WHUFC.com
Alex Dyer's youngsters won two and lost one on the first day of the Hong
Kong soccer sevens on Saturday
30.05.2009
West Ham United performed well on Saturday in the Hong Kong FC IP Global
Soccer Sevens tournament.
Reserve-team manager Alex Dyer has travelled with a youthful squad to the
tournament being staged at the home of Hong Kong FC in Happy Valley this
weekend. Bondz N'Gala is captaining the West Ham side, with he and Hungary
Under-21 goalkeeper Peter Kurucz the most experienced of the Hammers
contingent. The rest of the squad includes Ashley Miller, Matthew Fry,
Callum McNaughton, Conor Okus, Oliver Lee, Nick Barrett, Daniel Kearns and
Anthony Edgar.
Competing in Group B, the Hammers were 3-0 winners against an Hong Kong FC
Captain's Select in the first game, with Edgar on target twice before Miller
rounded out the scoring. The Hammers repeated the same scoreline against
Sheffield FC - this time Edgar, Miller and Lee found the net.
In humid conditions, they then came unstuck against the Australian Institute
of Sport Under-18s, going down to a 1-0 scoreline. That defeat confirmed the
runners-up spot and means that Dyer's side will take on Scottish side
Rangers in the first quarter-final to be staged on Sunday - with a chance
still of taking the overall cup competition.
* Jordan Spence was an unused substitute as England U19s won 4-1 against
Slovakia on Friday night in their second game of the four-nation
mini-tournament being held in Bradford. The group winners will qualify for
July's UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Ukraine with the Young Lions
facing a decisive fixture with Scotland, who are level with the hosts on six
points, in Sheffield on Monday. Jack Collison played 80 minutes for Wales in
a 1-0 home friendly win against Estonia in Llanelli on the same night.
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Hammers off to a flyer
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 30th May 2009
By: Staff Writer
Alex Dyer's young Hammers are through to the knockout phase of the Hong Kong
Sevens after finishing runners-up in their group.
The youngsters earned their place in the next stage thanks to 3-0 wins
against HKFC Captains' Select and Sheffield United before going down to a
1-0 defeat against the Australian Institute of Sport, a result which saw the
Hammers finish the group in second spot.
That meant United will face the winners of Group A - the highly-fancied
Glasgow Rangers - in tomorrow's quarter final.
Anthony Edgar (2) and Ashley Miller got the Hammers off to a great start in
their opening 3-0 win against the Hong Kong Captain's Select - with Edgar
looking particularly impressive.
Edgar and Miller were on target again in West Ham's next match against
Sheffield United as the Irons won comfortably thanks to three goals the
space of four first half minutes (the other coming from Oliver Lee,
accompanied at the tournament by father Rob who briefly played for the
Hammers in 2004).
Despite a spirited comeback from the Blades in the second half Peter Kurcuz
and his defence stood firm to hold out for a 3-0 win - a victory that put
the Hammers in pole position in their group.
However they were to find themselves overhauled by the Australian
Institute's under 18s in the final group game after going down 1-0 in a
closely fought affair. Goalless at the break, the Aussies notched the only
goal of the game midway through the second half which was enough for them to
top the group and face a potentially less difficult quarter final tie.
We'll have more for you from the tournament tomorrow.
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Boa Morte earns surprise recall
West Ham winger back for Portugal after three-year absence
By Ben Collins Last updated: 30th May 2009
SSN
West Ham winger Luis Boa Morte has been recalled to the Portugal squad for
the first time in three years. The 31-year-old was a surprise inclusion by
coach Carlos Queiroz for their upcoming World Cup qualifier against Albania
and a friendly against Estonia. Boa Morte last played for Portugal in a 2006
World Cup group game against Mexico and is one of six Premier League players
in a 24-man squad. It's a great pleasure to return to the national team and
I will do everything I can to respond to the vote of confidence this
represents," Boa Morte told www.fpf.pt. Chelsea trio Jose Bosingwa, Ricardo
Carvalho, and Deco are also included, along with Manchester United pair
Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani. Queiroz has freshened up his squad for the
crucial game away to Albania on 6th June, when his side will aim to end a
run of four games without a win, which has left them battling to qualify for
the World Cup. Portugal are seven points adrift of Denmark and Hungary in
Group One and have five games remaining. They then travel to Tallinn for the
Estonia friendly on 10th June.
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Brooking: 'they'd love me to disappear'
By Glenn Moore
The independent
Sunday, 31 May 2009
Ian Watmore, the Football Association's new chief executive, reports for his
first day at work tomorrow with Trevor Brooking hoping he arrives on a white
charger.
The FA's director of football development is putting his faith in Watmore's
support after receiving another snub by the game's power-brokers. Lords
Triesman and Mawhinney, the respective chairmen of the FA and Football
League, have increasingly sought to marginalise Brooking in a long-running
dispute over the funding and training of players and coaches. In the latest
development, Brooking has been left in the dark over an apparent deal
between the pair and Sir Dave Richards, chairman of the Premier League. Lord
Mawhinney revealed that he and Richards were "delighted" at a "fundamental
agreement that the FA cannot and should not do coaching [of players] – that
is the clubs' job". Mawhinney added: "The FA are to train the coaches and
maintain coach standards. The FA will be, in effect, a teacher training
college. Then those teachers will do the teaching [at clubs]."
This was news to Brooking, who Mawhinney attempted to remove from his post
following a public spat in November. The former West Ham United and England
midfielder has incurred the Football League's wrath for seeking an audit
trail for the £8m the FA hand over to clubs annually for youth development.
The clubs insist they can self-regulate this but Brooking said: "The Prime
Minister announced only this month that 'self-regulation is unacceptable in
the modern world'. There has to be independent accountability and
transparency." Brooking added: "Does this mean coach and player development
are in the hands of the three chairmen? Because at executive level there is
no technical input."
Brooking promised to continue fighting to raise the technical standards of
young footballers. "They would love me to disappear. They tried to do it in
November. The technical people, and public, supported me."
One of Watmore's sons spent several years in Manchester United's youth
development scheme. Brooking said: " I know he is interested in the subject
and it will be one of the first issues he'll have to deal with as the
National Football Centre [where Brooking wants to train elite five to
16-year-olds, as the French do at Clairefontaine] is wrapped up in it. I
can't believe coming from a government department he'll be happy at the lack
of transparency. This is FA money."
Brooking believes it is illogical for the Football League, in particular, to
believe the FA should concentrate only on providing coaches when there is no
mandatory requirement for League clubs to appoint qualified staff. He is
also concerned at the lack of qualifications held by many staff at
academies.
In the past five years both the Technical Control Board, and its successor
the Youth Development Group, have been disbanded. Concern within the FA at
the lack of progress and accountability is such that FA councillors have
forced the subject on the agenda for the FA's summer meeting.
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BIRMINGHAM WANT LEE BOWYER
West Ham star would join City on a free
30/05/2009
News Of The World
LEE BOWYER is close to joining Birmingham on a free transfer from West Ham.
The 32-year-old midfielder played a key role in helping the Blues win
promotion and boss Alex McLeish admitted: "We are hoping to sign Lee. "We
are just waiting on answers from him."
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Arsenal and Tottenham on alert as West Ham's Green turns down contract
31.05.09 | Ian Ferris
West Ham United keeper Rob Green has turned down a contract extension offer,
according to The Daily Star. It is thought that the stopper is one of the
Hammers lowest earners in the first-team squad as he is still tied to the
deal he was handed when he signed from Norwich City in 2006. The Irons, it
is claimed, have offered him around £35,000-a-week, but the 29-year-old is
holding out for closer to £50,000-a-week.
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Green wants parity with West Ham's top earners
31.05.09 | tribalfootball.com
Robert Green wants to be placed among the best paid players at West Ham. The
Daily Star says Green has turned down the offer of a new contract at West
Ham. Green has been locked in talks with the Hammers over the past few
months aimed at tying him to a long-term contract at Upton Park. But England
star Green has snubbed the initial offer put on the table and believes he
deserves a deal which would rank him among the highest paid at the club.
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