WHUFC.com
Mark Noble is looking foward to an action-packed year - both on and off the
pich
06.01.2009
Exactly two years ago today, Mark Noble staked his claim for a place in the
West Ham United first team by scoing in a 3-0 FA Cup third round win over
Brighton and Hove Albion.
That goal, Noble's first for the Hammers, was the first of a flourishing
career that has seen the Canning Town-born player cement his place in the
senior set-up. On Saturday, the 21-year-old midfielder was on target again
as West Ham overcame Barnsley by an identical scoreline to set up a fourth
round visit to another League One side, Hartlepool United.
"I must admit I didn't think of it like that [the fact he had scored in the
FA Cup third round before] and I scored in the last one as well. It's nice
to get in the hat for the fourth round. That was the main thing. I thought
the boys did well and showed that we're really putting a run of form
together and we can win games."
Noble's goal against the Tykes came from the penalty spot after he himself
had brought down by Barnsley defender Mounir El Haimour. It was the first
penalty the club had been awarded since the Academy graduate converted a
nerveless last-minute spot-kick to earn a 1-0 Premier League win over
Liverpool on 30 January last year. As the Hammers' nominated penalty taker,
Noble insists nobody else will be taking over the responsibility - unless he
misses, that is!
"I said to the boys after that no one is getting a penalty unless I miss one
and crossed fingers I don't miss. There might be a chance in the future
where I will miss. It might happen. The more you take the more chance there
is you're going to miss but I feel confident every time I step up and gladly
that one went in."
Noble's goal was a reward for an impressive all-round performance against
Barnsley which had also seen him set up the Hammers' opener for left-back
Herita Ilunga. The England Under-21 international was delighted to start
what promises to be a busy 2009 so well. With girlfriend Carly expecting the
couple's first child in March and Mark himself likely to spend the summer at
the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Sweden, Noble knows he is set for
a few sleepless nights over the coming months. Having recovered from recent
injury problems, he is relishing the challenge.
"I had a calf strain that set me back. I had played every game up until
then. That set me back but now it's a case of getting back to full fitness
and getting up to game pace and I slowly feel like I'm getting back to that
now. It's a long season and you've got to keep your feet on the ground and
just keep working hard. I'm sure we'll do that and keep putting the wins
together and keep pushing up that table as far as we can."
"My girlfriend is seven months pregnant and she falls around the end of
March so it's going to be a tough three or four months for me. With the
pre-season, the championships and the little 'un coming I'm looking forward
to it. I's all part of growing up."
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Junior joy at Chelsea draw
WHUFC.com
Junior Stanislas was proud to play his part in a memorable afternoon for
Southend United
05.01.2009
West Ham United youngster Junior Stanislas was beaming from ear to ear after
helping Southend United to secure a 1-1 FA Cup third round draw at Chelsea.
The England Under-19 winger, who played the full 90 minutes at Stamford
Bridge in his seventh match on loan with the League One club, was a
delighted onlooker as Shrimpers' defender Peter Clarke headed in a dramatic
late equaliser. Now, Stanislas is looking forward to having a second crack
at Luiz Felipe Scolari's men when the Blues visit Roots Hall for a replay on
Wednesday 14 January.
"It was a good game and I loved it - it was all I thought it would be.
Chelsea are a superb side so we knew it would be hard and being on the wing
it was difficult to get involved at times. But when I got on the ball I
thought I did OK and when the goal went in right at the end there it was
just an amazing feeling."
"The replay going to be a brilliant night and I can't wait. It's all a great
experience for me. Games like this are good for your development and it's
where you want to be."
The 19-year-old has greatly impressed during his loan spell, which began in
the final week of November. Stanislas himself is enjoying the chance to play
regular first team football and could even extend his stay with Southend if
the two clubs can reach an agreement.
"I still have a couple of weeks left on my loan but the manager has said he
would like me to stay for longer. I have a while to make up mind so I'm
going to be thinking things over."
Stanislas is one of five United players out on loan, but the other four were
all frustrated by the cold weather at the weekend. In the FA Cup third
round, Nigel Quashie's Birmingham City and Jordan Spence's Leyton Orient saw
their ties against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United postponed
due to a frozen pitch. The same fate also befell Jimmy Walker's Colchester
United, whose League One fixture with Tranmere Rovers was unable to beat the
cold snap in League One. Barnet's home League Two fixture against Joe
Widdowson's Grimsby Town was also called off.
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Upson looking to Newcastle
WHUFC.com
Matthew Upson is working hard in a bid to return to league action with West
Ham United on Saturday
05.01.2009
The snowy conditions may have stopped many in their tracks on Monday, but it
was business as usual for a trio of players returning from injury.
Despite it being a day off for the first-team squad following Saturday's FA
Cup third-round win over Barnsley, captain Lucas Neill, England defender
Matthew Upson and midfielder Valon Behrami braved the arctic conditions to
make the most of the chance to do some work ahead of returning to action.
Welsh international Danny Gabbidon was also in as usual, as he continues his
rehab work.
Upson - who has been laid low with a flu virus for the past week - was
pounding the pitches at the club's Chadwell Heath training ground early on
Monday morning as he looks to build up his strength ahead of the club's next
match, an away trip to Newcastle United on Saturday. The game at St James'
Park will see the club look to make it six games unbeaten on the road.
"I still feel a bit low, it takes it out of you a bit," said Upson, as he
reflected on the virus that kept him out of the 3-0 victory over Barnsley "
I have been running, so I just need to build my strength up now. We have
four days before the match up at Newcastle, so I will be working hard to be
ready for that."
As well as important Premier League matches coming up, Upson also spoke
about the fourth round of the FA Cup which will see West Ham United travel
to Hartlepool United over the weekend of 24/25 January.
"I think it is a good draw for us," he said. "It gives us a good opportunity
to go through to the next round providing we turn up there and give a good
account of ourselves. It will be a tough away day though, with the pitch and
everything and they will be up for it, but we will be as well."
Upson said the FA Cup can be an extra boost alongside league form, even
though that needs no lift after six points from six with wins against
Portsmouth and Stoke City. The chance to dream of Wembley - a venue he knows
well from his England experiences - has caught the imagination already.
"Without a doubt, the FA Cup is something you think about winning and
playing in when you are young and becoming a footballer. It would be great
to look back on and say you have played in a final and even better to say
you have won it. A good cup run enforces winning matches and we want to
keep winning as much as we can."
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Former player fears for West Ham's future
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2009
By: Thomas Rooney
January is going to be an interesting month for West Ham and not for the
best reasons. Many players are being linked with moves away from the club
and with the current financial situation; it is difficult to see Gianfranco
Zola being able to hold onto all of his most valuable assets. The
circumstance that West Ham find themselves in is enough to worry former
defender Julian Dicks. He believes that if Zola is forced to sell his best
players this month, it could result in the club going on an almost
unstoppable downward spiral. In fact, Dicks believes that West Ham could
'follow the example of Leeds United' if the squad becomes depleted come the
end of January. As we all know, the Yorkshire club plummeted from being a
Premier League side to a League One side via administration and much
financial trouble. Dicks says that this could mirror West Ham's future if
Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson fails to sell the club soon. The Hammers legend went
on to say that the club needs to be sold to someone who is 'determined' to
keep the club in the Premier League. He finished by describing the prospect
of a fire-sale as a 'disaster' that could affect the future well being of
the club. These are very strong views from Dicks and one which may well
worry West Ham fans who fear what could happen in the next few weeks. There
is a real prospect of the team being torn apart and this would mean that the
soccer betting odds would expect Zola and his men to be fighting against
relegation for the rest of the campaign. This, in turn, would make the club
less of an attractive prospect to buy. All in all, the sale of players
could have a number of extremely negative affects. With this in mind, how
likely is it that a number of key members of the squad will actually leave
the club?
Well, the main three players linked with a move so far have been Matthew
Upson, Craig Bellamy and Scott Parker. The latter is 'not for sale'
according to West Ham, but with Manchester City's millions sniffing around
him, you have to wonder how long the club will be able to resist accepting a
big money offer. As for Upson, he is very much in demand and a bidding war
for his services could begin soon. Tottenham are the latest to have
expressed an interest in him, joining Arsenal and Manchester City in wanting
to sign the West Ham captain. Spurs and Manchester City are then the clubs
that have made it clear they would like to sign Bellamy, who has began to
show his true class in recent weeks for West Ham. Elsewhere, it is even
thought that Chelsea are keen on securing the signature of Valon Behrami.
Overall, the teams in the Premier League are aware of West Ham's financial
situation and during January they will seek to make the most of it. The club
are standing firm so far, stating that bids for their players will be
rejected, but how long will this continue for? In all honesty, the majority
of online soccer betting sites will expect Zola to lose at least a couple of
players. Perhaps it is a case of damage limitation for the club during
January. If only a couple of players leave, money will come in and Zola can
look at cheaper, but capable replacements. Crystal Palace's Ben Watson has
been linked as a potential replacement for Parker should he leave the club
and this may be the way to go as West Ham look to consolidate their place in
the Premier League.
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Hammers resist as Wenger targets Upson to shore up Arsenal defence
North London club in market for defensive and midfield recruits
Wenger willing to sweeten deal with Bendtner as makeweight
David Hytner The Guardian, Tuesday 6 January 2009 Article history
West Ham United are confident they can resist overtures from Arsenal for the
central defender Matthew Upson. Arsène Wenger is in the market for
reinforcements at the back, with Kolo Touré tipped to complete an £8m move
to Manchester City, and he has targeted Upson, who spent part of his early
career at Highbury.
The Arsenal manager, who signed Upson from Luton Town in May 1997 for £2m,
and has spoken admiringly of his development, would be willing to sweeten
any deal with the striker Nicklas Bendtner as a makeweight.
But West Ham, despite the uncertainty over their long-term ownership, will
fight to keep all of their established stars. Gianfranco Zola, the manager,
will trim his squad by a handful of fringe players, as he seeks to work with
a group of 20 outfield players and three goalkeepers.
The central defender Calum Davenport, with whom Zola clashed after leaving
him out of the Stoke City game on the Sunday before last, is expected to
depart this week, with Bolton Wanderers his most likely destination while
the club would also consider offers for the midfielders Luis Boa Morte and
Julien Faubert, who has admirers in his native France. Yet Zola is loth to
lose Upson, who has emerged as one of the pillars of his team.
West Ham can point to their rejection of initial offers for the striker
Craig Bellamy from Tottenham and a joint offer for Bellamy and the
midfielder Scott Parker from Manchester City as evidence of their
determination not to be picked over by the predators. They will, though,
face further tests before the month is out and City remain hopeful of
signing Parker.
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Gudmundsson and West Ham in hot water
6 Jan, 09 | England | Clubs ownership & management
Eufootball.biz
With the spotlight already focused on a possible forced sale for English
West Ham, a recent waver in Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson's financial stability may
give the owner no choice but to step down. Gudmundsson, who already faces a
GBP 50 million debt following the downfall of Icelandic bank Landsbanki, is
now struggling with the news that his holding company Hansa may be subject
to insolvency.
Gudmundsson, who originally purchased West Ham for GBP 87 million, intended
to unload the club for three times the amount, but the ongoing economic
crisis has presented itself as too strong an obstacle to overcome. In fact,
speculation suggests that the two-year owner will be much more likely to
receive about GBP 125 million.
As a result of the current state of Hansa, Gudmundsson needs to pull it all
together advance of the March 9th deadline set by court officials, at which
time the holding company must demonstrate an ability to repay creditors in
order to avoid insolvency. The court date is of particular importance to
West Ham, which could be taken over as an asset of Hansa.
According to a report issued by The Telegraph, a source close to Gudmundsson
indicated that the owner is starting to question his initial quest for GBP
250 million, although he is ready to wait until a suitable offer arises. The
club is not expected to lose any players in January as a result of financial
circumstances, as confirmed by Chief Executive Scott Duxbury, but changes
will need to be made before new teammates can be secured.
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Manchester City may have to pay £12m for Scott Parker
Mark Hughes faces an uphill struggle to add Scott Parker to his Manchester
City revolution after West Ham flatly rejected his first bid.
Telegraph
By Rory Smith
Last Updated: 8:14AM GMT 06 Jan 2009
The Eastlands manager was thought to be on the verge of landing the former
Charlton, Chelsea and Newcastle player for around £8 million as he seeks to
bolster his side with experienced Premier League campaigners. But West Ham
turned down one outright cash offer, insisting they did not need to sell
their best players despite their financial plight. Hughes is yet to return
with an improved offer for Parker. Similarly, despite speculation to the
contrary, City have not tabled any offers for Parker's team-mates Craig
Bellamy and Matthew Upson. Both names feature on Hughes' list of potential
reinforcements and, while he will face competition from Tottenham and Aston
Villa for the pair's signatures, talk of a fire sale at Upton Park suggested
that the financial might of City's owners made them hot favourites to win a
bidding war. Sources close to West Ham suggest that City will have to to pay
above market rate to tempt them to cash in on their most saleable assets.
That means Hughes would have to spend more than £12 million on Parker and a
similar amount on Bellamy. Upson's price could go as high as £15 million.
Inflated prices quoted by rivals, as Chelsea found out, are an occupational
hazard for the club widely regarded as the richest in the world. That is why
City's imminent bid for Roque Santa Cruz is expected to be about £18
million, plus defender Tal Ben Haim, rather than the original estimate of
around half that.
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Faubert prices himself out of West Ham move
06.01.09 | Ian Ferris
Julien Faubert will remain at West Ham as French Ligue 1 outfit Nantes
cannot afford the players wage demands. Information provided by Sud-Ouest
suggests the Hammers midfielder expects a wage of around £186,00 per month,
a figure well outside of Nantes' financial capabilities.
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