04/09/2007 14:28
Kieron Dyer spoke exclusively today to www.whufc.com a week after being
stretchered off six minutes into the Carling Cup match away to Bristol
Rovers with a double fracture to his leg. He is back at home now in Ipswich
recovering from surgery and is remaining positive and focused. "I've been
trying to stay as positive as I can," he said. "The physios and the
specialist were really pleased with how the operation went and said there is
no reason why I shouldn't make a full recovery. "I am just focusing on that
for now and getting some rest before I hopefully beginning my rehab and
treatment some time next week. "They don't really give exact time scales
with this type of injury because some people heal a lot quicker than others
and there can be complications when you have screws put in so you just have
to play it by ear really, but as I said I am staying positive and just
focusing on being back and playing for West Ham sooner rather than later."
Kieron was touched by the support he received from his team-mates and fans
during his stay in hospital. "Nearly every single member of the squad came
to see me and a lot of the staff as well, which was brilliant and really
gave me a lift considering I have only been at the Club a short space of
time. "I was passed a lot of the messages that the fans have been sending in
as well saying how gutted they all are for me and wishing me well which
really meant a lot to me too."
Kieron knew immediately the severity of his injury as he went down at the
Memorial Ground and that the prognosis would not be good. "I knew straight
away that I had broken both bones which is why my hand went straight up into
the air and as I hit the floor my leg was just wobbling from side to side so
I knew it was a break as opposed to anything else. "It actually wasn't as
painful as it probably looked to other people as my body went into shock so
that was a blessing in disguise in a way, but I knew I would be out for
several months which was just devastating really."
A lot has been written already, questioning whether Kieron will indeed
return from this injury and be the same sort of player again but he is quick
to assure people he still has a long career ahead of him. "That is
definitely not the case and I am determined to prove those people wrong. As
I said before, the doctors were delighted with how the operation went and if
there are any consolations to this, they did explain to me that the best
place to break your leg is in the middle of the shin because there are
usually more complications when it is closer to the ankle, like what
happened to Dean Ashton, but my break has happened in a much safer place.
"If you look at a player like Djibril Cisse, who used to play for Liverpool,
he had exactly the same injury as me and he has obviously come back and made
a full recovery, which holds me in good stead as I plan to do exactly the
same and be back playing for West Ham and England"
Nobby Solano joined West Ham late on Friday night in a one-year deal from
Newcastle and Kieron couldn't be happier to be reunited with another one of
his former team-mates. "It was funny because he was having his medical in
the same hospital as me at about 11pm on Friday night so he obviously popped
in to see me and tell me he was my team mate again which brought a huge
smile to my face. "I had a great relationship with him on and off the pitch
at Newcastle. He's going to be a wonderful acquisition for the team and I
know the fans will adore him so it is a great signing for West Ham."
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Arsenal match a sell-out - WHUFC
04/09/2007 11:54
The ticket office can confirm that all tickets for the Arsenal fixture on
the 29th Sept have now been sold. Tickets went on sale to Academy members as
of 8am this morning and all available seats were sold in record time.
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Youths beat Watford - WHUFC
04/09/2007 09:44
West Ham United Under-18s 4
Watford Under-18s 2
It was a case of happy Hammers all around as West Ham United's Under-18s
joined their senior counterparts by carving out a good win at the weekend.
They beat London rivals Watford 4-2 at Little Heath, picking up the first
points of the new season. The young Hammers started the game in blistering
form and were 3-0 up within eight minutes. Good link-up play between Ben
Hunt and Freddie Sears saw West Ham take the lead, as Sears finished the
move off by lifting the ball over the Watford keeper and into the net.
Hammers grabbed a second goal soon after. Lorcan Fitzgerald crossed in a
good corner which was flicked on by Hunt at the near post. In came Bondz
N'Gala at the backpost to strike the ball towards the goal and while his
first effort was parried by the keeper, N'Gala struck the back of the net at
the second attempt from close range. West Ham made sure of their commanding
play, when they netted the third goal. A shot was deflected, hit the post
and Hunt followed in the rebound after the Hornets keeper again failed to
hold the ball. Outplaying their opposition, the young Hammers were looking
likely to score every time they pushed forward. But although on the backfoot
for most of the game, Watford did manage to pull a goal back on the
half-hour mark and it was 3-1 at half-time.
In the second half, Hammers continued how they had started, mounting several
attacks on the Watford defence. Their strong endeavour resulted in a fourth
goal as substitute Zavon Hines scored a great individual effort. After
dispossessing his marker, Hines took the ball forward and coolly chipped the
ball over the keeper. With 20 minutes to go though, Watford hit the net with
their second goal, but West Ham kept their heads and ran out worthy winners.
A delighted Tony Carr was pleased with his side and felt there could have
been a lot more goals. "After two defeats in our opening games, we wanted to
bounce back and we did that well on Saturday. "The only downside was the two
goals we conceded, that let Watford back into the match a bit and gave them
respectability with the scoreline. We outplayed them but I told the boys at
half-time after Watford had pulled one goal back, that whoever scored next
could decide the outcome of the game. "We got that fourth one and although
we conceded again, it meant we had that important cushion on which to see
the game out as winners." He added: "We haven't been clinical enough in
front of goal in our first two matches and today we put that right but there
was a lot more to come from that. But we can't be too greedy and hopefully
can save a few for the next game!"
Hammers have another London derby coming up for the next fixture this
Saturday, at home to Tottenham Hotspur. "Playing Spurs is always a tough
one, but we go into the clash with a spring in our step. The boys will have
confidence from the Watford match as they enjoyed the performance and
scoring the goals the way they did. The aim is now to get another win under
our belts if we can."
West Ham United: Street, O'Neill, Miller, Fitzgerald, N'Gala, Payne, Harvey,
Stanislas, Lee, Hunt, Sears.
Subs: Blackmore, Ashman, Hines (Stanislas), Fry (Hunt)
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Reading 0 West Ham United 3 - KUMB
By Gordon Thrower
Another week and another match against a club with a lying hypocrite for a
chairman. Though the town is easy to get to, Reading away is a horrible
trip.
Everything about the club is contrived from the made-up nickname ("let's
call ourselves the Royals because our Biscuitmen nickname is sooooooo
old-fashioned"), to the Meccano stadium plonked inconveniently in the middle
of an out-of town retail site. The town of Reading itself isn't the greatest
of places but it does have one redeeming feature. (Well two if you count the
fact that a fast train can take you somewhere better in 30 minutes).
The best thing about an away trip to this place is the fact that the Three
Guineas pub by the station is designated as "away supporters only". Since
the Three Guineas has a decent selection of real ales, I presume that home
supporters are barred to avoid them having to drink something real rather
than the synthetic creamiflow fizz that most pubs churn out these days.
However, in keeping with the tone of the day, the glasses were plastic. As
you may have read, the away section of the ground was "dry" on the petty and
illogical grounds that a few people had stood up at last season's match.
Those who have suffered the watered-down rubbish served up in the bars at
these places might be forgiven for thinking that the place had been
alcohol-free for years.
Reading supporters often complain that they're not taken seriously by
supporters of "proper" clubs. If they want to know why perhaps they should
look at the way that everything they do has to be choreographed. Pre-match
they require geeing up by a video selection of their greatest goals, many of
which appear to have been those oh-so-difficult to score penalties. At an
appropriate moment they emit a strange grunt – I expect the video has one of
those subliminal microsecond-long projections that says "grunt now" at the
appropriate moment.
Team news was that there were a couple of changes required from the midweek
League Cup tie. Bowyer came in for the unfortunate Dyer – to whom the best
wishes of all at Kumb towers are sent, whilst up front, Mrs Ashton having
finally dropped (no sense of timing these women), Deano was available for a
first start of the season. Zamora failed to make the 16 having picked up a
knock to the knee leaving us with a starting line-up of Green. Neill,
McCartney, Ferdinand, Upson, Noble, Mullins, Bowyer, Etherington, Ashton,
Bellamy.
The early exchanges were mainly notable for the attempts of the laughably
poor Lita to see precisely how many yellow card offences he could get away
with before referee Webb noticed. He managed three in less than a minute,
firstly shoving Neill off the pitch, following this up with a blatant hand
to the face, the hat-trick being completed by the most comical of dives,
there being daylight between him and his marker at the time of the dive.
Webb fell for this dive but that was the first and last time he did so –
though why one of the supposedly better referees in the league failed to
apply the statutory sanction for simulation on the tediously high number of
occasions Lita threw himself forward, Webb alone knows.
The match settled down into a pattern. Reading had a fair bit of possession
but lacked any sort of cutting edge against a defence that was looking at
its strongest for quite some time. On the break we looked dangerous with
Bellamy in particular looking full of running and the Welsh skipper was the
source of the opener on six minutes. Bowyer intercepted a loose ball in a
central area and fed Bellamy in an inside right area. Bellamy ran
unchallenged and shot home superbly from the edge of the box, his low drive
sneaking in at the foot of the far post. Unprompted by any instruction from
cheerleaders or Mickey Mouse music we celebrated a bit in the away end. As
you do.
The lead could have been doubled on 12 minutes. Ashton's dangerous looking
cross had been cleared by Duberry. Matty E's corner was cleared back to him
and his second cross found Deano in space only for him to volley into the
ground with Hahnemann able to deal with the shot in comfortable manner.
Up the other end a Harper shot was deflected wide for a corner that was
dealt with easily. Hunt's dangerous cross was cleverly cleared by Linda, the
resulting corner again being dealt with without any cause for concern. A
deep free-kick was then gathered by Green, whose throw out to Matty E on the
left was excellent. In fact, the throw was so good that Matty E didn't have
to break his stride as he raced into space down the left and squared the
ball across the edge of the box. Noble's effort however went into the
proverbial Row Z when a bit more composure in front of goal might have
gained proper reward for what had been an otherwise fine break.
Etherington seemed to be having a busy spell and might have got on the
scoresheet when Hahnemann spilled Linda's cross from the left only for the
winger to poke the ball harmlessly wide.
Duberry then headed wide – Lita tried to get on the end of it from an
offside position but his dive – his first legal one of the day – missed by
several feet. Looking dangerous again on the break Bellamy's blocked effort
fell out to Linda whose shot looked goalbound before being cleared for a
corner. Apparently Linda has yet to notch a senior goal – something the
long-odds specialists amongst you might want to note for your pre-match
bets. If the bet comes off I'm on 20% ok?
The corner that resulted from Linda's effort was cleared to the edge of the
box where Bowyer seemed to take one touch too many when a first time effort
might have been better advised, his shot going harmlessly wide.
Up the other end Reading went closest when Hunt's effort clipped the top of
the bar in one of those that "looks good but isn't going in" moments and the
half ended without further incident.
The half-time entertainment consisted of some bloke doing ball juggling
skills. On these occasions, I always find myself hoping for a Ruddock-esque
figure to run onto the pitch to kick the juggler up in the air before
launching the ball into the crowd with a shout of "ave it". Once more I was
disappointed, though I live in hope of seeing this happen before I die. The
Reading announcer, presumably having overdosed on extra-strength
caffeine-loaded coffee, tried to gee the home support up before the second
half. He had earlier announced that the Reading Fans were no.13 in the squad
– and hilariously they are listed as such in the programme – I'm not making
this up honest! And some of you complain at Jeremy!
Duly entertained, the second half stared and it wasn't long before we had
doubled the lead. A Reading corner was cleared by Matty U as far as Matty E
who brought the ball out before finding Bellamy in a central position.
Bellamy immediately switched play out to the right where Mullins found
himself in more space than a plague victim with a personal hygiene problem.
Mullins held up play before finding Etherington whose first time one-two
with Bellamy left him clear on goal to stick the ball away in the roof of
the net for his first goal since the time when there wasn't actually a sale
on at Allied Carpets. It was a fine goal – the sort of good footballing goal
that never wins Goal of the Month – but ought to. Given the setting, it
reminded me of the fine drink I had enjoyed in the company of Bonehead at
the Three Guineas – it was real ale in a plastic cup.
Of course having put up with so much rubbish from Reading supporters over
the years the away support, who had been in fine voice throughout, were
going to milk it and left back Shorey was given a few gentle reminders as to
where he ought to have gone during the transfer window (though given the
poor performance of his team-mates the answer "anywhere" would presumably
have fitted the bill as far as he was concerned).
Green then picked up a yellow card for time wasting – a joke really given
all the antics of Lita up to that point. Bellamy then fed Bowyer who curled
his shot wide when he ought to have made it 3-0. For some reason the
linesman had his flag up though there was no offside involved at any stage.
Ashton was then replaced by Cole to generous applause. Cole's earliest
contribution of note was a ball to play Matty E in, the winger failing to
get enough power on his shot – though it still required a decent save from
Hahnemann to keep it at 2-0, a score on which, if the chant is to be
believed, Matty may have had a bet.
Lita may also have been on 2-0 judging by his poke wide following a Doyle
step-over. However, things could have been a little tense at the end when we
gave away a penalty with 15 minutes left on the now battery-full lucky
watch. Sub Kitson, burst into the box and was brought down by Green who
might have been a tad faster off his line. It was a carbon copy of the kick
won by Bellamy at St Andrews and, rightly, there were no complaints at its
award. A few Reading fans started the "off" chant but, given that it had
taken a substitution to get rid of the appalling antics of Lita, a sending
off for Green would have been bonkers in the extreme. Doyle stepped up and
Green saved superbly to his left, thus denying the home support of the
chance to grunt at the video at the appropriate moment when they do next
season's pre-match brainwashing. It also meant we were spared the sound of
Mickey Mouse music played after a goal.
With 10 left Bowyer was replaced by Spector. Linda's covering then prevented
Kitson getting on the end of a through ball from Convey. We looked as if we
might break again from the corner but the resulting attack fizzled out with
Bellamy drawing a foul. The resulting free kick was taken quickly and Cole
turned his defender only to shoot wide, the striker having a bit more time
than he probably thought.
We continued to look good coming out of defence. Linda fed Bellamy who, in
turn, fed Cole only for him to see his shot saved by Hahnemann's legs.
Another shot that required a bit more in the way of power. Cole did well to
pick out Spector in the box though the cross left the septic with too much
to do with the header. Another break saw Etherington break into the box but
his attempt to find Cole was cut out. The corner was taken short and Hunt,
who had taken over the mantle of "irritating git" from Lita, was a bit lucky
to find himself still on the pitch having aimed a punch towards Bellamy. A
bit of a girly punch it has to be said but a punch nevertheless. Hunt
benefited from Webb's leniency.
One minute into stoppage Bellamy – who apparently had been doubtful for the
match – left to be replaced by Boa-Morte. Reading's last effort was to see
Green block Kitson's effort with some good follow-up blocking thrown in by
Upson for good measure. By this time wide open spaces had begun to appear in
the home crowd – it hadn't been full to start off with by any stretch of the
imagination. Those who had left had obviously taken a few players with them
as Cole came out of defence to find Matty E in more space than a plague
victim with a personal hygiene problem carrying a bag of plutonium for good
measure. This time he elected to shoot from just outside the box and, like
Bellamy's similar effort in the first half, the ball flew in gloriously
inside the far post. The Reading no.13 shook its collective head as it
walked out - and is probably annoyed that it didn't get a move before the
transfer deadline – though no doubt they have an escape clause that will
kick in should they go down.
That was it – apart from the interminable wait for shuttle buses to turn up,
it apparently coming as a surprise to those in charge that the people who
they had ferried to the ground from the station might actually want to make
the return journey at some stage. Such are the perils of building a ground
on an out of town retail-park. Reading clearly missed a trick though in
letting Pompey sign Glen Johnson – surely the presence of a B&Q warehouse on
site would have been a deal-clincher!
This was a fine away performance. The margin of victory could, with a bit
more composure, have easily been doubled. The team looked good as a unit,
especially defensively, and it will be interesting to see where the
absentees and new signings are going to fit in when fit/available. Five wins
on the trot in all competitions is decent away form by any standards, and a
return to some semblance of decency at home might leave even the most
pessimistic of Hammers – and let's face it that's most of us – with cause
for cautious optimism. Bring on Boro'!
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Etherington: I hit rock bottom - SSN
By Peter Fraser Last updated: 4th September 2007
West Ham winger Matthew Etherington admits he hit 'rock bottom' last season.
Etherington revealed an addiction to gambling last season and he checked
into the Sporting Chance clinic for counselling in a bid to overcome the
problem. The 26-year-old struggled for form in the campaign, but he scored
twice in West Ham's 3-0 win over Reading on Saturday and he claims his
problems are now in the past. "I hit rock bottom last season and that was
probably a reflection on my form," Etherington told the Daily Star. "I
suppose you get a time in your career where things do not go right for you
and last year was one of those years. "But I dealt with it and all that is
behind me now. I have made a great step forward. "I wasn't happy last year
and I am moving on, hopefully I'll keep taking the right steps. I have the
ability and I've just got to maintain it."
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Upson feels for Dyer - SSN
Upson understands Dyer's injury nightmare
By Steven Morrison Last updated: 4th September 2007
West Ham defender Matthew Upson has spoken of his empathy for new team-mate
Kieron Dyer after the midfielder broke his leg in just his third appearance
for the club. Dyer broke his leg in two places during The Hammers' Carling
Cup tie with Bristol Rovers last week after a challenge by Joe Jacobson. The
former Birmingham and Arsenal defender said "It turns your stomach, doesn't
it? I think a few of the boys heard the noise, it is not pleasant."
Upson himself has had a fair share of injuries, having missed a large part
of last season after being injured in his West Ham debut in February, and
the 28-year-old expects Dyer's injury to be a test of discipline. "You can
go into a state of despair sometimes when you look at the length of time -
six months or a year out - so it is a case of getting your head together,"
he said. "You are in and around the lads with the banter and that does not
change. But you don't feel part of the team as you can't play."
Dyer had been hopeful of a successful season for club and country, having
earned an England cap earlier in the month. However he now faces the
dreadful possibility of missing the rest of the campaign.
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Egg happy to poach Brit stars - TeamTalk
West Ham's Eggert Magnusson insists it is understandable that domestic
talent costs more - but claims it still makes sense to buy British. Sports
consultants Deloitte's report shows transfer spending by English clubs this
summer has exceeded £500million, smashing the previous summer's £300million.
And although lots of foreign players have joined the Premier League,
Magnusson feels it is worth paying the price for 'proven' stars who know the
English game.
The Hammers chairman said: "You buy players who may have had a lot of
success in the Dutch league or French league for example but that doesn't
mean they are going to be successful in the Premier League. There is a bit
of a gamble to take. "You have to pay a little bit more for players who have
a proven track record in the Premiership and that's fully understandable -
and that goes whether you are talking about foreign players who have proved
themselves in the Premier League or English players."
Magnusson does think it is important for clubs to have a strong base of
domestic talent however. He added: "Sir Trevor (Brooking) can have no
problem with West Ham because we want to have a strong England team and we
believe it is important to support that and have English players at the
club."
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Reserves held by the Hammers - readingfc.premiumtv.co.uk
Posted on: Tue 04 Sep 2007
Reading 1 (Henry 26)
West Ham 1 (Cole 82)
Carlton Cole's late equaliser denied our reserves victory over West Ham this
evening. James Henry had scored direct from a wide free kick to give us the
lead in the first half, but Cole scored a top drawer finish from 30-plus
yards in the closing stages after Adam Federici couldn't get a full contact
on his clearance.
It was probably a fair result, although we had the best chances as two
strong sides played out a keenly-contested game. Reading gave a debut to
Liam Rosenior, and he put in a solid performance at right back. It was his
first full 90 minutes for around six weeks, and the former Fulham looks to
be settling in.
Dave Kitson and Leroy Lita also played the full 90, and linked up well,
especially in the first half. Kitson smashed one effort against the post,
while Lita had a couple of one-on-ones but found Hammers keeper Jimmy Walker
hard to beat. Giovanni Sio played for us on the left wing, but the triallist
ex-Nantes man only got an hour. The Hammers improved after the break, with
the introduction of half time sub Cole proving crucial. Dean Ashton played
the full game, while Christian Dailly and Luis Boa Morte also lined up. It
was an entertaining match, and both teams put together good spells in front
of a decent crowd at Aldershot's Recreation Ground. Full highlights will be
on Reading World on Wednesday.
Reading: Federici; Rosenior, Golbourne, Halls, Pearce (c); Karacan,
Sigurdsson, Henry, Sio (Bignall 59); Kitson, Lita
Subs: Kitteridge, Spence, P Cox, Illugason
Booked: Karacan (foul 67), Kitson (dissent 87)
West Ham: Walker; Pantsil, Miller, Dailly, Ngala; Collison (c), Stokes,
Reid, Boa Morte; Ashton, Hines (Cole HT)
Subs: Blackmore, Jeffery, Hales, Blackwell
Booked: Dailly (dissent 87)
Ref: A Halliday
First half
Triallist Giovanni Sio was trying hard to make an impression, and perhaps
nerves got the better of him in the sixth minute when he could only produce
a complete airshot in a very good position inside the box. West Ham had
their first foray forward on 12, with Dean Ashton making a clever run to
beat John Halls' offside trap. The former Crewe frontman turned in an
excellent cross, but Adam Federici's save was even better from Zavon Hines'
header. With a quarter of an hour gone, James Henry cut inside well and only
a good low stop from James Walker kept his effort out. A minute later the
former Walsall keeper, who played in our play-off final in 2001, produced
another good low save, this time denying Gylfi Sigurdsson's deflected
effort. Good work from Dave Kitson gave Henry half a chance, but again it
was Walker who saved, although it was comfortable. Kitson was looking to
drop deep and get involved in the play, linking things nicely from wide. One
such run from the flame-haired frontman won a free kick down the left on 26,
with two Hammers defenders having no option but to scythe him down. Henry
whipped in a good free kick, and it flummoxed both Walker in goal and the
retreating defence, nestling into the corner of the net for a deserved lead.
Two minutes later Leroy Lita was given a clear run at goal after Sio blocked
a clearance, but the frontman could only shoot straight at Walker, and a
decent chance had gone. Lita and Kitson were linking up nicely, and one
excellent dummy from Kits almost put his partner clean in. It was Kitson
again who broke the offside trap on 34 minutes, and he was desperately
unlucky not to score, seeing his thunderous effort crash back off the
upright and into the arms of the grateful Walker. A moment later good play
by Ashton allowed him to turn away from Alex Pearce, and he in turn found
Kyel Reid but his excellent strike went a couple of feet over. Not long
before the break Reading nearly made it 2-0. Henry's excellent set piece saw
Pearce get the faintest of touches on a header, but sadly it went straight
at Walker. Anywhere else and it was a goal. It had been an entertaining 45
minutes, and Brian McDermott's men deserved to be ahead, having offered far
more going forward.
Second half
The Hammers brought on Carlton Cole at half time, and the question was why
he had not been employed earlier. But, it was Reading who created the first
chance, a brilliant long ball from Liam Rosenior putting Lita in on goal,
only for the striker to shoot straight at Walker. Rosenior then produced
another very good bit of skill down the right, and there was half a handball
shout from his cross, but nothing was given. He still had his defensive
duties to do though, and a minute later put in a very good block to deny the
advancing Reid. Reading looked good down the right, and nice play from Henry
gave Sio some space in the area, but the winger couldn't take it down. The
former Nantes man had only shown flashes of his ability, and was replaced by
Nicholas Bignall just before the hour. With 65 gone Kitson was only a foot
or two away from an absolute cracker, rasping a 25-yarder that Walker could
only watch as it went just over his bar. United were coming more into the
game though, and Cole could have done better with a header but it came off
the side of his head. The former Chelsea man was a threat though, and Jem
Karacan was booked for a shirt pull as he broke clear. It was Cole who gave
West Ham an equaliser with eight minutes to go.
Federici kicked clear from the edge of his own box, but didn't connect
properly and it went more up than out. The danger still looked to have been
cleared as it fell in a melee of bodies, but it somehow came to Cole 30-plus
yards out, and with Federici perhaps out of position he unleashed a cracking
curler into the back of the net. Reading quickly looked to get back in
front, and Sigurdsson threaded a very good ball for sub Nicholas Bignall,
but his cross-cum-shot flew across goal. Kitson and Christian Dailly were
booked late on for what can best be described as handbags, and Cole had half
a chance from Halls' loose touch but Federici saved. It soon ended, and it
was a decent game, with a draw a fair reflection, although it was Reading
who had far more chances. There was plenty of entertainment, and the
decent-sized crowd were kept interested, with the likes of George Burley,
Phil Parkinson, Kevin Dillon and Nick Hammond watching closely.
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West Ham chairman Eggy: We'll keep British core
tribalfooball.com - September 04, 2007
West Ham United chairman Eggert Magnusson believes Premiership clubs should
buy British talent. Magnusson has overseen the arrivals of the likes of
Matthew Upson, Kieron Dyer and Craig Bellamy since joining the Hammers and
said: "You buy players who may have had a lot of success in the Dutch league
or French league for example but doesn't mean they are going to be
successful in the Premier League. There is a bit of a gamble to take. "You
have a pay a little bit more for players who have a proven track record in
the Premiership and that's fully understandable - and that goes whether you
are talking about foreign players who have proved themselves in the Premier
League or English players." Magnusson does think it is important for clubs
to have a strong base of domestic talent however. He added: "Sir Trevor can
have no problem with West Ham because we want to have a strong England team
and we believe it is important to support that and have English players at
the club."
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West Ham signing Solano admits Newcastle regrets
tribalfooball.com - September 04, 2007
Nolberto Solano has revealed his regret at leaving Newcastle with the club's
quest for a trophy still ongoing. The 32-year-old Peruvian departed for West
Ham on Friday - two years to the day since he returned from Aston Villa for
a second spell at St James' Park - after admitting he needed to be nearer to
his wife and children in London. He said: "I only have one regret about my
time at Newcastle United, and that is I did not help give the fans the
trophy they deserve. "I have to say the Newcastle supporters were great to
me and I can honestly say I always tried my best for them. "The only reason
I wanted to leave was because of my family, and they all seemed to
understand that. "I know I am a professional footballer, but my family is
very important to me. "My daughter Luana was born in Birmingham during my
time at Aston Villa, but my son Madias was born and bred in Newcastle and he
is a real Geordie boy. "They are in London and that's the only reason I
wanted to go down there." Solano added: "On Friday morning, I had changed my
mind and I was convinced I would be staying - and I was happy at that. "But
looking at the great squad Newcastle have got, I accepted I would not play
that many matches this season and for that reason - and my family - I
thought it was best to go when West Ham came back in for me."
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Reading's Duberry: I wish I could meet Bellamy in boxing ring!
tribalfooball.com - September 04, 2007
Reading defender Michael Duberry enjoyed his tussle with Craig Bellamy, the
West Ham United striker, in the 3-0 defeat on Saturday. "There were a few
words," the defender said. "You don't take it personally, but you'd love it
to be a boxing match sometimes."
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West Ham's Solano: I'll return to Newcastle - when Shearer is manager!
tribalfooball.com - September 04, 2007
West Ham United signing Nobby Solano wants to return to Newcastle United -
as a coach under manager Alan Shearer! Solano told the Evening Chronicle:
"It will be great to come back so soon because everything happened so fast
on Friday I did not have much time to say many goodbyes. "You never know, I
might be back permanently one day as manager of Newcastle United. "Or as a
coach if Alan Shearer is looking for one in years to come!"
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West Ham's Dyer: Cisse my inspiration
tribalfooball.com - September 04, 2007
Crocked West Ham United midfielder Kieron Dyer is using Djibril Cisse as
inspiration as he recovers from a double leg fracture suffered last week.
Dyer told whufc.com: "As I said before, the doctors were delighted with how
the operation went and if there are any consolations to this, they did
explain to me that the best place to break your leg is in the middle of the
shin because there are usually more complications when it is closer to the
ankle, like what happened to Dean Ashton, but my break has happened in a
much safer place. "If you look at a player like Djibril Cisse, who used to
play for Liverpool, he had exactly the same injury as me and he has
obviously come back and made a full recovery, which holds me in good stead
as I plan to do exactly the same and be back playing for West Ham and
England."
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Dyer: Solano big signing for West Ham
tribalfooball.com - September 04, 2007
Kieron Dyer says his former Newcastle teammate Nobby Solano will be a
"wonderful acquisition" for West Ham United. Dyer, recovering from a double
leg fracture, told whufc.com: "It was funny because he was having his
medical in the same hospital as me at about 11pm on Friday night so he
obviously popped in to see me and tell me he was my team mate again which
brought a huge smile to my face. "I had a great relationship with him on
and off the pitch at Newcastle. He's going to be a wonderful acquisition for
the team and I know the fans will adore him so it is a great signing for
West Ham."
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Player of the Month - August - WestHamOnline.com
Vinny - Tue Sep 4 2007
MARK NOBLE
Games in August
Manchester City (h)
Birmingham (a)
Wigan (h)
Bristol Rovers (a)
Mark Noble is the winner of the first Player of the Month award this season
after a bright opening few games to his season. Despite a poor start against
Manchester City it was clear against Birmingham that he is much better as
the attacking midfielder as he totally ran that game and ended up being the
one who took and scored the penatly that gave us all three points. Against
Manchester City he was playing along side Lee Bowyer in the midfield and had
to sit deeper to allow Bowyer to get forward, and being up against some
tough City midfielders this proved to be a difficult ask for the 20 year
old. At St Andrews we got to see what he was all about, with lots of good
passing and lots of skill. He showed he has more than enough abilty to beat
his man, and continues to show his desire and determination for this club.
He was excellent again at home to Wigan, despite a poor result. One moment
he would be putting in a crunching tackle, the next he would be skilfully
beating his man and playing a nice pass to a teammate. He came on as sub for
Kieron Dyer against Bristol Rovers early on and once again put in a solid
all round performance. Whoever is going to be dropped when Ljungberg and
Parker return - it certainly won't be Mark Noble.
In Second place was Craig Bellamy, who I think people were voting for
because of his great performance against Reading which people obviously
couldn't grasp was in September and not August. But I suppose you could have
voted him for his two excellent goals against Bristol Rovers and his bags of
effort in the league games.
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NICHOLSON: RAMS SHOULD BE APPLAUDED FOR REBUFFING OFFERS FOR STAR GILES -
thisisderbyshire.co.uk
09:30 - 04 September 2007
West Ham United led the chase for Giles Barnes on the day the transfer
window closed. Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United have been keeping a
close eye on the talented 19-year-old but the firm move came from the
Hammers. They had made a derisory offer of £2m a few weeks earlier but came
back on Friday with a substantial offer, which Derby County rejected. The
club has been criticised for adding only Kenny Miller to the squad before
the window slammed shut but Derby should be applauded for their stance on
Barnes. Saying "no" to West Ham's advances was the right decision for the
club and the player at this time. Derby will need the pace, power and
unpredictability Barnes can provide. His style could upset Premier League
opponents. Barnes is also in the right place to develop properly. First, he
needs to fully recover his fitness following a foot injury and then he needs
to show what many are predicting - that he can cut it in the top flight.
Once fit, he is more likely to taste regular action with Derby than he would
if he moved to another club, where he could disappear in their squad, as
happened to Tom Huddlestone at Tottenham. Huddlestone is starting to
flourish at White Hart Lane this season but he has had to bide his time in
the past two years. If Barnes tears up the Premier League it will be good
for him and Derby. He is an asset which should increase in value.
If he fulfils the potential people see in him, he will move to a bigger
club, and one bigger than West Ham, but the move will be when the time and
price is right for Derby. As chairman Peter Gadsby points out, gone are the
days when the club could be pushed into a corner because it desperately
needed cash to survive.
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Toshack: Bellamy buzzing at West Ham
tribalfooball.com - September 04, 2007
Wales boss John Toshack is thrilled with the form of West Ham striker Craig
Bellamy. He said: "I am delighted to see how well Craig has done at West
Ham. After the start he has had he will probably be ready to take on the
world now. "I have also noted West Ham manager Alan Curbishley's comments
about Craig and the way he has hit form already this season. "That is good
to hear and I just hope he can continue in that vein for us in the next two
internationals."
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West Ham will get Shorey - Sportigo
Tue, Sep 4, 07 13:02
Mark Apostolou
The Premier League transfer window may be closed until January, but the
rumour mill churns out more gossip and news as to who is going where - and
when. Plus Portsmouth, Reading and Real Madrid. 'Ironically, England
international Shorey was spectacularly off-form when the Hammers annihilated
Steve Coppell's side at the weekend' Reading will offer Nicky Shorey a
'Royal' salary and make him the club's best-paid player of all time in order
to stop him joining West Ham in the next transfer window (Daily Mirror).
However, there are many reports that claim nothing will stop the full-back
from joining the east London club (various).
Ironically, the 26-year-old England international was spectacularly off-form
when the Hammers annihilated Steve Coppell's side at the weekend. Alan
Curbishley's £4m bid for Shorey prior to the window closing was deemed
derisory by Reading and would, I imagine, need to be doubled before Coppell
gave up and let the want-away defender leave.
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Club v Country Concern For West Ham - West Ham Fans.org
Submitted by Neville Nixon on 4 September, 2007 - 13:36.
The fixture gap caused by the break for International games provides a
welcome break for managers and back room staff to spend time helping their
injured players back, but at the same time teams that have a host of
Internationals, as is the case with West Ham, also have to hope and pray
that the walking wounded list isn't extended by injuries to key players.
With a comprehensive injury list already to deal with the last thing needed
is for players to come back injured, Hammers have suffered more than enough
injury trauma both domestically and Internationally.
Of course playing for your country is the dream but getting injured in the
process is the nightmare, Craig Bellamy will proudly lead Wales out as
captain as long as his niggling groin injury doesn't rule him out, and
herein lies the quandary. In reality it would be better for West Ham if
Bellamy used the two weeks to recover fully, but there isn't a hope in hell
that he won't play!
Of course if the forthcoming matches were just friendlies ways and means
could have been used to gracefully decline appearing, but given the
importance of the fixtures the club has to back down, and so it should.
Despite the catastrophic effect injuries acquired while on International
duty can have on a team the profile gained through International recognition
and appearances can attract top players and as such is a trade off, when
things go well a club can really benefit from the exposure it's players
receive, of course Hammers fans are only too aware of the consequences
should things go badly.
In all West Ham will have eight players away and at risk of picking up
injuries, but bearing in mind how bad the club's luck has been this might
just be the time when everyone comes back unscathed, West Ham are due a bit
of luck injurywise. - Ed
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