WHUFC.com
Left-back Herita Ilunga is eager to return to winning ways when Sunderland visit this weekend
03.04.2009
Herita Ilunga is determined to return to winning ways this weekend. The DR Congo left-back has been in impressive form in recent weeks, forming part of a West Ham United back-four that has conceded just one goal in its last four Premier League matches. However, the last two of those fixtures have ended in draws, with a goalless home stalemate with West Bromwich Albion being followed by a 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers a fortnight ago. As such, Ilunga has told Saturday's official matchday programme of his intention to secure all three points against the Black Cats for the second time this season, having won 1-0 at the Stadium of Light in November. "They're a good team, the match up there was not easy. They have a strong striker in [Kenwyne] Jones, and [Djibril] Cisse is a threat. Jones wins a lot of high balls and we have to be first to the second balls. "We need to win. The last home game we dropped two points so we have to continue winning games, especially at home, if we want to stay where we are."
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Sunderland in sight
WHUFC.com
Gianfranco Zola is hoping for another key victory over Sunderland on Saturday
02.04.2009
When West Ham United met Sunderland on 23 November earlier in the season they were on a run of seven matches without defeat and sitting just a few points outside the relegation zone.
Valon Behrami's first goal for the club was enough to separate the teams that day and is has been onwards and upwards for Gianfranco Zola's side ever since. Their resurgence in form has seen them climb to eighth in the Barclays Premier League and completion of a league 'double' over Sunderland would further the Hammers' claim as contenders for a UEFA Europa League place this season.
"That day [the game against Sunderland] has been crucial because it could have gone the other way and from what I remember it wasn't a pretty game. Certainly we didn't play our best football but it was vital to win and we did," Zola said.
"I remember that day. It was really, really difficult for us because we were two points above the relegation zone and that was the closest we've been to that point. The team reacted very well and, from that moment, the team has built up, especially defensively, a kind of strength that has enabled us to turn things around."
Zola will welcome back Matthew Upson, James Collins and Savio to the fold but will have to do without the injured Carlton Cole, who picked up a groin problem representing England on Saturday. Although frustrated that the injury occurred while Cole was on national service, Zola, who is looking to extend his side's unbeaten run to five games on Saturday. stressed how important he feels it is for his players to play for their countries.
"I think we are talking about six weeks, so he'll be missing a few games that are important for us but hopefully we'll have him before the end. I'm very sorry for him, he is a player that has been very important for us and very influential so not to have him could be very costly for us but what can I do?"
"You play for your country and in football I don't think there is a bigger achievement than that so I could never prevent anybody to do that. He could have done the same playing for West Ham. It's a pity but he's just been unlucky, simple as that."
With Zola being a virtual veteran now when compared to the Premier League's latest new manager, Alan Shearer, he looked back on his experiences of management so far.
"I'm still very young to give advice. The only thing is that in football there are good moments and bad moments and you need to keep the philosophy throughout all the moments. You don't need to change because of the results. If you manage to keep your idea and your mind through everything that goes against you, I'm sure you'll do well.
"Sometimes things can change so quickly. Look at us. We were two points from the third relegation place and we had to play Sunderland and Liverpool away and I don't think anybody would bet a penny on us. From that moment it changed. You have to have a clear idea of what you want and you work on it."
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Trio ready for action
WHUFC.com
James Tomkins, Freddie Sears and Junior Stanislas all hope to get more valuable match-time on Saturday
03.04.2009
James Tomkins, Freddie Sears and Junior Stanislas were all part of a winning England Under-20 team on Tuesday night, but their focus has very much switched back to domestic issues and the visit of Sunderland to the Boleyn Ground on Saturday. Tomkins has started the last five games for West Ham United but Gianfranco Zola has an embarrassment of riches in central defence as Matthew Upson and James Collins are back in contention after returning from injury. The 20-year-old Tomkins, who has been an integral part of a Hammers' defence that has conceded just once in the last four games, is hoping the side can continue their push for a European place with a win.
"We need to get as many points now as possible now coming into the end of the season," Tomkins said. "Our target now is to get that seventh spot and Saturday is a massive game and we can get a victory," Stanislas made his debut from the bench in West Ham's last home game against West Bromwich Albion and, after scoring a hat-trick in a recent friendly against Chelsea, is hoping for another taste of the unique Boleyn Ground atmosphere against Ricky Sbragia's side. He said: "I'll probably be on the bench but any minutes I get will be good for me so hopefully I'll get on and all goes well" Freddie Sears also started that game and with Carlton Cole ruled out for an estimated six weeks, the door for Sears remains very much open. "It's a massive game as we need three points because we're looking for the seventh place so we'll go out there and we'll try to beat them."
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Win double for youths
WHUFC.com
Two West Ham United Academy sides secured victories over Japanese touring teams on Thursday
02.04.2009
West Ham United's Academy secured a win double over two Japanese touring teams at Little Heath on Thursday.
With the Hammers' youth teams without league fixtures this weekend, a select College squad from the city of Osaka visited West Ham as part of a tour of England that also saw them take on Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the week.
A mixed Under-15/16 team beat their Japanese opponents 6-1, while a mixed Under-16/17 side overcame the visitors 7-1. Despite the one-sided appearance of the scorelines, Academy director Tony Carr said both matches had been competitive affairs.
"The scores suggest the matches were fairly easy but that was not the case in either game," he said. "The fixtures gave us a chance to blood a few younger players and also look at a few trialists. They were good workouts for our boys, as we have not got any league games this weekend. The matches were certainly preferable to training."
Thursday's matches came about through contacts Carr had made during the Academy's successful trip to the Hong Kong Sevens tournament last summer.
"I knew the coach of the Japanese sides and he was delighted to have the opportunity to bring his players to Little Heath. They had been on tour in England and had already played matches at Tottenham and a couple of other clubs.
"As you would expect from a Japanese side, their players were very fit but they struggled a bit with the aggression and pace of the English game. We caused them all sorts of problems from set-pieces, but the matches were still a good exercise for our players."
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Travel update for Saturday
WHUFC.com
Supporters travelling to the Sunderland game by tube or train could have their journey disrupted
03.04.2009
Fans travelling to Saturday's Barclay's Premier League game with Sunderland by train or tube could have their journeys affected due to planned closures.
Engineering works will take place on the c2c line this Saturday. A full service will operate with some minor retimings to services between Barking and Upminster. Only services from London are affected by these retimings. Services via Ockendon will depart three minutes earlier from Fenchurch Street, Limehouse, West Ham and Barking.
The District line will be suspended between Embankment and Upminster. Two rail replacement bus services operate. Service A will operate between Barking and Dagenham East, Upney, Becontree and Dagenham Heathway. Service B will operate between Barking and Upminster, calling at Dagenham East, Elm Park, Hornchurch and Upminster Bridge.
The Circle line will also be completely suspended, while there is no Central line between Liverpool Street and Leytonstone.
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West Ham v Sunderland
PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 4 April Kick-off: 1500 BST
Coverage: Score updates on Final Score, BBC Sport website and BBC Radio 5 Live; live text commentary on BBC Sport website; Highlights on Match of the Day
BBC.co.uk
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West Ham striker Carlton Cole has a groin injury and will miss the match. Scott Parker (groin) and Radoslav Kovac (thigh) may both play despite injury, and central defenders Matthew Upson and James Collins are back in contention.
Sunderland welcome back Kieran Richardson from suspension but George McCartney (calf) is an injury doubt. Black Cats boss Ricky Sbragia will give late fitness tests to Kenwyne Jones and Carlos Edwards, who did not get back from international duty until Friday.
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West Ham (from): Green, Neill, Tomkins, Spector, Ilunga, Noble, Parker, Kovac, Boa Morte, Lopez, Tristan, Payne, Di Michele, Dyer, Lastuvka, Sears, N'Gala, Stanislas, Upson, Collins, Savio.
Sunderland (from): Fulop, Gordon, Bardsley, Ferdinand, Ben-Haim, Collins, Nosworthy, McCartney, McShane, Edwards, Malbranque, Whitehead, Leadbitter, Richardson, Reid, Murphy, Jones, Healy, Cisse.
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West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola: "That day was crucial (West Ham's 1-0 win over Sunderland in November). "Things could have gone the other way. It wasn't pretty, we didn't play our best football, but it was vital to win. "From then we built up strength, especially defensively, which has allowed us to turn things around."
Sunderland manager Ricky Sbragia: We cannot afford to lose the game. It is hugely important but we have to be more adventurous, we have to try to cause them problems. "The longer we go without a win, the more nervous people will get. "I'd be happy to get out with a game to spare - we don't want to be going into our last game of the season, against Chelsea, knowing we need something."
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Dyer targets next season
Hammers midfielder hoping fans will soon see best of him
By Richard Bailey Last updated: 3rd April 2009
SSN
Kieron Dyer is hopeful that West Ham fans will see the best of him next season as he continues to build up his match fitness over the coming weeks. The 33-capped England international has suffered from a number of serious injuries during his career and that has continued to be the case during his time at the Hammers. The midfielder has played just three times this season and stacked up a total of six appearances since he signed from Newcastle in August 2007 for £6million. Dyer's ability has never been in doubt and the 30-year-old, after coming off the bench against Blackburn, is hoping he can string a number of games together before the end of the season in preparation for next term. "I honestly believe I can bring some more pace to the side," he told the club's official website. "If I can get a few more run-outs before the end of the season, then next season will hopefully be the one where everyone will see the real me. "Hopefully I can get a few more minutes on the pitch maybe this weekend against Sunderland and then matches here and there, perhaps doing a full 90 minutes in the last couple of games. "That would really gear me up and then if I can get a good pre-season under my belt and touch wood, I think I am due some luck, have a good run in the team next season."
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West Ham v Sunderland preview
Hammers' Euro hopes hit by injury to top scorer
By Ben Collins Last updated: 3rd April 2009
SSN
PREDICTIONS
Skysports.com prediction: 2-0
SKYBET odds: West Ham evens Draw 11/5 Sunderland 3/1
One to Watch: David Di Michele
West Ham will have to do without star striker Carlton Cole as they aim to step up their European push against Sunderland on Saturday. The Hammers are joint-seventh with Wigan and seven points off the top six after a four-match unbeaten run but have been shorn of the services of their top scorer for most of the season run-in. Cole is set to be out for six weeks after suffering a groin injury while winning his second England cap in Saturday's 4-0 friendly win over Slovakia. Influential midfielder Scott Parker also has a groin problem but is expected to play in a game in which Sunderland are hoping for a vast improvement. The Black Cats have slipped back to within touching distance of the bottom three after claiming just two points from the last 15 on offer.
Top scorer Djibril Cisse was also arrested in the early hours of Monday morning after an incident outside a Newcastle lap-dancing club. But manager Ricky Sbragia insists Cisse has looked focused in training this week and is ready to lead the line for Sunderland at Upton Park. Besides Cole, the hosts also have fitness concerns over Radoslav Kovac (thigh), although central defenders Matthew Upson and James Collins are both fit again. Savio Nsereko has recovered from a minor knee injury and could return in place of Luis Boa Morte, although Kieron Dyer (calf) is pushing for his first start of the season after recovering from his latest injury setback. Sunderland cannot call upon defender Calum Davenport as he is on loan from the Hammers.
Although George McCartney's red card in the 1-0 defeat at Manchester City last time out has been rescinded, the full-back is doubtful after suffering a calf injury in Northern Ireland's win over Slovenia on Wednesday. Sbragia will also give Kenwyne Jones and Carlos Edwards late fitness checks after they appeared for Trinidad & Tobago against the USA. Kieran Richardson could replace Edwards in the starting line-up as the winger is back from suspension, although Andy Reid is also in contention for a recall in midfield. Goalkeeper Craig Gordon is pushing for a return after playing for Scotland in midweek while defender Nyron Nosworthy is back in the squad after coming through a reserve game on Thursday.
Possible starting XIs
West Ham: Green, Neill, Tomkins, Upson, Ilunga, Noble, Kovac, Parker, Boa Morte, Di Michele, Tristan.
Sunderland: Fulop, Bardsley, Ferdinand, Collins, McCartney, Malbranque, Whitehead, Leadbitter, Richardson, Jones, Cisse.
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West Ham rue losing their most important player
Friday, 03 April 2009 15:30 Rating
Footballtalentspotter.com
Is it a blessing or a curse when your players get an England call-up? It's a matter between the head and the heart. The heart wants to see all our players rampaging around Wembley in that snazzy new England kit. It's why West Ham fans have been vocal against Robert Green's lack of recognition and why we've beamed at Matt Upson's recent contribution. It's why we'd love to see Mark Noble and James Tomkins follow in his footsteps in the next few seasons. I can remember the bad old days when we didn't have any England players. Now, it's a great source of pride whenever our English contingent makes the grade.
From the club's point of view, an England cap also makes our players - and the club itself - more marketable. Carlton Cole's inclusion in the last two England squads - for example - probably put a couple of million quid on his value. Unfortunately, his brief England appearance last Saturday cost us much more - namely, his services for the remainder of the season. At this point - and forgive me for being melodramatic for the sake of clumsily extending this metaphor - our heart has been broken. I know there are still a lot of Carlton haters around despite the fact he's had a tremendous TWO seasons at Upton Park, but I'll say it again: he's our most important player (along with Green and closely followed by Upson). If Dean Ashton was fit, Carlton might be dispensable. But Ashton is never fit. Not since he suffered a career-shattering injury - guess where, on England duty. And this is where the head has its say. If none of our players received England call-ups, we'd have fewer injury problems.
Of course, I'm not suggesting I don't want our players in the England team. It's the ultimate mark of success. But in Cole's case, it appeared he aggravated an existing injury. Do West Ham really want him playing in an England friendly when he's not fully fit? Whatever the answer to that, Cole's injury means we now face a very tough task to clinch seventh spot. Could it be time for Savio to finally step up to the plate?
We looked pitifully toothless in Cole's absence in the last two matches. Should Zola persist with Tristan for the sake of having a target man? Or do we revert to Plan B: unleash raw, pacy youngsters like Savio, Sears and Stanislas and keep the ball on the floor? It sure didn't work against West Brom recently. This could be also be a chance for Kieron Dyer and Luis Boa Morte - an experienced duo who still have everything to prove to Hammers fans - to make their mark. Whatever Zola decides, I think we have to beat Sunderland to stand any chance of taking seventh place. It's a massive game. And personally, it means much more to me than any England qualifier ever will.
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Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand relishing return to old club West Ham
Anton Ferdinand is relishing the prospect of going back to his West Ham roots on Saturday for the first time since his £8 million transfer to Sunderland last summer.
Telegraph
By Rob Stewart
Last Updated: 6:32PM BST 03 Apr 2009
"I'm looking forward to playing there again," Ferdinand said. "I've got a lot of friends there - people that have watched me grow up - and I'm sure they are looking forward to me coming back. As for the fans, I'm sure they will always have a special place in my heart because I grew up there and I used to sit in the stands with them watching Rio. I was one of them. Sacking Gareth Southgate 'not magic wand' says Middlesbrough's Steve Gibson"Even a couple of times when I was injured at away games I would sit among the fans. I'm sure I showed West Ham fans on more than one occasion that, regardless of what happened whenever I put that shirt on, I gave 100 per cent. "But Sunderland is a new chapter in my life and I'm giving everything to Sunderland."
The centre-half, 24, spent 15 years at Upton Park before upping sticks to move to the Stadium of Light in an attempt to revitalise his career. "I had been at West Ham for 15 years and I loved ever single minute of my time there but it was time for a change," he added. "People seem to forget that I grew up there. I joined at the age of nine and people there saw me turn from a boy into a young man. But I thought it was time for change for football reasons. "Rio recommended Sunderland to me because he saw the same thing happening to him as happened to me. It was comfort zone at West Ham, and I was going a bit stale because you think you'll be in the team when you don't play well. There was the need for a change."
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Zola: Youngsters have it too easy
Published: 03/04/2009
Itv.com
West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola has backed Frank Lampard's view that young players have it too easy - and he feels they should be cleaning boots like he did back in Sardinia. The Hammers use their youth players as ballboys on matchdays and Zola feels it is right they are given tasks as part of their apprenticeship. "It is not just this country, and there is a downside to it," Zola said. "Young players get things too easily and it makes them weaker. "The more difficult tasks you have in front of you the tougher you become. It's something that has to be considered for the future. "People said to me when I was young that I had to clean the boots because when I was older someone would do it for me - now I am older and I'm still cleaning the boots."
The 42-year-old did not just clean one pair of boots when he started at Nuorese Calcio - he had to polish the footwear for the whole team. "When I was an apprentice for a team in the third division in Sardinia, I used to clean all of them, not just one," he said. "It was a good lesson. Playing the game is not just about scoring goals, education is just as important." Zola went to Napoli later in his career when he was in the same squad as Diego Maradona. "For Maradona I would clean his boots now," Zola said.
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French flop Faubert not Real deal
Sport.co.uk
Author: Andrew Allen
Posted on: 03 April 2009 - 10:13 PM
West Ham flop Julien Faubert is being sent packing by Real Madrid after the Spanish club rejected the chance to make his loan move permanent. The France international stunned most of the watching world by securing a switch to Real in January, despite a series of dire performances during his time at Upton Park.And having featured for just 30 minutes and two touches of the ball during a recent match against Racing Santander, Faubert has been told he has no future at the Bernabeu beyond the end of the season. "Officially, nobody has said anything to me but I know that I am not in the plans of the coach," he said. I arrived at Real Madrid with a positive frame of mind but I didn't get the opportunity to play. "That's what happens in football sometimes."
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ANTON: I OWE MY CAREER TO HAMMERS
The Mirror
Simon Bird 4/04/2009
W Ham v Sunderland, today, 3pm
Anton Ferdinand returns to West Ham today insisting he still "loves" the Hammers. The defender quit Gianfranco Zola's side in the summer when Sunderland paid £8million for his signature but he remains a fan, and grateful for making his debut there aged 18. He said: "I will never forget West Ham and never stop loving that club because they gave me my chance in football. "They were excellent for me and it is going to be very emotional tomorrow, but I am going there to do a job and take the three points.
If we do that, I'll be very happy." "I'm looking forward to it. West Ham and Man United were the first two fixtures I looked for when I joined Sunderland. I'm going back to the club I grew up at and the club I love. The 24-year-old says Sunderland should be up with West Ham, not fighting relegation, and added: "Zola is getting the best out of West Ham and has brought them stability. "I speak to quite a few of the boys and they love his ways and what he is doing with the club. A lot of them are very happy." It was late November when Zola's men travelled to the Stadium Of Light on the back of seven matches without a win, with the Italian starting to the feel the pressure in his rookie season as a Premier League manager. Zola, 42, views that win as a watershed, with the Hammers going on to earn a point at Anfield in a run of 27 points from 17 matches. "That day was crucial," Zola said. "We didn't play our best football, but it was vital to win. "From then we built up strength, especially defensively, which allowed us to turn things around."
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