WHUFC.com
Alex Dyer has taken a reserve squad to Poland for a special friendly on Tuesday
26.10.2009
West Ham United's reserve team have arrived in Poland for a specially-arranged friendly with Polish side Arka Gdynia on Tuesday. The high-profile game, which will be screened live on Polish TV, will mark a double anniversary for Arka this year. It is 80 years since the club were formed, while it also 30 years since they lifted the Polish Cup for the one and only time.
West Ham United agreed to play in the match having forged a relationship with the club after youth-team player Filip Modelski left Arka to join West Ham United. Reserve-team manager Alex Dyer said: "It will be a good crowd and it will be live on Polish TV. I've stressed to the boys that we are going out there and we are representing West Ham United and we need to put on a good show."
Dyer is set to call on his reserve-team regulars, so captain Bondz N'Gala, Fabio Daprela, Nigel Quashie, Olly Lee and Frank Nouble, fresh from his stunning strike at Chelsea last week, could all figure. They will also be joined by youth-team prospects Jordan Brown, Conor Okus and Ahmed Abdulla. "It's a young squad and we will have a couple of young lads who have been around the first-team squad like Bondz N'Gala, Fabio Daprela and Frank Nouble. We are going to play their first team so it will be good experience for the boys and me as well. "I hope they will learn how they conduct themselves in a different environment and also how different teams play. They will learn and I will learn how other teams conduct themselves and it will be a beneficial trip for us."
West Ham United could have some good support at the Stadion GOSiR with some fans already having made the trip over from England. They will be added to by the West Ham United Supporters Club Poland, who plan to have more than 20 fans travelling to the game from across the country.
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Duo set for Lakeside
WHUFC.com
Fans have the chance to meet two of the first team at a Lakeside signing session on Tuesday
26.10.2009
Alessandro Diamanti and Luis Jimenez are set to appear at a special signing session at the Lakeside Shopping Centre store on Tuesday afternoon. The first-team pair are due to be at the club shop for an hour on 27 October from around 2.45pm and will be signing a maximum of two items for each supporter to allow as many fans to see them as possible. Anyone going along is advised to get there early to avoid missing out. Please note that all player appearances are subject to change and any updates will be provided as soon as possible via whufc.com. Carlton Cole and James Tomkins are due to be at the Stadium store this coming Thursday afternoon.
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Hall on England high
WHUFC.com
West Ham United were well represented by Robert Hall on Young Lions duty on Monday
26.10.2009
Robert Hall came off the bench to score twice in eleven minutes of coming on as England Under-17s cruised to victory on Monday morning. The Young Lions were 6-2 winners against Kazakhstan in the opening Group 1 match of a four-team qualifying mini-tournament being played in Azerbaijan for the 2010 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. Hall came on in the 62nd minute, scored his first four minutes later and then added a second soon afterwards.
The young forward will hope to have done enough to start when England take on the Azeri hosts on Wednesday before rounding out the group against Serbia on Saturday. The top two nations in the round-robin group will progress to the Elite round to be played next spring before the eight-nation finals in Liechtenstein in May.
Hall, still only 16, is the fifth West Ham striker to impress for England this month after his Academy club-mate Matthias Fanimo shone for the U16s in a 1-0 win against Wales in their opening match of the Victory Shield last week. Fanimo and Blair Turgott have both been called up for Thursday week's match against Northern Ireland.
Frank Nouble played three times in a week in the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifiers, Zavon Hines lit up the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship campaign with two goals on his debut and Carlton Cole played twice for the seniors as they put the seal on 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification with wins.
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Team effort cheers Cole
WHUFC.com
Carlton Cole was a happy man after playing his part in the superb comeback against Arsenal
26.10.2009
At well after 8pm on Sunday, Carlton Cole cut a lone figure in the West Ham United players' car park signing autograph after autograph for a group of delighted fans. His team-mates and manager had all departed but Cole was unconcerned about being the last one left. Two hours before he had played a major role in a thrilling fightback as the Hammers came from behind to draw 2-2 with Arsenal. As he signed pictures and programmes, T-shirts and tops, Cole more than deserved the plaudits that came his way.
Before he had walked out into the night to receive the praise from fans, Cole spoke about his man of the match contribution and his determination to see the team start picking up even more points. "It was a really turbulent match," he said. "We had gone 2-0 down and our backs were against the wall. When we came in at half-time and we were 2-0 down, I don't think we deserved it. The players just dug in and in the second half we got the results that we wanted. The second half we won 2-0.
"As professional footballers we can't have that attitude that 'if we're 2-0 down we can't come back into the game' - you've got to keep plugging away. I wasn't happy at half-time. I want to put in a performance where I can say I at least tried my best and it actually turned into our favour and we could have gone on to win the game even with ten men. "It's not just the starting XI that has got the influence in the game. It is the substitutes, the staff in and around the game. Everyone has got a part to play. The subs that came on did brilliantly. Alessandro [Diamanti] got his goal and Zavon [Hines] was a nuisance and that's all you can ask for from your substitutes. They were brilliant."
Also deserving of praise were the fans, like those who had braved the cold for a chance to get his signature. Cole was pleased to be able to repay them on the pitch for singing his name throughout and urging him on. "The fans want to see entertainment and they got their fair share of it today with four goals. We could have played better but I think we deserved a 2-2 draw and we got the result."
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Upson backing for Zola
Hammers centre-back sounds support for boss and Green
Last updated: 26th October 2009
SSN
West Ham defender Matthew Upson claims everyone at Upton Park maintains full faith in manager Gianfranco Zola. The Hammers boss has come in for criticism following a disappointing start to the season where his side have failed to win since the opening day at Wolves. West Ham battled back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw with high-flying Arsenal on Sunday to raise morale, but they remain in the Premier League relegation zone. Zola, who took over last season, has therefore been heavily scrutinised, but Upson insists that the Hammers squad are backing their chief. "Everyone is behind the manager," said Upson. "We have been penalised for every mistake we have made this season, and it has cost us. He added: "Criticism is going to come your way, especially as a manager, and I am sure he is used to dealing with it. "We will take the criticism on the chin, do something about it and come back in a positive way for him. "I think we can take a lot of positive belief out of this. It was a display of spirit in the team, because we were down and out of it at half-time. "No-one expected us to get back in the game, but we hung in there and ground it out."
England international Upson has also praised the way his fellow World Cup hopeful and club team-mate Robert Green has come through a testing period, which saw him sent off in Ukraine. "It was really tough for him because he has waited a long time to get the England jersey. Then he came in and had a disappointment," said Upson. "That is what tests you and asks questions about your character, but I think he has been answering them."
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Zola will get it right at West Ham, says Matthew Upson
Published 23:00 26/10/09 By John Cross
The Mirror
West Ham captain Matt Upson last night promised Gianfranco Zola will come through the ultimate test of his managerial career. Under-pressure Zola is stuck second from bottom in the Premier League after a nightmare start to the campaign. But England defender Upson says West Ham's battling draw against Arsenal on Sunday shows that all of his team-mates are determined to turn things around for their manager. Upson said: "Everyone is behind the manager. We have been penalised for every half mistake we have made this season and it has cost us. "It was nice to get back in there against a class team like Arsenal and possibly go on to look like we could have won it. "Criticism is going to come your way, especially as a manager, and I am sure he is used to dealing with it. "We'll take the criticism on the chin, do something about it and come back in a positive way for him. We'll have to use it like that."
It has also been a difficult time for West Ham keeper Robert Green after a nightmare two weeks for club and country. Green was sent off in Ukraine in England's World Cup qualifier, is in danger of losing his place under Fabio Capello and made a howler of a mistake to gift Arsenal their opening goal on Sunday. But Green battled back and made a stunning injury time save to earn West Ham a point and Upson paid tribute to his England team-mate's mental strength and says he can still be number one at the World Cup.
Upson added: "It was really tough for him because he has waited a long time to get the jersey, come in and had a disappointment. "That's what tests you and asks questions about your character, but I think he has been answering them. "His head hasn't gone down, he is going to stick to what he has been doing and still has that goal of going to the World Cup and playing for England. "I can see no reason why it is going to affect him - he needs to stay mentally strong and keep his form."
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West Ham 2-2 Arsenal
ViewLondon.co.uk
West Ham came back from two goals behind to secure a 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Upton Park. Goals from Robin van Persie and William Gallas had given Arsenal a two-goal half-time lead, but Alessandra Diamanti and Carlton struck in the final 18 minutes to give the Hammers a deserved point. Arsenal looked the stronger of the two sides from the start and created their first opportunity in the first minute when Alex Song lofted a ball through to Van Persie, but he failed to connect properly with his header. Van Persie was in the action again two minutes later when he surged down the left wing, and tested West Ham keeper Robert Green with a fierce drive at the near post. Arsenal took the lead just after the quarter hour mark, and it was indeed Van Persie who got the goal at the third time of asking. Sagna's right-wing cross looked to be heading straight to Green, but he collided with James Tomkins and the Ditch international finished into an empty net. West Ham were attempting to get back into the match, but for all their approach play, they lacked a final killer ball, with only a deflected cross from Mark Noble troubling the Arsenal goal. Van Persie came close to adding a second on 26 minutes, but his glancing header from Andrei Arshavin's cross just evaded the far post. Arsenal did make it two ten minutes later, with Van Persie turning the provider. He delivered a corner from the right-hand side, and William Gallas towered above the West Ham defence to head in, despite the effort of Scott Parker on the goal line. Emmanuel Eboue came close to sealing the points for Arsenal in first-half injury time, but his low shot from just outside the penalty area was kept out by Green. Gianfranco Zola introduced Diamanti just before the hour mark and he gave his side more urgency, with two long range efforts in quick succession. On 62 minutes, Cesc Fabregas tried his luck form 30 yards but his shot went agonisingly wide.
The visitors came close again ten minutes later when Fabregas teed up Arshavin, but his 20-yard curling effort was parried away by Green. A minute later, the Hammers pulled a goal back. Diamanti's free kick was well kept out by Vito Mannone but Cole responded quickest to head in the rebound. The goal galvanised West Ham and they equalised six minutes later from the penalty spot. Song was adjudged to have clipped Cole's heels and Diamanti converted the kick leaving Mannone with no chance. West Ham's Scott Parker was harshly sent off with six minutes to go for two yellow cards; with the second caution coming after he appeared to have won the ball. That gave Arsenal the momentum and they very nearly won it in injury time when Sagna crossed for Van Persie, but his header was somehow kept out by Green from point blank range.
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Gianfranco Zola draws more pleasure from a share of the spoils
Matthew Norman
26.10.09
Evening Standard
Two gigantic questions hung over Upton Park when this fixture began, and despite much of the journey being aimless, circuitous and mind-numbingly dreary we arrived at both answers in the end.
Are Arsenal good enough to win the Premier League? No, they are not. Not without adding some reinforced steel to this squad, anyway. And are Gianfranco Zola's West Ham United bad enough to be relegated? By no means. Not, at least, while Carlton Cole maintains such imperious form.
For 75 minutes, until a third hideous goalkeeping error acted as the defibrillator paddles to get the pulse of this flatlining affair beating again, you weren't sure on either front. West Ham worked hard but without any confidence, while sluggish Arsenal were content to coast to the win seemingly guaranteed by the first-half goals gifted, to Robin van Persie and William Gallas, by Robert Green.
The goalkeeper's pitiful judgment on crosses should have him barred, by Act of Parliament, from the English net next summer. I know the alternatives, David James and Ben Foster, inspire the sort of confidence a geriatric would feel if a mischievous relative turned up for Halloween in a Harold Shipman mask, but Green was so poor that Fabio Capello is advised to give the third keeper's spot to Peter Shilton, Ray Clemence or any other once-reliable Englishman - no, Seaman, not you - the right side of 60.
Arsene Wenger hit that milestone last week, of course, and many belated happy returns for that. In all this goodwill, he'll forgive me observing that all yesterday confirmed is that there's no fool like an old fool. How often must he watch Arsenal throw away leads through headless chicken defending before he buys a defender or defensive midfielder, or both, capable of killing off games like this? Yet again, as in the Champions League on Tuesday, the lack of a couple of battle-hardened old salts cost him dear.
For Zola, the cuddliest of Premier League gaffers, justice was ultimately done, because from the start there had been very little between these teams other than Green's howlers - the first on rushing out when he should have stayed on his line, the second when he repeated that trick in reverse.
The opening half was the most lacklustre I've seen all season, largely perhaps because the usually voluble Upton Park crowd never found its voice. Small wonder the atmosphere was sepulchral though, with West Ham marooned in both the bottom three and an unending financial crisis.
For much of the second half, the quietude and passionless play continued to hint at a training session. Arsenal, lacking their usual crispness, relied on Andrey Arshavin for what sporadic creativity there was. West Ham created little, meanwhile, despite the spry efforts of Scott Parker in midfield and the controlled aggression of Carlton Cole.
No more lavish compliment can I pay the latter than that he reminded me strongly of Didier Drogba at his best, and without the nonsense. On this form Cole should be a live contender for Don Fabio's World Cup squad, and it was scant reward for a mighty performance when Vito Mannone's girly flap diverted a harmless free kick on to his head for the goal that turned the game.
Moments later, with Arsenal panicking as they always do when a lead is halved, Parker was tripped after a storming run into the Arsenal box. However, referee Chris Foy preferred to wait and reward a much weaker penalty claim, for Alex Song's innocuous challenge on the rampant Cole, by pointing spotward.
Alessandro Diamanti, a canny substitution by Zola although less so than his introduction of the highly impressive Zavon Hines, converted it adroitly. Natural justice screamed for the West Ham winner that might have come had Parker not been unluckily dismissed, to repay West Ham for doughtily battling on when all seemed lost at 0-2.
Cesc Fabregas, not at his best here, may make a better captain than the dotty Gallas, but Bligh, Birdseye, Pugwash and Sensible would all comfortably vault that hurdle too.
With Manchester United and Liverpool so much weaker than last season, Manchester City not yet the finished article, and Chelsea currently so vulnerable on their travels, this is hardly a strong Premier League. Arsenal are no more than an elder statesman or two away from being deadly serious rivals to Chelsea.
As for West Ham, they have far too much spirit and quality, and far too many weaker sides within reach at the bottom, to fret unduly about demotion. A frantic finale could not disguise that this was a leaden game of football, but if it transfuses the Hammers with the lifeblood of self-belief, as it certainly should, it will be worth more to the lovable Zola than its weight in gold.
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Players dedicate hard-fought draw with Arsenal to Gianfranco Zola
James Olley
26.10.09
Evening Standard
Matthew Upson today claimed West Ham's battling display against Arsenal proves the team are united firmly behind manager Gianfranco Zola. The Hammers came back from 2-0 down at half time to earn a draw through Carlton Cole's header and a penalty from substitute Alessandro Diamanti. Zola has been under fire owing to West Ham's failure to win a League match since the opening day of the season but Upson believes the Italian will survive his most testing period in charge. "Everyone is behind the manager," said the 30-year-old. "We have been penalised for every mistake we have made this season and it has cost us. "It was nice to get back in there against a class team like Arsenal — and we possibly could have won it. "Criticism is going to come your way, especially as a manager, and I am sure he is used to dealing with it. We'll take the criticism on the chin, do something about it and come back in a positive way for him."
Robin van Persie and William Gallas had given the Gunners a comfortable lead before the home side rallied but the Hammers needed a stunning late save from goalkeeper Robert Green to keep Arsenal at bay. Upson hailed Green's resilience after his red card for England in Ukraine. He said: "It was really tough for him because he has waited a long time to get the England jersey, come in and had a disappointment. "That's what tests you and asks questions about your character but he answered them."
Arsenal defender Gael Clichy criticised referee Chris Foy for awarding a penalty when Alex Song felled Cole, saying: "On the penalty, I am really sure it is not a foul. The referee is just in front of it and sometimes the decision goes against you. For me it wasn't a foul."
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Arsenal 2-2 West Ham: Referee more to blame than a lack of killer instinct
By Andy @ Arsenal FC Blog ⋅ October 26, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment
http://arsenalfcblog.com/arsenal-2-2-west-ham-referee-more-to-blame-than-a-lack-of-killer-instinct/
Arsenal 2 (van Persie 16, Gallas 37)
West Ham 2 (Cole 74, Diamanti pen 80)
For the second time in a week Arsenal had two points nicked away from them late on by an opponent that they should have beaten. But those of you expecting me to criticise our team for throwing the game away via complacency and an inability to put West Ham away have come to the wrong place.
The truth is that until Abou Diaby was ridiculously penalised for being bear-hugged by Zavon Hines and Carlton Cole punished Vito Mannone's poor effort, Arsenal were in complete control and playing well at Upton Park. Even then it took another appalling referring decision to see the Hammers pull level, Alex Song being harshly adjudged of bringing down Cole in the penalty area and Alessandro Diamanti scoring from the spot.
From 2-0 up and coasting it was 2-2 and in my opinion any fingers being pointed at the team for failing to kill off West Ham are extremely harsh. Until the home team's first goal we performed extremely well and good chances created by van Persie, Andrey Arshavin and Cesc Fabregas accompanied the two first-half goals. Even after being pegged back to 2-2 we should have won the game, van Persie heading straight at Robert Green with the goal gaping.
The team that started against West Ham was the same as the one that drew against Alkmaar midweek with Mannone keeping his spot in the team ahead of Manuel Almunia. I made clear my view that I felt the Spaniard should have been brought back in for the Italian at Upton Park and while it's impossible to predict whether that change would have altered the result, it's undeniable that Mannone was at fault for the opener.
I don't want to criticise the young goalkeeper too much because I feel he's done quite well overall since being brought in, but yesterday was the third blemish on his record after spilling the ball against Birmingham and allowing a header to float over him against Blackburn. With the North London derby coming up next weekend I'll say again that it's time for Almunia, our best and most experienced goalkeeper, to return.
Aside from the goalkeeper I can really only think of one person who drastically underperformed last night and that was Arsene Wenger. I felt the manager missed an opportunity to make a substitution or two to give the team a little bit more spark to the team when they were coasting around the hour mark. I thought bringing on Nicklas Bendtner, Eduardo or even Samir Nasri earlier would have helped maintain our tempo. Once West Ham got their goal though, we struggled to regain control of the match and by the time the substitutes did arrive we were very much playing a different game.
Yesterday's result was perhaps made worse by the fact that Manchester United lost to Liverpool and a win would have given us the opportunity to use our game in hand to move to the top of the table. As it was, after being 2-0 up this was a hard result to take and the sort of which desperately needs to be avoided as the season progresses. Conceding late to Alkmaar is unlikely to stop us from winning the Champions League but dropping more points in the manner that we did against West Ham will almost certainly prevent us from winning the Premiership.
As much as I am frustrated about last night's game – and believe me, I am – I still don't think the team should be overly criticised for their efforts. As painful as it was to see the points snatched away from us, it was much more the referee's poor performance that contributed to the result than any complacency or lack of a killer instinct by our own players.
A big week awaits with Liverpool in the Carling Cup and Tottenham in the league. Just how will our boys respond?
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