WHUFC.com
Arsenal lie in wait next and Gianfranco Zola knows his team will have to
find something special to do well
15.03.2010
Gianfranco Zola will look to push his players hard this week as he looks to
get the club back to winning ways as soon as possible.
Next Saturday sees the first of three matches in eight days that will do
much to define the Hammers' season. After the obvious disappointment of a
4-1 reverse at Chelsea, Gianfranco Zola knows his men will have another
tough test away to Arsenal before they can think about the visits of
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Stoke City.
He has plenty to ponder, including the impact of a 4-5-1 formation at the
weekend that saw him rest Carlton Cole, who had not trained fully in the
preceding week, and Alessandro Diamanti. Zola will hope Guille Franco will
be back in contention next time after a back problem while Benni McCarthy
will benefit from another week of training.
"I made some changes at Chelsea and I will judge in the week what to do next
time," Zola said. "I really pay attention to how the players train, their
form, their condition and then I make my choices. We have players coming
back from injury and I have plenty of options. In football another game
could bring anything and I will go to Arsenal with a positive approach."
One man who is sure to be on the manager's team-sheet is Scott Parker, who
scored a stunning equaliser that briefly gave hope to the fantastic visiting
support before Chelsea powered through with three unanswered second-half
strikes. The Hammer of the Year will not give up his crown without a fight.
"In the middle Scott Parker was in my opinion dominating the scene and we
looked we could've got something. But that is the difference with teams like
Chelsea. They punish you when you make mistakes.
"Scott is unbelievable. He scored a great goal to equalise. I keep saying to
him to focus on his shooting because it would make a big difference to his
game. But other than the goal he was excellent. There was a moment at the
end of the first half and the start of the second half when he was
completely in control, actually we were in control as a team."
The manager had decided to play with Kieron Dyer and Ilan in wide positions,
explaining their extra pace and his attempt to play on the counterattack as
the reason for opting for them over Alessandro Diamanti. In dropping Cole in
favour of Mido, he said he had taken into account his lack of training as he
bids to come back to full fitness for the run-in.
"This time was an opportunity to give someone else a chance. Carlton is OK.
We are all part of a group, Cole has always played but sometimes somebody
else plays especially when you have not trained all week like he has.
"I thought there could have been something for us from the match but teams
like Chelsea can always come back and punish you and that was the case. We
have to try to learn from such experiences and how to handle such pressure.
"We didn't deal well with their goals and it is something we will be working
on. We will sort it out and I am certain we can turn it around. It was hard
and painful to lose at Chelsea but there is no time for me or the players to
dwell on that. We have to stay focused and give everything we can."
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Parker praises fans
WHUFC.com
Goalscorer Scott Parker has thanked the supporters who cheered West Ham
United on at Chelsea
15.03.2010
Scott Parker has thanked West Ham United's supporters for their unwavering
vocal support during Saturday's 4-1 Barclays Premier League defeat at
Chelsea. The Hammer of the Year, who netted the Hammers' consolation goal
with a 30-yard screamer to level the score at 1-1 on the half-hour mark,
admitted to being disappointed to concede three second-half goals at
Stamford Bridge.
However, the England midfielder was effusive in his praise for the 3,000
fans who made their way to west London to cheer their team on from before
kick-off until well after the final whistle.
"The fans were absolutely brilliant. That was the one thing we said when we
went into the changing rooms afterwards. There were a couple of positives,
but if there was one massive thing, I think it was the crowd. We heard them
singing even when their fourth goal went in.
"For a player, you can't explain how much that helps you. At times, it is
hard out there and when you know your supporters are with you, you find that
extra little bit. When the going gets tough and your fans get restless, it
becomes ten times harder than it would be otherwise, so it was brilliant
that they stayed with us and long may that continue."
For Parker, the joy of scoring a spectacular first goal of the season
against one of his former clubs was tempered by the disappointment of
watching goals from Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda deny West Ham a point
they looked capable of securing at half-time.
The visitors made a fast start - no doubt conscious of the poor opening they
made against Bolton Wanderers a week previously - only to fall behind to
Alex's 13th-minute header. Even then, Gianfranco Zola's side refused to
buckle, and went in level at the interval courtesy of Parker's unstoppable
half-volley.
After the break, however, Chelsea took control, and never looked like
throwing their lead away again once Drogba had headed home ten minutes into
the second period.
"It was disappointing. We started the game pretty well. We had a gameplan
which was working. They got a goal and we got back into it and maybe if we'd
held on for a little bit longer then we may have got something out of the
game, maybe a draw, but they showed their quality in the end. They were
clinical in their finishing and won the game quite comfortably in the end.
"It's clearly obvious. You only have to see the players they have in their
team to know they are strong. It was always going to be a tough game for us.
Saying that, I thought the first half and even the start of the second half
were encouraging. Once they got their second goal they killed the game a
little bit, kept the ball and made it difficult for us.
"It was nice to score. Obviously I was due a goal as I hadn't scored in a
while. It was pleasing. I have been practising my shooting in training and I
was glad it went in. It was just a shame we couldn't hold on to it and get
something out of the game."
With a trip to Arsenal to come on Saturday, Parker called on his team-mates
to produce the same tenacious display they put on during the opening 45
minutes at Stamford Bridge for the full 90 at the Emirates Stadium.
"We are in a difficult position at the moment, but we've got some important
home games and we've got to just keep fighting and keep showing the spirit
and picking some points up along the way.
"I think we've got to maintain what we did in the first half at Chelsea. In
the second half, there were times when we got a little bit sloppy and made a
couple of little mistakes which cost us. That happens when you go to teams
like that. They've got the quality and it's case of your luck being in and
them missing them and you can go up the other end and get something and hang
on. That's the reality of it."
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Vinny's Chelsea Report
Vinny - Sun Mar 14 2010
West Ham Online
Chelsea 4 West Ham United 1
Another week and another defeat for Gianfranco Zola's hapless West Ham side
who were brushed aside by Chelsea as the search for a first away win since
the opening game of the season goes on.
There was never any doubt that this was going to be a mountainous task and
coming off the back of a terrible performance against Bolton last weekend
there was little confidence that we could somehow beat Chelsea on their own
patch.
But despite this losing still hurts and being beaten 4-1 by any team is not
something I enjoy regardless of the opposition.
We lacked an attacking threat and never looked as though we could hurt
Chelsea especially in the second half when some of our play was abysmal and
Chelsea were able to deal with anything we had to offer with considerable
ease. Mix this with some very soft defending and the scoreline reads just
about right.
Of course we did manage to get ourselves back into the game in the first
half when Scott Parker scored a truly sensational goal but we were there for
the taking and some of the changes that Zola made to the side were puzzling
to say the least and many were uncalled for.
Zola made five changes to the side that were beaten by Bolton last Saturday.
In defence Fabio Daprela made his full league debut at left back as Julien
Faubert was out with injury. This saw Jonathan Spector go to right back.
At centre half James Tomkins was dropped to the subs bench and replaced by
Danny Gabbidon. I had forgotten that Gabbidon existed given the length of
time he has been out and the fact he has not even been getting on the bench.
In midfield Alessandro Diamanti was dropped to the bench and replaced by
Kieron Dyer who was making one of those rare starts. Dyer was on the left
hand side of midfield. Behrami and Parker were in the centre and to me it
looked as though Kovac was on the right hand side.
Up front Carlton Cole was dropped to the bench, Franco was missing
altogether and this saw Ilan and Mido come into the side. It seems to be the
consensus that Ilan was playing in midfield but although he was playing off
Mido he certainly was no midfielder.
A few of these changes baffled me and I really could not work out what Zola
was trying to do other than make it easy for his former club in their quest
to win the league. The Daprela change made sense but dropping Diamanti and
Cole was very odd considering that they are our main source of goals.
Starting for Chelsea was former Hammer Frank Lampard Junior who left the
club in 2001 after making over 150 appearances.
We had sold out our allocation of tickets and the West Ham fans were in fine
voice throughout the afternoon with many of the fans escorted to the ground
by the police whilst belting out 'Bubbles'. After around six different
security checks into the ground we went. My seat was the front row, next to
the segregation behind the goal which I can't say is my favourite type of
position to watch a game from.
Chelsea started brightly as you would have expected but it was us who had
the first golden chance of the game. It was a decent move which saw Kovac
loft the ball over the top into the area for Spector to get the better of
Ferreira with the loose ball falling to Mido who did well to knock it back
for Ilan who somehow blazed his shot over the bar from a few yards out.
This was the wake up call the home side needed and they took the game to us
from then on with our defence playing very deep in an effort to prevent
Drogba and Anelka from getting in behind them with their pace.
The main man for Chelsea was Malouda on the left hand side who was giving
Spector a very tough time. Spector had no cover with there being no right
hand sided player willing to help him out. If this was in fact supposed to
be Ilan covering then I don't really understand why this was let continue
for so long as Spector was getting murdered.
And when Malouda won a corner off Spector a Chelsea goal was soon to follow
as the ball was head clear only as far as John Terry who played the ball
back to Malouda and the cross was met by the head of defender Alex who
pulled away from his marker (Kovac) easily and sent his header past Green.
Chelsea were close to grabbing a quick second goal after our midfield was
disposed and Chelsea broke well with Lampard Junior feeding Malouda who
crossed to the back post where the ball bounced off the knee of Upson and
looped onto the cross bar and was eventually cleared as we were looking
severely on the ropes.
Despite having offered very little going forward and looked as though we
were just about to fall apart on the half hour mark we found ourselves back
in the game with a special goal from a special player.
Dyer took a throw in and gave it to Parker who took a touch and hit a quite
stunning shot past the Chelsea keeper. It was a remarkable strike and one
which he hit so cleanly that no keeper would have stopped that.
I tried to contain myself with the Chelsea fans next to me but found it
difficult given the totally surprise of the goal. If there was any doubt who
was getting my player of the season vote there certainly wasn't now as
Parker again showed what a quality player he is.
Chelsea only managed to create one more good chance before the break with
Lampard Jr. hitting a shot from outside the area which Robert Green was
equal to and pushed away for a corner.
To go in at half time on level terms seemed to give the fans a buzz although
I couldn't help thinking that despite the great goal we had offered so
little and if Chelsea upped their game just a bit more we would be brushed
aside.
Chelsea looked to come at us as the second half began and this was to be
expected. Some good defending from Daprela prevented Ballack from scoring as
the Swiss left back glanced the ball away with his head.
But with only around ten minutes of the second period gone Chelsea did
regain their lead. Every goal is disappointing to concede but this one was
even more so given that we had the ball in the Chelsea half with Dyer who
played it into Mido but the Egyptian striker failed to release the ball
early and was dispossessed giving Chelsea the chance to break.
John Terry made a strong run forward and the ball found it's way out to
Malouda who had tormented us all day long and his pinpoint cross into the
area found the head of Drogba who had the easy task of scoring from a few
yards out.
And that really was that. Changed needed to be made but Zola seemed to take
an age to do so. The game was crying out for Cole and Diamanti to give us
that bit of attacking spark.
Chelsea were rampant at this point and a cross from Ivanovic found the head
of Alex only for Robert Green to make a quite wonderful save to claw the
ball out and although John Terry was following in he could not convert.
The changes were eventually made by Zola with Dyer and Mido coming off for
Carlton Cole and Junior Stanislas. This though did not really change the way
we were playing with Ilan still not getting involved in the game and one
does have to ask how on earth he managed to stay on the pitch as long as he
did.
Chelsea finished the game off with another counter attacking move with
Malouda again the main man as he burst into the area as our defence created
a nice little gap for him as they backed off and he hit a smart shot past
Green.
With seven minutes remaining Ilan was removed by Zola with Diamanti coming
on but by then it was far too late and hardly worth doing.
Stanislas and Cole looked lively when they came on and linked up a couple of
times but chances were rarely made with a turn and shot from Cole being the
best of them and believe me it wasn't very good.
Chelsea were close to finding another when Malouda played a low cross into
the area and Lampard Jr. seemed poised to score but his attempted hit the
post and came out with Daprela blocking Drogba's effort.
They would get the fourth goal in injury time with Lampard Jr. hitting a
power shot which Green could not handle and Drogba was on hand to score his
second of the game and wrap up an easy victory for our West London
neighbours.
Beaten by a much better side no doubt but that still doesn't make me feel
any better. Relegation looms and the pressure is really on Mr Zola.
Player Reviews
Robert Green
Should have done better with the fourth goal as his failure to hold gifted
it to Drogba. Made a stunning save from Alex in the second half somehow
keeping out his header. His kicking was too bad and there little he could do
about the other three goals.
Jonathan Spector
Playing in his more familiar right back position Spector was absolutely
murdered by Malouda to the point that if Spector had decided to just leave
the pitch it wouldn't have made any difference.
Danny Gabbidon
Back in the team and backing off players as usual. I've never seen a player
run backwards as much as Gabbidon who seems to be a defender who doesn't
actually want to make a tackle. The player who won the Hammer of the year in
2005-06 is long gone.
Matthew Upson
Stood up well to Drogba in the first half but as Chelsea overran us in the
second period Upson looked shaky and little mistakes were starting to creep
into his game as panic settled into our team. Upson was good was good in the
air for the most part but his distribution of the ball was not really the
standard we expect from a player likely to start in the World Cup for
England.
Fabio Daprela
Talk about being thrown in at the deep end. With Ilunga and Faubert out it
was definitely the correct decision to bring him into the side and I thought
he did well enough. He did not look too out of his depth and made some good
challenges.
Radoslav Kovac
Maybe I am just blind but he did seem to be the right hand sided midfielder
in the first half. I couldn't work out what was going on and why this was
the case and Kovac is not mobile enough to do anything in a wide area. He
did work hard but up against much better players he was made to look very
average.
Scott Parker
No surprise that I am saying once again that Parker was our best player. Not
just because of the goal but also because he was once again doing everything
he could for the team. His tackling was fantastic his ability to keep hold
of the ball and not needlessly give it away is something not many
midfielders in the Premiership can do.
Valon Behrami
He had a good first half with some of his tackling being very good and was
something that was needed to get in the faces of the Chelsea players. His
final ball was often lacking and he disappeared from the second half.
Kieron Dyer
It is hard to know what to expect from Dyer other than will he or won't he
get injured. Playing on the left he did little when on the ball and seemed
to lack that confidence in beating his man which is something we had been
looking forward to seeing Dyer do.
Ilan
A complete waste of time and it was shocking how long he was allowed to stay
on the pitch given that he did nothing at all. He was poor on the ball but
there again he hardly was ever on it. Should not have been started, did not
know where he was playing and it was like playing with a man down.
Mido
In the first half he gave as good as he got. He won a number of headers and
his performance was satisfactory. In the second half we as a team struggled
and Mido lost the ball which led to the second goal.
Subs Used
Junior Stanislas (On for Dyer 68 mins)
He is still reluctant to take his man on going doing the line. There were a
couple of occasion where it seemed that this was what he was going to do but
he continues to come inside which makes it easy for the defenders.
Carlton Cole (On for Mido 68 mins)
No doubt that he was shit last weekend but he is our main source of goals.
He is our best striker and our top goal scorer and he is rested for a game
against Chelsea whilst Mido and fucking Ilan start? If Carlton Cole is
anything over 50% fit then he must always start.
Alessandro Diamanti (On for Ilan 83 mins)
On far too late when a bit of creativity was what we needed to find some way
back into the game.
Subs Not Used: Stech, Tomkins, McCarthy, Collison
Bookings: Mido
Man Of The Match: Scott Parker
Attendance: 41,755
Overall
I know it was expected and I was fully prepared for a defeat but given our
position in the league and how we haven't seen an away win since beating
Wolves on the opening day of the season a 4-1 defeat is still hard to take.
Zola got it wrong with his tactics and some of the changes made were
unnecessary. Some could argue that we wanted him to be tougher with regards
to team selection but when you look at our bench and see Carlton Cole,
Diamanti, McCarthy and Collison you have to think that they could have all
been better choices to start the game.
I'm quite sure that Gianfranco Zola will not be removed from his position
any time soon and if this is to happen it will in the summer time. It is
pretty pointless talking about it in my opinion at this moment in time as
they are not going to cause even more instability at a club who is riddled
with just that.
Next Game - Arsenal (a)
A change of our fortunes are unlikely to be found here as Arsenal are on top
form at the moment and we are looking worse as the weeks go on. I am still
hoping (as I do in every game) that we will get something from this and with
some big performances and a little luck we may well come away with at least
a point.
I would advise Zola to play his best players though because generally when
you play your best team you have a better chance of winning a game.
Zola's View
"It was very good for 65 minutes,"
"As soon as we conceded the second goal, the boys went flat because they had
spent so much energy to contain them. Before then we looked OK, we looked
good. The second goal really killed us - after that Chelsea took advantage
of the space."
"Scott Parker's goal was a cracker. I keep telling him to shoot more than he
does. I am pleased for him. He was fantastic for us and set the tone.
Hopefully it will be the first of many."
"It is vital that you look to the positives. That doesn't mean that we will
turn our backs on the problems.
"We won't do that. As a manager I take a lot of good things. I believe all
the team worked very hard and gave everything. If we keep in that way, we
will get what we deserve.
"This attitude is going to make the difference when we play other teams. I
told the players, I am not going to give up anything. We have another tough
match against Arsenal and we won't go there thinking about anything other
than trying to get the victory."
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Franco's goal plea to Parker
The Sun
By IAN McGARRY
Published: Today
GIANFRANCO ZOLA has called on Scott Parker to grab more goals and give West
Ham's season a much-needed boost. The Hammers are still flirting with
relegation and Saturday's 4-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge did nothing to help
their cause. But manager Zola saw a positive sign in Parker's stunning
equaliser and hopes the midfielder can produce more of the same. Zola said:
"Scott is unbelievable. He scored a great goal and I keep saying to him that
he should be focusing on his shooting a bit more because it could make a big
difference to his game. "Other than his goal, I thought he was excellent.
"There was a time at the end of the first half and the beginning of the
second when he was totally in control of the midfield."
Zola admitted his team still face a fight for Premier League survival but
vowed that they will battle on with the same effort shown at Chelsea. He
added: "I'm not a guy who gives in on anything. "I know there are tough
games in front for me and the players and I'm already thinking how to
react." Parker pointed to the series of tough fixtures ahead, but insisted
the Hammers have the ability to stay up. He said: "We have some difficult
away games with Arsenal next week and Everton and Liverpool still to come.
"The games with Wolves, Stoke and Sunderland at home are big ones where we
need to pick up points."
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Steve Clarke: 'It's time for me to be the guy who makes decisions'
Steve Clarke has served alongside the very best – now he wants to be a boss
in his own right
Simon Buckland
The Times
"[This is what I think about Steve Clarke: if, at this moment, he had the
chance to manage a club, even a big club like Chelsea, he would be ready for
that. He is that good." — Jose Mourinho Steve Clarke was 23 when he left a
Scottish football domestic scene he was "already bored of" by accepting a
transfer from St Mirren to Chelsea. The same number of years on, he still
hasn't come back for anything other than family visits. After a long playing
career at Chelsea, he went on to assist Ruud Gullit and Sir Bobby Robson at
Newcastle before returning to Stamford Bridge to work directly under Jose
Mourinho, Avram Grant and, briefly, Luiz Felipe Scolari before accepting his
current role as Gianfranco Zola's deputy at West Ham. Some big names there,
but Clarke remains determined to make his own.
Having assisted others for so long, Clarke feels the time is approaching to
help himself to a manager's job. It isn't that he is unhappy at West Ham,
where is contracted until 2013, it is just that he won't be content until he
has given being No 1 a go. "It's the last one to be ticked off," he says.
"I've done all the groundwork. I've done everything. I've been the player,
the youth team coach, the European scout, the assistant manager, first-team
coach, I've worked with a whole spectrum of players, now it's time for me to
be the guy who makes the decisions and takes the stick. To have done so much
to get to this stage and not give it a go would be foolish. I have to try
it. I just need somebody to give me the opportunity."
In the likes of Mourinho and Gullit he has won friends, but can he influence
the people who make these appointments? There have been expressions of
interest from third parties before but, as yet, not a single offer to manage
a club. Clarke realises he may be seen as just a supporting act, more at
ease in the background, but meeting him it is evident he feels wrongly
typecast. "I want to be a manager," he insists. "I want to be the guy who
has all the pressure on him, who makes the decisions and leads the group.
"It's always been an ambition. It's a reason why I left Chelsea. People were
thinking, 'He's in a comfort zone, no ambition to push himself', but I came
out of that to take the job at West Ham. Franco said he would only take it
if I went with him and I just felt the time was right for a change. I could
have sat at Chelsea and still be there now, but I didn't really want that Mr
Chelsea image, I wanted to push myself on.
"The next step is finding a chairman who's willing to give me that chance.
If you're asking me, 'Could I manage a Premier League club?', I'd have to
answer, 'Yes'. Whether it's this year, next year, I don't know. I've never
been in a position where I've had to make a decision on it. I'm still
waiting for someone to test my resolve. In my strange little plan, this
would be my last job as an assistant and the next one I'd want to be
manager. If it works out, great, if it doesn't then maybe I have to make
another detour. I've got no problem with people judging me as a manager.
When I decide to be a manager, I think I'm going to be a good one."
Much of that confidence came from his stint with Mourinho. Clarke was a
youth-team coach at Chelsea before the Portuguese promoted him as soon as he
met him. When Mourinho left and Chelsea threatened to implode, it was Clarke
who stayed and detonated the tension. "I'd be a liar if I didn't think maybe
they could have given the job to me on a temporary basis to see how it went
when Jose left," he admits. "It didn't happen. They gave it to Avram Grant
and it wasn't easy to continue in what was a turbulent time, but he made
sure I was completely involved. It was only under Scolari that I felt
isolated.
"Jose and Roman [Abramovich] deciding it was time to go their separate ways
was a big disappointment, personally, and for the club. They'd have done
better to knuckle down, sort it out and try to keep going. Because of the
success we had, Jose stands out a mile. As a manager, he was head and
shoulders above any other. Working with him gave me the self-belief I could
one day be a manager. I didn't know him and he didn't know me. It was a
professional relationship that developed into a friendship. Now I would
count him as one of my friends. I'd like to think he'd count me as one of
his."
Clarke's story begins with a twist of fate. At 15, he was training at Beith
Juniors when St Mirren arrived on the wrong date for a friendly. "St Mirren
just turned up," he smiles. "No-one knew they were coming. Beith Juniors
didn't have all their players so they threw me on the wing and advised me
not to get kicked." He did more than that, impressing enough to be invited
to training at the Paisley club and later offered S-forms. He then returned
to play for Beith Juniors before eventually accepting a part-time contract
with St Mirren, allowing him to finish an apprenticeship as an instrument
engineer with Beechams Pharmaceuticals in Irvine. "That gave me a feel for
reality," he says. It hasn't left him, nor will he let it.
His transfer to Chelsea was a strange affair. Ken Bates, the then chairman,
flew to Glasgow under an assumed name to trump a smaller offer from Celtic
and clinched the deal by throwing in a Fridge — Les Fridge, a goalkeeper.
Clarke, who prefers to make his decisions on instinct, signed without
hesitation. "My wife almost fell off the chair when I phoned her and said
I'd signed for Chelsea. She thought I was going to Celtic. We went to London
the next day," recalls Clarke. "Chelsea said I could return and start
Monday, but I said, 'No, I want to play Saturday'. Chelsea when I signed and
Chelsea when I left, were like two different clubs. It had the same name,
but it wasn't the same club. I can't say I'm surprised to have stayed south
so long because I've never hankered to go back."
While he wouldn't rule out taking a managerial job in Scotland, a recent
return to visit his parents in Saltcoats made him realise the alarming
contrast between where he has ended up and where he started. "I went up
about a month ago to watch St Mirren versus Dundee United," says Clarke.
"I'd never been to the new St Mirren Park so thought I'd take the chance
with a weekend off. I was quite disappointed with the standard. I know it's
a difficult time for everyone, but it seems to be particularly bad in
Scotland. I'm looking at the game for young players and don't see too many
that excite me.
"One or two have come out, [Steven] Fletcher at Burnley has done well, but
it's a very big transition now. Surely somebody somewhere will say, 'Okay,
enough's enough, let's find a way to improve the standard'. Maybe the SFA
will stand up and say we haven't got the same quantity so we have to look
harder for the quality. There must be people within Scottish football
looking to improve the situation. Is it to change the coaching structure at
Largs? Is it time to freshen that up and encourage new faces, different
people with different ideas? I just felt the game I saw was more
disappointing than I thought it would be.
"Maybe it was a particuarly poor game, I don't know. St Mirren are near the
bottom, but Dundee United are third. They'll say, 'We won the game', but I
expected a little bit more from them. I'm not having a go, it's just an
honest assessment."
In reference to West Ham, Clarke jokingly puts fingers in his ears at the
question of whether they are too good to go down. He doesn't want to hear
that. "Since we went to West Ham there's been turmoil," he says of his
partnership with Zola. "About 10 days after we went in was the start of the
downturn for the Icelandic banks. It's been difficult, but in a strange way
enjoyable. For Franco, it's a job that looks difficult from the outside, but
I can tell you from the inside it's even more difficult. Our friendship is
strong. We resolved at the start, 'No matter what happens, the friendship is
first and the professional relationship second', and we've always respected
that."
Clarke's rationale to being an assistant is to challenge the manager in
private, but always to back him in public. He maintained that even when
Gullit confounded him by dropping Alan Shearer at Newcastle. "Behind closed
doors I quite like arguing," smiles Clarke. "That's my style as an
assistant. If you have two people with the same ideas it doesn't work."
Clarke's single game as a manager was August 30, 1999. As caretaker at
Newcastle he reintroduced Shearer and another deposed favourite, Rob Lee.
Newcastle still lost. A 5-1 drubbing by Manchester United at Old Trafford.
He has done more than enough to merit a second attempt somewhere soon.
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West Ham chief plays down Carlton Cole injury concerns
Published 23:00 14/03/10 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
West Ham coach Gianfranco Zola tried to take the positives from this
mauling. He left England striker Carlton Cole on the bench until midway
through the second half after the striker had barely trained all week, but
insisted there is no long-term problem with his knee. "It is vital that you
pay attention to the positives," said Zola. "That does not mean you turn
your back on the problems, we don't do that. "All the team worked hard and
gave everything and Scott Parker scored a cracking goal. I keep telling him
he should shoot more than he does. He played a fantastic game and hopefully
the goal is the first of many. "Carlton's problem is no big deal. This week
he could not train properly, he just trained a couple of days. So I thought
it was an opportunity for me to make a couple of changes. But it is nothing
major and he will be back soon. "We have another tough match against Arsenal
coming up and I don't want to go there already beaten. I have told the
players I'm not going to give up on anything."
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Parker not giving up hope of England World Cup call-up
Published 23:00 14/03/10 By Martin Lipton
The Mirror
Scott Parker maintains he has not given up on his World Cup dream after
showing Fabio Capello what he is made of. The England boss saw Parker score
a sensational leveller and more than match Frank Lampard in the midfield
battleground before West Ham eventually subsided to Chelsea's sheer class.
It was a defeat that left the Hammers peering anxiously over their shoulders
at the drop zone but Parker's vision is as much on the summer as staving off
relegation. Parker, who earned his third and last cap Steve McClaren's
nightmare defeat in Croatia in October 2007, said: "I always think about
England. When every squad is named, I think maybe I could have chance or
come in if somebody gets injured. "I was in the squad for the game in
Germany last season but if I'm being honest, I would have thought I would
have been involved a little bit more now.
"All I can do is keep playing well for West Ham. That's my main aim. If
something comes of that, then brilliant."
Hammers chief Gianfranco Zola, a man Capello trusts, believes Parker should
be a contender. "Scott is unbelievable," said Zola. "He scored a great goal
but other than his goal, I thought he was excellent. There was a time at the
end of the first half and the beginning of the second when he was totally in
control of the midfield." Parker, whose own spell at Chelsea after his
£10million arrival from Charlton was injury-scarred, admitted he feels as
good as he has for many years. He added: "It has been a massive season for
me. I have been consistent, and fit. This has been the first year when I
have had a good pre-season and am consistently playing. "It's like in any
walk of life, when you have confidence, and feel part of something, you play
well. We are not in the best of position but everyone's digging in. We are
all trying our hardest. And I'm doing OK. "If we want to stay up, our home
games are crucial, especially after losing against Bolton last week. We have
some difficult away games, like Arsenal next week and Liverpool. But Wolves,
Stoke, Sunderland at home are big games where we need to pick up points."
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Zola: Scoreline flattered Chelsea
Sport.co.uk
Author: Ben Moss
Posted on:14 March 2010 - 11:10 AM
Manager Gianfranco Zola claimed his West Ham United side were better than
Saturday's 4-1 defeat at Chelsea suggested. The struggling Hammers were
level with the Premier League leaders at the break after Scott Parker
equalised Alex's opener at Stamford Bridge. However, Florent Malouda and
two-goal Didier Drogba added a final gloss to the scoreline which Zola
claimed was scarcely deserved. "For the way we played, the way we worked,
4-1 doesn't in my opinion reflect a fair result," he explained. "Probably
they deserved to win because obviously Chelsea is a good team and they
produced some good chances, good football, but 4-1 I think is too much for
my team." Meanwhile, Zola has reiterated his assertion that the Hammers have
enough ability in their ranks not to be dragged into the relegation
dogfight. He added: "We know that we are not in a safe zone, we know that.
"But we are confident that we have enough in our bag and we are determined
to leave that position quick."
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West Ham attacker Diamanti happy with AC Milan link
14.03.10 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United midfielder Alessandro Diamanti admits he was flattered to be
linked with AC Milan in January. Despite his inconsistency at Upton Park,
Diamanti remains highly rated at home and was interesting Milan during the
winter market. "It is, of course, flattering to be linked with a club that
has won everything like Milan, but I hope to stay here as long as possible,"
he said. "I have a five-year contract and I came because I thought West Ham
have all the right characteristics for me."
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COLLISON SET FOR OPERATION
By Ed Reynolds, 13/03/2010
News Of The World
JACK COLLISON is set to go under the surgeon's knife this summer in a bid to
solve his knee problem. The West Ham star has been forced to play through
the pain barrier as the Hammers battle to beat the drop. Collison has
established himself as a first-choice regular at Upton Park under boss
Gianfranco Zola but has struggled to shake off the discomfort in his knee.
The 20-year-old is now hoping to undergo surgery as soon as the club's
Premier League future is assured and is expected to return in time for
pre-season. The talented playmaker has failed to show the same sort of form
which established him as one of the most exciting young talents in the
division last year. Collison will have a similar operation to team-mate
Zavon Hines, who has been out since December. The England Under-21 striker,
is expected to come off his crutches in the next couple of weeks and be fit
for next season.
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ZOLA EYES DOUBLE RAID ON BIRMINGHAM
Hammers trail City duo
News Of The World
By Aidan Magee, 13/03/2010
GIANFRANCO ZOLA is eyeing Birmingham duo Liam Ridgewell and Sebastian
Larsson. The pair are out of contract this summer but the Blues have the
option to extend both contracts by a year. However, West Ham boss Zola
believes he can sign them because of a loophole in FIFA laws that questions
the terms of Birmingham's right to sign them for another season. Ridgewell,
25, started his career as a youth player at Hammers. He is after a big rise
on his wages of £12,000-a-week after impressing as a makeshift left-back.
Larsson, 24, on £8,000 a week, has proved a vital utility player. West Ham's
move will anger Blues chief Carson Yeung, who has been at odds with former
owners David Sullivan and David Gold, now in charge at Upton Park. The feud
intensified when Yeung completed his takeover, only to discover the club had
posted a £21m loss in their financial results.
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