James Tomkins has six first-team appearances under his belt but is hungry
for much more playing time
01.07.2008
James Tomkins cannot wait to get started again in pre-season and show that
he has what it takes to become a West Ham United regular.
The Academy ace, who is still only 19, achieved much for club and country in
2007/08 but is well aware the hard work starts now to show he can make the
jump full time from the reserve team set-up. Having had a taste of
first-team football and made his mark at international level, the challenge
is to remain part of Alan Curbishley's plans for the future. The task will
be made harder by the increased options at the manager's disposal.
Tomkins has a number of central defenders to compete with in Matthew Upson,
Anton Ferdinand, Danny Gabbidon, James Collins and Calum Davenport, while
Lucas Neill also showed his ability in the middle last season. He will also
know that in 17-year-old Jordan Spence there may soon be another youngster
looking for a chance to shine. The Basildon-based Tomkins takes it all in
his stride though. "There is so much to look forward to. I am going to go
all out pre-season. I am going to keep working hard and just try to
improve."
Complicating matters will be his involvement with England in this month's
European Under-19 Championship, which could also cost him and Freddie Sears
the chance to go on the pre-season tour of the United States and Canada.
That said, the experience of playing in top-level UEFA competition between
14-26 July against the best young players in the continent cannot be
underestimated. "If I am away from the gaffer when I am with England then I
am going to come back fighting for my place. We will just see how it turns
out. Playing for England is such a massive honour and we are going out there
[to the Czech Republic] to win it."
Tomkins, who is the first choice for his country at his age group, is on a
major high from his breakthrough campaign that saw five starts and one
substitute appearance, including against the champions Manchester United
when he got the chance to test himself against world-class talent. "I am
still on a buzz from the season. I keep looking back at playing for the
first team and still can't really believe it. It was brilliant to play a few
games and the highlight for me was at Old Trafford. I have played a few
games and it is still a buzz for me. That kept me going."
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Carr driving things forward - WHUFC
Tony Carr's work is only just beginning as the West Ham United Academy get
ready for a new season
02.07.2008
Tony Carr has reflected on a fine season for the West Ham United Academy and
the ongoing work at all levels as the club prepares to go again in the
search for new talent.
The 2007/08 season saw success for Kevin Keen's reserves and Under-18s as
they finished third and second in their respective leagues, and there was
good progress at the lower age groups. On an individual level, three
youngsters made their senior breakthrough to the first team and Carr said
this was the icing on the cake for everyone. "All round from our youngest
group Under-9s to the Under-18s, we had quite a successful season and
followed in the tradition again of producing homegrown footballers for our
first team. It has been really pleasing."
While James Tomkins, Jack Collison and Freddie Sears are the shining lights
for the Academy behind the established Anton Ferdinand and Mark Noble, Carr
said there was no thought of sitting back and thinking 'job done'. "We are
back in July and we start again," said Carr. "Hopefully we will repeat the
process and go one better." That process is about developing each young
player and even though those that graduate to U18 level start to compete for
honours for the first time, team performance is secondary to the individual.
Carr said: "Under-18 level is the top end of the academy. At that point, we
play in a league and we play for points and we play in the FA Youth Cup. But
ultimately the only thing that really matters is what comes out and the
players we produce at the end of the process. We play in a league and we
want to win the league, we play for points and we want to win points. We
play in the cup and we want to win the cup. That goes without saying. You
will never take that competition out of the players but we must never lose
sight of the fact it is the development of the individual player which is of
paramount importance.
"Below that from the Under-16s right down to Under-9s, we play regularly on
a Saturday and Sunday morning and there is no league and no points to play
for so they are purely developmental matches. The boys play to win and they
get upset when they lose but we don't put a lot of store by winning and
losing at that level. It goes without saying that if you are winning more
games than you are losing you have got some decent players in your squad.
Obviously results do have a bearing but that is not what we are preparing
the players for. We are preparing the players for life as a professional
footballer in the future."
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United behind Creating Chances - WHUFC
West Ham United are once again firmly involved in the highly successful
Places for Players scheme
01.07.2008
Fancy a West Ham United player dropping in to raise the profile of your
school, charity or community group? That's what's on offer, along with a
£4,000 cash donation from the Barclays Premier League, as Creating Chances
Places for Players returns for the new 2008/09 season.
Launched last season, Places for Players is part of Creating Chances, the
Premier League's flagship good cause programme, and showcases the vast
amount of work that West Ham United and the other 19 Barclays Premier League
clubs do in their local communities. Taking place from September to November
2008, one of the highlights of this season's programme is that every club
has a player and six £4,000 donations from the Premier League to give away.
To be in with a chance of winning one of these prizes, not-for-profit
community groups, charities and good causes need to fill in a simple
application form. Organisations, which should be local to the club, are
asked to think how they could best use a West Ham United player to raise
awareness of the good work that their group does in their community, and
also how they would use the £4,000 donation.
The closing date for entries is Friday 1 August 2008. Once the entries are
collated West Ham United will choose one winning organisation who will
receive a player visit and a £4,000 donation. Five additional runners-up
will also receive a £4,000 donation from the Premier League.
To apply for Creating Chances Places for Players 2008/09, click here
This year's Places for Players follows on from the massive success of last
season. Among the winners was the Decoda Music Gym who received a visit from
Lucas Neill for the afternoon, Diabetes UK who had James Collins and Carlton
Cole attend one of their roadshows and the Children in Crisis programme who
took Craig Bellamy and Kieron Dyer to a school in south London to
participate in a quiz about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
Full details of what the players did at every Barclays Premier League club -
and perhaps some inspiration for this year's Places for Players application
form - and all the terms and conditions can be found by clicking here
Richard Scudamore, Chief Executive Premier League, said: "We want to build
on last season's achievements where we successfully showcased all of the
work that takes place right across the League on a daily basis. Places for
Players is a very important initiative for the Barclays Premier League
because community engagement is now woven into the fabric of football and
the size and scope of that commitment today really is something of which the
Premier League, our clubs and the players can be extremely proud."
Creating Chances Places for Players is part of Creating Chances, which is
now the 'umbrella brand' for the Premier League's expanding £122m community
programme which aims to use the power of football to engage children and
young people in social intervention programmes aligned to five key areas -
Social Inclusion, Health and Wellbeing, Equalities, Education, and
International Development.
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Eyjólfsson deal confirmed - KUMB
Filed: Tuesday, 1st July 2008
By: Staff Writer
Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson's former club have confirmed his departure to West Ham
United. On Saturday, KUMB.com revealed that the Hammers had finally captured
the young defender who had been linked with a number of top European clubs
in recent months. Eyjólfsson's current club, Handknattleiksfélag Kópavogs
(or HK to you and us) have since confirmed the news on their website hk.is,
stating that negotiations had been completed successfully.
The 17-year-old - who has represented his country at all levels up to and
including under-21 - admitted that it was a 'dream' move, and whilst not
expected to be ready for the first team for some time is the first of many
exciting young prospects the Hammers hope to bring in to the club in the
near future as they attempt to emulate the Arsenal and Tottenham models.
Eyjólfsson, who is viewed as one of the brightest young prospects in Europe
made his first team debut for HK at the age of 16. He initially impressed
United staff during a week's trial back in February. Talking in the days
following his week in the capital, he said:
"Alan Curbishley told me he wanted me to join the club and that he would
talk to my father about it as soon as I went home. It was a great experience
and a good learning curve."
Latest news suggests that Eyjólfsson is set to fly in to London on either
Tuesday or Wednesday to complete the necessary paperwork before being
unveiled by West Ham later this week.
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Hammers land U's coach - KUMB
Filed: Tuesday, 1st July 2008
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have signed former Colchester United fitness coach Donough
Holohan. The Irish coach joins the Hammers having spent the last two years
at Layer Road. Formerly part of Great Britain's Admirals Cup team, Holohan
has also worked as a conditioning coach for Hull City and Preston. He has
also represented the FA at numerous training workshop both here and abroad.
Talking to Colchester United's website earlier today in order to confirm his
departure, Holohan said: "I will miss being at Colchester greatly and it
wasn't an easy decision. But West Ham United is a massive club and it is
interesting in what they're looking at doing this season. "They had a lot of
injuries last year and what has come out of their end of season review was
that they realised they wanted to increase the size of their fitness
department and to get more specialists in. "I have had two brilliant years
here [at Colchester] and everyone has been a pleasure to work with. But here
is much to be excited about, not least working in the pressure environment
of the Premiership."
Holohan - considered to be something of a muscle and strain specialist -
will fly to America with the squad later this month.
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Keen to go Green? - KUMB
Filed: Wednesday, 2nd July 2008
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United number one Rob Green is being linked with a move to Premier
League rivals Aston Villa. Today's Guardian claims that Villa boss Martin
O'Neill has short-listed United keeper Green as a potential replacement for
Scott Carson, whose permanent move from Liverpool has fallen through. Green
- along with Tottenham's Paul Robinson - are both said to be under
consideration by O'Neill, who has been criticised by elements of his club's
support for spending the last three weeks working as a pundit for the BBC at
Euro 2008 instead of attempting to persuade skipper Gareth Barry to reject
Liverpool's decidedly dodgy overtures. Carson - who spent last season at
Villa Park on loan from Liverpool - is now back on Merseyside having seen
the two clubs fail to reach an agreement over a transfer. Green - who the
Times suggest is worth around £6 million - is rumoured to be unhappy at not
having been offered a new contract by West Ham. His current contract,
signed when he moved from Norwich in 2006 - has two years to run.
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Hammers miss out - KUMB
Filed: Tuesday, 1st July 2008
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United transfer target Davide Lanzafame has signed for Palermo. The
Italian under-21 striker had looked like joining the Hammers on loan for the
season at one stage before Serie A outfit Palermo joined the race - a race
they finally won today when Lanzafame's current club, fellow Serie A side
Juventus announced that he would be joining the Southern Italians on a
permanent deal. "Juventus today officially announced that David Lanzafame
will be joining Palermo," a club statement confirmed. "The young striker,
who had an excellent season last year at Bari in Serie B, moves to Sicily
for good."
West Ham had been alerted to the player's availability by new football
director Gianluca Nani. He was first linked with a move to East London back
in May.
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Dyer upbeat over Hammers campaign - Setanta
by Tom Adams, 01 July 2008
Kieron Dyer hopes to be fit for the start of the new Premier League season
and the midfielder is confident West Ham can challenge for European football
if their injury curse lifts. Manager Alan Curbishley was forced to deal with
a succession of serious injury problems last season as the East London side
finished in tenth place, with Dyer one of the most high profile victims
after suffering a double leg break in only his third game for the club in
August. The England international did not play for the remainder of the
campaign but his surgery was a success and Dyer is now hoping to start
pre-season training with the rest of the Hammers squad. With star men Craig
Bellamy and Scott Parker also hoping to shake off fitness problems to stake
their own claims for a first team spot, Dyer is predicting a strong campaign
for Curbishley's men. "It will be like three new signings," said Dyer.
"Let's see if we can get everyone fit and if we can go on a run. "You look
at the likes of Everton and Aston Villa and I do believe that we can finish
ahead of them if we can keep everyone fit "The key to their success has
been they have had the same starting XI."
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Hammers target plumps for Palermo - Setanta
by Tom Adams, 01 July 2008
Any hopes West Ham still harboured of signing Davide Lanzafame have been
dashed with the news that the striker has swapped Juventus for Palermo.
Lanzafame had been linked with The Hammers after impressing for Bari in
Serie B last season as the influence of new technical director Gianluca Nani
began to show through. He even admitted a move to Upton Park would appeal
but he will not be swapping Serie A for the East End of London. Palermo
first showed their interest when trying to include the Italy Under-21
international in part exchange for their own striker Amauri and they have
now snared the highly-rated forward on a permanent basis. A Juve statement
confirmed: "Juventus today (Tuesday) officially announced that David
Lanzafame will be joining Palermo. "The young striker, who had an excellent
season last year at Bari in Serie B, moves to Sicily for good." The Turin
club have also confirmed that Rey Volpato has joined Bari on a permanent
basis.
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Tomkins ready to battle for a Hammers starting spot - Guardian Series
RISING West Ham starlet James Tomkins has revealed that his involvement with
the national side this summer won't disrupt his plans to show Alan
Curbishley that he is deserving of a regular first team slot. It was an
incredible breakthrough year involving both club and country for the
19-year-old.
As well as his debut for the Irons and five subsequent appearances, he was
also involved with the England U19 set-up and is due to represent his
country in the European U19 Championships this month. He is travelling to
the Czech Republic as first choice centre-back and is looking to impress.
The only downside is that he will miss a big portion of pre-season training
with the Irons. However, the defender is determined to ensure this doesn't
count against him. "If I am away from the gaffer when I am with England then
I am going to come back fighting for my place," he told the club's official
website. "We will just see how it turns out. Playing for England is such a
massive honour and we are going out there to win it."
The youngster knows that when he returns there will be stiff competition
from his defensive team-mates - Matthew Upson, Danny Gabbidon, Anton
Ferdinand, James Collins and Jonathan Spector are all competing for the two
centre-back slots. But Basildon-based Tomkins sees this as more of a
challenge than a problem. He added: "There is so much to look forward to and
I am going to go all out pre-season. I am going to keep working hard and
just try to improve. "I am still on a buzz from the season. I keep looking
back at playing for the first team and still can't really believe it. "It
was brilliant to play a few games and the hghlight for me was at Old
Trafford. I have played a few games and it is still a buzz for me."
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Alvin Martin's son in talks with Blackpool - The Mirror
2/07/2008
Joe Martin, the 19-year-old son of former West Ham skipper Alvin, is talking
with Blackpool after failing to agree a deal with Spurs.
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HAMMERS TALK: Villa weigh up £6m bid for Green - Guardian Series
ASTON Villa are reported to be targeting West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green to
become their number one at Villa Park next season. Villa boss Martin O'Neill
is continuing his pursuit of a top class goalkeeper to replace Scott Carson
and the Hammers shot stopper is now firmly in the sights of the Irishman.
It had been thought that Spurs keeper Paul Robinson was on the verge of
joining O'Neill's men. But reports in The Guardian suggest that Alan
Curbishley could soon be made an offer for ex-England international Green.
The Villians would have to bid upwards of £6 million for the West Ham board
to even consider selling their number one. Green himself is rumoured to be
unhappy that his ever-improving form over the last two seasons is yet to be
rewarded with a new contract.
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Villa plan £6M bid for West Ham keeper Green
tribalfootball.com - July 02, 2008
Aston Villa are moving for West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green. The Guardian
says Villa have identified West Ham United's Robert Green as a potential
target as Martin O'Neill steps up his search for a new goalkeeper following
Scott Carson's return to Liverpool at the end of last season. The Villa
manager, who has also been monitoring the availability of Tottenham
Hotspur's Paul Robinson, is understood to have added Green's name to his
short-list, with the former Norwich player likely to command a fee in the
region of £6m.
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HAMMERS TALK: Curbs linked with Doyle - Guardian Series
WEST HAM boss Alan Curbishley is set to raid Reading with a £7.5m move for
Irish International striker Kevin Doyle. Reports at the weekend suggest that
the Hammers boss is a big fan of the 24-year-old forward, who he had watched
on a regular basis last season. Reading are reluctant to sell the striker,
capped 18 times by Ireland, as they see him as a vital part of their attempt
to regain promotion to the Premier League. The Hammers would need to make a
sizeable bid as the player has recently signed a new contract at the
Madjeski Stadium. Doyle has had three seasons with Reading, helping them to
promotion in his first year at the club. He has made a total of 113
appearances for the Royals, scoring 37 goals.
3:45pm today
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Hammers Challenge For Donough - cu-fc.tv
Posted on: Tue 01 Jul 2008
U's Fitness Coach Donough Holohan is heading for pastures new, having been
appoinetd as a part of West Ham's backroom staff for the coming season.
Arriving at Layer Road two years ago having been part of the Great Britain
Admirals Cup team, Donough has been a key part of Geraint Williams' staff
during his time in north Essex. However, he will - as of Wednesday - become
part of the Hammers coaching staff, joining as a Strength Coach. He told
CU-FC.com: "It's a massive club and it is interesting in what they're
looking at doing this season. "They had a lot of injuries last year and what
has come out of their end of season review was that they realised they
wanted to increase the size of their fitness department and to get more
specialists in. "There is much to be excited about, not least working in the
pressure environment of the Premiership."
As with Karl Duguid's departure to Plymouth last week, though, the Irishman
admitted that there is a tinge of sadness for him as he heads for his new
challenge. "I will miss being at Colchester greatly and it wasn't an easy
decision. "I have had two brilliant years here and everyone here has been a
pleasure to work with, none more so than the gaffer. "Despite the relative
lack of resources we've had in that time, he gave me a great chance to
prosper as he is an open minded guy and allowed me to do what I felt was
best "I will miss working with him and the rest of the staff and hope that
the team bounce back this season."
Donough oversaw the senior players' return to training on Monday and
Tuesday, as he prepared to hand over the ropes to his successor. We will be
revealing details of the new man here on the official website very soon, so
stay tuned for more details.
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Doyle Linked - Vital Football
Reports suggest that Curbs is soon to make a move for Reading's 24 year-old
striker Kevin Doyle. Doyle has had three seasons with Reading, helping them
to promotion in his first year at the club. He has made a total of 113
appearances for the Royals, scoring 37 goals. Reading are reluctant to sell
the striker, capped 18 times by Ireland, as they see him as a vital part of
their attempt to regain promotion to the Premiership. Also Doyle has only
recently signed a new contract. Believable, or paper talk? For £7.5 million,
which is the figure being quoted I can't really see this happening, but with
Curbs, who knows....
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West Ham chief Nani: Brescia always close to me
tribalfootball.com - July 01, 2008
West Ham United football chief Gianluca Nani admits he would like to return
to former club Brescia. "This is not a goodbye. I'm ready to live this new
experience with great passion, but my ties are with Brescia and with
president Corioni and his family. They will remain there forever," said
Nani.
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Hammers still chasing Eidur - teamTalk
West Ham are reportedly stepping up their efforts to bring former Bolton and
Chelsea forward Eidur Gudjohnsen back to the Premier League. The Iceland
international forward, 29, has been told he can leave Barcelona by new coach
Pep Guardiola. The Hammers are said to be willing to pay the £5million
asking price in order to bring Gudjohnsen back to London two years after his
Stamford Bridge exit. Newcastle and Panathinaikos are also tracking the
player but Alan Curbishley is confident of winning the chase. The Upton Park
boss has plenty of attacking options at his disposal but injuries decimated
the ranks last season and Curbishley is determined to avoid a repeat of the
problem in the 2008/9 campaign.
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West Ham tracking Zaragoza's Matuzalem
tribalfootball.com - July 01, 2008
West Ham are keeping tabs on Real Zaragoza midfielder Francelino Matuzalem.
The Brazilian is being made available by Zaragoza after their relegation and
new Hammers football chief Gianluca Nani is considering a move. Nani signed
Matuzalem for Brescia and regards the midfielder as among his best ever
transfers.
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Hammers youngster sets his sights high for club and country - Guardian
Series
BUDDING West Ham midfielder Jack Collison has announced his desire to kick
on from what proved to be a very prosperous campaign last season. The
19-year-old featured twice for the Hammers last term and made his debut at
full international level for Wales. This has left the youngster eager to
progress and further stamp his mark on both respective first teams. "Those
little sniffs have just made me even hungrier for next season," Collison
told the club's official website. "I am going to go back to pre-season and
do my best and fight for my place. "I want to get as close as I can to the
team start playing more regularly. That is the aim. "I am just going to do
everything I can between now and the start of the season to come back in
shape."
Watford-born Collison is also determined to see his international career
flourish. The midfielder - who qualifies through his grandfather - has
already been capped five times for the U21s and has featured twice for the
full team. Now, alongside Hammers' strong Welsh contingent of Craig Bellamy,
Danny Gabbidon and James Collins, Collison has aspirations of helping his
country reach their first World Cup appearance since 1958, when they lost
out in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Brazil. "It would be great
to play at World Cup," he added. "Hopefully Collins and Gabbidon will be
back, while Bellamy looks like he is fully recovered now. "It would be nice
for us four to be involved and hopefully we can qualify for the World Cup."
12:29pm today
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