Daily WHUFC News - 23rd March 2011

Reserves head for Blackpool
WHUFC.com
Steve Lomas and his players will hope for some pleasure when they travel to
Bloomfield Road
22.03.2011

West Ham United continue their quest for the Barclays Premier Reserve League
title when they travel to Blackpool on Tuesday. Steve Lomas' side have been
in superb form ahead of their trip to Bloomfield Road, winning four and
drawing one of their previous six matches, and head north on a four-match
unbeaten run. The most recent of those games saw the Hammers defeat
Newcastle United 4-2 at the Boleyn Ground, with Robbie Keane, Freddie Sears
and Zavon Hines all on target. Exclusive highlights from that fixture are
available on West Ham TV now.

Sears and Hines could both be involved on Wednesday when West Ham will seek
to achieve a victory that would take them to within four points of Southern
Group leaders Arsenal - with two games in-hand on the Gunners - and above
second-placed Chelsea on goal difference. Click here to view the league
table. The duo will be joined in Lomas' squad by Matt Fry, back from loan at
Charlton Athletic, and young professionals Olly Lee, Cristian Montano, Ahmed
Abdulla, Callum McNaughton and Anthony Edgar, while a number of scholars
will also be eager to catch the eye as the season approaches its climax. The
manager, who has enjoyed an unbeaten start since taking charge in February,
will continue his policy of handing the captain's armband to a young player
to help him to gain more leadership experience. "I want all the young boys
to have a go at it because I want them to be vocal because they don't talk
enough around the senior players," said the former Hammers midfielder. "I
understand that it is difficult to demand things of them, but if they are
going to train with them and play with them, then they've got to be able to
tell them if they are doing something wrong and if they want the ball. "For
me, I want all the young lads to captain because they're the ones who are
going to be with me the majority of the time."

Blackpool themselves have also been in decent Barclays Premier Reserve
League form, defeating Liverpool and Manchester United in their previous two
fixtures to climb off the bottom of the Northern B Group table.

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O'Neil the real deal
WHUFC.com
Gary O'Neil showed no ill effects from an enforced lay-off to play his part
at Tottenham
22.03.2011

After three weeks out of action, tracking the combined talents of Gareth
Bale, Aaron Lennon and Benoit Assou-Ekotto was a tough assignment for Gary
O'Neil. Thankfully, West Ham United's No32 was up to the task, combining
superbly with right-back Lars Jacobsen to keep Tottenham Hotspur's left-wing
raiders at bay. The pair's efforts helped the Hammers to earn what could
prove to be a priceless Barclays Premier League point from a hard-fought,
breathless goalless draw at White Hart Lane. O'Neil, who missed the recent
league and FA Cup sixth-round meetings with Stoke City, returned to the
starting XI with a typically energetic display.
"The gaffer changed it against Stoke [in the league] and then I was cup-tied
so I've had three weeks without a game," he told West Ham TV. "I was feeling
it a little bit towards the end. In the last 15 minutes my legs felt a
little bit heavy. "I felt Lars and I did well down our side and contained
Bale as much as possible and Assou-Ekotto is a good player as well. We tried
to stop the supply a bit, which I thought we did well. "We could have done a
little bit more on the ball, but we were working so hard without it, it's
hard to have enough movement when you have it to cause them problems."

O'Neil's non-stop running typified a resilient performance from Avram
Grant's side. From front to back, the players ran their hearts out. "It was
hard work. It was a good team performance. It wasn't the prettiest.
Tottenham worked us hard and are a good side at home and had a lot of the
play, but we stuck at it and it was a vital point at the end. "Spurs had a
couple of clear-cut chances - probably not as many as they regularly create
at White Hart Lane - but I've seen them play against some of the top sides
in Europe and create a lot more than they did on Saturday, so the overall
protection that the midfield and front lads gave the team was good. When
they were needed, [Robert] Greeny and the back lads were fantastic."

Having picked up seven points from their last three league games, climbing
out of the relegation zone in the process, O'Neil said the Hammers would
look forward to the visit of Manchester United on 2 April and forthcoming
match-ups with Chelsea and Manchester City with renewed optimism. "Everyone
has spoken about how difficult our games are coming up, so I think it's
important that we keep our [points] tally ticking over. We've had a good
spell since Blackpool, really, so it's important that we keep that tally
ticking over. "We could easily pull away. We can start looking up at the
teams in eleventh and twelfth because they're not too far away. It's
important that, no matter how tough the games are, that we keep taking
something out of them. "We've had two different games [against the top
sides]. We played really well against Liverpool, controlled the game and
passed it well and created it chances. Saturday was the other side, we had
to dig in and keep a clean sheet.
"We needed everyone to work hard and we did. It was just a terrific team
performance."

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West Ham United programme
WHUFC.com
Subscribers should take notice of an important announcement regarding the
matchday programme
22.03.2011

The West Ham United matchday programme will no longer be produced by Cre8
Publishing Ltd. For contractual reasons, the club has terminated its
publishing agreement with Cre8 and while the club will continue to produce a
matchday programme for the remaining four home matches this season, all
existing subscribers should do the following:

Contact your bank and cancel any direct debit payment with immediate effect
Contact the club at programme@westhamunited.co.uk with proof of their
existing subscription for the 2010/11 season

Although the matter was out of the club's control, we apologise for any
inconvenience caused to subscribers. West Ham United will confirm new
arrangements for the matchday programme as soon as possible.

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Bellars was a happy Hammer
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 22nd March 2011
By: Staff Writer

Former Hammer Craig Bellamy has described his spell at West Ham as the
happiest time of his career. 31-year-old Bellamy, currently plying his trade
at Championship side Cardiff revealed that his year-and-a-half year spell in
east London was the best time of his professional career which has spanned
some 15 years so far. "The happiest time in my career was probably at West
Ham," he told the Mail. "The first year I was injured but the people were
great. They just had that humour, and the supporters were funny. Even if
they were giving you stick, it'd be funny stick. "The training facilities
were poor but if you bitched about it the first thing you'd hear was, 'Well,
it was good enough for Bobby Moore'. How do you answer that? You can't."

Bellamy, signed on Alan Curbishley's watch for a club record fee of
£7.5million joined West Ham from Liverpool in the summer of 2007. However
he was restricted to just 20 Premier League starts during his time at the
club due mainly to an ongoing abdominal problem - and joined Manchester City
for a fee in the region of £14million during the January 2009 transfer
window.

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Millen requests Spence stay
Young defender also eager to remain at City
Last updated: 22nd March 2011
SSN

Bristol City manager Keith Millen has requested an extension of Jordan
Spence's loan from West Ham. The 20-year-old is due to return to Avram
Grant's Premier League Hammers at the end of March, when his 28-day deal
expires. But Spence has done well with City and Millen believes that West
Ham head coach Wally Downes will want the right-back to continue playing
first-team football in the Championship. The Robins boss said: "We've been
pleased with him, West Ham are delighted that he is getting regular
first-team games and he is enjoying himself. "Jordan has good composure and
you can see that he is a natural athlete. Like any young kid, he is still
learning the game and he is going to make mistakes. "I'll have a look at his
situation during this two-week break and will talk to Wally Downes (head
coach) at West Ham and see if they are happy for him to stay with us for the
remainder of the season." Spence himself added: "Hopefully, the two clubs
can sort something out and I can carry on here until the end of the season
in May."

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Fry returns to Hammers
Last updated: 22nd March 2011
SSN

Matt Fry has returned to parent club West Ham United following the expiry of
his loan spell at Charlton. The 20-year-old was drafted in from Upton Park
on a four-month youth loan at the beginning of the season by previous
manager Phil Parkinson. Fry has made 32 appearances for the Addicks, mainly
on the left side of defence, and has twice had his loan spell extended this
year.

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There is Such a Thing as …..
West Ham Till I Die

a thoroughly captivating 0-0 draw! Saturday's excellent match at WHL
provided ample proof of that.

In the final analysis, it was a game that could possibly have gone either
way. We defended superbly, but still rode our luck on a number of
occasions. On the other hand, we had three or four clear cut chances that
could have resulted in a winning Hammers goal. The best of these was,
undoubtedly, Demba Ba's sharp turn and shot, that Gomez just managed to
push around the foot of the near post. On another day, we might have taken
all three points, but a point was probably a good result for us at the end
of the day. Spurs will certainly be less happy with the result, because it
has probably puts a big dent in their aspirations to capture the fourth CL
place for a second successive season.

As always, Modric was Spurs' principle font of creativity. He is certainly
a class player and the Croatian International posed a real threat whenever
he was on the ball. In the first half we probably gave him a bit too much
room, but overall we contained him reasonably well. Van der Vaart was
totally off the pace and Lennon had a fairly indifferent game as well.
Similarly, I thought that Gareth Bale was dealt with very effectively by
Jacobsen and O'Neill. Whilst Jermaine Defoe had, what is commonly referred
to as, 'an absolute mare.' As a result he failed to lodge his 100th PL goal
and, in to the bargain, was denied the opportunity to antagonise the Hammers
faithful with an egotistical, little public display with that T-Shirt
message!

Rob Green had a great game. That save from Bale, in the 84th minute, was
world class, there is no other term to adequately describe it. The back
four defended admirably and resisted wave after wave of Spurs attacks. The
midfield worked industriously and contributed no small part to our defensive
solidarity. More critically, for large parts of the match, we were playing
the ball forward, but failed to hold up the ball and link the play.
Consequently, all too often, no sooner had one danger been averted, than
Spurs regained possession and re-applied the pressure on our rearguard. The
frustrating thing was that the Spurs defence looked vulnerable when we got
forward and if we had been able to raise our attacking play, just a bit, we
could have caused them a lot more problems.

Gary O'Neill is a good, honest professional. The strengths of his game are
based upon work rate and graft. He is not particularly well known for his
amazing dribbling and ball skills. So, the question has to be asked why, on
two or three occassions in the second half, he got in to good, advanced
positions on the right flank and then came over all Lionel Messi? Rather
than just deliver good balls in to the box, he apparently decided to run at
the full -back and engage in step overs and other such attempted trickery!
Needless to say, he came unstuck and lost the ball, much to the fustration
of our forwards who had taken up promising positions in the box. O'Neill
can make a real contribution to the squad, but it has to be by playing to
his strengths.

Carlton Cole toiled away up front, attempting to hold up the ball, usually
isolated and outnumbered. He had a couple of excellent chances in the first
half and probably should have done better with them. Demba Ba, similarly,
worked hard off the ball and showed his sharpness and opportunism when he
nearly converted with that turn and shot. Cole gave way to Victor Obinna in
the second half and the substitute, generally, failed to make any meaningful
impression. I have been a consistent advocate of Obinna's technical ability
this season and I remain convinced that he is a player that should ideally
be added permanently to our PL squad next season. Prior to picking up the
foot injury on international duty, Obinna had been on fire, form wise. Lets
hope that he can recapture that excellent form over the remaining PL
matches.

Finally, I was one of the West Ham fans at WHL that saw Scott Parker put in
his usual committed, inspiring and skillful performance. Little did any of
us guess that he was playing despite the emotional anguish of his father
sadly passing away. One can only admire and respect his fortitude, mental
strength and commitment to the Hammers cause. Scott Parker is a
contemporary Hammers hero, out of a mould that we thought had been long
broken. I recently wrote that Scott Parker had earned the right to enter
the Pantheon of West Ham warriors, alongside such legends as Billy Bonds,
Alvin Martin, Julian Dicks, Eddie Bovington, Andy Malcolm, Dickie Walker and
Big Jim Barrett. Who would now doubt that is, indeed, the case?

SJ. Chandos.

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Bridge bid is building
The Sun
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: Today

WEST HAM will try to sign Wayne Bridge permanently this summer if they beat
the drop. Hammers boss Avram Grant has been hugely impressed with the
on-loan Manchester City left-back, while ex-Chelsea man Bridge is lapping up
life back in London. Bridge, 30, has just eight league games left with
Grant's side but is enjoying the relegation scrap. His £90,000-a-week wages
would be a problem. But the Londoners are ready to take Bridge on a
full-season loan for 2011-12 with both clubs sharing his salary. A Hammers
insider said: "Wayne seems to have settled in quickly. West Ham's Premier
League status, though, will dictate everything."

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Ferdinand in frame for West Ham return
Published 23:00 22/03/11 By John Cross
The Mirror

West Ham boss Avram Grant is considering bringing Anton Ferdinand back to
Upton Park. Hammers defender Matt Upson has stalled on a new contract and is
set to leave the club this summer on a free transfer. Sunderland's
Ferdinand, a Hammer from 2003 until he joined the Black Cats in 2008, is on
their hit-list of potential replacements and manager Steve Bruce may allow
the 26-year-old to go. Ferdinand has struggled at Sunderland and a fresh
start back 'home' at Upton Park could relaunch his career, while West Ham
would gain an experienced defender.

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GIOVANNI TRAPATONI'S ROBBIE KEANE GAMBLE
Daily Express
Giovanni Trapatoni is confident skipper Robbie Keane will be fit to lead the
Republic of Ireland
Wednesday March 23,2011
By Ian Ridley

GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI is confident skipper Robbie Keane will be fit to lead
the Republic of Ireland into Euro 2012 battle with Macedonia on Saturday.
Robbie Keane, 30, has scored 45 goals in 104 senior appearances for Ireland,
but managed just a few minutes as a substitute in West Ham's FA Cup
quarter-final defeat by Stoke after a four-game lay-off with a calf injury.
He trained in Dublin yesterday and Trapattoni will have no qualms about
throwing one of his most experienced campaigners back into the starting
line-up. He said: "I am confident about Robbie. He can start the game and
maybe after 60 minutes we can look at other options.
"But we need experience in this game. We have to rely on pride and
experience. I saw Robbie Keane in training and I am very confident of
getting a good result. Giovanni Trapatoni Trapattoni is also hopeful
Richard Dunne will be able to take his place in the heart of the Irish
defence. Dunne, 31, had stayed at Aston Villa for a further day of physio as
he continued his recovery from a shoulder injury amid speculation over his
future at the club following a much-publicised outburst during a bonding
session. Whatever his status at Villa, Dunne remains a key member of the
Irish team and, with John O'Shea out with a hamstring injury, his presence
is vital.
Trapattoni added: "The Villa physio said it would be better to stay one more
day."

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 22nd March 2011

'Results will take care of themselves'
WHUFC.com
Captain Matthew Upson believes a confident West Ham United can beat anyone
on current form
21.03.2011

There were just eight minutes of the 90 remaining in West Ham United's
Premier League meeting with Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground on 29
December 2007 and the scoreline was locked at 1-1. Five minutes earlier,
Anton Ferdinand had equalised Cristiano Ronaldo's opening goal, turning the
stadium into a cauldron of noise. Patrice Evra conceded a right-wing
free-kick and when Mark Noble curled the ball into the penalty area, Matthew
Upson soared to head the ball high past goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak and send
east London into a collective state of euphoria. Three-and-a-quarter years
later, Upson is taking aim at the Barclays Premier League champions again
ahead of the Red Devils' visit on Saturday 2 April.

"At the moment, I think we're on a good run and, whatever game gets thrown
at us, we'll go out there and give a good performance," the No15 told West
Ham TV. "That's the key. I think we need to stop worrying about results.
"Obviously results are the most important thing but the performances will
dictate the results and if we just focus on supporting each other, working
hard for each other and keeping the spirit high, I think the results will
take care of themselves. "There is absolutely no reason why we can't go out
there and get amongst them. It's our home patch, we can raise the tempo of
the game and be physical as much as we can and try to take some points from
the game."

Upson's confidence is drawn from a run of one defeat in seven league matches
and recording back-to-back clean sheets for the first time in 13 months. The
second of those clean sheets came in Saturday's resilient goal-less draw at
Tottenham Hotspur - a result that took West Ham out of the relegation zone.
"I'm definitely pleased with another clean sheet. To go to Tottenham on
Saturday against a really strong attacking force, I thought we set out well
from the start and soaked up a lot of pressure, to be honest. We coped well
and a couple of good individual performances saw us over the line. "These
last three [league] results have been massive confidence boosters. The group
has come a long way, not only in terms of results but our performances have
been good and we've been more of a threat. "I thought, in the first half,
that we soaked up a lot of pressure but also created a couple of chances
that, on another day, we might have scored. "We did hang on in there in the
second half a little bit, but that was always going to be the case at
somewhere like Tottenham. We felt we deserved a point."

While Upson was one of a number of heroes in a claret and blue shirt,
left-back Wayne Bridge was particularly outstanding, repelling the threat of
the jet-heeled Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale with a defensive display full of
experience, pace and tactical know-how. Behind the pair of them, goalkeeper
Robert Green also proved his international class, making two breath-taking
saves to deny former Hammer Jermain Defoe and push man-of-the-moment Bale's
free-kick onto the crossbar.
The duo drew deserved praise from captain Upson. "It was obvious that Wayne
just needed games. He'd been out of the thick of it for quite a long time
and had some injuries, so he was slow starting like you'd expect. He's got
into his stride and he's showing just what a class player he is. "Greeny
made a couple of outstanding saves. His one from the free-kick - I don't
know how he's got there. To get enough of a hand on the ball to divert it on
to the bar was just fantastic."

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SBOBET player poll open
WHUFC.com
Six Hammers are in the running in the fan poll to find March's main man at
West Ham United
21.03.2011

Who will be the SBOBET player of the month for March 2011?

Scott Parker may have won for the last three months in a row but he faces
stiff competition this month with five other nominees in the running. Robert
Green, Wayne Bridge, Manuel da Costa, Matthew Upson and Demba Ba have all
been shortlisted for the fan vote after some outstanding displays. The
voting will remain open until Friday. To register your vote in the monthly
poll, click here and go to the vote in the bottom right-hand corner of the
page. The previous SBOBET winners this season have been:

February 2011 - Scott Parker
January 2011 - Scott Parker
December 2011 - Scott Parker
November 2011 - Victor Obinna
October 2011 - Mark Noble
September 2011 - Manuel da Costa
August 2011 - Kieron Dyer

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Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
The Hammers are on a high but do not play again until Man United on Saturday
week
21.03.2011

Avram Grant will have fewer numbers to work with this coming week because of
international commitments but has pledged to keep spirits high nevertheless.
While the majority of the first-team squad are away, there will still be
plenty of senior figures around Chadwell Heath to ensure productive work is
done. Three of the defence from Saturday's draw at Tottenham Hotspur -
namely Wayne Bridge, Manu da Costa and Matthew Upson - will get to hone
their rearguard work while Mark Noble and Thomas Hitzlsperger have also
remained behind.

Crucially, the enforced break will mean Frederic Piquionne can rest his foot
injury in the hope of being available for the visit of Manchester United on
Saturday week and Jack Collison can get another fortnight of solid training
under his belt. It is not thought any of the above will feature in
Wednesday's reserve match at Blackpool, but others will get a chance to
stake their claim.

Among them could be Julien Faubert, Radoslav Kovac, Freddie Sears and Zavon
Hines while Junior Stanislas is hoping to be back in training soon after his
hernia problem. Whoever he is working with, the manager is expecting the
positives of a four-match unbeaten run in the Barclays Premier League and
the team's presence outside the bottom three to come to the fore within his
depleted squad.

On the back of away draws at West Bromwich Albion and Tottenham, either side
of successive home wins against Liverpool and Stoke City, there is a real
sense of the Hammers being on a high. "We are in very good spirits," said
Grant. "Saturday's draw was a good result against a very good team. Maybe it
was the best defensive performance for an away game. The team defended like
a team and we have only conceded one goal in the last three games and that
was against Liverpool. "It is good because we have been scoring a lot of
goals but we know that if we want to take points we need to keep clean
sheets."

A strong defence proved crucial at White Hart Lane, with Robert Green and
Wayne Bridge particularly impressive. "Robert is a good goalkeeper and he
did well from Gareth Bale's free-kick at the end. It was a great save at the
right moment. It is very important to score a lot of goals lately but it was
important also to keep the balance and to keep clean sheets. "Wayne did very
well defensively. On his side, it was not so easy because we left him alone
[against Aaron Lennon and then Gareth Bale]. I played Demba Ba as more of a
striker than on the left wing and Wayne did very well with little
protection. We know we can trust him. "Wayne was my player at Chelsea so I
know his quality. He is a very good player but he hadn't played for a long
time [when he first joined] which made him very hungry to play but in need
of more games. With every game he is better and better. He is a very good
player and he is a good lad."

So to Manchester United and the title favourites will be eager to avenge
their 4-0 defeat in the Carling Cup when they return to the Boleyn Ground
for a sold-out fixture on 2 April. The Red Devils will also be hindered by
having their manager in the stands with Sir Alex Ferguson's touchline ban.
"I don't think [Sir Alex] missing will make a difference," added Grant.
"They are a very good team, they are aiming to be the champions and they
know how to play football. But we showed against Tottenham that we know how
to play and we will give them a good game."

The prospect of having a fully-fit squad to choose from is a headache that
Grant is willing to have, with Piquionne and Robbie Keane both set to
compete with Demba Ba, Carlton Cole and Victor Obinna for places. "I hope I
will have these problems all my life. The problems I had in the first half
of the season were not good and we missed so many players. "Competition is a
good thing. Since we have had competition, you have seen all the players
play better. Since Robbie came and Demba came, Freddie and Coley have been
playing better. This is why you need competition. "Our recent form has given
a lot of confidence to the players. It is not about one game. Week after
week since January we have picked up points and played better and better so
we have good momentum. We need to continue with this. "It is frustrating we
are not playing next weekend but we will make the best of the break. For us
it is not good to lose the players this week as we are have momentum but
this is not something we can control. We will work hard and be ready to
welcome all our players back for the next important game."

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Noble knows
WHUFC.com
Homegrown hero Mark Noble relished getting another one over the club's
London rivals at the weekend
21.03.2011

No one need tell Mark Noble what it meant to Hammers fans to stifle Spurs at
the weekend and move West Ham United out of the bottom three in the process.
The homegrown Hammer is loving life in a midfield three boasting
international-class performers in Scott Parker and Thomas Hitzlsperger. He
has not looked out of place in such exalted company over the last four
unbeaten Barclays Premier League games and nearly stole the headlines with
his spectacular second-half bicycle kick.
"Obviously when you play with good players, it makes your life easier you
know," he said in reflecting on the goalless draw at White Hart Lane.
"Thomas coming back has helped me and Scotty has been brilliant in the last
month or so since he has been back.I am just enjoying playing in there at
the minute. When you come to a place like Tottenham and hold your own, you
can walk away quite proud."

In the end, a precious point in the fight for survival was as good as it got
on Saturday but the tireless Noble was not complaining. "We beat Liverpool
the other week, then Stoke at home in the league and now a point away to
Spurs," he added. "This is a team who have cemented themselves now as one of
the best teams in the country and in Europe at the minute, so we are happy.
"Obviously Spurs had their chances, but so did we, I think at the end of the
day, a 0-0 draw was the right result and not a bad one for us, not the
worst. We defended in numbers - when you come to a place like this, you have
to do that otherwise you would be murdered - they have shown what they can
do to teams."

When Spurs did get through they still found Robert Green in imperious form.
Noble paid tribute to the outstanding No1. "Greeny is fantastic, we all know
that already. We also got that little bit of luck as well. That wasn't
happening at the beginning of the season for us. Now as well we have brought
in some top quality players. "We have Thomas back, you know, Bridgey has
come in, Demba and we have Robbie Keane to come back in again as well, so
obviously we are looking up. Bridgey is a full international, knows how to
handle himself and, in the last month or so, he has been fantastic for us."

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West Ham manager Avram Grant denies FA conduct charge
BBC.co.uk

West Ham manager Avram Grant has denied an FA charge of improper conduct
over his comments following the 2-1 FA Cup defeat at Stoke City on 13 March.
He must now attend a personal hearing to be scheduled no later than 7 April.
Grant hinted referee Mike Jones had favoured Stoke out of guilt for missing
Frederic Piquionne's apparent handball in scoring the equaliser for West
Ham. "Until they scored [the second] goal he gave fouls, a penalty,
everything for them," said Grant after the match. Grant was also annoyed by
a decision not to award West Ham a penalty. If found guilty, the former
Israel, Chelsea and Portsmouth manager could be banned from the touchline.
After Robert Huth had given the Potters the lead in the quarter-final at the
Britannia Stadium, Piquionne levelled matters in the 30th minute although
the French striker appeared to control the ball with his upper arm before
finishing.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis stated after the match that play should have been
halted for "a stone-banker handball". Jones, who awarded 14 fouls against
West Ham and five against Stoke during the match, then blew for a penalty
for the home side after 14 seconds of the second half when Matthew
Etherington was challenged by Scott Parker and James Tomkins. Etherington
missed the spot-kick, but Danny Higginbotham fired home a free-kick to send
Stoke through to face Bolton in their first FA Cup semi-final for 39 years.
Grant also believed his side were denied a chance to equalise for a second
time when Tomkins was jostled by Jon Walters. "It was a penalty for us at
the end which he didn't give. Maybe he felt a little bit guilty. I think it
was the effect of the first goal for us," added Grant.

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Grant denies FA charge
Hammers boss to have personal hearing no later than 7th April
Last updated: 21st March 2011
SSN

West Ham United manager Avram Grant has denied a Football Association charge
of improper conduct. The charge relates to comments made about referee Mike
Jones following the FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Stoke City at the
Britannia Stadium on 13th March. Following the 2-1 loss, Grant was unhappy
with Jones' handling of the second half, which began with Stoke being
awarded a penalty just 13 seconds after the restart. Matthew Etherington
missed the spot-kick, but Grant intimated he felt that Jones had been swayed
by the home fans after Frederic Piquionne appeared to handle in the lead-up
to West Ham's opener in the first half. "I think maybe this is the reason
the referee started the second half very strange," said Grant. "Until they
scored (the second) goal he gave fouls, a penalty, everything for them.
"Maybe he felt a little bit guilty. I think it was the effect of the first
goal for us." Grant will have a personal hearing with the Football
Association, which will be scheduled at a date no later than 7th April.

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Mr Parker, We Salute You
March 21st, 2011 - 11:37 pm by Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die

Tonight, on behalf of all WHTID readers, i'd like to pass on our sincere
condolences to Scott Parker and his family after the loss of Scott's father
after a long illness. Mr Parker died on Friday, only hours before Scott took
to the field at White Hart Lane. The two were very close, with the Hammers
midfielder recently dedicating his goal against Liverpool to his Dad, Mick.

Scott, we salute you. And your Dad.

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Reasons to be Cheerful 1,2,3
March 21st, 2011 - 2:24 pm by Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die

If memory serves me, Ian Dury was a West Ham fan. He also sung a song called
Reasons to be Cheerful, and I reckon if he still inhabited this earth, he'd
be pretty cheerful nowadays. And the performance against Spurs illustrated
why.

If we had been battered by a team like Spurs earlier in the season, I reckon
we'd have conceded three or four goals. Although at times we certainly rode
our luck, it was at times a brilliant defensive performance. Rob Green
scored the highest rating of any West Ham player in any match this season,
Wayne Bridge had his best game for us, turning Corluka into a gibbering
wreck. Jabobsen was awesome and the two central defenders also turned in
magnificent performances. it is no coincidence that we have finally
discovered the art of keeping a clean sheet. And for that we must be truly
thankful. It's no surprise that we have done this at a time when we have
been playing the same 5 players in defensive for several games at at time.
We can fiddle round with Jacobsen/Tomkins or Tomkins/Da Costa, but we all
now know roughly what the defensive 5 will look like.

And the same goes for midfield. We now know that Noble, Hitzlsperger and
Parker will all play, if fit. It is only the fourth slot that is now up for
grabs.

And thirdly, Demba Ba. His performances since signing from Hoffenheim have
been superb. But we can all see that he plays best when he is rampaging
through the centre, the same position that Carlton Cole cherishes. I do
think Cole and Ba can play together, but we're not going to get the best if
we play him out wide.

I'm now more opitmistic than ever that we can beat the drop.

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Brave Scott's tragic secret
The Sun
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: Today

SCOTT PARKER will soldier on with England this week in the wake of his
father's death. The brave West Ham midfielder played a key role in the
Hammers earning a valuable point at Spurs on Saturday lunchtime less than 24
hours after his dad Mick passed away. And he has told pals that doing his
duty for the Three Lions in this Saturday's Euro 2012 qualifier against
Wales is the best way for him to deal with his grief. Parker's dad had been
ill for some time but managed to watch his son score a stunning goal against
Liverpool at Upton Park four weeks ago. Modest Parker dedicated it to his
dad but wants his sad loss to remain as private as possible and he will
remain focused on doing his best for club and country. Parker's West Ham
team-mate Carlton Cole sent out a message of sympathy over the weekend which
read: "Gotta say I admire players like Scott Parker and Jack Collison for
reasons that are bigger than football. Family is such a precious thing."

West Ham midfielder Collison's dad Ian was killed in a motorcycle accident
on his way to watch his son play against Spurs in August 2009. Collison did
not find out until after the final whistle but played just a few days later
when the Hammers took on Millwall in an infamous Carling Cup tie
overshadowed by widespread crowd trouble.

Parker has been called up for England as reward for his inspirational
performances and unflinching commitment for West Ham in a season dogged by
relegation worries. He also delivered a rousing team-talk when skipper for
the day at West Brom recently after which his team fought back from 3-0 down
to earn a draw.
Parker, 30, shuns the spotlight and leads a quiet life away from football.
He is hugely popular with West Ham fans and has been voted Hammer of the
Year by them in both of the last two seasons. Having been overlooked by
England boss Fabio Capello for last summer's World Cup finals despite being
called up for pre-tournament training, Parker was given a recall for the
friendly in Denmark on February 9 and played the second half. An England
insider said: "Scott believes carrying on with football and staying with the
England squad will be by far the best way for him to deal with what's
happened."

Hammers boss Avram Grant has repeatedly hailed Parker for his unflappable
spirit - not least when he scored against Liverpool in a vital win after
seriously injuring his shoulder in training the day before. A West Ham
spokesman said: "All our thoughts are with Scott and his family at this
difficult time."

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 21st March 2011

Green and Parker called
WHUFC.com
Scott Parker and Robert Green have been called up again by Fabio Capello for
the Three Lions
20.03.2011

Robert Green and Scott Parker have been named in the England squad for next
Saturday's UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier away to Wales. The duo are part of a
strong selection that will also be involved in a friendly on Tuesday week
against Ghana at Wembley. Eleven-times capped Green missed out last month,
when Parker returned to the England fold for the first time since October
2006 and played the second half of a 2-1 friendly win in Denmark on 9
February. Green and Parker, capped four times, could line up against
club-mate Danny Gabbidon, who is back in the Wales squad for the first time
since reversing his decision to retire from international football.

England squad

Goalkeepers: Ben Foster, Robert Green, Joe Hart;
Defenders: Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Michael Dawson, Phil
Jagielka, Glen Johnson, Joleon Lescott, John Terry, Kyle Walker;
Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Stewart Downing, Matthew Jarvis, Frank Lampard,
Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Scott Parker, Jack Wilshere, Ashley Young;
Forwards: Darren Bent, Andy Carroll, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Wayne
Rooney.

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Eleven international Hammers
WHUFC.com
The majority of the Hammers squad look set to be called into action by their
respective nations
20.03.2011

A large number of West Ham United players have been called-up for
international duty by their respective nations.

Eleven players - Demba Ba, Pablo Barrera, Danny Gabbidon, Robert Green,
Herita Ilunga, Lars Jacobsen, Robbie Keane, Victor Obinna, Scott Parker,
Winston Reid (pictured)and Jonathan Spector - will be away on senior duty,
while James Tomkins, Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson and Marek Stech have been named
in Under-21 squads.

Five scholars - Matthias Fanimo, Blair Turgott, Sebastian Lletget, Danny
Purdy, Eoin Wearen - will turn out for their nations at age-group level,
while schoolboy Leo Chambers has been included by England at U16 level.

Next Saturday, Gabbidon's Wales host England - for whom Green and Parker
could both feature - in an eagerly-anticipated Group G tie at Cardiff's
Millennium Stadium. England sit second in the standings with seven points
from three matches, while Wales are pointless and bottom of the group.
However, the Welsh will be hopeful of pulling off an upset under the
guidance of new manager Gary Speed.

Republic of Ireland captain Keane will be hoping to lead his country to a
Group B victory over FYR Macedonia at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The Irish
sit second in the Group B table, two points behind leaders Russia.

Jacobsen's Denmark face a vital trip to Oslo to face Norway on the same
date, 26 March. The Danes sit third in Group H, three points behind leaders
Norway, with both teams having contested three matches.

Spector has been included in the United States squad for their home friendly
matches against Argentina in East Rutherford, New Jersey on 26 March and
Paraguay in Nashville, Tennessee, on 29 March.

Further afield, Ba will be part of the Senegal squad that receives Cameroon
in Dakar for a CAF Africa Cup of Nations Group E qualifier. In the same
group, Ilunga's DR Congo host Mauritius in Kinshasa.

In Group B, Obinna's Nigeria will be hoping to overhaul leaders Guinea when
they entertain Ethiopia in Abuja.

Barrera will turn out for Mexico in two friendly matches being held in the
American state of California. Mexico will face Paraguay in Oakland on 26
March before taking on Venezuela in San Diego on 29 March.

Reid will be travelling the furthest of any West Ham player to represent his
country when New Zealand take on China in an international friendly in
Beijing on 25 March. A second friendly against Japan is scheduled to be
played in Tokyo on 29 March, with the Japanese FA confirming the match will
go ahead despite the recent devastation caused by an earthquake and tsunami
in the Far East country.

At U21 level, Eyjolfsson and Stech will continue their preparations for this
summer's UEFA European U21 Championship finals.
Eyjolfsson's Iceland travel to Ukraine and England - a fixture Tomkins could
also be involved in - for friendly matches on 24 March and 28 March
respectively, while Stech's Czech Republic host Belarus and France on 25
March and 29 March respectively.

Tomkins could also get some match action when the Young Lions travel to UEFA
European Under-21 Championship hosts Denmark on 24 March, a taste of what
they could expect at this summer's finals.

Lletget is in the United States squad for the 2011 CONCACAF U20 Championship
in Guatemala. The Americans will face Surinam and Panama in the group stage,
with the four semi-finalists qualifying for the 2011 FIFA U20 World Cup in
Colombia in July.

Second-year scholars Wearen and Purdy in Republic of Ireland's U19 squad for
a trip to Cyprus, where they will take on the Cyrpiot U19s and a Paralimni
U21 side on 26 March and 29 March respectively.

At U17 level, Fanimo and Turgott will travel to Belgium as England continues
their defence of the UEFA European U17 Championship title. The first-year
scholars face Elite Round qualifying matches against Northern Ireland,
Belgium and Spain between 26 March and 31 March.
Finally, schoolboy Chambers will hope to be involved when England U16s take
on Scotland in a re-arranged Victory Shield tie at Morecambe FC's Globe
Arena on 30 March.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Noble eyes Euro push
Hammers midfielder confident club are on the right track
Last updated: 20th March 2011
SSN

Mark Noble believes it is only a matter of time before West Ham are chasing
European qualification. The Hammers have spent the last few years toiling at
the wrong end of the Premier League table, and find themselves locked in a
relegation battle again this season. There are, however, signs that better
times lie ahead, with a 0-0 draw with top-four chasing Tottenham on Saturday
proving they can compete with England's elite. Productive business in the
January transfer window has helped West Ham to start edging clear of
trouble, with Demba Ba, Wayne Bridgeand Robbie Keane adding quality and
experience to the Upton Park ranks. Noble hopes such signings are an
indication of things to come, with there no reason why the Hammers cannot be
competing for a lofty finish in the not too distant future should they be
able to entice high-calibre recruits to the East End. He said: "I would be
the first to say that it hasn't been going well for the last few years but
if we can bring in players like that, do good business in the windows, with
the foundations we have, the fans we have, and the club how it is, there is
no reason why we can't do what Tottenham are doing."

Bridge was among those to star for the Hammers again over the weekend, as he
kept Aaron Lennon quiet. His progress since signing on loan from Manchester
City has been marked, with a difficult debut against Arsenal long since
forgotten. Noble believes the full-back should now reconsider his
international exile, with Fabio Capello likely to be keen on adding him to
the England fold. The midfielder said: "Bridgey hadn't been playing for a
year when he made his debut, and playing against Theo Walcott is not the
easiest task. "But he has not let it affect him - he is an international and
he knows how good he is. "I am sure that if he keeps playing the way he does
then Mr Capello will be on the phone to him."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Vinny's Tottenham Report
Vinny - Sun Mar 20 2011
West Ham Online

Tottenham Hotspur 0 West Ham United 0

A brave and committed performance saw West Ham come away from White Hart
Lane with a credible draw as the hunt for Premiership survival continues.

Spurs had a number of chances to score but with Robert Green having one of
his unbeatable days they could not find a way past him.

We did have the chances to nick all three points ourselves with a glorious
chance for Carlton Cole in the first half which was poorly executed when
just about every other striker we have at the club would have put it away.

We fought and we battled and if anyone questioned the commitment of this
team earlier in the season then I urge you to watch this game and see that
this group of players are working to get this team out of trouble and if we
do go down it will not be from a lack of effort.

Even last week in the 2-1 FA Cup defeat at Stoke, whilst I thought we were
poor for a lot of the game we never gave up and were very unlucky not have
grabbed an equaliser that I had convinced myself was coming.

As long as the team keeps working and compete then we have a chance and this
point gained was an important one and I think we can be very pleased at the
display and the result.

Avram Grant made a few changes to the side the lost up at the Britannia last
weekend.

The first change came in defence as James Tomkins was dropped to the bench
with Lars Jacobsen coming in at right back. This saw Upson line up alongside
Da Costa at centre half.

Whilst this was unlucky for Tomkins, with the width and quality Spurs have
in Gareth Bale we needed a natural full back to deal with him and as Da
Costa has been in good form, Tomkins was simply the fall guy.

There were two other changes with Victor Obinna dropping to the bench and
Gary O'Neil returning to the starting line up as he was Cup Tied for the
Stoke game.

Frederique Piquionne did not recover from the injury he sustained against
Stoke so Demba Ba returned from being rested (?) against Stoke to take his
place up front alongside Carlton Cole.

Starting for Tottenham was former Hammer Jermaine Defoe.

We initially looked to have started well as we were passing it about and
keeping the ball but the moment it was given away it was Spurs on the attack
and those first ten minutes were difficult for us to settle down.

With three minutes on the clock Modric found some space and knocked the ball
back to the end of the area to centre half Michael Dawson who curled his
shot towards goal, beating Green but not the cross bar but lucky for us it
went over in the process.

Modric was again involved a few minutes later when released Gareth Bale down
the left and the Welsh midfielder crossed the ball into the area for Defoe
to get in front of the napping Da Costa and prod his finish just wide of the
goal.

These were warning signs to the type of threat we would be up against
throughout the game and needed to get our better players on the ball and
keep possession of it.

Carlton Cole had our first 'effort' on goal, if you can even call it that as
he cut inside on the left hand side and hit a tame effort at Gomes in the
Spurs goal.
Cole would have another chance moments later when good work from Parker and
Hitzlsperger saw the latter play a nice ball over the top for Cole but the
striker tried to take it first time when a bit of control would have surely
seen him get a better chance of scoring.

At the other end a corner for Spurs was played short to Modric who cut
inside and unleashed a powerful left foot shot which fizzed just wide of
Robert Green's goal.

Another corner concede was played to the edge of the area to Van Der Vaart
who took it on the first time half volley which saw the Dutch international
connect well enough but the shot went wide.

On the 20 minute mark we should have taken the lead as we produced the most
clear cut chance of the game.

Hitzlsperger played the ball inside to Demba Ba who took a touch and played
a delightful ball through to Cole who had made a good run in behind the
defender and with just the keeper to beat Cole hit a tame left foot effort
into the arms of Gomes.

We then had our best spell of the game and frustrated Spurs. We were getting
stuck in and keeping the ball for longer periods. Aaron Lennon the right
hand side for Spurs was finding no joy up against Wayne Bridge and even the
much lauded Bale was struggling to make an impact.

This saw both players swap sides in an attempt to make something happen and
with a few minutes of the first half remaining it very nearly paid off.

We gave the ball away needlessly when attempting to counter attack and with
players committed having gone forward we were struggling and Lennon took on
Jacobsen, cut inside and hit a shot which smacked off the post and out to
Defoe but the striker could not adjust his feet and it went harmless out for
a goal kick.

With the half time whistle approaching, Scott Parker was the first West Ham
player to go into the book after a mistimed challenge on Van Der Vaart.
Whilst you never want to see your players get bookings I did enjoy the
physical side to our game as we got stuck into them which is how you need to
play against a side like Spurs.

No changes were made to either side at half time in an intriguing game which
I was still very nervous about.

I think I may have been nervous because I thought we could actually beat
Spurs. I used to always be anxious about every game when I was younger as a
West Ham defeat would really crush me and whilst I will still get down if we
lose it doesn't have the same effect as it once did - but a game against
Tottenham sees those old feelings strong as ever as I am desperate to beat a
team which for many reasons, I cannot stand.

Just thirty seconds of the second half were on the clock when Cole was
released and cut inside, hitting a right foot shot which had to be pushed
away by Gomes in a strong start from the away side.

Spurs really should have taken he lead when Modric got into the area and
crossed for Defoe who was just a couple of yards out but somehow his shot
was saved by Robert Green in a quite remarkable stop to keep the score
level.

An excellent counter attack saw Gary O'Neil burst into space and crossed the
ball into the area and the ball hit of Dawson and looped into the area which
saw Mark Noble attempted an overhead kick which went just wide. Cole may
have been best placed to take the shot but Noble thought he could do it
himself and was unlucky it what would have been one of the greatest West Ham
goals of modern times.

With 64 minutes on the clock another chance at the Spurs goal was made when
Demba Ba got the ball, burst forward and hit a powerful right foot shot
which was tipped round the post by Gomes.

Noble would have another chance soon after and he should have done a lot
better with it. We were countering well and another break away move saw Cole
pick out Noble who was in space on the edge of the area and the midfielder
failed to take his shot first time and instead hit a shot with the outside
of his boot which went wide.

We were getting into the period of the game where we needed to be focussed
and Scott Parker was doing his best to keep the intensity up by tracking
runners and making tackles. This was important because I felt it inspired
the rest of the players to keep going as some were by this point looking
knackered.

There was one last great chance for Tottenham to take all three points and
that came from a free kick which had been given away by Matthew Upson.

Stepping up to take it was Gareth Bale who curled it over the wall only for
Robert Green to make a stunning save and push it on to the cross bar. As the
ball came out Lars Jacobsen reacted the quickest and prevented the ball from
being bundled over the line and we eventually got it away.

We may have ridden our luck at times but we had chances of our own to win
the game also. When playing a side with the amount of quality Spurs possess
you are going to need bit of luck but the determination and effort the
players showed made this a point well deserved.

Player Reviews

Robert Green
We needed him to be on form and he certainly was. Green showed why he is
still one of the best keepers in the league and how important he is to our
team.

Lars Jacobsen
A good decision to bring him back into the side and Bale got little joy out
of Jacobsen as the Danish right back stood firm and defended well.

Matthew Upson
A brave performance from Upson. This was a display with the type of
aggression we have been crying out to see from our captain. I thought he was
immense for the majority of the game.

Manuel Da Costa
Seemed to pick up a knock in the first half and I was sure Tomkins was about
to replace him but he kept going and like Upson he was strong and in the
right place at the right time numerous times.

Wayne Bridge
Make no doubt about it - this was a magnificent performance from Wayne
Bridge. He was absolutely superb and whilst Robert Green was brilliant,
Bridge is my man of the match. We had all been concerned that Lennon would
trouble us but Bridge marked him out of the game. Then Bale tried his luck
against Bridge but he just forced him to come inside and made sure he posed
no threat.

Thomas Hitzlsperger
Was a little dead on his feet in those final 20 minutes but worked
tirelessly. Since he came into the side he has give us an work rate and
intensity which we had only been used to seeing in Parker. To have two
players like this in your midfield is important and it is no coincidence
that since he came into the side we have done better.

Scott Parker
Fantastic as always. I thought he was keeping everyone going in the second
half and making sure we kept up our high energy levels.

Mark Noble
Noble knows exactly what it means to play against Tottenham. He may not have
great pace or skill but I thought he worked so hard for the team and I was
proud of the way Noble went about his game.

Gary O'Neil
Playing more as a wide attacking forward, O'Neil did well when he got
forward but his tracking back was important as he could easily double as the
attacking wide man or come inside to help the midfield out.

Demba Ba
In and out of the game but you always feel he has a goal in him. Showed some
good touches and control now and again and was very unlucky not to score
with a good effort in the second half.

Carlton Cole
He did not hide and was involved in the game but his finishing in the first
half was really dire. I'm not going to use the easy and unfair criticism
that 'he's lazy' because he's not. He just isn't a great finisher when he
has got time and the majority of his goals will come from instinctive
finishes.

Subs Used

Victor Obinna (on for Cole 78 mins)
I have to say I cannot recall him seeing much of the ball.

Subs Not Used: Boffin, Gabbidon, Sears, Hines, Boa Morte, Tomkins

Bookings: Parker, Noble, Cole, Upson

Man Of The Match: Wayne Bridge

Tottenham Hotspur: Gomes, Corluka (Hutton 78), Gallas, Dawson, Assou-Ekotto,
Sandro, Bale, Modric, Lennon, Van der Vaart (Pavlyuchenko 72), Defoe
Subs: Pletikosa, Bassong, Jenas, Kranjcar, Crouch

Attendance: 36, 010

Overall

We are now four league games unbeaten, and have kept two consecutive clean
sheets. Things are getting better and we just need to keep going and I am
now convinced we will avoid relegation.

The team are working well as a unit and this performance was encouraging in
that everyone worked for each other and defended really well to ensure we
came away with something.

Next Game - Manchester United (h)

Games do not get more difficult that against Manchester United who are
currently top of the league and look sure to win the league again this
season.

But why is it that I do not fear them? Why is it that I think that we could
actually beat them? Not draw, but win? Have I crossed into the foolish world
of over confidence?

Like this game against Spurs we will be given no chance of getting anything
from the game yet there is something about the team at the moment and the
way we are playing that gives me hope that we can get something from the
game.

With the international weekend coming up it gives the players time to
re-cooperate and go into the final eight games of the season ready for the
massive challenge ahead.

The View From Avram

"My team did very well,"We were mentally strong, we defended well. But we
also had our chances. We created two big chances in the first half from
Coley.

"In the second half, Mark [Noble] had a good overhead kick and Demba [Ba]had
a great shot. We were against a very good team, in a very difficult stadium
and I am delighted with the performance."

"We were calm, it is important when you come here. They have a lot of good
players, especially in attack and they know how to play good football. It is
difficult to play against them. The result is very good for us.

"We were in a good moment but this will help our momentum. I saw the
strength of the team when we were not in a good time. We continued to do the
right things and are getting the rewards.

"All the January signings have done well, we needed them. We had a lot of
problems but Wayne, Robbie, Demba and Gary [O'Neil] have helped us a lot.
Hitzlsperger is also playing well. It is easier for the players. Still we
can play better.

"We have a good chance of staying up. We were five points behind at one
point. It will be a battle to the end but if you see the football we are
playing we deserve to stay in the Premier League but we know there is no
deserve in football."

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Wayne was just Terry good
The Sun
Published: Today

WAYNE BRIDGE chose the day John Terry was restored to England captain to
turn in his best performance of the season. Ironic hey? Because West Ham's
on-loan star quit the Three Lions last year after Terry's alleged affair
with his former partner. And he still insists there will be no going back.
Which is a shame because he single-handedly saw off Gareth Bale, Aaron
Lennon and Rafael van der Vaart to help the Hammers gain a valuable point.
Team-mate Mark Noble said: "Bridgie is quality and I'm sure if he keeps
playing the way he is, Mr Capello will be on the phone."

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Irons man: West Ham's future is on the line... will the steel of Scott
Parker save them?
By MATT LAWTON
Last updated at 1:01 PM on 20th March 2011
Daily Mail

While West Ham's new owners endeavour to keep the wolf from the door, Scott
Parker will do what he can to keep Wolves in check at Upton Park this
evening.
Nobody needed to tell West Ham's finest player just how significant a match
he and his colleagues face when he drove into the club's Chadwell Heath
training ground yesterday. 'It's massive,' he said. 'Probably the biggest
game of the season. 'Every home game we have between now and the end of the
season is one we can win and we'll probably be saying the same thing before
each one. But we've had four defeats in a row and we need to turn things
around - and fast.' It is a potentially desperate situation. Maybe not quite
what David Sullivan has compared to 'Armageddon'. But serious enough for
Parker to feel a deep sense of responsibility. Serious enough for him to
fear for the impact that failure to remain in the Barclays Premier League
would have.

After tonight there are home games against Stoke, Sunderland, Wigan and
Manchester City in addition to rather more daunting visits to Everton,
Liverpool and Fulham. You can see Parker's point. Sullivan has spoken of
pay-cuts across the board, possibly even if they survive the drop, and while
Parker does not feel that now is the time to respond publicly to the new
joint-chairman, he does understand how lives could be affected. How some
people at the club could even lose their jobs.
'There have obviously been problems here,' says Parker. 'It's been a tough
time for the club on and off the field. A lot of uncertainty. 'But I've read
what the new owners have been saying and they are massive West Ham fans who
want the club to go forward. Right now we all need to pull together and make
sure we're still in the Premier League next season. We have to fight on. 'It
hasn't been easy. We've had to sell players and when you look at the squad
compared to a year ago, we've lost some key individuals. Respect has to go
to the manager for dealing with that and to Steve Clarke, who's probably the
best coach I've worked with. At Chelsea and here. 'But at the same time we
also have to take responsibility. We haven't quite delivered what we should
have as players and as a team and we need to put that right.'

Parker is handsomely paid. Among the highest at Upton Park. But in this
modern era of the millionaire footballer he remains refreshingly old school.
A 29-year-old going on 49 judging by the maturity he displayed during our
conversation. He has his opinions on the issues he considers important and
he is not afraid to express them. He can see that some clubs, West Ham and
Portsmouth among them, are victims of their own excess. Of a period of
financial irresponsibility. 'There is a feeling that things aren't as
healthy as they were a few years ago,' says Parker. 'People came in and
invested a lot of money for the game. Whether it was for the right reasons
or simply driven by ego I don't know. 'But when you look at the Portsmouth
situation, and even our situation here, it is opening people's eyes. The way
football clubs are run looks like it needs to change simply because football
clubs are not as healthy financially as they should be. 'It was exciting at
first. I was at Chelsea when Roman Abramovich arrived. I remember seeing his
boat coming into port in Monaco. Just incredible. He started to spend big
and others followed.'
The razzmatazz of Chelsea never really suited Parker. 'Moving there from
Charlton, I struggled to adapt,' he says. 'I might have made more of the
opportunity had I been a bit older. I was only 23. But I found it a bit of
culture shock. Very different to what I was used to. 'When I did start to
settle in and started to turn a corner with Jose Mourinho, I broke my foot
and that was pretty much that. Newcastle came in and I moved on.' Under the
strict guidance of manager Alan Curbishley, a man whose personality clearly
borders on the obsessive, Parker likes to think he was brought up the right
way during those early days at Charlton.

Under Curbishley you respected everyone and everything. From the manager to
the water bottle he gave you at the start of each season. 'If you left it
lying around, he made a massive issue of it,' recalls Parker. 'And if you
lost it, you had to pay for a new one. He expected you to look after it.
'Curbs was the same with all the kit you were given. He'd go potty if
someone left their flip-flops in the middle of the dressing room floor. And
you'd always see him out there after training, collecting all the balls.
When I think about it now, he probably does have OCD. 'Seeing Roman's yacht
in Monaco was incredible' 'But things were run on a tight budget at Charlton
and all those things cost money. He understood that and he made us
understand it, too.' Parker also applies an old school attitude to his
playing philosophy. On Saturday a slight hamstring injury persuaded West Ham
manager Gianfranco Zola to rest him for this evening's relegation scrap with
Wolves. But that weekend visit to Arsenal leads to another topic of
discussion. In the wake of the recent Ryan Shawcross controversy, the issue
of tackling in the English game. Few players in the Premier League can
consider themselves a more effective tackler than Parker. A technically
excellent midfielder, he has it down to a fine art. 'I do believe it is an
art form,' he says. '

In the same way it is when Samir Nasri somehow manages to keep the ball at
his feet while beating three players. 'A good tackler has mastered an art
form. You can see that if you watch Wilson Palacios at Tottenham. Or Yaya
Toure at Barcelona. He plays a slightly different style but he knows how do
the job. When I went to Chelsea I worked as an understudy to Claude Makelele
and I learnt a lot off him and the way he played.' So what is Parker's take
on what happened to Aaron Ramsey? Does Arsene Wenger have a point when it
comes to Shawcross? Is there a problem that needs to be addressed in the
English game? 'I didn't see malice in the tackle,' says Parker. 'I saw a
bit of clumsiness. It was mistimed. Add to that the fact that you've got a
6ft plus defender who's probably 13 or 14 stone tackling a young kid; it's
like putting David Haye in the ring with Manny Pacquiao. There's only going
to be one outcome. The science would tell you that. If he mistimes the
tackle, Aaron Ramsey is going to get hurt. 'If I was Mr Wenger I'd also be
scratching my head, not least because it's not the first time this has
happened to Arsenal. They've had three injuries like this in the last few
years and Ramsey is such a great talent. I really can sympathise with what
Mr Wenger has been saying. 'I love the way we play the game in England'
'At the same time, though, I don't believe teams go out to hurt Arsenal
players. Not for one second. It's probably more down to the way most teams
approach a game against Arsenal, because of the kind of team Arsenal have
become. 'Most clubs know that if you are competitive against them you might
get a result just as they know that if they try to play football against
Arsenal they are not going to win. That's the reality. They're too good. I
think Mr Wenger understands that.'

But is there a cultural problem in this country?
'I love the way we play the game in England,' says Parker. 'We have a blend
of aggression and flair here, thanks to the foreign players, that makes this
the best league in the world. 'It's quick tempo. Nine times out of 10 you
get a very exciting football match. I think it's what makes our game great.
I don't think we need to change. I think it would be a massive shame if we
tried to change it. 'I speak to Valon Behrami, who joined us from Lazio. He
has an English mentality in the way he plays. He's robust, competitive. And
he says the difference between here and Italy is massive. Worlds apart. 'It
really is part of our culture. Other than when someone scores a goal, the
biggest cheer you hear on a Saturday is when someone puts in a good tackle.
It's the way we are brought up. It's what everyone wants to see.
'I can understand why foreign players and managers come to this country and
think it's too aggressive. They are used to a more technical, slightly less
physical game.
'I was at Lilleshall with Alan Smith, Michael Owen, Wes Brown and Joe Cole
and under Keith Blunt, who was old school, we were taught to be aggressive;
taught to win the ball and taught to win the game.'

Players have to take responsibility but much of it, says Parker, simply
rests with the referees. 'They probably let more go in this country,' he
says. 'But our referees are full-time professionals now and they know
there's a difference between a tackle that is going to hurt someone and a
fair tackle that is executed to win the ball.'
Against Wolves tonight, Parker intends to demonstrate as much from the first
minute to the last.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Avram Grant: They told me I was like Brooking as a player but really I was
more of a Platini... then a car smashed into me
By MATT LAWTON Chief Football Correspondent
Last updated at 1:07 PM on 20th March 2011
Daily Mail

Avram Grant had just suggested to his mother that they cross at a safer
point in the road when the motorcycle struck him. He was thrown 33 metres,
only to then be hit by a car coming from the opposite direction. A promising
17-year-old footballer's career was certainly over, but for two weeks his
family feared his life was over as well. 'It took me two weeks to regain
full consciousness,' says Grant. 'And two months to even get out of bed. I
remember the day they let me use a wheelchair. It was freedom. One of the
happiest days of my life. 'You know the irony? We were going to the hospital
to visit my niece, who had been in a car accident. They said I had broken
just about every bone down the left side of my body, with two bones within
an inch of my heart.' The doctors told Grant he would walk but never play
football at any kind of level again. 'And I was good!' he says with a smile
and a touch of mock indignation. 'A technical, attacking midfielder who
scored goals. People compared me to Trevor Brooking. Looking back I think I
was more like Platini!' After a year of painful rehabilitation, he decided
to return to his club near Tel Aviv, Hapoel Petah Tikva, as the youth team
coach. 'I was 18-and-a-half,' he says. 'But I took to it immediately. I had
been captain of teams I had played for and I loved helping players improve.'

Grant was in the job for more than 13 years, but in that time took every
opportunity to educate himself. He studied at the university in Tel Aviv for
a degree in psychology and physical education, and travelled as much as he
could, often with his football-mad Uncle Jacob, to learn from the greats of
the game. As a teenager he went to watch Ron Greenwood's West Ham train and
also recalls observing Hennes Weisweiler, the legendary coach of the
Borussia Monchengladbach side that lost the 1977 European Cup final to
Liverpool. 'I quickly realised that, because of the quality of the football,
I could only learn so much in Israel,' he says. 'I would go to England five
or six times a year, and to other parts of Europe. To Milan, Madrid. I saw
Fabio Capello in Roma and during his first spell in Madrid. Just to study
his methods.'

Grant's rise from youth coach to manager by the time he was 31 is something
that defines him and something, after what has been a difficult start to his
tenure at Upton Park, that should give supporters of West Ham a better idea
of the man now in charge of their club's destiny. He is a fighter; someone,
from the moment he was struck by that motorcycle, who has been battling
against adversity for most of his life. For the most part he has been
winning, given the success he enjoyed in Israel and since he arrived in the
Barclays Premier League. At home, he amassed 10 major domestic trophies,
with four league titles among them, before a decent stint with the national
team was then followed by his brief but dramatic spells with Chelsea, who
West Ham face at Upton Park today, and Portsmouth. In the 87 matches with
the two clubs, he managed to reach a Champions League final, two Wembley
finals and came within a whisker of winning the Premier League title, too.
Not bad for a 55-year-old guy who, on both occasions, became manager after
the season had started. Having sat down for a spot of lunch in London's West
End, he reflects candidly for the first time on the chaos he encountered at
Fratton Park. He talks about working for a club that was going bust with
players who were not even being paid on time; players who responded to the
dismissal of training ground staff by paying their wages to keep them on. 'I
can't really describe what it was like,' he says. 'But you are from the
media so I will put it like this. The media sometimes create a big story
from a small story. In this instance the story was so much bigger than even
the media realised. 'There are still things I don't know and to be honest I
didn't want to know too much at the time. I had to focus on the football
side and put all my energy into what was a difficult enough challenge. I
didn't want the distraction of all the financial problems. But there were
obviously many things that were wrong. I don't know what happened to all the
money when all those players were sold. But I was made certain promises when
I took the job. That money would be reinvested in the team. It was why I
agreed to have a big chunk of my salary set aside for a bonus for keeping
them up.

'But the money never materialised, the club went into administration, the
team was docked nine points and that was that. Nobody has ever explained to
me what went wrong. I would like to know but I'm not sure any of us will
ever know.' At Chelsea, where the players were left stunned by the sudden
departure of Jose Mourinho, and also at Portsmouth it was a case of
combining crisis-management with football management. But the challenge at
Fratton Park was one that Grant relished. A challenge that drew on every
ounce of his experience and wisdom. 'It was very difficult,' he says. 'There
was one day when the players had a meeting after they had again not been
paid and many of the staff had been fired. 'I said we have two choices. We
can give up and we will go to the beach. Or we can fight on. But if we do,
let's really fight. I don't want somewhere in-between. I am not interested
in that. 'And they took the decision to fight. They paid the money to keep
on some of the training ground staff and we played with spirit. I was very
proud of what happened. We did a good service to English football, because
we kept fighting. We believed in the spirit of the game and we protected the
integrity of the competition. We won games. We got to the FA Cup final. And
again one penalty from glory.' He also hopes the Premier League recognise
Portsmouth for the cautionary tale that it is. 'Look, the people who run the
Premier League have created a great league. But they need to be careful.
Right now it is the best league in the world but the Germans had the best
league in the world at one stage and so did the Italians. 'The fact is,
anybody can buy a team here without guarantees and they really do need to
look at that. You can buy a club even if you don't have money. And at
Portsmouth, in the end, it was the supporters who got punished and that is
not right.'

Amid the financial chaos that reigned under Icelandic ownership, the
supporters of West Ham have suffered, too. And they are worried now, given
that their team have failed to take a single point from their first three
Premier League games under Grant's guidance. But the man in charge is not
panicking. 'You can never be calm in football,' he says. 'But I am sure we
are going in the right direction. We have not had an easy star t . Now we
play Chelsea; another difficul t game. And we have been unlucky with
injuries. Thomas Hitzlsperger and Pablo Barrera have been two important
signings but both were injured in international matches before the star t of
the season and we have missed them.' Last weekend, reports suggested Grant
was already under pressure. That the club's owners, David Sullivan and David
Gold, were beginning to get itchy trigger fingers. 'Those stories are
absolutely not true,' he says. 'I have spoken to the owners and they know
where we are. When I took the job they said it is going to be tough. They
took over a club with many debts and the first task is to regain financial
stability. 'We agreed that for the first season we just have to stay in this
league. That is the objective. I want to build something exciting here.
Something to be proud of because West Ham is a great football club.
'I signed a four-year contract because I have a vision that the owners
share. But they are also responsible people. The kind of people a club like
Portsmouth needed. 'Nobody is happy that we have no points. The picture
might not be good now but it is one that will improve. I know it will.'
After nearly 40 years in coaching, West Ham should certainly trust his
judgment.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Disciplined West Ham United defence holds Tottenham Hotspur to a draw
Robert Green outstanding in goal for Hammers
Jermain Defoe fails to score 100th goal for Spurs
Guardian report
Tottenham Hotspur 0 West Ham United 0
David Lacey at White Hart Lane
The Guardian, Monday 21 March 2011

One scoreless draw with Milan having taken Tottenham Hotspur to the
quarter-finals of this season's Champions League, another, with West Ham
United, has left them to contemplate the prospect of playing in the
wasteland of next season's Europa League. Spurs' failure to break down Avram
Grant's newly resilient side, while missing the chances that did come their
way, deepened the roots they are putting down in fifth place. Tottenham's
imminent encounters with Real Madrid have rightly stirred the imagination
but they need to end a flat patch in the Premier League if they are to
retain serious hopes of again finishing in the top four. Certainly they
would have expected to take more than a paltry two points from games against
Blackpool, Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham.

When a manager starts to get philosophical that is the time to worry. "If we
don't do it this time we'll try again next season," said Harry Redknapp.
"What can you do ? I think we can win the Premier League with this club.
There is a championship in Tottenham and it's my ambition to win it. If we
keep improving, who knows?"

Many of Redknapp's predecessors at White Hart Lane have found themselves
thinking along similar lines. Yet the reality is that only Arthur Rowe, in
1951, and Bill Nicholson 10 years later have won league titles with Spurs.
If points were awarded for artistic impression Spurs might be up there with
Arsenal but in the league their history is full of promises unfulfilled.

A bit like the game on Saturday. Luka Modric was everywhere, setting up
moves, creating space, finding angles and linking the play, but when it came
to finding the net Spurs were frustrated by a combination of post, crossbar,
the goalkeeping of Robert Green and their own profligacy. "I love the way we
played," said Redknapp. "That's how it goes. Some games you play crap and
end up winning. Today we just didn't get the break. We had so many chances
it was crazy."

A number fell to Jermain Defoe, who could have marked his 250th appearance
for the club with his 100th goal but was off target, too late to get a touch
or thwarted by Green's reflexes. Defoe's overall scoring record is good but
in the Premier League this season he has found the net only twice, both at
Molineux a fortnight ago. He has become not so much a goalscorer as a player
who sometimes scores goals and against West Ham his afternoon was summed up
when a shot from Aaron Lennon cannoned back off a post, hit Defoe and
bounced wide.

Tottenham's attack had begun to look prolific when the newly arrived Rafael
van der Vaart struck up an understanding with Peter Crouch. But Crouch
stayed on the bench on Saturday while Van der Vaart seemed off the pace
after his recent calf injury. In fact Spurs were more likely to score once
the Dutchman had given way to Roman Pavlyuchenko, Van der Vaart leaving the
arena in what looked suspiciously like a huff. Redknapp told TV he would be
speaking to the player today, but later said he might not bother.

Carlton Cole missed two early chances to put West Ham ahead but in the main
their performance thrived on the organisation and discipline of their
defence, in which Wayne Bridge was outstanding, and the excellence of Green.
The moment five minutes from the end when Green touched a free-kick from
Gareth Bale on to the bar before Lars Jacobsen hooked the rebound off the
line said everything about the revival at Upton Park.

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

http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 20th March 2011

Skipper on top at Tottenham
WHUFC.com
A captain's performance saw West Ham United come away with a precious point
from Spurs
19.03.2011

Matthew Upson played a captain's role yet again in the goalless draw at
Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. The skipper continued his fine form with a
commanding display at the back, organising the back four and making some
timely challenges to deny Jermain Defoe and the incessant Spurs attack. It
meant a second straight clean sheet in the Barclays Premier League - the
first time the Hammers have done that since February 2010. Upson, who
partnered Manu da Costa for the third straight match, said: "We defended
well as a team. The back four had to do its job, Robert Green made a couple
of outstanding saves and kept us in there. It was a good result in the end."

The England centre-back formed a fine partnership with Wayne Bridge on the
left of the Hammers rearguard, and he paid tribute to the full-back for his
contribution against the likes of Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale. "It was
massive, the cover he gave. He made a couple of last-ditch tackles keeping
Aaron Lennon quite quiet in the game. He deserved to be man of the match."

Steeled for the fight with eight more battles to come this season, the
captain said there was a real team spirit throughout the side. "We have come
together as a team a lot more. Our results since the halfway point of the
season have actually been quite good. "We got off to a poor start and we
were chasing ourselves a little bit. We are on a good run and it was another
good point. It could be vital come the end of the season. "We have got to be
happy with our form. I am positive about staying up, the mood and the spirit
is good. We have come together as players and you can see the effect on the
pitch."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bridge shines at Spurs
WHUFC.com
An outstanding display by Wayne Bridge set the tone for a fine Hammers
awayday at Spurs
19.03.2011

Wayne Bridge demonstrated his international class with a terrific
performance in the goalless draw at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. The
left-back gave a masterclass in defending whoever he was up against on the
left flank, with Spurs seeing first Aaron Lennon and then Gareth Bale and
Rafael van der Vaart frustrated by the No36. Bridge was rightly presented
with the Sky Sports man of the match prize but he was more pleased with the
result for the team, who will finish the weekend outside the bottom three.
Bridge said: "Defensively it was my best game since joining the club. I was
up against Aaron who is really quick. You try not to give him too much room
but Matty [Upson] was helping me out and we didn't give him too much room to
play."

He was also undeterred when Welsh winger Bale was moved over to his side to
try and offer a different threat. "Gareth is used to cutting inside. I tried
to stay with him because I know how quick he is and I was just trying to
read him really. I had to stay as tight as possible and again not give him
too much room."

The point could prove pivotal come the end of the season but it needed some
superb saves from Robert Green on the occasions the defence was unable to
stop the Spurs surge. "Rob has been tremendous ever since I have been here,"
added Bridge. "Today he pulled out some outstanding saves. He was great."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Spurs point pleases Avram
WHUFC.com
The manager was happy with the way his side coped with the Tottenham
pressure on Saturday
19.03.2011

Avram Grant hailed his side's mental strength in getting a precious point at
Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday that lifted them out of the bottom three. With
eight matches to play, the Hammers are in 17th spot and a win away from
Fulham in 12th place after the hard-fought goalless draw at White Hart Lane.
The manager was naturally delighted with the defensive resolve from the
visitors and the way his team coped with 24 shots on goal. "My team did very
well," he said. "We were mentally strong, we defended well. But we also had
our chances. We created two big chances in the first half from Coley. "In
the second half, Mark [Noble] had a good overhead kick and Demba [Ba]had a
great shot. We were against a very good team, in a very difficult stadium
and I am delighted with the performance."

The form of the magnificent Robert Green and Wayne Bridge, along with
Matthew Upson, Scott Parker and Thomas Hitzlsperger, was instrumental in
ensuring the younger heads kept their focus, even when Tottenham were
seemingly in the ascendancy at times. "We were calm, it is important when
you come here. They have a lot of good players, especially in attack and
they know how to play good football. It is difficult to play against them.
The result is very good for us. "We were in a good moment but this will help
our momentum. I saw the strength of the team when we were not in a good
time. We continued to do the right things and are getting the rewards. "All
the January signings have done well, we needed them. We had a lot of
problems but Wayne, Robbie, Demba and Gary [O'Neil] have helped us a lot.
Hitzlsperger is also playing well. It is easier for the players. Still we
can play better. "We have a good chance of staying up. We were five points
behind at one point. It will be a battle to the end but if you see the
football we are playing we deserve to stay in the Premier League but we know
there is no deserve in football."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Spence plays, Nouble scores
WHUFC.com
Three of the Hammers quartet of loanees played on Saturday, with Frank
Nouble getting a goal
19.03.2011

Jordan Spence helped Bristol City to a third win in four matches since
joining on loan while Frank Nouble registered his first Charlton Athletic
goal on Saturday.
The 20-year-old Spence played another full 90 minutes - his fourth straight
- in a 2-0 home win against Burnley that moved Bristol City up to 14th in
the table, ten points from the play-off positions.

Elsewhere in the Championship, Kieron Dyer was absent with a thigh problem
as Ipswich Town won 2-0 at home to Scunthorpe United, after a start and a
substitute run-out in their previous two matches.

Nouble scored a late close-range consolation for Charlton but could not stop
them falling to a 2-1 defeat at Dagenham and Redbridge, with Hammers
club-mate Matthew Fry playing an hour at left-back. The Addicks have fallen
away in their League 1 promotion push, under former Hammers left-back Chris
Powell, who is assisted by ex-reserve-team coach Alex Dyer.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Spurs down U18s
WHUFC.com
Three first-half goals sent Tony Carr's side to a 3-1 defeat at Spurs Lodge
on Saturday
19.03.2011

Tottenham Hotspur Under-18s 3-1 West Ham United Under-18s

While the West Ham United first team was earning a creditable goalless
Barclays Premier League draw at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, the Hammers'
Under-18s were unable to prevent Spurs running out winners in the FA Premier
Academy League. Three first-half goals put paid to Tony Carr's side's
chances at Spurs Lodge and, although Blair Turgott pulled a goal back during
an improved second-half display, it was not enough. Defeat all but ends West
Ham's chances of winning the Group A title, but Academy Director Carr will
be keen for his side to end the 2010/11 campaign on a high, starting with
the visit of Bristol City to Little Heath next Saturday.

Full post-match reaction and exclusive match highlights will appear on
whufc.com soon.
West Ham United U18s: Mehmet, Young (Chambers 65), Potts, Craig, Hunt
(McCallum 46), Powell, Turgott, Lletget, E.Lee (Vose 65), Hall, Fanimo

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
International call-ups galore
WHUFC.com
The majority of the Hammers squad look set to be called into action by their
respective nations
18.03.2011

A large number of West Ham United players have been called-up for
international duty by their respective nations.

Nine players - Demba Ba, Pablo Barrera, Danny Gabbidon, Herita Ilunga,
Robbie Keane, Victor Obinna (pictured), Winston Reid, Lars Jacobsen and
Jonathan Spector - are already confirmed as being away on senior duty, while
James Tomkins, Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson and Marek Stech have been named in
Under-21 squads.

Five scholars - Matthias Fanimo, Blair Turgott, Sebastian Lletget, Danny
Purdy, Eoin Wearen - will turn out for their nations at age-group level,
while schoolboy Leo Chambers has been included by England at U16 level.

With England manager Fabio Capello set to name his squad following this
weekend's round of Barclays Premier League matches, the likes of Robert
Green, Scott Parker and Carlton Cole will also be hoping to receive
call-ups. On Saturday 26 March, Gabbidon's Wales host England - for whom
Green, Parker and Cole could all feature - in an eagerly-anticipated Group G
tie at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. England sit second in the standings
with seven points from three matches, while Wales are pointless and bottom
of the group. However, the Welsh will be hopeful of pulling off an upset
under the guidance of new manager Gary Speed.

Republic of Ireland captain Keane will be hoping to lead his country to a
Group B victory over FYR Macedonia at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The Irish
sit second in the Group B table, two points behind leaders Russia.

Jacobsen's Denmark face a vital trip to Oslo to face Norway on the same
date, 26 March. The Danes sit third in Group H, three points behind leaders
Norway, with both teams having contested three matches.

Spector has been included in the United States squad for their home friendly
matches against Argentina in East Rutherford, New Jersey on 26 March and
Paraguay in Nashville, Tennessee, on 29 March.

Further afield, Ba will be part of the Senegal squad that receives Cameroon
in Dakar for a CAF Africa Cup of Nations Group E qualifier. In the same
group, Ilunga's DR Congo host Mauritius in Kinshasa.

In Group B, Obinna's Nigeria will be hoping to overhaul leaders Guinea when
they entertain Ethiopia in Abuja.

Barrera will turn out for Mexico in two friendly matches being held in the
American state of California. Mexico will face Paraguay in Oakland on 26
March before taking on Venezuela in San Diego on 29 March.

Reid will be travelling the furthest of any West Ham player to represent his
country when New Zealand take on China in an international friendly in
Beijing on 25 March. A second friendly against Japan is scheduled to be
played in Tokyo on 29 March, with the Japanese FA confirming the match will
go ahead despite the recent devastation caused by an earthquake and tsunami
in the Far East country.

At U21 level, Eyjolfsson and Stech will continue their preparations for this
summer's UEFA European U21 Championship finals. Eyjolfsson's Iceland travel
to Ukraine and England - a fixture Tomkins could also be involved in - for
friendly matches on 24 March and 28 March respectively, while Stech's Czech
Republic host Belarus and France on 25 March and 29 March respectively.

Tomkins could also get some match action when the Young Lions travel to UEFA
European Under-21 Championship hosts Denmark on 24 March, a taste of what
they could expect at this summer's finals.

Lletget is in the United States squad for the 2011 CONCACAF U20 Championship
in Guatemala. The Americans will face Surinam and Panama in the group stage,
with the four semi-finalists qualifying for the 2011 FIFA U20 World Cup in
Colombia in July.

Second-year scholars Wearen and Purdy in Republic of Ireland's U19 squad for
a trip to Cyprus, where they will take on the Cyrpiot U19s and a Paralimni
U21 side on 26 March and 29 March respectively.

At U17 level, Fanimo and Turgott will travel to Belgium as England continues
their defence of the UEFA European U17 Championship title. The first-year
scholars face Elite Round qualifying matches against Northern Ireland,
Belgium and Spain between 26 March and 31 March.

Finally, schoolboy Chambers will hope to be involved when England U16s take
on Scotland in a re-arranged Victory Shield tie at Morecambe FC's Globe
Arena on 30 March.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tottenham 0 - 0 West Ham
BBC.co.uk
West Ham have now not scored in their last six visits to White Hart Lane
By David Ornstein

Tottenham's hopes of finishing in the top four suffered a setback as they
were held at home by West Ham despite hitting the woodwork three times.
Spurs, who have now not won in three league games, started well and Michael
Dawson curled a shot on to the bar. Carlton Cole missed two chances before
Aaron Lennon fired against the post. Cole and Demba Ba went close for the
visitors while Jermain Defoe was denied by Robert Green, who also tipped
Gareth Bale's free-kick on to the bar. Defoe had two further opportunities
to win it late on but West Ham defended heroically to seal a point that may
prove crucial in their bid to avoid relegation. The draw moves Avram Grant's
team out of the drop zone and above Birmingham, West Brom and Blackpool -
all of whom play later on Saturday - into 15th. Tottenham, meanwhile, stay
fifth but Chelsea are two points ahead of them with a game in hand. Harry
Redknapp will wonder how his team failed to break the deadlock but take
nothing away from West Ham, who are now unbeaten in four Premier League
games and look a side transformed in recent weeks.

They beat Spurs at Upton Park earlier this season before winning the battle
to move into the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games - and they may now
feel like they have completed a hat-trick. Spurs were playing their first
league game at White Hart Lane since 5 February but there was little sign of
rustiness as they got off to a blistering start in sun-drenched north
London. Buoyed by their Champions League victory over AC Milan and the
prospect of facing Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, Redknapp named a
line-up full of attacking flair and his side flooded forward from the first
whistle. Only three minutes had passed when captain Dawson rattled the
woodwork with a curling effort from 18 yards and moments later Defoe saw a
deft touch squirm narrowly wide after getting in front of Manuel da Costa to
meet Bale's left-wing cross.

Bale, one of the Premier League's standout performers this season, was
starting for the first time since 22 January following a back injury and
swiftly set about troubling Hammers right-back Lars Jacobsen. But West Ham
showed superb resilience to hold firm and eventually set about creating
chances of their own. A superbly weighted pass from Thomas Hitzlsperger was
volleyed off target by Cole before the striker was sent clean through by Ba,
only to plant a weak finish straight at Heurelho Gomes. Spurs were soon back
in the ascendancy but West Ham's back four stood strong once more and
wingers Bale and Lennon swapped sides in a bid to break the visitors'
concentration. The move almost paid dividends when, shortly after Luka
Modric had drilled a shot inches wide, Lennon cut in from the left and
fizzed a low strike against the far post. Defoe could not react quickly
enough to steer his follow-up into an empty net.

West Ham, seeking a first win at Tottenham since 1999, actually finished the
first half on top and they got going in similar fashion after the break,
Cole drawing an important save from Gomes with a fierce drive. At the other
end, Vedran Corluka and Modric combined to tee up Defoe but the England
striker was denied from close range by the excellent Green. In truth, Defoe
really should have scored. By now the encounter had developed an
intoxicating ebb and flow, Tottenham dominating possession but West Ham
looking dangerous on the counter-attack. Mark Noble fired wide with an
overhead kick and Gomes produced an outstanding one-handed save to palm Ba's
venomous goalbound shot around the post. Redknapp replaced Rafael van der
Vaart with Roman Pavlyuchenko and the Russian was twice thwarted by Green
before the England goalkeeper pulled off a world-class save to push Bale's
set-piece on to the bar. Spurs pushed hard for a winner at the death but
Defoe fired over and then the outstanding Wayne Bridge blocked him as he
went to shoot, enabling West Ham to celebrate their point.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Robert Green had 'great day' - Harry Redknapp
BBC.co.uk

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp praised West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green
after his heroics earned the Hammers a point at White Hart Lane. "The keeper
had a great day," the Spurs boss said. "He's a top goalkeeper, so he's
capable of playing like that, for sure." West Ham manager Avram Grant also
hailed the England stopper. "Robert is a very good goalkeeper. We are happy
today, he did one very, very good save."

An excellent free-kick by Tottenham's Gareth Bale would have been precise
enough to beat most goalkeepers - but Green launched himself across the goal
to tip the effort onto the bar in the final minutes of the game. Despite his
side not getting the breakthrough, a philosophical Redknapp was not too
unhappy about Tottenham's display. "I loved the way we moved the ball
around, loved the chances we made, hit the woodwork time after time - just
couldn't get the goal that we needed. "That happens sometimes, that's
football. "They've worked hard, and obviously rode their luck at times, but
full credit to them for that. I couldn't go home and be disappointed at the
way we've played today." Less pleasing for Redknapp was the reaction of
Rafael van der Vaart who headed straight for the tunnel after being
substituted with around 20 minutes of the game remaining. "I don't like
that," Redknapp said. "I'll talk to him about that. If you're part of a
team, you should stay and watch the game. He's a good lad, and I just made a
substitution."

Grant left White Hart Line pleased with a performance in which his team
bagged their first clean sheet away from home this season. "I think it's a
fair result and a good point against a very good team on a very difficult
pitch," he said. A string of recent high-scoring wins means Grant's West Ham
are now edging towards safety from relegation, and this point lifts them out
of the bottom three - albeit it temporarily as the rest of the afternoon's
fixtures took place. "We were always optimistic," Grant added. "The strength
of team is in the bad days when we continue to do the right things. Now,
when the injured players are coming back it's more easy for us.
"We are very solid in our system that we are playing. As you saw in the last
games, we are more hard to beat than before."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tottenham 0 West Ham United 0
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 19th March 2011
By: Staff Writer

A resilient defensive display has lifted West Ham United out of the Premier
League's relegation zone. Avram Grant's side moved up into 15th place -
albeit almost certainly temporarily - after grabbing a hard-earned point at
White Hart Lane this lunchtime. Central to the performance were the
defensive five of Green, Jacobsen, Da Costa, Upson and just about the pick
of the bunch, Wayne Bridge, with all outstanding in the face of a late
Tottenham barrage. And although West Ham failed to find the net for the
fifth consecutive occasion at White Hart Lane, the mood inside the camp will
no doubt be one of delight at a result that takes United closer to safety.
Whilst Tottenham had the better of the chances - 24 to West Ham's 10 in all,
three of which hit the woodwork - Avram Grant's side certainly had their
opportunities to score an unlikely away win against a team with only one
defeat at home in their last 24.
Carlton Cole was twice denied inside five first half minutes whilst Mark
Noble spurned two glorious chances after the break. However it was the home
side who often appeared more likely to score. But with Rob Green and his
defensive line in imperious form that rarely threatened to happen. On the
three occasions it did a combination of good luck (Dawson's early header and
Lennon's effort against the post) and wonderful work from Green (Bale's
injury time free-kick that was tipped on to the bar) were enough to maintain
parity. So whilst Tottenham can look forward to a glamour tie against
Spanish giants Real Madrid in the 'Champions' League shortly it won't go
unmentioned that over the two ties between West Ham and Spurs this season,
United win bragging rights for another 12 months courtesy of a four-point
haul. However that will be of little consolation should Grant and his squad
fail to avoid the drop a couple of months from now. Fortunately, all the
signs are that the Irons are heading in the opposite direction.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Parker looks to brighter future
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 18th March 2011
By: Staff Writer

Scott Parker has been talking about the differences between the West Ham
United he joined four years ago - and the West Ham of 2011. Parker was
signed by Alan Curbishley during the ill-fated Gudmundsson & Magnusson era -
just one of a number of star signings made in a busy 12-month period by the
club as the owner and chairman went crazy in the transfer marker. However
that particular dream turned sour when Gudmundsson's business empire
collapsed in the wake of 2008's worldwide banking crisis, leaving the club
staring administration in the face. One by one, the players signed on
extortionate 'Magnusson contracts' - players such as Freddie Ljungberg,
Craig Bellamy and Lucas O'Neill - have come and gone whilst the remaining
few signed on lucrative terms during that period - the Dyers, Upsons and
Fauberts - are set to leave the club shortly. Yet Parker, one of the club's
most valuable assets, remained through thick and thin - and only last year
put pen to paper on a new five-year deal. "When I signed, money was being
spent," Parker told whufc.tv. "Players were coming in and the way they saw
the club going was a lot different to now - or certainly the middle period
before the [Sullivan & Gold] takeover. "Things changed massively, it was
well documented. So obviously that's been a big change but I was brought up
at Charlton and played many years there so I understand the other side of
it. It wasn't such a culture shock to me. "But in all fairness to the
owners now, they've come in with their vision of where they want to take the
club and taken on a massive risk. Hopefully things will get better. They put
some money in during January and brought the players in."

Despite the presence of light at the end of the tunnel, Parker admitted that
the period prior to the arrival of Messrs Sullivan & Gold were the darkest
of days. "That was very difficult," he admitted. "Literally every day we
were reading something in the paper - this player might get sold, the club
might not [continue to] exist. As a player you read this and it's unnerving.
We weren't doing too well in the league either so it was difficult. "But I
enjoyed it here; [now] I see the players I'm around and I think we've got a
very, very good squad and a very good team."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
In, out, shake it all about
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 19th March 2011
By: Staff Writer

West Ham are out of the Premier League's drop zone once again after another
afternoon of shocks and late goals. With United having risen to 15th as a
result of the draw at Tottenham this lunchtime, all eyes were on the other
games involving teams in or around the relegation zone. It was a mixed
afternoon all in all but thanks to two late goals at the DW Stadium and
Ewood Park, the Irons' prospects or survival are looking slightly better
than they were this morning. The first of those two goals went to Wigan who
grabbed a 2-1 victory against fellow-strugglers Birmingham courtesy of
Maynor Figueroa's stoppage-time winner. Meanwhile Blackburn, in freefall in
recent weeks just managed to eke out a point at home to lowly Blackpool with
another injury time goal; this one coming from David Hoilett. However news
wasn't so good from The Hawthorns or Villa Park; West Brom maanged to hold
on for a point at home to Arsenal (despite blowing an early two-goal lead)
whilst Wolves pulled off a major shock beating local rivals Aston Villa 1-0
at Villa Park - a game preceeded by anti-Houllier protests by some Villa
fans.

So close is the current table that West Ham remained in the relegation zone
until Figueroa grabbed his 93rd minute winner, bringing Carling Cup winners
Birmingham back into the drop zone. Blackburn rose from a potential 17th to
13th place as a result of their late equaliser.

Tight as a gnat's chuff: Premier League standings

13. Blackburn 30-33 -12
14. Aston Villa 30-33 -14
15. Blackpool 30-33 -15
16. West Brom 30-33 -15
17. West Ham Utd 30-32 -13
----------------------------------------
18. Wolves 30-32 -14
19. Birmingham 30-31 -13
20. Wigan Ath 30-30 -22

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Spurs frustrated by Hammers
Ex-Hammer wastes several chances
By Hayley Paterson Last updated: 19th March 2011
SSN

Man of the match: Rob Green for me although Scott Parker never stopped. The
shot-stopper was outstanding and denied Defoe on several occasions as well
as a fantastic save to push Bale's effort on to the bar.

Attempt of the match: Michael Dawson curled an effort on to the bar in the
first-half, great attempt from an unlikely source.

Save of the match: Green pulled off several with Bale's free-kick proving to
be a stunning save, but West Ham themselves had good chances - one in
particular saw Demba Ba force a great save from Heurelho Gomes in the
second-half.

Moment of the match: Bale's late free-kick which was destined for the net
before Green's magnificent save.

Talking point: Can West Ham continue this rich vein of form they are
enjoying which sees them out of the relegation zone for the time being?

Tottenham failed to put more pressure on the top four as they failed to
break down a resilient West Ham side in a goalless stalemate. Despite
dominating possession at White Hart Lane, the home side could not force the
opener with Jermain Defoe unable to net a host of superb opportunities
against his old club as he remains just one goal shy of his 100th for Spurs.
Michael Dawson and Aaron Lennon both rattled the Hammers' woodwork in the
first-half and Defoe was guilty of a failure to convert when Gareth Bale,
who was making his first start in two months, cut back his drilled cross
into the box. Carlton Cole had the best chance of the half for the visitors
when he latched on to a perfectly-weighted through ball from Demba Ba but
shot straight into the arms of Heurelho Gomes. Cole had more chances in the
second-half along with Ba forcing Gomes into a superb save, however Avram
Grant's men came away from the lunchtime London derby sharing the spoils.
Harry Redknapp had several players back into the Spurs fold as William
Gallas was deemed fit enough to partner Michael Dawson in the heart of the
defence. Bale and Defoe were both brought in as the hosts looked to continue
their pursuit of fourth place.

Grant switched Lars Jacobsen in for James Tomkins to fill the right-back
void for the Hammers who needed just a point to be out of the relegation
zone in the lunchtime kick-off. Bale was straight into the action down the
left as the Welshman won his side a free-kick in a dangerous position with
three minutes played. He was then ordered to leave the field by referee Mike
Dean to change his cycling shorts. An effort cannoned off the bar from an
unlikely source when Dawson curled an effort on the edge of the 18 yard box
which had Robert Green beaten.

Dominance

Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart continued their dominance in the
midfield as Spurs had the lion's share of the possession, however failed on
several occasions to make it count. Bale was at the heart of another attack
but Defoe's stab failed to trouble Green as his poke was sent beyond the
far-post. Cole then broke free of William Gallas and Dawson failed to
connect well with Thomas Hitzlsperger's lofted ball into the box and shinned
his volley over the bar. Modric let fly in the 16th minute when the Croatian
turned away brilliantly from his marker, before driving his shot over the
bar. Spurs again lacked that clinical edge in front of goal as van der Vaart
drilled his daisy-cutter wide three minutes later. Cole had the chance of
the half to put West Ham in front when he found himself one-on-one with
Gomes but slotted his effort straight down the Brazilian's throat. Modric
dragged another effort wide of Green's far-post as United hung on at times.
Lennon saw his strike come back off the post in the 39th minute after
cutting in from the left and Defoe choked under the pressure as he
side-footed the rebound wide with the goal gaping.

Scott Parker went into the book for a late lunge on van der Vaart before the
half-time whistle, signalling West Ham's frustration about not retaining
possession.
Grant's men however started the brighter of the two in the second-half when
Cole brought a good save from Gomes.

Man of the match
Defoe's tally of missed chances increased as the 28-year-old was denied by
Green who was putting in a man of the match shift. West Ham continued to
close the door on Spurs, who were at times guilty of over-playing, and Mark
Noble saw an audacious overhead kick sail past the post in the 56th minute.
Brazilian midfielder Sandro looked to have done severe damage to his leg
after getting in a tangle with Cole and twisting awkwardly just seconds
after the Noble chance. However the 21-year-old played on after treatment on
the pitch and the United forward was booked for his troubles. Ba then forced
a great save from Gomes who dived to his left to deny the Frenchman in the
65th minute.

West Ham's number one produced the save of the game with four minutes to
spare as he tipped Bale's curling free-kick on to the bar and the away side
cleared. It was not Defoe's day as the nippy forward broke free a few more
times in the dying minutes however his efforts looked desperate as West Ham
hung on. Roman Pavlychenko came on late to replace Dutchman van der Vaart
and forced Green to make another couple of strong saves as both sides shared
the points as West Ham crawled out of the drop-zone for the time being.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Upson praises Hammers' grit
Defender hails left-back Bridge
By Hayley Paterson Last updated: 19th March 2011
SSN

West Ham captain Matthew Upson hailed the resilience of his team as the
Hammers held on for a vital point against Tottenham. Spurs' dominance in
possession saw Michael Dawson, Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennonall rattle the
woodwork and Jermain Defoe waste a host of good chances as West Ham stood
united at White Hart Lane. Their grit paid off as the point sees Avram
Grant's men move out of the relegation zone temporarily having played in the
lunchtime kick-off before Blackburn, Wolves and Wigan all featured in the
Premier League. Scores of West Ham's side were contenders for man of the
match with Scott Parker, Wayne Bridge and Rob Green all putting in a
determined performance which paid dividends.

Outstanding saves

"We defended well as a team," Upson told Sky Sports. "The back four had to
do its job. Rob Green made a couple of outstanding saves and kept us in it.
It's a good result for us." On Bridge's display, he added: "It was massive.
The cover he gave, a couple of last-ditch tackles. He did a great job
keeping Aaron Lennon quiet in the game." Bridge added: "Up against Aaron he
was really quick, and I tried not to give him too much room, but Matty was
always helping me out, making sure I was staying close and not giving him
too much room to play."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tottenham 0 West Ham 0
The Sun
Published: 19 Mar 2011

WEST HAM'S first clean sheet on their travels this season helped lift them
out of the drop zone. It was mostly one-way traffic at White Hart Lane but
Robert Green was in magnificent form to dent Tottenham's top-four hopes.
Spurs hit the woodwork three times and Jermain Defoe was not able to lift
his top to show off his '100 goals' T-shirt as he fluffed his lines. The
point for Tottenham leaves them two adrift of Chelsea in fourth, who have a
game in hand. For West Ham, they extended their unbeaten run to four games
and the point could prove vital in their battle for survival. It was all
Spurs from the off and Michael Dawson found himself on the edge of the West
Ham penalty area on four minutes and was unlucky to see his curler thud off
the crossbar with Green well beaten. The returning Gareth Bale was busy
early on and his low centre was almost turned in by Defoe after the striker
got across Manuel Da Costa. Play switched to the other flank moments later
and Aaron Lennon's cross was only cleared to Sandro whose shot was blocked
by Da Costa for a corner. Spurs were reduced to 10 men for a couple of
minutes when referee Mike Dean spotted Bale's undershorts were the wrong
colour. Carlton Cole had a couple of sighters as West Ham settled but
Heurelho Gomes was not troubled. Luka Modric whistled an effort just wide
after picking up a short corner and Rafael van der Vaart did the same after
more slack marking from the visitors.

Cole should have put West Ham in front on 19 minutes when he was put through
one-on-one by Demba Ba. But the striker's tame shot was easy for Gomes to
save.
Da Costa did enough to put Defoe off as he slid on to Vedran Corluka's cross
and the chance trickled towards goal and Green collected. Ba tried his luck
from 30 yards but his ambitious effort floated high and wide. Modric got the
better of Matthew Upson on 32 minutes and his drive again had Green beaten
but the bounce took it past the post. Lennon found himself down the
Tottenham left on 40 minutes and he made the most of Lars Jacobsen's
invitation to come inside and flashed in a shot that hit the base of the
post before Defoe somehow stabbed the rebound wide in front of an open goal.
Ba got in behind the Spurs defence two minutes before the break but again
Gomes was untroubled by a weak shot.

Scott Parker was in the book on 45 minutes for a foul on Van der Vaart but
the Dutchman's free-kick was down Green's throat. And the Hammers keeper was
there again to catch Van der Vaart's next effort as the half drew to a
close. Gomes was finally extended seconds after the restart when Cole
flashed in a drive that the Brazilian did well to turn away. Defoe was left
in disbelief on 50 minutes when he found himself unmarked in the six-yard
box after Modric's strong run. But the striker's shot hit Green on the calf
and bounced away. Dawson half-cleared Gary O'Neil's cross but Mark Noble's
overhead kick fell wide when Cole might have been better placed to shoot.
Modric found space in the box but his first-time shot was deflected straight
to Green. Ba thumped in a shot on 64 minutes after wriggling away from his
marker but Gomes produced a superb stop to turn the ball away for a corner.
Noble had a chance after a West Ham break but he let himself down with a
poor, stabbed effort. Roman Pavlyuchenko came on for Van der Vaart with 19
minutes to go and he immediately got in on the action with a header but it
was straight at Green.

Spurs were pouring forward in search of the opener and Pavlyuchenko's next
effort forced Green into a smarter stop down to his right before a similar
shot and save from the same pair moments later. Green produced the save of
the match four minutes from time as his strong left hand kept out Bale's
superb free-kick. Pavlyuchenko found Defoe on 89 minutes but it was not the
striker's day and he drove over the angle. And Wayne Bridge's last-gasp
tackle on Defoe seconds later summed up the former Hammer's luck.

Tottenham: Gomes, Corluka (Hutton 77), Gallas, Dawson, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon,
Sandro, Modric, Bale, Van der Vaart (Pavlyuchenko 71), Defoe. Subs not used:
Pletikosa, Jenas, Crouch, Bassong, Kranjcar.

West Ham: Green, Jacobsen, da Costa, Upson, Bridge, O'Neil, Parker,
Hitzlsperger, Noble, Cole (Obinna 78), Ba. Subs not used: Boffin, Gabbidon,
Tomkins, Boa Morte, Sears, Hines. Booked: Parker, Noble, Cole, Upson.

Att: 36,010

Ref: Mike Dean (Wirral).

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Karren Brady's Football Diary
The Sun

Saturday March 12
UK ATHLETICS announce today that they are to bid for the World Athletics
Championships to be held at the Olympic Stadium in 2017, three years after
West Ham have moved in. Events like this are exactly the legacy we felt was
so vital when we bid for the rights. Spurs had a corporate view. We have a
community view. Out of three competitions in 13 days, Arsenal are about to
face the renewed slur that they are 'bottlers'. Arsene Wenger can provide a
definitive answer by lifting the title but, even if he doesn't, the charge
is laughable.

Sunday March 13
IN my position at West Ham, match results are inextricably related to money,
so I make a quick calculation that today's FA Cup defeat at Stoke is costing
us about £1.2million. Neither did we get much of an immediate return on the
players' warm-weather break in Portugal so there will be another hard think
before I agree to it again. It emerges that Villa centre-backs Richard Dunne
and James Collinshave apologised after a row with the coaching staff on a
two-day team-bonding session in midweek. It's some consolation, I suppose,
that none of our players returned with anything other than a light tan.
Whatever Sir Alex and Roberto Mancini say, the semi-final between their
clubs will be for Manchester's equivalent of the world heavyweight title. A
whole circus will make its way to Wembley and heaven knows what the cost of
policing will be.

Monday March 14
WHEN, as it was against Denmark, the England captain's armband is passed
along the line like a shared joint, ending on the arm of trigger-happy
Ashley Cole, it is time for reconsideration. Fabio Capello's leading
candidate is John Terry who, having served a one-year penance for allegedly
sleeping - I have trouble with that word in this connection - with Wayne
Bridge's ex, is deemed now to be ready to take over from the near-infirm Rio
Ferdinand. Competition is thin. Wayne Rooney would be an obvious choice but
his public repute is so low at present he wouldn't be chosen to represent a
dogs' home. And so to a Justin Beiber concert where I was never so happy to
hear of West Brom's woes from Adrian Chiles as a respite from the screams of
20,000 girls. I must be getting old.

Tuesday March 15
THE mysteries of talent and how it has to be applied are rarely better
highlighted than in the case of Gary McSheffrey, a tough and dynamic winger
we bought for £2.3million from Coventry when I was at St Andrew's. There's a
mazy dribble and well-placed shot from McSheffrey on TV tonight to remind me
of what an excellent capture we thought we had made. He had his moments but
found the Prem a different proposition to the Championship which, after all,
is only one division down. The gulf is clearly far wider than most of us
realise but I am sure he will prosper again back at Coventry. Compare his
progress with that of Javier Hernandez at Manchester United. The little
Mexican, who has a number of similar attributes to McSheffrey, scores twice
to put his club through to the last eight of the Champions League.

Wednesday March 16
AVRAM GRANT doesn't do disrespect so I am surprised to receive a note from
the FA saying he is being charged with improper conduct for comments made
about referee Mike Jones after Sunday's game at Stoke. Our manager murmured
something at the post-match Press conference about Jones giving all the
decisions to Stoke after he had allowed Frederic Piquionne to score despite
handling the ball. It was mildly put, arguably true and understandable in
the light of the manager's disappointment. A few minutes later I hear Sir
Alex has received a five-match touchline ban and a £30,000 fine for
disparaging ref Martin Atkinson after a recent defeat by Chelsea. Evidently
the FA are in crackdown mode. They are right to be. Criticisms of refereeing
mistakes must surely be permitted - even the most strutting magpie would not
consider himself infallible - but accusations of bias are a different
matter. I'm sure Avram did not mean his criticism to be taken as such
because instinctively referees often do try to atone for errors.

Thursday March 17
SO now we know, if you want a real thriller, Fulham can guarantee it. Many
clubs have placed statues of famous old boys at the entrance to their
grounds but Mohammed Fayed, being the man he is, has nominated Michael
Jackson to stand eternally outside Craven Cottage. I guess Prince Philip was
never in with a chance.
Talk about quirky, though. Fayed says the singer was his friend and that
this is sufficient if you own a football club. Maybe the sly old bird thinks
thousands of Yanks will make the pilgrimage to the right bank of the Thames
as thousands do to Jim Morrison's grave in Paris. Then he'll sell T-shirts
with Jackson 5 on the back. Much more seriously, all our hearts go out to
the Japanese people as they try to come to terms with the tsunami disaster.
Football concerns seem very small. Nevertheless, they are there. J-League
chiefs announce the decision to postpone football indefinitely, surely the
right thing to do in such tragic circumstances.

Friday March 18
THIS week I've been in the company of David Cameron, Lorraine Kelly, Kate
Moss, Eddie Jordan, George Osborne, Guy Ritchie, Justin Bieber, Vernon Kay,
James Cameron and Tracey Emin. I wonder if any of them could be sold for
£40-50million, the current transfer price put on Gareth Bale, who turns out
tomorrow at White Hart Lane where we play Spurs. Michael Dawson says Bale is
back at "his unstoppable best" but we know exactly what we have to do. Over
to you, Avram, Scott and the boys.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Defoe off form following family bereavement, reveals Redknapp
Published 17:59 19/03/11 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp defended Jermain Defoe's poor performance
in today's 0-0 draw with West Ham, revealing that the striker had been
affected by the death of one of his grandparents last night. Defoe went into
today's game with 99 Spurs goals to his name, but he failed to reach the
century mark on this occasion after missing a host of good opportunities in
a frustrating draw that means Spurs are now two points behind Chelsea in the
race for fourth. Tottenham 0-0 West Ham: Defoe misses a hatful as Hammers
hang on for vital point The England striker reacted slowly to an Aaron
Lennon shot which rebounded off a post in the first half and failed to beat
Robert Green from six yards in the second period as Spurs had to settle for
a goalless draw against their local rivals.

Defoe has had a poor season so far, and had failed to break his Barclays
Premier League duck until scoring a brace in the club's 3-3 draw with Wolves
two weeks ago. Redknapp leapt to the defence of the man he has entrusted to
deliver him goals on so many occasions throughout his managerial career,
admitting that his grandparent's death affected his performance. "Jermain
was up half the night due to a family bereavement," Redknapp said. "I wasn't
sure whether to play him but he wanted to. "He had some good chances today,
the little fella, and he normally scores them but it was just one of those
days. It wasn't through a lack of effort. "He was bright, he was sharp he
just couldn't score but that's football. That's how it goes, another day
he'll go and bang a couple in. "The two goals he got at Wolves, he had no
right to score them. They weren't even half chances."

Tottenham rattled the woodwork three times in total and were wasteful at
times in front of goal. But they also had to contend with some fantastic
goalkeeping from Green, who tipped Gareth Bale's late free-kick onto the bar
when it seemed impossible to stop the ball going in. Redknapp was proud of
his side's performance, though, and insisted that people are getting carried
away with their expectations of his team now that they have made the
Champions League quarter-finals. Redknapp, who was boosted by Bale signing a
new four-and-a-half-year contract today, insists that Spurs remain on course
to win the title in the near future with him, but admits finishing in the
top five this year should be considered a fantastic achievement. "I love the
way we play football and I will go home satisfied tonight," he said. "We
just could not get a break. "We are pushing for a top-four place. We are we
supposed to do, beat Manchester City? They spent £200million in the summer.
Are we supposed to finish above Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United? "We
are building a team here and it is only going to get better. If we keep on
improving then I think we can win the championship with Tottenham. "I'm not
putting a time scale on it. I'm just saying I think this team is capable of
winning the championship. That is my ambition."

Redknapp may have been happy with his team's performance but he was upset
with Rafael van der Vaart walking straight down the tunnel when he was
replaced by Roman Pavlyuchenko towards the end of the second half. "I didn't
like that at all," Redknapp added. "If you are part of a team I think you
should stay and watch the game. I will speak to him about it. "He is a good.
lad, I just wanted to make a substitution."

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Upson has a point about Hammers fighting spirit
Published 15:18 19/03/11 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror

West Ham captain Matthew Upson hailed the defensive resolve of his team as
the Hammers held on for a valuable point from today's goalless encounter
with Spurs at White Hart Lane. Michael Dawson, Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon
all rattled the woodwork and Jermain Defoe was guilty of missing several
good opportunities to break the deadlock, but Tottenham could not score,
meaning they now trail Chelsea by two points, while West Ham moved out of
the relegation zone. Tottenham 0-0 West Ham: Defoe misses a hatful as
Hammers hang on for vital point Robert Green also pulled off a couple of
fine saves - including a superb tip onto the bar from a Bale free-kick late
on - as West Ham showed some of the resolve that they will need if they are
to beat the drop. Wayne Bridge put in a man-of-the-match performance as he
successfully shackled the threat of both Lennon and Bale, with Spurs'
dangerous wingers switching flanks, and Upson hailed the contribution of the
full-back to the result. "We defended well as a team. The back four had to
do it's job. Rob Green made a couple of outstanding saves and kept us in it.
It's a good result for us," Upson told Sky Sports 2. On Bridge's display, he
added: "It was massive. The cover he gave, a couple of last-ditch tackles.
He did a great job keeping Aaron Lennon quiet in the game."

Bridge added: "Up against Aaron he was really quick, and I tried not to give
him too much room, but Matty was always helping me out, making sure I was
staying close and not giving him too much room to play." Spurs boss Harry
Redknapp felt bad luck rather than defensive heroics on the part of the West
Ham backline was the main reason for the stalemate. "I was really pleased
with the way we played today. Passing was great, we made loads of chances,
we just couldn't get the break in front of goal," Redknapp told Sky Sports
2. "It was one of those matches. But I was well pleased with how we played
the game today. "They [West Ham] defended well but we kept hitting the
woodwork today, and you need a bit of luck in front of goal."

Spurs midfielder Rafael van der Vaart appeared to react angrily to being
substituted after 71 minutes, the Dutchman heading straight down the tunnel,
and Redknapp admitted he was unhappy to see the player's reaction. "I don't
like that," said Redknapp. "I'll talk to him about that. If you're part of a
team, you should stay and watch the game. "He's a good lad and I just made a
substitution. I thought he'd given everything today and I just went for a
change."

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Hammers face competition to land flying Swan
Published 23:00 19/03/11 By Soriebah Kajue
The Mirror

West Ham are set to battle it out with north-east rivals Sunderland and
Newcastle for Swansea's Darren Pratley Contract talks between Pratley and
the Championship-chasing Swans broke down last August and now the
25-year-old is free to leave in the summer. Chairman Huw Jenkins rejected an
offer from the Hammers in January for the midfielder, who has already bagged
10 goals this term and is being tracked by Sunderland and Newcastle. Swansea
have intimated they would like to resume contract talks at the end of the
season when, by which time, they might find themselves in the Premier
League. It will be the second successive year that Pratley's future is up
for discussion after Roberto Martinez tried to lure him to Wigan last
summer.

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Tottenham 0-0 West Ham: Sunday Mirror match report
Published 22:30 19/03/11 By Steve Stammers
The Mirror

So that is three times now that West Ham have frustrated Tottenham this
season Back in September, they secured their first win of the season at
Upton Park.
Come the turn of the year and they won the battle with their North ­London
rivals for the tenancy of the Olympic Stadium — as the West Ham fans were
quick to remind Spurs ­yesterday. To paraphrase, they ­declared with some
ferocity that Stratford was their territory and ­Tottenham were not welcome.
And to complete the hat-trick, they denied Tottenham two points to fuel
their bid for a top-four finish that would ensure ­Champions League football
returns to White Hart Lane next season – whatever happens in Spurs'
quarter-final against Real Madrid next month.

West Ham's priorities lay at the other end of the table and their ­bravery
in the tackle and ­refusal to buckle under ­mounting Tottenham ­pressure
­deserved a tangible reward. The ­resistance was built on the ­performance
of Robert Green. He is arguably the most-maligned goalkeeper in the country
after his horrendous mistake cost England a World Cup win against the United
States last summer. He has responded with character and a steely
determination to prove he should still be ranked among the best in his
profession. When a team is battling for their lives, they need a decent
keeper. Green is more than decent, on ­yesterday's evidence. Two of his
saves were from the top drawer and one of them — from a Jermain Defoe effort
two yards out — was simply world class. Spurs manager Harry Redknapp was
anything but despondent. "I love the way we played," he said. "We played
some great stuff and I won't be losing any sleep ­tonight. We are
progressing and I believe I can win the Premier League with this club." But
clearly some dissatisfaction among the ­supporters had filtered through and
got Redknapp bristling. "Oh yes, I apologise for coming here and mucking up
the team," said Redknapp — except he didn't say mucking. "Of course we've
­always finished above the likes of ­Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea
in recent years, haven't we? And of course we should finish above Manchester
City. I mean they spent £230million in the ­summer, didn't they? "No — it
was just one of those days when we couldn't get the break."

The statistics back up his ­argument. Of Spurs' 25 unblocked attempts at
goal, nine were on target. Thanks largely to Green, none of them found the
net. And when Green was beaten, the woodwork came to his rescue, three times
— a shot by Aaron Lennon, ­another drive by Michael Dawson and a free-kick
from Gareth Bale that was touched on to the bar by Green who saw Lars
Jacobsen complete the clearance. "We showed great spirit," said West Ham
manager Avram Grant. Grant had switched tactics to cope with the threat from
the flanks and witnessed excellent displays from Jacobsen and Wayne Bridge.
Tottenham had the best player on the field in Luka Modric. In Defoe they did
not have the best finisher. Under his shirt, Defoe — watched by England No.2
Franco Baldini — had a T-shirt with the number 100 clearly emblazoned on it.
It is there to celebrate his century of league goals, and will have to keep
for another day. He was ­denied once by Green, once by a last-ditch tackle
from Bridge and also let down by his reflexes after Lennon's shot hit the
post. Baldini might be kind and put it down to one of those days for Defoe.
He'll not need to make any excuses for Green.

The nightmare of South Africa is now well and truly in the past and in the
relegation ­dogfight, West Ham clearly have an enormous asset in Green...
and also in Demba Ba. Ba was signed from Hoffenheim after he was rejected by
Stoke and could prove to be a crucial ­arrival. He gave Dawson and William
­Gallas a torrid afternoon. In many ways he is reminiscent of Freddie
Kanoute — all arms and legs but with a touch and eye for goal that defies
his ungainly appearance. Indeed, it took a superb save from Heurelho Gomes
to deny the ­Senegalese front man when he let fly from 25 yards in the
second half. The shot was goalbound until Gomes turned it wide. In the end,
a day for goalkeepers, despite all the attacking talen on view. And a point
that could yet prove the saving of West Ham in the weeks ahead.

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Karren Brady attacks West Ham players over FA Cup exit
Karren Brady says warm-weather breaks in doubt
West Ham FA Cup defeat 'cost us about £1.2m'
Jamie Jackson
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 19 March 2011 16.00 GMT

Karren Brady, the West Ham United vice-chair, has criticised the club's
first-team squad for losing to Stoke City in the FA Cup quarter-final last
week, and said she will be less inclined to allow them to go for warm
weather training again during a mid-season break. Avram Grant and his
players spent three days in Portugal in the buildup to the tie.

Writing in her column in the Sun, Brady said of the defeat: "I make a quick
calculation that today's FA Cup defeat at Stoke is costing us about £1.2m.
Neither did we get much of an immediate return on the players' warm-weather
break in Portugal so there will be another hard think before I agree to it
again."

Brady and Grant clashed this season following revelations in her column that
she had vetoed a deal to bring Steve Sidwell to West Ham from Aston Villa,
after the manager had already said publicly the midfielder would definitely
sign.

At the time Grant said: "Maybe I will have a column in a newspaper and say
what I think."

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