WHUFC.com
The Middlesbrough-West Ham United fifth-round replay winners will travel to
Everton in early March
15.02.2009
West Ham United will take on Everton away should they get beyond
Middlesbrough in Tuesday week's FA Cup fifth-round replay.
The potential tie would be the first FA Cup meeting between the clubs since
the memorable 11 March 1991 sixth-round tie at the Boleyn Ground when goals
from Stuart Slater and Colin Foster ensured a 2-1 win and took the Hammers
through to the semi-finals. Once there, John Lyall's ten men - after the
harsh dismissal of Tony Gale - lost out 4-0 to Nottingham Forest.
In more recent action, Everton won 3-1 in east London back on 8 November
with the return Barclays Premier League encounter still to come at Goodison
Park on 16 May. Last season, the Toffees also travelled to east London for a
League Cup quarter-final, winning 2-1 before coming unstuck in the last
four.
The FA Cup sixth-round draw took place on Sunday evening with Frank
McLintock and Graeme Souness conducting proceedings from FA headquarters in
Soho Square, London. The ties will be staged on the weekend of 7/8 March.
West Ham United made sure of a place in the draw after Saturday's 1-1 home
draw with Middlesbrough, having beaten Barnsley and Hartlepool United in the
previous two rounds. Everton won through with a 3-1 home defeat of Aston
Villa on Sunday afternoon, having previously disposed of Macclesfield Town
and Liverpool. They have not been in the quarter-finals since the 2001/02
season.
Fifth-round draw
Blackburn Rovers or Coventry City v Chelsea
Swansea City or Fulham v Manchester United
Cardiff City or Arsenal or Burnley v Sheffield United or Hull City
Everton v Middlesbrough or West Ham United
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Ashton will miss rest of season
Bbc.CO.UK
West Ham striker Dean Ashton will not play again this season as he takes a
cautious approach to his rehabilitation following two bouts of ankle
surgery. Ashton, 25, injured his left ankle in training in September 2008
and had the first operation soon after. He has just had a second operation
after specialist Niek van Dijk flew to London to help with the surgery.
Ashton said: "I'm looking to get myself back for pre-season now. I don't
want to come back unless I'm right." Ashton is due to be reassessed later in
February before flying to Amsterdam to meet Professor Van Dijk four weeks
later. James Calder, who also worked on the operation, is confident Ashton
will make a full recovery. "This type of procedure has been performed on a
lot of top European sports professionals and it has proven very successful,"
he said. "It was a complicated injury but we are confident that Dean will
recover well."
Since breaking the same ankle in August 2006, Ashton, who began his career
with Crewe, has been plagued by injuries. He signed a new five-year deal
with West Ham in June 2008 shortly after winning his first England cap in
the friendly against Trinidad & Tobago. Ashton, who scored 11 goals last
season, joined West Ham from Norwich for £7.25m in January 2006 and helped
the club to the FA Cup final, where they lost on penalties to Liverpool. His
performances that season earned him an England call-up for the friendly with
Greece in August 2006. But he broke his ankle in training for that game and
missed the entire 2006-07 season. He also suffered injuries during the
2007-08 campaign.
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FA Cup quarter final draw: it's Everton
Kumb.COM
Filed: Sunday, 15th February 2009
By: Staff Writer
West Ham will face Everton in the quarter finals of the FA Cup should they
overcome Middlesbrough in a fifth round replay. The Hammers - who face a
visit to Teeside for the replay nine days from now - face a tricky trip to
Goodison Park should they overcome Middlesbrough. The two sides last met in
the competition back in 1990 when the Hammers triumped 2-1 in a Boleyn
quarter final before going on to lose to Nottingham Forest in the semi
final, a game marred by the unfair dismissal early on of Tony Gale by Keith
Hackett. But the most memorable meeting between the sides (for Hammers
fans, at least) came in the 1980 semi final which was settled after a replay
by Frank Lampard's famous late winner; the Hammers going on to become the
last team outside of the top flight to win the trophy by beating Arsenal 1-0
in the final. Everton made the quarter finals courtesy of victories over
Macclesfield (1-0), Liverpool (1-0) and Aston Villa (3-1). This afternoon's
draw was conducted by Frank McLintock (home teams) and Graeme Souness
(away).
FA Cup quarter final draw
Blackburn Rovers or Coventry City v Chelsea
Swansea City or Fulham v Manchester United
Cardiff City or Arsenal or Burnley v Sheffield United or Hull City
Everton v Middlesbrough or West Ham United
West Ham Utd v Everton: FA Cup history
March 1991: West Ham Utd 2 Everton 1 (quarter final)
January 1982: West Ham Utd 2 Everton 1 (3rd round)
April 1980: West Ham Utd 2 Everton 1 (Elland Road, semi final replay)
April 1980: West Ham Utd 1 Everton 1 (Villa Park, semi final)
March 1963: West Ham Utd 1 Everton 0 (5th round)
January 1957: Everton 2 West Ham Utd 1 (4th round)
January 1950: West Ham Utd 1 Everton 2 (4th round)
March 1933: Everton 2 West Ham Utd 1 (semi final)
February 1907: West Ham Utd 1 Everton 2 (2nd round)
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Neill plans Hammers stay
Captain never thought of leaving
SSN
Last updated: 15th February 2009
West Ham skipper Lucas Neill is hoping to agree a new deal to extend his
stay at the club. Neill's future at Upton Park has been the subject of
constant speculation with reports suggesting Newcastle enquired about
signing him in the January transfer window. The Australian's current
contract expires in the summer and it was feared he would leave at the end
of the season. However, the former Blackburn man insists he is happy with
life in East London and has never thought of moving. "I've never had any
intention of leaving," Neill told the News of the World. "I love everything
about the club. I love life in London and being settled, playing good
football, feeling fit and excited about the future of the club. "I have a
great relationship with the manager. Why would I want to leave after the run
we've been on?"
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Ashton admits season is over
West Ham forward will not rush return
SSN
Last updated: 15th February 2009
Dean Ashton has set his sights on a return to action in pre-season following
his latest ankle operation. The West Ham forward has suffered a number of
setbacks since picking up an injury in September and he was forced to go
under the knife again earlier this week. The club have not put a timescale
on his recovery but Ashton accepts that he is unlikely to be back before the
end of the current campaign. He insists the surgery was a success but does
not want to take any risks and is looking ahead to next term. "I think
realistically pre-season is my target," Ashton told the Sunday Mirror. "The
surgeons are pleased but obviously it's a setback I didn't really want. "I
need to get over this operation, get myself properly fit and I don't want to
rush back before I'm ready. "It happened when I just thought I was back,
especially after scoring twice in the first game - but then I came down with
another complaint with my ankle."
Ashton has been plagued by ankle problems throughout his career and he
admits it is difficult to be sidelined for long periods. He said: "Mentally
I'm strong enough to get through it but I'm like anybody else when I'm
missing football. "It's the worst feeling not being able to play."
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West Ham 1 Middlesbrough 1: Zola's core values give Hammers reason to be
hopeful
By SIMON CASS Last updated at 3:52 AM on 16th February 2009
Daily Mail
The last time these sides met in the FA Cup, West Ham progressed to the
Millennium Stadium and a heartbreaking shoot-out defeat by Liverpool, while
Middlesbrough rounded off their season with a UEFA Cup final thrashing at
the hands of Sevilla. A measure of just how much West Ham and Middlesbrough
have struggled for stability in the three years since is that they each
started with just one player - James Collins and Stewart Downing
respectively - from the teams who met in that semi-final at Villa Park. But
the signs are there for West Ham that under Gianfranco Zola they are finally
getting back on an even keel. The predicted January fire sale - owing to the
financial problems of owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson - never came to pass,
with only striker Craig Bellamy sold for a tidy sum to Manchester City. And
Zola has since been quietly allowed to get on with the business of securing
the futures of the players he believes will be the cornerstones of West
Ham's resurgence. 'Robert Green, Matthew Upson and also Scott Parker have
signed deals,' Zola was happy to point out to those who had said such vital
players would quit Upton Park. 'They are the core of this team and I believe
they can be the core of this team for a long time. The club know this, too.
'Hopefully, soon Lucas Neill will sign a contract as well. Things are going
well, we just need to understand that we want this to carry on for a long
time.'
The need for such experienced campaigners was laid bare against
Middlesbrough as West Ham failed to show the form which has carried them to
eighth in the table. Playing their part in making sure Boro's lead was not
extended beyond Downing's 22nd-minute opener, they ensured a bad day at the
office ended up with a replay-earning equaliser from Herita Ilunga seven
minutes from time. James Collins, who along with defensive partner Upson was
at fault for Downing's goal, was left struggling to explain his side's poor
display. 'We were shocking in the first half, terrible, the worst we've been
for a long time,' admitted Collins. 'Luckily we came up with a goal late on
and we are still in the Cup.'
Boro's failure to convert a host of chances highlighted the root cause of
their failure to win a Barclays Premier League match in 13 attempts - that
and their propensity to blow it when in a winning position. But the manner
in which Gareth Southgate's side went about their business bodes well for
the run-in while the chance to finish the job in the FA Cup on home turf
could prove beneficial to Boro's chances of turning around their league
form. 'People ask if the Cup is an unwelcome distraction,' said Southgate.
'Not at all. It gives us a tough week with three home matches and the
groundsman won't be pleased, but the rest of the club will be because it is
important revenue for us and keeps us in the competition. That gives
everyone optimism. 'The confidence has been coming back in the last few
weeks. The players believe in what we are doing. It will be easier to lift
them this week after a performance like that and get them ready for next
Saturday.'
Southgate's decision to fight off a renewed approach from Tottenham for
Downing, rather than cash in to fund moves for battled-hardened campaigners
to supplement his talented but inexperienced squad, has been questioned in
some quarters. But the England midfielder's display in a free role, behind
the alarmingly inaccurate Afonso Alves, will give cause for optimism that
the local hero can lead Boro to safety and will no doubt have pleased Fabio
Capello into the bargain.
UNSUNG HERO
ROBERT HUTH (Middlesbrough)
Dogged by criticism that he has not done enough to justify the £6million fee
Boro paid Chelsea for him in August 2006, he gave a rocksolid display
alongside David Wheater in only his 11th game of the season. If he maintains
this form, perhaps the German will bring an end to Boro's costly defensive
fragility. Echoing his manager's words, Downing said: 'The confidence is
creeping back in and one day we're going to turn someone over because you
cannot create that many chances every game and not put them away.' Outlining
just how vital it had been to hang on to Downing, Southgate added: 'He did
ask to leave but I'm not certain he really, really wanted to leave. 'His
ideal is that this club do well and he is a huge part of the club doing
well. Keeping your best players and bringing talent through the academy is
the route forward for us.' If Boro can produce a few more players of the
calibre of Downing, Southgate will soon have cornerstones of his own in
place.
MATCH FACTS
WEST HAM UNITED (4-4-2): Green 7; Neill 6, Collins 6, Upson 6, Ilunga 7;
Collison 6, Parker 6, Noble 6 (Nsereko 74min, 7), Boa Morte 6 (Sears 49, 6);
Di Michele 6, Cole 6 (Tristan 33, 5). Booked: Noble, Di Michele.
MIDDLESBROUGH (4-5-1) Jones 7; Hoyte 6, Huth 7, Wheater 7, Pogatetz 7;
Johnson 6, O'Neil 7, Digard 7, Arca 6 (Walker 77), Downing 7; Alves 5 (Sanli
74, 5). Booked: O'Neil.
Man of the match: Stewart Downing. Referee: Peter Walton.
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Calum Davenport Out To Prove Zola Wrong With Sunderland Form
The Black Cats defender wants to show his old boss that he made a mistake in
letting him leave the Boleyn Ground.
Goal.com
Calum Davenport left West Ham United for Sunderland last month, joining the
Wearsiders on loan for the rest of the season with a view to making the move
permanent in the summer. The centre-back had struggled to make an impression
at Upton Park, with his positive beginning to this campaign disrupted when
Gianfranco Zola succeeded Alan Curbishley as manager at West Ham, and
brought his own views on which personnel should be occupying the first-team
starting slots. Davenport has struggled to fulfill his obvious potential
during a career that began at Coventry City and meandered along with
Tottenham Hotpsur, before flickering then spluttering at West Ham. Now he is
hoping that his performance in the North East will show his former manager
that he made an error in allowing him to leave east London for Sunderland.
"I started this season in the side and people seemed happy with my
performances, but the same thing happened again," Davenport told The
Sunderland Echo today. "The new manager came in with new ideas, which you
accept and go with, and it all changed for me. There comes a time when you
feel it is right to move on and I'm here to do as well as I can for
Sunderland. "I've had a few injuries in the last two or three years, a
couple quite serious, and I just want to get down to playing as much
football as I can."
The defender had intimated to reporters last week that he was relishing the
prospect of some stability at last, and, perhaps surprisingly, stated that
the training facilities he found on Wearside were much better than those
down south, because they were drier. "I want a bit of stability in my
career, I'm 26 and I've got a young family as well, so I want to settle,"
Davenport told The Daily Telegraph. "I haven't just come up here for six
months away from West Ham with a view to going back - I'm hopefully coming
here to get in the team, perform well and convince the manager and fans that
I can add something to the squad. "Then, hopefully, something might happen
in the summer. The foundations are here at Sunderland. They stayed up last
year, so it's a case of kicking on, which is something that West Ham have
done since getting back into the Premier League. "They're sitting in eighth
now. I don't think that happens overnight: it's a progression. "One of the
things with West Ham is you couldn't train properly because the pitches were
always waterlogged. The facilities here are brilliant, it's nice to be able
to train whatever the weather."
Zack Wilson, Goal.com
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West Ham boss Zola urges fans to back Boa Morte
16.02.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United boss Gianfranco Zola is full of praise for winger Luis Boa
Morte. "Luis Boa Morte has been a fantastic professional and every time he
has played he has done his job," he told whufc.com. "He is incredible in the
changing room and he is one of the players that every manager would want to
have. I don't think he deserves the supporters picking on him, it also makes
it more difficult for him. [That he did not leave] is more proof that he
cares about what he is doing here. He wanted to stay and prove to be useful
for the cause. He's got all my respect."
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West Ham boss Zola proud of new player contracts
16.02.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United boss Gianfranco Zola is proud to have secured the core of
his team to new contract in recent weeks. "Robert Green, Matthew Upson and
also Scott Parker have signed deals," Zola was happy to point out to those
who had said such vital players would quit Upton Park. "They are the core of
this team and I believe they can be the core of this team for a long time.
The club know this, too. "Hopefully, soon Lucas Neill will sign a contract
as well. Things are going well, we just need to understand that we want this
to carry on for a long time."
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West Ham boss Zola: Ilunga among best in Premiership
16.02.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United boss Gianfranco Zola rates Herita Ilunga among the best
fullbacks in the country. "He has signed a contract for four and a half
years so he will be with us for a long time," said Zola. "I don't think
there are many left-backs playing as well he is."
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West Ham ride their luck against Boro but future looks bright under
Gianfranco Zola
West Ham United (0) 1 Middlesbrough (1) 1
Telegraph
By John Ley
Last Updated: 7:48AM GMT 16 Feb 2009
The credit crunch was supposed to signal the beginning of the end for West
Ham. But, instead of selling all their prized assets, West Ham have secured
most of their leading players on new contracts and Gianfranco Zola has
revealed that Lucas Neill, the captain, is close to confirming his long-term
future at Upton Park.
West Ham were poor as they attempted to return to winning ways and owed
their place in today's quarter-final draw to a late equaliser, from Herita
Ilunga, to the frustration of a Middlesbrough side playing far better than
their League sequence of 13 games without a win suggested.
Craig Bellamy, Matthew Etherington and Hayden Mullins all left West Ham in
the transfer window but that was only a small percentage of the anticipated
clear-out, leaving the expectation levels high at West Ham and, therefore,
fuelling the irritation with an unusually inept performance. A relieved
Zola, twice an FA Cup winner with Chelsea, was grateful for a second chance
and praised the togetherness of the key figures at Upton Park. "These
players have been very important on and off the pitch," he said. "They are
the core of this team and I believe they can be the core of this team for a
long time. "The club know this too," he added. "It is very good for us,
they are good players, positive players. Robert Green, Matthew Upson and
also Scott Parker have signed new deals and hopefully soon Lucas Neill will
sign a contract as well. Things are going well, we just need to understand
that we want this to carry on for a long time."
Zola will be more concerned over the outcome of tests on two players this
week. New England cap Carlton Cole will have a scan on his ankle while Luis
Boa Morte could be out for several weeks with a damaged hamstring. But in
terms of his first six months as a manager, it has gone well. "There have
been difficult times and difficult moments," Zola said. "The team were not
doing well and a lot of things were going on but they [the board] kept their
composure and backed the team all the time and they are getting their
rewards for their patience."
Patience, though, was thin on the ground on Saturday as Middlesbrough took
the game to West Ham, carving out an early lead after capitalising on a
sequence of errors, with Stewart Downing, playing as a second striker behind
Afonso Alves, scoring the early opener. Both teams had chances, but when
Ilunga headed his second FA Cup goal with just seven minutes remaining, it
sucked the life out of Middlesbrough. The outstanding performance from
Downing also gave his manager, Gareth Southgate, pleasure, particularly as
he appeared keen to leave a month ago. But the professionalism of the
England winger is important to Southgate. "He did ask to leave but I'm not
certain he really, really wanted to leave," Southgate said. "His ideal is
that this club does well and he is a huge part of the club doing well. We've
had to cut back every year and in the world of football, fans won't want to
hear that but in business people say that is a reality of life. It is the
same at a lot of football clubs and that is why it makes a lot of the change
and turmoil a bit more ridiculous."
Fifth round replays
Hull v Sheff Utd: 26 Feb, 7.45pm
Middlesbrough v West Ham: 24 Feb, 8pm
Coventry v Blackburn: 24 Feb, 7.45pm
Fulham v Swansea: 24 Feb, 8pm
Quarter-final draw
Blackburn Rovers or Coventry City v Chelsea
Swansea City or Fulham v Manchester United
Cardiff City /Arsenal or Burnley v Sheffield United or Hull City
Everton v West Ham United or Middlesbrough
Ties to be played on the weekend of March 7-8.
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