WHUFC.com
Jonathan Spector had a good night with the United States on a busy weekend
for the club's internationals
06.09.2009
Jonathan Spector played his part at the United States moved a step closer to
the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals by coming from behind to win 2-1 against El
Salvador in Utah.
The 23-year-old West Ham United defender played the whole match at
right-back, reprising the role he performed so admirably in helping the US
to the FIFA Confederations Cup final in June. The US scored first-half goals
from Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore after falling behind on the half-hour
and then held firm after the interval.
The three points move the US into second place in the six-team final
CONCACAF qualifying group, with the top three making it to the finals
automatically. The US are level on points with first-placed Honduras and
ahead of Mexico in third. Spector will hope to be in action for his 20th cap
in Port of Spain on Wednesday night when the US play the first of their
final three matches away to Trinidad and Tobago.
Radoslav Kovac
The versatile midfielder was an unused substitute as the Czech Republic
battled back to earn a 2-2 draw at old rivals Slovakia. The point left the
Czechs with little hope of reaching the finals as they are five points
behind second place in UEFA qualifying Group 3. They have three home matches
to come against San Marino, Poland and Northern Ireland.
Valon Behrami
Fit-again Valon Behrami will have been delighted with Switzerland winning
2-0 at home against Greece as it moved them three points clear at the top of
qualifying Group 2. Behrami figured at the 2006 finals and could well be
involved next year as well. He may return for the final two qualifiers early
next month against Luxembourg and Israel.
Danny Gabbidon and Jack Collison
The club's two Welsh internationals face a major date on Wednesday when
Wales try to keep alive the very slim hopes of reaching the 2010 FIFA World
Cup finals with the visit of Russia. The 30-year-old Gabbidon has 41 caps
while the 20-year-old Jack Collison, who already has six senior caps, will
try to shake off a calf knock that kept him out of the Under-21's 2-1 win
against Italy on Friday night.
James Tomkins, Junior Stanislas and Freddie Sears
The trio will aim to help England Under-21s take the second step towards the
2011 UEFA European U21 Championship in Denmark. The Young Lions began their
Group 9 qualifiers against FYR Macedonia with a 2-1 win in Prilep on Friday
and have headed to Athens to take on Greece on Tuesday. Tomkins has five
caps to his name, while Stanislas made his debut against the Netherlands
earlier this month in a friendly. Club-mate Freddie Sears - on loan at
Crystal Palace - scored the equaliser against the Macedonians.
Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson
The Icelandic centre-back will make his second appearance of the 2011 UEFA
European U21 Championship campaign away to Northern Ireland on Tuesday
night. Eyjolfsson was already part of the team that lost 2-0 to the Czech
Republic last month despite having only just turned 19.
Fabio Daprela
The 19-year-old left-back played twice for Switzerland Under-19s in home
friendlies against Georgia on Wednesday and Friday last week. Daprela got
the full 90 minutes in both matches, which were a 7-0 win and a 1-0 defeat.
They have served as a warm-up for the 2010 UEFA European U19 Championship
mini-tournament qualifiers against hosts Lithuania, Estonia and Croatia
between 23 and 28 September.
Georg Grasser
The young midfielder was called up by his native Austria for their U20
friendly international against Germany in the west Austrian town of Altach
but Friday's match was cancelled. Instead, the Austrian youngsters took on
Swiss side FC Lustenau and ran out 3-1 winners. Grasser played the full 90
minutes.
Danny Purdy
A welcome goal for Purdy helped the Republic of Ireland Under-17s to finish
a four-team international tournament with a 4-1 win against Romania last
Friday. Purdy had played in the previous two defeats by Russia and Sweden
earlier in the week. The Irish are preparing for the 2010 UEFA European U17
Championship mini-tournament qualifiers against Sweden, Bulgaria and Latvia
between 27 September and 2 October.
Deniz Mehmet
The Academy goalkeeper was with Turkey as they warmed up for the FIFA U17
World Cup finals between 24 October and 15 November with a 4-1 home defeat
by the Netherlands in Antalya.
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Three Lions on show
WHUFC.com
A trio of West Ham United players all turned out for England on Saturday
afternoon
05.09.2009
Robert Green, Matthew Upson and Carlton Cole all featured as England beat
Slovenia 2-1 at Wembley before the vital 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
against Croatia on Wednesday
Green and Upson both started Saturday's friendly, while Cole came on as an
80th-minute substitute as a 31st-minute Frank Lampard penalty was added to
by Jermain Defoe's clinical strike on 63 minutes. Zlatan Ljubljankic pulled
one back late on which Green, who played the whole match, could do nothing
about but it was too little, too late for the visitors.
The England No1 was involved straight away and played a key role in stopping
the visitors taking the lead in the seventh minute when he just got a
fingertip to the ball to force Aleksander Radosavlejevic wide when the
forward burst through. After some composed kicking, Green was called in to
more serious action in the 57th minute when he showed bravery to punch a
dangerous free-kick clear when under pressure.
Upson played just over an hour before being replaced by Joleon Lescott and
looked assured throughout. As well as a couple of key blocks at the back,
the West Ham United captain was a threat at the other end and came to within
inches of converting a James Milner centre just after the interval.
Ljubljankic had the last word with his consolation to deny Green a clean
sheet on his fourth consecutive international start but Cole was also a
threat at the other end. His late arrival limited his chances but he still
managed to force his way through with two minutes to play and get a shot
away.
All three West Ham players will hope to stay involved for the Croatia
contest in midweek. Upson, 30, has 17 appearances while Cole has played five
times at senior level. Capello's team have won their first seven fixtures in
UEFA qualifying and an eighth will make certain of a place at the World Cup
finals next summer in South Africa.
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Tough day for U18s
Sergio Sanchez was on target but West Ham United came up short against
Tottenham Hotspur
05.09.2009
Tottenham Hotspur U18s 5-2 West Ham United U18s
A youthful Academy side came up short in the London derby away to Tottenham
Hotspur on Saturday morning.
Tony Carr's side found themselves 3-0 down by half-time and quickly conceded
a fourth in the second half before staging a spirited fightback. Robert
Hall, still only 15, and captain Sergio Sanchez pulled two goals back and
the Hammers began to believe they could yet earn something from the game.
However, Danny Subuola was unlucky with a great chance to make it 4-3 and
Spurs regained their superiority and added a fifth.
"Tottenham were too powerful and too strong for us," said Carr "They were
better than us on the day and we were second best in most departments.
However, we did well after half-time and we got the improved performance
that we were looking for. We got two goals back and could have made it
interesting had we got the third one but it was not to be. Peter Loveday
saved a penalty before they scored again."
The Academy Director changed things around in the second half with Sanchez
dropping back into defence from a holding midfield role and Hall on a rare
start at this level soon got his reward. Sanchez then headed in from close
range after a corner before substitute Subuola nearly added a third.
Goalkeeper Loveday, on his first start of the season with Turkey's Deniz
Mehmet on international duty, then saved from the spot while Hall also had a
couple more opportunities.
Carr was without the extra experience of Conor Okus (groin) and Callum
McNaughton (ankle), both of whom he hoped would be back in full training
next week, while the likes of Tony Brookes and Olly Lee are with the
reserves. There was the welcome boost of Polish youth international
full-back Filip Modelski returning after his long-term knee injury with a
second-half appearance off the bench. It was his first outing since
mid-January.
"Filip came on for the last 30 minutes which was a real plus and there was
no reaction," added Carr. "He will get a bit more in the next few weeks and
hopefully we can progress as well. We got off to a flying start on the first
day at Everton and let's hope we can get back to that."
The Hammers had won 2-1 against the Toffees on 22 August but then went down
1-0 at home to Stoke last week before the reverse at Spurs. It is back to
Little Heath next weekend when Birmingham City come calling, four days after
the clubs - and possibly some of Carr's brightest youngsters - are involved
in a reserve match at the Boleyn Ground.
West Ham United: Loveday, Smith (Modelski 60), Brown, Lampe, Driver (Moncur
70), Sanchez, Barrett, Wearen, Hall, Abdulla, Montano (Subuola 40)
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Atletico pull plug on Neill move
7 September 2009 | 07:19 - SBS: Matthew Hall
TheWorldGame.sbs.com.au
Atletico Madrid have pulled out of negotiations to sign Socceroos defender
Lucas Neill, according to a report from Spain. Madrid sports daily AS
reported on Saturday that the La Liga outfit had decided not to sign a right
back to replace John Heitinga who moved to Premier League side Everton last
week. Despite apparently having several options in the transfer market, AS
claimed Atletico decided not buy a player to fill its gap at right back
after club officials decided that no player "of the premier level remains
available that is any better than what the team already has within its
ranks".
However, other reports in Spain have claimed newly-promoted Real Zaragoza
have stepped into the market and are keen to consider offering Neill a
one-year deal. Meanwhile, Neill's proposed A-League bid has been linked to
last week's murder in Sydney of businessman Michael McGurk. McGurk has been
described in various reports as a "stand-over man" and a "millionaire
businessman" who was "millions of dollars in debt" and "involved in
providing prostitutes to high-profile people" McGurk was shot dead by an
unknown gunman outside his home in the harbourside Sydney suburb of Cremorne
last Thursday. According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, McGurk
had been approached to be "a behind-the-scenes financial middleman" for the
Western Sydney A-League team fronted by Neill. 'There is no tie here,"
Neill's agent Paddy Dominguez told The Sydney Morning Herald. "Mr McGurk was
not a shareholder or an investor. He was somebody we did speak to because we
knew he manages money and has very big clients. We put our proposal to him
and he spoke to people, but in the end they weren't interested."
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WEST HAM: Hammers trio impress for England
7:06pm Sunday 6th September 2009
Guardian Series
WEST HAM players Robert Green and Matthew Upson played leading roles in
England's 2-1 friendly win over Slovenia on Saturday, while Carlton Cole
also made a late cameo appearance. Green continues to command the support of
Three Lions boss Fabio Capello through his club form, and the Italian showed
further signs that he is willing to hand the Hammers keeper the number one
jersey by handing him a start. Upson also underlined his place as the
country's third choice centre-half behind John Terry and Rio Ferdinand as he
stepped in for the Manchester United defender in the heart of England's
defence. England took the lead late in the first half when Wayne Rooney was
adjudged to have been fouled in the box and Frank Lampard stepped up to
convert the resulting penalty. Tottenham striker Jermaine Defoe continued
his rich scoring vein with a precise shot from the edge of the box to double
the hosts' lead. But the visitors grabbed a late consolation, denying Green
a clean sheet. Cole looked lively as he joined the fray late on, even
fashioning a chance out of nothing with a brilliant piece of skill along the
byline, only to see his eventual shot blocked.
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Neill taking his time
Aussie full-back still weighing up options
By Chris Burton Last updated: 6th September 2009
SSN
Lucas Neill has revealed that he remains in talks with a club outside of
England regarding a possible contract. The Australian international parted
company with West Ham at the end of last season, with his deal at Upton Park
having reached its conclusion. He has since been linked with a host of
clubs, including Turkish giants Galatasaray. Neill is yet to find
employment, though, and domestic action across Europe is now well underway.
The experienced full-back is known to favour a move away from the Premier
League, keen to steer clear of imminent income tax hikes. Primera Liga
outfit Atletico Madrid are now the favourites to secure his services, with
Neill admitting he is close to making a decision on his future. "I am in
talks with a club outside England. It's a change from what I've been used
to," said the former Blackburn and Millwall defender. "A decision will take
a lot of courage so that's why I've taken my time."
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Saudi 'to bid' for West Ham
By Simon Evans
The Independent
Sunday, 6 September 2009
Ali al-Faraj, the Saudi property investor who recently failed in his
attempts to buy Portsmouth, is believed to be considering a bid for West Ham
United. Al-Faraj, who claimed to have agreed a deal to buy Pompey at the end
of August, is thought to have set his sights on the heavily indebted East
End club.
It is not known if Peter Storrie, chief executive of Portsmouth and former
managing director at West Ham who brought Al-Faraj into the bidding process
at Pompey at the 11th hour, is involved in the approach.
However, Storrie finds himself in an invidious position at Portsmouth having
backed the offer of Al-Faraj in favour of the ultimately successful bid from
Sulaiman al-Fahim, which looked to be floundering amid concerns about his
ability to fund the deal.
Yesterday, Al-Fahim appeared to give his backing to Storrie, claiming not to
have plans to replace him with a new management team: "Peter is a capable
chief executive and I do not doubt he has acted with the club's best
interest in mind." But a return to Upton Park for Storrie, a lifelong
Hammers fan, would prove difficult to resist should it arise, after he was
acrimoniously sacked by the club in 1999 by then chairman Terry Brown.
Storrie has insisted, in a Portsmouth News interview, that he is staying at
the club.
Whoever takes over at West Ham will have to grapple with a substantial debt
pile. Recently published accounts for the Hammers show they lost £37.4
million in 2008, following a blighted year off the pitch which saw the
collapse of XL Leisure, their main sponsor. The club's latest accounts have
yet to be filed but the situation is thought to have deteriorated during
2009. It is believed that the Hammers have breached debt covenants laid down
by creditor banks to the club, which in theory could have tipped them into
administration. However, the banks have so far resisted triggering such a
move.
West Ham's chief executive Scott Duxbury last week admitted they were only
able to buy new recruits – striker Alessandro Diamanti and centre-half
Manuel da Costa – after the club's sponsor, Sbobet, advanced a payment to
the club earlier than scheduled.
The extent of Al-Faraj's wealth is not known. He enjoys a holding in Sabic,
the Saudi petrochemicals conglomerate, while he is reported to have a
substantial family trust.
Meanwhile, Portsmouth are understood not to be out of the financial woods,
writes Steve Tongue. Funds received for players in the last hectic few days
of the transfer window may have to go straight to paying off creditors like
the Inland Revenue, and it is even suggested Al-Fahim has only agreed to put
money in until the end of this month. He has insisted there will be
"significant investment" in players and the youth academy. Theoretically,
the club made a profit of £27m in transfers over the summer, but much of
that will be paid in instalments and the whole sum barely covers the amount
owed to Standard Bank, who wanted it back by 31 August.
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Robert Green did himself no favours with nervy performance for England
against Slovenia
By Paul SMith
Last modified 21:54 05/09/09
The Mirror
West Ham's Robert Green was presented with the perfect opportunity to stake
a real claim for the number one jersey yesterday, writes Paul Smith. The man
he is looking to replace, Portsmouth's David James, looked on from the
comfort of his living room armchair after he was omitted from Fabio
Capello's 24-man squad suffering some discomfort with a knee injury. Capello
is keen to see Green and Manchester United's Ben Foster advance their claims
for the role. While James is still in possession of the shirt, England's
Italian coach is open-minded about whether he will remain his first choice
going into the World Cup finals in South Africa next summer. Sources close
to him claim Foster is far more of a threat than Green and is widely
considered to be the long-term successor to the Pompey keeper. And if
Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson had followed the letter of the law, Foster
would have been given an early and unexpected opportunity to push those
claims. With barely three minutes on the clock Green came to collect a
Slovenian through ball and clearly handled it well outside his area. The
offence went completely unpunished much to the relief of Green. Even the
39-year-old James who worked tirelessly to rid himself of the unwanted
calamitous tag has stopped short of adding that one to his collection.
Green's immediate reaction to the mistake wouldn't have pleased Capello
either as he looked fragile and uncertain in the minutes that followed as
Slovenia threatened his goal. Foster looked on from the England bench and
must wonder if he had inadvertently been responsible for Green's selection
ahead of him. He has been given an extended opportunity of first-team
football at Manchester United because of Edwin van der Sar's broken finger.
But his own injury problems – including the bruised knee that kept him out
of the friendly match away to Holland this month – have helped Green to be
considered in the short-term ahead of him. With England leading 1-0 at the
break Capello made four outfield substitutions. His decision to leave Green
on the field merely indicated that he would retain his place in the side
ahead of Foster for the crucial World Cup qualifying game against Croatia at
Wembley on Wednesday.
It was hard to establish the criteria for Capello's assessment, as Green was
as much of a spectator as James was. On the odd occasions he was called into
action you wondered whether he was doing more damage to his chances than
good. There is nervousness about Green that does not breed confidence. And
when Slovenia breached his goal with four minutes remaining you were left
wondering whether he was about to burst into tears. He wasn't largely to
blame for the goal that came about from poor defending but there was no
doubt he could have done a lot better. Whether Capello takes the decision to
bring Foster in on Wednesday now is largely open to speculation. But it
would be hard to see how Green and his chances of establishing himself ahead
of James in the long-term could have impressed him.
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