WHUFC.com
West Ham United went down to a 3-1 defeat at Manchester City on Monday
evening
28.09.2009
Manchester City 3-1 West Ham United
West Ham United went down to a spirited 3-1 Barclays Premier League loss at
Manchester City on Monday evening. The Hammers, without the injured Matthew
Upson, Valon Behrami and Jack Collison, fought hard at Eastlands, but were
eventually undone by the big-spending Citizens. Two goals from former Boleyn
Ground hero Carlos Tevez sandwiched a Martin Petrov free-kick, with West
Ham's goal coming courtesy of a neat Carlton Cole finish. The visitors had
their moments in front of a 42,745-strong crowd, but Gianfranco Zola's side
were just unable to match one managed by his former Chelsea strike-partner
Mark Hughes. The home side controlled the majority of the game, with the
ex-Hammers pairing of Tevez and Craig Bellamy, and the elusive left-winger
Petrov, very much to the fore. Bellamy occupied centre-backs James Tomkins
and Manuel Da Costa with his pace and trickery, while the diminutive Tevez
dropped deep repeatedly to pick up possession from his midfield cohorts. It
took just five minutes for the plan to come to fruition, with Tevez the
scorer. Gareth Barry sent Petrov clear down the left, the Bulgarian hit the
byline before rolling the ball into the path of the Argentinean, who could
not miss from five yards.
For a while after they had taken the lead, it appeared as if the floodgates
would open for City, but West Ham held firm. Robert Green saved well from
Wayne Bridge before Tevez ended a neat short-corner routine by lifting a
shot just a foot wide of the post. City were purring, and Tevez came close
again on the quarter-hour mark, driving a shot over to climax a flowing move
involving Pablo Zabaleta, Nigel de Jong, Barry, Bridge and Petrov. West Ham
were creaking, but they refused to buckle, and were rewarded for their
application with an equaliser on 24 minutes. The industrious Noble was
pulled back by Shaun Wright-Phillips 35 yards from goal, allowing Alessandro
Diamanti to curl a vicious free-kick into the home penalty area. Joleon
Lescott's header fell to Radoslav Kovac, whose low strike was diverted into
the bottom corner by an alert Cole. The equaliser gave the Hammers an
immediate shot of confidence, and Cole could have put them ahead with a
powerful downward header from Julien Faubert's right-wing cross, only for
Shay Given to deny him with a smart stop.
Unfortunately for the visitors, the wind was taken out of their sails just
when it looked like they were getting up a head of steam in the shape of a
Petrov free-kick. Luis Jimenez was penalised for a nudge on Zabaleta, and
the winger did the rest, curling the ball around the wall and into Green's
bottom right-hand corner. Ahead for a second time, City went looking for a
third, only for England's No1 Green to deny both Tevez and Bellamy as the
opening half came to a close. No doubt inspired by a rousing team-talk from
Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke, West Ham started the second 45 minutes on
the front foot, forcing a succession of corners before Jimenez saw a
powerful shot blocked by Lescott.
All the good work was undone just after the hour-mark, though, when Tevez
was left unmarked to head Bellamy's free-kick past Green from close-range.
West Ham refused to give in, and Noble saw a shot well saved before Diamanti
tested the Republic of Ireland stopper with a well-struck first-time shot
after exchanging passes with the former England Under-21 captain. Zola sent
on home-grown youngsters Junior Stanislas and Zavon Hines in an attempt to
keep up the pressure on City, but despite their endeavour, West Ham were
unable to force a way back into the match. The manager will be hoping for
better, and the return of some of his injured stars, when Fulham visit the
Boleyn Ground on Sunday.
Manchester City: Given, Zabaleta, Lescott, Toure, Bridge, Wright-Phillips
(Santa Cruz 80), Barry (Johnson 89), de Jong, Petrov, Tevez, Bellamy
Subs not used: Taylor, Richards, Garrido, Sylvinho, Weiss
West Ham United: Green, Faubert, Da Costa, Tomkins, Ilunga, Noble, Parker,
Kovac (Stanislas 71), Jimenez (Hines 71), Diamanti, Cole
Subs not used: Kurucz, Spector, N'Gala, Payne, Nouble
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Zola demanding improvement
WHUFC.com
Gianfranco Zola wants more from everyone after the pain of a 3-1 defeat by
Manchester City
28.09.2009
Gianfranco Zola is expecting a reaction from his squad as he readies them
for a "cup final" against Fulham on Sunday. The West Ham United manager was
clearly frustrated after seeing Manchester City win Monday night's Barclays
Premier League game at Eastlands. An early goal from Carlos Tevez set the
tone and despite Carlton Cole's third goal in six league games drawing the
Hammers level, further strikes from Martin Petrov and Tevez ensured City
took the spoils with a 3-1 victory.
"It's not good and I am not happy about it," Zola said. "In my opinion in
the first 45 minutes we did not play at all. Maybe there were a couple of
mistakes from the referee but that is part of the game. The standard that I
am expecting from the team is much more than that. "In the second half we
were much better and we tried in a better way. The first half in my opinion
was not good enough. You can't afford to come to places like this and just
give presents to the opposition. They are too good and will take advantage
of a minimum opportunity and that's what they did."
Zola's side now face a big London derby with the Cottagers at the Boleyn
Ground, a game in which the West Ham United manager is expecting to see
"thunder" from his squad. "We are preparing for a cup final on Sunday so
everybody will be picking up the best thunder they can give, including
myself." That kind of reaction should be forthcoming if the manager's
steely determination to see an improvement from everyone concerned is
anything to go by. "I am angry with myself, with my team, with everybody
right now. Not anyone including myself is doing what he is capable of - it
is as simple as that. "I see these players training and the way they train
is absolutely fantastic, but we need to take that on the pitch as a team -
not as individuals so I am not pleased. First of all with myself. I am the
first one. I have blame for myself first."
With a win against Fulham possibly able to lift the Hammers to joint 13th
place and the first half-dozen league fixtures this campaign dominated by
four awaydays, Zola knows there is certainly no need to panic. But he wants
the upturn in form to come sooner rather than later.
"Of course we have a much better team than our position suggests. But at the
moment we haven't been able to show. Unless we do more than we are doing it
is not good enough. If the belief is not there it is better if we go and do
something else. The belief is always the main thing. Along with the belief
there has to be a better effort from everybody. "I know the potential of
these players and I have no doubt that we are soon going to come back to the
position that we deserve. But for the moment it is not good enough. So for
everyone, and I put myself first, we need to ask more about ourselves."
Finally, Zola recognised the gesture made by Tevez after he scored the
game's opener. The former Hammer of the Year refused to celebrate and ran
over to the away fans in an almost apologetic move, which was roundly
applauded by the tremendous travelling support. "Great players like him are
also gentlemen and he showed that so my appreciation to him. Not only for
what he did after the celebration but what he did in the rest of the game. I
think he had been outstanding for them."
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Response to FA charges
WHUFC.com
West Ham United have issued a statement in response to the Football
Association's charges
28.09.2009
The Football Association has charged West Ham United and Millwall in
relation to the Carling Cup tie on Tuesday 25 August 2009. Both clubs have
14 days to respond to their respective charges but West Ham United have
issued a statement following today's developments. Click here to see the FA
charges in full. A West Ham United spokesman said: "We are reviewing the FA
charges and will respond accordingly. In advance of the Millwall match, the
club followed the strict advice of the police and relevant authorities at
every stage of the planning process. "That full cooperation continued on the
night with the club working closely with police on a carefully set-out plan
that was initiated and approved by the independent safety advisory group.
"We do acknowledge the appalling behaviour of a minority of fans inside the
stadium and, in conjunction with the police, will continue to take strong
and appropriate action against anyone found responsible."
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Man City 3 - 1 West Ham
By Nabil Hassan
BBC.co.uk
Manchester City moved to within three points of the league leaders as two
goals from former West Ham hero Carlos Tevez helped overcome the Hammers.
Tevez side-footed home Martin Petrov's cross from six yards out but Carlton
Cole levelled with a neat back-heel. Petrov, making his first league start
of the season, curled a low, 25-yard free-kick into the corner of the net.
Tevez's header from Craig Bellamy's free-kick sealed victory and secured
City's best league start since 1961. The win moved City up to fifth in the
Premier League, level on points with fourth-placed Tottenham and
third-placed Liverpool and three points behind joint leaders Manchester
United and Chelsea. West Ham remain without a win in five matches and
languishing in the bottom three. City started brightly and could have been
three goals up inside 15 minutes. They had to settle for only one and it
came after five minutes through Tevez, the former Hammers' favourite who
helped lead the Londoners to Premier League survival in 2007. Bulgarian
winger Petrov found space out wide, following Gareth Barry's flick-on, and
squared it to the unmarked Argentine, who from six yards out side-footed
into the roof of the net for his first league goal of the season.
It was the worst possible start for the Hammers and a few moments later they
were fortunate it was not worse after Tevez's neat swivel and shot flew
inches wide of the post.
The striker was reaping havoc in the Hammers defence and soon after he
blazed over the bar after Wayne Bridge's cross had deflected into his path.
The visitors struggled to get into the game with Mark Noble's deflected
30-yard shot, which was comfortably saved by Shay Given, their only attempt
inside the opening 20 minutes. But after Petrov's half-volley was well held
by Robert Green, the Hammers shocked Eastlands with a goal against the run
of play. City failed to clear Alessandro Diamanti's floated free-kick and
Kovac's shot was back-heeled into the net by striker Cole.
The goal unsurprisingly invigorated the Hammers and soon after Cole's header
from Julien Faubert's cross was neatly kept out by Given. But just as the
Hammers appeared to have taken a grip on the game, City got themselves back
in front when Petrov's free-kick curled around the wall and into the bottom
corner. Soon after, Tevez found himself one-on-one with Green, but the
Hammers keeper did well to narrow the angle and block the shot. From the
resulting corner an unmarked Joleon Lescott headed wide as West Ham's
defence again was in disarray. A moment of controversy then followed when
the visitors were denied a goal. Scott Parker scored it, slotting in from 12
yards, but Cole was harshly penalised for an earlier foul on Lescott.
As the half reached its climax City enjoyed even more success on the wings
and Green was twice called into action to keep out Bellamy's close-range
header and Petrov's brilliant volley from the angle of the box. It took
until the hour for the next goal to come and Tevez was perfectly placed to
expose the gaps in the visitors' defence. The former West Ham striker found
himself unmarked at the back post and accurately headed Bellamy's free-kick
across goal beyond Green.At the other end, Given was twice called into
action with Diamanti testing the Irishman and James Tomkins then failed to
hit the target from Diamanti's inswinging corner. Barry could have extended
the lead late on with a dipping volley that England keeper Green
acrobatically tipped over the bar. With 10 minutes remaining City introduced
Roque Santa Cruz to make his debut following his arrival from Blackburn for
£18m in June. But the Paraguayan striker missed out on making the dream
start to his Eastlands career when he steered Petrov's cross the wrong side
of the post. Petrov fired just wide as the Hammers defence crumbled, but it
mattered little as City sealed their fifth win out of six league games this
season.
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Manchester City manager Mark Hughes: "All night Carlos Tevez and Craig
Bellamy were a real handful for the opposition, they couldn't handle them.
"It was hard for West Ham to stop them from having an influence because
their movement and energy was outstanding. "We executed our game plan
perfectly. I think the movement and positioning of our guys, getting into
good areas and causing the opposition problems was there for all to see. "We
were also able to get Roque Santa Cruz and Michael Johnson, who has been out
for a long time, on at the end so they were another couple of positives on a
night of positives."
West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola: I am not feeling well now as you can imagine.
"We didn't play in the first 45 minutes. When you play a team like City and
you concede so much then it is very difficult to come back. "I think this
will be an important week for us, we will have to work hard. There are many
things we need to concentrate on. "We are much better than we are showing
right now."
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Surprise, surprise
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 28th September 2009
By: Staff Writer
The FA have charged West Ham United on four counts of failing to control
supporters during the recent Carling Cup match with Millwall.
The charges, confirmed this morning, following disturbances outside the
ground during the tie in August.
The charges levelled are as follows:
1. Failure to ensure their supporters refrained from violent, threatening,
obscene and provocative behaviour.
2. Failure to ensure their supporters refrained from racist behaviour.
3. Failure to ensure their supporters didn't throw missiles, harmful or
dangerous objects onto the pitch.
4. Failure to ensure their supporters didn't enter the field of play.
Meanwhile League One Millwall, who have sought to point the finger of blame
at West Ham at every opportunity since the game have also been charged on
three counts, namely:
1. Failure to ensure their supporters refrained from violent, threatening,
obscene and provocative behaviour.
2. Failure to ensure their supporters refrained from racist behaviour.
3.Failure to ensure their supporters didn't throw missiles, harmful or
dangerous objects onto the pitch.
Both clubs now have 14 days to respond to the charges.
Similar incidents - such as the violent outbursts that followed the recent
Aston Villa v Birmingham derby and the pitch invasion by Manchester United
fans at Old Trafford in the recent Manchester derby - have thus far gone
unpunished.
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Hammers fall to slick City
Tevez breaks Hammers' hearts
Last updated: 28th September 2009
SSN
Man of the match: Martin Petrov showed the City fans what they have been
missing during his time on the sidelines with a near faultless performance.
Goal of the match: Petrov's free-kick was well disguised and gave Robert
Green no chance.
Save of the match: Robert Green was given little protection throughout and
he needed to be at full stretch to keep out a dipping volley from Gareth
Barry.
Moment of the match: Michael Johnson made a welcome return to action as a
late substitute after more than a year out injured.
Talking point: City look like top four contenders, but can they challenge
for the top prize?
Carlos Tevez bagged a brace for Manchester City as they saw off his former
employers West Ham 3-1 at Eastlands. Martin Petrov was also on target for
the Blues, while Carlton Cole notched for the Hammers, as Mark Hughes' side
laid down an impressive marker in their pursuit of a top four finish in the
Premier League. City looked to be in imposing mood from the off and it came
as no surprise when they opened the scoring inside five minutes. The lively
Petrov broke free down the left and his centre was rolled into an empty net
by Tevez, who duly apologised to the away support huddled behind the goal.
City then allowed the Hammers a route back into the game after 24 minutes
when, against the run of play, Cole flicked a Radoslav Kovac drive over the
line from close range. Mark Hughes' men upped the tempo again, though, and
restored their advantage shortly after the half-hour mark when Petrov found
the bottom corner with a well-struck free-kick which left Robert Green
wrong-footed. The Blues continued to control proceedings after the interval
and Tevez duly added a third after 61 minutes when he was left all alone at
the back post to plant a firm header past a stranded Green. After finding
one set of former supporters no longer regard him with any affection at Old
Trafford last week, Tevez knew he was on safer ground with the Hammers who,
for all the controversy, will always be grateful for the goals that helped
to keep them up in 2007. The respect is mutual and as Tevez raced in front
of them after scoring the opening goal, he raised an almost apologetic hand
of acknowledgement before being besieged by ecstatic team-mates. It was a
pretty significant goal for Tevez given Sir Alex Ferguson's doubts over his
goalscoring prowess, and Petrov's assist was arguably even more noteworthy.
Brought to the club two years ago by Sven-Goran Eriksson, the Bulgarian's
direct running endeared him to the City faithful. However, as other
noteworthy Eriksson buys were doing little to impress Mark Hughes in his
first season at the club, Petrov had little chance to impress once he had
ruptured his cruciate on international duty. Petrov felt he had no future at
the club and made his disappointment plain when a deadline-day move to
Tottenham failed to materialise. Yet he remains a big danger and a
worthwhile asset and was afforded his first start when Stephen Ireland was
ruled out through illness.
He clearly intended to make the most of it and, after presenting Tevez with
a tap-in following his forceful left-wing burst, was soon celebrating a goal
too. There may have been an element of good fortune about the free-kick City
were awarded for Luis Jimenez's minor shove on Nigel de Jong, but the finish
was pretty emphatic. Petrov drilled it into the bottom corner before edging
towards Hughes in his dug-out and pulling the back of his shirt to emphasise
his name. Had the goal been City's fourth or fifth, West Ham could not have
complained. Attack after attack washed over them, with Tevez, Petrov, strike
partner Craig Bellamy and Joleon Lescott all going close. Staggeringly
though, Petrov had actually put City back in front for, on their first
attack, the Hammers had equalised when Cole turned home Kovac's volley. In
fact, the Hammers would have been in front but for the generosity of referee
Chris Foy, who ruled Cole had fouled Joleon Lescott before teeing up Scott
Parker when contact had been very minimal.
Gianfranco Zola did not need that to prove it was going to be another bad
night for his team. A simple offside manoeuvre proved beyond the Hammers
defence when Bellamy floated over a free-kick just after the hour mark. As
the visitors raced out, three City men were left to queue up to score, Tevez
nodding home from six yards. It was the end of the goals, but not the
chances. Gareth Barry went close with a thunderous effort before Roque Santa
Cruz made his debut after spending all the time since his £17million summer
move from Blackburn recovering from knee surgery. It was a move West Ham
could only dream of. Indeed, neither Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool nor
Manchester United could presently make such a show of strength. Forget about
giving City time. Their rivals have every reason to be worried right now.
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Zola slams first-half showing
Hammers chief not happy
Last updated: 29th September 2009
SSN
West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola slammed his side's first-half performance
following their 3-1 loss at Manchester City. The Hammers were behind after
just five minutes at Eastlands as Carlos Tevez struck. Carlton Cole
back-heeled an equaliser, but Martin Petrov made it 2-1 at half-time. Things
did not improve after the break as Tevez wrapped up the match with his
second, and Zola was not happy. The Hammers chief was also not too pleased
with referee Chris Foy, who disallowed a Scott Parker goal in the first-half
- but he refused to blame the officials for the loss. "It was a game, in my
opinion, that we didn't play at all and yes maybe there was a couple of
mistakes from the referee but that is part of the game," Zola said on Sky
Sports News. "But the standard I am expecting from the team is much more, in
the second-half we were better. "I am talking about the first-half which
wasn't good enough and you can't afford to come to places like this and just
give presents to the opposition, they will take advantage of the smallest
opportunity."
Zola finds his side third from bottom and he insists they are better than
their league position is showing. "For the moment, we haven't been able to
show it [how good they are]," he continued. "Unless we improve it is not
good enough - no doubt we will improve our position and will ask more of
ourselves."
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From The Times September 29, 2009
Manchester City's Carlos Tévez delivers body blows to former club West Ham
United
James Ducker
The Times
Gianfranco Zola backed Manchester City to finish in the top four of the
Barclays Premier League after watching his West Ham United team slip deeper
into trouble last night.
Carlos Tévez scored twice against his former club as City coasted to an
impressive 3-1 win that moved Mark Hughes's team up to fifth and underlined
the threat they are likely to pose to the established elite this season.
The Argentina striker refused to celebrate either of his goals, clasping his
hands and nodding apologetically in front of the West Ham fans at the City
of Manchester Stadium after plundering his first inside five minutes. It was
a show of respect that drew applause from the visiting supporters and praise
from Zola, although the Italian's admiration for Tévez and City did not
extend to his own team. West Ham have taken four points from a possible 24
and Zola could not conceal his anger. "You can't come to places like this
and just give presents to the opposition," he said. "They are too good and
will just take advantage. "I was really impressed with City, they were
really good. Some of the football they played was outstanding. If they play
to this standard for the rest of the season, they will be up there in the
top four at the end."
Carlton Cole, the England forward, drew West Ham level in the 24th minute,
but they were comfortably outplayed and could have lost by a heavier
scoreline. Martin Petrov, impressing on his first start of the season, put
City back in front with a 32nd-minute free kick before Tévez, who might have
scored four or five, added a third shortly after the hour. Hughes praised
the movement of his strike pair, with Craig Bellamy also tormenting his
former club. "All night Carlos and Craig were a real handful for the
opposition," he said. "They couldn't handle them."
Despite receiving a hostile reception from Manchester United supporters
during the 4-3 derby defeat at Old Trafford eight days earlier, there was
never any danger of Tévez being booed by the West Ham fans after the role he
played in keeping the club in the Premier League at the end of the 2006-07
season. "Great players like he is are also gentlemen and he showed that,"
Zola said. "He has my appreciation not only for his celebration but the way
he played all game."
It was a night when the positives abounded for City. Roque Santa Cruz, the
Paraguay striker signed from Blackburn Rovers for £18 million in July, made
his debut after three months on the sidelines with a knee problem, while
Michael Johnson, the midfield player, enjoyed his first appearance for more
than a year. Hughes confirmed, though, that Robinho, the City and Brazil
forward, will be out for another three weeks because of an ankle injury. The
result completed a miserable day for West Ham, who have been charged on four
counts by the FA in relation to their Carling Cup second-round tie against
Millwall at Upton Park last month.
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Hammers up Four appeal
The Sun
By MARK IRWIN
Published: Today
WEST HAM will fight the threat of playing FOUR games behind closed doors
following the Carling Cup riot against Millwall. The Hammers have been hit
with a damning rap sheet by the FA for the appalling violence which
overshadowed last month's clash. Now they fear they could be hit with a
one-match Upton Park closure for EACH of the four charges brought against
them. Angry FA chiefs are determined to send out the strongest possible
message that a return to the dark days of soccer hooliganism will not be
tolerated. An FA insider said: "Games behind closed doors will make the fans
see the severity of their actions - a fine would not have that effect."
The hard-up Hammers have already admitted that the behaviour of some of
their supporters against bitter rivals Millwall last month was "appalling".
But a spokesman last night insisted: "The club followed the strict advice of
the police and relevant authorities at every stage of the planning process.
"That full co-operation continued on the night of the match, with the club
working closely with police on a carefully set-out plan. "We do acknowledge
the appalling behaviour of a minority of fans inside the stadium and will
take strong action against anyone found responsible."
Both clubs have been charged with failing to ensure their supporters
refrained from violence, from racist behaviour and from throwing missiles
onto the pitch. In addition, West Ham have also been charged with failing to
prevent three pitch invasions during the match. Millwall, who have a long
and shameful history of crowd trouble, are likely to be hit with a hefty
fine but will argue that they cannot be held responsible for the behaviour
of supporters at another club's ground. "We are shocked and disappointed
that charges have been issued against us in respect of events that took
place at West Ham," a club statement said. "We expressed our concerns about
ticket allocations and arrangements in general ahead of the match and did
everything in our power with regard to arrangements for this game. "Our
question for the FA is what can Millwall do to control individuals' actions
once inside our opponents' stadium?" Both clubs have 14 days to respond to
the charges, which will be dealt with an independent commission.
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Zola hails Tevez's muted celebrations
29.09.09 | Andrew Slevison
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola has hailed the muted celebrations
undertaken by Manchester City's Carlos Tevez after scoring on Monday night.
Tevez, a former West Ham star, netted twice in City's 3-1 win over the
Hammers, and in the wake of recent events involving Emmanuel Adebayor, Zola
praised the way Tevez carried himself. "Great players, like he is, they are
absolute gentlemen and he showed that tonight," Zola said. "My appreciation
of him is great, not only for what he did with his celebration, but for the
way he played throughout the game was fantastic." Mark Hughes wasn't
surprised by Tevez's sporting gesture and said: "That's to be expected. "He
had a good relationship with the club and the fans so we fully expected that
to happen."
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West Ham expect big things from Nigeria U20 international Danny Uchechi
29.09.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United are keeping tabs on their Nigeria U20 international Danny
Uchechi in Egypt. Hammers management are expecting big things from Uchechi,
20. The Daily Mail says West Ham are hoping that Uchechi will become every
bit as good as the last young striker they took from Charlton - Jermain
Defoe.
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