08/10/2007 09:59
Hammers boss Alan Curbishley is hoping that the forthcoming Euro 2008
qualifiers will bring some much-needed respite to an overcrowded West Ham
United treatment room.
"I need this two-week break because I don't even know whether we've got 11
fit players at the moment," announced Curbs after seeing the names of the
luckless Dean Ashton and Henri Camara added to the injury list during
Saturday's 0-1 defeat at Villa Park. "We're really stretched at the moment
and are copping it right now. Long-termers like Julien Faubert and Kieron
Dyer are out, while we've also got Anton Ferdinand, Scott Parker and Craig
Bellamy absent, too.
"Dean Ashton has tweaked his medial ligament and I'd imagine that a comeback
within a week or a fortnight is looking tight, while Henri Camara has hurt
his hamstring, George McCartney took a knock and Luis Boa Morte picked up a
dead leg. That's par for the course for us at the moment and we just can't
get a settled side together.
"We're not going to use it as an excuse, but even before the Aston Villa
game, we had £27million-worth of players out of action and that's a big hit.
Not many teams could cope with that.
"It's been five, long weeks since Craig Bellamy was streaking away from
Reading's defence but after having the same surgeon and the same operation
as Michael Owen on Thursday, he did a little bit of running on Friday,"
revealed Curbs, who understandably has mixed feelings about Wales' upcoming
Euro 2008 qualifiers in Cyprus and San Marino. "It's a difficult situation
because if Craig's fit, then he could get some match fitness back before he
plays for us against Sunderland but, then again, what happens if he breaks
down? I just want him back!"
And how Curbs could have done with his club record signing at Villa Park,
where Craig Gardner's disputed, deflected, first-half, free-kick settled the
outcome of match, in which West Ham were well worthy of a point.
"We gave it our best shot but we just missed that cutting edge today,"
observed the Hammers' boss. "Perhaps a Bellamy or one of the others might
have taken those chances that fell our way in the second half.
"It was a tough game. Villa were a bit more aggressive than us, while we
didn't start sure-footed enough and our centre-halves had a bit to do
against their centre-forwards. They got ahead because of that but we were
also disappointed with the free-kick that led to their goal because I didn't
think it was a foul. After a bit of a tussle, Gabby Agbonlahor slipped and
the referee was possibly a bit too hasty in awarding it but you either get
those or you don't.
"Then the actual free-kick deflected off Danny Gabbidon but if Robert Green
had got sight of it, I reckon he would've saved it. When you put someone on
the line you take that risk and while, overall, we're in front by putting
people there in those situations, it backfired on us at Villa Park.
"Freddie Ljungberg had a good goal ruled out against Arsenal last week, too,
so perhaps a bit of luck will return to us against Sunderland," concluded
Curbs, who saw enough second-half signals to suggest that he can enjoy a
change in fortunes, when Roy Keane's Black Cats come to town on October 21.
"We were certainly more aggressive after the break and although we just
didn't have enough to get back into it, on another day, we certainly
would've picked up a point.
"Despite all the injuries, we showed that we're digging in and now we've got
to re-group and see who've we've got available on Sunday week.
"Perhaps this fortnight's break will help us, I just hope that all of my
players come back from international duty okay."
By Steve Blowers
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Onwards and Upwards for Upson - WHUFC
08/10/2007 14:05
Matthew Upson is focusing firmly on the positives as West Ham look to move
on from a disappointing result at Aston Villa.
The 28-year-old is one of only three players, along with Robert Green and
George McCartney, to have started all eight of the club's league games this
season - a strong sign that the seven-times capped England defender appears
to have put his injury troubles firmly behind him. On Saturday at Villa
Park, only a deflected Craig Gardner free-kick separated the sides but
rather than dwell on what might have been, Upson is already looking ahead to
the visit of Sunderland on Sunday week.
"We lost our way a little bit for about ten minutes in the first half and
probably weren't at the races as much as we should have been," he said.
"There were a few minor errors that led to us being punished, which is what
the Premier League is all about. We need to take that away and get better at
that but there are a lot of plus points, it's not all negative stuff and
we'll take that and move on to the next game."
Despite a third league reverse in a row, West Ham sit in eleventh place in
the league table and Upson remained confident. He said: "It's followed a
consistent pattern of us having opportunities and not getting anything out
of the game, which is rather annoying, but that's football. You've got to
think it's going to turn around if we keep believing in ourselves, passing
the ball well and trying to play as we have done in the last three games
then the results will come our way.
"I think we have a good blend of players and I think we passed the ball
around quite well and created chances. We weren't quite clinical enough to
take any but at least we created the opportunities and had the belief to
pass the ball and want to play. We can't lose that, we'll keep working at
that and we'll get better."
Upson could also take small satisfaction from wiping out the memory of his
last trip to Villa Park in February when he picked up a serious calf injury
on his West Ham debut. "It's nice to walk off the pitch to be honest. It's
just one of those things. I enjoy playing every week, wherever it is doesn't
really bother me, but hopefully the hoodoo is behind me."
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Gabbidon reflects on first league start - WHUFC
08/10/2007 15:47
Danny Gabbidon has told whutv he cannot wait for the chance to return to
action with West Ham after making his first league start of the season.
The Wales defender impressed when replacing the injured Anton Ferdinand in
the 1-0 defeat by Arsenal on 29 September and did enough to earn a place in
Ferdinand's absence alongside Matthew Upson at Aston Villa on Saturday.
Despite a strong away performance, particularly in the second half, West Ham
ultimately went down 1-0 to a Craig Gardner free-kick that was first awarded
against Gabbidon and which then struck him on its way past Robert Green.
Speaking to whutv, Gabbidon revealed it "was a frustrating afternoon" that
was compounded by "disappointing" injuries, including a knee problem
suffered by striker Dean Ashton that has seen him withdrawn from the England
squad. He added: "Obviously with the free-kick and the goal, we didn't play
too well in the first half," he said. "I thought second half we played a lot
better and created a few chances and obviously it is frustrating we didn't
get a goal. Fair play to Villa they came out of the blocks well, got a goal
and held on."
The 28-year-old said West Ham had a big enough squad to cope with the
injuries and hoped a few players would return to fitness while he and James
Collins, an unused substitute on Saturday, are away with Wales on EURO 2008
duty in Cyprus this Saturday and then in San Marino the following Wednesday.
"Hopefully after these two weeks we will come back and be focused and look
to picking up three points against Sunderland," he said.
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Curbs happy with break - SSN
West Ham boss ready for international week
By Graeme Bailey Last updated: 8th October 2007
West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is looking forward to the international break
as he hopes it will help the club's injury crisis. The Hammers have a big
injury list, which was added to at the weekend with Dean Ashton, George
McCartney and Luis Boa Morte all picking up injuries in the defeat at Aston
Villa. Ashton's knee ligament problem has ruled him out of England's plans
for the forthcoming Euro 2008 games with Estonia and Russia, and Curbishley
is not expecting him back inside two weeks. "I need this two-week break
because I don't even know whether we've got 11 fit players at the moment,"
said Curbishley. "We're really stretched at the moment and are copping it
right now. Long-termers like Julien Faubert and Kieron Dyer are out, while
we've also got Anton Ferdinand, Scott Parker and Craig Bellamy absent. "Dean
Ashton has tweaked his medial ligament and I'd imagine that a comeback
within a week or a fortnight is looking tight, while Henri Camara has hurt
his hamstring. "George McCartney took a knock and Luis Boa Morte picked up a
dead leg. That's par for the course for us at the moment and we just can't
get a settled side together. "We're not going to use it as an excuse, but
even before the Aston Villa game, we had £27million worth of players out of
action and that's a big hit. Not many teams could cope with that. "It's been
five, long weeks since Craig Bellamy was streaking away from Reading's
defence but after having the same surgeon and the same operation as Michael
Owen on Thursday, he did a little bit of running on Friday.
"Despite all the injuries, we showed that we're digging in and now we've got
to re-group and see who we've got available on Sunday week. "Perhaps this
fortnight's break will help us, I just hope that all of my players come back
from international duty okay."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Danny: Hammers willing to learn - TeamTalk
Danny Gabbidon insists he cannot wait for the chance to return to action
with West Ham after making his first league start of the season. The Wales
defender impressed when he replaced the injured Anton Ferdinand in the 2-1
home defeat by Arsenal on 29 September, and did enough to earn a place in
Ferdinand's absence alongside Matthew Upson in the defeat at Aston Villa on
Saturday. West Ham went down 1-0 to a Craig Gardner free-kick that was first
awarded against Gabbidon and which then struck him on its way past Robert
Green. Gabbidon said: "Obviously with the free-kick and the goal, we didn't
play too well in the first half. "I thought second half we played a lot
better and created a few chances and obviously it is frustrating we didn't
get a goal. "Fair play to Villa they came out of the blocks well, got a goal
and held on." His defensive partner against Villa, Upson, is focusing on the
positives as he looks to forget the disappointment of losing the Marton
O'Neill's men. The 28-year-old is one of only three players, along with
goalkeeper Green and defender George McCartney, to have started all eight of
the club's league games this season. But rather than dwell on what might
have been, Upson is already looking ahead to the visit of Sunderland on
Sunday week. He said: "We lost our way a little bit for about 10 minutes in
the first half and probably weren't at the races as much as we should have
been. "There were a few minor errors that led to us being punished, which is
what the Premier League is all about. "We need to take that away and get
better at that but there are a lot of plus points. It's not all negative
stuff and we'll take that and move on to the next game. "I think we have a
good blend of players and I think we passed the ball around quite well and
created chances. "We weren't quite clinical enough to take any but at least
we created the opportunities and had the belief to pass the ball and want to
play. We can't lose that, we'll keep working at that and we'll get better."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Curbs fears the worst over Ashton - TeamTalk
Alan Curbishley fears Dean Ashton could be out for more than a fortnight
after he injured knee ligaments in West Ham's defeat at Aston Villa. It was
a cruel blow for the striker who was forced to pull out of the England squad
for the forthcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia.
Ashton's injury is the latest in a line of untimely blows for Curbishley who
is now hoping that the international break will bring some much-needed
respite for an overcrowded treatment room. Curbishley said: "I need this
two-week break because I don't even know whether we've got 11 fit players at
the moment. "We're really stretched at the moment and are copping it right
now. Long-termers like Julien Faubert and Kieron Dyer are out, while we've
also got Anton Ferdinand, Scott Parker and Craig Bellamy absent. "Dean
Ashton has tweaked his medial ligament and I'd imagine that a comeback
within a week or a fortnight is looking tight, while Henri Camara has hurt
his hamstring. "George McCartney took a knock and Luis Boa Morte picked up a
dead leg. That's par for the course for us at the moment and we just can't
get a settled side together. "We're not going to use it as an excuse, but
even before the Aston Villa game, we had £27million-worth of players out of
action and that's a big hit. Not many teams could cope with that. "It's been
five, long weeks since Craig Bellamy was streaking away from Reading's
defence but after having the same surgeon and the same operation as Michael
Owen on Thursday, he did a little bit of running on Friday. "Despite all the
injuries, we showed that we're digging in and now we've got to re-group and
see who we've got available on Sunday week.
"Perhaps this fortnight's break will help us, I just hope that all of my
players come back from international duty okay."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ashton blow for England - SSN
Forward joins Johnson on sidelines for England
By Peter O'Rourke Last updated: 8th October 2007
West Ham striker Dean Ashton has been ruled out of England's Euro 2008
qualifiers with Estonia and Russia. Ashton has been forced to withdraw from
the squad after picking up an injury in West Ham's defeat at Aston Villa at
the weekend. The former Crewe hit-man sustained a medial knee ligament
injury and he faces a few weeks on the sidelines. The news is a major blow
for Ashton after he was recalled to the squad for the first time since
winning his first call-up against Greece in August 2006. Ashton joins
Everton's Andy Johnson in withdrawing from the squad, with Toffees boss
David Moyes confirming his player requires ankle surgery.
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Deanos A No No And Bellars A So So For West Ham - West Ham Fans.org
Submitted by Neville Nixon on 8 October, 2007 - 22:07.
Wales captain, Craig Bellamy, and England International hopeful Dean Ashton
are both recovering from their respective injuries. Ashton is unlikely to be
fit for another six weeks whereas Bellamy could well be available for
Hammers next fixture against Sunderland at the Boleyn. Alan Curbishley
should definitely take another look underneath his Mercedes to see if he has
the remnants of a black cat stuck underneath, injuries to seven of his new
signings( in order of severity), Kieron Dyer, Julien Faubert, Nigel Quashie,
Callum Davenport, Scotty Parker, Henri Camara and Craig Bellamy, in addition
to Bobby Zamora and Dean Ashton means that the beleaguered Hammers manager
has embraced the International break with the fervor of a man under
pressure. It was a bit disconcerting for fans to see their team's manager to
publicly state that "everything that could go wrong has" for two reasons,
firstly that such a statement invites further bad luck and secondly that it
sends out a 'loser message'.
OK West Ham have had a crap load of injuries so far this season, and maybe
Curbishley's buying policy is a bit suspect, but at the end of the day
football is all about the highs and the lows and good luck as well as bad.
Put it this way, at the crucial run in at the end of the season whether
fighting for a European place or just making sure of Premiership safety,
West Ham will be a club that has strength in depth returning, a facility a
few other clubs will not have. - Ed
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Ephraim Loan Extended - rivals.net
By Tony Gibson
Date: 9/10/2007
QPR have extended the loan spell of Hogan Ephraim for a further month. The
West Ham midfielder will stay at Loftus Road until Tuesday 6th November.
Hogan was due to play his last game for the R's tonight against Norwich. But
the deal has now been extended a further month until Tuesday 6th November
and can play against Coventry that very night. Ephraim has made 10
appearances for the R's this season, scoring one goal againt Colchester last
week.
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Etherington in West Ham contract talks
tribalfooball.com - October 08, 2007
West Ham winger Matthew Etherington is in contract talks after overcoming
problems with gambling. The midfield player's deal expires at the end of
next season. He has made 141 league appearances since he joined from
Tottenham Hotspur four years ago.
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Solano accepts limited West Ham role
tribalfooball.com - October 08, 2007
Peru winger Nolberto Solano believes his lack of first-team football at West
Ham will not affect him during the World Cup qualifiers. The 32-year-old is
yet to play for the London club since arriving at Upton Park but he is
confident his experience will shine through for the national team. Solano,
who has arrived in Lima for Saturday's match with Paraguay and the game with
Chile four days later, said: "Lack of matches does not make me feel
desperate. "I'm very experienced in football. It's true, I'm not playing,
but remember the Premier League has just started." The former Newcastle man
said it has been a subject of discussion with Peru coach Jose del Solar,
adding: "I have already talked to him and he told me to be calm. "We have to
start the campaign on the right foot. The Paraguay game is very important
for us and we have to win it."
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Dean Ashton's out - The Mirror
By Chris Wilson 08/10/2007
Dean Ashton will miss England's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and
Russia after picking up a knee injury at the weekend. The 23-year-old
striker suffered the injury during West Ham's defeat by Aston Villa on
Saturday. Ashton was originally brought into Steve McClaren's squad at the
start of last season but missed out then after breaking an ankle break in
training. "It almost seems as if there's something against me," he said.
AdvertisementIn related news, Everton striker Andrew Johnson will also miss
the game because of an ankle injury, while Michael Owen has confirmed his
fitness, only nine days after undergoing groin surgery.
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Arsenal make cash plus player offer for West Ham goalie Green -
soccerblog.com
October 8, 2007
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is weighing up a move for West Ham United
goalkeeper Robert Green. Despite his England snub, Green is winning admirers
across the country with his performances for the Hammers this season. The
News of the World says Wenger is considering a major offer of cash plus
fullback Justin Hoyte in exchange for Green.
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Arsenal bid for West Ham keeper - Sportigo
Mon, Oct 8, 07 13:08
Mark Apostolou
The press would have us believe all sorts of transfer rumours - so make up
your own mind whether the newspaper gossip below will actually happen. Aston
Villa, Newcastle, Bolton and Real Madrid also feature in this news bulletin.
''My first option was always to stay at Arsenal. I don't want to move. But
if the boss was not here, I would have had to think'' - Cesc Fabregas
Apparently Arsenal's head honcho is planning a move for West Ham goalkeeper
Robert Green (The Sun). Even though he is constantly overlooked by England
boss Steve McClaren, Green is winning rave reviews for his Hammers form.
Apparently the deal would involve a player-plus-cash deal, with Gunners
defender Justin Hoyte favourite to be moving to Upton Park as part of the
proposed package.
Arsenal are probably only a good keeper away from being a pretty perfect
side; not that Manuel Almunia is a bad keeper, but the former Norwich No.1
is better. The Gunners have been linked with a host of fine goalies in
recent months including, among others, Newcastle's Shay Given and Bolton's
Jussi Jaaskelainen. Will this move become a reality? I think it could well
happen but what do Hammers and Gooners think?
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Boost for Hammers: Ashton could be back in three weeks - Daily Mail
Last updated at 10:42am on 8th October 2007
Dean Ashton could be back in action from his knee injury inside three weeks
after a scan revealed he has not suffered any serious damage. The West Ham
striker, who had just forced his way back into the England reckoning after
more than a year out with a broken ankle, was hurt in the 1-0 defeat at
Aston Villa.
Although the injury rules him out of the Euro 2008 qualifiers with Estonia
and Russia, it is understood he has suffered only slight damage to the
fibres of the medial ligament. West Ham manager Alan Curbishley said: "Dean
has swung his leg to clear the ball and tweaked his knee ligament. I imagine
a comeback within a couple of weeks is looking tight. Dean's worked ever so
hard to get back to fitness and this latest setback just sums us up." Craig
Bellamy, who has undergone a hernia operation, was back running yesterday
and should be fit to return for West Ham's next match against Sunderland on
21 October.
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