A midweek practice game has given James Collins encouragement about his
return to action
21.08.2008
James Collins has spoken about coming through his first match action since
suffering a knee ligament injury at the start of the year.
The Wales defender played 45 minutes of a behind closed doors practice game
at home against Queen's Park Rangers in midweek and is hoping to take the
next step on the road to recovery. He had not played since being injured in
a reserve game against Portsmouth in mid-January. "It is seven months since
the injury happened," Collins said. "It was good to be back out there but
also very strange.
"I think it was the most nervous I have ever been before a game in my life
but I got through it, played 45 minutes and am just looking forward to the
next game now. It is the worst injury of my career so far and it has been a
long old road trying to get back but I have got one game under my belt now
which is the first step really."
Collins, who turns 25 on Saturday, has been working hard at Chadwell Heath
throughout the summer and is grateful for all the support he has received.
He said: "When I first got the injury the surgeon seemed to think I could be
out for a year or even 18 months so to be back after seven months is credit
to all the medical staff here and the surgeon who did my operation."
Having played a key role in the club's survival fight in 2006/07, Collins is
looking forward to returning to first-team action in the next couple of
months. "I know there has been a bit of speculation about my future but I am
more than happy here, the treatment I have had with my injury and the way
the lads have been reinforces my desire to remain here.
"I feel like I still have a big part to play in West Ham's future so I am
just looking to get my head down and concentrate on getting back as soon as
possible. I think it will still be a couple of months before I am fully fit
but with other centre-backs having injuries as well my aim is to get back
and straight into the team."
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Manchester City v West Ham Utd - KUMB
Filed: Thursday, 21st August 2008
By: Preview Percy
So if the lead-up to our pre-season was a tad dull, that of our next
opponents has been anything but. Last season began very promisingly for "The
Citizens" with a 2-0 win at the Boleyn as owner Thaksin 'Frank' Shinawatra
ushered in the era of Sven Goran Eriksson. However the early promise wasn't
maintained and rumours of the Swede's impending departure were rife well
before the last-day 8-1 thrashing at the hands of an ordinary Middlesbrough.
In the end, although everyone knew he was going, it took two months of the
close season for Eriksson – or possibly his lookalike – to actually
disappear, and the haste with which his new job as Mexico coach was
announced after the official sacking suggests that the Swede was far from
being the last to know he wouldn't be checking back into his Manchester
hotel in July.
Enter Mark Hughes who, at the time, was also allegedly a target for Chelsea.
Then the fun really started. The club spent a while being linked with
Ronaldinho before Kia Joorabchian, whose name rings a bell for some reason,
brought Joao Alves de Assis Silva, aka (thankfully) 'Jo,' across from the
decidedly un-Brazilian location of Moscow, where the big striker had scored
44 goals in 77 for CSKA. Then Chairman Frank found himself at the wrong end
of a Thai arrest warrant. The warrant may or may not have been politically
motivated but the threat of a worldwide asset-freeze and the fact that the
UK has a fully functional extradition treaty with Thailand may have prompted
a worried glance or two down the corridors of Eastlands. Of less worry will
have been the Premier League's mutterings about their 'fit and proper
person' test which, as the continued presence of Whe*an at Wigan has proved,
is even harder to fail than an A-level.
Rumours started to fly about and, depending on who you believe, Hughes was
disappointed/mildly disappointed/quite happy with the money he was being
given and was ready to walk out at the drop of a hat/stay for the rest of
his life. Newspapers eh? Further tales of players being touted for sale
without the manager's knowledge surfaced as the team embarked on a curious
pre-season involving a combination of prestige friendlies against the likes
of AC Milan (won 1-0) Celtic (2-2) Hamburg (lost 0-1) and, er, Stockport
(2-2), together with UEFA Cup qualification rounds against EB Streymur (4-0
on aggregate) and FC Midtjyland to whom they suffered the embarrassment of a
1-0 home defeat in the first leg.
In the end the only other significant arrival to date has been Tal Ben-Haim
who came in from Chelsea having had an unsuccessful spell there. The 'out'
door has been busier though with a number of players disappearing to
pastures new. City have in recent years invested in a decent youth system
and we can expect to see a number of players from the current FA Youth Cup
holders emerging over the course of the season – especially if the rumours
concerning the Thai government and the chairman's frozen assets are to be
believed and the potential transfer kitty dries up – news of a recent £25m
bank loan secured on future tv income having added to fans' concerns rather
than easing them.
For Sunday's match we can expect England U21 'keeper Joe Hart between the
sticks. Hart has withstood challenges from the now departed Andreas Isaakson
and Kaspar 'Son Of Red Nose' Schmeichel and was named in the latest England
squad – something that must have raised an eyebrow or two in the Rob Green
household. In defence, one of Hughes's first actions on taking over was to
sign up Richard Dunne on a new contract. He will be missing for our match
though through suspension having been sent off in the Boro' debacle.
Ben-Haim partnered the talented Micah Richards in the middle for the Villa
opener and Corluka should start at right-back if Frank hasn't sold him
first.
In the middle City started with Academy graduate Kelvin Etuhu lining up
alongside Michael Johnson Gelson Fernandes with Martin Petrov given the job
of providing pace and skill down their left hand side. Other noteworthy
midfielders in the squad include Didier Hamann, scorer of the last goal at
the old Wembley (though the record should be asterisked to note the fact
that it was David Seaman in goal) and former Cobh Ramblers youngster Stephen
Ireland whose international career has been interrupted by a spot of
indiscipline including his not being where he was supposed to be due to the
supposed demise of either or both of his grandmothers – something that Anton
Ferdinand might be familiar with.
Up front City have not been without problems already this season. The
aforementioned Jo missed the Villa match due to being at the Olympics and,
despite Brazil being knocked out in the semi-finals, he is unlikely to
feature in Sunday's match unless he is let off Friday night's bronze medal
match and given a flight home on an incredibly fast plane. The luckless
Bojinov missed nearly all of last term with a cruciate ligament injury and
was due to make his return at Villa only to collapse with a ruptured
Achilles on his way out to warm-up, an injury likely to add another six
months on the treatment table.
Darius Vassell – a player who strangely always seems to be better at
international level than at domestic - is also a long-term absentee as is
Benjani, whose transfer history has attracted recent attention from the FA.
This leaves City desperately short up front and academy products Daniel
'nephew of Dean & Simon' Sturridge and Ched Evans, who appeared at Villa
Park on Sunday, may have to shoulder the burden this weekend unless Hughes
can bring in a striker beforehand with whatever funds are available to him.
City had been linked with Roque Santa-Cruz but a recent bid was knocked back
by Hughes' former employers.
City were on the end of a heavy defeat at Villa Park and, whilst Hughes has
built up a decent reputation as a coach there appears to be a lack of depth
within the squad at the moment. Against them we are likely to be unchanged
from the eleven that started against Wigan (unless there are any new
arrivals between the time of writing and kick-off), Dean Ashton's calf
apparently being inconvenienced by little more than cramp. Getting anything
out of this game will depend on our being able to get a good start and
building on it, something we singularly failed to do in the second half last
weekend. This is a difficult one to call as, though we could be considered
fortunate to hold onto all three points last weekend, City's own start to
the season at Villa was wretched and one could quite easily make a decent
case for all three possible results based on the strengths and failings
displayed by either side over the past week or so.
Last season saw us visit Eastlands twice in a few days, a 1-0 cup defeat
being followed up with a 1-1 draw courtesy of Carlton Cole's overhead
effort. We may not see such fireworks this weekend but a similar result is a
distinct possibility so I'll plump for another 1-1 giving us a two match
unbeaten run going into a match against Hughes' former club – who was their
new manager again?
Enjoy the match!
Last season (league): 1-1 (Cole)
Danger Man: Petrov
Look out for: Actors out of Coronation Street, the Gallaghers and score
extra bonus points if you spot the last few inflatable bananas left on the
planet.
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Neill opens Hammers talks - SSN
Australian holds discussions with club over new deal
By James Dall Last updated: 21st August 2008
Lucas Neill has revealed he has held talks with West Ham United over signing
a new contract with the club. The Hammers skipper has recorded 46 Premier
League starts since joining from Blackburn Rovers in January 2007. Neill was
linked with a transfer away from Upton Park earlier this summer, with
skysports.com revealing Galatasaray had made an approach for his services.
The Australian defender has since insisted he is full committed to West Ham,
and has now confirmed that discussions are under way over a new deal. Neill
said in the Daily Star: "Officially I'm on my last year of my contract. I've
had preliminary talks and there's been interest from elsewhere. "But I'm
captain of West Ham and very proud of that and I don't see it being any
different this season."
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A Message From Jeremy Nicholas - West Ham Till I Die
Jeremy Nicholas has asked if I would post this message on here, which I am
delighted to do. There had been rumours that he had been sacked by the club
as matchday announcer. He wishes to put the record straight.
Hi everyone,
I thought I better post on here just to put a few things right. I haven't
been sacked, the club just wanted to try out a few different things at the
Wigan game. I was given seats in the stand. A lot has changed in my ten
years as the announcer. My debut was the hostile reception for David Beckham
in the opening game of the season after his sending off at France 98. In
those days my announcer's box was a shed in the corner of the West Stand and
Bobby Moore. I played in the CDs myself and it was all a very small
operation.
Now we have big screens and the announcer's control room is the glass box by
the scoreboard three tiers up in the corner of the Dr Martens and Bobby
Moore stand. There's about eight people based in that room now. They play in
the CDs, run the big screens, work the plasmas in the concourse, operate the
scoreboard and the digiboards around the pitch. There's even a final cut pro
editing station in there, to cut the highlights packages.
I work from the dug out area on a radio mike which is controlled by my
assistant Russell who sits up in the control box. He's been playing in the
CDs for the last five years. Being down at pitchside gives me a better view
of the substitutions and allows me to get a better feel for the noise in the
stadium. The control room is double glazed and for safety reasons doesn't
have a window that opens. So it can be hard to gauge stadium levels from in
there.
The club have been working hard to improve the whole match day experience,
with more use being made of visual images. One innovation this season is the
reading of the team sheets using players images on the big screens. You may
have seen the sticker book format of West Ham players, with the screen
zooming in and out on the players as their names were read out. I thought it
looked great on Saturday. To ensure this worked smoothly, ADI, the firm who
run the screens asked to bring in their own announcer and sound engineer and
have them sit in the box with them. The previous week against Villareal
there had been communication problems and I was down on the pitch waiting
for images that never happened.
I was happy to give way and the club gave me great seats in the stand.
Russell was also offered seats. Watching the game, there were obviously a
few teething problems, but that happens when you try new things.
It was very strange when Dean scored those two goals early on. I was
delighted when we started the game so well, but felt sad that they were the
first West Ham Premiership goals in ten years at Upton Park, that I hadn't
announced. I recognised the voice of Martin Godleman as the announcer on the
day. He is a true West Ham fan. You'll know him from the end of season DVDs
and the commentaries on the beam back games. He's also a friend of mine.
The matchday format is moving towards more screen information and less from
the announcer. I'm sure this is a good thing as the last thing most fans
want is to be bellowed at.
I've had a lot of people email me saying 'where are you?' and 'have you been
sacked?'. I've kept quiet until now, but I thought I better say something,
as I saw a petition had started to reinstate me and all sorts of inaccurate
comments were flying about.
I haven't been sacked. I'm very much part of the announcing team, but it is
a team and not an individual any more. I look forward to working alongside
ADI this season.
I went on a fact finding mission a couple of years ago for the club to see
how ADI operate at Aston Villa. It really is a very impressive set up, with
the screens, the music and the announcers all coming under one central
control. Curiously, when I went they had three announcers, all called Dave!
It was very confusing on talkback- 'Dave, it's Dave, can you tell Dave…..'
But the end product was excellent.
The club is always keen to hear your views on the matchday experience. You
can email matchday@westhamunited.co.uk. Greg Demetriou, our head of media,
canvassed opinions on the club website in the summer and further thoughts
are always welcome.
One thing I will say is this: You can't please all the people all the time.
Some people like loud music, some want to be able to chat before a game.
Some like the atmosphere to be whipped up, some prefer it to develop
naturally. Please bear with the club as we try out some new ideas.
I'm very flexible to changing times. I think we should always be looking to
improve. The only two things I would never accept are: getting rid of
Bubbles (the song not the bear) and playing music after goals. No, no, no,
that's not what we are about.
I hope to die in this job. Some of you may have wished for that to happen at
many games in the past. I know I sometimes let my enthusiasm get the better
of me, but that's just the fan in me coming out. For the many who've sent me
concerned messages over the last few days, I just want you to know I'm still
part of the team on a matchday.
Let's all get behind the team on the pitch. We've got a great squad now.
Curbs has turned the club around and when they're all back to fitness, we'll
have a great squad. And best of all we're unbeaten this season!
Up the Irons
Jeremy
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Skipper Neill ready to commit his future to West Ham - Daily Mail
By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 3:10 PM on 21st August 2008
West Ham captain Lucas Neill has had "preliminary" talks with the club about
a new deal. The 30-year-old admits there is "interest from elsewhere" but he
insists he is proud to be captain of Hammers and intends to remain so. A
pre-season move to Manchester City where he would have been reunited with
his former Blackburn boss Mark Hughes appeared to be a possibility after
suggestions that Hammers manager Alan Curbishley was under instruction to
cut the club's wage bill.
Neill led Australia to a 2-2 draw with South Africa in a friendly
international at Loftus Road ground on Tuesday and he revealed he is in
talks over his status at Upton Park. He said: 'Officially I'm in the last
year of contract. I've had preliminary talks and there has been interest
from elsewhere. 'But I'm captain of West Ham and very proud of that. And I
don't see it being any different this season.' The former Millwall defender
stunned the Premier League when he chose to sign for struggling West Ham for
£1.5million rather than Liverpool in January 2007 when his Blackburn
contract was running out and he had to endure accusations of putting money
before ambition.
Meanwhile, Hammers centre back James Collins is delighted to have made his
comeback in a reserve game after seven months out following a knee ligament
injury, but he believes it will be two more months before he is fully fit.
The Wales international said: 'When I first had the injury the surgeon said
I could be out for a year or even eight months so to be playing again after
seven months is great credit to the medical staff and the man who did my
operation. 'I know there has been speculation about my future and it might
be another couple of months before I'm fully fit again but I still feel I
have a big part to play in West Ham's future. 'I'm just going to get my head
down and concentrate on getting back into the first-team as soon as
possible.' Curbishley could be looking at his central defensive options soon
with Sunderland reportedly making a £6million bid for Anton Ferdinand.
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HAMMERS TALK: Curbishley reported to have clashed with Nani over Pinto -
Echo
11:28am Thursday 21st August 2008
PRESS reports this morning claim West Ham boss Alan Curbishley isn't happy
with new technical director Gianluca Nani about the possible signing of
Chilean striker Sebastian Pinto. The Santos striker flew into London to play
in a trail match for the Hammers with the view to completing a £5million on
a four-year deal. But the Mirror claims that Nani, who was appointed last
season to help Curbishley find players, had persuaded the Brazilian club to
loan out Pinto and talked the player into the move too. Hammers boss
Curbishley wasn't however thought to be impressed and refused to play Pinto
in the "trial" match.
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Sears keen to avoid second season syndrome - Echo
11:32am Thursday 21st August 2008
By Rob Pritchard »
FREDDIE Sears has vowed to do all he can to avoid catching second season
syndrome. Big things are expected of the West Ham United striker, 19, who
burst into the first team squad at the end of last season. Sears, who
plundered more than 20 youth and reserve team goals last term, scored on his
Premier League debut against Blackburn Rovers in March before making six
more encouraging appearances. However, the England Under-19 international
drew a blank as a second half substitute in Saturday's 2-1 opening day win
over Wigan Athletic, and admits the going may be tougher second time around.
"The second season is normally more difficult, but I only played seven games
last year so I have still got a lot more games and a lot more experience to
get," said the Hornchurch-based player. "Obviously it is going to be harder,
because people know about you, but it is good and I am just looking forward
to everything that comes with it."
The diminutive Sears bulked up over the summer months before heading off to
the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in the Czech Republic. During his
absence, fellow Hammers Academy graduate Zavon Hines took his chance to
impress, scoring six goals in pre-season. But, despite the added competition
for places, Sears insisted he is not worried about slipping from manager
Alan Curbishley's thoughts. "I'm not really worried," he said. "I was with
the England Under-19s who I wanted to be with because it was my country.
"Obviously the manager said to me 'You are going to miss a bit of the
pre-season, but we know what you can do', so they wanted me to come back
strong. "Zavon's done well, but we work well together and we are trying to
help each other out to see if we can push on by working as hard as we can."
Sears is expected to take his place among the substitutes at Manchester City
on Sunday as the Irons seek to end a run of six games without a win against
the Citizens. Last season the pair met four times – including twice in the
FA Cup third round – with the Hammers scoring just one goal. West Ham's only
previous win at the City of Manchester Stadium came in March 2006, when a
Dean Ashton brace secured a 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final victory. And the
£7.25million striker will be in action at Eastlands again this weekend after
recovering from the cramp in his right calf that forced him to withdraw from
England's midweek friendly with the Czech Republic. Left-back George
McCartney could also be available after recovering from a bout of pneumonia.
However, Anton Ferdinand may miss out as he considers a move to McCartney's
old club Sunderland.
West Ham United: (from) Green, Lastuvka, Neill, Behrami, McCartney, Upson,
Ferdinand, Davenport, Spence, Mullins, Parker, Noble, Bowyer, Faubert,
Etherington, Reid, Boa Morte, Cole, Ashton, Sears, Hines.
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Sunderland hope £5m bid for Carlton Cole will tempt Anton Ferdinand from
West Ham - Telegraph
Sunderland boss Roy Keane has reportedly tabled a £5 million bid for West
Ham striker Carlton Cole, hopeful that success would ease the path for Anton
Ferdinand to leave Upton Park at the same time.
By Matt Lawless
Last Updated: 11:50AM BST 21 Aug 2008
Although West Ham are refusing to comment on the speculation, it is
understood Ferdinand will decide within the next 48 hours whether to
complete a move to the Stadium of Light. Sunderland are expected to confirm
the season long-loan arrival of Marseille striker Djbril Cisse later today
following a routine medical but Keane has targeted former England Under-21
international Carlton Cole, a close friend of Ferdinand's, in an effort to
convince the central defender to join the club. Sunderland have spent around
£20 million so far this summer on new signings and promise to challenge the
Premier League's top ten this season. In contrast, West Ham have been under
tight financial constraints and have made just one notable purchase to date
in the form of Swiss defender Valon Behrami, a £5 million capture from
Lazio. Manager Alan Curbishley is desperate to improve his injury plighted
squad, admitting he is hoping to add some much needed reinforcement by the
end of the transfer window. But it has been suggested elsewhere that
Curbishley is at odds with the club's new Italian technical director
Gianluca Nani, disagreeing over pending arrivals. Nani, tasked with scouring
Europe and South America for promising talent, is said to have agreed terms
with Brazilian outfit Santos for Chilean striker Sabastian Pinto, initially
on loan with a view to a permanent four-year deal, and planned to use a
midweek behind closed-doors friendly with QPR to trial the promising
prospect. Curbishley, however, refused to include the player in the reserve
outing, allegedly unhappy that the volatile South American, known as 'The
Tank', was brought in without his final approval.
Pinto, who has decided to leave Santos following a dispute with the club's
management despite having recently signed for them, has been lined-up by
Nani to replace Cole. But should Cole, who forced his way back into
Curbishley's integral first team plans with an impressive improvement last
season, leave, West Ham would be left decisively short on attacking options.
With Craig Bellamy out injured until next month, coupled by Dean Ashton
suffering a slight setback on opening day with his calf, Carlton Cole is
Curbishley's only fit senior striker. In other news, West Ham Captain Lucas
Neill has revealed he is in preliminary discussions with the club to extend
his current £70,000-per week deal, which expires next June.
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Hammers midfielder has another injury scare - Guardian Series
12:16pm Thursday 21st August 2008
WEST HAM midfiedler Scott Parker is reported to have suffered another injury
scare, writes Craig Rodhouse. Parker has only managed 18 appearances during
an injury plagued spell with the East Londoners, since signing from
Newcastle last summer. And the 27-year-old is now a doubt for Saturday's
game against Manchester City after being substituted early on in the side's
2-1 win over Wigan. However, the injury doesn't seem to be serious, but
Iron's boss Alan Curbishley feels that he can afford to take any gambles,
with the club's terrible recent injury record. "He felt his thigh tighten
and so we got him off because, with our injury record, we just can't afford
to take any risks." said Curbishley.
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Ashton back in time for City game - East London Advertiser
21 August 2008
By JONATHAN CLEGG
DEAN Ashton has been passed fit for West Ham's trip to Manchester City this
weekend despite limping out of the club's opening day win over Wigan.
Ashton scored twice in the first 10 minutes at Upton Park but left the
action in the 72nd minute with a suspected calf injury. But the 24-year-old
striker has allayed fears of a prolonged spell on the sidelines after scans
this week revealed the issue was nothing more serious than cramp. He is now
expected to keep his place for the Hammers' visit to Eastlands on Sunday.
"It was just cramp. I am really glad that it's not a bad injury. I am
looking forward to joining in training and getting on with playing," said
Ashton. "Overall, I'm really pleased with how pre-season has gone for me and
then to get off to a good start in the first game."
Ashton's match-winning double against Wigan means he has hit seven goals in
his last nine Premier League matches. The former Norwich forward attributes
his remarkable form to an improvement in his fitness and finally shaking off
the effects of an ankle injury that ruled him out of action for over a year.
He said: "I felt like I ended last season well and that I was getting into
my stride. When things are going like that, you don't want the season to end
but I feel like I have kept that going. I feel fit and I feel strong. "This
is the first time I've started a season with nothing holding me back. I came
back last season after a long time out so I was concerned about how I would
come back from my injury. This time I'm in control without any worries."
Hammers boss Alan Curbishley heaped praise on the England international, who
was forced to miss out on last night's friendly against the Czech Republic
while scans determined the extent of his calf problem. "I don't think I've
seen a finisher who strikes the ball as hard and he normally hits the
target. When you've been out a year it can take a bit longer to get back but
hopefully this year he can push on," Curbishley said. "He's been criticised
a little unfairly [for his weight] but he's worked hard at it this summer.
He's got so much ability, he brings other people into the game and is a very
good finisher.
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Curbishley remains focused as rumours swirl- East London Advertiser
21 August 2008
By NEIL TRAINIS
THE prospect of becoming the first Premier League manager to be sacked this
season did not drive Alan Curbishley to distraction on Saturday. Somewhat
understandably all he wanted to talk about was football. Speculation that
there might be a managerial change at West Ham come Christmas meant that
tension infused the air of the Upton Park press room, but after the match
Curbishley preferred to concentrate on his club's victory over Wigan
Athletic.
He spoke enthusiastically about Dean Ashton's two goals in front of watching
England coach Fabio Capello, the first of which revived memories of big,
old-fashioned English centre forwards turning their markers and unleashing
thunderous shots into the net. "He hits the ball as hard as anyone I've ever
seen and if the ball drops to someone in the box, you want it to be Dean
Ashton because he always hits the target," Curbishley said, having seen
Ashton leave Paul Scharner for dead with a sublime first touch before firing
past Chris Kirkland. There was justifiable relief on Curbishley's part that
his players had ground out victory despite being overrun for most of the
second half by a Wigan outfit who, inspired by the Honduran midfielder
Wilson Palacios, deserved at least a point. "We played ever so well in the
first half and deserved a little bit more," Curbishley insisted. "We came
out second half thinking 2-0 is sometimes a tricky score-line. Our main aim
was to get off to a decent start but Wigan scored straight away and put us
under a lot of pressure after that.
"We'll obviously take the three points. I was delighted with how we played
in the first half but we'll look at the second half and Steve Bruce will be
very similar. He'll wonder about his first half and think about the second."
In contrast to Wigan's impressive vitality, Mark Noble and Scott Parker were
bypassed with alarming ease in midfield as the uncertainty surrounding
Curbishley's position appeared to affect his players in the second period.
Their passing was poor, but they defended in numbers and their resolve was
epitomised by striker Carlton Cole tracking back to clear an Amr Zaki header
off the line as Wigan sniffed an equaliser. "We didn't play as well as we
did in the first half. Our passing wasn't good enough but our defending was
great. I think Davenport and Upson [defended well], Carlton Cole [did] when
he got back there and Greeny made a fantastic save," Curbishley said,
referring to Robert Green's finger-tip save to deny Palacios. West Ham
looked jaded as the game wore on. Unfortunately for their manager, the
conjecture surrounding his position still has plenty of life left in it.
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Sears looks to stake claim - East London Advertiser
21 August 2008
TEENAGE striker Freddie Sears has vowed to take advantage of Craig Bellamy's
injury lay-off and establish himself as a first-team regular for West Ham.
The Hammers hotshot, who hit the headlines last season by scoring the
winning goal on his Premier League debut against Blackburn Rovers, impressed
after coming on as a second-half substitute in West Ham's win over Wigan
last weekend. With Bellamy currently sidelined for up to a month with a
hamstring injury, Sears is optimistic that he can enhance his growing
reputation by cracking the starting line-up in the coming weeks. "Bellars
being injured will give me more of a chance of maybe a start," he said.
"That's a good thing for me, but hopefully Craig will be back soon to
strengthen the squad."
Sears admits that the Wales striker's absence has deprived him of an example
to follow in training as he attempts to make the step from promising
youngster to established Premier League performer. "In training, we work
well together," said Sears. "He is a similar sort of build and stature to
me, so it is good to watch him. "When you think of where he has been and how
far he has reached, it is obviously a good learning process for me."
For now Sears will have to go it alone as he attempts to build on a
breakthrough season that thrust him into the first-team reckoning. "I just
want to play as many games and score as many goals as I can and keep doing
well," he said.
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Nani gets in trouble as Pinto Arrives - Cmon Yu Irons
21 August 2008
West Ham manager Curbs and Technical director Gianluca Nani are at ends with
each other over Pinto. We all knew this would happen sooner or later but we
didn't think it would be this soon.
Pinto was meant to play in a trials game that was behind closed doors and
Curbs refused to let him play, which made Nani furious, If Curbs is to
succeed at his job then Nani will have to let Curbs be the only person who
decides who plays and who does not, Nani's job is to bring players in and
find homes for players leaving, not to demand a game for any player.
Pinto, if the trials go according to plan, will be on loan with West Ham for
1 year with a view to sign him next season for £5m.
This post was submitted by James Mitchell.
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Iron man Neill in contract talks - TeamTalk
Lucas Neill says he has held talks with West Ham over signing a new contract
with the club - but admits "there's interest from elsewhere". The Hammers
skipper has recorded 46 Premier League starts since joining from Blackburn
Rovers in January 2007. Neill was linked with a transfer away from the
Boleyn Ground earlier this summer, with Galatasaray having made an approach
for his services. The Australian defender has since insisted he is full
committed to West Ham, and has now confirmed that discussions are under way
over a new deal. Neill said in the Daily Star: "Officially I'm on my last
year of my contract. I've had preliminary talks and there's been interest
from elsewhere. "But I'm captain of West Ham and very proud of that and I
don't see it being any different this season."
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Sebastian Pinto walks into row at West Ham - The Mirror
21/08/2008
Chilean striker Sebastian Pinto has checked in at West Ham - and sparked a
row between boss Alan Curbishley and technical director Gianluca Nani. The
striker arrived from Santos, who rate him at £5m, and expected to play in a
closed-door game after being told he was signing on loan with a view to a
four-year deal. Nani, whose job includes finding new talent, persuaded the
Brazilian club to loan out Pinto and talked the player into the move too.
But Curbishley refused to play Pinto in the "trial" match.
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Carlton to follow Ferdinand to Sunderland? - BubblesInTheAir.com
Thursday 21 Aug 2008 09:16:54 by Tony Watson
The choice to join Sunderland could become a whole lot easier for Anton
Ferdinand. The young defender is currently considering and offer to move up
to Wearside and now Sunderland are in for one of his best mates in Carlton
Cole. Roy Keane has reportedly lined up a £5 million bid for Cole despite
securing the services of ex-Liverpool striker Djibrill Cisse. Should West
Ham accept the bid (which they should) both players would move for a fee of
around £13 million. West Ham are already in talks with a replacement for
Cole in the shape of Santos striker Sebastian Pinto. The Chilean striker is
set to discuss terms with the Hammers after only being at his current club a
few weeks. Meanwhile, Matthew Upson watched from the bench as England nicked
a draw for the Czech Republic. Joe Cole's late equalizer sent England fans
home unhappy after a lack lustre performance. Finally, new signing Valon
Behrami played a full 90 minutes for Switzerland in their 4-1 win over
Cyprus.
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Sunderland bid for West Ham striker Cole
tribalfootball.com - August 21, 2008
Sunderland boss Roy Keane is planning a £5 million bid for West Ham striker
Carlton Cole. The Sun says Keane tabled their bid yesterday after wrapping
up a loan deal for Marseille forward Djibril Cisse. This comes just days
after his £8m offer for defender Anton Ferdinand was accepted by the
Hammers.
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West Ham skipper Neill wants new contract
tribalfootball.com - August 21, 2008
Lucas Neill wants to stay with West Ham - and is seeking new contract talks.
Australia defender Neill, 30, said: "I'm club captain and proud of it."
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