02/07/2007 09:48
There will be some new faces at West Ham United's Chadwell Heath training
ground when the players return to begin their pre-season preparations this
morning.
While new signings Scott Parker and Julien Faubert are the most high-profile
arrivals, manager Alan Curbishley has also made a number of important
additions to his coaching and backroom staff ahead of the new campaign.
As revealed on whufc.com last week, former Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday
defender Glynn Snodin has been appointed First Team Coach, with Kevin Keen
reverting back to his previous role as Reserve Team Coach.
There have also been changes to the medical department. Nick Davies has
arrived from Charlton Athletic as our new Head of Sports Science, while his
former colleagues at The Valley, George Cooper and Dave Singleton, have been
appointed Head of Physiotherapy and Reserve Team Physiotherapist
respectively.
Masseur Darren Page has also headed from Charlton to join the staff, and Kit
Manager Steve Rigby is already settled having replaced the retiring Eddie
Gillam at the end of last season.
A number of staff members have also departed from Upton Park this summer,
including Physiotherapist Steve Allen and Sports Scientist Niall Clark, who
have both teamed up with former manager Alan Pardew at Charlton, Assistant
Manager Keith Peacock and reserve coach Steve Brown.
Curbs says: "I'd like to welcome our new staff members and wish them all the
best as they begin their careers at West Ham United.
"Obviously there is an irony in the fact that some of our new staff members
have joined us from Charlton while others have headed in the opposite
direction but, from my point of view, the only criteria our new additions
have been selected on is their ability to do the job, and I am certain they
will all prove their worth very quickly.
"Our aim is to beef up all departments behind the scenes at the Club, and
this may not be the end of the changes that we make."
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Faubert: This is a dream come true - WHUFC Official Site
01/07/2007 20:17
Julien Faubert admits that signing for West Ham United has made a lifelong
dream come true.
The French international midfielder completed his ?9million move from
Bordeaux on Sunday morning and, in his first interview as a Hammers player,
revealed that he can't wait to experience life in the Premier League.
"I am very happy," he says. "For me it has always been a dream to play in
the Premier League and now that dream is coming true. West Ham United is a
great club and I cannot wait to enjoy this experience.
"Things happened very quickly in the past few days. As soon as I was told
that West Ham wanted to sign me, I was very happy and saw it as a wonderful
opportunity.
"I like the fact that West Ham is recognised as a family club and I am
looking forward to being a part of this. It was similar at Bordeaux, where I
was very happy, and for me that is important.
"I have already visited the stadium and it gave me a very good feeling. It
is hard to describe, but the atmosphere was very special. I have also met
some of the people working at the Club and they have made me feel very
welcome.
"The Chairman, Mr Magnusson, is a very passionate man and has a lot of
ambition. I believe that he will bring great success to West Ham and it is
very exciting to think about being a part of that."
The 23-year-old, who made his senior debut for France in August 2006 -
scoring the winner in a 2-1 victory over Bosnia - is also aiming to enjoy
further success on the international stage, with next summer's European
Championship Finals in Austria and Switzerland a clear target.
"I hope so, because that is very important to me," he says. "First of all,
though, I have to prove myself to the manager Alan Curbishley and win a
place in the West Ham team.
"If I can play in every game then I hope that the national team coach will
recognise me and give me more opportunities to represent my country, which
is a fantastic honour.
"This is a big step for me and I am looking forward to my future here in
England. It is a very exciting opportunity and I hope I can be part of great
success at West Ham United."
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Fau's faux-par - KUMB
Filed: Sunday, 1st July 2007
By: Matthew O'Greel
New signing Julien Faubert has expressed his delight at joining West Ham
United.
Talking to whufc.com on the day his £6m switch from Bordeaux was confirmed
the 23-year-old winger said:
"For me it has always been a dream to play in the Premier League and now
that dream is coming true. West Ham United is a great club and I cannot wait
to enjoy this experience.
"Things happened very quickly in the past few days. As soon as I was told
that West Ham wanted to sign me, I was very happy and saw it as a wonderful
opportunity.
"This is a big step for me and I am looking forward to my future here in
England. It is a very exciting opportunity and I hope I can be part of great
success at West Ham United."
Faubert's admission that he is delighted to be playing in the Premier League
is nothing new - after all, as far back as last year he was quoted as saying
it 'is more than a dream, it is a priority' to play in England's top flight.
Had the French international had his way he would have been playing for one
of the Premier League's London clubs - although his preferred destination
would have been a few miles North of Upton Park.
Talking to SkySports last August, he revealed:
"Arsenal are my favourite club, I hope that one day, I could join them.
"Gael Clichy, who has started his career with me at Cannes plays there - and
it would be so great to play again with him."
Faubert can now look forward to Saturday, 29th September when Clichy and his
Arsenal colleagues visit The Boleyn Ground for what will be United's first
London derby of the season.
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Villa close in on £8m Reo-Coker - BBC Sport
Reo-Coker is Villa first major signing of the summer
Aston Villa are close to signing midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker from West Ham in
a deal worth £8m.
The England Under-21 captain is thought to have undergone a medical at
Villa's Bodymoor Heath training complex during the weekend.
Villa had tested the Hammers with a £7m bid for the 23-year-old but the
London club were said to be holding out for a fee nearer the £10m mark.
Reo-Coker handed in a transfer request to West Ham at the end of last
season.
The midfielder, who played at the 2007 European Under-21 Championship, cost
West Ham £500,000 when he moved from Wimbledon in 2004.
Last season, some supporters and critics blamed Reo-Coker for the Hammers'
slump, that saw them in the bottom three for much of the season and then
narrowly avoid relegation.
Reo-Coker's addition will come at a welcome time for Villa boss Martin
O'Neill who is currently light in midfield with Gavin McCann having moved to
Bolton and Steven Davis set to join Fulham.
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Hammers in for Barcelona hard man 2nd July 2007 - all3points.co.uk
By Staff Writer
West Ham have set their sights on Barcelona hard man Thiago Motta according
to reports over the weekend.
The Sunday Mirror claims that the Brazilian international midfielder is keen
on a move to the Premiership and that West Ham are leading the chase for his
services.
Motta, known for his hard man image, told the paper:
"The Premier League is sensational and has a style that's perfectly suited
to the way I play. I've played many games against English opposition and
believe I can enjoy football in England.
"The key at the moment is to sort out my Barca situation."
Motta could be available to West Ham on a free transfer after Barcelona
sporting director Txiki Beguristain told him he has no future at the club.
West Ham could face competition for Motta though from Manchester City and
Middlesbrough according to the paper.
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Spurs, West Ham and Arsenal fans' rivalry is healthy - so long as it's
non-violent - Sportingo.com
Mon, Jul 2, 07 08:32
Sportingo's Mark Apostolou thinks that the inter-club hatred of fans for
each other is quite acceptable, but it's difficult to tell Manchester City,
Manchester United, Everton, Liverpool, Celtic and Rangers fans that.
'it is the kind of thing that riles us and causes a great many fans to get
increasingly angry, leading to a seemingly unending comment war on message
boards'
Darren Bent has evoked the anger of supporters at Upton Park by suggesting
that his move to Spurs will serve his ambitions - his England and European
hopes - better than opting for West Ham.
Needless to say, that hasn't gone down too well with Hammers fans, but his
comments got me thinking that when players do move from one club to another
or as in this case, chose one club over another, they invariably "have a
dig" - often at fans and the club's ambitions - but more often than not with
a hidden hint that they are moving to a bigger club.
When David Beckham was transferred from Manchester United to Real Madrid he
said that he was leaving United - who were established at that time as the
biggest club in world football - to join an even bigger club. In his case
he didn't particularly want to leave, so he had a "little dig." So how can
you tell which is a bigger club? Is it a case of comparing the clubs'
histories or indeed the size of their followings? Or does it simply not
matter?
Whether you are affiliated to either West Ham or Spurs, or indeed to a side
at either end of a similar debate, it is the kind of thing that riles us and
causes a great many fans to get increasingly angry, leading to a seemingly
unending comment war on message boards. But stop for one moment - does it
matter?
Arsenal fans do not like Spurs fans! Correct. And the same is true in
reverse. And how do you upset a Tottenham supporter even more? Well, if you
are an Arsenal fan, you point out that their team is nowhere near as big or
as important as yours. You will seek to cement that claim by pointing out
something to the effect that it has been more than 40 years since Spurs
lifted the title.
Does this make one side bigger than other? Or indeed better? In pure
statistical terms, of course it does, but does history have anything to do
with today?
As a fan of a team that is infinitely smaller than any mentioned so far in
this article, I am used to being patronised by football fans and
non-football people alike. There is nothing more irritating than being told
just how small my club is by someone who has no interest in football and has
no team of his own. You know the kind of person I mean, the person who
switched his allegiance in school every Saturday around 4.45 so that on
Monday he would be extolling the virtues of whichever team happened to be
top of the Division One table (days before the Premiership, yes there was
life before 1992).
However, after being the butt of many jokes and sly digs, I can say that I
have reached the impervious stage. I simply let the insults roll off like
water off a duck's back (if you'll excuse the 12th cliché of this article).
It is not as if, because of these continuous attacks, I feel it necessary to
switch to a 'bigger' club - although when I was younger I almost did. I
realise that as football fans' hatred for other teams is a given, be it
geographically or otherwise, it is perfectly natural for them to have
nothing but contempt for each other. As long as this doesn't descend into
violence, than I am all for it. A spot of healthy competition never hurt
anyone. What I am saying is that for anyone to simply state that their club
is 'bigger' than another is just not enough.
I choose my rivalries carefully. There will always be teams that I despise;
unfortunately these teams rarely face mine as, invariably, they are playing
at different ends of the footballing spectrum (mine at the lower end!)
Rivalry is the key and it is a testament to the popularity of football that
it is more evident than in any other sport. The notion of rivalry between
two sets of supporters should not be thought of as neanderthals or something
to be dissected by academics. It should be championed and celebrated as it
is what the game it about to a large extent.
Arsenal fans have every right to feel proud of their club. Historically they
are up there with the greatest, right from the Herbert Chapman days through
to the present incumbent Arsene Wenger. That doesn't necessarily make them a
"bigger" club than either West Ham or Spurs. Again, historically, West Ham
can point to the fact they they are regarded as Britain's finest footballing
academy, a claim backed up by the unending stream of talent that finds its
way into the elite areas.
And Spurs can always point to the Bill Nicholson era and the wonderful days
of Dave Mackay and Danny Blanchflower, when they were a true force in the
game. Everton haven't always been the underdog on Merseyside and Manchester
City can trade blows with United over their particular heritage.
There is a famous saying that "what goes round, comes round" and who is to
say that Spurs and West Ham fans won't be having a jibe at their Arsenal
opposites this coming season? Let's see whether quiet man David Moyes has a
trick or two up his sleeve for the more flamboyant Rafa Banitez, and can
Sven sprinkle a bit of long lost magic at City.
The one certain thing in football is . . . you never know!
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Reo-Coker deal enters final phase?- westhamutd-mad.co.uk
Story by Barney French2 July 2007
Reports suggest Aston Villa and West Ham have come to agreement over a price
for the former England u21 captain
Only a few weeks ago O'Neill's £7mil bid was rejected and word was the
Hammers were holding out for more in the region of £10-12mil. But it is
believed Reo-Coker, who underwent a medical at Villa Park over the weekend,
will move for £8-9mil; A vast profit on the £575,000 he was bought for.
West Ham have shown since the window opened that they will not sell lightly
or under-value. Wigan had a £3mil bid for Etherington turned down - though
that may have had something to do with Whelan's shennanigans of end season -
and Paul Konchesky, wanted by Birmingham was the subject of a £3mil bid
which was also rejected out of hand.
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Striker will make his West Ham return next season - all3points.co.uk
2nd July 2007
By Staff Writer
Dean Ashton is determined to be back in the West Ham side for the start of
next season and his been back in training early to ensure he achieves his
goal.
Ashton did not kick a ball last season after breaking his ankle in a freak
accident whilst training on international duty.
To ensure he is ahead of schedule for next season, Ashton has been working
hard in Portugal on his fitness with Physiotherapist John Green.
Ashton told the Sunday Mirror: "I'm back. It went well."
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