All the team news and background for Saturday afternoon's return to league
action
10.01.2008
Barclays Premier League
12 January
3pm
Referee: Mike Riley
WHUTV - Full live commentary plus Alan Curbishley's pre-match press
conference
Team news
Luis Boa Morte is in line for a return against his old club having come
through an extended run-out with the reserves. He played for more than an
hour at Aston Villa with no negative impact on his hamstring. Julien Faubert
also got 45 minutes - his first game in six months after an achilles injury
- but is thought to be still a week or two away. Matthew Etherington will
hope to figure again after his start last week in the 0-0 FA Cup third round
against Manchester City.
Fit-again James Collins and Calum Davenport both played the full 90 minutes
against Villa while Lee Bowyer has had a full week's training and is also in
contention for Fulham. Also in training this week have been Danny Gabbidon
and Freddie Ljungberg, with Craig Bellamy due to join in fully from Friday.
Bobby Zamora will step up his running on Monday and is not far away either.
Only Scott Parker (knee), who is out for at least six weeks, Nigel Quashie
and Kieron Dyer are classed as long-term. John Pantsil and Henri Camara,
along with Fulham's Diomansy Kamara, have gone off to represent Ghana and
Senegal respectively at the African Cup of Nations. For Fulham, it is
thought the match is too soon for the fit again Jimmy Bullard after 18
months out with a knee injury while Brian McBride is also out with a knee
problem.
Background
Tenth-placed West Ham United are looking to make it four games unbeaten at
the Boleyn Ground on Saturday when they welcome Fulham, who sit one place
off the bottom. The run began with the 1-1 draw against Reading on Boxing
Day before a 2-1 success over Manchester United three days later was
followed by last Saturday's stalemate against City. This will be the first
meeting of the teams this season with the return on Saturday 23 February at
Craven Cottage.
The sides last met almost a year to the day last season. On 13 January 2007
at the Boleyn Ground, only a last-gasp equaliser from Philippe Christanval
denied the Hammers victory in a 3-3 draw. Bobby Zamora had been sent off in
the 76th minute having drawn the home side level in the 28th minute after a
16th-minute Tomasz Radzinski strike. Two goals from Yossi Benayoun (46 and
64) either side of a McBride goal on the hour looked to have settled it
until Christanval's late goal.
The lineups were:
West Ham United: Carroll, Dailly, Collins (Spector 11) , Gabbidon (Newton
81) , McCartney, Benayoun, Reo-Coker, Quashie, Boa Morte, Cole, Tevez
(Zamora 13)
Subs not used: Green, Mullins
Fulham: Lastuvka ,Rosenior, Christanval, Bocanegra, Queudrue, Routledge,
Volz , Brown, Radzinski, McBride, Helguson (Montella 67)
Subs not used: Warner, Runstrom, Pearce, Omozusi
Curbishley's current side are in fine league form, with five wins and four
draws from the last 12 fixtures. The only three reverses came against strong
opposition in the form of Chelsea, Everton and Arsenal.
The Hammers have still not lost in all nine league games this season when
they have taken the lead. George McCartney is bidding to make his 26th
appearance this season in all competitions - and is the only West Ham United
player who has featured in every game to date, starting in each one. In
terms of the Premier League, only Robert Green and Upson have played every
minute of the 20 matches. Ashton, with five goals, is the club's leading
scorer in all competitions.
Fulham, now under new manager Roy Hodgson, have gone nine league games
without a win and have fallen into the bottom three. Their last fixture was
a 2-2 home draw against Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup last Saturday. Fulham
have a good record at the Boleyn Ground though, in the last five league
meetings there they have won two and drawn two.
Clint Dempsey is Fulham's top scorer this season with six goals, all of
which have come in the league. Dempsey, Simon Davies and David Healy are the
only players to have featured in every league game, and indeed every cup
match, played by the club this season. They have not kept a clean sheet in
eleven games, and have had five different players shown a red card in league
action.
Boa Morte will be hoping to figure against the team where he made 205 league
appearances, scoring 44 goals, between July 2001 and last January when he
headed east to West Ham United. Alan Curbishley will know all about the
Fulham trio of Paul Konchesky, Aleksei Smertin and Danny Murphy as all
played under him at Charlton Athletic.
Fulham boast two former Hammers in the shape of defenders Ian Pearce and
Konchesky. Pearce played 142 league games, with nine goals, between
September 1997 and January 2004 while Konchesky figured in 59 league games,
scoring one goal, between July 2005 and July 2007. Jimmy Bullard was at West
Ham United between February 1999 and May 2001 without playing a game.
Head to head (last six meetings in all competitions)
13 Janary 2007 - West Ham United 3-3 Fulham (league)
23 December 2006 - Fulham 0-0 West Ham United (league)
23 January 2006 - West Ham United 2-1 Fulham (league)
17 September 2005 - Fulham 1-2 West Ham United (league)
24 February 2004 - West Ham United 0-3 Fulham (FA Cup)
14 February 2004 - Fulham 0-0 West Ham United (FA Cup)
All-time record v Fulham: W32 D18 L27
Weekend fixtures
Saturday 12 January (3pm unless stated)
Arsenal v Birmingham City
Aston Villa v Reading
Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur
Derby v Wigan Athletic
Everton v Manchester City
Manchester United v Newcastle United - 5.15pm
Middlesbrough v Liverpool
Sunday 13 January
Bolton Wanderers v Blackburn Rovers - 4pm
Sunderland v Portsmouth - 1.30pm
General information
Please note this game is now SOLD OUT. For details of getting to the Boleyn
Ground, click here
Weather: The forecast is for a chilly and overcast day in east London, with
rain possible. The temperature is set to peak at around 6C.
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Specs aware of deadly Dempsey - WHUFC
Clint Dempsey is one of four leading US internationals at Fulham that
Jonathan Spector knows all about
11.01.2008
Jonathan Spector is relishing coming up against a strong American contingent
when Fulham arrive at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday.
Spector is likely to face two of four high-profile US internationals at
Craven Cottage with fellow defender Carlos Bocanegra and star man Clint
Dempsey in contention, while goalkeeper Kasey Keller is further down the
pecking order and striker Brian McBride injured. Dempsey has particularly
caught the eye since moving to Fulham from New England Revolution a year
ago.
The attacking midfielder has six league goals this season and has figured in
every Fulham game played during a difficult campaign that has every chance
of lift off under experienced new manager Roy Hodgson. Spector, who figured
at right-back against Manchester City last week upon coming on at half-time,
could find himself directly up against his in-form compatriot this weekend.
"He is certainly a threat. He has been really successful with the US
national team and over here in England in the Premier League," said Spector,
who is likely to join up with Dempsey for the 6 February international match
against Mexico in Texas. "He is one of the guys we will have to keep an eye
on. It will be great playing against a number of Americans in the Fulham
team."
Spector has been a real success story this season, one of a number of
players who have taken advantage of their opportunity to prove their worth
to Alan Curbishley. "It helps that I am versatile," he said. "I can play in
a number of different positions - especially with the injury problems we
have had. I have played four or five different positions already. It
certainly helps myself as well as the team."
Before last week's outing in the 0-0 draw against City in the FA Cup third
round, Spector had played at centre-back, centre-midfield and left-back in
the previous Boleyn Ground fixture - the tremendous 2-1 home success against
Manchester United. Both games underlined that things are definitely on the
up in east London.
"Our away form this season has been really good," Spector added. "We have
surprised a lot of people with the amount of points we have picked up on the
road but at home it hasn't been the best. Recently we have started to pick
it up. We are looking to win some more games at home which is what we really
need to move up the table."
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West Ham v Fulham - BBC
Upton Park
Saturday, 12 January
Kick-off: 1500 GMT
BBC coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio Five Live & highlights on Match
of the Day.
West Ham (from): Green, Neill, Ferdinand, Upson, McCartney, Bowyer, Mullins,
Noble, Etherington, Ashton, Cole, Wright, Spector, Collins, Boa Morte, Reid,
Collison, Tomkins.
Fulham (from): Niemi, Warner, Volz, Stefanovic, Bocanegra, Hughes,
Konchesky, Davies, Murphy, Davis, Dempsey, Healy, Kuqi, Leijer, Smertin,
Seol, Christanval.
West Ham manager Alan Curbishley: "I've got so many players who have been
out injured but quite a few are returning. If they return my squad is back
to where I want it to be. "If it gets to a critical situation in one area
then we are looking at what is available in the transfer window, but things
are slowly improving. "I would much prefer to have the players who are
already here and understand us than bring someone in from outside."
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson: "We haven't ruled Jimmy Bullard out of the game on
Saturday completely. It's unlikely he'll play because he's ahead of schedule
and our medical team have advised us to be cautious. "But I'm certain that
if I told Jimmy I needed him to play, he would be the first one changed and
out on the pitch."
BIG-MATCH FACTS
This is one of two London derbies in the top division this weekend, and
Fulham's 250th Premier League match.
West Ham play their first home league game since beating Manchester United
2-1 on 29 December.
Fulham, the Premier League's draw specialists, are on the longest current
run in the Premier League without an away win of 27 matches, and desperately
need a first victory under Roy Hodgson to stand any chance of clawing their
way out of the relegation zone.
Alan Curbishley's side have scored only three more league goals than the
Cottagers, yet they find themselves in the top half, nine places and 14
points better off, having won four times as many games (eight to two).
Fulham have not won any of their last 12 London league derbies; drawing
eight and losing four since beating Arsenal 2-1 at Craven Cottage on 29
November 2006. They have lost the last two and conceded seven goals in the
process.
West Ham have won only one of their last 12 top-flight capital clashes; 0-1,
away to Arsenal on 7 April. They have also lost the last two, and did not
score in either game.
The Hammers shared six goals with Fulham in this corresponding fixture last
January, having been thrashing 6-0 by Reading in their previous league
outing.
CLUB FORM
WEST HAM UNITED
Club stats
Fixtures
Highest achievable after Saturday's matches: 10th
Lowest could realistically fall: 10th
1. Drew their FA Cup third round tie, home to Manchester City, 0-0 last time
out, and registered one win in four league and cup outings.
2. The current total of 29 points after 20 games is their best return since
the 2000-01 season, and 11 points more than were accrued by this equivalent
stage last season.
3. Their 20 games have yielded 44 goals (25 for, 19 against). At 2.2, it's
the lowest goals per game average in the highest league.
4. Lost only one match against a bottom-half club (v Newcastle), and won six
of 11 fixtures against clubs currently in the lower half of the table.
5. Lost only one of the last six home league games; 0-2, against Everton on
15 December.
6. Kept just one clean sheet in Premier League matches at Upton Park; 3-0
against Middlesbrough on 15 September.
7. Back-to-back away fixtures against Manchester City follow this, the FA
Cup replay before the league match. A home clash against Liverpool is also
scheduled before the end of the month.
FULHAM
Club stats
Fixtures
Highest achievable after Saturday's matches: 17th
Lowest could fall: 19th
1. Lost their first match under Roy Hodgson, 1-2 home to Chelsea, and drew
the second, 2-2, home to Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup.
2. The current total of 15 points after 21 games is their lowest ever to
this stage of a Premier League season, six points fewer than the previous
lowest in 2004-05 when they were 15th, and ended the season in 13th place.
3. Had 26 points at this stage last season, when 11th in the table.
4. Dropped 48 points; only Derby have dropped more (56).
5. Kept just two Premier League clean sheets, against Chelsea (a) and Derby
(h) - both goalless. Only Sunderland and Derby have also managed just two
shut-outs. Also, one goal short of conceding 38 goals, the total they let in
from the entire 38 Premier League matches last term.
6. Won only one match of the 10 in which they have opened the scoring; 3-1,
home to Reading.
7. Drawn three and lost seven of their 10 fixtures against clubs currently
in the top-half.
8. Squandered more Premier League points from winning positions than any
other club (22) and lost more matches than any other club in which they held
the advantage (four); Arsenal (a), Middlesbrough (h), Aston Villa (a),
Chelsea (h).
9. One of six clubs still without an away win in the Premier League. On the
longest current streak of 27 matches without an away victory, picking up 12
points from a possible 81 since the 1-2 defeat of Newcastle at St James'
Park on 9 September 2006. They have won two of the last 48 league games away
from Craven Cottage.
10. The FA Cup replay away to Bristol Rovers follows this, before another
London Premier League derby, home to Arsenal, and an away game against
Bolton.
KEY PLAYER NOTES
WEST HAM UNITED
Dean ASHTON is West Ham's top scorer with five goals.
ASHTON and BOWYER are the Hammers' joint top Premier League marksmen with
four goals a piece.
The club's Premier League goalscorers list is predominately comprised of
English players (eight of 11).
None of four penalties awarded against West Ham in the Premier League this
season have been converted, and Robert GREEN has been in goal for all four.
Matthew UPSON and GREEN are the only remaining players to have been on the
field for every minute of every one of West Ham's Premier League matches
this season.
BOWYER is a double shy of 50 career Premier League goals (Leeds, Newcastle
and West Ham).
Nol SOLANO needs a hat-trick to total 50 Premier League goals (Newcastle,
Aston Villa and West Ham).
If selected:-
GREEN will be keeping goal for West Ham for the 50th time.
James COLLINS will be making his 100th career league appearance (Cardiff and
West Ham).
George McCARTNEY will be making his 100th career Premier League appearance
(Sunderland and West Ham).
Luis BOA MORTE will be facing a former club. The 30 year old Portugal
international made 250 appearances (205 in the league) and scored 54 goals
(44 league) for Fulham between June 2000 and his £5m move to Upton Park in
January 2007.
FULHAM
Clint DEMPSEY is Fulham's top scorer with six Premier League goals.
If selected:-
David HEALY will be making his 300th English league appearance (Manchester
United, Port Vale, Preston, Norwich, Leeds and Fulham).
Hameur BOUAZZA will be making his 50th Premier League appearance (Watford
and Fulham).
Moritz VOLZ will be making his 150th club career appearance (Arsenal,
Wimbledon and Fulham).
Paul KONCHESKY will be facing a former club. The 26 year old defender made
70 appearances (59 in the league) and scored two goals (one league) in two
years for West Ham from July 2005.
Ian PEARCE will be facing former clubmates. The 33 year old defender made
163 appearances (142 in the league) and scored 10 goals (nine league) for
the Hammers between September 1997 and January 2004.
HEAD TO HEAD
Fulham are attempting to pick up only their second Premier League victory
over West Ham. This will be their ninth meeting.
Home and away
League (inc PL): West Ham 30 wins, Fulham 24, Draws 16
Prem: West Ham 4 wins, Fulham 1, Draws 3
at West Ham only
League (inc PL): West Ham 19 wins, Fulham 8, Draws 8
Prem: West Ham 1 win, Fulham 1, Draws 2
LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME
West Ham United 3-3 Fulham
13 January 2007 - Ref: Graham Poll
West Ham scorers: Zamora 28, Benayoun 46, 64
Fulham scorers: Radzinski 16, McBride 59, Christanval 90
Sent Off: Zamora (West Ham) 76
REFEREE
Mike Riley (Leeds, Yorkshire)
Premier League referees' table
Mike Riley's 2007-08 Premier League card count
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West Ham Utd v Fulham - KUMB
Filed: Friday, 11th January 2008
By: Matthew Coker
We are back on the Premier League trail this week as we welcome West London
rivals, Fulham, to the Boleyn for a 3pm Saturday kick off.
Our opponents are in something of a state of disarray, underlined by their
current league position of 19th with a points tally of just 15 to date and
they are very much embroiled in a relegation dogfight as we speak.
The club has only managed to register two league victories, both of them at
home, one being an early season win over Sammy Lee's Bolton, the second a
3-1 victory over Reading in early November.
The rest of the home games have resulted in five draws and four defeats,
which when you consider that the opponents they could not beat at Crave
Cottage have included Derby, Middlesbrough and Wigan and that they still
have three of the big four sides to play, their good home form of the last
campaign seems to have deserted them.
They have also travelled very poorly. They are yet to register a solitary
away league victory during the current campaign, having picked up just four
points away from Craven Cottage in draws with fellow strugglers, Birmingham
City, Sunderland and Wigan as well as one against local rivals, Chelsea.
Many of the defeats have also been by quite hefty margins as their away goal
tally of six scored and nineteen conceded testifies, the lowlights include a
5-1 Boxing Day drubbing at White Hart Lane, a 3-0 at Goodison Park and 2-0's
at Old Trafford and Anfield.
The poor away form has been a problem for some time. They go into the game
with us on Saturday on the back of a run of 26 consecutive league defeats
and they have not won any of their last 19 away London derbies in the
league. The stats suggest that they are very much the perfect side to
welcome to your place.
"There will be days when we're fighting and scrapping and I hope their will
be days when we're playing".
Roy's blueprint for top flight survival.
Last April, the Cookie crumbled, this Christmas, the Lawrie jackknifed and
the latest gaffer to try is luck is South London's, Roy Hodgson. He has an
impressive CV that has seen him manage across the continent, most
successfully in Sweden with Malmo, though perhaps most prestigiously during
two spells as coach of Italian giants, Inter Milan. He has tried his hand as
a national team coach where he led Switzerland to 1994 World Cup and 1996
European Championship qualification and his last assignment saw him take
Finland to the brink of the Euro 2008 finals.
There is much for Fulham fans to get excited about where his track record
and experience are concerned and his ability to get the best out of less
than world class players, which has been proven with his international
experience and may be exactly what his new side need in the short term.
However, the task in front of him is nothing if not daunting. He has joined
a club that has been bucking the trend of most by weakening their playing
staff, the quality of the likes of recent season's departees such as Edwin
Van Der Saar, Louis Saha, Steed Malbranque and Luis Boa Morte have not been
replaced on a like for like basis. Even in the summer, when they did splash
out, Papa Bouba Diop, Zak Knight and Leroy Rosenior departed through the
other side of the revolving door.
Hodgson now finds himself taking over a team devoid of confidence, which
manifests itself in some typical relegation side characteristics such as
being unable to defend set pieces and throwing away leads. Injuries have
increased the scale of the problem; they would undoubtedly be a better side
if Jimmy Bullard and Brian McBride had not been ruled out for large parts of
the season. Securing players in the January window, in particular a central
midfield, a striker and some defensive cover will be a priority.
Assuming that the weekend will be too short notice to get any serious
reinforcements in, they should line up as they have been in recent weeks.
This means starting with the usually decent, Antti Niemi in goal, in front
of a central defensive duo of Dejan Stefanovic and Carlos Bocanegra, with
former Hammer, Paul Konchesky wide left and one from Moritz Volz or Elliot
Omozusi on the right.
"He is hard to get on with. He doesn't have much banter; he is serious all
the time, he keeps himself to himself and doesn't get involved – very old
school."
Konch on Curbs.
"It was no surprise to me when I saw it – I don't think the boy has any
class".
Curbs on Konch.
Despite his fall out with the boss, I'll be glad to welcome Konch back to
the Boleyn. Admittedly, he did get dragged into a run of poor form with much
of the rest of the team last season and it is obvious that he has a less
than amicable relationship with Curbs, stemming from their Charlton days.
However, he was a revelation for us in his first season, particularly during
the first few games where he played with inspirational maturity amongst a
young and inexperienced side and managed to slam Robbie Savage into the
advertising hoardings for maximum bonus points.
He is also a West Ham fan, who has twice been let go by the club, which must
hurt and anyone who noticed him on the lap of honour on the last day of last
season could see that the club meant a great deal to him. He was obviously
aware that he was leaving in the summer and he was last to leave the pitch,
staying behind and kicking the ball around with his kids (I guess), as
though he really didn't want to go. You'll be sure of a round of applause
from me Konch and I am sure from plenty of others as well.
The midfield will be missing Hameur Bouazza, though most Fulham fans won't
be too heartbroken by this his performances have been a disappointment in
many cases. This may lead to Volz pushing into the right midfield spot or
the shuffle around may create an opportunity for Chris Baird to get a run
out.
The central midfield duo is one that is well known to Curbs, as Danny Murphy
and Alexei Smertin played together for him at Charlton and were particularly
impressive in the club's start to the 2005 / 06 season. Murphy remains a
player of some quality as his finish in the cup last weekend demonstrates,
though a defensive midfielder to support him is still likely to be on the
wish list of many Fulham fans, Steven Davis having not excelled in this
role.
Simon Davies should start on the left, but keep an eye out for Bullard and
maybe even Lee Cook, who have both come through reserve games in the week
and may have some involvement.
Clint Dempsey is the club's current top scorer with five league finishes and
he will likely play alongside Irish international, David Healy, who has
scored three to date. Healy has not recaptured his international form for
his club side and many of the supporters have raised concerns that he is not
of sufficient quality for the top flight. The back up comes in the form of
Diomansy Kamara, who despite the occasional spectacular finish has not
impressed, he lacks an end product and he gives the impression that he would
be a better winger than a striker.
Fulham Forecast
I'm confident that we'll get something out of this. Fulham are poor on the
road and if we reach the standard we have at home in the last two games at
the Boleyn, we will be good enough to take all three points on Saturday.
I'm going for a repeat of the 1975 Cup Final, with a score line of 2-0 to
the Cockney boys.
Enjoy the game.
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Luis Luis - KUMB
Filed: Friday, 11th January 2008
By: Matthew O'Greel
Luis Boa Morte could be back in the first team squad for the visit of his
former side Fulham tomorrow. The Portuguese winger has been out of action
since mid-December but is back in the frame after playing an hour in
Monday's 2-1 reserves defeat at Aston Villa. However Alan Curbishley,
speaking at yesterday's pre-match press conference, was treading cautiously
when he said: "Luis hasn't been as out as long as the others - three to four
weeks. He has packed a bit more in. "We have just got to make sure that he
gets it right. Everyone is waiting for him to come back and we want him to
be absolutely right. "We don't want him to come in and catch his fitness in
the first team because the expectation level is there for everybody. We have
waited long enough so we may have to wait another couple of weeks."
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Sorry, we made it up - KUMB
Filed: Friday, 11th January 2008
By: Matthew O'Greel
The Sun newspaper have apologised for fabricating a story regarding Craig
Bellamy and Alan Curbishley. The tabloid carried a story at the start of the
season claiming that Craig Bellamy launched into a tirade of abuse at his
manager following the home defeat againast Manchester City. However the Sun
have today printed an apology, acknowledging that the story was untrue.
"In our article of August 18, we reported that Craig Bellamy had a
dressing-room bust-up with his manager Alan Curbishley one month after
joining West Ham," the paper said in this morning's edition. "We have been
asked to point out the reported incident did not in fact take place. We
apologise for any misunderstanding and are happy to set the record
straight."
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West Ham v Fulham preview - SNN
Cottagers out to stop the rot
By Joe Drabble Last updated: 11th January 2008
PREDICTIONS:
Skysports.com prediction: West Ham 1 Fulham 1
SKY BET odds: West Ham 4/6, Draw 12/5, Fulham 7/2
West Ham entertain Fulham with the visitors hoping to improve their dismal
Premier League record against the Hammers. Despite drawing the previous two
fixtures - the Cottagers haven't beaten their London opponents in the league
since November 2001. The neutral spectator will be hoping for a similar
result to the one exactly a year ago to this weekend when Fulham snatched a
3-3 draw courtesy of an injury-time Phillipe Christanval strike. Hammers
boss Alan Curbishley has plenty of options to choose from as he prepares for
the Upton Park meeting. Luis Boa Morte, James Collins, Calum Davenport and
Julien Faubert all safely negotiated a reserve team fixture in midweek -
with Boa Morte in particular champing at the bit for a starting place
against his former club. Also pushing for a starting spot are defender Danny
Gabbidon and midfielders Matthew Etherington, Lee Bowyer and Freddie
Ljungberg as all have been training well this week. Strikers Craig Bellamy
(stomach) and Bobby Zamora (knee) will definitely miss out, while
midfielders Nolberto Solano (hamstring) and Scott Parker (knee) are also
unavailable.
Newly appointed Fulham boss Roy Hodgson has also received a timely fitness
boost with a number of key players resuming full training this week.
Midfielder Jimmy Bullard could feature for the first time since he sustained
a horror knee injury against Newcastle in September 2006. Defenders
Christanval and Aaron Hughes have also been back in training this week and
could return to shore-up the Cottagers backline. Definitely missing are
defenders Ian Pearce (calf) and Elliot Omozusi (ankle) while striker Hameur
Bouzza is doubtful after not fully recovering from a dislocated shoulder.
West Ham 4/6, Draw 12/5, Fulham 7/2
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Argies angry about Hammers link to Mazzola - Soccernet
Independiente secretary of sport Leandro Battafarano claims there is no
truth that teenage forward Nicolas Mazzola has travelled to England to train
with West Ham. Hammers coach Alan Curbishley recently admitted that the
17-year-old has been training at Chadwell Heath but that any interest in the
player would be for in the long term. 'He is a young boy we have had
training with us,' said Curbishley. 'He is only a 17-year-old. He is nothing
for the first team at the moment.' However, Battafarano insists it is the
first time he has heard the Argentina under-17 international is with the
English Premier League side, instead insisting he is currently taking part
in pre-season training with Independiente. 'As far as we are concerned, we
have not been told about Mazzola going to England,' he told PA Sport. 'He is
having pre-season training with the first team in Mar del Plata now. 'We
haven't set a transfer fee because we are not planning to sell him anywhere.
We want to enjoy his skills in the first team here.' Mazzola, who played at
the under-17 World Cup in South Korea last year, has been attracting
interest from a number of clubs abroad, particularly from England, but
Battafarano refused to disclose whether any offers have been made.
He added: 'I cannot say now whether there was an official West Ham offer,
but he is a very good player and a lot of teams have made different offers.
'Several of them were English clubs, and there was not just one.'
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Terras snap up Hammer - Daily Echo Dorset
By Adam Summers
WEYMOUTH have captured West Ham United youngster Bondz Ngala on loan until
the end of the season. The centre back, who is renowned for his pace and
strength, will go straight into the squad for tomorrow's FA Trophy second
round tie against Kidderminster Harriers at the Wessex Stadium. Ngala is the
fifth player to arrive at the Wessex Stadium this month, following the
recent acquisitions of David Roberts, Adam Gross, Michael Malcolm and
Wilfried Domoraud.
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Konchesky showed his lack of class and Murphy dumped us when it suited him,
Curbs hammers old boys - Daily Mail
Last updated at 11:31am on 11th January 2008
Alan Curbishley demonstrated his unforgiving side today when he slammed two
of his former players who will be in Fulham's team against West Ham
tomorrow. The Hammers manager had some strong criticism for midfielder Danny
Murphy, who quit Charlton for Tottenham when Curbishley was in charge at The
Valley. Murphy joined Charlton in August 2004 and Curbishley said: "Scott
Parker and Claus Jensen had both gone so we were looking for a player of
stature and ability. "Danny Murphy has the ability, of that there is no
doubt, and when he came we fitted the team around him to a certain extent.
"When it suited him though, when a bigger club came in for him, he dumped
us. That's what I was really disappointed with and I told him. "I don't know
what happened to him at Spurs but he's been one of Fulham's better players
since he's gone there."
Curbishley also felt let down badly by Paul Konchesky's comments, following
his move from West Ham to Fulham. The full-back was quoted as saying that
the club was "an unhappy place" and suggested that Carlos Tevez left and
Darren Bent refused to sign because of Curbishley. The West Ham boss
considered legal action at the time and said: "Paul Konchesky did well for
me at Charlton but showed his class by coming out and saying the things he
said." Curbishley's injury problems are easing, with former Fulham player
Luis Boa Morte in the reckoning for tomorrow's match, while Freddie
Ljungberg could also be back.
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Independiente warns West Ham off Mazzola
tribalfooball.com - January 11, 2008
Independiente have warned West Ham off 17 year-old striker Nicolas Mazzola.
"We haven't set a transfer fee because we are not planning to sell him
anywhere. We want to enjoy his skills in the first team here," said club
chief Leandro Battafarano. "I cannot say now whether there was an official
West Ham offer, but he is a very good player and a lot of teams have made
different offers. "Several of them were English clubs, and there was not
just one."
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West Ham boss Curbishley has no long-term fears for Parker
tribalfooball.com - January 11, 2008
West Ham boss Alan Curbishley insists he has no long-term fitness concerns
for Scott Parker after his latest knee setback. Parker suffered the injury
in West Ham's win over Manchester United on December 29 and it was confirmed
this week that he will not play again until next month. The 27-year-old had
worked his way close to top form after missing most of the first half of the
season with knee ligament damage. New England manager Fabio Capello is busy
scouting the Barclays Premier League ahead of his first squad announcement
for the friendly against Switzerland on February 6 but Parker has lost the
chance to cash in.
Curbishley said: "I am desperately disappointed for him. He is a strong lad
and he worked so hard to get back. But Scott Parker is a Trojan. He is a
proper player. He comes in every morning, mixes well, trains well and gives
everything in games. "He went into a tackle and Cristiano Ronaldo fell on
his knee. It just epitomises what has gone on with the club and he is as
frustrated as I am. "We made four big buys in the summer in Parker, Craig
Bellamy, Kieron Dyer and Julien Faubert and the fans have hardly seen them."
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WEST HAM v Fulham: Boa Morte set to face his old club - Daily Mail
Last updated at 11:17am on 11th January 2008
Luis Boa Morte is pushing for a return to the West Ham squad for tomorrow's
Barclays Premier League clash with his old club Fulham. The Portuguese
forward has been out for a month with a hamstring injury but came through a
reserve team game on Monday. Midfielder Scott Parker is out for six weeks
with a knee injury while Nolberto Solano (groin), Bobby Zamora (knee) and
Craig Bellamy (abdominal) are still unavailable. Winger Julien Faubert is
back in full training and played 45 minutes on Monday night but is not yet
ready for first-team action.
Team (from): Green, Neill, Ferdinand, Upson, McCartney, Bowyer, Mullins,
Noble, Etherington, Ashton, Cole, Wright, Spector, Collins, Boa Morte, Reid,
Collison, Tomkins.
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Hammers target 'not in England' - Setanta
by Ben Blackmore, 11 January 2008
Independiente have revealed they are baffled by West Ham's claims that
Nicolas Mazzola is training with them. Alan Curbishley claimed on Thursday
that the 17-year-old was spending time at Upton Park, a claim the Argentine
club strongly denies.Now Mazzola's agent has even rubbished such reports,
insisting he does not know what West Ham are trying to achieve. "Mazzola
never travelled to England," said agent Fernando Ortiz. "I do not know what
they expect to achieve with this. As of yet there have been no formal
offers". Independiente's secretary of sport Leandro Battafarano echoed
Ortiz's views, insisting the player should be on pre-season. "As far as we
are concerned, we have not been told about Mazzola going to England," he
said."He is having pre-season training with the first team in Mar del Plata
now. "We haven't set a transfer fee because we are not planning to sell him
anywhere. We want to enjoy his skills in the first team here."I cannot say
now whether there was an official West Ham offer, but he is a very good
player and a lot of teams have made different offers. "Several of them were
English clubs, and there was not just one."
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Curbs: Parker will come back stronger - TeamTalk
Alan Curbishley is confident "Trojan" midfielder Scott Parker will handle
the disappointment of suffering yet another knee injury. Parker suffered the
injury in West Ham's win over Manchester United on December 29 and it was
confirmed this week that he will not play again until next month. The
27-year-old had worked his way close to top form after missing most of the
first half of the season with knee ligament damage. New England manager
Fabio Capello is busy scouting the Premier League ahead of his first squad
announcement for the friendly against Switzerland on February 6 but Parker
has lost the chance to cash in. Curbishley said: "I am desperately
disappointed for him. He is a strong lad and he worked so hard to get back.
But Scott Parker is a Trojan. He is a proper player. He comes in every
morning, mixes well, trains well and gives everything in games. "He went
into a tackle and Cristiano Ronaldo fell on his knee. It just epitomises
what has gone on with the club and he is as frustrated as I am. "We made
four big buys in the summer in Parker, Craig Bellamy, Kieron Dyer and Julien
Faubert and the fans have hardly seen them."
But the situation is not yet bad enough for Curbishley to consider plunging
into the transfer market. Although Parker is out, Faubert and Luis Boa Morte
played in last Monday's reserve team defeat to Aston Villa while Bellamy is
expected to join in full training after the weekend. "If it gets to a
critical situation in one area then we are looking at what is available in
the transfer window but things are slowly improving," said Curbishley. "I've
got so many players who have been out injured but quite a few are returning.
If they return my squad is back to where I want it to be. "The people who do
enter the transfer window at this stage have to. You have seen Derby have a
go and it is where we found ourselves last year. I would much prefer to have
the players who are already here and understand us than bring someone in
from outside."
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My West Ham: Don Perretta - West Ham Till I Die
Don Perretta is Head of Football at North One TV (producers of, among many
other things, F1, World Rally, Big Ron Manager, Fifth Gear and the Gadget
Show). He produced Football Italia on C4 and Bravo for many years. He was
also a print journalist for many years (a staffer at Time Out for most of
the 80s) and co-founder of Fortunes Always Hiding.
How did you become a Hammer?
I can't remember a time when I wasn't a West Ham fan but it was definitely
my own decision as a young child, as there were no precedents in my family
(I'm the eldest son and my dad sort of supported Fulham but he wasn't really
bothered). I grew up in South East London, so the natural choices would have
been Charlton and Millwall. Happily, they were rejected before I even knew
they existed. I was aware of Moore, Peters, Hurst and Ron Greenwood from
about the age of four, and my support was nailed on when I saw a hugely
exciting 4-3 home victory against QPR on a tiny telly in grainy black and
white. For a long time I thought that game was around 1963/4, but I've since
checked (soccerbase.com, what a site!) and it was in fact played on 2nd
November 1968. So I guess that's when I officially became a fan.
Your first game?
Though I don't remember much about it apart from the noise and not being
able to see much at all, my first game was a 2-0 home victory against
Chelsea in August 1969, just before my ninth birthday. I've no idea who
scored (I'd like to think it was a brace from Geoff Hurst) but my abiding
memories of it are hearing 'Bubbles' properly for the first time (one of our
neighbours had introduced me to the song but it only made sense inside Upton
Park) and wishing someone had brought something for me to stand on. I later
realized that it was my introduction to the North Bank. I no longer need
anything to stand on.
How many games do you get to?
At the moment I get to loads of games. I'd had a season ticket for many
years but I gave it up in protest at the Bond scheme (spit). I started to go
more regularly about eight years ago (when Di Canio joined) and now I've got
three home season tickets (Dr Martens Upper) for me and my two Hammers-mad
kids, plus two away season tickets. Sheer madness but that's what Tevez and
salvation do to you.
Most memorable moment?
I thought this one would be hard but actually it's the tearful/joyous moment
at 2006 FA Cup Final when I eventually located my son at 14:50 by the fence
at the perimeter of the Millennium Stadium. That was when I slid him the
ticket I'd managed to get hold of inside the stadium via a friend who worked
for the club. I'd been quoted £1500 outside. No way. And before you start
wondering, up to that point I'd only managed to procure two tickets and it
was my daughter's turn to go as I had taken my son to the semi-final at
Villa Park. We lost the final, of course, but it didn't seem to matter so
much because (a) we'd played so well and should have won and (b) I had my
two children with me. My poor and long-suffering missus, who'd also come up
on the off chance, had to sit and watch it in a wholefood café in the centre
of Cardiff. Of the games we've actually won, top of the list is the 4-0 at
White Hart Lane in 1981 when David 'Psycho' Cross scored all four goals.
Priceless. The worst experience was the day trip to Palermo. In so many
ways.
Have you met any Hammers players?
Luckily, through my job, I get to meet lots of footballers, some more
palatable than others. Hammers I've met and liked include Sir Trev, Tony
Cottee (an absolute gent), Frank MacAvennie (nice bloke, lives up to his rep
though), Trevor Sinclair, Tony Gale (another gent), Alan McKnight and Alvin
Martin. I was lucky enough to be invited to Paolo Di Canio's house in
Loughton (a gated affair with all the predictable modern footballer
excesses). He had an enormous TV screen – I mean really enormous, nearly as
big as the screens at Upton Park – and his wife made me a lukewarm cup of
espresso coffee. Funny what you remember. He did give me the shirt he'd
played in against Charlton though. Which was nice. A West Ham player I
wouldn't want to spend any more time with is John Moncur. I've met him
twice, which to my mind is two times too many.
Favourite current player?
Robert Green by a country mile, a fantastic keeper and obviously a real
character. And I quite like the idea that he's being ignored for England
duty as I believe it affects a goalie's club form. Look at David James, in
the best form of his career (he even comes for crosses!) and no longer a
serious England contender. QED.
Describe last season. How did it affect you?
Last season was the most traumatic/uplifting ever. Bitter experience told me
we were definitely going down (as well as that 4-0 defeat at Charlton) but a
little voice I could barely hear kept telling me we still had a chance. At
first it was immensely frustrating as we weren't playing THAT badly, we just
weren't getting the results. But then our form really dived apart from the
Arsenal and Man Utd home games; the Argentinian experiment wasn't working
(it had still to bite us in the bum); Nigel Mediocre in my eyes had lost all
credibility/integrity; and I was hearing bad things about why Pardew had
lost the dressing room. But then the turnaround happened (strangely thanks
to Spurs) and so did the great escape. Last season did additionally engender
in me a bitter dislike of many football/sports writers who consistently and
provocatively misreported the Tevez situation. Eggy was a colossus
throughout – I shall miss him greatly. I also took particular exception to
columns written by Oliver Holt, Henry Winter, John Ley and Richard Williams.
They will not be forgiven, ever.
What are your hopes for this season?
That we field a fully fit side that plays to the best of its ability.
Realistically, I'd hoped we'd avoid the relegation scrap (which we have), so
now rather than do a Charlton and take our foot off the gas, let's bloody a
few noses and push for a place in Europe. We can have some fun.
Choose your all time Hammers Eleven
Really hard – but after much thought it's Ludo, Ray Stewart, Slaven Bilic,
Bobby Moore, Julian Dicks, Mark Ward, Billy Bonds, Trevor Brooking, Devo,
Paolo Di Canio, Tony Cottee. I notice there are none from the current squad,
which is probably about right.
What do your colleagues make of your support for West Ham?
Amused tolerance, mostly, and occasional congratulations. Thankfully there
are no Blades fans in the office as we would almost certainly have come to
blows.
When you're reporting on West Ham games how difficult is it to be objective?
Luckily I've only ever had to do it once when we beat Hull City 7-1 so
objectivity (unnoticed) went out of the window.
Complete this sentence: The thing I hate about West Ham is…
…the time spent waiting for the ticket office to answer. (Record: close on 2
hours).
Complete this sentence: The thing I love about West Ham is…
…the sense of unity and ownership among the fans. Owners, players, managers
and officials may come and go but we'll always be there and we're the best
fans bar none. And at least once a season, the team rewards us with a
stellar performance that makes all the suffering seem worthwhile.
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Curbs considers snapping up Argentine wonderkid - Daily Mail
Last updated at 08:57am on 11th January 2008
West Ham could sign Argentine wonderkid Nicholas Mazzola. The 17-year-old
Independiente striker has trained with the Hammers recently and boss Alan
Curbishley is weighing up a £1m bid. Curbishley is confident "trojan"
midfielder Scott Parker will handle the disappointment of suffering yet
another knee injury, which has ruled him out of action for six weeks and
scuppered any chance of an England recall. Parker suffered the injury in
West Ham's win over Manchester United on December 29 and it was confirmed
this week that he will not play again until next month. The 27-year-old had
worked his way close to top form after missing most of the first half of the
season with knee ligament damage. New England manager Fabio Capello is busy
scouting the Premier League ahead of his first squad announcement for the
friendly against Switzerland on February 6 but Parker has lost the chance to
cash in. Curbishley said: "I am desperately disappointed for him. He is a
strong lad and he worked so hard to get back. But Scott Parker is a trojan.
He is a proper player. He comes in every morning, mixes well, trains well
and gives everything in games. "He went into a tackle and Cristiano Ronaldo
fell on his knee. It just epitomises what has gone on with the club and he
is as frustrated as I am. "We made four big buys in the summer in Parker,
Craig Bellamy, Kieron Dyer and Julien Faubert and the fans have hardly seen
them."
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