WHUFC.com
Scott Parker has been named the FA Cup player of the round after the support
of West Ham United fans
03.02.2009
Scott Parker has been named the E.ON Player of the Round award after his
man-of-the-match display against Hartlepool United.
The midfielder, who captained the team at Victoria Park, was instrumental in
the 2-0 away performance that took the team through to a fifth-round meeting
with Middlesbrough on 14 February. Subject to West Ham United being
involved, Parker will receive VIP hospitality for himself and a guest at the
FA Cup final on Saturday 30 May 2009. The winner of each award will also be
presented with a commemorative trophy.
Parker beat four rivals - Swansea City goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopoulos,
Doncaster Rovers shot-stopper Neil Sullivan, Kettering Town forward Craig
Westcarr and Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack - to claim the prize and won
50 per cent of the vote. The five names had been selected by a panel which
includes Mark Clemmit of Radio Five Live, Howard Wheatcroft of the Daily
Star, past FA Cup hero Ricky George, ITV pundit Andy Townsend and E.ON
Managing Director Graham Bartlett.
The E.ON Player of the Round award is presented to the outstanding player at
each stage of competition, starting from the first round qualifying all the
way to the semi-final.
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Reserve fixture postponed
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's midweek trip to Stoke City has fallen victim to the recent
inclement weather
03.02.2009
West Ham United's Barclays Premier Reserve League South fixture at Stoke
City, scheduled for Wednesday evening, has been postponed.
The match, which was set to take place at the Britannia Stadium, will now be
re-arranged and could be played as early as next week. Hammers reserve team
manager Alex Dyer said he and his players had been looking forward to taking
on the Potters, but admitted the cold snap had made preparation difficult.
"It is a bit of a blow that the game was called-off but the snow has made
for a difficult week. On Monday it was hard for most of the lads to get in
to train. I texted and rang around but if they couldn't get in then fair
enough. A number of the lads came in on Tuesday and we trained indoors and
we're hoping to train now for the rest of the week up until the first-team
game at Manchester United on Sunday. We're also trying to re-arrange the
Stoke game for next week and should know something later on Tuesday."
Dyer's side are currently third in the table, four point
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Neill to face Japan
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's captain is ready to help Australia in their bid to reach
the 2010 FIFA World Cup
03.02.2009
Lucas Neill has been named in a 22-man Australia squad for their 2010 FIFA
World Cup Asian qualifier round four match against Japan in Yokohama on
Wednesday 11 February.
The 30-year-old West Ham United and Socceroos captain is expected to win his
47th cap for Pim Verbeek's side at the Yokohama International Stadium.
Australia go into the match sitting top of Asian Group A, two points ahead
of their hosts.
Australia have won all three of their group matches so far, beating
Uzbekistan (1-0), Qatar (4-0) and Bahrain (1-0) without conceding a goal.
Japan have won in Bahrain and Qatar but drew at home with Uzbekistan in
their opening three fixtures.
Of the other sides in Australia's group, Uzbekistan host Bahrain in Tashkent
on 11 February, while Qatar have a bye.
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Hammers make fourth signing
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 3rd February 2009
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have snapped up young Hungarian goalkeeper Peter Kurucz on
loan for the rest of the season. The 20-year-old stopper agreed the switch
ahead of last night's 5pm deadline and becomes United's fourth signing of
the transfer window following Nsereko Savio, Radoslav Kovac and Herita
Ilunga, whose loan deal has been made permanent. Kurucz, who stands 6'4"
tall is not expected to be involved with Gianfranco Zola's first team squad
upon his arrival and will instead start with Alex Dyer's reserve squad,
where he will be closely monitored. Robert Green and Jan Lastuvka will
therefore remain as the club's two first-choice goalkeepers. The deal was
confirmed by Kurucz's current club, Ujpest FC on their website this morning.
A statement said: "Ujpest and West Ham United have today reached an
agreement for the talented goalkeeper. "The 20-year-old player has a
contract to the end of the season with the Premier League club, which has
the option to purchase. If West Ham exercise this right, Peter will join for
a further four years."
Unfortunately the Hammers failed to land any further transfer targets prior
to the winter window's closure last night despite holding discussions with a
number of players and agents throughout the course of the day. Mooted deals
with Panathinaikos' Bryce Moon and Dinamo Bucharest's Sergui Homei fell
through after the club failed to complete them by the 5pm deadline. However
attempts to sign one - or possibly both - later in the season have not been
discounted.
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Thumbs-up from fans
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 3rd February 2009
By: Staff Writer
KUMB.com readers have unanimously backed the club's January transfer window
dealings.
96% of voters in a KUMB poll have today declared themselves 'happy' at the
club's January business - with just 4% saying they were 'disappointed' at
the outcome.
The poll, which you can see here has thus far resulted in 30% of voters
declaring themselves to be 'delighted' at the outcome of the winter window.
Another 66% said they were 'reasonably happy' following the arrival of
Nsereko Savio, Radoslav Kovac and the permanent signing of left-back Herita
Ilunga - along with the sale of several squad players.
Less than 4% of voters have so far said they were 'disappointed' - a result
that represents a massive sea-change in opinion amongst supporters who
panned the Board at the conclusion of the last transfer window following the
departure of former manager Alan Curbishley plus players Anton Ferdinand and
George McCartney.
Despite the massive endorsement a number of posters still expressed
concerns, the most common of which related to the failure to sign an
experienced striker to replace Craig Bellamy or provide cover for the
departing Julien Faubert and Calum Davenport.
Additionally, some believe that the current first team squad is now lacking
depth whilst others have pointed to what appears to be, on paper at least,
another transfer window trading surplus and questioned why those funds were
not fully reinvested in the squad.
In, out, shake it all about - West Ham United's January dealings
(All transfer fee values best estimates where undisclosed)
Arrivals: 4 - Nsereko Savio (£5m+clauses); Radoslav Kovac (loan with option
to buy); Peter Kurucz (loan with option to buy); Herita Ilunga (£1.5m).
Total estimated expenditure: £6.5m+clauses.
Departures: 8 - Craig Bellamy (£14m); Matthew Etherington (£2m); Hayden
Mullins (£1m); Julien Faubert (£1.5m loan with option to buy); Calum
Davenport (loan with option to buy); Nigel Quashie (loan); Lee Bowyer (loan
until end of contract); Joe Widdowson (loan). Total estimated receipts:
£18.5m.
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The transfer window post mortem
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 3rd February 2009
By: Paul Turner
If there is anything to be learnt from the summer transfer window is that we
should all give West Ham 24 hours after the window closes to announce any
done deals. That time it was the deals for David Di Michele and Illunga that
were announced late, the excuse being put down to waiting for clearance from
the pro per authorities.
As I type this it is seven hours after the 'close' of the January transfer
window. I use inverted commas because due to the adverse weather the Premier
League managed to get an extension to the window that only comes into effect
if both clubs emailed the league and showed that a fee had been agreed and
that the weather had played its part in stopping things going through before
5pm.
I don't understand why some people leave it right to the end, as if you
wanted someone then you would have gotten it done a while ago. Anyway, in a
time of RIP articles in the Mirror newspaper and general doom and gloom from
Fleet Street's finest we can now take stock of what has gone on and look to
the end of the season with the current squad of player we have. It seems a
bit strange to say this but:
West Ham have done (to a degree) what they said they would.
That might seem at odds with conventional thinking but hear me out. West Ham
have said they would move on players who were not getting first team chances
on a regular basis, cut the squad number and look for quality and youth over
quantity. We have not sold Parker, Green or Upson. We have replaced when
needed (apart from the cover on the right in Faubert's replacement) and
signed a guy who is listed as promising in Savio.
Those who did not want to be at the club (Bellamy, Davenport, Faubert) are
gone and we can properly replace in a more settled environment in the
summer. Some might point out that we have too many loan deals both in and
out of the club but I see this as all football clubs dealing with the
current financial environment in which people are taking a longer, harder
look at players before going the full hog and buying the player outright.
We got Illunga in on loan, had a look and liked what we saw so much he was
given a permanent contract. It is a prudent way to act and ensures that Zola
and Clarke have time to work with the player and see if they fit in with the
grand scheme of things, or the football project that has long been mooted by
Scott Duxbury.
I, like many others do not know what the bulk of this football project text
actually says but somewhere there might be a phrase about not selling to
Tottenham anymore if Mr Duxbury's comments to Sky Sports News are to be
taken as gospel. Our recent transfer dealings may very well be the board's
way of dressing up a dressing down of the overall playing staff but to me
its part of the project and the results are not due in now until May.
The poll running at the moment on the KUMB.com forums asks people which of
four statements people most agree with, with regards to West Ham United's
dealings in the transfer window. The majority of responders have plumped, so
far, for the answer 'I'm reasonably happy'. As alluded before with the
failure to provide a reasonable cover for Faubert's departure, there are
some aspects of the squad that in future will need looking at like our
forwards and wingers if they are needed for particular game situations and
formations but overall the mood is one of quite confidence that we can push
up the league, keep getting good results and that we have not lost the vast
bulk of our better players.
With every game between now and the end of the season important to this
club's ambitions of success, be it in the cup or through as high a league
finish as possible I feel that with the close of the January transfer window
and the clubs dealings we have given ourselves a decent platform for
advancing (which could have been a lot worse if you believed the
speculation, but on the other hand could have been a bit better). Sounds
like the story of West Ham really.
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Success and conservatism: the manager's dilemma
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 3rd February 2009
By: John Simkin
In his book "The Mackericks: English Football When Flair Wore Flares"
(1994), Rob Steen suggested that winning the World Cup in 1966 was the worst
thing that could have happened to English football because "it established
deep in the English footballing consciousness the notion that the
functionality of Alf Ramsay's side was the only way to achieve success".
Steen was making the important point that the problem with success is that
it breeds conservatism.
In his brilliant book, "Inverting the Pyramid: A History of Football
Tactics" (2008), Jonathan Wilson argues that really great managers in the
past never allowed themselves to become conservative football managers.
Wilson provides a short-list of these managers that includes two Scotsman,
Bill Shankly and Alex Ferguson. It is no coincidence that these two great
managers were brought up in working-class areas by parents who were active
socialists. They grew up in a tradition that believed in the need for
permanent revolution. The same could also be said of Brian Clough, another
manager who constantly reminded people of his socialist beliefs.
The main point about great managers is that they are never satisfied with
success. This is what gives Ferguson such an advantage over Arsene Wenger,
who sticks rigidly to a formula that in the past brought success. Ferguson
carefully analyzes every match and even when his club is winning easily, he
will still make changes if he observes a weakness in his team. The vast
majority of managers cannot do this. They will only replace players when
their individual mistakes have resulted in the team dropping points. In
other words, the great manager takes pre-emptive action.
There is no doubt that Zola and Clarke have done a great job so far at the
club. Since losing to Sp*rs on 8th December, West Ham's form has been very
consistent, winning six, drawing three and losing only once (rather
unluckily against Aston Villa). It has been a tremendous effort when you
consider the quality of the players in the team. I would argue that if you
studied the squads of all the premiership clubs, West Ham is the most
over-achieving side in the league. In the language of an Ofsted inspection,
Zola and Clarke are providing "added-value".
Despite this good run I have observed two serious problems that needed to be
addressed in the transfer window. First of all, in every game, the
opposition targets Lucas Neill as the team's weak-link. This could be seen
in the game against Arsenal on Saturday. Samir Nasri causing a great deal of
panic in the opening stages with his pace down the left flank. Valon Behrami
did what he could to help Neill but there is little he can do when the
full-back gives the ball away, as he does on numerous occasions. This
problem is reflected in the statistics. So far this season Neill has an
average rating of 6.10. This is the lowest rating of any first-team regular.
There is nothing new in this. Last season Neill had an averaging rating of
6.06, also the worst figure anyone who played over 30 games.
The problem for Zola is that the only squad member who he has so far
considered to play at right-back other than Neill, is Julian Faubert, who
has an average rating of 5.65 this season. As there has been talk for
sometime that Faubert would leave during the transfer window, it is strange
that the club has not lined-up anyone to take his place. It seems that the
club had been talking to Bryce Moon and Radiu Homei, but Scott Duxbury
failed to conclude either deal. As both players have struggled to get in
their club's first-team, it is hard to see how they would have added much to
the current squad.
The second problem concerns the first-team pool of players. It has often
been said that one way you can accurately judge a team is by looking at the
quality on the bench. On Saturday, the West Ham bench consisted of Lastuvka,
Lopez, Savio, Boa Morte, Spector, Tristan and Sears. It is hard to think of
any other Premier League side that has a weaker group of players waiting to
be called into the first-team.
I am sure that Zola and Clarke have identified these two problems. The only
answer is that West Ham does not have any money to buy or take players on
loan. It would seem that they do not think enough of Lopez or Spector to
start them in games or even bring them on as substitutes. One possibility is
to coach Tomkins to play in this position. Last season Curbishley had
Tomkins playing at full-back in a couple of reserve games.
I believe that Zola has already done enough this season to suggest that he
has the potential to be extremely successful in this terribly difficult
profession. However, he has so far been very lucky with injuries. The
quality of the current squad means that Zola has no chance this season to
show that he has the potential to reach the standards of managers such as
Shankly, Clough and Ferguson.
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Hammers snap up Hungarian
Goalkeeper joins on loan
By Juha Pal Last updated: 3rd February 2009
SSN
West Ham have signed goalkeeper Peter Kurucz on loan from Ujpest FC,
according to the Hungarian club. The Hammers have been monitoring Kurucz
since Ujpest played two games in England in January. They have now moved to
secure the 20-year-old on loan until the end of the season. West Ham also
have the option to sign Kurucz on a permanent deal in the summer. Kurucz is
unlikely to challenge West Ham's first-choice keeper Robert Green but will
be keen to gain experience in England. Ujpest also allowed defender Zoltan
Liptak to link up with Southampton on loan during the transfer window.
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Spring here for Sheffield, again, as FA stay quiet
Martin Samuels
Daily Mail
Well, a week has passed and the Football Association still do not appear in
a position to rule on the legality of Matthew Spring's transfer from Luton
Town to Charlton Athletic, which included a third party agreement saying he
could not play in the FA Cup against Sheffield United, where he had been on
loan.
In the meantime, Charlton did find a team that Spring is allowed to play
against, Crystal Palace, who are Sheffield United's rivals for promotion,
and he helpfully scored the only goal of the game.
It was Charlton's first league win since October 4 and afterwards, Phil
Parkinson, the Charlton manager, was generous in his praise for Kevin
Blackwell,manager of Sheffield United, whose help facilitated Spring's deal.
Charlton's Matthew Spring scored the winner against Crystal Palace last
week
'We had a gentleman's agreement with Kev that we wouldn't play him if we met
in the FA Cup,' he said.
'I see it that he was fresh for tonight, so I thank Kev for putting in that
agreement.'
One problem.
As nice as it was of Kev to insert an agreement in Spring's transfer, Kev is
not an employee of Luton Town, the selling club holding his registration, or
Charlton Athletic, the buying club now in possession of it.
This makes him what is known as a third party. Fact.
And Parkinson has admitted that by taking Spring out of the FA Cup tie, in
his opinion it left the player fresher for a match against a team that is
rivalling Sheffield United for promotion.
As explained last week, the Football League have no rules governing third
party influence, but the FA do.
So why the delay? Or have the governing body mysteriously lost their
appetite for such matters?
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Gianfranco Zola hails how West Ham survived the transfer window
The Mirror
By Football Spy 3/02/2009
Gianfranco Zola has said he is "proud" that his West Ham side have survived
the transfer window with "personality and style". Although Craig Bellamy
went to Manchester City for £14m, the feared fire sale of top players did
not happen as five fringe players were loaned out or sold. "It hasn't been
simple and all the stories in the newspapers did affect the players," Zola
said. "But every morning I wake up with the idea that we are stronger than
our problems. "I am proud to have come through so much confusion, and we
have done so with personality and style." He added: "Things are falling into
place, but the credit goes to the players who have always worked hard even
when we weren't getting any points."
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Real Madrid chief Mijatovic fuming over shock Faubert deal
By Ken Dyer Last updated at 2:17 PM on 03rd February 2009
Daily Mail
Julien Faubert's surprise move from West Ham to Real Madrid on loan has
provoked a furore at the Spanish club. Faubert is one of eight players who
have departed Upton Park during the January transfer window but manager
Gianfranco Zola will be happy that only one, Craig Bellamy, was a big-name
player.
Faubert's late move to the Bernabeu was a surprise and it has now emerged
that the club's sporting director, former Yugoslav international Predrag
Mijatovic, is fuming at the temporary deal. Mijatovic believes that Faubert,
who never managed to command a regular first-team spot at West Ham, Is not
good enough to play for the Spanish giants. Mijatovic's main quarrel is said
to be with Real's technical secretary, Miguel Angel Portugal, who
masterminded the deal. The transfer deadline day ended quietly for West Ham
with only Calum Davenport going out on loan to Sunderland. They were looking
possibly at signing South African defender Bryce Moon over from
Panathinaikos but a deal was not possible and Upton Park officials insisted
they were under no pressure if terms could not be agreed. Zola will breathe
a sigh of relief that the window has now closed and, with the exception of
Bellamy, he has been as good as his word and managed to keep all his
high-profile players.
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Man Utd stars Rooney, Evra back for West Ham date
04.02.09 | tribalfootball.com
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney could make his comeback on Sunday
against West Ham. The indications are that Rooney is nearing full fitness
again after a five-match absence with a hamstring injury. The England
striker suffered the setback in the victory against Wigan three weeks ago.
But he could be in line to face the Hammers on Sunday, providing he puts in
the minutes on the training ground in the coming days. French defender
Patrice Evra is also set to be fit for the trip to Upton Park, following an
ankle injury suffered against Chelsea a month ago. Nani is another player
who could come into contention, after suffering a groin injury against Derby
in the Carling Cup semi-final second leg victory.
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Please donate to my run for charity
http://www.justgiving.com/peter-robinson
http://www.justgiving.com/peter-robinson1
Thank You so much to those who have already contributed
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