A host of players are on the way back to first-team contention for West Ham
United
09.01.2008
West Ham United head physiotherapist George Cooper has reported positive
news on a number of players as the injury situation continues to clear at
the Boleyn Ground.
The return to fitness of French international Julien Faubert has attracted
plenty of attention this week, following his successful run-out for the
reserves on Monday night at Aston Villa. Faubert played the first 45 minutes
in his familiar right-wing role, and scored within the first minute of his
first competitive game since being sidelined back on 17 July.
"Julien is medically fit, his achilles is fine and didn't react at all,"
said Cooper. "He got through the reserve game fine on Monday and probably
could have stayed on longer but considering he sustained the injury in
pre-season last time we decided that 45 was enough. We actually feel he is
more than ready to crack on as he is training everyday."
Along with Calum Davenport and James Collins, Luis Boa Morte also came
through that reserve-team contest in fine fettle, playing for more than an
hour up front. Such has been his progress from his hamstring injury suffered
on 12 December that he could be in line to face his former club Fulham this
weekend. "We took a little bit longer with him to make sure it doesn't
reoccur," Cooper added. "He is fit and ready to be in contention for
Saturday."
Also on the way back from a hamstring problem is Nolberto Solano, although
the two Manchester City fixtures next week may well prove to be too soon and
a more realistic return could be the visit of Liverpool on 29 January. A
player who will be itching to face the Reds is Craig Bellamy, with Cooper
expecting the striker "to join full training on Monday" adding that he had
already begun "taking part in some of the passing drills and warm-ups". He
has been out since October with an abdominal problem.
Bobby Zamora is also close to a full training return from his knee injury,
with "some multi-directional conditioning with our sport science team" up
next before that. Also doing well is Kieron Dyer, with the midfielder, also
out since August, stepping up slowly after his double leg break. "We have to
take it day by day because of the nature of the injury so we are not rushing
things or not setting any definite time scales but he is doing really well
and running which is a great sign."
Finally, Cooper confirmed Scott Parker had suffered a new knee injury
following a knock during the 2-1 home win against Manchester United at the
end of December. "Scott's injury is totally unrelated to his last injury. He
has sustained an injury that is more common in rugby than it is in football
actually in that he has torn the posterior capsule of his knee." No date has
yet been set for his return.
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Production line keeps on going - WHUFC
Kevin Keen has added his words of praise to those already heaped on Jack
Collison and James Tomkins
09.01.2008
The progress of Jack Collison and James Tomkins was underlined by another
strong showing for the reserves this week.
The two talented teens, who both played for 90 minutes in the 2-1 defeat at
Aston Villa on Monday, are perhaps the ones to watch for 2008 at the Boleyn
Ground, with both already being involved in the first team for the New
Year's Day fixture at Arsenal. Against Villa, Collison had a hand in Julien
Faubert's quickfire goal, while Tomkins, usually a central defender, did not
look out of place at right-back.
Reserve-team manager Kevin Keen is well placed to judge how the two have
fared this season, having seen central midfielder Collison excel as his
captain and Tomkins cope with recovering from a shoulder injury to become a
regular. "Jack and James have really come on this year in terms of their
physical attributes but also their knowledge of playing - just simply by
training with the first team every day," he said.
"They are two lads who work really hard so it is great credit to them that
they have forced their way into the squad and to the bench and in Jack's
case got on at Arsenal. They are two good young players who are the future
of our football club and will hopefully improve even more."
Keen also had a word of praise for left-winger Kyel Reid, who nearly made an
impact off the bench against Manchester City last Saturday. His excellent
cross picked out Dean Ashton in the closing stages and the No9 was only
denied the winner by a good save. It underlined that Reid can be a threat
but Keen recognised it is hard for youngsters to make an impact. "Kyel has
been in and out, played for the first team and come back out. Hopefully he
will keep improving and again be another asset for the future."
Behind the trio of Collison, Tomkins and Reid, there are a host of other
talented youngsters coming through. For example, in attack there are Jack
Jeffery and Freddie Sears - with the former playing the full 90 minutes
against Aston Villa and the latter coming off the bench after another goal
for the Under-18s at the weekend. On Jeffery, Keen said: "JJ has come back
from Hampton & Richmond, where he scored a couple of goals and Alan
Devonshire has given me a glowing report. He is the sort of lad who will
keep working hard and get the best out of what he has got."
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Get Defoe - KUMB
Filed: Thursday, 10th January 2008
By: Matthew O'Greel
Jermain Defoe would be welcomed back at Upton Park by two in every three
supporters, according to a poll on KUMB. Former Hammer Defoe has been told
by new Tottenham boss Juande Ramos that he has no future at White Hart Lane,
according to reports. Meanwhile, a poll on KUMB has revealed that the vast
majority of United fans would welcome his return to East London - despite
the acrimonious circumstances in which he left the club some
three-and-a-half years ago. The poll - taken since last weekend - saw 65% of
voters state they would welcome Defoe back in claret and blue. Just 25%
voted against the former Charlton youth team player returning to the club
where he spent five years between 1999 and 2004. Despite West Ham's acute
lack of attacking options - exacerbated by a string of injuries - the
chances of Defoe ever returning to the club are virtually nil. Although
having previously apologised for handing in a transfer request the day after
West Ham were relegated in 2003 Defoe has made it privately known that he is
extremely unlikely ever to return to the club.
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Lyon to broker Fred sale - SSN
PSG is preferred destination for in-demand Brazilian
By Graeme Bailey Last updated: 9th January 2008
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has confirmed that he will allow Fred to
leave and that there is a lot of interest in the Brazilian. Fred is
currently training away from the Lyon first-team as his future almost
certainly seems to lie away from the Stade Gerland. Paris Saint German want
him, along with a host of English clubs including Middlesbrough, Tottenham,
West Ham and Portsmouth - whilst teams in his homeland are also keen to take
him. And now Aulas has confirmed he is ready to let him leave.
"If he wishes to leave, he can do," Aulas told the press as he left Lyon's
training ground on Wednesday. "We have had a lot of requests for him,
besides from PSG. "We will take our time and discuss it with him. It is in
all our interests to find him a club that will let him play. "But a young
Brazilian international is unique to the market and it will not be difficult
to find him a destination."
PSG cannot live with the offers from England but Aulas is very open to
letting Fred switch to the Parc Des Princes and he suggested he could try
and help the move along. "In the interest of French football, one must have
a big club in Paris," he said. "Paris need to develop and it is necessary to
have big players, and big Brazilian players successful. "As vice-president
of the French league I would prefer Fed to remain in France and this is one
reason we are making an effort to get him to Paris."
Fred has already declared that he would be open to a move to PSG, but it
remains to be seen which other offers he has on the table. One player who
will not be leaving Lyon is Karim Benzema. The young forward has admitted he
attracted by some of Europe's big clubs - but Aulas is planning for the
future with him.
"We have a lot of things going on with Karim, but we will be constructing
the future in the long-term with him."
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Spending spree glee: do we need it? - KUMB
Filed: Wednesday, 9th January 2008
By: Dan Lee
So the January transfer window is upon once again and some shrewd signings
from Curbs last season seemed to have had some kind of impact of our great
escape.
This season is a lot different though. Instead of struggling at the wrong
end of the table we find ourselves in a very combatable mid table position
and most hammer fans can't really be too unhappy with that following the
drama of last season.
Last year Curbishley used the transfer window wisely and strengthened the
squad in all departments by bringing Luis Boa Morte, Nigel Quashie, Calum
Davenport, Lucas Neill, Matty Upson and Kepa Blanco all to Upton Park. All
of whom played some kind of part in keeping us in the Premiership.
With more money burning a hole in his pocket the squad was further improved
with the likes of Ljungburg, Solano, Bellamy, Faubert, Dyer and Parker all
opting to join our claret and blue army. So with the January transfer window
now in full swing and the rumour mill spinning in full throttle I for one
would urge the board and the manager to invest wisely. A lot of selling
clubs use this time of the season to add a few extra zeros onto their
players' valuation and clubs have to pay over the odds to get their man.
Our situation is different to a lot of clubs due to our never ending injury
list. As I write this though things seem to be getting better as I have just
discovered that Julian Faubert has taken less than a minute to bag his first
hammers goal in the reserve game at Villa Park. With players of his ability
now slowly reaching full match day fitness things certainly can only get
better.
I would say that when he fully recovers and makes it into the first team
squad it will be like a new signing, but considering the guy still has yet
to make his debut it is a new signing for us!
I've also noticed over the past few games that we lack a bit of creativity
in midfield so hopefully 'Jules' could be the man for the job. In other
departments Ashton is only going to get better as the season goes on and
once Bellamy returns I feel him and Ashton could prove to be a very strong
strike force. And not only that we'll have Carlton Cole and Bobby Zamora
(once fit) providing fierce competition.
The question you have got to ask yourself though is how far we can go with
the players at our disposal at this very moment in time and also should we
be pushing on for a place in Europe. The answer to the first question in my
opinion is just about where we are now, mid-table.
Now the club can go out and spend millions on players and try and push for
that European place but at the same time, come the summer with the European
Championships bound to be unleashed with young fresh talent and the full
fitness of the players who have been brought in over the last 12 months I
can't see why we can't push for that next season.
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Hammers to offer Zamora plus cash for Reading defender Shorey - Daily Mail
Last updated at 13:47pm on 9th January 2008
West Ham United are going for Reading left-back Nicky Shorey. The Daily
Mirror says Hammers boss Alan Curbishley wants Royals' England left-back
Shorey and is trying to tempt Steve Coppell to sell with a player-plus-cash
deal involving Upton Park out-of-favour striker Zamora. But West Ham are
demanding £5million for Zamora with a £1m cash adjustment for Shorey.
Reading boss Coppell likes Zamora but is not interested at that price and
has no intention of selling Shorey.
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It's not black and white for West Ham's Brown - Daily Mail
23:59pm 9th January 2008
West Ham's disgraced former chairman and major shareholder Terry Brown, who
became the fans' scapegoat for the Carlos Tevez controversy, has taken the
first steps in an attempt to reconcile himself with the club.
Brown, chairman for 15 years until selling his 40 per cent stake to an
Icelandic consortium last year, is credited in the acknowledgements as
helping to write the biography Brown Out (£16.99, Pennant Books), published
next week and written by club historian Brian Belton.
Despite publicity blurb calling him 'disgraced', the book puts property
magnate Brown in the best possible light on almost every West Ham matter.
It claims he was not directly involved in the negotiations for the transfer
of Tevez and Javier Mascherano, signings which relegated Sheffield United
claim should have resulted in West Ham losing their top-flight status.
It adds that the Icelanders could have been more diligent in their own
research into the third party ownership difficulties surrounding the two
Argentinians before buying West Ham.
The book asserts that Brown should be given back his lifetime seats in the
directors' box that were taken away by Eggert Magnusson in the wake of the
Premier League fining West Ham a record £5.5million.
There is no chance of a rapprochement with Brown while so many legal issues
have still to be resolved, including an FA hearing into Sheffield United's
allegations. But with Magnusson no longer running West Ham, it helps Brown's
chances of eventually getting his seats back.
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Keen hails West Ham production line
tribalfootball.com - January 09, 2008
West Ham United reserves coach Kevin Keen is delighted with the promotion
this season of Jack Collison and James Tomkin. "Jack and James have really
come on this year in terms of their physical attributes but also their
knowledge of playing - just simply by training with the first team every
day," he said.
"They are two lads who work really hard so it is great credit to them that
they have forced their way into the squad and to the bench and in Jack's
case got on at Arsenal. They are two good young players who are the future
of our football club and will hopefully improve even more." Keen also had a
word of praise for left-winger Kyel Reid, telling whufc.com: "Kyel has been
in and out, played for the first team and come back out. Hopefully he will
keep improving and again be another asset for the future."
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Cole seeking West Ham partnership with Ashton
tribalfooball.com - January 09, 2008
West Ham striker Carlton Cole has said that he needs to develop a better
understanding with Dean Ashton, his fellow forward. "He knows we have to
work on our relationship and hopefully that can gel sooner rather than
later," Cole said.
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West Ham kid Jeffery backed for success
tribalfootball.com - January 09, 2008
West Ham reserves coach Kevin Keen rates Jack Jeffery as another Hammers
youth teamer destined for bigger things. He told whufc.com: "JJ has come
back from Hampton & Richmond, where he scored a couple of goals and Alan
Devonshire has given me a glowing report. He is the sort of lad who will
keep working hard and get the best out of what he has got."
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West Ham offer Zamora for Reading's Shorey
tribalfootball.com - January 09, 2008
West Ham United are going for Reading left-back Nicky Shorey.The Mirror says
Hammers boss Alan Curbishley wants Royals' England left-back Shorey and is
trying to tempt Steve Coppell to sell with a player-plus-cash deal involving
Upton Park out-of-favour striker Zamora. But West Ham are demanding
£5million for Zamora with a £1m cash adjustment for Shorey. Reading boss
Coppell likes Zamora but is not interested at that price and has no
intention of selling Shorey.
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West Ham turn to Bolton striker Diouf
tribalfootball.com - January 09, 2008
West Ham United are moving for Bolton Wanderers striker El Hadji Diouf. The
Mirror says Hammers boss Alan Curbishley is moving for Diouf after receiving
little encouragement from Olympique Marseille after an approach for Djibril
Cisse.
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Newcastle & West Ham target signs for Arsenal - confirmed! - FansFC.com
10:35 January, 9, 2008
According to a source at Gillingham, Luke Freeman has already agreed to join
Arsenal, much to the chagrin of Newcastle and West Ham. The Gillingham
insider said: "West Ham did table an offer - £4,000! "Then Arsenal and
Newcastle offered £100,000. "The player has now agreed to sign for Arsenal
for an undisclosed fee. "It was revealed to Gillingham FC shareholders at
their AGM/EGM in December."
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