Tonks targets Portsmouth
WHUFC.com
James Tomkins has told WHUTV he is looking for an similar display against
Portsmouth on Boxing Day
22.12.2009
James Tomkins wants to see West Ham United build on their encouraging
performance against Chelsea when Portsmouth visit the Boleyn Ground on
Boxing Day. The central defender was one of a number of stand out players
against the Barclays Premier League leaders, but knows that the performance
and subsequent point will mean nothing if the Hammers let their standards
slip against Avram Grant's side. "The result will give us massive confidence
for the Portsmouth game," Tomkins said. "I think the team was quite
confident anyway. We showed great attitude to come and get about Chelsea,
who are the top team in the Premier League. I think we can carry it on and I
think we will. "We needed to get about them as we couldn't let them play and
feel comfortable on our home ground. We tried to pressure them and make them
feel uncomfortable. If we can carry that on for the rest of the season we'll
be alright."
Tomkins and his team-mates had a well-earned rest on Monday but were back on
the training pitches at Chadwell Heath early on Tuesday. With Christmas just
three days away, it is a time for relaxing and celebration for some, but
Tomkins is keeping his focus only on the target of a Boxing Day win against
the south coasters. "We have had to get our legs back first as I know the
lads are tired after the energy they put into their performance. I think we
need to rest up and not drink too much around Christmas time, which I know
nobody would do anyway. Then we can just look forward to the game on Boxing
Day."
The England Under-21 international was introduced as an early first-half
substitute on Sunday after Danny Gabbidon's injury and had to quickly adapt
to a game that had no room for passengers. "The game was high tempo and
that's what we set out to do. We wanted to get about them so it must have
been exciting to watch. I wasn't expecting to come on so early but I had to
come on as Gabbs had pulled his hamstring. "It's takes a bit of time to get
into the flow of the game and it's important that I did get in because
Chelsea are such a dangerous team, I'm happy we came away with something,
even though we felt we got robbed a bit."
Robert Green only had one save to make all afternoon and was rarely
troubled, but he could do little about Frank Lampard's thrice-taken penalty
in the 61st minute. It was, Tomkins feels, a spot kick that should never
have been awarded following Matthew Upson's clean tackle on Daniel
Sturridge. "I had a good view of the penalty and I even spoke to Sturridge
after and he said that Matty had played the ball, so it's a mistake from
both the linesman and the ref as the linesman can help him in those sorts of
situations."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Youth Cup date set
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Youth Cup match with QPR has been set for Tuesday 19
January
22.12.2009
West Ham United can confirm the FA Youth Cup fourth-round tie against
Queen's Park Rangers will be played at the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday 19
January. The Hammers won through to the last-32 for the first time since
2006 by beating Plymouth Argyle 1-0 after extra time earlier earlier this
month. Republic of Ireland Under-17 forward Danny Purdy emerged from the
substitutes' bench to fire home the vital goal after 104 minutes. Academy
director Tony Carr said the squad were excited by the prospect of a London
derby in the cup to come as part of a busy start to the new year. "We are
looking forward to it," he said. "We trained until Tuesday this week, then
the boys went home for Christmas. They have all worked hard these last few
months, and the performances and results have improved as a result of that
hard work. "They will all be back in on 2 January ahead of our next league
match against Arsenal on Saturday 9 January. It would certainly be a
fantastic start to 2010 if we could complete the double over the Gunners,
having beaten them at home on 31 October, and then do well in the cup."
West Ham have won the FA Youth Cup three times since its inception in 1953,
lifting the trophy in 1963, 1981 and 1999, when the Hammers secured a record
9-0 aggregative victory over Coventry City in the final. QPR, who have never
reached the final of the competition, reached the fourth round courtesy of a
3-1 home victory over Southampton on Tuesday 8 December.
Kick-off will be at 7pm with ticket details to follow soon on whufc.com.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fernandes rules out Hammers bid
Malaysian entrepreneur focused on Formula One project
Last updated: 22nd December 2009
SSN
Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandes has ruled out making a bid for West
Ham United. Fernandes, team principal at new Formula One team Lotus F1, is a
Hammers fan and has been linked with the club ever since current owners CB
Holdings announced they were looking for a buyer. But while the 45-year-old
revealed he could be tempted to make a move at some point in the future, he
admits other projects are taking up too much of his time at present. When
asked if he had made a bid for the Upton Park club, Fernandes told the
Evening Standard: "No, not any time soon. I've got my hands full setting up
a Formula One team so it's not something I'm going to do. "I do worry about
the future of West Ham though. They're in a precarious situation and have
been badly managed with a poor balance sheet. "The fans, of which I'm one,
deserve better but it's not particularly tempting for a buyer."
On the pitch Gianfranco Zola's side are looking to build on an impressive
1-1 draw against Chelsea when they host Portsmouth on Boxing Day. James
Tomkins came on as a substitute for Danny Gabbidon last weekend and is
hoping his performance will have earned him a place in the starting XI. "We
have had to get our legs back first as I know the lads are tired after the
energy they put into their performance," Tomkins told the club's official
website. "I think we need to rest up and not drink too much around Christmas
time, which I know nobody would do anyway. Then we can just look forward to
the game on Boxing Day. "The Chelsea result will give us massive confidence
for the Portsmouth game."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers star hints at exit
10:25am Tuesday 22nd December 2009
Guardian Series
MATTHEW UPSON has given the clearest indication yet that he is heading for
the Upton Park exit door after admitting he is unsure whether he will be at
West Ham at the end of the season. The defender, who has 18 months left on
his current deal, has been one of the club's most consistent performers,
despite their perilous position and captained the side to a 1-1 draw against
league leaders Chelsea on Sunday. West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola is keen to
hold on to the England international, but the club's debt-ridden owners, CB
Holdings - a subsidiary of Icelandic bank Straumur - may look to cash in on
the club's star players in the January transfer window in an attempt to
balance the books. Upson revealed he was in the dark about any possible
transfer, but could not guarantee he would be at the Boleyn Ground come the
end of the season. "It's a difficult question because there are so many
things out of my control and things that may happen," he said. "All I can
focus on is the next game and being in the best form I can to pick up points
for West Ham."
Upson is eager to secure his place on the plane to South Africa for next
summer's World Cup finals and, with Tottenham and Liverpool among the clubs
thought to be clamouring for his signature, he may feel that a winter move
would be in his best interests.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Portsmouth Preview
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 22nd December 2009
By: Preview Percy
Preview Percy is still struggling with his rasping cough. However, we told
him Santa wouldn't come to his house unless he wrote a few words about
Saturday's match against Portsmouth......
Next up we have a Boxing Day 1pm kick-off at home to Portsmouth.
There are a number of parallels between ourselves and the visitors. We're
both struggling at the wrong end of the table and we've both suffered from
ownership/financial issues in recent times. In fact their finances are
arguably worse than ours. Players were paid late at the beginning of the
month and that was only following the club's securing of an emergency loan
at the last minute. They also owe shedloads in transfer fees to other clubs
- so much so that the Premier League paid their last chunk of TV money
direct to Watford and Arsenal in settlement of monies due. It was also
rumoured that the transfer of Jermain Defoe back to Spurs owed much to the
fact that Pompey hadn't quite got round to paying Spurs for the player in
the first place. Add to that the fact that they still apparently owe Chelsea
for Glen Johnson and you can see the reasoning behind the transfer embargo
currently imposed by the authorities.
The current owner is Ali Al-Farai who took over in October, a mere three
months after Sulemain Al-Fahim had taken over. Al-Fahim suddenly found
himself unable to pay the wages and Al-Farai stepped in, buying 90% of
Al-Fahim's shares in the process. Al-Farai has promised refinancing by the
end of the month, which, he claims, will enable the authorities to lift the
transfer embargo. Fans remain understandably sceptical however.
They have picked up seven points from their last six games. Their two wins
in that period both came at home. A 2-0 win over Burnely at the start of the
month was followed last weekend with another 2-0 win over as woeful a
Liverpool side as you are ever likely to see. Their other point in that
period came courtesy of a 93rd minute equaliser at the Stadium of Light,
whilst the other three matches saw away defeats at Blackburn & Stoke, whilst
a Wayne Rooney hat-trick contributed to a home 4-1 defeat to Man Utd.
Their first-choice 'keeper is, of course, ex-Hammer David James. James has
been missing with a calf injury sustained during the warm-up at Stoke. His
place has been taken in recent weeks by Bosnian/Canadian Asmir Begovic.
Begovic earned call-ups to the full Canadian squad without getting any
playing time. He has subsequently played a World Cup qualifier for
Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was the bit of what used to be Yugoslavia in which
he was born. The couple of minutes of stoppage time he got in a match
against Estonia was presumably enough to preclude his going back to play for
Canada. James is said to be close to a return, though if it does turn out to
be a week too early for him Begovic will continue.
Against Liverpool they went with a back five of Hreidarsson, Kaboul, Finnan,
Belhadj and Ben-Haim. Ben-Haim should be available despite the attempted
vasectomy perpetrated on him by Mascherano last weekend which, despite
Benitez's pathetic "the referee was perfect" attempt at sarcasm, was fully
deserving of the red card that it got.
The midfield section of the squad includes another ex-Hammer in the form of
Hayden Mullins. Mullins was a member of the squad that got promotion in 2005
and reached the Cup Final in 2006, though he missed the final thanks to a
sending-off in the league match against Liverpool a few weeks earlier.
Mullins left the Boleyn in last January's window for an "undisclosed" fee,
which may or may not have been paid by Pompey. In recent matches Mullins has
started from the bench, most recently replacing Kevin-Prince Boateng in last
weekend's victory over the Scousers.
Up front last week they went with French striker Frederic Piquionne, whose
finish for Pompey's second was nearly as good as Belhadj's had been for
their first. Alternative options up front include the on-loan Aruna Dindane,
whose season has been notable for a number of misses followed by a hat-trick
against Wigan. Such is Portsmouth's plight it took a special agreement with
Lens, Dindane's parent club, to enable him to play in the Burnley and
subsequent matches, there being a clause in the original loan agreement that
required Pompey to sign the player permanently once he'd played 12 or more
games. Third-party influence in team selection I believe that's called.
Other attacking options include ex-Watford striker Tommy Smith who arrived
on a four-year deal in the August window. He's only made 7 appearances this
season, however and hasn't featured at all in the 17 in recent weeks. I
couldn't find any mention of him in the usual injury list websites and one
can only assume that he fell out of favour with ex-boss Paul Hart and has
yet to impress new boss Avram Grant. The other striker we are likely to see
is Nwankwo Kanu who has made the bulk of his appearances from the bench this
season.
Moving swiftly on to us, last weekend was a pleasant surprise. The
performance which, lest we forget, could have ended up in victory but for
the usual scandalous performance from the disgraceful Mike Dean, left most
of us scratching our heads. How could a team look so bereft of ideas and
guts one week and so full of determination and spirit the next? It's amazing
what the spectre of being bottom at Christmas can do to you I suppose.
Of course no performance, good or bad, is complete these days without
someone picking up a knock and Gabbidon's hamstring will probably keep him
out for a few weeks at least. Thankfully Tomkins' confidence will have taken
a boost from his fine performance against Chelsea so look to him to continue
alongside Upson.
Up front we've obviously missed Cole and I've ben far from convinced that
Franco is suited to playing as a lone striker. However, possibly because
both Collison and Diamanti got forward to support him more than we've seen
in recent weeks, he had a good 90minutes in the role last weekend, though he
did get caught offside a few more times than I'd have liked. Assuming – and
with us it's always a big assumption – that there have been no further
injury mishaps since Sunday, I'd therefore expect us to start with the
eleven that finished against Chelsea, though we must be getting close to a
return for Behrami in a week or two.
Prediction? Well they must have been the proverbial "over the moon" after
their win last weekend. They must also have been convinced that they would
be off the bottom by Sunday evening so our point will have had at least a
minor deflating effect on them. We can take heart from the nature of the
performance against Chelsea and, if we can replicate that spirit this
weekend, I can see us taking the points. Last season's 4-1 win at Fratton
Park effectively kick-started our season and, whilst a victory by such a
margin would be nice, I reckon a more modest win is a bit more realistic
this time round. I'll plump therefore for a 2-1 win to help the turkey
sandwiches go down a bit more easily.
Enjoy the game and have a safe & happy Christmas!
Last season: 0-0 – Awful match, the result of which was guaranteed by the
visit of Maltese Hammer!
Referee: Lee Probert – last seen in the 3-2 away defeat at West Brom in
which he gave them a penalty despite Rob Green clearly winning the ball.
Still, at least it's not Mike Dean.
Danger Man: Kanu – although he starts mostly from the bench these days he is
still capable of something different.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'A Star in the Making' – West Ham's Fabio Daprela
Date: 22nd December 2009 at 3:09 pm
Author: Gawthaman Gobinath
FootballFancast.com
West Ham's problems are well documented; you only need to look at the league
table to see that they are struggling. One of the few positives for them is
the crop of young players that are coming through to the first-team. The
likes of Zavon Hines, James Tomkins, Jack Collison and Junior Stanislas have
all broken into the starting eleven and seem set to have bright futures in
the game. While these players have come through the youth setup, Zola has
also brought in a couple of young players from elsewhere such as Frank
Nouble and the subject of this article, Fabio Daprela.
Daprela is an 18-year-old Swiss left-back who was signed over the summer
from Grasshopper for a nominal fee and under relatively little fanfare. He
was signed as a back-up for Herita Ilunga who is West Ham's first choice
left-back and one of their most consistent players. Ilunga has been in good
form this season and Daprela has yet to make his first-team debut. He was
selected on the bench for the first time for the Carling Cup tie against
Millwall earlier this season and despite making the match-day squad on other
occasions he is still awaiting the chance to make an appearance though he is
a regular in the reserve side.
At 18 years-of age Daprela is certainly one for the future; he has his
compatriot Valon Behrami to help him settle into life in England and the
Premier League, so the transition will not be as difficult as it can be for
a young foreign player. Daprela has shown some promise in training but
Congo's failure to qualify for the African Cup of Nations means that Ilunga
will not be absent during that period so the young defender will have to
continue to wait for his chance.
Daprela is still young and has much to develop in his game, but he has good
stamina and an impressive work-rate in addition to his natural technical
ability. West Ham legend Julian Dicks recently proclaimed that 'the likes of
Radoslav Kovac and Fabio Daprela are not up to it' but this assessment is
premature and Daprela has enough character to not let such negative feedback
affect him. He is progressing well in the reserves and may well be a future
star.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
HAMMERS DREAMING OF QUIET CHRISTMAS
Posted 22/12/09 15:25
Football365
West Ham v Portsmouth 1st Goalscorer: Tomkins, J. 33/1
West Ham defender James Tomkins is happy to lay off the booze this Christmas
if it means dragging the club out of Barclays Premier League relegation
trouble. Tomkins is determined to build on the point earned against leaders
Chelsea at the weekend when they face Portsmouth at Upton Park on Boxing
Day. "We have had to get our legs back first as I know the lads are tired
after the energy they put into their performance," Tomkins said. "I think we
need to rest up and not drink too much around Christmas time, which I know
nobody would do anyway. Then we can just look forward to the game on Boxing
Day. "The Chelsea result will give us massive confidence for the Portsmouth
game." Tomkins still feels the Hammers should have gained maximum points as
Chelsea were awarded a harsh penalty. "I'm happy we came away with
something, even though we felt we got robbed a bit," he said on WHUTV. He
added: "It's a mistake from both the linesman and the ref as the linesman
can help him in those sorts of situations."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Misery for West Ham as Air Asia entrepreneur Tony Fernandes rules out making
a bid for Premier League strugglers
Daily Mail
By Sportsmail Reporter Last updated at 12:48 PM on 22nd December 2009
Tony Fernandes has ruled out making a bid for West Ham despite having held
talks with the club. CB Holdings, the company formed by creditors which runs
the club, are seeking new investment and it was hoped that Malaysian
entrepreneur Fernandes, owner of Air Asia, was on the brink of buying a 51
per cent share in the Hammers. Fernandes is also heading up Lotus's return
to Formula One next year and was viewed by many at Upton Park as the best
alternative to a potential buy-out by former Birmingham owners David Gold
and David Sullivan. But,when asked if he would be going ahead with a move,
Fernandes told the London Evening Standard: ''No, not any time soon. I've
got my hands full setting up a Formula One team so it's not something I'm
going to do.' Icelandic bank Straumur owns 70 per cent of CB Holdings and
rejected a bid of around £50million from Gold and Sullivan as they value the
club at £120m. Some of the pressure was taken off Straumur last week when
they were granted an extension to September next year to pay off their
debts. But Hammers fan Fernandes admits the future does not look too good
for the club, who sit second from bottom in the Premier League with just
three wins from 18 games. He said: 'I do worry about the future of West Ham.
They're in a precarious situation and have been badly managed with a poor
balance sheet. 'The fans, of which I'm one, deserve better but it's not
particularly tempting for a buyer. 'But West Ham are a fantastic club that
deserve a fantastic owner and they haven't had that for a long time.
'If you look at Chelsea and Manchester United's line-ups for example, there
are so many former Hammers there which is so sad for us. 'A lot of great
players have left the club and the club need to become great once again
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Struggling West Ham to make January move for Rangers star Nacho Novo
By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 12:24 AM on 23rd December 2009
Daily Mail
Premier League strugglers West Ham are set to make a New Year move for
Rangers striker Nacho Novo. West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola is known to be
keen to boost his striking options in a bid to pull clear of the relegation
zone. Novo is out of contract in the summer, and a cut-price deal in the
January transfer window might well appeal to the Hammers, with their
financial difficulties well documented. The London club are currently
engaged in protracted takeover talks with former Birmingham owners David
Sullivan and David Gold. Rangers have yet to open contract talks with Novo,
who is undoubtedly a favourite with the Ibrox faithful.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Mullins aiming for winning Hammers return
Portsmouth.co.uk
23 December 2009
By Neil Allen
HAYDEN MULLINS is gunning for a triumphant West Ham homecoming as he plots
Pompey's course for survival. The midfielder returns to Upton Park on Boxing
Day, almost a year after leaving for the Blues. He spent five years racking
up 213 appearances for the Hammers, in the process helping them reach the FA
Cup final and avoid relegation on the last day of the 2006-07 campaign. Now
he's on the opposite side as Pompey look to maintain their impressive recent
form. Avram Grant's men have picked up seven points from their last four
matches and Boxing Day will pitch them against a side lying just a point
ahead. Victory would lift the visitors out of the bottom three for the first
time since August. And Mullins is desperate to get one over on his former
employers. He said: 'I will say hello to a few old faces and then it's down
to business and a match we can go and get a win from. 'It's a massive game,
a huge game, you can't get away from that. If we beat West Ham we jump
above them and put them to the bottom of the table. 'It's a game we know
there's a lot riding on. 'We are trying not to focus on the size of the game
too much, but we know it's somewhere we've got to go and get something from.
'Even a point would be good. 'They've still got to come to Fratton Park,
which is an advantage, so then we can beat them at our home ground. 'I
haven't got a clue about the reception and hopefully I'll get a nice one.
'But I go there more focussed on the points than anything. 'A lot of the
squad there I worked with for a long time and a lot of the players I know, a
lot of people behind the scenes as well. 'I'll go back and say "hello" –
then hopefully beat them.'
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
U's chief open to Solano deal
TeamTalk
Colchester United manager Aidy Boothroyd is refusing to rule out the
possibility of signing veteran midfielder Nolberto Solano. The former
Newcastle, Aston Villa and West Ham playmaker, who most recently played for
Peruvian champions Universitario de Deportes, has joined up to train with
Boothroyd's men this week. The 35-year-old made more than 250 Premier League
appearances for Newcastle, Villa and West Ham between 1998 and 2008, as well
as a brief training spell under Boothroyd while he was boss at Watford. The
U's boss told the Colchester Gazette: "Nobby is here for a few days - he is
training with us and we're monitoring the situation. "He is a very well
respected player and it's no secret that we're looking for someone in that
area."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Posts
