Filed: Wednesday, 8th August 2007
By: Matthew O'Greel
Lucas Neill could be out of action for up to a month after sustaining a knee
injury during training. The Hammers injury hoodoo - which has already
claimed new signings Julien Faubert and Scott Parker - struck again
yesterday when Neill limped out of training clutching his knee. The
Australian full-back was recently named as club captain; his place is likely
to be taken - albeit temporarily - by Freddie Ljungberg if Scott Parker
fails to recover from his recent injury in time for Saturday's clash with
Manchester City.
* Speculation suggesting that Matthew Upson was also injured in training
yesterday is wide of the mark. The former Birmingham centre-half is expected
to start on Saturday.
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McClaren eyes Deano - KUMB
Filed: Tuesday, 7th August 2007
By: Matthew O'Greel
England manager Steve McClaren has revealed that his first port of call this
season will be The Boleyn Ground. McClaren - who is busy making preparations
ahead of England's forthcoming European Championship qualifiers - is due to
attend United's season opener against Manchester City next weekend, where he
is hoping to see Dean Ashton in action. Ashton was due to make his
international debut this time last year but a freak accident left him with a
broken ankle and a season on the sidelines. But McClaren has revelaed that
the 23-year-old striker - who played for 45 minutes against Roma last
weekend - is still very much in his plans. "He's been out for a long time
and I need to see how he's progressing before I make an assessment," said
McClaren. "But he's a talent and one that I've got to keep an eye on. That's
why I called him into the squad in the first place."
Ashton is expected to start Saturday's season opener on the bench, with Alan
Curbishley likely to go with Bobby Zamora and Craig Bellamy up front.
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Green targets England role - SSN
Keeper aims to show form for Hammers
By Mark Buckingham Last updated: 7th August 2007
Robert Green is hoping consistent performances for West Ham United will
cement a spot in the England squad. The goalkeeper missed out on a place in
last summer's World Cup squad after picking up an injury during a B game
prior to the tournament. But Green was back in the international setup at
the end of last season after Manchester United's Ben Foster picked up a knee
problem. Green is aware there is fierce competition to provide the back-up
to Paul Robinson and is aiming to stake his own claim in the coming weeks.
"I think looking at all the English lads it's a chance to impress, it's a
clean slate to start with," Green told Sky Sports News. There are a lot of
players at new clubs and ones who will be looking to impress. "If I play for
West Ham in the first team, it's a long-term aspiration, but first and
foremost I've got to keep my place in the West Ham side. "If I keep playing
there, and if I do well, it may come along, but it's not something I will
lose sleep over. "There are an abundance of English keepers now after we
were bemoaning the fact there was a lack of them. "Ben (Foster) getting
injured does leave a hole that someone has got to fill. I'm sure there are a
few lads in the Premiership looking at it."
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Tevez move held up - SSN
By Amanda Cornforth Last updated: 7th August 2007
Carlos Tevez will not complete his move to Manchester United on Tuesday and
may not be registered for the start of the new season, Sky Sports News
understands. The Argentina international had been expected to join The Red
Devils last month, but a dispute between West Ham and Tevez's agent Kia
Joorabchian has held up the switch. The transfer has been dragging on all
summer and it first seemed unlikely any move would be completed before the
start of the season after Fifa refused to arbitrate on Tevez's contractual
situation. This subsequently led to Joorabchian's Media Sports Investments
group issuing a High Court writ against The Hammers in order to push through
the deal. A suitable agreement between all parties was reached last week,
but the transfer has yet to be rubber-stamped. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson
is hoping to be able to hand Tevez his debut in one of Wednesday's
friendlies against either Dunfermline or Glentoran.
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Magnusson 'hurt' by Tevez saga - SNN
By Stephen Bramley Last updated: 7th August 2007
West Ham has been dragged down and I don't think this is correct. This hurts
me most, because what a few people decide should not be a burden to the
whole club. Eggert Magnusson admits he has been upset with the way West Ham
have been labelled in the wake of the Carlos Tevez affair. The club escaped
with a £5.5million fine rather than a possible points deduction from the
Premier League in April for breaching rules on third-party ownership of
Tevez and Javier Mascherano. The saga resulted in various legal battles and
High Court writs and Magnusson says it left the Upton Park club as "public
enemy No1".
"It does hurt me because the club has been dragged into this negative way by
some of my colleagues," Magnusson told The Guardian. "West Ham has been
dragged down and I don't think this is correct. This hurts me most, because
what a few people decide should not be a burden to the whole club." The
Icelandic multi-millionaire also regrets the impact the affair has had on
Manchester United-bound Tevez. He added: "The other sad thing is that Tevez
got caught in the middle. He's a great lad, so enthusiastic about football
and success, and I would have loved to have seen him (again) in a West Ham
shirt. I really tried to make that possible but, as a great player, he had
ambitions to play in the Champions League."
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Magnusson 'hurt' by Tevez transfer saga - Soccernet
West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson worries that the club's reputation has
been unfairly damaged by the Carlos Tevez transfer saga. The club escaped
with a £5.5million fine from the Premier League in April for breaching rules
on third-party ownership in relation to Tevez and fellow Argentinian Javier
Mascherano, and Tevez then scored the goals which helped keep the Hammers in
the top flight at Sheffield United's expense. Magnusson and his club have
since managed to negotiate a settlement with Tevez's representative Kia
Joorabchian to release the player's registration to enable him to sign for
Manchester United, avoiding the prospect of a lengthy court battle. Many
observers felt the Hammers had been lucky to escape with a fine rather than
a points deduction over their signing of Tevez, and Magnusson accepts that
rightly or wrongly there is bad feeling towards his club. He told The
Guardian: 'It does hurt me because the club has been dragged into this in a
negative way by some of my colleagues. West Ham has been dragged down and I
don't think this is correct. 'This hurts me most, because what a few people
decide should not be a burden to the whole club.' Magnusson also regrets the
impact the whole affair has had on Tevez himself. 'The other sad thing is
that Tevez got caught in the middle. He's a great lad, so enthusiastic about
football and success, and I would have loved to have seen him (again) in a
West Ham shirt. I really tried to make that possible but, as a great player,
he had ambitions to play in the Champions League.'
Meanwhile, England manager Steve McClaren has hailed Tevez's impact on the
English game since joining the Hammers in a shock deal on August 31 last
year. 'I like Tevez. I have always admired him. I remember coming across him
in Geneva (where England played Argentina in a friendly in November 2005).
He impressed me then. He has adapted to English football very well because
he is an English type of player. He was certainly a big part in them staying
up. 'There are a lot of players who could have a big say in the title. Only
time will tell with regard to Tevez moving to Manchester United.'
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Red tape holds up Carlos Tevez debut - Telegraph
By Mark Ogden
Last Updated: 1:11am BST 08/08/2007
Sir Alex Ferguson is facing defeat in his attempt to hand Carlos Tevez his
Manchester United debut tonight. The Argentine is still waiting for the
Premier League to release his registration so he can finally complete his
controversial move to Old Trafford from West Ham. Tevez has trained on a
daily basis with his new United team-mates since his representatives agreed
to pay West Ham a £2 million compensation package last Friday and he had
been pencilled in by Ferguson to make his first appearance in a United shirt
in a friendly at Dunfermline Athletic. However, United are unable to field
the player until his registration has been transferred to them from West Ham
and club officials now fear that the paperwork will not be completed until
tomorrow. While Tevez is on standby to fly north of the border should his
registration be processed this morning, the 23-year-old is now more likely
to have to wait until the Premiership opener against Reading at Old Trafford
on Sunday for his debut. Ferguson said: "Tevez has already looked quite
sharp in training and it would be nice to think that he'll be ready for the
Reading game.''
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Rio: Tevez has wowed Utd aces - The Sun
By MARTIN BLACKBURN
August 08, 2007
RIO FERDINAND insists the arrival of Carlos Tevez has sent a buzz round the
Manchester United dressing room. The England defender has been closely
monitoring the Argentine's career for the last few years through friends in
the game. And his brother — West Ham defender Anton — has been raving about
the impact Tevez made at Upton Park last season. The new boy has been
training with his United team-mates for the last few days and is set to make
his debut at Dunfermline tonight. Ferdinand said: "Over the first two days,
he's already shown glimpses of what he's about. He's been very impressive.
"I know Kia Joorabchian and Pini Zahavi and they've been singing his praises
for years, before I'd even laid eyes on him. "And my brother has always said
he's a fantastic footballer — he thinks he'll be great for us." As well as
Tevez, United have also spent big money on Owen Hargreaves, Nani and
Anderson this summer. Ferdinand added: "The lads are very excited — we're
like fans in that we look forward to the new players coming in. "Wayne
Rooney and Tevez would be exciting. "But it's not just them, the manager has
loads of different combinations."
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Hammers stung by Neill KO - The Sun
By PAT SHEEHAN
August 08, 2007
WEST HAM'S injury curse has struck again with Lucas Neill being ruled out
for at least a month. The newly-appointed Hammers captain suffered the knock
in training. He injured medial knee ligaments following a harmless looking
challenge at the end of a practice session on Monday. His worst fears were
realised when medics told him to rest for at least four weeks. He left the
training ground wearing a knee brace for support. The Hammers are already
without summer signings Scott Parker and Julien Faubert as they prepare to
kick off the season at home to Manchester City on Saturday. Wales captain
Craig Bellamy or Sweden skipper Freddie Ljungberg could replace Neill as
team captain while he is recovering. West Ham lost star striker Dean Ashton
to a season-ending ankle injury before the big kick-off a year ago. Neill
was signed from Blackburn in January — and was out for a month after
injuring an ankle in only his second game. Fellow January arrival Matthew
Upson was also crocked on his debut and managed only 11 more minutes all
last season.
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Dyer on downer over Hammers - The Sun
By MAX SHORT
August 08, 2007
KIERON DYER has been shattered by the collapse of his move to West Ham.
Newcastle's wantaway midfielder, 28, is back training with Toon. And boss
Sam Allardyce admitted: "He was a bit down in the dumps. "But you don't
always get what you want out of life and you just have to get on with it."
Hammers pulled out of a £6million swoop on Friday when Newcastle upped the
price by an extra £2m. Allardyce must now decide whether to gamble on Dyer's
mood and involve him against Bolton on Saturday — if West Ham do not attempt
to revive the dea l. The Toon chief has failed in a £4m bid for Seville's
Ivica Dragutinovic — the Serb defender, 31, signed a new four-year deal at
the Spanish club.
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Curbishley steps up Giles bid - the Sun
By DAVE KIDD
August 08, 2007
WEST HAM will make a second bid for Derby whizkid Giles Barnes after a
£2.5million offer was rejected by the Rams. Hammers boss Alan Curbishley is
keen to land attacking midfielder Barnes, 19, whether or not he also signs
Kieron Dyer from Newcastle. Curbs will up his offer to around £3.5m —
although Derby boss Billy Davies still wants to hold out for more cash.
Davies wants Barnes to stay but knows big-spending Hammers could make an
offer the Premier League new boys cannot refuse. Tottenham have also been
monitoring the player and have made enquiries to Derby. Barnes, whose uncle
Bobby played on the wing for West Ham in the 1980s, is one of the
highest-paid teenagers in the country on £10,000 a week.
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Hammer blow for Curbishley as Neill is ruled out for a month - This Is
London
08.08.07
West Ham have been dealt a major blow ahead of Saturday's Premier League
opener against Manchester City with the news that new captain Lucas Neill
will be out for up to a month. Neill hurt his knee towards the end of
yesterday's training session, continuing a wretched run of injuries since
arriving from Blackburn in a £1.5million deal in January. The Australia
defender limped out of his debut in the FA Cup against Watford then damaged
ankle ligaments against the same opponents on his return a fortnight later.
Meanwhile, the Hammers will intensify their efforts to prise Giles Barnes
away from Derby after failing to land Kieron Dyer. They have already had a
£2.5m bid for Barnes, 19, rejected but are poised to test Derby's nerve by
making an improved offer. Dyer's proposed £6m switch to Upton Park collapsed
last week when Newcastle upped the price to £8m and manager Sam Allardyce
admits he faces a challenge to mentally prepare the England midfielder for
the new season if the deal is not resurrected.
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West Ham step up their interest in Derby forward Barnes
David Hytner
Wednesday August 8, 2007
The Guardian
West Ham United are poised to make an improved offer to Derby Country for
Giles Barnes, the England Under-21 international forward. The London club
tabled a bid of £2.5m for Barnes two weeks ago which was rejected but they
are now resolved to go higher.
Their desire to sign Barnes, whose uncle Bobby once played for West Ham, is
unrelated to their pursuit of Newcastle United's Kieron Dyer, who remains
bitterly upset at the collapse of his move to Upton Park. He passed a
medical and agreed personal terms on a £6m transfer only for Newcastle to
hike the price to £8m at the last minute. The prospects of West Ham reviving
the deal appear slim.
Barnes impressed for Derby as they won promotion to the Premier League last
season and has a contract at Pride Park to 2010. He declared his intention
to stay at Derby for at least another season before they beat West Bromwich
Albion in the play-off final last May. One option open to a buying club
would be to sign him and then loan him back to Derby in order for him to
play regularly in the Premier League. Tottenham Hotspur have a long-standing
interest in Barnes, in line with their policy of buying young, British
talent, but are still to bid for him during this transfer window.
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Hammers hot on trail of Barnes - The Independent
By Sam Wallace
Published: 08 August 2007
Derby County's highly-rated midfielder Giles Barnes is again a target for
West Ham who have already failed with a £2m bid for the player this summer.
The 19-year-old is also a target for Tottenham and both clubs appear ready
to test Derby's resolve to keep him with improved bids. With the collapse of
the Kieron Dyer transfer, West Ham are very much in the market for a
versatile midfielder although it is understood that they would have bid for
Barnes regardless. The player, who has four years left on his deal, would,
in the current market, be valued by his club at around £4m-£5m. West Ham
have proposed a deal that would involve cash plus a player but that would
depend on the individuals in question, as Derby are still in the hunt for a
striker.
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Will Shorey Do A Yossi Over West Ham Move - West Ham Fans..org
Submitted by Neville Nixon on 7 August, 2007 - 17:23.
In an inspired understatement Reading's Nicky Shorey has stated that he has
not signed the new and improved contract on offer to him "in order to keep
his options open".
Now doesn't that sound a little familiar? Didn't one Yossi Benayoun pledge
allegiance to the club along with plenty of badge kissing prior to being
tapped up by Liverpool?
Of course it would be wrong to suggest that Hammers would tap up the England
International left back, but West Ham and Reading are close to agreeing a
fee of around £5.5 Million which would then allow Scott Duxberry and Alan
Curbishley to open talks with Shorey about personal terms.
In the unlikely event that Shorey chooses to stay with Reading Hammers will
look overseas in order to find back up for George McCartney as the market
values for British players have soared to ludicrous levels.
The Daily 'hate' Mail were so happy to report that Shorey has turned down a
move to the Boleyn, so given the accuracy of all their previous articles
about West Ham we can assume that Shorey will become a Hammer sooner rather
than later! - Ed
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West Ham No2 Day: Dyer deal can happen
tribalfooball.com - August 07, 2007
West Ham assistant boss Mervyn Day has revealed they could try again for
Newcastle midfielder Kieron Dyer. Day said yesterday: "The Dyer deal could
be back on, but I don't know how."
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Allardyce treating Newcastle's Dyer with kid gloves
tribalfooball.com - August 07, 2007
Newcastle United boss Sam Allardyce says he's treating Kieron Dyer with kid
gloves after his move to West Ham collapsed last week. Allardyce told the
Evening Chronicle yesterday: "Kieron trained with us yesterday and really he
needs his own space, and that's what we will give him. "He needs to collect
his own thoughts and we will have to wait and see what develops. "He was a
bit down in the dumps, but you don't always get what you want out of life
and you just have to get on with it. "As far as his move to West Ham is
concerned, it is all in their hands."
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West Ham's Bellamy hopes for productive partnership with Ashton
tribalfooball.com - August 07, 2007
Craig Bellamy won't make any rash predictions over his strike-partnership
with West Ham's fit-again Dean Ashton. "I don't like to speak about one
player because, from experience, it doesn't always work out as planned," he
said. "I remember when I was at Newcastle, the chairman said what a
partnership Patrick Kluivert and Alan Shearer were going to be. "Come the
start of the season though, it was me and Alan. Nothing is nailed on but,
given a bit of time, Dean and myself could be a good pairing."
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Ljungberg: Fiery personalities can drive West Ham
tribalfooball.com - August 07, 2007
Freddie Ljungberg says the fiery personalities inside the West Ham dressing
room can drive them to success this season. The addition of fiery trio Craig
Bellamy, Scott Parker and Ljungberg and a failed bid to sign Kieron Dyer
suggested manager Alan Curbishley was gambling with disciplinary meltdown.
But Ljungberg, 30, said: "If we control it well, it can be great. When we
played with Arsenal a couple of years ago, we had a lot of players who
weren't afraid to get their foot in. "Sometimes Patrick Vieira would get
too many red cards and get a bit of abuse but he was still a great player.
If we can get that on the right level and everyone is fighting for each
other we will be a hard team to beat." Ljungberg's reputation as a fighter
has its roots in a training ground scrap with Sweden team-mate Olof Mellberg
before the 2002 World Cup. "He kicked me loads in training and I said he had
to stop," said Ljungberg. "That was the only way I could handle it because
I'd tried it verbally a couple of times and he didn't listen."
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New West Ham skipper Neill breaks down
tribalfooball.com - August 07, 2007
New West Ham captain Lucas Neill has been ruled out for the first month of
the new season. Neill hurt his knee towards the end of yesterday's training
session, continuing a wretched run of injuries since arriving from Blackburn
in a £1.5million deal in January. The Australia defender limped out of his
debut in the FA Cup against Watford then damaged ankle ligaments against the
same opponents on his return a fortnight later.
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West Ham contact Real Madrid for Cassano
tribalfooball.com - August 07, 2007
West Ham United have contacted Real Madrid about a price for Antonio
Cassano. The Real Madrid forward is set to leave the Bernebeu and West Ham
have been in touch with the Spanish giants - and current La Liga champions -
to talk about a possible deal.
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West Ham signing Bellamy: I'll change my reputation
tribalfooball.com - August 07, 2007
Craig Bellamy is determined to silence the doubters over his move to West
Ham United. The Cardiff-born player said: "If you judge me the way I am on
the pitch then perhaps you are going to think I'm a bad person but that's
superficial. "At the end of the day I go home to a great wife and three
lovely kids and that is what is important to me. This is a good move. I
didn't want to come out of Liverpool, the team I supported as a kid, and
have nothing else to aim for.
"I want to prove that my career is not on the downward slope, I want to have
a go as a player, in the same way that West Ham want to progress. "I'm 28
now and I don't believe I'm at my peak yet. I want to have a right go now
and just really put my name up there. People have known I can play but
they've also been aware of the other stuff and sometimes that has
overshadowed the football. "I know now that will always be there, I'll
always have that because of what has gone on before but now I want to cement
my name, if you like, so that when West Ham fans look back they will say
'what a good player he was' and not anything else. "I've made mistakes, of
course I have, particularly as a young kid. These days though, it's a lot
more difficult, the way the world is.
"I'm sure you can remember the time when the football journalists and the
players went out together for a drink. Could that happen now? I doubt it.
"It's sad really because the way it's gone is not the way I want to see it.
I've been involved in a bit but then so have others, including Wayne Rooney
and even John Terry, who is England captain. It's the way of the world
unfortunately."
Bellamy - who is now at his seventh club after spells at Norwich, Coventry,
Newcastle, Celtic, Blackburn and Liverpool - does have a more caring side.
This summer, he went to Sierra Leone to help spearhead a new football
academy initiative in the troubled country. He intends to return with
support, both financial and otherwise, from fellow professionals.
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West Ham press Derby for Barnes deal
tribalfooball.com - August 07, 2007
West Ham United are accelerating their plans to land Derby County midfielder
Giles Barnes. The Daily Mail says they have already had a £2.5m bid for
Barnes, 19, rejected but are poised to test Derby's nerve by making an
improved offer.
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Sheringham impressing at Colchester
tribalfooball.com - August 07, 2007
Colchester boss Geraint Williams says former West Ham and Manchester United
striker Teddy Sheringham has been fantastic in preseason training.
Sheri, 41, joined the Championship outfit on a free from West Ham and is set
to kick-off his 24th pro season at Sheffield United on Saturday. But
Williams revealed the former England, Manchester United and Spurs star is
already at home at Layer Road. He said: "Teddy still has that look of a
teenager and when you talk to him his enthusiasm is still there. "He's very
honest, very unassuming. The only difference is he turns up in a Bentley for
training!"
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