09.04.2008
Barclays Premier League
Boleyn Ground
7.45pm
Referee: Lee Probert
West Ham United: Green, Neill, Ferdinand, Spector, McCartney, Solano,
Mullins, Parker, Boa Morte, Ashton, Zamora
Subs: Walker, Pantsil, Tomkins, Cole, Sears
Sunderland: James, Johnson, Distin, Campbell, Hreidarsson, Mendes, Mvuemba,
Diop, Muntari, Kranjcar, Nugent
Subs: Begovic, Lauren, Hughes, Davis, Kanu
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'We have to do better' - WHBUFC
Having lost narrowly again, Alan Curbishley is looking for a weekend
improvement at Bolton Wanderers
09.04.2008
Alan Curbishley was left to reflect on what might have been after a
professional away display by Portsmouth saw the visitors leave the Boleyn
Ground with all three points.
The home side started brightly on a chilly Tuesday night in east London,
with fit-again Bobby Zamora's return to the side after missing the previous
two games culminating in some bright attacking play in the opening period.
The striker was proving a handful and was unlucky not to open the scoring in
the 17th minute when he rounded David James and struck for goal - only to
watch the ball agonisingly roll just wide.
That was to be as good as it got for the hosts. In contrast, Portsmouth grew
in confidence as the game wore on and a solitary strike from distance by
Niko Kranjcar just after the hour was to prove all that separated the sides.
"It looked as if it was going to be a tight game," said Curbishley.
"Portsmouth turned up and flooded the midfield. I can't complain about that,
they have been playing 4-3-3, 4-5-1 all season.
"We obviously needed to score first. We had a great chance [through Zamora],
we also had a couple of decent opportunities but we didn't take them. As the
game wore on, Portsmouth got stronger, we got flatter and, considering what
we are trying to fight for it, is a massive disappointment. One or two of
them looked really tired again and it was just a flat performance in the
second half.
"It may have been different if we had scored first but they did the
threatening in the second half and when Kranjcar scored, he had already had
a couple of opportunities before that where he had let some shots go. So, we
are very down and disappointed in there." When asked about the contrast of
this season's mid-table comfort with last season's desperate survival fight,
the manager said he was not content for the team to try and just hang on for
a tenth-place finish.
He added: "The opportunity has been there for us to push on - we haven't
taken that. Tonight, I think we ran out of one or two ideas about how to
break Portsmouth down. It is something we have got to think about. We have
got five games left. We have got a really tough one away from home [at
Bolton Wanderers] on Saturday - they are fighting for their lives and we
have to do better than we did tonight.
"I'd like to at least stay tenth but we have got to win some games for that
to happen. We are a bit up and down. We played ever so well at Everton, we
played well for half a game up at Sunderland. We did well the first half
today but after that we have fizzled out ... we have just played two or
three games that we thought were winnable. We have got to definitely win
some of the next five games because we won't stay where we are, the season
will fizzle out and we will end on a downer. That is the last thing I want
to do."
This weekend's trip to relegation-threatened Bolton could see some defensive
changes with Curbishley claiming Matthew Upson "has got a chance", before
adding: "He may well come back so we may lose one with Lucas Neill and we
may gain one with Matty Upson." The captain suffered an ankle injury late in
the game but continued until the final whistle as all three substitutes had
been used. Like Freddie Ljungberg, Mark Noble was absent with a hamstring
injury suffered last week but the manager said he was "pushing to play" and
"we will see how he is on Saturday".
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Green has lofty ambitions - WHUFC
Rob Green is doing a special charity climb this summer and has explained all
in the matchday magazine
08.04.2008
West Ham United goalkeeper Robert Green is planning to climb Africa's
highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, this summer in a bid to raise funds and
awareness for the African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF).
In an exclusive article written for the Portsmouth matchday programme, the
28-year-old described his desire to travel far afield and harness the
popularity of football as a means of improving the lives of people living in
deprived communities.
"I've never been much of a beach person," he explained. "This summer I
thought I would use the break and the ability that football has to touch
lives. I will be travelling across Africa to raise funds and awareness for
AMREF. The organisation has over 600 people working throughout the
continent, attempting to improve the lives of people in some of the harshest
and poorest climates in the world.
"One of the highlights of the trip will be the chance to climb Mount
Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. It is a three day climb and a two
day descent and by all accounts a very physically demanding challenge, even
for the fittest of people. If you would like to sponsor me for this, you can
find my page on www.justgiving.com/robertgreenkiliclimb. It would be great
to receive any amount and the more we raise, the more chance there is of
seeing me alive and well for the start of next season!"
Tuesday's programme also featured an exclusive interview with new West Ham
United's technical director Gianluca Nani, who talks about his excitement in
starting his new role this summer.
"I know the fans are really passionate," he says. "I know that West Ham
United has always been a club that plays in the right way - the West Ham
way. I've seen the talent coming from this area. You have to push this
talent. We have to follow this way and develop the other parts that need
developing, bringing in foreign players and young talent from abroad. We
have the opportunity to do a good job. We are going to work hard and we will
get good results."
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West Ham 0-1 Portsmouth - BBC
By Julian Shea
Niko Kranjcar's goal on the hour proved to be enough to secure the points
for FA Cup finalists Portsmouth in a low-key game at West Ham. Dean Ashton's
long-range shot, pushed behind for a corner right on half-time, was a rare
moment of serious threat to either goal in the first half. But after the
restart the Croatian went one better than Ashton when he turned and netted
from just outside the box. West Ham rarely threatened to equalise in a
curiously muted match. Portsmouth's FA Cup exploits seemed to have caught up
with them as they began sluggishly, and the little early goalmouth action
that there was usually involved West Ham striker Bobby Zamora. He did well
to beat Sol Campbell and fire in a cross from the left, but there was no-one
on the end of it.
However, minutes later Zamora had only himself to blame when he went round
the keeper but made his angle too narrow and fired across the goalmouth.
David Nugent was given a rare start by Portsmouth but did little to grab the
attention until Pedro Mendes delightfully backheeled into his path, but his
half-volley was just off target and rattled the stanchion behind the goal.
Long-range efforts by Mendes and Papa Bouba Diop gave West Ham keeper Robert
Green something to do. But it was not until the dying seconds of a tepid
first half that either goal came under serious threat, with James fumbling
Ashton's swerving long-range shot behind for a corner. Around the hour mark,
Zamora went off and teenager Freddie Sears came on to try and make a
difference for West Ham, but the difference that was made was not the kind
they would have wanted. Kranjcar, who had already given West Ham warning of
his ability before he put Portsmouth ahead, took his time before finding the
net with a neat turn and low shot into the bottom right-hand corner. Carlton
Cole came on to try and add some physical presence and height up front for
the home side but Campbell and Sylvain Distin defended stoutly in front of
James's goal, and having gone in front, Portsmouth's lead was never
seriously threatened.
West Ham manager Alan Curbishley: "We thought this was winnable tonight but
Portsmouth did all the threatening in the second half. "We are stuck in 10th
but we won't finish there if we don't win any more games and there are five
left in which we must do better than tonight."
Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp: "Niko's an outstanding footballer, real
class. You all saw the goals he scored against England and Scotland for
Croatia. I took West Ham to fifth spot once when I was here and it would be
nice to do the same with Portsmouth. "We've come a long way in the last few
years. I've come back three times here and won now and the buzz is still as
great."
West Ham: Green, Neill, Spector, Ferdinand, McCartney, Solano, Mullins,
Parker, Boa Morte, Ashton, Zamora. Subs: Walker, Cole, Pantsil, Tomkins,
Sears.
Portsmouth: James, Johnson, Distin, Campbell, Hreidarsson, Diop, Pedro
Mendes, Muntari, Mvuemba, Nugent, Kranjcar. Subs: Begovic, Lauren, Hughes,
Kanu, Davis.
BBC Sport Player Rater man of the match: Niko Kranjcar 7.37 (on 90 minutes).
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West Ham Utd 0 Portsmouth 1 - KUMB
Filed: Tuesday, 8th April 2008
By: Staff Writer
A second half strike from Nico Kranjcar was enough to earn all three points
for the visitors on a drab night at The Boleyn Ground. Kranjcar's 61st
strike from the edge of the box was all that seperated the teams on a night
definitely not made for the football purist. With both teams left with
little to play for in the league this season tonight's game had promised
little; in the end it went one further and delivered even less. Efforts for
United proved to be few and far between although none went closer than Bobby
Zamora who missed an open goal on 17 minutes having got behind David James.
Nobby Solano's curling free-kick was a whisper wide and Freddie Sears was
unlucky to run the ball out after rounding David James but bar those brief
moments of enterprise the Irons provided a woeful return to all those who
had braved the elements. Meanwhile Portsmouth were industrious throughout
and whilst not pretty at times, were certainly productive - even if David
James was doing his best to keep the 'Calamity' tag alive with a couple of
bizarre errors that were only too familiar to those of a claret and blue
persuasion watching from the stands. As the game wore on Alan Curbishley,
apparently freed from his defensive-minded shackles in recent weeks threw
caution to the wind by throwing three up front - including the fit again
teenage terror Freddie Sears - in an effort to get something out of the game
late on. However the somewhat bizarre decision to use Dean Ashton as the
main central striker - whilst the club's best target man, sub Carlton Cole
played wide left - failed to pay dividends and the visitors kept the Hammers
at bay to see the game out. United, with five games left to play, remain in
tenth place in the Premier League - four points clear of Tottenham who drew
another point closer at the weekend.
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Reo-Joker: I was victimised - KUMB
Filed: Tuesday, 8th April 2008
By: Staff Writer
Aston Villa's Nigel Reo-Coker has claimed he was 'victimised' during his
spell at West Ham. The former Hammers captain - who led the side out in the
2006 FA Cup Final against Liverpool - was booted out of the club last summer
after being cited as one of the main protagonists behind Alan Pardew's
downfall.
But the 23-year-old midfielder, talking in an interview with the Independent
today, claimed that he was innocent of all charges adding that the rumours
were 'fabricated'. "Why? I have no idea," he said. "The first year was
fantastic, everyone was playing off adrenaline. We all had a point to prove
and we overachieved. That was probably our downfall. "In the summer I had an
injection for a back injury and missed a full pre-season, as did a few
others. After a few games that catches up with you. "You start to look slow
and tired. Fans don't appreciate how important pre-season is, nor did I
until then. "I was captain, the one people look up to, and I got victimised
to a degree. As I wasn't getting around the pitch like before people thought
I was not trying. "There were rumours that I felt I was too good for West
Ham. It was all fabricated but every time you defend yourself it's another
story."
Most supporters were delighted to see the back of Reo-Coker when he was
eventually sold to Aston Villa last summer for around £7.5million. Having
fallen foul of the fans after 'shushing' the Bobby Moore stand when scoring
against Manchester United he went on to make wholly unsubstantiated claims
of racism - a decision seen by supporters as a cynical attempt to engineer a
move away from the club.
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Curbishley - We must do better - SSN
Hammers boss laments poor home display
By Joe Drabble Last updated: 8th April 2008
West Ham boss Alan Curbishley failed to hide his disappointment after his
side produced an inept display as they went down 1-0 against Portsmouth at
Upton Park. Niko Kranjcar's 61st minute strike lit up a drab affair in East
London with the Hammers rarely threatening the Pompey goal in a frustrating
night for the home supporters. Bobby Zamora spurned West Ham's best chance
in the 18th minute as Curbishley's men slumped to back-to-back Premier
League defeats to reamain in 10th place - five points behind Man City. "We
thought this was winnable tonight but Portsmouth did all the threatening in
the second half, said Curbishley. "We had a great chance in the first half
and it would have been vital if we had scored it because I can't remember
Greeny making too many saves. "We want to finish in the top half. We had an
opportunity to catch Man City and put some pressure on them. "We are stuck
in 10th but we won't finish there if we don't win any more games. "There are
five games left in which we must do better than tonight."
Curbishley revealed that 12 players were still out of action before the game
and had to add midfielder Mark Noble to the list after he was ruled out with
a hamstring problem. To make matters even worse for Curbishley, skipper
Lucas Neill twisted an ankle and is struggling for Saturday's trip to
Bolton.
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Pompey march on in London - SSN
Kranjcar strike proves the hammer blow
By Joe Drabble Last updated: 8th April 2008
Niko Kranjcar fired home a superb 61st minute winner as Portsmouth defeated
West Ham 1-0 at Upton Park. In a drab affair in East London, Kranjcar proved
the difference as he picked up Sulley Muntari's pass to turn and fire
emphatically past Robert Green from 25-yards. West Ham failed to penetrate
the solid visitors defence but should have taken the lead early in the first
half when Bobby Zamora missed an open goal after rounding David James.
Zamora's chance was to be the Hammers only threatening moment in 90 minutes
with Portsmouth threatening at more frequent intervals as David Nugent and
Pedro Mendes both came close in the first half. The omens for that did not
look too bright at the start, though, and the first half will not live long
in the memory. Portsmouth, starting without Kanu, Jermain Defoe and Milan
Baros, showed little in attack until the closing minutes of the first 45 as
Nugent toiled against Anton Ferdinand and Jonathan Spector. The visitors
were also short in midfield, with artful French playmaker Lassana Diarra out
resting a sore hamstring, and their lack of craft allowed west Ham to
constantly feed Dean Ashton and the returning Zamora. Luis Boa Morte,
appearing in place of bright new youngster Freddie Sears, lost Sylvain
Distin on the edge of the area early on and fired West Ham's first shot on
target into the grateful arms of James.
Zamora wasted a great opening in the ninth minute when he ran clear down the
left but failed to find a team-mate with his low pull-back, giving Hermann
Hreidarsson the chance to clear. James then had to race out of goal and head
the ball away from Ashton just outside the penalty area and then dive
bravely at Zamora's feet a few seconds later. Pompey's defending looked
fairly desperate in the opening 20 minutes and it needed another last-ditch
tackle by Distin to stop Ashton when the blond forward moved in for Zamora's
unselfish ball across the face of the area. In a rare Pompey raid their fans
at the far end of the ground thought Nugent had scored his first Premier
League goal with a right-foot snap-shot in the 24th minute but he was just
off target.
James then twice had to punch clear at the other end as Hammers piled on
pressure. Kranjcar and Papa Bouba Diop briefly replied with shots and
Hammers goalkeeper Green struggled to hold onto a Mendes blast from
distance.
Just before the break James had to turn Ashton's fierce 30-yarder around a
post and then was beaten by a double deflection off Nolberto Solano's
free-kick but the ball dropped just wide for a corner. A strange lethargy
seemed to overtake West ham early in the second half after a couple of
through balls failed to find their marks. Pompey sensed the frustration
creeping in and Kranjcar almost put them ahead after 54 minutes when
Nugent's square pass set him up for a strike from 20 yards which sizzled
just over the bar. But the Croat's shoot-on-sight policy paid off just after
the hour with a classic strike, by which time West Ham had brought on Sears
for the tiring Zamora. Sears scored a fine winner against Blackburn last
month but this time it was Kranjcar who hit the spectacular with a stunning
low effort from just outside the area. West Ham also took off Hayden Mullins
- to a cruel roar of approval from the fans - and brought on a third striker
in Carlton Cole for the last 18 minutes. Pompey replaced Nugent with FA Cup
semi-final hero Kanu late on and there never looked the remotest danger of
the Hammers hitting back.
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Hammers Slide Continues - Soccernet
West Ham 0-1 Portsmouth: Kranjcar steals point
Niko Kranjcar drilled in a 61st-minute winner to maintain Portsmouth's
momentum as they beat Harry Redknapp's former club West Ham 1-0. It was the
FA Cup finalists' ninth win in their last 11 games and their 21st clean
sheet of the season. Pompey have never lost to the Hammers since promotion
to the Premier League in 2002 and their victory condemned their Upton Park
hosts to a fifth loss in their last seven. It also took Redknapp's team
within four points of fifth-placed Everton and they could still grab a UEFA
Cup place without having to rely on beating Cardiff at Wembley. The omens
for that did not look too bright at the start, though, and the first half
will not live long in the memory. Portsmouth, starting without Kanu, Jermain
Defoe and Milan Baros, showed little in attack until the closing minutes of
the first 45 as David Nugent toiled against Anton Ferdinand and Jonathan
Spector. They were also short in midfield, with artful French playmaker
Lassana Diarra out resting a sore hamstring, and their lack of craft allowed
west Ham to constantly feed Dean Ashton and the returning Bobby Zamora. Luis
Boa Morte, appearing in place of bright new youngster Freddie Sears, lost
Sylvain Distin on the edge of the area early on and fired West ham's first
on-target shot into the grateful arms of David James. Zamora wasted a great
opening in the ninth minute when he ran clear down the left but failed to
find a team-mate with his low pull-back, giving Hermann Hreidarsson the
chance to clear. But he and Ashton continued to cause Portsmouth problems.
James had to race out of goal and head the ball away from Ashton just
outside the penalty area and then dive bravely at Zamora's feet a few
seconds later. Pompey's defending looked fairly desperate in the opening 20
minutes and it needed another last-ditch tackle by Distin to stop Ashton
when the blond forward moved in for Zamora's unselfish ball across the face
of the area. In a rare Pompey raid their fans at the far end of the ground
thought Nugent had scored his first Premier League goal with a right-foot
snap-shot in the 24th minute but he was just off-target. But then James
twice had to punch clear at the other end as Hammers piled on pressure.
Kranjcar and Papa Bouba Diop briefly replied with shots and Hammers
goalkeeper Robert Green struggled to hold onto a Pedro Mendes blast from
distance. Just before the break James had to turn Ashton's fierce 30-yarder
around a post and then was beaten by a double deflection off Nolberto
Solano's free-kick but the ball dropped just wide for a corner. A strange
lethargy seemed to overtake West ham early in the second half after a couple
of through-passes failed to find their marks. Pompey sensed the frustration
creeping in and Kranjcar almost put them ahead after 54 minutes when
Nugent's square pass set him up for a strike from 20 yards which sizzled
just over the bar.
But the Croat's shoot-on-sight policy paid off just after the hour with a
classic strike, by which time West Ham had brought on Sears, 18, for the
tiring Zamora. Sears scored a fine winner against Blackburn last month but
this time it was Kranjcar who hit the spectacular with an unerring low
effort from just outside the area. West Ham also took off Hayden Mullins -
to a cruel roar of approval from the fans - and brought on a third striker
in Carlton Cole for the last 18 minutes. Pompey replaced Nugent with FA Cup
semi-final hero Kanu late on and there never looked the remotest danger of
the Hammers hitting back.
Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp promised to keep chasing Everton for fifth
place in the Barclays Premier League after his team's ninth away win of the
season at former club West ham reduced the gap on the Merseysiders to four
points. Pompey will make the UEFA Cup for the first time if they win the FA
Cup final against Cardiff in six weeks' time but Redknapp said after Niko
Kranjcar's goal proved decisive tonight: 'We're just going to try and win
all our games and there are some decent fixtures left. 'There's certainly no
let-up after reaching the Cup final on Saturday. I didn't have to do a lot
with the boys to keep them going tonight. Last Saturday on the coach back
from Wembley, there were big celebrations. 'I think I fell asleep after
about four minutes.
'It's been a good week. You just hope that on the back of reaching a Cup
final, you can still keep going. And the lads did great.' Redknapp left out
playmaker Lassana Diarra, Wembley goal hero Kanu - who came on as a late sub
- and injured striker Milan Baros. But Pompey survived West Ham's early
pressure and Kranjcar struck from an Arnold Mvuemba pass in the 61st minute
after going close six minutes earlier. Redknapp, who celebrated Pompey's
21st clean sheet of the season, added: 'Niko's an outstanding footballer,
real class. You all saw the goals he scored against England and Scotland for
Croatia. 'Although we were without Diarra who had a dead leg, and Jermain
Defoe who has gone to his nan's funeral, we found a system that suits us. I
think it is our 13th away win in all competitions this season. 'West Ham
will be okay. They are 10th despite a lot of injuries and it's much better
than last season for them. they have a strong squad. 'I took West Ham to
fifth spot once when I was here and it would be nice to do the same with
Portsmouth.
'We've come a long way in the last few years. I've come back three times
here and won now and the buzz is still as great.'
West Ham manager Alan Curbishley admitted: 'We thought this was winnable
tonight but Portsmouth did all the threatening in the second half. 'We are
stuck in 10th but we won't finish there if we don't win any more games and
there are five left in which we must do better than tonight.' Curbishley
reported that 12 players were still out of action before the game and had to
add midfielder Mark Noble who was missing with a hamstring problem. To make
matters even worse, skipper Lucas Neill twisted an ankle and is 'struggling'
for Saturday's trip to Bolton.
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Hammers set to swoop for Argentine star - Guardian Series
WEST Ham are planning a massive £18 million summer swoop for Argentina star
Mauro Zarate, according to media reports. The 21-year-old has impressed
while on loan at Birmingham from Qatar outfit Al-Sadd. He has hit three
goals in just four starts for the Blues. But Hammers boss Alan Curbishley is
reportedly ready to step in and snap up the forward to boost his flagging
front line.
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Curbs disappointed with poor Hammers showing
By Guardian-series
WEST Ham boss Alan Curbishley offered no excuses after his side's woeful
performance against Portsmouth last night. Although slightly the better team
in the first half, the Hammers looked devoid of ideas and passion after the
break and were deservedly on the end of a 1-0 reverse. In a somewhat muted
game, Niko Kranjcar's 61st minute strike was the one piece of class that won
the day for Pompey. Bobby Zamora had the home sides best opportunity, firing
wide from an acute angle after rounding keeper David James in the 16th
minute. "We thought this was winnable tonight but Portsmouth did all the
threatening in the second half," admitted Curbishley. "We had a great chance
in the first half and it would have been vital if we had scored it because I
can't remember (Robert) Green making too many saves. As the game wore on,
Portsmouth got stronger, we got flatter and, considering what we are trying
to fight for it is a massive disappointment."
One win from the last seven games now puts West Ham's ambitions of remaining
in the top half of the table under threat. The east Londoners have occupied
tenth spot since November, but Curbishley (pictured) acknowledges that his
side must start picking up points if it is a position they are to keep in
the remaining five games of the season. "We are stuck in tenth but we won't
finish there if we don't win any more games," he said. "We want to finish in
the top half. We had an opportunity to catch Manchester City and put some
pressure on them. "There are five games left in which we must do better.
"I don't want to finish the season on a downer."
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£353Million to win a cup! - Cmon Yu Irons
Posted by Martin Samuel on Wednesday, April 9th 2008
Roberto de Assis Moreira, agent and brother of Ronaldinho, was back in Spain
yesterday, having been royally entertained at the City of Manchester Stadium
on Saturday. He spent time with Pini Zahavi, the match-maker, and met
representatives of Thaksin Shinawatra, the Manchester City owner, who was
detained in Thailand preparing for a trial on corruption charges.
It has been reported that City are prepared to offer Ronaldinho wages of
more than £100,000 a week and that Assis will put these terms to his
sibling, who has had a disappointing season at Barcelona and is widely
expected to move in the summer. In all probability, their conversation will
conclude sharply around the time Ronaldinho is introduced to the concept of
the Intertoto Cup, which City plan to enter. Having appeared jaded at the
prospect of even the most glittering prizes, Ronaldinho is unlikely to have
his appetite reawakened by the thought of taking part in a competition rated
so highly around Europe that it will be abolished in 2009.
A contrivance to allow the pools companies to continue making money through
the summer and featuring teams who failed to qualify for European
competition by conventional means, the Intertoto Cup was conceived with the
slogan "the cup for the cupless". Hope for the hopeless would be more
appropriate, which is why each year this shipwrecked tournament becomes an
attraction for those clubs who once had loftier ambitions. City are perfect
Intertoto Cup fodder. Ronaldinho is not.
Anyway, it does not matter. Ronaldinho will get better offers, financially
and professionally, and even if he does not, when push comes to
bank-breaking shove, something would happen to scupper the deal at City's
end. It would have to because to judge from his previous statement, Thaksin
can no more afford to keep Ronaldinho in the manner to which he is
accustomed than English football can continue living beyond its means with
the credit crunch coming.
A surer indication of the state of play at City is Thaksin's description of
his first year at the helm. "Heavy on the pockets," he called it, having
spent £56 million on a shiny new team for Sven-Göran Eriksson. In a
recession, first to go are the luxuries and there is no disposable item
likely to make a bigger dent in an overstretched wallet than a mid-table
Barclays Premier League club with ambitions to be something more;
particularly if, like Joe Lewis at Tottenham Hotspur, you have just tipped
£500 million into a black hole known as Bear Stearns, the failed investment
bank.
The cost involved in battling it out with Liverpool for a fourth place that
will far from guarantee Champions League football once the alleged reforms
of Michel Platini, the Uefa president, kick in must seem like a real
overindulgence in the present climate. That is why City, and others,
continue to broadcast mixed messages.
Thaksin knows that to take the next step requires greater investment even
than was made last year. He will also be aware that this capital outlay
secures nothing by way of return and could, in a precarious market, be his
undoing. So, in one breath he states that there will not be huge sums of
transfer money available this summer, while in another room Ronaldinho's
brother is the guest of honour.
In many cases, the illusion of ambition is what is being placed before
supporters. The real job expansion market concerns the role of director of
football, super-scouts whose task it is to spot the next Cristiano Ronaldo
and do so early, when he can be bought for relative peanuts, a nice house
for his parents and the promise of a trial for his younger brother. Even
Roman Abramovich, having spent pushing £300 million on a team who are often
no more than efficient (and not always that) is looking to Chelsea's youth
team, who contest the second leg of the FA Youth Cup final with Manchester
City a week tomorrow.
West Ham United have become a classic example of the change in thinking.
When Björgólfur Gudmundsson, the 799th richest man in the world, according
to Forbes magazine, took over in November 2006, his consortium, fronted by
the excitable Eggert Magnússon, quickly established a reputation for
spending money like it was going out of fashion, which it is. Alan
Curbishley arrived in the manager's seat and wages went skywards. Fredrik
Ljungberg, who will be 31 next week, is paid substantially more than he was
in his prime at Arsenal; Liverpool were beaten to the signature of Lucas
Neill. Even as recently as last September, Gudmundsson was talking in terms
of Champions League football and winning the Premier League.
Since then there has been a downscaling. Magnússon has departed and Scott
Duxbury, the chief executive, recently revealed that there would be no
significant signings in the summer. He said that the squad — which has
planted roots in mid-table mediocrity this season as securely as a
300-year-old oak tree — is capable of having a crack at the top six
(translation: scraping into the Uefa Cup) as it is. The new blueprint is to
get a collection of injury-blighted players back to fitness while looking to
Freddie Sears, a promising 18-year-old from Hornchurch, Essex. The
established Champions League elite are not known to be quivering in their
boots at the prospect of this assault.
The one development at Upton Park in recent months has been the appointment
of a technical director, Gianluca Nani, who will have some influence on
transfer policy. West Ham's shortcomings under Curbishley have been
specific, but also ring a universal chord. The bottom-line problem is that
the manager appears to have picked his targets using a five-year-old
Rothmans Football Yearbook, giving West Ham a squad of players who are
definitely title contenders if they can only find a way of turning the clock
back to 2003.
On the day Nani was appointed, the reckoning behind the decision became
apparent. "I need to have my eyes opened up," Curbishley, who has also
pondered lately why he is not more popular with supporters and may just have
answered his own question, said. "We've seen young players going to other
clubs and everyone's scratched their heads and asked, 'Why has that
happened?' "
So Nani's arrival, while on the surface representing progress and
investment, is also a cost-cutting exercise. Gudmundsson is tired of paying
over the odds for average Premier League players and wants some of the
cut-price action that Arsène Wenger gets for Arsenal. He is hoping that Nani
will save him money by spotting talent before it has played 300 games and
won 50 caps. Those guys do not come cheap.
It is a familiar story. Owners who arrived promising instant fixes have
quickly been converted to long-term strategists by the operating costs of
turning fourteenth place into fourth and an economic downturn that is
leaving even the strongest vulnerable. With the American economy in crisis,
heavily mortgaged big clubs such as Manchester United and Liverpool cannot
feel comfortable, either. Borrowings may have been secured at fixed rates,
but like any loan, the deal will expire and then problems will occur.
Does this mean that the balance of power will change? Not necessarily. Once
established, maintaining a place in the elite group is not half as expensive
as getting there and the only way the dominant quartet of Premier League
clubs can be threatened is if a financial squeeze coincides with other
factors, such as the loss of key players or a talented manager and motivator
such as Wenger or Sir Alex Ferguson.
United without Ferguson, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes and unable to operate
substantially in the transfer market may dip, but it would have to be a
spectacularly dramatic fall for their place to be taken by Tottenham
Hotspur, even with a head coach as able as Juande Ramos in charge. Ramos
appears to be in need of half a team to move on at Tottenham and he is not
alone.
Despite the solid stewardship of Randy Lerner, the owner, and Martin
O'Neill, the manager, Aston Villa have found the next stage of their
evolution devilishly hard to accomplish. Portsmouth have thrived since the
arrival of Alexandre Gaydamak, but it was noticeable that when rumours
started to circulate about the future of Harry Redknapp, the manager, they
were soon accompanied by talk that the owner was willing to sell. Scratch
the surface and so much of this new money has instability beneath.
Thaksin is not faking his tango with Ronaldinho, but times are tough,
getting tougher and it is going to take more than one Brazilian superstar
who may have passed his peak to elevate City beyond the ordinary. Since
2003-04, when Arsenal went the season unbeaten, Chelsea and Manchester
United have spent £253.33 million combined to muscle ahead of them.
Liverpool have spent £100.57 million and are yet to manage it in the league.
And these teams have been financed by the benefits of regular participation
in the Champions League. Thaksin has to find the solution in his own
pockets, via the Intertoto Cup, during a global recession. Ronaldinho may be
spared the delights of Ancoats in midwinter after all.
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Curbishley told to cut West Ham squad numbers
tribalfootball.com - April 08, 2008
West Ham United boss Alan Curbishley has been told he needs to cut his squad
numbers for next season. The Daily Mail says Curbishley has been told by
owner and chairman Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson to trim the players' wage costs at
the end of the season but a catalogue of long-term injuries means that it is
impossible for the Hammers boss to make any long-term plans with his squad.
Billionaire Gudmundsson, who bought out Eggert Magnusson's five per cent
stake in the club earlier this season, is also chairman and major owner of
Icelandic bank, Landsbanki which, like most major financial institutions,
has been hit by the credit crunch in recent months.
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West Ham to trump Birmingham for Zarate
tribalfootball.com - April 08, 2008
West Ham United are ready to trump Birmingham City for striker Mauro Zarate.
The Sun says Hammers boss Alan Curbishley is planning an £18million raid for
Argie striker Zarate. Zarate, 21, is on loan at Birmingham from Al-Sadd in
Qatar.
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West Ham United 0 Portsmouth 1: Kranjcar's strike keeps Portsmouth in Uefa
hunt - The Independent
Wednesday, 9 April 2008
Harry Redknapp loves West Ham. Not only did he experience some of the finest
moments of his playing and managerial career at the East London academy but
he also enjoys taking on his former employees. Last night's visit to Upton
Park was his third as Portsmouth manager and all have ended in victories.
If West Ham had been hoping to take advantage of any hangovers following
Portsmouth's celebrations in reaching the FA Cup final they were quickly
disappointed. A fine winning goal by Nico Kranjcar was just reward for a
thoroughly professional display by Portsmouth, who preserved their record of
not losing a top-flight match on this ground for 50 years.
More importantly the victory maintained Pompey's momentum in the Premier
League. It is still not clear whether Cardiff City would be eligible to play
in the Uefa Cup should they beat Portsmouth in next month's Cup final, which
means that Redknapp's only certain route into Europe would be through
claiming fifth place in the league. His team are now within four points of
fifth-placed Everton, though both clubs have only five matches left to play.
Redknapp has generally fielded a lone striker on Portsmouth's travels this
season and beefed up his midfield, a strategy that has brought a rich
reward. Only Chelsea can better their record of nine away wins in the
Premier League.
In the absence of Jermain Defoe (attending his grandmother's funeral in St
Lucia), Milan Baros (injured) and Nwankwo Kanu (recuperating on the bench
after his Cup heroics at the weekend), David Nugent was given a rare chance
to lead the line. The former Preston striker never stopped running, though
the greatest threat always looked likely to come from midfield and from
Kranjcar in particular.
West Ham's season has rapidly descended into mid-table mediocrity. Lacking
spark and creating pitifully few chances, they were booed off the pitch by a
crowd who had reserved their biggest cheer for the arrival of Freddie Sears
as a second-half substitute, although the youngster made little difference.
The home side's two best chances came within 60 seconds of each other early
in the first half. David James was admirably alert when he rushed out of his
penalty area to head clear after Dean Ashton had raced on to Nolberto
Solano's through ball, though the goalkeeper's next foray was less
successful. Bobby Zamora beat James to the ball, but after rounding him
screwed his shot wide of the far post from a tight angle.
Thereafter West Ham struggled to make any inroads. Pedro Mendes provided a
sturdy barrier in front of his back four and on the rare occasions when West
Ham did break through Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin stood firm.
Portsmouth played a containing game for most of the first half, but quickly
took control after the restart. Kranjcar had already gone close with one
rasping shot when he scored the winner just after the hour. The Croatian has
a sweet left foot, but this was struck beautifully from the edge of the
penalty area with his right after Sulley Muntari's astute pass.
"Coming on the back of a Cup semi-final you hope you come out and react the
right way and that's exactly what we did," Redknapp said after the match.
"It's not as though we got on the coach after the semi-final and all started
singing 'We're all going to Wembley'. We've just got on with the job."
Alan Curbishley, West Ham's manager, was frustrated at his team's recent
form, which has brought just one win from seven games. "Portsmouth flooded
the midfield, but I'm not complaining about that," he said. "As the game
wore on Portsmouth got stronger, whereas we looked very flat."
Goal: Kranjcar (61)
West Ham United (4-4-2): Green; Neill, Spector, Ferdinand, McCartney; Solano
(Pantsil, 82), Parker, Mullins (Cole, 73), Boa Morte; Ashton, Zamora (Sears,
57). Substitutes not used: Walker (gk), Tomkins.
Portsmouth (4-1-4-1): James; Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson; Mendes
(Hughes, 82); Mvuemba, Diop, Muntari, Kranjcar; Nugent (Kanu, 73).
Substitutes not used: Begovic (gk), Lauren, Davis.
Referee: L Probert (Wiltshire).
Man of the match: Kranjcar
Attendance: 33,629
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Harry Redknapp extends jinx as Niko Kranjcar provides lift - The Times
West Ham 0 Portsmouth 1
Life was frequently colourful during Harry Redknapp's reign at Upton Park,
but the Portsmouth manager turned the tables on his former employers on a
subdued and unemotional return last night. Redknapp presided over some
wonderfully talented players during his seven years in charge at West Ham
United, once finishing fifth in the top flight, but managed no meaningful
success.
Little more than two years into his second stint at Portsmouth, Redknapp can
look forward to an FA Cup Final and the promise of European competition, and
the possibility of catching Everton, four points ahead in fifth place in the
Barclays Premier League.
Portsmouth appeared jaded and uninterested after triumph against West
Bromwich Albion in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday, but Niko Kranjcar's
clever curled strike in the second half gave them a deserved victory — their
ninth away from home in the league this season. Only Chelsea have won more
on their travels. It was also Portsmouth's third consecutive victory at
Upton Park, all under Redknapp.
"Three times, that gives me a bigger buzz," Redknapp said. "We never got on
the coach on Saturday night and started singing, 'We are going to Wembley.'
Maybe I am a miserable git — that's why. I fell asleep for five minutes into
the journey. It has been an amazing turnaround for the club."
Redknapp reverted to a lone striker and his team rarely ventured from their
half in the opening period. David Nugent had their better opportunities, but
twice shot wide, firstly after being set free by Pedro Mendes's clever
back-heel, and then after waltzing across the penalty area.
But it was Kranjcar who shone. The midfield player provided several moments
of inspiration and exquisite invention that culminated in the only goal. The
Croatia player curled a shot at Robert Green, the West Ham goalkeeper,
blasted just over and then, after a succession of intricate passes around
the penalty area, he collected the ball and sweetly swept it into the corner
from 20 yards. It was a flash of quality in a dreadful match.
"He has time on the ball," Redknapp said. "Slaven Bilic [the Croatia coach]
made a fantastic recommendation for me to sign him."
Bilic is among the former West Ham players held in high esteem at the club —
some fans would like him to replace Curbishley as manager in the summer.
Gianluca Nani, the West Ham technical director, will scratch his head at the
dearth in quality when he comes to review the tape of this match. The club
who became known as the Academy of Football have few players of distinctive
class.
West Ham have been in and around tenth place since Kranjcar's goal helped
Croatia to defeat England in November, but now they are looking over their
shoulders at Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United. Some booing accompanied
the final whistle after another poor, characterless performance, with their
forwards feeding off scraps. West Ham delivered hanging crosses from too
deep, failed to find rhythm and penetrate an organised defence. Too often
Bobby Zamora and Dean Ashton dropped deep to meet a pedestrian midfield.
Zamora had their best chance: after a fortuitous ricochet, he went around
David James but screwed the ball wide.
Curbishley had targeted the top six, but it appeared that their
end-of-season holidays had started two months early. "The players' bonuses
and mine are based on finishing in the top ten," Curbishley said. "We are in
this together. We were flat and it was a massive disappointment. We have to
react and do better. We are fizzling out."
West Ham United (4-4-2): R Green — L Neill, J Spector, A Ferdinand, G
McCartney — N Solano (sub: J Paintsil, 82min), S Parker, H Mullins (sub: C
Cole, 73), L Boa Morte — R Zamora (sub: F Sears, 58), D Ashton. Substitutes
not used: J Walker, J Tomkins.
Portsmouth (4-5-1): D James — G Johnson, S Campbell, S Distin, H Hreidarsson
— A Mvuemba, P Bouba Diop, S Muntari, P Mendes (sub: R Hughes, 82), N
Kranjcar — D Nugent (sub: Kanu, 73). Substitutes not used: A Begovic,
Lauren, S Davis.
Referee: L Probert
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Niko makes it a happy return for Redknapp - Daily Mail
West Ham 0 Portsmouth 1
By IVAN SPECK - More by this author »
Last updated at 23:57pm on 8th April 2008
There is something about returning to Upton Park that agrees with Harry
Redknapp. For the third season in succession, the former West Ham player and
manager saw his Portsmouth side grab all three points in east London. It
was Niko Kranjcar who snaffled them for his manager last night with a
sweetly-struck 61st minute winner that illuminated a game that was in danger
of becoming a non-event. Unfortunately for the West Ham faithful, that is
the perfect description for a season that will be remembered no longer than
May 11, the date of their final fixture against Aston Villa. They didn't
even have Jermain Defoe on whom to vent their usual disdain for a player
still reviled for deserting the club in its hour of Championship need.
Portsmouth's eight-goal striker had his grandmother's funeral to attend.
There was a certain amount of reflected FA Cup glory at Upton Park last
night. One of their own will be stepping out for the final at Wembley on May
17 and pride in that achievement was not confined to those who had travelled
up from Portsmouth. It is seven years since Redknapp left the Boleyn Ground.
The bond, though, has never been broken — not least because West Ham have
not been the same club since.
Redknapp's claret and blue vintage of Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, John
Hartson and Paolo di Canio is revered by the younger generation of these
parts every bit as much as their fathers remember Moore, Hurst and Peters —
team-mates in the 1960s of Harry the winger during his playing days.
Redknapp the manager oversaw a time of headlines, colour, flowing football
and even InterToto Cup glory. For the moment, the club he left in 2001 has
become cloaked in a nondescript shade of grey.
Rarely can a team have inhabited mid-table with such doggedness from autumn
to spring as West Ham have this season. At times, last night's near
non-event mirrored their entire campaign — a hint of excitement here, a dash
of danger there, yet ultimately little to stir the emotions. Now one
drama-free April might not be such a bad thing 12 months on from the
heart-stopping agonies of their fingertip escape from relegation. Such is
the level of entertainment quite rightly demanded around here, however, that
a second bland end-of-season would not be so easily tolerated — especially
by the club's ambitious Icelandic owners. Blandness and sterility was
exactly what came to pass yesterday. The contest had all the bite of a
preseason friendly. Had Bobby Zamora not wrapped his right foot around the
ball a fraction too much in the 17th minute after being slipped in by Dean
Ashton and then rounding David James, a dreary opening half might have
sprung to life. As it was, Zamora's shot was dragged along the goal-line.
The scampering Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin skilfully managed to let the
ball roll harmlessly wide and the stalemate was maintained. At least the
Pompey fans could wallow in their weekend Wembley triumph. Dull late season
fare is so much more palatable when you have a Cup final appearance to
savour. The visitors threatened just once in the first 45 minutes. A swift
interchange between Papa Bouba Diop and Pedro Mendes ended with the
Portuguese backheeling the ball into the path of David Nugent, making just
the fifth Premier League start of what has been for him a lost season. The
striker caught his shot sweetly enough, but it rippled the net only on the
rebound after connecting flush with the stanchion behind the West Ham goal.
At the other end, Ashton's timing was equally impressive with a 25-yard
effort that James could only beat away for a corner in the final minute of
the half. Even the 33,629 paying supporters inside Upton Park could barely
raise themselves above the mildest of applause as the teams left the pitch
for their half-time cuppa.
With victory over Cardiff and a passage into the UEFA Cup in next month's
final no formality, Redknapp had reason to cajole Portsmouth into greater
urgency at the beginning of the second period. Kranjcar latched on to
Nugent's pass before fizzing a 20-yard drive just over the West Ham bar.
Robert Green may have had it covered, but he will also have been grateful
not to have to risk injury by tipping it over, such was the ferocity of the
effort from the Croat. That ought to have warned the home defence not to
stand off Kranjcar 10 minutes later when Bouba Diop slipped the ball to him
on the edge of the area. The slightest of feints was followed by a
right-foot shot into the bottom corner. For West Ham, even the introduction
of teenage striker Freddie Sears could do little to lift the gloom.
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Niko Kranjcar seals Harry Redknapp's return - Telegraph
By Martin Smith
Last Updated: 1:22am BST 09/04/2008
West Ham United (0) 0 Portsmouth (0) 1
As if reaching Wembley was not enough for one man, Harry Redknapp then had
the temerity to return to Upton Park, his old hunting ground, and plunder
three points in Portsmouth's chase after Everton in fifth place and the
automatic Uefa Cup-qualifying place.
Though Portsmouth will qualify for Europe if they beat Cardiff and win the
FA Cup next month, securing a place through league position would act as a
comforting piece of insurance. Despite last night's victory, though, they
are still four points adrift of Everton with five games to play.
It is away from Fratton Park that Portsmouth have been at their most potent,
winning for the ninth time on the road this season. Redknapp, who has now
won on all three of his return visits to east London as Portsmouth manager,
has set the team up in such a way that they can break swiftly, hitting teams
on the counter-attack. It worked just after the hour when Niko Kranjcar
scored the decisive goal.
The Cup final, though, was never far from the minds of the Portsmouth fans,
and their songs about "going to Wembley" began before the start.
Portsmouth's defence was barely troubled by West Bromwich on Saturday.
Earlier on in this game, though, Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin were given
a thorough going-over through the middle by Bobby Zamora and Dean Ashton.
Indeed, it was Ashton's knock-through that enabled Zamora to spring the
offside trap, take the ball around David James and look for all the world as
if he would give West Ham the lead. However, the angle became acute and his
shot turned into a cross that Campbell was fortunate not to slide into his
own net. James was almost caught out later by Ashton's fierce drive from 30
yards, but was sufficiently alert to scramble the ball away.
The absence of Jermain Defoe, attending his grandmother's funeral in St
Lucia, meant David Nugent started only his fifth Premier League game of a
dispiriting season since moving south from Preston. He had not scored a
league goal in his bit-part appearances thus far but went close midway
through the first half, rattling a stanchion behind the goal.
Though Portsmouth only broke out of defence sporadically, it was usually
with pace and purpose. Sulley Muntari made one burst from the halfway line,
and shot narrowly wide; later, Nugent's square pass was met first-time on
the edge of the area by Kranjcar, and his dipping shot just cleared the
crossbar.
It should have been a warning. Seven minutes later, fed by Muntari's pass in
a similar position, Kranjcar had space to turn and clip the ball
right-footed inside Green's right-hand post.
West Ham had thrown on Freddie Sears minutes before, but even the
introduction of the 17-year-old crowd favourite failed to quieten the
growing despondency of the home fans. Redknapp, though, had heard it all
before.
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