Thursday, December 3

Daily WHUFC News - 3rd December 2009

Jack helps Kick It Out
WHUFC.com
Jack Collison met three local youngsters to show the continued support for the Kick It Out campaign
02.12.2009

This year's Kick It Out campaign was a huge success and West Ham United showed their support by proudly wearing the campaign t-shirts in training and in the warm-up before the game with Arsenal.

In an effort to spread the message further among the community, club Kick It Out ambassador Jack Collison met three boys from the Canon Palmer Catholic school at Chadwell Heath to present them with the t-shirts as a gift to the school. The three boys, Duncan Whitfield, Nick Hopkins and Eden Afum, are all year ten students and proud members of the school's successful football team.

"Meeting the boys was great we've supplied them with the t-shirts and information about the campaign, hoping that they will take the awareness away with them to others of their age in the community," Collison said. "Anything we can do to raise awareness of racism and educate people positively can only be a good thing."

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Christmas cracker coaching days
WHUFC.com
Treat your kids to a Christmas coaching course with the West Ham United Community Sports Trust
02.12.2009

Bookings are now being taken for the 'Christmas Cracker' football coaching days that will be held at four venues across east London on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 December.

The coaching days - open to children and young people of all abilities aged 5-14 - will be delivered by FA qualified coaches and will include technical skills sessions, fun games and competitions in the mornings, and structured games and match play in the afternoons. In addition to the coaching, children and young people attending the coaching days will receive a free Christmas gift from the West Ham United club shop (worth £7) along with the chance to win four tickets to West Ham United v Portsmouth on Boxing Day.

The courses will be held at the following venues and will run from 10am-3pm each day.

Monday 21 December 2009
1. Chigwell Chigwell Metropolitan Police Ground £15
2. Upminster Gaynes School £15

Tuesday 22 December 2009
1. Newham Beckton £15
2. South Hornchurch Brittons School £15

For full course and venue details and booking information please click to download a course flyer and an application form

Alternatively please contact the West Ham United Community Sports Trust office on 0207 473 7720 to complete your booking by telephone.

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Hines hopeful, Cole update
WHUFC.com
Zavon Hines could feature on Saturday with Carlton Cole's injury confirmed although surgery is not required
02.12.2009

Zavon Hines is ready to step into Carlton Cole's boots should he be called upon for the weekend visit of Manchester United Cole is sidelined for Saturday's game at the Boleyn Ground with the knee ligament injury he picked up in the 5-3 win against Burnley last weekend. Hines could deputise alongside the in-form Guille Franco, with Cole set to be out for a number of weeks. Cole will not need surgery on his right knee though and, having being closely assessed in recent days, will start his rehab with the aim of being back as soon as possible. His absence will mean a chance for others to shine, not least Hines who has made great strides this season and showed no fear against Liverpool earlier this season. "I would love to score against Manchester United," he said. "It's a big game, when Arsenal came here we were all up for it."
The 2009/10 season has been something of a breakthrough for Hines, including his first Premier League goal - a 93rd-minute winner against Aston Villa - and some lively displays. He has amassed a dozen first-team appearances to date. The striker, who also scored a brace on his England Under-21 debut on 9 October, said he can feel himself getting better with every game. "Every time I come on I feel happy to be honest because not a lot of people are in my position. Obviously I work hard and work on being more confident and trying to play my best for the team."
The 20-year-old lays much of the success of his development to playing alongside Cole and the other more experienced players every day in training.
"It's good learning from Carlton and Mark Noble, obviously they're different in a lot of ways but they're both good at what they do. Learning more from them obviously helps my game and helps me get better."
West Ham United are going through something of a purple patch in front of goal at present, averaging 2.25 goals per game over the past two months, while also finding the back of the net for in every one of their last eleven matches. It is at the other end of the pitch, however, that Hines knows they must sharpen up. "Obviously as a team we'd like to keep a clean sheet, but its just one of those things and we'll have to keep working hard on it and keep scoring goals."

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Injured Carlton Cole to miss crucial West Ham matches
BBC.co.uk

West Ham and England striker Carlton Cole will be sidelined for "a number of weeks" with a knee ligament injury. The 26-year-old looks set to miss several matches, including the visit of Manchester United on Saturday. But a scan has revealed he will not require surgery after being injured in the 5-3 home win over Burnley. "Having been closely assessed in recent days, he will start his rehab with the aim of being back as soon as possible," said a West Ham spokesman. Cole is a reported £20m target for several Premier League clubs in the January transfer window. He was involved in a collision with Burnley goalkeeper Brian Jensen in Saturday's match. The England striker scored his seventh league goal of the season from the penalty spot, despite receiving earlier treatment for the knock. West Ham have declined to give exact details of Cole's injury, or the likely lay-off period for centre-back Matthew Upson, who injured his hamstring in training a week ago. Upson had a scan before the Burnley defeat, but the result has not been made public. It is a particular blow for West Ham to lose Cole, who was signed from Chelsea in July 2006, after he had just returned from a hamstring strain against Aston Villa on 4 November. After Cole, West Ham's highest league scorer this season is Mexican Guillermo Franco, who has netted three times. West Ham, who lie in 17th position, have some tough matches in the remainder of 2009 as they attempt to move clear of the relegation zone. The home match against Manchester United is followed by trips to Birmingham and Bolton, home games against Chelsea and Portsmouth, and an away fixture at Tottenham.

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No surgery for injured Cole
Striker still facing spell on sidelines
Last updated: 2nd December 2009
SSN

West Ham have revealed that Carlton Cole will not require a knee operation but is still set to be sidelined for a 'number of weeks'. The striker suffered an injury in the 5-3 victory over Burnley and had to be substituted at half-time. He damaged ligaments but the problem is not serious enough for him to need to go under the knife and the Hammers are hopeful he will return quickly. "Cole will not need surgery on his right knee and, having been closely assessed in recent days, will start his rehab with the aim of being back as soon as possible," read a statement on the club's official website. This weekend's match against United precedes crucial games at Birmingham and Bolton, and home fixtures against Chelsea and Portsmouth. It will come as a major blow to lose Cole for a significant period, with the England international already having netted seven goals this season. Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola is also set to be without Switzerland midfielder Valon Behrami for around three weeks after undergoing minor surgery on a knee injury, while defender Matthew Upson is struggling with a hamstring problem.

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LEAGUE OF INJUSTICE - ARTICLE THIRTEEN: WEST HAM v BURNLEY
West Ham v Burnley
SportingPreview.com

I suppose at 5-0 down, the officials and perhaps the commentators took pity on Burnley. But for correctness - and as goal difference could be vital at the end of the season - was I the only one who thought that Steven Fletcher's first goal was offside? I ran it back on a few occasions to see if my initial thoughts were right and, unlike his second goal where he times his run to perfection, Fletcher was ahead of the defender when the ball was played in. So it's 5-2 to the Hammers. Verdict: 5-2 to West Ham instead of 5-3

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West Ham United in talks to sign World Cup winner Luca Toni
Carlton Cole injury leaves Hammers short of strikers
Toni has fallen out with Bayern's manager, Louis van Gaal
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 2 December 2009 20.33 GMT

Luca Toni has fallen out with the Bayern Munich manager Louis van Gaal and has said he wants to leave. West Ham United are in advanced talks with the Bayern Munich striker Luca Toni about bringing the Italian World Cup winner to Upton Park in next month's transfer window. Any move may be dependent on how soon Carlton Cole returns from injury. The England striker limped out of West Ham's 5-3 win over Burnley at Upton Park on the weekend at half-time after suffering knee ligament damage, having earlier scored a seventh goal of the season.
Initial reports suggested he may be ruled out for four months. Yet after these were scaled down to around six weeks, the club's website confirmed tonight that, though Cole will miss Manchester United's visit on Saturday, the 25-year-old, "having being closely assessed in recent days, will start his rehab soon".
Yet even if Cole does return over the coming month, Gianfranco Zola, the West Ham manager, may still move for Toni, with the club having engaged in talks with the player and his representatives for the past two weeks. As reported in the Guardian, the 32-year-old was a summer target for Zola, who is a friend of the former Fiorentina centre-forward.
Two years ago Toni finished his debut season at Bayern as the Bundesliga's top scorer with 24 goals. Yet, despite collecting 14 more in 25 league appearances last year – which allowed him to lead Munich's scoring charts for consecutive seasons – in a campaign disrupted by an achilles tendon injury, Toni fell out of favour with Louis van Gaal, once the Dutchman became head coach in July.
Toni has since featured only occasionally and his rift with Van Gaal became public last week when he criticised him. He said of their relationship that it "was good as over", having had "problems" with him for months.
After Toni was subsequently fined €25,000 (£22,600) for the outburst he closed the door on any possible future at Munich when he said: "I have no problems with the club and fans but the coach prefers other players. Fortunately soon the market will re-open. I will talk with the club because I don't like this situation."
In January Toni will have around 18 months remaining of his four-year deal, which may make any potential fee nominal, should West Ham decide to firm up their interest with Bayern.

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Carlton Cole still in World Cup limbo as West Ham face anxious wait over striker's injury verdict
By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 10:23 AM on 02nd December 2009
Daily Mail

West Ham face an anxious wait to discover whether Carlton Cole will be out for the rest of the season with the England striker left to sweat over his World Cup dream. The Hammers have sent Cole to see a specialist after the in-form star suffered knee ligament damage following a nasty collision with Clarets goalkeeper Brian Jensen and was replaced at half-time in last weekend's 5-3 victory over Burnley. Despite initial fears that the 26-year-old could miss the next four months, the club are said to be hopeful that they will receive a positive verdict and that Cole may only be sidelined between five and six weeks.
However doubt remains over whether the former Chelsea academy product may require surgery on his injured knee and, if so, his chances of making Fabio Capello's England World Cup squad for South Africa would almost definitely be over. Meanwhile, Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola knows he has a difficult task on his hands to restructure his fragile defence after captain Matthew Upson was ruled out ahead of Saturday's showdown with champions Manchester United. The England defender is left nursing a troublesome hamstring problem and the Italian looks set to stick with the pairing of Manuel Da Costa and Danny Gabbidon. 'We are looking fragile at the back. I know we have to defend better,' he said. 'We know we are leaking goals but it is not only a defensive problem but also the midfield are not covering the defence. 'We know the problem and have been working all week to sort it out. We will see some improvements.'

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Tevez reveals Arsenal move discussion
Sport.co.uk
Author: Andrew Allen
Posted on:02 December 2009 - 09:28

Carlos Tevez has revealed that Thierry Henry told him to join Arsenal while he was struggling for form at West Ham United during his initial loan period in the Premier League. The Argentine international eventually helped drag the Hammers from the relegation zone before spending two years on loan with Manchester United. Having won two league titles and a Champions League medal in Moscow, the diminutive frontman opted to leave Old Trafford to join the Manchester City revolution under Mark Hughes. "When I was left on the bench at West Ham and we were playing Arsenal, Thierry Henry bumped into me in the car park afterwards," Tevez revealed to the Daily Mirror. "He said, 'Hey, what are you doing here? Come and play with us - it's incredible that you can't get a game in this team.'"
Speaking about his current lack of first team minutes at Eastlands, Tevez maintained that he had overcome similar situations at past clubs and that competition was not something of which he was afraid. "Having got this far in my career, fighting for my place doesn't bother me. I'm used to it. I've had it at all the big clubs I've played for," he said. "At Boca, Corinthians, West Ham, United and City, it's normal for there to be lots of good strikers. I never let my head drop. The harder the challenge, the more effort I put in to win a place. That's what I am doing here."

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Scott Parker wants West Ham to take responsibility
West Ham face an uncertain future both on and off the field but Scott Parker, outstanding in Saturday's 5-3 win over Burnley, is taking responsibility for the club's safety.
Telegraph.co.uk
By John Ley
Published: 10:39PM GMT 02 Dec 2009

"The senior players take it upon ourselves as we have young players in the squad that are new to it," said Parker. "We are all trying to do our best, chip in, and we just need to keep going and be positive. After a 5-3 victory we need to do that. "I think that at the moment we are a little bit nervy, you can see that at times in our play. Last week was the same, we were 2-0 up at Hull and let them back into the game and then they were 3-2 within 20 minutes. "So there is something there with us at the moment and we need to be strong, concentrate on the positive things. Obviously there is a little underlying problem which we need to sort."
"We have lost some key players like Lucas Neill and James Collins, senior players who know what the Premier League is about. Lucas was good in the dressing room and there are players in the dressing room who have to step up. Sometimes you need a player to deliver a rollicking. But players are different, they react in different ways, some need an arm around and some need a rollicking. That is where the manager gets it bang on - that is what a good manager is - he knows what to do with certain players and how not to."
West Ham face a difficult test on Saturday with Manchester United the visitors ahead of games in which they are expected to pick up points. "We have Man United and then Bolton and Birmingham which are big games for us, we have to try and pick up points."

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WEST HAM BOSS GIANFRANCO ZOLA WANTS TO BRING ANTON FERDINAND BACK FROM SUNDERLAND
Daily Express
Thursday December 3,2009
By Niall Hickman Have your say(0)

WEST Ham manager Gianfranco Zola wants to bring back central defender Anton Ferdinand, who has lost his first-team place at Sunderland. Spurs have also shown an interest in Ferdinand while other Premier League clubs – Fulham, Wolves and Birmingham City – are also on the look-out for a centre-half in January. Ferdinand, above, is out of favour at the Stadium of Light after the arrivals of John Mensah and Paulo Da Silva and although manager Steve Bruce insists he can win back his place, he would listen to offers of £7 million. Ferdinand, 24, only left West Ham 16 months ago in an £8m deal but he has lost his place after being first-choice for the first three months of the season. Bruce said: "He has every right not to be happy because he is not in the team due to the form of Mensah and Da Silva, who have played exceptionally well and Michael Turner too, but that competition for places has got to be there when you play at a big club like this. "I wouldn't expect him to be happy, it's normal. He has just got to get on with it and wait for his chance to come again and then make it very, very difficult for me to leave him out."
Ferdinand was linked with a deadline-day move to White Hart Lane last summer with Alan Hutton moving in the opposite direction. Ferdinand's possible departure is unlikely to be the only change at the Stadium of Light, where Sunderland have enjoyed a promising start despite mediocre form away from home. Bruce is keen to land Aston Villa striker Emile Heskey and Ipswich Town's highly-rated youngster Connor Wickham. Striker Kenwyne Jones has recovered from a dead leg and should be fit to face Fulham on Sunday.

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West Ham confident keeping hold of Upson
03.12.09 | tribalfootball.com

West Ham United are confident of keeping hold of skipper Matthew Upson. The England international has been linked with Manchester City and Tottenham ahead of the January market. However, the Daily Star says West Ham's owners have insisted they do not have to sell £10m-rated Upson in January despite the club's financial problems.

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Dyer to make West Ham comeback against Man Utd
02.12.09 | tribalfootball.com

West Ham United midfielder Kieron Dyer could make his comeback this weekend against Manchester United. The injury-prone midfielder came through 75 minutes of a 2-1 reserve loss against Birmingham on Monday. And the growing sick list at Upton Park means Dyer is set to be called up on Saturday to play in his first game since September - a daunting task against the Premier League champions, says The Sun. The former England star, 30, has started just FOUR league games since former manager Alan Curbishley paid Newcastle £6million for him in 2007. Monday's game was his second outing in the stiffs in a week.

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West Ham striker Cole sweats on surgery decision
02.12.09 | tribalfootball.com

West Ham United striker Carlton Cole is yet to learn if he will face surgery on his injured knee. Surgery would rule Cole, 26, out for the rest of the season, ending his chances of going to South Africa, says The Sun. The Hammers top scorer with seven goals this season, was taken off at half-time in the 5-3 thumping of Burnley at Upton Park on Saturday.

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Stanislas delighted scoring in West Ham victory
02.12.09 | tribalfootball.com

Junior Stanislas was delighted to get on the scoresheet in West Ham United's 5-3 win over Burnley. Stanislas, who turned 20 on Thursday, told WHUTV that he and his team-mates were disappointed at conceding three late goals to the Clarets, having earlier romped into a 5-0 lead. "I'd never played in a game like that before," he said. "There were a lot of goals. There were a lot of goals last week [in the 3-3 draw at Hull City], but this time we've obviously won the game so it's good for us. "I wasn't even thinking about my birthday when I was out there, because that's gone a couple of days ago. Obviously the boys just dug in and wanted to win. "Scoring five goals and going five-nil up and then conceding three goals is obviously disappointing, but we haven't won in a while or won that often and we picked up the three points, so that was the main thing. "At the same time, everybody in the dressing room was disappointed that we conceded the three late goals, as well, because we were hoping for a clean sheet."

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