The manager has spoken at length about the expectations for the new season
and is confident
16.08.2008
Alan Curbishley is leading the charge for the 2008/09 campaign and is
looking to continue the season on season growth at the club.
A 15th-placed finish in 2006/07, when relegation seemed inevitable upon
taking over midway through, followed by a jump of five places to finish
tenth last time around have fuelled optimism of taking the next step this
time around. It has been an encouraging summer. Not only are are some of his
key recruits of a year ago firmly in contention - such as Julien Faubert and
Scott Parker - several youngsters have been secured on long-term deals, the
acquisition of Valon Behrami has added strength and versatility and Dean
Ashton pledged his future after making the step up for England.
"I have a responsibility," the manager said when asked about his aspirations
for the future. "There are traditions at West Ham that everyone knows and I
was brought up on them myself. Last year we were in a position where we were
patched up a lot of times, which we didn't always get credit for, and most
would agree it was a bit difficult at times. We accepted the criticism, we
didn't just forget about it, and we want to do better. We won't shut
ourselves off to the criticism, but we want to win games. Play better and do
better."
Curbishley is obviously hoping for a winning start against Wigan Athletic
but he is equally looking for "a good performance" to set the team up for
the next few weeks. "I look at the first eight games. By the time you've got
through those you can roughly see where you are as the tone has been set. If
you've had a poor start then you're playing catch-up, if you've had a good
start you can afford a couple of bad results and still stay there. The first
game is important but the first eight is what we really look at."
The manager knows that Wigan will be "looking for a bit more this year"
after their 14th-placed finish last time and added that his players will
know what to expect from Steve Bruce's men. Whoever they face though, the
squad are definitely looking to do better in the new season. "We have to be
attacking those spots above us. In some seasons those European spots go down
to seventh. If that's the case we have to hope we're around that and maybe a
bit better ... we had a couple of chances last year which we didn't take."
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Davenport on a high - WHUFC
Having bounced back from a serious injury, Calum Davenport is ready to make
his mark again
15.08.2008
Calum Davenport is in the "best physical condition possible" and is ready to
play his part for West Ham United when the Barclays Premier League campaign
begins.
The 25-year-old defender, who has not played for the club since 4 March
2007, has proved he has overcome the neck injury suffered at the start of a
loan spell at Watford back on 19 January with some sterling displays during
pre-season. With Anton Ferdinand set to miss out on Saturday's visit of
Wigan Athletic, Davenport looks likely to partner Matthew Upson at the heart
of the home defence.
At the time Davenport was sidelined there were initial fears about the
extent of the injury but he has seen no ill-effects since returning to
training towards the end of the last campaign. In fact, the experience is
being viewed as a positive. He said: "I'm probably in the best physical
condition I've been in during my career. I am physically and mentally
stronger and hopefully I can bring that into the games now."
"Before the [injury] the team were going really well so I was well down the
pecking order and obviously then the injury happened. It is not that I
didn't take my job seriously before but I think I've just gone up a level or
two in terms of how serious I am now in terms of where I want to be. That is
playing for West Ham and performing well at the highest level."
That dedication has seen him a regular at Chadwell Heath over the summer and
he carried that on with appearances in all but one of the pre-season
fixtures - and a goal in the 2-2 draw at Southampton. "With the lads being
off over the summer I stayed back and worked as hard as possible to try and
get back in the manager's plans," he added. What has also helped is the
number of well-wishers and messages of support that have come his way during
what was originally a tough time.
He said: "If I had a penny for every time I've been asked 'how is your
neck', I think I would be a millionaire. Obviously I've had a lot of support
around me and in and around the club. Lots of people have been around me
helping me get back to the best shape, especially physically, so a special
thanks to them because they've helped me through what has been a difficult
six months."
Describing the sensation in his neck when he suffered the injury as feeling
like "breaking a stick", he said there were no signs of any problems -
having received expert medical advice and fully rested before getting back
into action. "I've got no stiffness, touch wood I've been very lucky. It's
all behind me now so hopefully I can kick on and have a good season. It's
not about me. It's about helping the team which obviously I'm delighted
with.
"It is important obviously to get off to a winning start and making sure the
team plays well and if everyone plays their part hopefully we'll get the
right result. I've got full confidence in where I am and where I want to be.
I've just gone about what I want to do quietly and like I say hopefully I
can carry that into the games now and personally get off to a good start and
most importantly the team get off to a good start."
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Squad numbers confirmed - WHUFC
Find out who will be wearing what number for the new season when it gets
under way on Saturday
15.08.2008
West Ham United can confirm the new squad numbers for the 2008/09 season.
The 31 names and numbers below have all been registered with the Barclays
Premier League, although with seven substitutes to be used this season more
of the club's talented youngsters could well be used during the campaign.
The most significant changes from last season are the retirement of the No6
in memory of Bobby Moore, meaning Matthew Upson has switched to No15, and
Kieron Dyer jumping from No32 to the No7 shirt. New signings Valon Behrami
and Jan Lastuvka have taken the No21 and 24 shirts respectively.
1 Robert Green
2 Lucas Neill
3 George McCartney
4 Danny Gabbidon
5 Anton Ferdinand
7 Kieron Dyer
8 Scott Parker
9 Dean Ashton
10 Craig Bellamy
11 Matthew Etherington
12 Carlton Cole
13 Luis Boa Morte
15 Matthew Upson
16 Mark Noble
17 Hayden Mullins
18 Jonathan Spector
19 James Collins
20 Julien Faubert
21 Valon Behrami
22 Tony Stokes
23 Jimmy Walker
24 Jan Lastuvka
26 Nigel Quashie
27 Calum Davenport
28 Kyel Reid
29 Lee Bowyer
30 James Tomkins
31 Jack Collison
33 Freddie Sears
34 Marek Stech
40 Joe Widdowson
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West Ham v Wigan preview
Hammers hope to ease pressure on Curbs
By Ben Collins Last updated: 15th August 2008
PREDICTIONS:
Skysports.com prediction: 1-1
SKY BET odds: West Ham 10/11, Draw 9/4, Wigan 10/3
The pressure is already on West Ham manager Alan Curbishley as the Hammers
head into their season opener against Wigan on Saturday. Curbishley and
Manchester City's Mark Hughes are the favourites in the Premier League
sack-race, with Curbishley's position coming under scrutiny amid financial
uncertainty at Upton Park. The Hammers' board expected more than a
10th-placed finish last season after Curbishley splashed out £22.5million on
Craig Bellamy, Kieron Dyer, Julien Faubert and Freddie Ljungberg last
summer. But captain Lucas Neill has urged for patience from the West Ham
board given the injury woes that hampered their hopes of a European push
last term. "I think he's been a victim of a board that's come in, given him
a lot of money and wanted success immediately," said Neill. "Time stood
still for us for a year because everyone we tried to bring in, in terms of
knowledge and experience, was injured. That's not his fault. "I think he's
got to be judged on what happens from now. You can't just buy success in one
season, it takes time. "Somebody's got to be the favourite to get the sack
first and unfortunately it's him because of the demand at West Ham for
success. "But the odds on him going will soon change if we stick two or
three quick wins together. "There's a determination to go where we wanted to
go last season before it went wrong," he added. "You want your biggest
weapons out there because you know at any stage of the game Kieron Dyer or
Craig Bellamy's pace could get you a goal. "I think there's been less
activity in the market this summer because we're yet to see our transfers
from last year play their part. "Having them back, alongside Dean Ashton and
Scott Parker, will be like new signings."
Bellamy will miss the first month of the season and Dyer may not return
until November, while George McCartney is set to miss the big kick-off with
a virus and Anton Ferdinand (hamstring) is doubtful.
Wigan, meanwhile, are hoping to build on their 14th-placed finish last
season and looked impressive in winning their final four pre-season
friendlies.
Manager Steve Bruce looks to have bolstered his squad with some astute
signings this summer and although talismanic defender Paul Scharner (ankle)
is doubtful, England internationals Chris Kirkland (back) and Emile Heskey
(groin) have been passed fit. "We're delighted with what we've done over the
summer and we think the squad is stronger," said Bruce. "We finished the
season off fantastically well, the fans have got bigger expectations and
rightly so. "If we can improve on last season and push towards the top 10,
that would be a marvellous achievement."
Possible starting XIs
West Ham: Green; Davenport, Ferdinand, Upson, Neill; Behrami, Parker, Noble,
Etherington; Ashton, Cole.
Wigan: Kirkland; Melchiot, Boyce, Bramble, Figueroa; Valencia, Cattermole,
Palacios, Kilbane; Heskey, Zaki.
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Barclays Premier League West Ham United v Wigan Athletic - TimeOut.com
Sat Aug 16Boleyn Ground, Green St, E13 9AZ
It has not been a pleasant summer for Hammers fans, whose hopes that the
arrival of technical director Gianluca Nani would lead to a spate of summer
signings were clearly off-beam. Not even Manchester United were linked to
fewer players. Swiss full-back Valon Behrami and Czech goalkeeper Jan
Lastuvka are the only new faces, while Freddie Ljungberg has joined Nobby
(Solano) and Bobby (Zamora) in leaving the club. Even Wigan have constructed
a stronger squad than the Hammers, whose stagnation over the last few years
is worrying: Steve Bruce has kept key figures like Paul Scharner and Wilson
Palacios, and bought Olivier Kapo and Amr Zaki to boost the fire-power. West
Ham have only lost on the opening day in E13 once in the last ten seasons:
defeat here could herald a difficult season ahead. Ben Lyttleton
Details
Boleyn Ground, Green St, E13 9AZ , UK
Geo: 51.531699, 0.038343
0870 112 2700
www.whufc.com
Category: Football: Men
Times: Sat, 3pm
Price: £35-£51
Tube: Upton Park
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Bruce says 'beware of the bull' as Wigan set to field striker Zaki - Daily
Mail
By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 12:48 AM on 16th August 2008
Steve Bruce has warned Premier League defenders to beware of the world's
best striker - even though they may not know who he is. Wigan's new signing
Amr Zaki is an Egyptian international, who is ranked the best forward in the
world by FIFA for his goal record - and he gets a chance to show why at West
Ham. According to Bruce, the Hammers' defence is in for a shock. Bruce's
bent nose is evidence of the battering he took from forwards during his
playing days at Manchester United, but even he has been wincing at the way
loan signing Zaki throws his weight around. Bruce said: 'He is different. He
has a rawness about him that if you are a centre-back you would hate to play
against him. 'He is built like a bull, and is a throw back to an old
fashioned centre forward. 'He was brought to my attention when he scored two
goals in the semi-finals of the African Nations Cup last December, and
physically you have to be strong to handle those African boys. 'He was
bouncing people around that have played in the Premier League hundreds of
times.'
Bruce admits he has taken a gamble in bringing in Zaki from Egyptian side
Zamalek on a season-long loan that could turn into a permanent £6million
deal next summer. But Bruce is convinced the striker's nose for goal could
give Wigan an extra edge this season. He added: 'The good thing for us is
that he has one thing on his mind. He wants to score. All goal scorers have
that way about them. He is only interested in scoring goals. 'He scored a
great one at Hibs, and Sheffield Wednesday, in pre-season so I know he can
score in the SPL, I know he can score in the Championship. Now can he go and
play in the Premier League? 'If we have unearthed one like we hope we have,
then we have swum the Channel.' Zaki fought a year-long battle to quit
Zamalek after seeing bids from Sheffield United turned down last season. The
club's president refused to let him leave, claiming the club did not need
the Premier League's money, but a confrontation with Zaki eventually forced
his hand. Despite his willingness to take on the club's hierarchy as a way
of triggering his departure from Zamalek, Zaki insists he is not as
emotionally charged as fellow countrymen Mido and Hossam Ghaly. He said: 'I
like the spirit of Mido. He fights for the ball and maybe that is why he is
so temperamental. But you can't compare me to Mido because we are different
players and people - although I do have some fighting spirit. 'I want to be
a success in England and repeat the goals I have scored. But you have to be
patient. 'It took time for me to be a good scorer for my country, and it may
take a little time to be the top scorer in England.'
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West Ham v Wigan: Ferdinand a doubt for Hammers; Heskey and Kirkland passed
fit for Wigan - Daily Mail
Last updated at 5:06 PM on 15th August 2008
Under fire Alan Curbishley will hope West Ham get off to a winning start as
they play host to Wigan on the opening day of the Premier League season.
West Ham defender Anton Ferdinand is a doubt for tomorrow's Barclays Premier
league opener against Wigan. Ferdinand is struggling with a hamstring injury
sustained during the pre-season friendly against Ipswich. Craig Bellamy
(hamstring), Kieron Dyer (broken leg), Jonathan Spector (hip), George
McCartney (virus), Danny Gabbidon (stomach), James Tompkins (leg) and James
Collins (knee) are out. Wigan manager Steve Bruce has a few injury concerns
heading into the Latics' season opener at West Ham. Chris Kirkland (back)
and Emile Heskey (groin) have both been passed fit after picking up problems
in pre-season, while Jason Koumas (knee) is also expected to be fit. Edman
(knee ligament) still recovering from a long-term injury and Marlon King
unavailable after joining Hull on a season-long loan.
West Ham (from): Green, Stech, Neill, Ferdinand, Davenport,
Etherington,Reid, Faubert, Parker, Noble, Behrami, Boa Morte, Ashton,
Mullins, Cole, Sears, Collison, Hines.
Wigan (from): Kirkland, Nash, Pollitt; Boyce, Bramble, Figueroa, Melchiot,
Montrose, Scharner; Brown, Cattermole, De Ridder, Kapo, Kilbane, Koumas,
Palacios, Taylor, Valencia; Camara, Heskey, Sibierski, Zaki.
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