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."

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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."

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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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