WHUFC.com
Gianfranco Zola has plenty of positives to report before the trip to the
Stadium of Light
21.11.2008
Gianfranco Zola has seen his squad boosted by the safe return of his senior
internationals with all looking to take their good form into the weekend
trip to Sunderland.
Matthew Upson's man of the match display for England in the 2-1 win in
Germany, and success for Craig Bellamy, James Collins and Jack Collison with
Wales away to Denmark left the British contingent on a high. Lucas Neill and
Valon Behrami were also winners with Australia and Switzerland respectively.
To add to the feelgood factor, Zola has seen Diego Tristan move into
contention and had positive news on Herita Ilunga, Kieron Dyer, Jonathan
Spector and Mark Noble.
The manager said: "All the international players are fit. Normally it is a
difficult week after an international but my players all played good games
for their teams. I hope that they can take the enthusiasm of the midweek
game into Sunday, which is going to be very important for us. Looking
forward it is a good match for us and hopefully we are going to be all
right."
Speaking of Upson, Zola said his defender's performance could have a
galvanising effect on the rest of the squad. "His experience and his
enthusiasm can help the other players," the manager said. "The national team
is great. It can help a player and help his team-mates. To play alongside an
international team player is good.
"Matthew was confident, full of smiles yesterday and today. It is good, the
national team can be very important for the players and for him it can be
even more. He scored as well. I'm pretty much sure he is going to play a
great match on Sunday. It is good for [Fabio] Capello … it is very important
for Matthew that he has proved he can play in place of John Terry or Rio
Ferdinand."
Further forward, Carlton Cole is close to agreeing a new five-year contract
with the club - with Zola suggesting the deal underlined the "good future
for this club" in retaining key players for the long term. The manager
restated that he may look to trim the playing staff in January due to the
sheer size of his squad - particularly now the medical department have
reduced the number of long-term injured to just Danny Gabbidon and Dean
Ashton.
Of those back in Zola's thoughts, Ilunga has recovered from the minor foot
injury sustained against Portsmouth, while Tristan could make his first
appearance for the club on Sunday. Looking further ahead, Dyer is getting
closer to a return after completing another week of full training, while
Mark Noble (calf) and Jonathan Spector (hip) are expected to resume full
training on Monday.
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Upson living the dream
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are set to feel the benefit of a great week personally for
England's Matthew Upson
21.11.2008
Matthew Upson has described how he fulfilled a boyhood dream in scoring for
his country this week in the 2-1 win over Germany.
The defender, who is looking to build on his international success by
helping West Ham United get a good result at Sunderland on Sunday, said it
was a very special milestone in his career. "It was a great feeling to
score, because it is something I have pictured doing since I was a kid. It
was a really great evening, I enjoyed the game, it went well for us and the
whole team played well to get the result. It was a special moment for me."
Upson said while the goal might not have been the most spectacular, the
important thing was that it went into the back of the net. "It wasn't the
best goal I have scored and will score, but I wasn't too fussed! It went in
so I will take that on the goal front," he said. "The ball dropped down and
I just had to get there first to poke the ball in."
He received deserved praise for his overall performance alongside England
captain John Terry and it was a result of continuing hard work by the
meticulous defender. "It is something I have been working on, what I can do
at set-pieces and things like that. I noticed a while ago that in my game
that I wasn't perhaps dangerous enough in this area, so I changed my
approach a little bit and I am now trying to make it a strong point of my
game."
England's victory in Berlin may have 'only' been a friendly, but Upson said
the preparation and the match itself was treated extremely seriously by
everyone in the camp. "Many people call these games friendlies because there
are no points at stake, but we don't treat it like that. The manager
certainly takes it seriously as he does with training. Everything is done
properly, how we train and eat, everything.
"We do all the things we would do for any match, otherwise it is worthless,
and therefore the manger and team can get something positive out of it."
Upson believes the draw against Portsmouth last time out can be used as a
foundation to secure a good result against the Black Cats. "Every place you
go, it is tough," said Upson "But we want to build on last week's draw with
Portsmouth where we got our first clean sheet for a while and had a solid
performance.
"Because we are away from home, we will be defending a lot more but perhaps
hitting teams on the break will suit us a bit. So, maybe we can get in
behind them, as we have the pace with the boys up front and hopefully get
some goals from that. The result is very important for us."
Upson is looking forward to catching up with former team-mates, Anton
Ferdinand and George McCartney. "I haven't really seen Anton or George since
they moved up there, but will be good to see them again. I am sure there
will be a good bit of banter between all the lads, but I will be at the
other end to them on the pitch so won't have to hear too much of that! It
will be good to see them though."
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Sunderland match preview
WHUFC.com
All the early team news and background for Sunday's trip to the north-east
to face Sunderland
21.11.2008
Barclays Premier League
Sunderland v West Ham United
Stadium of Light
Sunday 23 November
4pm
Referee: Mike Dean
WHUTV - Full audio commentary
Introduction
* West Ham United head to Sunderland looking to build on last weekend's 0-0
draw at home to Portsmouth. Manager Gianfranco Zola has a strong squad to
choose from as he pits his wits against a familiar opponent from his playing
days in Roy Keane.
* West Ham United are 14th in the Premier League on 14 points with four wins
and two draws from their opening 13 games and a goal difference of minus
six. Sunderland are eleventh with four wins and three draws, and a goal
difference of minus seven.
* With the current compact nature of the Premier League table, a first win
in eight games could see the Hammers move up to tenth, although it would
need a significant swing in terms of goal difference. The home side could
potentially move into eighth spot with victory.
* Although they suffered a 2-1 defeat at the Stadium of Light last season,
West Ham United had won and drawn on their previous two visits.
* The away team's goalless draw last weekend was their first clean sheet in
25 matches since the 1-0 win at Fulham in February.
* Zola said: "We know exactly the situation and we don't have to think too
much about it. We just need to focus on the next game which is going to be a
tough match and I'm not looking back. I never do that. Sunday is going to be
a different game. Yes we know it's tough but we are going to give our best
as we always have done so far and maybe this time it will be a different
story."
* Speaking of Zola, Keane said: "He's certainly one of the Premier League's
better imports, most people would say that. Not just on the pitch, off it as
well; he came across as a pretty decent bloke and played the game in the
right spirit. Everyone took to him as a player and hopefully he will be a
good manager. He has the credentials and qualities and Sunday will be a
tough test for us, West Ham have some good players."
* West Ham United are next in top flight action on Monday 1 December when
they make the trip to face Liverpool. Sunderland welcome Bolton Wanderers on
Saturday 29 December.
Last time out
Saturday 15 November - West Ham United 0-0 Portsmouth
West Ham United: Green, Neill, Collins, Upson, Ilunga (Faubert 61), Behrami,
Parker (Mullins 75), Collison, Sears (Etherington 46), Cole, Bellamy
Subs not used: Lastuvka, Davenport, Bowyer, Di Michele
Saturday 15 November - Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Sunderland
Sunderland: Fulop, Bardsley, Ferdinand, Nosworthy, Collins, Tainio (Reid
53), Whitehead, Richardson, Malbranque (Leadbitter 83), Cisse (Yorke 83),
Jones
Subs not used: Colgan, Diouf, Murphy, Henderson
Goals: Jones 49, Cisse 71
Team news
* Zola has Diego Tristan in contention after he returned to full training
this week following a foot injury picked up in reserve action. All the
internationals returned back with no problems, although Matthew Etherington
has a slight muscle strain and could be rested.
* Herita Ilunga has trained normally this week despite having to come off
against Portsmouth last week with a foot problem.
* Mark Noble (calf) and Jonathan Spector (hip) are both set to be in full
training next week, alongside Kieron Dyer who is continuing to make good
progress. The midfielder has stepped up his training following the double
leg break sustained in August 2007.
* The likes of Jimmy Walker, James Tomkins, Walter Lopez, Kyel Reid and Luis
Boa Morte are all pushing hard for places in the travelling squad.
* Only Danny Gabbidon and Dean Ashton remain on the long-term casualty list
with both working hard on their rehabilitation from abdominal and ankle
problems respectively.
* Nigel Quashie, Josh Payne and Bondz N'Gala are all still out on loan at
Birmingham City, Cheltenham Town and MK Dons respectively.
* Sunderland have recalled Carlos Edwards from his loan spell at
Wolverhampton Wanderers while goalkeeper Craig Gordon (ankle) and former
Hammers left-back George McCartney (foot) are both unlikely to return from
injuries.
Background
* The teams last met on 29 March 2008 at the Stadium of Light, when George
McCartney and Anton Ferdinand were both in the West Ham side.
* The lineups were:
West Ham United: Green, Neill, Ferdinand, Spector, McCartney (Pantsil 46,
Tomkins 74), Ljungberg, Parker, Mullins, Noble, Cole (Solano 65), Ashton.
Subs not used: Walker, Boa Morte
Goal: Ljungberg 18
Sunderland: Gordon, Bardsley, Nosworthy, Evans, Collins, Murphy (O'Donovan
81), Whitehead, Reid, Richardson (Edwards 70), Chopra (Leadbitter 71), Jones
Subs not used: Fulop, Yorke
Goals: Jones 29, Reid 90
* West Ham United last won at the Stadium of Light on 19 October 2002 when
Trevor Sinclair scored the only goal of the game.
* Sunderland will have two former Hammers in their ranks. Ferdinand made 163
appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals, since emerging from the
youth ranks before his summer switch north. McCartney appeared in 71 league
and cup games, with one goal before bringing to an end his two-year stay in
August.
* A third Sunderland player Kieran Richardson had a spell in the club's
Academy before joining Manchester United.
* Robert Green is the only West Ham United player to have featured in every
league and cup game this season, while Matthew Upson has also started every
Premier League match.
* Bowyer will be making his 50th appearance for the club if he plays.
Head to head (last six meetings, league unless stated)
29 March 2008 - Sunderland 2-1 West Ham United
21 October 2008 - West Ham United 3-1 Sunderland
4 February 2006 - West Ham United 2-0 Sunderland
1 October 2005 - Sunderland 1-1 West Ham United
29 April 2005 - West Ham United 1-2 Sunderland
4 December 2004 - Sunderland 0-2 West Ham United
Overall record v Sunderland (all competitions): W 28, D 19, L 28
Barclays Premier League weekend fixtures
Saturday, 22 November 2008 (3pm unless stated)
Aston Villa v Manchester United (5.30pm)
Chelsea v Newcastle United
Liverpool v Fulham
Manchester City v Arsenal
Middlesbrough v Bolton Wanderers
Portsmouth v Hull City
Stoke City v West Bromwich Albion
Sunday 23 November 2008
Tottenham Hotspur v Blackburn Rovers (1.30pm)
Monday 24 November 2008
Wigan Athletic v Everton (8pm)
General information
For ticket information, click here. For details on getting to the Stadium of
Light, click here
Weather: The forecast is for a cold day with snow. The temperature is not
expected to get above 5C.
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All the odds for Sunderland
WHUFC.com
Check out the offers for Sunday's match from official online sports betting
partner JAXX
21.11.2008
West Ham United are on offer at 23/10 to record their second Barclays
Premier League win at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.
Sunderland's 2-1 win there in March, courtesy of Andy Reid's injury-time
winner, was their first victory over West Ham United in their last seven
attempts. Sunderland are 6/5 to beat the Hammers, who have won five of the
last seven meetings between the pair. The draw, which has occurred 17 times
in 66 top flight meetings, is on offer at 23/10 with online bookmaker JAXX.
Djibril Cisse is the only Sunderland player to score a first half Premier
League goal this season. The last Sunderland player to score a first half
goal was Danny Higginbotham in their 3-2 home win against Middlesbrough on
April 26 - over six months ago - with that in mind, Roy Keane's side are 8/5
to be leading at the interval. The visitors will have to watch out for
Cisse, since the enigmatic marksman's only ever Premier League double away
from home came against them - he scored twice in Liverpool's 2-1 win at the
Boleyn Ground in April 2006.
Equally, the Wearside club have bad memories of Craig Bellamy, who has
scored five goals in his last seven appearances against them. In fact, he
has more Premier League goals against Sunderland than any other current side
in the division.
West Ham United are 1/2 when receiving a mythical goal start on the JAXX
Handicap. Sunderland are on offer at 61/20 to win by two clear goals or
more, which has occurred only once in 14 Premier League meetings - a 2-0 win
at the Boleyn Ground in January 2001. The Handicap Draw (i.e. Sunderland to
win by a single-goal margin) is on offer at 53/20.
Sunderland's 2-1 win at Blackburn Rovers in their last Premier League match
was only the third time they have come from behind to win a league match in
the top flight under Keane. The first time this happened was in the 2-1 home
win against Sunday's opponents last season.
JAXX offer Half-time/Full-time betting. It is 4/1 that the game will be
all-square at the interval, with Sunderland going on to prevail. That might
be worth noting that if matches finished after 45 minutes, West Ham would be
in fourth place in the Premier League table.
It is 12/1 for the Hammers to be leading at the break, but ultimately draw
the game. No less than 11 of their 14 Premier League meetings have produced
less than three goals in the game. JAXX offer 17/20 that there will be more
than 2.5 goals scored in total on Sunday and it is 3/4 that there will be
fewer than three goals scored.
JAXX also offer a wealth of exclusive West Ham United Specials. For
instance, it is 17/20 that the team score over 50 league goals this season,
19/10 that they concede fewer than 50 League goals and 9/10 that they tally
more than 46 points this term.
What's more, when you register with JAXX and place your first bet and they
will give you a free matching bet to the value of your own stake, up to £25.
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Sunderland v West Ham
PREMIER LEAGUE
BBC.co.uk
Venue: Stadium of Light Date: Sunday, 23 November Kick-off: 1600 GMT
Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live; Updates on BBC Sport website
& highlights on Match of the Day
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Sunderland will assess the fitness of Kenwyne Jones, Dwight Yorke and Carlos
Edwards after the trio played for Trinidad and Tobago in midweek. Goalkeeper
Craig Gordon is a doubt with an ankle injury while George McCartney (foot)
is rated as 50-50.
West Ham's Spanish striker Diego Tristan needs a fitness test after picking
up a knock in training. Jonathan Spector has recovered from hip surgery and
may return while Herita Ilunga is over his ankle injury.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Sunderland (from): Fulop, Colgan, Bardsley, Chimbonda, Ferdinand, Nosworthy,
Collins, Malbranque, Whitehead, Tainio, Leadbitter, Miller, Yorke,
Richardson, Reid, Diouf, Cisse, Jones, Murphy, Healy.
West Ham (from): Green, Neill, Collins, Upson, Ilunga, Faubert, Parker,
Collison, Mullins, Boa Morte, Bowyer, Bellamy, Sears, Etherington, Walker,
Lastuvka, Lopez, Tomkins, Di Michele, Davenport, Behrami, Cole, Reid,
Tristan, Spector.
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Zola happy with friendlies
West Ham boss glad players have found form
Last updated: 21st November 2008
SSN
Gianfranco Zola has hailed the positive impact the international break has
had on his players. While some Premier League managers have been irked by
the latest round of friendlies, West Ham boss Zola has had no such worries.
The likes of Matthew Upson and Craig Bellamy have performed impressively for
their countries this week and Zola believes the Hammers could benefit. West
Ham are without a win in seven matches ahead of Sunday's game against
Sunderland but Zola is glad some of his players have found form. "Normally
it's a difficult week after internationals but my players all played good
games in their teams," said the Italian. "Some of them like Bellamy and
Upson got a goal as well so I hope they can take the enthusiasm from that
midweek game to Sunderland, which is going to be very important for us."
Zola also believes that Upson's display against Germany has left England
boss Fabio Capello with an interesting selection dilemma. "Matthew has been
confident and full of smiles yesterday and today. It's good. The national
team can be very important for the players. "For him, it's even more
important. He scored and I'm pretty sure he will play a great match on
Sunday. "It's good for Capello as he has a lot of choices. "It's important
for Matthew that he has proved he can play instead of Rio (Ferdinand) and
John Terry. "He's an important player for us. He's experienced and has a lot
of enthusiasm. The national team is great. "In many ways it can help a
player and it also helps his team-mates. To play alongside a national-team
player is something good."
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Keane admits to Zola admiration
TeamTalk.co.uk
Sunderland manager Roy Keane has admitted he liked Gianfranco Zola so much
as a player he did not even want to kick him. The two men found themselves
on opposing sides on many occasions during their illustrious playing
careers, but will face each other from the dug-out at the Stadium of Light
for the first time tomorrow as Sunderland host West Ham. Keane has huge
admiration for the diminutive Italian, and did so even when they were
opponents on the pitch for Manchester United and Chelsea respectively. "He
brought something to the Premier League, without a doubt; [not only] the
fact he was a brilliant player, but the way he played," he said.
"He played with a smile on his face. Everyone liked him, opposition
supporters, even players - you didn't really want to kick him. "You didn't.
You thought, 'If I have to, I will, but it's not my intention before the
game starts to kick him' because he came across really well. "I guarantee
everyone is wishing him well because he played with a spirit in a great
way."
Keane will not be kicking anyone tomorrow as he attempts to guide his side
to a first home win in three attempts in all competitions after a 2-1 league
defeat by Portsmouth and a similar reverse at the hands of Blackburn in the
Carling Cup. The Wearsiders gained their revenge over Paul Ince's side at
Ewood Park last weekend when strikers Kenwyne Jones and Djibril Cisse scored
in the same match for the first time, and the Irishman will hope for more of
the same this time around. Jones, Dwight Yorke and Carlos Edwards, who has
been recalled from a loan spell at Wolves, will be assessed after their
return from international duty with Trinidad and Tobago in midweek, with the
winger hoping for a chance to prove himself once again. Keane said: "The
whole point of Carlos going out in the first place was to get some games
under his belt out on loan. "He is on the back of five, six, seven games, he
has had the full international match this week and I just feel with the
games coming up, particularly now with Kenwyne back with us, Carlos gives us
good options. "He will be back in the squad for Sunday. Whether he starts or
is sub remains to be seen. We will be delighted to have him back because he
is quite a popular lad."
The win at Blackburn was just Sunderland's second in eight league matches
and although they leapt into 11th place as a result, they remain only two
points clear of the drop zone. Keane, meanwhile, will attend a Football
Association hearing on December 18 after denying a charge of improper
conduct over his comments to referee Martin Atkinson during Sunderland's 5-0
defeat at Chelsea earlier this month. He said: "Unfortunately, my hearing is
on December 18, not a good week to get a fine, but there you go, we will go
down and see what happens."
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Zola: Hammers must keep focus
TeamTalk.co.uk
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola insists he is remaining positive despite
his side's alarming run of results of late in the Premier League. The
Hammers have not won in their last seven matches and are 14th in the table
ahead of Sunday's trip to Sunderland, but Zola does not see any reason to be
miserable. He was known for his lighthearted approach as a player for
Chelsea and, he said, as a manager he is no different. "Obviously I can't be
the happiest man in the world because of the situation but I like to keep
positive," said Zola. "If I let myself get down I won't be able to help my
team. I try all the time to be like that and I try to make my players have
the same attitude. "Despite all the interest and money involved, this
remains a game - a wonderful game - and for me to enjoy what it is I have to
stay positive all the time."
The 42-year-old is looking forward to renewing his rivalry with Sunderland
boss Roy Keane, the former Manchester United captain - albeit from the
dugout - but he is under no illusions how tough the trip to the north east
will be. "He was a player I admired very much," Zola added. "He was like
(Portsmouth manager, Tony) Adams in that he was an example to his team and a
leader. "Although it was tough to play against Roy he's one of the ones you
respect a lot. "It's so pleasing to see players you played against for so
many years on the pitch now being managers like me. "It's going to be a
tough match because they are a good side. But it'll be a good test for us.
We know the situation and just need to focus on this game."
Zola is keen to instil in his team the kind of free-flowing, fluid football
for which he was famous at Chelsea, and he insists this approach will not
change even if results are not going his way. "I like the way we play and I
think the club put me in charge because I have this kind of mentality," he
added. "I don't give up my ideas because we are in a bad spell. I keep faith
in my ideas and this is the reason I went into management because I want to
make my ideas work."
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ZOLA IS SMILING THROUGH THE PAIN
Daily Express
Saturday November 22,2008
By Gideon Brooks Have your say(0)
If smiles alone could push back the storm clouds gathering over West Ham's
season, Gianfranco Zola would probably be grinning down from a position near
the top of the Premier League rather than a point above the relegation zone.
But after seven games without a win and with financial pressures building,
West Ham boss Zola finds himself looking, appropriately, to the Stadium of
Light to provide a much needed bright spot in their campaign. Zola, whose
side tackle Sunderland tomorrow, said: "Despite all the interest and all the
money involved, for me this remains a game – a wonderful game – and in order
to enjoy it for what it is I have to keep it positive all the time. "It is
important that we make the players focus on the positive side of things
about their game. They need to keep playing with freedom of initiative and
freedom of mind."
If his is a commendable philosophy, it is also one that will come under
increasing scrutiny if Roy Keane's similarly struggling Sunderland side
manage to inflict another defeat on these happy Hammers. "I understand the
pressure is building, but that doesn't mean that you change your attitude,"
said Zola. "It is very difficult for the players because you worry about
mistakes that might cost us. It is very strange what happens – if you think
of not making mistakes you are more likely to make mistakes. "The club put
me in charge to play with an attacking mentality. The reason I went into
management was to see my ideas work, so let's see. But I'm very positive
that I will be able to carry on my job the way I want." Former Spain striker
Diego Tristan could be in line to make his first appearance in a West Ham
shirt against Sunderland, but it could be from the bench.
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My wife may leave me if I don't sort out West Ham - Zola
Sport.co.uk
Author: Charlie Coffey
Posted on: 21 November 2008 - 6:43 PM
Gianfranco Zola reckons his wife could run off and leave him unless he sorts
out West Ham's miserable run of form. The Hammers, who face Sunderland at
the Stadium of Light on Sunday, have lost five of their last seven games and
have taken just two points from a possible 21.But Zola, whose side kept
their first clean sheet in 27 games in last weekend's goalless draw with
Portsmouth, says his wife might fancy jetting back to Sardinia if they don't
start winning soon. "I'm coping fine, but my wife is starting to suffer,"
joked the West Ham boss. "I might have to send my family to Sardinia if we
carry on like this. "But I am always striving to be positive and despite all
the interest and all the money involved, football remains a game. "It is a
wonderful game and I appreciate it. I keep being positive and that's vital.
If I want to be helpful to the players I have to do that. "I've made
training enjoyable and I've been talking to the players and encouraging
them, hopefully that will work."
Zola has also promised to continue with his policy of attacking football and
has told his players to take a fearless approach against Roy Keane's men. "I
understand that there is a lot of pressure in the game with all the interest
and all the money that is being pumped into football, but that doesn't mean
you have to change your attitude," he continued. "I'm not going to change my
way of playing offensively. I think the club put me in charge because of my
mentality. "I won't give up because I've had a bad spell of results and I'll
keep faith. I like to make my results work and I'm a very positive person."
And the former Chelsea legend is hoping both Matthew Upson and Craig
Bellamy, who both scored while on international duty during midweek, can
bring that winning feeling back to Upton Park. He added: "Both of them
scored and that is very important for both players. Matt hasn't stopped
smiling since he got back and hopefully he'll still be smiling on Sunday
night."
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Sunderland v WEST HAM: Zola to decide on Tristan after late fitness test
By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 6:43 PM on 21st November 2008
Daily Mail
West Ham's Diego Tristan faces a late fitness test ahead of Sunday's Premier
League clash at Sunderland. The striker returned to full training this week
following a knock but coach Gianfranco Zola confirmed he will wait until
tomorrow to decide whether to include the Spaniard, who has yet to make an
appearance for the Hammers, in the squad. Herita Ilunga has recovered from
an ankle injury, but Mark Noble (calf) and Keiron Dyer are still out -
although the latter has resumed training.
Jonathan Spector is in contention for a place in the squad following hip
surgery in August, but Dean Ashton and Danny Gabbidon remain in the
treatment room.
Team (from): Green, Neill, Collins, Upson, Ilunga, Faubert, Parker,
Collison, Mullins, Boa Morte, Bowyer, Bellamy, Sears, Etherington, Walker,
Lastuvka, Lopez, Tomkins, Di Michele, Davenport, Behrami, Cole, Reid,
Tristan, Spector.
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Gordon and McCartney unlikely to play
Safc.com
By Nick Alexander
Craig Gordon is losing his battle to be fit for Sunday's game against West
Ham (4pm). Gordon, the goalkeeper who has an ankle injury, had hoped to get
the go-ahead to resume training this week but his comeback was put on hold.
The Scotland international saw a specialist yesterday and was told the game
against the Hammers is likely to come too soon. Gordon has missed the last
six games - Newcastle, Stoke, Chelsea, Portsmouth and Blackburn (twice) -
and Marton Fulop is set to continue to deputise this weekend. Roy Keane
confirmed: "Craig is very much doubtful. There has been progress this week
but it looks unlikely for Sunday." George McCartney, another player who has
missed the last few games through injury, is unlikely to return against his
former club. McCartney has a foot injury and has not played since
Sunderland's 5-0 defeat at Chelsea on November 1. "It's been frustrating for
the two players [Gordon and McCartney] because we thought the injuries would
have cleared up a couple of weeks back, but they have not settled. "If they
are not available for Sunday, fingers crossed for the following week."
Carlos Edwards returns to Keane's squad after being recalled from a loan
spell with Wolves.
Sunderland (from): Gordn, Fulop, Colgan, Bardsley, Chimbonda, Nosworthy,
Ferdinand, Collins, McCartney, Edwards, Malbranque, Henderson, Tainio,
Whitehead, Leadbitter, Yorke, Reid, Richardson, Diouf, Miller, Cisse,
Murphy, Jones, Healy.
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