Der Kaiser pays his tribute
WHUFC.com
Franz Beckenbauer tells of his admiration for West Ham United's greatest
player, Bobby Moore
27.02.2013
Few players in the history of world football can be considered as equals to
the great Bobby Moore. Franz Beckenbauer is one of those players. Just like
his English contemporary, Beckenbauer enjoyed a glittering career with
Bayern Munich and West Germany, earning a reputation for being the greatest
defender his country has ever produced. Like Moore, he lifted the FIFA World
Cup as his country's captain, doing so on home turf in 1974, before
repeating the feat as a manager in 1990 - becoming the first individual to
complete that amazing double. Throughout his career 'Der Kaiser' - 'The
Emperor' - regularly came up against West Ham United and England's greatest
centre-half, most notably at the 1966 and 1970 FIFA World Cup finals and
later in the North American Soccer League. As players and as human beings,
the pair developed a deep respect and friendship. Twenty years after Moore's
passing, Beckenbauer still holds his old adversary in the highest possible
esteem. "If you play football as long as I did, even internationally, you
get to know a lot of footballers. But only a few become true friends and
even remain so after your career has ended. Bobby was such a friend. As a
footballer he was great and as a person loveable."
"Bobby was one of the best players in the history of football. He was the
captain of the team which won the major title for England in 1966 at the
World Cup in their own country. "He was an exceptionally gifted player and a
true leader on the field, because he was a personality with charisma and he
was able to motivate his teammates. "His particular strength was his
intuition. Thus he had an incredible positional play."
The two legends enjoyed their greatest battle in the FIFA World Cup final at
Wembley in July 1966. There, 25-year-old Moore captained England to victory
over a West Germany side that included the 20-year-old Beckenbauer in
central midfield. Despite his country's defeat - and the controversy
surrounding whether or not England's third goal crossed the line -
Beckenbauer admits England deserved their 4-2 win and Moore to lift the
Jules Rimet Trophy. "You will never forget such a game. However, today the
dramatic is very difficult to explain. England certainly deserved to win,
although it is unclear still today - and probably will never be answered -
if the third goal was one indeed. "Anyway, England has rightly become world
champions."
It would not be the final time the pair would meet at international level.
In 1970, Moore's England raced into a 2-0 lead over West Germany in the FIFA
World Cup quarter-finals in Mexico, only for Beckenbauer's side to stage a
dramatic comeback to secure a 3-2 win. Two years later, the pair met as
captains in the UEFA European Championship quarter-finals. West Germany were
again victorious, winning 3-1 on aggregate. Finally, in 1978, 37-year-old
Moore and his Seattle Sounders faced 32-year-old Beckenbauer's New York
Cosmos in the North American Soccer League. The pair were joined by Brazil
greats Pele and Carlos Alberto, England internationals Rodney Marsh and
Trevor Francis, Wales defender Mike England and West Ham goalkeeper Phil
Parkes as attempts were made to make 'soccer' popular in the United States.
Beckenbauer believes their presence helped pave the way for the modern-day
success of the MLS.
"Bobby and I played a few times against each other. It's true that Bobby,
Pele, a few others and I were pioneers of football at that time. "I think
that we have contributed some things that helped football made the gap in
the USA and it has become increasingly popular."
Unfortunately, of course, Moore is no longer with us, having passed away in
February 1993 at the age of 51. Now 67, Beckenbauer spoke at the memorial
service held four months later at Westminster Abbey - an experience he will
never forget. "After Bobby's death, I experienced one of the most touching
moments of my life. His memorial service was held at Westminster Abbey.
Every seat was occupied and everybody of distinction was present. "I was
asked to read from the Bible during the funeral ceremony in the pulpit. I
was terribly humbled - it was a great honour to say 'Goodbye' to Bobby in
this way."
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O'Neil eyes Stoke success
WHUFC.com
Gary O'Neil believes West Ham United can cure their travel sickness at Stoke
City on Saturday
27.02.2013
Gary O'Neil says West Ham United need to get over the 'massive blow' of
Monday's 3-2 Barclays Premier League defeat by Tottenham Hotspur when they
travel to Stoke City. The Hammers go to the Britannia Stadium on Saturday
having been edged out by a last-minute goal from Spurs' Gareth Bale and
seeking to end a run of six consecutive away league defeats. While the odds
may be against West Ham winning in the Potteries, midfielder O'Neil believes
Monday's performance should give the players and supporters belief that
better is just around the corner.
"We've got some big, strong, physical players who can hopefully deal with
Stoke's physical threat, then hopefully we'll have the chance to get it down
and play," the 29-year-old told West Ham TV. "We got the chance to play a
little bit on Monday night and show people what we can do, getting it down
the sides to Matt Jarvis and Joe Cole with people driving in. Hopefully we
can work on some more of that. "We hope to stop getting so many little
injuries as well. We had to take people off, which wasn't ideal. It spoils
your rhythm when you lose your captain after half-an-hour and then we lost
our right-back Guy Demel. It makes it tough, so hopefully we can stop that
as well. "We need a reaction because our away form hasn't been good enough.
I thought we played a bit better at Aston Villa, but came away with nothing
which is no good. Saturday is a big game and we need something from it."
For O'Neil, seeing his name in the starting line-up at Stoke will be
incentive enough to produce his best. "It's been a long time since I started
a Premier League game in the middle of the park," said the No32, who started
his first league game since the 1-0 defeat at Reading on 29 December. On
Monday I played in a slightly new role a bit deeper with Mark Noble missing
through injury, and I enjoyed it. I thought we did well as a team and looked
fairly comfortable. It was just a massive blow at the end that made me
forget about all the rest of it, really. "It was tough to take so late in
the game but it was such a good goal by Bale, and especially as we'd had
some good chances at 2-1 to make it three. I thought the lads worked hard
against a good side with one outstanding player, as well. We were a little
bit unlucky but we've got to dust ourselves down and we've got another big
game on Saturday. "I don't think Spurs looked too dangerous until Bale got
the ball. They kept it comfortably and we knew they'd try to keep the ball
as they like to pass it, then as soon as he got hold of it there seemed to
be an extra edge to their play. He scored a great first goal and, with the
second one, I still can't believe he's managed to do what he did from where
he was. It was a real sickener."
For O'Neil, Bale's late winner was particularly tough to take as he had
tracked the Welshman half the length of the pitch before the Spurs No11
unleashed an unstoppable long-range shot into the top corner. In assessing
the situation again, midfielder summed up the difficulty of dealing with a
player with pace, power and the ability to score goals from anywhere. "It
was a tough one for me. It was about 35 yards out, I was on a yellow card
and I had to decide whether to try and go tight and risk him going by me.
Maybe I gave him a yard too much space but I didn't expect him to do what he
did. "I've had a look at it again to see if there is anything I could have
done and the ball misses my foot by about a millimetre. Maybe I could have
got a bit tighter but we'll discuss it over the next few days and see what
we could have done better about all three goals."
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'There are lessons to be learned'
WHUFC.com
Nick Haycock insists that disappointment at Wolves will stand his U21s in
good stead for the future
27.02.2013
Nick Haycock admitted his Development Squad had learned the hard way after
two late goals consigned West Ham United to a Barclays Under-21 Premier
League Elite Group defeat at the hands of Wolverhampton Wanderers.Sebastian
Lletget's first goal of the campaign seemingly had Haycock's men on course
for a valuable away win, only for calamity to strike twice in the final
eight minutes. A suspiciously harsh penalty award allowed Jake Cassidy to
slam home from the spot, before the hosts seized upon Frazer Shaw's
defensive mishap, with Robbie Parry the man to fire Wolves ahead in the 90th
minute. While defeat was certainly scant reward for a perfectly good
showing, Haycock was adamant that Wolves' late show will prove an invaluable
experience in the long run.
"It's probably the first time that I do feel really aggrieved," Haycock told
West Ham TV. "Every game that we've played has been competitive and this was
no different. We've come to a good club in Wolves and I think the
environment was exactly what the boys are going to experience out on loan.
The game played that way as well and it's a great game for the boys to have
played in. There are some young lads out there who are learning by the day
and this was no exception. "We nearly gave them a goal at 1-0 when we were
playing out the back and dropped it short to the 'keeper, but we'll learn
from that. That's key. If they don't make mistakes they may never learn.
Sometimes you have to be harsh and tell them a few home truths. I think
that's part and parcel of football as well. That's the world they are coming
in to. At this level you can't afford to make mistakes like that because you
get punished."
The Hammers might have had a two-goal lead to protect had Elliot Lee enjoyed
better fortune, as his strike, just seconds after the restart, cannoned off
the inside of the post and rolled across the face of goal. Haycock reckoned
it was a pivotal moment on the night, while he was disappointed with the
penalty that handed Wolves a route back into the contest. "If Elliot's
chance just after half-time goes in, it's probably a different game at 2-0,"
he added. "I don't think Elliot could have done any more really. He's hit
the post, and it could have gone in off the post. They are game-changers and
I think we've had a week of it with the first team. It was a good
performance against Spurs and it was no different on Tuesday night. "They
had their chances as well and I'm not going to gripe about a referee but
it's never a penalty. I've seen it on the DVD. That's given them the lift to
push on and get the winner, albeit in the last few minutes. We're very
unfortunate just to be sat on six points, I think we deserve far more than
that. But there are lessons to be learned."
Next up for Nick Haycock's charges is the visit of Manchester United to the
Boleyn Ground on Friday 1 March, with kick-off set for 7pm. Season Ticket
Holders are to be admitted free of charge, while Adults will pay just £3 and
Under-16s £1. The main car park and Stadium Store will also be open to
supporters.
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John Carew leaves Inter Milan trial after concerns over his fitness
BBC.co.uk
Former Aston Villa and West Ham striker John Carew has left Inter Milan
after the Italian club expressed concerns over the trialist's fitness. "His
present physical condition would need a lengthy period of fitness work not
compatible with the needs of the club," said the Serie A side. Carew, 33,
has been a free agent since leaving Upton Park last summer. The Norwegian
linked up with Inter after forward Diego Milito suffered a serious knee
ligament injury. "We would like to thank John for the willingness and
professionalism he has shown," added Inter in a statement on their official
website. Since his release by West Ham in May, Carew has taken part in an
action film and also been linked with a return to Premier League strugglers
Villa. But he was given a surprise opportunity by the Nerazzurri as boss
Andrea Stramaccioni looks for cover for Argentina international Milito. "I
wasn't expecting the call - life is full of surprises. But I'm ready, I feel
good and I've worked with the team over the last two weeks," said Carew
before his trial ended. Inter, who will play Tottenham in the last 16 of the
Europa League in March, are fifth in Serie A, 14 points behind league
leaders Juventus. However, Inter are on a poor run of form and have only won
two of eight league matches in 2013. Carew, who scored 24 goals in 91
appearances for Norway, has previous experience of Italian football, after a
loan spell at Roma in the 2003-04 season.
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Allardyce: this round's on me
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 27th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce treated his backroom staff to a pre-Christmas
'jolly' the night before a Premier League clash with West Bromwich Albion,
it has been revealed. Allardyce and his team were staying at the Hilton
Hotel - which is adjacent to the new National Football Centre in Burton upon
Trent - on Saturday, 15th December ahead of the following day's visit to the
Hawthorns. A hotel receipt published by a tabloid newspaper today reveals
that the West Ham contingent, which included up to 15 backroom staff plus
interns ran up a bill of around £1,200 the night before the game - a bill
that Allardyce met in full as a 'thank you' for his staff's efforts in 2012,
a year in which West Ham returned to the Premier League. However there is no
suggestion that any of the players - who earned a well-earned point the
following day with a 0-0 draw - were drinking alcohol. A club source told
KUMB.com: "Sam decided to treat his staff. It was a Christmas treat from the
manager who picked up the bill."
Details of the bill were first published by The Sun this morning. The
tabloid claimed that the bill was "posted by mistake to a firm whose staff
were stunned".
However a strapline claiming that "stars including Kevin Nolan and Joe Cole
were present" was quickly removed from their website once it was explained
that Cole was still a Liverpool player at the time of the West Brom trip.
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West Ham interest for former Porstmouth man Nadir Belhadj
By Giscard Gourizro. Last Updated: February 27, 2013 8:51pm
SSN
Reported West Ham United target Nadir Belhadj has hinted he might be
interested in a return to the Premier League. The former Portsmouth
full-back is currently with Qatari outfit Al Sadd having left Fratton Park
in 2010 after winning the FA Cup. But West Ham, Benfica and Lazio are all
being linked with Belhadj and the 30-year-old Algerian has not ruled out the
possibility of moving back to Europe in the summer. He said:" I am happy to
be linked with prestigious clubs, such as Benfica, Lazio and West Ham.
"Benfica have been linked with me before but nothing happened. They are a
great club with great tradition and infrastructures. "West Ham are also a
great team with a good reputation and I always enjoy the English league. To
be honest, nothing has been decided yet so wait and see."
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Joe Cole Excels Once Again at Upton Park!
By S J Chandos
West Ham till I Die
Losing to Spurs in the final minutes of Monday evening's match was tough on
a batting West Ham side, who also gave probably the best passing display of
the season. So much for the stubborn myth that Sam Allardyce's teams only
play one way and, indeed, the elements that perpetuate it. We knew that
Spurs would be a major challenge and that we needed both the 'rub of the
green' and a 110% performance to win. However, we came very close to it and
I was hugely encouraged by the quality of much of our play. It bodes well
for the rest of the season, because if we play like that consistently, for
the remainder of the season, we will win fooball matches. Certainly enough
to comfortably secure our PL status this season and then re-group and
strengthen th squad further in the summer.
I thought Joe Cole was outstanding yet again. He seems to reserve his best
performances for our home games. His vision and passing in the final third
was excellent and he exhibited a growing fitness that was self-evident. He
made a number of decisive passes in the final third, most notably that
intelligent slide rule pass that played Taylor through on goal. Its a pity
that Taylor could not convert, because going 3-1 up would have probably
secured the win. Similarly, Cole's turn and shot to put us 2-1 up, was
extremely well executed. In fact he scuffed his shot, but that probably
helped to beat the Spurs keeper. Those who wrote Cole off as 'finished' have
been proven absolutely wrong. And the rest of us are very grateful for it.
Coming home to West Ham really was the right move for Joe Cole, it's just a
pity he did not join us rather than Liverpool a couple of seasons ago. Still
better late than never.
Matt Jarvis was also excellent down the left flank and was a constant
problem for the Spurs defence. If Jarvis is to reach his best form, he needs
to play regularly and be given the latitude to express himself. He is a good
player and can be a real asset once he finds his best form. Much has made of
the wisdom of the substitutions in the second half. It appears that Demel
was injured and that is the reason that he was substituted. But I must admit
that putting Pogatetz up against Lennon did seem ill advised. Surely, Danny
Potts would have been better equipped to cope with his pace and trickery on
the ball, dispite his relative inexperience. But I am nots ure if he was
even included on the bench on Monday? Also, I agree that substituting Diame
was a major factor in the tide turning against us. Diame is a massive
presence in midield and he constantly makes powerful forward runs that
Parker and co had to cover. When he was substituted, that created the space
and the opportunity fo them to push forward more readily. I am not sure if
there was a specific fitness reason why such a key player was withdrawn? Of
the three substitutions, only Taylor for Nolan seemed a good move. But be
honest, and given a choice, which of those two players would you have
preferred Cole to play in to a 1-on-1 with the Spurs keeper? For me, its
Nolan everytime!
Of the Spurs goals, the first was an absolute 'gift' from our perspective.
How did Demel make that mistake? When it fell to Bale you just knew that we
would be punished for it. The second and equaliser was a messy and
unfortunate affair. Spurs certainly were lucky in the way that the ball fell
for them, because on another day it would have fell kindly for the West Ham
defenders and we would have cleared it. As for the third goal, you really
cannot legislate for a strike of that quality. Of course, O'Neill gave him a
bit too much space, but what is done is done. It was just hugely
disappointing that it occurred so late in the match.
As I predicted, there was no cricket score and West Ham actually gave a very
good account of themselves. If you do not believe me, check out Gary
Neville's post-match assesment on Sky. The truth is that some fans were so
convinced of a trouncing that they completely lost sight of the threat that
our team could, in turn, pose to Spurs. The match proved that West Ham have
more than enough ability to give Spurs a tough game, pushing them all the
way. And that is a positive at this stage of our progression as a club,
because at the end of the day, West Ham are a promoted team, in their first
season back in th PL. We can build upon this season, and the current squad,
and progressively bring in the extra quality that we need to challenge the
top 6-8 of the PL.
The team need to build on the many positive aspects of that performance and
get a good result at Stoke City. Stoke are a very physical, tough side, who
are not above practising the 'dark arts' of the game. We need to meet their
physical challenge, watch out for under hand stuff and get the ball down and
play like we did against Spurs. I am sure that a effective combination of
physical strength, effective passing & movement and posing a constant threat
at set peices can deliver the points for us on Saturday. Say, a 1-2 victory.
My concluding comment on the Spurs match, is to praise the club and its fans
for the 20th Anniversary commemoration of Bobby Moore's death and the
celebration of his life. It was very emotional and illustrated what a great
player and human being Bobby Moore was. Those that saw him play are blessed,
those that knew him and counted him as a friend or team mate much more so.
And also very well done to the Hammers support for heeding the mesages from
the club and eradicating any disciminatory chants towards the Spurs fans.
The club is genuinely committed to promoting equality, inclusion and
community cohesion and non-discrimination has become a key objective of the
club. That is a very good development and one that supporters should embrace
and actively support.
It has been reported that Kevin Nolan could potentially be sidelined for the
next six weeks with a broken toe. So, who fills in for the absent skipper?
In my opinion, we either go 4-4-2 and a 2nd striker partners Andy Carroll or
we stay 4-3-3 and either Joe Cole or Jack Collison goes into the advanced
central midfield position, with the other one playing on the right flank.
Probably Cole in the centre, with Collison on the right flank. This could be
an opportunity to give Collison a run in the team and play Joe cole in a
central or free role. Both player are skillful and undoubtedly have goals in
them.
Similarly, another report has appeared out of nowhere stating hat West Ham
may launch a summer move for Nadir Belhadj. The former Portsmouth
left-back/winger is currently with Qatari outfit Al Sadd having left Fratton
Park in 2010 their FA Cup victory. I am not sure if this is an actual
possibility or just an agent placed story,designed to generate interest? But
it is one to watch.
Finally, I had the great pleasure to meet a small group of WHTID readers
last week. We had a very interesting discussion over a drink or two and they
were most generous in the praise of my blog articles. It really renewed my
faith in the vast majority of people following WHTID. None of them had ever
posted a comment, but had loyally followed the site since around 2008 or
2009. Actually, the traffic for the site is massive, and still growing, but
only a tiny percentage of the readers actually post. Which is an amazing
fact and puts everything in to perspective. WHTID, of course, values every
single reader, including those that contribute comments. Due to my other
commitments I rarely get the time to read the comments these days, but I
know that Iain regularly suveys them and responds as necessary.
No doubt readers/contributors disagree with me in occasions, that is
inevitable and hopefully generates a good discussion and exchange of views..
The important thing is that we are all Hammers supporters, not enemies, and
we treat each other with respect and all due regard. Which I am certain that
the vast majority do. That is one of the characteristics that has always
made WHTID different to the rest. Long may it be the case. COYI !
SJ. Chandos.
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Parker hurt by West Ham boos
The Sun
Published: 27th February 2013
SCOTT PARKER admits he was gutted to get booed by some West Ham fans on
Monday. The 32-year-old moved to Tottenham at the start of last season in a
£6million deadline day move when the Hammmers were in the Championship. But
despite spending four seasons at Upton Park and winning the club's player of
the year award in the last of those, some sections of the crowd gave him an
earful during the 3-2 defeat to Spurs on Monday. He said: "I didn't expect
the West Ham fans to boo me and obviously it was a little bit upsetting. "I
don't know if it's because I went to their local rivals — I'm not sure. But
I just would have liked to think that maybe I would have got a better
reception after what I did in my time here. "I loved Upton Park, the fans,
and I loved the club. "I had four fantastic years here and it will always be
a club with a massive place in my heart. "I was looking forward to coming
back and I couldn't wait to go out there and play so I was disappointed."
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Hammer blow as Nolan is crocked
Exclusive
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: 5 hrs ago
The Sun
WEST HAM have suffered a huge blow with confirmation that skipper Kevin
Nolan has a broken foot. Nolan's injury, following a tackle by Spurs' Mousa
Dembele on Monday, could rule the midfielder out for up to eight weeks.
Medics will not know for another fortnight if he can play with pain-killing
injections.
Hammers are six points off the drop zone. Defender James Collins said: "
Relegation has not been mentioned."
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Wilson's ready for battle with Carroll
By GRAHAM HILL
Published: 5 hrs ago
The SUn
MARC WILSON is preparing for a baptism of fire against Andy Carroll. Stoke
midfielder Wilson is set to replace Robert Huth at centre-half against West
Ham on Saturday. Huth starts a three-match ban after yesterday accepting an
FA violent conduct charge for landing a forearm on Fulham's Phillippe
Senderos last weekend. Wilson said: "Carroll's a good player, he'll be a
challenge. But l'll play anywhere for the team."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Thursday, February 28
Wednesday, February 27
Daily WHUFC News - 27th February 2013
'It's onwards and upwards'
WHUFC.com
Joe Cole is determined not to let Monday's defeat by Tottenham Hotspur
linger in West Ham United's minds
26.02.2013
Joe Cole has enjoyed and endured every emotion as a footballer. From
inspiring West Ham United to win the FA Youth Cup as a teenager through
suffering relegation with the Hammers to winning Premier League titles with
Chelsea and scoring for England at the FIFA World Cup finals, the
31-year-old has seen it all. On Monday, he again went through the full range
of emotions, putting West Ham 2-1 up against Tottenham Hotspur, only for
Andre Villas-Boas' men to pull off a dramatic victory through late goals
from Gylfi Sigurdsson and man-of-the-moment Gareth Bale. "It's horrible -
the worst thing about being a footballer," said the No26. "We worked so hard
so to get nothing out of the game was horrible. "It was heartening and nice
to see Jussi Jaaskelainen have a great game, but we worked so hard. They are
a top side and have gone third in the league now, so it's disappointing."
Cole struck his second goal since returning to the club in January with a
smart turn and shot on 58 minutes, completing a turn-around after Andy
Carroll's penalty had cancelled out Bale's early opener. However, substitute
Sigurdsson scrambled the ball home with 14 minutes to go before Bale stole
the show with a rasping, unstoppable 30-yarder that not even an inspired
Jaaskelainen could keep out. "It was a big derby and a big game, so just a
sickener not to get the result in the end. It's onwards and upwards. We have
got to stick together and take the positives out of the performance. "Like I
said, our 'keeper was fantastic for us and we looked strong at times. You
can't help the goal from Bale - it's world-class and he is in that kind of
form at the moment. "He could be up there with the best players in the
Premier League's history. He has still got some work to do, but he has
certainly got the potential to be up there with the [Cristiano] Ronaldos and
the [Thierry] Henrys that this country has seen. He is great to watch, but
he's a nightmare to play against, unfortunately."
As one of the senior players in the Hammers dressing room, Cole is now
conscious of the need for the squad to retain their focus and belief after
such a late body-blow on Monday evening - especially ahead of a trip to a
Stoke City side just three points above them in the table. "I think we need
to go to Stoke and go for the win, but it's important to go there and not to
get beaten. We certainly can do that and it won't be for a lack of
togetherness if we don't. We need a little bit more quality and patience in
the build-up and we should be alright, but it's going to be a tough game up
there, that's for sure. It'll certainly be a lot different from Monday
night. "It's just a case of us needing to put our chances away. On Monday,
when Matty went through he could have made it 3-1 and we'd have expected to
win the game then. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. We've got to stick
together. We've got a lot of experienced players and we should be alright."
Finally, despite the ultimate disappointment of defeat, Cole lauded the
atmosphere created on a night when the club honoured the memory of the late
Bobby Moore OBE, who passed away 20 years ago last Sunday. "Upton Park under
the lights is special. It's great. It's blinding. I've played in all the
best stadia in the world but when this place is rocking like that, it's
something else. I enjoyed the game, but I didn't enjoy the result."
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Sunday move for Chelsea away
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Stamford Bridge trip rearranged for Sunday 17 March
26.02.2013
West Ham United's Barclays Premier League game away at Chelsea will now take
place on Sunday 17 March with a 4pm kick-off. The Hammers' trip to west
London was originally scheduled for the Saturday, but Chelsea are now in
UEFA Europa League action against Steaua Burcharest just two days before
that original date. Sam Allardyce's men will be looking for a Premier League
double against Chelsea, having recorded a memorable 3-1 victory over the
Blues at the Boleyn Ground in December. Carlton Cole, Mohamed Diame and
Modibo Maiga were on target as West Ham overturned a first half deficit
handed to them by Juan Mata.
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Jarvis bemoans 'sickening' defeat
WHUFC.com
Matt Jarvis said West Ham United's last-gasp loss to Tottenham Hotspur was
tough to take
25.02.2013
Matt Jarvis has played 322 first-team matches as a professional footballer,
but all that experience does not make defeat in the last minute any easier
to take.
Jarvis and his West Ham United colleagues were left deflated after Gareth
Bale's late wonder-goal scored Tottenham Hotspur a dramatic 3-2 Barclays
Premier League victory at the Boleyn Ground on Monday. West Ham recovered
from a goal down to take the lead just before the hour-mark, only to concede
a lead and lose at home for the fifth time this season - four times in the
league and once in the Capital One Cup. "It's sickening to lose when you've
played so well and you have a valuable point taken away at the last minute,"
said the No7. "Bale has turned and stuck one right in the top corner. It's
hard to stop that, but we played well and that's why it's hard to take. But
we've got to look at the positives that we did play really well, created
some great chances and should have got a result."
Despite the disappointment of defeat, Jarvis said the Hammers could be proud
of their overall performance against a Spurs side challenging for a UEFA
Champions League place. "We really got in their faces and closed them down
to not allow them to play the way we wanted to play. We passed it well, got
in behind them, got crosses in and created chances. We really should have
got something from the game."
At the other end of the pitch, the winger had words of praise for goalkeeper
Jussi Jaaskelainen, who made a succession of outstandnig saves to keep Andre
Villas-Boas' team at bay. "Jussi pulled off some great saves and kept us in
it. Obviously they're going to create chances, so when we needed him he
pulled off some fantastic saves." Ultimately, though, neither Jaaskelainen
nor Jarvis could do anything about Bale's 90th-minute strike, which arrowed
into the top right-hand corner from more than 25 yards out. As a fellow
professional, Jarvis could not hide his admiration for the Wales
international, who has now scored nine goals in his previous seven
appearances for club and country. "He can do anything he wants with the
ball. When he struck the last one it wobbled everywhere and ended up in the
top corner. It's a fantastic strike and sometimes you have to hold your
hands up."
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Moore remembered
WHUFC.com
There were moving tributes throughout Monday night to mark 20 years since
Bobby Moore passed away
26.02.2013
A host of special guests and more than 35,000 fans made for a moving night
of tributes to West Ham United and England legend Bobby Moore, who passed
away 20 years ago last weekend, during Monday's game with Tottenham Hotspur.
The Boleyn Ground was repeatedly rocking to the sound of 'Bobby Moore's
claret and blue army' following touching messages from friends, fans,
team-mates and relatives of the world-famous No6. The Hammers faithful
continued their tradition of tying scarves and shirts to the Boleyn Ground
gate as thy made their way down Green Street on their way to the stadium for
the game.
Then, as the atmosphere started to build towards kick-off, the big screens
inside the ground carried video messages from his team-mates and family
members.
His daughter Roberta Moore provided her own personal tribute to her late
father, before she watched on as his grandchildren Freddie, Poppy and Ava
led the two teams out with the match ball, as the stadium synonymous with
Bobby Moore erupted into a poweful chorus of 'Bubbles'.
After the traditional pre-match handshakes had been concluded, referee
Howard Webb brought the teams together for a rousing minute's applause from
all four sides of the ground. Then as the teams broke away to kick-off, the
final touch of a memorable pre-match build up was rounded off with a
stunning 'MOORE 6' mosaic across the Bobby Moore Stand.
Then, in the sixth minute the home support once again burst into a rendition
of 'Bobby Moore's claret and blue army' as picture of the only England
captain to lift a FIFA World Cup was displayed on the big screen. The
memories continued to flow at half time as Moore's fellow World Cup winner
Martin Peters joined a host of his famous former team-mates on the Boleyn
Ground turf for a rare team photo before SBOBET Executive Director Bill
Mummery handed over a cheque for £5,000 to the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer
Research UK. The Fund also benefitted from the generosity of Hammers fans
who donated to bucket collectors and via text message, in addition to the
50p donation from every 100-page commemorative programme sold.
Although West Ham United lost to the odd goal in five against a Gareth
Bale-inspired Spurs, Hammers manager Sam Allardyce felt it was a fitting
tribute to a man held in such high esteem by so many in east London. "It was
a fantastic atmosphere before kick-off and the fans helped to pay a great
tribute to one of their own," Allardyce said. "We couldn't have had any more
backing from the supporters than we did - we tried to give them what they
wanted but unfortunately one man got in the way and that man was Gareth
Bale."
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Garth Crooks's team of the week
By Garth Crooks
BBC.co.uk
GOALKEEPER - JUSSI JAASKELAINEN (West Ham)
Joe Hart and Mark Schwarzer came close to making my team this week. However,
had it not been for Jaaskelainen's performance for West Ham against
Tottenham, Spurs could have scored five or six goals. Forget the three that
flew past him and focus on the eight or nine world-class saves he made. He
gave the Hammers the best possible chance of not just staying in the game
but winning it. It takes a special performance to let three goals in and
still get in my Team of the Week.
Did you know? His 11 saves in tonight's game is the first time a goalkeeper
has reached double figures in a single Premier League game this season
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Villas-Boas on... West Ham United
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
It was a packed press room at the Boleyn last night - the busiest this
season so far - and all the (borderline sycophantic) press wanted to ask
Andre Villas-Boas about was one player in particular (no prizes for guessing
who)...
Andre: He's some player that lad, isn't he?
Yes, a great talent and to see him keep on trying until the last minute
exemplifies the talent that he is. For the goal he came short in midfield to
receive it, took it forward, gets fouled inbetween and gets up. He's been
getting some stick for staying down so he gets on with business, receives
the ball and manages to score a great goal. He's a tremendous talent, for
sure.
You deserved to win the game, you had so many chances - yet it didn't look
as if it was going to be. Where does that work ethic come from in the team
to keep going?
We were very persistent. We didn't drop back and try to play for the point,
which is the way the Premier League is, always positive. We kept pushing for
that winning goal and we got rewarded in the end for doing exactly that.
It was a very competitive game, we could have probably got a better margin
earlier on in the game but it was difficult against West Ham, they were very
objective, aggressive and direct. We had lots of long balls and crosses to
deal with and the players were very brave in the second half to hold on. I
think the reward was excellent for everybody.
Does Gareth surprise you with the things that he does? For the rest of us he
just seems to get better and better.
He's on a tremendous level this season and he's really enjoying his
football, now playing as a striker. When you are able to make the player
feel so comfortable I think things can only get better and it's down to him,
to his motivation. The whole team wants to achieve; the team is also
creating a lot for him and he is able to make the difference.
It's at this time of year that we start thinking about Player of the Year; I
presume if you were voting it's be him every time?
Yes, I think so; he truly deserves it but it's not up to me to make that
consideration. You have to recognise that he's having a tremendous season
and he's a contender, for sure. Hopefully he can nick that.
Sam Allardyce said that as soon as it left his boot he could see it going
in; do you see him score goals like that in training?
Yes, he's very special. I think that also comes with confidence; the more
belief you put into your actions the more certain a goal is to be scored. He
has scored [several goals] recently and is always getting in good positions.
But the team is also scoring late goals which always makes them believe they
can score another. That also has an impact and were profiting from it.
You've dealt with some big players in your career; have you ever seen anyone
quite like Gareth?
His precision is tremendous. When the ball leaves his boot it's incredible.
This evening we saw him go close a couple of times and he just kept on
trying. It's down to the player that he is and the ambition that he has.
He made a point of running over to you to celebrate. How do you think you've
changed Gareth's game?
The team is very committed to their objectives. We were handed the
opportunity tonight of going third - and not only that, but also building a
nine-point gap between us and Everton which is extremely important for the
team. We have a further opportunity against Arsenal to hopefully put them
seven points behind us but it's going to be a hard game. So the conditions
were there for us to play this game very seriously and I think that's why
you saw the players going into that celebration altogether.
Earlier in the season you were conceding a lot of late goals, now you seem
to be scoring a lot. What do you put that down to?
There's a knock-on effect; normally when you suffer a late goal you end up
suffering more because you believe that you are going to concede them once
again. When you score late goals you believe you are going to score them and
you keep on persisting.
How do you turn that around? What have you done?
I've done nothing. It's just the players believe the more often we score the
more often we are likely to score again.
One of the negatives for you today was that Clint Dempsey wasn't available.
What's the latest on him?
He has a calf strain, so I think he's going to be out for one, maybe two
weeks.
You went to hug Bale after the final whistle; what did you say to him?
Nothing; I just congratulated him. Thank you.
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Allardyce on... Tottenham Hotspur
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
A naturally disappointed Sam Allardyce reflects on the derby defeat, but is
full of praise for his players and the supporters nonetheless...
Sam: it's hard when you lose a game that you think you might get something
out of, but at the same time you can't but admire the quality of the goal
that beat you?
Oh, you've got to admire the quality of the goal. It's disappointing when
it's scored against you but you can't knock it whoever you are. Whether
you're a Tottenham fan or a West Ham fan, you've got to admire a goal like
that by a player who's the big difference for Tottenham at the moment.
We've heard a lot about what Michu's done for Swansea this year and we've
heard a lot about what Van Persie's done for Manchester United - but at the
moment, there's nobody doing more for a football club than Gareth Bale for
Tottenham. The quality and consistency of goals he's scoring at the moment.
I'm not so sure anybody else had scored apart from him recently. Maybe one
out of the last nine? Every goal he seems to be hitting from outside the box
as well; it's not that he's tapping them in from inside the box. If you get
too tight to him he skips past you and if you stand off him he hits them
like that.
I'm gutted for the lads and gutted for everybody tonight. We'd hoped to have
come off with a result as it was the Bobby Moore tribute night and a great
atmosphere created by the fans, which created a great game. Unfortunately
we're on the end of a very disappointing defeat after we gave our best but
we couldn't play any better than we played.
The key moment for me was when you're moving into the final quarter of the
game and you get a one-on-one - the best chance of the game for both sides -
and we missed it. That was a telling moment, because I don't think Tottenham
would have come back from 3-1 [down].
The 'keeper did well though?
Superb, but I've got to say we've got to score it. If you're going to beat
Tottenham - like we beat Chelsea - you've got to put them in the back of the
net. We did against Chelsea to win 3-1 and they couldn't come back from that
- this one, Tottenham came back from that and got the second goal then the
'worldy' at the end that killed us off.
We also had a disappointing situation that I feel is to be pointed out by
me, because I feel that Howard Webb has to send Dembele off. The laws tell
us what we have to do and even though some of the referees say they don't
like having to do it they're told that they've got to do it.
Dembele's foul on Kevin Nolan was a booking. Dembele then fouls Mo Diame, he
pulls him back. If you look at some of the fouls that our players were
booked for they were very similar. Two minutes into the second half he pulls
Joe Cole down, that's his third one. What does he do after that? Kicks the
ball 20 yards away so we can't take the free kick.
Mike Riley tells us all day long that that's a booking. That's ten men for
Tottenham, so that's a disappointment for me. Like I said, at the end of all
that we've given it our best shot and we're disappointed that we haven't got
any points out of it - but we've played very well again at home.
What is Nolan's injury?
He got stamped on, on the top of his foot by Dembele. He tried to continue
for as long as he could but couldn't any more as it was getting worse and
worse. Generally, the adrenalin that's pumping through your body sometimes
means you can get away with it but the pain increased so he couldn't carry
on.
Is that likely to be long term?
Only if it's what we hope it's not - and that's a cracked or broken bone. I
think it'll be bone bruising. Obviously we've got a game on Saturday against
Stoke City, whether it'll recover in time for that I don't know.
The thing is for us, we don't have any games after that. We move into March
on Thursday; after Thursday we play Stoke on the 2nd, Chelsea on the 17th
and West Brom at home on the 30th - and that's not enough games for us this
month.
So we have to make sure that we stay focussed, remember the performance that
we've given tonight and give that again starting at Stoke and beyond and
pick up as many points as we can. Then we'll see if we can come out of that
in a similar or better position than we are now.
If we can remember to give that type of performance, against a side who are
in the top four of this league, it's going to yield the results that we
want.
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Fixtures shambles is driving me mad
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th February 2013
By: Paul Walker
I don't know about you, but I am getting pig sick with the continued
chopping and changing to our fixture list.
Had I forgotten just how bad the continued manipulation of matches by the
evil paymaster that is Sky after just one season in the backwaters of the
Championship? Or has it just got worse this season as far as we are
concerned, than ever before?
Losing the Manchester United game as a Saturday fixture on March 9 because
it clashes with the FA Cup sixth round now, was just about the last straw.
Not least because it has lumbered me and my lad with £70 of worthless train
tickets.
I know that is probably our fault for not noticing the small print when the
club website announced an initial change to a midday kick-off time for the
match. But booking train tickets early keeps the cost down when you travel a
long distance to matches, and we jumped too soon to our cost.
You have to book trains early - driving is just too expensive - or the whole
thing collapses because of the excessive costs.
But I cannot recall us being used as cannon fodder for the big boys as we
are over the forthcoming away trip to Manchester City, which could be on
Saturday or Sunday of the weekend of April 27. And we may not know for sure
until 17 days before the game takes place, that's surely taking the
proverbial. But more of that later.
What is really worrying at the moment is the fragmented mess that is our
fixture programme, and there are plenty of people to blame over this, not
least ourselves for not being able to beat Manchester United in the FA Cup.
I mean, how hard can that be?
It has meant that we will have had to sit twiddling our thumbs on three
blank weekends for the fourth, fifth and now sixth rounds, plus an
international break next month. It all means that since the Aston Villa game
on February 23, we will play just seven matches in 72 days until Easter…and
only three of those are at home. You could even calculate it as five games
in 57 days since the Swansea home match, if you like.
Either way, I don't agree with there not being a programme of matches on Cup
weekends. Back in the old days after the third round, everybody played every
weekend. Then the fourth round was left matchless, now it's every Cup
weekend.
It all puts tremendous pressures on our team at a vital time of the season.
You need continuity and momentum now, and players need to be match fit, at
their peak. And that, to my mind, is not possible in the current situation.
Take Andy Carroll. He arrived in August not match fit because he'd been
bench warming at Liverpool. Then he picked up two injuries, one for sure
because of his lack of match fitness.
Now he's back and desperate to put on a show and be at his peak, and the
first three months of this year are going to be constantly disrupted by
inactivity. Training or trips to Dubai are not the same, and the way it is
going, he will not be considered properly match fit until the last weeks of
the season.
Kick-off changes and movement of matches inconveniences the majority of our
fans, but if you live close to London it is not so bad, you can cope. But
for long-distance fans - yes, I know, a small minority - it means missing
games.
Seeing last night's Spurs moved to a Monday night - I bet Sky did that just
to see if we can behave ourselves this time around having not covered the
controversial game at White Hart Lane - as well as Manchester United now
certain to be midweek, means that our two biggest home league games are out
of reach for me.
I know this all sounds irrational, and moans from someone who knew the score
when he bought his season ticket. But I believe there are more than a few
like me who are unable to get trains home after night matches. I am retired
now so the days of me staying over are long gone, certainly at £100 for a
Travel Lodge. It's just not affordable.
And I know several folk who travel long distances to games. Euston is full
of them on match days. One pal flies from Glasgow, another comes from
Portsmouth, for example. Me and my lad travel from Manchester.
Only six home games this season with 3.00pm kick-offs underlines how
increasingly difficult and expensive this is all becoming.
But the Manchester City away game takes the cake. I'm sure you all saw the
vague announcement on the club website that said it would be a Saturday
lunch-time kick-off OR a Sunday 4.00pm game, depending on whether Arsenal or
Manchester United reach the Champions League semi-finals that start the
following midweek.
I did blink at that, and was bemused by the link with the Champions League.
Then the penny dropped. The scheduled games for the weekend of April 27
shows Arsenal v Man Utd. Sky clearly want that as their flagship game on the
Sunday, but you can bet that Wenger and Ferguson were not going to agree to
playing on Sunday afternoon and then potentially Tuesday evening in Europe.
So potentially shifting our trip to the Etihad Stadium to Sunday is the
back-up in case Sky lose their preferred option. Now, even tough Arsenal
look like they will not be bothering the scorers in Europe by then, there's
every chance Man Utd will still be in the competition.
And the second-leg of the Champions League quarter-finals is not until April
10, that's 17 days before our potential trip to Man City. Booking train
tickets then will be at a premium, all the cheap offers will have gone.
We have mates who always come up to Manchester for that game, it's an excuse
for a few sherbets with our family's City fans. But nobody from down south
is going to want to come up for a Sunday game that sees them not back home
until midnight, with work in the morning.
Again, this is just a personal grouse, it's just the way it is. But it is
still very annoying to be messed around.
Now we all know that Sky don't care about travelling fans, if they care
about anyone, and our club will want to grab the TV fee. Times are hard, as
we keep being told.
And, I repeat, I understand travelling fans are a minority, and
long-distance fans like me are similarly rare. And I chose where to live in
this country.
But the away fans and long-distance commuting fans seem to get the rough end
of things. Take the ridiculous ticket price for the Man Utd away Cup replay.
Our club would have known about that before the first game, where Man United
fans paid just £20. But they chose too say nothing, and had to have the
1,400 allocation for the replay they'd asked for, dragged out of them days
after the tickets went on sale.
There is so little concern these days for the people who actually watch
matches. Sky don't give a monkeys, as I was once told by someone on the end
of the phone at our ticket office, but sooner or later someone will argue
with them.
I've seen comments this week on similar subjects on message boards to the
tune of 'what would we do without Sky's money?'. Well we used to survive
quite nicely, England won the World Cup and the game was a decent spectacle.
Anyway, Sky money has gone to agents and players.
West Ham, if they do finally get the Olympic Stadium - now stop laughing,
you lot - will want every fan coming through the gates that they can get.
But just watching my favourite club these days has become an increasingly
annoying obstacle course, I just hope I can still afford the travelling and
the tickets to see Stratford happen.
Don't hold your breath, though.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Nolan fears eight weeks out
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: 6 hrs ago
The Sun
KEVIN NOLAN faces an anxious wait to find out the extent of his foot injury.
West Ham fear their skipper could be out for up to EIGHT WEEKS after
hobbling out of Monday's 3-2 defeat by Tottenham following a crunching
first-half tackle by Mousa Dembele. The 30-year-old midfielder's foot is so
swollen that it cannot even be scanned yet. But, at the very least, Nolan is
unlikely to be available for Saturday's trip to Stoke. A Hammers insider
said: "Kevin's tough and if he can play with a pain-killing injection, then
he will. "But it's impossible to determine the extent of his injury yet. It
could be one week, it could be eight."
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce was furious over the clash with Dembele — and
felt the Spurs midfielder should have been given a second yellow card later
in the game after pulling back Joe Cole and then kicking the ball away.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Joe Cole is determined not to let Monday's defeat by Tottenham Hotspur
linger in West Ham United's minds
26.02.2013
Joe Cole has enjoyed and endured every emotion as a footballer. From
inspiring West Ham United to win the FA Youth Cup as a teenager through
suffering relegation with the Hammers to winning Premier League titles with
Chelsea and scoring for England at the FIFA World Cup finals, the
31-year-old has seen it all. On Monday, he again went through the full range
of emotions, putting West Ham 2-1 up against Tottenham Hotspur, only for
Andre Villas-Boas' men to pull off a dramatic victory through late goals
from Gylfi Sigurdsson and man-of-the-moment Gareth Bale. "It's horrible -
the worst thing about being a footballer," said the No26. "We worked so hard
so to get nothing out of the game was horrible. "It was heartening and nice
to see Jussi Jaaskelainen have a great game, but we worked so hard. They are
a top side and have gone third in the league now, so it's disappointing."
Cole struck his second goal since returning to the club in January with a
smart turn and shot on 58 minutes, completing a turn-around after Andy
Carroll's penalty had cancelled out Bale's early opener. However, substitute
Sigurdsson scrambled the ball home with 14 minutes to go before Bale stole
the show with a rasping, unstoppable 30-yarder that not even an inspired
Jaaskelainen could keep out. "It was a big derby and a big game, so just a
sickener not to get the result in the end. It's onwards and upwards. We have
got to stick together and take the positives out of the performance. "Like I
said, our 'keeper was fantastic for us and we looked strong at times. You
can't help the goal from Bale - it's world-class and he is in that kind of
form at the moment. "He could be up there with the best players in the
Premier League's history. He has still got some work to do, but he has
certainly got the potential to be up there with the [Cristiano] Ronaldos and
the [Thierry] Henrys that this country has seen. He is great to watch, but
he's a nightmare to play against, unfortunately."
As one of the senior players in the Hammers dressing room, Cole is now
conscious of the need for the squad to retain their focus and belief after
such a late body-blow on Monday evening - especially ahead of a trip to a
Stoke City side just three points above them in the table. "I think we need
to go to Stoke and go for the win, but it's important to go there and not to
get beaten. We certainly can do that and it won't be for a lack of
togetherness if we don't. We need a little bit more quality and patience in
the build-up and we should be alright, but it's going to be a tough game up
there, that's for sure. It'll certainly be a lot different from Monday
night. "It's just a case of us needing to put our chances away. On Monday,
when Matty went through he could have made it 3-1 and we'd have expected to
win the game then. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. We've got to stick
together. We've got a lot of experienced players and we should be alright."
Finally, despite the ultimate disappointment of defeat, Cole lauded the
atmosphere created on a night when the club honoured the memory of the late
Bobby Moore OBE, who passed away 20 years ago last Sunday. "Upton Park under
the lights is special. It's great. It's blinding. I've played in all the
best stadia in the world but when this place is rocking like that, it's
something else. I enjoyed the game, but I didn't enjoy the result."
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Sunday move for Chelsea away
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Stamford Bridge trip rearranged for Sunday 17 March
26.02.2013
West Ham United's Barclays Premier League game away at Chelsea will now take
place on Sunday 17 March with a 4pm kick-off. The Hammers' trip to west
London was originally scheduled for the Saturday, but Chelsea are now in
UEFA Europa League action against Steaua Burcharest just two days before
that original date. Sam Allardyce's men will be looking for a Premier League
double against Chelsea, having recorded a memorable 3-1 victory over the
Blues at the Boleyn Ground in December. Carlton Cole, Mohamed Diame and
Modibo Maiga were on target as West Ham overturned a first half deficit
handed to them by Juan Mata.
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Jarvis bemoans 'sickening' defeat
WHUFC.com
Matt Jarvis said West Ham United's last-gasp loss to Tottenham Hotspur was
tough to take
25.02.2013
Matt Jarvis has played 322 first-team matches as a professional footballer,
but all that experience does not make defeat in the last minute any easier
to take.
Jarvis and his West Ham United colleagues were left deflated after Gareth
Bale's late wonder-goal scored Tottenham Hotspur a dramatic 3-2 Barclays
Premier League victory at the Boleyn Ground on Monday. West Ham recovered
from a goal down to take the lead just before the hour-mark, only to concede
a lead and lose at home for the fifth time this season - four times in the
league and once in the Capital One Cup. "It's sickening to lose when you've
played so well and you have a valuable point taken away at the last minute,"
said the No7. "Bale has turned and stuck one right in the top corner. It's
hard to stop that, but we played well and that's why it's hard to take. But
we've got to look at the positives that we did play really well, created
some great chances and should have got a result."
Despite the disappointment of defeat, Jarvis said the Hammers could be proud
of their overall performance against a Spurs side challenging for a UEFA
Champions League place. "We really got in their faces and closed them down
to not allow them to play the way we wanted to play. We passed it well, got
in behind them, got crosses in and created chances. We really should have
got something from the game."
At the other end of the pitch, the winger had words of praise for goalkeeper
Jussi Jaaskelainen, who made a succession of outstandnig saves to keep Andre
Villas-Boas' team at bay. "Jussi pulled off some great saves and kept us in
it. Obviously they're going to create chances, so when we needed him he
pulled off some fantastic saves." Ultimately, though, neither Jaaskelainen
nor Jarvis could do anything about Bale's 90th-minute strike, which arrowed
into the top right-hand corner from more than 25 yards out. As a fellow
professional, Jarvis could not hide his admiration for the Wales
international, who has now scored nine goals in his previous seven
appearances for club and country. "He can do anything he wants with the
ball. When he struck the last one it wobbled everywhere and ended up in the
top corner. It's a fantastic strike and sometimes you have to hold your
hands up."
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Moore remembered
WHUFC.com
There were moving tributes throughout Monday night to mark 20 years since
Bobby Moore passed away
26.02.2013
A host of special guests and more than 35,000 fans made for a moving night
of tributes to West Ham United and England legend Bobby Moore, who passed
away 20 years ago last weekend, during Monday's game with Tottenham Hotspur.
The Boleyn Ground was repeatedly rocking to the sound of 'Bobby Moore's
claret and blue army' following touching messages from friends, fans,
team-mates and relatives of the world-famous No6. The Hammers faithful
continued their tradition of tying scarves and shirts to the Boleyn Ground
gate as thy made their way down Green Street on their way to the stadium for
the game.
Then, as the atmosphere started to build towards kick-off, the big screens
inside the ground carried video messages from his team-mates and family
members.
His daughter Roberta Moore provided her own personal tribute to her late
father, before she watched on as his grandchildren Freddie, Poppy and Ava
led the two teams out with the match ball, as the stadium synonymous with
Bobby Moore erupted into a poweful chorus of 'Bubbles'.
After the traditional pre-match handshakes had been concluded, referee
Howard Webb brought the teams together for a rousing minute's applause from
all four sides of the ground. Then as the teams broke away to kick-off, the
final touch of a memorable pre-match build up was rounded off with a
stunning 'MOORE 6' mosaic across the Bobby Moore Stand.
Then, in the sixth minute the home support once again burst into a rendition
of 'Bobby Moore's claret and blue army' as picture of the only England
captain to lift a FIFA World Cup was displayed on the big screen. The
memories continued to flow at half time as Moore's fellow World Cup winner
Martin Peters joined a host of his famous former team-mates on the Boleyn
Ground turf for a rare team photo before SBOBET Executive Director Bill
Mummery handed over a cheque for £5,000 to the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer
Research UK. The Fund also benefitted from the generosity of Hammers fans
who donated to bucket collectors and via text message, in addition to the
50p donation from every 100-page commemorative programme sold.
Although West Ham United lost to the odd goal in five against a Gareth
Bale-inspired Spurs, Hammers manager Sam Allardyce felt it was a fitting
tribute to a man held in such high esteem by so many in east London. "It was
a fantastic atmosphere before kick-off and the fans helped to pay a great
tribute to one of their own," Allardyce said. "We couldn't have had any more
backing from the supporters than we did - we tried to give them what they
wanted but unfortunately one man got in the way and that man was Gareth
Bale."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Garth Crooks's team of the week
By Garth Crooks
BBC.co.uk
GOALKEEPER - JUSSI JAASKELAINEN (West Ham)
Joe Hart and Mark Schwarzer came close to making my team this week. However,
had it not been for Jaaskelainen's performance for West Ham against
Tottenham, Spurs could have scored five or six goals. Forget the three that
flew past him and focus on the eight or nine world-class saves he made. He
gave the Hammers the best possible chance of not just staying in the game
but winning it. It takes a special performance to let three goals in and
still get in my Team of the Week.
Did you know? His 11 saves in tonight's game is the first time a goalkeeper
has reached double figures in a single Premier League game this season
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Villas-Boas on... West Ham United
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
It was a packed press room at the Boleyn last night - the busiest this
season so far - and all the (borderline sycophantic) press wanted to ask
Andre Villas-Boas about was one player in particular (no prizes for guessing
who)...
Andre: He's some player that lad, isn't he?
Yes, a great talent and to see him keep on trying until the last minute
exemplifies the talent that he is. For the goal he came short in midfield to
receive it, took it forward, gets fouled inbetween and gets up. He's been
getting some stick for staying down so he gets on with business, receives
the ball and manages to score a great goal. He's a tremendous talent, for
sure.
You deserved to win the game, you had so many chances - yet it didn't look
as if it was going to be. Where does that work ethic come from in the team
to keep going?
We were very persistent. We didn't drop back and try to play for the point,
which is the way the Premier League is, always positive. We kept pushing for
that winning goal and we got rewarded in the end for doing exactly that.
It was a very competitive game, we could have probably got a better margin
earlier on in the game but it was difficult against West Ham, they were very
objective, aggressive and direct. We had lots of long balls and crosses to
deal with and the players were very brave in the second half to hold on. I
think the reward was excellent for everybody.
Does Gareth surprise you with the things that he does? For the rest of us he
just seems to get better and better.
He's on a tremendous level this season and he's really enjoying his
football, now playing as a striker. When you are able to make the player
feel so comfortable I think things can only get better and it's down to him,
to his motivation. The whole team wants to achieve; the team is also
creating a lot for him and he is able to make the difference.
It's at this time of year that we start thinking about Player of the Year; I
presume if you were voting it's be him every time?
Yes, I think so; he truly deserves it but it's not up to me to make that
consideration. You have to recognise that he's having a tremendous season
and he's a contender, for sure. Hopefully he can nick that.
Sam Allardyce said that as soon as it left his boot he could see it going
in; do you see him score goals like that in training?
Yes, he's very special. I think that also comes with confidence; the more
belief you put into your actions the more certain a goal is to be scored. He
has scored [several goals] recently and is always getting in good positions.
But the team is also scoring late goals which always makes them believe they
can score another. That also has an impact and were profiting from it.
You've dealt with some big players in your career; have you ever seen anyone
quite like Gareth?
His precision is tremendous. When the ball leaves his boot it's incredible.
This evening we saw him go close a couple of times and he just kept on
trying. It's down to the player that he is and the ambition that he has.
He made a point of running over to you to celebrate. How do you think you've
changed Gareth's game?
The team is very committed to their objectives. We were handed the
opportunity tonight of going third - and not only that, but also building a
nine-point gap between us and Everton which is extremely important for the
team. We have a further opportunity against Arsenal to hopefully put them
seven points behind us but it's going to be a hard game. So the conditions
were there for us to play this game very seriously and I think that's why
you saw the players going into that celebration altogether.
Earlier in the season you were conceding a lot of late goals, now you seem
to be scoring a lot. What do you put that down to?
There's a knock-on effect; normally when you suffer a late goal you end up
suffering more because you believe that you are going to concede them once
again. When you score late goals you believe you are going to score them and
you keep on persisting.
How do you turn that around? What have you done?
I've done nothing. It's just the players believe the more often we score the
more often we are likely to score again.
One of the negatives for you today was that Clint Dempsey wasn't available.
What's the latest on him?
He has a calf strain, so I think he's going to be out for one, maybe two
weeks.
You went to hug Bale after the final whistle; what did you say to him?
Nothing; I just congratulated him. Thank you.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce on... Tottenham Hotspur
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
A naturally disappointed Sam Allardyce reflects on the derby defeat, but is
full of praise for his players and the supporters nonetheless...
Sam: it's hard when you lose a game that you think you might get something
out of, but at the same time you can't but admire the quality of the goal
that beat you?
Oh, you've got to admire the quality of the goal. It's disappointing when
it's scored against you but you can't knock it whoever you are. Whether
you're a Tottenham fan or a West Ham fan, you've got to admire a goal like
that by a player who's the big difference for Tottenham at the moment.
We've heard a lot about what Michu's done for Swansea this year and we've
heard a lot about what Van Persie's done for Manchester United - but at the
moment, there's nobody doing more for a football club than Gareth Bale for
Tottenham. The quality and consistency of goals he's scoring at the moment.
I'm not so sure anybody else had scored apart from him recently. Maybe one
out of the last nine? Every goal he seems to be hitting from outside the box
as well; it's not that he's tapping them in from inside the box. If you get
too tight to him he skips past you and if you stand off him he hits them
like that.
I'm gutted for the lads and gutted for everybody tonight. We'd hoped to have
come off with a result as it was the Bobby Moore tribute night and a great
atmosphere created by the fans, which created a great game. Unfortunately
we're on the end of a very disappointing defeat after we gave our best but
we couldn't play any better than we played.
The key moment for me was when you're moving into the final quarter of the
game and you get a one-on-one - the best chance of the game for both sides -
and we missed it. That was a telling moment, because I don't think Tottenham
would have come back from 3-1 [down].
The 'keeper did well though?
Superb, but I've got to say we've got to score it. If you're going to beat
Tottenham - like we beat Chelsea - you've got to put them in the back of the
net. We did against Chelsea to win 3-1 and they couldn't come back from that
- this one, Tottenham came back from that and got the second goal then the
'worldy' at the end that killed us off.
We also had a disappointing situation that I feel is to be pointed out by
me, because I feel that Howard Webb has to send Dembele off. The laws tell
us what we have to do and even though some of the referees say they don't
like having to do it they're told that they've got to do it.
Dembele's foul on Kevin Nolan was a booking. Dembele then fouls Mo Diame, he
pulls him back. If you look at some of the fouls that our players were
booked for they were very similar. Two minutes into the second half he pulls
Joe Cole down, that's his third one. What does he do after that? Kicks the
ball 20 yards away so we can't take the free kick.
Mike Riley tells us all day long that that's a booking. That's ten men for
Tottenham, so that's a disappointment for me. Like I said, at the end of all
that we've given it our best shot and we're disappointed that we haven't got
any points out of it - but we've played very well again at home.
What is Nolan's injury?
He got stamped on, on the top of his foot by Dembele. He tried to continue
for as long as he could but couldn't any more as it was getting worse and
worse. Generally, the adrenalin that's pumping through your body sometimes
means you can get away with it but the pain increased so he couldn't carry
on.
Is that likely to be long term?
Only if it's what we hope it's not - and that's a cracked or broken bone. I
think it'll be bone bruising. Obviously we've got a game on Saturday against
Stoke City, whether it'll recover in time for that I don't know.
The thing is for us, we don't have any games after that. We move into March
on Thursday; after Thursday we play Stoke on the 2nd, Chelsea on the 17th
and West Brom at home on the 30th - and that's not enough games for us this
month.
So we have to make sure that we stay focussed, remember the performance that
we've given tonight and give that again starting at Stoke and beyond and
pick up as many points as we can. Then we'll see if we can come out of that
in a similar or better position than we are now.
If we can remember to give that type of performance, against a side who are
in the top four of this league, it's going to yield the results that we
want.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fixtures shambles is driving me mad
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th February 2013
By: Paul Walker
I don't know about you, but I am getting pig sick with the continued
chopping and changing to our fixture list.
Had I forgotten just how bad the continued manipulation of matches by the
evil paymaster that is Sky after just one season in the backwaters of the
Championship? Or has it just got worse this season as far as we are
concerned, than ever before?
Losing the Manchester United game as a Saturday fixture on March 9 because
it clashes with the FA Cup sixth round now, was just about the last straw.
Not least because it has lumbered me and my lad with £70 of worthless train
tickets.
I know that is probably our fault for not noticing the small print when the
club website announced an initial change to a midday kick-off time for the
match. But booking train tickets early keeps the cost down when you travel a
long distance to matches, and we jumped too soon to our cost.
You have to book trains early - driving is just too expensive - or the whole
thing collapses because of the excessive costs.
But I cannot recall us being used as cannon fodder for the big boys as we
are over the forthcoming away trip to Manchester City, which could be on
Saturday or Sunday of the weekend of April 27. And we may not know for sure
until 17 days before the game takes place, that's surely taking the
proverbial. But more of that later.
What is really worrying at the moment is the fragmented mess that is our
fixture programme, and there are plenty of people to blame over this, not
least ourselves for not being able to beat Manchester United in the FA Cup.
I mean, how hard can that be?
It has meant that we will have had to sit twiddling our thumbs on three
blank weekends for the fourth, fifth and now sixth rounds, plus an
international break next month. It all means that since the Aston Villa game
on February 23, we will play just seven matches in 72 days until Easter…and
only three of those are at home. You could even calculate it as five games
in 57 days since the Swansea home match, if you like.
Either way, I don't agree with there not being a programme of matches on Cup
weekends. Back in the old days after the third round, everybody played every
weekend. Then the fourth round was left matchless, now it's every Cup
weekend.
It all puts tremendous pressures on our team at a vital time of the season.
You need continuity and momentum now, and players need to be match fit, at
their peak. And that, to my mind, is not possible in the current situation.
Take Andy Carroll. He arrived in August not match fit because he'd been
bench warming at Liverpool. Then he picked up two injuries, one for sure
because of his lack of match fitness.
Now he's back and desperate to put on a show and be at his peak, and the
first three months of this year are going to be constantly disrupted by
inactivity. Training or trips to Dubai are not the same, and the way it is
going, he will not be considered properly match fit until the last weeks of
the season.
Kick-off changes and movement of matches inconveniences the majority of our
fans, but if you live close to London it is not so bad, you can cope. But
for long-distance fans - yes, I know, a small minority - it means missing
games.
Seeing last night's Spurs moved to a Monday night - I bet Sky did that just
to see if we can behave ourselves this time around having not covered the
controversial game at White Hart Lane - as well as Manchester United now
certain to be midweek, means that our two biggest home league games are out
of reach for me.
I know this all sounds irrational, and moans from someone who knew the score
when he bought his season ticket. But I believe there are more than a few
like me who are unable to get trains home after night matches. I am retired
now so the days of me staying over are long gone, certainly at £100 for a
Travel Lodge. It's just not affordable.
And I know several folk who travel long distances to games. Euston is full
of them on match days. One pal flies from Glasgow, another comes from
Portsmouth, for example. Me and my lad travel from Manchester.
Only six home games this season with 3.00pm kick-offs underlines how
increasingly difficult and expensive this is all becoming.
But the Manchester City away game takes the cake. I'm sure you all saw the
vague announcement on the club website that said it would be a Saturday
lunch-time kick-off OR a Sunday 4.00pm game, depending on whether Arsenal or
Manchester United reach the Champions League semi-finals that start the
following midweek.
I did blink at that, and was bemused by the link with the Champions League.
Then the penny dropped. The scheduled games for the weekend of April 27
shows Arsenal v Man Utd. Sky clearly want that as their flagship game on the
Sunday, but you can bet that Wenger and Ferguson were not going to agree to
playing on Sunday afternoon and then potentially Tuesday evening in Europe.
So potentially shifting our trip to the Etihad Stadium to Sunday is the
back-up in case Sky lose their preferred option. Now, even tough Arsenal
look like they will not be bothering the scorers in Europe by then, there's
every chance Man Utd will still be in the competition.
And the second-leg of the Champions League quarter-finals is not until April
10, that's 17 days before our potential trip to Man City. Booking train
tickets then will be at a premium, all the cheap offers will have gone.
We have mates who always come up to Manchester for that game, it's an excuse
for a few sherbets with our family's City fans. But nobody from down south
is going to want to come up for a Sunday game that sees them not back home
until midnight, with work in the morning.
Again, this is just a personal grouse, it's just the way it is. But it is
still very annoying to be messed around.
Now we all know that Sky don't care about travelling fans, if they care
about anyone, and our club will want to grab the TV fee. Times are hard, as
we keep being told.
And, I repeat, I understand travelling fans are a minority, and
long-distance fans like me are similarly rare. And I chose where to live in
this country.
But the away fans and long-distance commuting fans seem to get the rough end
of things. Take the ridiculous ticket price for the Man Utd away Cup replay.
Our club would have known about that before the first game, where Man United
fans paid just £20. But they chose too say nothing, and had to have the
1,400 allocation for the replay they'd asked for, dragged out of them days
after the tickets went on sale.
There is so little concern these days for the people who actually watch
matches. Sky don't give a monkeys, as I was once told by someone on the end
of the phone at our ticket office, but sooner or later someone will argue
with them.
I've seen comments this week on similar subjects on message boards to the
tune of 'what would we do without Sky's money?'. Well we used to survive
quite nicely, England won the World Cup and the game was a decent spectacle.
Anyway, Sky money has gone to agents and players.
West Ham, if they do finally get the Olympic Stadium - now stop laughing,
you lot - will want every fan coming through the gates that they can get.
But just watching my favourite club these days has become an increasingly
annoying obstacle course, I just hope I can still afford the travelling and
the tickets to see Stratford happen.
Don't hold your breath, though.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Nolan fears eight weeks out
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: 6 hrs ago
The Sun
KEVIN NOLAN faces an anxious wait to find out the extent of his foot injury.
West Ham fear their skipper could be out for up to EIGHT WEEKS after
hobbling out of Monday's 3-2 defeat by Tottenham following a crunching
first-half tackle by Mousa Dembele. The 30-year-old midfielder's foot is so
swollen that it cannot even be scanned yet. But, at the very least, Nolan is
unlikely to be available for Saturday's trip to Stoke. A Hammers insider
said: "Kevin's tough and if he can play with a pain-killing injection, then
he will. "But it's impossible to determine the extent of his injury yet. It
could be one week, it could be eight."
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce was furious over the clash with Dembele — and
felt the Spurs midfielder should have been given a second yellow card later
in the game after pulling back Joe Cole and then kicking the ball away.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Tuesday, February 26
Daily WHUFC News - 26th February 2013
Big Sam laments 'genius' of Bale
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce admitted an in-form Gareth Bale had been the difference
between victory and defeat by Spurs
25.02.2013
Sam Allardyce had no complaints with his side's terrific efforts after West
Ham United were undone by the brilliant Gareth Bale. A pulsating derby
looked destined to end honours even, before Bale took aim in the 90th minute
and slammed a 25-yard drive past Jussi Jaaskelainen to end Tottenham
Hotspur home with all three Barclays Premier League points. It was rough
justice on a Hammers side who looked the more likely victors for much of the
second half and were, at the very least, worthy of a share of the spoils.
"Bale's winner was more than a bit of quality, it was a bit of genius," Big
Sam told West Ham TV. "As difficult as it is to take, you've got to admire
the player. He's an unbelievable player and one that Tottenham must keep
hold of. He's the reason why Tottenham are winning games and not losing or
drawing them. "The difference, without any question is one man. I'm not
suggesting they're a one-man team but they are in terms of the victories. I
think he has scored eight out of ten goals in the last few weeks, which has
got them so many wins. I don't think any of them are from inside the box,
other than a header. So it's an unbelievable record he has. "We started the
game well enough, but he pops up with the first shot that Tottenham have had
and puts it in the back of the net after 13 minutes. After that we've done
OK with him but he has still made some terrific runs. Then in injury time,
he's 30 yards out and he has just hit this one and as soon as it left his
foot, I knew it was in the back of the net. It's a really cruel blow for us,
particularly after the way we came back and got ourselves in the lead."
Ultimately, Big Sam was left to rue a brilliant stop from Hugo Lloris, as
the French 'keeper showed all his class to foil Matt Taylor. With West Ham
2-1 up at the time, the Hammers boss believes there would have been no way
back for Spurs had Taylor scored. "I'm not disappointed in the lads'
performance," he added. "I thought it was a terrific performance against one
of the top sides in the country at the moment. We were a whisker away from
getting the win today, and that whisker was Matt Taylor's one-on-one when it
was 2-1. If it goes to 3-1, Tottenham wouldn't have come back. "As long as
we keep this performance level up from now until to the end of the season
we'll pick up enough points. I'm convinced about that. We've got to pick
ourselves up and get to Stoke. We've only got three games now in March and
we've got to get as many points out of those three games as we can. "It's
too long a period really [with so few games], but we're going to have deal
with it as best we can and make sure we're ready to give performances like
this one and hopefully that will bring us enough points to move forward and
up the table."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bale wonder winner cruel on Hammers
WHUFC.com
West Ham United suffered late heartbreak against Tottenham Hotspur at the
Boleyn Ground on Monday
25.02.2013
Gareth Bale's stunning 90th minute winner left West Ham United heartbroken
by Tottenham Hotspur on a pulsating night at the Boleyn Ground on Monday.
The Hammers showed great fight to overturn an early deficit conceded to the
Welshman by netting through Andy Carroll and Joe Cole to move into a 2-1
lead not long after the interval. But, on the night West Ham marked the 20th
anniversary of Bobby Moore's death, they couldn't hold on for the win that
would have been a fitting tribute to the great No6. Gylfi Sigurdsson
scrambled an equaliser 14 minutes from time before Bale's moment of magic
ensured the north Londoners would be taking the points. Roused by the
stirring pre-match tributes to Moore, the Hammers started at a real tempo
and fashioned a chance to take the lead on seven minutes when they broke
quickly through Carroll and Joe Cole. Cole threaded a ball through to Matt
Jarvis on the left, and the Hammers man ran at Kyle Walker before producing
a low shot that Hugo Lloris gathered down by his near post. But when the
visitors launched their next attack four minutes later they made it count
through the red-hot Bale, who didn't waste the invitation to shoot when Guy
Demel gave the ball straight to him on the edge of the box, drilling across
Jussi Jaaskelainen and into the bottom right corner. 11 minutes later Bale
had another opportunity to drive at the heart of the Hammers backline when
he picked up possession just inside the West Ham half, looked up and saw the
space to run into. Fortunately on this occasion his shot lacked the power to
trouble Jaaskelainen.
The Hammers found themselves level two minutes later thanks to Carroll's
second goal in as many home games. This one came from the spot, with the Big
Geordie picking himself off the turf after being fouled by Scott Parker to
drill blast emphatically past Lloris. Six minutes before the interval only a
flying block from Walker prevented Jarvis from giving the home side the lead
as the right back tracked across superbly after a miscontrol from Steven
Caulker gave Joe Cole the chance to loft a pass through. The momentum was
shifting both ways throughout the opening period and Jaaskelainen had to use
a strong left hand to stop Caulker's powerful header from a Bale corner a
minute before the break. Spurs looked for a shift in impetus when they
introduced Sigurdsson for Lewis Holtby 10 minutes after the break and the
move came so close to having the desired impact immediately, as the
Icelander shot goalwards from 25 yards, Jaaskelainen tipped onto the post,
then sprung up to somehow deny Emmanuel Adebayor on the rebound. West Ham
made full use of the Finn's save by moving in front themselves with 58
minutes on the clock, Joe Cole drifting off Caulker's shoulder to collect a
Joey O'Brien pass, turn and fire under Lloris.
Cole's celebration summed up just what the goal meant, as he whipped off his
shirt before wheeling away to the Alpari Stand in delight - a feeling shared
by the majority of the 35,005 inside the Boleyn Ground.
Spurs responded strongly and Jaaskelainen had to pull off two fantastic
saves - from another Caulker header and from a Bale effort heading for the
top left corner - to keep the home side in front. Matt Taylor, on as a first
half sub for Kevin Nolan, then found himself in the clear and with a great
chance to settle it, but before he knew it Lloris was on top of him with the
Frenchman smothering the danger expertly. The game took another twist 14
minutes from the end when the Hammers conceded a free kick in a dangerous
area down their left, Bale delivered and the ball ricocheted around the
six-yard box nicely for Sigurdsson to force home. Jaaskelainen was called
upon to make fine saves from Sigurdsson and Adebayor to keep the score at
2-2 as time ticked away, but there was still time for a moment of brilliance
from Bale to settle it. The Welshman has been in almost unstoppable form in
recent weeks and he gave the Hammers a taste of what he is all about with a
wonderful left footed drive from 25 yards that arrowed into the far corner
of the net and left Jaaskelainen helpless.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel (Pogatetz 72), Collins, Reid, O'Brien;
O'Neil, Diame (Collison 84); J.Cole, Nolan (Taylor 35), Jarvis; Carroll
Subs: C.Cole, Vaz Te, Chamakh, Spiegel (GK)
Goals: Carroll pen 25, J.Cole 58
Booked: J.Cole, O'Neil, Diame, Collins
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris; Walker, Dawson, Caulker, Vertonghen; Parker
(Livermore 87), Dembele (Carroll 75); Lennon, Bale, Holtby (Sigurdsson 56);
Adebayor
Subs: Gallas, Naughton, Friedel (GK), Assou-Ekotto
Goals: Bale 11, Sigurdsson 76, Bale 90
Booked: Dembele
Referee: Howard Webb
Attendance: 35,005
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 2 Tottenham 3
25 February 2013
Last updated at 22:49
By Sam Sheringham
BBC Sport
Gareth Bale continued his incredible scoring run with a stunning last-minute
winner against West Ham to lift Tottenham to third in the table. Bale gave
his side the lead with a powerful strike before Hammers forward Andy Carroll
won and scored a penalty. On the 20th anniversary of Bobby Moore's death,
Joe Cole put West Ham ahead with a low shot but Spurs drew level when Gylfi
Sigurdsson poked home. Bale sealed the points from long range with his
eighth goal in six games. It was another show-stopping performance from
Tottenham's man of the moment after a string of superb saves from West Ham
keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen looked certain to frustrate Spurs.
Gareth Bale scored his 14th and 15th Premier League goals of the season,
drawing level with Michu in the scoring charts. Only Robin van Persie (19)
and Luis Suarez (18) have more. Bale scored his 10th and 11th PL away goals
of the season - the outright most away goals of any player in the division.
Bale has scored nine goals in eight PL matches since Christmas Day - more
than any other PL player. Picking up the ball in a central area some
distance from goal, he worked it on to his favoured left foot and arrowed a
drive, which dipped over Jaaskelainen's outstretched right hand and into the
top corner. The Welshman has now scored eight of his team's last 10 goals in
all competitions and 19 in total this season. Almost single-handedly he has
lifted Spurs two points clear of fourth-placed Chelsea going into Sunday's
crucial north London derby against Arsenal, who are a further two points
back in fifth. For the Hammers, Bale's strike was a devastating blow after a
whole-hearted performance which did justice to the memory of England's World
Cup-winning captain Moore. Cole's goal gave them a 2-1 lead and had
substitute Matt Taylor not been thwarted by Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris when
through on goal it could have been a different story.
Before kick-off, the Upton Park crowd joined both sets of players in a
minute's applause to pay tribute to Moore, who played more than 500 games
for West Ham.
Hammers players warmed up in Moore number six shirts, a giant poster of the
former defender was unfurled in the corner of the stadium before his three
grandchildren placed the match ball on the spot. Roared on by their
impassioned fans, West Ham made the brighter start and Lloris had to make a
sharp low save to keep out a shot from Matt Jarvis after neat interplay
between Carroll and Cole. But where there is Bale there is danger and the
winger picked up the ball in a central position 25 yards from goal, pushed
it past James Collins and lashed a left-footed shot past Jaaskelainen to
give Spurs the lead. West Ham drew level in the 25th minute after Scott
Parker's lunging challenge took out Carroll's standing leg and referee
Howard Webb pointed to the spot. The England striker rose to his feet and
blasted the penalty into the roof of the net.
Spurs looked more likely to take the lead and West Ham were indebted to
Jaaskelainen, who pulled off sharp saves either side of half-time to keep
out goalbound headers from centre-back Steven Caulker. Spurs manager Andre
Villas-Boas introduced Sigurdsson and it almost paid instant dividends as
the Icelander curled a shot on to the post from outside the area. The
rebound presented Emmanuel Adebayor with a golden chance, but his tame
header gave Jaaskelainen a relatively straightforward save. West Ham
responded to the scare in devastating fashion by scoring from their next
attack. Joey O'Brien's lofted pass from the left wing picked out Cole's run
and the former England midfielder swivelled before firing off a left-footed
effort which bobbled past Lloris and into the far corner.
Tottenham's quest for an equaliser was once again thwarted by the inspired
form of Jaaskelainen, who palmed away yet another Caulker header from a
corner before deploying all his athleticism to tip a fine curling effort
from Bale over the bar. Lloris pulled off a brilliant stop of his own as he
raced off his line to deny Taylor and the miss proved costly to the Hammers
as Spurs equalised. West Ham's defence failed to clear a Bale free-kick from
the right and the ball dribbled through to Sigurdsson who poked home at the
far post. A rampant Spurs continued to bombard the home side's goal only to
be denied by a goalkeeper at the top of his game as Jaaskelainen tipped
Sigurdsson's effort around the post and pushed aside a close-range header
from Adebayor. But just when both sides appeared to have settled for a
draw, up stepped Bale to steal the stage.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "We made a terrific go of it. It was at a
crucial stage when Matt Taylor got through one on one and their keeper made
good save, we want to be scoring that. "At 3-1 there is no way back for
them. "But I thought the lads caused them a lot of problems."
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Bobby Moore: West Ham tribute features family at Spurs game
By Frank Keogh
BBC Sport
Bobby Moore's grandchildren led the teams out before West Ham played
Tottenham to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of the Hammers legend.
Poppy, 21, Freddie, 16, and 13-year-old Ava carried out the ball at Upton
Park. Fans and players from both clubs provided a minute's applause while
home supporters held aloft cards making up a mosaic reading "Moore 6". West
Ham produced a tribute programme with 50p from each sale going to the Bobby
Moore Fund for cancer research. On Sunday, Poppy and Ava joined Moore's
daughter Roberta, his former team-mate Martin Peters and club co-chairman
David Gold, in paying tribute to England's only World Cup-winning captain,
who died from cancer aged 51 on 24 February 1993. Club chaplain Rev Alan
Bolding laid a wreath at the 'Champions' statue near West Ham's ground which
celebrates Hammers World Cup heroes Moore, Peters and Geoff Hurst, alongside
Everton's Ray Wilson. "He was our England World Cup-winning captain, but
also more personally for all of us here at West Ham, a legend at our club
and always will be," said Gold. "It was great to see so many West Ham fans
turn out in what was bitterly cold weather. But they wanted to pay their
respects to a man we hold very dear at this club."
Football Association chairman David Bernstein has expressed regret that the
governing body did not do more to honour the former defender, who won 108
caps for his country. Bernstein wrote in a Sunday Times column: "I am aware
the Football Association has been criticised over its treatment of Bobby
once he retired from football. "It saddens me that this is the case and
while I am not privy to exactly what happened at the time, it is clear to me
the organisation could have done more."
However, the FA chief is proud of the work the organisation has done
recently to commemorate Moore and help the charities associated with the
player who also won the FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup. "During my
time as Wembley Stadium chairman I was immensely proud that we were able to
commission the outstanding statue of Bobby, which was unveiled before the
official stadium opening in 2007," said Bernstein. "If Bobby were alive
today I am sure we would have asked him to be the chief ambassador for the
Football Association in its 150th year. Equally, I have no doubt he would be
extremely modest - if not embarrassed - about his achievements and the
legacy he has provided for every English football fan. "Over more recent
years the FA has worked very closely with the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer
Research UK, also now in its 20th anniversary year. "We will continue to
work with Bobby's charity and its campaign this coming year, at England home
matches and at the FA Cup semi-finals and final."
Bernstein believes it is also fitting that Sunday's Capital One Cup final
between Swansea and Bradford was played on the anniversary of Moore's death
outside the ground where his statue sits. "Of course the great man would
appreciate the significance of such a London derby and I hope the teams can
emulate the skill, athleticism, grace and respect for which we all remember
Bobby Moore so fondly."
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West Ham Utd 2-3 Tottenham
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
A last minute wonder goal by Gareth Bale denied Sam Allardyce's side a share
of the spoils on an emotionally-charged evening in east London.
With the game heading for stalemate, the Welsh midfielder popped up to score
one of the goals of the season to win all three points for the visitors in
what was a thrilling London derby.
Bale had given the visitors an early lead with just 12 minutes on the clock
when he was allowed to pick his spot, having been granted far too much time
by West Ham's retreating defence.
But West Ham- who had started the evning by paying their respects to former
captain Bobby Moore on the 20th anniversary of his death - were back on
level terms within a few minutes when Andy Carroll, who moments earlier had
been taunted by chants of 'he scores once a year' by the visiting
supporters, scored from the penalty spot to make it 1-1.
Joe Cole completed the turnaround on the hour mark when he beat the offside
trap before converting a Matt Taylor - on for the injured Kevin Nolan -
through ball.
With Jussi Jaaskelainen performing heroics in the West Ham goal it looked
for a while as if United would hang on for all three points. Indeed, the
Hammers should have extended their lead when Matt Taylor was sent through
one-on-one with Spurs 'keeper Hugo lloris, before seeing his effort blocked.
That miss proved to be the game's turning point and within a matter of
minutes Spurs drew level through sub Sigurdsson who bundled the ball over
the line follopwing a melee inside the six-yard box.
That's how it looked as if the game would stay until the in-form Bale
intervened to break Hammers hearts. Having been felled five yards outside
the penalty area, the Welshman recovered miraculously to collecy a short
pass which he lifted over Jaaskelainen's head into the far corner.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Legend on a legend
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
Former West Ham United captain and manager, Billy Bonds, has admitted that
he used to feel in awe of team mate Bobby Moore.
Bonds, 66, holds the record for West Ham appearances - some 804 matches
between 1967 and 1988. That's 158 more than Bobby Moore - fourth in the list
behind Frank Lampard (674) and Trevor Brooking (647) - managed during his
playing career.
Yet Bonds, speaking to Talksport on the 20th anniversary of Moore's passing
revealed that despite playing alongside each other for seven years, the
World-Cup winning England captain - who he first met as a schoolboy -
remained his sporting hero.
"I was always in awe of Mooro a little bit but he was just such a nice
bloke, that's all you could say about him," said Bonds. "You could think of
hundreds of footballers nowadays who haven't achieved half of what he has,
but aren't as down to earth as he was. He was a sporting icon for me, Bobby.
"I first met Bobby at a very impressionable age. I lived on an estate in
South London and was only 13 years old. We'd won a trophy and we used to
train at our local school; our manager said he had a treat for us; somebody
was coming over to present the medals.
"We did a few training skills and then Mooro presented us with our medals.
He must have just broken into the West Ham side then so we didn't know much
about him, we were mainly all Charlton fans
"In those days he was still in his teens, Mooro. A great looking lad, blonde
and with an aura about him. His girlfriend Tina also turned up; she didn't
look half-bad either!"
Having moved from Charlton to West Ham in 1967 - a year after England, with
Moore at the helm, had won the World Cup - Bonds suddenly found himself
playing alongside three national heroes. But it was Moore with whom he
developed the strongest relationship.
"He was usually one step ahead of everybody," added Bonds. "His positional
sense was fantastic - as it had to be, as Mooro wasn't quick. But he was
always in the right place at the right time, a great interceptor of the
ball.
"As a captain he wasn't one to shout and bawl at you, or a great leader as
such - for us it was just the fact that he was Bobby Moore, a sporting icon.
"By the time I went over to West Ham and played with him he'd won the FA
Cup, the Cup Winners Cup and the biggest cup in the world, the World Cup. He
was probably one of the most famous people in the world, along with Pele. He
achieved so much."
Some 25 years or so later Bonds, then the manager of West Ham happened upon
a chance meeting with his former team mate - in Grimsby, of all places. And
as so many others have said this week, the fact that England's only World
Cup-winning captain was even there was a major disappointment to Bonds.
"So much more could have been done for him," he surmised. "I last saw Mooro
at Grimsby and you know what that's like on a cold Tuesday night in
November! We drew 1-1 and he must have been doing the radio upstairs with
Jonathan Pearce.
"I was sat on a wall after the game just thinking about a few things on my
own in the pitch dark and he wandered down from the top of the stands to say
hello. Typical of him; we just sat there chatting about the game and life in
general.
"He didn't look great then and he died within the next three or four months.
You just wondered what Bobby Moore was doing in Grimsby on a cold, wet
night. He should have been used a lot more, they could have made much more
of him.
"There's always the question about why Mooro wasn't knighted. I wasn't one
of Mooro's drinking pals, I didn't go out with him too much but you just
wonder. Some people throw up the argument that he got involved with the
wrong kind of people in the east end of London, but he should have still
been an ambassador for the game."
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West Ham's Sam Allardyce left to rue a crucial miss after 3-2 loss to Spurs
Last Updated: February 25, 2013 11:14pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce felt a key miss from Matt Taylor was the vital
moment in the 3-2 home defeat by Tottenham. While quick to praise Spurs'
Gareth Bale, who won a pulsating match with a superb last-minute winner from
long range, Allardyce felt it could all have been different. The Hammers had
come from 1-0 down to lead 2-1 and substitute Taylor was then put through on
goal, but Hugo Lloris rushed out to save well and Spurs equalised soon
afterwards, before Bale's wonder goal clinched it. Allardyce told Sky
Sports: "We've done a terrific job and made a terrific go of it. Jussi
(Jaaskelainen, goalkeeper) played so well. "It was at a crucial stage when
Matt Taylor got through one-on-one. The 'keeper made a good save, but we
want to be scoring that and, at 3-1, there's no way back for them. "In the
end, we've been beaten by Gareth Bale. He continues to produce world-class
strikes. You'd think he's run out, but that was probably the best of the
lot. "The way he hit it, there's not a lot you can do and, at that stage,
there's not much time to come back.
"If you go in too tight on Bale, he skips past you and, if you make him hit
it from 30 yards out, it's got to be a hell of a strike to score. But, as
soon as he hit it, I went, 'Oh no'. "It's a very disappointing end to one of
our best performances here against a top side. We caused them a lot of
problems. "We went 1-0 down to their first shot on target, got 2-1 up, had a
chance to get 3-1 up, and then paid the price."
Allardyce was not happy that Tottenham midfielder Mousa Dembele, who was
booked in the first half, was not given a second yellow. "Consider the
consistent bookings that Howard (Webb) gave our players," said Allardyce.
"But, after getting booked, Dembele fouled (Mohamed) Diame and the ref let
it go. "And, in the second half, he (Dembele) pulls Joe Cole back and then
kicks the ball away. If he does that, he's got to send him off, that's what
we're told, so I'm really disappointed. "At 1-1, that makes a huge
difference. I'll put it in my report and see if the boys agree with me. If
they don't, I'd like to know why not."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Premier League: Gareth Bale brace inspires Tottenham to victory at West Ham
Last Updated: February 25, 2013 11:17pm
SSN
Best of the Match
Man of the match: Gareth Bale is beyond doubt the man of the moment. His
brace was not just good, but world class!
Goal of the match: The Welshman's stoppage time winner was simply stunning.
He made room to send his left-foot dipper into the top corner past a
helpless Jussi Jaaskelainen.
Moment of the match: Andy Carroll scored from the spot and then waved two
fingers towards the away support, who had been goading him.
Saves of the match: Jaaskelainen was in excellent form and was forced into
action keeping out a hat-trick of Steven Caulker's headers.
Tackle of the match: Moussa Dembele's challenge on Kevin Nolan forced the
midfielder off the field with a toe injury.
Stat of the match: Bale has scored six of Spurs' last seven Premier League
goals.
Bale continued his red-hot form after breaking the deadlock after 13 minutes
with a clinical finish. However, Andy Carroll levelled from the spot before
Joe Cole put the Hammers ahead on the night the club commemorated the 20th
anniversary of Bobby Moore's death. But the visitors were not to be denied
victory as Gylfi Sigurdsson restored parity before Bale's astonishing winner
in stoppage time. West Ham were on top for the first 10 minutes, with
Mohamed Diame and Matt Jarvis both drawing saves from Hugo Lloris. Bale shot
wide early on and teed up Aaron Lennon, whose shot took a deflection which
Spurs thought struck a West Ham hand in the box. Bale, like former Hammer
Scott Parker, was subjected to jeers from the home fans, but he had stunned
the West Ham faithful with the opener after 13 minutes. The Welshman,
operating up front alongside Emmanuel Adebayor, gained a yard on James
Collins and another two Hammers defenders before firing across Jussi
Jaaskelainen into the back of the net.
Bale led a rampaging Spurs break soon after but he shot tamely, much to the
frustration of the unmarked Jan Vertonghen, who was screaming for the ball
at the far post. Soon after, Spurs were made to pay thanks to Carroll's
second goal of 2013. Parker put in an ill-advised two-footed challenge on
Carroll in the box and Howard Webb pointed to the spot. The former Newcastle
striker picked himself up and smashed the ball past Lloris.
Spurs almost took the lead again just after the break when Vertonghen's shot
flew off Guy Demel's leg, but Jaaskelainen scrambled across his line and
tipped wide. The big Finn then saved brilliantly to tip Sigurdsson's shot on
to a post and he quickly regained his ground to save Adebayor's follow-up.
West Ham still had the majority of possession and they made it count with
their second just before the hour. Cole timed his run to perfection, gaining
two yards on Steven Caulker before slotting past Lloris and removing his
shirt in a wild celebration. Sam Allardyce almost spilled his cup of tea in
another raucous celebration on the Hammers bench.
Spurs threw everything at the hosts and had it not been for another two
outstanding saves by Jaaskelainen from Bale and Caulker, they would have
retaken the lead. Lloris pulled off a top-drawer save of his own when Matt
Taylor beat the offside trap and fired on goal. The save proved crucial as
Tottenham went up the other end and equalised.
The Hammers failed to deal with Bale's free-kick, a melee ensued in the box,
but Sigurdsson held his nerve to poke past Jaaskelainen from close range.
Jaaskelainen pulled off another two top-class saves to deny Adebayor and
Sigurdsson as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes.
Then with 10 seconds left, the man of the moment picked himself up after
being flattened by a tackle, collected the ball off Tom Carroll and let fly
with an audacious 25-yard bullet that beat Jaaskelainen for his sixth goal
in his last four Premier League matches, taking his overall tally for the
season to an impressive 19.
Andre Villas-Boas' side now have all the momentum heading into Sunday's
north London derby at home to Arsenal.
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PSG's Zoumana Camara snubs West Brom, Fulham and West Ham
By Giscard Gourizro. Last Updated: February 25, 2013 5:37pm
SSN
Zoumana Camara is in no rush to leave Paris Saint Germain amid reports
linking him with West Bromwich Albion, Fulham and West Ham United. Despite
the absence of Thiago Silva and Mamadou Sakho, the defender has still not
been featuring in the plans of boss Carlo Ancelotti and missed Sunday
night's win over Marseille. But after the game, in which David Beckham made
his PSG debut, Camara confirmed he remains committed to the new era under
wealthy owners Qatar Investment Authority. Zoumana said: "It is always
disappointing when you do not play, especially in a big game against
Marseille. "But you have to respect the choice of the manager and work hard
in training and hopefully your chance will come. "I want to be a part of
this new chapter. Let us wait and see."
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'We have really been beaten by Gareth Bale': West Ham boss admits Tottenham
superstar made the difference
The Mirror
25 Feb 2013 23:28
Sam Allardyce last night claimed his West Ham side had been beaten by Gareth
Bale. The Welsh wizard smashed home a sensational 90th-minute winner to send
Spurs into third place in the Premier League. England stars Andy Carroll and
Joe Carroll scored on the night West Ham were honouring the 20th anniversary
of the death of former captain Bobby Moore. But Bale, who had opened the
scoring for Spurs, stole the show with his ninth goal in seven games for
club and country. "We have really been beaten by Gareth Bale," said the
Hammers boss. "Five yards off his foot and I thought: 'That's it, it's in'.
"You have got to admire the quality of the goal. You are disappointed when
it is scored against you but whether you are a Tottenham fan or a West Ham
fan, you have got to admire a goal like that by a player who is the big
difference for Tottenham at the moment. "We have heard a lot about what
Michu has done for Swansea this year and what Robin Van Persie has done for
Manchester United but at the moment, there is nobody doing more for a
football club than Gareth Bale for Tottenham. "Every goal seems to be
outside the box. It is not like he is tapping them in. If you get too tight
to him, he skips past you. If you stand off him, he hits them like that. It
was a worldie at the end which killed us off."
Bale raced over to the touchline to celebrate a club record eight away win
with his coach Andre Villas Boas. The Portuguese said: "He's very, very
special. I think him winning the Player of the Year would be truly deserved.
It is not up to me but you have to recognise he's having a tremendous
season." Tottenham have turned around their season from conceding late goals
to scoring them. "The players were very brave in the second half and I think
the reward was there," AVB added. "I think it has a knock on effect. The
team is scoring late goals and it makes them believe they can score another.
"The team is very committed to the objectives, we were handed this
opportunity tonight of going third and nine point distance from Everton, we
have further opportunity against Arsenal to go seven points ahead, it will
be a hard game. The conditions were there for us to play this game very,
very seriously, which is why you saw the players go in that celebration."
Bale said: "It's not about me, it's about the team and we played really
well. We obviously wanted to get the three points to keep our Champions
League hopes alive."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce admitted an in-form Gareth Bale had been the difference
between victory and defeat by Spurs
25.02.2013
Sam Allardyce had no complaints with his side's terrific efforts after West
Ham United were undone by the brilliant Gareth Bale. A pulsating derby
looked destined to end honours even, before Bale took aim in the 90th minute
and slammed a 25-yard drive past Jussi Jaaskelainen to end Tottenham
Hotspur home with all three Barclays Premier League points. It was rough
justice on a Hammers side who looked the more likely victors for much of the
second half and were, at the very least, worthy of a share of the spoils.
"Bale's winner was more than a bit of quality, it was a bit of genius," Big
Sam told West Ham TV. "As difficult as it is to take, you've got to admire
the player. He's an unbelievable player and one that Tottenham must keep
hold of. He's the reason why Tottenham are winning games and not losing or
drawing them. "The difference, without any question is one man. I'm not
suggesting they're a one-man team but they are in terms of the victories. I
think he has scored eight out of ten goals in the last few weeks, which has
got them so many wins. I don't think any of them are from inside the box,
other than a header. So it's an unbelievable record he has. "We started the
game well enough, but he pops up with the first shot that Tottenham have had
and puts it in the back of the net after 13 minutes. After that we've done
OK with him but he has still made some terrific runs. Then in injury time,
he's 30 yards out and he has just hit this one and as soon as it left his
foot, I knew it was in the back of the net. It's a really cruel blow for us,
particularly after the way we came back and got ourselves in the lead."
Ultimately, Big Sam was left to rue a brilliant stop from Hugo Lloris, as
the French 'keeper showed all his class to foil Matt Taylor. With West Ham
2-1 up at the time, the Hammers boss believes there would have been no way
back for Spurs had Taylor scored. "I'm not disappointed in the lads'
performance," he added. "I thought it was a terrific performance against one
of the top sides in the country at the moment. We were a whisker away from
getting the win today, and that whisker was Matt Taylor's one-on-one when it
was 2-1. If it goes to 3-1, Tottenham wouldn't have come back. "As long as
we keep this performance level up from now until to the end of the season
we'll pick up enough points. I'm convinced about that. We've got to pick
ourselves up and get to Stoke. We've only got three games now in March and
we've got to get as many points out of those three games as we can. "It's
too long a period really [with so few games], but we're going to have deal
with it as best we can and make sure we're ready to give performances like
this one and hopefully that will bring us enough points to move forward and
up the table."
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Bale wonder winner cruel on Hammers
WHUFC.com
West Ham United suffered late heartbreak against Tottenham Hotspur at the
Boleyn Ground on Monday
25.02.2013
Gareth Bale's stunning 90th minute winner left West Ham United heartbroken
by Tottenham Hotspur on a pulsating night at the Boleyn Ground on Monday.
The Hammers showed great fight to overturn an early deficit conceded to the
Welshman by netting through Andy Carroll and Joe Cole to move into a 2-1
lead not long after the interval. But, on the night West Ham marked the 20th
anniversary of Bobby Moore's death, they couldn't hold on for the win that
would have been a fitting tribute to the great No6. Gylfi Sigurdsson
scrambled an equaliser 14 minutes from time before Bale's moment of magic
ensured the north Londoners would be taking the points. Roused by the
stirring pre-match tributes to Moore, the Hammers started at a real tempo
and fashioned a chance to take the lead on seven minutes when they broke
quickly through Carroll and Joe Cole. Cole threaded a ball through to Matt
Jarvis on the left, and the Hammers man ran at Kyle Walker before producing
a low shot that Hugo Lloris gathered down by his near post. But when the
visitors launched their next attack four minutes later they made it count
through the red-hot Bale, who didn't waste the invitation to shoot when Guy
Demel gave the ball straight to him on the edge of the box, drilling across
Jussi Jaaskelainen and into the bottom right corner. 11 minutes later Bale
had another opportunity to drive at the heart of the Hammers backline when
he picked up possession just inside the West Ham half, looked up and saw the
space to run into. Fortunately on this occasion his shot lacked the power to
trouble Jaaskelainen.
The Hammers found themselves level two minutes later thanks to Carroll's
second goal in as many home games. This one came from the spot, with the Big
Geordie picking himself off the turf after being fouled by Scott Parker to
drill blast emphatically past Lloris. Six minutes before the interval only a
flying block from Walker prevented Jarvis from giving the home side the lead
as the right back tracked across superbly after a miscontrol from Steven
Caulker gave Joe Cole the chance to loft a pass through. The momentum was
shifting both ways throughout the opening period and Jaaskelainen had to use
a strong left hand to stop Caulker's powerful header from a Bale corner a
minute before the break. Spurs looked for a shift in impetus when they
introduced Sigurdsson for Lewis Holtby 10 minutes after the break and the
move came so close to having the desired impact immediately, as the
Icelander shot goalwards from 25 yards, Jaaskelainen tipped onto the post,
then sprung up to somehow deny Emmanuel Adebayor on the rebound. West Ham
made full use of the Finn's save by moving in front themselves with 58
minutes on the clock, Joe Cole drifting off Caulker's shoulder to collect a
Joey O'Brien pass, turn and fire under Lloris.
Cole's celebration summed up just what the goal meant, as he whipped off his
shirt before wheeling away to the Alpari Stand in delight - a feeling shared
by the majority of the 35,005 inside the Boleyn Ground.
Spurs responded strongly and Jaaskelainen had to pull off two fantastic
saves - from another Caulker header and from a Bale effort heading for the
top left corner - to keep the home side in front. Matt Taylor, on as a first
half sub for Kevin Nolan, then found himself in the clear and with a great
chance to settle it, but before he knew it Lloris was on top of him with the
Frenchman smothering the danger expertly. The game took another twist 14
minutes from the end when the Hammers conceded a free kick in a dangerous
area down their left, Bale delivered and the ball ricocheted around the
six-yard box nicely for Sigurdsson to force home. Jaaskelainen was called
upon to make fine saves from Sigurdsson and Adebayor to keep the score at
2-2 as time ticked away, but there was still time for a moment of brilliance
from Bale to settle it. The Welshman has been in almost unstoppable form in
recent weeks and he gave the Hammers a taste of what he is all about with a
wonderful left footed drive from 25 yards that arrowed into the far corner
of the net and left Jaaskelainen helpless.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel (Pogatetz 72), Collins, Reid, O'Brien;
O'Neil, Diame (Collison 84); J.Cole, Nolan (Taylor 35), Jarvis; Carroll
Subs: C.Cole, Vaz Te, Chamakh, Spiegel (GK)
Goals: Carroll pen 25, J.Cole 58
Booked: J.Cole, O'Neil, Diame, Collins
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris; Walker, Dawson, Caulker, Vertonghen; Parker
(Livermore 87), Dembele (Carroll 75); Lennon, Bale, Holtby (Sigurdsson 56);
Adebayor
Subs: Gallas, Naughton, Friedel (GK), Assou-Ekotto
Goals: Bale 11, Sigurdsson 76, Bale 90
Booked: Dembele
Referee: Howard Webb
Attendance: 35,005
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West Ham 2 Tottenham 3
25 February 2013
Last updated at 22:49
By Sam Sheringham
BBC Sport
Gareth Bale continued his incredible scoring run with a stunning last-minute
winner against West Ham to lift Tottenham to third in the table. Bale gave
his side the lead with a powerful strike before Hammers forward Andy Carroll
won and scored a penalty. On the 20th anniversary of Bobby Moore's death,
Joe Cole put West Ham ahead with a low shot but Spurs drew level when Gylfi
Sigurdsson poked home. Bale sealed the points from long range with his
eighth goal in six games. It was another show-stopping performance from
Tottenham's man of the moment after a string of superb saves from West Ham
keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen looked certain to frustrate Spurs.
Gareth Bale scored his 14th and 15th Premier League goals of the season,
drawing level with Michu in the scoring charts. Only Robin van Persie (19)
and Luis Suarez (18) have more. Bale scored his 10th and 11th PL away goals
of the season - the outright most away goals of any player in the division.
Bale has scored nine goals in eight PL matches since Christmas Day - more
than any other PL player. Picking up the ball in a central area some
distance from goal, he worked it on to his favoured left foot and arrowed a
drive, which dipped over Jaaskelainen's outstretched right hand and into the
top corner. The Welshman has now scored eight of his team's last 10 goals in
all competitions and 19 in total this season. Almost single-handedly he has
lifted Spurs two points clear of fourth-placed Chelsea going into Sunday's
crucial north London derby against Arsenal, who are a further two points
back in fifth. For the Hammers, Bale's strike was a devastating blow after a
whole-hearted performance which did justice to the memory of England's World
Cup-winning captain Moore. Cole's goal gave them a 2-1 lead and had
substitute Matt Taylor not been thwarted by Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris when
through on goal it could have been a different story.
Before kick-off, the Upton Park crowd joined both sets of players in a
minute's applause to pay tribute to Moore, who played more than 500 games
for West Ham.
Hammers players warmed up in Moore number six shirts, a giant poster of the
former defender was unfurled in the corner of the stadium before his three
grandchildren placed the match ball on the spot. Roared on by their
impassioned fans, West Ham made the brighter start and Lloris had to make a
sharp low save to keep out a shot from Matt Jarvis after neat interplay
between Carroll and Cole. But where there is Bale there is danger and the
winger picked up the ball in a central position 25 yards from goal, pushed
it past James Collins and lashed a left-footed shot past Jaaskelainen to
give Spurs the lead. West Ham drew level in the 25th minute after Scott
Parker's lunging challenge took out Carroll's standing leg and referee
Howard Webb pointed to the spot. The England striker rose to his feet and
blasted the penalty into the roof of the net.
Spurs looked more likely to take the lead and West Ham were indebted to
Jaaskelainen, who pulled off sharp saves either side of half-time to keep
out goalbound headers from centre-back Steven Caulker. Spurs manager Andre
Villas-Boas introduced Sigurdsson and it almost paid instant dividends as
the Icelander curled a shot on to the post from outside the area. The
rebound presented Emmanuel Adebayor with a golden chance, but his tame
header gave Jaaskelainen a relatively straightforward save. West Ham
responded to the scare in devastating fashion by scoring from their next
attack. Joey O'Brien's lofted pass from the left wing picked out Cole's run
and the former England midfielder swivelled before firing off a left-footed
effort which bobbled past Lloris and into the far corner.
Tottenham's quest for an equaliser was once again thwarted by the inspired
form of Jaaskelainen, who palmed away yet another Caulker header from a
corner before deploying all his athleticism to tip a fine curling effort
from Bale over the bar. Lloris pulled off a brilliant stop of his own as he
raced off his line to deny Taylor and the miss proved costly to the Hammers
as Spurs equalised. West Ham's defence failed to clear a Bale free-kick from
the right and the ball dribbled through to Sigurdsson who poked home at the
far post. A rampant Spurs continued to bombard the home side's goal only to
be denied by a goalkeeper at the top of his game as Jaaskelainen tipped
Sigurdsson's effort around the post and pushed aside a close-range header
from Adebayor. But just when both sides appeared to have settled for a
draw, up stepped Bale to steal the stage.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "We made a terrific go of it. It was at a
crucial stage when Matt Taylor got through one on one and their keeper made
good save, we want to be scoring that. "At 3-1 there is no way back for
them. "But I thought the lads caused them a lot of problems."
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Bobby Moore: West Ham tribute features family at Spurs game
By Frank Keogh
BBC Sport
Bobby Moore's grandchildren led the teams out before West Ham played
Tottenham to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of the Hammers legend.
Poppy, 21, Freddie, 16, and 13-year-old Ava carried out the ball at Upton
Park. Fans and players from both clubs provided a minute's applause while
home supporters held aloft cards making up a mosaic reading "Moore 6". West
Ham produced a tribute programme with 50p from each sale going to the Bobby
Moore Fund for cancer research. On Sunday, Poppy and Ava joined Moore's
daughter Roberta, his former team-mate Martin Peters and club co-chairman
David Gold, in paying tribute to England's only World Cup-winning captain,
who died from cancer aged 51 on 24 February 1993. Club chaplain Rev Alan
Bolding laid a wreath at the 'Champions' statue near West Ham's ground which
celebrates Hammers World Cup heroes Moore, Peters and Geoff Hurst, alongside
Everton's Ray Wilson. "He was our England World Cup-winning captain, but
also more personally for all of us here at West Ham, a legend at our club
and always will be," said Gold. "It was great to see so many West Ham fans
turn out in what was bitterly cold weather. But they wanted to pay their
respects to a man we hold very dear at this club."
Football Association chairman David Bernstein has expressed regret that the
governing body did not do more to honour the former defender, who won 108
caps for his country. Bernstein wrote in a Sunday Times column: "I am aware
the Football Association has been criticised over its treatment of Bobby
once he retired from football. "It saddens me that this is the case and
while I am not privy to exactly what happened at the time, it is clear to me
the organisation could have done more."
However, the FA chief is proud of the work the organisation has done
recently to commemorate Moore and help the charities associated with the
player who also won the FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup. "During my
time as Wembley Stadium chairman I was immensely proud that we were able to
commission the outstanding statue of Bobby, which was unveiled before the
official stadium opening in 2007," said Bernstein. "If Bobby were alive
today I am sure we would have asked him to be the chief ambassador for the
Football Association in its 150th year. Equally, I have no doubt he would be
extremely modest - if not embarrassed - about his achievements and the
legacy he has provided for every English football fan. "Over more recent
years the FA has worked very closely with the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer
Research UK, also now in its 20th anniversary year. "We will continue to
work with Bobby's charity and its campaign this coming year, at England home
matches and at the FA Cup semi-finals and final."
Bernstein believes it is also fitting that Sunday's Capital One Cup final
between Swansea and Bradford was played on the anniversary of Moore's death
outside the ground where his statue sits. "Of course the great man would
appreciate the significance of such a London derby and I hope the teams can
emulate the skill, athleticism, grace and respect for which we all remember
Bobby Moore so fondly."
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West Ham Utd 2-3 Tottenham
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
A last minute wonder goal by Gareth Bale denied Sam Allardyce's side a share
of the spoils on an emotionally-charged evening in east London.
With the game heading for stalemate, the Welsh midfielder popped up to score
one of the goals of the season to win all three points for the visitors in
what was a thrilling London derby.
Bale had given the visitors an early lead with just 12 minutes on the clock
when he was allowed to pick his spot, having been granted far too much time
by West Ham's retreating defence.
But West Ham- who had started the evning by paying their respects to former
captain Bobby Moore on the 20th anniversary of his death - were back on
level terms within a few minutes when Andy Carroll, who moments earlier had
been taunted by chants of 'he scores once a year' by the visiting
supporters, scored from the penalty spot to make it 1-1.
Joe Cole completed the turnaround on the hour mark when he beat the offside
trap before converting a Matt Taylor - on for the injured Kevin Nolan -
through ball.
With Jussi Jaaskelainen performing heroics in the West Ham goal it looked
for a while as if United would hang on for all three points. Indeed, the
Hammers should have extended their lead when Matt Taylor was sent through
one-on-one with Spurs 'keeper Hugo lloris, before seeing his effort blocked.
That miss proved to be the game's turning point and within a matter of
minutes Spurs drew level through sub Sigurdsson who bundled the ball over
the line follopwing a melee inside the six-yard box.
That's how it looked as if the game would stay until the in-form Bale
intervened to break Hammers hearts. Having been felled five yards outside
the penalty area, the Welshman recovered miraculously to collecy a short
pass which he lifted over Jaaskelainen's head into the far corner.
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Legend on a legend
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
Former West Ham United captain and manager, Billy Bonds, has admitted that
he used to feel in awe of team mate Bobby Moore.
Bonds, 66, holds the record for West Ham appearances - some 804 matches
between 1967 and 1988. That's 158 more than Bobby Moore - fourth in the list
behind Frank Lampard (674) and Trevor Brooking (647) - managed during his
playing career.
Yet Bonds, speaking to Talksport on the 20th anniversary of Moore's passing
revealed that despite playing alongside each other for seven years, the
World-Cup winning England captain - who he first met as a schoolboy -
remained his sporting hero.
"I was always in awe of Mooro a little bit but he was just such a nice
bloke, that's all you could say about him," said Bonds. "You could think of
hundreds of footballers nowadays who haven't achieved half of what he has,
but aren't as down to earth as he was. He was a sporting icon for me, Bobby.
"I first met Bobby at a very impressionable age. I lived on an estate in
South London and was only 13 years old. We'd won a trophy and we used to
train at our local school; our manager said he had a treat for us; somebody
was coming over to present the medals.
"We did a few training skills and then Mooro presented us with our medals.
He must have just broken into the West Ham side then so we didn't know much
about him, we were mainly all Charlton fans
"In those days he was still in his teens, Mooro. A great looking lad, blonde
and with an aura about him. His girlfriend Tina also turned up; she didn't
look half-bad either!"
Having moved from Charlton to West Ham in 1967 - a year after England, with
Moore at the helm, had won the World Cup - Bonds suddenly found himself
playing alongside three national heroes. But it was Moore with whom he
developed the strongest relationship.
"He was usually one step ahead of everybody," added Bonds. "His positional
sense was fantastic - as it had to be, as Mooro wasn't quick. But he was
always in the right place at the right time, a great interceptor of the
ball.
"As a captain he wasn't one to shout and bawl at you, or a great leader as
such - for us it was just the fact that he was Bobby Moore, a sporting icon.
"By the time I went over to West Ham and played with him he'd won the FA
Cup, the Cup Winners Cup and the biggest cup in the world, the World Cup. He
was probably one of the most famous people in the world, along with Pele. He
achieved so much."
Some 25 years or so later Bonds, then the manager of West Ham happened upon
a chance meeting with his former team mate - in Grimsby, of all places. And
as so many others have said this week, the fact that England's only World
Cup-winning captain was even there was a major disappointment to Bonds.
"So much more could have been done for him," he surmised. "I last saw Mooro
at Grimsby and you know what that's like on a cold Tuesday night in
November! We drew 1-1 and he must have been doing the radio upstairs with
Jonathan Pearce.
"I was sat on a wall after the game just thinking about a few things on my
own in the pitch dark and he wandered down from the top of the stands to say
hello. Typical of him; we just sat there chatting about the game and life in
general.
"He didn't look great then and he died within the next three or four months.
You just wondered what Bobby Moore was doing in Grimsby on a cold, wet
night. He should have been used a lot more, they could have made much more
of him.
"There's always the question about why Mooro wasn't knighted. I wasn't one
of Mooro's drinking pals, I didn't go out with him too much but you just
wonder. Some people throw up the argument that he got involved with the
wrong kind of people in the east end of London, but he should have still
been an ambassador for the game."
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West Ham's Sam Allardyce left to rue a crucial miss after 3-2 loss to Spurs
Last Updated: February 25, 2013 11:14pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce felt a key miss from Matt Taylor was the vital
moment in the 3-2 home defeat by Tottenham. While quick to praise Spurs'
Gareth Bale, who won a pulsating match with a superb last-minute winner from
long range, Allardyce felt it could all have been different. The Hammers had
come from 1-0 down to lead 2-1 and substitute Taylor was then put through on
goal, but Hugo Lloris rushed out to save well and Spurs equalised soon
afterwards, before Bale's wonder goal clinched it. Allardyce told Sky
Sports: "We've done a terrific job and made a terrific go of it. Jussi
(Jaaskelainen, goalkeeper) played so well. "It was at a crucial stage when
Matt Taylor got through one-on-one. The 'keeper made a good save, but we
want to be scoring that and, at 3-1, there's no way back for them. "In the
end, we've been beaten by Gareth Bale. He continues to produce world-class
strikes. You'd think he's run out, but that was probably the best of the
lot. "The way he hit it, there's not a lot you can do and, at that stage,
there's not much time to come back.
"If you go in too tight on Bale, he skips past you and, if you make him hit
it from 30 yards out, it's got to be a hell of a strike to score. But, as
soon as he hit it, I went, 'Oh no'. "It's a very disappointing end to one of
our best performances here against a top side. We caused them a lot of
problems. "We went 1-0 down to their first shot on target, got 2-1 up, had a
chance to get 3-1 up, and then paid the price."
Allardyce was not happy that Tottenham midfielder Mousa Dembele, who was
booked in the first half, was not given a second yellow. "Consider the
consistent bookings that Howard (Webb) gave our players," said Allardyce.
"But, after getting booked, Dembele fouled (Mohamed) Diame and the ref let
it go. "And, in the second half, he (Dembele) pulls Joe Cole back and then
kicks the ball away. If he does that, he's got to send him off, that's what
we're told, so I'm really disappointed. "At 1-1, that makes a huge
difference. I'll put it in my report and see if the boys agree with me. If
they don't, I'd like to know why not."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Premier League: Gareth Bale brace inspires Tottenham to victory at West Ham
Last Updated: February 25, 2013 11:17pm
SSN
Best of the Match
Man of the match: Gareth Bale is beyond doubt the man of the moment. His
brace was not just good, but world class!
Goal of the match: The Welshman's stoppage time winner was simply stunning.
He made room to send his left-foot dipper into the top corner past a
helpless Jussi Jaaskelainen.
Moment of the match: Andy Carroll scored from the spot and then waved two
fingers towards the away support, who had been goading him.
Saves of the match: Jaaskelainen was in excellent form and was forced into
action keeping out a hat-trick of Steven Caulker's headers.
Tackle of the match: Moussa Dembele's challenge on Kevin Nolan forced the
midfielder off the field with a toe injury.
Stat of the match: Bale has scored six of Spurs' last seven Premier League
goals.
Bale continued his red-hot form after breaking the deadlock after 13 minutes
with a clinical finish. However, Andy Carroll levelled from the spot before
Joe Cole put the Hammers ahead on the night the club commemorated the 20th
anniversary of Bobby Moore's death. But the visitors were not to be denied
victory as Gylfi Sigurdsson restored parity before Bale's astonishing winner
in stoppage time. West Ham were on top for the first 10 minutes, with
Mohamed Diame and Matt Jarvis both drawing saves from Hugo Lloris. Bale shot
wide early on and teed up Aaron Lennon, whose shot took a deflection which
Spurs thought struck a West Ham hand in the box. Bale, like former Hammer
Scott Parker, was subjected to jeers from the home fans, but he had stunned
the West Ham faithful with the opener after 13 minutes. The Welshman,
operating up front alongside Emmanuel Adebayor, gained a yard on James
Collins and another two Hammers defenders before firing across Jussi
Jaaskelainen into the back of the net.
Bale led a rampaging Spurs break soon after but he shot tamely, much to the
frustration of the unmarked Jan Vertonghen, who was screaming for the ball
at the far post. Soon after, Spurs were made to pay thanks to Carroll's
second goal of 2013. Parker put in an ill-advised two-footed challenge on
Carroll in the box and Howard Webb pointed to the spot. The former Newcastle
striker picked himself up and smashed the ball past Lloris.
Spurs almost took the lead again just after the break when Vertonghen's shot
flew off Guy Demel's leg, but Jaaskelainen scrambled across his line and
tipped wide. The big Finn then saved brilliantly to tip Sigurdsson's shot on
to a post and he quickly regained his ground to save Adebayor's follow-up.
West Ham still had the majority of possession and they made it count with
their second just before the hour. Cole timed his run to perfection, gaining
two yards on Steven Caulker before slotting past Lloris and removing his
shirt in a wild celebration. Sam Allardyce almost spilled his cup of tea in
another raucous celebration on the Hammers bench.
Spurs threw everything at the hosts and had it not been for another two
outstanding saves by Jaaskelainen from Bale and Caulker, they would have
retaken the lead. Lloris pulled off a top-drawer save of his own when Matt
Taylor beat the offside trap and fired on goal. The save proved crucial as
Tottenham went up the other end and equalised.
The Hammers failed to deal with Bale's free-kick, a melee ensued in the box,
but Sigurdsson held his nerve to poke past Jaaskelainen from close range.
Jaaskelainen pulled off another two top-class saves to deny Adebayor and
Sigurdsson as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes.
Then with 10 seconds left, the man of the moment picked himself up after
being flattened by a tackle, collected the ball off Tom Carroll and let fly
with an audacious 25-yard bullet that beat Jaaskelainen for his sixth goal
in his last four Premier League matches, taking his overall tally for the
season to an impressive 19.
Andre Villas-Boas' side now have all the momentum heading into Sunday's
north London derby at home to Arsenal.
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PSG's Zoumana Camara snubs West Brom, Fulham and West Ham
By Giscard Gourizro. Last Updated: February 25, 2013 5:37pm
SSN
Zoumana Camara is in no rush to leave Paris Saint Germain amid reports
linking him with West Bromwich Albion, Fulham and West Ham United. Despite
the absence of Thiago Silva and Mamadou Sakho, the defender has still not
been featuring in the plans of boss Carlo Ancelotti and missed Sunday
night's win over Marseille. But after the game, in which David Beckham made
his PSG debut, Camara confirmed he remains committed to the new era under
wealthy owners Qatar Investment Authority. Zoumana said: "It is always
disappointing when you do not play, especially in a big game against
Marseille. "But you have to respect the choice of the manager and work hard
in training and hopefully your chance will come. "I want to be a part of
this new chapter. Let us wait and see."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'We have really been beaten by Gareth Bale': West Ham boss admits Tottenham
superstar made the difference
The Mirror
25 Feb 2013 23:28
Sam Allardyce last night claimed his West Ham side had been beaten by Gareth
Bale. The Welsh wizard smashed home a sensational 90th-minute winner to send
Spurs into third place in the Premier League. England stars Andy Carroll and
Joe Carroll scored on the night West Ham were honouring the 20th anniversary
of the death of former captain Bobby Moore. But Bale, who had opened the
scoring for Spurs, stole the show with his ninth goal in seven games for
club and country. "We have really been beaten by Gareth Bale," said the
Hammers boss. "Five yards off his foot and I thought: 'That's it, it's in'.
"You have got to admire the quality of the goal. You are disappointed when
it is scored against you but whether you are a Tottenham fan or a West Ham
fan, you have got to admire a goal like that by a player who is the big
difference for Tottenham at the moment. "We have heard a lot about what
Michu has done for Swansea this year and what Robin Van Persie has done for
Manchester United but at the moment, there is nobody doing more for a
football club than Gareth Bale for Tottenham. "Every goal seems to be
outside the box. It is not like he is tapping them in. If you get too tight
to him, he skips past you. If you stand off him, he hits them like that. It
was a worldie at the end which killed us off."
Bale raced over to the touchline to celebrate a club record eight away win
with his coach Andre Villas Boas. The Portuguese said: "He's very, very
special. I think him winning the Player of the Year would be truly deserved.
It is not up to me but you have to recognise he's having a tremendous
season." Tottenham have turned around their season from conceding late goals
to scoring them. "The players were very brave in the second half and I think
the reward was there," AVB added. "I think it has a knock on effect. The
team is scoring late goals and it makes them believe they can score another.
"The team is very committed to the objectives, we were handed this
opportunity tonight of going third and nine point distance from Everton, we
have further opportunity against Arsenal to go seven points ahead, it will
be a hard game. The conditions were there for us to play this game very,
very seriously, which is why you saw the players go in that celebration."
Bale said: "It's not about me, it's about the team and we played really
well. We obviously wanted to get the three points to keep our Champions
League hopes alive."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Monday, February 25
Daily WHUFC News - 25th February 2013
A message from the Chairmen
WHUFC.com
David Sullivan and David Gold have written to supporters ahead of Monday
night's game against Spurs
24.02.2013
Dear Supporter,
Firstly, we would like to start by thanking you for your wonderful support
this season. With a total home attendance of over half-a-million already
this campaign, you have shown in your numbers, both at the Boleyn Ground and
away from home, a fantastic backing which is appreciated by everyone at the
club.
We host Tottenham Hotspur in a Barclays Premier League fixture on Monday
night, and alongside the prospect of a thrilling London derby, the club will
also be marking the 20th anniversary of the passing of the great Bobby
Moore.
It promises to be a memorable night under the Boleyn Ground lights, not
least because the team will be looking to keep their excellent run of home
form going - with the help of your backing from the stands.
The club is extremely proud of its work in supporting programmes that
promote tolerance and inclusion, and you will have seen more evidence of
that this
week as we push the message of the Football v Homophobia campaign.
West Ham United were one of the first professional football clubs to lend
its support to this important movement, and our work there sits alongside
our support of Kick it Out, Holocaust Memorial Day, Black History Month,
Inter-Faith Week and many other key initiatives.
We have had fantastic feedback from supporters who have praised the work we
have done. However, there are occasions when individuals still act an
inappropriate way and we have a simple zero-tolerance policy when those
isolated incidents do occur at matches at the Boleyn Ground.
Working with the Metropolitan Police, we will pursue the harshest sanctions
against any individual who goes against what we stand for as a club, and in
the rare case that you do see or hear anything you think in unacceptable,
there are a number of ways you can report the matter.
Two of the easiest ways are to speak to your nearest steward at the stadium
or use the Boleyn Ground's anonymous fan phone number - 07860 404 069 -
where all calls will be treated in the strictest of confidence.
Everyone at West Ham United is looking forward to Monday's visit of
Tottenham Hotspur. It should be a fantastic game of football, a wonderful
opportunity to remember Bobby Moore -the greatest player to don the famous
Claret and Blue - and a chance to show the world what being a Hammers fan is
all about - supporting with pride, passion and respect.
Come on you Irons!
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Hammers fans remember Bobby
WHUFC.com
Club mark 20th anniversary of Bobby Moore's death with wreath-laying service
24.02.2013
West Ham United supporters turned out in numbers on Sunday morning to mark
the 20th anniversary of Bobby Moore's death with a wreath-laying service at
the Boleyn Ground. Hammers Joint-Chairman David Gold was joined by Moore's
West Ham and England team-mate Martin Peters, Bobby's daughter Roberta and
granddaughters Poppy and Ava, Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales and club
chaplain Rev Alan Bolding, for a service at The Champions statue on Barking
Road. Hammers fans were invited to pay their respects in a moment of silence
while memories of the legendary Hammers captain were recounted.
Mr Gold told whufc.com: "It was a lovely service and it is an honour for us
all to remember Bobby today, on what is the 20th anniversary of his sad
passing.
"He was our England World Cup winning captain, but also more personally for
us all here at West Ham, a legend at our club and always will be. "It was
great to see so many West Ham fans turn out in what was bitterly cold
weather. But they wanted to pay their respects to a man who we hold very
dear at this club.
"Bobby will continue to be remembered at our club. There were many fans here
today who are too young to remember him or didn't see him play. I was one of
those fans who did see him play and have, like many others, my own special
memories of Bobby. "Greats are almost immortal and he is one of those
greats. I am quite sure that Bobby will be continued to be remembered for
another century and more. "We take our tributes into our game with Tottenham
Hotspur tomorrow. We will have Bobby's grandchildren leading the team out, a
minute's applause and much more. All of this is simply our way of paying our
respects to such an iconic footballer and man. One of the nicest men, who
had personality, charm and modesty and is legend in the game. "Tomorrow's
game will have it all for Bobby, as well as all the tributes, a bustling
London derby with a full crowd behind the team. I think it is just fitting
for him."
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Bobby Moore tributes at Monday's game
WHUFC.com
Take your seats early for the club's commemoration of Bobby Moore
24.02.2013
Supporters are asked to take their seats early at Monday's game against
Tottenham Hotspur for the pre-match tributes to Bobby Moore. The club are
marking the 20th anniversary of Bobby's passing at the game against Spurs,
with the build-up starting from 7.40pm. Tributes from current and former
Hammers players will be screened in the run-up to the game, while the team
will be playing in specially-embroidered shirts. A host of Moore's
contemporaries have been invited to attend as special guests of the club,
including fellow World Cup winners and West Ham team-mates Martin Peters and
Geoff Hurst, and five-times Hammer of the Year Sir Trevor Brooking. There
will be a minute's applause to remember Bobby and supporters in the Bobby
Moore Stand will also be invited to take part in displaying a special mosaic
depicting Moore's famous claret and blue No6 shirt, which was retired by the
club in August 2008 to mark the 50th anniversary of the defender's West Ham
debut. The Match is also one of this seasons designated Bobby Moore Fund
matches and the Fund will be the beneficiary of all charitable activity
carried out at this fixture. A special 100-page Official Programme is also
being produced for the occasion, including exclusive memories of Moore from
those who knew him best, on and off the pitch. Priced at £4, a donation of
50 pence from the sale of each programme will be made to the Bobby Moore
Fund for Cancer Research UK.
A bucket collection will also be held at the Boleyn Ground to allow
supporters to make their own personal donations to the charity founded in
Moore's memory devoted to fighting the disease that took his life. The West
Ham squad will also warm-up in Bobby Moore Fund T-shirts before kick-off to
create awareness for the charity and the first team players will sign the
shirts they play in on the night in order that they can be auctioned to
further boost the club's fundraising total for the charity.
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Taylor targeting big finish
WHUFC.com
Matt Taylor is confident West Ham United are on course to end the season on
a high
24.02.2013
Matt Taylor believes West Ham United are in prime position to enjoy a strong
finish to their Barclays Premier League campaign, starting with the
eagerly-awaited visit of Tottenham Hotspur. The Hammers welcome Spurs to the
Boleyn Ground with every reason to be confident, having collected seven
points out of the last possible nine in front of their own fans. While
Taylor acknowledges the threat posed by Andre Villas-Boas' men, the West Ham
winger insists he and his team-mates are concentrating on their own
performances, rather than obsessing about the opposition. "The main thing
for us on Monday night is to try and worry about ourselves," Taylor
explained. "We understand that Tottenham have got lots of fantastic players
and they are a great team but we're not bad ourselves! "It's a local derby
and we want to overturn what was a disappointing result at Tottenham.
Everybody at the club at the moment is in a positive frame of mind and in
good spirits and that for me is a fantastic thing. Everyone's full of
confidence and morale is high, so hopefully we've got a good end to the
season coming up."
If West Ham are to make amends for November's 3-1 reverse at White Hart
Lane, Taylor accepts it is going to require a collective effort from players
and fans alike. The 31-year-old is expecting a stirring atmosphere under the
lights at the Boleyn Ground and promises that he and his colleagues will
match the commitment from the stands. "We're at home and I'm sure it will be
a full house and the fans will get behind us. If we can emulate the
performances that we've produced against the top teams this season at Upton
Park then hopefully we'll get a good result. "The fans have local pride at
stake, as do we as players. Because football's a small world, even amongst
the players. The fans will get themselves up for it, I know it's an old
adage but they can be the 12th man. "I'd like to think they appreciate our
efforts in every game. While we might not always get the results we deserve,
each and every player when they pull the shirt on works 100 per cent for the
team .That'll be the case on Monday night and they'll get right behind us."
As for Monday's visitors, Taylor rubbished talk of Spurs being overly
reliant on the much-coveted Gareth Bale. The Welshman has notched six of
Tottenham's last seven goals, but West Ham's No14 reckons Bale is in
exceptional company. "Everybody's talking about Gareth Bale because he's
playing well and scoring goals. He's one of a number of players that we're
going to try to have shackle on Monday night to get a good result. They are
on a high now from the Europa League progression into the last 16, so it's
going to be a difficult game for us. "But I wouldn't want to suggest that
Tottenham are a one player team because they're not. They've got lots and
lots of exceptional players and we've got make sure that we keep as close an
eye on those players as we can. But also go and do our stuff as and when we
get the chance."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham v Tottenham
BBC.co.uk
KO 20:00
24 February 2013
Last updated at 12:34
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Monday, 25 February
West Ham defenders James Collins and Joey O'Brien have returned to training
and are in contention to play Tottenham at Upton Park. Collins has been out
because of a hamstring injury, while O'Brien was sidelined with a thigh
problem.
Tottenham keeper Hugo Lloris is in line to return after being on the bench
for Thursday's Europa League draw at Lyon. Striker Jermain Defoe (ankle),
Younes Kaboul, Sandro and Tom Huddlestone (all knee) are unavailable.
MATCH PREVIEW
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has hinted that Tottenham are overly reliant on
in-form winger Gareth Bale ahead of Monday's clash at Upton Park.
Bale has scored in each of Tottenham's last three Premier League games and
has 17 goals for Spurs this season. "It'll be interesting to see whether
free-scoring left winger Gareth Bale can make West Ham's pitch any bigger.
He has been nothing short of sensational of late. "I think West Ham manager
Sam Allardyce will make sure his players double up on the Wales
international and make life difficult for him."
Jermain Defoe scored twice to fire Spurs to victory in the corresponding
fixture, when Bale was also on target, but the former Hammers striker is
absent through injury this time. "Recently they've lost their leading
goalscorer, who is Jermain Defoe, and (Emmanuel)Adebayor has been away at
the Africa Cup of Nations, so from a goalscoring point of view they've had
to rely on one man and one man only to come up with the goods," said
Allardyce. "That's Gareth Bale and he's been the major difference between
Tottenham and the teams they've played recently."
While Allardyce admits it's a case of stop Bale, stop Tottenham, he
acknowledges it's easier said than done. "Not only has he scored very
important goals, but they've been stunning goals at that," he added. "He's
going to need some looking after on Monday night."
West Ham have moved to try and avoid any repeat of the anti-Semitic chants
that marred the corresponding fixture in a match in which the 20th
anniversary of Bobby Moore's death will be honoured. For Spurs the game
comes hot on the heels of securing their Europa League progression on
Thursday with a 1-1 draw at Lyon but manager Andre Villas-Boas is
unconcerned about any European hangover. "We've been having some great,
great results," he said. "After Europa League games we've always been good
in the Premier League. I think it puts us in a good position to face West
Ham. "I don't think it's a distraction, I think it's an inspiration and I
hope it can be exactly that against West Ham."
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Two goals from former West Ham frontman Jermain Defoe saw the Hammers lose
3-1 at White Hart Lane earlier in the season - their 11th consecutive
Premier League trip to North London without a win.
The Hammers have only won one of their last 11 league games against
Tottenham -1-0 in September 2010 thanks to Frederic Piquionne's goal.
This is the 137th meeting of the two sides. Tottenham lead by 58 wins to 44.
West Ham
West Ham are unbeaten in their last three Premier League home games, with
wins against Swansea and Norwich and a 1-1 draw with QPR.
Six of the Hammers' eight league wins this year have come at home, where
they have earned 22 of their 30 points. They have lost their last six away
games.
The last time West Ham scored more than a single goal in a league match was
their 2-1 win over Norwich on New Year's Day.
Leading scorer Kevin Nolan is one goal away from notching his 100th club
goal.
Jussi Jaaskelainen could start his 500th English league game, while Sam
Allardyce will take charge of his 350th Premier League match.
Tottenham
Spurs are unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League games and have only lost
once in 14 - a 2-1 defeat at Everton on 9 December.
Tottenham are one of two Premier League clubs unbeaten in 2013 - the other
is Manchester United.
Only Manchester United and Chelsea have a better away record than Spurs this
year. Victory at West Ham will be a club-record eighth Premier League win on
the road.
Tottenham have lost 16 points from winning positions this season, losing
four and drawing two games they had previously led.
Gareth Bale has scored four goals in his last three Premier League matches,
taking his overall tally for the season to 17.
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Fans flock to Bobby service
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 24th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
There was an emotional gathering at the World Cup winners statue this
morning as a large crowd congregated to remember Bobby Moore, who died 20
years ago today. Scores of fans gathered on the corner of Barking Road and
Green Street to observe a minutes' silence in honour of former West Ham
United and England legend Moore, who died from bowel cancer aged just 51.
Accompanied by members of Bobby's immediate family including daugher Roberta
and her children, plus Martin Peters and David Gold, the crowd listened to a
service by West Ham United chaplain, Reverend Alan Bolding. "It was a lovely
service and it is an honour for us all to remember Bobby today, on what is
the 20th anniversary of his sad passing," Gold told whufc.com. "He was our
England World Cup winning captain, but also more personally for us all here
at West Ham, a legend at our club and always will be. "Bobby will continue
to be remembered at our club. Greats are almost immortal and he is one of
those greats. I am quite sure that Bobby will be continued to be remembered
for another century and more."
Gold also revealed that West Ham will be led out against Tottenham in
tomorrow night's Premier League clash by Moore's grandchildren, Poppy and
Ava - a match that promises to be an emotional affair. "We take our tributes
into our game with Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow," he said. "We will have a
minute's applause and much more. Tomorrow's game will have it all for Bobby;
I think it is just fitting for him."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Viva Bobby Moore: David Gold
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 24th February 2013
By: Chris Scull
David Gold was just a supporter of West Ham when Bobby Moore's career was at
its zenith. In an exclusive interview with KUMB.com, Gold tells Chris Scull
what Moore means to him - and how he intends to ensure that Bobby's legacy
is never forgotten...
20 years on: David Gold, alongside Bobby's daughter Roberta and his two
grandchildren, at a memorial service this morning
David: thank you for taking the time to speak with us. What was it like for
you to watch Bobby from the terraces?
I can remember him in the early days when he first joined, when he started
to come through. Almost instantly you knew that this man was going to be a
star and of course, he was. Not many players do that; I remember Alan
Devonshire coming on the scene and in his first game thinking "wow, he's
going to be a star". Alvin Martin too - in that first 20 minutes I thought
the same.
Bobby was a superstar. All the others turned into stars but Bobby changed
into a superstar and it was just so exciting to see. The FA Cup in '64, the
Cup Winners' Cup in '65 and then we won the World Cup in '66 - fantastic
years.
We're all England fans come tournaments whether we support Millwall,
Charlton, Spurs or whoever, that is true. But somehow, because you had Hurst
in there, Peters in there but most of all the captain of England, it really
made you feel proud. You felt like it was an extension of West Ham.
In other words, when you stop watching your football team come the end of
May you go on and start watching the internationals and it's different. But
with Bobby Moore as the captain of England your football season lasted 12
months a year.
What are your particular memories of 1966?
My memories are of people like Antonio Rattín playing for Argentina when he
got sent off and we went on to win the game. It was more than just Bobby
Moore at that time, it was the fact that it was West Ham.
Hurst scored three goals, Moore was the captain and Peters scored as well -
it was just a very exciting time and remember, in those days you didn't see
tons of football on television. Here you were seeing a World Cup on
television - albeit in black and white - but it was really exciting.
It made you proud as well; not only were you proud because England were
doing well, you were proud because Bobby Moore was the England captain. My
West Ham hero was leading this amazing and exciting tournament.
Do you still retain that pride today? That Bobby Moore is still linked with
West Ham?
Every time you hear his name you think of those great times. Do you think of
the time we lost to Watford 1-0? No, it's gone - but you do remember all the
great events that he was involved in. He played for West Ham for 20 years
and I even remember when, in the 1975 FA Cup Final, he was captain of
Fulham. Somehow it was nice to see Bobby come out as their captain.
Bobby spent several years in the footballing wilderness after he stopped
playing. Do you think the FA and West Ham's previous owners let him down at
the time?
I think everyone let him down. I don't think it was just West Ham and the
FA, it was the public, the media. Bobby was extremely modest so he wasn't
somebody that would get on radio and television and tell a joke, or be one
of the chaps; he was a gentleman and a charming man. Today he would have
been a superstar, like a David Beckham. But in those days I'm afraid he fell
through the cracks, which is very, very sad.
I remember when he was really down, which is when he came to work for our
newspaper at Sport Newspapers. We were thrilled to have him - even if it was
just for personal reasons! Not only is he my England hero but he's my West
Ham hero, so I was very fortunate in meeting such an iconic figure and have
him working for our company. It was wonderful.
There he was - this very gentle, very modest man. Apart from us, I think
everybody treated him poorly.
So it was a bit of a dream come true for you to sign him for The Sport?
Yes. I don't want to be too sycophantic because I'm an elderly person, but
it's still wonderful to be able to say I met Bobby Moore! I shook his hand,
I had a cup of coffee with him and we chatted about old times. How many
people can say they've done that with such an iconic figure? I think I was
very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. One, it was
pleasurable for me but two, when I look back it was nice to have done
something for a nice man.
He didn't go to the Times, he didn't go to the Sun and he didn't go to the
Mirror - and the reason he didn't was because nobody really wanted Bobby
Moore for his talent as a pundit.
Why do you think that was? Why do you think he was unable to get that job?
If you go back and look at history it wasn't the done thing in those days.
If you think of all the great stars of that time, they only emerged later
on. I can't think of many footballers that became radio stars, television
stars or like Trevor Brooking is today, on the FA. Even today, apart from
Trevor and one or two others there aren't many brought in from the
footballing world.
Do you remember much about the tributes when he died?
I don't think that he was honoured highly enough. The tributes were fine, at
the time it seemed to be ok. It's when I look back that I don't think enough
was done and that's why we're trying now to ensure that all of the
shortcomings of the past are corrected. That's what driving us at this time.
Ok, there is a stand named after him and there's a statue across the road so
from that point of view you could argue that lots has been done. You could
argue that we shouldn't feel that we've let him down in any way - but
somehow I feel we have.
After his death I felt that he was honoured in that sense; the statue at
Wembley, for example - fantastic, there's no other captain there. He is
unquestionably the man most honoured in that sense. I just think that he
wasn't respected enough after his playing time until he died, that's where I
think the weakness was.
But why do you think that was? Why do you think he wasn't knighted?
I really am not sure. I can't understand why he didn't receive more than the
OBE but it was very skinny, wasn't it. Today there's absolutely no doubt
that a captain of England would be knighted if he won the World Cup. But at
the time I just think it was under done. West Ham should have done more
during his lifetime.
Although much was done after his death I think that was disappointing. I'd
have liked to have seen more done after he finished his football career
until he died.
Let's pretend Bobby was still alive now. Would you give him a role at the
club?
I'm sure. I think he would be a fantastic ambassador. Sadly he's been dead
for 20 years but in that time the Premier League and football in England has
grown hugely and I think that we would have all woken up to the fact that
here was a special individual and I think eventually people would have
realised "wow, this is a special man".
At the time of his death he was, if you like, in obscurity wasn't he? He was
working for the Sport but you never saw him on TV, he wasn't doing the
circuit. Today there'd have been 50 people trying to persuade him to do all
kinds of things that would have raised his profile and I think that would
have changed his life.
We know you want to right a wrong in terms of the tributes; what have you
got planned for tomorrow's [Monday's] game against Tottenham?
Lots of things are going to be happening and we won't leave a stone unturned
to make sure that he's honoured in every way. Obviously you've only got a
short period of time on match day but this will go on, there's lots of other
activities in terms of honouring him. So I'm quite excited, looking forward
to it and I'm sure the fans will be delighted by the activities.
* Extracts from this interview may also be heard in Episode 3 of the
KUMB.com Podcast - a Bobby Moore special.
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West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 24th February 2013
By: Preview Percy
Hello are you still here? It's so long since I had to write one of these
Arsenal may have still been in with a chance of a trophy. Well perhaps not
that long ago but it's still been an age.
Next we play host to the repository of limited intellect that is Tottenham
Hotspur. It's a Sky game so kick-off will be at 20:00 hrs GMT (that's 8pm if
you're a Spurs supporter). Being a Monday there are no planned engineering
works so you'll just have all the usual peak hour transport hassles to cope
with.
The visitors currently sit in 4th spot with 48 points from 44 games. That's
4 points above the other club in North London. Their last six league games
have provided them with three wins (3-1 at home to Reading, 1-0 away at West
Brom and 2-1 at home to the Geordies) and three draws (0-0 at QPR, 1-1 at
home to Moan Utd and 1-1 at Norwich).In amongst all that they've beaten
Coventry and lost to Leeds in the Cup and, in midweek, just managed to sneak
past Lyons in that cup that they'll be ridiculing if it's the only thing
Arsenal qualify for next season
Their position in the league is directly linked to the form of man of the
moment Gareth Bale. He's a fine player but does himself no favours with his
diving antics. Watching him pick up a deserved yellow the other week he then
had the bare-faced cheek to deny the dive in his post-match interview. For
the record if contact from a defender isn't enough to knock you over but you
go down anyway that's a dive. We'll have none of this "if he feels a touch
he has a right to go down" nonsense. Of course his antics won't cause any
shame to the Spurs faithful who, by definition, are incapable of
embarrassment in any case.
,Bale has been the only Spurs player to find the net in their last three
league matches, netting four times in that period. We can therefore assume
that he is pretty happy with life at the moment which begs the question:
"what does he actually sound like when he really is about to burst into
tears?"
They did a shrewd piece of business during the window, picking up Lewis
Holtby from Schalke for anything between £0-£1.5m depending on your source.
Holtby is half English, half German which makes him something like 157th in
line to the throne, probably. He's now been capped at competitive level by
the Germans, which has ended any chance of his wearing the three lions.
Still, on the bright side, it means that there is probably one person in the
German squad who is capable of missing a penalty when we play them in the
next World Cup.
The other bit of business they did was to bring in left back Ezeikel "Zeki"
Fryers, who went into the development squad. Despite the exotic name, and
despite his arrival from Standard Liege, Fryers is in fact English and hails
from Manchester – and therein lies a problem. Fryers is a product of the
Moan Utd academy and, although his contract was up at the end of last
summer, a compensatory fee would have been payable to any English club
taking the player on. The player spent the summer training with Spurs, but
when it came to sitting down and talking cash the Salford lot asked for £6m.
That seems a lot to me for a kid that you've offered £1,500 a week.
Tottenham agreed and didn't go through with the transfer. Fryers moved to
Standard Liege, who not being an English club, weren't obliged to pay
Fergie's whingers a penny. Well there has to be some benefit in being
Belgian I suppose. Fryers lasted until January before homesickness and the
sacking of Standard's manager got the better of him. Strange that a lad from
Manchester couldn't settle in a place where chips are the national dish.
Spurs stepped in and picked up the player for half of what Fergie was
asking. Fergie cried foul but made no formal complaint, presumably on the
grounds that, technically anyway, Spurs did nothing wrong. I mean it's not
like they paid and gave instructions to a player that was registered with
another club unlike some I could mention, eh Fergie?
One player who is likely to be missing from the visiting squad is Jermain
Defoe. Defoe damaged ankle ligaments against West Brom and, despite
optimistic managerial noises, he has yet to resume full training apparently.
Striking duties will fall between cowboy actor Clint Dempsey – who has an
irritatingly decent record against us – and the Togoan Emanuel Adabeyor.
Adebayor didn't exactly endear himself to the club by taking 5 days to get
back from South Africa where he took part in the African Cuppasoup. Now I've
been to South Africa – the Avram Grant Rest Home for the Bewildered used to
run occasional exchange trips to its sister establishment in Johannesburg
(The Eugene Terreblanche Harmony Homestead) until they discovered it the
trips were a front for getting rid of all the cheap mince before the health
inspectors came round – and I'm pretty sure that the flight was something
like 13 hours long, so 5 days did seem a bit excessive.
Of course we should spare a thought for poor old Scott Parker. We of course
remember him when he was good but having sold him once he was past his best
it was rather sad to see him giving the ball away to the French with
monotonous regularity the other night. Still his Hammer of the Year awards
must be some sort of consolation to him as he sees out the twilight years of
his career in reduced circumstances.
And so to us. Villa was a complete mess and yet again one can only look at
the mindset that we seem to adopt on the road. There was a team short on
confidence whose home form was appalling and we set ourselves up once more
as if we were after the draw. Baffling. I'm also beginning to tire of the
"if only we'd scored more goals than them we'd have won" comments from the
management that seem to follow each reverse. If my granny had wheels she'd
be a skateboard.
Still this time last year we went to Dubai and only lost once more that
season so maybe the trip abroad will have warmed the blood a little. I will
admit to feeling a slight unease at the choice of venue for the warm weather
training, remembering how they wouldn't grant Benayoun and Katan entry visas
when we went there a few years ago. There must be decent warm climes
available elsewhere where the hosts don't discriminate against certain
nationalities.
There is relatively good team news to report. Joey O'Brien is back in
training after coming off at Villa. George McCartney is said to be nearing a
return from his knee injury – he allegedly faces a late fitness test –
whilst James Collins is not far behind Linda in the recovery stakes, though
realistically it may just be a week too soon for the pair.
Left back has been a bit of a worry, though I'd have to be on the verge of a
panic attack before I'd be convinced that Ricardo Gardner might be the
answer to those worries. Some sources suggest that Gardner has been on trial
at the club whilst the quasi-official tweets of Sullivan Junior claim that
the player has simply been training with us to keep himself fit between
clubs. I've no reason to doubt young Mr Sullivan, though the player's
reported appearance for the development squad would seem to suggest there's
more than helping out an old friend on the agenda.
The return of Maiga from the Cuppasoup means there are no fewer than five
strikers available, if you include Welly Paulista who has been on target a
few times in the stiffs. However, comments from the club whenever his name
is mentioned suggest that they still consider the Brazilian to be a work in
progress rather than a realistic option for the first XI at this time.
One player we will be able to call on, albeit indirectly, is Bobby Moore
OBE. This match is the closest to the 20th anniversary of the great man's
passing and, if you haven't already done so, I can recommend a listen to the
wireless thingy that this website has put together which has contributions
from all sorts of people (I believe he means the kumb.com podcast – Ed). On
Monday night the club has all sorts of stuff planned. There will therefore
be a uniquely West Ham sort of atmosphere in the ground – something that
will go some way to countering the fact that in the away end football's
thickest group of supporters will see the match as a cup final. Meanwhile,
on the subject of Bobby one can only weep at the general decline in
standards that has seen the likes of Terry & Gerrard considered to be
suitable heirs to the position of England captain.
Back to the match and we are a different team at home. We don't always get
what we deserve mind – QPR and Liverpool are two matches where we've
outplayed average opposition with little reward for example. For this match,
Bale is wasting the form of his life with Spurs at the moment and keeping
him quiet will be the key. No doubt Mr Allardyce has some sort of scientific
analysis prepared – I just hope that the players are up to the job.
The form book suggests that this'll be a difficult one to get anything from.
However I remember playing at Forest just after the demise of Brian Clough
and the atmosphere carried them to an unlikely win. So I reckon that a
combination of home advantage and the Bobby Moore effect might just be
enough to overturn the form book. I'll therefore be placing the proceeds of
the Avram Grant Rest Home For The Bewildered's fund-rasing sales of
"Pistorius Bladerunner" T-Shirts (£2.50) on a 2-1 home win in the hope that
both crowd and players can do Bobby proud.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met the Boleyn Boleyn (September 2010) The apparently MLS-bound
Piquionne nodded home from a decent Noble corner to secure all three points.
Two collectors' items for the price of one then.
Referee: Howard Webb. Past it and a return to pounding the beat with the
South Yorkshire plod is probably overdue. At a FIFA conference he spoke out
about the need to clamp down on "simulation" amongst players. Let's see how
he deals with Bale.
Danger Man:Gareth "Christian" Bale – he's their main goal threat at the
moment either from open play or from dubiously-won free-kicks. This will
probably be his last time at the Boleyn for a few years as he'll no doubt be
off somewhere bigger in the summer. Barcelona has been mentioned though even
FC Chernobyl would be an improvement in surroundings.
Daft Fact Of The Week: Thousands of homes in the Tottenham area, even the
few without wheels on them, miraculously received state of the art tv sets
after the riots a few years ago. Unfortunately the instructions are far too
complicated for the average Spurs fan, many of whom have yet to work out how
to get the sets out of the box.
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Viva Bobby Moore: Brian Dear
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 24th February 2013
By: Chris Scull
Brian Dear grew up with Bobby Moore and played alongside him in West Ham's
greatest ever triumph - the 1965 Cup Winners' Cup Final win over 1860
Munich.
In our exclusive interview, Dear tells us what it was like playing alongside
Moore at West Ham during the 1960s. Firing the questions on behalf of
KUMB.com was Chris Scull...
Simply the Best: West Ham's 1965 Cup Winner's Cup team featuring Dear and
Moore
Brian: thank you for agreeing to talk to us. There's a whole generation of
people who never saw Bobby play. Can you explain why so many regard him as
the greatest defender who ever lived?
I don't know if everybody regards him as the greatest defender who ever
lived but certainly in the last 30, 40 years of English football - maybe
even longer - he was the best defender we had. I think he was revered as
well by lots of players on the continent; people like Pele and Beckenbauer,
those type of people.
He was a pleasure to play with and as you know he wasn't the quickest player
in the world or the greatest header of the ball, everybody always says that.
However his brain was a little bit better than everybody else's and his
positional sense was fantastic whilst the tackles he made were very
decisive.
He was just a natural for that position. Whether he would be as good these
days, because football's changed so much, I don't know. They don't have left
halfs, centre halfs and right halfs, they have four across the back. But I'm
sure he would have coped ok, he was a fantastic player.
What was he like as a captain?
He wasn't very vociferous, he really just captained the side with his
leadership - he led by the way he played. He was encouraging; he never
moaned and groaned at players as he always felt they'd done their best.
Sometimes your best wasn't good enough but if there was a meeting or
dressing room parley he was always very good. If he was asked a question his
answer would always be "they've done their best and sometimes their best
isn't good enough". He really just led by example with the way he played and
the way he conducted himself.
You were both good friends, was he a good drinking partner too?
He was a great pal. When it was time to relax he was good fun. He wasn't a
drunk or whatever but he enjoyed a beer and that's what we did socially. We
didn't have all the things that go on now in football. These days it's
commercially driven and the players have image rights - we were more for the
fans, we just went where they went.
In this day and age footballers go to places that most people can't get near
because of the massive money they earn but we were just basically working
boys. Our wages were good but nothing compared to today's money so when we
used to go to places it was local pubs, the Ilford Palais or a club
somewhere. There were no problems with people.
But there was a problem the night before the FA Cup tie with Blackpool?
Oh, Blackpool!
What was the story there?
Nothing much, really. We were just having a meal in the hotel then had a
bowl up the road to Brian London's club to have a couple of beers. I don't
suppose it was the best thing in the world to do but we weren't reeling
around drunk. We were just in the right place at the wrong time - or the
wrong place at the right time! We got hammered and although I didn't play in
the game, I was there. You know, you have to take the pill and suffer the
consequences. There's a lot worse goes on these days!
Oh, definitely! What are your memories of Bobby in the 1965 Cup Winners' Cup
Final? What was Bobby like, did he settle the team beforehand?
It was a big occasion. It's very difficult to explain these things because
you don't really remember too much of what happened at the time, but I do
remember he came round and asked how I was feeling. I'd only played in five
of the nine ties we played in the competition but I said "yeah, I'm ok, not
too bad".
He replied, "look, come out behind me, you'll be alright - plus the fact
you'll get your photo taken if you walk behind me!" He was quite a funny
bastard at times. That photo I've got of us walking out is probably the best
football photo I've got. It was a big night, a big stadium - 100,000 people.
Not that I was worried or afraid about what was going to happen, but Bobby
just made it a little bit better.
What can you remember about the celebrations that followed the game?
We didn't do anything! We went upstairs, had some sandwiches and a few beers
with our wives then got on the coach and went home via the ground.
Was that Ron Greenwood's idea?
No, that's just what it was like then - there was no fuss. The media make a
fuss out of everything now, don't they? Everything's pumped up. It was even
the same with [the] 1966 [World Cup Final] - they just went back to a hotel
in London and went on the balcony. Some of the wives were there and some had
a bit of grub afterwards. Their wives weren't even invited to have a meal
with them so they had to sit in an anteroom and have something to eat. I
know Martin Peters never went anyway, he just went to bed!
What was it like after 1966 with Bobby and the other World Cup winners
coming back to West Ham? Did they present bigger egos or were they any
different?
No, never. In fact, I've said to people loads of times that when they used
to go off and play in the national games they'd go off after a game on
Saturday, play on a Wednesday then come back [and play again the following
weekend]. There were no big time Charlies. Not just our club but all clubs,
the lads all got on very well. We didn't have many foreign players and there
were no little cliques, we were all friends and mates.
We used to go round one another's houses in the afternoon when we all lived
in Hornchurch and had a cup of tea or whatever. We used to have lots of
parties and all our kids grew up together. We still see one another, those
who are around. I'm 70 this year so I'm going to have a little function and
invite the boys, those who are around and want to come.
We're old boys now, aren't we - and I was one of the younger ones! Martin;
Johnny Sissons; [Ken] Brownie is 75, 76 years old now. And Peter Brabrook.
We're old fogies! There's teams at West Ham who never won anything and
they're legends; I don't know how you become a legend without winning
anything, but there you go!
You worked with Bobby down at Southend; what was he like as a manager?
Bob was involved in the Hope Hotel on the seafront with Patsy and Jimmy
Quill - a couple of lads who had some pubs in London. They had the Blind
Beggar and a pub in Stratford and they had this one down here, so I came and
looked after it. Bobby was manager of Southend but lived with me in the pub,
it was his pub. I think he was there for two or three years.
I used to go to the games then and used to see him quite a bit from being in
the pub. Harry Cripps and Jack Burkett went with him to Southend and I went
there afterwards. There were a few West Ham lads there; Frank Lampard and
Paul Brush went but he wasn't the greatest manager in the world, Bob. But
not all great players are good managers, are they?
I don't think Mourinho or Boaz played too much football; some of them were
just average players who were better coaches and managers than they were
players. Bobby Charlton tried it, Martin Peters tried it and Hursty was
manager at Chelsea one time. He went with Ron Greenwood to England. But they
never lasted long; Jack Charlton was probably the only one of that [1966]
team who really did any good.
Alan Ball and Nobby Stiles tried it as well, they all had a go but it was
different then and they're all still doing things now, all those lads. Until
we win anything again they're still big time, aren't they! It'll be 50 years
soon - and in two years' time, 50 years since we won the Cup Winners' Cup.
They'll never win it again, West Ham - never again. They were very
unfortunate to lose in the Final against Anderlecht [in 1976] which was a
shame, because they were a decent side then. But you've got to win on the
day and we did, with 11 Englishmen. God knows what Mooro would think now
when you've got 70 per cent foreign players in your side - and people wonder
why we don't win anything! Kids these days just don't get the chance.
When you look at the World Cup side you had Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters
who were 22/23 - Alan Ball was even younger - and Bobby was only 24 years
old. They were a young side but at the time, everyone had a chance to make
their mark. It's difficult now.
Take football now. If you look back to the '60s and '70s, the England side
very rarely changed. Now people get one cap and you never hear of them
again. I don't think the honour is there with internationals now, but if Bob
had been around I think he'd have had around 150 caps! 25 per cent of the
games they play these days are friendlies, they never played as many
friendlies as they do now. But it's a cash cow, everything in sport is
money-orientated now so it suffers a bit.
Talking of honours, Bobby has been honoured a lot more since he died - a
statue outside of Wembley, a stand at Upton Park; what changed for him to
get all these honours that he didn't get in his lifetime?
God knows, I supposed they felt a bit embarrassed. Look how long the boys
who were in the England squad had to wait to get an MBE - 30, 35 years
afterwards for Greavesie and the other lads in the squad. I went to the
unveiling of the statue at Wembley, it was an amazing day, unbelievable.
Do you think it's a fitting tribute?
Oh, yeah. Well no-one else is going to get one there, are they - there's no
room!
When you walk out of Wembley Park station, as you walk down to the ground,
it's there in front of you. At the time it was commissioned, the sculptor
[Philip Jackson] looked out from the station and said that the size they
wanted was no good, it wasn't big enough. It needed to be twice the size and
I don't think Wembley could afford it at the time, but they found the money
in the end.
The statue at Upton Park was funded by Newham Council, hence why it's not in
the ground at the Boleyn. But yeah, most things come your way after you've
gone, don't they! When you see footballers now getting knighthoods and
goodness knows what, if anyone deserved one it was him. But it wasn't to be.
Do you remember the last time you saw Bob?
Yes. The last time was at a football match at Tottenham.
Did you have a chance to say goodbye at all?
Well you can't say goodbye to someone when you don't know they're going to
die. He treated the illness with contempt and just got about his business.
Never made any fuss, very dignified and when the end came I think he was
where he wanted to be, at home. His kids and Steph were there and that was
about the size of it.
Things still go on for him, don't they - the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer
Research has made millions and still makes money, there's something going on
all the time. She works tirelessly Stephanie, raising money. So his legacy's
always there. 20 years now...
And you're still quite friendly with Stephanie?
Yeah, I see Steph quite a lot, I speak to her all the time.
Well thanks for talking to us, Brian. We've been fortunate to get plenty of
former acquaintances to speak to us this week, people like Harry Redknapp...
Well Harry was in America, wasn't he. When Bob took over as manager of
Oxford he brought Harry back - but Harry didn't know it was Oxford City, not
Oxford United and Oxford City were in the Ryman League! But it started Harry
off in his managerial career, didn't it!
* Extracts from this interview may also be heard in Episode 3 of the
KUMB.com Podcast - a Bobby Moore special.
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Viva Bobby Moore: Paul Walker
KUMb.com
Filed: Sunday, 24th February 2013
By: Paul Walker
KUMB columnist Paul Walker was lucky enough to meet his hero, Bobby Moore,
on three occasions...
I'm one of the lucky ones - I saw Bobby Moore play. Not just once, or twice,
but hundreds and hundreds of times. And for my club.
It's hard to believe that he passed away 20 years ago today. It reminds me
just how old I am getting too. For this was the footballer, not just any
footballer but the best defender England has ever produced, who dominated my
life way back then in the '60s. And now, too.
I suppose Moore has always been in my head, every day. I only have to look
around my office to see five books about him and his life, pictures of our
great side of the '60s, and an old framed picture of what the Boleyn used to
look like.
I feel I am writing this piece on behalf of the many thousands of old-time
Hammers fans who like me were so proud that this local boy was captain of
our club, captain of England and the man we all idolised.
To say I was chuffed when Graeme Howlett, the KUMB editor, asked me to write
something about Moore this week, was an understatement. I've covered half a
dozen European finals, World Cups, European championships and hundreds of
top games in a long - now ended - journalistic career. But nothing compares
to the sheer joy and pride I felt when Bobby Moore was in my team.
The young lads I watch West Ham with now are half my age and have only
fleeting memories of the man. I probably bore them with boozy chatter about
the good old days. Their memories are from film of the World Cup Final and
England, and maybe our great finals of '75 and '80. The rest comes from old
pictures and scrapbooks.
It's hard to explain just how good he was, just how important he was to East
London and our club. I was lucky, he was eight years older than me and had
just been made captain by Ron Greenwood when my teenage years started.
I remember how proud I was of him when he was selected for the 1962 World
Cup squad in Chile by Walter Winterbottom. I'd watched his formative years
slowly making his progress into our first team. A couple of years learning
his craft, he made just five appearances in his debut season, '58-'59. But
Matt Busby was full of praise for him on his debut, and that says it all.
It wasn't until October the following season that he made much more impact,
but he made our winner for Malcolm Musgrove at Everton on October 17. The
next two seasons he made 42 and 44 appearances respectively. A star was
born. And at 21 Greenwood made him our captain, and his England debut came
in the build-up to the '62 World Cup Finals, playing in a friendly against
Peru in Lima. He did so well that he stayed in the side through the finals
in Chile.
People tend to forget that 1966 in England was, in fact, Moore's second
World Cup Finals, and he was still only 25.
The swingin' sixties were just getting into their stride, my music culture
was being taken care of by the Beatles and the Stones, plus the wonderful
Motown and soul stars from the States. My football education, and heritage,
was being written by Bobby Moore and the rest of our heroes of the past.
But it was his club football that really inspired me. I was watching
virtually every Irons home game by now, queuing at midday to get into the
ground, squeezing into the swaying Chicken Run.
It didn't matter that we were as unpredictable as the weather and were prone
to suffering terrible defeats. We had Bobby, captain of England, so you
could stick your Spurs, Arsenals, Liverpools and Manchester Uniteds.
1964,'65 and '66, came and went. We won the FA Cup, the European Cup
Winners' Cup and the World Cup, by which time I was 17, having the time of
my life and believed that the world would always be like this. We all now
know it wasn't, but we still had Bobby Moore.
My sons have suffered my ramblings about Moore, Hurst and Peters. But
however hard they try, they've no real idea of what I'm talking about. West
Ham were playing wonderful football and England were virtually unbeatable.
Not quite the same now!
Even this week that was underlined, when the excellent Ex magazine dropped
through the letterbox with a wonderful little DVD of Geoff Hurst's six goals
against Sunderland in 1968. I watched it initially with tears in my eyes,
the old ground, packed South and North Banks and those square goalposts that
almost touched the terrace walls.
I made my lad watch it that evening. He understands about Moore and his old
man's obsession. But seeing the great man playing made him sit up. 'What's
the number six doing on the right wing?' was a telling remark. Central
defenders don't do that. Well Moore did. The dvd was supposed to be about
Hurst. But Moore scored a 30 yard free-kick that day and helped set-up goals
and clever passing moves deep into Sunderland's half.
It showed, just fleetingly, what Moore was really about. He could do
anything. He dominated games from back to front.
I make no excused for being star-struck. I actually spoke to him three
times. All are so fresh in the mind. Firstly when he came to sit on the
Chicken Run wall waiting to take a throw-in, right next to me. We were
losing and someone was getting treatment. I plucked up the courage to say '
come on Bobby, get this lot sorted out.' He looked down at this kid and
smiled one of those knowing looks grown-ups do. He was saying he wasn't
superman! Well he was in my book.
Then in my working career in Birmingham on the local sports Argus, Moore
came to town to promote Escape to Victory, and we were giving away tickets
for the show. I badgered my boss to let me go to meet him. I was probably
more tongue-tied then than when I was as kid in the Chicken Run. But I still
have the photo of the two of us waving free cinema tickets for the camera.
Hero worship doesn't even cover it.
The third time was during the 90-91 promotion season, and Moore was working
in the press box at Oldham, the game was a 1-1 draw and they just pipped us
for the title. I ushered my lads up to the press area at the end, determined
they would meet the great man. I mumbled something about wanting my sons to
meet the best player I had ever seen. He must have had that a million times,
but he was kind and polite, and signed their autographs.
But he looked poorly even then. I felt sad afterwards, even the boys could
see he wasn't well. That was the last time I saw him before he died two
years later. These are just little tales of an ordinary fan, I'm sure you
all have similar memories, equally treasured.
I know I had seen the best of him for more than a decade and a half at my
club. The picture is still in my mind, Tall, elegant Moore in that beautiful
kit of white socks, white shorts and the round-necked long sleeved shirt
without a badge or any hint of a sponsors name.
People talk of the '64, '65, '66 era as the best. But I saw far more of the
late 60s side, the one that never won a raffle but still produce amazing
football. And I got thinking of what was the best West Ham team.
And that brings me back to the '68 match against Sunderland. That team had
Moore, Peters, Hurst, Bonds and Brooking in it. Plus John Sissons and Harry
Redknapp.
It was two eras colliding. From the debuts of Bonds and Brooking, within
weeks of each other in 1967, we had just three years of our five greatest
modern day players performing in the same team, up until when Peters was the
first of the World Cup heroes to leave in 1970.
Hurst was next in 72 and Moore battled on until 1974. The last time that
famous five played together in a West Ham side was against Coventry, a
defeat, in February 1970. We will never see their like again.
That '67 to '70 side was the best in my eyes. And when Moore left in '74,
the days of real glory had gone. His first game was against Manchester
United in '59, his last the 1-1 home FA Cup draw against Hereford in January
'74.His last league game for the Irons was a 4-2 home win over Norwich on
New Year's Day, '74.
When he finally left for Fulham in March 1974, the football world as I'd
known it, came to an end. A couple of years earlier Moore had figured in
that famous League Cup semi-final, four matches against Stoke - I saw them
all - and that memorable penalty save from Micky Barnard at Old Trafford
when we finally lost to the Potters.
I am sad to admit now I left that game five minutes early, I couldn't bear
to watch them celebrate after we had got so close to Wembley (all Geoff
Hurst had to do was beat Gordon Banks from the penalty spot in the
second-leg and we'd had done it. I recall driving back across London that
night with my kid brother, neither of us spoke the entire journey.)
All these pictures are still so vivid in my mind. None more so than Moore.
My age-group cherish memories, the younger fans just have the legend. And
maybe our club failed to treat him properly when he had left and finally
ended his playing career.
Many have a few about all that, but just for now as the 20th anniversary of
his passing nears, old hands like me just know he was the best and just
being there when he was our leader, our hero, is something that will never
die.
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Premier League: West Ham's Winston Reid is happy he chose to stay with the
club
Last Updated: February 24, 2013 1:14pm
SSN
West Ham defender Winston Reid admitted he considered leaving West Ham
before Sam Allardyce's arrival, but is pleased he opted to stay at the club.
The New Zealander has been a mainstay in the Hammers' line-up this season,
but after starting his career in England as a makeshift right-back, a
position he admits he is far from comfortable in, he became disillusioned
with life in England. "I'd never played right-back in my life," he told the
Sunday Times. "I thought, I have got myself into this situation, but it is
upto me to get myself out of it." It took a chat with Hammers boss Sam
Allardyce when he took the job to persuade the Kiwi that Upton Park was the
right place for him to ply his trade. "When Sam Allardyce arrived we sat
down to talk. After that, it felt good, I felt wanted, and wanted to stay,"
he added. The former Bolton boss has come under criticism of late from
certain sections of the Hammers faithful as a result of their recent dip in
form after an impressive start to the season, but Reid has nothing but good
things to say about his manager. "He's great and wants things done properly
on the pitch," he added. "Off it, he's given me a few kicks up the backside
but he is really funny, he makes us all laugh."
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Football is a Funny Old Game!
By S J Chandos About 5 hours ago 2 comments
West Ham Till I Die
As the great striker, turned media pundit, Jimmy Greaves used to say, 'its a
funny old game.' And it is a game where results do not always go the way
that is expected. As Hammers supporters, we can all recall a legion of
matches where West Ham won against the odds, whether it was defeating Man
Utd 3-1 in the 1964 FA Cup Semi-Final at Hillsborough; overcoming mighty
Leeds Utd 0-1 in a 1972 LC tie at Elland Road; beating Arsenal 1-0 in the
1980 FA Cup Final; destroying Spurs 0-4 at White Hart Lane in 1981; beating
Dalgish's Liverpool by 4 goals in a 1988 LC tie; defeating prospective
champions, Blackburn Rovers 2-0 in 1995; beating Man Utd 0-1 in the famous
2000-01 'Di Canio' FA Cup tie; and winning 'mission impossible' PL away
matches against Arsenal 0-1 & Man Utd 0-1 in the 'greatest escape' season of
2006-07. These are just a few examples of West Ham sides beating the odds to
endure and there are many more. Not least, the 3-1 home defeat of Chelsea
this season.
It is worth remembering that before that victory over Chelsea, there was a
distinct air of doom and gloom about our chances not only amongst the
pundits, but also on Hammers fans websites. I remember fans fearing a 0-5
trouncing ahead of the match. Sound familiar? It should, because there seems
to be a similiar view prevalent ahead of the Spurs match. Well, no one is
under-estimating the scale of the challenge posed by this Spurs team, they
are a very good attacking unit. But they are not unbeatable and, if West Ham
play to their strengths then we have a chance of getting a result. Yes, the
performance was worrying last time out at Villa, but this is a different
match and hopefully the manager and the squad have used the extended break
to try to sort out a few issues on the training ground.
We know that the probability is that Sam Allardyce will set our stall out in
a da facto 4-5-1 to contain Spurs attacking threat and seek to carve out
chances via long balls in to Carroll and set peices. The problem, of course,
is that this caution could play in to Spurs' hands. The best form of defence
is attack and the surest way to neutralise the threat of players like Bale
is, basically, to force them to defend. I would love to see West Ham set up
to attack down the flanks and get good quality balls in to Andy Carroll.
Indeed, Carroll is our best weapon against the Spurs defence, his physical
power and ability in the air can unsettle and punish the Spurs back four.
Similarly, this is a match where Matt Jarvis can justify his £10m price tag.
He has the pace, ability on the ball and delivery in the box to make a
decisive contribution in this match. Jarvis has shown flashes of his abiliy,
this would be a good match to demonstrate it, convincingly, for a whole 90
minutes (Sam Allardyce's team selection allowing?).
Similarly, Kevin Nolan has had a dip in form in recent matches and he needs
to recover his early season form. We need him sharp in the final third and
getting on the second phase balls, off Andy Carroll. How they line up to
deal with Bale down the left flank will be very interesting? Who plays at
right-back, is it Demel or O'Brien? Will O'Neill be selected wide, on the
right, to try to cover the right-back and attempt to neutralise Bale's
powerful forward runs? Who will play at left-back? McCartney is back in
training, but lacks match fitness. Will O'Brien or Pogatetz be deployed in
an auxillary left-back role or might Danny Potts get the nod to counter the
danger posed by Lennon down the right flank? At centre-back, Collins is fit
and it is a fair bet that he will start, if so, does that mean that Tomkins
might start in a defensive midfield role? Midfield will be a key battle area
and there will be an emphasis upon Noble and Diame gaining the ascendency
over their Spurs counter-parts.
Obviously, Allardyce needs to set our stall out to deal with Spurs attacking
threat. But we also need to ensure that we play to our strengths and ask
plenty of questions of Spurs right from the kick off. Indeed, many fans seem
so pre-occupied with Spurs and their attacking potency, that they have
tended to forget about the threat we can pose them. We need not be 'lambs to
the slaughter' as some think, but rather show that we have 'teeth' as well.
It should be added that football is not just physical, it is also deeply
psychological. Teams can raise their performance levels significantly if
commitment and drive aligns to ability. With the emotion arising from the
20th anniversary of Bobby Moore's death, hopefully this will transmit itself
to the players and have an outlet via their performance on the pitch.
As stated previously, a draw would be a good result, but if the team have
'their tails up' then we might be able to swing a 2-1 victory. But to do
that the team need to give 110%. It is, indeed, a 'funny old game' and lets
hope that its proves to be so, once again, this evening.
As a post-script, the club have asked fans to be in their seats by 7.30pm
for the start of the pre-match commemoration of the anniversary of Bobby
Moore's death/celebration of his life and achievements. Bobby Moore was a
player, defender and captain without parallel. I feel honoured to have seen
him play from 1967 onwards. Enjoy the commememoration/celebration of the
life of the greatest player ever to wear the claret and blue of West Ham Utd
FC and the Three Lions of England. And just hope that the occasion provides
a suitable platform for the team to produce a positive performance/result
that serve as a fitting tribute to the great man.
SJ. Chandos.
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THREEAS-BOAS
The Sun
By PAT SHEEHAN
Published: 6 hrs ago
SAM ALLARDYCE insists Andre Villas-Boas must finish at least third to be
judged a success at White Hart Lane. West Ham manager Allardyce looks
comfortable in mid-table with 12 games to go but his opposite number at
Tottenham sits outside the club's target area of the top three. Villas-Boas
was brought in to replace Harry Redknapp as boss last summer with the brief
to get automatic qualification for next season's Champions League. And
Allardyce, whose side take on Spurs at Upton Park tonight, said: "They've
got to finish higher than fourth, haven't they? That's the pressure for him.
"Villas-Boas has done great taking over from Harry. But fourth is the same
as Harry. And you know what happens in football — they'll say 'Oh, well
Harry done that'. "I think Tottenham are good enough to finish third or
fourth as long as they continue to keep the top players fit and don't pick
up too many injuries. "If they can do that, they've got a really good chance
of getting that third place."
AVB was sacked after just eight months at Chelsea when he failed to deliver.
He was also forced into embarrassing U-turns with the club's elder
statesmen.
Allardyce added: "He has probably learned an awful lot from his short time
at Chelsea. "He's probably seen and learnt from his bitter experience that
he obviously had. "It was the first time that things probably haven't gone
so well for him. And you can probably learn more in that period of time than
you can when things went as well as they did at Porto where he won the UEFA
Cup."
The Hammers will tonight be looking to avenge their defeat at White Hart
Lane in November when Tottenham were in a rich vein of form. Allardyce
admitted: "I was particularly impressed when we played them, their frontline
was outstanding. "He's inherited a fantastic squad of players and to be a
great manager you've got to have great players. "Without top players, you
can't produce the team that gets results which will make people say you're a
great manager. You can only be as good as your players. "I think they have
great players at Tottenham and they are really producing."
One of those players hitting top form is Gareth Bale. And many of Europe's
top clubs have put the winger at the top of their summer wishlists.
Allardyce believes there could be an auction for Bale when this campaign is
over. He said: "The world of football outside of this country might decide
his worth. "There might be somebody else from another country that decides
he could be the man, so that would inflate the price a little more. "I would
have thought that Tottenham would want nothing less than £40-50million."
Bale has 21 goals in all competitions this season and seven in his last six
games. But Hammers left-back Matthew Taylor has urged his team-mates to
concentrate on their own performance. He said: "The main thing for us on
Monday night is to worry about ourselves. "We understand that Tottenham have
got lots of fantastic players and they are a great team — but we're not bad
ourselves. "Everybody's talking about Gareth Bale because he's playing well
and scoring goals. "He's one of a number of players that we're going to try
to have to shackle to get a good result. "We've got to keep as close an eye
on those players as we can but also go and do our stuff when we get the
chance."
Spurs are flying after booking their place in the last 16 of the Europa
League last Thursday. Mousa Dembele's last-gasp strike earned a 1-1 draw at
Lyon and 3-2 win on aggregate. But Taylor is confident West Ham can overturn
their defeat earlier in the season and secure all three points. He said:
"They are on a high from the Europa League, so it's going to be difficult.
"It's a local derby and we want to overturn what was a disappointing result
at Tottenham. "Everyone's full of confidence and morale is high, so
hopefully we've got a good end to the season coming."
Tonight will see a minute's applause to mark the 20th anniversary of the
death of West Ham legend Bobby Moore. And Taylor believes the home fans will
have their part to play on a night that means a lot to everyone involved at
the club. He said: "I know it's an old adage but the fans can be the 12th
man. "I'd like to think they appreciate our efforts in every game. While we
might not always get the results we deserve, each and every player when they
pull the shirt on works 100 per cent for the team. "That'll be the case on
Monday night and hopefully the fans get right behind us."
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By Darren Witcoop
Any old Trotters? Allardyce eyeing West Ham move for defender Ricardo
Gardner
The Mirror
24 Feb 2013 22:30
Ricardo Gardner wants a short-term deal with old boss Sam Allardyce at Upton
Park. Jamaica international Gardner, 34, hopes to become the sixth ex-Bolton
player to be reunited with Allardyce at West Ham. Gardner, a free agent
after a 14-year spell with Bolton, is on trial and could fill the
troublesome left-back spot. George McCartney has been out since December
with a knee injury and is in danger of missing the rest of the season.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
David Sullivan and David Gold have written to supporters ahead of Monday
night's game against Spurs
24.02.2013
Dear Supporter,
Firstly, we would like to start by thanking you for your wonderful support
this season. With a total home attendance of over half-a-million already
this campaign, you have shown in your numbers, both at the Boleyn Ground and
away from home, a fantastic backing which is appreciated by everyone at the
club.
We host Tottenham Hotspur in a Barclays Premier League fixture on Monday
night, and alongside the prospect of a thrilling London derby, the club will
also be marking the 20th anniversary of the passing of the great Bobby
Moore.
It promises to be a memorable night under the Boleyn Ground lights, not
least because the team will be looking to keep their excellent run of home
form going - with the help of your backing from the stands.
The club is extremely proud of its work in supporting programmes that
promote tolerance and inclusion, and you will have seen more evidence of
that this
week as we push the message of the Football v Homophobia campaign.
West Ham United were one of the first professional football clubs to lend
its support to this important movement, and our work there sits alongside
our support of Kick it Out, Holocaust Memorial Day, Black History Month,
Inter-Faith Week and many other key initiatives.
We have had fantastic feedback from supporters who have praised the work we
have done. However, there are occasions when individuals still act an
inappropriate way and we have a simple zero-tolerance policy when those
isolated incidents do occur at matches at the Boleyn Ground.
Working with the Metropolitan Police, we will pursue the harshest sanctions
against any individual who goes against what we stand for as a club, and in
the rare case that you do see or hear anything you think in unacceptable,
there are a number of ways you can report the matter.
Two of the easiest ways are to speak to your nearest steward at the stadium
or use the Boleyn Ground's anonymous fan phone number - 07860 404 069 -
where all calls will be treated in the strictest of confidence.
Everyone at West Ham United is looking forward to Monday's visit of
Tottenham Hotspur. It should be a fantastic game of football, a wonderful
opportunity to remember Bobby Moore -the greatest player to don the famous
Claret and Blue - and a chance to show the world what being a Hammers fan is
all about - supporting with pride, passion and respect.
Come on you Irons!
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Hammers fans remember Bobby
WHUFC.com
Club mark 20th anniversary of Bobby Moore's death with wreath-laying service
24.02.2013
West Ham United supporters turned out in numbers on Sunday morning to mark
the 20th anniversary of Bobby Moore's death with a wreath-laying service at
the Boleyn Ground. Hammers Joint-Chairman David Gold was joined by Moore's
West Ham and England team-mate Martin Peters, Bobby's daughter Roberta and
granddaughters Poppy and Ava, Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales and club
chaplain Rev Alan Bolding, for a service at The Champions statue on Barking
Road. Hammers fans were invited to pay their respects in a moment of silence
while memories of the legendary Hammers captain were recounted.
Mr Gold told whufc.com: "It was a lovely service and it is an honour for us
all to remember Bobby today, on what is the 20th anniversary of his sad
passing.
"He was our England World Cup winning captain, but also more personally for
us all here at West Ham, a legend at our club and always will be. "It was
great to see so many West Ham fans turn out in what was bitterly cold
weather. But they wanted to pay their respects to a man who we hold very
dear at this club.
"Bobby will continue to be remembered at our club. There were many fans here
today who are too young to remember him or didn't see him play. I was one of
those fans who did see him play and have, like many others, my own special
memories of Bobby. "Greats are almost immortal and he is one of those
greats. I am quite sure that Bobby will be continued to be remembered for
another century and more. "We take our tributes into our game with Tottenham
Hotspur tomorrow. We will have Bobby's grandchildren leading the team out, a
minute's applause and much more. All of this is simply our way of paying our
respects to such an iconic footballer and man. One of the nicest men, who
had personality, charm and modesty and is legend in the game. "Tomorrow's
game will have it all for Bobby, as well as all the tributes, a bustling
London derby with a full crowd behind the team. I think it is just fitting
for him."
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Bobby Moore tributes at Monday's game
WHUFC.com
Take your seats early for the club's commemoration of Bobby Moore
24.02.2013
Supporters are asked to take their seats early at Monday's game against
Tottenham Hotspur for the pre-match tributes to Bobby Moore. The club are
marking the 20th anniversary of Bobby's passing at the game against Spurs,
with the build-up starting from 7.40pm. Tributes from current and former
Hammers players will be screened in the run-up to the game, while the team
will be playing in specially-embroidered shirts. A host of Moore's
contemporaries have been invited to attend as special guests of the club,
including fellow World Cup winners and West Ham team-mates Martin Peters and
Geoff Hurst, and five-times Hammer of the Year Sir Trevor Brooking. There
will be a minute's applause to remember Bobby and supporters in the Bobby
Moore Stand will also be invited to take part in displaying a special mosaic
depicting Moore's famous claret and blue No6 shirt, which was retired by the
club in August 2008 to mark the 50th anniversary of the defender's West Ham
debut. The Match is also one of this seasons designated Bobby Moore Fund
matches and the Fund will be the beneficiary of all charitable activity
carried out at this fixture. A special 100-page Official Programme is also
being produced for the occasion, including exclusive memories of Moore from
those who knew him best, on and off the pitch. Priced at £4, a donation of
50 pence from the sale of each programme will be made to the Bobby Moore
Fund for Cancer Research UK.
A bucket collection will also be held at the Boleyn Ground to allow
supporters to make their own personal donations to the charity founded in
Moore's memory devoted to fighting the disease that took his life. The West
Ham squad will also warm-up in Bobby Moore Fund T-shirts before kick-off to
create awareness for the charity and the first team players will sign the
shirts they play in on the night in order that they can be auctioned to
further boost the club's fundraising total for the charity.
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Taylor targeting big finish
WHUFC.com
Matt Taylor is confident West Ham United are on course to end the season on
a high
24.02.2013
Matt Taylor believes West Ham United are in prime position to enjoy a strong
finish to their Barclays Premier League campaign, starting with the
eagerly-awaited visit of Tottenham Hotspur. The Hammers welcome Spurs to the
Boleyn Ground with every reason to be confident, having collected seven
points out of the last possible nine in front of their own fans. While
Taylor acknowledges the threat posed by Andre Villas-Boas' men, the West Ham
winger insists he and his team-mates are concentrating on their own
performances, rather than obsessing about the opposition. "The main thing
for us on Monday night is to try and worry about ourselves," Taylor
explained. "We understand that Tottenham have got lots of fantastic players
and they are a great team but we're not bad ourselves! "It's a local derby
and we want to overturn what was a disappointing result at Tottenham.
Everybody at the club at the moment is in a positive frame of mind and in
good spirits and that for me is a fantastic thing. Everyone's full of
confidence and morale is high, so hopefully we've got a good end to the
season coming up."
If West Ham are to make amends for November's 3-1 reverse at White Hart
Lane, Taylor accepts it is going to require a collective effort from players
and fans alike. The 31-year-old is expecting a stirring atmosphere under the
lights at the Boleyn Ground and promises that he and his colleagues will
match the commitment from the stands. "We're at home and I'm sure it will be
a full house and the fans will get behind us. If we can emulate the
performances that we've produced against the top teams this season at Upton
Park then hopefully we'll get a good result. "The fans have local pride at
stake, as do we as players. Because football's a small world, even amongst
the players. The fans will get themselves up for it, I know it's an old
adage but they can be the 12th man. "I'd like to think they appreciate our
efforts in every game. While we might not always get the results we deserve,
each and every player when they pull the shirt on works 100 per cent for the
team .That'll be the case on Monday night and they'll get right behind us."
As for Monday's visitors, Taylor rubbished talk of Spurs being overly
reliant on the much-coveted Gareth Bale. The Welshman has notched six of
Tottenham's last seven goals, but West Ham's No14 reckons Bale is in
exceptional company. "Everybody's talking about Gareth Bale because he's
playing well and scoring goals. He's one of a number of players that we're
going to try to have shackle on Monday night to get a good result. They are
on a high now from the Europa League progression into the last 16, so it's
going to be a difficult game for us. "But I wouldn't want to suggest that
Tottenham are a one player team because they're not. They've got lots and
lots of exceptional players and we've got make sure that we keep as close an
eye on those players as we can. But also go and do our stuff as and when we
get the chance."
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West Ham v Tottenham
BBC.co.uk
KO 20:00
24 February 2013
Last updated at 12:34
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Monday, 25 February
West Ham defenders James Collins and Joey O'Brien have returned to training
and are in contention to play Tottenham at Upton Park. Collins has been out
because of a hamstring injury, while O'Brien was sidelined with a thigh
problem.
Tottenham keeper Hugo Lloris is in line to return after being on the bench
for Thursday's Europa League draw at Lyon. Striker Jermain Defoe (ankle),
Younes Kaboul, Sandro and Tom Huddlestone (all knee) are unavailable.
MATCH PREVIEW
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has hinted that Tottenham are overly reliant on
in-form winger Gareth Bale ahead of Monday's clash at Upton Park.
Bale has scored in each of Tottenham's last three Premier League games and
has 17 goals for Spurs this season. "It'll be interesting to see whether
free-scoring left winger Gareth Bale can make West Ham's pitch any bigger.
He has been nothing short of sensational of late. "I think West Ham manager
Sam Allardyce will make sure his players double up on the Wales
international and make life difficult for him."
Jermain Defoe scored twice to fire Spurs to victory in the corresponding
fixture, when Bale was also on target, but the former Hammers striker is
absent through injury this time. "Recently they've lost their leading
goalscorer, who is Jermain Defoe, and (Emmanuel)Adebayor has been away at
the Africa Cup of Nations, so from a goalscoring point of view they've had
to rely on one man and one man only to come up with the goods," said
Allardyce. "That's Gareth Bale and he's been the major difference between
Tottenham and the teams they've played recently."
While Allardyce admits it's a case of stop Bale, stop Tottenham, he
acknowledges it's easier said than done. "Not only has he scored very
important goals, but they've been stunning goals at that," he added. "He's
going to need some looking after on Monday night."
West Ham have moved to try and avoid any repeat of the anti-Semitic chants
that marred the corresponding fixture in a match in which the 20th
anniversary of Bobby Moore's death will be honoured. For Spurs the game
comes hot on the heels of securing their Europa League progression on
Thursday with a 1-1 draw at Lyon but manager Andre Villas-Boas is
unconcerned about any European hangover. "We've been having some great,
great results," he said. "After Europa League games we've always been good
in the Premier League. I think it puts us in a good position to face West
Ham. "I don't think it's a distraction, I think it's an inspiration and I
hope it can be exactly that against West Ham."
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Two goals from former West Ham frontman Jermain Defoe saw the Hammers lose
3-1 at White Hart Lane earlier in the season - their 11th consecutive
Premier League trip to North London without a win.
The Hammers have only won one of their last 11 league games against
Tottenham -1-0 in September 2010 thanks to Frederic Piquionne's goal.
This is the 137th meeting of the two sides. Tottenham lead by 58 wins to 44.
West Ham
West Ham are unbeaten in their last three Premier League home games, with
wins against Swansea and Norwich and a 1-1 draw with QPR.
Six of the Hammers' eight league wins this year have come at home, where
they have earned 22 of their 30 points. They have lost their last six away
games.
The last time West Ham scored more than a single goal in a league match was
their 2-1 win over Norwich on New Year's Day.
Leading scorer Kevin Nolan is one goal away from notching his 100th club
goal.
Jussi Jaaskelainen could start his 500th English league game, while Sam
Allardyce will take charge of his 350th Premier League match.
Tottenham
Spurs are unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League games and have only lost
once in 14 - a 2-1 defeat at Everton on 9 December.
Tottenham are one of two Premier League clubs unbeaten in 2013 - the other
is Manchester United.
Only Manchester United and Chelsea have a better away record than Spurs this
year. Victory at West Ham will be a club-record eighth Premier League win on
the road.
Tottenham have lost 16 points from winning positions this season, losing
four and drawing two games they had previously led.
Gareth Bale has scored four goals in his last three Premier League matches,
taking his overall tally for the season to 17.
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Fans flock to Bobby service
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 24th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
There was an emotional gathering at the World Cup winners statue this
morning as a large crowd congregated to remember Bobby Moore, who died 20
years ago today. Scores of fans gathered on the corner of Barking Road and
Green Street to observe a minutes' silence in honour of former West Ham
United and England legend Moore, who died from bowel cancer aged just 51.
Accompanied by members of Bobby's immediate family including daugher Roberta
and her children, plus Martin Peters and David Gold, the crowd listened to a
service by West Ham United chaplain, Reverend Alan Bolding. "It was a lovely
service and it is an honour for us all to remember Bobby today, on what is
the 20th anniversary of his sad passing," Gold told whufc.com. "He was our
England World Cup winning captain, but also more personally for us all here
at West Ham, a legend at our club and always will be. "Bobby will continue
to be remembered at our club. Greats are almost immortal and he is one of
those greats. I am quite sure that Bobby will be continued to be remembered
for another century and more."
Gold also revealed that West Ham will be led out against Tottenham in
tomorrow night's Premier League clash by Moore's grandchildren, Poppy and
Ava - a match that promises to be an emotional affair. "We take our tributes
into our game with Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow," he said. "We will have a
minute's applause and much more. Tomorrow's game will have it all for Bobby;
I think it is just fitting for him."
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Viva Bobby Moore: David Gold
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 24th February 2013
By: Chris Scull
David Gold was just a supporter of West Ham when Bobby Moore's career was at
its zenith. In an exclusive interview with KUMB.com, Gold tells Chris Scull
what Moore means to him - and how he intends to ensure that Bobby's legacy
is never forgotten...
20 years on: David Gold, alongside Bobby's daughter Roberta and his two
grandchildren, at a memorial service this morning
David: thank you for taking the time to speak with us. What was it like for
you to watch Bobby from the terraces?
I can remember him in the early days when he first joined, when he started
to come through. Almost instantly you knew that this man was going to be a
star and of course, he was. Not many players do that; I remember Alan
Devonshire coming on the scene and in his first game thinking "wow, he's
going to be a star". Alvin Martin too - in that first 20 minutes I thought
the same.
Bobby was a superstar. All the others turned into stars but Bobby changed
into a superstar and it was just so exciting to see. The FA Cup in '64, the
Cup Winners' Cup in '65 and then we won the World Cup in '66 - fantastic
years.
We're all England fans come tournaments whether we support Millwall,
Charlton, Spurs or whoever, that is true. But somehow, because you had Hurst
in there, Peters in there but most of all the captain of England, it really
made you feel proud. You felt like it was an extension of West Ham.
In other words, when you stop watching your football team come the end of
May you go on and start watching the internationals and it's different. But
with Bobby Moore as the captain of England your football season lasted 12
months a year.
What are your particular memories of 1966?
My memories are of people like Antonio Rattín playing for Argentina when he
got sent off and we went on to win the game. It was more than just Bobby
Moore at that time, it was the fact that it was West Ham.
Hurst scored three goals, Moore was the captain and Peters scored as well -
it was just a very exciting time and remember, in those days you didn't see
tons of football on television. Here you were seeing a World Cup on
television - albeit in black and white - but it was really exciting.
It made you proud as well; not only were you proud because England were
doing well, you were proud because Bobby Moore was the England captain. My
West Ham hero was leading this amazing and exciting tournament.
Do you still retain that pride today? That Bobby Moore is still linked with
West Ham?
Every time you hear his name you think of those great times. Do you think of
the time we lost to Watford 1-0? No, it's gone - but you do remember all the
great events that he was involved in. He played for West Ham for 20 years
and I even remember when, in the 1975 FA Cup Final, he was captain of
Fulham. Somehow it was nice to see Bobby come out as their captain.
Bobby spent several years in the footballing wilderness after he stopped
playing. Do you think the FA and West Ham's previous owners let him down at
the time?
I think everyone let him down. I don't think it was just West Ham and the
FA, it was the public, the media. Bobby was extremely modest so he wasn't
somebody that would get on radio and television and tell a joke, or be one
of the chaps; he was a gentleman and a charming man. Today he would have
been a superstar, like a David Beckham. But in those days I'm afraid he fell
through the cracks, which is very, very sad.
I remember when he was really down, which is when he came to work for our
newspaper at Sport Newspapers. We were thrilled to have him - even if it was
just for personal reasons! Not only is he my England hero but he's my West
Ham hero, so I was very fortunate in meeting such an iconic figure and have
him working for our company. It was wonderful.
There he was - this very gentle, very modest man. Apart from us, I think
everybody treated him poorly.
So it was a bit of a dream come true for you to sign him for The Sport?
Yes. I don't want to be too sycophantic because I'm an elderly person, but
it's still wonderful to be able to say I met Bobby Moore! I shook his hand,
I had a cup of coffee with him and we chatted about old times. How many
people can say they've done that with such an iconic figure? I think I was
very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. One, it was
pleasurable for me but two, when I look back it was nice to have done
something for a nice man.
He didn't go to the Times, he didn't go to the Sun and he didn't go to the
Mirror - and the reason he didn't was because nobody really wanted Bobby
Moore for his talent as a pundit.
Why do you think that was? Why do you think he was unable to get that job?
If you go back and look at history it wasn't the done thing in those days.
If you think of all the great stars of that time, they only emerged later
on. I can't think of many footballers that became radio stars, television
stars or like Trevor Brooking is today, on the FA. Even today, apart from
Trevor and one or two others there aren't many brought in from the
footballing world.
Do you remember much about the tributes when he died?
I don't think that he was honoured highly enough. The tributes were fine, at
the time it seemed to be ok. It's when I look back that I don't think enough
was done and that's why we're trying now to ensure that all of the
shortcomings of the past are corrected. That's what driving us at this time.
Ok, there is a stand named after him and there's a statue across the road so
from that point of view you could argue that lots has been done. You could
argue that we shouldn't feel that we've let him down in any way - but
somehow I feel we have.
After his death I felt that he was honoured in that sense; the statue at
Wembley, for example - fantastic, there's no other captain there. He is
unquestionably the man most honoured in that sense. I just think that he
wasn't respected enough after his playing time until he died, that's where I
think the weakness was.
But why do you think that was? Why do you think he wasn't knighted?
I really am not sure. I can't understand why he didn't receive more than the
OBE but it was very skinny, wasn't it. Today there's absolutely no doubt
that a captain of England would be knighted if he won the World Cup. But at
the time I just think it was under done. West Ham should have done more
during his lifetime.
Although much was done after his death I think that was disappointing. I'd
have liked to have seen more done after he finished his football career
until he died.
Let's pretend Bobby was still alive now. Would you give him a role at the
club?
I'm sure. I think he would be a fantastic ambassador. Sadly he's been dead
for 20 years but in that time the Premier League and football in England has
grown hugely and I think that we would have all woken up to the fact that
here was a special individual and I think eventually people would have
realised "wow, this is a special man".
At the time of his death he was, if you like, in obscurity wasn't he? He was
working for the Sport but you never saw him on TV, he wasn't doing the
circuit. Today there'd have been 50 people trying to persuade him to do all
kinds of things that would have raised his profile and I think that would
have changed his life.
We know you want to right a wrong in terms of the tributes; what have you
got planned for tomorrow's [Monday's] game against Tottenham?
Lots of things are going to be happening and we won't leave a stone unturned
to make sure that he's honoured in every way. Obviously you've only got a
short period of time on match day but this will go on, there's lots of other
activities in terms of honouring him. So I'm quite excited, looking forward
to it and I'm sure the fans will be delighted by the activities.
* Extracts from this interview may also be heard in Episode 3 of the
KUMB.com Podcast - a Bobby Moore special.
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West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 24th February 2013
By: Preview Percy
Hello are you still here? It's so long since I had to write one of these
Arsenal may have still been in with a chance of a trophy. Well perhaps not
that long ago but it's still been an age.
Next we play host to the repository of limited intellect that is Tottenham
Hotspur. It's a Sky game so kick-off will be at 20:00 hrs GMT (that's 8pm if
you're a Spurs supporter). Being a Monday there are no planned engineering
works so you'll just have all the usual peak hour transport hassles to cope
with.
The visitors currently sit in 4th spot with 48 points from 44 games. That's
4 points above the other club in North London. Their last six league games
have provided them with three wins (3-1 at home to Reading, 1-0 away at West
Brom and 2-1 at home to the Geordies) and three draws (0-0 at QPR, 1-1 at
home to Moan Utd and 1-1 at Norwich).In amongst all that they've beaten
Coventry and lost to Leeds in the Cup and, in midweek, just managed to sneak
past Lyons in that cup that they'll be ridiculing if it's the only thing
Arsenal qualify for next season
Their position in the league is directly linked to the form of man of the
moment Gareth Bale. He's a fine player but does himself no favours with his
diving antics. Watching him pick up a deserved yellow the other week he then
had the bare-faced cheek to deny the dive in his post-match interview. For
the record if contact from a defender isn't enough to knock you over but you
go down anyway that's a dive. We'll have none of this "if he feels a touch
he has a right to go down" nonsense. Of course his antics won't cause any
shame to the Spurs faithful who, by definition, are incapable of
embarrassment in any case.
,Bale has been the only Spurs player to find the net in their last three
league matches, netting four times in that period. We can therefore assume
that he is pretty happy with life at the moment which begs the question:
"what does he actually sound like when he really is about to burst into
tears?"
They did a shrewd piece of business during the window, picking up Lewis
Holtby from Schalke for anything between £0-£1.5m depending on your source.
Holtby is half English, half German which makes him something like 157th in
line to the throne, probably. He's now been capped at competitive level by
the Germans, which has ended any chance of his wearing the three lions.
Still, on the bright side, it means that there is probably one person in the
German squad who is capable of missing a penalty when we play them in the
next World Cup.
The other bit of business they did was to bring in left back Ezeikel "Zeki"
Fryers, who went into the development squad. Despite the exotic name, and
despite his arrival from Standard Liege, Fryers is in fact English and hails
from Manchester – and therein lies a problem. Fryers is a product of the
Moan Utd academy and, although his contract was up at the end of last
summer, a compensatory fee would have been payable to any English club
taking the player on. The player spent the summer training with Spurs, but
when it came to sitting down and talking cash the Salford lot asked for £6m.
That seems a lot to me for a kid that you've offered £1,500 a week.
Tottenham agreed and didn't go through with the transfer. Fryers moved to
Standard Liege, who not being an English club, weren't obliged to pay
Fergie's whingers a penny. Well there has to be some benefit in being
Belgian I suppose. Fryers lasted until January before homesickness and the
sacking of Standard's manager got the better of him. Strange that a lad from
Manchester couldn't settle in a place where chips are the national dish.
Spurs stepped in and picked up the player for half of what Fergie was
asking. Fergie cried foul but made no formal complaint, presumably on the
grounds that, technically anyway, Spurs did nothing wrong. I mean it's not
like they paid and gave instructions to a player that was registered with
another club unlike some I could mention, eh Fergie?
One player who is likely to be missing from the visiting squad is Jermain
Defoe. Defoe damaged ankle ligaments against West Brom and, despite
optimistic managerial noises, he has yet to resume full training apparently.
Striking duties will fall between cowboy actor Clint Dempsey – who has an
irritatingly decent record against us – and the Togoan Emanuel Adabeyor.
Adebayor didn't exactly endear himself to the club by taking 5 days to get
back from South Africa where he took part in the African Cuppasoup. Now I've
been to South Africa – the Avram Grant Rest Home for the Bewildered used to
run occasional exchange trips to its sister establishment in Johannesburg
(The Eugene Terreblanche Harmony Homestead) until they discovered it the
trips were a front for getting rid of all the cheap mince before the health
inspectors came round – and I'm pretty sure that the flight was something
like 13 hours long, so 5 days did seem a bit excessive.
Of course we should spare a thought for poor old Scott Parker. We of course
remember him when he was good but having sold him once he was past his best
it was rather sad to see him giving the ball away to the French with
monotonous regularity the other night. Still his Hammer of the Year awards
must be some sort of consolation to him as he sees out the twilight years of
his career in reduced circumstances.
And so to us. Villa was a complete mess and yet again one can only look at
the mindset that we seem to adopt on the road. There was a team short on
confidence whose home form was appalling and we set ourselves up once more
as if we were after the draw. Baffling. I'm also beginning to tire of the
"if only we'd scored more goals than them we'd have won" comments from the
management that seem to follow each reverse. If my granny had wheels she'd
be a skateboard.
Still this time last year we went to Dubai and only lost once more that
season so maybe the trip abroad will have warmed the blood a little. I will
admit to feeling a slight unease at the choice of venue for the warm weather
training, remembering how they wouldn't grant Benayoun and Katan entry visas
when we went there a few years ago. There must be decent warm climes
available elsewhere where the hosts don't discriminate against certain
nationalities.
There is relatively good team news to report. Joey O'Brien is back in
training after coming off at Villa. George McCartney is said to be nearing a
return from his knee injury – he allegedly faces a late fitness test –
whilst James Collins is not far behind Linda in the recovery stakes, though
realistically it may just be a week too soon for the pair.
Left back has been a bit of a worry, though I'd have to be on the verge of a
panic attack before I'd be convinced that Ricardo Gardner might be the
answer to those worries. Some sources suggest that Gardner has been on trial
at the club whilst the quasi-official tweets of Sullivan Junior claim that
the player has simply been training with us to keep himself fit between
clubs. I've no reason to doubt young Mr Sullivan, though the player's
reported appearance for the development squad would seem to suggest there's
more than helping out an old friend on the agenda.
The return of Maiga from the Cuppasoup means there are no fewer than five
strikers available, if you include Welly Paulista who has been on target a
few times in the stiffs. However, comments from the club whenever his name
is mentioned suggest that they still consider the Brazilian to be a work in
progress rather than a realistic option for the first XI at this time.
One player we will be able to call on, albeit indirectly, is Bobby Moore
OBE. This match is the closest to the 20th anniversary of the great man's
passing and, if you haven't already done so, I can recommend a listen to the
wireless thingy that this website has put together which has contributions
from all sorts of people (I believe he means the kumb.com podcast – Ed). On
Monday night the club has all sorts of stuff planned. There will therefore
be a uniquely West Ham sort of atmosphere in the ground – something that
will go some way to countering the fact that in the away end football's
thickest group of supporters will see the match as a cup final. Meanwhile,
on the subject of Bobby one can only weep at the general decline in
standards that has seen the likes of Terry & Gerrard considered to be
suitable heirs to the position of England captain.
Back to the match and we are a different team at home. We don't always get
what we deserve mind – QPR and Liverpool are two matches where we've
outplayed average opposition with little reward for example. For this match,
Bale is wasting the form of his life with Spurs at the moment and keeping
him quiet will be the key. No doubt Mr Allardyce has some sort of scientific
analysis prepared – I just hope that the players are up to the job.
The form book suggests that this'll be a difficult one to get anything from.
However I remember playing at Forest just after the demise of Brian Clough
and the atmosphere carried them to an unlikely win. So I reckon that a
combination of home advantage and the Bobby Moore effect might just be
enough to overturn the form book. I'll therefore be placing the proceeds of
the Avram Grant Rest Home For The Bewildered's fund-rasing sales of
"Pistorius Bladerunner" T-Shirts (£2.50) on a 2-1 home win in the hope that
both crowd and players can do Bobby proud.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met the Boleyn Boleyn (September 2010) The apparently MLS-bound
Piquionne nodded home from a decent Noble corner to secure all three points.
Two collectors' items for the price of one then.
Referee: Howard Webb. Past it and a return to pounding the beat with the
South Yorkshire plod is probably overdue. At a FIFA conference he spoke out
about the need to clamp down on "simulation" amongst players. Let's see how
he deals with Bale.
Danger Man:Gareth "Christian" Bale – he's their main goal threat at the
moment either from open play or from dubiously-won free-kicks. This will
probably be his last time at the Boleyn for a few years as he'll no doubt be
off somewhere bigger in the summer. Barcelona has been mentioned though even
FC Chernobyl would be an improvement in surroundings.
Daft Fact Of The Week: Thousands of homes in the Tottenham area, even the
few without wheels on them, miraculously received state of the art tv sets
after the riots a few years ago. Unfortunately the instructions are far too
complicated for the average Spurs fan, many of whom have yet to work out how
to get the sets out of the box.
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Viva Bobby Moore: Brian Dear
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 24th February 2013
By: Chris Scull
Brian Dear grew up with Bobby Moore and played alongside him in West Ham's
greatest ever triumph - the 1965 Cup Winners' Cup Final win over 1860
Munich.
In our exclusive interview, Dear tells us what it was like playing alongside
Moore at West Ham during the 1960s. Firing the questions on behalf of
KUMB.com was Chris Scull...
Simply the Best: West Ham's 1965 Cup Winner's Cup team featuring Dear and
Moore
Brian: thank you for agreeing to talk to us. There's a whole generation of
people who never saw Bobby play. Can you explain why so many regard him as
the greatest defender who ever lived?
I don't know if everybody regards him as the greatest defender who ever
lived but certainly in the last 30, 40 years of English football - maybe
even longer - he was the best defender we had. I think he was revered as
well by lots of players on the continent; people like Pele and Beckenbauer,
those type of people.
He was a pleasure to play with and as you know he wasn't the quickest player
in the world or the greatest header of the ball, everybody always says that.
However his brain was a little bit better than everybody else's and his
positional sense was fantastic whilst the tackles he made were very
decisive.
He was just a natural for that position. Whether he would be as good these
days, because football's changed so much, I don't know. They don't have left
halfs, centre halfs and right halfs, they have four across the back. But I'm
sure he would have coped ok, he was a fantastic player.
What was he like as a captain?
He wasn't very vociferous, he really just captained the side with his
leadership - he led by the way he played. He was encouraging; he never
moaned and groaned at players as he always felt they'd done their best.
Sometimes your best wasn't good enough but if there was a meeting or
dressing room parley he was always very good. If he was asked a question his
answer would always be "they've done their best and sometimes their best
isn't good enough". He really just led by example with the way he played and
the way he conducted himself.
You were both good friends, was he a good drinking partner too?
He was a great pal. When it was time to relax he was good fun. He wasn't a
drunk or whatever but he enjoyed a beer and that's what we did socially. We
didn't have all the things that go on now in football. These days it's
commercially driven and the players have image rights - we were more for the
fans, we just went where they went.
In this day and age footballers go to places that most people can't get near
because of the massive money they earn but we were just basically working
boys. Our wages were good but nothing compared to today's money so when we
used to go to places it was local pubs, the Ilford Palais or a club
somewhere. There were no problems with people.
But there was a problem the night before the FA Cup tie with Blackpool?
Oh, Blackpool!
What was the story there?
Nothing much, really. We were just having a meal in the hotel then had a
bowl up the road to Brian London's club to have a couple of beers. I don't
suppose it was the best thing in the world to do but we weren't reeling
around drunk. We were just in the right place at the wrong time - or the
wrong place at the right time! We got hammered and although I didn't play in
the game, I was there. You know, you have to take the pill and suffer the
consequences. There's a lot worse goes on these days!
Oh, definitely! What are your memories of Bobby in the 1965 Cup Winners' Cup
Final? What was Bobby like, did he settle the team beforehand?
It was a big occasion. It's very difficult to explain these things because
you don't really remember too much of what happened at the time, but I do
remember he came round and asked how I was feeling. I'd only played in five
of the nine ties we played in the competition but I said "yeah, I'm ok, not
too bad".
He replied, "look, come out behind me, you'll be alright - plus the fact
you'll get your photo taken if you walk behind me!" He was quite a funny
bastard at times. That photo I've got of us walking out is probably the best
football photo I've got. It was a big night, a big stadium - 100,000 people.
Not that I was worried or afraid about what was going to happen, but Bobby
just made it a little bit better.
What can you remember about the celebrations that followed the game?
We didn't do anything! We went upstairs, had some sandwiches and a few beers
with our wives then got on the coach and went home via the ground.
Was that Ron Greenwood's idea?
No, that's just what it was like then - there was no fuss. The media make a
fuss out of everything now, don't they? Everything's pumped up. It was even
the same with [the] 1966 [World Cup Final] - they just went back to a hotel
in London and went on the balcony. Some of the wives were there and some had
a bit of grub afterwards. Their wives weren't even invited to have a meal
with them so they had to sit in an anteroom and have something to eat. I
know Martin Peters never went anyway, he just went to bed!
What was it like after 1966 with Bobby and the other World Cup winners
coming back to West Ham? Did they present bigger egos or were they any
different?
No, never. In fact, I've said to people loads of times that when they used
to go off and play in the national games they'd go off after a game on
Saturday, play on a Wednesday then come back [and play again the following
weekend]. There were no big time Charlies. Not just our club but all clubs,
the lads all got on very well. We didn't have many foreign players and there
were no little cliques, we were all friends and mates.
We used to go round one another's houses in the afternoon when we all lived
in Hornchurch and had a cup of tea or whatever. We used to have lots of
parties and all our kids grew up together. We still see one another, those
who are around. I'm 70 this year so I'm going to have a little function and
invite the boys, those who are around and want to come.
We're old boys now, aren't we - and I was one of the younger ones! Martin;
Johnny Sissons; [Ken] Brownie is 75, 76 years old now. And Peter Brabrook.
We're old fogies! There's teams at West Ham who never won anything and
they're legends; I don't know how you become a legend without winning
anything, but there you go!
You worked with Bobby down at Southend; what was he like as a manager?
Bob was involved in the Hope Hotel on the seafront with Patsy and Jimmy
Quill - a couple of lads who had some pubs in London. They had the Blind
Beggar and a pub in Stratford and they had this one down here, so I came and
looked after it. Bobby was manager of Southend but lived with me in the pub,
it was his pub. I think he was there for two or three years.
I used to go to the games then and used to see him quite a bit from being in
the pub. Harry Cripps and Jack Burkett went with him to Southend and I went
there afterwards. There were a few West Ham lads there; Frank Lampard and
Paul Brush went but he wasn't the greatest manager in the world, Bob. But
not all great players are good managers, are they?
I don't think Mourinho or Boaz played too much football; some of them were
just average players who were better coaches and managers than they were
players. Bobby Charlton tried it, Martin Peters tried it and Hursty was
manager at Chelsea one time. He went with Ron Greenwood to England. But they
never lasted long; Jack Charlton was probably the only one of that [1966]
team who really did any good.
Alan Ball and Nobby Stiles tried it as well, they all had a go but it was
different then and they're all still doing things now, all those lads. Until
we win anything again they're still big time, aren't they! It'll be 50 years
soon - and in two years' time, 50 years since we won the Cup Winners' Cup.
They'll never win it again, West Ham - never again. They were very
unfortunate to lose in the Final against Anderlecht [in 1976] which was a
shame, because they were a decent side then. But you've got to win on the
day and we did, with 11 Englishmen. God knows what Mooro would think now
when you've got 70 per cent foreign players in your side - and people wonder
why we don't win anything! Kids these days just don't get the chance.
When you look at the World Cup side you had Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters
who were 22/23 - Alan Ball was even younger - and Bobby was only 24 years
old. They were a young side but at the time, everyone had a chance to make
their mark. It's difficult now.
Take football now. If you look back to the '60s and '70s, the England side
very rarely changed. Now people get one cap and you never hear of them
again. I don't think the honour is there with internationals now, but if Bob
had been around I think he'd have had around 150 caps! 25 per cent of the
games they play these days are friendlies, they never played as many
friendlies as they do now. But it's a cash cow, everything in sport is
money-orientated now so it suffers a bit.
Talking of honours, Bobby has been honoured a lot more since he died - a
statue outside of Wembley, a stand at Upton Park; what changed for him to
get all these honours that he didn't get in his lifetime?
God knows, I supposed they felt a bit embarrassed. Look how long the boys
who were in the England squad had to wait to get an MBE - 30, 35 years
afterwards for Greavesie and the other lads in the squad. I went to the
unveiling of the statue at Wembley, it was an amazing day, unbelievable.
Do you think it's a fitting tribute?
Oh, yeah. Well no-one else is going to get one there, are they - there's no
room!
When you walk out of Wembley Park station, as you walk down to the ground,
it's there in front of you. At the time it was commissioned, the sculptor
[Philip Jackson] looked out from the station and said that the size they
wanted was no good, it wasn't big enough. It needed to be twice the size and
I don't think Wembley could afford it at the time, but they found the money
in the end.
The statue at Upton Park was funded by Newham Council, hence why it's not in
the ground at the Boleyn. But yeah, most things come your way after you've
gone, don't they! When you see footballers now getting knighthoods and
goodness knows what, if anyone deserved one it was him. But it wasn't to be.
Do you remember the last time you saw Bob?
Yes. The last time was at a football match at Tottenham.
Did you have a chance to say goodbye at all?
Well you can't say goodbye to someone when you don't know they're going to
die. He treated the illness with contempt and just got about his business.
Never made any fuss, very dignified and when the end came I think he was
where he wanted to be, at home. His kids and Steph were there and that was
about the size of it.
Things still go on for him, don't they - the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer
Research has made millions and still makes money, there's something going on
all the time. She works tirelessly Stephanie, raising money. So his legacy's
always there. 20 years now...
And you're still quite friendly with Stephanie?
Yeah, I see Steph quite a lot, I speak to her all the time.
Well thanks for talking to us, Brian. We've been fortunate to get plenty of
former acquaintances to speak to us this week, people like Harry Redknapp...
Well Harry was in America, wasn't he. When Bob took over as manager of
Oxford he brought Harry back - but Harry didn't know it was Oxford City, not
Oxford United and Oxford City were in the Ryman League! But it started Harry
off in his managerial career, didn't it!
* Extracts from this interview may also be heard in Episode 3 of the
KUMB.com Podcast - a Bobby Moore special.
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Viva Bobby Moore: Paul Walker
KUMb.com
Filed: Sunday, 24th February 2013
By: Paul Walker
KUMB columnist Paul Walker was lucky enough to meet his hero, Bobby Moore,
on three occasions...
I'm one of the lucky ones - I saw Bobby Moore play. Not just once, or twice,
but hundreds and hundreds of times. And for my club.
It's hard to believe that he passed away 20 years ago today. It reminds me
just how old I am getting too. For this was the footballer, not just any
footballer but the best defender England has ever produced, who dominated my
life way back then in the '60s. And now, too.
I suppose Moore has always been in my head, every day. I only have to look
around my office to see five books about him and his life, pictures of our
great side of the '60s, and an old framed picture of what the Boleyn used to
look like.
I feel I am writing this piece on behalf of the many thousands of old-time
Hammers fans who like me were so proud that this local boy was captain of
our club, captain of England and the man we all idolised.
To say I was chuffed when Graeme Howlett, the KUMB editor, asked me to write
something about Moore this week, was an understatement. I've covered half a
dozen European finals, World Cups, European championships and hundreds of
top games in a long - now ended - journalistic career. But nothing compares
to the sheer joy and pride I felt when Bobby Moore was in my team.
The young lads I watch West Ham with now are half my age and have only
fleeting memories of the man. I probably bore them with boozy chatter about
the good old days. Their memories are from film of the World Cup Final and
England, and maybe our great finals of '75 and '80. The rest comes from old
pictures and scrapbooks.
It's hard to explain just how good he was, just how important he was to East
London and our club. I was lucky, he was eight years older than me and had
just been made captain by Ron Greenwood when my teenage years started.
I remember how proud I was of him when he was selected for the 1962 World
Cup squad in Chile by Walter Winterbottom. I'd watched his formative years
slowly making his progress into our first team. A couple of years learning
his craft, he made just five appearances in his debut season, '58-'59. But
Matt Busby was full of praise for him on his debut, and that says it all.
It wasn't until October the following season that he made much more impact,
but he made our winner for Malcolm Musgrove at Everton on October 17. The
next two seasons he made 42 and 44 appearances respectively. A star was
born. And at 21 Greenwood made him our captain, and his England debut came
in the build-up to the '62 World Cup Finals, playing in a friendly against
Peru in Lima. He did so well that he stayed in the side through the finals
in Chile.
People tend to forget that 1966 in England was, in fact, Moore's second
World Cup Finals, and he was still only 25.
The swingin' sixties were just getting into their stride, my music culture
was being taken care of by the Beatles and the Stones, plus the wonderful
Motown and soul stars from the States. My football education, and heritage,
was being written by Bobby Moore and the rest of our heroes of the past.
But it was his club football that really inspired me. I was watching
virtually every Irons home game by now, queuing at midday to get into the
ground, squeezing into the swaying Chicken Run.
It didn't matter that we were as unpredictable as the weather and were prone
to suffering terrible defeats. We had Bobby, captain of England, so you
could stick your Spurs, Arsenals, Liverpools and Manchester Uniteds.
1964,'65 and '66, came and went. We won the FA Cup, the European Cup
Winners' Cup and the World Cup, by which time I was 17, having the time of
my life and believed that the world would always be like this. We all now
know it wasn't, but we still had Bobby Moore.
My sons have suffered my ramblings about Moore, Hurst and Peters. But
however hard they try, they've no real idea of what I'm talking about. West
Ham were playing wonderful football and England were virtually unbeatable.
Not quite the same now!
Even this week that was underlined, when the excellent Ex magazine dropped
through the letterbox with a wonderful little DVD of Geoff Hurst's six goals
against Sunderland in 1968. I watched it initially with tears in my eyes,
the old ground, packed South and North Banks and those square goalposts that
almost touched the terrace walls.
I made my lad watch it that evening. He understands about Moore and his old
man's obsession. But seeing the great man playing made him sit up. 'What's
the number six doing on the right wing?' was a telling remark. Central
defenders don't do that. Well Moore did. The dvd was supposed to be about
Hurst. But Moore scored a 30 yard free-kick that day and helped set-up goals
and clever passing moves deep into Sunderland's half.
It showed, just fleetingly, what Moore was really about. He could do
anything. He dominated games from back to front.
I make no excused for being star-struck. I actually spoke to him three
times. All are so fresh in the mind. Firstly when he came to sit on the
Chicken Run wall waiting to take a throw-in, right next to me. We were
losing and someone was getting treatment. I plucked up the courage to say '
come on Bobby, get this lot sorted out.' He looked down at this kid and
smiled one of those knowing looks grown-ups do. He was saying he wasn't
superman! Well he was in my book.
Then in my working career in Birmingham on the local sports Argus, Moore
came to town to promote Escape to Victory, and we were giving away tickets
for the show. I badgered my boss to let me go to meet him. I was probably
more tongue-tied then than when I was as kid in the Chicken Run. But I still
have the photo of the two of us waving free cinema tickets for the camera.
Hero worship doesn't even cover it.
The third time was during the 90-91 promotion season, and Moore was working
in the press box at Oldham, the game was a 1-1 draw and they just pipped us
for the title. I ushered my lads up to the press area at the end, determined
they would meet the great man. I mumbled something about wanting my sons to
meet the best player I had ever seen. He must have had that a million times,
but he was kind and polite, and signed their autographs.
But he looked poorly even then. I felt sad afterwards, even the boys could
see he wasn't well. That was the last time I saw him before he died two
years later. These are just little tales of an ordinary fan, I'm sure you
all have similar memories, equally treasured.
I know I had seen the best of him for more than a decade and a half at my
club. The picture is still in my mind, Tall, elegant Moore in that beautiful
kit of white socks, white shorts and the round-necked long sleeved shirt
without a badge or any hint of a sponsors name.
People talk of the '64, '65, '66 era as the best. But I saw far more of the
late 60s side, the one that never won a raffle but still produce amazing
football. And I got thinking of what was the best West Ham team.
And that brings me back to the '68 match against Sunderland. That team had
Moore, Peters, Hurst, Bonds and Brooking in it. Plus John Sissons and Harry
Redknapp.
It was two eras colliding. From the debuts of Bonds and Brooking, within
weeks of each other in 1967, we had just three years of our five greatest
modern day players performing in the same team, up until when Peters was the
first of the World Cup heroes to leave in 1970.
Hurst was next in 72 and Moore battled on until 1974. The last time that
famous five played together in a West Ham side was against Coventry, a
defeat, in February 1970. We will never see their like again.
That '67 to '70 side was the best in my eyes. And when Moore left in '74,
the days of real glory had gone. His first game was against Manchester
United in '59, his last the 1-1 home FA Cup draw against Hereford in January
'74.His last league game for the Irons was a 4-2 home win over Norwich on
New Year's Day, '74.
When he finally left for Fulham in March 1974, the football world as I'd
known it, came to an end. A couple of years earlier Moore had figured in
that famous League Cup semi-final, four matches against Stoke - I saw them
all - and that memorable penalty save from Micky Barnard at Old Trafford
when we finally lost to the Potters.
I am sad to admit now I left that game five minutes early, I couldn't bear
to watch them celebrate after we had got so close to Wembley (all Geoff
Hurst had to do was beat Gordon Banks from the penalty spot in the
second-leg and we'd had done it. I recall driving back across London that
night with my kid brother, neither of us spoke the entire journey.)
All these pictures are still so vivid in my mind. None more so than Moore.
My age-group cherish memories, the younger fans just have the legend. And
maybe our club failed to treat him properly when he had left and finally
ended his playing career.
Many have a few about all that, but just for now as the 20th anniversary of
his passing nears, old hands like me just know he was the best and just
being there when he was our leader, our hero, is something that will never
die.
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Premier League: West Ham's Winston Reid is happy he chose to stay with the
club
Last Updated: February 24, 2013 1:14pm
SSN
West Ham defender Winston Reid admitted he considered leaving West Ham
before Sam Allardyce's arrival, but is pleased he opted to stay at the club.
The New Zealander has been a mainstay in the Hammers' line-up this season,
but after starting his career in England as a makeshift right-back, a
position he admits he is far from comfortable in, he became disillusioned
with life in England. "I'd never played right-back in my life," he told the
Sunday Times. "I thought, I have got myself into this situation, but it is
upto me to get myself out of it." It took a chat with Hammers boss Sam
Allardyce when he took the job to persuade the Kiwi that Upton Park was the
right place for him to ply his trade. "When Sam Allardyce arrived we sat
down to talk. After that, it felt good, I felt wanted, and wanted to stay,"
he added. The former Bolton boss has come under criticism of late from
certain sections of the Hammers faithful as a result of their recent dip in
form after an impressive start to the season, but Reid has nothing but good
things to say about his manager. "He's great and wants things done properly
on the pitch," he added. "Off it, he's given me a few kicks up the backside
but he is really funny, he makes us all laugh."
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Football is a Funny Old Game!
By S J Chandos About 5 hours ago 2 comments
West Ham Till I Die
As the great striker, turned media pundit, Jimmy Greaves used to say, 'its a
funny old game.' And it is a game where results do not always go the way
that is expected. As Hammers supporters, we can all recall a legion of
matches where West Ham won against the odds, whether it was defeating Man
Utd 3-1 in the 1964 FA Cup Semi-Final at Hillsborough; overcoming mighty
Leeds Utd 0-1 in a 1972 LC tie at Elland Road; beating Arsenal 1-0 in the
1980 FA Cup Final; destroying Spurs 0-4 at White Hart Lane in 1981; beating
Dalgish's Liverpool by 4 goals in a 1988 LC tie; defeating prospective
champions, Blackburn Rovers 2-0 in 1995; beating Man Utd 0-1 in the famous
2000-01 'Di Canio' FA Cup tie; and winning 'mission impossible' PL away
matches against Arsenal 0-1 & Man Utd 0-1 in the 'greatest escape' season of
2006-07. These are just a few examples of West Ham sides beating the odds to
endure and there are many more. Not least, the 3-1 home defeat of Chelsea
this season.
It is worth remembering that before that victory over Chelsea, there was a
distinct air of doom and gloom about our chances not only amongst the
pundits, but also on Hammers fans websites. I remember fans fearing a 0-5
trouncing ahead of the match. Sound familiar? It should, because there seems
to be a similiar view prevalent ahead of the Spurs match. Well, no one is
under-estimating the scale of the challenge posed by this Spurs team, they
are a very good attacking unit. But they are not unbeatable and, if West Ham
play to their strengths then we have a chance of getting a result. Yes, the
performance was worrying last time out at Villa, but this is a different
match and hopefully the manager and the squad have used the extended break
to try to sort out a few issues on the training ground.
We know that the probability is that Sam Allardyce will set our stall out in
a da facto 4-5-1 to contain Spurs attacking threat and seek to carve out
chances via long balls in to Carroll and set peices. The problem, of course,
is that this caution could play in to Spurs' hands. The best form of defence
is attack and the surest way to neutralise the threat of players like Bale
is, basically, to force them to defend. I would love to see West Ham set up
to attack down the flanks and get good quality balls in to Andy Carroll.
Indeed, Carroll is our best weapon against the Spurs defence, his physical
power and ability in the air can unsettle and punish the Spurs back four.
Similarly, this is a match where Matt Jarvis can justify his £10m price tag.
He has the pace, ability on the ball and delivery in the box to make a
decisive contribution in this match. Jarvis has shown flashes of his abiliy,
this would be a good match to demonstrate it, convincingly, for a whole 90
minutes (Sam Allardyce's team selection allowing?).
Similarly, Kevin Nolan has had a dip in form in recent matches and he needs
to recover his early season form. We need him sharp in the final third and
getting on the second phase balls, off Andy Carroll. How they line up to
deal with Bale down the left flank will be very interesting? Who plays at
right-back, is it Demel or O'Brien? Will O'Neill be selected wide, on the
right, to try to cover the right-back and attempt to neutralise Bale's
powerful forward runs? Who will play at left-back? McCartney is back in
training, but lacks match fitness. Will O'Brien or Pogatetz be deployed in
an auxillary left-back role or might Danny Potts get the nod to counter the
danger posed by Lennon down the right flank? At centre-back, Collins is fit
and it is a fair bet that he will start, if so, does that mean that Tomkins
might start in a defensive midfield role? Midfield will be a key battle area
and there will be an emphasis upon Noble and Diame gaining the ascendency
over their Spurs counter-parts.
Obviously, Allardyce needs to set our stall out to deal with Spurs attacking
threat. But we also need to ensure that we play to our strengths and ask
plenty of questions of Spurs right from the kick off. Indeed, many fans seem
so pre-occupied with Spurs and their attacking potency, that they have
tended to forget about the threat we can pose them. We need not be 'lambs to
the slaughter' as some think, but rather show that we have 'teeth' as well.
It should be added that football is not just physical, it is also deeply
psychological. Teams can raise their performance levels significantly if
commitment and drive aligns to ability. With the emotion arising from the
20th anniversary of Bobby Moore's death, hopefully this will transmit itself
to the players and have an outlet via their performance on the pitch.
As stated previously, a draw would be a good result, but if the team have
'their tails up' then we might be able to swing a 2-1 victory. But to do
that the team need to give 110%. It is, indeed, a 'funny old game' and lets
hope that its proves to be so, once again, this evening.
As a post-script, the club have asked fans to be in their seats by 7.30pm
for the start of the pre-match commemoration of the anniversary of Bobby
Moore's death/celebration of his life and achievements. Bobby Moore was a
player, defender and captain without parallel. I feel honoured to have seen
him play from 1967 onwards. Enjoy the commememoration/celebration of the
life of the greatest player ever to wear the claret and blue of West Ham Utd
FC and the Three Lions of England. And just hope that the occasion provides
a suitable platform for the team to produce a positive performance/result
that serve as a fitting tribute to the great man.
SJ. Chandos.
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THREEAS-BOAS
The Sun
By PAT SHEEHAN
Published: 6 hrs ago
SAM ALLARDYCE insists Andre Villas-Boas must finish at least third to be
judged a success at White Hart Lane. West Ham manager Allardyce looks
comfortable in mid-table with 12 games to go but his opposite number at
Tottenham sits outside the club's target area of the top three. Villas-Boas
was brought in to replace Harry Redknapp as boss last summer with the brief
to get automatic qualification for next season's Champions League. And
Allardyce, whose side take on Spurs at Upton Park tonight, said: "They've
got to finish higher than fourth, haven't they? That's the pressure for him.
"Villas-Boas has done great taking over from Harry. But fourth is the same
as Harry. And you know what happens in football — they'll say 'Oh, well
Harry done that'. "I think Tottenham are good enough to finish third or
fourth as long as they continue to keep the top players fit and don't pick
up too many injuries. "If they can do that, they've got a really good chance
of getting that third place."
AVB was sacked after just eight months at Chelsea when he failed to deliver.
He was also forced into embarrassing U-turns with the club's elder
statesmen.
Allardyce added: "He has probably learned an awful lot from his short time
at Chelsea. "He's probably seen and learnt from his bitter experience that
he obviously had. "It was the first time that things probably haven't gone
so well for him. And you can probably learn more in that period of time than
you can when things went as well as they did at Porto where he won the UEFA
Cup."
The Hammers will tonight be looking to avenge their defeat at White Hart
Lane in November when Tottenham were in a rich vein of form. Allardyce
admitted: "I was particularly impressed when we played them, their frontline
was outstanding. "He's inherited a fantastic squad of players and to be a
great manager you've got to have great players. "Without top players, you
can't produce the team that gets results which will make people say you're a
great manager. You can only be as good as your players. "I think they have
great players at Tottenham and they are really producing."
One of those players hitting top form is Gareth Bale. And many of Europe's
top clubs have put the winger at the top of their summer wishlists.
Allardyce believes there could be an auction for Bale when this campaign is
over. He said: "The world of football outside of this country might decide
his worth. "There might be somebody else from another country that decides
he could be the man, so that would inflate the price a little more. "I would
have thought that Tottenham would want nothing less than £40-50million."
Bale has 21 goals in all competitions this season and seven in his last six
games. But Hammers left-back Matthew Taylor has urged his team-mates to
concentrate on their own performance. He said: "The main thing for us on
Monday night is to worry about ourselves. "We understand that Tottenham have
got lots of fantastic players and they are a great team — but we're not bad
ourselves. "Everybody's talking about Gareth Bale because he's playing well
and scoring goals. "He's one of a number of players that we're going to try
to have to shackle to get a good result. "We've got to keep as close an eye
on those players as we can but also go and do our stuff when we get the
chance."
Spurs are flying after booking their place in the last 16 of the Europa
League last Thursday. Mousa Dembele's last-gasp strike earned a 1-1 draw at
Lyon and 3-2 win on aggregate. But Taylor is confident West Ham can overturn
their defeat earlier in the season and secure all three points. He said:
"They are on a high from the Europa League, so it's going to be difficult.
"It's a local derby and we want to overturn what was a disappointing result
at Tottenham. "Everyone's full of confidence and morale is high, so
hopefully we've got a good end to the season coming."
Tonight will see a minute's applause to mark the 20th anniversary of the
death of West Ham legend Bobby Moore. And Taylor believes the home fans will
have their part to play on a night that means a lot to everyone involved at
the club. He said: "I know it's an old adage but the fans can be the 12th
man. "I'd like to think they appreciate our efforts in every game. While we
might not always get the results we deserve, each and every player when they
pull the shirt on works 100 per cent for the team. "That'll be the case on
Monday night and hopefully the fans get right behind us."
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By Darren Witcoop
Any old Trotters? Allardyce eyeing West Ham move for defender Ricardo
Gardner
The Mirror
24 Feb 2013 22:30
Ricardo Gardner wants a short-term deal with old boss Sam Allardyce at Upton
Park. Jamaica international Gardner, 34, hopes to become the sixth ex-Bolton
player to be reunited with Allardyce at West Ham. Gardner, a free agent
after a 14-year spell with Bolton, is on trial and could fill the
troublesome left-back spot. George McCartney has been out since December
with a knee injury and is in danger of missing the rest of the season.
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