WHUFc.com
James Tomkins firmly believes West Ham United can upset free-scoring Arsenal on Sunday afternoon
25.10.2009
James Tomkins is relishing the prospect of shackling the Barclays Premier League's most potent attacking force on Sunday. Visitors Arsenal have netted 40 goals in just 14 matches in all competitions this season, including 27 in just eight league matches, but West Ham United's England Under-21 defender is ready to rise to the challenge. Dutch striker Robin van Persie has flourished in his new lone-striker role in Arsene Wenger's free-flowing system, while the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Andrey Arshavin have also been in scintillating form this term. However, the 20-year-old says the Hammers are fully prepared to shoot down the free-scoring Gunners this weekend. "They're a good footballing side and we're going to have to be on our game to get a result, but we're confident we can do that. "They're very good and obviously have some world-class players, but we do well against the bigger sides. We play good football and will try and play our way and concentrate ourselves more than the opposition, but we're aware of how good they are. We're confident."
West Ham are without a league success since the opening-day win at Wolverhampton Wanderers, but Tomkins insists that everyone at the club is feeling upbeat ahead of Sunday's London derby. That positive outlook, said the youngster, stems from the inspirational approach of manager Gianfranco Zola and first-team coach Steve Clarke. "The manager has been brilliant with the lads. He's such a calm man. He's a lovely man and a nice fella and he's really confident all the time. He says that he knows that results aren't going our way but that we'll turn it around. "He gives us the confidence that we need instead of saying that we're struggling. He's not like that. He builds you up and Steve does as well and it's important that you have characters like that around."
To beat Arsenal, Tomkins and his defensive cohorts will have to keep the Barclays Premier League's most powerful attacking force at bay. Among those hitting the heights for the Gunners are two men from the Low Countries - Dutchman van Persie and Belgium defender Thomas Vermaelen, both of whom have netted five goals already this term.
"Van Persie has got a new role and he is doing that well this season and will be a great test for me and Matty Upson at the back to deal with him. It will be a good experience for me as a young player to play against a player of his calibre. "As for Vermaelen, set plays are something we're trying to improve on as we're conceding more from them than we did last season. We did well in the last game against set plays and we need to build on that because games are won and lost on them. "It's something we need to touch on as it will be a threat, but we're also a threat from set plays as well."
When asked if he ever doubted that the Hammers would pull themselves clear of the relegation zone, Tomkins echoed the positive sentiments of his manager, stating unequivocally that the club's upward motion would begin sooner rather than later. "We're creating chances and playing well on the pitch. Against Stoke, we played so well and had a lot of possession. That showed how well we're playing and keeping the ball. If we can do that against a lot of teams then we've got a chance. "We need to start worrying if we weren't playing too well, but that's not the case. We're playing well and everyone is confident results are going to change."
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Loan quintet in action
WHUFc.com
It was a busy afternoon for West Ham United's loanees on Saturday
24.10.2009
West Ham United's quintet of young loanees were all in action on a busy Saturday afternoon in the Coca-Cola Football League. Midfielder Josh Payne made a match-winning debut for League One high-fliers Colchester United in the Essex outfit's 2-1 victory over Walsall. Payne played for 70 minutes at the Weston Homes Community Stadium, winning the U's decisive 61st-minute penalty, which was converted by Kevin Lisbie after the 18-year-old had been fouled by Mark Hughes. In the same division, defender Matt Fry enjoyed a fruitful afternoon on his second appearance for Gillingham. The 19-year-old played the full 90 minutes as the Gills secured a fine 1-1 draw with second-placed Charlton Athletic at the Priestfield Stadium. Colchester are third in the standings, while Gillingham are in 16th place. In the Championship, Freddie Sears played the opening 34 minutes of Crystal Palace's 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest at Selhurst Park before being replaced by substitute Victor Moses. Early reports suggest the striker may have suffered a groin injury. Palace's point left them 14th in the table ahead of the early-evening kick-off between Derby County and QPR. Iceland Under-21 defender Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson completed a full 90 minutes for the first time since joining League Two side Cheltenham Town. The 19-year-old helped the Robins to a respectable 1-1 draw at Port Vale, although Eyjolfsson was booked for a 79th-minute foul on Robert Taylor. Finally, forward Anthony Edgar was introduced as a 70th-minute substitute for AFC Bournemouth in their 3-1 home victory over Grimsby Town at Dean Court. Edgar had scored for Bournemouth's reserves in midweek. Bournemouth remain top of the table, while Cheltenham sit 20th.
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West Ham United owners to seek fresh investment
The owners of West Ham United will next week appoint Rothschild and Standard Bank to seek new investment into the Premier League club.
Telegraph.co.uk
By Jason Burt
Published: 9:23PM BST 24 Oct 2009
At the same time CB Holdings, whose majority shareholder is the Icelandic bank Straumur, have renegotiated the terms of a loan facility at the club, thought to be around £30 million, which they hope will place it on a more sound financial footing. As part of that deal it's understood that Straumur are preparing to make fresh investment themselves. It's hoped that the appointment of Rothschild and Standard – who have been given a joint mandate – will lead to a new strategic investor being found. West Ham and Portsmouth takeovers to move a step closerThat investor will take a stake and may, eventually, want to acquire overall control of the club in a change of ownership. West Ham chairman Andrew Bernhardt, who was appointed by Straumur, has fielded numerous inquiries about the club and has now decided to appoint professional advisers to investigate the possibilities. He said this approach is the best for the club's long-term future having held – so far – discussions with a number of parties including the former Birmingham City co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold. West Ham have also played down an approach from Jim Bowe, a former Wall Street financier turned chief executive of Intermarket Group. West Ham are 19th in the Premier League and entertain Arsenal on Sunday.
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West Ham can play our way out of trouble, says Gianfranco Zola
We want to play Arsenal's kind of football, says Hammers manager
Zola says his team 'will come out of this situation brilliantly'
guardian.co.uk, Friday 23 October 2009 16.01 BST Article history
Gianfranco Zola will continue to try to make his West Ham United side play like Arsenal even if they find themselves bottom of the Premier League following the Sunday's London derby. The West Ham manager, whose side have won just one league match this season, refuses to ditch his attacking principles and admits he has modelled his managerial style on the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger. A defeat at home to the Gunners on Sunday could leave West Ham propping up the league and ratchet up the pressure on Zola after just 18 months in the job. Zola said: "He [Wenger] is the manager I look up to very much. I like the style of football he plays and we want to get to the point when we play that kind of football. We want to follow the same policy. They work with young players and they make them better. That is our project and I admire him very much. "He's got a lot of players and keeps them all motivated. I also like the strength of his character. He's been through difficult moments but he never changes his attitude towards the game. He always plays attacking football and never changes his mind."
Zola's side have not won a league game since the first match of the season. They have played eight, won one, drawn two and lost five, an identical start to the 2002‑03 season, when they were last relegated. The coincidence is not lost on Zola. "I know it hasn't been a good start and I question myself all the time. I look at the group, the way they train and if they keep doing so with the same attitude they will not have a problem. They will come out of this situation brilliantly. That's my thought and I hope I'm right. "This game is about psychology. It is important we get some points. We are not far away from where we want but we need results. We need the comfort back of getting points. The table is very tight. If you end up winning two games you might find yourself in the middle of the table. Don't be surprised if things change quickly."
Zola admits he is a "worrier" and has lost the odd night's sleep at a club with financial problems which has seen them cash in on 10 senior players since June 2008. "I don't like to let myself down," he said. "I have had downfalls in my career but I always knew I was going to bounce back. That is what is going to happen now. "It is difficult because I care about these players and about this club. To see them in this situation hurts me."
Scott Parker is likely to return after serving a one-match suspension for picking up five yellow cards and Danny Gabbidon is pushing to start after recovering from a calf problem.
Meanwhile, the midfielder Jack Collison insisted the dressing room was firmly behind Zola. Collison said: "He's the same as always, enthusiastic, cheerful and hard-working. He comes in every day with a smile on his face and he gets a kick out of trying to improve us as a team. "He knows when he has to be hard on us when we haven't played well and he knows when he has to tell us how it is. There are other times when he is good at motivating us and making sure we keep our heads up. He hasn't let things get to him. "He's very approachable, which is great to have, particularly in the situation we are in. He's very hands-on, which is what we need right now."
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West Ham United v Arsenal
ESPN
Updated: October 24, 2009, 2:03 PM UK
Scott Parker returns for West Ham against Arsenal on Sunday, after serving a one-match suspension for picking up five yellow cards. Danny Gabbidon hopes to start after recovering from a calf problem, and Kieron Dyer (hamstring) could be in the squad. Dean Ashton (ankle), Luis Boa Morte (knee) and Calum Davenport( leg) are all long-term absentees. Gianfranco Zola wants to make the Hammers so attractive that a billionaire will dig deep into his pockets and put the club on a firm financial footing. He wants to start the process of luring a big-money benefactor by beating Arsenal in the London derby at Upton Park afternoon to spark a climb up the Premier League table. He said: "I would love to see more tranquility around this club. We dealt very well with the problems last year because we focused on the pitch and made things much easier for everybody.
"If you make things happen on the football pitch then everything becomes easier. If we play like we can maybe a billionaire can come and buy us, anything can happen. It is all about playing football well and getting points.''
Zola makes it sound simple but it has been anything but for his West Ham team, who have not won a league match since beating Wolves on the opening day of the season.
To make matters worse the Hammers are in financial meltdown. Their future remains uncertain as Straumur, the stricken Icelandic bank which owns them, strives desperately to find new investment. The asking price is £100million. Debts are reported at anywhere between £40-50million. If a new owner is not found soon almost certainly Zola will have to raise cash by selling more top stars to go along with the 10 senior professionals who have been sold since June 2008. The little Italian, however, is not fazed by his first traumatic time in management. True, he admits to a few sleepless nights and he insists he will not be changing his philosophy of attacking, fluent football at all cost. But if he is frantically paddling beneath the water line then it does not show as he wears an almost permanent grin. He says: "There are clubs in the league which have much bigger debts than us. As far as I know the owners of the club believe in what we are doing. "We want to keep the best players and I know exactly what I have to do and I'm doing my best.''
Arsenal expect to have both Croatia striker Eduardo (groin) and Nicklas Bendtner (groin) available for the trip to West Ham on Sunday. Winger Tomas Rosicky (knee) will miss out and Theo Walcott is set for around a month on the sidelines following knee medial ligament damage. Samir Nasri, who broke his leg during pre-season, and goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski (knee) are both close to a first-team return, but midfielder Denilson (back) and centre-half Johan Djourou (knee) remain out. Arsene Wenger has plenty of sympathy for Zola, as the West Ham manager continues to battle against problems caused by the credit crunch. Arsenal are proud of their self-sustaining business model, built around the 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium which, so far, has seen them not need to rely solely on the financial input of one individual. The Hammers, though, are one of several Premier League clubs whose owners have found themselves troubled by the recent economic downturn, as their Icelandic former chairman Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson was hit hard and forced to sell the club. Wenger can empathise with the plight of the Italian coach, on whom he will look to increase the pressure by making it five league wins in a row.
"I have a big deal of sympathy for him,'' Wenger told reporters. "I believe he is doing well, but of course he has lost players, and like a lot of teams they have had to cut their expenses. "From then on it becomes more difficult.''
Wenger, speaking to Arsenal TV Online, reflected: "When the quality of a football club is linked with the financial situation of any given person, you have a risk involved that the club could suffer because of the personal situation of the owner.'' The Gunners boss, though, believes under the circumstances, Zola is doing an admirable job. "I believe no matter what kind of players you have, it is always important to play in a positive way as it is the best way to be successful. That is what he tries to do,'' Wenger said. "Zola has had good results at the end of last season. This season he has had less good results, but there is still a long way to go.''
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West Ham mulling January swoop for Patrick Viera
Published 22:04 24/10/09 By Steve Stammers
The Mirror
West Ham will consider a move for Patrick Vieira during the January transfer window. Manager Gianfranco Zola thought about bringing the former Arsenal midfield player on loan from Inter Milan before Christmas. But he now feels West Ham can gather enough points over the next two months to move up the table. However, if West Ham continue to struggle Zola is set to make an approach for the 33-year-old, who is out of favour with Inter boss Jose Mourinho. Vieira is surplus to requirements in Milan. He has failed to secure a first-team spot and would give serious thought to a move to Upton Park. Regular first-team football would boost his chances of making France's World Cup squad should they defeat the Republic of Ireland in next month's play-off to reach the finals. The appeal for Zola is that he would land a player with experience and a significant midfield presence.
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MIRACLE MAN DAVENPORT TO PLAY AGAIN
Calum given all-clear to return
News Of The World
By Neil Ashton & Rob Shepherd, 24/10/2009
CALUM Davenport has been told he told he will play again - despite having a 15-inch scar on his leg. Davenport was attacked in August and surgeons feared the wounds to his leg were so severe he may never properly recover. But the Hammers defender met with boss Gianfranco Zola this week to talk about his future after specialists confirmed there are no reasons why he should not resume his career. The major hurdle he has to overcome is the extensive scar tissue that has built up after surgeons were forced to cut through muscles to repair an artery in his left thigh. Although he has months of rehabilitation ahead of him, the 26-year-old is determined to play again. He is unlikely to return before the end of the season but has been lifted by a trip to West Ham's Chadwell Heath training ground. A Hammers source said: "It's going to be a long way back for Calum but he was buzzing just to be among the lads again. "They're made up to see him. Everybody at the club realises what he's been through but it's not until you see Calum that you discover just how bad it was. Everybody at the club is just hoping he'll be back before too long."
Davenport's return momentarily distracted West Ham minds from their perilous position on and off the pitch. The Hammers take on Arsenal at Upton Park today with just five points from their first eight games. Zola admitted: "If we play well and get results then who knows, maybe a billionaire can come and buy us. Everything then becomes easier.
"But I also know the longer you're at the bottom the more difficult it is to find a buyer. That is why I want to focus even more on getting results. I know exactly what I have to do. I'm doing my best and the players are doing even more. The results have not been good enough but I think the performances have been good. Maybe we just need a bit of luck. "Arsenal will be very difficult for us but maybe with the fans behind us in a London derby we can get the result to change the direction of the season."
The position is further complicated by questions over ownership. Chairman Andrew Bernhardt has not yet agreed to meet representatives of an American-backed consortium headed by tycoon Jim Bowe, who is willing to spend £100million on the club. Club sources said Bernhardt has told them to supply proof of funds. It is understood the club's holding company, CB Holdings, want to wait and see if other potential buyers move in an attempt to raise the sale price. Former Birmingham owners David Sullivan and David Gold, though, will not be rushed and are wary of West Ham's debt, which some City analysts argue is well over £45m. A potential Arab investor has yet to follow up his interest after a preliminary meeting last week. If West Ham attempt to use the interest of Bowe and his investment company, Intermarket Group, to initiate a bidding battle, Bowe will back off. Indeed, unless Bowe and his London- based investors are invited to go through due diligence and have a 28-day lockdown period before deciding whether to proceed within a fortnight, they will withdraw their offer. Unless a new owner comes in soon, England stars Robert Green, Matthew Upson and Carlton Cole may have to be sold to placate creditors. Zola admits he may have to consider his position if he is forced to sell his best players. He said: "I want to see this situation through. However, if things change in terms of certain players being sold I may have to look at how I deal with that."
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Zola hopes to tee-up West Ham as attractive to buyers
25.10.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United boss Gianfranco Zola wants to create an atmosphere at the club that convinces any would-be buyer they would be making the right choice. He wants to start the process of luring a big-money benefactor by beating Arsenal in the London derby at Upton Park on Sunday afternoon to spark a climb up the Premier League table. He said: "I would love to see more tranquility around this club. We dealt very well with the problems last year because we focused on the pitch and made things much easier for everybody. "If you make things happen on the football pitch then everything becomes easier. If we play like we can maybe a billionaire can come and buy us, anything can happen. It is all about playing football well and getting points."
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West Ham boss Zola insists financial woes not that bad
25.10.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United boss Gianfranco Zola insists the club's financial problems are no need to raise panic. True, he admits to a few sleepless nights and he insists he will not be changing his philosophy of attacking, fluent football at all cost. But if he is frantically paddling beneath the water line then it does not show as he wears an almost permanent grin.
He says: "There are clubs in the league which have much bigger debts than us. As far as I know the owners of the club believe in what we are doing. "We want to keep the best players and I know exactly what I have to do and I'm doing my best."
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