WHUFC.com
Cristian Montano's wonder strike can be viewed again and again on WHUTV now
07.12.2009
Cristian Montano capped a superb afternoon for the Under-18s by scoring a
sensational individual goal in the 3-1 win over Norwich City and you can see
all of the highlights on WHUTV now. Nick Barrett had given Tony Carr's side
the lead before Montano added a second with a header from a corner as the
Hammers looked on course for a vital FA Premier Academy League victory.
However, the Canaries, who had gone into the match in second place in the
table, pulled a goal back give themselves a glimmer a hope. That hope was
quickly extinguished, though, as Montano collected the ball straight from
kick-off and beat six players before rolling it into the bottom right-hand
corner to the astonishment of the Little Heath crowd. Carr said of the goal:
"In the second half they came out and had a little go at us and pulled a
goal back to make it 2-1, but Cristian then scored a solo goal straight from
our kick-off. "The ball was touched to him and he literally ran through
their whole team to score. It was unbelievable, like Diego Maradona. It was
really a terrific goal."
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Carr up for cup
WHUFC.com
Tony Carr and the U18s travel to Plymouth Argyle looking to build on some
encouraging form
07.12.2009
Tony Carr's Under-18 side will make the long trip to Plymouth Argyle on
Tuesday ahead of their FA Youth Cup third round tie on Wednesday evening.
The U18s will be buoyed by a recent surge in form, having lost just once in
their last eight FA Premier Academy League matches. A 3-1 victory over
second-placed Norwich City on Saturday at Little Heath will have only added
to the good spirits. Carr and his side will be especially eager to put in a
good showing at Home Park because the club have been knocked out at the
first hurdle in each of the last two seasons. Last December, the Hammers
were frozen out 3-1 by Nottingham Forest on a wintry night at the City
Ground, while Bolton Wanderers beat Carr's youngsters at the Boleyn Ground
in 2007/08.
Academy Director Carr said: "We can see it as just another game, but the FA
Youth Cup has assumed an important position in the calendar, with the added
incentive of the final being screened live on Sky television. It has a bit
of kudos about it and boys want to do well in the competition. "Most of our
matches are played on training grounds, so the opportunity to play on a main
stadium like we will at Home Park next week is a big one for all of the
lads. "The Plymouth game probably represents the furthest we have ever
travelled for a youth-team fixture, and there is a real buzz among the squad
ahead of it.
Carr is expected to name a strong side with several youngsters who have
featured for the reserves this season set to figure. "We'll take a 20-man
squad down there and everyone can be involved in the experience, which will
be valuable for all of them. It's going to be a great occasion. "We're all
looking forward to the game and will treat the game with the utmost of
respect and hopefully we can get into the next round."
Plymouth have enjoyed good runs in the tournament in each of the last two
seasons, reaching the fifth round last term before being knocked out by
Tottenham Hotspur. Two years ago, the Pilgrims progressed to the
quarter-final stage before being beaten by eventual winners Manchester City.
The young Hammers, who won the competition in 1963, 1981 and 1999, will
kick-off at Home Park at 7pm and whufc.com will have live text updates.
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Peter's debut delight
WHUFC.com
Goalkeeper Peter Kurucz will never forget his first-team bow against
Manchester United on Saturday
07.12.2009
Saturday's 4-0 Barclays Premier League defeat by Manchester United will not
last too long in the memories of most West Ham United fans, but it is a day
that Peter Kurucz will never forget. The 21-year-old goalkeeper made his
first-team debut as a 72nd-minute substitute for Robert Green, who was taken
off after feeling unwell. The Hungary Under-21 international entered the
field with the Hammers already four behind but took the game and opposition
in his stride with some assured touches. "I'm very happy to make my debut in
the Premier League. I got about 15 minutes. Greeny felt bad and Mister told
me I was going to be on the pitch. It was good but I am sad that we lost the
game. "It was good to make my debut against Manchester United. It is a day I
will never forget."
Although Green is expected to have recovered in time to face Birmingham City
on Saturday, Kurucz feels the minutes he had on the pitch will stand him in
good stead should he be called on again. "I don't know what was wrong with
Greeny but I think he feels better now. I was a little bit nervous but it
was good experience for me to play and to have for the rest of the season,
even though I only touched the ball four times!"
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Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
Gianfranco Zola is urging is players to think positive ahead of two
important away fixtures
07.12.2009
Gianfranco Zola will make sure his team channel all their energies on the
two important away fixtures at Birmingham City and Bolton Wanderers over the
next ten days. "They know that Saturday was a different contest," he said,
reflecting on the 4-0 defeat by high-flying champions Manchester United.
"The games that have real value are the games we are facing now. "The
players will be all right. We will be working on their confidence because
they don't have to be affected by this. The game we play on Saturday is the
one that really matters for us."
The manager could have captain Matthew Upson and Mark Noble back in
contention at least for the weekend trip to St Andrews and will have taken
heart from substitute returns for Alessandro Diamanti and Kieron Dyer. He is
certainly looking forward rather than dwelling on what is past. "Maybe the
result is too hard. No doubt though that they were better than us," he
added.
Zola manager knows it is vital that his players are as prepared as possible
for both matches. "These are the games that will really make a difference
for us. So, starting from the game we play on Saturday, we have to forget
quickly about Manchester United. They are obviously on a different level.
"Saturday is a big match so we need to pick ourselves up straight away,
because we need a very big performance. Right now we are there [near the
bottom]. We have we have to realise that is the situation right now. We need
to make an effort to get out from that position straight away."
While the Hammers are at the wrong end of the table, Zola has the experience
of seeing his side climb from exactly the same position a year ago to finish
the season in ninth position. As such, the manager knows two positive
results over the coming ten days could alter the face of the campaign. "If
you see the position, there are teams on 17 points who are in the middle of
the table almost, so it depends. If you get a couple of results, it changes.
It's not only difficult for us to make points, it is difficult for others as
well. It's just down to us. We need to find a little bit more consistency
and also have less injuries. That would help."
Zavon Hines was forced off during Saturday's defeat with a knee injury but
the manager said it was too soon to know the extent. "Zavon has a knee
problem," he said. "I felt sorry for him because he wanted to play and he
gave everything and I think he was excellent. Now we don't know what it's
going to be. I don't know if he'll need an operation."
With five games still to play this month, the manager was not focusing too
much on the possibility of bringing in players at the moment. 'We'll see
what happens," he said before reflecting further on Saturday's reverse. He
paid tribute to the efforts of his team - featuring four Academy graduates -
in trying to stifle the three-time Barclays Premier League champions. "I did
not criticise them at all. There was no criticism for anything. They played
the game we asked them to and their commitment was fantastic. Ok, the game
was on at 2-0 and we had to try something. We played a little bit more
offensive and that's what Manchester United was expecting."
Zola also found time to praise the performances of United veterans Paul
Scholes and Ryan Giggs, suggesting the pair were setting examples his own
young players would do well to follow "A player like Scholes, I'd like to
see him play for a long time. He's a fantastic competitor and his goal
killed us. They are champions because they have players like him. They never
give up. They know how to win the games and that was the story. They might
be 35 and 36 but they don't look like it."
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Parker takes player prize
WHUFC.com
Scott Parker was the overwhelming winner after the vote for SBOBET Player of
the Month for November
07.12.2009
Scott Parker has added to his list of West Ham United awards by being voted
SBOBET Player of the Month for November by users of whufc.com. More than
3,600 fans took part in the poll and Parker won more than 60 per cent of the
vote, beating Guillermo Franco (20 per cent) and Jack Collison (eleven per
cent). The dynamic midfielder had a fine month, capped by a man-of-the-match
display in the 5-3 win over Burnley. The November accolade adds to the
Hammer of the Year award he picked up in the summer and the three
consecutive Player of the Month awards for his performances throughout
January, February and March of this year. Earlier this campaign, Julien
Faubert, Zavon Hines and Carlton Cole had previously won for August,
September and October respectively.
Parker collected his latest award after Saturday's 4-0 defeat by Manchester
United. Despite his disappointment at the result, he was delighted to be
recognised by the supporters. "It is a nice award to get. Any award as a
player, a personal accolade is always good. Things are going well for me at
the moment and I am playing some good stuff. It is nice to be respected and
noticed by the fans. It is pleasing."
"We are disappointed in losing the game but more importantly we are
disappointed by the scoreline. When you do play against the champions you
expect a hard game. In the first half we were in it but never got a
foothold. They scored at the worst time and from then on it was going to be
an uphill task. It wasn't meant to be."
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Zola's survival admission
Hammers boss bids to rally troops
Last updated: 7th December 2009
SSN
West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola has issued a stark warning to his side that
they are involved in a relegation battle. Saturday's 4-0 defeat to
Manchester United left West Ham one point and one place above the drop
zone. The Hammers have won only three games all season and have conceded 10
goals in their last three outings to increase the pressure on Zola and have
the alarm bells ringing around Upton Park of a fight to stay up. Zola knows
they need to bounce back against Birmingham next weekend and he has called
on his players to accept they are in a dogfight to avoid the drop. "The next
two games can really make a difference for us, starting on Saturday," Zola
told The Independent. "We have to forget quickly about Manchester United
because they are on a different level and right now we can't compete with
them. Saturday is a big match and we need a very big performance.
"We are in a relegation fight. We have to accept that. We need to make a
real effort to get out of this position straightaway. "There are teams with
17 points in the middle of the table, so if you get a couple of wins you can
move up quickly. And it is not only difficult for us to get points - it is
hard for the other teams around us too. "We need to find a bit more
consistency and it would help to have fewer injuries. We have so many
players out."
Zola's hands could be tied in January with reports suggesting some of the
team's top stars could be sold due to the club's precarious financial
position, but the Italian is hoping to buy rather than sell in the New Year.
"As far as I know we will not be under pressure to sell," added Zola."We
will see what we are able to buy, and will be looking for something. We will
see what happens."
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Vinny's Manchester United Report
Vinny - Sun Dec 6 2009
West Ham Online
West Ham United 0 Manchester United 4
West Ham suffered a demoralising defeat against Champions Manchester United
as the defensive frailties were brought to the surface once more.
A defeat against Manchester United is normally to be expected and the best
most teams outside the top four can hope for is to put up a good fight. But
our current situation sees us down the wrong end of the table so any defeat
is going to hurt us but this one has been totally gutting for many.
Any confidence we had from the Burnley victory was totally wiped away as a
depleted Manchester United side destroyed us in the second half which led to
a mass exodus from many of the fans as the third goal went in.
The first goal was the killer with the way it happened and it's timing. Much
has been made of the decision not to take a quite clearly injured Zavon
Hines off and it did seem strange that Zola did not just tell him to go down
so he could receive treatment.
I'm not saying I thought we were going to actually beat them but to lose 4-0
has thoroughly depressed me and our next game away at Birmingham City has
become one of the upmost importance.
Before the game I picked up a copy of OLAS who were also selling 'The Zola
Interview'. In the past the interviews in the fanzines with certain managers
have been quite good with them revealing things they would not normally.
This one was a little mundane with no hard questions being asked and Zola
giving polite answers which did not really say anything more than we already
know.
Still it was a decent read and Zola lovers and haters alike may be
interested in some of things he had to say. What was also interesting is the
mini interview in the normal edition with Scott Duxbury who once again
emphasised that we do not have to sell any players and we are in a very good
financial position.
I don't know why but I don't exactly feel contented with what our wonderful
chief executive has said.
Zola made a couple of changes to the side who beat Burnley 5-3 last weekend.
In defence Manuel Da Costa was dropped to the bench and this saw James
Tomkins return to the first team line up.
Up front Carlton Cole was injured (and will be for some time) and he was
replaced by Zavon Hines.
On the bench saw the return of both Alessandro Diamanti and Kieron Dyer.
Mark Noble was again missing.
The first half was not a half of chances as both teams struggled to test
either keeper. The visitors were on top for most of the half in terms of
possession but we had defended well to keep them out.
Neither team were looked exceptional but the first chance of the game fell
our way and how different things could have been if we had have taken it.
The chance came from a terrible mistake from Ryan Giggs (who ran the show
after that) as his pass back to his area was intercepted by Zavon Hines. The
youngster seemed to have missed his opportunity to get a strike at goal but
he did really well to cross the ball to the back post where Jack Collison
was waiting to tap in but Giggs somehow managed to make a last ditch
challenge to deny him.
The ref had let many things go in favour of the opposition with Gary Neville
twice leaning into Hines with the elbow. Neville was subject to a few chants
with the most notable being 'Neville, you're a cunt'.
So when Neville pulled up with a groin injury the cheers went up from the
Hammers fans with everyone waving him goodbye.
On in his place was former Hammer Michael Carrick. With Manchester United's
problems at the back this now saw them have Darren Fletcher at right back
with Carrick and Wes Brown as centre halves.
Now I am not suggesting that these are bad players and a club like
Manchester United will have personnel that are versatile but this surely was
a good chance for us to test an unfamiliar backline?
But we just couldn't make anything happen with our play becoming so narrow
and players such as Stanislas and Parker had no room to move or burst
forward. We had no outlet on the right and when we did get the ball out to
Collison he constantly gave the ball away.
I felt although we were not being murdered we still looked second best and
they were getting more time on the ball to try and play balls in behind our
defence with Rooney nearly getting onto one of them only for Robert Green to
be out quickly.
Hines seemed to pull up with an injury just before half time and although he
tried to run it off whenever the ball came near him it was clear he did not
want it. It seemed as though we would wait till half time to see if he could
in fact run this injury off.
But as the board for injury time showed one minute Hines was over near the
touchline asking to come off. It was Kieron Dyer who was running down the
touchline apparently about to make his entrance and the West Ham players
seemed to stop whilst the confusion of what was happening went on.
Manchester United did not stop though and a cross from Giggs was cleared by
Gabbidon but only as far as Scholes who chested the ball down, evaded the
static Kovac and hit a shot at goal which Green should have stopped but it
went in and the visitors were in the lead.
Anger was being directed towards Zola because many thought the decision not
to remove Hines was why we now found ourselves a goal down and of course a
substitution would have prevented this.
I still don't think the way the players just switched off was acceptable and
Robert Green should have saved it. Simple as that.
So an uphill struggle awaited us in the second period and it was clear that
Hines would not play any further part. His pace had caused them some
problems and this is why Dyer was the obvious replacement so it was a
surprised to see Alessandro Diamanti take to the field in the second half.
We tried to get back into the game quickly and we did have a couple of half
chances with the best falling to Tomkins after Diamanti had swung in a free
kick which saw the defender head straight at Tomasz Kuszczak in the
Manchester United goal.
It would not take too much longer for us to fall further behind as
Manchester United had begun to take control of the game. I felt we were
chasing shadows at time and they looked a class above with their touch and
movement.
Their second goal was well worked but I was convinced at the time that
Gabbidon should have made a challenge. He seemed to bottle making a hard
challenge on his fellow countryman Ryan Giggs when if he had he would have
taken the ball or the man which would have been good enough for me.
Instead Giggs squared the ball of Darren Gibson who hit an excellent shot
past Green for 2-0.
Diamanti saw his free kick from around 30 yards out well saved by Kuszczak
as we looked to reduce the deficit and Kieron Dyer made a rare appearance
from the subs bench with Kovac coming off to a few boo's which I thought was
a little unfair.
Rooney played in Patrice Evra who burst into the area and hit a low shot
which beat Green but when agonisingly wide as Manchester United took over
the game and we looked totally spent.
Rooney was again involved as he played the ball out to the left to Anderson
who like Chris Eagles for Burnley last week had plenty of time to play the
ball into the area for Valencia to have an easy tap in.
This saw many of the West Ham fans get up and leave as Upton Park began to
empty. But those fans leaving would have still had time to see Manchester
United score their fourth.
Just one minute later as we had kicked off the ball was given away with the
visitors breaking, Valencia crossed it for Rooney to have an easy tap in.
We had totally fallen apart.
We should have scored at least a consolation as a good move saw Diamanti
play the ball through to Ilunga who crossed for Franco who did well to get
the ball out to Stanislas but the winger saw his shot go wide.
A thoroughly depressing as dispiriting experience which leaves us all
wondering when things are going to get better because I can only envisage
more misery in the coming weeks.
Player Reviews
Robert Green
Apparently was ill going to this one and had to come off with twenty minutes
to play. Should have stopped the first goal.
Jonathan Spector
He did the best he could which of course is never going to be good enough.
It's easy to criticise him and he was given a hard time by Giggs but for the
standard of player he is are we to expect anything more from him?
Danny Gabbidon
Does not look like the same player who won the Hammer of the year in
2005/06. The man looks awkward and shaky. He should have stopped Giggs from
going through for the second goal and his back peddling cost us.
James Tomkins
I was happy to see his inclusion in one aspect as I think he was harshly
dropped anyhow but it just went to unsettle an already unsettled backline.
Like most of our defenders he found it very tough but was better than
Gabbidon.
Herita Ilunga
Maybe it was the lack of any protection from Collison but Ilunga looked
poor. He gave the ball away too many times and he just looked lazy in
possession. I don't know what has happened to him but he has been pretty
poor all season.
Junior Stanislas
Easily marked out of the game and looked a boy up against men for a lot of
game. I still think he gives us something going forward and I would be
disappointed to see him dropped. But in this one he never got a chance to
show anything positive.
Scott Parker
Last week he was able to bomb forward but he too was marked out of the game.
Still looked lively but he is not an attacking midfielder.
Radoslav Kovac
His excuse last week is that his inclusion allowed Parker to perform really
well. This week I wonder what can be said. I am not scapegoating Kovac and
he isn't the reason we lost but I just fail to see what he offers us.
Jack Collison
A horrible performance from him as he looked totally lost on the right wing.
He was awful in possession and he was easily brushed off the ball. Whenever
he had the ball he looked awkward and he never seemed to be able to shake
off the player marking him.
Zavon Hines
Looked lively and nearly found a superb assist for Collison but it just
wasn't to be. I hope is not out for long as we are very thin on the ground
up front.
Guillermo Franco
It was hard for Franco to make much impact on the game although I still
thought he played well. In the first half he was winning his fair share of
the high balls and bringing them down with sublime control. Trouble is there
was never anyone moving around him for him to play the ball through to.
Subs Used
Alessandro Diamanti (on for Hines 45 mins)
He would not have been my choice to come on but he did his best to have an
impact with a couple of crosses and free kicks which caused them a few minor
problems. Looks a bit leggy and I wouldn't expect him to start next week.
Kieron Dyer (on for Kovac 67 mins)
Should have been on for Hines in my opinion. It is about time we got some
use out of this expensive signing from the summer of 2007. He needs to start
the next game.
Peter Kurucz (on for Green 73 mins)
Making his debut in very difficult circumstances with Green having to come
off through illness. Did not have to make any spectacular saves and if Green
is still unwell he could be starting next weekend.
Subs Not Used: Nouble, Payne, Da Costa, Faubert
Yellow Cards: None
Man Of The Match: Guillermo Franco
Attendance: 34,980
Overall
It's not the losing to Manchester United which has caused frustration
amongst the supporters but it is the way we have gone about it which was to
get stuffed. 4-0 at home to any team is not something that is easy to accept
especially when you are down the wrong end of the table.
We are now into December and things do not appear to be getting better and
we can only hope for a similar scenario as last season when we turned things
around.
Next Game - Birmingham City (a)
Massive. Absolutely massive and anything other than three points will not be
acceptable. We simply have to win this game or I will really start to fear
for Gianfranco Zola.
The next two games will tell us everything about our season and I will not
be happy with anything other than six points.
But zero is what I expect.
Zola's Musing
"Their finishing was excellent, especially their first two goals. Their
first goal was the one that changed the story of the game, really, because
we were defending quite well. We worked all week to defend against them and
it was working. We just needed one more minute.
"After that, the second goal was a fantastic strike. After that we tried to
chase the game and they took advantage of that. We knew the game was going
to be like that. We just needed to stay solid until the end and maybe take a
counter-attacking opportunity but it didn't happen and that's it.
"I can't be too hard on the players. They gave everything again so there is
nothing to say, nothing to complain about."
"We tried [to get at Manchester United] but the gameplan was just to wait
for them. They were playing with five midfielders so they were playing three
midfielders and two wingers. I know they were expecting us to go there and
play counterattack so we wanted them to come and do the same to them. It was
working quite well but their goal changed everything.
"The only thing I can say is that we didn't pose too much threat to them.
That's fair enough, but don't forget that they are the champions and we had
a lot of young players in our team, and so it wasn't easy." Already without
the injured Matthew Upson, Valon Behrami, Carlton Cole and Luis Jimenez, as
well as the ill Mark Noble, Zola was forced to reshuffle his pack again when
Zavon Hines was forced off with a knee problem at half-time.
"Robert came off because he was feeling sick. He felt sick at the beginning
of the second half and just before the goal and that's it, really. We didn't
take him off straight away because we thought he could carry on but I don't
think it affected the goals we conceded afterwards.
"Zavon gave everything and we felt sorry for him because he gave everything
and he was excellent in the first half. He felt the knee again and he had to
come off. I don't know what it's going to be but it's not looking good."
"I have to give credit to the players because they are giving everything but
we'll see. We need to consider that."
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Gianfranco Zola desperate to find striking solution on the cheap
Ken Dyer
07.12.09
Evening Standard
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola is desperately seeking a way to generate
sufficient funds to bolster his paper-thin squad during the transfer window
in January. Zola, who watched his injury-ravaged team go down 4-0 at home to
Manchester United, has made another striker his No1 priority, as Carlton
Cole is out for at least six weeks and his replacement against United,
youngster Zavon Hines, has now been sidelined by a knee injury. Inter
Milan's tempestuous teenager Mario Balotelli is a possibility, as is
experienced Italian front man Luca Toni, who has fallen out with Bayern
Munich manager Luis van Gaal. The big problem for Zola with all these
possible signings though, is the finance. But the manager does believe West
Ham, although substantially owned by Icelandic investment bank Straumur and
up for sale, will not put him under pressure to sell anyone in January. "As
far as I am concerned I don't think the club wants to sell anybody. I stand
on that and we'll see what happens," said Zola. "We will see what we are
able to buy but we are looking for something."
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West Ham set for further debt reprieve from Iceland creditors
Straumur, the stricken bank that owns the majority of West Ham, has asked
for a moratorium on its debt
The Guardian, Tuesday 8 December 2009
Decisions about the future of West Ham United are being made over 1,000
miles away in Iceland. One thousand, one hundred and seventy six miles
separate the Boleyn Ground and Reykjavik where all the key decisions over
West Ham United's future have been taken in recent years. Today, the
stricken bank Straumur will meet its creditors at the Reykjavik Hilton in
the latest attempt to thrash out a deal that satisfies both parties. Some of
the smaller creditors remain unhappy about their place in the pecking order,
but Straumur is confident that on Friday the Reykjavik district court will
grant its plea for a further debt moratorium, until September next year,
that will give it time to come to a deal with them. It claims the extension
will be a "mere formality". Straumur remainsthe largest shareholder in CB
Holdings, the company formed by creditors torun West Ham. It has brought
some measure of off-field stability to the club in recent months, even as
the team has struggled. Straumur, still in administration, recently injected
£5m as a gesture of goodwill in order to secure a refinancing deal, but that
is liable to be the last inward investment for some time. West Ham's
chairman, Andrew Bernhardt, is attempting to run the club at break-even
while trying to find a buyer, but continues to insist there is no hurry to
sell if an acceptable offer is not forthcoming.
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Luca Toni looks to return to Italy after fall-out with Bayern Munich
Striker fears it is too late to regain place in Italy squad
West Ham United likely to miss out on Italian's signature
guardian.co.uk, Monday 7 December 2009 18.00 GMT
The Bayern Munich striker, Luca Toni, doubts he has time to impress the
Italy coach before World Cup. The Bayern Munich striker, Luca Toni, wants to
return to Serie A after falling out with the Bundesliga club's coach, Louis
van Gaal, ending West Ham United's hopes of signing the World Cup winner.
The 32-year-old has lost his place in the Italy squad after playing
infrequently for Bayern and doubts he has time to impress the national
coach, Marcello Lippi, for the summer even if he can secure a move in
January. West Ham, who are missing the injured forwards Carlton Cole and
Dean Ashton, had been linked with the Italian international. "I miss
everything about my country: the fans, my friends, my mother. I still don't
know in which team I'll play but I know for certain that I'll return to
Italy," Toni said. The tall forward signed for Bayern from Fiorentina in
2007, having also played for Palermo among other teams. West Ham have been
linked with a bid for Toni but few Italian clubs have publicised any
interest. "Here in Germany I have made errors, which I regret. These
mistakes will probably cost a place at the World Cup in South Africa even if
I still hope Lippi will call me up," Toni added.
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REF NAMED FOR WEST HAM GAME
Bcfc,com
Referee Lee Mason will take charge of Saturday's Barclays Premier League
game between Blues and West Ham at St. Andrew's. The Lancashire-based has
refereed 15 games so far this season, where he has produced 42 yellow cards
and three reds. The last time he took charge of Blues game was our single
goal defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford in August. On that occasion
he booked just two players, including Gregory Vignal for Blues. Mr Mason
will be assisted by Jake Collin from Merseyside and Paul Thompson from
Derbyshire.
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North London rivals set for Hammer battle
Sport.co.uk
Author: Nigel Brown
Posted on:07 December 2009 - 15:51
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are ready to battle it out for the January
signing of West Ham and England forward Carton Cole according to reports in
the British media. Manchester United and Liverpool have also been linked
with the England international in recent weeks, however reports this morning
suggest the North London rivals are the frontrunners for the player's
signature. Cole is currently sidelined until January with a hamstring
January. The only stumbling block regarding any potential move for Cole is
the Hammer's asking price. Reports in the British press suggest West Ham are
looking for at least £20 million for the forward who has broken into Fabio
Capello's England squad. Cole made his Premier League debut under former
Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri who heralded the lad as a future talent. He
said after his debut: "I've never coached a young player like Carlton. He's
fantastic even though he hasn't really started his career yet. He has a very
long contract, and, in my opinion, a very big future at Chelsea." Cole has
played for Aston Villa, Charton Athletic, Chelsea and West Ham in the
Premier League.
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'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles'
By Mirror Football in Football Banter
Published 12:37 07/12/09
Katy Perry must be the early favourite for celebrity football fan of the
year. First she appeared on the MTV EMAs wearing a cheeky West Ham United
corset in honour of her boyfriend and famous Hammers fan Russell Brand. Now
the sultry singer has recorded her very own off-the-cuff version of the West
Ham anthem I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles, which she said was: "for my baby
who's at the game without me, I'm there in spirit." We're sure Russell
appreciated it, but we're not sure just how much consolation he would have
taken from it after the Hammers were stuffed 4-0 by Manchester United on
Saturday.
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WEST HAM: Zola focuses on games of 'real value'
11:12am Monday 7th December 2009
The Guardian Series
WEST HAM manager Gianfranco Zola has urged his players to forget the team's
4-0 drubbing at the hands of Manchester United at Upton Park on Saturday and
focus on the two games of 'real value' they face over the next week.
The Hammers fell apart against the defending champions after Paul Scholes'
99th Premier League goal on the stroke of half-time. Second half strikes
from Darren Gibson, Antonio Valencia and Wayne Rooney put the gloss on the
victory and highlighted plenty of shortcomings that Zola will be keen to
address before vital away matches against Birmingham City and Bolton
Wanderers.
First up is a trip to St Andrews on Saturday, which will followed by another
away day at the Reebok next Tuesday.
Zola insisted he had nothing but praise for his players after their efforts
at the weekend, and has quickly redirected his attention to the next two
challenges.
"These are the games that will really make a difference for us," he said.
"The games that have real value are the games we are facing now.
"The players will be all right. We will be working on their confidence
because they don't have to be affected by this. The game we play on Saturday
is the one that really matter. Starting from then, we have to forget about
today's game quickly because obviously they (Manchester United) are on a
different level and right now we can't compete. Saturday is a big match so
we have to pick ourselves up straight away.
"There was no criticism for my players at all. They played the game they way
they were asked to and their commitment has been fantastic. After it became
2-0 we had to try something so we went a bit more offensive and that's what
Man United were expecting."
The Italian manager admitted that his side are embroiled in a relegation
dogfight, although he can take heart from the fact that West Ham were in
exactly the same position this time last year, when they were able to push
on from 17th and finish inside the top half.
"Right now we are in a relegation fight. Considering all the problems we
have with so many players out with injuries, we have to realise that that's
the situation we're in. So we have to make an effort to get out of this
position.
"There are teams on 17 points and they're in the middle of the table, if you
get a couple of results the thing changes. It's not just difficult for us to
make points, but it's difficult for the other teams as well. It's down to
us, we need to finds a bit more consistency and hopefully have less injuries
- that would help."
Zola also moved to quash rumours that the club are under pressure to sell
some of their biggest stars, with the likes of Robert Green, Matthew Upson
and Carlton Cole all being linked with moves away in January. However, he
revealed that he may look to delve into the transfer market, as the team
attempts to deal with the injuries to Cole and, more recently, young striker
Zavon Hines, who injured his knee against United on Saturday.
"As far as I know we're not going to be under pressure to sell, we will see
what we are able to buy but we'll be looking for something."
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