Ever-present George McCartney is getting closer to 50 straight games for the
club but has other priorities
09.04.2008
George McCartney is closing in on a half-century of consecutive league and
cup games but the defender is more focused on helping West Ham United turn
things around.
Since coming in to the side on 17 March 2007 at Blackburn Rovers, the first
of seven wins from the final nine games last season, McCartney has been an
ever-present for Alan Curbishley. Those appearances in that thrilling run-in
added to the 33 league and six cup matches to date this season leave him two
short of 50 straight games at club level. In a season characterised by
players coming in and out, McCartney's feat is an impressive one.
The milestone could be achieved at home to Derby County on 19 April but all
thoughts for now are solely on this Saturday's trip to Bolton Wanderers.
McCartney, who has also figured in three Northern Ireland internationals
this campaign, said there was a strong desire within the squad to keep going
and ensure a strong finish. "It has just been a disappointing few weeks," he
said. "We just have to try and look to Bolton now and pick ourselves up.
They will be up for it and we need to be as well.
"The manager is not going to let us slip away. We have been in the top half
of the table for most of the season. We have got five games left and it is
up to the players to secure at least tenth place. It all starts again
against Bolton." In terms of fitness, McCartney should be OK to play, having
put the previous week's hamstring troubles at Sunderland behind him by
coming through the full 90 minutes against Portsmouth.
The left-back, who turns 27 on 26 April, showed up well on Tuesday,
particularly in tandem with fellow left-footers Luis Boa Morte and Bobby
Zamora in the early stages. He said: "I have had it for a few weeks now but
it is not holding me back from playing. It was a bit worse than what it
usually is against Sunderland last week, that's why I had to come off - but
it held up better against Portsmouth and hopefully I can see out the season
without serious problems.
"I want to play every week. I am really happy with how things are going for
me personally but it is disappointing that the results haven't been as good
as what they were earlier in the season. It is up to the players, the
coaches and the manager to prepare for Bolton on Saturday and make sure we
give our fans a good end to the season."
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Noble doubt for Bolton - KUMB
Filed: Wednesday, 9th April 2008
By: Staff Writer
Mark Noble is only 50/50 for this weekend's trip to Bolton after being the
latest Hammer to sustain a hamstring injury. The young midfielder missed
last night's 1-0 defeat against Portsmouth having been injured in training
last week and is struggling to recover in time for Saturday's visit to the
Reebok Stadium. "He done it last Tuesday," explained Alan Curbishley. "We
kept it quiet a bit. You know what Mark's like, he was pushing to play. "As
everybody knows we're struggling a little bit. I can't afford to push him in
case he breaks down so we'll see how he is on Saturday." Another player
struggling is captain Lucas Neill who took a knock during last night's
defeat. However there was better news regarding Matthew Upson who Curbishley
confirmed 'may well come back'. The last time United visited the Reebok at
this stage of the season was during the 2002/03 season when a 1-0 defeat all
but confirmed the Irons to the drop. A reverse result this weekend will
almost certainly mean the end for Bolton's chances of retaining their
Premier League spot.
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Curbishley: we ran out of ideas - KUMB
Filed: Wednesday, 9th April 2008
By: Staff Writer
Alan Curbishley's honest assessment of last night's desperately
disappointing home defeat against FA Cup finallists Portsmouth ... "It
looked as if it was going to be a tight game. Portsmouth flooded the
midfield but I can't complain about that - they've been playing like that
all season. We needed to score first - we had a great chance and a couple of
decent opportunities but we didn't take them. As the game wore on I think
Portsmouth got stronger and we got flatter. Considering what we're trying to
fight for it was a massive disappointment. One or two of them looked really
tired again and it was a flat performance in the second half. It may have
been different if we had scored first but they did the threatening in the
second half. Kronjcar who scored had a couple of little opportunities before
that where he let some shots go so we're very down and disappointed in
there. We've been there [10th] for the last five weeks and we haven't won a
game. The opportunity has been there for us to push on but we haven't taken
that. Tonight we ran out of ideas on how to break Portsmouth down. That's
something we've got to think about; we've got five games left and a really
tough one away from home on Saturday. Bolton are fighting for their lives
and we obviously have to do better than we did tonight. We're a bit up and
down. We played ever so well at Everton and for half a game up at Sunderland
- and I thought we did well in the first half today. But we've fizzled out
in games and don't as if we're going to score - which is a big problem. I
can't keep complaining about what's gone on at the club - we've just got to
get on with it. We've just played two or three games that we thought were
winnable. We thought tonight was winnable. Of the next five games we've
definitely got to win some otherwise we won't stay where we are. The season
will fizzle out and we'll end on a downer - and that's the last thing I
want, obviously. The whole night was flat; we didn't lift the crowd, the
crowd didn't really lift us and it was just6 a flat performance. This year
their bonusus are geared to being in the top ten - there's nothing for not
being in there. So for people to think we've switched off - that's everybody
connected with the club - is wrong. We need to be in that top ten to take
anything from the season, which is why it was even more disappointing."
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CURBISHLEY FEARS BONUS LOSS - Football365
Posted 09/04/08 15:49EmailPrintSave
West Ham boss Alan Curbishley admits he and his players could miss out on
some decent bonuses if they fail to finish in the top half of the Premier
League. The Hammers are 10th in the table after suffering their fifth loss
in seven games against Portsmouth at Upton Park on Tuesday night. It has
been suggested that the team are coasting towards the end of the season but
Curbishley insists that is not the case. Curbishley said: "Everything this
year, especially bonuses, is geared to finishing in the top 10 - and there
is nothing for not being in the top 10. "So for people to believe we have
switched off is wrong. We need to be in that top 10 to take anything from
the season. "That's me as well, it's everybody, we are all in it. And that's
why it is so disappointing to come up with flat performances like the one
against Portsmouth. "We thought it was a winnable fixture with them just
having reached the FA Cup final, but it was a flat night all round which
just got flatter. "We didn't lift the crowd and they didn't lift us. Now in
the last five games we've got to win two or three or we won't stay in the
top half and the season will just fizzle out."
Curbishley - clearly reminded of the depressingly regular end-of-season
burn-outs which occurred whilst he was in charge at Charlton - has been told
by chairman Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson to trim the wage bill next season. He has
been hampered by a crippling injury list this season and that could affect
his planning. "We are in limbo in terms of assessing what we've got," he
said. "I still haven't had return dates on when some players will be fit
again, especially those with muscular injuries."
When Eggert Magnusson was chairman, before being bought out by his
billionaire Icelandic compatriot Gudmundsson, West Ham paid major fees for
stars like Craig Bellamy, Freddie Ljungberg, Kieron Dyer, Matthew Upson and
Luis Boa Morte. Now Gudmundsson, also the owner of Icelandic bank
Landsbanki, may be feeling the credit crunch and Curbishley was unable to
strengthen his squad in the January transfer window. Yet the club did
recently appoint Gianluca Nani to assist Curbishley in the search for new
players and team affairs, although the Italian does not officially start
work until next season.
Meanwhile, Curbishley has seen two more fitness problems added to a
catalogue which already includes Dyer, Bellamy, Ljungberg, Danny Gabbidon,
James Collins, Lee Bowyer, Matty Etherington and Julian Faubert. Skipper
Lucas Neill damaged an ankle against Pompey but had to play through the
closing minutes in pain after West Ham had used their permitted three
substitutes. He and midfielder Mark Noble, who missed the Portsmouth game
with hamstring trouble, remain doubts for the trip to Bolton on Saturday but
Upson could return after five games out.
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West Ham boss warns players in language they understand
April 9, 2008
And no, we don't mean Welsh, Swedish or Ghanaian! Alan Curbishley is fed up
with his team's poor league form after they crumbled to a 1-0 home defeat to
Portsmouth, who should have really been there for the taking considering
Harry Redknapp rested a couple of players and Pompey's recent FA Cup
exertions.
Nevertheless, the Daily Mail has reported that tenth-placed Hammers better
shape up if the squad are going to receive any bonuses at the end of the
season. Just four points separate them from Spurs and the prospect of
missing out on some extra loot, poor lambs.
"This year their bonuses are geared to being in the top 10," said
Curbishley. "They get nothing for not being there. We need to be in that top
10 to take anything from the season.
"I can't keep complaining about what's gone on at the club. We've fizzled
out in games. The opportunities have been there for us to push on, but we
haven't taken them."
It's something of a mystery why a top-ten finish should mean so much to any
club, apart from the pride at finishing in the upper half of the table. It's
not as if you get to play in Europe, although the higher up the league you
finish, the more prize money that's awarded to the club. Next up for West
Ham is a trip to Bolton - will their players be up for it on a cold
afternoon up north?
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Megson sends out rallying cry ahead of Hammers clash - Guardian Series
BOLTON manager Gary Megson has sent out a rallying call for the fans to get
behind the team on Saturday when West Ham visit The Reebok Stadium, writes
Alex Sexton. While the Hammers sit comfortably in tenth place in the Premier
League, the Trotters are facing the ever-growing prospect of relegation -
indeed defeat to the the east Londoners could signal the end for Megson's
men. In events reminiscent to the Irons' campaign last season - when they
needed to win the bulk of their remaining fixtures to stay up, a feat they
achieved - many pundits have written off the chances of the Lancashire club.
And, having not won a league game since the start of February, Megson
(pictured) feels that the supporters need to show us much passion as his
players. "The fans always have a big part to play," he told the Bolton News.
"Sometimes they underestimate the effect they can have on a game."
Bolton's dramatic dip in form has coincided with the departure of striker
Nicolas Anelka's move to Chelsea. Megson claimed it started a "a chain
reaction", adding: "The more you're not scoring goals, you get people
flooding forward to try and do that, then leave yourself open at the back.
"The reverse also applies. If you're leaking goals then everybody starts
being a little bit defensive and negative and you suddenly find yourself not
scoring."
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Ljungberg looks set to make return for West Ham - Daily Mail
Last updated at 14:24pm on 9th April 2008
Freddie Ljungberg could still feature for West Ham this season despite a
recent hamstring problem. X-rays have shown the injury was not as bad as
first feared, and the midfielder could be back in the first team by the end
of the month if all goes to plan. The Swede picked up the knock during the
2-1 defeat to Sunderland two weeks ago, with initial examinations prompting
fears he had done some serious damage. Ljungberg, who joined the Hammers
from Arsenal last summer, has scored two goals during the campaign. Despite
recent crowd discontent with manager Alan Curbishley, and their home defeat
against Portsmouth, West Ham should do enough in the closing weeks of the
season to secure a top half finish in the Premier League.
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Hammers eye up £10m-rated full-back Zambelli - Daily Mail
Last updated at 13:54pm on 9th April 2008
West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is reported to have watched Brescia's £10
million-rated full-back Marco Zambelli during a scouting trip to Italy last
weekend. Curbishley took advantage of Portsmouth's FA Cup semi-final, to
fly over and watch the 22-year-old, who has already had four leg operations
during his career. Curbishley said: "I got to see players who could be on
our shopping list." West Ham recently appointed Italian Gianluca Nani as
their director of football from next season where he will work to improve
the club's international scouting network and develop the Hammers' youth
academy.
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"We must finish in the top-half" - McCartney - Guardian Series
By Rob Pritchard
WEST Ham defender George McCartney has insisted that the Irons will re-group
and ensure they finish the season inside the Premier League's top-ten.
The Hammers have been 10th since November 25 last year, but a recent run of
just two wins in their last 10 matches has put their top-half position in
jeopardy. West Ham are just four points above Tottenham and six ahead of a
resurgent Newcastle United, but McCartney insists the East Enders will get
it right in time to head off the pair's challenges. "It has just been a
disappointing few weeks," admitted the 26-year-old, who has appeared in West
Ham's last 48 league and cup matches. "We just have to try and look to
Bolton now and pick ourselves up. They will be up for it and we need to be
as well.
"The manager is not going to let us slip away. We have been in the top half
of the table for most of the season. "We have got five games left and it is
up to the players to secure at least tenth place. It all starts against
Bolton."
McCartney is also determined to shrug off the minor hamstring problem he has
been suffering from in recent weeks and finish the season as the Irons only
ever-present. "I have had it for a few weeks now but it's not holding me
back from playing," added the Northern Ireland international full-back. "It
was a bit worse than what it usually is against Sunderland last week, that's
why I had to come off - but it held up better against Portsmouth and
hopefully I can see out the season without serious problems. "I want to play
every week. McCartney, linked with an audacious summer move to AC Milan at
the weekend, is now fully focused on ending the season on a high. "I am
really happy with how things are going for me personally but it is
disappointing that the results haven't been as good as they were earlier in
the season," he said. "It is up to the players, the coaches and the manager
to prepare for Bolton on Saturday and make sure we give our fans a good end
to the season."
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Curbishley tells woeful Hammers stars to think of their wallets - Daily Mail
Last updated at 12:50pm on 9th April 2008
Playing for the badge should provide sufficient inspiration for any
footballer to give of his best for the full 90 minutes. So perhaps it
reflects poorly on some wearing the West Ham shirt that manager Alan
Curbishley today felt it necessary to remind them that they are also playing
for the betterment of their bank balances. "This year their bonuses are
geared to being in the top 10," he said. "They get nothing for not being
there. We need to be in that top 10 to take anything from the season." A
home defeat by Portsmouth leaves West Ham in that potentially lucrative 10th
place, where they seem to have been stuck for an eternity. But more
below-par performances like last night's against Harry Redknapp's FA Cup
finalists and they could suffer the humiliation of being overhauled by
Tottenham, or even Newcastle, in the final five games. "I can't keep
complaining about what's gone on at the club," said Curbishley. "We've
fizzled out in games. The opportunities have been there for us to push on,
but we haven't taken them. "If we'd have scored first against Portsmouth
that might have been a different story. But as the game wore on they got
stronger and we got flatter. "I'd like to at least stay where we are in the
table but we've got to win some games for that to happen. If we don't, the
season will fizzle out and we'll end on a downer."
West Ham's injury problems don't get any better. Mark Noble was missing from
midfield with a hamstring complaint and captain Lucas Neill a doubt for
Saturday's trip to Bolton after twisting his ankle. Redknapp, having seen
his side claim their 13th away win of the season, could afford to offer some
sympathy to his former club. He said: "Alan has lost a lot of key players.
You look at those who are out and he's got a whole team who are not
playing."
Redknapp was too diplomatic to point out that his side was depleted, too,
notably missing Jermain Defoe who was attending his grandmother's funeral in
St Lucia. Yet they still managed to produce the style and invention so
notably lacking from the home side, never more so than when an intricate
pattern of passes climaxed with Niko Kranjcar scoring a splendid 61st-minute
winner.
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Blues given £18m Hammers hurry-up - Clubcall
20080409 10:49
Birmingham have been given the 'hurry-up' in talks to secure Mauro Zarate's
permanent transfer by reports of West Ham's interest. Hammers boss Alan
Curbishley is reportedly planning an £18million raid for the Argentinian
striker Zarate - who is on loan at St Andrews from Al-Sadd in Qatar. The
21-year-old became a swift fans' favourite last week with two goals in
Blues' 2-0 home win over Manchester City - taking his recent tally to three
in three. Birmingham's Karren Brady has revealed the club only captured
Zarate on a £1million loan as a favour from a South American agent who had
let them down over another player. West Ham's reported interest could speed
up Birmingham's bid to seal a permanent switch for the ex-Boca Juniors
starlet who is friendly with ex-Upton park favourite Carlos Tevez.
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West Ham legend Cottee: We can be happy with season
tribalfooball.com - April 09, 2008
West Ham United can be happy with their campaign this season, insists Upton
Park legend Tony Cottee. Cottee told the Guardian: "If you put aside the
little run of defeats they had recently, generally the league form has been
pretty good following on from the back end of last season. "It was exciting
towards the end of last season and they just got out of trouble at the end.
If they hadn't it would've been a disaster. "I think the expectation this
time around was quite simple - to finish around mid-table - and you would
have to say it would be an improvement on the disastrous season last time."
He added: "A good finish could even push them up to about seventh or eighth
which would make it a very decent season."
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Curbs: No excuses for latest setback - EchoNews
By Rob Pritchard
ALAN Curbishley was offering no excuses after his stuttering West Ham side
plunged to their fifth defeat in seven matches last night. Niko Kranjcar's
61st minute strike was enough to fire FA Cup finalists Portsmouth to a
narrow 1-0 win at Upton Park. Pompey, despite reaching Wembley with victory
over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, were brighter, faster and hungrier
than Curbishley's men, who produced a woefully lethargic performance -
despite coming into the game having enjoyed a 10-day break from Premier
League action. "It looked as if it was going to be a tight game. Portsmouth
turned up and flooded the midfield, but I can't complain because they've
been playing 4-5-1 all season," said the Irons boss, whose side remain five
points adrift of Manchester City in 10th, the position they have occupied
since November 25. "We obviously needed to score first and had a couple of
opportunities but didn't take them. "As the game wore on, Portsmouth got
stronger and we got flatter and considering what we are trying to fight for
it was extremely disappointing. "If we had scored first it may have been
different, but we didn't. "We are very down and disppointed in there. "We
have been 10th for the last five weeks and we have not won a game. The
opportunity has been there to push on but we have not taken it."
Pompey manager Harry Redknapp, who spent seven years in charge at the Boleyn
Ground between 1994 and 2001, was delighted after seeing his side secure
victory at Upton Park for a third straight season, closing the gap on
fifth-placed Everton to four points. "It's been a good week," said the
61-year-old. "Coming on the back of the cup semi-final you hope you'll play
well and come out in the right way and they did great tonight. "It always
gives me a buzz coming back here. I've come back three years running and won
three times, and that gives me an even bigger buzz."
Redknapp, whose side have now won 13 away games this season and kept 22
clean sheets in all competitions, was also pleased with Kranjcar's winner.
"Everybody has seen what the boy can do," he added. "(Croatia manager and
fellow former Hammer) Slaven Bilic gave him a fantastic recommendation so I
took him and he's been great."
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