WHUFC.com
High demand is expected for fans wanting to make sure of their place at the
Boleyn Ground next season
10.07.2009
Season tickets have gone on general sale for all supporters. With pre-season
under way, the squad taking shape and the new fixtures out, there is plenty
of excitement and optimism about the start of the new 2009/10 season.
Unsurprisingly, season ticket sales are up when compared to the same period
last year, including a rise in new applicants. With sales capped at 26,000
and with the additional benefit of prices having been reduced by up to eight
per cent, the club is expecting the number sold to be as impressive as the
24,200 season tickets last season. The first home game of the Barclays
Premier League season is the small matter of Tottenham Hotspur's visit at
1.30pm on Sunday 23 August. In anticipation for the high demand and for the
convenience of fans, the Ticket Office has extended its opening hours for
the first day of general sale until 5pm on Saturday 11 July.
Tickets will be available by calling 0871 222 2700 via Option 3 or
alternatively in person at the West Stand Ticket Office with stewards on
hand to show the view from the seats available. The same procedures apply
to all concession rate tickets and those needing to supply the club with
proof of age unfortunately this therefore restricts applicants to personal
or postal applications only.
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Weekend fun for fans
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will be well represented at the Newham Mayor's show this
weekend
10.07.2009
West Ham United Community Sports Trust staff will be out in force again this
weekend after a successful event at City Airport last Saturday. The Trust's
coaches will be present at the Newham Mayor's Show this Saturday and Sunday
in Central Park, East Ham, to deliver multi-sports coaching to the
youngsters present. Saturday's show in east London follows the significant
contribution the club made to the prestigious City Airport Funday and
Airshow on Saturday 4 July, where over 1,500 young participants engaged in
activities during the day. Children aged between four and 14 received
technical coaching in dribbling and turning skills before competing in
individual timed trials. Each session concluded with an organised game
between the youngsters. The event was the first of a series of summer road
show activities where West Ham will be providing outreach activities at
community events.
West Ham United Community Sports Trust CEO Mick King said: "These events are
important to help link the club to its communities. The activities are
provided by talented young coaches who are recruited locally and have a
natural affinity with local communities. Their commitment, enthusiasm and
professionalism are of the highest standard. They are excellent ambassadors
for the club."
The Community Sports Trust team next move on to Dagenham Town Show on
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July.
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Austria trip in sight
WHUFC.com
Gianfranco Zola's team will head to Austria for a two-week training camp
including up to four matches
24.06.2009
West Ham United take a giant leap forward in their pre-season schedule on
Monday when they head to Austria for a two-week training camp.
Gianfranco Zola will take his squad to Bad Radkersburg following the
pre-season friendly against Grays Athletic this Sunday, which comes at the
end of a productive week's work back at Chadwell Heath.
Following their arrival, the first friendly match is set to see the Hammers
take on local side SVL Flavia Solva in Wagna on Wednesday 15 July before
tackling German giants Werder Bremen in Bad Waltersdorf on Saturday 18 July.
West Ham return to Bad Radkersberg to face Turkish outfit Bursaspor on
Wednesday 22 July before finishing up on Thursday 23 July with the potential
of a short trip across the border to the Slovenian town of Murska Sobota to
take on ND Mura 05. Please note that any changes to fixtures and dates will
be confirmed as soon as possible via whufc.com.
Zola believes the trip will act as perfect pre-season preparation for his
players. "I am looking forward to the pre-season camp and it should be very
good for us," he said. "It is an important part of the season and it will be
good to get everyone together and preparing in the right way. We are
determined to improve next season and this will help us a lot."
The manager and his squad will then return to England ahead of the trip to
China for the Barclays Asia Trophy the following week when they will take on
Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals on Wednesday 29 July. Hull City and
Chinese Super League team Beijing Guoan will meet in the other semi-final,
with the final being held on Friday 31 July.
Summer training camp opponents
SVL Flavia Solva
SVL Flavia Solva are from Wagna in southern Styria. The club dates back to
1952, although its current incarnation came about when SV Flavia Solva
merged with SV Leibnitz in 2003. They play in the third tier of Austrian
football and are coached by Tomislav Kocijan, a 41-year-old former striker
with SK Sturm Graz.
Last season was a succesful one for the red and whites as they earned
promotion. Previously, their best-ever league campaign came in 1984/85 when
they just missed out on promotion to the Austrian Bundesliga after finishing
runners-up. In 1992/93, again as a second-division side, they reached the
quarter-finals of the Austrian Cup before losing 2-0 to SK Rapid Vienna.
Werder Bremen
Werder Bremen enjoyed a successful 2008/09 season, beating Bayer Leverkusen
to win the German Cup and reaching the final UEFA Cup final before going
down to Ukranians Shakhtar Donetsk.
At domestic level, Werder finished tenth in the Bundesliga under
long-serving coach Tomas Schaaf. Bremen's squad contains a host of
well-known players including Germany defenders Clemens Fritz and Per
Mertesacker, playmaker Torsten Frings and Under-21 star Mesut Ozil, as well
as Sweden striker Marcus Rosenberg and Portugal forward Hugo Almeida.
Bursaspor
Bursaspor, from the Turkish city of Bursa, finished their 2008/09 campaign
sixth in the Turkcell Superlig. Formed in 1963, the club lifted the Turkish
Cup in 1986 and has been coached in the past by former West Ham player Ralph
Milne and Romania legend Gheorghe Hagi.
Coached by Ibrahim Yazici, Bursaspor's squad is made up almost exclusively
of Turkish players, including wonderkid Sercan Yildrim. Bulgaria goalkeeper
Dimitar Ivankov, South Korea forward Shin Young-Rok and Brazilian striker
Tadeu add international flavour.
ND Mura 05
Coached by Slobodan Djuric, Nogometno Drustvo Mura 05 hail from the
Slovenian town of Murska Sobota. The town is situated on the banks of the
river Mura in the north west of the country, hence the club's name.
ND Mura 05 was formed in 2005 following the demise of the town's former
Slovenian 1.SNL Liga club NK Mura earlier the same year. In their previous
guise, Mura lifted the Slovenian Cup in 1995.
Pre-season schedule (including reserves)
Sunday 12 July, 3pm - Grays Athletic v West Ham United
Wednesday 15 July, 5.30pm (6.30pm local) - SVL Flavia Solva v West Ham
United (Wagna, Austria)
Saturday 18 July, 5pm (6pm local) - Werder Bremen v West Ham United (Bad
Waltersdorf, Austria)
Saturday 18 July , 3pm - Cambridge United v West Ham United XI
Wednesday 22 July, 5pm (6pm local) - Bursaspor v West Ham United (Bad
Rakersburg, Austria)
Thursday 23 July, 5pm (6pm local) - ND Mura 05 v West Ham United (Murska
Sobota, Slovenia)
Friday 24 July, 7.45pm - Thurrock FC v West Ham United XI
Wednesday 29 July, 6pm (11am London)- West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur
(Barclays Asia Trophy, Beijing, China)
Friday 31 July - West Ham United v Hull City/Beijing Guoan (Barclays Asia
Trophy, Beijing, China)
Friday 31 July, 7.45pm - Kingstonian v West Ham United XI
Saturday 8 August, 3pm - West Ham United v SSC Napoli (Bobby Moore Cup)
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Kurucz aiming high
WHUFC.com
Goalkeeper Peter Kurucz is eager for first-team action after signing a
long-term contract
10.07.2009
Peter Kurucz has set his sights on appearing in the Barclays Premier League
after signing a long-term contract with West Ham United. The Hungary
Under-21 goalkeeper, who initially joined the Hammers on loan from Ujpest FC
in February 2009, has formally put pen to paper this week on a permanent
contract until the summer of 2013 after the deal was finalised and announced
last month. Kurucz, who is 6'4 tall, made his competitive debut for West Ham
in the 2-0 Barclays Premier Reserve League South defeat by Aston Villa on 17
March, going on to make five reserve appearances in total. The youngster's
impressive form was rewarded with a place among the substitutes for the
Premier League trip to Everton on 16 May. Now, the 21-year-old is aiming to
impress manager Gianfranco Zola and push No1 Robert Green for a first-team
place.
"I am very happy to sign for four years. I think it's very good," said
Kurucz. "It's good for me to be at West Ham. I was at Ujpest before and came
to England in February.
"I played five or six matches in the reserves last season and enjoyed
working with Ludek, who is a very good goalkeeping coach, and also Greeny.
"I hope I will play in the Premier League this season but I think I will
play more regularly in the reserve team."
Having previously appeared for Hungary's U21 side, Budapest-born Kurucz, who
has spent the summer becoming more familiar with London, has also set his
sights on one day earning a senior international cap for his country. "That
would be good. I don't know about the full national team yet but at the
moment I hope to be in the Under-21s," he added. Kurucz is one of a host of
promising goalkeepers at the club, with Czech Republic U21 Marek Stech,
Canada U20 Adam Street and Turkey U17 Deniz Mehmet all showing great
potential.
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Quashie a happy Hammer
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 10th July 2009
By: Staff Writer
Nigel Quashie has been speaking about his immediate future - and insists
that he'd be happy to see out his contract with the Hammers. Quashie, signed
from West Brom in January 2007 for £1.5million has another year of his
three-and-a-half year deal to run and despite having not featured for the
first team since March 2007 insists that he'd be happy to remain in London.
However he also refused to rule out a move - adding that regular first-team
football was his priority. "All I want to do is play football really,
whether that is at West Ham or if something materialises at another club,"
he said. "It will be good for me to get back to giving 100 per cent on the
pitch for a football club again. "West Ham have been great with me whilst
I've been on the sidelines and it will obviously be up to them whether I
remain at Upton Park or not. I'm back at West Ham now and starting to get
back into the thick of things with the boys. "I've got another year left on
my deal here and it's all about my desire to play regularly now really
because I need to be playing. I've been playing for 14 years now and I'm
approaching the age of 31, so I need to be playing regularly. "If I need to
go out on loan again to do so, or even move somewhere permanently then so be
it because the main thing for me is to be playing football."
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Ex-Hammer returns to Oz
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 10th July 2009
By: Staff Writer
Former West Ham youth star Chris Coyne has returned to Australia after 13
years in England. 30-year-old Coyne, who was released recently by League One
outfit Colchester United has signed a three-year deal with Perth Glory. The
deal is being viewed as a major coup down under, with Perth owner Tony Sage
stating:
"Chris has seen what we've set in motion here and the high standard of
players we've brought together at the club. Quality attracts quality and we
are delighted to add another player with the experience and skill that Chris
possesses. The Perth Glory revival is well and truly on the march."
Centre-half Coyne arrived in England as a 17-year-old and was part of the
title-winning Hammers youth team of 1995/96 which included the likes of
Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand. He also featured in the 1995/96 FA Youth
Cup final which saw the Hammers beaten 4-1 by a Liverpool team featuring
Michael Owen and Jamie Carragher.
Despite having impressed initially Coyne failed to push on and following
just one first team appearance for Harry Redknapp he signed for Dundee on a
free transfer.
After just one season in Scotland (2000/01), Coyne was brought back to
England by Luton Town for whom he played for the next seven years. However
administration forced a £350,000 sale to Colchester in 2008, for whom Coyne
was named captain.
However his final season in English football was to end in disappointment as
Colchester were relegated from the Championship at the end of Coyne's first
season at the CCS.
Where are they now? The class of 96
Neill Finn: Goalkeeper Finn went on to become the then youngest player to
feature in the Premiership when he played at Manchester City aged just 17.
After being released by the Hammers, Finn spent time with Dorchester Town
before disappearing from the game. He returned to play for non-league
Romford in 2004.
Rio Ferdinand: Unsurprisingly went on to become England's finest defender of
his generation. Surprisingly overlooked as the latest England captain.
David Partridge: Centre-half Partridge never featured for United's first
team and spent time at Dundee Utd, Orient, Motherwell, Bristol City and
Brentford before moving to Ireland to play for St Patrick's Athletic where
he is expected to line up against next season. Also featured seven times for
Wales.
Jason Moore: Made one substitute appearance for the Hammers before being
released a year later. Unheard of since.
Emmanuel Omoyinmi: Former English schoolboy Omoyinmi will mostly be
remembered for his brief appearance as a substitute in the void League Cup
quarter final with Aston Villa which cost the Hammers a semi-final berth due
to his appearance for Gillingham in the same competition whilst on loan
earlier that season. 'Mannygate' put an end to Omoyinmi's career with the
Hammers but he went on to play for no less than 11 more clubs before
retiring at the end of the 2006/07 season.
Frank Lampard: Got fat, got taunted, got slim again and won a few medals
with Chelsea. The second best Lampard to play for West Ham.
Anthony McFarlane: McFarlene's playing career was cut short by injury and he
was forced to retire from the game in 1998. Has worked as a Licensed
Player's Agent for several years.
Joe Keith: Joe was another who failed to make an appearnce for West Ham
United's first team and signed for Colchester in 1999. After six years and
over 230 appearances for the U's he joined Orient before moving to Brentford
two years later. However he was relased just four months later and dropped
out of the pro ranks. Featured for Hornchurch before joining current club
Tilbury.
Lee Boylan: Witham-born Boylan made just one apparance for the first team,
that coming as an 89th minute substitute against Sheffield Wednesday in
1997. Having been released by West Ham in 1999 the striker enjoyed short
spells will Trelleborg (Sweden), Exeter, Hayes and Stevenage before joining
Canvey Island where he starred for five years between 2001-2006. A season at
Grays was followed by another year at Cambridge Utd; now with Stevenage
Borough (his 12th club).
Lee Hodges: Midfielder Hodges featured three times under Harry Redknapp
before being released in 1999 having spent time on loan at Exter, Orient,
Plymouth, Ipswich and Southend. He spent three years at Scunthorpe before
enjoying spells with Rochdale, Bristol Rovers, Thuroock, Billericay and
Hornchurch, for whom he featured last season.
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Kurucz looking to back-up Green
Hungarian youngster ready to fill Green's shoes
Last updated: 10th July 2009
SSN
Hungary Under 21 international goalkeeper Peter Kurucz is hoping to be
Robert Green's back-up at West Ham this season. The Hammers were hoping to
make Southampton keeper Kelvin Davis deputy to Green, but he rejected the
chance by penning a new Saints deal. 21-year-old shot-stopper Lurucz is now
a permanent member of Gianfranco Zola's squad after signing a four-year deal
this summer after initially joining on loan. Kurucz made a handful of
appearances for West Ham's reserves last season and he is looking forward to
learning and improving as a player during his time in East London. The
keeper is targeting first-team football in the long-run, but accepts he is
likely to continue his education in West Ham's reserves this season. "I
played five or six matches in the reserves last season and enjoyed working
with Ludek [Miklosko], who is a very good goalkeeping coach, and also
Greeny," he told the club's official website. "I hope I will play in the
Premier League this season, but I think I will play more regularly in the
reserve team."
Meanwhile, Kurucz is looking forward to the team's pre-season tour of China,
insisting it is vital the team bond while in the Far East. "I am looking
forward to the pre-season camp and it should be very good for us," he
continued. "It is an important part of the season and it will be good to get
everyone together and preparing in the right way. "We are determined to
improve next season and this will help us a lot."
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The Greatest: West Ham United
Eurosport - Mon, 06 Jul 11:16:00 2009
In our weekly series during the close season, we let you decide who is the
greatest player to have played for some of England's top clubs. We continue
with a selection of West Ham legends.
Here is our shortlist of eight greats with the Eurosport-Yahoo! top three at
the bottom.
So leave your thoughts below, vote in the online poll and we'll give you the
final joint verdict on Saturday.
- - - - -
Billy Bonds (1967-88)
While Trevor Brooking was the flair player in the West Ham midfield, Bonds
sat alongside him and proved to be the perfect foil with his tough tackling
and strength. Bonds played an incredible 793 appearances for the Irons,
which included one run of 124 consecutive matches. He was awarded the
captaincy following Bobby Moore's departure in 1974, and had immediate
success, captaining the club to the 1975 FA Cup and the 1976 Cup Winners'
Cup Final. Bonds dropped back to defence in the late 70s and captained the
club to one more FA Cup final victory. He was won the Hammer of the Year
award four times.
Trevor Brooking (1967-84)
Brooking won two FA Cups with the Irons, scoring a headed winner against
Arsenal in 1980, which is funny, because Brooking he didn't score many
headers, as he never tires of telling us. Trev was never a player to get
involved in the physical aspect of the game, being most at ease with the
ball at his feet, scoring 102 goals in 636 appearances. He won Hammer of the
Year award on five occasions.
Paolo Di Canio (1999-03)
The Italian arrived at Upton Park under a cloud of shame after shoving over
referee Paul Alcock while playing for Sheffield Wednesday. He soon re-built
his career and became one of the most popular players in the country. He had
outrageous skill and flair and was the sort of player that you could not
take your eyes off him. In 2000 he scored a spectacular scissor kick volley
against Wimbledon which won the goal of the season and was probably the
greatest goal in Premier League history. He won the Hammer of the Year award
in his first full season at the club.
Julian Dicks (1988-93, 94-98)
If you were to stereotype an east-end hard man, you would get Julian Dicks,
even though he was born in Bristol. He was nicknamed 'The Terminator' for
his tough tackling ways, which usually led to him getting in trouble as his
eight red cards and 112 bookings would testify to. But when his left foot
wasn't kicking people, it was scoring goals. For a left-back he scored an
incredible 61 goals, mainly free-kicks and penalties, and lies 17 on the
all-time list of West Ham scorers. He played 315 times for the Irons,
winning the Hammer of the Year award four times.
Sir Geoff Hurst (1959-72)
Hurst of course scored three goals in the 1966 World Cup Final, which means
that he is guaranteed television face time at every England home
international and on every unsuccessful English World Cup bid. His first
Wembley goal was an equaliser in the Hammers' 1964 FA Cup final win. He then
added the 1965 European Cup Winners' Cup medal to his collection. He was
successfully converted into a forward by Ron Greenwood, scoring 252 goals in
502 matches. He won the Hammer of the Year award on three occasions.
Alvin Martin (1977-96)
Martin was the scouser who the cockneys took to their heart. In the 80s,
'Stretch' partnered Bonds in the centre of the Irons defence and he picked
up an FA Cup winners' medal in 1980. In April 1986, Martin achieved the rare
feat of scoring a hat-trick against three different Newcastle United
goalkeepers. He amassed 496 appearances for the Irons, winning the Hammer of
the Year award on three occasions.
Bobby Moore (1958-74)
Moore's ability to read the game, time tackles and marshal his defence made
him a world class defender and captain. In 1964 he successfully battled
testicular cancer while leading West Ham to victory to FA Cup victory over
Preston. That year, he was also named the Footballer of the Year and was
awarded the England captaincy. The following year, his West Ham team beat
1860 Munich in the European Cup Winners' Cup. He won the Hammer of the Year
Award on four occasions.
Phil Parkes (1979-90)
Parkes became the most expensive goalkeeper ever when John Lyall brought him
to Upton Park for a fee of £500,000. The money was well worth it and Parkes
was the Irons' number one for ten seasons. He kept a clean sheet in the 1980
FA Cup final in the Irons' 1-0 victory over Arsenal. Parkes lies 13 in the
all-time West Ham appearance record, picking up the Hammer of the Year award
in 1981.
Honourable mentions: Joe Cole, Tony Cottee, Alan Devonshire, Frank
McAvennie, Ludek Miklosko, Martin Peters, Steve Potts, Ray Stewart, Carlos
Tevez, Vic Watson.
Eurosport-Yahoo! verdict
How can it not be Bobby Moore? He captained both his club and country
through their most succesful eras, and is the only West Ham player to have
his shirt number retired by the club. For his silky skills, Trevor Brooking
is in second place and for his longevity, Billy Bonds is in third.
1 - Bobby Moore
2 - Trevor Brooking
3 - Billy Bonds
Dan Rumens / Eurosport
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Tevez deal hits the buffers as 'red tape' leads to delay
Sport.co.uk
Author: Ben Moss
Posted on: 10 July 2009 - 14:22
Manchester City's joy at getting one over their neighbourly rivals
Manchester United will have to wait a little bit longer, after a deal for
ex-West Ham United loan star Carlos Tevez was delayed by the player's
complicated third party ownership. A Premier League spokesman told the
Manchester Evening News: "Carlos Tevez's relationship with United was the
last of its kind in the Premier League." "There was a third-party issue, and
whoever buys him now will have to buy out that third-party interest."
Chelsea are reportedly also interested in the player, however the
25-year-old is expected to sign for City by the end of next week.
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Behrami only thinking of West Ham future
10.07.09 | tribalfootball.com
Valon Behrami is fully committed to West Ham United. "I am settled here, it
happened very quickly," he told WHUTV. "Apart from the injury, this last
year was very positive for me and for my life in general. It has been
fantastic. It is strange because one year ago was so different. When you
don't know the people it is not so easy.
"Now I feel better. Also, apart from the football, outside I know the city
and there is a fantastic atmosphere. It is very nice to meet the supporters.
For me it is a great incentive for me to work hard, every time I meet them I
feel that [support]. Being injured, it is great to feel important to the
supporters."
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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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