WHUFC.com
West Ham United should be well represented when England Under-21s face
Greece this afternoon
08.09.2009
James Tomkins, Junior Stanislas and Freddie Sears could all start for
England Under-21s on Tuesday evening after impressing in their opening
qualifier of the 2011 UEFA European U21 Championship.
Having come from behind to win 2-1 in FYR Macedonia last Friday, the Young
Lions have travelled to Greece for their second Group 9 fixture and the West
Ham United trio are all being tipped to figure in Stuart Pearce's XI. The
former Hammers defender turned coach is looking to go all the way at the
2011 finals in Denmark after reaching the 2007 semi-finals and the 2009
final.
Greece have also begun well with two wins from two against FYR Macedonia and
Lithuania but Pearce is confident - despite the difficulties experienced
last Friday before substitute Sears levelled matters and Lee Cattermole
struck the winning penalty. "The win against Macedonia was perhaps
fortunate, as we didn't play particularly well," Pearce told theFA.com.
"We feel as though we must play better to get a good result against Greece.
We know we are going to be in a difficult match on Tuesday as we have a very
tight group. Whoever qualifies out of this group is going to be pushed to
the extreme. It will be a very good game and with not much to choose between
the sides."
As well as Sears' show off the bench, Tomkins earned man of the match
plaudits in the last outing while Stanislas started his second consecutive
game at U21 level in the No7 shirt. All three are continuing a trend for
strong West Ham representation under Pearce, with Nigel Reo-Coker, Anton
Ferdinand and Mark Noble previously all being picked by the coach while
representing the Hammers.
Holmar Eyjolfsson could also be in action tonight when Iceland Under-21s
travel to Northern Ireland Under-21s. Iceland will be looking to get their
qualifying campaign back on track after losing their first game to the Czech
Republic 2-0. Kick-off at the Coleraine Showgrounds is at 7.30pm.
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Upson stakes his claim
WHUFC.com
Matthew Upson is looking forward to the biggest night of his international
career on Wednesday
08.09.2009
Matthew Upson will get a chance to reprise his partnership with England
captain John Terry in the potentially decisive FIFA World Cup qualifier
against Croatia on Wednesday.
"I enjoy playing with John," said Upson, who has emerged as a serious
contender to rival Terry and the injured Rio Ferdinand in the centre-back
positions. "He is very good. You know what his game is all about and he goes
and does it. You are aware of where he puts himself and play as a
partnership. [It is important] to understand the other's quality."
The West Ham United skipper won his 16th cap at the weekend in the 2-1
friendly defeat of Slovenia and is expected to hold on to his place for the
visit of the Croatians to Wembley. An eighth successive qualifying victory
would book England's place at the 2010 finals in South Africa and Upson is
expecting nothing else.
"It is an important game and if we get a win, we seal our place at the World
Cup,"he said. "Everybody is fighting for that spot, it is a big game and
hopefully we will get the right result."
Upson admitted the Slovenia fixture had been a "tricky" one for he and his
colleagues including club-mates Robert Green and Carlton Cole to negotiate.
However, the bigger picture was firmly in the mind for all. "There is
nothing at stake in terms of points but a lot at stake for the players in
terms of wanting to improve and get in the team for the qualifying game for
Wednesday.
"You need to focus, do the job and do what you are good at. In your mind, it
is an opportunity to impress. If you have not cemented the position in the
team, you want to do well and prove you care capable of holding your own."
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Behrami ready for Blues
WHUFc.com
Alex Dyer's side open their home campaign with the visit of Birmingham City
with a familar face back
08.09.2009
Valon Behrami could make his first appearance of the 2009/10 season in
Tuesday's Barclays Premier Reserve League South visit of Birmingham City to
the Boleyn Ground.
Switzerland midfielder Behrami has been out of action since suffering a knee
ligament injury in West Ham United's 1-0 Barclays Premier League victory
over Manchester City on 1 March. He is in full training and reserve-team
manager Alex Dyer should name him in his squad to face the Blues. A good
crowd is expected with the club offering free admission.
Dyer said: "It will be good for us to have a couple of experienced heads in
the side, and good for them as well. Hopefully Valon will be back and it
will be good for us to see him out on the field again.
"It's good for the club. That's what reserve-team football is all about -
getting those experienced boys back and playing. It gives them competitive
football and the younger ones can also learn from them.
"It is the best way to learn when you are playing with experienced players,
because they give you that little bit that, perhaps, the coach cannot give
you from the sidelines."
Dyer's reserves began their campaign with a 2-1 defeat by reigning league
champions Aston Villa at Villa Park a week ago, and the manager is eager to
bounce back to winning ways against Birmingham. The Blues opened their own
Barclays Premier Reserve League South season with a 4-0 home loss to
Arsenal.
"I'm looking forward to the game. I was down after the Aston Villa game
because I want the boys to go to places and to perform and I thought we
could do better. We want to set good standards at this club. They worked
hard and played hard and, as long as we tighten up on a couple of things,
we'll be alright."
Tuesday's match kicks off at 7pm, with free admission for all supporters.
Please note that the West Stand will be the only part of the Boleyn Ground
open on the night.
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Retracing Bobby's steps
WHUFC.com
Two West Ham United fans followed in the footsteps of Bobby Moore to raise
funds to fight bowel cancer
08.09.2009
West Ham United supporters Lloyd Hardwick and David Deene retraced the steps
of Bobby Moore to raise funds for the charity founded in honour of the
Hammers and England legend.
Lloyd and David walked 23 miles from Moore's childhood home in Barking to
Wembley Stadium for Saturday's international friendly between England and
Slovenia in aid of the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK.
The pair began their journey at 5am, arriving at Wembley, where Moore lifted
the FIFA World Cup, FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup during his glorious
career, shortly before the 5pm kick-off.
Lloyd told WHUTV that he and David would continue their bid to raise £8,000
for the charity, which was set up to fight bowel cancer by Moore's widow
Stephanie following Bobby's death in February 1993, in South America.
"The whole idea is that we're part of a team of 38 people going to Brazil at
the end of this month for one of the international projects that the Bobby
Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK run," he said.
"As one of our fundraising ideas, we thought we'd do something a bit
different by retracing the steps of Bobby from Barking to Wembley."
The walk to Wembley was the latest in a line of fundraising ventures pursued
by Lloyd and David. The pair took a table of ten supporters to the club's
inaugural Gala Dinner in May, and also donated a day's pay to the fund
earlier this year.
The Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK is one of West Ham United's two
official partner charities. Since its formation in 1993, the Fund has raised
more than £10m to aid the fight against bowel cancer.
To sponsor Lloyd and David, click here. For more information about the Bobby
Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK, click here.
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Robert Green deserves to be England's No 1 at the World Cup, insists Matthew
Upson
By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 12:56 PM on 08th September 2009
Daily Mail
Matthew Upson has told Fabio Capello to make Robert Green his World Cup No
1. England defender Upson believes his West Ham team-mate deserves to keep
his place ahead of rivals David James and Ben Foster. Green is set to start
against Croatia at Wembley on Wednesday as England attempt to secure their
spot at next summer's finals in South Africa. 'He's having the best spell of
his international career so far,' said Upson. 'I really feel the jersey is
up for grabs. 'Robert is never going to have a better opportunity to
establish himself as No 1 and play in a World Cup, which would be a good
reward for the amount of hours and time he spent with the squad without
making many appearances or getting any recognition. 'Over the last year his
form has been excellent. I have obviously been playing with him at that time
at West Ham and I can't remember any kind of mistakes. 'He's hung in there.
He spent a lot of hours with this squad without even being on the bench and
mentally that is very demanding. It's down to him and his performances now,
which is all you can ask for.'
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Hammers could face financial peril
Posted by Dom Raynor 5 days, 8 hours ago
ESPN
We start Thursday's round up of the UK newspapers with some more bad news
for long-suffering West Ham United fans. It seems that the finances of the
East London club could be in a particularly perilous state after the
shocking extent of the Hammers' financial crisis during the Bjorgolfur
Gudmundsson era were laid bare in The Guardian.
The documents reveal a business strategy that, in the opinion of the club's
finance director, Nick Igoe, was "fundamentally flawed" and the accounts set
out a loss of more than £37.4m for the year ending 2008, which was covered
by an injection of £30.5m of cash from the holding company of the former
owner, Gudmundsson.
Now that the club's parent company, CB Holding, is effectively a subsidiary
of Iceland's now defunct bank Straumur, even a marginal loss this year could
result in a return to the 2008 crisis. Oh, and the club still owe £21m to
Sheffield United after the Carlos Tevez inquiry.
Sticking with the financial theme, the Daily Mail have published an excerpt
from Matthew Le Tissier's autobiography, Taking Le Tiss, in which the former
Southampton star reveals he played a central role in an attempted betting
scam 14 years ago - only to fail miserably when his trusty right foot let
him down.
The former Southampton and England midfielder colluded with friends who
placed a spread bet on the time of the first throw-in during a game against
Wimbledon in 1995. Along with a team-mate, he devised a plan to send the
ball into touch from the kick-off and beat the bookies who were predicting
it would take nearly a minute for it to go out.
In an equally shocking player-related revelation the Daily Mirror report
that Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner snubbed Barcelona, Inter Milan and
Bayern Munich before signing a new five-year contract at Arsenal.
The 21-year-old apparently had interest from all three European superpowers
this summer while he negotiated a new £50,000-a-week deal with the Gunners.
The Sun lead on Ryan Babel's claim that he is frustrated at Liverpool and
that manager Rafa Benitez failed to deliver on promises made to the Dutch
striker. The headline of "Benitez lied to me!" says it all really.
With a weekend of international football looming the newspapers also focus
on England and in particular Jermaine Defoe. The Independent report that the
pint-sized striker's fine form for Tottenham has convinced England boss
Fabio Capello to play him alongside Wayne Rooney for the Slovenia match in a
switch from his usual starting line-up.
The Daily Star feature an interview with the 26-yera-old in which Defoe says
he is fed up with people asking about Michael Owen every time he is selected
in an England squad.
"I just want to get away from the comparison and him getting mentioned
because I am doing well and deserve my place," Defoe said. "If I'm honest, I
would like to get away with the questions about Michael when I get
selected."
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New Bordeaux deal for Chamakh will encourage Arsenal, West Ham
09.09.09 | tribalfootball.com
An new contract for Marouane Chamakh may make it easier for the striker to
leave Bordeaux, it has been revealed. Chamakh was priced out of moves to
Arsenal and West Ham United in the summer, though both Premiership clubs are
ready to try again in January. Bordeaux intend to offer the Morocco
international a new deal through to 2012, but it will include an affordable
buyout clause should Chamakh still be determined to leave.
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