Valon Behrami won his 21st cap for Switzerland as a late goal denied them a
win in Israel
06.09.2008
A host of West Ham United players were focused on World Cup fixtures on
Saturday as the 2010 qualifiers began in Europe ahead of next Wednesday's
second round of fixtures - whufc.com rounds up the news.
Switzerland
Summer signing Valon Behrami won his 21st cap as Switzerland got their Group
2 campaign off to a solid start with a 2-2 draw in Israel. He played until
the 90th minute before being replaced. Goals from Benjamin Huggel and Blaise
N'Kufo looked like securing a fine win before a late Yossi Benayoun strike
and last-gasp Ben Sahar equaliser for the hosts. The Swiss will expect to
claim all three points with Wednesday's visit of Luxembourg.
England
Robert Green, capped once, and Matthew Upson, with eight appearances for his
country, failed to make the bench for England coach Fabio Capello in the 2-0
win against Andorra in Barcelona. Both will travel with the squad to Zagreb
for the early Group 6 showdown against Croatia on Wednesday. Half-time
substitute Joe Cole scored both goals to deny an Andorran side that had kept
the visitors out in the first half.
Wales
Danny Gabbidon, James Collins, Jack Collison and Craig Bellamy will all have
been interested observers as Wales ground out a 1-0 home win against
Azerbaijan in Cardiff. None of the four will be available for Wednesday's
trip to Moscow to take on Russia. Sam Vokes scored the only goal of the game
late on after Jason Koumas had missed a second-half penalty.
Congo DR
New recruit Herita Ilunga, signed on deadline day from Toulouse, will be in
action for his country at home to Egypt on Sunday before heading to Chadwell
Heath. The left-back played in two World Cup matches back in June -
including the 2-1 defeat in Egypt when he scored. With four games played by
all four teams in Group 12, DR Congo on nine points lead the way from this
weekend's opponents by a superior goal difference. This is the penultimate
stage of African qualifying.
Australia
Lucas Neill captained Australia to a memorable 2-1 friendly win away to the
Netherlands in Eindhoven on Saturday night. Klaas Jan Huntelaar put the
Dutch in front on five minutes but a Harry Kewell penalty just after
half-time and a late Josh Kennedy winner gave the spoils to the Socceroos.
It was the perfect warm-up before Wednesday's trip to Uzebekistan as
Australia get the next stage of their Asian zone World Cup qualification
programme under way.
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Bajner off to a flier - WHUFC
Balint Bajner showed his predatory skills to set the youth team on their way
to a third game unbeaten
06.09.2008
West Ham United Under-18s 1-1 Reading Under-18s
Balint Bajner made a dream start to his West Ham United career with a goal
inside five minutes on his debut but it was not enough to give his new club
victory on Saturday.
The Hungarian youth international striker's early goal completed a memorable
week that began with him signing for the club on deadline day from Romanian
outfit Liberty Oradea. The towering 17-year-old, who played for his country
in this summer's European Under-19 Championship, popped up with just five
minutes gone to convert after captain Josh Payne had played the ball across
goal.
At a windswept Little Heath, the home side had plenty of chances to extend
their lead. Two of the best chances fell to Danny Kearns and Anthony Edgar,
only to be denied by the goalkeeper after a great shot and a one-on-one
chance respectively. However, it did seem Bajner's effort would be enough.
The game turned though after second-half substitute Christian Montano was
sent off just after coming on.
The referee produced the red card after a coming together with a Reading
player while defending a free-kick and it left Tony Carr's side down to ten
men for the final 20 minutes. The visitors soon made the extra man count
when they scrambled in an equaliser after a lofted free-kick caused
confusion in the home defence. After that it was about hanging on to the
point and the third straight draw of the new 2008/09 season that at least
leaves the Under-18s unbeaten.
West Ham United: Street, Harvey, Brown, McNaughton (Montano 70), Fry, Lee,
Kearns (Grasser 70), Payne, Abudlla, Bajner, Edgar
Subs not used: Barrettt, Callum Driver, Dennis Mehmet
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Ilunga 'impatient' to get started - WHUFC
The new left-back is about to play in a major World Cup qualifier but cannot
wait to join up with his new club
06.09.2008
Herita Ilunga cannot wait to join up with the West Ham United squad after
his deadline day move from Ligue 1 side Toulouse and show the Boleyn Ground
faithful just what he can do.
The 26-year-old left-back, who has joined on a season's loan with a view to
a permanent transfer, took time out from preparing for the Democratic
Republic of Congo's World Cup qualifier against Egypt this weekend. "I am
really happy to join West Ham. They're a major club and I am impatient to
start working with my new team-mates and show the club and fans what I can
do," he said.
Ilunga, who will wear the No3 shirt, is excited by the prospect of donning
the claret-and-blue shirt shirt in the Premier League. He said: "It's a
great opportunity to play in the best league in Europe and with a big club
like West Ham."
He had a first taste of English football as part of the Toulouse side beaten
by Liverpool in the Champions League third qualifying round at Anfield last
year. "It was more fast and more frenetic," he remembered.
Ilunga, who started his professional career with Saint-Etienne, will be
playing in front of an anticipated crowd of 80,000 in Kinshasa's Martyrs
Stadium on Sunday when Congo DR take on African champions Egypt in a
top-of-the-group qualifier for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
A place in the World Cup finals would be a dream come true for the club's
fifth African signing and events this week have shown Ilunga that these
things do happen. "It was a dream of mine to play in England," said the
former France youth international of one ambition now realised.
And while he will not arrive in London until early next week, he has picked
up one important piece of information about the Hammers already, saying: "I
know they're a club with great fans."
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Noble shines with England - WHUFC
West Ham United were represented well by the impressive Mark Noble at
Wembley on Friday night
05.09.2008
Mark Noble turned in a tireless performance to help England book their place
in the European Under-21 Championship play-offs in October.
The West Ham United midfielder was a major influence in the 2-0 win against
Portugal at a sodden Wembley Stadium on Friday night. Showing no sign of
being overawed by the occasion, Noble dictated much of the home side's play.
Wearing the No10 shirt, the 21-year-old showed some deft touches in and
around the penalty area and had several opportunities to add to the scoring.
Although he has three goals from his first eleven U21 appearances, Noble
will not mind one bit that he did not register in this latest contest
against a Portuguese side full of promising talent. His best chance came
deep in added time when he found himself through only to be denied by the
visiting keeper. Instead the goals were struck by James Milner, a penalty
just before half-time, and Gabriel Agbonlahor with a fast break and cool
finish just after the hour. The win was the 25th unbeaten match at this
level for England.
Most importantly, it confirmed top spot in the section and also dented
Portugal's hopes of one of four places on offer to the best runners-up in
the ten groups. In all 14 nations will compete in the play-offs with the
seven winners of the two-legged ties on 11 and 15 October going forward to
the 2009 Euro in Sweden next summer. The play-off draw will take place in
Malmo on Friday week.
Over in Group 7, Iceland have no chance of reaching the U21 play-offs after
a youthful side featuring the 17-year-old West Ham United defender went down
1-0 away to Austria. Iceland are bottom of their group and will finish their
campaign at home against Slovakia on Tuesday 9 September.
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Zola 'in frame' for West Ham job - BBC
Former Chelsea star Gianfranco Zola and ex-Italy coach Roberto Donadoni have
emerged as the front-runners to replace Alan Curbishley as West Ham boss.
Zola, 42, and compatriot Donadoni have both been interviewed for the job,
the Press Association reports. Croatia manager Slaven Bilic has said he may
not be available immediately, while Dane Michael Laudrup is still considered
an outside contender. Curbishley resigned on Wednesday, unhappy at the
club's transfer policy. West Ham already have an Italian influence after
Gianluca Nani was appointed as technical director in March. Italy Under-21
coach Zola is reported to have met club officials in Rome as they talk to
candidates ahead of a board meeting early next week. "Zola not only has
impressive credentials but also came across incredibly well in our talks," a
source close to the club told the Press Association. The 44-year-old
Donadoni met Hammers officials in London on Friday, while Laudrup is due to
hold talks on Monday. Advisors of former Hammers defender Bilic, 39, have
indicated he might not be available until January 2009 because of Croatia's
World Cup qualifying campaign. He declined to answer questions about the
vacancy ahead of his side's World Cup qualifier against England on
Wednesday. Former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier, now technical director of
France, is no longer thought to be under consideration. The same applies to
former Scotland midfielder John Collins, who was interviewed on Friday. Zola
is currently joint coach of the Italian Under-21 side and assisted another
ex-Stamford Bridge player, Pierluigi Casiraghi, with their national squad at
the Olympic Games. Donadoni guided Italy to the Euro 2008 quarter-finals but
lost his job after the tournament as the Italian Football Federation
re-appointed Marcello Lippi.
Donadoni, who has coached Serie A sides Livorno and Genoa, speaks English
after spending two seasons playing in Major League Soccer in the United
States. Former Danish striker Laudrup, 44, has been linked with several jobs
in Europe since he resigned as manager of Spanish club Getafe CF.
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Get Mancini - KUMB
Filed: Saturday, 6th September 2008
By: Staff Writer
Roberto Mancini is the man most Hammers fans would like to see succeed Alan
Curbishley, according to a KUMB.com poll. Former Milan boss Mancini grabbed
more than one in every two votes of our poll consisting of the top five
contenders. Slaven Bilic, whose Croatian side take on England in a World Cup
qualifier in Zagreb next Wednesday came in second whilst Gerard Houllier,
who is thought to now be out of the running was in third place. It was
thought on Friday that Mancini was not interested in the vacant position -
however a statement from his representatives earlier today denied reports
that he didn't wish to be considered. West Ham United are thought to have
held preliminary talks with the man who was closely linked to the Chelsea
job earlier this summer.
The current poll standings are as follows:
Roberto Mancini 52%; Slaven Bilic 28%; Gerard Houllier 4%; Roberto Donadoni
2%; Gianfranco Zola 1% (675 votes)
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Hammers' hunt progressing - SSN
Duxbury confirms managerial interviews are under way
By James Dall Last updated: 6th September 2008
West Ham United chief executive officer Scott Duxbury has revealed the club
have narrowed their search for former manager Alan Curbishley's successor
down to 'five or six candidates'. The Hammers are on the hunt for a new boss
following Curbishley's resignation from his role at Upton Park after just
three games of the new Premier League season on Wednesday. It is widely
reported the contenders for the vacant position include Slaven Bilic,
Roberto Donadoni, Roberto Mancini, Morten Olsen, Gianfranco Zola, Gerard
Houllier and John Collins. Duxbury confirmed interviews are under way over
replacing Curbishley, but refused to reveal who could be in line to land the
position. He told Sky Sports News: "They (the interviews) are continuing. We
have got our shortlist. "We have narrowed it down to about five or six
candidates now. We'll be meeting with people over the weekend."
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Di Canio pride at Hammers link - SSN
West Ham favourite would consider managing former club
Last updated: 6th September 2008
Paolo Di Canio has spoken of his 'pride' at being linked with the vacant
managerial role at West Ham United. The Hammers have drawn up a shortlist of
'five or six candidates' as they look to identify former boss Alan
Curbishley's successor. Di Canio enjoyed a successful four seasons at Upton
Park establishing himself as a favourite among the club's fans. And the
40-year-old Italian, who gained his Uefa coaching licence in April, has
admitted he would consider managing his former side.
He said in The Sun: "West Ham is a unique club and history means something.
The fact we've had so few managers and the fact the vast majority were
former players is important. "For me the shirt still feels like a second
skin and I've followed West Ham as a fan ever since I left. "I'm sorry for
Alan Curbishley. He was my boss at Charlton and he's a good man and a good
manager. "Of course, as a professional, I'm going to consider every offer.
But the fact that I've been linked to the West Ham job is a huge source of
pride for me."
Reports suggest Slaven Bilic, Roberto Donadoni, Roberto Mancini, Morten
Olsen, Gianfranco Zola, Gerard Houllier and John Collins are among the
contenders to succeed Curbishley.
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Appiah attracting interest -SSN
West Ham, Pompey and Gunners all watching midfielder
Last updated: 6th September 2008
Skysports.com understands that a host of clubs are considering a move for
Stephen Appiah. The midfielder is a free agent following his departure from
Fenerbahce last month and as such available for transfer. He has had injury
problems in the past but proved his fitness as he played for Ghana against
Libya on Friday night.
Ghana lost the match 1-0 but Appiah produced an excellent performance to
impress the onlookers. Representatives from West Ham, Portsmouth and Arsenal
were all watching on, while another top European side are also thought to be
interested. 27-year-old Appiah recently admitted that it would be 'his
dream' to play in the Premier League.
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Mancini likes England idea - SSN
Potential Hammers target open to Premier League challenge
By Chris Burton Last updated: 5th September 2008
The agent of Roberto Mancini admits his client would welcome the opportunity
to work in the Premier League. The Italian has been out of work since
parting company with Inter Milan over the summer and has been consistently
linked with a host of vacant positions. The latest round of speculation
suggests Mancini could be on the shortlist of candidates to replace Alan
Curbishley at West Ham. The Hammers are in the market for a new coach after
Curbishley handed in his resignation earlier this week. With Gianluca Nani
currently employed as sporting director at Upton Park, the appointment of an
Italian manager appears to be a distinct possibility.
Mancini is yet to resolve the financial issues following his split from
Inter, but his representative has hinted that the former Italy international
striker would relish the challenge of working in England. "Roberto doesn't
want to talk to any other club until he has sorted out his contract
situation with Inter because that's the way he works," Giorgio De Giorgis
told Radio Kiss Kiss. "But Mancini really likes England and London in
particular - that is something that he has never denied."
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An over-dependence on the Nani State? - West Ham Online
clack - Fri Sep 5 2008
An over-dependence on the Nani state?
German Denis is a gangly Peter Crouch-type striker, but without the skill.
This summer he moved from Independiente of Argentina to Napoli for 7 million
quid, a substantial fee that reflects, in the words of the current Boca Jnrs
president, "South American clubs are not prepared to get raped so cheaply
anymore".
If the size of the Denis fee raised a few eyebrows, then it was the sale of
Fabian Monzon, an unspectacular 20 yr old Boca reserve left back, which
confirmed that 'bargains' from South America are a thing of the past -
aswell as emphsising the dearth of left-backs in world football currently.
Real Betis paid 3 million for 50% of Monzon (his head and torso perhaps?),
with an option of buying the other 50% at the end of the season.
(Selling 50% of a player is becoming increasingly common, and another way of
insuring against 'the rape'. If the player is sold on in the future then the
club that developed him will recieve 50% of the fee, or continue to own
their 50% portion if they wish).
Discussing Monzon's high fee and the lack of left backs nowadays, Argentina
U-20 coach Sergio Batista said, "About one in every ten kids is left-footed.
In the past, if he could defend and had a decent touch, there was a fair
chance he would make it, but now there is so much emphasis on physique and
speed in the game, that having a good left-fooot isn't enough anymore, so
the ratio of left-sided players to right-sided players is reduced even
more".
Perhaps that explains why Wayne Bridge is still a regular member of the
England squad despite being a) rubbish , and b) a reserve at his club, and
why an average player like George McCartney is so valued, his sale upseting
his manager so much that he resigned.
When really good young players come along in South America they go for big
money (Fernando Gago snapped up at the age of 19 for a cool 15 milion by
Real Madrid after just one season in Boca's first team - Sergio Agüero, 20
million to Atletico Madrid at the age of 17 - Zarate, 11million to a Saudi
Arabian team (loaned to Birmingham for 4 months last season) - and 18 year
old Ever Banega, only 6 months in Boca's first team and he's sold to
Valencia for 14 million! although he's only a reserve and hasn't settled
there).
Gone are the days when PSV Eindhoven scout Frank Arnesen picked up the
Brazilians Romario and Ronaldo cheaply before selling them onto Barcelona
for a big profit. It's quite noticable that, during his time as Tottenham,
Arneson didn't sign a single player from South America and, since he's been
at Chelsea, just one, Di Santo, who has an Italian passport.
What's all this got to do with the Hammers? Well, first, like many English
clubs, West Ham are now run by businessmen and lawyers, with no football
background, but who seem to have bought into the idea that there is a profit
to be made long-term, and that there are young gems out there in South
America and Africa waiting to be polished. As successful money-makers, they
love this idea? What could be better than a youngster bought on the cheap
and whose value increases over time, but is it really that easy? How does it
work if everyone is looking to unearth these gems that may or may not exist?
Of course, part of the master plan is appointing a Director of Football, or
Technical Director, or whatever fashionable jargon they give for this
somewhat vague role? As Russell Brand put it in his column last week,
"Anyone need any techniques directing?" Perhaps official 'Manager Underminer
' would be a more appropiate job description?
Tottenham Hotspur are a few more years down the 'Director of Football' line,
and as I write there is some speculation that Damien Comolli is going to be
sacked for his poor record. Three players he signed last year - Kevin-Prince
Boateng, Ricardo Rocha and Adel Taarabt - are such duds that they've not
even been given squad numbers this season! Most of Tottenham's better
purchases eg. Bent, Berbatov, Woodgate, Modric cost good money, expensive
even, and they were all well known beforehand, so it makes you wonder why
they needed a Director of football to sign them?
I did enjoy laughing at Tottenham a year ago when their esteemed Director of
Football seemed to be causing nothing but trouble, blatantly undermining the
authority of a manager who had achieved two consecutive 5th place finishes
(and nearly qualified for the Champions league, but for the brilliance of
Pardew's boys in final game of the season). If ever there was a manual on
how NOT to run a football club then it was the backstabbing, sneaky,
hypocritical, sleazy North London scum, carrying on like so many Italian and
Spanish clubs, arguing and bickering in public, a power stuggle that
inevitably ends in a manager either walking out or getting pushed through
the door, followed by the accusations, and counter accusations, of lies and
deceit, before lawyers get involved to wrangle over the pay-offs..
Unfortunately, I don't find it quite as funny anymore, now that all the same
sordid antics are going on at my beloved Hammers.
I'm bemused by how many journalists cite the so-called continental 'Director
of Football' model as having had success abroad. That's debatable.There's
been many hi-profile cases where it's caused nothing but friction. It's
difficult to judge because, while you could argue it has worked for some
clubs abroad, those clubs have also spent a lot of money - thier success
might have been 'inspite of' rather than 'because of' a Director of
football? I think it's quite significant that both Real Madrid and Barcelona
dropped the idea after so many clashes and changes of managers.
Jorge Valdano, Real Madrid's Director of football from 2000 to 2004, spoke
about his time in the role recently, "It wasn't easy because the position
never existed before I arrived, so I had to invent it. On one side, your
digging the manager in the ribs and, on the other side, knocking your elbows
into the president". When Madird signed Michael Owen, manager Camacho said,
"I asked for a lamp but they've bought me a sofa. It's a very nice sofa but
I really wanted a lamp". Of cousre, he was fuming behind the scenes and
resigned not long after.
Would Ferguson or Wenger stand for it? Course,they wouldn't. Both managers
have total control over who to buy and sell, and they liase with scouts, and
a chief scout. Certainly if you look at Wenger's methods, then there is
proof that there are actually some cheap gems out there, although the
Arsenal philospohy isn't quite as romantic as it's sometimes painted.
Arsenal have hardly ever bought players directly from South America, and a
lot of their best 'unknown' signings come from Afirca, thanks in no small
part to David Dein's willingness to do business with agents like Pini Zahavi
and the horible Barry Silkman (see News of the World exposure where he
wished Bobby Robson would die of cancer).
Also, according to an article in the Guardian - It is revealing that despite
not paying huge sums to bring in players, Arsenal's 2006-07 wage bill was
similar in size to that of Manchester United.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/aug/31/arsenal
While Arsenal's spending on transfer fees is nowhere near that of Chelsea
and Man Utd, they've hardly been paupers – new signing Nasri cost 12 million
to add to the quite large fees that have paid over the years for players
like Overmars, Pires, Henry, Wiltord, Jeffers, Lauren, Reyes, Rosicky,
Gallas, Hleb.
In a nutshell, what I'm trying to say I suppose is that searching for good
young players from abroad could be a beneficial addtion to club policy, but
it should never be used as the main policy for running the club, nor as an
excusee for not spending money, and, ultimately, no matter how good a scout
is, for the sake of stablitly and the manager's authority at the club, it is
the manager who must make all the decisions on who to buy and sell.
There's so many reports out there on the current situation at West Ham and
we're all trying to unravel exactly what happened. Personally, although I
wasn't impressed with the style of football we played under Curbishley at
all, I do believe he deserved more time and am saddened by this week's
events. Saddened by the whole summer's events, to be honest, as it seems he
was hung out to dry.
Journalists like Gary Jacob in the Times, Jason Burt in the Independent,
Andrew Dillon in the Sun and Neil Ashton in the Daily Mail did get their
information spot on all summer, right from breaking the story of the Freddie
Ljungburg fiasco, through to reports on the financial restraints and
cost-cutting, Rob Green's outburst, the sale of Anton, and the power
struggle and ultimate departure of Curbishley. It's not for nothing that all
the press made Curbishley favourite for first to go - they knew it was
coming.
Perhaps the saddest thing I read this week was that Curbishley had been
ordered by the board to change his style of dress and forced to wear a suit
during games. I think back to Brian Clough winning the league and European
Cups, but never once changing form his rather unflattering green sweater, or
Bob Paisley, the most successful English manager of all-time, sitting
quietly and unassumingly in the dugout, wearing his old brown cardigan.
These days it seems that if you're not a snappy dresser, and don't jump
around and clench your fists in the technical area, showing your supposed
'passion', that counts against you.
I am sad because I used to like the values of West Ham, the loyalty of the
supporters and the loyalty the club gave managers, patience to develop a
team. Ron Greenwood and John Lyall's best sides were built over a few
seasons, but the modern game just doesn't seem to allow for that anymore,
despite the managerial stability at Arsenal and Man Utd (Ferguson- no
trophies in his first 4 seasons) being such a blatantly obvious reason for
those club's successes.
I worry about West Ham. First, from a strictly football point of view becuse
we have a much weakened defence now following the departures of Ferdinand
and McCartney, and, secondly, because I fear that maybe we are being run by
businessmen with unrealistic high expectations, but who don't want to get
their wallets out. A board that holds an unreaslistic and false hope that
they can find cheap talent from around the globe and that managers are
interchangable and dispendable.
I fear that under the current structure, with so much emphasis on Nani,
there could be more turmoil and instability to come.
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The Road To Resignation... - West Ham Online
Alex V - Thu Sep 4 2008
With conspiracy theories flying around and a lot of confusion still
surrounding events at the club this week, I thought it would be worth
attempting to clarify what has gone on at the club, for those who missed it
or simply don't understand it. This is the course of events over the last
year leading up to Curbs' departure, as accurately as I can establish.
Last Summer, a bunch of Curbishley's targets were brought in by
then-chairman Eggert Magnusson at huge expense. Whether these players were
value for money or not is debatable, but they were certainly some of the
highest profile targets available last Summer.
Obviously at some date after last Summer the majority owner, Bjorgolfur
Gudmundsson, has been made aware of what has been going on and seems to have
decided that it was a costly mistake. Either that or he was aware of it all
along and simply changed his mind on the strategy. The net result was that
Magnusson was quietly removed from the club, and a shake-up of the way the
club should be run was planned.
Gudmundsson is not a hands-on owner - he turns up on matchdays and that's
pretty much it. So to protect his investment he seems to have decided that
rather than hire a new chairman and put his trust in another one man, he
will build the sort of infrastructure at the club familiar from some clubs
on the continent - a framework basically designed to make the club
accountable to its owner.
It could be that by this time there were people at the club who were already
suspicious about Curbishley's ability to pick an affordable transfer target.
Parker, Dyer and Bellamy were just about the most conspicuous and
high-profile transfer targets in the country after all - there was no real
skill in identifying them as good players on paper.
Certainly the hiring of Gianluca Nani to identify potential transfers (among
other things) could be seen as an attempt to undermine the manager, but
actually I don't think that was the intention - the club merely wanted to
improve their ability to get affordable quality players, and Curbs
acknowledged that need himself. And I think they also wanted more expertise
around to filter the decisions that were being made 'for the good of the
club'.
Was Curbs' position ever in doubt leading up to his departure? The thing is
that behind closed doors every board of every club probably spend all their
spare time debating the merits of their manager. Presumably some of the
people at West Ham were as disappointed as some of the fans at the lack of
entertainment last season, and also presumably some of the others supported
the manager. It's largely irrelevant now, because he has gone - my gut
feeling is that Curbs was safe for another year.
It has been revealed today that in April Curbs sat down at a meeting where
strategy was discussed, and agreed in principle to the ideas put forward. It
seems that basically the plan was to reduce the size and expense of the
squad over the Summer, using Nani to replace outgoing players with cheaper
replacements. All good in principle - anyone looking at that squad over the
Summer could see it was overstuffed.
But clearly come last week it was all behind schedule, and this is where the
questions begin. How desperate were West Ham for money? Desperate enough to
sell any player for whom a bid arrived? My opinion is that the club were
hoping to move on the dead wood from the squad this Summer, only to find
that a lot of the dead wood is still injured - rather than move the
goalposts and delay dealing with the squad until January, more drastic
measures were taken.
Perhaps these measures were simply taken because the opportunities arose.
It's slightly unfair to say that we bit Sunderland's hand off in terms of
the Ferdinand sale, but clearly the money and wage savings were not
unwelcome - I think that was a bad football decision but there you go. Then
McCartney mentioned a move back North and a bid was either sought or
coincided with it - again circumstances arose which gave West Ham the
opportunity to reduce the squad.
Let's be clear here - we did not sell our players at cut-price. £6 million
is a damned good price. If Sunderland had offered £2 million for McCartney,
the player would still be at West Ham I'm almost certain. This suggests to
me that we were not desperate, but simply open to enticing offers.
This business of the written transfer request is the most disappointing
aspect of the whole week - McCartney seems pretty adamant that no written
request was ever offered. Either McCartney or West Ham are lying about this,
or a hugely embarrassing error has been made by the club in announcing this
to the public. The club just seem to have no defence for this one - stop
making things up and people might start taking you seriously.
But on a brighter note, let's nail a few of the conspiracy theories at this
point. I highly doubt that key players were called into the club and asked
who would like to leave. Dean Ashton did not have a medical at Spurs and no
bid for him was accepted. There was no major falling out between players or
manager on Saturday after the game. There is no inhuman evil or satanic cult
in charge at West Ham - they are just a bunch of professional people who all
care passionately about the club and want it to succeed.
Certainly the last thing the club heirarchy needed was for Curbishley to
walk out on them right now. He left citing the George McCartney sale
specifically as his reason - he says he was not directly consulted about the
transfer and nobody from the club has denied that. West Ham's line seems to
be that as Curbishley accepted the general thrust of the need to cut the
squad in April, that he cannot complain now. That is a lame excuse I'm
afraid.
Why was Curbishley not consulted about the sale, as stipulated in his
contract and apparently done for every other sale? Was it a simple mistake?
An attempt to simply avoid a row? An attempt to further undermine him? My
gut feeling is that things moved quickly, those involved knew that
Curbishley would react badly, and an attempt was made to sell the player and
deal with the consequences with the manager afterwards.
I am almost certain that nobody at the club wanted Curbishley to leave at
this stage - not least because it totally undermines the attempt to reduce
costs at the club, because Curbs will get his payoff plus a new manager will
have to be enticed. Whatever the plan was this Summer it has backfired for
the club now. I'm not saying that Curbishley was the most popular manager
there has ever been at the club, but he was a safe pair of hands in charge,
and I am certain that suited the club down to the ground. Come next Summer
the situation might have been different.
Perhaps Curbs knew that himself - the situation of the last few days may
well have suited him down to the ground. Surely he knew as well of any of us
that a probable mid-table finish wouldn't save him long-term at the club,
and here's a chance to leave with reputation intact, contract paid up, and
be in prime position for the next job to come up. Perhaps deep down he felt
it was in West Ham's best interests too - I'd like to think so.
But one big question still remains, and it is crucially important...
If Curbishley wasn't making the decision over the McCartney sale, who did?
Who is deciding whether a football player is worth having at West Ham or
not? In an attempt to make the manager accountable for the transfer policy,
have the club simply created a new layer of 'unaccountables' making football
decisions they have no real expertise in and expecting the manager to carry
the can in public for those decisions? That is a very dangerous road to
start travelling down - whoever the manager is, they must have an influence
and must be kept in the loop.
There is a question mark over the number of different influences at the
club. Kia Joorabchian is a paid adviser and voiced the sort of opinions
about Curbishley in the media today that presumably have undermined the
manager behind the scenes in recent months. GianLuca Nani has been
conspicuously silent since Curbs left. Christian Lattanzio, the motivational
guru, is a key football man behind the scenes at West Ham these days. CEO
Scott Duxbury was clearly the chief catalyst in terms of enforcing the
chairman's strategy over the Summer. Vice-chairman Asgeir Fridgeirsson
emerged today sounding off about the search for the new manager and sounding
very much like Eggert-lite! Are all these people bending the ear of the
chairman at various times? Are they all smiles like The Waltons, or at each
others' throats like Dallas?
But, misgivings aside, the good news is that the club seems basically in a
pretty good state, regardless of any short-term disasters. We do have some
good players, some decent prospects in the league this season, and the
excitement of seeing a new manager arrive. The principles of running a tight
ship, and having a sustainable squad, and people people behind the scenes
who have some expertise in their areas, is appealing in theory.
What we have seen over the last few days is some rather embarrassing and
incompetently-handled housekeeping performed by the club. Nobody died.
Situations which could have been difficult but bearable have become painful,
and quite probably mistakes have been made. Whether the club will benefit or
suffer from the consequences nobody can say with certainty, but we can at
least be optimistic...
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Slaven Bilic in West Ham talks - The Times
Wayne Veysey
WEST HAM have made provision to interview Slaven Bilic in Zagreb for their
vacant manager's position before Croatia's crucial World Cup qualifier
against England on Wednesday. It is understood chief executive Scott Duxbury
and technical director Gianluca Nani have been in discussion with Bilic's
camp to meet the Croatia manager in the next 48 hours.
Bilic is the last of seven candidates to be interviewed by West Ham before
they whittle down the shortlist to the two or three managers who will meet
the six-man board later this week.
The club have made it clear to Bilic that owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson hopes
to have a new manager in place ahead of Saturday's away game at West Brom,
with the incumbent ready to take charge of his first game at home to
Newcastle seven days later.
Roberto Donadoni and John Collins were interviewed on Friday, followed by
Gianfranco Zola yesterday, while face-to-face soundings with Gerard
Houllier, Roberto Mancini and Michael Laudrup will be completed tomorrow.
Although Bilic has distanced himself from the post since Alan Curbishley
resigned on Tuesday, sources close to the former West Ham defender say he
would "jump at the chance" to return. He is sympathetic to the club's
timetable and has agreed in principle to meet West Ham before Wednesday's
game.
In fact Bilic, inset, did approach the West Ham board last month through an
intermediary to tell them he was interested in becoming their next manager.
He is held in high regard by West Ham fans and would be popular given his
success in moulding a new generation of Croatia players into a resilient,
attractive unit.
Bilic and Donadoni, the former Italy coach understood to have been "very
impressive" during his interview, have emerged as the leading contenders,
but Mancini, the former Inter Milan manager who was sacked in May despite
guiding the Italian club to its third consecutive Serie A title, also has
strong support.
Curbishley stepped down after complaining that transfer decisions were made
without his knowledge.
He wanted to offload Bobby Zamora, Danny Gabbidon, Calum Davenport and Jamie
Collins in the summer but only Zamora was sold while Anton Ferdinand, George
McCartney, Richard Wright and John Pantsil were let go above his head.
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Zola makes impact in West Ham interview
By Martyn Ziegler
Sunday, 7 September 2008
Independent.co.uk Web
Gianfranco Zola has emerged as one of the two front-runners to be the next
West Ham manager after impressing club officials in an interview yesterday.
Zola is being considered alongside his fellow Italian Roberto Donadoni after
Slaven Bilic's advisers told West Ham the Croat would not be available until
January. If the Croatia coach adheres to that then the club will not wait
for him, and will look to either Zola or Donadoni, though the former Danish
international Michael Laudrup is still in contention as well.
Donadoni also made a good impression when he was interviewed on Friday,
while Laudrup is due to have talks with theclub tomorrow.
Zola, the former Chelsea midfielder who was voted the club's greatest-ever
player by Blues fans and who is now the joint coach of the Italy Under-21
side, does have years of experience in English football and that stood him
in good stead when he met club officials in Rome yesterday morning. A
high-level source from within the club said: "Zola not only has impressive
cred-entials but also came across incredibly well in our talks."
The fact that Zola and Donadoni are Italian could turn out to be a decisive
factor given that West Ham's director of football, Gianluca Nani, is a
compatriot. It also suggests they would be much happier with a
continental-style working relationship than Alan Curbishley was.
The short-list to succeed Curbishley has now been whittled now to Zola,
Donadoni and Bilic, with Laudrup still an outside possibility. Bilic could
come back into the reckoning but he would have to change tack on his public
plans – or at the very least ask to take charge of the rest of Croatia's
matches this year on apart-time basis .
West Ham's selection process has effectively ruled out the former Liverpool
manager, the Frenchman Gérard Houllier, as well as the former Scotland
midfielder John Collins and the former Ajax coach Martin Olsen.
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Zola slashed by bookies after seeing 'sustained' support to be new West Ham
manager - Daily Mail
By Simon Milham Last updated at 5:41 PM on 06th September 2008
Gianfranco Zola is emerging as one of the front-runners to become the next
West Ham United manager as bookmakers report a 'significant' amount of money
for the former Chelsea midfielder. It appears as though the Italian has now
emerged as a strong candidate for the job to replace Alan Curbishley who
quit this week. Former Italy boss Roberto Donadoni is still the odds-on
favourite with bookmakers Bet365, who make the 46-year-old a 4-6 shot. But
both the Stoke firm and Stan James have seen plenty of money for Zola on
Saturday afternoon. His odds tumbled with Bet365 to 8-1 fourth favourtie,
with Roberto Mancini 4-1 second favourite. Croatia boss Slavan Bilic was on
the drift, out to 7-1. Bilic is expected to talk to the Hammers after
Wednesday's World Cup qualifying clash with England, though he publicly said
he would honour his contract with the national side. Friends believe he
would jump at the opportunity to manage at the club where he was something
of a cult hero. Charlie McCann, PR manager for Stan James bookmakers, said:
"There has been significant support for Gianfranco Zola this afternoon. He
is still 20-1 with us, but that won't last long. The way he liked to play
the game would certainly appeal to Hammers' fans. He's currently in charge
of the Italy Under-21 side and punters obviously believe his experience in
the Premier League with Chelsea would be a bonus. "It has been reported that
Donadoni apparently interviewed very well when he met officials from the
club but it seems as though West Ham are intent on bringing an Italian to
Upton Park." The gamble on Zola was quickly picked up by exchange punters,
and his odds tumbled from over 51.0 on Saturday morning to 14.5 by 4.30pm,
with Donadoni available to trade at 2.2.
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HAMMERS WANT DONADONI AS BOSS - Sunday Express
Roberto Donadoni
Saturday September 6,2008
By Tony Banks ROBERTO DONADONI was locked in talks with West Ham last night,
as the club began the process of cutting their seven-strong shortlist for
the manager's job down to two by Monday. Donadoni, 44, sacked by Italy
after a bitterly disappointing Euro 2008, is available and fits the bill of
a young, charismatic but experienced manager, who would help rebuild the
club over the next few years. West Ham board members also spoke to the
former Chelsea hero Gianfranco Zola by telephone on Thursday night, after he
confirmed his interest in the job. He, along with former Inter Milan boss
Roberto Mancini, is due to fly to London today for talks.
Last night Mancini gave the green light to an approach from West Ham as they
searched for a successor to Alan Curbishley, who quit on Wednesday. There
were fears his contractual dispute with old employers Inter could scupper a
deal, but his agent Giorgio de Giorgis says those problems could be
overcome. De Giorgis said: "Roberto likes England and would like to work
again in England, especially London. If the opportunity with West Ham were
to come up, he would be interested in talking about it. If there is strong
interest from a club, something could be resolved in terms of his dispute
with Inter Milan. Anything is possible."
The problem with Mancini would be his wage demands. He was paid around
£5million a year by Inter, with whom he still has four years of his contract
outstanding, while Curbishley earned only around £1.2m a year. Like
Mancini, Donadoni, who has also managed Livorno and Genoa, speaks excellent
English, having ended his career as a player in the US with theNew York/New
Jersey MetroStars. If Zola, currently one of the Italy Under-21 backroom
team, can come to an agreement over the job today, West Ham will try to lure
Chelsea coach Steve Clarke to Upton Park as his assistant.
Former Hibernian manager and Celtic star John Collins was also interviewed
yesterday, but is an outsider for the job, as is ex-Liverpool chief Gerard
Houllier, who is still to be seen. Croatia manager Slaven Bilic is still
the No1 choice for most of the board and an approach will be made to the
former Hammers defender this weekend after he takes charge of his country's
World Cup qualifying match against Kazakhstan tonight. The Daily Express
understand they want to find out the terms of his contract with the Croatian
FA.
We have also learnt West Ham could even offer the charismatic Bilic the
chance to carry on as Croatia boss part-time and come to Upton Park if that
was the only way to get him back to the club he played for in the Nineties.
Bilic has publicly stated he wants to see out the contract with his country,
which lasts until 2010, but the Hammers have received mixed messages from
his camp. They have not given up hope of landing him, but need to know
whether he would be prepared to quit Croatia after they have faced England
on Wednesday night. If he is not ready to take over as West Ham manager
immediately after that game, the club claim he will not be pursued.
Bilic, though, is known to be worried about the financial backing the club
has, with Icelandic owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson already putting out feelers
for potential buyers. Though the Hammers board have been intent on cutting
costs – a policy which led to the fallout and eventual departure of
Curbishley – sources say money will be available for the new manager in the
January transfer window. Denmark coach Morten Olsen is another name under
consideration and he, too, is set to be seen in the next 48 hours.
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West Ham's Ashton To Move To Villa In January For £18million? -
Premeirshiplatest.com
Submitted by Jake Briggs on Sat, 2008-09-06 14:48. West Ham United, Aston
Villa Premiership Transfer News
Aston Villa have been told by West Ham United that they will have to
increase their offer to £18million if they want to bring striker Dean Ashton
to Villa Park, according to the Daily Mirror.
Villa had two offers for the England International rejected by the Hammers
during the summer, with the last bid understood to have been in the region
of £12million. However, despite the 24-year-old signing a new five-year deal
at Upton Park in June the East London club are now willing to cash in on
Ashton.
Villa boss Martin O'Neill will have to pay £18million to land Ashton in
January, with 15% of that fee to go to former club Norwich City as part of
the deal that saw Ashton leave Carrow road in 2006.
Ashton has scored 13 goals in 42 appearances for West Ham, but had to sit
out almost his entire first season in the Premier League after breaking his
ankle while on duty with the England squad for their friendly in Greece in
2006.
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Hammers prepare to pay the Bil in instalments - The People
EXCLUSIVE Who's heading the list at the Boleyn? SLAV WILL START PART-TIME
Dave Kidd
Slaven Bilic is expected to be named West Ham boss this week - and could
initially take the job on a part-time basis. The Croatia coach has indicated
he does want to manage the Hammers but has floated the idea of also
continuing in his current position until the 2010 World Cup. The Hammers
board want to speak to Bilic BEFORE Croatia's World Cup qualifier with
England in Zagreb on Wednesday - but he is totally hostile to talks until
after the game. They will also interview Danish legend Michael Laudrup for
the job tomorrow. West Ham would be willing to allow Bilic to remain in
charge of Croatia for next month's qualifiers against Ukraine and Andorra.
But they are unlikely to agree to their former defender carrying on beyond
that date - and insist that although Bilic is their preferred candidate,
they also have other outstanding options to succeed Alan Curbishley.
Former Italy boss Roberto Donadoni impressed the Hammers board when he was
interviewed at Upton Park on Friday and Laudrup is a strong contender too.
Laudrup, a free agent, enjoyed a successful spell in charge of Spanish
outfit Getafe, leading the small club into Europe, and was close to becoming
Blackburn boss before Paul Ince's appointment. Yet Bilic, who turns 40 on
Thursday, is in pole position and the job will be his as long as West Ham
can persuade him to perform a U-turn on his public claim that he will stay
with Croatia until the World Cup finals. Bilic, a chain smoking rock
guitarist who has a law degree, will not publicly confirm his interest in
the West Ham job. The East End club hope to name their manager before next
Saturday's visit to West Brom and want him to take charge for the home match
with Newcastle on September 20. The Hammers are confident that all of the
men on their shortlist will be able to work alongside sporting director
Gianluca Nani, despite Curbishley's claim that he interfered with transfer
policy.
Chelsea hero Gianfranco Zola is also expected to be interviewed by West Ham
this week, although the Italy Under-21 assistant boss is the least
experienced of all the candidates on the shortlist. Former Inter Milan boss
Roberto Mancini now seems unlikely to be interviewed, as he still has to
settle a compensation package with the Italian club he guided to three
league titles. John Collins, the former Hibernian boss, was interviewed
after Donadoni on Friday, but ex-Liverpool chief Gerard Houllier and Denmark
boss Morten Olsen are now out of the running. Fans' favourite Paolo Di Canio
has not been seriously considered by West Ham because of his lack of
experience.
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