14/08/2007 12:33
West Ham United is pleased to announce that, on Thursday 13th September, the
Club will be holding its first disabled supporters' evening, with Lucas
Neill, Mark Noble and Alan Curbishley answering questions on the night. The
night will follow the format of the successful fans forums, with the evening
being split into two Q&A sessions. The first will be to Lucas, Mark and
Alan, and the second will focus on the operational side, with questions
being asked to club officials on issues such as facilities, ticketing, etc.
We would hope that, depending on the success of the evening, this can become
a regular feature and will give supporters the chance to not only air views
but give suggestions on any changes they would like to see occur. Entry is
free but numbers are limited, so supporters wishing to attend are required
to apply in advance. The first event is initially open to our disabled
season ticket holders only. However this may be extended to members at a
later stage...
To apply please either visit the Stadium ticket office or contact 0870 112
9908
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West Ham United Ladies head to Norway - WHUFC
14/08/2007 14:07
West Ham United Ladies FC saw their Under-16 team head to Olso for the
annual Norway Cup tournament recently. Despite being knocked out of their
competition at the quarter-final stage, the girls played some excellent
football and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. They were treated like VIPs,
had their photographs taken before and after match, and even gave autographs
and appeared on national TV! Sporting the brand new Umbro kit and
leisurewear, the girls were a credit to West Ham United and are now back
home preparing for the start of their new campaign in the Essex County Girls
league - a title they won last season.
The Norway Cup is one of the world's largest football tournaments for youth
and children, and was held this year for the 33rd time. The tournament took
place from July 31 to August 6, with 30,000 boys and girls from 42 countries
playing in a total of 4,000 matches. The tournament was held for the first
time in 1972, when 430 teams took part. At first invitations were sent to
all soccer clubs in the Nordic countries. Since then the number of countries
taking part has increased enormously, and this year a new record was set -
over 1,500 teams signed up. The teams come from all over the world, and this
year's newcomers were Mali, Gambia, Costa Rica and Namibia.
Even though football is the main attraction, there are a lot of other
activities as well. The tournament opens with a show featuring well-known
artists. One of the evenings is devoted to festivities, and includes a match
between two top international teams. Quite often professional players pay
Norway Cup a visit to talk with the young participants.
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Deadwood cost us - KUMB
Filed: Tuesday, 14th August 2007
By: Tony Watson
Despite yet another disappointing pre-season injury list, I along with many
other Hammers fans was full of optimism and excitement ahead of the new
season.
No more relegation battle and the Tevez saga had finished – it was a clean
slate, a chance to put all the negativity behind us. When arriving into the
ground I was greeted with confirmation of the Spurs result, it all seemed
set up for a perfect opening day.
The crowd as always was in full voice and as the teams came out the place
was buzzing. How can the passion of this crowd not get you up for a game I
thought to myself as the teams completed the pre-match hand shakes and made
their way to their starting positions. I think everybody was fully expecting
us to start with the same tempo that we started with the last home league
match with against Bolton – boy, were we wrong!
Memories of last year's disjointed performances came flooding back as we
like so many times last year we looked clueless in the final third and
struggled to pass the ball forward with any confidence or conviction. Whilst
City's one touch passing looked dazzling at times we were just chasing
shadows and couldn't get near them, especially in the middle of the park
where Lee Bowyer showed no presence whatsoever.
I hate to say it but he's a shell of player he once was. His partner in the
middle of the park Mark Noble was giving his normal 100% but he was facing a
task near the impossible, he's tireless running and effort is great to watch
as a fan though and his all round game is reminiscent of John Moncur's.
Like so many of our great fans I love West Ham with a passion and I hate to
slam players that wear our claret and blue shirts but how desperate are we
for a decent left back?? I'm afraid McCartney is nowhere near the standard
we require if we want to push on, at times on Saturday he looked like a
schoolboy.
Jonathan Spectator as he has become known is another one that got my goat on
Saturday. One has to question how he ever played for United, he's
distribution is infuriating, his defending is naïve and on the rare occasion
he gets into the final third he more often than not tries that silly move
that never works, the one where he knocks the ball past the full back and
tries to run round him, it normally ends up with him on the defenders back
giving away a free-kick.
Not to pick on Jonathan Spector for too long and not to be too negative but
the fella was on loan at Charlton and the addicks had an option to sign him
on a permanent basis, an option they chose not to go with – Does that tell
you anything?
In the post match press conference Curbs said 'Apart from Robert Green in
goal I don't think too many of our players can come out of the game and say
to themselves 'we did alright' – A bit harsh on Matty Etherington I thought
who replaced an ineffective Boa Morte at half time and was probably our best
player in the second half. He produced a few dangerous looking crosses that
Bellamy just couldn't get to, had Deano been on the field of play at that
point who knows what the outcome might have been.
This leads me on to a more positive subject. How great it was to see Deano
make his first league appearance in over a year. He got into some good
positions, nearly getting an equalizer too, his volley from about 7 yards
flying over the bar – with more match practise maybe he'd have slotted it
away.
Although it was a terrible start to the season, things can only get better,
it is only one game and hopefully we will have Lucas Neill and Scotty Parker
back for the trip to Brum, two leaders such as those can only make our team
stronger I'm sure.
With players coming back from injury, a few decent signings before the
window closes and key men such as Bellamy and Ashton yet to show the best of
themselves we still have a great deal to look forward to, no reason why we
can't grab ourselves a top 10 finish!
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Solano linked to West Ham switch - SSN
Newcastle winger Nolberto Solano has asked for a move so he can be closer to
his wife and children in London. The Peru international, 32, is believed to
be a target for West Ham after telling Newcastle of his wish to leave. He
said: "A decision will be made in the next couple of days. It's up to the
two clubs but I want to go to London because my family have moved there.
"Clubs in Spain also want me but I won't go there, I will only leave
Newcastle to go to London."
Solano is in his second spell with the Magpies after a stint with Aston
Villa. The popular midfielder, who was a second-half substitute in
Newcastle's win over Bolton at the weekend, was handed a one-year deal in
the summer by the club's new manager Sam Allardyce. But he added: "My wife
and I are separated and I miss my children. Sometimes you have to put your
family first. "Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce has been great, he's a great
man. I've spoken to him and he says he won't stop me leaving. "Leaving
Newcastle will be hard because I feel they are on the verge of something big
here." Newcastle midfielder Kieron Dyer's proposed move to West Ham
collapsed this month because the clubs could not agree on a fee.
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Spurs, West Ham told £6M for Derby's Barnes
tribalfooball.com - August 14, 2007
Derby County are ready to cash in on midfielder Giles Barnes this summer.
With West Ham and Tottenham chasing the youngster, Derby have slapped a £6
million price-tag on Barnes, says the Daily Star.
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Man City, West Ham target Elmander rejects Toulouse contract
tribalfooball.com - August 14, 2007
Premiership target Johan Elmander has rejected a new contract offer from
Toulouse. Toulouse, knowing Marseille, Manchester City and West Ham are
believed to be interested, wanted to secure their leading scorer on a new
deal. Sweden international Elmander said: "I still have three years left of
my current deal."
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Freddie says West Ham are ready now - Daily Mail
Last updated at 13:20pm on 14th August 2007
Freddie Ljungberg has no doubts West Ham can put their opening day misery
behind them and challenge for major honours this season. Ljungberg is one of
a number of new signings who have arrived at Upton Park as Alan Curbishley
tries to ensure the club don't face another relegation dogfight. The former
Arsenal midfielder was understandably upset with Saturday's 2-0 defeat by
Manchester City but said: "Of course it's a disappointment we didn't win,
but there are some good things we can take with us. I think we can do better
and we will do better. "You can see the whole club just wants to go
somewhere. The chairman wants to buy new players. There's a great buzz and
it's infectious. "If you look at the players we've brought in and the
players we're looking to get in, we have great potential this season."
Barcelona's Icelandic striker Eidur Gudjohnsen is one of those players - the
Hammers are willing to pay him £80,000-a-week having offered a £6.7m fee,
but they want an answer this week. Nolberto Solano is another - he is keen
to move from Newcastle to London to be with his family.
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No plans to curb spending, says Alan - DailY Mail
Last updated at 13:29pm on 14th August 2007
Alan Curbishley insists his spending spree is not over following the
collapse of the Kieron Dyer deal with Newcastle. The Hammers boss said: "We
have been active in other areas for the past couple of weeks and we are keen
to try and do some more things." Barcelona's Icelandic striker Eidur
Gudjohnsen is one of those players - the Hammers are willing to pay him
£80,000-a-week having offered a £6.7m fee, but they want an answer this
week. Nolberto Solano is another - he is keen to move from Newcastle to
London to be with his family.
NEXT FIVE GAMES: 18 Aug: v Birmingham (a); 25 Aug: v Wigan (h); 1 Sept: v
Reading (a); 15 Sept: v Middlesbrough (h); 23 Sept: Newcastle (a).
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West Ham want Solano and Gudjohnsen - Sportigo
Tue, Aug 14, 07 11:46
Mark Apostolou
West Ham have offered Barcelona's Eidur Gudjohnsen an £80,000-a-week deal
but the striker wants £100,000 and Alan Curbishley wants to know right now
if the former Chelsea striker is interested (Mirror). I am not sure how many
other offers the Icelandic international has, surely a few, but he will have
to tone down his demands. He is, after all, a 28-year-old substitute at
present and should he simply want to collect his no-doubt huge wages at the
Nou Camp, then he can do so.
But if has ambitions go beyond playing second or even third fiddle to the
megastars on show at Barca, then he should have a re-think and sign for a
club that would guarantee him first-team Premier League football. Hence a
move to Upton Park seems to be his best option.
Meanwhile, Nolberto Solano is believed to be a target for West Ham after
telling Newcastle of his wish to leave (BBC Sport). I've always been a fan
of the Peruvian attacking midfielder, who has been something of a cult hero
at St James' Park in his two spells at the club. Nobby's decision to leave
centres around his desire to be closer to his family following his divorce
from his London-based wife, although I am not sure how strong Curbishley's
interest is. I would recommend to him a consistently creative performer who
gives 100% and would surely not cost the earth to land.
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Magnusson & Curbs: Cracks Beginning to Show? - West Ham Till I Die
I'm not sure if it is a good thing or not that we don't have a midweek
match. The trouble is, once you are at the bottom of the table with matches
in hand, it's quite difficult to 'move on up', as M People might say. It's
looking increasingly unlikely that there will be any player movement before
the next game. Quite what is going on with Nicky Shorey is anybody's guess.
Rumour is that Eggert Magnusson wants to sign him but Curbishley is
ambivalent. Indeed, it's interesting that the two of them seem to have some
rather different ideas about the future. I'm told that Magnusson was none
too pleased by Curbishley's suggestion that a finish of 11th or 12th place
would mean a successful season. He wants Top 6 and if he doesn't get it
Curbs may well get his P45. It's also said that Curbishley wasn't too keen
on signing Bellamy but the chairman persuaded him.
Anyway, let's look at Saturday's team and speculate on changes for the
weekend…
Robert Green - 100% safe!
Anton Ferdinand - Suggest is replaced by Collins or Gabbidon
Matthew Upson - Safe
George McCartney - Safe because there is no alternative
Jonathan Spector - probably safe, but I'd like to see Pantsil given a runout
Mark Noble - His performance has to be a one off, surely
Lee Bowyer - Must be dropped. maybe Parker will be ready
Luis Boa Morte - 100% sure to be replaced by Etherington
Freddie Ljungberg - 100% safe
Bobby Zamora - Will be replaced by Ashton
Craig Bellamy - Safe
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The Hammers Set To Fall On FC Barcelona's Gudjohnsen - fcbarcelonablog.com
14th August 2007
Gudjohnsen may not remain at Barca if things go as planned.West Ham's
Icelandic chairman Eggert Magnusson wants to snap up Barca Icelandic star,
Eidur Gudjohnsen in a deal that Barcelona are hoping will bring in around 10
Million Euros into Camp Nou. Gudjohnsen has been a top object of desire for
The Hammers who are building a new squad to rival other top Premeirship
sides in a come back bid to English soccer and possibly to Europe. Magnusson
said about the Gudjohnsen transfer: We are still in discussions. Barca have
not accepted or offer yet, contrary to what has been recently announced, but
we are continuing talks. Gudjohnsen has recently not been gauranteed any
regular appearance in FC Barcelona, and this uncertainty worsened after
Txiki Begaristain, Barcelona's sporting director, maintained that Guddy may
not feature regularly if he remains in Barcelona this season.
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What Now For West Ham? - Goal.com
After surviving two battles against relegation - one on the pitch and the
other in the courts - the new season could not come quickly enough for West
Ham United. But a thoroughly deflating opening day defeat by Sven-Goran
Eriksson's resurgent Manchester City was not exactly what the East Enders
had in mind. So just how will the Hammers fare this season? Will they revert
to the form they showed on their first campaign after promotion in 2005-06,
when they finished 9th and narrowly lost the FA Cup final in a shoot-out, or
are they about to face another desperate fight against the drop? David Davis
weighs up the evidence...
Open Wallet
West Ham have one of the strongest looking squads in the Premiership,
outside the main 4 title contenders, and few managers have a transfer budget
to match the one available to Alan Curbishley. The Hammers have already
spent £23 million this summer on seasoned campaigners like Craig Bellamy,
Scott Parker and Freddie Ljungberg.
Having bought the club part way through last season, their Icelandic owners
are fully determined to make their mark in 2007-08 and chairman Eggert
Magnusson has repeatedly indicated that there will be more arrivals before
the close of the transfer window. The Hammers faithful were greatly
encouraged to hear him say recently: "We have an open wallet if the right
players are around."
The likelihood of a string of new classy performers pulling on claret and
blue shirts is a thrilling prospect, but the harsh experience of last season
has taught West Ham fans that big reputations alone do not equate to
improved performances on the pitch. The most measurable effect of the
arrival of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, last August, was an
accelerated slide towards the foot of the table. In fairness to the two
Argentinians, West Ham had already made an undistinguished start, with some
of Alan Pardew's old guard appearing to be affected by the hangover of the
FA Cup near-miss and others missing (most notably Dean Ashton) or
handicapped (most notably the previous term's 'Hammer of the Year' Danny
Gabbidon), through injury.
The reputations of Mascherano (who went on to help Liverpool reach the
Champions League final) and Tevez (who netted 7 times in the last 10 games)
were, of course, only to be temporarily dented. Tevez was undoubtedly the
star performer in the 'Great Escape', that climaxed in a last day victory at
Old Trafford - their 7th triumph in 9 matches to gloriously secure the
Premiership status that many of their supporters had given up as lost 2
months before.
With his terrific determination and wonderful attitude, Tevez had already
become a fans' favourite even before his performances yielded goals or
significant results. West Ham fans will always love Carlos; but after a
lengthy delay (due to his third-party ownership) he is now a Manchester
United player.
New Blood And Teamwork
Tevez could easily prove to be Sir Alex Ferguson's best acquisition since
Eric Cantona, but the club he has left will surely benefit from an injection
of new blood and a greater emphasis on teamwork rather than relying on a
string of heroic match-winning displays by one or two individuals (Tevez did
not save the Hammers alone, with James Collins, Mark Noble, Bobby Zamora,
Lucas Neill and, particularly, goalie Rob Green standing tall at various
times to help secure vital victories).
The Curbishley-moulded West Ham will only really be seen properly in the new
season. The bulk of the Pardew squad have departed. In addition to Tevez -
Yossi Benayoun, Paul Konchesky, Marlon Harewood and skipper Reo-Coker all
moved on during the summer, leaving only 4 members of the FA Cup final
starting XI at the club.
The reputations of all these departing players were enhanced at the Boleyn
Ground; however, the time had come for them to move on and none more so than
former captain Reo-Coker. The 23 year-old "could not wait" to leave,
claiming he was "hung out to dry" last season when a section of the fans
blamed him for their team's plight. In fairness to Reo-Coker, he was just
one of 6 or 7 players that were underachieving and he actually overcame his
indifferent early season form and performed very well during the run-in.
Nevertheless, the general consensus is that the dressing-room has become a
far happier place without him and, in Neill, West Ham have a much more
mature commanding figure as their skipper.
Curbishley has felt the need to make changes behind the scenes as well, most
notably bringing in Glyn Snodin as first-team coach. Goalkeeper Green
believes the changes will make the Hammers much stronger. He said recently:
"There is a whole new feel. The manager has got his own back-room staff and
he is bringing his own ideas and way to train. The players he's brought in
are used to winning and I can see us being a more professional outfit. The
boss looks more comfortable now that he is building up his own team rather
than working with somebody else's men."
The new signings appear to be good ones with Bellamy and Parker particularly
expected to become big favourites with the crowd. There are always going to
be doubts about the striker's temperament, but his speed and aggression make
him an extremely difficult opponent. Curbs is convinced his new Welshman
will be worth every penny of the £7.5 million paid to Liverpool and believes
"Craig will let his football do his talking and prove his critics wrong."
Parker, who was given his League debut at Charlton by Curbishley, seems to
have been around forever, but in fact he is actually still only 26.
Ljungberg, too, good be quite useful, although the offer of a lucrative
4-year contract seems considerably generous. Disappointingly, the other
significant summer signing Julien Flaubert, a versatile right-side French
international from Bordeaux, collected a nasty injury pre-season and will
miss over half the season.
Flaubert's setback is just the latest in a long line of bad luck to hit the
Hammers. The jinx began 12 months ago when Ashton was injured in training
during his first call-up by England. The former Norwich striker missed the
whole of the campaign, while Gabbidon struggled through half the season
before a niggling injury also forced him into the treatment room. January
signings Matthew Upson and Neill had hardly set foot on the pitch before
they, too, were side-lined. Fortunately, Neill was able to return to help
solidify the defence during the run-in.
So, to paraphrase Jose Mourinho, Curbishley has the equivalent of 3 more
"new signings" - the returning Ashton, Gabbidon and Upson - in the
forthcoming campaign.
Few pundits are predicting that the Hammers will be relegated next May, and
the general view is that they will finish in mid-division. After facing
last-day nail-biters five years in succession - when they have experienced a
mixture of joy (promotion and survival) and dejection (relegation, a
play-off final defeat and that FA Cup final shoot-out reverse) in the
process - many West Ham supporters will be quite content with a drama-free
outcome. Whether the same can be said of Mr Magnusson is debatable. He
expects the squad to be "much more competitive" this term. For certain,
though, it will be fascinating watching where the rollercoaster takes West
Ham to next.
David Davis
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Panic In Green Street West Ham Update - WestHamFans.org
Submitted by Neville Nixon on 14 August, 2007 - 07:25.
The weekend's salutary defeat by Man City has forced West Ham United
Chairman Eggert Magnusson to push forward his targeted transfers. Bresciano
from Palermo has joined Dyer and Solano from Newcastle, Barnes from Derby,
Yakubu from Middlesbrough and Gudjohnsen from Barcelona on the list of
players that Hammers have been in negotiations for, the difference is that
the time frame has shifted from the later to the sooner!
The ineptitude of the team's performance brought back memories of the Pardew
pre-sack era, Eggert is not known for having too much patience, already he
has had to take on a far more pro active role in order to try to bring
players to the Boleyn, targets that had been earmarked for the January
transfer window are now being approached, such is the concern among the West
Ham hierarchy, not at the defeat but at the manner of it.
Many fans will say that it was only one game, captain Lucas Neill and Scotty
Parker were both missing from Saturday's debacle but 'two players do not
make a team', there is a genuine fear that Alan Curbishley's dour persona is
preventing quality players wanting to join the club and that his management
style is too old school.
Of course the best way for Curbs to answer his critics is to get his team so
fired up that they completely overun Birmingham in the next fixture, the
fact that the midweek visit to Liverpool was postponed is a blessing,
because the result could have been embarrasing.
Come on Alan, pull your finger out and kick some butt, prove everyone wrong
and inspire your team on, perhaps you should listen to some old Churchill
speeches? - Ed
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Hammers in a rush to grab Gudjohnsen - Daily Mail
Last updated at 10:44am on 14th August 2007
West Ham are prepared to offer Eidur Gudjohnsen £80,000 a week to join but
want an answer from the Barcelona striker today. The Hammers are reported to
have sent officials and an agent to persuade the former Chelsea forward to
compromise on £100,000-a-week demands. Gudjohnsen, 28, has left negotiations
to his father but Barcelona will accept a £6.7million fee. Manager Alan
Curbishley wants a deadline on an answer and may step up his interest in
Middlesbrough's Yakubu if Gudjohnsen won't budge. Curbishley's side lost
their opening game 2-0 at home to Manchester City. He said today: "The fans
deserve better than that and we certainly can't carry on like this."
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Blades will bide their time - eatsleepsport.com
Last Updated: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 10:45
Sheffield United say they will take their time before deciding on pursuing
compensation from West Ham over the Carlos Tevez saga. The Argentina striker
was finally unveiled as a Manchester United player on Monday but the Blades
maintain he was signed illegally by West Ham before he went on to spearhead
their successful bid to avoid relegation from the Premiership. Bramall Lane
chairman Kevin McCabe revealed the club were studying two possible avenues
after losing their fight to be reinstated to the Premier League. He told BBC
Radio Sheffield: "With evidence that we have, that we believe is of value,
there are probably two courses open to us. "Obviously both of those courses
are open to financial compensation, rather than what we hoped for a few
weeks and months ago. So that's what we're looking at very, very seriously."
McCabe added: "There is no immediate rush - we want to ensure that we do get
matters in the correct sequence and that the correct case is put forward, so
let's not anticipate anything until we've had those meetings."
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Premier League Rumour Mill: Hammers, Magpies and City shoot for snubbed
Crouch - Daily Mail
Last updated at 09:23am on 14th August 2007
Peter Crouch's bust up with Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has alerted West
Ham, Newcastle and Manchester City. The England international is unhappy he
was left out of the squad which beat Aston Villa 2-1 at the weekend and
demanded an explanation from Reds boss Rafa. He realises his chances of
playing for his country in next month's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel
and Russia at Wembley will be harmed if he is not playing regular first-team
football. Newcastle are big admirers of the former Portsmouth and
Southampton striker and Magpies manager Sam Allardyce may make a move even
though he is well stocked with strikers in the form of Michael Owen, Obafemi
Martins, Mark Viduka and Alan Smith. West Ham and Manchester City will also
monitor the situation and could pounce if the Anfield rift deepens.
Manchester City boss Sven Goran Eriksson wants to sign a keeper in the next
24 hours and Jussi Jaaskelainen and Marco Amelia are the targets while the
Hammers are to make an official inquiry about Palermo midfielder Mark
Bresciano after his move to Eastlands collapsed.
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