WHUFC.com
24.02.2010
West Ham United v Chelsea
Barclays Premier Reserve League South
Woodside Park, Bishop's Stortford FC
Wednesday 24 February 2010
Kick-off: 7pm
Referee: A Davies
Final score: 2-1
There goes the full-time whistle and it is a well-deserved victory for Alex
Dyer's men. Goals from Anthony Edgar and Olly Lee proved enough on a night
when Manuel da Costa picked up a red card and automatic three-match
suspension for an off-the-ball incident. Kieron Dyer got a welcome hour
under his belt while the likes of Jordan Spence and George Moncur did well
in difficult conditions.
90min - N'Gala stays firm as Mitrovic looks set to latch on to a ball over
the top. The defender read that situation well. We are playing three minutes
of added time.
89min - Another yellow card. This time Abdulla's late challenge on Mitrovic
sees him punished.
87min - Edgar earns a corner but it is to be his last contribution. Subuola
is coming on for the No11. The new arrival makes an instant impact and wins
another corner.
86min - Stech claims a high cross from McEachran. Danny Subuola is about to
come on.
83min - Mellis was so close their to an equaliser. He did well to connect
with a fierce low cross from the left but could not divert his effort on
target. Moncur is off to be replaced by Danny Kearns.
81min - Moncur does brilliantly to stop Ben Morgan. The No10, still only 16,
has been lively tonight and is one of the better performers.
78min - Edgar is the next to be booked for kicking the ball away. Chelsea
meanwhile have a chance to play a free-kick into the penalty area. Gokhan
Tore tries to collect the forward pass but it runs out of play.
76min - Chelsea are trying to pick up the pace with their substitutes
working hard. Lee nearly plays his team into trouble with a back-pass that
holds up on the sodden turf but Stech just about clears in time.
73min - Well played N'Gala. He just stepped in front of Mitrovic to deny the
Chelsea No9 after a low cross into the box had the home defence in trouble.
Ofori-Twumasi is off for the visitors in their final change.
71min - Gokhan Tore is coming on for Chelsea. The man to be replaced is
Lalkovic.
68min - The Hammers have had to reorganise since going down to ten men.
Spence has moved into the middle with Lee at right-back.
66min - Da Costa is then shown a straight red for stepping in too strongly
when the Chelsea players took exception to the tackle. The defender was not
the only one who appeared to be pushing and shoving but is the only man
dismissed. Wearen is also booked for his part in the proceedings.
65min - West Ham are making their exoerience count. An eight-pass move is
only broken down by a last-ditch tackle. Mellis then surges forward and is
brought down by Edgar.
62min - Only a saving tackle from Magnay denies Abdulla a chance to make it
3-1. Corner to West Ham.
59min - Dyer's night is over. Eoin Wearen is on in his place after a solid
hour from the West Ham No7.
58min - Olly Lee does brilliantly to convert from close range after a fine
raking cross by Spence. The No2 had surged up the right flank to meet an
Edgar ball out wide before whipping into the near post for Lee to poke home.
A good goal that.
57min - Dyer is just beaten to the ball by Lalkovic, who then senses a
chance to shoot. His curled effort has Stech worried but it drifts just past
the post.
55min - Dyer does well before freeing Moncur. He slips it to Da Costa, up
from the back, who has a go from distance but it is a tame effort in truth
that goes well wide.
54min - A late challenge by Ofori-Twumasi on Stanislas leaves the No8 flat
on the floor. That sums up the second half so far.
52min - Neither side has really threatened in this half.
49min - Dyer finds Edgar with a precise pass. The Hammers goalscorer than
surges past one challenge but is then stopped by a second. The ball comes
out to Spence who gets forward again on the right wing but his low cross
comes to nothing.
48min - It has been scrappy in the opening minutes, although thankfully the
rain has eased off. It is still coming down but is more of a trickle than a
torrent.
46min - Chelsea get us under way with Nikki Ahamed on for Nemanja Matic.
Half-time - 1-1
45min - We are playing one minute of added time. It has been a fairly even
first half although the Hammers have had the better of the opportunities and
will feel they should be in front.
43min - Mellis tries his luck with a long-range shot but Stech watches it
bobble wide. Looks like it might be honours even at half-time. A talking to
and a yellow card for Clifford, Daprela was too quick for him and drew
another foul from the No7.
42min - Dyer has kept things ticking over at the heart of the midfield, with
Moncur using the opportunity to play in a more advanced position.
40min - Great play by Daprela turns Clifford inside out before he slips the
ball through to Abdulla. He gets to the byline and crosses but the visitors
scramble the ball away. Abdulla then has a go when the ball falls to him
again but it does not trouble Taylor.
39min - Da Costa is relishing this battle with the Chelsea No9 Mitrovic. He
wins the ball and then spreads the play neatly to Daprela on the opposite
flank.
36min - Da Costa thumps the ball away after a Chelsea attack and in so doing
takes a whack from Mitrovic. The Portuguese defender was not happy at that.
N'Gala is then penalised for a foul on Mellis, giving the Blues the chance
to send a free-kick into the box. Josh McEachran takes it but Mitrovic
cannot convert at the back post and the ball runs behind.
34min - Mellis is just flagged offside after Lalkovic thought he had beaten
the Hammers' offside trip.
33min - Edgar and Daprela combine well before Stanislas is sent free into
the box again. Another cross and another clearance, this time to Moncur
whose 20-yarder is deflected wide. Edgar then has a go with a shot that hits
the side-netting.
32min - Olly Lee's raking pass gives Moncur space to the right of the
penalty area before he is fouled. Stanislas takes the free-kick and is close
to picking out Daprela before Chelsea get the ball away.
30min - N'Gala blocks from Lalkovic after Dyer had been out-muscled by two
Chelsea forwards.
28min - N'Gala shows his strength to tidy up after Chelsea looked like
building something in midfield. The defender was not going to lose in that
battle.
27min - Moncur is fouled by Clifford. Da Costa took exception to the tackle
and is being spoken to the referee for something he said in response.
26min - Spence is down after a terrific run down the right wing saw him
reach the corner and cross into the six-yard box. It looks like he clattered
into an advertising hoarding but he is given the all-clear to continue after
about 30 seconds of treatment.
25min - Mitrovic goes down claiming a blow in the face from N'Gala. There
appeared very little contact and the referee waves play on.
22min - Now Mellis has a go from long range. This time the shot is well wide
of Stech's right-hand post.
21min - Clifford tests Stech with a 25-yearder but Stech is able to save
comfortably.
18min - GOAL!- Marko Mitrovic converts from close range after good work from
Milan Lalkovic had worked an opening on the left wing before crossing low in
front of Marek Stech. The Czech keeper could do little to prevent the goal.
16min - Carl Magnay fouls Abdulla. From the resulting free-kick, Dyer plays
a slide-rule pass down the left wing for Stanislas. He does brilliantly to
cut into the box before zipping a low centre into the area that only just
evades Abdulla. Lovely stuff.
15min - Daprela and Edgar show some neat footwork before Conor Clifford
closes out the Hammers spell of possession. The home side are on top.
13min - Da Cosa steps into save a corner and then shows neat footwork to set
the Hammers away. A lovely flowing move sees the ball worked out to the
right wing before running out of play. The groundstaff have done a great job
to get the game on but this weather is making things difficult.
10min - Stanislas tracks back to help Daprela on the left wing but his
clearance goes for a Chelsea corner. Mellis takes but Jordan Spence is able
to head clear.
9min - N'Gala does well to block Jacob Melis off just as the Chelsea No10
looked to have worked an opening in the penalty area. Marek Stech then
collects before being fouled. The rain, meanwhile, continues to pelt down
here.
7min - Alex Dyer will be pleased with the start his team have made,
especially as they possess more experience than their visitors in terms of
Premier League know-how. Manuel da Costa and Junior Stanislas are the others
on view to have played in the top flight while skipper Daprela played in the
FA Cup third-round tie with Arsenal.
5min - GOAL! - Edgar races clear again and shoots low. Rhys Taylor manages
to save but spills the ball into the path of the on-rushing Edgar who makes
no mistake at the second atttempt.
3min - Dyer surges forward and splits the Chelsea defence with a diagonal
pass. Chelsea are able to clear through Seth Ofori-Twumasi. Chelsea counter
and a mis-placed clearance from Bondz N'Gala nearly gifts the visitors an
opportunity before the Hammers recover.
2min - Edgar races through but the assistant referee's flag is up already.
Kieron Dyer is easily th emost experienced performer on view with the
England man in a deep-lying central midfield position.
1min - Ahmed Abdulla and Anthony Edgar get us under way. The Hammers are
captained by Fabio Daprela this evening, fresh from his appearance on the
bench for the first team last night at Old Trafford.
Kick-off
Good evening and welcome to Woodside Park for tonight's Barclays Premier
Reserve League South fixture.
Alex Dyer's side will be looking to secure their first win since beating
Stoke City 5-2 here back on 24 November - exactly three months ago. In that
time, West Ham United's reserves have contested just three matches, losing
out to Birmingham City and Arsenal before drawing with Portsmouth on 20
January.
The Hammers will be boosted tonight by the presence of England midfielder
Kieron Dyer, who scored twice in the victory over Stoke. The 31-year-old
came through 15 minutes as a substitute for the first team at Manchester
United on Tuesday - his first appearance since 15 December at Bolton
Wanderers.
A number of other first-team squad members will line up alongside Dyer,
including goalkeeper Marek Stech, defenders Manuel da Costa, Fabio Daprela
and Bondz N'Gala and midfielder Junior Stanislas.
At the other end of the spectrum, 16-year-old first-year scholar George
Moncur - the son of former Hammers midfielder John - will make his
competitive debut at reserve-team level. Fellow scholar Ahmed Abdulla is
also named in the starting lineup.
With Chelsea's first team in UEFA Champions League action against
Internazionale this evening, the Blues have named a young team. Included is
highly-rated striker Marko Mitrovic, who netted a hat-trick in Chelsea's
thrilling 4-3 Academy League victory over West Ham on 23 January.
West Ham United reserves: Stech, Spence, N'Gala, Da Costa (sent off 66),
Daprela, Dyer (Wearen 59), Lee, Moncur (Kearns 83), Stanislas, Abdulla,
Edgar (Subuola 87)
Subs: Cowler, Brown
Chelsea reserves: Taylor, Ofori-Twumasi, Gordon, McEachran, Bridcutt,
Magnay, Clifford, Matic (Ahamed 46), Lalkovic (Tore 71), Mellis, Mitrovic
Subs: Sebek, Philliskirk, Sala,
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West Ham's Olympic stadium plan angers Kelly Sotherton
BBC.co.uk
Olympic and world heptathlon bronze medallist Kelly Sotherton has hit out at
West Ham's plans to take over the Olympic stadium after the 2012 Games. New
Hammers owners David Sullivan and David Gold want to leave Upton Park and
lease the newly built stadium in nearby Stratford as the club's new home.
However, Sotherton insists the stadium should remain an athletics venue.
"The legacy should be athletics. It's out of order that football think they
can just come and have it," she said. "We don't have a national athletics
stadium and we need one. We lost our last big stadium to Manchester City in
2002 after a great Commonwealth Games and the fear is now that we'll lose
another one to football. "I'm a massive fan of football and a big Arsenal
fan, but at the end of the day it's our stadium and I think the legacy is to
enable us to stage future world and commonwealth championships - who knows,
maybe another Olympics. "To have an Olympic stadium turned into a football
stadium by a club struggling near the foot of the Premier League, it's out
of order."
West Ham's plans have already met opposition from outside the world of
football, with Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, ex-London mayor Ken
Livingstone and UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner among those speaking out
against the move. One of the arguments is that London would not have won the
2012 Games had the Olympic committee heard that the stadium would be turned
into a football ground. Sullivan and Gold remain unperturbed, though, and
are confident a deal can be struck. Gold believes the deterioration of the
specialist athletics track at Crystal Palace provides an example that an
athletics stadium, in itself, is unsustainable. However, Sotherton told BBC
Five Live: "Of course athletics can't use it every week, but I'm sure uses
can be found for it in the off-season - rock concerts for example. "We just
don't have a stadium that replicates the size and grandeur of an Olympic
stadium. It's something the sport desperately needs."
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His name is Luca, he's been shown the door
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 24th February 2010
By: Staff Writer
Technical director Gianluca Nani has been fired by West Ham United's new
owners, according to reports. The Italian was brought in to assist Alan
Curbishley in the summer of 2008, with his main role being that of chief
scout. However his position (and salary of some £300,000) was considered
surplus to requirements by new joint owners David Sullivan and David Gold,
who are understood to have dismissed the Italian last weekend. Nani, who
joined the club from Serie B outfit Brescia, where he was general manager,
was brought in to West Ham in order to discover the best young talent from
around Europe. However shortly after his arrival the club's financial
situation changed for the worst and Nani was forced instead to hunt around
the bargain bins for free transfers, virtually rendering his position
untenable. Commenting on his arrival at West Ham back in March 2008, Nani
said: "I know that the academy at West Ham is the best in England and maybe
the world, but I think we are in a global market now. If we try to find
players from abroad it doesn't mean that we have to break the best Academy
in England. "We have to improve the English players too because the fans
like to recognise English players. Because we have this power, this capacity
here at West Ham we have to push all the time to find English players
without losing the chance to bring in the best foreign players.
"We have to follow this tradition, we have to keep alive, we have to push -
but it doesn't mean that we have to lose the possibility to get in a player
like Kaka, or Adriano - why not? It'll be a profit for the club, bringing
players from abroad."
Signed by Nani - the good, bad and the ugly
Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson - nominal fee. Currently on loan at Belgian Jupiter
League side KSV Roeselare.
Valon Behrami - £5million, Lazio. First team regular.
David Di Michele - loan signing for the 08/09 season, now playing for Lecce
(officially on loan from Torino).
Walter Lopez - free transfer, barely featured under Gianfranco Zola. Now
playing for Nani's former club Brescia.
Diego Tristan - spent a year at West Ham before being released. Now playing
in the Spanish second division for Cadiz CF.
Savio Nsereko - Nani's biggest flop. Signed with a fanfare for a fee said to
be worth up to £9million, left without a whimper. Sold to Fiorentina, who
have loaned him to Bologna.
Peter Kurucz - Young 'keeper who is currently the understudy to Rob Green.
Luis Jimenez - A huge flop. Sent back to Inter halfway through his loan
spell.
Herita Ilunga - An excellent first season but has failed to match that
performance this term.
Frank Nouble - The first - and only - home grown played signed during Nani's
reign. Currently on loan at WBA.
Fabio Daprela - Promising full back who impressed on his first team debut
against Arsenal in the FA Cup last month.
Radoslav Kovac - Initially signed on loan before making the move permanent
(in a £2million deal). Finally beginning to show signs of his pedigree.
Alessandro Diamanti - Hailed by some as the new Di Canio, said to cost
£5.7million from Livorno.
Manuel Da Costa - Young centre half signed in a swap deal plus cash with
Savio. A regular substitute.
Guillermo Franco - Free transfer and one of the few to make an impression on
the first team
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Kelly slams Hammers bid
The Sun
By NICK KING
Published: Today
KELLY SOTHERTON has slammed West Ham's bid to move into the Olympic Stadium
after the 2012 Games, insisting Great Britain needs a world-class athletics
venue. New Hammers owners David Gold and David Sullivan have revealed their
hopes of turning the east London club into a major force depend on moving to
a bigger stadium than Upton Park. But Sotherton, an Olympic bronze medallist
in the heptathlon in 2004, has backed officials who insist the new arena's
main use must be for athletics. Sotherton said: "We don't have a national
athletics stadium and we need one. "We lost our last big stadium to
Manchester City in 2002 after the Commonwealth Games and the fear is that
we'll lose another one to football. "I'm a big Arsenal fan but it's our
stadium and I think the legacy is to enable us to stage future
championships."
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Technical director Gianluca Nani leaves West Ham
Gary Jacob
The Times
Gianluca Nani has been dismissed as technical director of West Ham United.
The Italian was given his notice on Thursday, nearly two years since he was
appointed after holding a similar role at Brescia. Nani was the first person
to hold the post at Upton Park, but David Sullivan, the joint-chairman, has
taken a more hands-on role regarding transfers since the recent change in
club's ownership. Nani won praise for signing Valon Behrami but was
criticised for some of his others transfers, including Savio, who cost about
£5 million and left after six months, last summer. Nani had three years left
on his deal.
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West Ham axe technical director Nani as cost-cutting continues - Exclusive
Published 22:45 24/02/10 By James Nursey
The Mirror
Gianluca Nani is set to leave West Ham in the next 24 hours as the latest
victim of the Hammers' cost-cutting which already wiped £15million off the
club's huge debt. Nani, 47, was brought in as the Hammers' sporting and
technical director in June 2008 on a lucrative three-year contract. And the
Italian is very close to compatriot Gianfranco Zola after helping recruit
him as boss. But new West-Ham joint chairman David Sullivan is desperate to
reduce the Upton Park club's debt further from £95m after inheriting debts
of £110m last month. MirrorFootball revealed last October the club was £100m
in debt but Sullivan has taken drastic action since becoming joint chairman
with David Gold. And hands-on Sullivan, who is helping draw up the club's
summer transfer targets, feels West Ham can do without Nani. The Hammers'
legal team have now reached a settlement for the rest of his contract and an
announcement of Nani's exit is due imminently. Former Birmingham co-owner
Sullivan maintains Nani's departure will not affect his relationship with
Zola, which he claims is fine. Sullivan speaks to Zola only once or twice a
week and has always deliberately avoided visiting the training ground for
fear of encroaching on managers.
Sullivan also feels Zola has been normal with him despite his controversial
blast at the club's players before the Birmingham game when he proposed
shock pay-cuts. Meanwhile, Sullivan is looking for British co-investors to
buy out Straumur's remaining 50 per cent stake in West Ham by the end of the
season. Otherwise Sullivan and Gold will increase their shareholding in the
club and inject more money after paying £50million for 50 per cent last
month.
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Olympic medallist attacks West Ham's stadium bid
Published 22:45 24/02/10 By MirrorFootball
The Miorror
Kelly Sotherton has hit out at West Ham's bid to take over the Olympic
Stadium after the 2012 Games, insisting Great Britain needs a world-class
athletics venue. The Hammers, under new co-owners David Gold and David
Sullivan and vice-chairman Karren Brady, have expressed interest in
relocating from Upton Park to the 80,000-capacity arena in Stratford but
have found their overtures played down by Olympics chiefs. Olympics minister
Tessa Jowell and London 2012 chief Lord Coe insist keeping the stadium as a
grand prix athletics stadium was one of the reasons London's bid for the
Games was successful. And Sotherton, Olympic bronze medallist in the
heptathlon in 2004, is adamant the arena's primary use must be for track and
field. "We don't have a national athletics stadium and we need one," she
told BBC Radio Five Live. "We lost our last big stadium to Manchester City
in 2002 after a great Commonwealth Games and the fear is now that we'll lose
another one to football. "I'm a massive fan of football and a big Arsenal
fan, but at the end of the day it's our stadium and I think the legacy is to
enable us to stage future world and commonwealth championships - who knows,
maybe another Olympics."
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Nighty Night Nani
Posted by Billy Blagg
ESPN
Hey-ho whadda I tell ya? The inevitable happened today as Technical Director
Gianluca Nani left West Ham by 'mutual consent'.
This announcement, following the departure of Scott Duxbury some weeks ago,
was safetly predicted by me on the day Gold and Sullivan took over at Upton
Park and I can only assume that Gianfranco Zola may well now be considering
his future at the club; Nani was largely responsible for Zola coming to the
club and there must be little doubt the Italian's power base has now
shifted.
Gianluca Nani had been at the Boleyn Ground for the past two years since
joining from Brescia Calcio in his native Italy. Nani, along with Duxbury,
had big visions for the club and backed by the Icelandic owners before the
banking collapse that plunged the Hammers into the mire, the Italian set-up
changing the fortunes of the East End club by trying to run things along
more european lines. With Nani's vision of 'the project', the club set about
ensuring that future of the club by developing further West Ham's already
impressive youth policy and aligning it by bringing in players scouted from
abroad to provide a more professional platform on which to build success.
Most of Nani's plans seemed to be working well - the purchase of Valon
Berhami perhaps the highlight - but the world banking crisis saw the club
brought to its knees as the owners became virtually bankrupt. The sale of
the club to David's Gold and Sullivan - who have 'projects' of their own -
was bound to bring the new owners into conflict with Nani. Sadly, as is the
way with these things, Nani's legacy would seem to be the purchase of the
virtually unknown Savio Nseresko with some of the money obtained from
selling Craig Bellamy to Manchester City during the transfer window of
2008/09.
West Ham were well-placed for a Europa League spot at the time and, though
the Bellamy sale was seen as good business, the purchase of Savio proved a
costly mistake; the young player 'earmarked for the future' rarely featured
for the Hammers and was sold to Fiorentina in embarrasing circumstances
after appearing in only ten games - only one of which he started! With the
loss of Bellamy and no effective replacement, West Ham's end of season fell
away allowing Fulham to grap the Euro spot. What actually happened with
Savio is still a puzzling mystery.
After the announcement, West Ham United chairman David Sullivan was quoted
as saying: "I would like to thank Gianluca for his contribution to the club
and we all wish him well. With the club heading in a new direction (sic)
since David Gold and I took charge last month, it was felt the time was
right for all parties to move on in an amicable way."
Nani said: "Today, in agreement with the owners of the club, I have resolved
my contract with West Ham United. I would like to take this opportunity to
thank everyone who worked alongside me in this wonderful adventure - the
staff, Gianfranco Zola and the players.
"A special thank you also to the fans who have always supported us and whose
warmth and dedication gave me a passion for this club which will forever
remain with me. Finally, I wish the owners the best possible success in the
future."
For those wondering where the 'Project' is going now, I think we can all be
assured that it has been swept away to be replaced with the new vision of
Gold and Sullivan. Expect Neil Warnock to manage the club next season while
the hotel is turned into a brothel and the matchday programme introduces
tits on page 3 and a swingers section at the back.
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RESERVE REPORT: WEST HAM 2 CHELSEA 1
Posted on: Wed 24 Feb 2010
Chelseafc.com
Chelsea's second string succumbed to an experienced West Ham side in
difficult conditions tonight. The reserves came back from a one-goal deficit
to equalise in torrential rain, thanks to a Marko Mitrovic (pictured)
strike, before conceding the winning goal during the second half. The Blues
were without several reserve regulars while West Ham fielded five players
that travelled to Old Trafford only yesterday evening, including Keiron Dyer
and Junior Stanislas. The last time these two teams met Chelsea secured a
4-1 win thanks to goals from Alex, Daniel Sturridge and a Fabio Borini
brace. None of those players featured in tonight's fixture. Instead the
side, which began in a Christmas tree formation, included Josh McEachran,
Conor Clifford and Nemanja Matic in midfield. Jacob Mellis and Milan
Lalkovic sat behind Mitrovic, who led the attack in his first start for the
reserves. The defence included Nana Ofori-Twumasi, who started brightly for
the Blues. First he broke down the right flank and launched a cross for
Matic before tracking back and intercepting a dangerous through ball into
the Chelsea box. But it took only four minutes for the hosts to take the
lead when Anthony Edgar sprinted beyond the back line. He sent one shot
towards Rhys Taylor, which the keeper parried away, before following up on
the loose ball and calmly slotting home. Chelsea retaliated to the opener
with a succession of corners, all without end product. The pressure was
building for West Ham but they kept calm and organised, catching Chelsea on
the counter-attack. It took until the 20th minute for Mitrovic to equalise
on his starting debut. Lalkovic collected off Mellis and dribbled down the
left side before sending a cross towards the near post where Mitrovic tipped
over the line.
West Ham came back with a couple of chances, but neither George Moncur's
drive at the near post or Ahmed Abdulla's sliding shot found the net. The
first half ended a goal apiece and there was one change before the second
got under way. Apart from the rain, which finally stopped, Matic made way
for Nikki Ahamed in midfield. West Ham had the better of the first 10
minutes following the restart, although neither side threatened either goal.
It took until the hour mark for a real chance to be created. Lalkovic stole
possession from Dyer in midfield and sent a 30 yard shot curling inches past
the post. Only a minute later, West Ham made it two. This time it was Olly
Lee, who cut inside of Liam Bridcutt to tap home a clinical Jordan Spence
cross. An unfortunate situation followed when Mellis was fouled and a
scuffle ensued. It ended with Manuel da Costa earning a red after hitting
out at our number 10, right in front of the referee. Chelsea's best chance
to equalise once more came when substitute Gokhan Tore sent a ball skimming
across the face of goal. Unfortunately a sliding Mellis knocked the ball
wide from close range. It was a tough encounter for a young reserve side,
facing an experienced West Ham team, but overall an impressive performance
from Chelsea's second string.
Chelsea (4-3-2-1): Rhys Taylor; Nana Ofori-Twumasi, Liam Bridcutt, Carl
Magnay, Ben Gordon; Nemanja Matic (Nikki Ahamed H-T), Conor Clifford, Josh
McEachran; Jacob Mellis, Milan Lalkovic (Gokhan Tore 71); Marko Mitrovic.
West Ham (4-4-2): Peter Kurucz; Jordan Spence, Fabio Daprela, Olly Lee,
Bondz N'Gala; Manuel da Costa, Kieron Dyer (Eoin Wearen 62), Junior
Stanislas, Ahmed Abdulla; George Moncur (Daniel Kearns 82), Anthony Edgar
(Danny Subuola 87).
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WEST HAM RES 2-1 CHELSEA RES – BLUES DEFEATED IN TOUGH BATTLE
By Philip Rolfe • on February 24, 2010 • 367 views
Cfcnet.co.uk
With attentions firmly turned elsewhere on a Champions League Wednesday, it
would have been easy to forget that Chelsea's Reserves were in midweek
action with a rescheduled fixture away to West Ham. A young and makeshift
team battled hard in poor conditions throughout but ultimately fell short to
a goal in either half from the hosts.
With Jeffrey Bruma, Gael Kakuta and Fabio Borini in Milan on Champions
League duty and Jacopo Sala only a sub after an achilles injury, Steve
Holland's options were reduced somewhat. Liam Bridcutt was forced to drop
back into central defence, which meant a midfield start for Josh McEachran.
Mitrovic started his first game at this level alongside Milan Lalkovic. The
hosts featured Kieron Dyer, fresh from a first team outing at Old Trafford
24 hours previous, and there was also room for Junior Stanislas and Manuel
Da Costa, whilst George Moncur also debuted in the reserves.
In heavy rain on a pitch which had only been cleared for action earlier in
the afternoon, Chelsea started sluggishly and found themselves a goal behind
inside five minutes. The pacy Anthony Edgar – cousin of Jermain Defoe – sped
clear of the visiting defence and found himself faced with Rhys Taylor. The
Welsh stopper denied him initially, but couldn't hold the effort, and Edgar
was able to continue and tuck the ball into the back of the net. It was a
goal to reflect the early stages of the match, and the more experienced
Hammers were enjoying domination over their younger counterparts.
Not that it would last very long. Against the run of play, Chelsea equalised
after 18 minutes. In a rare foray forwards, Lalkovic found some space on the
left side to work an opening which allowed him to send a cross into a
teasing area. Marek Stech was unable to intercept and Mitrovic was available
to clean up and level the scores with his 14th of the season in all
competitions. It brought about a boost in confidence from Chelsea and they
began to resemble a football team for the first time. Conor Clifford and
Jacob Mellis both chanced their arm from distance in conditions which would
test Stech, but ultimately the Czech Republic youth international was not
worried by either effort.
With the scores tied and the rain slightly relenting, the game settled into
something of a battle, with no major goalmouth action. Mitrovic was
revelling in a battle with towering West Ham centre-backs N'Gala and Da
Silva, whilst Clifford saw his name taken by referee Williams for a late
tackle on Fabio Daprela. Both goalscorers found opportunities to give their
teams an advantage as the game ticked towards half time but Edgar couldn't
meet a Stanislas cross, whilst Mitrovic struggled to get purchase on a far
post effort created by McEachran. The scores would remain level at half
time, and there was no real indication at this point which way the game was
likely to swing.
Nikki Ahamed was introduced at the start of the second half, replacing
Nemanja Matic (who, of course, is not registered for European duty) in
midfield. The second period opened up very slowly and without incident until
Jordan Spence put in a dangerous cross from the right which found nobody. Da
Costa tried a shot from distance which fell tamely wide and it summed up the
match up to that point. Lalkovic beat Dyer to the ball and threatened Stech
from distance with an effort which drifted wide, but it was West Ham who
would re-take the lead on the hour through one of their famous young sons.
Spence got forward again from right back and spun a dangerous ball across
the face of goal. Chelsea were unable to defend it and Oliver Lee, son of
former England and Newcastle midfielder Robert, tucked the ball away neatly
at the far post. On the balance of play they probably deserved it but it was
a little harsh on Chelsea after they had fought their way back into the
game. Carl Magnay had to make a last-ditch challenge minutes later to deny
Ahmed Abdulla the chance to make it three, and almost certainly put the game
to bed.
However, with 25 minutes remaining, Chelsea were given a way back into the
match. A tough tackle from Manuel Da Costa was followed by a reaction from
Chelsea and the typical handbags ensued. Da Costa would be shown a straight
red card, leaving the hosts to play the final quarter with a man down.
Spence moved to centre back with Lee to right back, and Holland threw Gokhan
Tore and Jacopo Sala on for Lalkovic and Ofori-Twumasi to try and seize the
initiative. The pace definitely picked up, with Mitrovic causing worry and a
clearance from N'Gala to prevent a goalscoring opportunity, and the hosts
were firmly penned back as the game was set for a grandstand finish.
Chelsea kept up the tempo and caused problems, with both Edgar and Abdulla
picking up a yellow card, but despite their best efforts the home side kept
turning them away. N'Gala was a colossal presence in the resistance, keeping
Mitrovic at bay as Holland's boys looked to their Swedish striker as a focal
point. They couldn't find the goal to take a point back South with them, but
can take heart from a battling performance in tricky conditions. It's a
disappointing result, but Mitrovic scoring on his full reserve debut and
McEachran looking decent in a congested midfield will be the points to take
away from this one.
Team: Taylor, Ofori-Twumasi (Sala 73), Magnay, Bridcutt (c), Gordon,
Clifford, Matic (Ahamed 45), McEachran, Mellis, Lalkovic (Gokhan Tore 71),
Mitrovic
Goals: Mitrovic '18
Booked: Clifford '41
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David Sullivan a little too 'busy' for West Ham fans?
Date: 24th February 2010 at 4:32 pm
Author: Sefa Atay
How many times do we hear managers complaining about owners who are a little
too involved? As a manager, the last thing you want is to have an owner who
begins to draw too much attention to your club. Especially if, in the case
of West Ham, you are involved in a fight to remain in the Premier League.
The arrival of David's Gold and Sullivan brought some much needed cash to
Gianfranco Zola and his West Ham side. However, despite some impressive
dealings in the January transfer window, Hammer's fans may be getting
slightly tired of the constant comments of David Sullivan.
As if publicly claiming responsibility for the team's win over Birmingham
wasn't enough, Sullivan has also been questioning whether Zola is 'too nice'
to be a good manager. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Sullivan said "Of all
the managers I've dealt with he is the nicest. The question is 'Is he too
nice?' Ossie Ardiles was the nicest guy you could meet but look what he did
to Tottenham. Time will tell. Zola will prove himself over the next few
games."
Instead of the dreaded vote of confidence, it seems Zola has been given the
vote of 'un-confidence'.
In the past month, Sullivan has also announced that he is losing sleep over
the club's league position and described their financial situation as
'disastrous'. Not exactly the best way to propel the team towards Premier
League safety.
As I write this, West Ham have just suffered a 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford.
Hardly a surprising result given the circumstances but it is the games that
follow that will determine the Hammers' fate. Over the next matches, West
Ham host fellow relegation battlers Bolton and Wolves with games away at the
Emirates and Stanford Bridge lodged between. Six points is a bare minimum
and a point in the two away games could prove to be crucial.
Key to this will be confidence and possibly a vow of silence from Sullivan.
As a player, how would you feel if you see the club chairman criticising the
manager? Confused? Unsettled? Or both? A point that the owners should really
take on board.
In my opinion, West Ham will be safe. They have enough talent in their team
to survive this season and, with a bit of investment, they can possibly push
on for Europe next year. However, the future of Gianfranco Zola will not be
so safe after another disappointing season.
If the recent comments are anything to go by, Sullivan's search for a new
manager may already have begun.
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Manchester United defeat angers Zola
11:28am Wednesday 24th February 2010
Guardian Series
IT SPEAKS volumes for the rapid transformation West Ham have enjoyed in the
space of two weeks that their manager Gianfranco Zola expects his players to
go to Old Trafford and come away with something to show for their efforts.
The 3-0 scoreline flattered the defending Premier League champions on
Tuesday evening, as the Hammers more than matched their illustrious hosts
for much of the game. However, for a man so quick to praise his players in
the face of adversity, Zola was critical of his players' performance and
called on them to 'refocus' immediately for a more important game against
fellow relegation rivals Bolton next week. "I'm not very pleased to be
honest," said the Italian. "I think that we were okay until they scored the
first goal and, after that, we should have done more. "I was expecting more
but it's not easy to play against Manchester United when you're 1-0 down.
They don't make it easy for you to come back but we've got no excuses. "We
have to do much better than this and refocus straight away because an
important game for us is coming up next week, it's as simple as that."
While many will have drawn positives from West Ham's ability to frustrate
United for much of the first half, as well as trying to impose their
attacking brand of football, Zola saw only room for improvement. Two
convincing victories over Birmingham City and Hull City in their previous
home games has seen the Irons muscle their way up the league, to the point
they are now one of the favourites to avoid the drop. And, perhaps believing
that his side are still occupying a false position in 13th, Zola clearly
wanted to make something of a statement at the Theatre of Dreams. As it was,
King Midas intervened. Wayne Rooney, hailed by the Hammers boss as the 'man
with the golden touch', nodded his 26th and 27th goals of the season from
two Antonio Valencia crosses either side of the break to set United on their
way. Michael Owen then came off the bench and made it three with a smart
finish. Rooney was earlier denied his hat-trick by defender Julien Faubert,
who tracked back well to clear off the line.
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£32m + £30.75m + £17m (Plus mega salaries) = Extra Class
West Ham Till I Die
Mmmm …. I must admit that my feelings were mixed at the final whistle at
Old Trafford. Whilst naturally disappointed with a 3-0 reverse, I was
actually not displeased with the Hammer's overall performance. I have
attended many matches against Man Utd at Old Trafford over recent decades
and I can assure you that there have been many far worse performances.
It was an expansive Hammers display, but with a crucial lack in the final
third. We had lots of possession, we passed and moved well and created a
number of decent chances. But ultimately there was no final product. On
another night Carlton Cole could well have had an hattrick, but on each
occasion he was just behind the play or his reactions were not quick enough.
Diamanti tested Foster with one of his speculative long range efforts and a
truly wicked left foot drive. While Upson ballooned the ball over the bar
from about 4 foot out! So, no one can deny that we had our chances!
At the other end we were undone by two peices of sheer class, with Berbatov
(£30.75m), Valencia (£17m) and Rooney (£32m) combining beautifully to carve
us open. That's the extra class that expenditure in the region of c.£80m
(plus mega salaries), on three top quality forwards, secures you! Without
labouring the point, West Ham can only dream of laying out that sort of
money on three players. If we could then perhaps our current ambitions
would be very much higher this season (ie. Champions League rather than
avoiding relegation). A unpalatable fact of PL life that should be made,
but not dwelt upon for too long! So, lets move on.
Before the match I had feared that Man Utd would get at our full-backs.
However, all things considered I thought Faubert and Spector did reasonably
well. Yes, Valencia's class told on the right hand side, but Spector did
everything that he could under very difficult circumstances. Personally, I
think Zola should have seen the writing on the wall after the first goal and
done some 'outside of the box' tactical switches. He could have brought
Daprela in on the left and had him double up with Spector to counter
Valencia's threat. Daprela could also have been given the licence, whilst
we were in possession, to get forward, provide extra width on the left and
get at Gary Neville. This would then have allowed Diamanti to come inside
and support Cole through the middle. I feel that this might have worked
better than just substituting Franco for Mido.
If the first two Man Utd goals were just pure class, the third was very
unfortunate from our perspective. Noble was down injured, Faubert lost
posession in a dangerous position and Owen cruelly punished us with a
clinical finish. Yes, 9 times out of 10 the ref would have stopped play to
address Noble's injury, but that is the typical of the way that key
refereeing decisions that have gone against us this season!
At the end of the day, we were beaten by a team who are the reigning PL
Champions and regulars in the Champions League (winning it twice in recent
years). They are a top class act, even minus Ronaldo and Tevez. But there
were still some promising signs for us here, such as the quality of our
overall play, the chances we created and the very good performances of a
number of our players, particularly Tomkins, Kovac, Faubert and Behrami.
This should not be lost in a sea change of opinion from over-optimism to
excessive, negative criticism.
Like Zola, we should accept that they had too much for us, learn from it and
move our focus firmly back to beating Bolton on Saturday week. Yes, we
also have Chelski, Arsenal and Liverpool away fixtures coming up. If we get
a point or two from those matches than I will be very happy, because they
will effectively be a bonus. For me the important thing is to be positive
and give class opposition a real contest. And of course, in the process,
defend our advantage of having a superior goal difference over the teams
down at the bottom of the PL table.
However, our fate will ultimately be decided against the likes of Bolton,
Stoke City, Wigan and Wolves at home. And we have more than enough 'extra
class' of our own to beat opposition of that ilk!
SJ. Chandos.
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