WHUFC.com
Jack Collison is hoping for his first taste of action at the Boleyn Ground
against Everton on Saturday
05.11.2008
Jack Collison is hoping to make his home debut this weekend against Everton
after a strong showing away at Middlesbrough last Saturday.
Collison started his first game under Gianfranco Zola at the Riverside after
impressing as a substitute at Old Trafford four days earlier. The
20-year-old midfielder's only other two appearances for the first team were
also away from home - last season at Bolton Wanderers and Arsenal - and it
has left him craving a first-team game in front of the Boleyn Ground
faithful.
"I haven't made an appearance at Upton Park yet so hopefully it will be nice
to get in and around the team again and if I get the chance I'm going to try
and take it with both hands," Collison said. "Playing in front of your own
fans is what it's all about and it's what I want to be doing every week. It
would be nice to start on Saturday because I remember from the very first
time I came to Upton Park as a child and heard the crowd singing 'Bubbles'
it sent shivers down my spine."
Only a fine late save from Ross Turnball prevented Collison marking his
fourth appearance in a West Ham United shirt with his first goal for the
club. Although disappointed at not finding the net, he sees the experience
as an indicator of where to concentrate his work at Chadwell Heath this
week. "We created some great opportunities and I could have had a couple of
goals myself. They were bad chances [to miss] so I'm going to get back on
the training pitch and try and improve.
"It's great because the manager has come in and there's a real buzz about
the place. We're playing good football, working hard in training and
striving to improve as a team. The gaffer gives you that confidence to go
out and play and wants us to play with freedom, which is nice."
Hayden Mullins, West Ham United's goal-scorer at Middlesbrough, has watched
Collison's recent development and is not surprised at how easily he slotted
into the first-team. Mullins said: "We always knew Jack could go out there
and play in the Premier League - it was just a matter of him having his
chance.
"Everyone knows what Jack can do because he does it every week in training
and he got his reward at Middlesbrough. Jack and Freddie [Sears] are two
very good young players and we've also got Kyel Reid, who's looking very
strong as well this year."
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Harvey happy with reserve outing
WHUFC.com
Young midfielder Tom Harvey is hoping for more reserve-team action after
impressing against Tottenham
05.11.2008
West Ham United midfielder Tom Harvey is looking for more reserve-team
experience after getting a valuable 90 minutes this week against Tottenham
Hotspur.
The 18-year-old made his second appearance of the season for Alex Dyer's
side, and took the opportunity to test himself against top-flight performers
like Hossam Ghaly, Adel Taarabt and Kevin-Prince Boateng. "It was a great
experience," Harvey said. "I want that every week because you learn so much
about your game against players like that."
Harvey, who has played and scored for his country at Under-16 level, was an
energetic presence. He revealed Dyer had told him to "go out and just enjoy
the game, and try to play football" on a slick surface at Leyton Orient's
Matchroom Stadium. The youngster did just that, driving forward when he
could but also playing his part defensively.
"We tried to push on and get in their faces," he said. "We kept going and
got a few chances at the end. They had a lot of experience but we had to get
tight to them and keep working hard. We didn't stop trying." That is also
the message for Harvey himself, who is looking for more games in the coming
weeks. "I just have to keep going and hope I get more games. I just want to
play as much as I can. I have to keep playing and try to get noticed."
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'Dubious' goals clarified
WHUFC.com
The Barclays Premier League Dubious Goals panel has announced its ruling on
several recent goal-scorers
05.11.2008
West Ham United have had the scorers of three of their goals clarified by
the Premier League's Dubious Goals Panel.
West Ham United's second goal against Blackburn Rovers at the Boleyn Ground
on 30 August has, as expected, been listed as an own-goal by Christopher
Samba. Samba, under pressure from Dean Ashton, turned Mark Noble's effort
into his own net to put the hosts 2-0 up after 20 minutes.
Captain Lucas Neill will be pleased to know that his side's second goal at
West Bromwich Albion on the 13 September has been credited to him. Neill met
a corner with a left-footed volley in the 35th minute to notch his first
goal for the club.
David Di Michele was also assured of his first strike in claret and blue in
the game against Newcastle United on 20 September when the panel awarded the
opening goal to him. Within ten minutes of his home debut, Di Michele went
on a mazy run before finding the net with a left-footed drive that looped
over Shay Given via a Steven Taylor deflection.
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West Ham owner hit by new Icelandic setback
West Ham owner Bjorgofur Gudmundsson is reportedly facing the collapse of
his main business interest in his native Iceland.
Telegraph.co.uk
By Rod Gilmour
Last Updated: 9:31AM GMT 06 Nov 2008
The growing crisis which has gripped Iceland in the wake of the global
economic downturn have hit his company Samson Holdings particularly hard and
it is believed they are on the verge of bankruptcy. Gudmundsson bought West
Ham for £85 million and has invested another £30 million into the club. But
he suffered a major blow with the closure of the Icelandic back Landsbanki,
in which he had a controlling 45 per cent stake, and is now thought to have
lost around £230 million of his personal fortune. Gudmundsson has denied
claims that he would sell the club, insisting to staff that he remains
committed to West Ham. However, the latest news is bound to increase the
pressure. Last month, Zabeel Investments, the Dubai-based company who have
placed a bid to buy Charlton, rejected claims they made a takeover approach
at Upton Park. Reports suggested that the group, controlled by Sheikh Hamdan
Al Maktoum, turned their attentions to the club after Gudmundsson found his
assets compromised in Iceland. As West Ham fans await beleaguered
Gudmundsson's next move, the club are still seeking a new £4m-a-year shirt
sponsorship deal although negotiations with a potential sponsor are believed
to be at an advanced stage. Travel company XL, the club's previous shirt
sponsor, collapsed in September leaving a blank space on the players'
shirts. Further reports have also suggested that West Ham are preparing to
sell as many as eight senior players during the January transfer window.
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Brooking continues grassroots reform
By Simon Stone
Thursday, 6 November 2008
Independent.co.uk Web
Sir Trevor Brooking has vowed to continue with his coaching blueprint even
though he cannot get the professional game to fall in line with his ideas
for improving young players.
As the Football Association's director of technical development, Brooking
has been charged with the task of increasing standards in youth football,
thus improving the chances of the England senior team. Brooking has
identified a dearth in skills between the key development ages of five to
16, where the involvement of qualified coaches is at its lowest point.
But so far, despite some excellent work through sponsors Tesco, he has been
unable to get a unified strategy, with clubs pocketing £180,000 a year from
central funds with no obvious assessment of the work currently being done.
Brooking accepts the situation is far from ideal. However, after a
three-year vacuum, the former England midfielder is now focused on making
his ideas work, even if his efforts must, for now, be solely concentrated at
grassroots level.
"We needed investment on the coaching side and felt we knew what we were
doing in the grassroots. If we waited for an agreement from the professional
side, this document would never have surfaced, so we have just pushed on,"
Brooking said. "In the end you hope the various constituent parts will buy
into the document and then the professional game come round to it."
The source of Brooking's frustration is obvious. It is widely accepted that
some kind of strategy is required if English youngsters are not to slide
even further behind their compatriots across Europe.
Funding is in place, too, around £20m of it annually to be exact. Not
surprisingly, Brooking wants some control over how it is spent, putting in
place a quality threshold and revised targets.
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West Ham in crisis: Fresh turmoil at Upton Park as owner's parent firm faces
meltdown by CHARLES SALE
Last updated at 1:10 AM on 06th November 2008
Daily Mail
The heavy pressure on beleaguered West Ham owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson to
sell the club has been increased by the reported collapse of his main
business in Iceland.
Samson Holdings are understood to have filed for bankruptcy in a country in
economic meltdown following the global financial crisis, leaving it highly
unlikely that the financially-stricken Gudmundsson can afford to hang on
much longer to the Barclays Premier League club.
Gudmundsson, who bought West Ham for £85million and has invested a further
£30m, has seen his considerable fortune evaporate by an estimated £230m in
the credit crunch.
The West Ham owner was the biggest loser following the closure of Iceland
bank Landsbanki, in which he was the major shareholder with a 45 per cent
stake.
The demise of the XL travel company, who sponsored the club, was also a
major blow, as another of Gudmundsson's companies, Elmskip, had lent XL
around £150m before they went out of business.
Now the domino effect has seen the demise of Samson Holdings in which the
Iceland tycoon held his Landsbanki shareholding.
West Ham had been insistent after the Landsbanki crash that it would not
affect the club's future as Gudmundsson had plenty of personal wealth
outside his stake in the bank. But the same confident noises over
Gudmundsson's long-term ownership of West Ham are no longer emanating from
Upton Park as the Iceland financial scenario worsens by the day.
However, Gudmundsson' s personal plight will not impact on the running of
West Ham in the same way it would at Manchester United or Liverpool if their
foreign owners, who have loaded debt on to their clubs, ran into similar
trouble.
Gudmundsson paid cash up front for West Ham, which he is free to sell as
quickly as he wants as the club is not part of the British Government's
freeze on Icelandic assets in the UK.
One cash-rich foreigner is understood to have shown some interest in buying
the East London club, but an added problem is the threat of a £50m
relegation damages action from Sheffield United following the Carlos Tevez
registration saga. West Ham want that dispute to be settled by the Court of
Arbitration for Sport.
Meanwhile, Gudmundsson is also under pressure from Iceland's government to
move funds into the country's ailing economy. Coincidentally, Gudmundsson is
only Iceland's second-richest businessman, his son Bjorgolfur Thor
Bjorgolfsson being the first and ranked by Forbes magazine this year as the
1,014th wealthiest man in the world with a $1.1billion fortune.
Gudmundsson junior has a more diversified business empire but he has taken a
big enough hit during the credit crunch to leave him in no position to bail
out his father - or West Ham.
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McCabe urges change at the top
Sport.co.uk
Author: Deniz Vehbi
Posted on: 05 November 2008 - 6:52 PM
Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe has hit out the FA Premier League and
says the whole structure of England's top-flight is in desperate need of a
complete overhaul.The Blades, who were relegated to the Championship in 2007
amidst the Carlos Tevez affair, are currently pursuing legal action against
West Ham and McCabe says he is still puzzled by the decision not to dock
points from the Hammers. West Ham escaped punishment despite fielding Javier
Mascherano and Tevez against Premier League rules and McCabe told the
Parliamentary All Party Football Group that the whole episode has left him
stunned. "Our relegation was in many ways down to the inadequacies and lack
of proper governance at the FA Premier League," he said. "Regrettably, I
don't think we can turn the clock back.A season and a half has gone by now
since relegation. It would be difficult, not impossible, but difficult for
reinstatement. "But we are determined not to be pushed aside over this
sporting injustice. "They (the Premier League) are under-managed. They hide
behind setting up an independent panel to penalise a club that's breached
the rules and believe that alleviates their job to govern the game. "We've
got to accept the commerciality and business that's attached to football
now, but it should never overtake sport itself, and that's where governance
has got to be improved. "We really need to get a restructure of the
governance of the FA Premier League to stop what happened to us ever
happening again."
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Ilunga set to stay on
Newham Recorder
05 November 2008
WEST HAM defender Herita Ilunga is set to stay at Upton Park despite civil
unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has seen 250,000 of his
fellow countrymen made homeless, writes DAVE EVANS. Fighting between
government troops and rebels has forced a quarter of a million people out of
their homes in the town of Goma on the Rwandan border, but Ilunga, who has
relations still living in the African republic, will stay in London for the
time being. The 26-year-old, who was born in Kinshasa, moved to Paris at the
age of 12 before beginning his football career. But he is still in constant
touch with his homeland, and played for them in their recent World Cup
campaign. Ilunga certainly appreciated one sight in the crowd at
Middlesbrough on Saturday. "I want to thank the person who came on Saturday
to watch the match with the Congo flag," said the left back on his personal
website blog. "I was very touched by this attention, because I am very sad
with all the problems that are happening in the country of my birth."
Ilunga, who is on a season-long loan from French club Toulouse, has
established himself as the first choice left back in the club after the
departure of George McCartney to Sunderland on deadline day, and despite the
arrival of Walter Lopez on a one-year deal. His swashbuckling tackling and
marauding forward runs have made him a crowd favourite at Upton Park, and he
is hoping to repay them, by helping West Ham to a victory against Everton at
Upton Park on Saturday. "We came back from Middlesbrough with one point on
Saturday," he said. "It was a great thing after the bad series of matches
in the past weeks. "But there is only one regret and that is that we did not
maintain our lead and score a winning goal right at the end." He continued:
"There is no choice. The Hammers have to win against Everton on Saturday!"
While Ilunga will play in Saturday's game, there is still a doubt over
midfielder Scott Parker, who has missed the last two matches because of a
hip injury he sustained against Arsenal.
However, manager Gianfranco Zola would have been relieved to see that both
Hayden Mullins and Jack Collison did an excellent job in the middle of the
park at Middlesbrough and with Valon Behrami and Mark Noble still a couple
of weeks away at least, they will vie for a starting place alongside Lee
Bowyer, who came on as a late substitute at the Riverside on Saturday. West
Ham will be desperate for a win on Saturday after a run of four defeats and
a draw from their last five games has seen them plunge down the Premier
League table. That may be important, but for Ilunga, there may be other
things that are slightly more vital.
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Hat-trick hero Bajner gives manager a nudge
Newham Recorder
05 November 2008
Southampton 1 West Ham United 6
HUNGARIAN youngster Balint Bajner fired an impressive hat-trick to sink the
Saints without trace and give a little hint to first team manager Gianfranco
Zola. The Academy team had been sitting rock bottom of the table with only
one victory to their name, but there was never a doubt that they were going
to take maximum points from this game on the south coast. The lively Daniel
Kearns fired West Ham into the lead on 15 minutes and when Bajner notched 20
minutes later, the Hammers were in full control. There was a slight hiccup
10 minutes into the second half when Southampton pulled one back, but it was
merely the signal for West Ham to step up a gear. Bajner completed his
hat-trick either side of an Oliver Lee goal, before Anthony Edgar completed
the scoring with number six. It was Bajner's second hat-trick in two weeks,
having scored three in the 6-0 drubbing of San Marino as Hungary qualified
for the Elite round of the European under-19 championships. This Saturday,
West Ham will entertain Ispwich Town at Little Heath on Saturday morning.
* MEANWHILE another young West Ham striker - 15-year-old Robert Hall -
earned his second cap for England under-16s in their 1-0 win over Wales on
Friday night in Llanelli. Hall started the match and played for 63 minutes,
and he will hope that he has done enough to keep his place for the decider
against Scotland in Lincoln on November 28.
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West Ham academy supremo Carr backs Balint to continue to improve
By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 2:43 PM on 05th November 2008
Daily Mail
Hungarian striker Balint Bajner, 17, has impressed West Ham United's academy
boss Tony Carr with his performances for the reserves. Carr said: 'Balint
has got lots to learn about the English game but is improving. 'There are
signs of that and he is a striker in good form.' Meanwhile midfielder Tom
Harvey is looking for more experience after playing in the reserve-team
clash against Tottenham. 'It was a great experience,' Harvey said. 'I want
that every week because you learn so much about your game against players
like that.'
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Hammers striker gets the thumbs up from Dyer
12:53pm Wednesday 5th November 2008
Echo
HAMMERS coach Alex Dyer believes striker Diego Tristan has the necessary
attributes to succeed at during his loan spell at Upton Park. The reserves
team coach was impressed with what he saw from the Spaniard during a 45
minute appearance against Tottenham. "It was his first 45 minutes and he
worked hard. He got a kick so we brought him off as a precaution but he has
a good touch and is a good player. He brings people into the game well,"
Dyer told whufc.com. Tristan joined the Irons on a permanent deal after
impressing boss Gianfranco Zola in a trial, following an unsuccessful spell
in Italy with Livorno. The 32-year-old established himself as one of
Europe's most prolific strikers during his time with La Liga outfit
Deportivo La Coruna, where he ended the 2001/02 season as the league's top
scorer.
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Gudmundsson under growing pressure to sell West Ham
06.11.08 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson is facing increasing pressure to sell
the club. The Daily Mail says Samson Holdings are understood to have filed
for bankruptcy in a country in economic meltdown following the global
financial crisis, leaving it highly unlikely that the financially-stricken
Gudmundsson can afford to hang on much longer to the Barclays Premier League
club. Gudmundsson, who bought West Ham for £85million and has invested a
further £30m, has seen his considerable fortune evaporate by an estimated
£230m in the credit crunch. West Ham had been insistent after the Landsbanki
crash that it would not affect the club's future as Gudmundsson had plenty
of personal wealth outside his stake in the bank. But the same confident
noises over Gudmundsson's long-term ownership of West Ham are no longer
emanating from Upton Park as the Iceland financial scenario worsens by the
day.
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Mullins delighted to see Collison get West Ham chance
06.11.08 | tribalfootball.com
Hayden Mullins is delighted to see Jack Collison get his chance at West Ham
United. He told whufc.com: "We always knew Jack could go out there and play
in the Premier League - it was just a matter of him having his chance.
"Everyone knows what Jack can do because he does it every week in training
and he got his reward at Middlesbrough. Jack and Freddie [Sears] are two
very good young players and we've also got Kyel Reid, who's looking very
strong as well this year."
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