All the action as it happened from the return to Barclays Premier League
action at the Boleyn Ground
01.03.2008
Barclays Premier League
Boleyn Ground
3pm
Referee: Peter Walton
WHUTV - Audio commentary I MATCHLIVE - Text updates, table and fixtures
WESTHAM.WAP.COM - All the news, on the move I MATCH PREVIEW - All the team
news and background
PHOTO GALLERY - Exclusive photos
West Ham United: Green, Neill, Ferdinand, Upson, McCartney, Faubert (Solano
66), Mullins, Noble, Ljungberg, Boa Morte (Ashton 45), Cole (Zamora 65)
Subs not used: Wright, Spector
Chelsea: Cech, Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole, J Cole (Essien 69),
Makelele (Alex 84), Ballack, Lampard, Kalou (Malouda 75), Anelka
Subs not used: Cudicini, Drogba
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Spurs beamback at the Boleyn - WHUFC
Head along to the stadium to watch West Ham United away at Tottenham Hotspur
in warmth and style
01.03.2008
If you cannot make it to White Hart Lane to watch West Ham United take on
Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday week - come along to the Beamback.
Tenth-placed West Ham United are eight points clear of Tottenham with both
teams having played 26 games - but Juande Ramos's men are in form having
just won the Carling Cup. The teams played out a competitive 1-1 draw on 25
November when Robert Green's last-gasp penalty save denied Tottenham
victory. Carlton Cole had struck first before Michael Dawson equalised in
the second half.
See the Premier League encounter in warmth and style with two mouth-watering
packages running from 12pm to 5pm at the Boleyn Ground.
# Pie and mash, and a matchday programme in the Premier Suite (pay-bar
available). Prices are £20 for adults, £18 for senior citizens/disabled and
£15 for children under 16.
# Three-course carvery meal and a matchday programme in the Castle Suite
(pay-bar available). Prices are £35 for adults, £22.50 for senior
citizens/disabled and £17.50 for children under 16.
Derby games against Tottenham Hotspur are always must-see encounters, with
many a classic game over the years. Make sure you are at the Boleyn Ground
to soak up the atmosphere on Sunday 9 March. The kick-off is 3pm.
For more information call 0870 112 2700 (Option 3) .
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Payne and Sears on target - WHUFC
West Ham United U18s kept their winning run going on Saturday with a home
win against Ipswich
01.03.2008
West Ham United Under-18s 2-0 Ipswich Town Under-18s
Goals from Josh Payne and Freddie Sears made it six wins in seven unbeaten
games for Tony Carr's table-topping Academy side on Saturday.
The Under-18s were playing at Chadwell Heath rather than their usual Little
Heath base but were quickly up and running. Both goals came inside the first
five minutes from Junior Stanislas assists. Payne, playing again in midfield
rather than his usual defensive position, broke the deadlock with a
spectacular overhead kick from a free-kick and Sears then converted a
right-wing cross from close range to make it 25 goals from 24 matches at U18
and reserve-team level.
Carr's team are not in action again until Friday 14 March when they go to
Bristol City for a 1pm fixture. The club have moved five points clear of
Southampton at the top of the table with both teams having played 24 games
after Saints were beaten 2-0 at home by Crystal Palace. Arsenal are the
biggest threat to holding on to first place but they were frustrated 0-0 at
Norwich City and as a result are eight points adrift with four games in
hand.
League table I Fixtures
West Ham United: Street, Brookes, Miller, Spence, N'Gala, Payne, Stanislas
(Lee 80), Edgar, Hines (Harvey 70), Sears, Kearns (Hunt 85)
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A day for Richard House - WHUFC
Saturday saw the club raising much-needed awareness and money for the east
London children's hospice
01.03.2008
West Ham United fans more than played their part in a whole host of events
in support of the Richard House children's hospice against the backdrop of
the derby with Chelsea.
Richard House in Beckton is one of two official charities the club is proud
to have linked up with this season along with the Bobby Moore Fund for
Cancer Research UK. As Mark Noble and Anton Ferdinand have seen at first
hand with visits to the hospice, Richard House helps children and their
families by providing respite from the emotional and physical trauma living
with a terminal illness can bring.
As well as all the donations generously given at the Boleyn Ground on
Saturday, fans can also show their support online. In doing so, they can
also take part in a special West Ham United shield, tickets and signed shirt
auction on the Richard House official website. Click here for more
information on the auction as well as how you can make a donation.
Saturday's events:
* A video appeal led by Lucas Neill to get fans to donate £1 by texting
RICHARD to 82085. (Each text will be charged at a rate of £1 of which
Richard House will receive 56p or more dependent on your provider's
network.)
* The players wore Richard House T-shirts for the warm-up
* Penalty shoot-out competition involving local schoolchildren who have
supported Richard House (their match tickets were kindly donated by Newham
Council) and Academy goalkeeper Peter Loveday. Each competitor got a West
Ham United goody bag and the winner received match tickets and hospitality
for four at the Blackburn Rovers game.
* Special programme feature including an exclusive interview with patron Joe
Cole
* A week of online text and video coverage on whufc.com and WHUTV
* Bucket collections in and around the ground
* Raffles in all the hospitality suites
* Shop staff donned T-shirts with club employees wore pin badges received in
exchange for donations.
* Information leaflets were given out around the ground
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Lessons to be learned - WHUFC
Alan Curbishley is looking for a reaction from his team after they came up
against an in-form Chelsea
01.03.2008
Alan Curbishley has challenged his side to "bounce back" on Wednesday after
West Ham United were undone by "clinical finishing" against Chelsea.
The midweek trip to Liverpool will allow Curbishley's men the chance to make
instant amends for the 4-0 home defeat by a Chelsea side who were coming off
the back of their Carling Cup defeat the previous weekend. "We are
desperately disappointed for ourselves and our fans," the manager said.
"That result has not happened to us all season. We have got to try and
bounce back on Wednesday."
Indeed, West Ham United went into the game on the back of a six-match
unbeaten run at the Boleyn Ground - including victories against Manchester
United and Liverpool but found Chelsea in potent form in front of goal. "To
go three down in five minutes against a top-four team is massively
difficult," said Curbishley, who added that Chelsea "probably had something
to prove" from the 2-1 final loss to Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley.
"When you give yourself a start like that, there is no way you can come back
and when we did [through Carlton Cole's chance] John Terry didn't give up
and cleared it off the line." The manager said the 17th-minute spot-kick
opener from Frank Lampard was a "poor penalty from our defensive situation"
before acknowledging that "the two finishes from Joe Cole and Ballack were
clinical although we could argue that we should perhaps have got some people
closer to them. But I don't think they are going to hit two sweeter
strikes."
Despite Frank Lampard's 36th-minute dismissal, Ashley Cole was able to wrap
up a comfortable success for Avram Grant's visitors with a 64th-minute goal.
The second half was notable though for the return of Bobby Zamora after his
absence since 28 August with a knee injury and he looked bright against a
team that could still have a say in the league title, according to
Curbishley. "Chelsea put themselves back in the race with a performance that
showed everybody it was a one-off last week and they are on their way back.
With Didier Drogba and Michael Essien rested, and Shaun Wright-Phillips not
even in the matchday 16, it was a strong squad that Grant had to choose
from. "Everyone is basically fit at Chelsea. They have got 25/26 players to
pick from which may be a problem for Avram as he proceeds but it is a
massively strong talented squad ... You are talking about a side and a squad
that if you don't get it right and you find yourselves 3-0 down in 20 odd
minutes that is a massive situation to come back from and we obviously
couldn't."
Acknowledging Chelsea's superiority on the day, he added: "We couldn't even
with ten men break them down. It is massively important the start you get
when you play the [top four] teams. If I just took the goals out of it,
which obviously you can't, I think it was quite even. They have gone up
there four times - one got disallowed and they scored three. It was clinical
finishing from Cole and Ballack."
The manager has rightly praised his rearguard all season and said his
players would learn from what happened. "I have said to them they have
prided themselves as a team for their defending and we got it wrong today.
It is not just the back five. Midfield players have helped out all season
but Joe Cole and Ballack got away and got free strikes off. We will have to
look at that and why that happened.
"We knew Chelsea would soak it up and try and hit us on the break. That's
what they did a couple of times. The game had got away from us in five
minutes through fantastic finishing. I don't think Joe will get one off his
left foot like that for a little while and Ballack knew exactly what he was
doing. It is something we have got to look at."
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Ljungberg looking for reaction - WHUFC
The trip to Liverpool is already in Freddie Ljungberg's sights after the
disappointment at the weekend
02.03.2008
Freddie Ljungberg is already looking forward to Wednesday night's trip to
Anfield to take on Liverpool but knows it will be "another tough game".
The midweek match will see West Ham United finally draw level on games
played with the rest of the Barclays Premier League - bar their opponents,
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur - and there is the incentive of moving within
striking distance of at least two teams above the club's tenth-place
position. That said, the Hammers have not won at Anfield since a 2-1 win on
14 September 1963 and are coming off the back of a 4-0 home defeat by
Chelsea.
"It is another tough game at Liverpool," said the Sweden captain, who was
voted the whufc.com users' player of the month for February having gone into
the month on a high with a key role in the 1-0 home win against Liverpool on
30 January. "I am very disappointed with [Saturday's loss]. We have been on
the way upwards a bit and it was a sucker punch so hopefully we can bounce
back on Wednesday and play some good football. That is what we are looking
for."
Ljungberg was impressed by the Reds' recent 2-0 home win against Inter Milan
that sees them with a great chance of progress to the Champions League
quarter-finals when they travel to Italy for their last-16 second leg seven
days after the visit of West Ham United. "They did very well against Inter
Milan," he said. "Maybe they were struggling a little bit before that. They
did very well in that game so we will have to wait see."
Looking back to Chelsea, Ljungberg acknowledged that it was an uphill battle
once you "concede an early goal", adding: "If we talk about their goals,
they took them really well and made the most of the chances they had in the
first half. We are very disappointed. There is nothing else to say. The most
important thing against a big team is not to concede early on and we
conceded two goals early on. That gave them a lift."
He said the team had gone into the Boleyn Ground contest on a high after the
1-0 win at Fulham and following a run of six unbeaten matches at home. There
was also the hope Chelsea "were on edge" after losing out on the Carling Cup
a week ago. "Maybe after the cup final they were a bit wobbly and they
really wanted to show something today. When they made it two-nil they were
able to calm down a little bit.
"We always try but when you play one of the top sides and you are three-nil
down it is a bit of a mountain to climb. When they controlled the game, they
just held their positions and it is a bit annoying at three-nil down. The
game was dead unfortunately. That is what we have to look at - especially
the first 20 minutes - to concede two goals that is what killed the game. I
can say they were the most clinical team we have played."
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West Ham 0-4 Chelsea - BBC
By Mandeep Sanghera
Chelsea had Frank Lampard red-carded but romped to victory at West Ham.
Lampard's penalty after Salomon Kalou was fouled by Anton Ferdinand put his
side ahead before Joe Cole angled in a precise shot for Chelsea's second.
Michael Ballack expertly half-volleyed in a third for the visitors, who had
Lampard harshly red-carded for a push on Luis Boa Morte after 36 minutes.
Carlton Cole had a shot cleared off the line for West Ham but Ashley Cole's
acute shot wrapped up Chelsea's win. Blues boss Avram Grant had taken a
swipe at the media in the run-up to the game, angry at negative coverage
following the Carling Cup final loss to Tottenham. And he showed little
mercy with his team selection either as he made six changes to the starting
XI.
The Blues should have been a goal up after two minutes when Nicolas Anelka
had a goal incorrectly ruled out for offside. The Frenchman thought he had
scored when he slotted home after John Terry's header had been parried. But
Chelsea did not have long to wait to take the lead, with Hammers centre-back
Ferdinand conceding a penalty for a trip on Kalou. Lampard stepped up to
send Robert Green the wrong way for the first of three Chelsea goals in the
space five minutes. Joe Cole added a second, showing fine control before
firing a shot into the far corner of the net, before Ballack lashed home a
low shot after being picked out by a Lampard cross. Chelsea had virtually
sealed victory over the Hammers with just 22 minutes on the clock, showing
more fluency and attacking flair than in 120 minutes of action against
Spurs. The home side did manage to test Petr Cech, the goalkeeper tipping
over a Mark Noble shot. But Chelsea remained untroubled, even after Lampard
was red-carded. The midfielder tangled on the ground with Boa Morte and then
pushed the winger after appearing to get caught by a kick. Referee Peter
Walton consulted his assistant before brandishing his red card and then
booked Ballack for his part in the melee that ensued. Another Noble strike
was headed away as the home side tried to capitalise on their numerical
advantage, but Chelsea held out until half-time. West Ham struggled to
create chances, but Carlton Cole must have thought he had scored when he
dinked the ball over the on-rushing Cech only for Terry to clear off the
line. Ashley Cole then made it 4-0 when he sidefooted home from a tight
angle after Joe Cole's shot had been parried. The goal was the sign for
Hammers fans to start trudging for the exit, their team emphatically beaten.
West Ham boss Alan Curbishley:"It's a really bad day for us and we feel
dreadfully disappointed for us and the fans. "My players have done
fantastically well this season. We have had major injury problems. I'm not
going to criticise them." On the red card he said: "I did see Frank push out
but it was a soft dismissal."
Chelsea boss Avram Grant:"We will do everything to do it (win the title). I
never give in and I will not start now at my age. "We started very well and
if it was not a red card maybe the score would have been higher. "I am very
happy. The players showed fighting spirit and passion."
West Ham: Green, Neill, Ferdinand, Upson, McCartney, Faubert (Solano 66),
Noble, Mullins, Ljungberg, Boa Morte (Ashton 46), Cole (Zamora 65). Subs Not
Used: Wright, Spector.
Chelsea: Cech, Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, Ashley Cole, Ballack, Makelele
(Alex 84), Lampard, Kalou (Malouda 75), Anelka, Joe Cole (Essien 69). Subs
Not Used: Cudicini, Drogba.
Sent Off: Lampard (36).
Booked: Ballack, Terry.
Goals: Lampard 17 pen, Joe Cole 20, Ballack 22, Ashley Cole 64.
Att: 34,969
Ref: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).
BBC Sport Player Rater man of the match: Chelsea's Joe Cole 7.62 (on 90
minutes).
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Sheringham to call time on career - BBC
Veteran former England striker Teddy Sheringham has announced he will retire
at the end of the season. Sheringham, who will turn 42 next month, is
currently at Championship side Colchester United, where he will finally end
his 26-year career. Sheringham said: "After a long and fun-filled career I
have decided this season will be my last. "I've had a fantastic time and
want to thank all those who have contributed to my career and helped me
along the way." Sheringham had two spells at Tottenham and played for six
other clubs, including Manchester United, with whom he won the Champions
League in 1999. He started as an apprentice at Millwall in 1982 before he
was signed by legendary Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough in 1991. He
then began a five-year spell at boyhood heroes Spurs before leaving for Old
Trafford in 1997 in search of silverware. Under Sir Alex Ferguson he won
three Premier League titles, the first in 1999, which was rounded off with
the FA Cup and the Champions League in a memorable treble-winning season.
Sheringham returned to White Hart Lane for two years in 2001 before
switching to Portsmouth in 2003 and a year later for a three-campaign stint
at West Ham.
He agreed a one-year deal with Colchester after being released by the
Hammers last summer and has so far netted 361 career goals. Sheringham
added: "I've no immediate thoughts about going into management but football
has always been my life and hopefully I will be back at some point in the
future.
"Until then I have to try and help Colchester United stay in the
Championship." "My Dad wanted me to carry on and beat Sir Stanley Matthews'
record of playing at 50 but I feel this season is the right time to bow
out." Leading the plaudits after Sheringham's announcement were BBC pundits
Mark Lawrenson and Lee Dixon. Former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland
defender Lawrenson told Football Focus: "Teddy's had an absolutely fantastic
career. "Maybe he's played that bit longer because he's never had any great
pace but that football brain has taken him to many great teams. A top, top
player."
And ex-Arsenal and England full-back Dixon added: "He was a great pro on the
pitch and gave me the runaround a few times. He's looked after himself and
that's the key to his longevity." Sheringham's former Millwall strike
partner Tony Cascarino, writing his Times column, added: "His sharp brain
compensated for the slow legs. "He had the ability to pass the ball where
and when team-mates wanted it, a talent for finding space and time amid the
mayhem of a match."
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Youths march on - KUMB
Filed: Saturday, 1st March 2008
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United's under 18s remain top of the Premier League Academy Group A
thanks to a 2-0 win over Ipswich at Chadwell Heath this morning. Josh Payne
and Freddie Sears scored the goals that keep Tony Carr's side top of the
table and preserved their unbeaten run this year. The game was won inside
the first few minutes as the on-form Hammers stormed to a two goal lead.
Defender Payne opened the scoring after just two minutes before the prolific
Sears, who Alan Curbishley said on Thursday could earn a first team start
before the season is out notched the second two minutes later. The win keeps
the young Hammers top of the table with just four games left to play this
season. The remaining fixtures are against teams from the Premier League
Academy Group B - Bristol City (currently 5th), Reading (4th), Leicester
(2nd) and Birmingham (8th).
Under 18s: Remaining Fixtures
Saturday, 15th March: Bristol City (a)
Saturday, 29th March: Reading (h)
Saturday, 5th April: Leicester City (a)
Saturday, 12th April: Birmingham City (h)
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West Ham Utd 0 Chelsea 4 - KUMB
Filed: Saturday, 1st March 2008
By: Staff Writer
West Ham found themselves outclassed at the Boleyn this afternoon by a
Chelsea side looking to get back on track following last weekend's Carling
Cup defeat. Three goals in the space of five first half minutes put the
visitors firmly in command before Ashley Cole added a fourth in the second
half to add insult to injury. The only cheer on a miserable day for Hammers
fans was the dismissal of Frank Lampard ten minutes ahead of half time for
violent conduct. Once again Alan Curbishley went with just one man up front
- although given Chelsea's superiority on the day, that was probably
immaterial.
The Blues should have been in front after just 85 seconds but Nicolas
Anelka's effort was ruled out - incorrectly - for offside. However they only
had to wait until the 17th minute to take the lead after Soloman Kalou was
adjudged to have been tripped in the area by Anton Ferdinand; Frank Lampard,
to a chorus of boos and vitriol, firing home the penalty. Three minutes
later and it was 2-0 to the Blues when another former Hammer, Joe Cole fired
across Robert Green's goal to double the lead. Just two minutes later it was
3-0 - and game over - when Michael Ballack took advantage of acres of space
on the left hand-side to fire home a half volley from 20 yards. Ten minutes
before the break Frank Lampard was dismissed for kicking out at Luis Boa
Morte. The temperamental Portuguese winger, who had been targeted by
Chelsea's players since the start of the game was flattened by Lampard
before being kicked twice as the players lay on the floor. Michael Ballack
was also booked for the ensuing melee which predicatably followed. Despite
being a man short it was Chelsea who ended the half the stronger and Kalou,
Anelka and Joe COle all has chances to extend their lead. A decent effort
from Mark Noble which was easily saved by Petr Cech was all the Hammers
could muster. Alan Curbishley rang the changes at the break, introducing
Dean Ashton for Boa Morte. With Chelsea content to sit back and soak up the
pressure West Ham should have produced much more than the two efforts they
created before John Terry hooked United's best effort of the day, a Carlton
Cole effort, off the line on the hour mark. The result was put beyond all
reasonable doubt on 64 minutes when Ashley Cole notched his first goal for
Chelsea when firing home from a narrow angle after Rob Green had saved Joe
Cole's initial shot. A flurry of subs followed - including Bobby Zamora,
making his first apparance for the first team since last August - but West
Ham still failed to create any chances of note - a massive disappointment
given that they had played with the man advantage for nearly an hour.
Match Facts
West Ham United: Green, Neill, Ferdinand, Upson, McCartney, Faubert (Solano
66), Mullins, Noble, Ljungberg, Boa Morte (Ashton 46), Cole (Zamora 66).
Subs not used: Wright, Spector.
Chelsea: Cech, Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole, J Cole (Essien 69),
Makelele (Alex 84), Ballack, Lampard, Kalou (Malouda 75), Anelka.
Subs not used: Cudicini, Drogba.
Goals: Lampard (pen 17), Cole (20), Ballack (22), A.Cole (64).
Booked: Ballack (36), Terry (47).
Sent off: Lampard (35).
Attendance: 34,969.
Referee: P.Walton.
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Irons hammered - SSN
Last updated: 1st March 2008
Charlie Nicholas saw 10-man Chelsea back to their best with a thumping 4-0
win away at West Ham. Avram Grant has been criticised for his team selection
for last weekend's Carling Cup Final defeat to Spurs but Nicholas believes
he got it right at Upton Park, even if he did leave Didier Drogba on the
bench. "Whether you like Grant or not is not the issue," Nicholas told
Soccer Saturday. "He made big decisions today - Drogba on the bench, don't
know if that'll upset him or whether it's just a change. "Drogba went
through all this with Jose Mourniho didn't he and then Milan was at the back
of his mind. I think he enjoys all the attention."
Nicholas watched Chelsea start in determined fashion to get back to winning
ways. "They came out the traps and Nicholas Anelka scored a goal that was
disallowed that was onside for me - definitely was level. "With Drogba on
the bench today Saloman Kalou started wide left, Anelka up on his own and of
course Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard. "(The opening goal was) a clear
penalty, Anton Ferdinand on Kalou, he couldn't get out of the way, he
committed himself to the challenge and he took him down. "Lampard dispatched
with usual aplomb, very cool. After that sensational strikes, Joe Cole - no
celebration. A wonderful strike, right to left and smacked it in the corner
- no chance Robert Green. "And an even better controlled volley from
Ballack, edge of the box, pitched across from Lampard, beautiful control
with pace. Again Green rooted. "At 3-0 you thought this was an absolutely
stroll in the park. they did take a little bit of pressure with West ham
bombing forward but they managed to get through it. "John Terry and Ricardo
Carvalho were back to their very best today.
And Chelsea did all this having had Lampard sent off in the first half,
which Nicholas felt was the wrong decision. "It was a little clash between
Boa Morte and Lampard and the referee gave a free-kick. Lampard fell on top
of Boa Morte and there was a couple of little kicks at each other. Very
soft, there was no real force behind the kicks. "As Boa Morte got up Frank
just leaned on him and didn't let him up and he just softly fell to ground.
"The referee to be fair to him didn't make an issue of it and then suddenly
he turned back round and the linesman eventually said it was a red card. It
was a scandalous decision."
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Chelsea nail Hammers - SSN
Grant left delighted as Blues run riot in the capital
Last updated: 1st March 2008
On an afternoon when Avram Grant needed a big performance from his side,
Chelsea delivered just that as West Ham were ruthlessly picked apart to the
tune of 4-0 at Upton Park. Frank Lampard's return to East London lasted just
36 minutes as Peter Walton indulged in the latest vogue in refereeing
circles to send players off for little more than handbags, as his spat with
Luis Boa Morte was adjudged to have involved violent conduct. The West Ham
faithful greeted Lampard's dismissal with glee but by that time the damage
was already done, as Chelsea had raced into a three-goal lead courtesy of
some immaculate finishing. Lampard notched the first when he dispacted from
the penalty spot after Anton Ferdinand had shown a criminal lack of
judgement in bringing down Salomon Kalou, before Joe Cole and Michael
Ballack both scored scorching half volleys to remind Mr Grant that their
omission from the Carling Cup final team was perhaps a folly. In the second
period a flat West Ham failed to even hint at a comeback as Ashley Cole
defied Chelsea's numerical disadvantage to angle in a well taken fourth.
Chelsea signalled their intent as early as the second minute when they had a
Nicolas Anelka goal ruled out for offside. West Ham found themselves under
siege immediately but former Chelsea striker Carlton Cole alleviated some of
the pressure with a 25-yard effort which fizzed over the crossbar. Chelsea's
early pressure earned them a penalty in the 15th minute when Kalou was
brought down by Ferdinand. Former Hammer Lampard converted the resulting
spot-kick to put Avram Grant's side into the lead. Four minutes later
another West Ham old boy made it 2-0 to the visitors when Nicolas Anelka got
away from the home defence and supplied Joe Cole on the edge of the penalty
and the diminutive midfielder drilled a low angled shot into the far corner
to put the Blues in total command. Chelsea looked dangerous with every
attack and Ballack made it three in the 22nd minute. Anelka and Lampard
combined on the left flank before the England midfielder crossed for Ballack
to hit the ball into the corner on the half volley.
Chelsea almost made it four in the 27th minute when Anelka's flicked header
was collected under the bar by West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green. West Ham
were clearly shell-shocked by Chelsea's three-goal salvo but Mark Noble
brought a fine flying save out of Petr Cech in the 31st minute when he let
fly with a 20-yard rising drive. But the game erupted into controversy in
the 34th minute when Lampard was sent off by Walton. The Chelsea midfielder
tangled with Boa Morte on the ground and appeared to push the West Ham
player as he attempted to get up. Walton's decision appeared a harsh
decision to say the least and it sparked a confrontation which culminated in
a booking for Ballack.
Chelsea's resolve to defend their three-goal advantage was clearly evident
from the restart with Paulo Ferreira having to go off for attention to a
blow in the face. Lampard's dismissal had probably saved West Ham from
defeat by a much bigger margin as Chelsea began the second half in a much
more defensive frame of mind. The Blues were content to sit back and soak up
what pressure the home side could muster. Ashton's introduction gave the
Hammers more height in attack but Terry and Carvalho continued to
comfortably deal with any threat.
But in the 58th minute Chelsea's determination was underlined when Terry
raced back to clear a lob from Carlton Cole off the goal-line. The Chelsea
captain hooked the ball out from underneath the crossbar when a goal looked
certain. West Ham continued to press for a way back into the game but
Chelsea are masters at last-ditch defending and they doggedly kept the home
side at bay. Ten-man Chelsea made it four in the 63rd minute when Joe Cole's
shot was superbly saved by Green only for Ashley Cole to pass the ball into
the net from an acute angle. In the end West Ham ran out of ideas and
Chelsea, even with a man down, ran out comfortable winners.
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Green upset by England fortune - SSN
Keeper frustrated by his lack of national recognition
By Laura Slatcher Last updated: 1st March 2008
Robert Green has revealed his frustration at being overlooked for Fabio
Capello's England squad. The West Ham goalkeeper has just one full England
cap to his name and was hoping a new England manager would turn his
fortunes. Despite his consistent good form at club level, Green was
overlooked by Capello who favoured David James, Scott Carson and Chris
Kirkland. The 28-year-old's next chance to push for inclusion in the
national side comes as Capello names his squad for the friendly against
France at the end of the month.
Green admits he has been in a lot worse positions throughout his career but
was still disheartened to be overlooked again by his country. "I was
disappointed. It is the Holy Grail for me," Green told the Daily Mirror. "If
you look at the England squad there's 12 or 13 names who you'd pick straight
off.
"The rest are probably up for grabs and it was disappointing not to be
included, just as it was under Steve McClaren. "What can I do about it? I
really don't know. I was hoping to get picked under the previous manager and
I don't know what I have to do to change things. "I never seem to get any
answers. I had word back to say: 'Keep doing what you are doing.' "But it
didn't get me in the squad this time, it didn't get me in the previous seven
or eight squads before, and you begin to wonder what you have to do."
Green is quick to dismiss suggestions that his exclusion from the squad is
down to playing for West Ham and not one of the big four sides. "I don't
think it's about me playing for West Ham and not one of the big four," he
added. "He (Capello) goes to watch everybody and players get in on merit
"It's life. I've been in a lot worse positions. I'm fit, playing for a good
side in the Premier League and I'm enjoying it."
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West Ham 0-4 Chelsea: Abject Hammers crushed - Soccernet
Updated: March 1, 2008, 12:09 PM ET
Ten-man Chelsea bounced back from their Carling Cup final defeat with a 4-0
destruction of woeful West Ham at Upton Park. Even a first-half red card for
midfielder Frank Lampard failed to take the shine off a classy Chelsea
performance which keeps them in touch with the leaders at the top of the
Barclays Premier League. The Blues smashed three goals in five first-half
minutes, before Lampard was given his marching orders for pushing Luis Boa
Morte in the face in the 34th minute. The England midfielder had given
Chelsea the lead from the penalty spot in the 16th minute and Joe Cole made
it two three minutes later. Michael Ballack added a third in the 21st minute
to effectively kill off the game as a contest and defender Ashley Cole
completed the rout in the second half. Chelsea signalled their intent as
early as the second minute when they had a Nicolas Anelka goal ruled out for
offside. West Ham found themselves under siege immediately, but former
Chelsea striker Carlton Cole alleviated some of the pressure with a 25-yard
effort which fizzed over the crossbar. Chelsea's early pressure earned them
a penalty in the 15th minute when Salomon Kalou was brought down by Anton
Ferdinand. Former West Ham midfielder Lampard converted the resulting
spot-kick to put Avram Grant's side into the lead. Four minutes later
another West Ham old boy made it 2-0 to the visitors when Anelka got away
from the home defence and supplied Joe Cole on the edge of the penalty.
Cole, who missed out on a place in Chelsea's starting line-up for the
Carling Cup final, drilled a low angled shot into the far corner to put the
Blues in total command. Chelsea looked dangerous with every attack and
Ballack made it three in the 22nd minute. Anelka and Lampard combined on the
left flank, before the England midfielder crossed for Ballack to hit the
ball into the corner on the half volley. West Ham were stunned and it was
the perfect response from a Chelsea side heavily criticised for alleged
unrest in the dressing room since their Carling Cup defeat. Chelsea almost
made it four in the 27th minute when Anelka's flicked header was collected
under the bar by West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green. West Ham were clearly
shell-shocked by Chelsea's three-goal salvo, but Boa Morte and Carlton Cole
got little joy against John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho. However, Mark Noble
brought a fine flying save out of Petr Cech in the 31st minute when he let
fly with a 20-yard rising drive. But the game erupted into controversy in
the 34th minute when Lampard was sent off by referee Peter Walton.
The Chelsea midfielder tangled with Boa Morte on the ground and appeared to
push the West Ham player in the face as he attempted to get up. Walton's
decision appeared harsh to say the least and it sparked a confrontation
which culminated in a booking for Ballack. Lampard's straight red will now
rule him out of their FA Cup clash with Barnsley and the league games
against Sunderland and Tottenham. Grant resisted the temptation to make
changes at half-time to compensate for the loss of Lampard, but West Ham
replaced Boa Morte with Dean Ashton. Chelsea's resolve to defend their
three-goal advantage was clearly evident from the restart, with Paulo
Ferreira having to go off for attention to a blow in the face. Lampard's
dismissal had probably saved West Ham from defeat by a much bigger margin as
Chelsea began the second half in a much more defensive frame of mind. The
Blues were content to sit back and soak up what pressure the home side could
muster. Ashton's introduction gave the Hammers more height in attack, but
Terry and Carvalho continued to comfortably deal with any threat. In the
58th minute Chelsea's determination was underlined when Terry raced back to
clear a lob from Carlton Cole off the goal-line. The Chelsea captain hooked
the ball out from underneath the crossbar when a goal looked certain. West
Ham continued to press for a way back into the game, but Chelsea are masters
at last-ditch defending and they doggedly kept the home side at bay. Ten-man
Chelsea made it four in the 63rd minute when Joe Cole's shot was superbly
saved by Green, only for Ashley Cole to pass the ball into the net from an
acute angle. West Ham's response was to replace Carlton Cole with Bobby
Zamora and Julien Faubert with Nobby Solano. Joe Cole was substituted in the
68th minute to a rousing send-off from Chelsea fans and Michael Essien
replaced him. West Ham had no answer to Chelsea's dominance and Essien was
unlucky to add a fifth with 10 minutes remaining when his long-range effort
flew just too high. In the end West Ham ran out of ideas and Chelsea, even
with a man down, ran out comfortable winners.
Chelsea will appeal against Frank Lampard's red card if television pictures
show conclusively that the England midfielder did not push Luis Boa Morte in
the face in today's 4-0 Barclays Premier League win at West Ham. The Blues
were already controlling the game with three goals inside five first-half
minutes before Lampard was given his marching orders for appearing to slap
Boa Morte. The referee's assistant told referee Peter Walton Lampard's hand
connected with Boa Morte's face and the midfielder was given a straight red
card. But manager Avram Grant will wait for video evidence before deciding
whether to appeal against the decision. Grant said: 'The assistant referee
said that Frank slapped the face of Boa Morte. If it is true, I think the
rule is that it is a red card. If not, maybe someone else needs to get a red
card. 'I will wait to see it but if the assistant referee is right, it is a
red card. I have not asked Frank about it.' Grant was delighted with the way
his side bounced back from their Carling Cup final defeat by Tottenham last
Sunday. The win puts Chelsea just seven points behind leaders Arsenal with a
game in hand. 'In the last five or six months, the players have given more
than 90% good performances and that has made me happy,' said Grant. 'We
played very well and used our chances in the first half. In the second half,
we played with one man short but very cleverly. 'We controlled the game in
the second half and they didn't create one chance really. We needed to play
a little bit differently tactically and I think we did it very well. 'I
think we have always been in the title race and we need to keep there. I
thought the goal we scored in the first two minutes was a good one but we
are used to these decisions.'
West Ham boss Alan Curbishley believes Chelsea are right back in the title
hunt after watching his side taken apart by some clinical finishing.
Curbishley saw Lampard put the Blues ahead from the penalty spot in the 16th
minute, Joe Cole add a second three minutes later and Michael Ballack hit a
third in the 21st minute. Left-back Ashley Cole completed the rout in the
second half to leave Curbishley full of admiration for his opponents'
finishing skills. 'Chelsea have put themselves back in the race with a
performance that shows what happened last week was a one-off and they are on
the way back,' said Curbishley. 'It sounds mad, but even though they scored
three goals, two of them clinical finishes, I thought the first half was
quite even in terms of the football. 'The two finishes from Joe Cole and
Michael Ballack were clinical. They won't hit two sweeter strikes. 'To go
three down in five minutes against a top-four team makes it massively
difficult. When you give yourself a start like that, there is no way you can
come back. 'Chelsea have a massively talented squad. You are talking about a
side and a squad which, if you don't get right and find yourself three down
in 20-odd minutes, that is a massive situation to come back. We couldn't do
that. 'We are desperately disappointed for ourselves and our fans and we
have got to try and bounce back from this. 'When you are playing against a
top-three or four side and go two down quickly, it is a long way to come
back. Even with 10-men, we couldn't break them down. 'But if I just took the
goals out of it, I think it was pretty even. But they went up four times in
the first half and one disallowed and scored three. It was clinical
finishing. 'We have prided ourselves on our defending as a team but we got
it wrong today. Not just the back five, but Joe Cole and Ballack got away
and we'll have to have a look at why that happened. 'With 10 men, we knew
Chelsea would soak it up and hit us on the break. But the game got away from
us in five minutes. Curbishley believes Lampard's dismissal was a little
harsh and argued the referee could have applied common sense in this
instance. 'As they have both got up, I think Frank has pushed Luis but
sometimes you look at that and like to think common sense might prevail,'
Curbishley said. 'But the referee sees it instantly and makes a decision. He
decided to send him off. I don't know if Chelsea will ask him to have
another look at it but it was a soft one.'
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Vinny's Chelsea Report - West Ham Online
Vinny - Sat Mar 1 2008
West Ham United 0 Chelsea 4
West Ham were demolished by Chelsea who despite having Frank Lampard sent
off, won this game with ease and made the home side look very poor.
Our recent record against Chelsea has been awful but we still did not think
we were going to get spanked good and proper. Following from their League
Cup Final defeat against Tottenham, this was the ultimate backlash with
three goals coming over a period of just five first half minutes.
We never looked like scoring and our passing was at is ultimate worst. What
was evident once again was Curbishley's inability to change our football and
play another way. I'm not blaming him entirely for this defeat but with our
plan to contain Chelsea ruined with just 22 minutes on the clock, we needed
to change our style of play but simply could not.
Curbishley decided to stick with the same team, which started against Fulham
last weekend. I was surprised that he decided to leave Solano on the bench
in favour of Faubert considering the impact Solano had made the previous
week.
On the substitutes bench, Bobby Zamora made a return and was looking to make
his first appearance since the 2-1 League Cup victory over Bristol Rovers in
August. Dean Ashton had to make do with a place on the bench yet again.
Another pack crowd gathered inside Upton Park hoping to see a victory over
what some consider as more a rival that Tottenham. Within just a few minutes
Chelsea had the ball in the back of the net but the linesman's flag denied
Nicolas Anelka after he had tapped in a parried shot after John Terry had
met the ball with a strong header at Robert Green.
At the other end, we were beginning to get into our stride, with Carlton
Cole causing the Chelsea defence problems as his shot was blocked by
Carvalho. He then sent an instinctive volley just wide as our confidence was
starting to grow.
But any hope West Ham fans were beginning to feel about getting a positive
result were jolted into reality when Kalou burst into the area only to be
clattered by Anton Ferdinand. It looked a definite penalty to me with
Ferdinand making a very clumsy and rash challenge.
No surprises to whom wanted to take the penalty, and infront of the Bobby
Moore stand, Frank Lampard stepped up and coolly beat Robert Green to put
the visitors in the lead.
Lampard milked the celebration and made sure everyone knew who had scored
the goal. Lots of badge pointing and hands in the air followed as Lampard
furthered his poor reputation at West Ham. It's strange to think that this
was once a West Ham boy – someone who loved the club and this is why I feel
he continues to go over the top with his anti-West Ham charade. He is a West
Ham boy at heart, and it eats him up to know we all hate him.
From our point of view, we needed to get ourselves together and continue to
press Chelsea in the hope that we could snatch an equaliser, but all hopes
of getting anything out of the game were all but diminished when Chelsea
grabbed their second moments later.
Anelka cut the ball back for another ex West Ham player, Joe Cole to fire an
excellent shot past Green from 18 yards.
Still in a state of shock, we conceded yet another goal just two minutes
later as Chelsea rounded off an amazing three goals in five minutes.
It was a poor goal to concede, with Michael Ballack stealing in totally
unmarked and finishing well to put Chelsea three goals to the good.
Players and fans were stunned at what had just gone on, and we needed to get
our act together and put some damage limitation on proceedings as it was
starting to get very embarrassing.
The Chelsea supporters revelled in their success and it made it all very
frustrating watching a usually tight defensive unit fall apart in such
fashion.
A half chance then fell to Faubert and then Chelsea keeper Cech had to make
a very good save to deny Noble who hit a shot from outside the area.
With the fans just calming down from seeing their side going three goals
down, it all burst into life with an incident which resulted in Frank
Lampard being shown the red card. From my view, I simply saw Boa Morte kick
out at Lampard and he reacted by pushing him down when he tried to get up.
It was all a lot of nothing really but the linesman called the ref over and
obviously told him Lampard had to go and the red card was produced.
Forgetting we were losing the game 3-0 this became a bit of joyous occasion
as Lampard had to endure a long walk off the pitch with every West Ham fan
jeering him.
Lampard responded by stopping, turning around and applauding the Chelsea
supporters in some sort of come back to the abuse he was getting.
People call him a great footballer but not having the discipline to contain
himself with his side three goals up just smacks of one very emotional,
arrogant and unprofessional footballer – which of course we know he is.
John Terry was then getting involved with any argument he could find, and he
was booked moments later after a deliberate tug back on Carlton Cole. He was
treated to a chorus of "Terry, you're a cunt". Which, of course, we know he
is too.
Half time came, and after going downstairs for a pint, I really didn't want
to return for the second half, as I didn't really hold out much hope for a
miraculous comeback.
But return I did, and as I was taking my seat, the announcer was letting us
know that Luis Boa Morte had left the field and Dean Ashton was his
replacement.
We needed to score an early goal to have any hope of getting anything out of
the game, and despite a decent effort from McCartney and then a lob from
Carlton Cole,(which was going in only for the acrobatics of Terry) we never
looked like troubling Chelsea and the game became a very boring affair.
If anyone was going to score a goal it would have been Chelsea who were
looking as though they had twelve men never mind the ten they actually had.
They broke in numbers and have so much pace through their team that we were
struggling to keep up at times.
If the game wasn't in the bag for them already, they made sure of it in the
64th minute when a shot from Joe Cole was parried away by Green but somehow
Ashley Cole managed to score from the tightest of angles to make it four.
Ashley Cole's celebration was pretty disgusting as he enjoyed taunting the
home support as if he had won the world cup. Maybe this was because we have
all had his bird?
The West Ham fans left on mass, as the fourth goal seemed to make everyone
think that we were not going to get back into the game. This would suggest
that at 3-0 they thought we would..?
Bobby Zamora entered the field of play to a good reception in place of
Carlton Cole who also got a good applause from the crowd who could not have
failed to notice his efforts despite the scoreline.
Nobby Solano was also introduced in favour of the poor Faubert, but these
changes could not aid our cause to find a goal or two and the game fizzled
out into nothing with Upton Park half empty for the final moments.
This was a crushing defeat and it doesn't matter if it's Chelsea, Manchester
United or Brighton – a 4-0 defeat at home is always bad, and supporters are
always going to be disappointed.
Resume West Ham-Chelsea
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Player Reviews
Robert Green
I don't think he was terribly at fault for any of the four goals with one
being a penalty, the other being a very good shot, one being a shot from a
totally umarked player, and the other a flukey finish from an acute angle.
Lucas Neill
Not a very inspiring captain is he? I was watching him when we conceded the
goals to see if he was trying to pick the players up, but the only one doing
that was Mark Noble. Neill was poor defensively and poor going forward. All
in all this was yet again another bad performance.
Matthew Upson
With Chelsea only playing Anelka up front you would have thought between
Anton and Upson they would have been able to deal with the threat but with
Chelsea commiting so many bodies forward, Upson often found himself with too
much to do and seemed to be chasing shadows at times.
Anton Ferdinand
I haven't seen the goals again so the claim that he was at fault for two of
them cannot be answered by me. Of course I saw him give away a penalty after
a clumsey challenge but I thought he got better in the second half
especially in the air where he put in a number of strong headers when up
against Anelka.
George McCartney
This was another one of those games where there was space in front of him to
exploit and put crosses in but he often looked a bit nervous in doing so. It
shouldn't be his job to be our left winger and Ljungberg doesn't really
offer him any support either defensively or going forward. He struggled in
this game and despite being our most consistent performer this season, he
won't want to dwell on this performance.
Julien Faubert
Showed his ability when crossing the ball and with a fit and energetic
Ashton (if we will ever see that again) this could prove to be a big
positive. Apart from some decent crosses his performance was poor – not
because he was awful on the ball, but because off it he didn't bother. He
didn't get stuck in, ball watches far to much and yes, I know he is simply
getting used to the pace of the English game, but it doesn't mean I'm going
to praise him for it.
Mark Noble
We have such a dependence on Mark Noble to perform well that when he
doesn't, it is easy to get very frustrated with him and forget that this is
actually his first full season as a premiership footballer. His passing was
off and his set pieces were awful. He worked hard but little came off and
this was an off day for Noble.
Hayden Mullins
The master of the sideways pass was totally overwhelmed and outclassed by
the strong Chelsea midfield. Looked lost throughout the game and although
never short on effort, Mullins could not get to grips with the quality of
the opposition.
Freddie Ljungberg
The WHO player of the month struggled to make any impact in this game as
playing on the left wing hindered his recent good form. Never really got
into the game, and playing our most creative player on the left wing is
simply bad tactics, and we need to find a way of getting him the ball more
frequently.
Luis Boa Morte
The only thing he did which was good was getting Frank Lampard sent off.
Carlton Cole
In a game full of bad performances, Carlton Cole actually stood out as being
a good one. I think we have established that he is not a goal scorer, and I
doubt he ever will be at this level. But he does have ability and his hold
up play is brilliant. The way he can bring the ball down and turn a defender
is among the best around but yet again he showed his inability to score
goals.
Subs Used
Dean Ashton (on for Boa Morte 45 mins)
Did nothing to suggest he should be back in the starting line up.
Bobby Zamora (on for Cole 65 mins)
Good to see him back as he is another option. But obviously lacking match
fitness.
Nolberto Solano (on for Faubert 65 mins)
Wasn't able to make any impact.
Overall
It is not really a surprise that Chelsea has smashed us as they have done so
in the last few seasons. They showed a lot of quality and we showed none.
This isn't the first time Chelsea have beaten us well, and I wouldn't think
it will be last.
There are very few positives to take from this game and all we can do is
simply move on to the next game which is away at Liverpool – a place we
haven't won since 1963/64. Our away form is good and we have beaten them
already, so we can go there with a little bit of confidence.
Today, we were shit. It was a shit performance, shit result and overall a
shitty day.
This is West Ham – it will happen again.
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Matthew Upson rewarded for toil and tenacity - Telegraph
By Alan Smith
Last Updated: 10:43am GMT 01/03/2008
In sport especially, we hear it all the time, so much so, in fact, that it
is difficult to believe that the people aiming for this goal are actually
doing everything humanly possible to fulfil their potential. With Matthew
Upson, however, things seem slightly different. An hour in his company
confirms he can't do much more to, yes, be the best he can be at his
profession. The defender has used his own initiative, not to mention his own
money, to try and reach the level he has always regarded as reasonable. And
by his own admission, it's beginning to work. Having played in every minute
of West Ham's league campaign so far, having been recalled to the England
set-up by Fabio Capello, the centre-half feels great, more confident now
than ever, thanks mainly to a couple of experts in his employ. To start off
with, Upson simply had to get fit, find a way of curing a mysterious calf
injury that, last season, wrecked the beginning of his Upton Park career.
Running out of options, he finally phoned up a specialist in South Africa
he'd heard about on the grapevine, a kinesiologist who, as it turns out,
deploys an unusual method to construct the orthotic inserts that realign the
body when placed inside someone's shoe.
"He uses the Yellow Pages to build them up and then wraps them in masking
tape," Upson explains, removing a wedge from his training shoe to let me
have a look. "Taking out just one page would knock you off balance. That's
how delicate it is. He'll gradually reduce the number of sheets as my body
realigns itself. Now I fly him over whenever I need to see him. "Before, I
was constantly overusing my calf because my body was so far out of line. One
side of my jaw was cracking, my neck was hurting, one groin was constantly
tight. It all adds up to a pretty cloudy picture of how I was moving. "I
think it started after my cruciate operation at Arsenal. When you start
running again, you're bound to protect that side a bit. It's only natural."
It is ten years now since a highly promising 18 year-old, a rare Englishman
in Arsene Wenger's cosmopolitan plan, arrived at Highbury from Luton Town.
Six years later he left, with only twenty league starts to show for his
efforts. "Leaving somewhere like that is a kick in the teeth", Upson admits.
"It had to happen because I wasn't doing as well as I would have liked but I
did have some bad luck with injury." He isn't kidding. Apart from that torn
cruciate ligament, a broken leg later stopped the prospect in his tracks
just as he was beginning to form a useful partnership with Sol Campbell. So
off he went to Birmingham where, after a couple of good years, this honest,
clear-thinking individual lapsed into a period he describes as "stagnant".
"I wasn't going downhill but I wasn't progressing", he says. "Sometimes you
need the help of someone to explain why you're not achieving what you want."
Cue the input of Mike Griffiths, a "performance consultant" who still works
closely with Upson to try and maximise potential. "He analyses all my games
â " comes home and away. Do I need more aggression? What's the body language
like? Does it need to be more authoritative? All these things are really
important and reasons why maybe I wasn't being as successful as I could have
been. "He's taught me how to achieve my goals. You start at the end, at what
you want, and work backwards, thinking about what we need to change. It's
been the biggest test â " changing your mentality. Far harder than anything
you'll do physically.
"Everyone's got something in their mind that's holding them back a little.
You've just got to figure out what that is and how to change it, turn it
into something that's going to improve you." Upson definitely has improved
as well - by a noticeable margin. Capello, for one, was sufficiently
impressed to partner him with Rio Ferdinand for last month's friendly with
Switzerland. "I felt I gave a good account of myself and from what I've
heard I think he was quite pleased with me." The feeling was mutual. The
Italian made a lasting impression during those few days. "I thought he was
excellent â " structured, very authoritative. He's got a presence about him
due to his track record and the players he's worked with. I think he
understands how to win. At times it may be ugly but that's life, isn't it?
"With the team we've got and the type of nation we are, it sometimes needs
to be like that. Look how we won the rugby world cup. At times we were
really ugly to watch, weren't we? Really horrible. But they knew what it
took to win and that's really important." Without wishing to be trite, Upson
also knows what's important when it comes to his career. He is being paid a
wonderful wage. He is playing in the Premier League. Many would be delighted
to settle for that.
"That's never going to be enough for me", he insists. "I've always wanted
more. I want to play for England. I want to play in a World Cup. I'm
desperate to do that and I'll do whatever it takes to achieve it." Another
good game today would certainly help. Keep Chelsea quiet, tame Didier Drogba
and Nicolas Anelka, and people will really start to empathise with the 28
year-old's message.
"This is my best season so far", Upson concludes. "I'm a completely
different player, on another level to the one from three or four years ago.
I'm going into games not questioning anything. I know I've done the work. My
belief levels are high.
"I just feel now that I can fulfil my potential. I feel I can piece things
together and become the player I always felt I could be but didn't quite
know how to achieve it." He seems to know now â " an achievement in itself.
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Chelsea attempt to entertain at Upton Park - Telegraph
By Roy Collins at Upton Park
Last Updated: 12:57am GMT 02/03/2008
West Ham United (0) Chelsea (3) 4
The Football Association are considering preventing the undignified sight of
referees being baited by a posse of players during a match by banning anyone
but team captains from even talking to officials. In Chelsea's case, it
would do nothing to clean up their act since captain John Terry is possibly
the worst offender in the Premier League. His berating of referee Peter
Walton, as well as one of his assistants, after Frank Lampard's dismissal
for pushing Luis Boa Morte, was another disgraceful addition to his crime
sheet, with Walton unable to restart the game for a few minutes.
Having said that, Terry was faultless and outstanding on the field of play,
as were the whole Chelsea team in a performance that finally put some flesh
on manager Avram Grant's promise to turn them into a team of entertainers.
It was also vindication of Grant's managerial credentials after the abuse
and criticism he suffered after the Carling Cup final defeat last week.
The Carling Cup may have gone, but Chelsea are still in a couple of little
cup competitions called the FA Cup and Champions League and, on the basis of
this win and another slip-up by Arsenal, they are right back in the title
mix. They even looked like Arsenal at times.
Grant partly responded to his critics by putting Nicolas Anelka in a more
familiar central role, rather than out on the left wing, where he played
against Spurs at Wembley, and also restored Joe Cole and Michael Ballack to
the starting line-up. Displaying plenty of courage, considering the pressure
he was under to get a victory, he left Didier Drogba on the bench and kept
Shaun Wright-Phillips out of the squad altogether as he shuffled his
resources with Wednesday's Champions League tie against Olympiakos in mind.
Perhaps he knew just how woeful West Ham were, a side who have built a
reputation for defensive competence this season with the best record outside
the top four. Here, though, they did not even think to bolt the stable door
after the horse had bolted, with Chelsea still knocking the ball around and
creating the better chances when down to 10 men.
West Ham manager Alan Curbishley was right when he said: "It probably sounds
mad but I thought the first half was fairly even in terms of possession and
play." Right, that is, to admit it was mad since Chelsea took the Hammers
apart with three goals in six first-half minutes, having already had a
perfectly good effort by Anelka ruled out for offside.
Lampard, who so enjoys the warm-hearted applause he gets from West Ham fans
after his long years of service here, slotted home the first from the
penalty spot after Anton Ferdinand had brought down Salomon Kalou. There was
then much snogging of the club badge, just to let the home fans know that
they were not the only ones capable of a wind-up.
Joe Cole scored a second from outside the box and then Ballack, who had set
that one up, plundered one himself after a cross by Kalou. Just over 20
minutes gone and some West Ham fans were already leaving, one or two
questioning the goalkeeping of Robert Green, the man who has 'England's
number four' on his gloves, which might be a bit optimistic on this showing.
Once Lampard was sent off, one would have expected a cavalry charge from
West Ham, but, on the one occasion they beat Petr Cech with a fine chip from
Carlton Cole, Terry showed his determination to keep a clean sheet by
running back and clearing the ball off the line.
Curbishley thought the Lampard sending off was harsh, saying: "You look at
those situations sometimes and hope common sense will prevail," though Grant
was upset more that the call for the red card, as with the penalty given
against Chelsea at Wembley, came not from the referee but an assistant.
Grant said: "The assistant said that Frank slapped Boa Morte's face and, if
he did, then that is a red card. But I don't know. I haven't asked Frank
yet."
It is doubtful whether West Ham could have scored had Chelsea had another
couple of players sent off. The final insult was delivered by Ashley Cole,
also restored to the side, who opened his account for the Blues after
namesake Joe's shot was pushed out by Green. It was his first goal for three
years, though he celebrated as if he had never scored before.
Chelsea may appeal against Lampard's sending off, though after what happened
to Middlesbrough's Jeremie Aliadiere, who got an extra game tacked on for a
"frivolous" appeal, they may think better of it. A fourth game for Lampard
would see him missing the game against Arsenal at the Bridge at the end of
this month. That is a match that no Chelsea player will want to miss.
Opta ratings
West Ham United: Green 6, Neill 7, Ferdinand 6, Upson 7, McCartney 7,
Faubert 5 (Solano 4), Mullins 6, Noble 8, Ljungberg 4, Boa Morte 4 (Ashton
5), Cole 6 (Zamora 3)
Possession 54 per cent, offsides 2, shots on target 3, shots off target 4,
corners 6, fouls conceded 14, yellow cards 0, red cards 0
Chelsea: Cech 7, Ferreira 7, Carvalho 7, Terry 7 [y], A Cole 8, J Cole 8
(Essien 6), Makelele 6 (Alex 5), Ballack 7, Lampard 7 [red card], Kalou 7
(Malouda 4), Anelka 7
Possession 46 per cent, offsides 3, shots on target 8, shots off target 5,
corners 1, fouls conceded 8, yellow cards 2, red cards 1
Best moment: The fantastic goal-line clearance by John Terry from Carlton
Cole's chip over goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Worst moment: Terry and team-mates Michael Ballack and Salomon Kalou baiting
referee Peter Walton after he sent off Frank Lampard. Only a booking for
Ballack broke it up.
Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Frank Lampard sets Chelsea up before red card - Telegraph
By John Ley
Last Updated: 12:55am GMT 03/03/2008
West Ham United (0) Chelsea (3) 4
The Premier League's plans to play in foreign lands may be close to failure
but even if Chelsea had to play on another planet, Roman Abramovich would be
there to give his support, according to manager Avram Grant. Abramovich was
absent from Upton Park on Saturday, the Chelsea owner preoccupied with the
Russian presidential elections. After the lacklustre performance against
Tottenham in the Carling Cup final, he missed the perfect response, but
forget any suggestions that he is falling out of love with his club. Seeing
red: Frank Lampard was sent off against West Ham United "Even if he was on
an island on the moon he would see it," said Grant. "I know he will have
seen it on TV." Abramovich attended training last week in the wake of the
Wembley defeat, fuelling fears of a fall-out. Not so, according to Grant. "I
think it's good for the owner to come to training and show that we are all a
team together," he said. That was evident in east London, even without
Abramovich, and stands Chelsea in good stead for Wednesday's Champions
League second leg at Stamford Bridge. Olympiakos, who held Chelsea to a 0-0
draw in Athens, could suffer a second backlash. On Saturday, Chelsea took
advantage of a woeful West Ham, scored three goals in six devastating
first-half minutes, then played out 55 minutes with 10 men, following the
controversial dismissal of Frank Lampard.
Chelsea will await referee Peter Walton's report on the dismissal before
deciding whether to appeal against the red card which will rule the
midfielder out of three crucial games. Lampard received only the second red
card of his career when he responded to a challenge from West Ham's Luis Boa
Morte. Lampard appeared to push the Portuguese in the chest but it is
understood Walton told Chelsea's players that he acted on advice from
assistant referee Guy Beale, who believed he saw the England midfielder push
Boa Morte in the face. At present, Lampard would miss the FA Cup trip to
Barnsley next weekend followed by Premier League games against Derby and
Sunderland. Chelsea are cautious about an appeal following the Football
Association's reaction to a similar move by Middlesbrough, following the
sending off of Jeremie Aliadiere, at Liverpool. The FA not only rejected the
appeal but gave the French striker an extra one-game ban after claiming the
appeal was 'frivolous'.
Lampard's red card made for a spiky affair, but after showing their Hyde
side at Wembley, Chelsea produced a Jekyll performance here. And perhaps,
even if he would not admit it, this showed how wrong Grant got his team
against Spurs. He made six changes, and three of the four goals were scored
by players left out of last weekend's starting line-up. After Lampard had
converted an early penalty, he provided Michael Ballack with the chance to
dispatch a delightful finish, with an equally sublime goal from Joe Cole
sandwiched in between. Ashley Cole's first goal for Chelsea - and his first
for three years - ended any wild hopes of a West Ham comeback, leaving his
side seven points off the Premier League summit.
Grant said: "I am close friends with Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.
They know about the race for the title. We have taken more than 80 per cent
of the points and if we continue to take points like this then we are in the
title race." The Premier League remains an outside bet for Chelsea, but the
Champions League, their Holy Grail, is attainable - and you can guarantee
Abramovich will be there. The final is in Moscow and Abramovich has already
booked the team hotel.
Man of the match
Joe Cole (Chelsea) 8
• One goal from three attempts
• An 82 per cent pass completion rate
• Made four tackles against his old club
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
If I think Lampard is hard done by, something is up - The Times
Rod Liddle
IT WAS an enormous pleasure to see Frank Lampard sent off in Chelsea's game
against West Ham yesterday. That's because I don't like him. I don't like
his perpetually put-upon expression, nor his apparent conviction that he is
a sort of magical amalgam of Garrincha, Bobby Charlton and Franz
Beckenbauer, when actually he's Jimmy Bullard with an only slightly better
haircut.
I hate it when he looks aggrieved during England games at Wembley, just
after a shot of his ends up somewhere near Southall, as if fate had cruelly
intervened to deflect a brilliant goalbound effort towards the North
Circular and none of it is his fault at all or the consequence of him being
not very good.
I hate those postmatch conferences where he explains how well he has played
when England have been beaten at home by the Maldives. So seeing him sent
off is always an enormous pleasure, especially - and this is the point -
when the decision is utterly unjustified, as it was against West Ham. Then,
the pleasure is enhanced because Lampard is forced to find an even greater
depth of grief in his facial expression, because he has been genuinely hard
done by.
Chronic and preferably cruel injustice is a much underestimated attraction
in football. It's one of the reasons I never want cameras on the goalline;
goals are fun and exciting, of course, but they are not so much fun as the
cretin of a referee, acting under FA orders, who makes a monumentally absurd
decision.
Injustice is one of the few things left in the English game that makes it
worth forking out £50 for - or in my team's case, £20 - to watch for 90
minutes. At the precise time Frank Lampard was erroneously sent off, my own
team, Millwall, were having a perfectly good goal disallowed by a jackass of
a referee who has become a serial offender. Never mind; this is the hand of
fate, and footballers need to be reminded from time to time that the hand of
fate will occasionally intervene and spoil their day. They think that they
are all-conquering, the players, and it's nice to bring them down to earth
occasionally.
However, all this being said, there is a certain kind of pirouetting,
flouncy and camp Premier League referee in the game right now who wishes
nothing more than to send someone off and to enjoy his moment in the sun for
having done so, like an understudy in the musical Cabaret suddenly allowed
into the limelight.
The Lampard business was truly mystifying; he tangled, briefly, and without
great effect, with Luis Boa Morte (no angel, mark you) - both of them on the
ground - and then had the temerity to push the bloke away, having received a
bit of a kick. At which point the red card was airily wafted in his general
direction. Now, cackle though I did, I could see that it was a consummately
unjust sending-off. In a way, this made me laugh all the more.
But for all this sniggering, there is a certain pattern beginning to emerge,
which you might hope the FA or the Premier League would get a grip of. This
week Frank Lampard, a week or so back, Middlesbrough's Jeremie Aliadiere -
both sent off for offences that may, I suppose, transgress the letter of the
law but which in earlier times would have warranted nothing more than a
sharp word from the referee.
Aliadiere, having appealed against his monstrously unjust red card, will now
serve a longer ban than that which will apply to Birmingham City's Martin
Taylor, who effected a hasty, ad hoc amputation upon Arsenal's Eduardo last
Saturday at St Andrews, much to Arsène Wenger's chagrin. Middlesbrough's
appeal rebounded upon them, because that's the way the Football Association
works. It doesn't like appeals. But once again you might be tempted to
suspect that the FA does not know what it is doing.
I think I speak for quite a few fans when I venture that the FA has got its
priorities wrong. I would like to see players sent off for cheating - in the
case of Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, at some point within the
third minute of every match - and for tackles that are either clearly
malicious or criminally negligent. Or indeed for players who have been
hacking out at the opposing winger from the moment the referee blew his
whistle at the start of the game. By and large, though, a bit of shoving
here or there should not warrant even so much as a booking.
Much as it grieves me to say so about such a player, but Lampard was
entirely justified in his modest admonition towards West Ham's Boa Morte.
The FA, I suppose, will say that he raised a hand and therefore deserves all
that he got. But this is taking a literal interpretation of the rules
altogether too far. Lampard deserved to stay on the pitch yesterday: so did
Aliadiere for Middlesbrough.
Less central control and instead the deployment of that long-forgotten
thing, common sense, would be of benefit to the Premier League. Even if it
does mean that Lampard escapes a ban and is allowed back to look aggrieved
the next time Chelsea take to the field.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Rafael Benitez: We must beat West Ham - Telegraph
By Ian Winrow
Last Updated: 7:56am GMT 03/03/2008
Rafael Benitez has targeted Wednesday's visit by West Ham United to Anfield
as the moment when Liverpool can wrest control in the battle for fourth
position from one side of Stanley Park to the other, away from near
neighbours Everton.
Liverpool's Champions League second round second leg tie against Inter Milan
has been shifted back a week to March 11, and, in its place, the visit of
the East London side marks a crucial Premier League game in hand, frequently
identified by Benitez as being responsible for Liverpool's exclusion from
the top four.
Win and Liverpool will go above their closest rivals on goal difference with
10 league games remaining and deliver a timely psychological blow ahead
Everton's visit for the second Merseyside derby of the season on March 30.
Anything less, however, will blow a hole in the Liverpool manager's claim
that, after the humiliating FA Cup exit at the hands of Barnsley and a run
of indifferent league form, his side are back on course for a fourth-placed
finish and an extended run in the Champions League.
Yesterday's comfortable victory over a Bolton side struggling on the fringe
of the bottom three was Liverpool's third in succession, bolstering
Benitez's belief his side are now returning to form.
"Every win is important but especially now when we are so close and fighting
for the fourth position, it's important to put the other teams under
pressure, and with the game in hand we have, it depends on us," Benitez
said. "You don't have to look at the table everyday to know what the
situation is.
"If we can beat West Ham then we will go into the remaining games with
confidence. We want to play in the Champions League and it was really
important to continue winning and put in a good performance to give us more
confidence."
Benitez's faith in his side has been reinforced by the imminent return of
defender Daniel Agger. While the Dane was not fully fit, Sami Hyypia, 34,
fully justified his manager's decision to offer him a new, one-year
contract.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Grant rejigs to stunning effect but Lampard card brings new dilemma
Dominic Fifield at Upton Park
Monday March 3, 2008
The Guardian
Even riotous victories such as these come with flipsides for Chelsea. The
club's best win at the Boleyn Ground was secured despite the dismissal of
Frank Lampard, a pantomime villain in these parts, for a slap in the face of
Luis Boa Morte that television replays could not detect. Avram Grant felt
understandably aggrieved at the decisive assessment of the referee's
assistant, but he faces a dilemma this morning.
Logic suggests that an appeal would see the first straight red card of the
midfielder's career rescinded, though common sense does not always prevail.
Chelsea are wary of the extension of a three-match ban for Middlesbrough's
Jérémie Aliadière to four games by the Football Association last week for
what they deemed to be a "frivolous appeal". Similar sanction against
Lampard would rule the 29-year-old out of the game against Arsenal on March
22, a match Chelsea will feel they must win to muscle their way to the top.
The referee, Peter Walton, claimed his assistant had seen a slap on the
Portuguese after Boa Morte and Lampard had tussled on the edge of the
penalty area - it appeared more of a shove in the chest - and acted on that
advice. Boa Morte's lunge at his opponent went unpunished. West Ham's
hackles were already up by then, trailing 3-0 at the time, and the incident
prompted the inevitable handbags from a melee of players. Lampard's trudge
from the turf was about as good as this afternoon got for the home
supporters.
"It was very harsh," insisted John Terry. "Peter Walton is a very clever
referee. I'm sure he'll look at it again and the guys who make these
decisions will hopefully rescind it." That same official was more lenient
after Claude Makelele's horrible lunge on Julien Faubert after the interval.
Regardless, Terry and Grant will be intrigued by the contents of Walton's
report, winging its way to Soho Square today. The club have until tomorrow
to lodge any appeal though, regardless, the frustration was that Lampard's
dismissal rather detracted from an excellent performance.
If this had born the look of an awkward encounter, then it ended up as the
perfect antidote to a difficult week. Chelsea had a goal wrongly disallowed
after 89 seconds, then prised West Ham apart with stunning efficiency three
times in six minutes midway through the first period. The goals, slammed in
rat-a-tat beyond an aghast Robert Green, knocked the stuffing out of the
hosts. "If you took the goals out of it, it was obviously quite even," said
the West Ham manager Alan Curbishley with a straight face. If that was
mystifying, this was an annihilation.
Three of the players recalled after sitting out the Carling Cup final
scored. Roman Abramovich, dismayed by matters at Wembley, will have enjoyed
this display as he watched, as governor of Chukotka, on television back in
Russia. "Even if he was on an island on the moon, he would watch us," said
Grant, whose side are seven points from the summit today with a game in
hand. "I am close friends with [Sir Alex] Ferguson and [Arsène] Wenger and I
think they see the picture. If we continue to take points like this, then we
are in the race."
Ashley Cole's fine, slide-rule pass sparked the first; Anton Ferdinand was
panicked into a rash challenge on Salomon Kalou with Lampard sliding in the
penalty then pointing to his badge to whip up the livid home support. Joe
Cole provided a sumptuous second, with an exquisite first touch and fizzed
shot into the corner. Michael Ballack's third, crashed in on the half-volley
with the outside of his boot, simply took the breath. The visitors were
untouchable.
Even once they had been reduced to 10 men, they remained in complete control
thanks largely to the considerable presence of Terry and Ricardo Carvalho.
The England defender cleared Carlton Cole's lob from the goalline to sap any
remaining belief from the home side. Ashley Cole, clipping in from an unkind
angle after Green had palmed away Joe Cole's shot, gave the scoreline a more
realistic feel. The Bobby Moore stand was emptying with 25 minutes
remaining.
"It was a great response," said Joe Cole. "Maybe we were a little bit better
focused. We have had a good week to take it all in, and the right
performance and the right attitude were all there today. The run-in has
started and it is a good time to come into form. It'll go down to the last
few games, I'm sure of that."
Freddie Ljungberg admitted Chelsea had been "the most clinical" of the sides
West Ham had confronted this season. "They were the best team we've faced,"
added George McCartney. "If they'd had 11 men all game, it would have been a
lot tougher." They might have run up a cricket score with a full complement.
West Ham should be thankful for small mercies.
Man of the match John Terry
Chelsea's captain would not be denied comprehensive victory, for all West
Ham's huff and puff, even when his team had been reduced to 10 men.
Best Moment The goalline clearance, hooked away after Carlton Cole had
lobbed Petr Cech. It deflated the hosts and ensured there was to be no way
back
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chelsea delaying Frank Lampard appeal - The Times
Matt Hughes
Chelsea have signalled their intention to appeal against Frank Lampard's red
card in Saturday's 4-0 win away to West Ham United, but are waiting to
discover the contents of the referee's report before making a final
decision. The club are wary of the England midfield player being given an
additional suspension for making a frivolous appeal, as happened to Jérémie
Aliadière when Middlesbrough contested his dismissal for slapping Javier
Mascherano, of Liverpool, in the face. A four-match ban would rule Lampard
out of the league match against Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the month.
Chelsea's previous appeals this season against the red cards shown to John
Obi Mikel, Michael Essien and Ashley Cole have been dismissed but they are
confident of winning this time, if they decide to go ahead.
The club's players claim that they were told by Peter Walton, the referee,
that Lampard was sent off because the assistant referee told him he had
pushed Luís Boa Morte in the face, which television replays disprove.
The pictures showed Lampard shoving the Portuguese winger in the chest after
they had grappled on the floor in the 33rd minute, an offence that was
supposed to be punished with a yellow card, according to the guidance given
by referees at informal meetings held with clubs at the start of the season.
Chelsea have until tomorrow to launch an appeal but will first check that
Walton's explanation to the players is reflected in his report, which will
be received by the FA today.
Chelsea's caution is the result of their experience after John Terry's
sending-off against Tottenham Hotspur last season, when the captain accused
Graham Poll of changing his story, an unfounded allegation for which he was
fined £10,000 by the FA.
Avram Grant, the Chelsea first-team coach, expressed frustration that, as
with the penalty awarded against Wayne Bridge in last week's Carling Cup
final, a crucial decision was made by an assistant referee some distance
from the incident.
"I didn't see it and I have no problem with the referee, only the
assistant," Grant said. "The referee was closer to the incident than the
assistant referee and the same again as last week, but the assistant was 20
metres away. The referee said clearly that Lampard touched the face of Boa
Morte. If he did then it's a red card and if not then it's not a red card."
Terry called for the red card to be rescinded. "It was very harsh," he said.
"It was the linesman who made the decision. Walton is a very clever referee
and very good as well. I'm sure he'll look at it again and the guys who make
these decisions will look at it and hopefully rescind it."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Don't take it as red, Frank - Chelsea star Lampard lands three games for
'shove' - Daily Mail
West ham 0 Chelsea 4
By NEIL ASHTON - More by this author »
Last updated at 20:58pm on 2nd March 2008
All those prone to seizures, spasms or suicidal thoughts, look away now.
Martin Taylor is serving a three-match ban for the challenge that turned
Eduardo's ankle 180 degrees and Frank Lampard will do the same after an
assistant referee took offence to his petulant shove on Luis Boa Morte. The
Barclays Premier League has gone potty. Official. Chelsea generals met in
the war room on Sunday to discuss tactics as they consider an appeal, but it
should be a no-brainer; all out attack is the only option. If they grit
their teeth, Lampard will be in the stands for games against Barnsley in the
FA Cup and the 'gimmes' against Derby and Sunderland. If they bare their
teeth instead, it raises the alarming prospect that the FA will apply the
'Aliadiere principle' and add an extra game to his punishment. Should
Lampard make a stand and be prepared for the possibility that he will then
miss the chance to avenge their Carling Cup Final defeat by Tottenham on
March 19? Decisions, decisions.
To take this on the chin — and how Lampard must be wishing that is exactly
where he had planted his retribution for Boa Morte's part in his dismissal —
would be to gloss over a miscarriage of justice. Not quite on the same scale
as the Birmingham Six, but baffling all the same. For all his talent, Boa
Morte is undoubtedly the Premier League's most irritating player. One rule
for one, one for another? Last weekend, Martin Taylor was rightly sent off
for his rash challenge on Eduardo, but on Saturday, Claude Makelele's almost
identical lunge at Julien Faubert went unpunished (see picture below) He
twice called it on with Chelsea captain John Terry in the opening half hour,
but his tangle with Lampard should have taken referee Peter Walton no more
than 10 seconds to sort out. Instead assistant referee Guy Beale summoned
Walton to the sidelines and Lampard was sent off for the second time in his
career. Just imagine 'Big Fat Frank', as the West Ham supporters joyously
belted out while he walked off the pitch in the 35th minute, flanked by
lawyers on the steps of Soho Square later this week and contemptuously
admitting that the FA are bastions of the beautiful game. Make a stand,
Frank. "I have no problem with the referee, only the assistant," claimed
Avram Grant — the Chelsea manager who appeared more relieved that his side
responded so emphatically at the end of a week he wishes he had never had.
"The referee said it was very clear that Lampard touched the face of Boa
Morte and if he did it's a red card. If not, then it's not a red card."
Still, it was hardly the red mist.
Chelsea saved that for their opponents with a display of such attacking
intent in the opening half hour there was talk of supplanting the Premier
League's record score. After Lampard kissed the badge in front of the West
Ham fans following his penalty — awarded for Anton Ferdinand's trip on
Salomon Kalou — Curbishley's side kissed goodbye to the game. Joe Cole sent
the sweetest of half-volleys beyond Robert Green with his left foot that
merited more than the muted celebrations from the former West Ham
midfielder. Lampard then spotted Michael Ballack's blindside run and the
Germany captain volleyed the floated pass with the outside of his boot
beyond the West Ham keeper. Three down in 30 minutes, West Ham were dead and
buried. "If they didn't score three goals, we would have been on level terms
at the break," protested Curbishley. It seems that sending-off affected
everyone. Chelsea were awesome but even the game's golden moments — Cole and
Ballack's goals deserve joint billing — were overshadowed by the colossal
performance of Terry. The England captain was back to his very best while
outbattling Carlton Cole. He was immense, but others deserve credit; Ashley
Cole returned to the side and scored his first Chelsea goal, Ballack was a
towering figure in midfield, Paulo Ferreira was excellent and Joe Cole can
take enormous satisfaction from his performance. Sadly for the manager,
Roman Abramovich is electioneering in Russia and was not at Upton Park. "He
saw the game on television," claimed Grant. "I know he would see our games —
even if he was on an island on the moon." It was certainly a performance
from another planet. And that didn't just apply to Guy Beale.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Transfer speculation: Mark Noble to Arsenal (£8 million) - SquareFootball
West Ham fans have bitter experiences watching players developed at Upton
Park turning out for the more powerful Premiership clubs. Ferdinand, Cole,
Lampard, Johnson, Carrick and Defoe are just some of the names lost to
Hammers fans and now Arsenal may be looking at Mark Noble. Doubts over the
intentions of Gilberto and Mathieu Flamini may leave Arsene Wenger seeking
central midfield cover in the summer. Noble has the mix of technique and
grit to attract Wenger's attention, though West Ham will surely resist the
move. Reports that Flamini may be offered a £50,000 a week contract could be
a saving grace for Hammers fans and keep one of their prized assets at Upton
Park.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham United 0 Chelsea 4: Grant gets it right as Anelka's class tells -
Indepedent
Monday, 3 March 2008
With this victory Avram Grant did not just eclipse Jose Mourinho's 4-1 win
at Upton Park last season, he surpassed every other Chelsea manager, Ted
Drake, Dave Sexton and Ruud Gullit included, in presiding over the club's
biggest victory in 85 years of visiting this oft-intimidating venue.
Point made? Or did it just confirm the belief that enigmatic Israeli oversaw
the wrong selection for last week's Carling Cup final.
"This was not a different team, it was a team which played differently,"
insisted Grant. It was both. There were six changes from the starting XI at
Wembley but perhaps the most significant was positional. Nicolas Anelka was
wasted on the wing last week; on Saturday, while not scoring, he was the
most influential player on the pitch.
True, he did much of his best work in wide positions, but the crucial aspect
is he did so having drifted from the centre to tear great holes in West
Ham's cover. Sometimes a central defender went with him, leaving space for
Joe Cole, Michael Ballack and Salomon Kalou to attack. Sometimes they did
not, enabling Anelka to orchestrate attacks. Most of the time he was so
poorly marked he might have been wearing Harry Potter's Cloak of
Invisibility.
However, Chelsea also have Didier Drogba. The pair ought to be compatible,
but that would mean Grant changing his formation, finding reliable wingers,
omitting Ballack or Frank Lampard every week (plus Michael Essien), and
sacrificing the flexibility 4-3-3 provides.
It is a tough call for Grant who bridled at a question referring to his
decision to leave Drogba, who has not played in the League for three months,
on the bench. He might have expected a less challenging inquiry after
winning 4-0 away from home with 10 men for most of the last hour.
Nevertheless, he could have replied that Chelsea have an important Champions
League tie looming, and there was no need to bring on a striker.
But Grant sees demons in every media poser, and it is hard not to blame him.
Due to the perception that he got the job because he is the owner's mate,
his lack of achievement outside his native country, and his blandness in
comparison to the irrepressible Mourinho, he has had the press against him
for the beginning. When Grant left the likes of John Terry and Lampard
sweating over their Carling Cup places he was seen as being petty, when
Fabio Capello does the same it indicates strength.
So how should this win be interpreted? Were the players making a defiant
response to the midweek criticism of their manager? Or were individuals
making a point to Grant after being omitted – or played out of position –
last week? In short, are Chelsea still in contention for the Premier League
title because of Grant, or despite him? And what roles do Henk Ten Cate,
Steve Clarke, Frank Arnensen and the rest of the Court of Stamford Bridge
play in the soap opera? As Joe Cole said, "There is so much drama
surrounding the club".
The one man who needs to have the right answers is Roman Abramovich. It
might be noted though the belief that Grant is his patsy does not square
with Andrei Shevchenko being cast even further adrift than he was under
Mourinho.
Abramovich was not present at Upton Park, as governor of Chukotka province
he was in Russia for the Presidential election, but Grant said: "I know he
saw it on TV. Even if he was on an island on the Moon I know he would see
it."
If so the first action he saw was a wrongly disallowed goal by Anelka. It
mattered not. A lamentably ill-judged tackle by Anton Ferdinand on Kalou
allowed Lampard to joyfully tuck away a penalty. Three minutes later Anelka
out-jumped Ferdinand to Petr Cech's goal-kick, picked up the loose ball
himself, and found Joe Cole who volleyed in off the far post. Barely two
further minutes had elapsed before Anelka, in space, fed Lampard whose deft
cross was volleyed in by Ballack.
That was game over, even Lampard's soft dismissal for a desultory push on
Luis Boa Morte – which may be appealed – failed to disturb Chelsea who added
a fourth through Ashley Cole.
"I would say they are the most clinical team we have played," said West
Ham's Freddie Ljungberg.
"They were the best team we have faced this season," added George McCartney.
Respect; but for the manager, or just the players?
Goals: Lampard (17, pen) 0-1; J Cole (20) 0-2; Ballack (22) 0-3; A Cole (64)
0-4.
West Ham United (4-4-2): Green; Neill, Ferdinand, Upson, McCartney; Faubert
(Solano, 66), Noble, Mullins, Ljungberg; Boa Morte (Ashton, 46), C Cole
(Zamora, 65). Substitutes not used: Wright (gk), Spector.
Chelsea (4-1-2-3): Cech; Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; Makelele (Alex,
84); Ballack, Lampard; Kalou (Malouda, 75), Anelka, J Cole (Essien, 69).
Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Drogba.
Referee: P Walton (Northamptonshire). Booked: Chelsea Ballack, Terry. Sent
Off: Chelsea Lampard.
Man of the match: Anelka.
Attendance: 34,969.
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Nani Confirmed this week, his 1st mission to get Italian Hero Luca Toni Cmon
Yu Iorns
Posted by The Rooster on March 3rd, 2008
According to the People Tabloid, Nani will be confirmed this week as the new
Sporting Director for West Ham, a post that was offered to him by Bjorgolfur
Gudmundsson & acknowledged by Curbishley. His first mission is to make an
£8 million bid for 30 year old World Cup striker Luca Toni, something Alan
Curbishley has already had discussions about, which may not be good news for
Ashton. Luca Toni played a major part in the success of Gianluca Nani's role
as General Manager of Brescia, and now plays for Bayern Munich. It seems
Alan Curbishley wants to add another front-man to the team in the summer,
and because of Toni's physical style he will be perfect for the Job. Luca
Toni has scored 19 goals in 26 games, Bayern sits top of the Bundesliga
Table.
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Chelsea to appeal Lampard dismissal
tribalfootball.com - March 02, 2008
Chelsea will make an appeal against Frank Lampard's dismissal against West
Ham on Saturday. The Stamford Bridge club must lodge their protest with the
FA by lunchtime today if they are to have any chance of the three-match ban
being overturned. Lampard was sent off after an assistant referee told match
ref Peter Walton that he slapped Luis Boa Morte in the face. Chelsea will
argue it was a gentle shove in the chest and worthy of no more than a yellow
card. As long as Walton accurately recounts the same version in his match
report, then the automatic red card will be downgraded. Captain John Terry
said: "It was very harsh. Peter Walton is a very clever referee and very
good as well. I'm sure he'll look at it again."
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West Ham set to name Nani as new technical chief
tribalfooball.com - March 02, 2008
West Ham United are expected to name Brescia chief Gianluca Nani as their
new technical director. The Hammers want him to take responsibility for
transfer policy, contract negotiations and youth development. Former
chairman Eggert Magnusson had the role at Upton Park before he left the club
in December. Nani has been working in a similar role at Serie B club
Brescia, where he has signed Roberto Baggio and Pep Guardiola. He also
launched the career of Italy striker Luca Toni.
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Chelsea skipper Terry: West Ham win should silence critics
tribalfootball.com - March 02, 2008
Chelsea captain John Terry hopes their powerful performance at West Ham on
Saturday will silence the critics in the aftermath of their Carling Cup
final defeat by Tottenham. Terry told the club's website: "Especially in the
first half, some of the football was fantastic and there were the goals to
match the performance as well. "The message we sent out was that everything
is okay at Chelsea and do not believe everything that is written and spoken
about us in the press. "We have had a difficult week but everything is
sorted out very quickly at Chelsea. In every club there are things that go
on behind the scenes and if they aren't sorted out quickly, they disturb
performances. "We are grown men, we discuss things and then things are
forgotten, and you could see that on the pitch. The lads, the manager, the
staff and the fans are all pulling in the same direction. "There was a great
penalty from Lamps and then great goals from great moves by Michael Ballack
and Joe Cole. We have reacted to things that were said in a positive way on
the pitch which is the only thing the players can do on the pitch."
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Nani to help West Ham land Bayern Munich's Toni
tribalfootball.com - March 02, 2008
West Ham United are planning an £8 million bid for Bayern Munich
centre-forward Luca Toni. The People says new Hammers sporting director
Gianluca Nani will drive the bid for Toni, 30, when he takes up his Upton
Park role in the summer. Nani was striker Toni's manager at Brescia and was
a major influence on the big man's career. It is believed Toni was
identified as a target during Nani's meeting with manager Alan Curbishley.
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