Filed: Sunday, 12th August 2007
By: Matthew O'Greel
Eggert Magnusson has confirmed that West Ham are in talks with Barcelona
striker Eidur Gudjohnsen. Magnusson, talking to Icelandic website visir.is
last night revealed that the Hammers are involved in negotiations to bring
the former Bolton and Chelsea forward back to England. "Talks are ongoing,"
said Magnusson, when questioned by an Icelandic journalist following
yesterday's 2-0 defeat against Manchester City over the move to bring
Iceland's favourite son to East London. But contradicting earlier reports
that suggested a fee of around £8m has been agreed for the 28-year-old
striker, he added: "We have not had an offer accepted by Barcelona - the
papers are wrong. What is happening right now is that we are in talks with
Eidur and his agent. "That's how things stand at this moment in time."
Gudjohnsen has been declared surplus to requirements at the Nou Camp just 14
months after moving to Barcelona from Chelsea in a deal worth £8m, following
the recent arrival of Thierry Henry from Arsenal.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ashton set for start - SSN
Curbishley hints at return to starting line-up for striker
By Andrew Scurr Last updated: 12th August 2007
West Ham striker Dean Ashton could return to the starting line-up sooner
rather than later. Ashton returned to Premier League action as a second half
substitute against Manchester City on Saturday. The 23-year-old, who missed
all of last season recovering from a broken ankle, played the final 30
minutes against Sven Goran Eriksson's side. Alan Curbishley was unhappy with
West Ham's performance against City and has hinted at possible changes.
Ashton may be in line to start in the near future if The Hammers' displays
do not improve very soon. "Dean needs games but not situations like this one
when I have to put him on with half an hour to go and tell him to get on
with it," said Curbishley. "We should give him more time but he is desperate
to play and if we don't do better than that, he will be starting, that is
for sure."
Meanwhile, Curbishley insists West Ham have not returned for Kieron Dyer
since a deal for the Newcastle midfielder fell through. However, the West
Ham boss has confirmed he is still looking to bring in further signings
before the end of the month. "As everyone knows, the Dyer thing got pulled
at the 11th hour," Curbishley added. "There has been no contact since. "We
have been active in other areas for the last couple of weeks and we are keen
to try and do some things. "But now the season has started it gets even more
difficult, so we will have to see what happens."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Curbs ready to start with Ashton and spend more cash - Soccernet
Manager Alan Curbishley is ready to hand Dean Ashton a ticket straight back
into his starting line-up if the mis-firing Hammers do not start hitting the
right spot. Curbishley could not conceal his frustration at a bitterly
disappointing opening-day performance which saw West Ham slump to a two-goal
defeat against Manchester City at Upton Park. After spending all last season
battling to avoid relegation, only completing their miracle escape in the
final game at Manchester United, Curbishley spent big in the summer,
bringing in Craig Bellamy, Freddie Ljungberg and Julien Faubert in an effort
to push West Ham higher up the table. On this evidence, it appears nothing
much has changed other than Carlos Tevez is no longer around to save the
EastEnders. Not even the return of Ashton after virtually a year on the
sidelines with ankle trouble could cheer Curbishley too much. But, while
accepting part of the responsibility for the debacle against Sven-Goran
Eriksson's men, Curbishley warned his ailing forwards Ashton would be rushed
back sooner than anyone imagined if there is no immediate improvement. 'Dean
needs games but not situations like this one when I have to put him on with
half an hour to go and tell him to get on with it,' observed Curbishley. 'We
should give him more time but he is desperate to play and if we don't do
better than that, he will be starting, that is for sure. 'The whole day was
just a massive disappointment. I can't take any positives from it whatsoever
and I am just as disappointment with myself as anybody. 'I should have done
something about the shape of the side before City scored and when I did try
to find a spark I ended up switching too many players around.'
Certainly, the decision to introduce Ashton for George McCartney and push
Matthew Etherington back into defence was a strange one. Etherington had
been causing City problems at the time and the substitution helped ease the
pressure on Eriksson's side. Although he still has captain Lucas Neill,
Faubert and Scott Parker to return from injury, Curbishley is now set to buy
again. A move for Newcastle's Nolberto Solano has been ruled out but while
Curbishley also claimed there had been no more contact with the St James'
Park club over Kieron Dyer, speculation persists a deal for the England
international could be revived.
'As everyone knows, the Dyer thing got pulled at the 11th hour,' he said.
'There has been no contact since. 'We have been active in other areas for
the last couple of weeks and we are keen to try and do some things. 'But now
the season has started it gets even more difficult, so we will have to see
what happens.'
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Konchesky launches broadside at Curbishley - Soccernet
Fulham defender Paul Konchesky has hit out at West Ham boss Alan Curbishley,
claiming he is 'sure' the manager was the reason behind Carlos Tevez's
decision to leave the club. Konchesky played under Curbishley at Charlton
and West Ham but left the East End club this summer and insists the Hammers
chief was his motivation for leaving. 'There was, and still is, a lot of
unhappy players at the club who don't like him. I am one of them and he
knows that, and that is why I left the club,' he told The People. 'I know
there are a lot of players who don't think he is any good. 'I am sure that
is one of the main reasons Carlos Tevez didn't stay at the club, and also
why Darren Bent refused to sign for West Ham. It was because of the manager.
'He is hard to get on with. He doesn't have much banter; he is serious all
the time, he keeps himself to himself and doesn't get involved - very old
school.'
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Vinny's Manchester City Report - West Ham Online
Vinny - Sun Aug 12 2007
West Ham United 0 Manchester City 2
The front of the match programme proudly beamed "A New Beginning" which is
odd as all I saw was the same old West Ham. Of course this is only the first
game of the season and should not be considered as an indicator of our
seasons fortunes (take last season for instance), but that doesn't mean we
can't look at this game and speak about what we are unhappy with. We made it
very easy for Manchester City and they took full advantage of our slack
passing and lack of purpose going forward. The side which started this first
Premiership game of the season was a little different than what we had maybe
expected but with injuries we had to call upon a few of the squad members.
Robert Green of course took his place in goal, George McCartney was at left
back with Upson and Ferdinand at centre half. At right back Lucas Neill was
out injured so Jonathan Spector was selected. In midfield there was a debut
for Freddie Ljungberg on the right wing (he was also the captain today), Lee
Bowyer and Mark Noble were the centre midfielders and Luis Boa Morte
occupied the left hand side.
Up front saw Bobby Zamora and debutant Craig Bellamy with Dean Ashton having
to make do with a place on the bench. The opposition under their new manager
Sven Goran Eriksson fielded many new players of their own. It was City who
started the brighter of the two sides as they knocked the ball about well
and had a few long range efforts go high and wide. We were finding it hard
to find any rhythm to our game with the long ball to Zamora the only option.
As Boa Morte got caught in possession, City broke away and attacked us,
resulting in the game's opening goal on eighteen minutes. Elano hit in a low
cross shot which was turned into the net by Bianchi who had lost Anton
Ferdinand who had gone fast asleep.
You could sense the crowd shifting a little uncomfortably with memories of
last season still fresh in people's mind. We needed a reaction but we didn't
get one. In fact we actually got worse over the next fifteen minutes and
this was surely our worst spell of the game. The misplaced passes were
starting to become comical as Bowyer and Boa Morte did themselves no favour
with a crowd already looking for their heads. City had the means to sit back
and defend. They were playing with five in midfield so found our feeble
attempts at an attack easy to cope with. It was them who nearly found
themselves further in front as Elano was allowed to run unopposed and get a
low shot in which was smothered by Green at the second attempt. We finally
managed to get a shot away with Bobby Zamora finding some room on the right
and he let fly with a decent effort which went just over. A cross from the
left caused City problems as their keeper flapped at the cross. The ball
came out to Ljungberg who tried some sort of chip which went completely
wrong and the danger for City was averted. Moments later, Boa Morte went on
a mazy run in the box where the City players were struggling to get the ball
off him. He couldn't find enough space to get his shot away and the ball
eventually came out to Ljungberg who saw his shot easily saved.
Boo's rung out at half time from the 'intelligent' West Ham crowd.
Apparently all of the crowd on a Friday Big Brother eviction are West Ham
fans. We needed to make changes and the one which I and most wanted was the
introduction of Dean Ashton. We were made to wait a while longer for Ashton
but did see two substitutions. The truly awful Boa Morte was replaced by
Matthew Etherington, who like against Roma received a really good reception
(I have obviously missed something). Hayden Mullins also came on, replacing
the ineffective Bowyer. These changes did make a difference as we had more
of a game plan. Chances soon began to fall but some poor finishing was our
problem. Ljungberg's neat cross into the box had to be headed clear by
Richards and moments later Bobby Zamora had the goal gaping in front of him
but his awful right foot shot was dragged wide as Upton Park held its head
in its hands. Another golden chance was produced soon after as Etherington's
brilliant controlled shot was literally inches away from finding Ljungberg
but the Swede couldn't reach it and it went wide. This was our best spell of
the game and I was very pleased with our reaction since half time. I was
confident that we would score at this point but from then on we lost all our
impetus and the game fizzled away from us again. It was on 63 minutes when
Ashton was introduced. His name had been sung long before his eventual
introduction and most would wonder why it had taken so long. Curbishley
decided to leave Zamora and Bellamy on, and take off McCartney going to
three at the back.
Ashton would have one wonderful chance to get us back into the game as a
good cross from Etherington was met by a powerful volley from the bleach
haired striker, but it went over the bar when most would have expected it to
be bursting the back of the net. It was City who actually looked more like
scoring as they were able to counter attack with purpose. Three minutes
before the end of normal time they wrapped things up by a very frustrating
goal to watch from our point of view. Geovanni was the one who scored it but
it was all about Onuoha who went on mazy run taking on three of our
defenders and still managing to keep the ball. Eventually he got the ball
back for Geovanni who finished well. Cue the mass exodus of our fans, as the
34, 921 crowd was drastically reduced. We had been done good and proper
today by a side which seems to possess some very talented individuals. Who
knows, maybe Manchester City were just that good today, or maybe this was
actually a typical Alan Curbishley performance…
Player Reviews
Robert Green
Curbishley said he was the only player to come out of today with any
positive, and of the player who started I would have to agree. Didn't have
to make any difficult saves but not to blame for either goal.
Jonathan Spector
A typical Jonny Specs performance – full of heart, lacking in real quality.
I don't think many thought we would see much of him this season but it seems
that he is our back up for when Lucas Neill is unavailable. Spector has this
knack of winning the ball back with a brilliant tackle and then inexplicitly
giving the ball back to the opposition with a dreadful pass. This was what
he was all about today.
Matthew Upson
Didn't look all that comfortable today with he and Ferdinand often getting
themselves caught by the high and hopeful ball towards them. Upson also
looked seriously short on pace which was shown for the first goal when Elano
mugged him good and proper but just knocking the ball away from him.
Disappointing.
Anton Ferdinand
Just didn't seem with it at times. I hark back to what I have said before
about him – he just doesn't concentrate for 90 minutes. He continues to do
stupid things immediately after he has just done something really good. His
distribution is still poor – he looks up and if there isn't a pass straight
away he seems to get bored and wants to get rid of the ball so just lumps it
into space. Was ball watching for their first goal and his overall
performance was poor.
George McCartney
Seemed to lack in self belief today which is surprising after his goal
against Roma and that he must know that there is no competition for his
position in the team. There was reluctance from him to put a cross in;
instead he kept knocking the ball back when he has a decent left foot from
which we could have used to our advantage.
Freddie Ljungberg
Didn't think too much of his all round performance. Was in and out of the
game but never found himself in much possession of the ball which is where
he dangerous. When he did get the ball he looked decent bursting forward and
won quite a few free kicks. His crossing was decent also but the lack of
urgency in the box didn't do them justice.
Mark Noble
Found it very difficult today up against a good Manchester City midfield.
The battle of the midfields was won by City as Noble and Bowyer in the first
half failed to get to grips with the game with both players giving the ball
away far too much. When in possession you could see that Noble was looking
for that killer pass but the lack of movement did not help his cause. I
think Noble plays much better with a more defensive midfielder alongside him
as it gives him licence to get forward. Today he was trying to do too much
with Bowyer only acting as a passenger.
Lee Bowyer
Really not with it and you have to question his premiership ability after
watching yet another abject display from a player who has played a couple of
decent games in his West Ham career. He is not good enough has a replacement
for Scott Parker and it is clear to me that we need another central
midfielder. Bowyers performance today consisted in always getting caught in
possession because he is far to slow.
Luis Boa Morte
Has been presented with the award of being the most hated current West Ham
player. An award which has formally been occupied by Marlon Harewood,
Freddie Kanoute and Paolo Wanchope. He does himself no favours though,
putting in a truly shocking display which saw him removed at half time. He
just didn't want to know, and if he did want to know he was just total sh*t.
I said last season in one of the reports that I believe he is a bit of a
c*nt – today he proved it. We need a lot more from him.
Craig Bellamy
Just like against Roma, this is a typical Craig Bellamy performance that he
has put in for every club he as been at. In effect it is just huff and puff
with very little end result. He buzzes about a lot and is always looking for
the ball, often coming very deep to get it – which is fair play, you can't
say he hides. But if his record hasn't convinced you then this performance
should – the guy isn't a goal scorer, so it seems pretty obvious that we
need another striker as well as Bellamy, Ashton and Zamora.
Bobby Zamora
This brings back bad memories of 'classic Zamora'. You know the ones – when
he looks like he can't play football. When he loses the ball all the time,
plays the wrong pass, ignores other players in better positions, can't head
the ball, can't shoot etc etc. You would think that with the knowledge that
Ashton will be in the starting line up very soon that he would put in a
better display than this utter tripe.
Subs Used
Matthew Etherington (on for Boa Morte 45)
You know what, this guy is winning everyone back. I didn't think it could
happen but I supposed when you have got Boa Morte playing like a right c*nt
it makes things easier for him. He did well when he came on and had an
urgency which spread through to the rest of the team. Got a few crosses in,
nearly scored, won a few corners and over had an impact which is what we
want to see. Start him up at Brum Mr Curbs.
Hayden Mullins (on for Bowyer 45)
Well, well here is another play I thought was lost in the "new beginning"
West Ham family. But no, here he is coming on and playing very well, winning
tackles, breaking up play, playing passes to players in West Ham shirts. Was
good too see and if Parker is out next week then Mullins, on this evidence
should be starting.
Dean Ashton (on for McCartney 63)
Didn't really get going when he came on. I still have upmost confidence in
the mans ability despite fluffing a golden chance in the second half. Its
time to start Deano and watch him go.
Overall
There will be those who say that this is just the first game and we
shouldn't get on the players backs so quickly, to which I would have to
agree although if you did see a few of those individual performances (Boa
Morte, Bowyer, Zamora) then you can be forgiven for being a bit annoyed and
calling for them to be dropped.
Scott Parker will be a big addition to that midfield which is really lacking
someone to take control and put himself about.
Next week it is Birmingham and one that we will find difficult but would
really want to be coming away with all three points especially after losing
this one.
Don't lose your faith just yet – "A New Beginning" will begin next week.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 0-2 Manchester City - West Ham Online
Seventeen year old - Sun Aug 12 2007
New season, same old story for West Ham. After the bluster, the promises and
the Five-Year-Plans, it's taken just one game for a worrying reality to step
in. Sven Goran Eriksson's new look Manchester City administered the dosage,
providing a telling reminder of last season's woes. And yet there had been
so much optimism emanating from the club this summer, with chairman Eggert
Magnusson's Biscuit Fund supposedly there to attract high quality players to
Upton Park. West Ham have had a whole summer to do their dealings, but they
remain short of where they should be. Just two of their signings managed a
place in the squad here- Scott Parker and Julien Faubert are injured- and
Freddie Ljungberg and Craig Bellamy failed to make an impression. West Ham
need strengthening all over the pitch on this evidence.
Is Alan Curbishley the man to do it? Former left-back Paul Konchesky doesn't
think so, claiming today that Darren Bent and Carlos Tevez snubbed moves to
West Ham due to Curbishley's presence. It is hard to take Konchesky's
comments at face value, as the pair notoriously do not see eye to eye, but
the feeling persists that Curbishley will not satisfy Magnusson's long term
aims. His performance in the transfer market certainly suggests so. By
contrast, City's managed eight signings in just two weeks. Eriksson may not
have identified any British players for his team, instead looking to the
continent to vitalise his side, but any rumblings that Sven's Foreign Legion
would not adapt to English football were quickly dismissed here.
City, with a blend of overseas stars and home-grown talent, were miles ahead
of their opponents in terms of desire, teamwork and talent. City started
brightly, and Martin Petrov had already screwed a shot wide before the
inevitable opener arrived on 18 minutes. Luis Boa Morte, who endured a
torrid first half, lost the ball, allowing the excellent Brazilian Elano to
maraud upfield. A quick turn of pace embarrassed Matthew Upson, and his
cross-shot was met at the far post by another new boy, Rolano Bianchi. A
simple tap in for him, a great way to mark his debut.
Petrov then stung Robert Green's hands, the goalkeeper gathering the ball at
the second attempt and the home crowd were restless. Their team huffed,
puffed but never looked likely likely to blow the City wall down, especially
not when its solid foundations were based on the rock that was Micah
Richards in the heart of the defence.
West Ham simply had too many poor displays from too many members of the
team. Curbishley could justifiably have taken any player off in the
interval- instead, on came Matthew Etherington and Hayden Mullins for Boa
Morte and Lee Bowyer. The changes at least made some difference to West
Ham's attacking thrust. Bobby Zamora, an otherwise indifferent presence up
front, might have done better with a right-footed effort. Then Etherington
fired across goal, Ljungberg missing his touch by inches. Soon Dean Ashton,
the returning hero after a year out through injury, came on to send home
hopes soaring. Yet his introduction for left-back George McCartney was
baffling as Etherington found himself stationed there instead. Curbishley
had shown a wanton disregard for formation or shape.
Ashton had one presentable opportunity, meeting an Etherington cross with a
volley that was just too high but he mostly lacked sharpness. His miss
deflated West Ham. With three minutes remaining, Nedum Onuoha rampaged down
the right, held off three defenders, played it back to substitute Geovanni
and he rattled the ball into the bottom corner. En masse, the home crowd
departed- if they'd stayed, they would have only seen Green just about deny
Geovanni a third for City. It would not have been undeserved for other side.
Green- No chance with either goal as he was sadly let down by those in front
of him. Made a couple of decent saves to preserve dignity.
Spector- Lucas Neill's absence was felt here. Spector is willing but he is
far from good enough, particularly his ability on the ball.
Ferdinand- Poor. Out of position too often and caught out, while his
distribution was careless.
Upson- Worryingly slow, couldn't handle Bianchi and is another who cannot
pass the ball.
McCartney- He's not bad and shouldn't have gone off- but he's a squad
player. A better left-back is a must.
Ljungberg- Invisible at times and it's hard to see what he brings to a side
which doesn't have Dennis Bergkamp creating his chances. Offers no width.
Noble- Perhaps his poorest ever display but at least he tries to play
football. His passing was so laboured and easily cut out.
Bowyer- His presence in the team baffles me. What is there for? He has to go
as I cannot put up with much more of his weak, slow and dirty style.
Boa Morte- A winger is surely there to take on his man, isn't he? Go figure.
Terrible.
Bellamy- Lots of running but often into dead ends with his head down. Is he
the answer? Time will tell.
Zamora- One of those days for Bobby- it's hard to think of anything he did
right and we'll struggle if he starts week in week out. Tevez would have
been the making of him.
Mullins- A vast improvement on Bowyer but no more than that. Average.
Etherington- At least tries to take his man on and put a cross in, even if
he lacks quality. But Alan, please, he is not a left-back, you buffoon.
Ashton- Painfully unfit, his touch betrayed him. When will we see him at his
best again? One thing's for sure, we can't wait for it because as it stands,
we're not going to score many goals.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Eriksson's Man City give West Ham run-around - Telegraph
By David Miller
Last Updated: 2:07am BST 13/08/2007
West Ham United (0) 0 Manchester City (1) 2
That renowned brand of West Ham football was alive and well at Upton Park:
the anguish for home supporters was that it was being played exclusively by
Manchester City, to the unrestrained delight of their travelling band.
So, whither Sven-Goran Eriksson? For City to begin the season so
auspiciously, playing more perceptive football in 90 minutes than
transfer-strapped Stuart Pearce's side did in 20 months, is wholly
attributable to the Swede so derided as leader of England - or rather that
in barely a month he has assembled an international squad almost all of whom
are confident with the ball at their feet.
This always helps. I'm not sure that this aspect of the game - for 40 years
the hallmark of West Ham but on this evidence temporarily forgotten - was
wholly comprehended by Pearce, a bastion of the running, jumping,
challenging and sweating game, who, for better or worse, now directs
England's Under-21 team.
Whatever Eriksson's inadequacies as national coach, a wholly different
responsibility, his club credentials are without reproach. There is now the
prospect for the first time in years of City being able to face their famed
neighbours across town confident in their own talent.
Courteously declining to indulge in comparison between his City debut and
his England tenure, Eriksson was succinct. "England didn't have an Elano. .
. with a club you can buy players," he said in that careful mannered accent
similar to Sir Trevor McDonald's.
Elano, a 26-year-old Brazilian costing £9 million from provincial Ukraine,
was on a different plain and uncontained by West Ham's defence. Playing in
behind Italian Rolando Bianchi, similarly priced from Reggina for whom he
scored abundantly last season, Elano is reminiscent of compatriot Juninho,
former Middleborough sprite, but with a sharper eye for the telling early
pass or acceleration around hesitant defenders: as defined on Saturday by
Anton Ferdinand.
It was Elano's surge beyond lumbering Matt Upson after a quarter of an hour
and a swift low cross which brought the opening goal for Bianchi - sliding
in behind Ferdinand's missed interception yards from the goal-line.
Micah Richards was magnificent in defence. Already capped by England at
full-back, his authority at centre-back throttled Bobby Zamora and then Dean
Ashton when he came on as ring-rusty substitute after an hour following a
season's absence. "One of the strongest players I've ever seen," Eriksson
said of young Richards, clearly ready to replace injured John Terry, or even
Ferdinand's poseur elder brother if the watching England manager, Steve
McClaren, has the courage.
Quicker, sharper and more imaginative than West Ham from the start, City
were never seriously threatened, even during the 15 minutes after half-time,
frustrated West Ham manager Alan Curbishley having replaced lethargic
midfielders Lee Bowyer and Luis Boa Morte with Hayden Mullins and Matt
Etherington.
West Ham looked more Old Lags United than a force to be taken seriously.
Captain for the day Freddie Ljunberg, Boa Morte, Bowyer, Zamora and probably
Craig Bellamy are past their prime, and it will take more than the return of
injured club captain Lucas Neill and Scott Parker, with, hopefully, some
goals from Ashton, to avoid another torrid season.
Geovanni, one Brazilian replacing another, scored a stunning late second
goal at the end of an exhilarating run by substitute full-back Nedum Onuoha,
during which he shook off three defenders.
Curbishley admitted: "We started off poorly and got worse, laboured and
tentative. We never put them under pressure, didn't show any of our
pre-season work. . . it was a massive disappointment."
Eriksson was thrilled that with six of his foreign players making their
Premier League baptism, there was co-ordination from the outset.
Match details
West Ham: Green, Spector, Ferdinand, Upson, McCartney (Ashton 63),
Ljungberg, Bowyer (Mullins 46), Noble, Boa Morte (Etherington 46), Zamora,
Bellamy.
Subs: Wright, Gabbidon.
Man City: Schmeichel, Richards, Corluka (Onuoha 62), Dunne, Garrido, Elano
(Geovanni 80), Hamann, Johnson, Petrov, Ireland, Bianchi (Bojinov 61).
Subs: Hart, Gelson. Booked: Garrido, Ireland, Elano, Geovanni.
Goals: Bianchi 18, Geovanni 87.
Ref: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).
Man of the match: Kasper Schmeichel (Manchester City) 8/10 • The son of the
Great Dane • Made three crucial saves • It was his Premiership debut
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers ready to fast-track Ashton - TeamTalk
Alan Curbishley is ready to hand Dean Ashton a ticket straight back into his
starting line-up if West Ham do not start hitting the right spot. Curbishley
could not conceal his frustration at a bitterly disappointing opening-day
performance which saw West Ham slump to a two-goal defeat against Manchester
City at Upton Park. After spending all last season battling to avoid
relegation, only completing their miracle escape in the final game at
Manchester United, Curbishley spent big in the summer, bringing in Craig
Bellamy, Freddie Ljungberg and Julien Faubert in an effort to push West Ham
higher up the table. On this evidence, it appears nothing much has changed
other than Carlos Tevez is no longer around to save the EastEnders. Not even
the return of Ashton after virtually a year on the sidelines with ankle
trouble could cheer Curbishley too much. But, while accepting part of the
responsibility for the debacle against Sven-Goran Eriksson's men, Curbishley
warned his ailing forwards Ashton would be rushed back sooner than anyone
imagined if there is no immediate improvement. "Dean needs games but not
situations like this one when I have to put him on with half an hour to go
and tell him to get on with it," observed Curbishley. "We should give him
more time but he is desperate to play and if we don't do better than that,
he will be starting, that is for sure. "The whole day was just a massive
disappointment. I can't take any positives from it whatsoever and I am just
as disappointment with myself as anybody. "I should have done something
about the shape of the side before City scored and when I did try to find a
spark I ended up switching too many players around."
Certainly, the decision to introduce Ashton for George McCartney and push
Matthew Etherington back into defence was a strange one. Etherington had
been causing City problems at the time and the substitution helped ease the
pressure on Eriksson's side. Although he still has captain Lucas Neill,
Faubert and Scott Parker to return from injury, Curbishley is now set to buy
again. A move for Newcastle's Nolberto Solano has been ruled out but while
Curbishley also claimed there had been no more contact with the St James'
Park club over Kieron Dyer, speculation persists a deal for the England
international could be revived.
"As everyone knows, the Dyer thing got pulled at the 11th hour," he said.
"There has been no contact since. "We have been active in other areas for
the last couple of weeks and we are keen to try and do some things. "But now
the season has started it gets even more difficult, so we will have to see
what happens."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Konchesky: Stars don't like Curbs - TeamTalk
Fulham defender Paul Konchesky has hit out at West Ham boss Alan Curbishley,
claiming he is "sure" he is the reason behind Carlos Tevez's exit. Konchesky
played under Curbishley at Charlton and West Ham but insists the Hammers
chief was his motivation for leaving the East End club this summer. "There
was, and still is, a lot of unhappy players at the club who don't like him.
I am one of them and he knows that, and that is why I left the club," he
told The People.
"I know there are a lot of players who don't think he is any good. "I am
sure that is one of the main reasons Carlos Tevez didn't stay at the club,
and also why Darren Bent refused to sign for West Ham. It was because of the
manager. "He is hard to get on with. He doesn't have much banter; he is
serious all the time, he keeps himself to himself and doesn't get involved -
very old school."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Eriksson hits out at 'stupid' critics - TeamTalk
Sven-Goran Eriksson blasted his "stupid" critics after he marked his return
to England by masterminding Manchester City's 2-0 win at West Ham. Eriksson
had admitted he had not seen some of the eight players he signed in the
summer in a £40million spree funded by controversial new City owner, former
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, play many live games. But two of
them, £8.8million Italian striker Rolando Bianchi and free transfer
Brazilian Geovanni, scored the goals which demolished dismal Hammers - and
left the Upton Park fans applauding Eriksson. Eriksson said: "It can only be
stupid people who say I would sign players I did not know anything about.
"Okay, I haven't seen all of them play nine or 10 times but I have big
scouting staff at the club and I have as many videos as I need to watch.
"I've always signed good football players. And with these ones, some are
young and for the future and some, like (Martin) Petrov and Elano, are more
experienced."
It was Elano, another Brazilian who cost £8million from Ukraine's Shakhtar
Donetsk, who starred in City's stylish performance as their new-look team -
with eight debut-makers - repeated the win they had at West Ham last
December and doubled the scoreline. He made a storming run and cross for
Bianchi's 18th-minute opener and often ran West Ham ragged in his support
striker role. But he had been substituted when compatriot Geovanni clinched
the three points with a rifling strike three minutes from time. Eriksson,
brushing off questions about whether he enjoyed club football more than his
ill-fated England reign, declared: "England is history for me today. I don't
think I had a player like Elano with England. "We are playing a different
way with Manchester City. It is a big club and the aim is to make it much
better. "The owner has not asked me to win the Premier League - not this
season anyway - or get into Europe, but we will see where we are when the
squad is fully ready."
Eriksson added: "I don't think I have anything to prove in English football,
although at the start of a season everybody must prove they are the right
man in the right place. "I am delighted, of course, with the way we have
started. I enjoy the club job more between matches than I did with England
between matches. I enjoy being on the training field and in the dressing
room. "But Jose Mourinho can still have all the headlines as far as I'm
concerned. My job is to improve the club. "We may sign one or two more
players before the end of August I hope. We have two goalkeepers, 20 and 21,
and another one (Andreas Isaksson) injured with a broken finger. "We may
have to look at that situation."
Eriksson called up Kasper Schmeichel, son of Danish legend Peter Schmeichel,
to face the Hammers but the youngster was barely tested on his Premier
League debut. Hammers manager Alan Curbishley admitted: "It is a massive
disappointment. We started poor and got worse. "City produced a classic away
performance. they got their goal, sat back a bit and then finished us off.
"But their passing and control was miles in front of ours. We looked
laboured, tentative. Only Greenie (keeper Rob Green) came out of it with
real credit. The rest have to look at themselves. "I've apologised to one or
two players for playing them out of position but we had to make changes.
City dictated for the first 15 minutes and we never really got back although
we could have taken a good chance (through Dean Ashton) before their second
goal. "City came here probably not knowing what to expect and they will be
delighted. I've said to Sven, well done - your first half performance won
it. "I think he will be pleased with his start back in English football and
the Premier League. We haven't got a game midweek and maybe that's a
blessing with a full week to put things right. We just have to get on with
it."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fergie: I wish I'd signed Tev sooner - TeamTalk
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson claims his only regret over the
Carlos Tevez affair is that he did not sign the striker 12 months ago. Tevez
finally completed his protracted transfer to United on Friday afternoon, a
year after Ferguson was first alerted to his availability. At the time,
United shied away from doing a deal as there were too many uncertainties
over the way it would be structured. Subsequent events proved the stance to
be wholly sensible. However, as he watched Tevez inspire West Ham's
late-season survival surge, just as his own side were struggling to sustain
a Treble challenge with an injury-ravaged squad, Ferguson could not help
thinking what might have been. "In his year at West Ham, Tevez proved
himself to be an absolutely top player," reflected Ferguson. "Every time I
saw him playing for West Ham last year, I thought to myself, I just wish we
had done it last year. "But there were too many complications at the time."
Instead, Ferguson made Tevez one of four summer signings, splashing out
£50million on Owen Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson within weeks of United
clinching their ninth Premier League title. His rapid recruiting mission
meant Ferguson could enjoy a worry-free summer holiday for once, convinced
he had got the right men at the right time. "I think the four signings will
be good ones," he said. "We knew Hargreaves was going to happen for a long
time. We hoped it would be last June, then January but we finally got it
done in May. "Nani and Anderson were quick decisions. "We saw an opening
regarding their contracts and weren't prepared to wait. "Anderson broke his
leg last year but if we had let him start the season after his broken leg,
everyone would have been after him."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 0 Manchester C 2 - the Sun
By DAVID READING
August 13, 2007
NOW isn't that just bloody typical! In five years under Sven Goran Eriksson,
the English national team often gave the impression of a side thrown
together by chance and unable to speak the same language. Within just five
weeks, Sven has thrown together a club side whose players genuinely haven't
a clue what the others are going on about. Yet while the Swede struggled
with his bunch of Cockneys, Scousers, Mancs and Geordies, a City side which
includes Brazilians and Bulgarians, a Spaniard, an Italian, a Croatian, a
Dane, an Irishman, a German — along with the odd Englishman — look as though
they have been playing together for years. Now work that one out. Often
lambasted for producing a negative, nervous team within the confines of a
4-4-2 formation, Sven appears to have waved a magic wand to deliver a team
capable of playing fluent, effective, expansive football with a killer
instinct.
Naturally, a two-goal victory over a surprisingly poor West Ham hardly makes
Eriksson the world's finest manager. But you have to wonder if, while
needing a hefty chequebook, Eriksson is one of those managers who was simply
never cut out to be an international boss. We will see over the next few
months. But even the most pessimistic City fan — and there are
understandably quite a few of them — will surely now realise their team is
going places . . . and that doesn't mean the Championship. Because when
Rolando Bianchi, Elano, Martin Petrov, Geovanni and Co acclimatise to the
Premier League — and maybe even know how to talk to each other — then it
does not seem unreasonable to suggest that this side could scrape a UEFA Cup
place. Looking particularly pleased with himself afterwards, Eriksson said:
"The project is to do better, much better. "The owner has not told me to
win the Premier League or when we have to be in Europe. But he has the
target of making the club bigger. "Of course we want to play European
football but I don't say we should do that next season. I would like to do
it, though. I don't think I'm a different manager today if you compare with
how I was at Lazio, Benfica, England. "But I still treat the players right
all the time. I try to find the best formation. Sometimes you are lucky.
Sometimes you change things in a game. "Today it went right. On Wednesday
against Derby, who knows?" After Derby, it's THE derby. And if City go into
that game with a couple of wins under their belts, it will be a match no
United fan will fancy.
While City's foreign legion certainly impressed, there was little doubt
about who was the finest player on the pitch. With Eriksson's England
successor Steve McClaren watching in the stands, Micah Richards delivered a
colossal performance at centre-back. While McClaren has spoken about Jamie
Carragher and Sol Campbell, he should surely consider throwing in Richards,
19, against Germany at Wembley on Wednesday week. Eriksson admitted: "He's
absolutely fantastic. He must be one of the strongest football players I've
ever seen — and quick and good on the ball. "Manchester City are very lucky
to have a player who can play right-back or centre-back. I think he is as
strong and commanding as Sol Campbell, but he is even quicker than Sol.
"Micah should have been picked as a reserve for the World Cup. He was in our
minds then but he was injured so I couldn't pick him."
Richards and Richard Dunne were solid at the back while Didi Hamann and
Michael Johnson commanded the midfield — but it was City's counter-attacking
which truly hurt the Hammers. Brazilian Elano eased past Matthew Upson to
hand Italian Bianchi a tap-in for his first goal in English football. With
the City faithful singing Eriksson's name, the visitors grabbed their second
when home product Nedum Onuoha teed up fellow sub Geovanni to bury the ball
past Robert Green. As for West Ham, this was a flashback to last season as
their fans streamed out of Upton Park and those remaining gave their side an
almighty jeer at the end. At least keeper Green was honest. He admitted: "We
will have to go some to play worse than that this season. In the first half
we played like someone driving a car with the handbrake on. They did a job
on us. They played a perfect game. "Their new players must have thought
'This Premier League lark is easy'." At least one consolation for West Ham
was the sight of Dean Ashton returning to league action after a year out.
Boss Alan Curbishley said: "Dean's going to need a bit more time. He needs
games and the ideal situation is not what happened today."
DREAM TEAM STAR MAN: MICAH RICHARDS (West Ham).
WEST HAM: Green 6, McCartney 5 (Ashton 5), Ferdinand 5, Upson 5, Ljungberg
6, Bellamy 5, Noble 5, Spector 5, Zamora 5, Bowyer 4 (Mullins 5), Boa Morte
4 (Etherington 6). Subs not used: Wight, Gabbidon.
MAN CITY: Schmeichel 7, Richards 8, Johnson 7, Ireland 6, Bianchi 7 (Bojinov
6), Elano 7 (Geovanni 7), Petrov 6, Corluka 6 (Onuoha 7), Hamann 7, Dunne 7,
Garrido 7. Subs not used: Hart, Fernandes. Booked: Garrido, Ireland, Elano,
Geovanni.
Att: 34,921
Ref: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham United 0, Manchester City 2: Eriksson follows gambler's instincts
knowing that early luck cannot last - The Independent
By James Lawton
Published: 13 August 2007
The verdict on Sven Goran Eriksson as coach of England has been in for some
time – but what about the resurrected, big-league club manager, the winner
of Italy's scudetto and the new messiah of Manchester City?
Despite the sweet rhythm and bite of his most significant signing thus far,
the Brazilian Elano Blumer, and the smoothness of his first Premier League
win, the question is necessarily brutal: is Eriksson football's ultimate,
£40m chancer – or a genius.
It is too soon to say but no doubt some are thrilled by the second
possibility. Thaksin Shinawatra, City's fit and proper owner, will no doubt
be chief among them. After the poverty of the club's recent past, here
certainly was evidence that a team who could not score a goal in front of
their own following in the league between New Year's Day and the end of the
season, have been given, whatever you think of the method, or lack of it, a
certain coherence – and, in Rolando Bianchi, someone who plainly has an
instinct to score goals.
However, Eriksson's first few weeks of work at City have to be kept in some
kind of perspective. It remains, do not doubt it for a single moment, the
most audacious – no, let us get it right, the most outrageous gamble
top-level football has ever known. But then what is Eriksson if he is not a
man who believes, give or take the odd the quarter-final of a major
international tournament, in his own good luck?
He says now that only "stupid" people believe it was rash to sign players he
had not seen in the flesh, players – he admitted after this essentially
elegant stroll against a West Ham United whose feebleness was attacked by no
one more painfully than their own manager, Alan Curbishley – who will be
strangers for some time.
Strangers in how they behave when the going gets a little rough. Strangers
in their habits and their discipline. Strangers in the tricky matter of
climbing successfully the Tower of Babel that has been built in a rush of
days in the City dressing room when real pressure is exerted on some
exuberantly silky touches.
In an aside that shaping a team, and knowing your players, takes a little
time, Eriksson hints that, well, maybe, he knows he has broken some of
football's most fundamental rules of successful construction, as he did when
he fast-tracked the teenager Theo Walcott, sight unseen, into the World Cup
finals last year before he had played a first-team game for Arsenal.
On Saturday, he joked, lightly, about the challenge of giving a team talk to
Bulgarians and Brazilians and Italians and a Croat who did not speak
English, but then this is a coach who has worked successfully in Portugal,
the mother country of Brazil, and Italy, a man with the nerve to pick a team
almost literally from thin air.
That nerve may have fragmented critically at vital occasions for England
when his faith in senior members of the "golden generation" disappeared
visibly on the touchline, but at the weekend we saw a man of one supreme
talent, a capacity to re-make both himself and his ambitions.
In this, at least for the immediate future, his opening Premier League
fixture was not so much a challenge as a gift. Curbishley agreed that City
had looked sleek going forward – unquestionably, Eriksson's video purchasing
has been done only in those shops where a certain level of style is on the
shelf, and if the new draft are strangers to English football and mostly
each other, they were never unfamiliar with the ball. However, he also
speculated that Eriksson's ready-mix team might never have such a day when
their opponents were so obliging.
"We didn't put any pressure on them at all," he said, "and I just don't
think they will have another day like today. We were a massive
disappointment and our fans deserve better than this."
Meanwhile, the long-suffering City fans can now see clearly a new blue
heaven. Football dreams, it has to be said, have been built on much less
striking gifts that those of Elano. He created the first goal for Bianchi
with pace and skill but also, probably more than anything, amazement that
Matthew Upson should be so vulnerable and Anton Ferdinand so inert when the
Italian explained why he scored 18 goals in Serie A last season with some
brisk business at the far post.
Elano, Bianchi and Eriksson's most impressive inheritance, Micah Richards,
operated on an entirely superior level to anything produced by West Ham, for
whom Craig Bellamy and Freddie Ljungberg could only make the faithful yearn
for another injection of prime Argentine beef, however dodgily it was
processed. The second goal, made for Geovanni by an immense run from the
extremely promising young Nedum Onuoha, reflected a City edge which was
never truly threatened.
The visitors were also given consistent momentum by the Bulgarian midfielder
Martin Petrov and long before the end their supporters were singing in
homage to Eriksson. He said that it was "very nice" to hear such songs of
praise so soon after the angst of Gelsenkirchen and England's dismal exit
from last summer's World Cup, and he was enjoying the day-by-day contact
with his new players.
That such contact still has a huge need for the creation of a team
philosophy was in no way lessened by a victory which Eriksson admitted was a
"positive surprise". You do not have to be cynical to believe that positive
surprise was the least of it. What it was, we should be honest, was pure
deliverance. The videos told Eriksson, as they would have done more or less
any knowledgeable football man, that he was signing players comfortable on
the ball, players who at the very least could look accomplished in optimum
conditions, a point which might just be raised in defence of Eriksson's
England reign if he should indeed find his old touch in club football with
players for whom passing the ball is not a challenge but a cultural
birthright.
Upton Park asked no deeper question than whether the new City intake had a
certain level of natural skill. The answer was, no doubt, impressive as far
as it went. But this was nowhere near enough to tell us whether Eriksson has
made a team or an illusion. If it is the latter, it is a pretty one, but
then in football beauty, without a serious examination, will always be just
skin deep. Such questioning, as Curbishley so sheepishly admitted, has yet
to begin.
Goals: Bianchi (18) 0-1; Geovanni (87) 0-2.
West Ham United (4-1-3-2): Green; Spector, Ferdinand, Upson, McCartney
(Ashton, 63); Noble; Ljungberg, Bowyer (Mullins, h-t), Boa Morte
(Etherington, h-t ); Zamora, Bellamy. Substitutes not used: Wright (gk),
Gabbidon.
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Schmeichel; Corluka (Onuoha, 62), Dunne,
Richards, Garrido; Hamann, Johnson; Ireland, Elano (Geovanni, 80) Petrov;
Bianchi (Bojinov, 61). Substitutes not used: Hart (gk), Fernandes.
Referee: P Walton (Northamptonshire).
Booked: Manchester City Garrido, Ireland, Elano, Geovanni.
Man of the match: Elano.
Attendance: 34,921.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
How speed dating and football make a winning combination - KUMB
Filed: Sunday, 12th August 2007
By: Paul Scanlan
While Sven Goran Eriksson vehemently denied that his new signings had come
from putting his feet up with a bucket of popcorn and some video tape
performances, the football world's version of speed dating seemed to have
some merit by 4.45pm on Saturday afternoon.
It was the team of strangers that went away smiling, whilst the side who
could field only two of their new signings appeared to have never seen each
other in their lives before. For all those who criticised the Super Swede's
alleged methods, I am pretty sure that the majority of us were thinking that
perhaps he had not done such a horrific job after all.
The big red panic button situated at Upton Park does not need dusting off.
It's all too often used and in fact, there were nearly 35,000 fingers
hovering over it by half time. While Bianchi and colleagues happily strolled
around, just waiting for yet another misplaced pass from anyone in a claret
and blue shirt, the media sat with sharpened pencils and a smile. It would
be of no surprise if the journalists and pundits perhaps not so secretly
longed to see us fall and in the first half, we were happily obliging.
The basic skills that get you through a new season of top flight football
seemed to be elusive with all of our players having suffered amnesia when it
came to passing and positional play. While not expecting an easy ride, I had
suspected some of the extremely poor choices made to be coming from Sven's
Speed Dating matches, rather than our own generally well established side.
The second half brought more of the same, as well as a good healthy dose of
stress and pressure on the shoulders of one Dean Ashton. Its one thing
having to follow in the footsteps of an Argentine idol but to have to do it
on the back of a year out of football is quite a different matter.
As the cries of "Ole Ole Ole Ole, Deano, Deano!" echoed around Upton Park
the moment the poor lad moved just one of his limbs, I wondered whether he
was feeling just a tiny bit of anxiety. I'm the voice of concern who hopes
that the fans are patient with our future England international and realises
that it's going to take some time for Ashton to be the man he was.
He has had a horrific year of it and despite his own confidence that he will
help us to forget Carlos Tevez, I still think we need to be cautious. In the
same way, I hope that the likes of Bellamy help to take the strain off Dean
and continue to contribute in the way I think they will.
Before I go any further into the new season, I want everyone to know
something. I am officially a hypocrite and both halves of yesterdays match
proved it. If I had had my way, I would have personally gone to the pitch
level, grabbed both Bowyer and Boa Morte by the ears and told them:
"Gentleman, I have a new position for you both…Junior Kit Men!". I singled
them both out for particular frustration venting during the first half and
with no sign of a guilty conscience.
Lee Bowyer is perhaps one of the most infuriating players at the club and
perhaps in the Premiership. The man was on fire during his Leeds United days
and could have been a solid talent for years to come. Instead, injuries,
personality issues and general apathy have led a very promising star to
become a complete liability and the twelfth man for the opposition. For an
individual who used to have so much bite, he's as toothless now as a newborn
baby and it's embarrassing for both him and us.
Boa Morte meanwhile spends most of his time thinking back to his days as a
toddler in an attempt to remember how to stand up on his own two feet. The
latter may still have a future at the club but Bowyer may soon have to
question whether his days as a top flight player are finally over. Either
way, I was quite frankly relieved to see the return of our relative old
boys, Mullins and Etherington who were made to look half decent by those
they replaced. It's a worry.
So it's the end of the first weekend of the season and many people are
concerned. No, make that worried. No, make that terrified. While Sven beamed
at the press and basked in his glory, Hammers fans were hightailing it home
and wondering whether it was déjà vu all over again. We're all frightened of
a repeat performance of last season, particularly without the one man band
that saved us, well according to media sources at least.
Whatever you feel about the performance against City, it really was just one
match out of thirty eight and there is a long way to go. The transfer window
is not even being pulled to yet, let alone shut on us. There is still a good
chance for additions to the squad and our own players waiting to return from
injury. Yes there is no Carlos Tevez but we do have Craig Bellamy and
Freddie Ljungberg settling in along with Scott Parker and Julien Faubert
waiting to appear in the future. One lost game does not lead to a disaster
and in time, things will improve.
We won't fail, we have too many people to spite for that
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The ultimate question - KUMB
Filed: Sunday, 5th August 2007
By: Alex Shilling
It's one that surely all of us must have asked ourselves over the past few
months; would we have stayed up if Pardew had been given another chance?
The knee-jerk reaction of a hammer is no, Pardew was leading us into
trouble, we'd lost three games on the trot, he'd failed to man-manage Tevez
and Mascherano successfully, The Egg was right to sack him. But in sacking
Pardew, there appeared to be only one serious candidate to step into the hot
seat at Upton Park. His name was Alan Curbishley.
Magnusson appointed this sallow-faced former player of West Ham and admitted
some weeks later that he wanted Curbs in charge even before he sacked
Pardew. It seems to me that Pardew would have had to win at least two out of
the three games that we lost in order to remain in the job. With a
dysfunctional team which had just dropped into the relegation zone and was
scant of confidence, was this all that likely?
I'm not saying the chairman was being unreasonable, but he did put a certain
amount of pressure on Pardew to produce his best form as a manager yet in
surely the worst spell of results he had endured during his tenure of
manager of West Ham. Magnusson saw Pardew's failure to respond to this
pressure effectively as a weakness and so fired him, citing his reign as
cancerous.
At the time of the dismissal, I was shocked, like everybody else and thought
it was unfair, particularly after results didn't come for Curbishley's team,
and the chairman was far more tolerant and gave more support than he ever
did in his dealings with Pardew.
In late February, the team crashed 4-0 at relegation rivals Charlton and
every day I scanned the papers and internet searching for the headline
'Curbishley is sacked.' I knew it wouldn't do any good to our survival bid,
but I just wanted us to start again and prepare as well we could for the
promotion attempt from the championship, with a new manager.
But one game changed my opinion of Curbishley. As everybody else was
shuffling off gloomily towards the tube, bemoaning another terrible home
display against Tottenham in which we had managed to throw away a two-goal
lead to crash 4-3 with two goals from Spurs being scored in added time, I
was actually quite happy with the performance.
Sure, the defence had fallen apart in the second half but our manager had
finally got his tactics right, and I thought that if we could win at
Blackburn the following week, then we had a realistic chance of staying up.
And of course we all know what happened next, we beat Blackburn 2-1 with two
extremely dodgy goals, the slice of luck cake we had finally got, if a bit
late in the meal, and we went on from there, Middlesbrough, 2-0, Arsenal,
unbelievably, at the Emirates, 1-0, and not only were Curbishley's team
winning, they were winning well, playing exciting extravagant football which
put world-class players on their backsides.
There was the occasional slip-up, such as the defeat to Sheffield United in
April, but we picked up form and played just as well at home to Chelsea as
we had at Arsenal, despite getting beaten 4-1, and won our last three games
to stay up.
The moral of this piece is that with Pardew for the season, in my opinion,
we would have been relegated. Despite his popularity and PR skills, Pardew
failed the test that the Premiership set him last year, instead of building
on the team that reached the FA Cup Final in 2006, he made poor summer
signings and as a result, when two were sprung upon him for free, he
accepted them all two hastily, failed to accomodate them within his team,
and as a result, lost his perfect job.
Curbishley, on the other hand, made good signings upon his arrival in
December, did know how to accomodate Tevez (if not Mascherano) and as a
result is currently the manager of a team who showed great character to
remain in the Premier League last season, have a first-rate chairman who
wants the very best for the club, and are still improving.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Nobby wants to join West Ham
Aug 12 2007
by Darren Kelso, Sunday Sun
NOBBY SOLANO last night opened his heart on his wish to quit Newcastle for
West Ham. But the popular Peruvian may be forced to stay on Tyneside, with
Magpies boss Sam Allardyce still unhappy with the Hammers over the collapse
of Kieron Dyer's proposed move to Upton Park. Solano has been confident that
Allardyce will let him leave if terms can be agreed with the Hammers. But by
yesterday morning, Solano rated his chances of moving at only "50-50" –
while insisting he would regretfully depart Tyneside for family reasons
alone. "It causes me sorrow to have to make this decision. But my children
have moved to London and I want to be near them," he said. "It's no secret
that I have been separated for a while from my wife (Claudia), who until
recently lived here in Newcastle. "Despite our situation, I was seeing the
children almost every day, and that is what is most important to me. "Things
have changed though. My wife decided to move to London to try to boost her
career." He added: "I'm very comfortable at Newcastle. The people love me
and I am very thankful for that. "I didn't want to play for any other club
in England, but family issues have forced a change of plan. "I have spoken
with the Newcastle directors and with the manager and they understand."
Solano claimed he turned down initial overtures from West Ham earlier in the
summer, before his children moved south. But mindful of the acrimonious
breakdown of Kieron Dyer's move to Upton Park last week, Solano added: "The
chances are 50-50. "Everything depends on West Ham actually making an
offer."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Kieron Dyer Did Not Fail West Ham Medical - http://nufcblog.com/
August 12th, 2007 · 7 Comments
We just read the Sunday Mirror's sensational story that says Kieron Dyer
failed his medical at West Ham United. When you actually read the story, the
Sunday Mirror in fact says they got the OK from a medical consultant to go
ahead with the deal. The story they print does not support their sensational
headline.
Sorry to be so picky.
The Sunday Mirror says that Kieron Dyer failed a West Ham medical in the
countdown to his aborted £6M transfer just over a week ago. It goes on to
say the Sunday Mirror can reveal the incredible medical background to the
deal . Wow. Dyer underwent a stringent medical after agreeing a four-year
contract with West Ham. The Sunday Mirror then says they are aware of the
specific problem that was spotted but have chosen not to make this public.
Dyer's case was then referred by West Ham to a consultant who analyzed the
player's medical history. The consultant advised West Ham that in his
opinion the Dyer deal could be completed and the England star would be able
to fulfill a four-year contract. So what's the big deal? We would take a
wild guess and say it's selling newspapers.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss forced to turn to Ashton
tribalfooball.com - August 12, 2007
West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is ready to fast-track Dean Ashton's return if
his strikers fail to fire. "Dean needs games but not situations like this
one when I have to put him on with half an hour to go and tell him to get on
with it," observed Curbishley after their defeat to Manchester City on
Saturday. "We should give him more time but he is desperate to play and if
we don't do better than that, he will be starting, that is for sure. "The
whole day was just a massive disappointment. I can't take any positives from
it whatsoever and I am just as disappointment with myself as anybody . "I
should have done something about the shape of the side before City scored
and when I did try to find a spark I ended up switching too many players
around."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham to bid £3M for Man City target Bresciano
tribalfooball.com - August 12, 2007
West Ham United are ready to trump Manchester City for Palermo midfielder
Mark Bresciano. The Hammers hope compatriot Lucas Neill will help persuade
him to join them in a £3 million deal.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Newcastle's Solano breaks silence on West Ham
tribalfooball.com - August 12, 2007
Newcastle United midfielder Nobby Solano admits he's desperate to join West
Ham. "It causes me sorrow to have to make this decision. But my children
have moved to London and I want to be near them," he told the Sunday Sun.
"It's no secret that I have been separated for a while from my wife
(Claudia), who until recently lived here in Newcastle. "Despite our
situation, I was seeing the children almost every day, and that is what is
most important to me. "Things have changed though. My wife decided to move
to London to try to boost her career." He added: "I'm very comfortable at
Newcastle. The people love me and I am very thankful for that. "I didn't
want to play for any other club in England, but family issues have forced a
change of plan. "I have spoken with the Newcastle directors and with the
manager and they understand."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Derby's Mears: Gaffer tells me to prove West Ham wrong
tribalfooball.com - August 12, 2007
Tyrone Mears has revealed how Derby boss Billy Davies is constantly
motivating him to prove people wrong. Mears explained: "I want to show
everyone I can play in the Premier League. Last season was frustrating and
the gaffer keeps saying to me that West Ham didn't think I was good enough.
"He says that every day and reminds me they didn't think I could handle it
and urges me to go and show them. He uses that technique with a lot of the
players because Gary Teale has come from Wigan, Andy Todd and Jay McEveley
from Blackburn, Stephen Pearson from Celtic." Matt Oakley, who scored after
five minutes, is the skipper and midfield driving force after leaving
Southampton on a free transfer in 2006. Oakley said: "The manager
deliberately got players here who have a point to prove. Portsmouth are full
of million-pound players but we gave them problems and feel comfortable
against teams like these."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Konchesky: Curbishley out of West Ham before Christmas
tribalfooball.com - August 12, 2007
Fulham defender Paul Konchesky says Alan Curbishley could be on his way out
of West Ham United before Christmas. Konchesky fell out with Curbs while at
Charlton and was offloaded this summer from Upton Park, he told the People:
"Curbishley has bought big players for West Ham, like Craig Bellamy, Matthew
Upson and Freddie Ljungberg and his neck is on the line now. "If the
chairman isn't happy I don't think he'll hesitate to get rid of him, and it
will be before Christmas if he wants to. The fans will make their opinions
known, too. "It is all very well the chairman claiming that the players were
the problem, but I think that has come from the manager because the chairman
didn't get involved with the players and he doesn't know us. "It is easy to
use us as scapegoats because we've left the club but whoever played gave 110
per cent and it is disappointing to read those comments, it hurts. "The
chairman needs to have a long, hard look at the manager. Okay, he has
brought in new players, but they weren't the ones at the top of his wish
list - he couldn't get those."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham Join Bresciano Race - Goal.com
The Hammers want the Australian midfielder to bolster up their squad
following the defeat against Manchester City, who are also in the run for
the Palermo player. According to 'People', West Ham are in with a very good
chance of signing Mark Bresciano from Palermo and steal him away from
Manchester City who have been following the midfielder for the past weeks.
Bresciano was in fact very close to join Sven Goran Eriksson's side, but the
deal was not sealed. However, it was rumoured that the Australian player
would eventually join City in January. Now with West Ham joining the race
for the player of Palermo, it seems like Bresciano's dream of playing in the
English Premier League will soon become reality, because despite the London
based side having less ambitions than the Manchester team, for Bresciano the
most important thing is to play in England.
GD
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The papers: Hammers in for Yak - Blackpool Gazette
West Ham are set to bid for Middlesbrough's Yakubu after the £10m price tag
scares off interest from Portsmouth. SUNDAY MIRROR: West Ham are set to join
the battle for Middlesbrough's Yakubu after the striker's £10m price tag
scared off Portsmouth. Kieron Dyer failed a West Ham medical in the
countdown to his aborted £6million transfer.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
...MEANWHILE BACK IN UPTON PARK HELL - The Mirror
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
By Martin Lipton 13/08/2007
Alan Curbishley last night copped the blame for the opening-day Hammer
horror show that squandered all his survival goodwill in the space of 90
miserable minutes. Curbishley admitted he was tactically out-thought by Sven
Goran Eriksson as West Ham were put to the sword by City's scratch side.
Half-time jeers were replicated at the final whistle by the few left inside
Upton Park after home fans went streaming for the exit gates long before the
end. And while Hammers boss Curbishley, who looked gaunt and washed-out by
what he had witnessed, pointed the finger at his players, he conceded the
primary responsibility was his. The Upton Park chief said: "There were some
disappointing performances from everybody today, and I'm disappointed with
myself.
"I didn't do anything before the game about the way they were going to shape
up and I moved too many people around in the second half. "I was just trying
to get a spark out of the players when perhaps it would have been better to
leave them alone."
Curbishley, already under fire, admitted he will ask chairman Eggert
Magnusson for more cash to strengthen, with a fresh approach for Kieron Dyer
in the offing.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment