WHUFC.com
West Ham United's England international defender is determined to finish in
the Premier League's top seven
06.03.2009
It is certainly no coincidence that West Ham United's improved defensive
strength this season has coincided with Matthew Upson's constant presence in
the West Ham United team.
The central defender's composed performances at the heart of the back-four
have been one of the many highlights of a campaign that sees the club go
into their final ten Premier League matches with a very real chance of
qualifying for next season's UEFA Europa League.
Upson has shrugged off his previous injury problems to be one of just two
ever-presents in Gianfranco Zola's starting eleven this season alongside
goalkeeper Robert Green. It says much for the 29-year-old's form that the
only game in which he was withdrawn - against Everton in November - saw the
Hammers concede three late goals.
Upson, who has also become a regular fixture in Fabio Capello's England
squad and scored his first international goal in Germany in November, was at
his imperious best during Wednesday's 1-0 victory at Wigan Athletic as the
Hammers had to play almost an hour with ten men after Carlton Cole was sent
off.
"We played exceptionally well, looked very dangerous, played around them
quite easily and created good chances. We knew what Wigan were going to
throw at us - a lot of diagonal balls and balls into the box. It was a shame
that Carlton was sent-off really because the game was quite entertaining
until then, but then we had to sit back and could not get out. It was a good
win for us."
Success at the JJB Stadium ensured the Hammers go into their free weekend
four points clear of eighth-placed Manchester City, and Upson believes
Zola's men have a seventh-place finish - and possible European qualification
for next season - well within their capabilities.
"It is massively in our mind. It is a target of ours. We sat down and have
talked about it. We are heading towards them and when you set targets you
want to achieve them and that is what we want to do at this club."
The squad will not return to action until West Bromwich Albion visit the
Boleyn Ground on Monday 16 March, but Upson insists he and his team-mates
will not lose focus. In fact, he believes the break from competitive
fixtures could not have come at a better time.
"We are going into a break now. We are going to recharge the batteries. We
have a lot of players who have played nearly every match this season, so it
is a good rest and we have a couple of fixtures coming up where we can pick
up points."
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Upson has Europe in mind
Hammers defender eyes top-seven finish
By Chris Burton Last updated: 6th March 2009
SSN
Matthew Upson admits West Ham's recent form has helped to rekindle European
dreams around Upton Park. The Hammers have secured back-to-back victories
over the course of the last week, with Manchester City and Wigan put to the
sword. Six vital points at a crucial stage of the season have helped to lift
the capital club into seventh spot in the Premier League table. That could
be good enough to secure Uefa Europa League qualification for next season,
providing a top six side claims FA Cup glory.
Upson sees no reason why Gianfranco Zola's men cannot cling onto their
current standing and admits everyone connected with the club is determined
to bring continental football back to the East End. "It is massively in our
mind. It is a target of ours," the England international told the club's
official website. "We sat down and have talked about it. We are heading
towards it and when you set targets you want to achieve them and that is
what we want to do at this club."
Having already slipped out of the FA Cup this season, West Ham are facing up
to the luxury of a free weekend. They are not due to be in action again
until they go head-to-head with West Brom on 16th March, with Upson of the
belief that a well-earned rest has come at an ideal time for the club. "We
are going into a break now. We are going to recharge our batteries," he
said. "We have a lot of players who have played nearly every match this
season, so it is a good rest and we have a couple of fixtures coming up
where we can pick up points."
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Collison boost for Zola
Hammers boss hopeful over midfielder
Last updated: 6th March 2009
SSN
West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola has been boosted by the news that Jack
Collison has not suffered serious injury. The Wales international was
stretched off during their 1-0 win at Wigan on Wednesday, amid fears he had
suffered knee ligament damage. Collison has had a fine campaign for The
Hammers and Zola was anxious about losing him for the remainder of the
season. But Zola now admits that the initial signs are positive and hopes
are high he will be back in action soon. "We were very worried at first
because it looked very bad and Jack was in a lot of pain," said Zola. "But
I've had a chat with him and the doctor since and it doesn't seem that bad."
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Should West Ham look to meet half way and strike a DEAL?
Posted by: Rob Facey , on Fri 6 Mar 2009
West Ham Football Fancast
Sheffield United have asked for £45m in compensation from West Ham in the
latest twist in the Carlos Tevez affair. The Argentinean striker, now at
Manchester United, is at the centre of a long running legal wrangle after
scoring vital goals for the Hammers as they stayed in the Premier League at
the expense of the Blades. However, the eligibility of the Tevez has been
rumbling on ever since and now the Championship side have demanded even more
money from the East London outfit. Surely West Ham are being taken to the
cleaners here. Is there no way that they could broker a deal with Sheffield
United out of court? The original request was £30m from United, which even
at the time seemed steep, but The Daily Telegraph is reporting that this has
risen to £45m to make up for another year outside of the top flight. West
Ham are adamant that £5m is all they will pay - which seems a little low
without all of the facts and figures - but can a compromise not be made?
Gianfranco Zola's side are in the process of rebuilding and have a made a
decent stab at the second half of the season. News that what limited funds
they have need to be directed to Sheffield United would be a sucker punch at
this stage. The Telegraph goes on to report that the tribunal which will
decide on the damages to Sheffield United, and is due to reconvene on March
16, came to the conclusion that Tevez had made a decisive difference in
preventing the London club from being relegated two years ago, after being
signed in breach of the League's rules on third-party ownership. Led by Lord
Griffiths, the tribunal also found that West Ham had been guilty of a
further rule breach even after admitting breaking rules at the Premier
League's initial independent disciplinary commission. On these grounds it
would seem West Ham have little or no chance of avoiding ahefty pay out.
Is there any hope of a deal being struck between the two clubs, or is this
set to run and run?
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DISTRICT: Lifelong Hammers fan passes on
8:39am Friday 6th March 2009
Guardian Series
A LIFELONG West Ham supporter has died of a heart attack just short of his
90th birthday. Harry Bloom, 89, had seen every Hammers match since 1927,
except for a short period he spent in the army during the Second World War.
He died at his home, in Oakhall Court, Wanstead, and was buried at Waltham
Abbey's Jewish cemetery with his favourite team's football shirt. Harry
Bloom took part in the Normandy landings during the war where was wounded
and taken back on the last boat home.
After leaving the army he became a professional boxer in America before
returning to London where he worked in his father's tailoring business in
Corporation Street.
His son Bernard said: "He had a strong sense of humour and saw the funny
side of everything. He'd see humour even in tragedy. "He was very bright and
well read. He could talk on virtually any subject and when he retired, 24
years ago, every day he'd spend hours in the library. He loved reading
biographies." Mr Bloom is survived by Bernard, and another son, Leon, who
now lives in Canada.
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Mid Table Mediocrity – Perception not fact?
Admiral Lard - Fri Mar 6 2009
West Ham Online
Like most men I deal in fact and emotion in roughly even amounts. Most men
go on their gut instinct in the first instance, reverting to stats and data
once an idea gains legs. Last season I ran a highly contentious, and for the
most part unpopular, thread called "Mid Table mediocrity – How long will it
be tolerated?" The thread itself was deleted a while ago, however my aim was
to highlight the turgid offerings of Alan Curbishley and his team. The
football we played was utterly negative culminating is some diabolical
performances, in particular a 1-0 home defeat by a poor Portsmouth, three
successive 4 goal thrashings and the unforgivable decision to go defensive
when 3-1 down at Manure when they went down to 10 men in a meaningless end
of season fixture that could have been a ray of light. So Curbs goes and GFZ
arrives. I, for one, was underwhelmed by the move. On the one hand glad to
see the back of Curbs, on the other doubtful of a great player with NO
management experience. A fortunate start followed by a truly worrying 9
games with few goals and many defeats. Then Christmas arrived along with a
Harry-less Pompey and a 4 goal thumping in our favour. Suddenly no one was
safe. Zany, pingy football that we all wanted to see followed and wins
appeared where once there were losses A small blip recently followed by a
couple of very tidy wins and now we find ourselves in 7th place with a real
chance of European qualification on league position merit……………. Now just
hold on a moment…. Remember bare facts?
We are 7th right? We are pushing for a genuine European place right? Last
season, after 28 games we were W 11 D 7 L10 GD 0 Pts 40 position 10th now we
are W11 D 6 L11 GD 0 Pts39 Position 7th. A fag paper in it with last season
showing slightly better, so what is the difference between the desperate
sense of frustration from the torpor of Curbishley's West Ham and the
frenzied excitement surrounding GFZ's young charges?
Well the facts as stated only show part of the story. Last season we fell
away badly in the last 10 games. We had nothing to go for, no more to
achieve once safety was acquired with 40 points. The last ten games yielded
little, we finished 10th. This season is a different story. We have so much
to play for. The Europa League, possibly the conclusion of a long awaited
sale bringing fresh impetus to the squad and club as a whole.
Our pride as the academy of football cracks back into life. Our goal against
Wigan was a wonderful thing, a goal of beauty, class and style. It would
have the Boys of 66 glowing with pride. Rarely has a single goal filled me
with such hope. The difference between March 6th 2009 and March 6th 2008 is
our perception of what the future may bring. Last year the most positive
comments were those of safety and consolidation. This year its about the
possibility of Europe on our won merit and what may be in years to come.
Stats and data can give you an indication, the gut feel gives you the
inspiration of the future and my substantial gut is feeling pretty good
right now! We are different, we quirky, we are coming back to being West Ham
United that has been missing for so very, very long!!
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West Ham join scramble for Mputu
06.03.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United are interested in DR Congo star Tresor Mputu. The TP Mazembe
striker is desperate to kickoff his European career and Belgian sources say
West Ham have joined Tottenham and Blackburn Rovers in their interest. A
move to Standard Liege fell through for Mputu in January.
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Hammers upbeat over Collison blow
by Tom Adams , 06 March 2009
setanat.co.uk
West Ham midfielder Jack Collison has not suffered a serious injury, a
relieved Gianfranco Zola has revealed. Fears arose when the 20-year-old
academy graduate was stretchered off the field during Wednesday night's 1-0
victory over Wigan Athletic. The spectre of possible knee ligament damage
loomed large over the Wales international but thankfully the East London
club have confirmed that Collison has avoided a serious injury. "We were
very worried at first because it looked very bad and Jack was in a lot of
pain," said Zola. "But I've had a chat with him and the doctor since and it
doesn't seem that bad." Collison has broken into the Hammers first team this
season and has been widely applauded for his recent performances, starting
14 Premier League games in all. West Ham recently saw fellow midfielder
Valon Behrami ruled out for the rest of the season due to knee ligament
damage.
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City and Hammers face Juve competition for Italian bad boy
Sport.co.uk
Author: Andrew Allen
Posted on: 06 March 2009 - 11:15
Manchester City and West Ham United face competition from Juventus as clubs
around Europe weigh up a summer move for mercurial talent Antonio Cassano.
The 26-year-old is currently contracted to Sampdoria but Italian newspaper
Tuttosport claims the former Real Madrid and Roma striker could be set for a
move to Turin as a replacement for the retiring Pavel Nedved. The Old Lady
have been linked with a host of names as they plan around the outgoing-Czech
star with Middlesbrough winger Stuart Downing also making the shortlist.
Cassano has long been a controversial figure in Italian football with his
bad boy manner, extravagant lifestyle, weight issues and tantrums all making
the headlines. While in Madrid, the Los Merengues hierarchy decided to fine
the player for every gram he remained over his playing weight before cutting
their losses and sending Cassano on loan to Sampdoria.
The Italian international made public an offer from Manchester City in the
same month but appears to have found the stability needed in Genoa to
maximise his potential. Having regained his form it is now thought Cassano
could once again make a lucrative move; not shy to admit that winning isn't
everything to him it appears that City's millions could be enough to finally
tempt him to England. Gianfranco Zola was thought to be eyeing the hitman
with a view to putting his Italian contact book to good use but with a
valuation in the region of £10m-£15m the Hammers may baulk at the price.
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TOUGH AT THE TOP FOR MATT
Daily Express
Friday March 6,2009
By Tony Paskin
MATTHEW UPSON has warned the Premier League's Euro wannabes that his West
Ham team will scrap their way into the top seven. England centre-half Upson
was talking in the wake of the win at Wigan on Wednesday, when team-mate
Carlton Cole and the home side's Lee Cattermole were sent off. With young
referee Stuart Attwell accused of not being up to the job by Wigan boss
Steve Bruce, West Ham's Scott Parker and Lucas Neill were also lucky to
escape dismissals. But Upson says his team will show that same battling
spirit for the remainder of the season as they push for the top-seven finish
that will probably be enough to carry them into the Europa Cup, the new-look
UEFA Cup. He said: "It's massively in our minds. It's a target of ours.
We've sat down and spoken about it and it's something that we're looking to
do. When you set targets it's nice to achieve them. "The UEFA Cup is
important. People will fight and scrap through a whole season to get in, and
I've read a couple of things questioning managers fielding weakened sides in
the latter stages. "But the league is most teams' main thing and the teams
that have been in the UEFA Cup have either been fighting against relegation
or, in Aston Villa's case, looking for the Champions League. "When you weigh
that up, to stay up or be in the Champions League is more important. I know
it has been criticised and it makes sense to me to prioritise what you need
as a club and a manager. And that is what has happened. "Of course I want to
play in Europe and I want to test myself against the best and become a
regular international, so I need to do that. So for West Ham to do that only
helps me on a personal level."
Attwell was blamed by Bruce over his dismissal of Cole. The second yellow,
for a high challenge on Emmerson Boyce, looked harsh. Bruce blasted Attwell
for not being up to top-flight standard and, while Upson stopped short of
repeating such a claim, he said bad decisions changed the game. Upson said:
"Age is important because you do get experience with age. Having said that,
referees need to progress just as players do. "The only thing is that it was
quite a big-scale game, a Premier League game, to learn the ropes a little
bit. I'm not sure whether it's a good decision to throw a referee that
inexperienced into a game of that kind of ferocity. "He did OK but he was a
bit keen to give bookings early in the game when he could have let things go
and then maybe not created the problems we had as we went on. The
sending-off was a shame because the game was entertaining and then we had
to sit back a bit. "Carlton didn't take his eye off the ball the whole
time. If the defender ducks down and decides to head it, Carlton can't help
it if his foot is the same height. I don't think he really caught him. And
you've got to look at his first booking, where he pulled all the way back to
give him a yellow. "OK, it was a tackle but that made it difficult then not
to send him off. It was very harsh on Carlton. "The lads were a little bit
incensed with a couple of the tackles. But Cattermole went in aggressively
and didn't win the ball. He cleaned Scott out but didn't touch the ball. So
the ref didn't have much of an option."
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