Monday, January 12

Daily WHUFC News - 12th January 2009

On This Day: 12 January
WHUFC.com
Marco Boogers and a win at Watford are today's West Ham United moments to
remember
12.01.2009

Anniversary

Marco Boogers
Date of birth: 12 January 1967
Clubs: DS '79, FC Utrecht, RKC Waalwijk, Fortuna Sittard, Sparta Rotterdam,
West Ham United, FC Groningen, FC Volendam, FC Dordrecht

He may have made just four substitute appearances for West Ham United, but
no Hammers fan will ever forget Marco Boogers.

The Dutch striker arrived from Sparta Rotterdam for a fee of around £1m in
July 1995. Boogers made his debut in the 2-1 home Premier League defeat by
Leeds United on 19 August, but it was his brief appearance at Old Trafford
four days later that would live far longer in the memory.

The Dordrecht-born player was sent on as a substitute by manager Harry
Redknapp, only to be sent off almost immediately for a foul on Manchester
United defender Gary Neville.

Boogers would not play for the Hammers again until 4 November, when he
appeared as a substitute in the 4-1 home defeat by Aston Villa. The
striker's final game in a claret and blue shirt came on 2 December at
Blackburn Rovers. Boogers was loaned to FC Groningen in his homeland.

The striker enjoyed a fruitful return to the Netherlands, scoring 71 goals
in 129 games for Dordrecht '90 before retiring in 2003.

Classic Match

Watford 0-1 West Ham United
Second Division
12 January 1991

A crowd of 17,172 were at Watford's Vicarage Road to watch promotion-bound
West Ham United secure their fifth successive clean sheet at Watford.

Managed by Billy Bonds, the Hammers arrived at the home the Hornets top of
the Second Division table and having lost just one of their opening 25
league matches. Watford, meanwhile, were on their own eight-match unbeaten
run under Steve Perryman.

The match also saw United come up against former Boleyn Ground legend Alan
Devonshire, who had moved to Watford from West Ham in 1990. However, despite
a fine performance from Dev, the home side were unable to stop the visitors'
charge towards the top-flight.

The only goal of the game arrived on 66 minutes. Ludek Miklosko's long punt
would arrive at the feet of Trevor Morley, who made no mistake in planting
the ball past a young David James.

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Faubert flattered by Lyon link
Midfielder fancies France return
Last updated: 11th January 2009
SSN

West Ham midfielder Julien Faubert has admitted he is flattered to be linked
with a move to Lyon. The French champions are believed to be lining up a
move for Faubert in the January transfer window after watching him in action
recently. Faubert has struggled to make an impact at Upton Park since his
£6.1million arrival from Bordeuax in the summer of 2007. Nantes and Rangers
have also been credited with an interest in Faubert and the versatile
performer admits a move to Lyon is an attractive proposition as it could
boost his chance of winning a place in the France squad.
"It is flattering for me to know that Lyon have been coming to watch me,"
Faubert is quoted as saying in the Sunday Mirror. "I think about the France
national team and the 2010 World Cup every single day. "I've had a taste of
international football, and I miss it. Maybe a return to France would help
me win a recall."

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Vinny's Newcastle Report
Vinny - Sun Jan 11 2009
West Ham Online

Newcastle United 2 West Ham United 2

Goals from Craig Bellamy and Carlton Cole were not enough to give West Ham
all three points as Andy Carroll's 78th minute equaliser gave the hosts a
share of the spoils.

Looking back on this game there is a sense of disappointment that we did not
take maximum points as our performance was excellent and with a little bit
more conviction going forward we would have been out of sight by the hour
mark.

This was yet another solid away performance and our troubles on the road
have become a thing of the past with the players looking confident. I
thought we played some great football at times and the first fifteen minutes
of the second half were arguably the best football we have played this
season.

Gianfranco Zola made a few changes to the side which overcame Barnsley last
weekend. It was basically the same side who started in out last league game
at home to Stoke. Lucas Neill returned and replaced Julien Faubert in the
right back position.

James Tomkins dropped to the bench in favour of the returning Matthew Upson.
The midfield consisted of Behrami on the left, Collison on the right with
Parker and Noble in the middle.

Both sides looked to attack from the off as Newcastle looked to search out
Carroll and Owen with our attacks looking to play in Craig Bellamy who was
caught off side multiple times in the first ten minutes. Although
frustrating as it was to see Bellamy continue to be flagged you knew that
this was a dangerous game they were playing as the Welsh striker would get
in behind the defence at least once.

The first real chance of the game fell to Newcastle's Michael Owen as a ball
into the area saw the striker easily knock the ball past the static James
Collins and hit a shot past Robert Green only for the ball to hit off the
post and away.

Owen would make no mistake moments later as we gifted Newcastle the opener.
The ball was played inside to Owen who was not tracked by Behrami and he was
allowed to run towards the area which saw James Collins slip and allow the
striker to hit a powerful shot which Green could not keep out.

We settled down after the goal and began to find our passing game. The
approach play was often good but we needed that killer pass or shot. Bellamy
continued to be caught offside but with the midfield working hard we were
seeing more possession. The tireless Parker was winning the ball and moving
forward well and on one occasion he was chopped down by Danny Guthrie which
saw the Newcastle man booked.

An equaliser was found on the 29th minute after a free flowing move which we
are becoming more familiar at seeing. The move involved Noble, Collison and
Parker which resulted in the latter chipping the ball into the area for
Craig Bellamy to run onto and chip over the advancing Shay Given.

It was an excellent goal and showed how quickly we can start and finish a
move. This is something that Craig Bellamy gives us and to sell him would
see our quick movement going forward reduced to David Di Michele which is a
horrible thought.

Newcastle reacted well to goal and looked to regain their lead and nearly
did so as the ball broke for the impressive Jonas Gutierrez but his shot was
deflected wide when it had looked like it was about to hit the back of the
net.

We should have taken the lead ourselves as a wonderful chance presented
itself. A long ball forward saw Mark Noble beat the offside trap and race
towards goal. It seemed to take an age for him to advance on goal and when
he did his finish was poor and was saved by Given. The ball ran to Bellamy
after the save but the angle was too tight and he could only find the side
netting.

Ending the half well just gave me more confidence that we were going to go
to win this game. Although Newcastle themselves had created a few chances we
were playing the better football and if we could just go up a gear we would
be able to hurt them.
We managed to find that gear and for the first fifteen minutes of the second
period we battered Newcastle. We created chances and managed to take one of
them in what I would think was our most impressive passage of play this
season.

The first action of the second half saw us have a penalty claim turned down.
How referee Alan Wiley managed not to give it still has me stumped. A long
ball forward into the area saw Bellamy tussle with defender Bassong with the
defender grabbing Bellamy by the neck and wrestling him to the floor.

This did not deter us from taking Newcastle apart as a slick move saw
Bellamy cross the ball for Collison to hit a low shot which was brilliantly
kept out by Shay Given. Collison will probably look back on this chance and
feel he should have done better.

Mark Noble was next to be frustrated as a ball into the box found Cole who
showed great strength to hold off Bassong despite being pulled back by the
Newcastle man. Cole managed to tee the ball up for Noble but the midfielder
could not find the room to get any power on his shot as Given saved again.

It began to concern me that we had not taken one of these chances. Periods
like these do not last that long so you must take your chances when you get
them. Lucky for us we have a striker who is in a rich vein of goal scoring
form.

A great ball over the top from Ilunga saw Cole beat the offside trap and
latch onto the ball. The striker controlled the ball and lashed a stunning
left foot shot into the goal. This was Cole's fourth goal in the last four
games. This one was an excellent finish and just what we deserved.

Newcastle looked a bit shell shocked at the start they had made to the half.
The fans had become frustrated and it had all played into our hands.

It was foolish to think that this level of pressure could last and we did
take the foot off the gas after we had taken the lead which was to our
detriment.

Newcastle came back into the game with the impressive Jonas Gutierrez
causing us all sorts of problems. Newcastle removed the anonymous Geremi and
replaced him with want away winger Charles N'Zogbia.

The hosts thought they had equalised after a move which resulted in Lucas
Neill mis kicking the ball past Robert Green. The Newcastle fans celebrated,
the West Ham fans looked on, only to find a reprieve as the Referee blew for
a foul which seemed to be on James Collins.

Newcastle were piling forward and although most of our defending was spot
on, I couldn't help thinking that something would fall for them soon. As
time went on I was hopeful that we could hold out but on 78th minute the
home side found that equalising goal.

It was a soft goal and after so many last ditch blocks and interceptions
this was a very disappointing goal to concede. It came from down the left
with Damien Duff supplying the cross for Andy Carroll to score his first
Premiership goal as his header floated past Green.

Di Michele came on for Bellamy and Mullins replaced Noble. Both players had
worked very hard and in Bellamy's case he had run himself into the ground.

We had a few counter attacks and corners but could not make anything out of
them. It was Newcastle who came closest to winning the game and if it wasn't
for Matthew Upson they would have stole the game.

A ball into the area found Jonas Gutierrez who seemed destined to score but
for a last ditch tackle from Upson. There was no way we deserved to lose the
game and despite a few scares I still believe we were worthy of all three
points.

Before the game many of us would have been happy with a point but just like
many away games this season we created multiple chances which could have
seen us score even more. No matter what we say about this season Zola has us
creating multiple goal scoring opportunities and the strikers are beginning
to take more and more of them.


Player Review

Robert Green
It was a relatively quiet afternoon for Green who was not called into action
for many saves. The best part of his performance was the amount of crosses
he claimed.

Lucas Neill
He found it tough up against the superb Gutierrez and if it wasn't for the
ref's whistle he would have seen a terrible clearance chalked up as an own
goal.

James Collins
Our worst player without a doubt during this one. Every chance Newcastle had
in the first half came from a mistake from Collins. Wrong footed, lost the
flight of the ball, slipped over, missed headers (like he did against Stoke
which cost us the goal) overall this was a worrying display from our 'Ginger
Pele'.

Matthew Upson
A good display from Upson and although I have seen some people say he was at
fault for the equaliser (which I do not think he was) his last minute tackle
saved us from defeat. We must not let this man go.

Herita Ilunga
Yet another excellent performance from the left back. His defending was
excellent and Newcastle did not have much joy down that side. His pass over
the top to Carlton Cole was wonderful and he continues to be one of the most
consistent performers.

Jack Collison
Tired as the game wore on and it was not a surprise to see him come off. His
overall display was solid and he worked hard. Got into the area and should
have score in the second half. I still think he would work better in the
middle as he is very comfortable on the ball.

Scott Parker
A big performance from Parker up against his former club. He was all over
the pitch and won tackle after tackle. Frustrated Newcastle countless times
and he broke up their attacks. An excellent display.

Mark Noble
This was a very busy performance from Noble who found himself involved in a
number of attacking moves. He should have scored in the first half after a
great run forward. He, like the rest of the midfield worked and worked which
helped us win the midfield battle.

Valon Behrami
A quiet day for the Swiss midfielder who was on the left wing for the
majority of the game.

Craig Bellamy
Bellamy was his usual self as he buzzed around the pitch and showed great
movement which dragged the Newcastle defenders around. Scored an excellent
goal after a great run and a classy finish.

Carlton Cole
A much better performance from the big striker as he score yet another goal.
He really used his strength well and scored a wonderful goal. A striker who
scores goals is something that we now seem to have. This was his 8th goal of
the season.

Subs Used

Luis Boa Morte (on for Collison 76 minutes)
Worked hard but saw little of the ball to really make an impact. He is a
good player to bring on when you want to drive forward.

David Di Michele (on for Bellamy 81 mins)
Came on, got the ball, gave it away a lot. Not better than Sears.

Hayden Mullins (on for Noble 86 minutes)
Like the other subs he saw little of the ball. Was involved in one counter
attack but he could not find the ball which would have set up a chance.

Subs Not Used: Stech, Faubert, Tristan, Tomkins.

Att: 47,571


Overall

This was another positive result as we seem to have found our feet on the
pitch and the results are coming. Taking into account the chances we had and
the football we played I thought we should have got the win but I am not too
disheartened. Despite what the press are saying about this being a club in
crisis, there has been a massive improvement over the last few weeks. We are
creating chances, playing nice football and most importantly - Scoring
goals. Next up is Fulham at Upton Park which we will all be looking at
getting all three points. They have improved a lot this season but are still
to win away from home. If we create chances we will get the win and continue
to move up the table.


The Feelings of 'Lil' Franco

"It was an excellent game. "If we had come out with three points nobody
could have said a word about it because the performance we put on this
afternoon was excellent. "To be fair we played against a team that did not
want to lose and they got a late goal. "Bellamy and Cole are on fire and
that is making the difference." "We played a very good match - especially
in the first 15 minutes of the second half. We were absolutely outstanding."
"I am confident because the club is determined to improve. It is not true
that we want to sell our best players. We want to improve so we are hopeful
we can do this. This team deserves this for the way it is playing and
training." "It is a credit to their professionalism. They are fantastic.
Being a footballer I know it is not easy when you have so many rumours
around to concentrate and perform but they are outstanding. Their
performance has actually gone higher and they have improved in this period.
I have a lot of respect for them so I am very pleased.

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Carroll's dream comes true but Zola and Kinnear share transfer nightmare
Guardian report Observer report Match facts
Premier League
Newcastle United 2 Owen 19, Carroll 78
West Ham United 2 Bellamy 29, Cole 55

Simon Williams at St James' Park
The Guardian, Monday 12 January 2009 Article history

West Ham are worried about how many of their players will be leaving.
Newcastle United are worried about the lack of new arrivals. Both should be
concerned about potential relegation battles if things do not go to plan in
the transfer market this month.

Although the Hammers extended an impressive unbeaten away record to six
games with a perfect example of counter-attacking football, the problems
continue to mount up for their manager, Gianfranco Zola. Some of the
difficulties being experienced by the Italian in his first season at Upton
Park would test the spirit of a veteran, ­battle-hardened by years of
football club politics, let alone a newcomer like Zola who is still coming
to terms with the ­pressures of management.

Crippled by the credit crunch after the club's owner, Bjorgolfur
Gudmundsson, was caught up badly in the collapse of the Icelandic banking
system, Zola is ­trying to keep his team away from the bottom three, while
simultaneously fighting to keep hold of two of his best players, Craig
Bellamy and Scott Parker. Bellamy is expected to join Manchester City in the
next 48 hours, but Zola may well have won the argument about Parker. The
­midfielder was superb against Newcastle and it is understood that City's
approach for him will be resisted harder.

If that is the good news, Zola has other problems with which to contend.
Having returned from a 17-month injury lay-off against Barnsley in the FA
Cup last weekend, Kieron Dyer was furious when told by his manager on Friday
that he would not be travelling to Newcastle. In terms of man-management, it
did seem like a strange decision to leave Dyer out of the squad completely
when he was so excited about playing against his former club. The
30-year-old was desperate to make his first return to St James' Park since
joining West Ham for £6m in August 2007 and the midfielder, whether fully
fit or not, would have been an ideal impact substitute.

Zola, though, refused to consider him and has even suggested that he goes
out on loan to work on his match fitness. Peace talks will need to take
place this week to ensure the England international's simmering ­discontent
is not allowed to fester.

"Kieron Dyer needs more match ­fitness," said Zola, when asked to explain
the player's absence. "He needs to play in two or three reserve games, but
he is a very important player for us."

By the time Zola gets the chance to sit down with Dyer, however, he may
already have said goodbye to Bellamy. The striker underlined his importance
to West Ham with a well-taken goal in the first half and a lively
performance which meant he was a constant worry for an unsteady Newcastle
defence. Cleverly set up by Parker, Bellamy darted on to a through-ball at
the end of a patient West Ham build-up to cancel out Michael Owen's 26th
goal in 50 starts for the Magpies.

West Ham had to soak up plenty of pressure from the home side – Owen clipped
the outside of the post with another first-half effort – but still took the
lead 10 minutes into the second half. Steven ­Taylor stood and watched
Carlton Cole run in behind Fabricio Coloccini and by the time the Argentine
reacted, Cole had smashed a shot past the stranded Shay Given.

Manchester City are not only hunting West Ham's big-game talent, though, and
their manager Mark Hughes had a £3m offer for Given turned down by Newcastle
on Friday. Joe Kinnear, who has given the out-of-contract former Rangers and
Schalke forward Peter Lovenkrands a trial this week, does not want to lose
the goalkeeper and the size of the offer was labelled "insulting" over the
weekend. However, an improved bid of more than £10m for a player who will be
33 in April may be too good to turn down.

Newcastle deserved a point and they secured it with a delightful header from
Andy Carroll. It was the 20-year-old from Gateshead's first senior goal on
his first start at St James' Park and ensured an entertaining game had a
sentimental end. "That was one of my all-time life dreams come true," said
Carroll. "It was the best feeling in the world. Something I will ­cherish
all my life and something I have dreamt of since I was a little boy."

Man of the match Scott Parker (West Ham)

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Stan the man: Bellamy and Cole key to keeping Hammers happy
Stan Collymore 12/01/2009
The Mirror

West Ham's Craig Bellamy and Carlton Cole are a big threat - as they proved
at Newcastle, extending their unbeaten run to four games. If the Upton Park
club can keep their stars together they can look forward to a top 10 finish.
But if the likes of Bellamy (above), Matthew Upson or Scott Parker go then
they will struggle and could be haunted by the spectre of relegation. Surely
Hammers' Icelandic owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, who wants to sell the club,
must realise his asset will be hugely devalued in the summer by flogging
stars now.

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West Ham are can overcome "bad times" promise Gianfranco Zola
The Mirror
By Simon Bird 12/01/2009

Barclays Premier League: Newcastle 2-2 West Ham

Gianfranco Zola has admitted West Ham are going through "bad times" as the
club's financial crisis threatens to force the sale of key players.
Prize assets Scott Parker and Craig Bellamy put the mental disruption of
being top transfer targets behind them by turning in admirable displays
against their former club. And given the commitment and effort his men
displayed at St James' Park, Zola wants to keep his squad together until the
end of the season at least. The Itaian says he is confident of warding off a
fire-sale and added: "This team is growing up and is going through very
difficult and bad times. "But going through this has helped us put behind us
a lot of our problems. It would be a pity not to see this team finish the
season together. We will see, but we are confident that we can keep our best
players. The quality my team is producing right now is quite high. "In the
first 15 minutes of the second half we were excellent, but you can't pretend
to play like that throughout the whole game. That would be impossible. "But
I still think we can improve in certain areas. Sometimes we get carried away
by the enthusiasm of scoring. "I am confident we can get there, together."

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Credit crunch? Just cash in on your superstars
Last updated at 8:03 AM on 12th January 2009
Daily Mail

The most over worn statement of recent weeks is that football has a fierce
financial reckoning ahead. Austerity for all is gleefully predicted,
bankruptcies, calamity, a pecuniary wake-up from hell. There is one problem
with this theory. It is Ballacks. Well, Ballack's contract, to be precise. A
piece of paper that would indicate that English football may be in a better
position to buck the trend than the majority of businesses, perhaps even
yours. And this is why...
Michael Ballack earns £121,000 per week playing for Chelsea, which many see
as excessive. He is 32 and his contract expires at the end of this season.
So, if Roman Abramovich needs to cut costs in times of recession and does
not think Ballack is value for money, he can let him go in June and it will
cost him... Nothing.
Not a cent. Not even a handshake if he cannot spare the time. No redundancy
package, no severance pay; Ballack walks and, in that instant, Chelsea save
at least £6,292,000 over the next year. They might not want to. They might
think keeping him represents excellent value for money.
The point is, try doing that at Marks and Spencer. Try getting one senior
employee off the staff anywhere, in fact, without racking up a raft of
compensation costs.

This is what separates football from the rest. Each season, perhaps a third
of the most expensive employees can be released without cost. This is every
managing director's dream. Do you think those in charge of Nissan would tot
up 1,200 redundancy packages if they could shed double that number on a wave
and a smile? As financial crisis bites, every company is cutting manpower,
yet none can do it as ruthlessly as a football club.
Chelsea are believed to have as many as 12 young reserve players currently
available. For now, they could be transferred or loaned. When the time comes
they will be written off more cheaply than any cog on the Nissan production
line.
In Ballack's case, he is a significant first-team player and it could be
argued that Chelsea would be weaker without him.

These are debates for the good times, however, not in the midst of economic
meltdown. A major club can reduce costs dramatically in what equates to an
instant. In the Premier League, particularly, there is always a way out (as
there is for Ballack, who could play elsewhere or even stay, with a
substantial pay cut).

Each week, football receives situation at West Ham, for instance, is not
proof of morbidity, but resilience. There is no other element of the
business empire of owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson that could generate serious
revenue as quickly in the current climate as a sale of players at Upton
Park. Yes, there would be a savage impact on the fortunes of the team and
the club would limp on in a reduced state, but what would have rescued
Gudmundsson from financial calamity? Not banking, shipping, property or
publishing. Football.
Keith Harris, a man who could sell football clubs in a market when a
chimpanzee with a BlackBerry could sell football clubs, now predicts dire
times ahead. 'The era of billionaire bail-outs is over,' read a headline
above an interview in which he suggested that takeovers were no longer the
solution to football's woes. Except they never were. Malcolm Glazer did not
bail out Manchester United, no more than Tom Hicks and George Gillett bailed
out Liverpool. Many purchases were investment opportunities. The idea that
the current generation of club owners are knights on white chargers rescuing
insolvent companies is a myth. Of course, football will be hit by the
financial downturn, as all businesses will. Television and commercial
revenue may drop and reins will be pulled in, but the widespread disaster
will not happen. You will not see Abramovich or his best players down the
Job Centre in the next year. Although the way certain media outlets are
reacting to this crisis, the same cannot be said of the harbingers of doom.

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West Ham legend Dicks: Tevez issue shouldn't affect players
12.01.09 | tribalfootball.com

West Ham United legend Julian Dicks says the players cannot allow the latest
Carlos Tevez blow to affect them. "They are professional and have a job to
do and that is to fight tooth and nail every week for West Ham, treat every
game like a war," he roared to the Daily Star Sunday. "The Tevez issue is
something they shouldn't let bother them. "Their job is to battle, scrap and
fight all the way for the cause. "They can't affect that decision but they
can ensure the team stay out of the drop zone with their performances on the
pitch. Yes, the club seems to be in meltdown with the financial
­constraints, talk of a fire sale and the Tevez thing but the fans deserve
100 per cent out of the players. "I feel they have enough to stay up but I
do fear there is a real chance that the FA and the powers that be could send
my old club down once the Tevez issue is resolved.
"That would be heartbreaking." Dicks, who played 169 games for the Hammers,
added: "From the Championship it is a massive ask to get back in the Premier
League. "It would be a catastrophe. A disaster for the club."
Dicks, who has recently taken charge of non-league Wivenhoe Town in his
first managerial job, expects one or two Hammers ­players to leave in the
transfer ­window but reckons Zola will still have enough talent to see them
over the line. Players such as Scott Parker and Matty Upson would appear to
be on their way but if they can limit it to those two then there is enough
in the squad to keep them up."

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Paraguayan pair set to win West Ham contracts
12.01.09 | tribalfootball.com

Paraguayans Nelson Amarilla and Juan Aguilar are set to win West Ham United
contracts after successful trials. The Daily Mail says Amarilla, 20, a
defender, and Juan Aguilar, 19, a midfielder, play for Guarani in Paraguay
but have had a week of training in east London. West Ham manager Gianfranco
Zola said the club had yet to make a decision but he thought the Hammers
would want them both to stay. Zola said: "The project is to make a team
capable of a high level. We cannot compete by spending £200million so we
have to do it through getting young players. "Not all the time we will be
looking abroad. We have good young English players here like Freddie Sears
and Mark Noble and we are trying to improve them."

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West Ham boss Zola: Cole on fire
12.01.09 | tribalfootball.com

West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola is thrilled with the form of Carlton Cole.
Cole was again on the mark in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Newcastle and Zola
beamed: "He's on fire, his confidence is back and he's playing very well for
the team now. He's focused and dangerous all the time and his qualities are
coming out now."

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Troubled Hammers on the up, claims Collins
Simon Rushworth
12.01.09
This Is London

James Collins is confident West Ham's luck has finally changed on the pitch
- even if they face trouble off it. The defender recovered from a torrid
first half at the hands of Michael Owen at Newcastle on Saturday to help the
Hammers earn a 2-2 draw. The result came after a week which saw West Ham the
subject of a new investigation over the Carlos Tevez affair and more
transfer speculation over key men such as Craig Bellamy and Scott Parker.
But Collins is only focusing on matters on the pitch and said: "The luck has
changed for us. We had a bit of a bad run a couple of months ago. We just
couldn't get the results to match the way we were playing because we were
performing really well. "Hopefully, that's long in the past now. We've had
some good results of late and I'd like to think we can continue to climb the
League and progress in the FA Cup." West Ham were unlucky not to win and go
into Sunday's London derby against Fulham bristling with confidence. "If we
had come out with three points nobody could have said a word about it
because the performance we put on was excellent," said Hammers manager
Gianfranco Zola.

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