Monday, September 10

Web Digest [ West Ham United ] - 10th September 2007

Bellamy could make trip - SSN
Striker's arrival would be a big boost for Toshack
By James Dall Last updated: 9th September 2007

Wales striker Craig Bellamy has contacted John Toshack to inform him that he
could still make Wednesday's Euro 2008 qualifier against Slovakia. Bellamy
was forced to miss the 2-0 loss against Germany for fears over his
daughter's health. The striker was then absent from Sunday's training
session, as he remained with his family. But it is now a possibility that he
will travel to Trnava, following the news that his wife and daughter are
likely to be discharged from hospital.
Toshack will leave it as late as possible before definitely ruling out the
West Ham forward. Meanwhile, Toshack has called on Wycombe striker Jermaine
Easter and also promoted duo Neil Eardley and David Edwards from the Under
21s.

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Solano ready for Peru duty - SSN
West Ham midfielder set to make Peru return
By Steven Morrison Last updated: 6th September 2007

Nolberto Solano is set to return to the Peru national side after a two-year
absence and has said that he does not mind who is chosen as the new national
team captain. The 32-year-old midfielder has not played for his country
since launching a verbal attack on Peru's football federation in 2005.
However, new coach Jose Del Solar has re-called the West Ham playmaker and
is set to name the new skipper for his side. "The coach is going to decide
who the captain will be and we all must respect his decision," said Solano.
"We all must have the commitment for winning all of our games and for that
we need 11 leaders on the pitch." The Peruvian has also hinted that he will
retire from international football after the 2010 World Cup. "This is my
last chance to play in a World Cup because this is the last time I will play
the qualifiers," he said. Solano is more than willing to make his mark for
his country in the games against Colombia and Bolivia this month and will
play anywhere the coach asks him to. "I still don't know which position I'll
be playing, but I am ready to play anywhere that the coach needs. "I will
work very seriously to be able to do what he wants," he added.

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Danny puts loss into perspective - TeamTalk

Wales' Danny Gabbidon revealed how the illness to Craig Bellamy's baby
daughter affected the whole squad ahead of their defeat by Germany. Bellamy
missed the final two days of training and pulled out of the game, but the
concern for his week-old child's health touched everyone. Stand-in skipper
Gabbidon said: "Obviously Craig is one of our better players and he is the
captain so we were bound to miss him. We would have loved to have had him on
the pitch because he is a hard player to handle. "When he pulled out it was
a blow but you just have to get on with that sort of thing, but it
definitely went against us.
"His little daughter is ill and that put everything in perspective. I did
not want to take the captaincy in such circumstances and we are all hoping
his little girl is okay and that Craig will be back, maybe for the next
game. "It is understandable why he did not want to play and the main thing
is that his daughter is better soon."
Wales were forced into positional and personnel changes at the last moment -
not the best way to confront the World Cup's third-placed country. West Ham
defender Gabbidon added: "It is a learning curve for all the younger players
in the team and they have learned that making mistakes against top strikers
means you will be punished. "You cannot get away with things at
international level so it is another lesson for us and we will have to learn
from our mistakes for the next game on Wednesday. "I thought we worked hard
and we tried, but we did not pose a threat in the first half and we then
gave the ball away for their first goal. "In the second half I thought we
looked a bit livelier and got a few more crosses in to pose a few more
questions, but overall we could have performed better. "Concentration-wise
it was not the best and we got what we deserved from the game. If you do not
concentrate for 90 minutes you will be punished and that is what happened.
"But it is very hard when you have a lot of young players in the team and
you come up against a top side like Germany. Hopefully everyone will have
learned something from the game and we have to get over what has happened
very quickly. Gabbidon said: "Germany are a good team and they showed it,
although we gave them a couple of goals and you cannot afford to do that
against top quality sides."
The defeat was an eye-opener for many of Wales' raw recruits, including
striker Freddy Eastwood, winning only his second cap. The Wolves striker
said: "Germany gave us a footballing lesson which we must take on board.
"But we are still growing into a team while they are already the complete
package, people must remember that." Derby striker Robert Earnshaw, who came
on after the break to produce greater attacking options, worked hard to
prove a point to boss John Toshack. Earnshaw said: "I would have loved to
have been on from the start, but it is up to me to go out and score goals
when I am given the chance. "We just did not test them but I thought we
improved after the break. I am not sure if we gave them too much respect,
but we just didn't get into them. "We started badly by conceding an early
goal and then it is a tough task against a side as good as Germany."
Defender Sam Ricketts agreed, saying: "The start we had with that early goal
against us was a real kick in the teeth. It meant we were chasing the game,
and that is tough against a side like that."

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Bellamy set to boost Wales - TeamTalk

Craig Bellamy has contacted Wales boss John Toshack and said that he may
well be able to travel with the squad to Slovakia on Monday after all. The
West Ham striker has spent the last three days at the hospital bedside of
his recently-born daughter, who has had feeding complications. The baby -
born last Monday - has understandably been the striker's sole priority,
prompting him to withdraw from Wales' 2-0 defeat in Cardiff against Germany
yesterday.
Toshack initially gave Bellamy an early evening deadline on Sunday to attend
training or Wales would organise their trip without him. Bellamy did not
attend training at 5.30pm on Sunday night at Wales' Vale of Glamorgan
headquarters - but he has since telephoned Toshack and advised him that his
wife Claire and their new daughter are expected to be discharged from
hospital on Monday morning. And if that is the situation Bellamy has said
that he will join up with the Wales squad for their mid-afternoon flight to
Bratislava for Wednesday's Euro 2008 qualifier against Slovakia. Wales are
tentative about the situation and will wait for Monday morning before
finalising the trip but are obviously delighted that their influential
captain feels confident enough to make the trip. Wales have added Wycombe
striker Jermaine Easter to the squad, the front man celebrating his call-up
by scoring the penalty winner against Brentford on Sunday. He travelled to
Cardiff after the match to meet up with Toshack's squad. Wales will give
Wrexham defender Steve Evans another scan on his injured ankle first-thing
on Monday. The centre-back did little training in the week preceding the
Germany game but will travel if the scan reveals no further problems.
Jason Koumas and Simon Davies both needed ice packs on injured ankles after
the Germany match but the midfielders both trained on Sunday. Real Sociedad
midfielder David Vaughan, who played in Spain on Sunday, will fly to Vienna,
where Wales have arranged for a car to collect him and take him to the
squad's Bratislava hotel. Oldham full-back Neil Eardley and Luton midfielder
David Edwards have both been promoted from the Under-21s and also arrived in
Cardiff ahead of Toshack's training session.

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McCARTNEY NOT GIVING UP
By Ken Gaunt, PA Sport

West Ham defender George McCartney is determined to revive Northern
Ireland's attempt to reach the finals of a major tournament for the first
time since 1986. The province are aiming to bounce back against Iceland in
their next Euro 2008 qualifier on Wednesday after their shock 1-0 defeat by
Latvia in Riga.
An own goal by stand-in skipper Chris Baird after 56 minutes brought to an
end a six-match unbeaten run. However Northern Ireland are still in with a
chance of qualifying from Group F as they share second spot with Spain on 16
points, three behind Sweden. Sweden drew 0-0 against Denmark while Spain got
a late equaliser to finish 1-1 with Iceland. McCartney said: "The belief has
always been there and we will not give up. "We've just got to forget about
the Latvia result and concentrate on getting three points in Reykjavik.
"Qualification is not going to be easy, though, especially with away trips
to Sweden and Spain to come. "We know we can't play well in every game but
it was so disappointing against Latvia. "They went into the match with a
gameplan that worked and we failed to create any really good chances."
Manager Nigel Worthington maintains they have to focus on the job in hand
and not worry about their opponents. He is looking for the team to adopt a
different mindset in Iceland to the one in Latvia. The former Norwich boss
said: "It will be all guns blazing against Iceland as we aim for the three
points.
"It is an important match now, given what happened in Latvia. "We have got
to learn from that defeat and make sure we get it right on Wednesday.
"Latvia did the basics of the game better than us and we did not have enough
quality on the ball. "There was not enough urgency or passion in our
performance. That was disappointing and frustrating." Worthington defended
his team selection after making two changes to the side that defeated
Liechtenstein.
Stephen Craigan, who had played in the previous seven qualifiers, was
dropped and replaced by Manchester United defender Jonny Evans. Chris Brunt
was also omitted at the expense of Stuart Elliott - and the team did not
gel. But Worthington said: "No matter what tactics or personnel you pick if
you do not get the basics right, you are not entitled to win the game."

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Reading's Shorey closer to West Ham move
tribalfooball.com - September 09, 2007

Reading fullback Nicky Shorey is closing in on a move to boyhood heroes West
Ham United. The People says Shorey will be sold to boyhood heroes West Ham
in January if he continues to snub Reading's contract offer. The Hammers had
a £4million offer for Shorey, 26, rejected last week and he is refusing to
sign a new two-year deal

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Southampton move for West Ham's Dailly
tribalfooball.com - September 09, 2007

West Ham United defender Christian Dailly is a target for Southampton boss
George Burley. Burley is looking for a defender on loan because of injuries
to Claus Lundekvam and Darren Powell. Scot Dailly, 33, fits the bill.

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West Ham seek option on Plymouth's Gosling
tribalfooball.com - September 09, 2007

West Ham United are leading the chase for Plymouth Argyle's U17 World Cup
star Dan Gosling. The Hammers want first option on the youngster, who has
been to Chelsea for "training" and Everton and Tottenham have made tentative
offers. But West Ham want to enrol him at their academy before he becomes a
first-team squad man next season, says the People.

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West Ham boss Curbishley targets Europe
tribalfooball.com - September 09, 2007

West Ham boss Alan Curbishley believes Europe is a genuine target this
season. Curbishley, whose men escaped relegation last season by a whisker,
said: "I've got a decent squad full of players, who have proved they can
come in and do the job for me. "Although some of my signings are out
injured, I've brought in players of the right age with proven quality and a
bit of hunger. "Hopefully, we can go on and have a decent season."

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Neill handed Socceroos captaincy - smh.com.au
Email Print Normal font Large font September 10, 2007 - 2:04PM

Lucas Neill was named Socceroos captain for the friendly international
against world No.2 Argentina at the MCG on Tuesday night. Socceroos coach
Graham Arnold had been toying with the idea of handing retiring midfielder
Josip Skoko the skipper's armband in his final international. But instead he
opted for defender Neill to replace the absent Mark Viduka. It is a further
indication that the West Ham defender is likely to get the job permanently
should Viduka decide to retire from international football before the 2010
World Cup campaign. "To lead the team out in a game such as this - not that
it needs any extra incentive - is a great responsibility," Neill said.
Viduka is one of several big names missing from the Socceroos squad to play
Argentina, along with Harry Kewell, Tim Cahill, Brett Emerton and John
Aloisi. But Argentina have brought a virtually full strength squad,
including Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi and Manchester United striker
Carlos Tevez. The Argentines are using the match as a tune-up for the start
of their World Cup qualifiers next month.

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Gabbidon: We felt for missing Bellamy - metro.co.uk
Sunday, September 9, 2007

Wales stand-in skipper Danny Gabbidon revealed how the illness to Craig
Bellamy's baby daughter affected the whole squad ahead of their defeat by
Germany. Bellamy missed the final two days of training and pulled out of the
game but the concern for his week-old child's health touched everyone.
Gabbidon said: "Obviously Craig is one of our better players and he is the
captain so we were bound to miss him. We would have loved to have had him on
the pitch because he is a hard player to handle. It is understandable why he
did not want to play and the main thing is that his daughter is better
soon."
He added: "When he pulled out it was a blow but you just have to get on with
that sort of thing, but it definitely went against us. "His little daughter
is ill and that put everything in perspective. I did not want to take the
captaincy in such circumstances and we are all hoping his little girl is
okay and that Craig will be back, maybe for the next game. Wales were forced
into positional and personnel changes at the last moment - not the best way
to confront the World Cup's third-placed country. West Ham defender Gabbidon
added: "It is a learning curve for all the younger players in the team and
they have learned that making mistakes against top strikers means you will
be punished. "You cannot get away with things at international level so it
is another lesson for us and we will have to learn from our mistakes for the
next game on Wednesday. "I thought we worked hard and we tried, but we did
not pose a threat in the first half and we then gave the ball away for their
first goal. "In the second half I thought we looked a bit livelier and got a
few more crosses in to pose a few more questions, but overall we could have
performed better."

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West Ham nightmare ended - Sportigo
Sun, Sep 9, 07 12:05
Mark Apostolou

My suspicions that there might in fact be two Javier Mascheranos have been
put to rest. There was the Mascherano who ambled around the West Ham
midfield like some kind of Zombie. His record of playing seven fixtures in
seven defeats where the Hammers scored no goals must be some sort of record.
Then there was the other Mascherano whose every tackle for Liverpool was
well-timed and full of enthusiasm and vitality.

Now the one and only Javier has spoken out - and revealed that he had in
fact been in the middle of a five-month East London nightmare. He told
Foxsports: "I had arrived at West Ham, another country and even without
knowing the language, a different culture, everything was very difficult. I
even knew that I was not going to play each time I went to a training
session. Rafa saved my career when he came for me at West Ham where I was
not playing.

"He came to see me in London and told me that he needed me. In that moment
Benitez said to me that I could play in a good team like Liverpool." The
rest, as they say, is history.

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West Ham eying Plymouth midfielder - soocervoice.com

West Ham is following the progress of Plymouth's Dan Gosling. The midfielder
is one of the most exciting players in the Championship. He is still only 17
years of age and has been capped at England U.17 level. He has also been
involved with Plymouth's first team, but will most certainly be sold to a
Premiership club if he manage to progress at Championship level.

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LATEST NEWSACADEMY DRAW AT WEST HAM - Tottenham Hotspur.com

Our Under-18s were hit by a late goal in a 3-3 draw against West Ham on
Saturday. The lads looked to have turned a 2-1 half-time deficit into a
winning position with a fine second half performance in the FA Premier
Academy League encounter only for the Hammers to strike late for 3-3. A goal
down inside 10 minutes, Kyle Fraser-Allen (pictured right) replied but West
Ham were 2-1 up by half-time. The second half was a different story as Jake
Livermore and Alex Olsen handed us a 3-2 lead by the hour but chances came
and went and the lads - without striker Tomas Pekhart, away on Czech U21
duty - were punished for that by the late goal. Coach Alex Inglethorpe
reported: "We started brightly and hit the bar twice in the first five
minutes through Jake Livermore and Chris Casey. "We were caught cold
defensively and I was disappointed with the defending as West Ham went 1-0
up after 10 minutes. However, we came back into it and Terry Dixon crossed
for Kyle Fraser-Allen to tap in at the far post after 35 minutes. "That
looked it going into half-time but we were then caught on the counter-attack
and ended up going in 2-1 down. "We said at half-time that we wanted to turn
the game around into one that suited our style of play, to be more creative
and inventive on the ball and credit to the lads, that's what happened. "We
levelled it at 2-2 when Jake Livermore scored from a rebound after a corner
and it was sustained pressure after that resulting in a goal for Alex Olsen,
a shot from the edge of the box to put us in front. "We had a stream of
chances after that and ultimately paid the price for not taking one when
West Ham scored with just about their only attack of the second half five
minutes from time."

Spurs U18s: L Butcher, Cox, Hutchins, Kasim, Casey, Archibald-Henville (L
Butcher, 60), Fraser-Allen, Livermore, Olsen (Davis, 65), Dixon (Obika, 35),
Townsend.

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West Ham U-18s v Spurs U-18s, 08.09.07 - SpursOdeysey.com
Courtesy of:- Ray Lo, and the Spurs List

FA Premier Academy League - South
Little Heath, Romford, Essex
Saturday 8th September 2007, 11.06am

WEST HAM V SPURS
(Claret/Blue) (All Yellow)
4-4-2 4-4-2/4-5-1
3(2) 3(1)

Street 1 Lee Butcher
Ashman 2 Sam Cox
Ashley Miller 3 Daniel Hutchins
Robbie Blackwell 4 Yasser Kasim(C)
Payne 5 Chris Casey
Harvey 6 Troy Archibald-Henville
Junior Stanislas 7 Kyle Fraser-Allen
Lee 8 Jake Livermore
Ben Hunt 9 Alex Olsen
Lorcan Fitzgeard 10 Terry Dixon
Freddie Sears 11 Andros Townsend

12 Mark Clare
David Blackmore 13 James Dalton
Fry 14 Jonathan Obika

(6)65Mins. (10) 39Mins.
Bondz N'Gala 15 Callum Butcher
(2)73Mins. (6) 65Mins.
Matt Hines 16 Jamie Davis
(7)80Mins. (9) 65Mins.

Scorers:-
Sears 3, 88 Fraser-Allen 34
Stanislas 45 Livermore 47
Olsen 60

Booked:-
Fitzgerald 56 Townsend 48(Trip)
(Foot up)
N'Gala 87(2 Footed)
Blackmore 90(Foul)

Coach:-
T.Carr A.Inglethorpe

Referee:- G.Muge

As there were no team sheets some of the names are likely to be wrong for
the home side so if I malign the wrong person I apologise now. This game
unfortunately is likely to be remembered more for the injury to Terry Dixon
than for the scoreline. Having just returned from a season long injury he
had to be taken off on a stretcher in pain with another injury to his leg.
We will have to wait for the club to tell us how bad it was.

The morning was overcast with a little chill in the air as Spurs visited the
second team from the other southern group. There was a good crowd of around
eighty present for this local derby game. The start was delayed while one of
the nets had to be repaired.

Spurs lined up with Archibald-Heville partnering Casey at the back with Cox
on the right and Hutchins on the left. Kasim and Livermore in the middle
with Fraser-Allen on the right wing and Townsend on the left. Dixon played
up front with Olsen.

Spurs kicked off and won a free kick in only the second minute. The kick was
floated to the far post for Livermore to hit first time against the post.
From the rebound Casey hit the other post with his header before it was
cleared. A minute later spurs paid for that miss as a quickly taken throw-in
caught them flat-footed and although Hunt hit the post with his shot Sears
was on hand to put the rebound in.

This led to a period of pressure from the home side where we were pinned in
our own area. Sears, Stanislas and Lee all had efforts off target before
Livermore was set up for a chance at the other end. Street held his weak
effort.

Around the half hour mark we had a shout for a penalty, and also Dixon had a
goal disallowed for offside. We were still very much under pressure when
Dixon got away on the right and worked his way down the line before squaring
for Fraser-Allen to tap in at the far post. Dixon was caught by the defender
at this point and went down. The stretcher was quickly called and after five
minutes he was carried off.

At the restart Obika came on and played alongside Olsen. Livermore had a
shot blocked for a corner, which led to a second on the other side. Hutchins
took this one and his whipped in ball had to be kicked off the line. On
forty-five minutes a long ball found Sears free on the left his centre was
turned home by Stanislas running in at the near post. In stoppage time
Livermore had an effort just wide.

Spurs started the second half strongly and when the Hammers failed to clear
a corner, Livermore picked up the loose ball and curled it around the melee
of players into the left side of the goal. This led to a period of Spurs
pressure where their passing began to find holes in the up to then solid
defence.

Spurs had changed to their usual formation of four across the middle with
the second striker in the hole. Olsen played the lone striker, but got
little from the close marking of the Hammers defenders as his close control
did not stand up to the solid challenges he faced. He did get in front of
his marker to guide the ball past Street when Hutchins crossed on the hour.

West Ham looked to strengthen their midfield while Inglethorpe made two
changes. This was Archibald-Henville's first run out after injury and he was
given just over an hour before Butcher came on to take his place. Davis
(another look term absentee) came on and played in the hole with Obika
moving up front in place of Olsen. Obika was able to better hold of the
defenders and lay off to the midfield as well as having a couple of efforts
himself.

West Ham brought on a big, and I mean big, defender to stem the runs of
Kasim, Davis and Livermore which he did fairly well. He did receive a
booking for one two footed tackle on Livermore as Spurs continued to attack
on a wide front. With three points looking safe the home side attacked down
the right and when the ball came across the area Sears was able to hook the
ball in from about ten yards out. While the Irons were happy with a point
spurs continued to press forward and Blackmore conceded a free kick and got
a yellow at the same time stopping Hutchins progress down the left.

From being under the cosh for long periods of the first half with only the
work of Dixon up front, to the dominating performance in the second half,
the draw felt like a loss of two points. West Ham usually give us a hard
time, as in the first half, and tend to keep the points so this was a good
result for us.

The injury to Dixon is the main concern as his return to fitness was
progressing well. For his sake I hope it is not as bad as it looked.

We had started the game with a newish back four. Archibald-Henville was
given a run out to get fit, and a first game for Casey who also missed a
large part of last season. Cox had his best game so far against Stanislas
since coming up from the U-16 side and Huchins is settling in well at left
back having moved from midfield.

My main worry is up front as Olsen does not look like he can establish
himself and we seem to have few options. We have plenty of wide players who
are being used in the hole and get pushed into this position with Obika
looking the most promising, but Townsend and Fraser-Allen have been tried.
Their pace is the main advantage and the sight of three wingers (four when
Davis came on) looks dangerous, but without a finisher.

Next week the U-18's entertain Norwich City at the Lodge with an 11 a.m.
kick off.

Ray

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Camara fancies permanent West Ham stay
tribalfooball.com - September 09, 2007

Henri Camara is already thinking about a permanent deal at West Ham United.
The Senegal international was snapped up on-loan from Wigan Athletic on
transfer deadline day and has told the News of the World he could sign
outright for the Hammers.

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Villa's Harewood "shocked" by West Ham bully claims
tribalfooball.com - September 09, 2007

Aston Villa striker Marlon Harewood is "shocked" over reports that he was
regarded as a disruptive influence at West Ham last season. "I'm quite
shocked, really, at where that has come from, and I don't think I was one of
those people," he told The Voice. "I wasn't a dressing room bully or one of
those people that do things to try and upset the fans or the dressing room -
that is totally not me. "I'm not really going to take notice of his
comments."

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What The Ginge Is Going On Between Collins And West Ham - West Ham Fans.org
Submitted by Neville Nixon on 9 September, 2007 - 09:39.

James Collins Football supporters are notoriously fickle and more often than
not oblivious to reality when it comes to their own players, so West Ham
fans could well be forgiven for wondering why James Collins has been
unavailable for selection for his club because of a groin injury and yet was
able to play the full 90 minutes for Wales against Germany in yesterday's
International fixture. Rumors that the lanky central defender has been
offered to Cardiff on loan only further add to the murky waters. Has 'Ginge'
fallen out with Curbs or Merv the Swerve? There must be something happening
behind the scenes because Collins was one of the players who were
instrumental in ensuring that the club stayed up at the end of last season,
and while Anton Ferdinand and Mathew Upson have become the centre back
pairing of choice it seems insane to send a player of his obvious ability
and talent off to the club from whence he came. It is not as if there is
THAT much cover, Danny Gabbidon is a great player on his day but lacks the
height needed to defend set pieces and to pose a threat at the other end of
the pitch whereas Collins is imperious in the air. If Hammers sustain
anything like the amount of injuries that have become the norm at the club
then Collins must be kept on board, why send such an essential player out on
loan? The Bluebirds would take him back like a flash, but the player wants
to stay at the Boleyn and fight for his place, you would think that kind of
commitment should be rewarded shouldn't it? - Ed

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Rijkaard wanted Gudjohnsen to accept West Ham offer
tribalfooball.com - September 08, 2007

Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard wants Eidur Gudjohnsen to leave the Nou Camp
in January. DiarioSport says Rijkaard was angry with Gudjohnsen after the
Iceland international rejected a move to West Ham United in the final 48
hours of the summer market. West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson remains
interested in Gudjohnsen and is expected to try again for the ex-Chelsea
forward in January.

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Adriano And Gudjohnsen Will Regret West Ham Snub - West Ham Fans.org
Submitted by Neville Nixon on 8 September, 2007 - 09:17.

Adriano Now that the transfer window is firmly shut until January, Adriano
from Inter Milan and Eidur Gudjohnsen from Barcelona may well be pondering
the wisdom of deciding not to give it a go at the Boleyn. Both players were
subject to 'full' interest from West Ham and negotiations were at an
advanced stage with regards to Adriano but both players chose to snub the
very acceptable offers put to them. Of course the window opens again in
January but who will be wanting who more then? OK Gudjohnsen and Adriano are
both on serious money so sitting on the bench is only painful from a pride
perspective, but bearing in mind how wealthy both players are the pride
factor does become relevant.
Gudjohnsen has said all along that he wasn't interested in discussing a move
until he is fully fit ( The accountants at Barcelona must love him!) and
then he would fight for his place, whereas Adriano has been quick to tell
the Media that he goes out and gets Hammered, excuse the pun, in order to
make up for not playing!
Does West Ham United really need either of these players? With Dean Ashton
returning to fitness, albeit painfully slow, and the late acquisition of
Henry Camara Alan Curbishley will have five out and out strikers and a
couple who can step up from midfield to choose from. So long as results have
not been terrible and injuries and suspensions have only been accumulated at
a normal level, it is not inconceivable that Curbs will choose to stick with
what he has and not risk rocking the boat with a couple of money fuelled
egos!

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