WHUFC.com
19.10.2009
Barclays Premier Reserve League South
Chelsea v West Ham United
Griffin Park
Monday 19 October
7.05pm
Full time - And the referee brings the game to a close. After an even first
half, Chelsea upped the tempo in the second. Nouble's goal at the end was a
slight consolation but in truth, Chelsea deserved their win in the end.
Dyer's side will travel to Poland next week for a friendly before returning
to league action at Fulham on 3 November.
91 min - GOAL! West Ham do get their goal and I have to say it is the best
of the night. Jimenez fed Nouble and he held off his marked before turning
and unleashing a superb shot right into the top corner from all of 25 yards.
The scoreline may not be great but at least that will make the walk back to
the dressing room all the more bearable.
90 min - Three minutes of added time will be played here.
88 min - Well the second half really has not gone West Ham's way but they
are still trying. They have just a couple of minutes left if they are to get
on the scoresheet themselves.
86 min - And their final change sees Borini make way for Daniel Philliskirk.
85 min - Substitution for Chelsea as McEachran makes way for Gokhan Tore.
84 min - GOAL! Borini get his second of the night when he latches on to a
through ball and beats Kurucz at his near post.
78 min - GOAL! Chelsea make sure of the points as Borini smashes home a
right-wing cross with Kurucz given no chance.
77 min - Final change for West Ham sees Andrea Zola come on for Ferrari.
73 min - Second change for the Hammers sees Da Costa withdrawn and Daniel
Kearns brought on. Payne has dropped back into central defence in Da Costa's
absence.
71 min - GOAL! Chelsea double their lead after a scramble in the West Ham
area. Da Costa had picked up a knock but still managed to get across and
make a vital challenge. Sadly the ball fell kindly for the hosts and
Sturridge was on hand to prod the ball home.
68 min - Brookes' ball forward sends Nouble on his way but he has his heels
clipped by Bruma. Dyer uses the break to make his first change and it will
be Dixon to come on for his first competitive game for the Hammers. Montano
makes way.
65 min - Well that is the closest Chelsea have come to making it two. Borini
turned Da Cost and then fed Sala on the right of the area. He took a touch
and smashed a shot against Kurucz's right-hand post. West Ham need to be
careful here as another goal could put the game out of their reach.
62 min - Terry Dixon and Stech are warming up on the touchline. I wonder how
soon Dyer might turn to his substitutes.
57 min - Vital tackle from Da Costa as Chelsea looked certain to double
their lead. It was such a good tackle even a few of the Chelsea fans around
me gave the tackle a round of applause.
55 min - Nice show of pace from Ferrari forces a Chelsea midfielder to bring
him down 25 yards out. Stanislas takes the free-kick and forces Turnbull
into a diving save.
53 min - We have a break in play here as Kurucz has picked up a knock and is
getting some treatment. Should he need to go off, Marek Stech will be the
man to replace him.
50 min - A quick bit of trivia for you now - tonight was not the first time
Alex and Da Costa have shared time on a football pitch. The duo formed a
central defensive partnership for PSV Eindhoven in a 1-0 UEFA Champions
League win against Arsenal back in February 2007.
48 min - Chelsea go close with the first real attack of the half. A
dangerous run and cross down the right evades everyone and then when the
ball is played back in Borini's shot is superbly blocked by N'Gala, who has
looked strong tonight.
47 min - I have just been doing my scanning of the crowd here and Steve
Clarke and Kevin Keen are among the 400 or so people inside Griffin Park
tonight.
46 min - Chelsea make one change at the break with Alex making way and Carl
Magnay coming on.
Half-time. No there is not and the referee brings the first 45 minutes to a
close. There have been chances for both teams but it is Chelsea who go into
the break with their noses in front thanks to Alex's free-kick.
45 min - One more minute of added time will be played. Is there time for one
more chance?
44 min - So close! Jimenez's clever flicked ball through sends Nouble
one-on-one with the goalkeeper. He opts to try and flick the ball into the
centre but it somehow evades both Stanislas and Jimenez. The ball makes it
all the way to Payne and his cross is then headed just wide by the Chilean.
42 min - Good tracking back by Quashie there to intercept a pass that looked
dangerous.
39 min - Down the other end and Sturridge has a good chance to send Chelsea
in two up at the break. Once more, though, his attempted curler is too high.
36 min - Stanislas fires West Ham's best effort of the half wide. There was
only one thing on the winger's mind when he picked up a loose pass 25 yards
out and he duly let fly. Sadly is just went the wrong side of Turnbull's
goal.
34 min - Jacopo Sala tries his luck from the edge of the area but his effort
is way to high. The stands here at Griffin Park are not the tallest so I
wonder if we will be losing any balls tonight.
31 min - Some neat play by Ferrari gets him out of a potentially sticky spot
and nearly puts Nouble in. West Ham seemed to have re-found their touch now
but are yet to turn that into chances.
29 min - After a brief pause for some treatment for Borini, the game resumes
Sturrdige hitting the free-kick just over the bar.
28 min - Another free-kick to Chelsea in a dangerous position. My guess is
that Alex may get another chance here.
25 min - It looks like it is the diamond formation for West Ham tonight with
Payne on the right, Stanislas on the left and Jimenez at the point.
22 min - Davide Ferrari gets lucky as his pass back is intercepted by
Sturridge but he shoots a little too quickly and it flies over the crossbar.
17 min - Well played Bondz N'Gala. The West Ham captain got across the edge
of his box quickly to slide in and clear the danger as Chelsea had three on
two.
13 min - Stanislas takes it but it does not clear the first man.
12 min - Great play again by Jimenez as through-ball with the outside of the
boot spends Nouble sprinting through. Bruma gets there to clear but only at
the expense of a corner.
10 min - Jimenez works the Chelsea stopper for the second time in a couple
of minutes as he twists and turns his way past Alex before firing in a low
shot at the near post that the 24-year-old has to get down quickly to stop.
7 min - West Ham hit back though and a good move forward involving Ferrari,
Jimenez and Montano sees the ball come back to Jimenez 25 yards from goal.
He drills it first time but Turnbull is there to gather.
6 min - Well I am sure that is not the start Dyer would have wanted and he
is out of his seat shouting instructions to his side. It nearly gets much
worse though as Ferreira forces Kurucz into an outstanding save. The West
Ham goalkeeper had to use all his size to tip a long-range effort over the
bar.
3 min - GOAL! Alex makes the most of it by driving it along the floor
underneath the wall and past Kurucz to give Chelsea an early lead.
3 min - Another good block by the central defender is then followed up by a
late tackle which gives Chelsea a free-kick right on the edge of the area.
2 min - Brilliant defending from Da Costa there as Chelsea launch the first
attack. Fabio Borini had latched on to a through-ball but the West Ham No6
used his strength to shepherd the ball back to Peter Kurucz.
1 min - Chelsea get us underway and they will be attacking the goal to my
right in the first half.
7.04pm - Bondz N'Gala leads the West Ham United players out, while left-back
Jeffrey Bruma will be wearing the armband for Chelsea.
6.58pm - Both sets of players have left the field now and we are under ten
minutes until kick-off. Just to put the game in perspective, a win for the
Hammers tonight will see them climb above their hosts tonight and into
fourth.
6.55pm - There are set to be some interesting battles all over the pitch and
not least up front for the Hammers. Nouble will be lining up against plenty
of familiar faces as he played for Chelsea for six years before swapping
west London for east London in the summer. If Alex and company did ever play
alongside the England Under-19 international they may be slightly wary as
his goal record at the club was impressive. He was the top scorer in the FA
Premier Academy League last season, bagging 12 goals in 20 games. He also
scored twice for the reserves, including one in the Blues' 4-3 defeat to
West Ham last December.
6.45pm - It will be interesting to see how West Ham line up tonight. In
nearly every game this season they have copied the 4-3-3 formation used by
the first-team, but with Gianfranco Zola switching to a 4-4-2 diamond
formation for the weekend game with Stoke, Dyer may follow suit tonight. My
guess is that would probably mean Stanislas and Cristian Montano on either
flank with Jimenez up front alongside Frank Nouble.
6.40pm - Both sets of players are out warming up with the visitors away on
the far side of the pitch to my right. Dyer and his fitness team are running
through a series of passing drills to ready the players for the game, while
Chelsea are undertaking some light running exercises at the other end of the
pitch.
Hello and good evening from Griffin Park.
Well the teams are in and we could be in for quite a contest here with both
managers naming strong sides. Alex Dyer includes seven players with
first-team experience including Manuel Da Costa, Junior Stanislas and Luis
Jimenez. Terry Dixon is also fit enough to take his place on the bench and
should he come on, it will be his first competitive appearance in West Ham
United shirt.
For the hosts, manager Steve Holland also has plenty of Premier League
experience in his side, with the likes of goalkeeper Ross Turnbull,
Portuguese international Paulo Ferreira, Brazilian international defender
Alex and summer signing Daniel Sturridge all featuring in the league last
season.
West Ham United: Kurucz, Brookes, N'Gala, Da Costa (Kearns 73), Ferrari
(Zola 77), Stanislas, Quashie, Payne, Montano (Dixon 68), Jimenez, Nouble
Subs: Stech,Grasser,
Chelsea: Turnbull, Ferreira, Bruma, Alex (Magnay 46), Gordon, Clifford,
Sala, Matic, Borini (Philliskirk 86), McEachran (Tore 85), Sturridge
Subs: Sebek, Magnay, Ofori-Twumasi
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Fry impresses for Gills
WHUFC.com
Matthew Fry caught the eye of his manager on his debut for loan side
Gillingham
19.10.2009
It appears Matthew Fry made a big impression on the first senior start of
his career on Saturday. The former West Ham United Under-18 captain was
thrown straight into the Gillingham team to face MK Dons in League One just
two days after arriving on a one-month loan deal. He did not look out of
place at Stadium:MK, though, making several decisive tackles to help his
side go in 0-0 at the break. The home side turned the screw in the second
half and two goals, which Fry could do nothing about, helped them to a 2-0
win.
After the game, Gillingham manager Mark Stimson was delighted with the
19-year-old's debut. "Fry played the full 90 minutes and I thought he was
absolutely outstanding," Stimson said. "It was his league debut, and for his
age against two very good strikers he's put a real shift in and that was a
massive plus. "He's not the biggest but he competed. He's got a nice left
foot and showed good composure; he's not frightened to put his foot in and
made a great recovery tackle on Jermaine Easter. He's young and he's got the
legs and enthusiasm to come to places like this and try to enjoy it."
Elsewhere, Freddie Sears played 74 minutes from the bench as Crystal Palace
battled to a 1-1 draw at Cardiff City in the Championship, while Jordan
Spence was an unused substitute for Scunthorpe United in their 3-1 home win
against Sheffield United in the same division. Into League Two and Anthony
Edgar also remained on the bench for Bournemouth as they won 1-0 away at
Accrington Stanley, while Friday's game saw Holmar Eyjolfsson play 56
minutes for Cheltenham Town as they went down 2-1 at home to Macclesfield
Town.
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Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
The matches may not get any easier but the manager is staying focused on the
bigger picture for West Ham United
19.10.2009
Gianfranco Zola is still confident his team will be winning games sooner
rather than later and moving up the league standings. After an undeniably
disappointing return from the first eight games this season, the manager can
justifiably still look forward to the games to come with optimism. Having
played just three league matches at home to date, five of the next eight
will be at the Boleyn Ground while, more importantly, key players will have
bedded back into the side and their influence will increase.
As was the case last season, the manager said it was just a matter of doing
the right things and staying strong. He said: "Last year even when we were
losing games, we trusted what we were doing. We had belief in what we were
doing and in the end as soon as it clicked we started winning games and
getting points.
"It is very much the same. To be honest, for the majority of the season so
far I didn't have important players like Valon Behrami and Jack Collison
that are the soul of the team. Their presence is very good for everybody and
having them in the team will certainly make things happen quicker."
For his part, Zola will also focus on the issue of goalscoring this week
after admitting his team did not do enough to put pressure on the Stoke City
goal in the 2-1 loss at the Britannia Stadium. "That is something that I
have to look into. We are in control of the game and this was another
example but we don't convert as much as we should."
He also conceded "it doesn't get any easier" with in-form Arsenal to come at
the Boleyn Ground next Sunday but he is "encouraged" by the determination he
saw post-match in the dressing room at the Britannia Stadium and will also
have Scott Parker back from suspension. Zola may have been "frustrated and
disappointed" but positives remain - not least the terrific support once
again from the away end.
The team were battered and bruised after a physical encounter but certainly
not unbowed. "There are things we need to improve but everybody is fighting
to make it work and that gives me a lot of confidence. The team played as a
team. The off-field stuff is not affecting us. We can only focus on the
football and sort things out on the pitch.
"Last season was much worse than this and we came through it. I don't think
it is causing us any problems. We try to separate things that happen outside
from the things that happen inside. There is no need to talk about that.
"One win will change so many things. We can really improve the confidence of
the players. Obviously if you play well and lose games like this it can be a
big strike on your confidence. We just need to do that.
"The performance was very encouraging. Other times maybe we would have got a
point and I have been disappointed with the way we have played but on
Saturday they did everything they could. They didn't deserve to lose. There
was only one team that looked like it was going to score until they scored
the second goal."
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Huth charged over Upson incident
BBC.co.uk
Stoke City defender Robert Huth has been charged with violent conduct by the
Football Association over an incident with West Ham's Matthew Upson. Huth,
25, appeared to punch Hammers defender Upson during Saturday's game as the
players waited for a free-kick. Upson, 30, left the pitch with blood
streaming from the wound near his right eye. He had earlier been caught in
the face by a stray Ryan Shawcross boot. The Germany defender has until 1800
BST on Tuesday to respond to the charge. West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola
said after seeing the incident on television he felt Huth, who was signed
from Middlesbrough for £5m in August, should have been sent off. He said:
"Looking at the video after the match obviously it was a sending off. I can
only assume the referee didn't see it. "I haven't spoken to the referee
about it. I don't think I need to talk to him. It is down to the authorities
to decide (whether further action is required) - it won't change the story
for me."
Stoke manager Tony Pulis countered: "I will have a look at it and obviously
if he has done it we will speak to him and deal with him in-house." Upson
needed stitches following the clash with Huth, while Stoke went on to win
2-1, ending a run of four matches without a win.
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Takeover: two weeks and counting
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 19th October 2009
By: Staff Writer
The consortium looking to take control of West Ham United are seeking to do
so within a fortnight, according to a journalist from the newspaper that
broke the news of their interest. The News of the World's Paul McCarthy,
expanding on the story whilst talking to SkySports this morning revealed
that the consortium - whose bid is being handled by American financier Jim
Bowe - are looking to do a deal sooner rather than later, with fresh
exploratory talks expected within the next 48 hours. "They will have further
talks this week," said McCarthy. "The people involved will come in from New
York and speak to West Ham. They want to get it done quickly, they want to
get it done within two weeks.
"They'll ask for a 28-day lockdown which means that they can look at the
books and examine the financial situation. Then they will attempt to put
together a takeover if the figures match their expectations. "We know that
they're absolutely at the forefront of takeover talks and are in a strong
position; they've got money from New York and London. James Bowe is very
experienced at these kind of things and he's been bropught in specifically
as a figurehead for the consortium "We'll see what happens, but I think that
within two weeks there'll be some news."
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Hammers contest FA charge
West Ham dispute accusations of failing to control supporters
Last updated: 19th October 2009
SSN
West Ham have revealed that they will be contesting all four charges brought
against them by the Football Association. The Hammers face sanction
following the unsightly events which marred their Carling Cup clash with
local rivals Millwall on 25th August. Both clubs were charged with failing
to ensure their supporters refrained from violent, threatening, obscene and
provocative behaviour, failing to ensure their supporters refrained from
racist behaviour and failure to ensure their supporters did not throw
missiles onto the pitch.
West Ham were also hit with a further charge of failing to ensure their
supporters did not enter the field of play. Millwall announced on Monday
that they have pleaded not guilty to the charges and plan to contest the FA
ruling, while the Hammers have now followed suit.
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Behrami - Hammers still positive
Midfielder feels strugglers just need a change of luck
Last updated: 19th October 2009
SSN
Valon Behrami is hoping a 'lucky moment' can help to kick-start West Ham
United's season and insists the players remain positive. The Hammers' poor
run of form continued on Saturday courtesy of a 2-1 defeat at Stoke City - a
result which leaves Gianfranco Zola's side second from bottom in the Premier
League. Zola's men have also failed to win since the opening day of the
season, but Behrami is confident an upturn in form is around the corner. "I
think it's just a bad moment, but we are trying to be positive every time
and do what we are doing in training every day," Behrami told the club's
official website. "If we do that, a lucky moment will arrive. Sometimes you
need that, when you win when you don't deserve to win. I think this moment
will arrive. "Obviously we need some points, because five points from eight
games is not really enough."
Behrami also believes West Ham are being punished for every error being
committed by the players after a penalty and a parry from Robert Green
contributed to the defeat at Stoke. He added: "We have made a lot of little
mistakes, and every little mistake we have made, we have paid by conceding a
goal. "That is a strange thing. We make one mistake and they score, while
the other team makes three or four mistakes and we don't score - that's the
difference in the Premier League."
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West Ham: Consortium leader speaks out on takeover bid
19 October 2009 | By Adam Fraser
SportsProMedia.com
A London-based consortium is in talks over a US$160 million takeover of
English soccer club West Ham, currently in the hands of Icelandic banks
after former owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson lost his personal fortune in the
global economic crisis. The Intermarket Group, headed by Jim Bowe, has
expressed the intention of buying the club in its entirety - possibly before
the January transfer window. Time is of the essence for another reason, with
current owner Straumur, the Icelandic bank, facing its own financial
problems.
"My colleagues and I have been approached by the consortium with the aim of
buying West Ham in its entirety," said businessman Bowe, a former head of
the New York Board of Trade, to the News of the World newspaper. "We are not
interested in just taking on the debt, or securing a percentage. We want to
get West Ham back on track for the upper echelons of the Premier League."
Bowe added: "The consortium comprises West Ham supporters who have made
serious money in the City, the United States and elsewhere and who see the
potential in the club, its fanbase, academy and playing staff. The people
involved have the money required, and, more importantly, the right
sentiments. They have no interest in interfering with the playing side of
things, but they will make money available in the January transfer window."
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WEST HAM: Consortium lines up £100m takeover
10:51am Monday 19th October 2009
Guardian Series
WEST HAM are the subject of a £100million takeover bid by an American
consortium, according to reports. The News of the World claim London-based
Intermarket Group, led by Wall Street mogul Jim Bowe, entered into
negotiations with the club before the weekend. The rest of the consortium is
said to be made up of wealthy Hammers fans with Bowe, the former head of the
New York Board of Trade, at the forefront. It is understood that the group
have made contact with Andrew Bernhardt, chairman of CB Holdings, the
company that owns the club. Bowe told the newspaper: "My colleagues and I
have been approached by the consortium with the aim of buying West Ham in
its entirety.
"We are not interested in just taking on the debt, or securing a percentage.
We want to get West Ham back on track for the upper echelons of the Premier
League. "We want what the fans want and there is no restriction on us as to
how we achieve that aim. We are in the early stages of our discussions with
the club. But we are optimistic that we can develop a proposal that will
benefit all parties. The best deal is the deal where everyone feels that
they've won. "The consortium comprises West Ham supporters who have made
serious money in the City, the United States and elsewhere and who see the
potential in the club, its fanbase, academy and playing staff. "The people
involved have the money required, and, more importantly, the right
sentiments. They have no interest in interfering with the playing side of
things, but they will make money available in the January transfer window.
"They also possess the expertise to see West Ham restructured and organised
in a way that will help the club realise its potential. Fortune has been
hiding for too long."
It is believed that CB Holdings, a branch of Icelandic bank Straumur, were
eager to hold out for up to £120million for the club, but a fee closer to
£100million is likely to be enough. The takeover would see Intermarket Group
take on West Ham's estimated debts of over £50million. The club were bought
out in 2006 by Icelandic businessman Eggert Magnusson, before he handed over
the reins to Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson. However, the collapse of Icelandic bank
Landsbanki - which Gudmundsson owned – during the recession, as well as some
profligate business dealings, has plunged the club into financial crisis.
Former Birmingham City owners David Sullivan and David Gold have been linked
with a takeover of their own, but a concrete offer has yet to be made.
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West Ham and Millwall intend to dispute Carling Cup riot charges
West Ham intend to cite incidents at Manchester derby
Millwall hire top QC to put their side of the argument
Jamie Jackson guardian.co.uk, Monday 19 October 2009 20.25 BST
West Ham United and Millwall have filed robust defences against all of the
charges brought against them by the Football Association following the crowd
trouble that marred their Carling Cup tie on 25 August. West Ham face four
charges while Millwall have to contend with three, both clubs facing one
apiece of racist abuse by their supporters – against the West Ham striker
Carlton Cole and the Millwall forward Jason Price – during the game, which
West Ham won 3-1 after extra-time.
The clubs are also mounting stringent defences of further accusations that
they failed to ensure their supporters refrained from violent, threatening,
obscene and provocative behaviour, and a failure to ensure the fans did not
throw missiles. West Ham face a further charge of failing to ensure their
supporters did not enter the field of play, which they did three times.
The FA has not set a time for the hearing, although Millwall have employed
Jim Sturman QC to mount what they have said will be a "vigorous" defence.
West Ham, meanwhile, as part of their defence, may point to scenes at the
end of the Manchester derby last month, when a United fan invaded the pitch
and appeared to be hit by the City striker Craig Bellamy. Carlos Tevez also
appeared to have a missile aimed at him, though the object hit the City
substitute Javier Garrido. The FA did not take action against the Welsh
striker, the fan or either club.
During the evening of the Carling Cup tie at Upton Park 13 people were
arrested while a 43-year-old Millwall fan, described by police as an
"innocent family man", was stabbed in front of his teenage sons, after the
group mistakenly attempted to enter the stadium via an entrance for West Ham
supporters.
The trouble had broken out at around 6pm and the unrest continued close to
and inside the stadium. During the match supporters threw missiles at each
other and West Ham's invaded to taunt Millwall's after their team scored. At
the time their manager, Gianfranco Zola, said: "This had nothing to do with
football. In all the time I have spent at Chelsea and West Ham I have never
seen anything like it."
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West Ham play down American takeover talk
19.10.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United are playing down the latest takeover rumours. The London
Evening Standard says West Ham fans were warned today not to become too
excited at the prospect of another takeover bid. Following speculation that
Birmingham co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold were ready to invest in
the Upton Park club after selling out to Carson Yeung for £82million, the
weekend brought a new potential investor to light. American Wall Street
mogul Jim Bowe, head of London-based Intermarket Group and a former
president of the New York Board of Trade, has confirmed that he began
takeover talks before the weekend. Bowe's consortium is believed to be ready
to pay £100m for West Ham, currently owned by CB Holdings, a company arm of
Icelandic investment bank Straumur. A West Ham spokesman said today that the
club's policy was not to comment on takeover speculation but added: "We have
had enough false dawns already."
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