Rush job for Curbs - SSN
Deadline day deals - at the death - for West Ham
By Alex Dunn Last updated: 3rd September 2007
Alan Curbishley has spoken of the lengths he went to in order to get the
right players into Upton Park, with the West Ham boss doing deals at the
death on deadline day. Upon being handed a healthy transfer kitty in the
summer, Curbishley left no stone unturned in his bid to add quality
acquisitions to the East End and on Friday - up until the final minutes of
the deadline - he was working tirelessly. Having already wrapped up a deal
for Newcastle wide man Nolberto Solano, Curbishley raided Wigan for Henri
Camara, a player he has long-since admired. "With all our injuries, we had
to do something on deadline day and both our chairman Eggert Magnusson and
his number two Scott Duxbury worked ever so hard to bring two players in,"
he told the club's official website.
"I was welcoming the players to the club at around 1:00am yet earlier, as
midnight approached, we hadn't even been sure whether anything was going to
happen. "Then suddenly everything went through - we only signed Henri Camara
with four minutes to spare - and we're delighted. "Henri's always been a bit
of a threat whenever he's played against us, while Nolberto Solano can play
at right midfield or right-back. "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. We're pleased with the business we've done and, hopefully, we
can go on and have a decent season."
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Winger eyes regular role - SSN
Etherington to continue hard-work
By James Dall Last updated: 3rd September 2007
Matthew Etherington has admitted that competition in the West Ham side is
fierce, but the winger is determined to keep his place in the starting XI.
Hammers boss Alan Curbishley has strengthened his squad with 10 players this
summer, however Etherington got the nod to start against Reading and scored
a brace.
West Ham went on to win the game 3-0 and the pacey wide-man put in a
man-of-the-match performance. Etherington believes his hard work during
pre-season paid dividends and is now focused on keeping the likes of Luis
Boa Morte out of the side. "There is a lot of competition for places here at
the moment," Etherington said. "The manager brought a lot of good quality
over the summer so we all have to work that much harder to win our place in
the team. "I got my head down over pre-season and worked hard, came off the
bench against Manchester City and got my place in the team and now I just
need to make sure I keep it."
Curbishley explained that Etherington and Boa Morte have both been competing
for the wide-left position, and the rivalry is fierce. "Since Luis came in
there's been a bit of a tussle between the two of them but he (Etherington)
worked hard in pre-season and, just like Lee Bowyer recently, Matty's
grabbed his opportunity," Curbishley said. "I'm delighted for all the boys
who have come into the team because they've really stepped up to the plate."
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Bellamy tipped to Hammer Germans - TeamTAlk
Wales manager John Toshack believes his captain Craig Bellamy "will be ready
to take on the world" after his early-season form with West Ham. The striker
has scored three times in two games, including a cracker against Reading on
Saturday, and looks to have settled in quickly at Upton Park. Toshack, who
has also hailed the impact 18-year-old Gareth Bale has made since joining
Tottenham, now wants to see his senior players give everything they have
against Germany in their Euro 2008 qualifier in Cardiff on Saturday. Wales
will be massive underdogs against the unbeaten Group D leaders at the
Millennium Stadium, before they head off to face Slovakia in Bratislava the
following Wednesday. And Toshack knows he needs big performances from his
experienced Premier League players. 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."
Toshack witnessed Bale's first goal for Spurs on Saturday against Fulham,
and said: "He scored a very good goal and has really taken to the Premier
League.
"He has only had two full games so far this term, plus 45 minutes for us in
Bulgaria, when he showed up really well after a long spell out injured. We
are fortunate that a few of our lads have hit good form already. Our keeper
Wayne Hennessey and Freddy Eastwood at Wolves, in particular." Wales have
James Collins, Bellamy, Jason Koumas, Carl Fletcher and Carl Robinson back
after all missed the surprise win in Bulgaria last month. Danny Collins
(ankle), Danny Nardiello (back) and Paul Parry (personal reasons) have all
pulled out while Wrexham defender Steve Evans has joined up with the squad
despite having an X-ray on an ankle problem, which will be monitored over
the coming days. Toshack is clearly not impressed by Collins' absence and
said: "Danny has said that he would rather get his ankle right these next
two weeks rather than come with us, because he is concerned about his
Sunderland place. "He has lost his place once at Sunderland this season and
has just got back into the side. "I am disappointed, and I do not know yet
whether this will affect his international future. "He asked not to be
considered for these two games. Maybe he has looked around the squad and
seen that he won't be getting much of a game with the options we have on the
left of defence. "If players these days feel they are not going to be
involved they sometimes seem reluctant to spend 10 days with the squad. "He
says he is concerned with keeping his Sunderland place, but we can't just
have people hopping in and out of the squad when it suits them.
"We are trying, though, to bring in a lot of new players and maybe he has
seen that Joe Ledley and Gareth Bale are likely to start on the left-hand
side."
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I gambled so much I hit rock bottom - The Mirror
ETHERINGTON ADMITS DEMONS WHICH ALMOST DESTROYED HIM
John Cross 04/09/2007
West Ham wide boy Matthew Etherington last night admitted he "hit rock
bottom" because of his gambling addictions. The winger spent a week in the
renowned Sporting Chance clinic undergoing treatment for his gambling habit
last season. Etherington, 26, blew tens of thousands of pounds on horses,
greyhounds and in card schools - and even owned up that he could not
remember the last day when he did not have a bet. He was left in total
despair as his gambling addiction spiralled out of control at the end of
2006. While the majority of the Hammers' stars were driving round in Baby
Bentleys and enjoying all the trappings of being Premier League stars,
Etherington was in a VW Golf fearing that his Upton Park career was over.
Boss Alan Curbishley was forced to impose a gambling ban on his first-team
squad as keeper Roy Carroll also went into rehab, while high stakes
late-night card schools ripped team spirit apart.
Curbishley was desperate to break up the dressing room culture that he
inherited. He tried to sell Etherington in January and the ex-Tottenham
winger also nearly left this summer. But Etherington has gone a long way to
earning a reprieve from Curbishley, fighting his way back from the brink of
disaster to reclaim full fitness, form and a place into the first team.
Etherington announced his return to his best with a two-goal display in
Saturday's win at Reading - and has spoken publicly for the first time about
kicking his gambling habit. "I did hit rock bottom last season and it was
probably a reflection on my form," confessed Etherington. "I didn't play
anywhere near my best. I realise that and I am sure a lot of other people
realise that. "I let myself down and I realise that. I hold my hands up, but
I dealt with it and all that's behind me now and I'm looking forward. I've
made a great step forward. "You have got to maintain that and keep on the
right side of it. I am more than over that, more than happy in my life now.
I wasn't happy last year but I moving on and hopefully will keep taking the
right steps. "I suppose you get a time in your career where things don't go
right for you and last year was one of those years. "This season is a new
season, a new start for me and I've started off well. Hopefully I can move
on to even bigger and better things." Last season, West Ham was a viper's
nest full of egos, poor discipline and under-performing players. They pulled
things together to beat the drop on the final day of the campaign, and
Etherington believes that it will serve as a wake-up call. He said: "I've
had a very good pre-season. "I knew I'd have a lot of competition for my
place and I've just worked really hard, kept my head down and hopefully I
can keep up this form and push on. "I know I have the ability and I've just
got to try to maintain it and not take things for granted. How we got out of
what we did last season I don't know. It was unbelievable. Our run at the
end of the season was title-winning form. "This year is a matter of doing it
week-in, week-out and we know we can do it because we've got a lot of
quality now. If we do, then we should finish in the top half of the table."
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Adriano pays price for his party lifestyle - Daily Mail
Last updated at 23:31pm on 3rd September 2007
Inter Milan striker Adriano, whose £125,000-a-week wage demands priced him
out of a move to Manchester City and West Ham, has been accused of spending
his money on a playboy lifestyle. Brazilian Adriano, 25, told West Ham that
he would reconsider a loan move to the Premier League in January but Alan
Curbishley may be more than perturbed to hear Italian reports say he has
been dropped from Inter's Champions League squad, with his poor form blamed
on his party lifestyle. Adriano is alleged to be spending £28,000 a week
living in the suite of a five-star Milan hotel, despite having a home on the
outskirts of the city, and partying. His drinking has already cost him club
fines and suspensions for missing training. Adriano has admitted having a
booze problem. He said: 'I like going to nightclubs and discos and try to
get rid of my problems through alcohol.'
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Sir Trevor Brooking's fear over foreigners - Telegraph
By Jeremy Wilson
Last Updated: 2:09am BST 04/09/2007
Sir Trevor Brooking has issued a stark warning over the future of English
football by predicting that the huge increase in overseas players threatens
to seriously harm the national team for generations.
A new study by Deloitte yesterday revealed that about half of a
record-breaking £531 million spent this year on players by the Premier
League went to overseas clubs. It means the overall percentage of English
players starting in Premier League teams is likely to continue to fall
further behind the comparative figures of other major European football
nations.
England's chances of qualifying for next summer's Euro 2008 lie firmly in
the balance and Brooking, disappointed to see the Under-17s eliminated in
their World Cup by Germany on Sunday, fears for the success of future senior
campaigns. "I think it [the future of the national team] has to be under
threat - the numbers show that," said Brooking, the Football Association's
director of football development, in an interview with BBC's Inside Sport.
"Last year about 40 per cent of the starting XIs in the Premier League were
English and with the upsurge of money in the game and all the buying that
has gone on over the summer that will probably fall to under a third. If you
look at Italy when they won the last World Cup, I think they had over 70 per
cent of their league made up of domestic players. Spain, France, Holland,
they're all up there in the 60 per cents. The more that goes down, and the
pool of choice reduces, we must come under pressure.
"The more you buy in the overseas players that will become more of a
problem. In 10 years' time you don't want us just being pleased to qualify
for tournaments." Brooking cites the struggle to replace the injured Wayne
Rooney for Saturday's qualifier against Israel as evidence of his concerns.
"I don't think you can underestimate [the threat] and people are just
starting to identify it," he said. "Two or three years ago most people in
the game would say they saw it coming but hoped we'd get by with some of the
current squad and one or two youngsters, but we have nowhere near the depth
we should have and that will be an issue as soon as you pick up injuries."
Brooking knows that the influx in foreign owners with limited interest in
the national team will do little to ease the dangers. He is also frustrated
the FA are powerless to become involved if a club's academy underperforms
and has called on administrators to work together on a single, coherent plan
to raise standards among youngsters. An extraordinary summer of transfers
saw clubs look overseas. The overall spending in the Premier League has
risen by almost £200 million compared to last year and has more than doubled
over the last three years.
advertisementNew owners at Premier League clubs combined with the increase
in broadcast payments to clubs for the 2007-08 season have been catalysts
for the unprecedented rise in spending. The clubs who invested the most in
new players in 2007 were Manchester United (£51 million), Liverpool (£50
million), Tottenham (£40 million) and Sunderland (£35 million). Arsenal and
Chelsea both had net transfer receipts of about £10 million in 2007.
Twelve Premier League clubs spent more than £20 million in the recent
transfer window, compared with only three last year, suggesting there may be
a greater competitive balance within the League following the rise in
television revenue.
The average transfer fee paid by Premier League clubs increased from around
£3.5 million last year to £4 million this summer, while the number of
transfers for a fee exceeded 100 for the first time.
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Inter Milan's Adriano open to West Ham move
tribalfooball.com - September 03, 2007
Inter Milan striker Adriano is ready for more talks with West Ham United in
the coming weeks. Adriano has informed Hammers boss Alan Curbishley he would
consider a loan move to Upton Park when the market reopens in January, says
the Daily Mail.
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West Ham boss Curbishley delighted with Mullins, Etherington
tribalfooball.com - September 03, 2007
West Ham boss Alan Curbishley has praised midfield pair Matthew Etherington
and Hayden Mullins for their early season form. Since Luis (Boa Morte) came
in there's been a bit of a tussle between the two of them but he
(Etherington) worked hard in pre-season and, just like Lee Bowyer recently,
Matty's grabbed his opportunity," said Curbishley. "Hayden Mullins has also
seen me go out and sign players yet he's managed to stay in the side too and
I'm delighted for the all boys who have come into the team because they've
really stepped up to the plate."
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West Ham, Man City target Adriano wanted £125,000-a-week
tribalfooball.com - September 03, 2007
Inter Milan striker Adriano priced himself out of a move to the Premiership
last week, it has been revealed. The Daily Mail says Adriano held talks with
Manchester City and West Ham United, but neither club were prepared to meet
his £125,000-a-week contract demands.
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West Ham's Ferdinand excited by Upson partnership
tribalfooball.com - September 03, 2007
Anton Ferdinand says he and Matthew Upson are developing a strong
partnership at the heart of West Ham's defence. Ferdinand told whufc.com:
"Matty is a very good player and it was very frustrating for him to be out
last season, he was just getting back into playing competitive games for
ninety minutes for the first couple of games but he is really settling into
the team now and we seem to be creating a good partnership together but we
both know there are some very good other centre-backs at this Club also
desperate to play so we have to keep playing well week in week out to stay
in the team."
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Newcastle boss Allardyce disappointed to lose Solano to West Ham
tribalfooball.com - September 03, 2007
Newcastle United boss Sam Allardyce admits he was disappointed to lose Nobby
Solano to West Ham last week. He told the Evening Chronicle: "I am
reasonably satisfied at what we have been able to do in the transfer market
in the summer. "The only disappointing one for me was Nobby, but in the end
it was the right thing to do. He needed to be with his wife and kids, who
have moved to London. "West Ham are a big club as well. He wanted that, and
we received a fee for him. We had to let it go to the wire because without
the two players we got in it could not have happened." Big Sam added: "We
are all going to miss Nobby around the dressing room, but we will not miss
that trumpet of his!"
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