20/08/2007 08:58
A video nasty spurred Mark Noble into a man-of-the match display in the 1-0
win at Birmingham City on Saturday. And after calmly netting Hammers'
spot-kick winner at St. Andrew's, the mercurial midfielder must now be
hoping that he can help England U-21s to victory over their Romanian
counterparts at Ashton Gate tomorrow night. "Just like quite a few of the
other players, Mark Noble just didn't perform in a very flat and laboured
performance in our opening game," revealed Alan Curbishley after seeing the
20-year-old secure that first win of the season. "He lost his way against
Manchester City and we had a little chat with him during the week. "Mark
burst onto the scene last season and then he went away to the European U-21
Championships as a squad player only to force his way into Stuart Pearce's
side, too. Before the Birmingham game, we sat him down and showed him some
clips from last season, which reminded him just what he's about and what he
can give us. "Then we showed him his performance against City and it was
chalk and cheese. We pointed out a few bits and pieces and, thankfully, he
got back to basics at Birmingham and started to do the things that he's good
at. "Players need to come into the side and do well, week-in and week-out,
from now on because there's a lot of competition about. After all, Kieron
Dyer has joined us, Scott Parker and Lucas Neill are back in training and
Freddie Ljungberg's injury isn't too bad, either. "Mark was determined to
put things right at Birmingham and he just got more and more confident as
the game went on," concluded Curbs, who will be looking for a repeat
performance against Wigan Athletic on Saturday. "He can be pleased with
himself."
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Manager on Monday: "We're building something here" - WHUFC
20/08/2007 16:00
Steve Bruce was left fuming by Mark Noble's match-winning penalty that gave
Hammers their first victory of the season at St. Andrew's. But his
counterpart Alan Curbishley had no doubts that referee Mark Halsey had made
the right decision in pointing to the spot after Birmingham City's Colin
Doyle had rashly dived into Craig Bellamy's feet. "In fact, I even thought
that we should have had a penalty in the first half for Stephen Kelly's
challenge on Kieron Dyer," insisted Curbs, who finally got his reward with
20 minutes remaining. "And as soon as their 'keeper made his challenge on
Craig I looked at the linesman, who rightly gave the foul straight away.
"The 'keeper came and when you do that you must get the ball but he didn't
get any contact upon it. "Sometimes you get those decisions and sometimes
you don't, so we're just delighted that we got something today. "We had such
a flat game against Manchester City last Saturday and there was a lot of
work to be done during the week. Thankfully, we got stronger in the second
half at Birmingham. "There were some big performances out there and Mark
Noble, for example, will be pleased with himself."
But while the Hammers' boss was quick to praise his side following that
richly-deserved first three-pointer of the season, he could not hide his
displeasure at the unsettling pre-match headlines that claimed there had
been a dressing room bust-up with Bellamy after the opening day defeat
against Sven-Goran Eriksson's side. "If you ask Craig or any other player
they'll tell you that the story's absolute nonsense," cursed Curbs. "It
never happened! "Perhaps I had a fairytale existence at Charlton, but since
I've been here at West Ham United, we seem to be on the back pages for all
the wrong reasons. We've had more negative publicity during the past six
months than the club has had during the whole of the past two seasons.
"There will be more pressure than ever because the prizes are so great. It's
the nature of the game. If things are going well then 'super' but if results
don't go your way then the criticism will come. You can't win every week,
though, and you can't stop people writing what they want to write. "I just
want my players to perform out on the pitch and we're delighted we got the
result at Birmingham. "Kieron Dyer got stronger and stronger as the game
wore on and with everything else that's been written, it almost went
unnoticed that we attracted an England player to Upton Park this week. West
Ham fans should be rejoicing in that. "People say we're big spenders but I
think we've done good business. We've paid good prices for international
players of the right age and despite the accusations, we haven't inflated
the market."We're just trying to build something here and we're just taking
it one step at a time, rather than running before we can walk. "It's uncanny
that we've been hit with so many injuries - I've signed about eight players
who have only managed around 30 starts between them since last Christmas -
but once they're all fit we'll have a strong squad," concluded Curbs in the
knowledge that Lucas Neill, Scott Parker and Freddie Ljungberg should all
return to training this week, ahead of Saturday's Upton Park showdown with
Wigan Athletic. "It's a long-term thing but I've shown over the years that
I'm a patient boy. Perhaps, I just need thicker skin at the moment!"
by Steve Blowers
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Etherington in fine form - WHUFC
20/08/2007 14:00
Matty Etherington played a big part in helping West Ham secure their first
three points of the new season and says the only disappointment was not
winning by a bigger margin. The midfielder was in fine form, leading the
attacks down the left wing as the Hammers ran out 1-0 winners at St Andrew's
against Birmingham City. "I thought we won very comfortably in the end. It
was very scrappy in the first half and we had to ride this out, which I
thought we did well," he said. "They were at us quickly early on and it
meant we didn't get that much time on the ball. "Coming to a ground like St
Andrew's is not easy but the more they tried to stop us playing, the more it
worked for our advantage. "I felt our ability came through in the second
half and it ended up being a very good victory for us and we could have had
a couple more goals."
For Matty and his team-mates, it was all a case of being patient to get a
foot-hold in the match and to step-up from the previous weekend. "We didn't
get near to what we are about against Man City", the midfielder admitted.
"The manager had a few things to say about it and we addressed it all in
training during the week. You do get weeks when it doesn't go right for you,
but it's all about getting through it. "The expectation is there of course
but we got into Birmingham's faces and knew that if we kept playing this way
and piled on the pressure, we could get through them. We kicked on and
showed our spirit.
"We harassed them, worried them each time they got the ball, so they were
under pressure at every opportunity and it worked. We knew if we could get
the ball down more it would open up the play and we were able to hit them on
the break. "I thought we played some lovely stuff in the second half and
while it was only one goal in the end, the main thing was getting the win."
It was Mark Noble who sent Birmingham's keeper Colin Doyle the wrong way
with a well-taken penalty kick to secure victory in the 70th minute and
there were no arguments from his team-mates when Mark strode up to the spot.
"Nobes took it upon himself to take the penalty," smiled Matty. "He's on a
bit of run isn't he, after scoring a couple for the England U-21's in the
summer European Championships? So we knew he would want to take this one.
"There were no moans from the rest of us about him taking it. To be fair he
stepped up and showed the great character he has to slot it away really
well, so there couldn't be any complaints!"
For Matty himself, it has been a positive start to the Barclays Premier
League campaign and he is feeling in good shape. "I have had a really good
pre-season which has left me feeling sharp and it has been a case of waiting
to take my chance," he said. "I came on as a sub against Man City and was
pleased with what I did and I was delighted to get the opportunity from the
start at Birmingham. Now I have to keep going with every game I play."
by Laura Burkin
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Bellamy brushes off critics - SSN
West Ham striker has no quarrel with Kapo
By Mark Buckingham Last updated: 20th August 2007
Craig Bellamy has brushed off his full-time altercation with Birmingham City
midfielder Olivier Kapo. The Frenchman had to be held back from confronting
Bellamy at the final whistle of Saturday's Premier League meeting at St
Andrews. Kapo felt Bellamy had gone down too easily to secure the penalty
which allowed Mark Noble to win the game for West Ham. The Hammers' new
signing dismissed Kapo's disgruntlement and concedes he is used to being a
target for criticism. "The stick you get is part and parcel of the game,"
said Bellamy in The Sun. "If I'd let it get to me I'd have been out of this
game years ago. I'd have been washed up. "What happened with Kapo is just
part of the game. I'm not going to blame anyone. "They're showing passion,
the same as I am. There's nothing wrong in that. In fact, it gives me more
respect for them. "As for the penalty, I don't even need to get into that.
The decision was made correctly. Look at the replays and you'll see for
yourself. "The linesman was right there. If he had been on the other side it
might not have been so clear-cut, but he had a perfect view."
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'Baggage' won't weigh down Alan Curbishley - Telegraph
By Martin Smith
Last Updated: 11:32am BST 20/08/2007
Birmingham City (0) 0 West Ham United (0) 1
Craig Bellamy and Kieron Dyer come with enough baggage to fill a jumbo jet's
hold. However, where everyone else sees serial recidivists, Alan Curbishley
sees players turning over new leaves and enhancing a team he is trying to
build - if not exactly in his own image, then on his own terms. "To be
honest," the manager said of Bellamy, "he's a better player than I thought.
He's very professional. There's not been a minute's problem. I did say to
him when he signed, 'Are you going to be remembered for your football? Same
as Kieron. It's about time people started talking to you about your
football'. I hope they take up the baton and that happens. "Craig accepted
the point I made. I said, 'If you come here and do it for West Ham they will
carry you around the ground. You've got the opportunity for that to happen'.
Hopefully that's a spur for him."
Curbishley, though, had an insight into the problems Bellamy brings with him
when he picked up the morning tabloids and discovered the pair of them had
apparently argued furiously in the aftermath of the opening-day defeat by
Manchester City at Upton Park.
"Completely fabricated," Curbishley told anyone who would listen. "If I let
it get to me I'd have been out of this game a few years ago," the player
said. Bellamy is a spiky, awkward customer on and off the pitch. When he
closed his eyes on Saturday night he will have seen images of Olivier Kapo,
Mehdi Nafti, Radhi Jaidi and Liam Ridgewell, all of whom were in his face as
much as he was in theirs.
Football fans' forumadvertisement
"They're showing passion," Bellamy said, "the same as me. There's nothing
wrong in that. In fact, it gives me more respect for them."
There is little doubt, though, that Bellamy can play. After six clubs in six
years he needs to put down some roots.
"It's a new season for me, a new club, a new period in my career," he said.
"I've signed a five-year deal and I want this to be a settled time for me."
The understanding the Welshman forged with Dyer on Tyneside was replicated
immediately in West Ham shirts. "The name of the game is breaking, and
breaking in numbers, breaking quickly," Bellamy said. "We did it a lot
together at Newcastle, and we did it today and had a lot of chances."
Dyer knew instinctively the run Bellamy would make, diagonally in front of
him, when he collected the ball 30 yards out. It was the decisive moment of
the game. Bellamy chased into the area, Colin Doyle made an injudicious
decision to try and cut him off and bundled into him as the ball was nicked
past.
Birmingham argued about the penalty awarded - Mark Noble, the game's most
influential player, scored from it - but Matthew Upson, their former player,
summed it up when he said Doyle had "cleaned Bellamy out".
Man of the match: Mark Noble (West Ham) 9 • Scored the winner • Set up three
scoring chances • Won 75% of his tackles
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Jeroen Boere - West Ham Till I Die
Former West Ham United striker Jeroen Boere died in his house in Spain on
Thursday, Dutch radio station RTV Rijnmond said on Saturday. Jereon Boere
has died at the very young age of 39-year-old. He retired from football in
1999 when he lost an eye after being stabbed in Japan, and had been working
in Spain as real estate agent. Early reports said he was found dead at home,
but it is also rumoured that he died in a car crash. Boere started his
professional career at Excelsior Rotterdam before joining West Ham in 1993.
He also played for Portsmouth, West Bromwich Albion, Crystal Palace and
Southend United. He made 18 appearances for the Hammers, plus another eleven
as sub. He scored seven goals. What shockingly young age to die. He will be
remembered fondly by all those who saw him play.
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Anelka could trot off from Bolton - TeamTalk
Nicolas Anelka admits it is "possible" he could leave Bolton before the
close of the transfer window - with four clubs vying for his signature. The
French striker has been linked with Manchester rivals City and United as
well as West Ham and Portsmouth following the Trotters' disappointing start
to the new season.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is in the hunt for a new striker and has been
heavily linked with Anelka all summer, though reports in The Sun suggest
Newcastle's Obafemi Martins is now his top target. Whether he turns to
Anelka or not, it seems the Frenchman is prepared to leave the Reebok,
though he insists he wants to stay in the Premier League. "Even if I feel
comfortable at Bolton, the club needs money, so it is possible that I will
leave before the close of the transfer window," Anelka told Le Journal du
Dimanche. "But I won't join Lyon. I have nothing against them - they are a
good club, but I repeat it another time, I won't come back and play in
France. "It is a definitive 'no'. So there is zero per cent chance of me
joining Lyon." Bolton boss Sammy Lee, who could also lose El Hadji Diouf,
hinted Anelka could be on his way after drawing up a contingency plan. Lee
told the Bolton News: "You don't want to lose quality players, but other
things dictate. "It would be remiss of me to get involved in the
speculation, but all I would say is that everybody's aware of his qualities
and we are just making sure we have the right preparation, to cover for
every eventuality."
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Bellamy ruled out of Wales squad - TeamTalk
West Ham striker Craig Bellamy has withdrawn from the Wales squad for
Wednesday's friendly against Bulgaria in Bourgas. The Hammers ace has
decided to pull out because his wife is due to give birth. Bellamy was
expected to partner Freddy Eastwood in attack, but John Toshack will now
have to reconsider his line-up. Danny Gabbidon is expected to take the
captain's armband in Bellamy's place. Wigan midfielder Jason Koumas has also
had to withdraw from the squad, having fallen ill after the Premier League
game with Sunderland on Saturday. One player hoping to feature for Wales is
Gareth Bale, who has not yet been able to make his Tottenham debut due to
injury. He has been troubled by his ankle and his thigh but is looking to
get a run-out against Bulgaria.
"I started full training on Wednesday so I'm just hoping to push on and get
a few minutes now just to get a bit of match practice," Bale told Sky Sports
News.
"I'm hoping for 45 minutes because I haven't played for a while. "It will be
good to get back on the pitch and I need it to get back into the team at
Tottenham."
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Bellamy brushes off Kapo face-off -TeamTalk
West Ham striker Craig Bellamy has brushed off his altercation with
Birmingham's Olivier Kapo, insisting it is "part and parcel" of the game.
The Frenchman had to be held back from confronting Bellamy at the final
whistle of Saturday's Premier League meeting at St Andrews. Kapo felt
Bellamy had gone down too easily to secure the penalty which allowed Mark
Noble to win the game for West Ham. The Hammers' new signing dismissed
Kapo's disgruntlement and concedes he is used to being a target for
criticism. "The stick you get is part and parcel of the game," said Bellamy
in The Sun. "If I'd let it get to me I'd have been out of this game years
ago. I'd have been washed up. "What happened with Kapo is just part of the
game. I'm not going to blame anyone. "They're showing passion, the same as I
am. There's nothing wrong in that. In fact, it gives me more respect for
them. "As for the penalty, I don't even need to get into that. The decision
was made correctly. Look at the replays and you'll see for yourself. "The
linesman was right there. If he had been on the other side it might not have
been so clear-cut, but he had a perfect view."
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Hammers face FA hearing on Tevez - This Is London
21.08.07
West Ham must face at least one new inquiry into the Carlos Tevez affair
after being told on Monday that the FA will conduct an arbitration hearing
into Sheffield United's case. Soho Square confirmed to Sportsmail that
United, who claim new evidence in their High Court action for up to
£50million in damages, have 'served notice of arbitration' on West Ham. The
FA have given the Hammers' board 14 days to respond and to nominate a
representative on a three-man panel. FA sources explained that there is an
automatic trigger mechanism for such a hearing when one club acts against
another. United and West Ham will each chose a delegate to answer their
case. The identity of the key independent third member of the panel is to be
thrashed out by agreement between the clubs. United chairman Kevin McCabe
will push for the panel to be made up of football figures rather than the
legally-orientated Premier League tribunal who sat in June. They backed the
League's decision to spare West Ham a points deduction despite admitting
that they would have applied such a sanction over Tevez and Javier
Mascherano breaking third party rules.
Since then United have compiled evidence that Tevez was still owned by Kia
Joorabchian's MSI Group when he fired West Ham clear of relegation at the
Bramall Lane club's expense. McCabe is also pressing the League to mount a
fresh inquiry after sending a letter to chief executive Richard Scudamore
expressing the fear that his board wanted the matter 'swept under the
carpet'. Copies have been sent to all Premier League clubs. McCabe believes
his latest three-pronged offensive will force a compensation settlement from
West Ham.
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Is There An Agenda Against West Ham Of Course There Is - West Ham Fans.org
Submitted by Neville Nixon on 20 August, 2007 - 09:13.
A slightly bemused Alan Curbishley suggested that there may be some form of
press agenda against him and his club as he was forced to answer whether
there had been a bust up with new signing from Liverpool Wales captain Craig
Bellamy.
The West Ham manager described the reports as ludicrous and without any
foundation whatsoever, he was also more than peeved that he was having to
dispel unsubstantiated rumors instead of taking the plaudits for a well
deserved 1 - 0 victory over Premiership new boys Birmingham at St Andrews.
The Press bandwagon led by the Daily 'hate' Mail and fueled by whining
hypocrite Dave Wheelan have made Hammers an easy target, Kevin McBabe's
increasingly bizarre attempts to get a pay off have only added to the murky
waters currently forming a moat around the Boleyn.
Of course good old Terry Brown did not help the situation by giving critics
plenty of ammunition by his dodgy dealing with the equally dodgy Kia
Joorabchian over the 'parking' of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano at the
club, but a sanctioned enquiry was held and a massive fine issued, that
should have been the end of things as Hammers looked destined for the
'Fizzy' league, but then the great escape happened and the can of worms was
re-opened.
The fact that Carlitos was one of the players instrumental in winning seven
of the last nine games meant that the 'transfer' issue was not going to go
away easily. The further fact that the subsequent appeals process was
carried out during the closed season guaranteed maximum exposure from news
starved journalists and their editors.
West Ham United went from being everybody's second favourite team to being a
bunch of pharisaic monsters who in addition to having 'cheated' poor old
Sheffield Utd and Sean Bean out of their Premiership place then set about
de-stabilising the transfer market with their Loads of money signings!
What a load of Tosh, Sheffield United were relegated because they were
rubbish during the last ten games of the season, West Ham have made only a
net spend of £10 Million and that includes new signing Kieron Dyer!
Liverpool and Manchester United have not only cranked up players values by
their massive summer signings, but have also proved that the 'big four' can
act with impunity when it comes to tapping players up. If West Ham United
had tapped up players in a similar fashion the news would have been
splattered all over the back pages and probably the front of some!
Perhaps chairman Eggert should arrange for a security firm to do a 'sweep'
of Chadwell Heath as well as the facilities at the Boleyn just in case some
naughty person, or heaven forbid someone who had access to the guest area,
had planted a listening device.
Many things are said and done during the rigors of a good training session,
normally these events are kept in house, but such is the current witchhunt
against West Ham that perhaps players and club officials need to become a
little less naive and recognise that their club is under siege and that it
is time to shut up shop. - Ed
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Curbishley: I will have to toughen up - Daily Mail
Last updated at 13:16pm on 20th August 2007
West Ham boss Alan Curbishley admitted after Saturday's 1-0 win over
Birmingham that he will have to "toughen up". Any hopes for peace and quiet
have ended as it looks like Kia Joorabchian and Sheffield United have got
together to try and force another arbitration hearing into the Carlos Tevez
affair. Curbishley has also come under attack over his management and an
alleged row with Craig Bellamy. He said: "Since I've been here we seem to be
on the back pages for the wrong reasons. Perhaps I just need a thicker skin.
"There seems to be an agenda out there because a lot of stuff is nonsense."
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West Ham Win But Why Are The Press Still On Our Backs? - caughtoffside.com
Posted on Monday, August 20th, 2007
Effra is glad West Ham picked up some points, but maybe more glad that
tabloid vultures are circling Tottenham now.
Three well-earned points has averted what would have been a media-generated,
full-scale crisis for West Ham. The smell of last season just won't go away.
The deluded Kevin McCabe seems determined to repeat his untruths until he
has handed over all his club's assets to wide-eyed lawyers whilst those
journalists not busy taking notes on a few more conversations with Kia have
been busy with the supposed latest bust-up in the West Ham dressing room
about Curbishley's management. I'd like to think that this was just pure
media invention, but since Robert Green has recently admitted that there
appeared to be a mole in the West Ham dressing room last year, and
Curbishley still has a few unhappy Bentley boys on his hand, as well as the
wrath of those whom he did manage to sell, then perhaps there is still
someone wreaking mischief from within. If so we have got less than two weeks
to be rid of them.
But even if we could be sure that our players are all committed to the
cause, the media are hungry for trouble and apparently determined to cause
Curbishley problems. Even with three points from two games, we're still
reading that Curbishley doesn't know what he is doing in the transfer
market, or that he has six weeks to save his job. Sure on his own admission
he has made some mistakes, and given the gulf in expectations and media
attention between being manager of Charlton and West Ham, Curbishley does
have something to prove and his public utterances shows he knows it.
But even if you can't see through Sheffield's pathetic self-pity, the Tevez
affair can hardly be blamed on Curbishley. It's also not his fault if West
Ham have got a bit more money to spend than usual, or that he inherited a
group of misbehaving prima donnas from Pardew or that Pardew, who is still
something of a media darling nonetheless, let a bit of success go to his
head. Whatever sins of modern football the media think West Ham have come to
symbolise, having Alan Curbishley as our manager can't possibly be one of
them. So the journalists think he's not very charismatic but neither is
Fergie if you take away his success. Curbishley is a rare thing: an
experienced, English manager with no suggestion of crookedness managing the
club that he grew up with, using far fewer foreign players than many of his
rivals, and trying to take the chance that the new owners have given West
Ham to be something more than a yo-yo club.
Those who proclaim to be unhappy about this that or the other about the
state of the Premier League should really look elsewhere to satisfy their
hypocritical sanctimony.
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Noble facing penalty axe - Daily Mail
Last updated at 13:15pm on 20th August 2007
Midfielder Mark Noble faces being dropped as West Ham's penalty taker -
despite scoring the winner from the spot against Birmingham at St Andrews on
Saturday. Striker Dean Ashton is expected to resume the responsibility when
he returns to the starting line-up, which is likely to be this weekend
against Wigan.
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West Ham in talks for Fenerbahce's Appiah
tribalfooball.com - August 20, 2007
West Ham United are closing in on Fenerbahce midfielder Stephen Appiah. The
Daily Mail says the Hammers are set to land the Ghana international.
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Reading boss: No contact for Shorey
tribalfooball.com - August 20, 2007
Reading boss Steve Coppell insists he's not heard from West Ham nor
Newcastle over a bid for Nicky Shorey. He said: "We've had no approach, none
at all."
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Etherington delighted with fresh West Ham chance
tribalfooball.com - August 20, 2007
Matthew Etherington is delighted to be getting a fresh chance to establish
himself at West Ham this season. The winger, outstanding in Saturday's win
at Birmingham, told whufc.com: "I have had a really good pre-season which
has left me feeling sharp and it has been a case of waiting to take my
chance.
"I came on as a sub against Man City and was pleased with what I did and I
was delighted to get the opportunity from the start at Birmingham. Now I
have to keep going with every game I play."
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West Ham appoint new keeper coach
tribalfooball.com - August 20, 2007
West Ham United have appointed Jerome John as goalkeeping coach. The former
Enfield Town player started his career with the club. He won the Ryman
League championship and the FA Trophy at Kingstonian in 1999.
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