All the background for Sunday including details of extensive WHUTV coverage
04.11.2007
West Ham United v Bolton Wanderers
Barclays Premier League
Boleyn Ground
Sunday 4 November
Kick-off: 4pm
Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)
Sky Sports
WHUTV - Live audio coverage along with behind the scenes footage in the run
up to the game including Alan Curbishley's pre-match press conference and a
chance to hear from Matthew Upson and Nolberto Solano. WHUTV also has all
the highlights and reaction from our recent successes against Sunderland,
Portsmouth and Coventy City. Click here for a special membership three-month
offer.
Team news
Mark Noble and Hayden Mullins are both in contention despite having to come
off in the midweek Carling Cup match. Manager Alan Curbishley is set to
stick with much of the personnel that won at Coventry to make it three games
unbeaten in all competitions although he has been further boosted by the
return of Nolberto Solano and Henri Camara. Both were cup-tied for Tuesday's
2-1 victory.
Carlton Cole, with two goals in three games, is set to lead the attack
again, possibly alongside Camara, while Robert Green should return in goal
at the expense of Richard Wright, who got a valuable 90 minutes in the cup.
Of those who figured at Coventry, only Anton Ferdinand (hamstring) is likely
to be missing with Danny Gabbidon possibly coming in while Jonathan Spector
and John Pantsil will hope to have impressed after substitute appearances
last time out.
Bolton, who have not won away in the league this season and have only
stopped the opposition scoring once in 18 games, are set to be without
talismanic striker Nicolas Anelka (hamstring), who has scored six goals in
league action this season. Defender Ricardo Gardner, midfielder Ivan Campo
and forward Kevin Davies were all rested for the 1-0 midweek cup defeat by
Manchester City but could return, while full-back Jloyd Samuel came through
for his first appearance since mid-September.
Background
West Ham United are eleventh with 14 points from ten games, and have at
least game in hand on all nine sides below in the league standings. A
victory would move the club into tenth position and within striking position
of the top eight.
The club have won all four league matches in which they have scored first
this season and only Chelsea of the 20 top-flight clubs have also not thrown
away a match-winning position. Bolton have not won in seven outings and are
level with last-placed Derby County. The visitors are next in action with
Thursday's trip to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup.
This fixture starts a run of three games for Curbishley's men against teams
currently occupying the relegation zone, with the next outing at Derby on
Saturday before Tottenham Hotspur, under new manager Juande Ramos, arrive on
Sunday 25 November - again in front of the Sky Sports cameras.
Last six meetings
5 May 2007 - West Ham United 3-1 Bolton Wanderers (Premier League)
9 December 2006 - Bolton Wanderers 4-0 West Ham United (Premier League)
15 March 2006 - West Ham United 2-1 Bolton Wanderers (FA Cup)
11 March 2006 - Bolton Wanderers 4-1 West Ham United (Premier League)
18 February 2006 - Bolton Wanderers 0-0 West Ham United (FA Cup)
26 October 2005 - Bolton Wanderers 1-0 West Ham United (League Cup)
Club information
All tickets are now SOLD OUT. For more information on ticketing, click here.
For more information on the Boleyn Ground, including a detailed stadium
plan, click here
Weather: The forecast for Sunday is for a clear sunny day with temperatures
set to reach around 13C.
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Solano thirsty for silverware - WHUFC
Nolberto Solano is settled in London and out for success at West Ham United
04.11.2007
This week could have been seen as a frustrating one for Nolberto Solano.
Having missed a couple of chances to put West Ham United ahead against
Portsmouth last Saturday, he then had to sit out the midweek trip to the
Ricoh Arena as he was cup-tied for the Carling Cup match against Coventry
City.
But Solano is unfazed and in cheerful mood ahead of today's Barclays Premier
League visit of Bolton Wanderers.
"It was quite disappointing to miss those chances, especially the first
one," he said of the 0-0 draw at Fratton Park. "But the week before against
Sunderland I shot against the post and it rebounded off the keeper to go in.
I'm just happy to be there to take the chances. Heading isn't my best
strength. Next time hopefully it will be different, but I'm glad to be there
getting the chances."
Seeing his team-mates battle their way through to the cup quarter-finals
with a 2-1 win against Coventry was a rewarding experience for Solano and he
is keen to play his part in bringing silverware to the Boleyn Ground.
"I want to win everything," the 32-year-old said, having missed out on
trophies at Newcastle United, the club he left in the summer. "It's
disappointing that I can't play in the Carling Cup because I've already
played in it for Newcastle. I'm really hungry to try to win something for
this club. The FA Cup awaits and that will be fantastic."
The experienced Peruvian international, who has already settled with his
wife and two children in London and describes it as a "fantastic city", is
pleased to be involved in pushing the club toward a place in the top half of
the Premier League table, which a win over today's opponents would secure
with one more game before the international break.
"I love to play and it's a big squad, which I'm really happy to be in,"
Solano said. "I'll play right-back or right-midfield - whatever the manager
decides - as long as I'm involved. I want to push the team to finish well.
There are a lot of young players in this team and we have to be mentally
strong. We have to try and take all the points we can and we need to keep
improving.
"When I came in I had to go to Peru and it meant I missed the Reading match.
I was just waiting for my chance but it's always more important how the team
is doing. I'm happy to try and push the team to finish well and we have the
squad to finish in the top eight."
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Curbishley proud of his players - WHUFC
Before the visit of Bolton, Alan Curbishley has paid tribute to his squad
04.11.2007
When Bolton Wanderers last visited the Boleyn Ground for West Ham United's
final home fixture of the 2006/07 campaign, they were under the direction of
a new manager: Sammy Lee. Six months on from that 3-1 defeat that did much
for the home side's survival hopes, that mantle has changed hands again,
with Gary Megson appointed as Lee's successor last week.
Speaking before today's match, Alan Curbishley admitted he found the rapidly
decreasing tenure of the average manager difficult to fathom.
"It's quite amazing that the manager's position seems to be becoming more
short-term," the West Ham United manager said. "It's hard to imagine anyone
any one coming in and doing 15 years at this point. I had 15 years at
Charlton but Ian Dowie had less than 15 games there. Sam Allardyce had ten
years at Bolton, Sammy Lee had just over ten games.
"Bolton are going back to being Bolton. They are putting out a settled side
so we're expecting a really tough game. You're never really stranded in the
bottom three. One or two wins at this point in the season can change
everything."
Curbishley paid tribute to his players, who have been performing well and
working hard to fill in the gaps caused by injuries. "We're assessing the
squad at the moment," he admitted. "We took a couple of knocks against
Coventry on Tuesday, but we've just got to get on with it. The players have
got to take great credit. They've reacted really positively, even when
they've been called on to play out of position.
"Craig Bellamy has a chance of being fit today. It's been a stop-start
season for him where he rests for a couple of days and feels OK, then plays
and feels discomfort. Mark Noble and Hayden Mullins have both got strains
but they a chance of being involved. We took Jack Collison and James Tomkins
to Coventry with us as our 17th and 18th players so they give us more
options. We'll have Nobby Solano and Henri Camara back in contention today
as well after being cup-tied.
"We've picked up some good results going into today's game. Sunderland came
out strong but we held firm and got result. Portsmouth was a tough game but
we got a point and Coventry came at us on Tuesday but we won that, so great
credit to the players."
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Everton next on way to Wembley - WHUFC
West Ham United have learned their fate in the Carlng Cup last eight
03.11.2007
West Ham United have been paired with Everton in the Carling Cup
quarter-finals as the club targets a return to Wembley.
The tie is set to be played the week commencing 10 December, with the
semi-finals following over two legs on 8/9 and 22/23 January. The final will
be played at Wembley Stadium on 24 February. The club are bidding to reach
the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since the 1989/90
campaign when they were denied a final place after a 6-3 aggregate defeat by
Oldham Athletic.
The clubs, who are also due to meet at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday 15
December, last met in this competition in the 1983/84 League Cup fourth
round. Everton earned a 2-2 draw at the Boleyn Ground before eliminating
John Lyall's team with a 2-0 home win after extra time. The most recent
pairing in knockout competition was the memorable 2-1 home victory in the
1990/91 FA Cup quarter-finals, when goals from Stuart Slater and Colin
Foster took the Hammers through to the last four.
Everton, who are also involved in the UEFA Cup, reached this stage with a
1-0 victory at Luton Town after extra time. Previously they won 3-0 at
Sheffield Wednesday having been given a bye in the second round because of
European commitments.
Speaking in his weekly Captain's Blog, Lucas Neill said the club were
determined to do as well as possible after overcoming Bristol Rovers (2-1),
Plymouth Argyle (1-0) and Coventry City (2-1) to get to this point.
"Last-minute goals against Plymouth and Coventry show just how much hunger
we have to progress in this competition," he wrote. "There is no team now
left in the competition that would scare anyone and on their day any team
can win so why not let it be us that gets into that last four?"
West Ham United have never won the League Cup but twice finished as
runners-up. The last final appearance was the 2-1 replay defeat by Liverpool
at Villa Park in 1980/81 having drawn the first match 1-1 at Wembley. In the
two-legged 1965/66 final, the club lost 5-3 on aggregate to West Bromwich
Albion. The last time the club reached the quarter-finals was the 1999/00
season when losing 3-1 to Aston Villa after the original tie, won 5-4 by the
Hammers on penalties after a 2-2 draw, had to be replayed because of an
ineligible player.
For all the ticket information, click here
Carling Cup fifth-round draw
West Ham United v Everton
Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur
Chelsea v Liverpool
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Bowyer's cup double delight - WHUFC
Lee Bowyer is ready for a tough tie against Everton but is in confident mood
03.11.2007
Lee Bowyer cannot wait to take on Everton after the club were handed a
"winnable game" in the Carling Cup quarter-finals.
The midfielder is relishing playing a key role for West Ham United this
season and was delighted when today's draw paved the way for a memorable
night at the Boleyn Ground next month. "The two things were to be at home
and to avoid the big three," he said, mindful that Arsenal, Chelsea and
Liverpool were also in the hat. "We have achieved both of those and it is a
winnable game."
The match will come just before Everton travel to London for a Premier
League encounter and Bowyer said there would be no problem in being
distracted by the lure of moving a step closer to Wembley. "The team will
approach both games in the same way and we will want to win three points in
the league and get to the semi-finals of the cup. It won't make a difference
to our preparation.
"Everton will be a tough game," he added. "They will give us a battle but
with the home advantage we will go into the game confident that we will make
it to the last four."
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West Ham Utd v Bolton - KUMB
Filed: Sunday, 4th November 2007
By: Graeme Howlett
Due to the absence of our regular match previewer Matt Coker (thanks to the
arrival of the latest member of the Coker clan) we asked Crazy Horse from
Bolton site the-wanderer.co.uk to give us his opinions on our visitors
today.
KUMB: How has Bolton's season been shaping up so far? Does it match the
expectations you had in August?
TW: If I'm honest, I think you're performing exactly as I expected you to, I
knew you'd do better than last year and so far you have. As for us,
dreadful! I expected upheaval once the fat-one left us but we've played some
games like schoolboys. I deludedly thought we would get back into Europe and
I was wrong.
KUMB: Who are your most important players?
TW: Anelka obviously, Kevin Davies and Jussi.
KUMB: And your worst player?
TW: Gerald Cid. He was billed as the super central defender replacement to
Tal Ben Haim when he went to Chelsea. And he isn't. He just isn't, ok!
KUMB: Bolton have seen major changes this summer, what do you think of the
managerial merry-go-round?
TW: We're the laughing stock of the league.
KUMB: Do you have any particular memories from previous encounters between
Bolton and West Ham?
TW: We always outplay you and you always outsing us.
KUMB: It's fair to say we struggled last season and you're struggling now.
Do you think you can survive this season as we did last?
TW: I hope so; we show signs of great quality. Unfortunately they're few and
far between.
KUMB: What sort of line-up will Gary Megson put out?
TW: I'm f*cked if I know!
KUMB: Where do you expect West Ham United and Bolton to finish in the
Premier League?
TW: I think Europe is out of the question for both teams. I'd say West Ham
top ten, us about 15th.
KUMB: Which Bolton player will cause us most problems?
TW: Anelka is injured, so probably Kevin Davies.
KUMB: And finally a prediction on the score?
TW: 1-1 with us claiming the moral victory.
Our thanks to Crazy Horse for assisting with this article.
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