WHUFC.com
The manager believes his team have plenty to achieve over the last dozen
games of the 2008/09 season
28.02.2009
Gianfranco Zola has said Sunday lunchtime's game against Manchester City
cannot come soon enough as he bids to wipe away the frustration of the
previous week.
Successive defeats at Bolton Wanderers and Middlesbrough left the manager
scratching his head and eager for a return to the Boleyn Ground. Prior to
that a superb run of form that had left some suggesting a realistic
challenge on seventh spot - and a possible European qualification spot - and
the manager is determined to see the team pick themselves up and get going
again.
With 36 points still to play for, Zola has stressed there is much to focus
the squad for the rest of the campaign and he has repeated how much he is
relishing the challenge in east London. "I am really enjoying my experience
here at West Ham because I have got fantastic players and they are making it
very enjoyable. I don't envy anybody else.
"One win can turn things around," the manager added. "Absolutely, a victory
on Sunday would be fantastic for us. I am really looking forward and dying
for this game and that is the kind of feeling we must have. It is a great
opportunity, we are playing at home."
Zola is aware that lunchtime kick-offs often make for a "strange atmosphere"
but he recognises the team's role in lifting the supporters that have backed
him and the players time and again - especially with this weekend's game a
sell-out. Many present will no doubt be interested by the return of former
striker Craig Bellamy but Zola is only concerned by his own men.
"Now he doesn't play for us and that is it," he said to bring discussion to
an end, after being quizzed three times about his thoughts on the Manchester
City forward who was simply "one of the players we need to look after on
Sunday". Zola is ready to welcome City manager Mark Hughes, with whom he had
a memorable link-up as a player.
"It will be a pleasure to see Mark Hughes and shake hands with him again. We
have been partners and had a very good partnership together. It will be a
pleasure to welcome him to our stadium. I knew as a player that he had the
quality to be a manager."
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Behrami seeks Sunday success
WHUFC.com
In his last game before a ban, Valon Behrami is determined to help the team
jump up the table
28.02.2009
Valon Behrami has summed up the mood in the West Ham United camp as the team
look to regain the winning habit in the Barclays Premier League with
Sunday's visit of Manchester City.
The 23-year-old midfielder has been a revelation in his first season in
England, playing a major role in Gianfranco Zola's exciting first six months
in charge. Having helped get the club to mid-table, Behrami sees no reason
why West Ham cannot put recent disappointments - including the FA Cup exit -
behind them and push on up.
"We are concentrating on the league and on Sunday there will be a game
against a team [Manchester City] who have the same targets as us, so it is a
very important game for us to get a result. We are at home, we want to win.
It won't be easy and we will be looking to raise the confidence again after
losing.
"First thing for us to focus on is to be strong really early on and play our
game. This last week has seen us lose two games in pretty much the same way
in both of them, so we were very disappointed. We went behind at Bolton and
the reaction was good as we got back into the game and played well despite
losing.
"The performance at Middlesbrough certainly did not reflect our team and the
way we have been playing over the last three or four months. We are better
than that. The manager is very positive with us and wants us to keep
positive, we will do this because he helps us to do this. Although we lost,
we are not in a bad way.
"We have to show our personalities, the work and training is there. The
atmosphere in the dressing room is good and so we have to show that again in
our game on the pitch." Behrami will particularly be giving his all, as he
is suspended for the midweek trip to Wigan Athletic and wants to sign off in
style before his watching brief.
He is also not concerned by the return of Craig Bellamy in the City
strikeforce, stressing that all that will trouble him and his team-mates is
their own performance. "He has moved on and so have we. We respect him, we
have to be aware of him, but we want to win the game and that is what we are
focusing on.
"We are at home, so it's important for the younger players and everybody to
know everyone is behind them. We had very good support from our fans at
Middlesbrough but we didn't show what we can really do so we look to do
that. We have to search for everything we can in the first few minutes, keep
going and just give everything."
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West Ham United vs Manchester City: Bellamy to receive the Ince and Lampard
treatment
SQuareFootball.com
Craig Bellamy doesn't care about upsetting people which is just as well
because there will be more than 30,000 irate Hammers giving him stick this
weekend.
Former West Ham players like Joe Cole and Carlos Tevez always receive a warm
welcome from the Upton Park faithful because the fans respect those who gave
everything for the club. Bellamy though is destined to rival Frank Lampard
and Paul Ince in the East End hatred stakes after walking out of the club in
January, allegedly stating that he wanted to join their capital rivals
Tottenham Hotspur.
The Welsh international striker makes his first return to Upton Park since
signing for Manchester City and I think it's fair to say that he is going to
find out what the home fans really think of him. Not that he will give a
monkeys though as he's on fire just now and after being credited with the
goal against his former club Liverpool last weekend I'm sure he'll love to
make it two in a row. But West Ham fans will be praying that this is not
going to be the Craig Bellamy show.
West Ham United haven't recorded a win over their Manchester counterparts in
three years and failed to win a single game in February, scoring just twice
in five league and cup outings. They left their fans fuming in midweek with
a woeful performance in the FA Cup and Zola will be keen for them to get
back to winning ways on Sunday.
City, who are England's sole representatives in the UEFA Cup, arrive in the
capital looking to record their second double over the Hammers in the past
three seasons. Brazilian superstar Robinho is their top scorer in the league
this season with 11 but he hasn't found the back of the net in 2009.
Meanwhile, Bellamy has scored five since he arrived. However, City have only
triumphed once on the road this season. But if they do make it two wins on
their travels they will leapfrog their hosts, who are currently one point
ahead of them.
West Ham's Mark Noble, who was sent off in the 3-0 defeat earlier this
season at Eastlands, misses out this clash through suspension while Zola
will be without defender James Collins and Luis Boa Morte through injury.
Mark Hughes will be without Shaun Wright-Phillips through suspension and the
Welshman is sweating on the fitness of Gelson Fernandes.
West Ham United vs Manchester City; Kick Off 12:30pm 01 Mar 2009
Prediction Panel
Our panel contains both Squarefootball writers and readers, the writers are
marked: (sqf).
Tony Bellew : 0 - 1
Dave Blackburn : 2 - 0
Sue Gardener : 0 - 0
Chris Goodwin : 0 - 1
Paul Grech (sqf) : 1 - 1
Colin Illingworth (sqf) : 2 - 1
Hugh Larkin (sqf) : 2 - 2
Peter Lee : 2 - 2
Don McMahon : 1 - 3
Antony Melvin (sqf) : 1 - 1
Stephen Orford (sqf) : 2 - 2
Tony Ratton : TBC - TBC
Peter Rendle : 1 - 1
Dan Taylor : 1 - 1
Bill Urban (sqf) : TBC - TBC
Andy Wakeman : 3 - 0
Isaac Williams : 0 - 0
Mark Williams : 1 - 1
Panel Verdict
The panel is expecting a 1-1 draw.
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EXCLUSIVE: West Ham shiver over Icelandic court hearing
Daily Mail
By Rob Draper Last updated at 10:52 PM on 28th February 2009
West Ham face a vital day in the Icelandic courts this week, when a judge
could force owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson to sell the club within weeks for a
knockdown price, potentially plunging them into chaos. Gudmundsson is hoping
judges grant him an order to extend a moratorium which currently restricts
banks from attempting to seize his assets. If the decision goes against him,
the club could end up being run by a consortium of banks, who would attempt
to sell the club as quickly as possible. West Ham are confident that the
decision will go their way, as the best way of maximising the price of the
club is to allow the current sale process to continue until the end of the
season.
Friday's judgment relates. to West Ham's holding company, Hansa, which was
granted the moratorium in November. One bank, MP Bank, has objected to the
initial ruling and several commentators have noted that the £250million
price Hansa have placed on West Ham is unrealistic in the current economic
climate. West Ham have confirmed they have several interested parties in
buying the club but none has yet moved towards finalising a deal. Sheffield
United's £45.5m compensation claim for their relegation in 2007, after West
Ham fielded an ineligible player in Carlos Tevez, is also hanging over the
club and making a sale more difficult.
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West Ham look to steal the march for Italian starlet
Posted by: Freddie Myers , on Thu 26 Feb 2009
West Ham Football Fancast
West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola and Gianluca Nani are looking to steal the
march on their near rivals Tottenham by making a move for Juventus starlet
Ayub Daud.
The Italian playmaker, who was the star turn in the recent Viareggio Cup has
attracted the interest of a plethora of clubs who are all looking to take
advantage of the fact that the 18 yr old is yet to sign a professional
contract with the Turin club. Juventus are desperate to keep hold of him,
but are only too aware that the chance is there for him to be offered a more
lucrative deal elsewhere. Spurs according to Tuttosport are leading the
chase for his signature; however the player's agent Ulisse Savini has moved
quickly to quash those reports. "Daud is the number 10 of Primavera Juventus
and, last week, was the best player at the Viareggio Cup," agent Savini
exclusively told Setanta "After this tournament, a lot of foreign teams like
Villarreal, West Ham and Wolfsburg asked for him. "But, sincerely, I have
not spoken with Tottenham. But the newspaper, Tuttosport, tell me that they
have this news about Daud. "So I can't confirm anything about Tottenham but
I can confirm that Daud is a young talent and Juventus don't want to lose
him."
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West Ham defender Upson admits FA Cup "waste"
01.03.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham defender Matthew Upson admits they let down their fans after an FA
Cup exit at Middlesbrough last week. Upson said: "We need to regroup and
address what went wrong. "We never got going at Middlesbrough and it was a
real disappointment. "We wanted to put on a good performance and it was a
wasted opportunity to do something in the FA Cup. "We need to raise the
standards of everyone around us. We did not have the sharpness at
Middlesbrough and what made it worse was we had such an awesome away
following. It felt twice as bad to lose, we had let the fans down."
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Stanislas chasing West Ham senior breakthrough
01.03.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United winger Junior Stanislas is chasing a first team
breakthrough. "I want to push on in the first team and start being on the
bench," he admitted on WHUTV when asked to explain his immediate goals. "I
travelled with the first team the other day. I want to be on the bench, get
some game time and come on and get five minutes here and there and get
myself in the picture. I am training with the first team. It is good. I was
a bit slow to start with but obviously training with those players can only
make you better."
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Man City boss Hughes delighted for ex-Chelsea pal Zola
01.03.09 | tribalfootball.com
Manchester City boss Mark Hughes is looking forward to facing West Ham
United - and his former Chelsea teammate Gianfranco Zola. He said: "I had
the pleasure of playing alongside Franco at Chelsea for two years - a fine
footballer and an outstanding guy. I'm delighted that he's been able make
his mark so quickly as a manager. It's not going to be an easy weekend. "But
it's important that we keep our run going. We're more confident with our
positive results and now we're looking for another. They're getting used to
each other and the more they play alongside each other, the better they will
become. "West Ham are playing good football, a short passing game with good
quality up front. Carlton Cole is doing well, he's always had the talent but
has possibly under-achieved in previous seasons. "It's another test for us,
a difficult place to go. It was always a bit tasty when I was a player with
United and Chelsea. But I used to enjoy it, there's always a great
atmosphere. It's up to us to go there and quieten them down."
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West Ham to be sold to Asian investors for £90million
The Mirror
Exclusive by Bill Mills, sundaymirror.co.uk 1/03/2009
West Ham are set to be taken over by a group of Asian investors in a
£90million deal. The group from the Far East are close to replacing the
current Icelandic owners. Talks are advanced and might even be concluded
this week. The prospective owners, believed to be a wealthy industrial
group, have the funds in place to buy the club from Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson.
His Icelandic company arrived at Upton Park in November 2006 after clinching
the £85m deal that paved the way for the departure of chairman Terry Brown.
Eggert Magnusson was named chairman and splashed out vast transfer fees
while agreeing inflated contracts that are now millstones around the club's
neck.
Gudmundsson took over at the helm but his longterm future in English
football has been undermined by the worldwide credit crunch. He was removed
as chairman of Landsbanki, Iceland's second largest bank, following its
collapse and government takeover.
Soon rumours that the Hammers were for sale started to circulate, and the
deal is now set to take place. The buyers will, though, have to be happy
about the potential debts they are inheriting. There are issues such as
Sheffield United's claim for £45m compensation from the Carlos Tevez affair,
former manager Alan Curbishley's claim for £3m in compensation and a
settlement with adviser Kia Joorabchian that could cost up to £10m. The
buyers also recognise that they will need to provide some funds for boss
Gianfranco Zola. He has made an impressive start but will hope to have the
scope to improve his squad this summer.
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West Ham could be forced into sale by Icelandic courts
01.03.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United could be forced into a sale by the Icelandic courts. The
Mail on Sunday says the Hammers face a vital day in the Icelandic courts
this week, when a judge could force owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson to sell the
club within weeks for a knockdown price, potentially plunging them into
chaos. Gudmundsson is hoping judges grant him an order to extend a
moratorium which currently restricts banks from attempting to seize his
assets. If the decision goes against him, the club could end up being run
by a consortium of banks, who would attempt to sell the club as quickly as
possible. West Ham are confident that the decision will go their way, as
the best way of maximising the price of the club is to allow the current
sale process to continue until the end of the season.
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