Having been frustrated but not outclassed at Chelsea, Danny Gabbidon is
upbeat
04.12.2007
Danny Gabbidon is well aware of the threat posed by Blackburn Rovers as West
Ham United prepare for a second tough away outing in a week.
Having been unlucky in a 1-0 defeat at Chelsea on Saturday, Alan
Curbishley's side head to Ewood Park knowing they will need to add a cutting
edge to defensive resilience. For the Wales centre-back, there was plenty to
take from the Stamford Bridge showing. "Even when you lost you've got to try
and take positives from it," said Gabbidon.
"There are a lot of positives we can take out of that game but when you're
playing well you hope that you win so we're disappointed. But at the same
time we're fairly happy with how we've done and all we can do now is move on
to the next game and try and get three points."
An away victory would move mid-table West Ham United to within four points
of eighth-placed Blackburn, but their league position and recent form under
Mark Hughes suggests it will not be an easy task. "It'll be another tough
one," the 28-year-old Gabbidon said. "They're doing really well. They play
some good football, I've watched them a couple of times this season. It's
another tough game."
Stern tests will become the norm over the coming weeks with four of the next
six league matches against teams ranked in the top nine - while there are
also home cup contests against Everton and Manchester City coming up. "Over
the Christmas period the games come thick and fast. There are some tough
ones but we can take a lot of confidence from the Chelsea game going to
Blackburn.
"We'll look to put in the same amount of effort and hopefully get a couple
of goals and get three points instead of playing well and not getting
anything. When you play Chelsea you have to defend well at the back and I
thought we did that pretty well. I thought it was a good team performance
and we deserved the draw at least."
Against Chelsea, Gabbidon showed again that he and Matthew Upson are a
formidable partnership. The 2005/06 Hammer of the Year is taking nothing for
granted, however, with James Collins waiting and Anton Ferdinand recovering
from a hamstring injury. "There's so much competition in the squad that I
have to keep playing well to be in the team. That's the motivation for me
because I know if I don't there are people knocking on the door."
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Upson makes case for defence - WHUFC
An impressive run of form for Matthew Upson continued away to Chelsea
03.12.2007
Matthew Upson has praised his team-mates for "defending from the front"
against Chelsea.
Speaking to WHUTV, the seven-times capped England centre-back said the
visitors more than made a game of it at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and -
but for Joe Cole's goal which some felt was offside - could have taken a
deserved point. "I don't think we purposefully came out to defend," he said.
"If you come to Chelsea you have to do a lot of defending."
That said, Upson admitted the team found it difficult going forward against
a resolute home rearguard, marshalled by John Terry. "We didn't have enough
cutting edge and guile in and around the final third to really make
ourselves contenders for the three points. But looking at it we probably
could have gone away with a point in the end. We definitely deserved that.
"A few people have said [the goal] was tight, so it is very difficult. It is
just a disappointing goal to give away given how solid we were as a team.
We defended well from the front, we worked hard and limited them to very few
chances really - so it was a disappointing goal to give away."
The bearded No6 is the only outfield player at the club to have played every
minute of the Barclays Premier League campaign to date and he won much
acclaim alongside Danny Gabbidon on Saturday. Although Didier Drogba was
equally impressive for the hosts, it was clear he was not going to have
things all his own way - hardly getting a shot at Robert Green's goal all
game.
"The back five including Greeny have been really solid the last five or six
games," the 28-year-old Upson added. "It is an important foundation that the
team needs to be built on and I think it is doing well at the moment. We
have just got to carry that on and keep the stability, and look forward to
the next game."
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Ljungberg looking to EURO - WHUFC
The finals draw has handed Freddie Ljungberg's Sweden a tie with the holders
03.12.2007
Freddie Ljungberg is looking forward to leading Sweden to the finals of EURO
2008 after the draw paired them with Spain, Russia and Greece.
The West Ham United midfielder, who returned to action as a substitute in
the 1-0 weekend defeat at Chelsea, is the captain of his country and played
a major role in their successful qualification. Ljungberg has high hopes his
side can make an impact in Switzerland and Austria - provided the likes of
Kim Kallstrom and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are fit.
The Scandinavian nation begin their Group D campaign against holders Greece
in Salzburg on 10 June. They then take on Spain four days later in Innsbruck
before meeting Russia in the same venue on 18 June. Ljungberg is bidding to
appear at his fifth major finals - after EURO 2000 and 2004, and the World
Cups of 2002 and 2006.
Ljungberg will not be the only West Ham United player hoping to line up at a
major football event in 2008. Henri Camara and John Pantsil are both vying
for selection for Senegal and hosts Ghana respectively at the African Cup of
Nations between 20 January and 10 February. The two nations cannot meet
until the semi-finals.
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Manager on Monday - WHUFC
Alan Curbishley hailed the attitude of his players as he looked ahead
03.12.2007
Alan Curbishley is preparing for next Sunday's trip to Blackburn Rovers in
positive mood despite the disappointment of a narrow weekend reverse at
Chelsea.
While the club's six-game unbeaten run has come to a halt after Joe Cole's
strike settled the London derby, Curbishley was pleased his side had
demonstrated from front to back the competitive edge required in such
contests - especially as 69 teams had tried and failed before to take the
points at Stamford Bridge. "Since I have been at the club we have had some
local derbies and we have not treated them right," he said.
"You need to - you have got to put that effort in. I have got a lot of
positives from the game, the only negative is that perhaps we got ourselves
in that final third and with a little bit more care, a little bit more
quality, a little bit more composure - we may have fashioned something."
Dismissing suggestions of an over-physical approach, he added: "You have to
perhaps cause them a few problems to get a foothold in the game which is
what we did."
Although admitting it was a "soft goal" to concede, Curbishley hailed his
rearguard for their display. Indeed, only Liverpool in the top flight, with
two goals against, have conceded fewer as a club than the five suffered by
West Ham United this campaign in seven away days. "I said to the back five
before the game they have probably been the most constant thing at the club
this season. It has stayed intact. Our goal difference is terrific. It is
worth a point at the moment and I think they showed why."
That 'plus seven' goal difference could prove crucial as Curbishley's
tenth-placed side contemplate "a tough month". The manager has said rotation
will need to come into his thoughts to keep his players fresh for all the
challenges ahead - including a home Carling Cup quarter-final against
Everton and, following yesterday's draw, the FA Cup third-round visit of
Manchester City.
He said: "I have said to the players: 'the squad's getting a little bit
stronger. People are going to come in and go out and we can't remain the
same'. I have got one or two players coming back which is making the squad
stronger." The likes of Mark Noble and Lee Bowyer are among those itching to
return, while Dean Ashton will hope to follow Scott Parker and earn a
starting berth - potentially alongside Carlton Cole.
"We will now push on. Dean is probably OK - he's not far off it. I decided
to play 4-3-3/4-5-1 and Coley was more suited to that as he showed. I have
got Freddie Ljungberg back and Scott Parker has got through. The spirit they
have shown has probably been borne on the fact they have all been put in
there and they have all given everything they have got. The fans appreciate
it as well because we have given it a bit of a go."
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Police on trail of West Ham 'laser' fan - Soccernet
Police have confirmed there is an ongoing investigation to find the West Ham
United fan who shone a green 'laser beam' into the face of Chelsea striker
Didier Drogba during Saturday's League clash at Stamford Bridge. Although
the supporter could not be identified after officials and police were
alerted to the incident during the first half of Chelsea's 1-0 victory,
Scotland Yard today admitted the search to identify the culprit remains a
priority. A spokesperson said: 'When the matter was brought to the attention
of officials at the time it was not possible to identify the person or
persons responsible. We will continue to try to identify them.' It is now
likely police and Chelsea officials will assess closed-circuit TV tapes in a
bid to track down the identity of the fan labelled 'stupid' by Drogba after
the game. He said: 'It's difficult as you see this green light. This is a
stupid fan I think. 'The rest of the West Ham fans were good. I think they
supported their team. That's what we want to see in the stadium, not these
kind of things.' Meanwhile, Chelsea's England midfielder and Saturday's goal
hero, Joe Cole, says the victory was a demonstration of the resilience of
Avram Grant's team. Cole struck to score the winner against his former club
after Grant told the players they had not been good enough during the first
half. The 26-year-old said: 'These are the sort of games that you have to
win. We didn't play well, so it's a really important win for us. 'There were
a lot of tired legs but we came through in the end, a little bit of quality
showed and we got a result. 'A lot has happened at the club this year but we
are showing great form at the moment. Not just in terms of the football we
are playing but also the fight we showed against West Ham. 'We knew we
weren't playing well but we got a result against a side who are going to be
top eight, I think. 'It was one of those games where maybe Man United and
Arsenal would be looking at us to drop points. So it's such an important
result for us.' Cole admitted the game was an aggressive affair with Frank
Lampard in particular feeling the effects of a few heavy tackles. But he
added: 'It gets a bit aggressive at these games. There were a few players
who wanted to get on the right side of the West Ham supporters by getting
into Frank Lampard a few times, but it's a London derby and you can expect
hard tackles and things like that. 'But we dish out as good as we get and in
the end I think it was the right result. The goal meant a lot for Chelsea
and I was pleased to score but I would like to have restrained myself some
more. 'I still have friends and family who support West Ham, and obviously
they're my former club. But all emotions went against us, we weren't playing
well and we had a bit of a telling off at half-time. So I was really chuffed
to get the points in the end. 'The manager told us we weren't good enough at
half-time, that we weren't sharp enough. But we knew it ourselves, we know
how well we can play and we found it hard to find second gear in the
first-half.'
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Parker blasts 'naughty' challenge - KUMB
Filed: Monday, 3rd December 2007
By: Matthew O'Greel
Scott Parker has hit out at Chelsea's Jon Obi Mikel for the challenge which
poleaxed him during Saturday's London derby at Stamford Bridge. The Chelsea
midfielder was booked by referee Howard Webb after scything Parker down with
a two-footed challenge from behind - the likes of which has often resulted
in a red card being immediately shown. "There were a few tackles flying
about and that one was certainly a bit naughty," said Parker, whilst
reflecting on the narrow defeat. "When it happened I was in shock for a
bit, because I wasn't expecting anyone to come in from there. "I don't know
if he deserved to go off because I didn't see what he did, only felt it.
"Everyone else said it was a bad one but the referee saw it and gave a
yellow card - so I suppose I'll have to stick by that."
Parker was making only his second start for the Hammers since joining in a
£7m summer switch from Newcastle. Fortunately he was able to continue in the
game, although was later substituted by Jon Spector after visibly tiring
during the second half. He is expected to be available for selection for
this weekend's visit to high-flying Blackburn Rovers.
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Joe Cole spared a critical 'hammering' - Telegraph
By Alan Smith
Last Updated: 1:19am GMT 03/12/2007
It hasn't been the best of times to be an England player as disillusioned
supporters up and down the land let rip with both barrels, venting their
spleen at anyone associated with the Three Lions.
Steven Gerrard, Scott Carson, Sol Campbell - they all copped it the previous
weekend from rival fans, as did the likes of John Terry and Ashley Cole, who
were not even playing when Croatia won that Euro 2008 qualifier.
Disenchantment with our national game had rarely sunk so low. Forgive and
forget? You've got to be joking. Someone's got to pay and who better to
'slaughter' than those highly paid stars prancing about without much obvious
success.
Yet in the case of Joe Cole - another 'Wembley waster' - it's difficult
staying angry for very long. Even if they wanted to, it must be hard for
critics to stay on his back, keep having a pop, just because the national
side have come up horribly short.
There remains, after all, something of the bright-eyed schoolboy in
Chelsea's midfielder. That infectious enthusiasm, that burning love for the
game hasn't been completely extinguished during the intervening years. At
26, he still wants to improve, do his very best in a ruthless business
breeding cynicism. Against all the odds, Cole still believes.
Maybe that's partly why West Ham supporters have never felt comfortable
turning on one of their own. They know Cole is thankful for his Upton Park
grounding, even though he left for a rival London club in similar (if not
identical) circumstances to Frank Lampard.
Predictably, the away fans mercilessly hammered Lampard on Saturday. Just as
predictably, the object of the travelling mob's bile couldn't let it go,
pumping his fist at the final whistle, snarling in triumph, just to rub in
Chelsea's hard-fought win.
Meanwhile, Cole was content to celebrate with a little more restraint,
having scored the winner with no little skill before being withdrawn to a
standing ovation. And as he made his way off, I swear I saw some West Ham
fans put their hands together as well, maybe just for old time's sake, in
nostalgic appreciation of an outstanding talent.
And let's get it right, especially in this climate of dissatisfaction and
depression: whatever we say about the superior technique of foreign players,
not many can surpass Cole for clever feet. Just look at how he converted his
chance at Stamford Bridge. Four brilliant touches manoeuvred the ball into a
goalscoring position, the last of which, a composed clip into the roof of
the net, proved the worthiest of all.
After capping a fine performance three days before with a goal against
Rosenborg, Cole had delivered again to keep Chelsea on course for another
tilt at the title. Manager Avram Grant could certainly feel vindicated in
looking elsewhere for players to rest.
It seems a long time ago, in fact, since we were mentioning Cole's name in
the same breath as the words 'show pony'. It seems a long time ago that Jose
Mourinho named and shamed his man for 'showboating' too much after scoring
the winner against Liverpool. Just for the record, that humiliating moment
came in October 2004, early on in the reign of the Special One.
Since then, Cole has grown up. He has learned when to dig in, when to sit
back and when to try something out of the ordinary. Fair play to the lad. He
knows what it takes, never mind that his country have not quite been able to
follow suit.
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Police hunt West Ham's laser beam fan - Telegraph
By Rod Gilmour and agencies
Last Updated: 5:28pm GMT 03/12/2007
Police have confirmed they are trying to find the West Ham fan who shone a
green 'laser beam' into the face of Chelsea striker Didier Drogba during the
weekend's Premiership clash at Stamford Bridge.
Although the supporter could not be identified after officials and police
were alerted to the incident, Scotland Yard today admitted the search to
identify the supporter remains an ongoing priority.
A spokesperson said: "When the matter was brought to the attention of
officials at the time it was not possible to identify the person or persons
responsible.
"We will continue to try to identify them."
It is now likely police and Chelsea club officials will assess
closed-circuit TV tapes as they attempt to track down the identity of the
fan labelled "stupid" by Drogba following Chelsea's 1-0 win against West
Ham.
He said: "It's difficult as you see this green light. This is a stupid fan I
think.
"The rest of the West Ham fans were good. I think they supported their team.
That's what we want to see in the stadium, not these kind of things."
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Didier Drogba victim of 'laser beam' attack - Times Online and PA
Police have confirmed there is an ongoing investigation to find the West Ham
United fan who shone a green 'laser beam' into the face of Didier Drogba
during Saturday's Premier League match at Stamford Bridge.
Although the supporter could not be identified after officials and police
were alerted to the incident during the first half of Chelsea's 1-0 victory,
Scotland Yard today admitted the search to identify the culprit remains a
priority.
A spokesperson said: "When the matter was brought to the attention of
officials at the time it was not possible to identify the person or persons
responsible. We will continue to try to identify them."
It is now likely police and Chelsea officials will assess closed-circuit TV
tapes in a bid to track down the identity of the fan labelled "stupid" by
Drogba after the game. "It's difficult as you see this green light," the
Chelsea striker said. "This is a stupid fan I think. The rest of the West
Ham fans were good. I think they supported their team. That's what we want
to see in the stadium, not these kind of things."
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Rumour: West Ham chase Newcastle star? - talkingsoccer
Monday, December 03, 2007
West Ham United boss Alan Curbishly is believed to be preparing a January
raid on Newcastle United for defender Stephen Carr. Carr has made just 5
appearances for Newcastle so far this season and Curbishley is hoping a
cheeky bid will convince Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce to part with the
player.
Curbishley wants to add Carr to his squad to add more depth to the Hammers
already tight defence which has conceded just 12 goals this season.
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Hammers preach a flair game for kids - Daily Mail
By IVAN SPECK - More by this author »
Last updated at 22:54pm on 3rd December 2007
The rain is sheeting down on the small-sided pitches of the youth academy at
West Ham United. On the touchline parents are chilled to the core by the icy
Sunday morning wind, but the Under 11 sides of West Ham and Fulham appear
immune to the atrocious conditions. Caressing the ball into space, playing
first- time passes or attempting to beat an opponent, these are young minds
thinking for themselves. The outcome of the game is accepted as scarcely
relevant.
West Ham's juniors play small- sided games on smaller pitches with smaller
goals up until the age of 12. This is not the norm. Throughout the country,
games are being played on full- size pitches by kids whose collective
movement resembles bees around a honey pot, where the big lad who can kick
it furthest is your most valuable player, and parents and coaches preach
victory at all costs. This is the reality of English football for children
at the age when emphasis should be on skill and learning. The academy
structure established by former FA technical director Howard Wilkinson is
delivering, but on such a tiny scale compared to the hundreds of thousands
of kids whose football education is quite simply lacking. Wilkinson said:
'The two critical factors with regard to development are time, by which I
mean practice, and good teachers. Schoolchildren in France and Holland are
having twice the amount of practice time as their English counterparts.
'Ajax do not produce the number of players they produce with shortcuts. Boys
are in there four afternoons a week. And they are in there on Saturday and
Sunday. 'Coaches in this country who are traditionally seen as low status
have got to be recognised as being top priority and high status. You need a
chain of quality that runs through the whole factory.'
Wilkinson's view is echoed at every level. At the lower end of the
professional scale, Terry Butcher, a World Cup semi-finalist with England,
admits the technique of players he has to work with as manager of League Two
Brentford is inadequate. He said: 'We have kids of 19, 20, 21 who can't
control the ball with both feet. We have to do technical work with them when
we could be spending time on positional sense and tactics. The ball's an
enemy to them, it's not a friend.'
Thankfully, there are exceptions. One is West Ham's academy whose director,
Tony Carr, has overseen the development of Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Joe
Cole, Jermain Defoe and Michael Carrick from precocious youngsters into
England internationals. Carr and his team cajole their charges to express
their talent, only steering them towards positions and tactics when
technical proficiency is a given. Carr said: 'We try to create the best
possible environment. My instruction to all the coaches is to bring positive
comments and, above all, don't play the game for them. Don't coach the
player on the ball because what we don't want to do is to make decisions for
them. 'Some of what you see in youth football is quite frightening. Parents,
coaches even, running up and down the touchline screaming and shouting at
kids. It's a lack of knowledge of what makes kids tick. They certainly can't
develop with someone screaming at them every time they make a mistake. They
are just going to become inhibited. 'Since the academy system started,
individuality has been encouraged. What English football has lost, because
maybe we coached it out of players, is the ability to beat someone in a
oneonone situation. When Joe Cole was here, what stood out was that when he
got the ball, he did amazing things. Not just a trick, he would be direct,
go and beat people.'
'We don't pigeon-hole players too early in terms of their position. We want
to see good basic skills, a talent for the game, enthusiasm and
intelligence. Glen Johnson arrived here at nine as a centre forward and
ended up playing for England at right back.' Yet, even within a structure
that costs upwards of £1million to run annually, the West Ham academy can
only cater for about 15 players in each age group. Carr said: 'I wouldn't
knock what goes on because most coaches of youth teams are doing it for
nothing, for the love of the game, and without them a lot of kids wouldn't
be playing football. 'But if they were that little bit better qualified or
organised, that's maybe where there is room for improvement at the very
young level. I think that's where the FA should come in and say: "Right, we
can help at this level. We've got local coaches, we've got regional
coaches." Give them some basic funding. That would improve the game all
round.'
Wilkinson adds one final thought: 'We still have people who see youth
football as a means to gaining career credits through victory. It's a
culture that we find difficult to shake off.'
Could the calamity that has befallen our national team finally be a wake-up
call? If you want skill, send boys to Brazil The concept is stunning in its
simplicity. Brazil is the best football nation on the planet, so why not
copy their methods to produce world-beaters of our own? Judging by the
smoothness of touch of youngsters at an outdoor football complex in Bristol
and the Brazilian Soccer Schools project introduced into England by Simon
Clifford, snootily dismissed as an irrelevant sideshow, the idea no longer
looks quite so far-fetched. Parents whose children were paying for the
privilege of dancing with their feet to the samba beat being belted out were
effusive in their praise of the drills. Seven-year-old Alfie Clarke scored
for Bristol City Under Eights against Liverpool last month. His father, Lee,
says the Brazilian way has done wonders for his son. 'Alfie trains with
Bristol City on a Monday. He could train with the Under Nines on a Thursday
as well but I would rather pay for him to do this,' said Mr Clarke. 'It's
fantastic. Ten times better for him and he practises the tricks every night
when he gets home.' Sessions cost £5 an hour for a set of drills with a
specially weighted size two Futebol de Salao ball that hardly bounces. Each
boy has a ball to himself as he is led through the core skills that include
jogging on top of the ball, dribbles inside and outside the ball, stepovers
and rolling the ball with the sole of one foot before stopping it with the
other. Session organiser Steve Worrell said: 'It gets ankles flexible. If
the kids get into the habit of doing those things with a small ball, when
they come to a bigger ball, it's so much easier to control. The kids who do
this are going to be further ahead in their development.'
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UPSON GLAD TO AV A POP - The Mirror
04/12/2007
Matthew Upson has hit back at Avram Grant's criticism of West Ham's style of
play and feels they deserved at least a draw from the game at Stamford
Bridge.
Blues boss Grant was unhappy with West Ham counterpart Alan Curbishley, who
he claimed employed negative tactics despite Joe Cole netting a late winner.
But Upson said: "I don't think we purposefully came out to defend. If you
come to Chelsea you have to do a lot of defending. We could have gone away
with a point - we deserved to."
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West Ham to dump Zamora - Sportigo
Sat, Dec 1, 07 17:37
Mark Rivlin
West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is ready to offload Bobby Zamora for £4m in
January (Daily Mirror). I'm certainly not in a position to advise Curbs on
who to buy or sell but I would have thought that if push comes to shove and
West Ham are involved in a possible relegation threat, Zamora is just the
kind of striker the boss needs in the locker room. And these days, £4m buys
you a spotty 16-year-old and not much more.
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Hammers striker Ashton set for return against Blackburn - Daily Mail
Last updated at 13:05pm on 3rd December 2007
West Ham striker Dean Ashton could start next week's trip to Blackburn. The
24-year-old forward is getting back to full fitness after his ankle injury
but boss Alan Curbishley opted to leave him out of the starting line-up for
tactical reasons in Saturday's 1-0 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford
Bridge.
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Hammers midfielder Parker shocked by Obi horror tackle in Stamford Bridge
defeat - Daily Mail
Last updated at 10:33am on 3rd December 2007
Scott Parker admitted he was "in shock" following a challenge on him by
Chelsea's John Obi Mikel in the London derby at Stamford Bridge. Mikel
escaped with a yellow card for his tackle from behind during Chelsea's 1-0
win but West Ham midfielder Parker said today: "There were a few tackles
flying about and that one was certainly a bit naughty. When it happened I
was in shock for a bit, because I wasn't expecting anyone to come in from
there. "I don't know if he deserved to go off because I didn't see what he
did, only felt it. Everyone else said it was a bad one but the referee saw
it and gave a yellow card so I suppose I'll have to stick by that."
Signed during the summer for £7million, Parker injured knee ligaments in
pre-season and has only now returned to fitness. Saturday's match was only
his second Premier League start of the season and he said: "The most
important thing was coming through the game with no repercussions. I took a
few challenges but finished the game relatively unscathed and that is the
important thing."
Joe Cole scored the decisive goal 14 minutes from the end but Parker
believed West Ham deserved better. "The first half was pretty competitive,"
he said. "When you go to Stamford Bridge you're not going to sit back and
let them play. You need to get in their faces, you need to upset their
rhythm a bit and we certainly did that. "Some people might look down on you
for that but we were certainly not going to go out there, stand off them and
let them show the talent they undoubtedly have. "I thought a fair result
would have been a draw but Joe Cole popped up to nick a goal."
Cole's goal lifted Chelsea up to second place in the table but Blues boss
Avram Grant still has his detractors. The Israeli has been accused by West
Ham counterpart Alan Curbishley and others of changing little since taking
over from Jose Mourinho in September. They have countered Grant's claims
that he has made Chelsea play in a more attractive style and attributed the
credit for the team's good run on the squad moulded by his predecessor.
However, Grant said: "All my life I have dealt with things like this. I am
not coming to prove anything. I am coming to prove my team is good. I am
doing my job and am not a coach of just one year but for more than 30
years."
Chelsea have gone 14 games unbeaten and lost only once since Grant took
charge and he thinks they are well placed to mount a title challenge. He
said: "I like to have Chelsea sneaking up on the rails, especially after the
beginning of the season when nobody gave us a chance to be near the top of
the league."
West Ham fans shone a laser at Didier Drogba in the first half to try to put
him off and he complained to officials. Stewards are set to be asked to look
for any further repeats
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