Wednesday, September 9

Daily WHUFC News - 9th September 2009

Six of the best
WHUFC.com
Zavon Hines netted a hat-trick and Alessandro Diamanti scored twice as Valon
Behrami returned
08.09.2009

West Ham United handed Valon Behrami the perfect welcome back to competitive
action in the shape of a 6-0 Barclays Premier Reserve League South thrashing
of Birmingham City. The Switzerland midfielder, back after six months out
with a knee ligament problem, was back to his irrepressible best against the
Blues, laying on the opening goal for hat-trick hero Zavon Hines. While the
sight of Behrami bounding around the Boleyn Ground pitch was most welcome,
then so were the performances of new boys Alessandro Diamanti, Manuel Da
Costa and Davide Ferrari. Diamanti, in particular, caught the eye with a
display full of incisive passes, clever flicks and powerful shooting with
his trademark left foot - capping a memorable evening with two fantastic
free-kicks. For manager Alex Dyer, who saw his team bounce back from a 2-1
defeat at Aston Villa a week ago, the evening could not have gone much
better in front of a 1,250-strong crowd. The hosts roared out of the traps,
creating chance after chance and, in all honesty, had the match won inside
the first nine minutes.
Josh Payne had already fired narrowly wide before Behrami laid on the
opening goal for Hines after just 80 seconds, sliding a superb pass through
to the Jamaican, who cut inside his marker before lashing a left-foot rocket
inside Colin Doyle's near-post. Behrami almost repeated the trick three
minutes later, only for Hines to be denied by a last-ditch tackle from the
Blues' former England Under-21 defender Scott Dann. With Diamanti dictating
play from a free role behind the front-two of Hines and Frank Nouble, West
Ham were positively purring against a shell-shocked Birmingham. It was
Nouble who was next to threaten, seeing his shot deflected wide for a corner
before powering Diamanti's resulting flag-kick against the crossbar with
Doyle beaten all-ends-up. The second goal was not long in coming, however,
and when the Republic of Ireland goalkeeper pushed Payne's skimming
25-yarder around the post, it was only delaying the inevitable. Diamanti and
Behrami, who has been giving the former AS Livorno Calcio forward lifts to
and from training at Chadwell Heath, worked a short-corner routine before
finding Payne. The 18-year-old laid the ball to captain N'Gala, who
side-stepped a defender before curling a delicious shot into the top
right-hand corner.
Less than ten minutes old, the game was already up, but there was still so
much more to enjoy. Birmingham did threaten sporadically, though their best
chance came when Hammers goalkeeper Marek Stech saw his clearance cannon off
Jake Jervis and spin narrowly wide of the target. Having survived that
scare, Diamanti re-assumed centre-stage, sending a truly marvellous
free-kick up and over the Birmingham defensive wall and past a motionless
Doyle. Four minutes later and it was 4-0. Da Costa's 60-yard pass found
Fabio Daprela, who instantly found Nouble. The 17-year-old laid square to
strike-partner Hines, who cut inside and slotted low into the net.

Into the second half and the hosts continued where they left off. Nouble
should have added fifth seven minutes after the break following a sumptuous
build-up involving Da Costa, Behrami and Diamanti, only for the teenager to
chip his shot on to the roof of the net. Behrami's night ended to a
rapturous round of applause 13 minutes after the interval, as Dyer replaced
him with Danny Kearns. Hines completed his hat-trick three minutes later,
capitalising on a mix-up between David Joyce and Will Packwood before
lifting the ball over the advancing Doyle. On to the 65th minute and
Diamanti stole the show again, bending another superlative free-kick beyond
Doyle after Hines had been flattened by substitute Jamie Dunphy. It was a
fitting finale to an outstanding debut from the 26-year-old, who also
received a rousing ovation when he was replaced by Anthony Edgar moments
later. No doubt inspired by what he had seen from the bench, Edgar was soon
into the action, testing the busy Doyle with no fewer than three shots from
outside the penalty area, while Hines came close to netting his fourth.

Birmingham came close to netting a consolation late on, but Stech was in no
mood to be charitable, diving full-length to push Luke Hubbins' shot aside
to complete an excellent night's work.

West Ham United reserves: Stech, Ferrari (Fry 77), Daprela, N'Gala, Da
Costa, Payne, Quashie, Behrami (Kearns 58), Hines, Nouble, Diamanti (Edgar
67)
Subs unused: Street, Zola

Birmingham City reserves: Doyle, Joyce, Rowe, Dann (Dunphy 46), Preston
(Hawker 58), Packwood, Hubbins, Sammons, Hronec, Jervic, Ntambwe (Williams
82)
Sub unused: Butland

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'This is a great day'
WHUFC.com
Valon Behrami speaks of his joy after returning to competitive action for
West Ham United
09.09.2009

Valon Behrami has spoken of his joy after making a triumphant return to
action for West Ham United.

The popular Switzerland midfielder, who has been sidelined for six months
with a knee ligament injury, played for an hour before being withdrawn as
planned in Tuesday's 6-0 Barclays Premier Reserve League South win over
Birmingham City. With a broad smile and a thump or two of his hand on his
chest, Behrami acknowledged the rapturous response from the crowd as he left
the pitch.

Behrami had been back to his old self at the Boleyn Ground, endlessly
harrying his opponents and driving his own team forward at every
opportunity. The 24-year-old told WHUTV he was delighted to be back in a
claret and blue shirt.

He said: "I enjoyed it a lot. For me, I've had a very hard six months. Every
day, I had to work on my rehabilitation so it was a great feeling for me to
play in this game. It was a target for me over the last six months just to
arrive here and be fit and just to enjoy what I'm doing. It was fantastic
for me.

"This, for me, is a great day, and I hope this day never returns again and I
never have this difficult situation again like the last six months."

Behrami was part of a superb all-round performance from Alex Dyer's side,
with new signing Alessandro Diamanti netting two free-kicks and young
striker Zavon Hines grabbing a clinical hat-trick.

The midfielder was impressed with the performances of his team-mates,
including those of Hines and fellow teenagers Fabio Daprela and Davide
Ferrari, the full-backs who have recently joined the Hammers from
Grasshopper Zurich and Brescia Calcio respectively.

"It was a great game and a great team. We have a lot of young, good quality
players and that is a very good thing for this club. Every single young
player is very good and has quality. West Ham United must be happy about
this because I think we have a great future."

Having successfully come through his first competitive action since he was
injured in the Barclays Premier League victory over Manchester City on 1
March, Behrami is now eyeing a first-team comeback.

However, rather than rushing himself back, he is more than willing to allow
any decisions over his comeback to be made by manager Gianfranco Zola and
his staff.

"I don't know when I will return, but I am ready now. I am ready when Mister
needs me," he added to WHUTV. "I am not scared about my injury. Now it is up
to the manager what he is thinking about me. I can only say I am ready and
then it is a decision of the technical staff."

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Reserves 6-0 Birmingham FT
WHUFc.com
All the action as West Ham United take on Birmingham City at the Boleyn
Ground
08.09.2009

West Ham United reserves v Birmingham City reserves
Barclays Premier Reserve League South
Tuesday 8 September
Kick-off: 7pm
Boleyn Ground

FREE LIVE AUDIO COMMENTARY ON whufc.com

Full time - Well what a night at the Boleyn Ground as West Ham United
reserves put on a show for the 1,250 fans that have turned up. Alex Dyer
will no doubt have been delighted by what he has seen tonight as he builds
for the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers next week.

90 min - A great one two between Edgar and Hines sees the former race
through on goal. He superbly chips Doyle and into the net but sadly the
referee assistant's flag rules the effort out for offside.

88 min - Well Stech seems determined to get his clean sheet as he is called
into a full stretch save from Hubbins. Birmingham win the corner but it is
wasted and the Hammers break away to give Nouble something to chase on to.
He out muscles Dunphy and only some great last-ditch defending stops him
getting in on the score sheet.

84 min - Stech is called into action as he has to show good reaction to palm
away Hawker's shot.

83 min - One last change for Birmingham, who you must give credit to as they
have kept trying. Jakub Hronec comes on for Shane Williams

77 min - He is and comes on for Ferrari, who has looked very assured when
considering this is his debut and he is only 17. Fry slots in at left-back
with Daprela moving to right-back.

75 min - I think there is something of a stunned silence around the ground
now and I would not mind guessing that the fans that have turned up tonight
are not regretting their decision! It looks as though Matt Fry may be coming
on.

72 min - Edgar comes close as he tries to curl one into the top corner, but
this time Doyle is there to turn it over.

71 min - Terry Dixon started full training last week but on this showing he
will struggle to get into this team! Still it does bode well for the rest of
the season if you can add his name to this team list.

66 min - West Ham make their second change with Diamanti makes way for
Anthony Edgar. Yet another great round of applause from the Hammers' fans
here and quite right too as Diamanti has been superb.

65 min - GOAL! Well I cannot quite believe what I am seeing here. Hines is
felled about 30 yards from goal and Diamanti steps up and smashes it in at
the near post. Two goals for the debutant there.

62 min - GOAL! Hines completes his hat-trick through sheer grit and
determination. He chased a lost cause and muscled his way onto the ball
before slotting it past Doyle

58 min - The first change for the Hammers as Behrami is brought off for
Danny Kearns. It is as expected and the Swiss international gets a superb
send off from the home support here. Behrami was beaming from ear to ear as
he left the field there. Birmingham also make a change with Daniel Preston
coming off for Josh Hawker.

55 min - More great play from Diamanti as he plays a lovely ball forward for
Hines to chase. He tries the return ball but it falls a bit short.

53 min - Behrami to Diamanti who flicks the ball forward to Nouble who is
one on one with the goalkeeper. He perhaps takes the wrong option and tries
to chip the ball over Doyle, but it sails over. To be fair to him I do not
think he would have done that at 0-0!

52 min - There does appear to be a small change actually as Daprela and
Ferrari have swapped flanks so we have an Italian at left-back and a Swiss
at right-back.

48 min - It seems to be as your were for the Hammers and they quickly get
back into their stride. Diamanti plays a delightful crossfield ball to
Nouble, who beats his man on the touchline and fires in on goal but it
crashes into the side netting.

46 min - We are under way in the second half. One change for the Blues as
Jamie Dunphy is on for Dann.

Half time - Well that could not have gone any better really could it? Can
Dyer's side keep this up in the second half and if so, who knows what score
we will end up with here?

45 min - Well if the Hammers can carry on like this who knows what score we
will end up with. I do not think the Blues' players will be looking forward
to coming out for the second half much.

43 min - GOAL! And it is four before half time! A ball forward from Da Costa
found Daprela, who in turn feeds Nouble. The No9 puts in his strike partner
Hines, who takes a touch and rolls it into the bottom corner.

40 min - Tony Cottee says on the commentary: "When people score goals like
this it is not luck. They practice, practice and practice. He whipped it up
over the wall into the top corner. It was a magical moment from the young
lad."

39 min - GOAL! Yes he can! And another great goal for the big crowd here.
Diamanti curls the ball left-footed right into the top corner without Doyle
even moving.

39 min - Behrami is felled 25 yards out and we will get to see our first
example of a Diamanti set piece. Can he live up to his billing as a
free-kick specialist?

37 min - A nervous moment for Stech as he loses his footing when trying to
claim the ball. In the end he did well to dive at the feet of Jervis.

34 min - Free-kick to the visitors on the right-hand side after Mr Berry
rules that Diamanti left a leg in. No problem for the Hammers back four
though as the set-piece is hit far too long.

30 min - Some positive play from Nouble sees him pull off a couple of step
overs before firing a shot into the legs of Danns. Moments later David
Ferrari shows his attacking prowess with a burst forward before feeding
Diamante, who just misses the top corner with a curled effort.

26 min - A backpass from Daprela forces Stech into a hurried clearance. His
kick smashes into Jake Jervis and dribbles towards the goal. Thankfully it
rolls inches wide. A let off for the Hammers keeper there.

25 min - Could we being seeing our first booking of the game after Rowe
brings down Payne with a late tackle? Yes we will and you have to say he
cannot really have any complaints about that.

23 min - Foul by N'Gala on the edge of the area gives the Blues a great
chance to get back into the game. Luke Rowe steps up and drills it along the
floor but Daprela is there to hack the ball away.

20 min - The game has settled a little now and the visitors are looking a
little more assured after being rocked the by the Hammers' early double.
N'Gala and Da Costa combine at the back to head a free-kick clear.

16 min - Do not forget you can get free live commentary on the game with
Tony Cottee by clicking the above link. It really has been a great start by
the Hammers here so it is well worth a listen.

14 min - Diamanti has been superb so far and he forces a corner right on the
edge of the penalty area. The Italian takes it and drives it hard across the
goal but Doyle gathers.

13 min - Some great work by Diamanti on the left as he flicks the ball over
David Joyce and crosses left footed. The Birmingham man just gets back in
time and they force the corner.

11 min - Well I've just about got my breath back after all of that but Hines
is doing his best to make sure there is more typing for me. The West Ham
No10 beat his man before rolling a dangerous ball along the floor and Dann
clears again.

9 min - GOAL! Another sensational goal from the Hammers but from a highly
unlikely source. N'Gala was fed the ball on the edge of the area and curled
an inch-perfect shot into the top corner. Two goals in ten? Could Dyer have
wished for a better start?

7 min - Nouble is next to fire a shot in and wins another corner. Once again
Diamanti takes it and Nouble rises highest to thump a header against the
crossbar.

6 min - More brilliant play from Behrami as he intercepts the ball in
midfield before threading a pass for Hines. He tries to take it around the
goalkeeper, but only a last-ditch tackle from Scott Dann stops him in his
tracks.

5 min - Well that goal got a great reaction from the home support and there
certainly sounded more than the 500 we reckon we have got here. Alex Dyer's
side look really up for this and go on the attack again.

3 min - GOAL! Behrami plays a delightful ball forward to Hines and he takes
a couple of touches before unleashing an superb drive into the top corner.
What a start for the Hammers!

1 min- We are underway and the home side go on the offensive straight away.
Daprela plays Nouble in and the power of the striker forces a corner.
Diamanti takes it short to Nigel Quashie who plays it to Josh Payne, who
strikes just wide.

6.58 pm - The players are out and referee Mr Berry calls the captains in.
West Ham win the toss of the coin and will attack the Sir Trevor Brooking
Stand.

6.55pm - The ground staff are making their final tweaks to the pitch as we
await the players and the excitement is building in east London for the
first showing of the four new arrivals and the return of Behrami.

6.48pm - There is a healthy crowd settling into the lower tier of the West
Stand. Admission is free for all supporters tonight and that, along with the
fine weather, has attracted a decent following to the Boleyn Ground tonight.

6.45pm - The returning Valon Behrami is the first one to head down the
tunnel after going through a vigorous pre-match routine. The midfielder
joined in with the keep-ball session before doing a series of shuttle runs
across the pitch.

6.40pm - It is an absolutely beautiful evening in east London for this
evening's Barclays Premier Reserve League South clash with Birmingham City.
Both sets of players are going through their pre-match warmups on the Boleyn
Ground pitch. Unfortunately, the sun has now dropped behind the West Stand,
so the pitch is in the shade, but it is still very warm.

West Ham United will welcome back Valon Behrami to competitive action for
the Barclays Premier Reserve League South visit of Birmingham City on
Tuesday evening.

The Switzerland midfielder has been out of action since suffering knee
ligament damage in the Barclays Premier League visit of Manchester City to
the Boleyn Ground on 1 March.

The fixture also sees three new arrivals make their first appearances in
Hammers shirts, with defenders Davide Ferrari and Manuel Da Costa and
forward Alessandro Diamanti all named in Alex Dyer's side.

Diamanti has arrived from Serie A club AS Livorno Calcio, while former
Portugal Under-21 centre-back Da Costa has joined West Ham from ACF
Fiorentina. Teenage full-back Ferrari has signed from Serie B side Brescia
Calcio.

Behrami's compatriot Fabio Daprela, a Switzerland U19 left-back, will make
his debut at reserve team level.

Academy graduate Bondz N'Gala has been named captain as Dyer's side seek to
bounce back after going down to a 2-1 loss at Aston Villa a week ago.

For Birmingham City, Republic of Ireland international goalkeeper Colin
Doyle will line up in goal, with former England U21 defender Scott Dann - a
summer signing from Coventry City - anchoring the back-four.

West Ham United reserves: Stech, Ferrari, Daprela, N'Gala, Da Costa, Payne,
Quashie, Behrami, Hines, Nouble, Diamanti
Subs: Street, Fry, Zola, Kearns, Edgar

Birmingham City reserves: Doyle, Joyce, Rowe, Dann, Preston, Packwood,
Hubbins, Sammons, Hronec, Jervic, Ntambwe
Subs: Butland, Williams, Hawker, Dunphy

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Behrami makes return after injury
BBC.co.uk

West Ham midfielder Valon Behrami made his comeback for the reserves against
Birmingham on Tuesday after six months out with knee ligament damage. The
Switzerland international, who was injured against Manchester City in March,
played 60 minutes of the 6-0 win at Upton Park. Afterwards, he said he was
fit to play first-team football again but was not setting himself any target
return date. "I am not scared of my injury now," the 24-year-old told the
club website. Zavon Hines scored a hat-trick and new signing Alessandro
Diamanti netted two free-kicks in a resounding victory for the Hammers'
second string team. Another new arrival from Italy, 17-year-old defender
Davide Ferrari, made his debut after joining on loan from Brescia on a
one-year deal. Ferrari's move, which could turn into a permanent transfer,
was completed before the transfer window shut but could only be made public
after international clearance was received.

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Reserves: West Ham Utd 6 Birmingham City 0
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 8th September 2009
By: Staff Writer

A poor Brimingham side were torn apart by Alex Dyer's rampant Hammers at the
Boleyn tonight. Chief tormentor of the Blues was Valon Behrami, who stood
out on his return to action following a lengthy lay off. However Zavon Hines
- who notched a hat-trick - and new boy Alessandro Diamanti will also
receive rave reviews for their part in the demolition of a weak City XI. The
goal glut began as early as the third minute when Zavon Hines registered his
first of the game with a fierce shot into goalkeeper Colin Doyle's net. The
lead was doubled just six minutes later when captain Bondz N'Gala, a centre
half by trade curled a sweet effort into the far corner from the edge of the
penalty box.
New signing Alessandro Diamanti scored his first goal for the club six
minutes ahead of the break when he dispatched a 22-yard free kick into
Doyle's top corner much to the appreciation of the watching crowd of 1,250,
which had had its numbers boosted by the club's decision to allow free entry
to all.

There was still time for one more ahead of the break when a good move
involving new signings Manuel Da Costa and Fabio Daprela culminated with
Hines grabbing his second goal of the evening from close range. A
shellshocked City - who lost their opening game of the 2009/10 campaign 4-0
at home to Arsenal last week - made one change at the break, introducing
Dunphy in place of Dann. That switch - plus no doubt a few stern words from
manager Terry Westley at the break - appeared to improve the visitors
slightly but on 62 minutes they fell further behind when the in-form Hines
completed a well deserved hat-trick. A long ball found its way to the
diminutive striker who bustled his way past three City defenders before
finding the net from close range.

Still not done, the Hammers made it six just three minutes later when
Diamanti notched his second free kick of the night from the opposite side of
the goal to his first. Unlike with the first - which dipped over the wall -
the Italian curled his effort around the wall into Doyle's bottom corner.
Valon Behrami, who looked as sharp as ever throughout received a warm round
of applause upon his substitution a minute ahead of the hour mark. He lasted
six or seven minutes longer than Diamante, who left the field to similarly
rapturous applause with a beaming smile etched upon his face.

Although no further goals were forthcoming substitute David Edgar looked
particularly impressive during the closing stages. Overall it was a good
night for Alex Dyer's side, who bounced back in style following last week's
disappointing 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa. Next up for the reserves is a clash
against Birmingham's near neighbours Wolverhampton Wanderers. That game is
currently set to take place at Bishops Stortford's Woodside Park ground,
United's regular reserve home ground, next Tuesday evening.

Match facts: West Ham Utd Res 6 Birmingham City Res 0

West Ham United: Stech, Ferrari (Fry 77), Daprela, N'Gala, Da Costa, Payne,
Quashie, Behrami (Kearns 58), Hines, Nouble, Diamanti (Edgar 67).

Subs not used: Street, Zola.

Goals: Hines (3,43, 62), N'Gala (9), Diamanti (39, 65).

Birmingham City: Doyle, Joyce, Rowe, Dann (Dunphy 46), Preston (Hawker 58),
Packwood, Hubbins, Sammons, Hronec, Jervic, Ntambwe (Williams 82).

Subs not used: Butland.

Booked: Rowe (25).

Attendance: 1,250.

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Behrami Returns
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 8th September 2009
By: Greg Mansell

VALON BEHRAMI will tonight make his long-awaited return for the reserves at
Upton Park. The Swiss international, 24, has been out injured since damaging
knee ligaments in an awkard fall in last March's 1-0 home win over
Manchester City. Alex Dyer, the Hammers reserve team manager, of tonight's
match against Birmingham City said: "It will be good for us to have a couple
experienced heads in the side and good for them as well. Hopefully Valon
will be back and it will be good for us to see him out on the field again."
The news is a massive boost for first team boss Gianfranco Zola, who has
recently seen fellow midfielder Luis Boa Morte ruled out for the season and
Keiron Dyer struggle to maintain fitness, but is unlikely to rush Behrami
back in to the starting line-up. The energetic midfielder is likely to play
60 minutes tonight and if successful may win himself a place on the bench
for Saturday's match away to Wigan Athletic. Zola, however, may prefer to
see Behrami play another reserve game, before then naming him in the
matchday squad for Liverpool's visit to Upton Park on 19 September.
Behrami's return promises to pose Zola a difficult selection policy once
fully-fit. With the team playing well, there is no obvious candidate to drop
out. With Zola appearing to favour Scott Parker for a holding role and the
likelyhood of Luis Jiminez being given an extended run to prove his creative
worth, the places of Mark Noble, Jack Collison and Juniour Stanislas would
appear most vulnerable.

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Collins backed to shine
Gabbidon hails ex-Hammers team-mate
Last updated: 8th September 2009
SSN

Danny Gabbidon is backing ex-West Ham team-mate James Collins to be a
success at Aston Villa. The Welsh duo, who played together for Cardiff, West
Ham and at international level, were separated when Collins joined Villa.
Gabbidon knows Collins' game inside out and thinks Martin O'Neill has done a
fantastic piece of business, despite a £5million outlay. Villa also bagged
Manchester City's Richard Dunne, although Gabbidon believes it is Collins
who the fans will be talking about next summer. "I have lost my mate, my
best man at my wedding, a real pal. I feel like I have had my right arm cut
off," explained Gabbidon. "I'm disappointed he has gone, he has done really
well for West Ham. Villa have got themselves a very good player. He will go
on to do better things for them. "The club needed to bring in a striker and
they needed to sell before they could do that. In defence we have got plenty
of cover and the club felt they could let James go. "Villa have also signed
Richard Dunne, and their fans will be talking about that. But by the end of
the season they will be talking about James."

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Make them clean my boots - Lampard slams young English talent
Sport.co.uk
Author: Andrew Allen
Posted on:09 September 2009 - 09:31

Chelsea and England star Frank Lampard has spoken out about the pampered
lifestyles of young academy prospects at Premier League clubs around the
country and claimed that a lack of professionalism and pampered lifestyles
are creating a generation of stars out of touch with reality. Asked what he
makes of young English talent coming through the ranks, the former West Ham
United protégé told btvision.com:
"Not enough of them are professional. It's something I feel very strongly
about. There are good young pros out there but nowadays it's made much too
easy for them. "We're all lucky to be where we are, leading nice lifestyles,
but that lifestyle is coming earlier and earlier. The lads are forgetting
the hard work that needs to be done to earn that lifestyle. Sometimes when
you mix with international players and have a taste of the trimmings at 16,
17 or 18, you can forget you're not there yet. "We have a fantastic Academy
at Chelsea, but players don't clean boots any more and I'm a big advocate of
them doing that. John Terry and I always complain that they should be
cleaning boots because it was a great learning curve for us, being told off
by Julian Dicks and having the boots thrown back at you. "Once that's gone,
an edge can be taken off. If that stops players being as good as they should
be that's bad."

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Tuesday, September 8

Daily WHUFC News - II 8th September 2009

Trio poised to face Greece
WHUFC.com
West Ham United should be well represented when England Under-21s face
Greece this afternoon
08.09.2009

James Tomkins, Junior Stanislas and Freddie Sears could all start for
England Under-21s on Tuesday evening after impressing in their opening
qualifier of the 2011 UEFA European U21 Championship.

Having come from behind to win 2-1 in FYR Macedonia last Friday, the Young
Lions have travelled to Greece for their second Group 9 fixture and the West
Ham United trio are all being tipped to figure in Stuart Pearce's XI. The
former Hammers defender turned coach is looking to go all the way at the
2011 finals in Denmark after reaching the 2007 semi-finals and the 2009
final.

Greece have also begun well with two wins from two against FYR Macedonia and
Lithuania but Pearce is confident - despite the difficulties experienced
last Friday before substitute Sears levelled matters and Lee Cattermole
struck the winning penalty. "The win against Macedonia was perhaps
fortunate, as we didn't play particularly well," Pearce told theFA.com.

"We feel as though we must play better to get a good result against Greece.
We know we are going to be in a difficult match on Tuesday as we have a very
tight group. Whoever qualifies out of this group is going to be pushed to
the extreme. It will be a very good game and with not much to choose between
the sides."

As well as Sears' show off the bench, Tomkins earned man of the match
plaudits in the last outing while Stanislas started his second consecutive
game at U21 level in the No7 shirt. All three are continuing a trend for
strong West Ham representation under Pearce, with Nigel Reo-Coker, Anton
Ferdinand and Mark Noble previously all being picked by the coach while
representing the Hammers.

Holmar Eyjolfsson could also be in action tonight when Iceland Under-21s
travel to Northern Ireland Under-21s. Iceland will be looking to get their
qualifying campaign back on track after losing their first game to the Czech
Republic 2-0. Kick-off at the Coleraine Showgrounds is at 7.30pm.

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Upson stakes his claim
WHUFC.com
Matthew Upson is looking forward to the biggest night of his international
career on Wednesday
08.09.2009

Matthew Upson will get a chance to reprise his partnership with England
captain John Terry in the potentially decisive FIFA World Cup qualifier
against Croatia on Wednesday.

"I enjoy playing with John," said Upson, who has emerged as a serious
contender to rival Terry and the injured Rio Ferdinand in the centre-back
positions. "He is very good. You know what his game is all about and he goes
and does it. You are aware of where he puts himself and play as a
partnership. [It is important] to understand the other's quality."

The West Ham United skipper won his 16th cap at the weekend in the 2-1
friendly defeat of Slovenia and is expected to hold on to his place for the
visit of the Croatians to Wembley. An eighth successive qualifying victory
would book England's place at the 2010 finals in South Africa and Upson is
expecting nothing else.

"It is an important game and if we get a win, we seal our place at the World
Cup,"he said. "Everybody is fighting for that spot, it is a big game and
hopefully we will get the right result."

Upson admitted the Slovenia fixture had been a "tricky" one for he and his
colleagues including club-mates Robert Green and Carlton Cole to negotiate.
However, the bigger picture was firmly in the mind for all. "There is
nothing at stake in terms of points but a lot at stake for the players in
terms of wanting to improve and get in the team for the qualifying game for
Wednesday.

"You need to focus, do the job and do what you are good at. In your mind, it
is an opportunity to impress. If you have not cemented the position in the
team, you want to do well and prove you care capable of holding your own."

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Behrami ready for Blues
WHUFc.com
Alex Dyer's side open their home campaign with the visit of Birmingham City
with a familar face back
08.09.2009

Valon Behrami could make his first appearance of the 2009/10 season in
Tuesday's Barclays Premier Reserve League South visit of Birmingham City to
the Boleyn Ground.

Switzerland midfielder Behrami has been out of action since suffering a knee
ligament injury in West Ham United's 1-0 Barclays Premier League victory
over Manchester City on 1 March. He is in full training and reserve-team
manager Alex Dyer should name him in his squad to face the Blues. A good
crowd is expected with the club offering free admission.

Dyer said: "It will be good for us to have a couple of experienced heads in
the side, and good for them as well. Hopefully Valon will be back and it
will be good for us to see him out on the field again.

"It's good for the club. That's what reserve-team football is all about -
getting those experienced boys back and playing. It gives them competitive
football and the younger ones can also learn from them.

"It is the best way to learn when you are playing with experienced players,
because they give you that little bit that, perhaps, the coach cannot give
you from the sidelines."

Dyer's reserves began their campaign with a 2-1 defeat by reigning league
champions Aston Villa at Villa Park a week ago, and the manager is eager to
bounce back to winning ways against Birmingham. The Blues opened their own
Barclays Premier Reserve League South season with a 4-0 home loss to
Arsenal.

"I'm looking forward to the game. I was down after the Aston Villa game
because I want the boys to go to places and to perform and I thought we
could do better. We want to set good standards at this club. They worked
hard and played hard and, as long as we tighten up on a couple of things,
we'll be alright."

Tuesday's match kicks off at 7pm, with free admission for all supporters.
Please note that the West Stand will be the only part of the Boleyn Ground
open on the night.

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Retracing Bobby's steps
WHUFC.com
Two West Ham United fans followed in the footsteps of Bobby Moore to raise
funds to fight bowel cancer
08.09.2009

West Ham United supporters Lloyd Hardwick and David Deene retraced the steps
of Bobby Moore to raise funds for the charity founded in honour of the
Hammers and England legend.

Lloyd and David walked 23 miles from Moore's childhood home in Barking to
Wembley Stadium for Saturday's international friendly between England and
Slovenia in aid of the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK.

The pair began their journey at 5am, arriving at Wembley, where Moore lifted
the FIFA World Cup, FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup during his glorious
career, shortly before the 5pm kick-off.

Lloyd told WHUTV that he and David would continue their bid to raise £8,000
for the charity, which was set up to fight bowel cancer by Moore's widow
Stephanie following Bobby's death in February 1993, in South America.

"The whole idea is that we're part of a team of 38 people going to Brazil at
the end of this month for one of the international projects that the Bobby
Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK run," he said.

"As one of our fundraising ideas, we thought we'd do something a bit
different by retracing the steps of Bobby from Barking to Wembley."

The walk to Wembley was the latest in a line of fundraising ventures pursued
by Lloyd and David. The pair took a table of ten supporters to the club's
inaugural Gala Dinner in May, and also donated a day's pay to the fund
earlier this year.

The Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK is one of West Ham United's two
official partner charities. Since its formation in 1993, the Fund has raised
more than £10m to aid the fight against bowel cancer.

To sponsor Lloyd and David, click here. For more information about the Bobby
Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK, click here.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Robert Green deserves to be England's No 1 at the World Cup, insists Matthew
Upson
By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 12:56 PM on 08th September 2009
Daily Mail

Matthew Upson has told Fabio Capello to make Robert Green his World Cup No
1. England defender Upson believes his West Ham team-mate deserves to keep
his place ahead of rivals David James and Ben Foster. Green is set to start
against Croatia at Wembley on Wednesday as England attempt to secure their
spot at next summer's finals in South Africa. 'He's having the best spell of
his international career so far,' said Upson. 'I really feel the jersey is
up for grabs. 'Robert is never going to have a better opportunity to
establish himself as No 1 and play in a World Cup, which would be a good
reward for the amount of hours and time he spent with the squad without
making many appearances or getting any recognition. 'Over the last year his
form has been excellent. I have obviously been playing with him at that time
at West Ham and I can't remember any kind of mistakes. 'He's hung in there.
He spent a lot of hours with this squad without even being on the bench and
mentally that is very demanding. It's down to him and his performances now,
which is all you can ask for.'

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers could face financial peril
Posted by Dom Raynor 5 days, 8 hours ago
ESPN

We start Thursday's round up of the UK newspapers with some more bad news
for long-suffering West Ham United fans. It seems that the finances of the
East London club could be in a particularly perilous state after the
shocking extent of the Hammers' financial crisis during the Bjorgolfur
Gudmundsson era were laid bare in The Guardian.

The documents reveal a business strategy that, in the opinion of the club's
finance director, Nick Igoe, was "fundamentally flawed" and the accounts set
out a loss of more than £37.4m for the year ending 2008, which was covered
by an injection of £30.5m of cash from the holding company of the former
owner, Gudmundsson.

Now that the club's parent company, CB Holding, is effectively a subsidiary
of Iceland's now defunct bank Straumur, even a marginal loss this year could
result in a return to the 2008 crisis. Oh, and the club still owe £21m to
Sheffield United after the Carlos Tevez inquiry.

Sticking with the financial theme, the Daily Mail have published an excerpt
from Matthew Le Tissier's autobiography, Taking Le Tiss, in which the former
Southampton star reveals he played a central role in an attempted betting
scam 14 years ago - only to fail miserably when his trusty right foot let
him down.

The former Southampton and England midfielder colluded with friends who
placed a spread bet on the time of the first throw-in during a game against
Wimbledon in 1995. Along with a team-mate, he devised a plan to send the
ball into touch from the kick-off and beat the bookies who were predicting
it would take nearly a minute for it to go out.

In an equally shocking player-related revelation the Daily Mirror report
that Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner snubbed Barcelona, Inter Milan and
Bayern Munich before signing a new five-year contract at Arsenal.

The 21-year-old apparently had interest from all three European superpowers
this summer while he negotiated a new £50,000-a-week deal with the Gunners.

The Sun lead on Ryan Babel's claim that he is frustrated at Liverpool and
that manager Rafa Benitez failed to deliver on promises made to the Dutch
striker. The headline of "Benitez lied to me!" says it all really.

With a weekend of international football looming the newspapers also focus
on England and in particular Jermaine Defoe. The Independent report that the
pint-sized striker's fine form for Tottenham has convinced England boss
Fabio Capello to play him alongside Wayne Rooney for the Slovenia match in a
switch from his usual starting line-up.

The Daily Star feature an interview with the 26-yera-old in which Defoe says
he is fed up with people asking about Michael Owen every time he is selected
in an England squad.

"I just want to get away from the comparison and him getting mentioned
because I am doing well and deserve my place," Defoe said. "If I'm honest, I
would like to get away with the questions about Michael when I get
selected."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
New Bordeaux deal for Chamakh will encourage Arsenal, West Ham
09.09.09 | tribalfootball.com

An new contract for Marouane Chamakh may make it easier for the striker to
leave Bordeaux, it has been revealed. Chamakh was priced out of moves to
Arsenal and West Ham United in the summer, though both Premiership clubs are
ready to try again in January. Bordeaux intend to offer the Morocco
international a new deal through to 2012, but it will include an affordable
buyout clause should Chamakh still be determined to leave.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 8th September 2009

Free entry to reserves
WHUFC.com
Admission is free for all fans for Tuesday evening's reserve-team fixture at
the Boleyn Ground
07.09.2009

West Ham United are pleased to announce that admission to Tuesday evening's
Barclays Premier Reserve League South fixture against Birmingham City at the
Boleyn Ground will be free for ALL supporters.

The match should feature the return to competitive action of Switzerland
midfielder Valon Behrami, who has returned to full training after an
extended period out with a knee ligament injury.

The West Stand turnstiles will open at 6.15pm, with kick-off at 7pm.
Complimentary teamsheets will be handed to supporters on entry.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Cole hungry for first goal
WHUFC.com
Speaking on WHUTV, Carlton Cole has outlined his Wembley dream before
England take on Croatia
07.09.2009

Carlton Cole has spoken of his determination to get on the scoring trail
with England and fire the nation to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The West Ham United striker won his fourth cap off the bench in Saturday's
2-1 win against Slovenia and yet again came close to his first goal for his
country. "I am the nearly man at the moment," he said. "I have had four
appearances and nearly scored in three of them. I can't wait til I get my
first goal. I need it."

The 25-year-old is taking nothing for granted though in terms of selection
with Wednesday night's potentially decisive qualifier against Croatia in
sight. "It is up to Mr Capello. Hopefully I can get a bit of action," he
said. Cole knows he needs to dislodge the weekend starters Wayne Rooney and
Emile Heskey, while Jermain Defoe was a scoring substitute at Wembley and
Peter Crouch is also waiting in the wings.

"Every game counts. It is a race to get on the plane. We have got some
quality forwards. I am in and amongst it. I just want to keep my club form
and get to where I want to get to. I am trying to get there. I have got to
be focused at all times, try my best and hopefully Mr Capello will keep
picking me."

Cole may be uncertain about his own place but has no doubt that Robert Green
deserves to be the starting goalkeeper. He said: "Rob is second to none. His
confidence is always high. He knows what he can do I would say he is up
there with the best in the country. David James is quality, Ben Foster is
quality, you got Scott Carson coming in, Paul Robinson - there is great
competition He will be on his toes.

"Sometimes people have to understand that keepers at this level get
slaughtered for one mistake. Hopefully Robert doesn't make one. He will do
well [if selected against Croatia]. I have 100 per cent faith in him. He is
my team-mate and I know what he can do. I see it every day on the training
pitch and in matches. He has been brilliant."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
N'Gala keen on captaincy
WHUFC.com
An important season for Bondz N'Gala has begun well with the teenager
skippering the reserves
07.09.2009

Bondz N'Gala will be hoping to play another key role when West Ham United
reserves take on Birmingham City on Tuesday night.

The centre-back, who turns 20 next month, was delighted to pull on the
armband in last week's season opener against Aston Villa and he predicts a
similarly tough encounter against their Midlands rivals. He said: "There
were a few tackles flying in, it was a good game to be involved. I am always
proud to wear the armband. It is nice to be selected and to lead the side
out.

"I am looking to make a breakthrough into the first team and being
reserve-team captain can only help me. We worked hard last week but Alex
Dyer thought we could have passed it better and nicked a point. It was a
tough way to start but I did think we deserved at least a draw."

Hailing from Forest Gate, N'Gala is understandably upbeat about the prospect
of a run-out at the Boleyn Ground with the Birmingham fixture moved from the
usual Bishop's Stortford base. There could also be some first-teamers on
view including Valon Behrami. "We are all looking forward to the chance to
play at Upton Park in front of our fans," N'Gala added.

Having played at right-back last week, N'Gala could revert to his usual
centre-back berth alongside Matthew Fry on Tuesday as Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson
is away on Under-21 duty with Iceland. Dyer might have turned to Danny
Gabbidon or James Tomkins as they chase fitness but they are also away while
Jordan Spence's loan at Scunthorpe United has been extended to mid-January.
Dyer also may call upon new recruit Manuel Da Costa. Calum Davenport remains
in hospital after being seriously injured in an incident last month but is
making good progress.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ladies ground Eagles
WHUFC.com
West Ham United picked up their first win of the season with an emphatic 5-1
win over Crystal Palace
07.09.2009

West Ham United Ladies made it five games unbeaten at the start of the
2009/10 season on Sunday but more importantly picked up their first win of
the campaign.

The Hammers comprehensively beat Crystal Palace 5-1 at Thurrock to lift them
to sixth in the early standings of the FA Tesco Women's Premier League
South.

Midfielder Zoe Marshal got the scoring underway with a penalty in the 13th
minute only for Becky Merritt to equalise four minutes later. Despite the
hosts having some decent chances, that is how the scores stayed until the
break.

It was all change after the interval, however, as Tracey Duxbury gave West
Ham the lead two minutes after the re-start. Gemma Shepherd then added a
crucial brace in the space of two minutes to give some breathing space
before Kayleigh Xidhas added a fifth in the last minute.

Tony Marshall's side are next in action on Sunday when they most Millwall
Ladies in a mouth-watering FA Tesco Women's Premier League Cup tie.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
It's a date
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 7th September 2009
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United's Premier League clash with Everton has been moved back a
day due to Everton's involvement in the Europa League. United has originally
been scheduled to face the Toffees at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday, 7th
November. However as Everton have a Europa League tie on the preceeding
Thursday the clash with West Ham has been postponed by 24 hours and now
kicks off at 3:00pm on Sunday 8th.

It is a similar story where the Hammers' planned October clash with Fulham
is concerned; the game, originally scheduled for Saturday 3rd October has
also been moved back by 24 hours and now kicks off at 3:00pm on Sunday 4th.
The date changes mean that West Ham United's first home fixture at
football's traditional 3:00pm Saturday slot doesn't arrive until 28th
November, when Gianfranco Zola's side host the newly-promoted Burnley.

West Ham's home fixtures: 2009 schedule

Sat 19th Sept (5:30pm) Liverpool

Sun 4th Oct (3:00pm) Fulham

Sun 25th Oct (4:15pm) Arsenal

Sun 8th Nov (3:00pm) Everton

Sat 28th Nov (3:00pm) Burnley

Sat 5th Dec (3:00pm) Manchester Utd

Sat 19th Dec (3:00pm) Chelsea

Sat 26th Dec (12:00pm) Portsmouth

To be confirmed: Aston Villa

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Geeks march on
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 6th September 2009
By: Gordon Thrower

West Ham iFC continued their excellent start to the season with a 5-1 win at
home to QPR. Accrington Stanley Bowles (to give the QPR supporters team its
official name) have traditionally been one of the stronger teams on the
internet football scene and the victory makes it two from two from the
Internet Hammers follwoing last week's 3-0 defeat of Millwall. The match
marked the first appearance of the new kit provided by official club
sponsors SPOBET who stepped into the breach following a recent appeal for
second-hand shirts to replace the ageing strip that was nearing the end of
its day.

Next up for the Geeks is an away trip up to Watford next weekend.

ASB (QPR) Match details

West Ham Utd iFC: S.Heywood, Wells, Gray, Neman, Liddard, Wilder, Dieblius,
Crane, Coates, R Heywood, Jarvis.

Subs: Nugent (Manager for the Day)

Goals: Liddard, R.Heywood (2), Gray, Jarvis.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The origin of the claret and blue
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 7th September 2009
By: John Simkin

On 29th June, 1895, Arnold Hills, the managing director of the Thames
Ironworks & Shipbuilding Company, announced in his newspaper, the Thames
Ironworks Gazette, that he intended to establish a football club.

The information appeared under the headline: "The importance of co-operation
between workers and management". He referred to the industrial dispute that
had just taken place and insisted he wanted to "wipe away the bitterness
left by the recent strike". Hills added: "Thank God this midsummer madness
is passed and gone; inequities and anomalies have been done away with and
now, under the Good Fellowship system and Profit Sharing Scheme, every
worker knows that his individual and social rights are absolutely secured."

The first match was a friendly against Royal Ordnance on 7th September,
1895. The result was a 1-1 draw. This was followed by victories against
Dartford, Manor Park, Streatham and Old St Stephens. Members of the team
included Charlie Dove (apprentice riveter), Thomas Freeman (ship's fireman),
Johnny Stewart (boilermaker), Walter Parks (clerk), Walter Tranter
(boilermaker) James Lindsay (boilermaker), William Chapman (mechanical
engineer), George Sage, (boilermaker), George Gresham (ship's plater) and
William Chamberlain (foreman blacksmith).

I have been unable to discover any written documents that reveal the colours
that the team played in. However, there is a photograph taken in 1895 that
shows the team wearing dark shirts and trousers. If we assume that Arnold
Hills selected the colours, I would think that they played in dark blue. The
reason for this was that these were the colours of Oxford University, the
team Hills represented in the varsity match and in the 1877 F.A. Cup Final.

In 1896 Thames Ironworks won the West Ham Charity Cup. A photograph of the
team shows that they are still playing in dark shirts. The first detailed
description of the kit appeared at the beginning of the 1897-98 season. The
strip consisted of Royal Cambridge blue shirts, white shorts, red cap, belt
and stockings. According to research by Grant Hole, these kits were probably
inherited from Castle Swifts FC, the works side of the Castle Mail Packet
Company.

We do know that Castle Swifts, the first football club to be formed in
Essex, had gone bankrupt in March 1895, when the chairman of Castle Mail,
Donald Currie, decided he was no longer willing to bankroll the club. They
did play in light blue shirts, white shorts and red socks. Arnold Hills took
over the tenancy of the Swifts' Hermit Road ground and he also recruited Tom
Robinson, Swifts' former trainer, to work with the Thames Ironworks team.

The Thames Ironworks Gazette commented that the new colours were very
impressive: "The contrast supplied by the delightful green turf is very
pleasing." One newspaper reporter commented: "A prettier and more
distinctive costume than theirs I have never yet seen on a football ground.
Light blue shirts, white knickers and scarlet stockings were their colours."
However, when the club played a game during a thunder storm in November,
1897, a local newspaper commented that the "Ironworks appeared on the field
with brand new white spotless clean knickers and light blue shirts, but
before they had been playing long they were like blackamoors".

There are photographs of the Thames Iron Works taken in 1897 and 1899.
Although in black and white, they lend support to the idea that the team
continued to play in light blue shirts, white shorts and scarlet socks.

Thames Iron Works was renamed West Ham United in September 1900. A team
photograph taken that year suggested that the club had retained the light
blue colours. According to club historian, John Helliar, on 14th September,
1901, West Ham "took to the field wearing their new colours of light blue
jerseys, with a claret band, and white knickers with a red stripe."

The earliest photograph I have been able to find showing West Ham wearing
the current claret and light blue strip was taken on 16th January 1904. The
game against Plymouth Argyle took place at the Memorial Grounds.

The team photograph taken at the beginning of the 1904-05 season clearly
shows the team wearing claret shirts with light blue sleeves and hoop around
the neck. However, it is recorded that on some occasions West Ham did resort
to wearing their old "Cambridge blue shirts".

According to the Historical Kits website, West Ham first began wearing
claret and blue shirts in 1899: "There is a story that in the summer of 1899
Bill Dove, a sprinter of national repute who was involved in coaching the
Ironworks team, was challenged to a race with four Aston Villa players at a
fair in Birmingham. Dove won but the Villa men could not pay the wager so
one of them pinched a set of claret and blue shirts from his club (he was
responsible for doing the laundry) to settle the bet."

This seems very unlikely and the author of the article admits that he got
this information from Wikipedia. This story also appears in Brian Belton's
"West Ham United Miscellany" (2006). However, I do not find the story
convincing. Nor is there any primary evidence of the club wearing these
colours until the 1903-04 season.

It has been pointed out that Aston Villa was the most successful club side
during this period having won the league title five times in seven years. It
has been argued that the Hammers might have adopted Villa's colours partly
to be associated with the success of the club.

What we do know is that the directors of West Ham were seriously concerned
about the financial situation of the club at the beginning of the 1903-04
season. It had lost £900 in the past two seasons and had an overdraft of
£770 and assets of less than £200. The club was forced to sell to sell their
best players. This included Charlie Satterthwaite, who had scored 18 of West
Ham's 38 goals that season. Given their perilous situation, did the
wealthiest club in England, take pity on the club and donate them a set of
claret and blue shirts?

You can see these early photographs on my website on the early history of
West Ham United.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WestHamHistory.htm

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Why West Ham fans sing "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles"
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 7th September 2009
By: John Simkin

In the Spring 2005 edition of "Soccer History", John Northcutt published an
article on why West Ham fans sing "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles".

He points out that the song was written in 1919 and became a popular hit in
the UK in the early 1920s. At the time it was fairly common for football
crowds to sing popular songs together. At Upton Park the club employed the
Beckton Gas Works Band to play before the game started. One of the songs
they played was "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles". However, the mystery remains,
why did the Upton Park crowd adopt the song as its anthem?

John Northcutt spends sometime discussing the most popular theory of why
this happened. It is a fascinating idea as it involves a famous painting, a
soap advert and a young West Ham player named Will Murray.

In 1886 Sir John Everett Millais, one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite
Brotherhood, painted a portrait of his five-year old grandson watching a
soap bubble he had blown through a clay pipe (erroneously, Northcutt claims
it was painted in 1829). The painting caused a sensation as it was
completely different from his previous work. It was first exhibited under
the title A Child's World in Grosvenor Gallery in London, and was acquired
by Sir William Ingram of the Illustrated London News. The painting was
reproduced and presented in the magazine as a colour plate, where it was
seen by Thomas J. Barratt, managing director of A&F Pears. Barratt purchased
the original painting from Ingram for £2,200 which gave him exclusive
copyright on the picture. Millais' permission was sought in order to alter
the picture by the addition of a bar of Pears Soap, so that it could be used
for the purposes of advertising. The painting/advert now became known as
"Bubbles".

Northcutt then goes on to argue that as the Pears Soap Works was based in
Canning Town, there would have been a lot of Bubbles posters around the
ground at the time the song was popular. Therefore, the fans would therefore
have associated the song and the poster together. There are several things
wrong with this argument. First of all, Pears was a national company and
their posters would be no more likely to have been around the Upton Park
ground at that time than any other stadium. More importantly, Pears were no
longer using the Millais' Bubbles painting in the 1920s.

The next stage of the story is even more unconvincing. Northcutt argues:
"The West Ham Boys team often played their home games at Upton Park in front
of huge crowds and one of the team, Will Murray, having fair curly hair
resembled the boy in the advert. He soon gained the nickname Bubbles Murray
and whenever he played the crowd would sing I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles,
this being the popular song of the day."

Wikipedia has a slightly different version of this story. It claims that
Murray was given the nickname "Bubbles" by his headmaster Cornelius Beal. It
goes on to argue that Murray "had an almost uncanny resemblance to the boy
in the famous Bubbles painting by Millais used in a Pears soap commercial of
the time."

There is a photograph in existence of Murray in 1921. He looks nothing like
the Bubbles painting. Nor could he, as the painting shows a five year old
boy, not a teenager. He has dark rather than fair hair. It is fairly curly,
but nothing like the original painting or indeed the Pears adverts that were
in existence in the early 1920s.

The other important point is that the record books show that Will Murray
never played for West Ham first team. His early promise was not fulfilled.
However, is it really credible that the Upton Park fans would sing a song
about a player who never made it into the first-team?

The club's historian, John Helliar, added to the story when he wrote an
article (17th October, 2009) about the song on the West Ham United's
official website. He follows the claim made by John Northcutt (not
referenced) that "Billy Bubbles Murray, so-called because of his distinct
and almost uncanny resemblance to the boy in the famous painting by
Millais". He goes on to add some more information on the story. Helliar
quotes a letter from a former member of the Beckton Gas Works Band, to the
"Pensioners' Bulletin" in 1983. He recalls that the band "were engaged by
the West Ham United Football Club to play for 20 minutes before the kick-off
and 10 minutes at the interval." He added: "We played Bubbles and it very
quickly became a favourite with the crowd." The problem is that the man does
not give a date for these performances. It could have been in the early
1920s that would give some support to the story about Murray. However, it
could also have been in the 1930s when the promising schoolboy footballer
was no longer a topic of conversation at Upton Park.

John Helliar does at least expose the myth that "I'm Forever Blowing
Bubbles" was sung by West Ham fans before the start of the 1923 Cup Final at
Wembley. His research shows that the song adopted at that match was "Till We
Meet Again."

Despite the obvious flaws in the Will Bubbles Murray story it became the
official explanation when it featured on BBC television last year. As is
often the case with television, the story was told as fact rather than
speculation.

John Northcutt, in his original article in "Soccer History", made it clear
that the story might not be true. To emphasise this he put forward two
alternative theories. The first involves a FA Cup tie against Swansea Town
in 1922. Unlike West Ham historians, Swansea Town have carried out research
to show that "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" was sung at the Vetch Field. He
quotes from the Sporting News (8th January, 1921) that the Swansea crowd
sung the song before a FA Cup tie against Bury. "Then came the ever popular
Bubbles, and the crowd simply yelled. The spectators on the main bank took
their cue from the Mumbles end, and there was one tremendous sway, together
with the singing, on the part of about 25,000."

Northcutt speculates that the West Ham crowd might have developed this
tradition after hearing the Welsh fans singing this song in the FA cup game
played against Swansea in 1921. Well, this story has been dashed in an
article that appears in the current edition of Soccer History. Ian Nannestad
has studied newspaper reports of the game and according to the Football Post
"there was no singing" before the game.

This raises the issue of why West Ham historians such as John Northcutt and
John Helliar have not been able to find newspaper reports in the 1920s and
1930s that remark on the fans singing "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" at Upton
Park. If they had found such reports, they would surely have used them in
their articles.

Northcutt also includes a third explanation for the singing of Bubbles. He
points out that West Ham historian, Brian Belton, has argued that Bubbles
was sung as crowds gathered during air raids in shelters and underground
stations in the East End during the Second World War. This led to a rise in
communal singing by the general public to raise morale. According to Belton,
the first time the song was reported to be sung by West Ham fans was during
the 1940 League War Cup Final at Wembley. This was a game that the Irons won
and maybe the fans took it as a good luck omen. Anyway, that appears to me
to be the most logical reason why the fans sing "I'm Forever Blowing
Bubbles" at Upton Park.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Neill Has Lost £350k So Far
West Ham Till I Die

So Lucas Neill still hasn't got a club yet then. Apparently Athletico Madrid
is the latest club to turn down his desire to earn £2 million a year. You've
got to laugh really. Since his contract ran out on 30 June, ten weeks have
gone by. If he had accepted the contract West Ham had offered him, he'd be
at least £350k richer today. Oh dear.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham ready to pounce as Luca Toni threatens to quit Bayern Munich if
he's not Louis van Gaal's first choice striker
By Sportsmail Reporter Last updated at 4:53 PM on 07th September 2009
Daily Mail

Luca Toni has alerted West Ham by not ruling out leaving Bayern Munich this
season if he is not guaranteed playing time. Gianfranco Zola has been linked
heavily with a swoop for the Italy international, who has sat out Bayern's
opening four Bundesliga games with a tendinitis problem. But Toni expects to
be a starter in Louis van Gaal's side when he returns to fitness. 'With Van
Gaal there is a particular rapport,' said Toni. 'If I am not given any
playing time I will speak to the club that declared me not transferable this
summer to understand what my future is.'
The 32-year-old striker was linked with a move away from the Bundesliga
giants following the arrival of summer signings Mario Gomez and Ivica Olic
to the Allianz Arena.
Earlier this summer, Toni was sent to train with Bayern's reserves after his
level of fitness failed to impress Van Gaal. However, Toni is eager to get
back on the pitch and deliver. 'There's a World Cup in a year's time and a
title to be defended and I don't want to miss that chance,' said Toni. 'I
hope to return to play as soon as possible.' Toni has scored over 38 goals
since his 11million euros (£9.6m) transfer move to Bayern in 2007 from
Fiorentina and finished as the leading scorer for his club with 14 goals in
25 league appearances.

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Saudi investor moving from Portsmouth to West Ham
8 Sep, 09 | England | Clubs ownership & management
Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - 2009 All rights reserved.

Saudi investor Ali aj-Faraj may be shifting his interest from English
Portsmouth to West Ham United. According to The Independent, the property
investor who recently failed to assume the reins at Portsmouth may have set
his sights on West Ham. Although Al-Faraj indicated that he would be sealing
the deal with Portsmouth by the end of this month, it looks like the failed
bid has led him in the direction of the debt-ridden club. While it is not
know whether or not Portsmouth Chief Executive Peter Storrie is playing a
part, he had publicly supported Al-Faraj over Sulaiman al-Fahim in the
recent Portsmouth bid process. Al-Fahim had appeared ready to keep Storrie
on board, with no intentions to replace the management crew at Portsmouth.
Calling Storrie a "capable chief executive," Al-Fahim noted that he had
"acted with the club's best interests in mind."
Meanwhile, the hefty debt load carried by West Ham continues to plague the
club in their efforts to secure a new owner. West Ham revealed a GBP 37.4
million loss for 2008, not including a crumbled partnership with main
sponsor XL Leisure. Club Chief Executive Scott Duxbury has since revealed
that West Ham could only afford new recruits Alessandro Diamanti and Manuel
da Costa due to an early payment made by sponsor Sbobet.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Monday, September 7

Daily WHUFC News - 7th September 2009

Specs heads the way
WHUFC.com
Jonathan Spector had a good night with the United States on a busy weekend
for the club's internationals
06.09.2009

Jonathan Spector played his part at the United States moved a step closer to
the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals by coming from behind to win 2-1 against El
Salvador in Utah.

The 23-year-old West Ham United defender played the whole match at
right-back, reprising the role he performed so admirably in helping the US
to the FIFA Confederations Cup final in June. The US scored first-half goals
from Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore after falling behind on the half-hour
and then held firm after the interval.

The three points move the US into second place in the six-team final
CONCACAF qualifying group, with the top three making it to the finals
automatically. The US are level on points with first-placed Honduras and
ahead of Mexico in third. Spector will hope to be in action for his 20th cap
in Port of Spain on Wednesday night when the US play the first of their
final three matches away to Trinidad and Tobago.

Radoslav Kovac
The versatile midfielder was an unused substitute as the Czech Republic
battled back to earn a 2-2 draw at old rivals Slovakia. The point left the
Czechs with little hope of reaching the finals as they are five points
behind second place in UEFA qualifying Group 3. They have three home matches
to come against San Marino, Poland and Northern Ireland.

Valon Behrami
Fit-again Valon Behrami will have been delighted with Switzerland winning
2-0 at home against Greece as it moved them three points clear at the top of
qualifying Group 2. Behrami figured at the 2006 finals and could well be
involved next year as well. He may return for the final two qualifiers early
next month against Luxembourg and Israel.

Danny Gabbidon and Jack Collison
The club's two Welsh internationals face a major date on Wednesday when
Wales try to keep alive the very slim hopes of reaching the 2010 FIFA World
Cup finals with the visit of Russia. The 30-year-old Gabbidon has 41 caps
while the 20-year-old Jack Collison, who already has six senior caps, will
try to shake off a calf knock that kept him out of the Under-21's 2-1 win
against Italy on Friday night.

James Tomkins, Junior Stanislas and Freddie Sears
The trio will aim to help England Under-21s take the second step towards the
2011 UEFA European U21 Championship in Denmark. The Young Lions began their
Group 9 qualifiers against FYR Macedonia with a 2-1 win in Prilep on Friday
and have headed to Athens to take on Greece on Tuesday. Tomkins has five
caps to his name, while Stanislas made his debut against the Netherlands
earlier this month in a friendly. Club-mate Freddie Sears - on loan at
Crystal Palace - scored the equaliser against the Macedonians.

Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson
The Icelandic centre-back will make his second appearance of the 2011 UEFA
European U21 Championship campaign away to Northern Ireland on Tuesday
night. Eyjolfsson was already part of the team that lost 2-0 to the Czech
Republic last month despite having only just turned 19.

Fabio Daprela
The 19-year-old left-back played twice for Switzerland Under-19s in home
friendlies against Georgia on Wednesday and Friday last week. Daprela got
the full 90 minutes in both matches, which were a 7-0 win and a 1-0 defeat.
They have served as a warm-up for the 2010 UEFA European U19 Championship
mini-tournament qualifiers against hosts Lithuania, Estonia and Croatia
between 23 and 28 September.

Georg Grasser
The young midfielder was called up by his native Austria for their U20
friendly international against Germany in the west Austrian town of Altach
but Friday's match was cancelled. Instead, the Austrian youngsters took on
Swiss side FC Lustenau and ran out 3-1 winners. Grasser played the full 90
minutes.

Danny Purdy
A welcome goal for Purdy helped the Republic of Ireland Under-17s to finish
a four-team international tournament with a 4-1 win against Romania last
Friday. Purdy had played in the previous two defeats by Russia and Sweden
earlier in the week. The Irish are preparing for the 2010 UEFA European U17
Championship mini-tournament qualifiers against Sweden, Bulgaria and Latvia
between 27 September and 2 October.

Deniz Mehmet
The Academy goalkeeper was with Turkey as they warmed up for the FIFA U17
World Cup finals between 24 October and 15 November with a 4-1 home defeat
by the Netherlands in Antalya.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Three Lions on show
WHUFC.com
A trio of West Ham United players all turned out for England on Saturday
afternoon
05.09.2009

Robert Green, Matthew Upson and Carlton Cole all featured as England beat
Slovenia 2-1 at Wembley before the vital 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
against Croatia on Wednesday

Green and Upson both started Saturday's friendly, while Cole came on as an
80th-minute substitute as a 31st-minute Frank Lampard penalty was added to
by Jermain Defoe's clinical strike on 63 minutes. Zlatan Ljubljankic pulled
one back late on which Green, who played the whole match, could do nothing
about but it was too little, too late for the visitors.

The England No1 was involved straight away and played a key role in stopping
the visitors taking the lead in the seventh minute when he just got a
fingertip to the ball to force Aleksander Radosavlejevic wide when the
forward burst through. After some composed kicking, Green was called in to
more serious action in the 57th minute when he showed bravery to punch a
dangerous free-kick clear when under pressure.

Upson played just over an hour before being replaced by Joleon Lescott and
looked assured throughout. As well as a couple of key blocks at the back,
the West Ham United captain was a threat at the other end and came to within
inches of converting a James Milner centre just after the interval.

Ljubljankic had the last word with his consolation to deny Green a clean
sheet on his fourth consecutive international start but Cole was also a
threat at the other end. His late arrival limited his chances but he still
managed to force his way through with two minutes to play and get a shot
away.

All three West Ham players will hope to stay involved for the Croatia
contest in midweek. Upson, 30, has 17 appearances while Cole has played five
times at senior level. Capello's team have won their first seven fixtures in
UEFA qualifying and an eighth will make certain of a place at the World Cup
finals next summer in South Africa.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tough day for U18s
Sergio Sanchez was on target but West Ham United came up short against
Tottenham Hotspur
05.09.2009

Tottenham Hotspur U18s 5-2 West Ham United U18s

A youthful Academy side came up short in the London derby away to Tottenham
Hotspur on Saturday morning.

Tony Carr's side found themselves 3-0 down by half-time and quickly conceded
a fourth in the second half before staging a spirited fightback. Robert
Hall, still only 15, and captain Sergio Sanchez pulled two goals back and
the Hammers began to believe they could yet earn something from the game.
However, Danny Subuola was unlucky with a great chance to make it 4-3 and
Spurs regained their superiority and added a fifth.

"Tottenham were too powerful and too strong for us," said Carr "They were
better than us on the day and we were second best in most departments.
However, we did well after half-time and we got the improved performance
that we were looking for. We got two goals back and could have made it
interesting had we got the third one but it was not to be. Peter Loveday
saved a penalty before they scored again."

The Academy Director changed things around in the second half with Sanchez
dropping back into defence from a holding midfield role and Hall on a rare
start at this level soon got his reward. Sanchez then headed in from close
range after a corner before substitute Subuola nearly added a third.
Goalkeeper Loveday, on his first start of the season with Turkey's Deniz
Mehmet on international duty, then saved from the spot while Hall also had a
couple more opportunities.

Carr was without the extra experience of Conor Okus (groin) and Callum
McNaughton (ankle), both of whom he hoped would be back in full training
next week, while the likes of Tony Brookes and Olly Lee are with the
reserves. There was the welcome boost of Polish youth international
full-back Filip Modelski returning after his long-term knee injury with a
second-half appearance off the bench. It was his first outing since
mid-January.

"Filip came on for the last 30 minutes which was a real plus and there was
no reaction," added Carr. "He will get a bit more in the next few weeks and
hopefully we can progress as well. We got off to a flying start on the first
day at Everton and let's hope we can get back to that."

The Hammers had won 2-1 against the Toffees on 22 August but then went down
1-0 at home to Stoke last week before the reverse at Spurs. It is back to
Little Heath next weekend when Birmingham City come calling, four days after
the clubs - and possibly some of Carr's brightest youngsters - are involved
in a reserve match at the Boleyn Ground.

West Ham United: Loveday, Smith (Modelski 60), Brown, Lampe, Driver (Moncur
70), Sanchez, Barrett, Wearen, Hall, Abdulla, Montano (Subuola 40)

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Atletico pull plug on Neill move
7 September 2009 | 07:19 - SBS: Matthew Hall
TheWorldGame.sbs.com.au

Atletico Madrid have pulled out of negotiations to sign Socceroos defender
Lucas Neill, according to a report from Spain. Madrid sports daily AS
reported on Saturday that the La Liga outfit had decided not to sign a right
back to replace John Heitinga who moved to Premier League side Everton last
week. Despite apparently having several options in the transfer market, AS
claimed Atletico decided not buy a player to fill its gap at right back
after club officials decided that no player "of the premier level remains
available that is any better than what the team already has within its
ranks".
However, other reports in Spain have claimed newly-promoted Real Zaragoza
have stepped into the market and are keen to consider offering Neill a
one-year deal. Meanwhile, Neill's proposed A-League bid has been linked to
last week's murder in Sydney of businessman Michael McGurk. McGurk has been
described in various reports as a "stand-over man" and a "millionaire
businessman" who was "millions of dollars in debt" and "involved in
providing prostitutes to high-profile people" McGurk was shot dead by an
unknown gunman outside his home in the harbourside Sydney suburb of Cremorne
last Thursday. According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, McGurk
had been approached to be "a behind-the-scenes financial middleman" for the
Western Sydney A-League team fronted by Neill. 'There is no tie here,"
Neill's agent Paddy Dominguez told The Sydney Morning Herald. "Mr McGurk was
not a shareholder or an investor. He was somebody we did speak to because we
knew he manages money and has very big clients. We put our proposal to him
and he spoke to people, but in the end they weren't interested."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEST HAM: Hammers trio impress for England
7:06pm Sunday 6th September 2009
Guardian Series

WEST HAM players Robert Green and Matthew Upson played leading roles in
England's 2-1 friendly win over Slovenia on Saturday, while Carlton Cole
also made a late cameo appearance. Green continues to command the support of
Three Lions boss Fabio Capello through his club form, and the Italian showed
further signs that he is willing to hand the Hammers keeper the number one
jersey by handing him a start. Upson also underlined his place as the
country's third choice centre-half behind John Terry and Rio Ferdinand as he
stepped in for the Manchester United defender in the heart of England's
defence. England took the lead late in the first half when Wayne Rooney was
adjudged to have been fouled in the box and Frank Lampard stepped up to
convert the resulting penalty. Tottenham striker Jermaine Defoe continued
his rich scoring vein with a precise shot from the edge of the box to double
the hosts' lead. But the visitors grabbed a late consolation, denying Green
a clean sheet. Cole looked lively as he joined the fray late on, even
fashioning a chance out of nothing with a brilliant piece of skill along the
byline, only to see his eventual shot blocked.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Neill taking his time
Aussie full-back still weighing up options
By Chris Burton Last updated: 6th September 2009
SSN

Lucas Neill has revealed that he remains in talks with a club outside of
England regarding a possible contract. The Australian international parted
company with West Ham at the end of last season, with his deal at Upton Park
having reached its conclusion. He has since been linked with a host of
clubs, including Turkish giants Galatasaray. Neill is yet to find
employment, though, and domestic action across Europe is now well underway.
The experienced full-back is known to favour a move away from the Premier
League, keen to steer clear of imminent income tax hikes. Primera Liga
outfit Atletico Madrid are now the favourites to secure his services, with
Neill admitting he is close to making a decision on his future. "I am in
talks with a club outside England. It's a change from what I've been used
to," said the former Blackburn and Millwall defender. "A decision will take
a lot of courage so that's why I've taken my time."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Saudi 'to bid' for West Ham
By Simon Evans
The Independent
Sunday, 6 September 2009

Ali al-Faraj, the Saudi property investor who recently failed in his
attempts to buy Portsmouth, is believed to be considering a bid for West Ham
United. Al-Faraj, who claimed to have agreed a deal to buy Pompey at the end
of August, is thought to have set his sights on the heavily indebted East
End club.

It is not known if Peter Storrie, chief executive of Portsmouth and former
managing director at West Ham who brought Al-Faraj into the bidding process
at Pompey at the 11th hour, is involved in the approach.

However, Storrie finds himself in an invidious position at Portsmouth having
backed the offer of Al-Faraj in favour of the ultimately successful bid from
Sulaiman al-Fahim, which looked to be floundering amid concerns about his
ability to fund the deal.

Yesterday, Al-Fahim appeared to give his backing to Storrie, claiming not to
have plans to replace him with a new management team: "Peter is a capable
chief executive and I do not doubt he has acted with the club's best
interest in mind." But a return to Upton Park for Storrie, a lifelong
Hammers fan, would prove difficult to resist should it arise, after he was
acrimoniously sacked by the club in 1999 by then chairman Terry Brown.
Storrie has insisted, in a Portsmouth News interview, that he is staying at
the club.

Whoever takes over at West Ham will have to grapple with a substantial debt
pile. Recently published accounts for the Hammers show they lost £37.4
million in 2008, following a blighted year off the pitch which saw the
collapse of XL Leisure, their main sponsor. The club's latest accounts have
yet to be filed but the situation is thought to have deteriorated during
2009. It is believed that the Hammers have breached debt covenants laid down
by creditor banks to the club, which in theory could have tipped them into
administration. However, the banks have so far resisted triggering such a
move.

West Ham's chief executive Scott Duxbury last week admitted they were only
able to buy new recruits – striker Alessandro Diamanti and centre-half
Manuel da Costa – after the club's sponsor, Sbobet, advanced a payment to
the club earlier than scheduled.

The extent of Al-Faraj's wealth is not known. He enjoys a holding in Sabic,
the Saudi petrochemicals conglomerate, while he is reported to have a
substantial family trust.

Meanwhile, Portsmouth are understood not to be out of the financial woods,
writes Steve Tongue. Funds received for players in the last hectic few days
of the transfer window may have to go straight to paying off creditors like
the Inland Revenue, and it is even suggested Al-Fahim has only agreed to put
money in until the end of this month. He has insisted there will be
"significant investment" in players and the youth academy. Theoretically,
the club made a profit of £27m in transfers over the summer, but much of
that will be paid in instalments and the whole sum barely covers the amount
owed to Standard Bank, who wanted it back by 31 August.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Robert Green did himself no favours with nervy performance for England
against Slovenia
By Paul SMith
Last modified 21:54 05/09/09
The Mirror

West Ham's Robert Green was presented with the perfect opportunity to stake
a real claim for the number one jersey yesterday, writes Paul Smith. The man
he is looking to replace, Portsmouth's David James, looked on from the
comfort of his living room armchair after he was omitted from Fabio
Capello's 24-man squad suffering some discomfort with a knee injury. Capello
is keen to see Green and Manchester United's Ben Foster advance their claims
for the role. While James is still in possession of the shirt, England's
Italian coach is open-minded about whether he will remain his first choice
going into the World Cup finals in South Africa next summer. Sources close
to him claim Foster is far more of a threat than Green and is widely
considered to be the long-term successor to the Pompey keeper. And if
Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson had followed the letter of the law, Foster
would have been given an early and unexpected opportunity to push those
claims. With barely three minutes on the clock Green came to collect a
Slovenian through ball and clearly handled it well outside his area. The
offence went completely unpunished much to the relief of Green. Even the
39-year-old James who worked tirelessly to rid himself of the unwanted
calamitous tag has stopped short of adding that one to his collection.
Green's immediate reaction to the mistake wouldn't have pleased Capello
either as he looked fragile and uncertain in the minutes that followed as
Slovenia threatened his goal. Foster looked on from the England bench and
must wonder if he had inadvertently been responsible for Green's selection
ahead of him. He has been given an extended opportunity of first-team
football at Manchester United because of Edwin van der Sar's broken finger.
But his own injury problems – including the bruised knee that kept him out
of the friendly match away to Holland this month – have helped Green to be
considered in the short-term ahead of him. With England leading 1-0 at the
break Capello made four outfield substitutions. His decision to leave Green
on the field merely indicated that he would retain his place in the side
ahead of Foster for the crucial World Cup qualifying game against Croatia at
Wembley on Wednesday.
It was hard to establish the criteria for Capello's assessment, as Green was
as much of a spectator as James was. On the odd occasions he was called into
action you wondered whether he was doing more damage to his chances than
good. There is nervousness about Green that does not breed confidence. And
when Slovenia breached his goal with four minutes remaining you were left
wondering whether he was about to burst into tears. He wasn't largely to
blame for the goal that came about from poor defending but there was no
doubt he could have done a lot better. Whether Capello takes the decision to
bring Foster in on Wednesday now is largely open to speculation. But it
would be hard to see how Green and his chances of establishing himself ahead
of James in the long-term could have impressed him.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Saturday, September 5

Daily WHUFC News - 5th September 2009

Reserves at the Boleyn
WHUFC.com
The reserve-team fixture next Tuesday against Birmingham City will be played
at the Boleyn Ground
04.09.2009

West Ham United can confirm that this Tuesday's reserve-team visit of
Birmingham City will be played at the Boleyn Ground and also that two
first-team dates have been changed.

The 8 September contest, which has been moved from Bishop's Stortford's
Woodside Park home, could see the return of Valon Behrami after his recovery
from a knee injury suffered back in March in a home win against Manchester
City. Alex Dyer's second string lost 2-1 at Aston Villa last Tuesday in
their first Barclays Premier Reserve League fixture of the season but will
hope for better at home. Kick-off is at 7pm.

It remains to be seen whether there will be a first run-out in claret and
blue for Manuel Da Costa and Alessandro Diamanti, while the match should
give fans the chance to run the rule over the talented crop of youngsters
coming through including Bondz N'Gala, Oliver Lee, Josh Payne and Anthony
Edgar. Up front Frank Nouble and Zavon Hines may get another opportunity to
reprise the partnership that showed promising glimpses up at Villa Park.

Supporters should also take note of two first-team fixture changes. The
matches against Fulham and Everton have been moved because of their UEFA
Europa League involvement and will take place at 3pm on Sunday 4 October and
Sunday 8 November respectively. The Carling Cup trip to Bolton Wanderers has
been set for Tuesday 22 September, with the third-round tie kicking off at
8pm.

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Sears on target
WHUFC.com
Freddie Sears came off the bench to inspire England Under-21s to a winning
start on Friday
04.09.2009

Freddie Sears opened his account for England Under-21s with a goal straight
from Little Heath as the Young Lions ran out 2-1 winners against FYR
Macedonia.

Sears reacted quickest to convert James Tomkins' knockdown following a
Junior Stanislas corner in the 68th minute. The trio then very nearly
repeated the trick 12 minutes later, but this time the substitute could only
fire wide.

Stanislas was a constant threat throughout and was unlucky to see his
delightful cross headed wide by Daniel Sturridge just four minutes in. There
was then temporary cause for concern as the winger went down injured in the
Macedonia penalty area, but he was soon back on his feet and causing more
problems for the hosts' defence.

Sears, on as a half-time substitute for Fabrice Muamba, had got England
level before a late Lee Cattermole penalty sealed the game for Stuart
Pearce's side, who passed their first test on the road to the 2011 UEFA
European Under-21 Championship in Denmark. The Young Lions will now head to
Greece for their second group qualifier on Tuesday night. Tomkins played the
entire 90 minutes, while Stanislas was replaced straight after the winning
goal.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
New recruits welcomed
WHUFC.com
West Ham United have formally unveiled the club's two new faces with SBOBET
also playing their part
04.09.2009

West Ham United have officially unveiled new recruits Alessandro Diamanti
and Manuel Da Costa at the club's Chadwell Heath training ground.

Manager Gianfranco Zola welcomed the new players during a break in training
with Diamanti, who will wear No32, and Da Costa, who has the No22 shirt,
also being introduced to SBOBET Executive Director Bill Mummery.

SBOBET have been the club's principal partners since December 2008 when they
stepped into the breach left by the demise of XL Holidays. They continue to
support the club and played a significant role in the transfer window
activity this summer. It was the backing from SBOBET that allowed the club
to initially finalise the deal to sign forward Diamanti from AS Livorno
Calcio before concluding the arrival of centre-back Da Costa from ACF
Fiorentina.

West Ham United manager Gianfranco Zola was grateful for the support of
SBOBET. He said: "It's very good. It's fantastic that they help sustain us.
They believe in what we are doing and have given us their support. We are
going to try everything possible to match that with what we are doing."

"The first impressions of Alessandro and Manuel are very positive. I have
had four or five training sessions with Alessandro and he is showing us his
quality. Manuel is a young boy with a lot of promise and we are hoping to
bring out all of his talent."

West Ham United CEO Scott Duxbury said: "We have an excellent relationship
with SBOBET and they have proved perfect partners over the past year. Their
support in advancing a due payment to the club made sure we signed
Alessandro ahead of rival clubs looking to secure his services. He promises
to be a major addition to our squad, along with Manuel Da Costa, and I know
Gianfranco is excited to be working with both of them.

"Again I must offer personal thanks to executive director Bill Mummery for
the way he has endorsed what we are trying to achieve here. SBOBET are also
working closely with fan groups and were a part of our recent trip to China
for the Barclays Asia Trophy. I am sure we will continue to work closely
together in future."

SBOBET Executive Director Bill Mummery said: "We stepped in to assist Scott
and his team on the basis that the transfer window was coming to a close. We
are very immersed with our strategic relations with West Ham and this was a
good opportunity for us to demonstrate that support in a meaningful way and
we were glad to do it.

"We have been involved for about eight months. The community spirit, the
values of the club, the Academy and being out in Beijing with them, we
really are very impressed with the whole set up at West Ham. Their values in
many ways, particularly at a strategic level, match ours so we were just
happy to help where we were able to."

SBOBET continue to be ideal partners for West Ham United, not least because
of the support towards the club's main charity partner, the Bobby Moore Fund
for Cancer Research UK (Registered Charity No. 1089464). The charity's logo
will once again be carried on all kit worn by the club's academy sides as
well as on child replica strips.

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Kitted out with SBOBET
WHUFC.com
West Ham United IFC are looking the part this season after a generous
donation from SBOBET
04.09.2009

Principal partners SBOBET have donated a new set of team strips to a
supporters' team made up entirely of season-ticket holders who were in
desperate need after playing the last five seasons in an old claret and blue
kit.

West Ham United IFC assistant manager Vincent White, from Harlow in Essex,
approached SBOBET Executive Director Bill Mummery after reading about the
help SBOBET had given the club in the signing of Alessandro Diamanti and was
delighted to get a response within 24 hours.

After hearing about their plight and the excellent representation they gave
the club during a supporters' game with Millwall last Saturday, SBOBET
quickly offered them 24 West Ham United home shirts and four balls.

Mummery said: "In light of the events of last Tuesday I thought that any
group of supporters that were still planning to play their game in the right
spirit must be worthy of a little bit of support and for me it was an
absolute pleasure to offer them some kit."

White, 30, said: "We're absolutely delighted. It's a wonderful gesture and
we're now going to look the part as well playing the part.

"The story on the official website about the signing of Diamanti and [West
Ham United CEO] Scott Duxbury personally thanking Bill was the carrot that I
needed. I contacted SBOBET three days ago and here we are today with the new
kit that we have been after."

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U18s head for Spurs
WHUFC.com
The U18s will continue their FA Premier Academy League challenge at
Tottenham on Saturday
04.09.2009

West Ham United's Under-18s will be eager to bounce back to winning ways
when they head for Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday morning. The Hammers will
be keen to make amends for the 1-0 FA Premier Academy League defeat they
suffered at home to Stoke City a week ago, having begun the 2009/10 campaign
with an impressive 2-1 victory at Everton on 22 August. Tony Carr's
youngsters will also want to gain revenge for the 3-2 loss they suffered at
Spurs Lodge in a pre-season friendly with Saturday's opponents on 25 July.
West Ham's goalscorers that day, Danny Purdy and Blair Turgot, will not
feature this time around. Purdy has been away on international duty with the
Republic of Ireland U17 side in Poland, while Turgot is likely to be with
the Hammers U16 squad this weekend. Turkey U17 goalkeeper Deniz Mehmet is
also unavailable as he was part of his country's squad for an international
friendly against the Netherlands in Otel Antalya on Friday. However, the
likes of left-back Jordan Brown, central midfielders Eoin Wearen and George
Moncur and forward Cristian Montano could all feature after impressing for
Alex Dyer's reserve team at Aston Villa in midweek. Saturday's fixture marks
the third of West Ham's ten inter-group fixtures. Carr's youngsters, who
compete in FA Premier Academy League Group A, will take on ten sides from
the three other groups before playing home and away against the nine other
Group A teams.
Tottenham, who compete in Group B, went down to a 3-1 home defeat by
Manchester United last Saturday, and also lost at Middlesbrough in their
opening fixture. Despite those results, Carr is expecting a difficult match:
"We will be without Deniz and Danny, who have been regulars in the side, but
their absences opens the door for other players to come in and show what
they can do. "Tottenham have lost their opening two matches, but they were
tough matches and they are a good side. Hopefully, we can go there and give
a good account of ourselves and, if we create the same number of chances we
created in our opening two matches, we will give ourselves a very good
chance."
Kick-off at Spurs Lodge, in Luxborough Lane, Chigwell, is at 11am. Admission
is free.

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Parkes praise on WHUTV
WHUFC.com
One former Hammers and England goalkeeper has been talking about the
international hopes of another
04.09.2009

Check out WHUTV today to see the thoughts of Phil Parkes on a big weekend
for Robert Green.

The West Ham United great has been speaking about the England No1's chances
of retaining the international shirt ahead of stiff competition from Ben
Foster and Paul Robinson. Parkes believed Green, having starting the last
three matches, should be the man to face Slovenia in a friendly on Satuday
before Wednesday's FIFA World Cup qualifier with Croatia.

Parkes was fulsome in praise for Green's heroics at the Boleyn Ground,
arguing that his form in 91 consecutive Premier League outings has more than
earned him the right to be considered the nation's top shot-stopper. He
said: "Robert has proved he is the best around. He is playing well and has
confidence. Most importantly the defence has confidence in him.

"Now he has got he spot it is up to the others to take it away from him. He
has to be careful of course and make sure he doesn't do any silly mistakes.
Fabio Capello is the kind of manager who will keep him in there if he is
playing well, he will sticfk with him."

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Robert Green is a good keeper, but David James should still be England's No
1
By Mark Lawrenson
The Mirror
Last modified 22:17 04/09/09

Robert Green is the man in possession of the keeper's jersey - but David
James is still England's number one. Fabio Capello has most of his team
picked for next summer's World Cup finals but the keeper is still a major
dilemma. Green is one of the names in a long list with James in there as
well with the likes of Ben Foster, Joe Hart and Paul Robinson.
But if you are a defender then it's a simple question as to who you would
most want behind you in goal. And the answer to that is, for me, James every
time. James is experienced, still incredibly fit at 39 and has gone to major
tournaments as England's number one so has that under his belt. James will
have a busy season at Portsmouth with the club in crisis but at least that
means he will have a lot of work to do and won't go into the tournament half
cooked! James is still the keeper who makes fewest mistakes, has a presence
and gives his defence confidence. As for the rest, Green is a good shot
stopper but does not always inspire confidence on crosses. Green is being
given a good run but still has not nailed down the place. Foster, meanwhile,
has not played enough games at the top level for us to be sure yet, although
he has all the attributes. Hart is still young and maybe needs to bide his
time while Capello still includes Robinson but doesn't appear to be ready to
promote him again despite his excellent form for Blackburn which is a shame.
It's still an area for concern but I am quite sure that John Terry and Rio
Ferdinand would vote for James every time.
Apart from the keeper's jersey, there are very few places up for grab within
Capello's set-up. Capello pretty much has it sewn up - a strong defence
which picks itself, a midfield trio of Gareth Barry, Frank Lampard and
Steven Gerrard and then Wayne Rooney gets in every time. The other dilemmas
are the right side and who plays at centre forward. Capello clearly sees big
potential in Carlton Cole, although Emile Heskey works well with Rooney and
gives Gerrard licence to roam. The other choice is who plays on the right,
either in a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3 which is perhaps Capello's more preferred
option to accommodate his excellent wealth of midfield talent. The right
hand side is perhaps the most congested area of all and the shirt is still
up for grabs. When Theo Walcott is on form then he can tear defences apart,
just as he did in Croatia earlier in this qualifying campaign.
Shaun Wright-Phillips and Aaron Lennon are both small, quick and very
dangerous attacking right wingers. Lennon has a chance with being called
into this squad and has improved his all-round game in terms of goals and
crosses. Wright-Phillips has yet to convince at England level but has pace
and an ability to run at defences. Then there is David Beckham who has now
become a squad player who still has something to offer in terms of being an
experienced head in the dressing room. Plus Beckham can also offer something
from set pieces, particularly as a substitute if England are chasing the
game. It is a good rounded squad with a strong XI even though England don't
have 18 players pushing for starting places. But as soon as England qualify,
Capello will want to nail down his starting line-up going into the World Cup
finals.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Robert Green deserves his chance as England No 1... but Ben Foster is the
future
By Martin Lipton
The Mirror
Last modified 09:27 04/09/09

Robert Green deserves to play for England against Slovenia and Croatia this
week. He is the man in possession and undoubtedly the goalkeeper in the best
form of all those available to Fabio Capello. In addition, he's a top bloke,
too. But if England are to come back from South Africa in glory next summer,
they have to go there with the best keeper as the No 1 - and that is Ben
Foster. Yes, Foster has had a sticky start to life as Manchester United's
gloveman, and while he made an outstanding save to prevent Robin Van Persie
scoring a second for Arsenal last week, he should have done far better with
Andriy Arshavin's opener. Despite that, though, it is Foster who possesses
all the attributes a top keeper requires - great reflexes, command in the
air, decision-making skills and terrific kicking. The trouble is, Foster has
just two caps, both in friendlies. He needs game-time, preferably in
competitive matches. Capello is not a man who opts for the easy decision. He
knows Foster is the best man. He should go with him.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Why is it always West Ham whose fingers are caught as the transfer window is
slammed shut?
By West Ham United Fans Blog
The Mirror
Last modified 13:57 04/09/09

It's Groundhog Day at Upton Park, a club doomed to repeat the promises, lies
and rank incompetence in the transfer market over and over again. The
failure to land a new striker to support Carlton Cole would be disappointing
if it wasn't so predictable, yet supporters still feel cheated.

At the start of last season, West Ham began with Dean Ashton, Craig Bellamy
and Carlton Cole, adding David Di Michele and Diego Tristan on a short-term
basis. Ashton has been injured since last September and Bellamy left in
January, so the need for a striker to complement Cole has not exactly crept
up on the club. West Ham are now a hostage to fate, praying that serious
injury does not disastrously rob them of Cole.

Scott Duxbury, the chief executive, is currently attracting most of the
fans' ire. For whatever reason, he has been unable to convince a striker to
scrawl his name on a contract, although he cannot be accused of a lack of
effort. Marouane Chamakh, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Mancini, Ruud van Nistelrooy and
Luca Toni were all targets. None could be persuaded. Duxbury, a lawyer by
trade, is guilty of allowing his silver tongue to become rusty.

None of these players will score a goal for West Ham, but they have raised
expectations. It is only natural for fans to hear of negotiations with
Champions League players and become excited, so the eventual reality is a
cruel comedown. The reaction to this disappointment on the terraces may be
telling and nothing is more detrimental to West Ham than a scorned Upton
Park crowd.

The most galling aspect of this transfer window has been West Ham's
inability to learn. They have no sense for when they are being strung along
by a target. Chamakh and Gudjohnsen were realistic targets, yet talks with
the pair trundled along for an eternity. Not signing Gudjohnsen may well be
a blessing in disguise - he was asking for too much and joined the tax haven
of Monaco. Football itself appears a secondary thought for the former
Chelsea man.

West Ham allowed pressing matters to reach deadline day, leaving themselves
little wiggle room. Arsenal were put off signing Chamakh by the
intransigence of Bordeaux, and the swaying nature of the striker's comments
should have been a warning for West Ham. The Moroccan seemed to change his
mind about moving on a daily basis, yet still West Ham pursued him. That it
all fizzled out was not the greatest of shocks.

This is not a new experience for West Ham during a transfer window. August
2005: Deals to sign Benni McCarthy from Porto or Emmanuel Adebayor from
Monaco were scuppered at the last. August 2006: A three-month pursuit of
Steed Malbranque ends with him signing for Tottenham. August 2007: A
three-month pursuit of Gudjohnsen ends with the last-minute loan signing of
Henri Camara. January 2009: The mission to replace Bellamy sees the
youngster Savio Nsereko brought in from Brescia. He joined Fiorentina on
Monday, the defender Manuel Da Costa travelling in the opposite direction.

The funds to sign Chamakh were supposedly made available by the £5m sale of
James Collins to Aston Villa. It is a mystery why that deal was allowed to
go ahead once it became apparent Chamakh would not swap Bordeaux for West
Ham. Accusations of asset-stripping by the club's Icelandic owners abound.
Although Craig Bellamy has been the only big name to leave under their
tenure, the exit door keeps on opening as the squad gets smaller.

Thankfully Robert Green, Matthew Upson, Scott Parker and Cole have not been
sold, and there are reasons to be positive. The solidity instilled by
Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke is evident by only two goals conceded from
the team's opening three matches, and performances have been encouraging.
Cole has impressed and although he has no orthodox partner, Luis Jimenez has
ably supported him. The Chilean will also be able to work in tandem with one
new arrival, Alessandro Diamanti, who scored 16 goals for Livorno in Serie B
last season. Chamakh might have made schmucks out of us all, but it is not
all doom and gloom.

What the start of the season has shown us is that West Ham will need more
from the bench to change games. They were unable to in their dull 0-0 draw
at Blackburn, so it is not a surprise Zola is looking to sign an experienced
free agent, just as he did with Tristan last year. The Spaniard was a
leaden-footed shadow of his former self, but his goals did directly produce
an extra seven points. Mark Viduka it is then.

Jacob Steinberg

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Carlton Cole ready to take advantage of any England opportunity
Carlton Cole's timing has not always been impeccable. There was the occasion
when he turned up at half-time for a match ("that's true. I'm not proud of
it") while he was late for his first team meeting after being called into
the England squad by Fabio Capello.
The Telegraph
By Jason Burt
Published: 7:30AM BST 04 Sep 2009

But the 25-year-old striker has picked the right moment to make a case for
inclusion in his country's World Cup squad, should they qualify. The arrival
of Gianfranco Zola, his former Chelsea team-mate, as manager of West Ham
United has given Cole a fresh lease of life. Or, as he puts it, a second
chance. Capello had already taken note of his talents but it is Zola who has
helped Cole progress and, crucially, want to progress even further. Sport on
television "I have to take my game to a higher level than I'm playing now,"
Cole said. "I'm far from the finished article so hopefully this season will
be another stepping stone."
Not so long ago Cole was making headlines for all the wrong reasons –
including unfounded accusations of rape after a party and, last year, a
drink-drive arrest. His attitude, he admits now, stank. "I was young and
immature," Cole said. "I know now what I want in life and I'm going to go
for it."
So what was wrong? "I wasn't being professional. I thought it was going to
be easy. I've now come to terms with how to conduct myself on and off the
field. It's in the past for me, it's a new dawn," Cole said. "There wasn't
one incident. It was growing up. Everyone comes to a point in their life in
which they have to knuckle down. I've seen I've got a big chance here."
Cole first burst on to the scene aged 19. Claudio Ranieri, the Chelsea
manager at the time, called him his "young lion" and honours beckoned. Then
Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea. "Suddenly all these multi-million pound
players came in and that pushed me out," Cole said. "I had to go on loan and
was a bit peed off. Being young as well I didn't see the bigger picture and
didn't take it seriously. Being on loan I thought 'well I'll just be going
back to Chelsea' and I went out on loan again and that was a blow to me."
Those loan spells, at Charlton Athletic and Aston Villa, were hugely
disappointing. Cole suddenly looked like a wasted talent. West Ham have,
eventually, been good for him but then so too has a relationship with one of
those "multi-million pound" Abramovich acquisitions at Chelsea, Didier
Drogba. "He's my inspiration right now," Cole said. "I talk to him a lot
about his game. The way he attacks players and runs. He's a world-class
player and is a much more mature player than I am. John Carew is another
friend of mine. It always helps when you have a fellow professional helping
you."
Like Cole, Drogba was a late developer, also. "I saw the pattern of his life
and how it changed," Cole said. "I just want to be up there where he is
now."

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Viduka Will Be a Good Backup for Cole
West Ham Till I Die

Life doesn't get better for Jack Collison. Apparently a calf strain
threatens to keep him out of the Wales Under 21 game on Saturday and
possibly the full international against Russia on Wednesday. His father's
funeral is on Monday.

Sources tell me that we are close to signing Mark Viduka as a backup
striker. His arrival has been well trailed on other sites, over the last
couple of days. He's not the one we wanted, but let's bear in mind the
trouble he has caused us when he has played us over the years. Carlton Cole
may well get injured at some point, and we need someone able to step into
his role and as far as I can see, Viduka fits that bill well. He will be
motivated to play in order to keep his place in the Australian national team
in the build-up to the World Cup, too. And if by any chance Ashton or Dixon
get fit soon we will have some proper competition for places.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham linked with Viduka
Sport.co.uk
Author: Andrew Allen
Posted on:04 September 2009 - 1:26 PM

Veteran Australia international striker Mark Viduka is being linked with a
transfer to West Ham United.The 33-year-old is currently without a club
after his contract at Newcastle United expired at the end of last season.
However, he could now be heading to Upton Park after the Hammers confirmed
they were interested in snapping up an out-of-contract forward. A statement
on the club's official website read: "Gianluca Nani (technical director) and
Gianfranco Zola are now discussing the possibility of an out-of-contract
striker joining the club who has been tracked in the past month."
However, Viduka's international team-mate Josip Skoko doubts whether the
rumours are true, saying: "I spoke to Mark and he said he had one Premier
League option in the UK and it was all boiling down to that. "But I think
if he was going to take that option I'd have heard by now. The fact I
haven't heard from him in the last 48 hours probably means he won't be going
any further. It looks to me as though he's made a final decision. "He'll
probably come and get some sun in Croatia now while it lasts, then return to
live in Australia. "It will be a case of if he's finished with the Premier
League, then he'll be finished with football full stop. That that would of
course mean the national team also. "He's been making some hard decisions
and it's been a tough time for him."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham reveal intervention of sponsors helped deadline signings
West Ham have revealed that they were able to sign Alessandro Diamanti, from
Livorno, only after the club's main sponsors advanced a due payment to the
club.
Telegraph.co.uk
By John Ley
Published: 2:37PM BST 04 Sep 2009

Gianfranco Zola unveiled new recruits £6 million striker Alessandro
Diamanti, 26, and central defender Manuel Da Costa at the club's Chadwell
Heath training ground today.
And Scott Duxbury, the club's chief executive, admitted that they were only
able to enter the market following intervention of SBOBET. West Ham in line
for Viduka Duxbury said: "Their support in advancing a due payment to the
club made sure we signed Alessandro ahead of rival clubs looking to secure
his services. He promises to be a major addition to our squad, along with
Manuel Da Costa, and I know Gianfranco is excited to be working with both of
them. "I must offer personal thanks to Executive Director Bill Mummery for
the way he has endorsed what we are trying to achieve here."
Mummery said: "We stepped in to assist Scott and his team on the basis that
the transfer window was coming to a close. We are very immersed with our
strategic relations with West Ham and this was a good opportunity for us to
demonstrate that support in a meaningful way and we were glad to do it."
And Zola added: "It's fantastic that they help sustain us. They believe in
what we are doing and have given us their support. We are going to try
everything possible to match that with what we are doing." Zola claims to
have been impressed with his new signings, adding: "The first impressions of
Alessandro and Manuel are very positive. I have had four or five training
sessions with Alessandro and he is showing us his quality. "Manuel is a
young boy with a lot of promise and we are hoping to bring out all of his
talent."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEST HAM: Hammers striker on target for England
6:16pm Friday 4th September 2009
Guardian Series

WEST HAM striker Freddie Sears was on the scoresheet as England Under 21s
defeated Macedonia 2-1. The Hammers forward, who is spending the season
on-loan at Championship side Crystal Palace, turned in a James Tomkins knock
down following a Junior Stanislas corner. The goal drew the Three Lions
level after the hosts had taken the lead. Midfielder Lee Cattermole secured
the win with a late penalty.

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