WHUFC.com
Four West Ham United players turned out for their respective countries on
Saturday afternoon
14.11.2009
Matthew Upson led West Ham United's international representatives on a busy
Saturday. The Hammers captain completed a full 90 minutes as Fabio Capello's
injury-weakened England went down to a narrow 1-0 defeat by Brazil in Doha,
Qatar. Nilmar's 47th-minute goal was all that separated the sides as Luis
Fabiano blazed a penalty over the crossbar nine minutes later. England's
regular No1 Robert Green was rested by Capello, with the 29-year-old
watching the game from the substitutes bench as Manchester United's Ben
Foster was handed a rare start.
Elsewhere, Jonathan Spector filled a centre-back role as the United States
went down 1-0 to fellow 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers Slovakia in
Bratislava. Marek Hamsik, who appeared at the Boleyn Ground for SSC Napoli
in the Bobby Moore Cup in August, scored the match-winning penalty on 25
minutes.
Valon Behrami made his first appearance for Switzerland in a year in the 1-0
friendly defeat by Norway in Geneva, but Aston Villa's John Carew had
already netted the only goal of the game from the penalty spot when the
midfielder appeared after 62 minutes.
Closer to home, central defender Danny Gabbidon was sent on as a second-half
substitute in Wales' comfortable 3-0 win over Scotland at Cardiff City
Stadium. At Under-21 level, striker Zavon Hines was an unused substitute as
England scored a 1-0 UEFA European Championship qualifying win over Portugal
at Wembley.
In the Coca-Cola Football League, on-loan midfielder Josh Payne was a
53rd-minute substitute for Colchester United in the 2-2 League One draw with
Exeter City. Payne, who replaced ex-Tottenham Hotspur full-back Phil Ifil
with Colchester trailing 2-1, was booked for a late challenge on former
Ipswich Town striker Marcus Stewart. In the same division, central defender
Matt Fry began the second month of his loan spell with Gillingham with a 1-0
home victory over Oldham Athletic.
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Hall hits two
WHUFC.com
A brace from Robert Hall helped the U18s to an impressive 3-1 win over
Chelsea
14.11.2009
Robert Hall scored two goals as West Ham United Under-18s beat Chelsea 3-1
on Saturday to make it six games without loss. Hall struck once in either
half for Tony Carr's side before the visitors pulled one back. Conor Okus
made the game safe with a third for the hosts in the 80th minute. In strong
winds at Little Heath, West Ham took the lead when Hall collected a superb
defence-splitting pass from Ahmed Abdulla and beat the goalkeeper with a low
drive. The 16-year-old doubled the advantage a minute after the interval
when he dispossessed Chelsea's central defender and whipped a delicious shot
past the goalkeeper and into the far corner of the net. The second goal
seemed to awaken the visitors and they started to press forward with more
purpose with a goal from a left-wing cross. However, Conor Okus was to have
the final say of the match with West Ham's third ten minutes from time. The
midfielder, who had missed a good opportunity moments earlier, finished off
a fine move by collecting Cristian Montano's pass and firing home.
"We played very well in the conditions and thought we adapted to them much
better than Chelsea did, especially in the first half," Carr said. "They
never really came out and had a go at us until they were 2-0 down but we
finished strongly and could have won by two or three more. "Chelsea were
second in the league so it is no mean feat to have beaten them as
comprehensively as we did. "The pitch was very heavy, very boggy and the
strong winds didn't help. When the rain did come down in the game it made it
very difficult. It was touch and go but in the end it was just about
playable."
In addition to the fine result, the performance of Hall also understandably
pleased the Academy director. "His goal was an opportunist's goal - he
doesn't need many chances and he normally takes them when they come his way.
He's thrown a marker down to the other strikers in the squad. "He had two
chances and took them and it was a fantastic performance from him when you
consider he is a schoolboy of course."
After not enjoying the greatest consistency in their opening run of
fixtures, Carr's side have put together a good run of late and have conceded
just two goals in their last four games. "We've settled down a bit and we're
not conceding the goals we were conceding before. We were shooting ourselves
in the foot when we were in good positions. The players are starting to
mature and take on board all of the work we are doing on the training
ground."
The Under-18s return to league action next Saturday with another London
derby, this time away at Charlton Athletic.
West Ham United: Loveday, Modelski, Craig, Sanchez, Brown, Moncur, Wearen
(Barrett 75), Okus, Abdulla, Hall (Werndly 85), Montano
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Another win for Holmar
WHUFC.com
Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson's Iceland U21s kept up their bid for a place at the
UEFA European U21 Championship
14.11.2009
Friday the 13th proved to be no fright night for West Ham United's Iceland
Under-21 defender Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson. The 19-year-old was part of the
Iceland side that continued their UEFA European Under-21 Championship
qualifying campaign with a 6-0 win over San Marino in Serravalle. The
victory was Iceland's fourth-straight Group 5 success and took them level on
points with leaders Czech Republic, although Eyjolfsson's side have played a
game more. Although Iceland have scored more goals and have a better goal
difference than the Czechs, their 2-0 home defeat to the central Europeans
leaves them second on UEFA's head-to-head rule. Iceland need to finish
either top of their group or as one of the four second-placed nations - out
of ten - with the best record to qualify for two-legged play-offs that will
ultimately decide qualification for the 2011 finals in Denmark.
Meanwhile, Fabio Daprela played the opening 64 minutes of Switzerland
Under-19s' 1-1 draw with Poland in their second match of a four-team
tournament in France. The Poles took a first-half lead in Limoges before
Switzerland hit back with a penalty converted by FK Sturm Graz youngster
Admir Mehmedi seven minutes from full-time. Daprela scored a superb
individual goal in Switzerland's opening fixture, a 3-1 victory over Greece
on Wednesday. The Swiss complete the tournament when they face hosts France
on Sunday evening, with the winners taking the title. France will host the
UEFA European U19 Championship finals in summer 2010.
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Cole comeback to boost West Ham
BBC.co.uk
Striker Carlton Cole is set to return from injury to West Ham's depleted
frontline for the Premier League visit to fellow strugglers Hull on
Saturday. Cole, the club's top scorer this season with six league goals, was
taken off with a hamstring strain in the 2-1 home win over Aston Villa on 4
November. The 26-year-old missed the defeat by Everton and England's loss to
Brazil. "The Everton game was a bit too soon, but now I can just focus on
Hull and try to get a result there," he said. His return is is a timely
boost for the Hammers as fears grow that former England striker Dean Ashton
could be forced to retire from the game with a serious ankle injury at the
age of 25. Newspaper reports have suggested Cole could be a £20m transfer
target for Manchester United in the January transfer window. Club officials
stress he is not for sale, and the side need their best players as they sit
third from bottom of the table. The Hammers are a point behind 17th-placed
Hull, with 10 points from 12 matches. In Cole's absence, West Ham had no
established Premier League forwards available for selection and had to rely
on 20-year-old Zavon Hines and close-season recruit Guillermo Franco against
Everton. "I'm trying to play well and stay up there with the top scorers in
the Premier League," Cole told the club's official website. "All I can do is
keep tucking them away and hopefully I can progress and get to 10 before
Christmas, because that is my target."
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Behrami hints at bigger things
Hammers ace planning ahead
By Chris Burton Last updated: 15th November 2009
SSN
Valon Behrami has admitted that he could play for a 'bigger club' than West
Ham in the future. The Switzerland international has only recently recovered
from a long-term knee injury, and is focused on rebuilding his fitness at
present. He is, however, keen to get the most out of his career and accepts
that he may be forced to quit the Hammers in order to achieve his goals.
Behrami is currently under contract at Upton Park until 2013, but the
versatile midfielder may not be around to see out that deal. "I know that
the people at West Ham have confidence in me," he said ahead of
Switzerland's friendly date with Norway on Saturday. "Maybe one day I will
play for a bigger club than them. "However, in order for me to do so, I will
need to be at the peak of my abilities. "I just play my football from day to
day. "There is no point in me talking about my medium-term future when I
don't know what might happen tomorrow."
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Hammers - Hands off Cole
West Ham insist Cole is not for sale as Man United become latest club linked
with striker
Last updated: 14th November 2009
SSN
West Ham insist coveted striker Carlton Cole is going nowhere in January,
despite Manchester United being the latest club to be linked with the
England star. Speculation on Saturday claimed that United boss Sir Alex
Ferguson plans to make a £20million bid for Cole when the transfer window
reopens. Misfiring Liverpool have also been linked with the striker but a
spokesman for the Hammers insisted on Saturday that Cole is "not for sale".
The spokesman added: "We want to keep all our best players and the
suggestion that we need to sell because of a financial crisis is not true."
West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola will be comforted by this assurance as he
seeks to guide the Hammers away from the Premier League drop zone after a
faltering start to the campaign.
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Cole expects to be fit
Hammers ace targets Tigers return
Last updated: 14th November 2009
SSN
West Ham United striker Carlton Cole believes he will be fit for the club's
relegation six-pointer against Hull City. The England international missed
their 2-1 home defeat to Everton with the hamstring injury collected against
Aston Villa. The 26-year-old says The Toffees game came too soon, although
he is hopeful he will be available to play at The KC Stadium. Cole has
explained he is running again and is concentrating on being available for
Gianfranco Zola for the match in a week's time. "I've got a couple of days
off now. I started running on Thursday and it's gone well," he told the
club's official website. "The Everton game was a bit too soon, but now I can
just focus on Hull and try and get a result there. I'll be back fit."
Cole has already bagged six goals in Premier League action so far and he is
desperate to keep up with the league's hot-shots. The former Aston Villa and
Charlton hit-man is hoping to maintain his fine form and score at least 10
goals before Christmas. "I'm trying to play well and stay up there with the
top scorers in the Premier League," he added.
"All I can do is keep tucking them away and hopefully I can progress and get
to ten before Christmas, because that is my target. "I always appreciate the
fans. The fans are obviously happy and I can feel the vibes when I'm at
Upton Park. I'm pleased that they appreciate what I'm doing."
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WENGER BLASTS PARKER FOR DIVING
News Of The World
Read By Aidan Magee, 31/10/2009
ARSENE WENGER fears that Arsenal are now paying the price with referees -
for winning Eduardo's diving appeal earlier this season. The Gunners boss
is furious his players have been on the wrong end of some key penalty
decisions in both the Premier League and Europe in recent weeks. He believes
Scott Parker should have been punished for diving to try and win a spot-kick
during Arsenal's 2-2 draw at West Ham last week. The Gunners were also
denied at least one clear penalty against Carlos Vela in their away draw
against AZ Alkmaar in the Champions League two weeks ago. Both decisions
cost the Gunners vital points and the Frenchman appears resigned to having
to live with the fallout of winning appeals against officials. Striker
Eduardo was initially banned for two games after an alleged dive against
Celtic - but succesfully overturned UEFA's decision on appeal. Wenger, whose
side face AZ in Group H of the Champions League at the Emirates on
Wednesday, said: "There was a 100 per cent penalty call against Carlos Vela.
"There was another against Robin van Persie. I fear completely that some
referees are going into the game with that mindset. What happened with Vela
was unbelievable. "I hope referees won't think that way but I changed my
mind after that game. "If they are sticking together on this then that's
something we have to live with. "Last week, Scott Parker dived. No one spoke
about it. You start to think the media make the rules. "If they made a big
thing of Eduardo then why did they not do that against Parker?"
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West Ham to formally announce retirement of Dean Ashton
Published 22:45 14/11/09 By Paul Smith
The Mirror
West Ham will formally announce this week that Dean Ashton is to retire.
Sunday Mirror Sport exclusively revealed in August that medical experts had
told the England striker he would have to retire from playing or run the
risk of ending up in a wheelchair. The 26 year-old striker is suffering from
a degenerative ankle problem following a clash with Shaun Wright-Phillips
while he was training with England three years ago. He went to Amsterdam at
the beginning of August for an assessment by leading Dutch surgeon Niek van
Dijk, who originally operated on him. Van Dijk has told Ashton and West
Ham's medical team that his playing days were over. The retirement
announcement has been delayed while West Ham negotiate with the Inland
Revenue in an attempt to reduce the player's tax liabilities. The club are
trying to help maximise his final pay day. Ashton, paid £50,000 a week, is
due to receive a year's salary worth £2.6million in his settlement with the
club. But the Inland Revenue has refused to waive its liabilities and Ashton
has taken legal advice about suing the FA, Wright-Phillips or Chelsea, the
latter's club at the time of the injury. The Hammers are also lodging a
claim against the FA but feel it is doomed to fail because the FA will claim
that Ashton made a successful return from the original injury. The players'
union has reaffirmed its advice to players to arrange personal insurance to
ensure their futures are secure if their careers are cut short.
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Matt Upson states his case to overtake Rio Ferdinand as England's new middle
man
By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 4:21 PM on 15th November 2009
Daily Mail
Matthew Upson believes the battle for a place at the heart of the England
defence is 'not an open and shut case any more' as he looks to cement a spot
in Fabio Capello's World Cup squad. Upson has started eight of England's
last 14 internationals, including Saturday's 1-0 defeat against Brazil in
Doha when skipper John Terry and Rio Ferdinand were both injured. The West
Ham centre-back feels he is 'heading in the right direction' in the scrap to
be on the plane to South Africa next June but knows he has to sustain his
form at club level to stay in Capello's plans. Upson said: 'On a personal
note, it is always best to put yourself up against the best players in the
world and measure yourself against that. It was a great opportunity against
Brazil. 'I've started quite a few internationals, I am delighted with the
way it is going. I've been enjoying the international experience and think
I'm really pushing a case forward. 'I've got to keep my domestic form going
at West Ham, which I am really on top of, and I want to keep pushing. 'I am
desperate to go to the World Cup and I want to be part of the team. I am
heading in the right direction. I've been working very hard for the last
four or five years to elevate myself to this level.
'I'm pleased to be where I am, I want to keep improving and I want to get
better. That is my goal.
Upson admits he can sense the determination to try to be on the plane for
South Africa hotting up during international get-togethers. He said: 'At the
moment, every player wants to grab every single second on the pitch and make
the most of it. It is the best part of any player's career. 'Everyone wants
to be part of it and that competition amongst the players is exactly what we
need. It is always going to happen approaching a World Cup. 'People are
going to want to be involved, are going to want to do their best. It can
only be a positive thing for the team. 'We now have no international
football for nearly four months and it is a long break. There are a lot of
matches to be played and a lot of domestic things to be sorted out. 'We will
be kept pretty busy with that but everyone has got one eye on the World Cup
and their form going into the summer is crucial for a lot of people. People
are going to want to improve and impress and want to get themselves on the
plane and every game is crucial. 'The manager or his staff watch every game
so they know exactly how you are performing.'
Upson admitted England found Brazil hard to cope with in the hot conditions.
He said: 'We lost the game, which was disappointing, although I think we put
a good case forward and played a pretty good game considering. 'But Brazil
are technically very good and in those type of conditions, they are hard to
play against. They keep the ball so well, they slow the game right down and
then hit you very quickly. You have got to have good focus for 90 minutes.'
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Matthew Upson: West Ham's woes won't wreck my World Cup dream
Published 23:00 15/11/09 By By John Cross
The Mirror
Matthew Upson has insisted he will not allow doubts over his West Ham future
wreck his World Cup chances. West Ham captain Upson could be the next big
name to leave Upton Park as the club face up to having to sell more players
in January to pay off their escalating debts. But Upson says West Ham's
financial problems will not affect his focus and claims that despite their
poor results this season he is still in good form and will not allow it to
cost him his England place. Upson said: "Its obviously better to be
somewhere where you are winning matches and dominating matches. But that's
not where I am at. I'm committed to West Ham and I need to do a job for
them. "I don't think I have made that many mistakes individually myself this
season but as a team we have let in a lot of goals. "So it's a problem and
it's something we need to get better at to get ourselves out of the mess we
are in but I won't let that affect my international aspirations. "You can
come off and evaluate your own performance individually regardless of where
your team is. Obviously if you are at a club that is having a good time then
it can only help you. "But having said that, I don't think the position we
are in at West Ham is damaging me in terms of England. "I am a West Ham
player and I am focusing on what I need to do. If someone puts an option in
front of me and I have to make a decision then I will. But at the moment
that's irrelevant. "It's none of my business, that's up to the club, the
board and the manager. I don't think that's an issue really. If I have to
make a decision then I will. At the moment that's not something I think
about."
But while Upson insists his problems at club level will not affect him, the
centre half admits England must learn from playing Brazil. Upson says the
five-time World Cup winners gave them a tough lesson in Doha and it shows
England still have a lot of work to do. Upson added: "It was a fantastic
game for us. We did some things wrong but we can learn from that. It was a
good game for us to put ourselves up against one of the best teams in the
world and some of the best players. "It was two really good teams going at
it and we have learnt a lot about ourselves and our opponents. "I believe we
can beat Brazil, I really believe that and we need to go to the World Cup
with that kind of positive attitude. "The situations in which Brazil receive
the ball is maybe different. You don't have the longer balls to the front or
down the side so that you get turned. There are more short passes, good
movement. "It's just a differently-paced game with different tactics so it
was a really good test for us. You have to be very careful how close you get
to people because you can get turned if you are too tight. "Tactically you
have to make good decisions as to where you position yourself in relation to
the ball so there are lots of different technical aspects."
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Formal retirement announcement of West Ham's Ashton expected this week
16.11.09 | Andrew Slevison
West Ham will formally announce the retirement of striker Dean Ashton this
week. The 26-year old has been suffering from an ongoing ankle problem that
he first sustained about three years ago and has been told to retire from
football by medical experts. The retirement announcement has been delayed
whilst the Hammers sort out the best way to help Ashton receive the best
payment outcome and help reduce his tax liabilities although it has become
very public what Ashton's future in the game is. Ashton begun his career
with Crewe Alexandra in 2000 before moving onto Norwich City in 2005. In
January 2006 he signed with West Ham where he has remained ever since but
his playing time has been cut significantly short in recent years due to the
ankle injury.
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Chelsea kid Knott loses rag against former club West Ham
16.11.09 | tribalfootball.com
Chelsea management were disappointed with Billy Knott after his red card in
defeat to West Ham United U18. The left-back has been impressive this
season, but saw red for dissent in the 3-1 loss. Chelsea coach Dermot Drummy
revealed to chelseafc.com: "Billy Knott was against his old club and I spoke
to him before the game about the need to keep composed. "He has to learn
from his errors. We don't know if it is a one or three-match ban yet and
with the FA Youth Cup coming up, he could learn the hard way."
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West Ham whiz Hall stuns Chelsea U18 players
16.11.09 | tribalfootball.com
Robert Hall added to his reputation with a two-goal haul for West Ham United
in their 3-1 U18 victory over Chelsea. Just 16, Hall struck once in either
half for Tony Carr's side before the visitors pulled one back. Conor Okus
made the game safe with a third for the hosts in the 80th minute. Carr told
whufc.com: "His goal was an opportunist's goal - he doesn't need many
chances and he normally takes them when they come his way. He's thrown a
marker down to the other strikers in the squad. "He had two chances and took
them and it was a fantastic performance from him when you consider he is a
schoolboy of course."
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Upson happy at Hammers
Teletext.co.uk
Matthew Upson insists his bid to earn a place in Fabio Capello's World Cup
squad will not affect his commitment to West Ham's relegation battle. There
is speculation the defender could be prised away from the Hammers during the
January transfer window. Upson said: "Losing at West Ham is not affecting my
performance. I won't let it affect my international aspirations. I am at
West Ham. That is my club."
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