club want? Secondly, the support structure
around him has to be right. I can see why he wants to bring in Steve Clarke
from Chelsea, and understand why Steve wants to go.
He has been a great stabilising force at Stamford Bridge for almost 20 years
but under another regime it's no surprise he's questioning what his role is.
Management now is not about one figure, but the backroom team. With good
people around him, I'd bet on it being a great move for Franco, West Ham and
for football.
Franco is one of those people who takes the tribalism out of sport. There'll
be a lot of goodwill because people will want to see him do well – and he'll
need that goodwill as he finds his feet.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Zola sees West Ham have all the thrills but too many spills - Daily Mail
By Peter Higgs Last updated at 7:05 PM on 14th September 2008
West Brom 3 West Ham 2
There you are, Mr Zola. Now you know what you've let yourself in for. You
have a West Ham side full of verve and skill but also capable of letting the
bottom team come from behind to claim its first victory of the season.
Plenty to work on then. In truth, this was an absolutely cracking game that
was a credit to the Premier League, with both teams showing quality and a
willingness to attack, but also a frailty in defence which kept the
excitement high. New West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola, who succeeded Alan
Curbishley in midweek but will not take charge of team affairs until
tomorrow, promised he will bring back a free-flowing attacking style in the
true Hammers tradition. On this evidence, a former Chelsea hero has players
at his disposal to form the basis of the kind of entertainment the East End
fans demand. But as Zola will not need reminding, his primary task will be
to win matches and that's where the present squad is less than convincing.
Yet, in fairness, on the evidence of this action, plenty of sides will come
to the Hawthorns this season and go away empty handed. West Brom, aiming to
stabilise themselves in the top flight after winning promotion last season,
may be near the foot of the table at the moment but have enough about them
to climb into mid-table. Manager Tony Mowbray's philosophy of playing good
football deserves to reap dividends and will surely do so if, like Italian
Zola, he can find a way to be more secure at the back.
Yet few were complaining about the level of enjoyment from a pulsating match
which hardly dropped in pace from start to finish. Albion were ahead as soon
as the third minute when the club's record signing Borja Valero, snapped up
for £5million from Real Mallorca, provided the perfect cross for James
Morrison to send a downward header past Robert Green. After Albion's lively
start, the visitors began to get a foothold in the action midway through the
first half only for one of their recent signings, Valon Behrami, to waste
the best chance, shooting over the bar from 15 yards after excellent work
from Carlton Cole. Yet that miss was soon forgotten, with the Hammers
striking twice in the space of seven minutes to turn the game on its head.
First, England Under-21 midfielder Mark Noble tapped in the equaliser after
Behrami's header had been only partially saved by Albion goalkeeper Scott
Carson.
Then, after Carson had produced a superb save to deny substitute David Di
Michele, West Ham skipper Lucas Neill put them in front with a rare but
extremely well-taken goal. Noble's corner was headed back across the penalty
area by Calum Davenport and the Australian Neill lashed a first-time
left-foot volley into the net.
But just when West Ham were poised to take control of the match a defensive
blunder let Albion back on terms. And the blame must be laid at the feet of
Green.
The normally reliable goalkeeper made a hash of a comparatively harmless
cross, fumbled the ball and then, in trying to retrieve it, brought down
Leon Barnett.
Referee Lee Probert pointed to the penalty spot and Roman Bednar sent Green
the wrong way to score his second spot-kick of the season and send the teams
in level at half-time. The pace rarely slackened in the second half but the
defences tightened up and it was a question of who could find the spark to
snatch a late winner.
West Brom proved up to the task and Zola will have noticed that the winning
goal came from a West Ham corner, taken by Hammers substitute Julien
Faubert.
Albion showed their speed on the break as full-back Paul Robinson raced down
the left before supplying a pass which Chris Brunt controlled neatly before
sweeping past Green into the far corner of the net for his first Premier
League goal. It was a thrilling game that deserved a winning goal. It was
Albion's day. But West Ham showed their new boss that there is enough
material at his disposal to make them successful.
WEST BROM (4-5-1): Carson; Hoefkens, Barnett, Olsson, Robinson; Morrison
(Kim 64min), Greening, Valero (Moore 64), Koren, Brunt; Bednar (Cech 86).
Subs (not used): Kiely, Beattie, MacDonald, Donk. Booked: Kim.
WEST HAM (4-4-2): Green; Neill, Davenport, Upson, Ilunga; Behrami (Faubert
65), Noble, Parker, Boa Morte (Etherington 79); Cole, Ashton (Di Michele
19). Subs (not used): Lastuvka, Mullins, Bellamy, Tomkins. Booked: Di
Michele.
Referee: L Probert (Wiltshire).
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Irons set for Arab takeover? -Echo
11:31pm Saturday 13th September 2008
By Rob Pritchard »
WEST Ham United could be the subject of a takeover bid from Dubai Investment
Capital (DIC), the Middle East-based group who tried to buy Liverpool
earlier this year. According to reports, DIC are desperate to follow the
example set by Arab counterpart Abu Dhabi United Group, who bought
Manchester City a fortnight ago.
And, with their efforts to secure Liverpool hitting a number of stumbling
blocks, the group have made preliminary enquiries about buying the Irons
from the consortium Icelandic billionaire Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson. Banker and
shipping tycoon Gudmundsson only took over at Upton Park himself in an
£85million deal in November 2006, but the worldwide banking crisis may see
him consider a bid for the club. DIC, who are being advised in their
dealings by London investment firm PCP, have set-up a new company – PCP-DIC
Seven Ltd – to complete a buy-out of a Premier League club. Meanwhile,
Irons' caretaker manager Kevin Keen was left to wonder what might have been
after seeing his side slip to a disappointing 3-2 defeat at West Bromwich
Albion. Reserve team boss Keen, who took charge following Alan Curbishley's
resignation and stood down to make way for Gianfranco Zola today, watched
his lose a rollercoaster of match at The Hawthorns. The Hammers fell behind
within two minutes, lost star striker Dean Ashton to a head injury, fought
back to lead 2-1, suffered a terrible penalty decision to lose their lead
and finally succumbed to a Chris Brunt goal on the counter-attack with just
seven minutes remaining. Afterwards Keen was in philosophical mood. "We
conceded an early goal and saw Deano go off to have six or seven stitches
put into his ear which was not pretty," he observed. "The recovery from
being one-nil down and seeing Deano go off was a great reaction. "It was
disappointing to lose the second goal so quickly after getting in front. As
the away team, it was disappointing, especially with the amount of senior
players and leaders we've got in our team." Keen also revealed that new boss
Zola had visited the away dressing room after the game, but had decided not
to give his input on his new team's performance. "He popped into the
dressing room for a quick chat and there was nothing big, he just said
'Unlucky, – see you on Monday'."
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Upson excited by Zola - SSN
Defender voices backing for new Hammers boss
By James Dall Last updated: 14th September 2008
Matthew Upson believes Gianfranco Zola will command 'instant respect' when
he commences his role as West Ham United manager on Monday. Former Chelsea
forward Zola watched from the Hawthorns stands at the weekend as the Hammers
slumped to a 3-2 loss against West Bromwich Albion. The Italian officially
takes over his managerial position at the beginning of the week as he
prepares the squad for his first game in charge versus Newcastle United at
Upton Park. Centre-back Upson is looking forward to working under Zola, who
enjoyed an illustrious career as a player, and has backed the coach to
succeed. He said: "Zola's appointment is interesting. I think he will bring
a really good culture to the club. I think he was very professional as a
player which would indicate he is going to carry on down that route as a
manager. "I think he has got a love for football and wants people to enjoy
playing in a good atmosphere and it will be interesting to see how he
develops that. I think it is a very positive move. "I think the Italians,
having just spent 10 days with England and Fabio Capello, have very sure and
very sound thoughts on football. They spend a lot of time and technical and
tactical play. "I know the Premier League is a lot about the physical
challenges but I think Italians are very organised and will bring a
different type of culture to West Ham that it hasn't had before."
The 29-year-old added: "I think Zola will get instant respect which always
helps a manager coming in. He will get his respect because people respected
him as a player and that always helps when you come into a changing room of
players. "I also don't think there should be any fears about him having
little managerial experience. That was something for the board when they
appointed him. "But, as players, we are just delighted to have someone here
who has got playing experience and a love for the game that he has."
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JOSE RECOMMENDED CLARKE TO ZOLA - Football365
Posted 15/09/08 09:18
Jose Mourinho reportedly recommended Steve Clarke to new West Ham boss
Gianfranco Zola, as Chelsea demand £5million in compensation for their
coach. Clarke, who served as Mourinho's assistant in his three seasons at
Stamford Bridge, was identified early on as Zola's preferred choice for his
own number two at Upton Park.
Luiz Felipe Scolari appeared to pave the way for Clarke to leave, but now
The Guardian claims Chelsea are apparently demanding close to £5million in
compensation after rejecting his resignation last week. However, The Daily
Telegraph reports that fee will be closer to £1.2million. While Zola played
with Clarke at Chelsea, he had little knowledge of his skills as a coach, so
turned to Mourinho for advice. Clarke proved to be an immensely popular
figure among the Chelsea squad and an able coach, so Zola informed the West
Ham hierarchy that he was his preferred choice. Word that Mourinho suggested
West Ham poach Clarke is unlikely to go down well at Stamford Bridge, who
may regard it as disrespectful to undermine his former club.
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West Ham prepare legal battle to get Steve Clarke - Telegraph
West Brom (2) 3 West Ham (2) 2
By Jonathan Wilson at The Hawthorns
Last Updated: 11:17PM BST 14 Sep 2008
West Ham are prepared for a legal battle to appoint Steve Clarke as their
assistant manager as Chelsea refuse to revise an extraordinary demand for £5
million in compensation to let him leave.
That figure has been rejected out of hand by West Ham, who regard £1 million
as their starting point for negotiations to release Clarke from his
£600,000-a-year contract at Stamford Bridge, which has two years to run.
Chelsea are accused by West Ham of basing their hardline position on a
television interview given last week by Kia Joorabchian, in which the
transfer consultant claimed Clarke would be ideal for new manager Gianfranco
Zola after their previous success together in west London.
The implication is that West Ham have attempted a 'tapping-up', which they
deny by arguing Clarke has been marginalised at Chelsea under Luiz Felipe
Scolari after 21 years of service and wants to develop his career where he
would be more involved.
In a more aggressive stance West Ham now add that the only way Chelsea can
stop Clarke, put on gardening leave after his resignation was turned down,
is to injunct him. Further talks are expected today between chief executive
Scott Duxbury and opposite number Peter Kenyon, with West Ham insisting they
are ready to "go legal".
Chelsea's intransigence is likely to have been informed by their own ordeal
in recruiting sporting director Frank Arnesen from Tottenham three years
ago, when they were asked for £10 million in compensation and ultimately
settled for £6 million.
The urgency of creating a coherent coaching system was not lost on West Ham
on Saturday when Zola, sitting in the directors' box at The Hawthorns,
watched his side lose to West Bromwich after a display of shambolic
defending.
Zola is eager to be reunited with Clarke after being impressed by the
intensity of his training methods at Chelsea and his close relationship with
the players; in response West Ham have contacted his former mentor, Jose
Mourinho, who has told them the Scot is the right man for the job.
Kevin Keen, who took charge of this disorganised defeat, is set to be
retained on West Ham's coaching staff but centre-back Matthew Upson
predicted that Zola would engineer some much-needed reform – notably, a
combination of the manager's signature of vibrant attack with the Italian
instinct for shrewd defence.
"He brings a really good culture to the club," Upson said. "He was
professional as a player, which would indicate he will carry on down that
route as a manager."
West Bromwich, who twice came from behind in the first half through James
Morrison and a Roman Bednar penalty to cancel out strikes by Mark Noble and
Lucas Neill – only to seal the win with Chris Brunt's late crisp finish –
were content merely to defy predictions they would not score enough goals to
stay up.
Zola watch
Gianfranco Zola stopped by the West Ham dressing-room only to offer his
sympathy for their undoing by West Bromwich but he insisted that he would
earn their respect the diplomatic way, not by hurling tea-cups.
"There may be things that can go wrong but I'm focusing on positive things,"
he said. "My first target will be to establish positive thinking. In
football as in life you have to stay positive and think only of the good
things that can happen to you."
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West Bromwich 3 West Ham 2: Zola discovers size of task on and off field
By Glenn Moore
Monday, 15 September 2008
Independent.co.uk
How to win over West Ham fans? Start a row with Chelsea. The only problem
for Gianfranco Zola is that the increasingly bitter dispute with his former
club is over the desire to bring in Steve Clarke, who will further the
Chelsea orientation of the Hammers dug-out.
For all the talk about Zola's personality transcending tribal rivalries
there are clearly reservations among Hammers fans. Their travelling support
is among the Premier League's most vociferous but after 10 minutes at the
Hawthorns they fell silent. There was no easy response to the home fans'
chant of "Zola's a Chelsea fan".
However, if Mark Hughes can be accepted at Manchester City, Zola must have a
chance at Upton Park and the other way to win over the fans is through
results. To that end Clarke, a defensive organiser, would be a valuable
recruit. After watching West Brom edge an attractive, if error-strewn game
between two permeable teams Zola remained for a while in his seat, looking
pensive. Alongside him various Hammers executives, now acutely aware that
Zola is going to need experienced help to fix the team's defensive shambles,
were hardening their stance on Clarke.
West Ham are understood to be "bewildered" and "frustrated" at Chelsea's
"farcial, bizarre and unfortunate" demand for £5m compensation for a man who
had just two years of his £600,000 per annum contract to run, and had been
"marginalised" by the arrival of Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Clarke resigned on Friday after West Ham had been refused permission to
speak to him. The next step, West Ham suspect, is that Chelsea will seek an
injunction to prevent Clarke crossing the capital. If necessary the Hammers,
who believe Chelsea's response is in part motivated by pique at West Ham
appointing a Chelsea legend as manager, are prepared for "the legal battle".
West Ham might be prepared to pay up to £1m, though they feel a fair price
is half that and are further constrained by the implications of last week's
collapse of XL. Not only were XL shirt sponsors – the logo was obscured by
patches sewn on to the shirts at Albion – Hammers owner Bjorgolfur
Gudmundsson stands to lose millions with the travel company's demise.
Unsettling though this may be, all Zola can influence is events on the
pitch. He starts work today with the advantage granted all great players.
"He will get instant respect," said Matthew Upson. "There is a very good
positive mood towards his arrival.
"It is an interesting appointment. I think he brings a really good culture
to the club. He was very professional as a player which would indicate he
will carry on that as a manager. Having spent 10 days in the England squad
with [Fabio] Capello I think the Italians are very sure of their thoughts on
football. They are very sound and spend a lot of time on technical and
tactical play. I know the Premier League is very physical but they will
bring a different type of culture to West Ham."
Carlton Cole, a former Chelsea team-mate of Zola's, was even more
enthusiastic. "I was so happy when he got the job. He's a proper pro. He'll
always put 100 per cent into everything he does. I don't see it as a risk,
he's been through all levels of football and I think he'll do a great job
here.
"He's one of those guys that, if he sees something wrong in your game, he'll
tell you and how you can improve it. He was always out on the pitch after
training doing extra work for half-an-hour and he'd tell me to do the same
thing. There's not a lot of young players who do that now. Those kind of
things really rub off on you. He made an impact on my life."
Cole, like several West Ham players, promises more than he delivers. If Zola
can enable him to develop his talent the striker could become a significant
player. On Saturday Cole led the line well, but never looked like scoring.
Nevertheless Hammers appeared set for victory when Mark Noble and Lucas
Neill punished loose defending to put them ahead, overturning the early lead
established by James Morrison's glancing header. But Roman Bednar soon
levelled from the spot and a see-saw game went Albion's way when Chris Brunt
broke away with 10 minutes left.
"You don't want to be going into every game looking for your first three
points so hopefully it's a kick-start to the season," said the winger.
Barely a month into the season and already clubs are looking for new
beginnings. Zola will hope to achieve his on Saturday, against a club in
even greater chaos, Newcastle.
Goals: Morrison (2) 1-0; Noble (29) 1-1; Neill (35) 1-2; Bednar (37) 2-2;
Brunt (84) 3-2.
West Bromwich Albion (4-4-1-1): Carson; Hoefkens, Barrett, Olsson, Robinson;
Morrison (Kim, 65), Valero (Moore, 65), Koren, Brunt; Greening; Bednar
(Cech, 86).Substitutes not used: Kiely (gk), Beattie, MacDonald, Donk.
West Ham United (4-4-2): Green; Neill, Davenport, Upson, Ilunga; Behrami
(Faubert, 66), Parker, Noble, Boa Morte (Etherington, 78); Ashton (Di
Michele, 25), Cole. Substitutes not used: Lastuvka (gk), Mullins, Bellamy,
Tomkins.
Booked: West Brom Kim; West Ham Di Michele.
Referee: L Probert (Wiltshire).
Man of the match: Carson.
Attendance: 26,213.
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Mourinho told West Ham to poach Clarke from Chelsea
Sachin Nakrani The Guardian, Monday September 15 2008
Chelsea's determination to prevent their assistant first-team coach, Steve
Clarke, from joining West Ham is likely to be strengthened after if emerged
that Jose Mourinho had recommended the Scot to Gianfranco Zola, the new
manager at Upton Park.
Mourinho and Clarke enjoyed a fruitful partnership during their three years
at Stamford Bridge and the Portuguese has told Zola to make Clarke's
appointment as his assistant a priority. Zola and Mourinho spoke on the
phone shortly after the Italian was confirmed as Alan Curbishley's
replacement on Thursday.
Zola played with Clarke during his seven-year spell at Chelsea but has no
experience of him as a coach. So he turned to Mourinho, who promoted Clarke
from youth-team coach to his assistant after becoming Chelsea's manager in
June 2004. They won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and two League
Cups.
Mourinho, now at Internazionale, believes Zola would receive the same
support and high-level coaching from Clarke as he enjoyed at Chelsea. Zola
has told West Ham's chief executive, Scott Duxbury, to continue the pursuit
of Clarke despite the feud it has created with his former employers.
News of Mourinho's intervention will no doubt infuriate Chelsea officials,
who are making it as difficult as possible for Clarke to leave. The former
full-back's resignation was rejected on Friday before Chelsea, having agreed
over the weekend to allow the 45-year-old to move, informed West Ham it will
cost them £5m.
That demand has bewildered the hierarchy at Upton Park because Clarke has
just two years to run on his £600,000-a-year contract and has been
marginalised at Chelsea since Mourinho departed. They also see it as
disrespectful to a man who has given the club almost 20 years' service and
wants a new challenge. West Ham are happy to pay compensation but are not
willing to go higher than £1m and are prepared to take Chelsea to court.
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Chelsea demand West Ham pay £1.2m in compensation for Steve Clarke -
telegraph
Chelsea will reluctantly allow assistant manager Steve Clarke to join former
Stamford Bridge colleague Gianfranco Zola at Upton Park if West Ham pay £1.2
million in compensation charges.
By Matt Lawless
Last Updated: 7:58AM BST 15 Sep 2008
Chelsea officials have reportedly told their London rivals that Clarke can
join them if they pay-up the remaining two years of his salary, understood
to be worth £600,000-per year, contrary to suggestions that chief executive
Peter Kenyon had initially demanded a substantial sum of £4.8 million to
release the long-serving Scot.
Clarke, 45, tendered his resignation last Friday, a day after Zola was
appointed as Alan Curbishley's successor.
Chelsea refused to accept Clarke's request and yesterday he was placed on
gardening leave until the situation between the two clubs is resolved.
According to another report this morning, the only way Chelsea can keep
Clarke, who has served Chelsea for over 20 loyal years, on gardening leave
would be to take out a legal injunction against his potential switch.
Chelsea apparently even offered Clarke a major hike in wages and a more
senior training role, however he rebuffed their efforts to convince him to
stay.
But with his coaching duties in the first-team seriously diluted following
the departure of former manager Jose Mourinho last September.
The Portuguese coach, now in charge of Inter Milan, is said to have told
Clarke to embark on a new challenge at West Ham after learning his former
assistant was deeply upset by the club's recent treatment towards him.
Having previously worked with Zola at Chelsea from 1996 to 2003 the pair
would like to revive their former ties with Clarke viewed by West Ham as the
perfect No. 2.
The club hope that Clarke's penchant for defensive stability will compliment
Zola's wish to invigorate an attacking verve into his new team – something
they desperately require. Their 3-2 weekend defeat to West Brom extended
their unwanted run of 16 games without a clean sheet; a top flight record.
It is expected though, that the clubs will reach a settlement over the
coming days and Zola will be allowed to welcome Clarke as part of his
restructured back room staff ahead of his first Premier League game in
charge at home to managerless Newcastle this weekend.
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Hammers will have to pay £1.2million compensation for Clarke - Echo
8:06am Monday 15th September 2008
WEST HAM have beenhit by the news that they will have to find £1.2million if
they want to employ Steve Clarke. The Chelsea coach has already handed in
his notice at Stamford Bridge, as he seeks to become new Hammers boss
Gianfranco Zola's number two. According to media reports the 45-year-old
Scotsman has been placed on gardening leave by the Blues after they refused
to accept his resignation last week. Recent speculation suggested Chelsea
were looking for a staggering £4.8m compensation package, but according to
the Sun they want far less than that. A report in today's paper claims the
Blues would accept the remaining two years of Clarke's£600,000-a-year
contract being paid up.
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West Ham move for Chelsea's Clarke facing court option
15.09.08 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham's pursuit of Chelsea coach Steve Clarke could be taken to the
courts. The Daily Mail says West Ham will not pay the extraordinary
£4.8million that Chelsea are demanding in compensation for Clarke, who has
less than two years remaining on his £600,000-a-year contract after nearly
21 years at Stamford Bridge. A figure of around £600,000 is seen as
realistic at Upton Park to settle the impasse in an amicable way. But the
only way Chelsea can keep Clarke on gardening leave following his unaccepted
resignation and West Ham's offer to pay off his contract is to take out a
legal injunction, which would devastate Clarke. He was only offered a hike
in wages and a more senior training role after announcing his departure.
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Portsmouth, West Ham table contract offer to Appiah
15.09.08 | tribalfootball.com
Released Fenerbahce midfielder Stephen Appiah has been offered long-term
deals by Premiership clubs West Ham and Portsmouth. Portsmouth and West Ham
have both shown interest in offering Appiah at least a three-year deal.
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West Ham target Clarke can't believe Chelsea treatment
14.09.08 | tribalfootball.com
Steve Clarke is furious over the way Chelsea are blocking his move to West
Ham United. A friend of Clarke told the News of the World: "Steve is deeply
hurt and upset by Chelsea's stance. "Basically, they are treating him with
utter contempt. "He has been nothing but loyal to the club, even when he was
marginalised under Avram Grant. "What is the reward for 21 years of loyalty?
It's having it thrown back in Steve's face. "All he wants to do is further
his career working alongside a friend he has known for over 10 years but
Chelsea seem determined to punish him for that. "He has two years on his
contract which is worth £1.2m but Chelsea want four times that before
they'll even let him speak to West Ham. "Yet they've sorted out the likes of
Shevchenko, Crespo and Veron almost at the drop of the hat — players who've
contributed next to nothing to Chelsea — but they won't do anything for
somebody who has served the club loyally through thick and thin. "He's
really hurt because somebody like Avram Grant earned more in wages and a
pay-off in a year than Steve has earned in 10 years. "Under Grant, Steve was
way down the pecking order behind the likes of Henk Ten Cate — but always
stayed absolutely loyal and did his job. "Now it's obvious he's not as
hands-on under Scolari as he was under Jose Mourinho and wants to move to
another Premier League club where he'll have a chance to be far more
involved. "Yet as soon as he asked, Chelsea have acted so heavy-handedly
that he's beginning to wonder what he's done wrong to be treated like this."
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West Ham boss Zola has swipe at Italian football
14.09.08 | tribalfootball.com
New West Ham United boss Gianfranco Zola has taken a swipe at Italian
football. "Whatever you say, English football is so much better than Italian
football," the former Napoli star told the Observer. "In the 1990s we were a
model for everyone and now we are really going down. It's very sad. We are
paying the price for having bad people involved in football. They really
ruined something, they broke the spirit. "They didn't care about the
football, they cared about themselves. When there's money involved you think
about winning, no matter how you win. It's always the same story - when
there's too much money, principles are put apart. If the money comes for the
good of the game I welcome the money, I'm not stupid. But it has to be for
the good of the game."
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Chelsea demand £5M from West Ham for Clarke
14.09.08 | tribalfootball.com
Chelsea have slapped a massive asking price on West Ham coaching target
Steve Clarke. The Mirror says the Hammers are staggered by Chelsea's demand
for £5million to compensate the Blues for the defection of assistant manager
Clarke. The clubs have failed to resolve the dispute over Clarke's
compensation package.
A West Ham insider said: "We're staggered by Chelsea's excessive demands for
compensation for a person who's been so loyal to them. "We hope we can
resolve the issue in a reasonable manner. We're also confused by the fact
that Scolari has been widely quoted accepting that Steve has moved on, yet
the Chelsea hierarchy say he remains their employee." The source went on:
"In many way this isn't a West Ham-Chelsea dispute. It's about Steve and how
he's being treated by Chelsea.
"It's incredible, given Steve's wish to move on and explanation to all the
parties about why he wanted to leave, that he's being treated like this. "It
just doesn't make any sense. This is a guy who's spent the best part of 21
years of his working life at Stamford Bridge – with a two-year break at
Newcastle. He's been a Chelsea player and coach since 1987. "You'd think
they would recognise his wish to leave and wish him all the best. "Instead
he's going through all this from a club that threw about £5m at Avram Grant
and £3m at Henk Ten Cate last season after they'd failed."
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DIC target Liverpool, West Ham takeover options
14.09.08 | tribalfootball.com
Dubai Investment Capital are ready to launch a new bid for a Premiership
club. The Mirror says Liverpool and West Ham are braced for takeover bids
this month from DIC after the Dubai consortium appointed hot-shot British
businessman Robin Binks to clinch a deal. Dubai Investment Capital, the
private equity fund of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum are determined
to own a Premier League club - particularly after the £200million takeover
of Manchester City by Abu Dhabi United Group. Binks' first target is
Liverpool but they have also since sounded out the Hammers.
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Keen happy with West Ham signings Di Michele, Ilunga in defeat
14.09.08 | tribalfootball.com
Despite defeat at West Brom, West Ham caretaker boss Kevin Keen was pleased
with the showing of new signings David di Michele and Herita Ilunga. He
said: "I thought Herita Ilunga was superb and he will be really good for us.
He only came in on Thursday morning from the Congo DR. I think the
supporters will like him, he's got an aggressive side to him and can get
forward and make things happen." Keen was equally impressed with Di Michele,
after the striker had a major hand in Noble's equaliser. Keen said: "That
was David's first game of the season and to be thrown in like that -
especially the first half - I thought he did really well. He got into a few
pockets and made things happen. Hopefully when he gets a little bit fitter
and gets used to the Premier League he can go on and be very creative for
us."
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