Daily WHUFC News - 30th December 2010

SBOBET player poll open
WHUFC.com
Have your say today on who has been the top-performing Hammer over the last four weeks
30.12.2010

There is still time to have your say on the SBOBET Player of the Month for December 2010. Five nominees have been shortlisted for the chance to succeed Kieron Dyer (August), Manuel da Costa (September). Mark Noble (October) and Victor Obinna (November) as December's main man. Robert Green, James Tomkins, Matthew Upson, Scott Parker and Carlton Cole have all been singled out for their recent displays. Open to fans to vote, the winner will be confirmed on whufc.com before Saturday's match with Wolverhampton Wanderers and be presented with his award before a forthcoming home game.
To register your vote in the monthly poll, http://www.whufc.com/page/NewsIndex/0,,12562,00.html and go to the vote in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

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Final incentive for Birmingham tickets
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are bidding to reach Wembley with the Carling Cup semi-final against Birmingham City
29.12.2010

Fans wanting to give themselves the best chance of following the Hammers all the way in the Carling Cup should buy a ticket for the semi-final first leg with Birmingham City. Were the club to win through to Wembley, those who bought a semi-final ticket will get access to an exclusive priority period after only season ticket holders and members. Should the Hammers overcome the Blues after the home leg on 11 January and the trip to St. Andrew's on 26 January in what looks a tricky tie, tens of thousands will want to be at the 27 February showpiece. Demand will far exceed supply. Season ticket holders and members can still buy for the semi-final but will have to move quick if they want to sit in their usual place. As usual, whatever the weather outside, fans can buy online, over the phone or in person from the ticket office. Season tickets holders have been given £15 off their seats, and they can still take advantage of this promotion even though their own exclusive selling period has ended.

As always, fans should keep an eye on whufc.com for all the latest ticket information.

West Ham have reached the League Cup final twice in their history, losing out on both occasions. West Brom ran out 5-3 aggregate winners in 1965/66, while Liverpool earned a 2-1 replay victory at Villa Park in 1980/81 after the initial game at finished 1-1 at Wembley. Birmingham won the 1963 final with a 3-1 aggregate success against Aston Villa. and were beaten 5-4 on penalties by Liverpool in the 2001 final after a 1-1 draw.

* Fans should notice the Hammers' allocation for the away leg at St. Andrew's on 26 January is sold out, with all applications received by season ticket holders having been successful.

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Cut-price Barnsley seats in demand
WHUFC.com
The FA Cup tie promise to be an exciting afternoon at the Boleyn on the road to Wembley
29.12.2010

Fans can today get their cut-price FA Cup tickets for the third-round visit of Barnsley on Saturday week. Supporters will pay just £10 for kids and £15 for adults - regardless of where they want to sit - for the first step on the road to Wembley on 8 January 2011. Season ticket holders will need to move fast if they have not bought their tickets as there is now no guarantee that their usual seat will remain available. They get an extra fiver off, with prices at just £5 for Under-16s and £10 for adults.

The club have continued to offer great ticket savings for the cup competitions this season, with some of the lowest prices seen at the Boleyn Ground in more than a decade. Including Manchester United's visit in the Carling Cup, the last two home games have been sold out to home fans as fans flock to support the team.

As such, demand is expected to be high for the start of this season's FA Cup adventure so move fast to avoid disappointment. There is also limited time for supporters yet to buy for the Birmingham City first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final.

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Gold tracking 15 players
Hammers co-owner reveals January plans
Last updated: 29th December 2010
SSN

West Ham co-owner David Gold has revealed the club have plenty of 'irons in the fire' and are hoping to bring in at least three new faces in January.
In order to make sure they succeed in strengthening Avram Grant's squad, Gold and David Sullivan have cast the net wide and are monitoring the progress of 15 players. The Hammers remain in the relegation zone following Tuesday's 1-1 draw against Evertonand Gold is aware of the need to do business when the transfer window reopens. "We've got 15 irons in the fire, and I mean that literally," he said. "We're just concentrating on incomings, and if you get three, you've done good."

One of the new additions will be Steve Sidwell,with the Hammers set to finalise a deal for the Aston Villa midfielder, but Gold has refused to be drawn on other targets. He explained: "There's a lot of secret stuff going on; we're trying to outwit our competitors. "We're after a player who is the same type of player one of our competitors is looking for, and we want to keep that as quiet as we can and complete the deal."

Piquionne not for sale

Gold is also determined to keep all West Ham's key players next month and has dismissed speculation linking Frederic Piquionne with a move away from Upton Park. The striker was this week quoted as saying that he would be open to joining Villa but Gold maintains he will not be going anywhere. "He's not for sale," said Gold. "This club is fighting for its life. "It's got to change what it's been doing. For 30 years, it's been selling its best players. That's got to stop."

Vital clash
West Ham entertain bottom club Wolves on New Year's Day in a vital clash for both sides, but Gold is not viewing it as a must-win match following a decent run over the festive period so far. "If we don't beat Wolves then we start all over again," said the former Birmingham supremo. "I mean you brush yourself down and you come again. But we're not even thinking that way." He added: "I am pleased with what we've done over Christmas. "I would say the bookies will have to redo their sums if we beat Wolves. "If we win against Wolves you've got to say that's not the performance of a relegation side."

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Reds renew Cole interest
Hammers understood to be prepared to listen to £7m-£9m offers
Last updated: 29th December 2010
SSN

Sky Sports News understands that Liverpool have renewed their interest in West Ham striker Carlton Cole. A representative of the Anfield club is said to have been at the Hammers' Boxing Day victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage, where the 27-year-old scored twice in a 3-1 win. Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson made an attempt to sign England international Cole, who has netted just five times in all competitions this season, in the summer transfer window. But a deadline day deal was not agreed and West Ham boss Avram Grant remains unwilling to sell his star players, such as Cole, Matthew Upson and Scott Parker, as he battles against Premier League relegation.

No secret

However, it is understood that Hammers co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan would be prepared to listen to offers between £7m and £9m. Hodgson has made no secret of the fact that he wants to increase his attacking options and find a partner for Fernando Torres to decrease the burden on the Spain international. The Liverpool boss is desperate to be backed in the transfer window by his club's owners, John Henry's New England Sports Ventures, following their takeover in mid-October and he has also been linked with PSV Eindhoven forward Ola Toivonen. But, whether or not it is a poker face to misguide rivals, Hodgson has also said that he does not expect to sign any 'first-team material' until the end of January.

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City put block on Bridge move
The Sun
Published: Today

MANCHESTER CITY have snubbed a bid from West Ham to take Wayne Bridge on loan until the summer. Left-back Bridge, 30, was keen on the Irons switch - but City blocked it. Aston Villa and Valencia remain possible destinations.

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Gold is digging for bargains
The Sun
By MARK IRWIN
Published: Today

WEST HAM chairman David Gold is negotiating 15 signings in an amazing game of transfer bluff. The Hammers co-owner is keeping his rivals guessing ahead of the transfer window opening. Despite the Hammers being saddled with more than £100million of debt, Gold is ready to open the chequebook this weekend to help manager Avram Grant make them only the second club to avoid the drop after being bottom of the Premier League at Christmas. Gold admitted: "We've got 15 irons in the fire, and I mean that literally. "We're just concentrating on incomings, and if you get three, you've done good."

The first of those will be Steve Sidwell from Aston Villa but Gold would not name other targets. He added: "There's a lot of secret stuff going on — we're trying to outwit our competitors. "We're after a player who is the same type of player one of our competitors is looking for, and we want to keep that as quiet as we can and complete the deal."

The January window is also likely to lead to renewed speculation over the futures of the Hammers' best players, most notably star midfielder Scott Parker, who the club have repeatedly insisted is going nowhere. Striker Frederic Piquionne was quoted this week saying he would be interested in a move to Villa but Gold said: "He's not for sale. "This club is fighting for its life. "It's got to change what it's been doing. For 30 years, it's been selling its best players. That's got to stop."

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West Ham draw up 15-man January transfer hitlist
Published 18:55 29/12/10 By Neil McLeman
The Mirror

David Gold has revealed West Ham have targeted 15 different players for Avram Grant in the January transfer window. And the bullish Upton Park co-owner insisted the bookies will have to redraw their relegation odds if his side beat relegation rivals Wolves on Saturday. The home draw with Everton means the Hammers have taken five points from three matches over Christmas. West Ham can climb out of the bottom three for the first time this season with a win at the weekend. And co-chairman Gold said he hoped at least three players will be brought into the squad next month. "We've got 15 irons in the fire, and I mean that literally," said the former Birmingham owner. "We're just concentrating on incomings, and if you get three you've done good.
"The Steve Sidwell deal is not done yet. We're waiting for a number of issues to be resolved. There's a lot of secret stuff going on. We're trying to outwit our competitors. "We know we're after a player who is the same type of player one of our competitors is looking for, and we want to keep that as quiet as we can and complete the deal."

Villa midfielder Sidwell has passed a medical and should join on loan while the club want to borrow Wayne Bridge from Manchester City to fill the left-back slot. And West Ham are scouring Europe for a centre-forward. But Gold insisted Frederic Piquionne, who expressed his interest in joining Aston Villa, would not be leaving. "He's not for sale," he stated. "This club is fighting for it's life. It's got to change what it's been doing. For 30 years it's been selling it's best players. That's got to stop."

And Gold insisted the turnover of managers at Upton Park had also stopped no matter the result against Wolves. "I am pleased with what we've done over Christmas," he continued. "A great three points at Fulham. That was the first time as principles of the football club we've won away. Against Everton, our players were falling like flies because they had given their all, they had given everything. "It really is tough to play two games on the trot like that. It is a great point. We'd have loved to win, we were ahead. But nevertheless we played 48 hours ago, they didn't. Everton are not our competitors. We know who are our competitors. Wolves. Fulham. Birmingham. I would say the bookies will have to redo their sums if we beat Wolves. If we win against Wolves you've got to say that's not the performance of a relegation side. "To get two wins and two draws. It's got to be done. We have to beat Wolves, and it will be a big six-pointer. "If we don't beat Wolves, then we start all over again. I don't mean with a new manager. I mean you brush yourself down and you come again."

Grant said: "The confidence is growing in the players, although the were like this before. I said many times they saw the difference between losing and taking points was only small because we dominated so many games. We had a good win two days ago and with a bit more freshness we could have taken the points again. We will do our best against Wolves."

Scott Parker said: "We have confidence definitely and it has been there all year although there are times when it gets a bit edgy and it is bound to when you are bottom of the league. You aren't going to be flowing all the time but every one of us is confident that we can get ourselves out of this."

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Exclusive: Spurs lead the six-side race to land Beckham on loan
Published 23:59 29/12/10 By John Cross
The Mirror

Spurs are top of an amazing list of six Premier League clubs trying to sign David Beckham. The former England captain could be back in England's top flight in the next few weeks after Tottenham made contact with Beckham's advisers to register an interest about a two-month loan spell. Beckham is having discussions with LA Galaxy about a temporary switch to Europe to boost his fitness levels before the MLS season resumes. Boss Harry Redknapp will have to beat interest from Blackburn, West Ham, Sunderland, Everton and Newcastle, as well as enquiries from Italy and Spain. But Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, who has tried to sign Beckham before, is keen to make a sensational coup by bringing him to White Hart Lane. Redknapp recently claimed he is not working on any deal for Beckham but Levy sees it as having huge potential for the club.

Beckham, meanwhile, wants to train at a top club, prove he can still play for England and has vast experience to offer Spurs on and off the pitch. Ex-Real Madrid star Beckham claimed recently he would only come back to England with Manchester United but it is understood that he is interested in other clubs.
Beckham played under Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti at AC Milan and, while there has not been contact from Stamford Bridge, that might be another club watching developments. LA Galaxy have yet to rubber stamp Beckham coming to Europe on a two-month loan spell and he did suffer a serious Achilles injury while at AC Milan last season. But Beckham is hoping to have his future sorted out shortly and it is clear that Tottenham are watching very closely with a view to a sensational deal.

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Hammers to meet Keane demands
December 29, 2010
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By Harry Harris, Football Correspondent
ESPN

West Ham are determined to make Tottenham striker Robbie Keane their marquee January signing, as they look to boost their chances of Premier League survival. Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is keen to step up his pursuit of a new frontman and has already revealed that Keane will be allowed to leave to make room in the squad. Redknapp needs to generate funds for a January plunge into the transfer market and Keane will be the most notable sale, though West Ham face stiff competition for the Ireland captain from Premier League rivals Aston Villa and Wolves. Spurs are holding out for a £6 million transfer fee, plus a £1 million bonus should Keane help the Hammers or one of their fellow relegation candidates avoid the drop. West Ham co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan are prepared to pay Keane's £65,000-a-week Tottenham wages for an initial six-month loan deal, then commit to a £6 million fee to take up the option of signing the striker on a three-year contract. It would be a massive investment for the Hammers, close to £20 million in total for loan fees, transfer fees, survival bonuses, and wages for a striker who is 30, but the financial burden would be spread over nearly four years. A West Ham insider told ESPNsoccernet: "All our options are option, but we think we have a good chance of landing Robbie Keane."

The club have also enquired about Manchester City pair Shaun Wright-Phillips and Wayne Bridge, but because the Irons are restricted to a total of two loan deals, and only one from a fellow Premier League club, they are likely to focus their attention on trying to sign left-back Bridge on loan until the end of the season. The Hammers are close to completing the signing of Aston Villa's Steve Sidwell, while Monaco have given them the go ahead to move for Dieumerci Mbokani, though acquiring a work permit for the Congolese striker may prove a stumbling block.

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Exclusive - Cottee: 'Wolves defeat could spell the end for Grant'
TalkSport
By Ian Cruise
Wednesday, December 29

Tony Cottee believes West Ham will have to seriously consider sacking Avram Grant if they lose to Wolves this weekend. The Hammers currently sit second from bottom in the Premier League table, with only Wolves below them (subject to their result against Liverpool on Wednesday night) and victory at Upton Park is crucial for the East Londoners. And Cottee admits a further setback against their fellow strugglers could - and perhaps should - spell the end for Grant. He told Goldsetin & Cundy: "If West Ham lose to Wolves they'll have to look at the situation. "With the transfer window set to open they would have to ask themselves if Grant is the man to whom they want to give whatever money they've got. "Before the advent of the January window, you could perhaps leave it until about ten games to go before making a change, but you can't do that anymore. " It's so tight that the only two clubs in the bottom half who definitely won't go down are Everton and Liverpool " Tony Cottee
"It's so tight that the only two clubs in the bottom half who definitely won't go down are Everton and Liverpool. Everyone else, even up to Blackpool in eighth, could struggle if they go on a bad run." West Ham have enjoyed a mini recovery over Christmas, with four points form two games so far against Fulham and Everton. And Cottee feels they've got the talent to escape from the drop zone. "They've got the players, but for whatever reason they're not producing," he added. "They've got a spine of England internationals with Green, Upson, Parker and Cole, some good kids like Noble, Collison and Hines and some decent foreigners like Obinna and Piquionne. "They are in a false position and they should be doing better. Whether that's down to the players or the manager I don't know. It's probably a combination of the two."

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Hammers striker is target for Liverpool, say reports
3:51pm Wednesday 29th December 2010
Guardian Series

LIVERPOOL are set to make a renewed effort to sign West Ham striker Carton Cole in January, according to Sky Sports News. It is understood a representative from the Anfield club was present during the Hammers' 3-1 win over Fulham on Boxing Day, when Cole was on the scoresheet twice.
Reds boss Roy Hodgson tried to sign the 27-year-old in the summer transfer window but a deal was not agreed between the two clubs. However, it now appears he will return to the West Ham hitman as a partner for Fernando Torres is sought. Irons owners David Gold and David Sullivan are thought to be willing to listen to offers between £7-9million.

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Liverpool Boss Roy Hodgson Renews Interest In West Ham United's €10.5m Striker Carlton Cole - Report
Dec 29, 2010 5:01:00 PM
Goal.com

Liverpool have revealed that have renewed their interest in West Ham United striker Carlton Cole, according to Sky Sports News. It is understood that an Anfield representative was at Craven Cottage on Boxing Day when Cole netted twice to give West Ham a much needed 3-1 victory over Fulham. Reds' boss Roy Hodgson originally attempted to sign Cole - who has five goals to his name this season - in the summer, but a deadline-day deal could not be completed in time. Hammers' manager Avram Grant has made it clear that he has no intention of letting transfer target Cole - or any other of his top players like Matthew Upson and Scott Parker - leave Upton Park as he bids to avoid relegation. However, this decision could be taken out of his hands by the board. David Sullivan and David Gold, the owners of the Hammers, have revealed that it would be difficult not to listen to offers in the region of £7 million to £9m (€8.2m-€10.5m) for Cole, as the club look to ease their financial troubles. Hodgson has already stated that he wants to bolster his attacking options to take the pressure off the Reds' Spanish talisman, Fernando Torres, and sees the 27-year-old Hammers striker as an ideal candidate, along with PSV Eindhoven forward Ola Toivonen. On the other hand, Hodgson has also said he does not plan to sign any 'first-team material' until the end of January.

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Yakubu keen to join West Ham - but move may be hindered by Everton's asking price
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 7:38 AM on 30th December 2010
Daily Mail

Everton striker Yakubu is back on West Ham's list of targets after expressing a desire to leave Merseyside to gain more first team action. The Nigerian is unhappy with life on Merseyside and wants to link up with Avram Grant after missing the chance to join West Ham during the summer. However, Everton's valuation may hinder any deal once again.

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West Ham refuse to sell in January as co-owner David Gold targets recruits for survival bid
By LAURA WILLIAMSON
Last updated at 10:20 PM on 29th December 2010
Daily Mail

David Gold has insisted no players will leave West Ham in January as the club battles to stay in the Barclays Premier League. The West Ham joint chairman said: 'This club is fighting for its life. It's got to change what it's been doing. For 30 years it's been selling its best players. That's got to stop.
'We've got 15 irons in the fire, and I mean that literally. Every time I go into the dressing room the first guy I go to is the physio and then I go to the players. All the time you're terrified. If Scottie Parker goes down, you think: "God!" 'We've got two things that are vital to us: players who are coming back from serious injury and ensuring no-one else goes on to that treatment table. That's what I worry about. 'We're just concentrating on incomings, and if you get three you've done good.' West Ham are hopeful of securing striker Dieumerci Mbokani on loan from Monaco. Manager Avram Grant has also suggested the club were close to signing midfielder Steve Sidwell, 28, from Aston Villa but Gold said the deal is not yet done. He said: 'We're waiting for a number of issues to be resolved. There's a lot of secret stuff going on. We're trying to outwit our competitors.'

West Ham host fellow strugglers on New Year's Day and Gold admitted it is a must-win game if his side are to survive this season. He said: 'I would say the bookies will have to redo their sums if we beat Wolves. 'If we win against Wolves you've got to say that's not the performance of a relegation side. We have to beat Wolves, and it will be a big six-pointer.'

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Daily WHUFC News - 29th December 2010

Grant hails squad spirit
WHUFC.com
The manager was delighted with the way his men kept going to earn a battling
point against Everton
28.12.2010

Avram Grant was left to lament a little on what might have been after seeing
his side earn a battling point in a 1-1 draw against Everton in challenging
circumstances. While the visitors arrived on the back of an eight-day rest,
the Hammers took to the immaculate Boleyn Ground pitch little more than 48
hours after a gruelling 3-1 victory at Fulham on Sunday. As a result, the
manager was thrilled with the effort of his players, especially as he had to
make four changes before kick-off and then saw two more - Herita Ilunga and
Frederic Piquionne - limp off with muscle problems. "We have just played two
games in three days," said Grant. "I am delighted and impressed by the boys'
effort. They gave everything and their movement and pressing was good
throughout. I am very pleased with their commitment."

The Hammers had opened the scoring after Radoslav Kovac's hooked volley had
forced a Tony Hibbert own goal only for Seamus Coleman to level just before
half-time as he struck to finish off a superb team move. That said, Carlton
Cole - the two-goal hero at Fulham - spurned a tremendous second-half
opportunity after Freddie Sears had provided a perfect cross. "We could have
won the game with a big chance of Coley at the end to score. We had chances
to win but the most important thing was that you saw the players give
everything from start to finish. It is not easy to do what they did,
especially against a team that was so fresh. "Normally we would prefer to
play Everton with equal preparation. The fact we looked so fresh was because
of the effort of the players. We started well because we have been working
hard all week. Unfortunately when you have a chance to kill, you have to
take it. We didn't this time but this is football and in our best moment
they scored a goal. "I would have taken four points from two games before
the Fulham and Everton matches but of course when you are playing well you
always want more. We are improving and it is not easy when we are having to
change the squad every week. I am very impressed. We even needed to make
changes during the match but we kept going."

The manager will hope to have Valon Behrami back in contention on Saturday
after a couple of days solid training at Chadwell Heath while Mark Noble has
also stepped up his return and it is hope he is not too far away. January
will also bring the transfer window and the possibility of one or two, or
even three, new faces. Whoever pulls on the claret and blue, the manager is
confident that the spirit will see the side through. "The confidence is
growing in the players, although the were like this before. I said many
times they saw the difference between losing and taking points was only
small because we dominated so many games. We had a good win two days ago and
with a bit more freshness we could have taken the points again. We will do
our best against Wolves."

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Parker keeps on going
WHUFC.com
Inspirational midfielder Scott Parker was on top of his game in the 1-1 draw
with Everton on Tuesday
28.12.2010

Scott Parker has spoken of the confidence flowing through the West Ham
United ranks after another man of the match display. The peerless midfielder
was singled out by Sky Sports for his box-to-box brilliance in the 1-1 draw
against Everton that saw him tireless from start to finish. Parker summed up
the spirit in the camp by saying the team were actually disappointed to only
get a point against a team that had beaten high-fliers Manchester City in
their previous outing. He said: "Obviously after going one-nil up, we are a
little bit disappointed. We needed to win today. But in saying that, we have
come off a good result against Fulham and we have been unbeaten. We have not
lost the game."

After 1-1 draws against Blackburn Rovers and Everton sandwiched the terrific
3-1 away win at Fulham, Parker said the team would be on a high for the
visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. "We have got an important game
against Wolves at the weekend and this is something to build on. There were
definitely some positives in the game and only a little bit of a lack of
concentration at the end of the first half saw them score. "We have
confidence definitely and it has been there all year although there are
times when it gets a bit edgy and it is bound to when you are bottom of the
league. You aren't going to be flowing all the time but every one of us is
confident that we can get ourselves out of this."

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West Ham 1 - 1 Everton
BBC.co.uk
Seamus Coleman capitalised on some slack West Ham defending to score
By Phil McNulty
Chief football writer at Upton Park

West Ham United remain in the Premier League relegation zone after they were
held to a draw by Everton at Upton Park. Avram Grant's side hoped to build
on their Boxing Day win at Fulham and took an early lead when Everton
defender Tony Hibbert turned into his own net for the second successive
season at West Ham. David Moyes's side responded in spirited fashion and
fully deserved the equaliser that came from Irish youngster Seamus Coleman
three minutes before the interval when he converted Tim Cahill's cross. Both
sides then had opportunities to claim three points as West Ham substitute
Carlton Cole wasted a glorious opportunity and Hammers keeper Robert Green
saved well from Cahill and Marouane Fellaini late on.

Grant will ultimately be satisfied with a point against an Everton team
coming into the game off the back of an outstanding win at Manchester City
and who were also rested after their Boxing Day game against Birmingham City
at Goodison Park was the victim of the big freeze. West Ham's boss has now
completed the three games that were believed to be crucial in deciding his
future and has hauled in five points - which he will hope is enough for him
to be entrusted with the task of freshening up his squad in January. Everton
boss Moyes will once again curse his side's desperate lack of cutting edge
as they failed to turn the majority of possession to goals. And his lack of
faith in his strike force was betrayed by the decision to play Cahill up
front and leave Yakubu, Jermaine Beckford and Louis Saha on the bench at the
start. Cole's reward for his match-winning two-goal performance at Craven
Cottage was relegation to the bench while Everton suffered a blow when
England defender Phil Jagielka was ruled out with a thigh injury suffered at
Eastlands.

Everton settled more quickly and Sylvain Distin was let down by poor control
when presented with a good early chance, his first touch making his angle
too tight before he shot across the face of goal. It was West Ham who took
the lead after 16 minutes in scrappy circumstances. Everton keeper Tim
Howard could only push out James Tomkins' header as captain Phil Neville
appeared to obscure his view and when Kovac turned the ball back in Hibbert
unwittingly diverted the ball into his own net. West Ham enjoyed a brief
period of superiority, but Everton's composed approach play deserved a
reward and it came with an equaliser three minutes before the interval.
Mikel Arteta, back after a three-game ban, found Cahill in space on the left
and his accurate cross to the far post was met by the unmarked Coleman, who
had no trouble beating Green with an accomplished finish. Scott Parker, as
ever, was the architect of most of West Ham's good work and he almost
restored their lead immediately with a delicate chip that caught Howard off
his line but drifted just over the top.

West Ham, who lost Herita Ilunga to injury in the first half, made another
change after 56 minutes when striker Cole was introduced in place of
Frederic Piquionne. Everton made a change of their own just after the hour
when Yakubu, a summer transfer target for West Ham, replaced Jack Rodwell as
Moyes opted for a move positive approach. West Ham then created the best
opportunity of the second half when Freddie Sears picked out Cole at the far
post, but the sure touch he showed at Fulham deserted him and he directed a
tame finish off target with only Howard to beat. Everton's shortage of goals
has been their Achilles heel this season as they have developed an
over-reliance on Cahill. The Australian almost did the trick again with 11
minutes left with a close-range effort that brought Green to his knees to
save. Green followed this up with a reaction save from the giant figure of
Fellaini as the Belgian directed Leighton Baines' corner towards goal. It
was the final opportunity of the game as both managers were forced to settle
for a share of the points.

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Grant: Sidwell to sign 'this week'
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 29th December 2010
By: Staff Writer

Avram Grant has confirmed that a deal to bring midfielder Steve Sidwell in
on loan is almost complete. The 28-year-old Aston Villa player is set to
complete a six-month loan switch to the Hammers ahead of the opening of the
winter transfer window, which starts this Saturday (1st January). Speaking
tonight after West Ham's 1-1 draw with Everton in reply to a question
regarding possible transfer window business, Grant said: "I will not speak
about names while we are checking everything. We analyse our situation all
the time with the various injured players. "But it's not a secret that one
of our targets is Steve Sidwell - we are hoping to complete the transfer
this week."

The Wandsworth-born midfielder began his career at Arsenal but failed to
make a single first team appearance for the Gunners before joining Reading
in 2003. Under the tutelege of Steve Coppell, he became an integral part of
the team that fired the Royals into the Premier League for the first time in
their history. Such a success was he at the Madejski Stadium, Chelsea
snapped him up on a free transfer in the summer of 2007. However his career
at Stamford Bridge lasted for just a year and after 15 appearances for the
Blues, he joined Villa for a fee of around £5million. Since Gérard Houllier
succeeded Martin O'Neill at Villa Park a month into the current campaign,
the out-of-favour Sidwell has made just four Premier League appearances -
plus two in the Carling Cup. Grant also confirmed that he will be looking to
make several further signings during January - with no players expected to
leave.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Grant on... Everton
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 28th December 2010
By: Staff Writer

Avram Grant reflects on a hard-fought draw against Everton - and looks ahead
to the January transfer window...

Avram: not many chances tonight, was a draw a fair result?

First I want to say that it's a sad day for me. One of my friends, Avi Cohen
- who played for Liverpool, Rangers and captained the Israeli national team
- passed away this week in tragic circumstances, a car accident. I want to
give my sympathy to his wife Dorit, his son Tamir who is playing for Bolton
and all his family. It's very sad; he was a great man, a great person who
was always very lively and with a smile on his face. For me it's very sad.

About the game today; I think that in the first half we were on top of them.
We scored a goal, we could have scored more, we passed the ball very well
but in one of our best moments they scored a goal. We always think that it's
our mistake. In the second half we had a big chance to win the game from
Coley who didn't do it.

But the most important thing of all [is that] I'm very, very pleased with
the boys and their effort. It's not easy to play two games in 48 hours, this
is the only country that plays two games in 48 hours [during the] Christmas
period. I like it; when I was a child I came to see the games, now I'm
really, really pleased to be part of it.

But I think they need to think about equal chances because if you're
involved in sport - it doesn't matter what, basketball, athletics - you know
that to play two games in 48 hours is difficult, but it's okay if both teams
have equal chances.

When one team needs to play and the other comes fresh it's a big advantage,
so I think they need to think about this because as you can see with our
players, at first we needed to change the team - put players who played well
on Sunday on the bench or not play at all. Becuase of this I'm very pleased
with their efforts, everybody gave 100 per cent.

Is that why Carlton [Cole] was on the bench?

Yes, because he played fantastic at Craven Cottage and gave fantastic
effort. When I picked the team in this situation, also speaking with the
[sports] science and medical people for their advice, we knew that because
of his history it could cause him damage - so he was on the bench.

Four points from two games over Christmas; is that as good as you expected?
Are you happy with that?

I think yes, it's good. You know, you always expect more but to win at
Fulham; Fulham is a difficult [place] to win [at], they got a good result
today and they're a good team. Blackburn won today and we drew with them.

I think the most important [thing] is that we close the gap between good
games two points because we've played many games [where we were] better than
the other team but didn't take points. Now I think we are more efficient,
even though we didn't win today. But I think that, if you think about the
circumstances, it was a good point and a good effort from the guys.

Saturday's game [against Wolves] perhaps more important than today's?

I think it's very important but you, the media, [have been] asking me this
question for three or four months! My target is for you to continue to ask
me this question [as] it means we are in a place where we can be safe - and
this is our target. I think that we are on the right track, in the last
three games we've seen a lot of improvement by taking points. It's good, but
we need to win [on] Saturday against a team that are a very good team.

I don't think that there are any weak teams in this league. It is maybe the
first year that there's not even one weak team. We play against Wolves and I
think they owe us something because we scored a goal against them that was
disallowed in the last minute.

Having gone in front tonight were you disappointed at the way the equaliser
came? The defending?

Always when you concede a goal you think you could do better, you know. In
every goal for every team you can defend better, but I think it was a little
bit... It was a few minutes after Ilunga - who played well today after a
long time injured - [was substituted] and it was maybe a little bit of
confusion. I think the defence have been doing a very good job in the last
[few] games.

Come January, players like Piquionne, Obinna, Parker and Upson may leave. Do
you know if the owners want to sell them to bring money in?

Look - come January there are the January stories. At the beginning of the
season there were a lot of stories for the next few weeks - not even one of
them was true, from our point of view.

So they'll all be staying?

Yes. Unless someone will offer around £25million for Piquionne, then we'll
think about it. I'm not sure we will do it, but we'll think about it...

Can you clarify about Carlton Cole - was he just too tired to play tonight,
or was he injured?

No, he wasn't injured - but we want to avoid injury because we know that
it's difficult for him to play two games in 48 hours. Also we ask the
players; four or five players didn't play today because of this and I hope
we haven't picked up one more injury with Freddie Piquionne.

Carlton wanted to play but you just rested him?

All the players want to play all the time, do you see any players that don't
want to play?

One thing nobody can take from you - Robert Green. Under your management you
have brought his confidence back?

I think he started the league [campaign] not so good. I told Robert that
[in] every press conference at the beginning of the season 20 minutes was
about him - and not because he's very handsome! Now I say 'because you are
playing well, nobody asks me about you'.

If you remember, all the games at the beginning of the season you were
critical of him - and I understand it because it was after the World Cup.
But I say it again - sport is good because you can always answer on the
pitch. In the last two months you've not asked even one question about him;
it means that he's doing his job on the pitch. It's good.

Is Saturday possibly one of the biggest games in your managerial career?

I don't think like this, all games are big games. If you remember, three
months ago you were saying 'this is a big game, this is a big game'... As
long as we are in a place where we can say it's a big game. The game against
Wolves will be a big game as will the game against Newcastle. But I think
that when we are playing at home and have the momentum, even though they are
good teams our target is to win the game.

The fact that Wolves are so close to you; the outcome, if they win, means
they go further ahead of you and it could be quite difficult to come back?

You know, I was speaking with the players [and asking them] to think
positively and not think what happens if not. Wolves would be three points
behind us if the referee's decision at Wolves was good - it was one of our
best games, at Wolves. So we want to win.

Have you had assurances from the owners that you will have money to spend to
strengthen your squad in January?

I don't need to tell you that we have £100million of debt - it's not small
money and they are trying to do everything to stabalise the situation. But
even with this, they know that we need to make the team stronger. For
example, today we didn't have one midfield player on the bench. It's not
easy. They know that we have a lot of long-term injured players and that we
need to make the team stronger as we are facing a lot of games now.

I think the squad needs to be bigger and stronger. Even when everybody is
fit I saw that we needed one player, maybe two - but now I think we need
more. They know that, they are trying their best to find a financial
solution for this.

Is there one name you can think of?

Of course I will not speak about names while we are checking everything. We
analyse our situation all the time with the various injured players. But
it's not a secret that one of our targets is Steve Sidwell - we are hoping
to complete the transfer this week.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Moyes on... West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 28th December 2010
By: Staff Writer

Everton chief David Moyes looks back at a game he believes his side deserved
to win...

What did you make of the game David?

Okay. I thought that if any team was going to win it was going to be us -
but I don't think that we looked as if we really believed we could score the
goal. I thought we played some good football, I thought we had some really
good bits of play at times but we didn't have the final bit - and we've been
looking for that. So in the end it's a point, but I'd have liked it to have
been three.

Do you think West Ham are a better team than their position suggests?

Well I think when you're at the bottom whether you're a good team or a bad
team doesn't matter - that's where you are and you have to try and get out
of that. We're not that far ahead of it ourselves so we've got to make sure
we're away from that as well.

Do you think you could have won it late on? Fellaini and Cahill both had
chances?

I thought we should have won it earlier on, never mind late on. I thought we
got to the byeline two or three times in the first half but we didn't pick
anybody out. The thing about it is Robert Green had no saves to make really.
I think he had a save from the header but I accept that. I think our
approach play was good enough but we just couldn't find the final pass to
try and get the goal.

Is it a reflection of where your problems lie that you used Tim Cahill up
front and left three strikers on the bench?

Yeah - I think that everbody who has seen us would say that. Tim Cahill is
third top goalscorer in the Premier League so there's no problem playing Tim
as a centre forward.

Did you expect a bit more from West Ham given the position they're in? In
the second half you almost totally dominated.

Yeah - as I said, I thought we had all the game really in the second half.
There was the odd breakaway, corner kick where we were always going to be
short because we were playing a right back at centre half today. It was
always going to be hard to get away with something like that [but] we got
away with it. I thought we had the ball, but were never able to open them up
enough.

WIth Tim Cahill away on international duty in January do you think one of
those guys on the bench can step up?

We need them to step up, yeah.

Were you tempted to start with Beckford, Yakubu or Saha today?

No.

Why?

A manager's perogative, isn't it. I thought that Tim was a goalscorer, I
thought that my best players were midfield players - Rodwell and Arteta -
I'd have needed to leave Pienaar, Rodwell or Arteta out of the team to
accomodate one of the other players and I didn't see that was right - I
thought my better players were on the pitch today.

I ask because there is an argument that says Cahill can drift forward...

Yeah that's right, I take that argument but today we tried to play him a
little bit higher and tried to play Jack Rodwell and Mikel Arteta advanced.
There's no doubt we had plenty of the ball and lots of opportunities but we
never took them.

How frustrating is it, I think you're unbeaten away from home for about
three months but you're not winning many?

No, we're not. As I said, I thought we probably did enough to get something
but I don't know if we believed enough that we could win the game. We just
couldn't get that goal.

Will you be looking to make more signings [in the January transfer window]?

No.

Would you not be looking to take more players on loan? Michael Owen -
reports from United say that he might want to go to another club?

I'll look at the loan market. That's where, if we were looking - I've been
saying it to the local press - we'll be looking, if that's possible.

How frustrating is it for you though to have such an obvious problem that's
undermining a season that could be so promising - and yet you don't appear
to be able to do anything?

I think we've got a really good team. I think we've got a very good team and
good players in the team - we've just not been able to turn our good
football into goals. So we need to try; we'll have another look, try
something else and see if we can.

We tried something today - the football was good, you can't say that we
didn't play well - but what we didn't get was what we've had problems with
in other games this season as well; we still didn't score today. Our scoring
efficiency. I thought we scored a really good goal by the way - a good
football goal.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham Utd 1 Everton 1
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 28th December 2010
By: Staff Writer

The Hammers blew a golden opportunity to escape the relegation zone by
failing to beat Everton at the Boleyn this afternoon. A win for Avram
Grant's side would have lifted West Ham above both Birmingham and Wigan -
albeit temporarily due to most other teams in and around the drop zone
having games in hand. However Seamus Coleman's first half equaliser
cancelled out Tony Hibbert's own goal to leave the Hammers languishing in
19th spot - with just Wolves, who visit the Boleyn next weekend, below them.
West Ham, missing a number of key personnel also rested Carlton Cole, whose
brace just 48 hours earlier at Fulham had given United their first league
win on the road since August 2009. Freddie Sears made his second
consecutive start since returning from a loan spell cut short at Scunthorpe,
whilst fellow non-first team regulars such as Radoslav Kovac and Herita
Ilunga also featured. Despite starting with a fair few reserves it was West
Ham that began the brighter, and the goal - a Hibbert deflection from an
attempted scissors kick from Kovac - was well deserved following a sustained
period of pressure. But being in possession of such a poor defensive record
it was imperative that United found a second goal to complement the opener -
something they paid a heavy price for failing to do when Coleman stole in on
the blind side to equalise in the closing moments of the first half.

Herita Ilunga - restored to the team in place of a rested Tal Ben Haim - had
been forced to withdraw through injury on the half hour mark. The Congolese
full-back, a shadow of the player who enjoyed an excellent first season in
east London to be replaced by Jonathan Spector. It was at left back that the
quiet American had struggled so badly last season under Gianfranco Zola -
and it was from the left side that the Everton goal arrived today. Yet
despite a number of supporters citing Spector as being at fault for failing
to pick up the Blues youngster, it should perhaps be pointed out that he was
tucking inside as the result of a request from head coach Wally Downes
moments earlier. The second half was a much closer affair with the visitors
probably edging it. However the best chance to win the game fell to West Ham
- a wonderfully slick passing move involving Kovac and Sears - and Carlton
Cole, who failed to find the target when he should have scored.

Despite enjoying a healthy share of possession Everton failed to really test
Hammers 'keeper Rob Green, who also happened to be named as the sponsors'
Man of the Match. Yet they were well deserving of a point that keeps them
above the relegation zone - but still in some trouble themselves. West Ham
have another chance to lift themselves out of the mire when basement club
Wolves visit the Boleyn next weekend. Should Grant's side manage to secure a
win, the manager will no doubt look back on a Christmas haul of eight points
as a job well done.

Defeat? Well that really is unthinkable...

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers stuck in drop zone
Coleman equaliser spares team-mate Hibbert's blushes
Last updated: 28th December 2010
SSN

Man of the match: Seamus Coleman. The youngster was outstanding going
forward and chipped in with the equaliser.

Goal of the game: Coleman's strike. The approach play from Everton was neat
as Arteta pushed through the centre and sprayed a fine pass out wide to
Cahill. The Australian hit a wonderful diagonal cross to the far post that
was poked into the back of the net by Coleman who had glided in unmarked.

Moment of the match: Hibbert's own goal. West Ham took a deserved lead in
the 16th minute as Tony Hibbert diverted the ball past Tim Howard into the
back of his own net.

Save of the match: Rob Green. The West Ham goalkeeper kept out an
81st-minute close-range header from Fellaini with a sharp reflex save.
Talking point: Benching Carlton Cole. Avram Grant 'rewarded' the striker for
his brace on Sunday by relegating him to the bench. West Ham looked much
better once Cole was introduced in the second half.

West Ham United missed the chance to move out of the Premier League's
relegation zone after being held to a 1-1 draw at home to Everton. Tony
Hibbert's own goal gave the hosts the lead before Seamus Coleman ensured the
Toffees remain unbeaten away from home in the league since August.
The Hammers were in front in fortunate circumstances on 16 minutes when
pressure from a set-piece resulted in Hibbert eventually diverting the ball
into his own net. James Tomkins' header was beaten out by Tim Howard and,
after Radoslav Kovac had hooked the loose ball back towards danger,
Hibbert's outstretched leg crucially deflected the ball beyond his own
keeper. But Everton levelled four minutes before half-time when Tim Cahill,
who started in the role of striker, found Coleman unmarked at the far post
for a confident side-foot finish. The best chance of the second half arrived
20 minutes from time when Freddie Sears rolled the ball across the box to
Carlton Cole, but the Hammers substitute failed to show the sharpness which
had brought a brace against Fulham as he tamely side-footed wide. Cahill
then fired straight at Robert Greenbefore the West Ham keeper produced a
reaction save to keep out Marouane Fellaini's header as both teams were
forced to settle for a deserved point. Curiously opting to play Cahill as a
lone frontman and leave three strikers on the bench, the visitors
nevertheless went close to an early opener when Sylvain Distin ghosted in
behind the Hammers defence but his touch took him too wide to shoot on
target.

Slice of luck

West Ham, who rested Craven Cottage hero Cole, had enjoyed more than one
slice of luck in that 3-1 win at Fulham and they got another to take a 16th-
minute lead. Howard parried a Tomkins header from a corner to Kovac, whose
overhead kick looked harmless but took a huge deflection off Hibbert and
into the net, instantly cranking up the noise levels at Upton Park. Distin
blazed over and the fit-again Victor Obinna also drilled wide in what was a
lively opening quarter from both sides. Although there were flashes of the
defensive uncertainty that have dogged them this season West Ham started to
boss proceedings, with Obinna their biggest threat. Matthew Upson headed
over the on-loan Inter Milan forward's free-kick under real pressure.
Everton began to get back into it and the home side suffered a blow when
they were forced to replace injured left-back Herita Ilunga - playing for
the first time in a month - with Jonathan Spector in the 34th minute. It
proved costly as Everton equalised eight minutes later when Coleman got in
behind the substitute to side-foot home Cahill's far-post cross. Upson
nodded a difficult chance off-target from a corner and Scott Parker sent a
25-yard chip narrowly over as West Ham tried to regain the initiative, while
Coleman arced a stoppage-time effort wide.

Low key
Fit-again Toffees midfielder Steven Pienaar brought a low-key start to the
second half to life when he curled narrowly over in the 52nd minute. But
neither side were able to impose themselves, and West Ham boss Avram Grant
made his second change in the 56th minute when Cole came on for Frederic
Piquionne. With Cahill ineffective as a makeshift striker, Everton finally
brought on Ayegbeni Yakubu for Jack Rodwell just past the hour mark. Kovac
picked up the game's first yellow card for fouling the increasingly
influential Pienaar but both goalkeepers continued to prove mere spectators.
That should have changed in the 70th minute when Obinna brilliantly sent
Sears clear on the break and the winger's cross found Cole, who made a
complete hash of his left-foot finish. Basic errors continued to flow from
both sides but Everton had several chances in the space of three minutes to
score a late winner. First Cahill steered Pienaar's cutback straight at
Green, Parker then produced a last-gasp tackle to thwart Yakubu before Green
repelled Fellaini's bullet header from the resulting corner. Cahill did then
slide the ball into the net but he was well offside after being found by
Yakubu's mishit scissors kick. Zavon Hines came on for Obinna for the final
five minutes, Jermaine Beckford followed for Pienaar in the final minute and
Diniyar Bilyaletdinov for Mikel Arteta in stoppage-time

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Grant waits on Sidwell deal
Hammers boss pleased with effort in Everton draw
Last updated: 28th December 2010
SSN

Avram Grant is waiting to finalise a deal for Steve Sidwell as the West Ham
United manager looks to strengthen his midfield options. The Hammers were
short on cover in the centre of midfield for Tuesday's 1-1 draw with
Evertonwhich kept Grant's side in the Premier League relegation zone. A deal
has been lined up for Aston Villa'sSidwell to join West Ham once the January
transfer window opens for business. Grant is unsure how close the club are
to completing the Sidwell signing, but stressed the importance of improving
his squad.

Stronger

"I don't know, it's not my area," Grant told Sky Sports when asked about the
Sidwell situation. "I want Steve Sidwell because today we didn't have one
midfielder on the bench. "We need to be a little stronger in some areas,
especially as we have some long-term injuries. We are doing everything to
sign a few players to make the squad stronger." Grant was pleased with the
effort of his players on the back of Boxing Day's 3-1 win at Fulham,
particularly as Everton's scheduled game against Birmingham City had been
postponed. He added: "I'm very pleased with the effort of the boys, it's not
easy to play two games in 48 hours when half the squad is injured. "A few
players played today who, in normal time, wouldn't play, but they gave
everything. "It's not fair that one team played two games in 48 hours and
the other team did not."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Behrami sets January deadline to seal Roma move
Published 23:00 28/12/10 By Neil McLeman
The Mirror

Valon Behrami has given Claudio Ranieri's Roma until January 10 to reach a
deal over his transfer from West Ham. The Swiss midfielder is desperate to
return to Italian football after an injury-hit spell in the Premier League.
The Hammers want £5m for the 25-year-old - signed from Lazio for £5m in 2008
under the previous regime - who earns £40,000-a-week. Roma are close to
finalising the sale of former Arsenal midfielder Julio Baptista to Malaga
but their financial problems mean they still want Behrami on loan for the
rest of this season.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's survival strategy gathers speed
West Ham United 1 Everton 1
Independent.co.uk
By Mark Fleming at Upton Park
Wednesday, 29 December 2010

West Ham United looked out on their feet at the final whistle, but their
exertions were worth it, with a valuable draw yesterday that gave Avram
Grant's side four points in three days. West Ham were bottom of the Premier
League at Christmas, but couldy be out of the bottom three on New Year's
Day, should they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers at Upton Park and other
results go their way.

Although this was far from a convincing performance by Grant's side, at
least they did not stumble and let their good work go to waste. West Ham,
keen to build on their victory at Fulham on Boxing Day, started with
purpose, despite Grant's decision to make four changes from the team that
won at Craven Cottage. Carlton Cole, who scored two goals at Fulham, was
deemed not up to playing twice in three days and was left out, replaced by
Victor Obinna. The changes did not disrupt West Ham's rhythm, however, and
Obinna's energy and enthusiasm up front gave them something extra.

It came as no surprise when they went ahead after 16 minutes. Everton
goalkeeper Tim Howard palmed away a corner and Radoslav Kovac's overhead
kick was diverted into the goal by a hefty deflection off Tony Hibbert.
Obinna smashed a shot wide and Scott Parker chipped just too high as the
home side went in search of a second.

Everton responded by sticking to their precise passing game. Without a
recognised striker on the pitch, they lacked the traditional spearhead but
their movement proved too much for West Ham at times.

With 42 minutes on the clock the visitors drew level. Mikel Arteta ran
crossfield with the ball, passed it to Tim Cahill on the left wing and his
cross found Seamus Coleman ghosting in unmarked at the far post to score
with ease.

West Ham appeared to tire in the second half, perhaps a consequence of
playing twice in three days over Christmas. Everton's game against
Birmingham on Boxing Day was cancelled, presenting the visitors with a far
less taxing build-up to the game.

The Everton manager, David Moyes, withdrew the impressive Jack Rodwell and
replaced him with a striker in Yakubu in the hope of pushing for a victory.
However, it was West Ham who created the best chance to win with a flowing
move. Obinna found Freddie Sears dashing down the right and his low centre
was picked by Carlton Cole, on for Frédéric Piquionne who suffered a groin
injury. Cole's scoring touch deserted him, however, as he dragged his shot
horribly wide of the far post.

Tim Cahill could have stolen the points late in the game, but after Steven
Pienaar found him with a low cross he could only poke a tame shot straight
at West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green.

The England keeper also pulled off a fine save to deny Marouane Fellaini's
header from a corner as Everton put West Ham under late pressure.

West Ham United (4-4-2): Green; Faubert, Tomkins, Upson, Ilunga (Spector,
34); Sears, Kovac, Parker, Boa Morte; Piquionne (Cole, 56), Obinna (Hines,
85). Substitutes not used Boffin (gk), Reid, Barrera, Stanislas.

Booked Kovac.

Everton (4-1-4-1): Howard; Neville, Hibbert, Distin, Baines; Fellaini;
Coleman, Rodwell (Yakubu, 62), Arteta (Bilyaletdinov, 90), Pienaar
(Beckford, 89); Cahill. Substitutes not used Mucha (gk), Saha, Duffy,
Baxter.

Man of the match Parker.

Referee H Webb (S Yorkshire).

Attendance 33,422.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 28th December 2010

Cole at the double
WHUFC.com
Carlton Cole wants to build on his Boxing Day brace by firing West Ham
United up the standings
27.12.2010

Carlton Cole is firing on all cylinders and determined to do everything in
his power to maintain West Ham United's Barclays Premier League status.
Cole's Boxing Day brace - his first in league football - saw the Hammers
climb off the bottom of the table courtesy of a 3-1 victory at Fulham. The
No9 was on hand to poke Dickson Etuhu's wayward touch past Mark Schwarzer
for the equaliser before scoring West Ham's match-clinching third with 17
minutes remaining. The two-goal hero put the success at Craven Cottage down
to a combination of clinical finishing and sheer hard work and
determination. "It's a much-needed result for us," Cole told WHUTV. "The
lads all pulled in the same direction. You saw the spirit when we went a
goal down. We didn't get disappointed. We didn't let it affect us and that's
what we really needed - everyone to pull in the same direction and that's
what we did. "I always knew this would be a period which might define our
season. I knew we were going to get something at Fulham - I just had that
feeling. These things do happen. Everything went our way. "The boys worked
really hard. We left everything on that pitch and fair play to all my
team-mates because everyone did the right thing to get the result and that's
what we needed."

Cole's goals took his tally to six in his last six appearances against the
Cottagers but, with just five strikes to his name this season, the
27-year-old is eager to hit the target far more often over the coming
months. "I don't know [why I score so often against Fulham]. It's crazy but
that's the way the game is and hopefully it can kick-start my season and I
can get among the goals a bit more because my goals are really needed at the
moment."

Cole has now scored four times in his last three starts in claret and blue,
having also netted a pair in the 4-0 Carling Cup quarter-final victory over
Manchester United. The England forward puts his recent upturn in form down
to finally getting over the hamstring and knee injuries that blighted his
2009/10 campaign. "My body is top-notch again. I feel strong and I feel
powerful. I did have to recover from my injury and it took ages mentally and
physically. I think, right now, I'm on key and I've got no excuses - I've
got to play well as the club really needs me to pull my weight and that's
what I need to do."

Feeling positive in body and mind, Cole believes West Ham can build on their
first away league victory in 28 attempts by ending 2010 on a high when
Everton come to visit on Tuesday evening. "The fans are happy that we got an
away win because it's massive for our confidence and we now want to take
that forward."

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West Ham v Everton
BBC.co.uk
Barclays Premier League
Venue: Upton Park Date: Tuesday, 28 December Kick-off: 1730 GMT
Coverage: Watch live on Sky Sports 1 and highlights on Wednesday's Match of
the Day; listen on BBC Radio 5 live and local radio; text commentary on

TEAM NEWS
West Ham boss Avram Grant must decide whether to change a winning team after
injures and suspensions forced him into five changes on Boxing Day.
Luis Boa Morte is back from a one-game ban, while Valon Behrami, Pablo
Barrera and Benni McCarthy face fitness tests.

Everton can call upon Mikel Arteta after suspension, but Victor Anichebe
serves a one-match ban. Phil Jagielka and Johnny Heitinga are expected to
overcome knocks, with Steven Pienaar also back in contention.

MATCH PREVIEW
Upton Park has been a lucky ground for Everton in recent years - the Toffees
have won on each of their last three visits. Broken water pipes put paid to
Everton's Boxing Day clash at home to Birmingham, disappointing for the
club's players and supporters alike, who were bursting to keep their
mini-revival going after the Toffees' win at Manchester City last week.
However, with fixtures coming thick and fast at this time of year, Everton's
thoughts have quickly turned to bursting West Ham's bubble.

The Hammers are buoyant after recording their first away win in 16 months,
at Fulham, on Boxing Day. Manager Avram Grant was reportedly given the three
festive games to save his job. Now, having secured victory, he will be keen
for the club to maintain that momentum and start climbing away from trouble.

Grant knows his side will probably never have a better chance to do so. This
game is followed by another home match against bottom club Wolves on New
Year's Day. The Hammers are just six points away from mid-table, and with
four points from their last two games there is optimism that the club may
have finally turned the corner.

MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• West Ham have won 22 of 57 home league games against Everton. However, the
visitors are just two wins behind the Hammers' total.
• The Toffees have won over half (16) of 30 Premier League matches between
the two sides. West Ham have recorded only six wins.
• Everton are unbeaten in their last six league matches against West Ham.
Their only defeat in the last nine was a 1-0 loss at Upton Park in April
2007.
• The Hammers have won only two of their last 10 home league games - 3-1
against Wigan last month, and 1-0 verses Tottenham during September.
• West Ham have scored in all but one of nine league games at Upton Park
this term, a goalless draw against Blackpool last month.
• It's the first time since early October that West Ham have not been bottom
of the table at the conclusion of a round of Premier League fixtures.

Everton
• The Toffees have drawn six of their last 10 league fixtures.
• Despite their erratic form this season, Everton have not been beaten on
their travels in seven matches since August.
• David Moyes's side have managed only four top-flight wins this season, but
have lost only five of their last 29 league matches.

LAST LEAGUE MATCH LINE-UPS
West Ham (W3-1 v Fulham, a): Green, Ben-Haim, Upson, Tomkins, Gabbidon,
Sears, Parker, Kovac, Stanislas, Cole, Piquionne (Nouble 89). Subs not used:
Boffin, Reid, Barrera, Spector, Ilunga, Obinna.
Everton (W2-1 v Man City, a): Howard, Neville, Jagielka (Hibbert 79),
Distin, Baines, Coleman (Saha 76), Rodwell, Fellaini, Osman (Bilyaletdinov
75), Cahill, Anichebe. Subs not used: Mucha, Beckford, Gueye, Yakubu.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fortress required
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 27th December 2010
By: Staff Writer

West Ham are looking forward to five home games within the space of 19 days
that will go some way to determining the outcome of the club's 2010/11
season.

A glut of seasonal fixtures - plus United's involvement in both the FA and
Carling cup competitions - have ensured Avram Grant's side can look forward
to five appearances at the Boleyn Ground during the remainder of December
and the first half of January 2011.

Sandwiched inbetween those fixtures is just the one away trip - to
Newcastle, on Wednesday 5th January - meaning that the Hammers will play on
average every three days for the next three weeks.

Having opened the Christmas campaign with four points from a possible six at
Blackburn and Fulham, hopes are high that Grant's rejuvenated side can
continue their recent good form with a winning performance against Everton
at the Boleyn tomorrow (28th).

That game is followed four days later by the visit of bottom-of-the-table
Wolves (Tuesday, Jan 1st) before the Hammers travel to the north east for
the Newcastle fixture (Wednesday, Jan 5th). Three days later Barnsley are
the visitors in the FA Cup third round (Saturday, Jan 8th).

The first leg of the Carling Cup semi final is scheduled to take place three
days later when Birmingham visit the Boleyn Ground (Tuesday, Jan 11th)
before Arsenal make the short trip across the capital for a Premier League
fixture the following weekend (Saturday, Jan 15th).

With the Hammers now just two points from 17th place in the Premier League,
a couple of wins during that period could play a major part in propelling
the club towards safety. Avram Grant, speaking after the Hammers had secured
their first away win in the league for 16 months at Fulham said:

"I am really impressed with the attitude and the fighting spirit we have
seen in the last few games. The players are very happy, they know the
feeling and they want to taste it again. That is very important.

"We are only at halfway stage, we have half the league in front of us. It
will be a long battle but we have a long-term vision and I have always said
you cannot change things for the better in one day."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Grant turns to youth
Hammers boss reveals 'vision' for the future
Last updated: 27th December 2010
SSN

West Ham boss Avram Grant was happy that Boxing Day's win at Fulham not only
boosted Premier League survival chances but also showed bright signs for the
future. The previously rock-bottom Hammers moved level on points with their
hosts at Craven Cottage after fighting back from a goal down to win 3-1 in
the London derby. Grant included in his side the 21-year-old Freddie Sears,
who was making his first Premier League start since March 2009 after being
recalled early from a loan spell at Scunthorpe. And the Hammers boss plans
to carry on looking to youth as he attempts to build a positive future for
the club. "We want to continue the direction of the club with young
players," said Grant, whose side host Everton on Tuesday. "We played with
three players under 21 and even one came on as a sub for the last three
minutes. "We are very pleased that we won but we also continued with our
vision."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham v Everton preview
Watch West Ham v Everton live on SS1 & HD1 from 5.15pm on Tuesday
Last updated: 27th December 2010
SSN

PREDICTIONS:

Skysports.com prediction: 1-1

SKY BET odds: West Ham 15/8, Draw 12/5, Everton 11/8

One to Watch: Carlton Cole

Having clambered off the foot of the table, West Ham will be keen to
maintain that momentum against Everton on Tuesday. Victory over Fulham on
Sunday took the Hammers off the bottom and helped breathe new life into
their survival bid. It is, however, important that they build on that
success if they are to steer a route to safety. Just three wins in their
last 21 Premier League games tells its own story and that form must be
improved sooner rather than later. Avram Grant can at least take heart from
the fact that his players continue to give themselves a chance, with
Blackpool the only side to have stopped the Hammers from scoring at Upton
Park this season. Everton, though, have enjoyed facing West Ham in the
Premier League and will head to the capital without fear.

The Toffees have avoided defeat in the last six meetings between the two
sides and have lost only two of 15 encounters in the East End. In fact,
David Moyes' men have taken maximum points from their last three visits to
Upton Park and have beaten the Hammers more times (16) than any other top
flight opponent. They are yet to hit top gear this season, with only one win
taken from their last eight games, but they have been difficult to beat and
will still be setting their sights on a European push.

Team news

Grant will give fitness tests to several players before deciding on West
Ham's starting line-up. Ten first-team regulars were not able to start or
were suspended for Sunday's 3-1 win at Fulham, with Valon Behrami, Victor
Obinna, Pablo Barrera, Mark Noble, Kieron Dyer and Benni McCarthy all
playing no part at Craven Cottage. Luis Boa Morte returns from a ban but
Jack Collison, Manual Da Costa and Thomas Hitzlsperger are all definitely
out. Everton are hopeful Phil Jagielka will be fit for the midweek
encounter. The England defender has had extra time to recover from the thigh
strain suffered at Manchester City last week after the postponement of a
Boxing Day date with Birmingham.

John Heitinga, who was also rated doubtful to face Alex McLeish's side, is
hoping to overcome a knee injury. Midfielder Steven Pienaar (groin) is back
in contention and Mikel Arteta returns from suspension but Victor Anichebe
is banned. Leon Osman has been ill but is expected to feature.

Possible starting XIs
West Ham: Green, Ben-Haim, Tomkins, Upson, Gabbidon, Sears, Behrami, Parker,
Obinna, Piquionne, Cole.

Everton: Howard, Neville, Distin, Jagielka, Baines, Osman, Arteta, Rodwell,
Pienaar, Cahill, Saha.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gold not considering sacking
Hammers co-owner now sets sights on escaping drop zone
Last updated: 27th December 2010
SSN

West Ham co-owner David Gold insists the victory over relegation rivals
Fulham did not save Avram Grant's job because the manager's future was not
an issue. The Hammers battled back from a goal down to record a vitally
important 3-1 win at Craven Cottage on Boxing Day and move level on points
with their hosts. Victory on the banks of The Thames lifted West Ham off the
bottom of the table and eased sack speculation away from Grant and onto
Fulham counterpart Mark Hughes. But former Birmingham supremo Gold, who has
a history of backing managers, is adamant that he and business partner David
Sullivan have never had plans to axe the ex-Chelsea and Portsmouth boss.

Desperate

Asked if the win had saved Grant's job, Gold said in the Daily Mirror ahead
of Tuesday's home match against Everton: "No, because I don't think that was
the issue. We are working with Avram. We are desperate to get out of the
bottom three. We have to get out of the relegation zone and I think he took
us a step towards that goal." The co-chairman added: "It was a great result.
We had been at the bottom of the table since the beginning of the season and
I must tell you it is one of the worst places to be in football. "If you are
at the bottom of the Conference, nobody knows. But the Premier League table
is there for everyone to see and it is awful. "Now we are off the bottom but
the job is not done. But it is three points away from home for the first
time in 15 months and it is a great relief."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers Av the Advantage
The Sun
Published: 27 Dec 2010

AVRAM GRANT believes the emotional high of West Ham's win over Fulham will
trump any physical advantage Everton may have in tomorrow's clash.
Hammers boss Grant accepts the visitors will be "more fresh" than his side
after their game against Birmingham yesterday was postponed. But West Ham go
into tomorrow's match in east London having hauled themselves off the foot
of the table courtesy of a 3-1 Boxing Day success at fellow strugglers
Fulham. Grant said: "Sometimes, when you win, it's also better than good
training, so there's a psychological side. "Maybe we can use the
psychological side and continue with winning. "We have the character also to
play two games in three days. "I can assure you that nobody that will play
Tuesday will be tired."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Houllier gets a Piq-me-up
The Sun
By ANTONY KASTRINAKIS
Published: Today
Add a comment (0)

FREDERIC PIQUIONNE has rocked West Ham by refusing to rule out a January
move to Aston Villa. Villa boss Gerard Houllier has shown an interest in the
Hammers hitman. And Piquionne, 32, told French radio yesterday: "Why not go
to Villa? "Gerard Houllier is a well-known manager in France and in England.
I read there was interest but nothing concrete. "I'm not losing my head but
I'm not closing the door on anything. There has been no contact but we'll
see. "I feel good here, things are going relatively well at the moment. I'm
there to help the team climb up the table." Boss Avram Grant fears this
evening's opponents Everton will be in better shape than his own players
after their home game against Birmingham was cancelled. He said: "Everton
didn't play on Boxing Day so they will be more fresh than us but we have the
character to play two games in three days."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Grant hoping for first teamers' return against Everton
Published 10:20 27/12/10 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror

Avram Grant will give fitness tests to several players before deciding on
West Ham's line-up for tomorrow's Premier League game against Everton.
Ten first-team regulars were not able to start or were suspended for
yesterday's 3-1 win at Fulham, with Valon Behrami, Victor Obinna, Pablo
Barrera, Mark Noble, Kieron Dyer and Benni McCarthy all playing no part at
Craven Cottage. Luis Boa Morte returns from a ban but Jack Collison, Manual
Da Costa and Thomas Hitzlsperger are all definitely out.

Provisional squad: Green, Ben Haim, Tomkins, Upson, Gabbidon, Barrera,
Stanislas, Kovac, Ilunga, Parker, Behrami, Dyer, McCarthy, Nouble, Spector,
Boa Morte, Cole, Obinna, Piquionne, Sears, Reid, Faubert, Boffin.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Piquionne opens the door to potential Villa switch
Published 23:00 27/12/10 By Neil McLeman
The Mirror

Frederic Piquionne has refused to rule out a move away from West Ham in the
January transfer window. The France international striker, who signed a
three-year contract after joining for £1m in the summer from Lyon, scored
his fifth goal of the season at Fulham. But the 32-year-old has been linked
with joining his fellow Frenchman at Gerard Houllier at Aston Villa. And
when asked by French radio if the move would interest him, Piquionne
replied: "Why not? He is a very well renowned coach in France and in
England. I have read there is some interest but there has been nothing
concrete. I am not worried about it. "I think I have the legs to continue to
play at a high level. I am not closing the door on anything. We will see. I
am happy at West Ham and it is going relatively well for now. I am here to
help the team climb the table. I leave my agents to deal with the transfer
window." West Ham can free up another loan signing by completing the
permanent transfer of Tal Ben Haim next month when his loan deal from
Portsmouth expires. The Upton Park club will complete the loan signing of
Steve Sidwell from Villa on January 1 but are restricted to only two loan
signings in England. Manchester City's Wayne Bridge, who worked with Avram
Grant at Chelsea, remains a loan target signing for West Ham along with
Monaco's Congo striker Dieumerci Mbokani.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
City ready to let Bridge join Hammers - if the price is right
Published 23:00 27/12/10 By Alan Nixon
The Mirror

Manchester City are ready to let Wayne Bridge join West Ham – if the
survival fighters come up with a deal. The clubs are trying to thrash out
figures on a loan, or even a permanent low-fee transfer. Bridge has slipped
out of Roberto Mancini's side and the former Chelsea star is available as
part of a massive cull on wages ordered by the Arab rulers at ­Eastlands.
Hammers hope City will subsidise a loan arrangement for Bridge – who is on
around £90,000 a week. But there are no special City deals any longer like
the one which eased Craig Bellamy's switch to Cardiff. So West Ham must come
up with Bridge's wages in full for the rest of the season, or find a way of
taking him permanently and risking having his huge salary on their payroll
if they go down. Avram Grant is also closing in on another signing –
Hoffenheim's £6million-rated Senegal striker Demba Ba. Hammers want to bring
in the powerful target man who was heading for Aston Villa as Gerard
Houllier's big-money buy for the transfer window until the move went cold
last week.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sears calls on Hammers to show their Iron in fight for survival
Published 23:00 27/12/10 By Neil McLeman
The Mirror

Freddie Sears has called on West Ham to battle like Scunthorpe to fight
clear of the drop zone. The England U21 striker returned from loan at the
Iron to help the Irons to their first away win of the season at Fulham. Now
boosted by moving off the bottom of the Premier League for the first time
since October, Avram Grant's side host Everton this evening before Wolves
visit on New Year's Day. And former Hammers trainee Sears is convinced they
can pull clear of relegation danger by showing the same fighting spirit in
the unpredictable Premier League. "We'll definitely need that," said the
21-year-old. "Everyone beats everyone at the minute and there are not many
teams that cant be beaten. You'd put Manchester United and Chelsea in those
categories but now we have to go everywhere and be confident and try to get
a couple of wins. "They are some great players here and they should be well
up the table. Now is the time to kick on."

Sears, who "scored" an infamous ghost goal on loan Crystal Paace last
season, started this campaign at Upton Park before moving to the
relegation-threatened Championship club in October. His loan spell at
Glanford Park was cut short just before Christmas and he started against
Fulham after Kieron Dyer picked up another injury. Now the Hornchurch-born
striker wants a chance to play regular football at Upton Park. "As a West
Ham fan it's hard to see the club where they are," he admitted. "I am
shocked. Obviously I was here at the start of the season and we started well
in pre-season. We got to the start of the season and it didn't quite happen
for us. We won a couple of games but we were losing more than we were
winning. You look at the players around - Scott Parker, the Matty Upsons and
the Coleys - if everyone plays like they did against Fulham we won't be down
there for much longer."

After his first Premier League double, Carlton Cole called on his team-mates
to now pull the club clear of the bottom three. "We haven't got time, that
is our problem, and every game counts now," said the England striker. "This
is a massive platform. I've said to some of my team-mates that things can
change in the Christmas period, if we win two or three we will be
challenging to get up the table."

Grant added: "We knew we didn't deserve to be bottom but also we knew that
we needed to do your job and change it. I am sure it will give us a lift.
"I am sure this will not be the last away win this season. We are only at
halfway stage. We have half the league in front of us." And the Israeli
manager reckoned Everton's advantage of not playing on Boxing Day will be
cancelled out by his team's victory. "Of course we must continue in our next
games against Everton and Wolves," he continued. "Our target was to win two
of the three games but now we have won our first I want more. Everton didn't
play today and will be more fresh than us but we have the character to play
two games in three days. Sometimes it's better to win a game than to have a
good training session. No-one who plays on Tuesday will be tired."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Avram Grant hints at bright future for West Ham's younger players
Avram Grant claims West Ham's win at Fulham proves the club have a bright
future beyond this season's survival battle.
Telegraph.co.uk
By Telegraph staff and agencies 4:31AM GMT 27 Dec 2010

West Ham ended their 27-game wait for a Barclays Premier League away victory
yesterday, a 3-1 success at Craven Cottage which took them off the foot of
the table as they look to become only the second club to stay up after being
bottom at Christmas. The win was achieved despite the absence of 10
first-team players through injury and suspension, with manager Grant forced
to put his faith in youth. ''We want to continue the direction of the club
with young players,'' said Grant, whose team yesterday included 21-year-old
Freddie Sears, making his first Premier League start since March 2009 after
being recalled early from a loan spell at Scunthorpe. ''We played with three
players under 21 and one even came on as a sub for the last three minutes.
We are very pleased that we won but we also continued with our vision.''

The win eased the pressure on Grant, amid widespread reports he was going to
lose his job if he failed to record a victory over the festive period. The
former Chelsea boss refuses to contemplate the implications taking the club
off the bottom of the table would have for him personally. But he believes
it will be a huge psychological boost for his players. He added: ''We don't
deserve to be on the bottom. Deserving does not mean you take points, so we
need to do our job and part of it is to win a first away game against a team
that's not easy to play here and I'm sure that it will give us a lift.''

All the pressure on Grant transferred to opposite number Mark Hughes
yesterday, with the result seeing Fulham sucked into the drop zone, level on
points with their opponents. Hughes plans to sign a goalscorer when the
transfer window opens on Saturday, with star striker Bobby Zamora still more
than a month away from fitness. ''I think the vast majority of the fans
understand the problems we've got at the moment, in terms of the lack of
cutting edge,'' he said Fulham should have added to Aaron Hughes' first goal
for more than six years yesterday and were made to pay when Carlton Cole and
Frederic Piquionne put West Ham ahead before Cole sealed the points. Hughes
said: ''In the end, it was really, really frustrating and disappointing for
us because obviously it was a key game for us and one we felt we could've
got maximum points out of. ''Certainly, given the way we started, that
looked on the cards. But, unfortunately, it wasn't to be.''

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers look to Cole and Co to help carry burden of escaping drop
By Mark Fleming
Tuesday, 28 December 2010
Independent.co.uk

West Ham United, off the bottom of the Premier League for the first time
since October, take on Everton today determined to make their Boxing Day
victory at Fulham the start of their climb out of trouble.

Two clinically taken goals by Carlton Cole made the difference at Craven
Cottage, along with a surprise return for Freddie Sears, who was recalled
early from his loan spell at Scunthorpe United.

Both Cole and Sears made the most of the opportunities presented to them in
west London, and they are optimistic that the squad as a whole can seize the
chance to become only the second team in the 18-year history of the Premier
League to avoid relegation having spent Christmas at the bottom of the
table.

Cole said: "We haven't got time, that is our problem, and every game counts
now. This is a massive platform. I've said to some of my team-mates that
things can change in the Christmas period, if we win two or three we will be
challenging to get up the table."

Midfielder Sears has returned to the club he has supported all his life
determined to help their recovery. "As a West Ham fan it's hard to see the
club where they are," he said. "I want West Ham to do well and to see them
not doing as well as they should be is difficult. They are some great
players here and they should be well up the table. Now is the time to kick
on."

The outstanding contributions at Craven Cottage of Cole, Sears, and Matthew
Upson in defence lifted some of the burden of responsibility from the
shoulders of Scott Parker, who at times this season has been the sole
glimmer of light in a struggling team. Parker's performance at Fulham did
not stand out, which speaks volumes for the way the rest of the team played.

In recent weeks it is a message that has been drummed into the squad by the
manager, Avram Grant: that they cannot rely on Parker to dig them out of
trouble every week.

The West Ham coach Wally Downes said: "We sat the whole squad down and
explained to them that we had 10 games in 30 days, including cup games.
There are about 22 of them that we're going to be using over the next 10
games so as much as Scott Parker is important to us, we need all of them to
perform at the highest level."

Everton have Steven Pienaar and Mikel Arteta back from injury and suspension
respectively.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Now is the time to kick on, says West Ham's Freddie Sears
Big players must 'kick on' says forward Freddie Sears
Everton match first in Hammers' crucial run of fixtures
David Hytner
guardian.co.uk, Monday 27 December 2010 22.31 GMT

Freddie Sears, back from a loan spell at Scunthorpe, believes West Ham
'should be well up the table'. Photograph: Christopher Lee/Getty Images
Like every West Ham United fan, Freddie Sears has found it hard to look at
the Premier League table this season. The forward, who was recalled to Upton
Park last week from his loan at Scunthorpe United, cannot understand how
talented players in the claret and blue have gone missing.

However, as he savoured the 3-1 win at Fulham, the club's first on the road
in the Premier League in 28 attempts, Sears was convinced of one thing: if
West Ham's big players, chief among them Carlton Cole, could build on their
performance at Craven Cottage on Boxing Day the club would pull clear of
relegation trouble.

"As a West Ham fan, it's hard to see the club where they are," Sears said.
"I want West Ham to do well and to see them not doing as well as they should
be is difficult. There are some great players here and they should be well
up the table.

"You look at the players around – Scottie [Parker], the Matty Upsons and the
Coleys [Carlton Cole] – if everyone plays like they did against Fulham we
won't be down there for much longer. Now is the time to kick on. We have an
away win, which we haven't had for a while, and now we can kick on."

Cole scored twice at Fulham and he led the line with power and intelligence.
He has been held back by injury and inconsistency this season but his talent
has the capacity to tantalise.

"Coley's a very good player," Sears said. "The last couple of weeks he
hasn't been his greatest, and he'll tell you that himself. But now he's
sharp in training and the two goals he got against Manchester United [in the
Carling Cup quarter-final] plus the ones against Fulham will help him
massively."

Sears moved to Scunthorpe United in the middle of October, trading one
relegation struggle for another in the Championship. He started in all of
Scunthorpe's nine matches while he was there and the spell further fired his
determination.

"We'll definitely need to battle at West Ham like we did at Scunthorpe.
Everyone beats everyone at the minute in the Premier League and there are
not many teams that can't be beaten. You'd put Man U and Chelsea in those
categories. Now, we have to go everywhere and be confident, and try to get a
couple of wins.

"Personally, I'd love to stay at the club. I'm a West Ham fan and I live
around the corner. I'd love to stay and try to lift them up the league.
We'll see what happens."

West Ham entertain Everton tomorrow before they face Wolverhampton Wanderers
(home) and Newcastle United (away). It appears to be a defining sequence of
fixtures and the manager, Avram Grant, is keen to build momentum.

Everton's home game against Birmingham on Boxing Day was postponed, leaving
them fresher, but Grant is unconcerned. "Nobody will play on Tuesday with
tiredness," he said, with a nod towards the tonic of victory at Fulham.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham can beat fatigue and defeat Everton, says Avram Grant after Fulham
win
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 4:53 PM on 27th December 2010
Daily Mail

Avram Grant is confident the emotional high of West Ham's win over Fulham
will trump any physical advantage Everton may have in Tuesday's Barclays
Premier League clash at Upton Park. Hammers boss Grant accepts the visitors
will be 'more fresh' than his side after their game against Birmingham on
Boxing Day was postponed due to the frozen and burst pipes at Goodison Park.
But West Ham go into Tuesday's match in east London having hauled themselves
off the foot of the table courtesy of a 3-1 Boxing Day success at fellow
strugglers Fulham. There was also the added boost of it being their first
league victory away from home since the opening day of last season - 28
matches earlier - as well as the fact it was achieved after they fell
behind.
'Sometimes, when you win, it's also better than good training, so there's a
psychological side,' said Grant, who nevertheless admitted he would rather
Everton had played on Boxing Day. 'I would have preferred that they had
played and we had come with an equal situation. Maybe we can use the
psychological side and continue with winning. 'We have the character also
to play two games in three days.'

Grant, who was reportedly going to be sacked if he failed to record a win
over the festive period, added: 'I can assure you that nobody that will play
Tuesday will be tired.' Finding 18 fit players could be the biggest problem
for the Hammers, who were without 10 first teamers at Craven Cottage on
Sunday. Valon Behrami, Victor Obinna, Pablo Barrera, Mark Noble, Kieron Dyer
and Benni McCarthy played no part against Fulham, while Luis Boa Morte was
suspended. Boa Morte will return on Tuesday and there will be several
fitness tests ahead of the game, in which Grant will definitely remain
without Jack Collison, Manuel Da Costa and Thomas Hitzlsperger. 'We need to
wait and see who from the players who were a little bit injured can play
Tuesday,' Grant said, revealing he was forced to put loan star Obinna on the
bench at Fulham. 'Obinna didn't train in the last three weeks. Because of
the situation, we didn't have any players. I'm happy that we didn't need to
use him. We will see about Tuesday.' Grant knows the fragile confidence
gained from yesterday's result could be shattered by a resurgent Everton,
who won at Manchester City in their last outing. 'Everton is a very good
team, with very good players,' said Grant. 'They played fantastic in the
last game against Man City.' If West Ham are going to survive, they will
need to learn how to put together back-to-back league wins, something they
have not managed since Grant took charge. 'We spoke about this a lot of
times, how to do this,' said the former Chelsea boss, who revealed he had
targeted two victories from the club's three festive fixtures against
Fulham, Everton and new basement side Wolves.

The latter game on New Year's Day is arguably more crucial than Tuesday's
match, with it being against another team fighting against relegation. Both
that and the Everton game are at Upton Park, where the Hammers have won two
of their last three in all competitions. Grant said: 'We played against Man
United; we won against them in the Carling Cup; we won against Wigan; we
lost against Manchester City. We are better at home than before.'

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West Ham to snap up defender Luke Young from Aston Villa in January transfer
window
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 11:20 AM on 27th December 2010
Daily Mail

West Ham will sign Luke Young in January to help shore up a leaky defence.
The former England man has been first-choice right back at Aston Villa this
season, but Gerard Houllier is ready to let him go for a nominal fee.
Versatile Young is likely to play at left back when he joins the London
club. Meanwhile West Ham co-owner David Gold believes the club's fortunes
will now change for the better after agreeing a deal to sign Steve Sidwell
from Aston Villa.
The midfielder is set to join in the New Year as the Hammers look to bolster
their squad in a bid to avoid relegation. The Hammers claimed a crucial
victory at Fulham on Boxing Day to climb off the bottom of the Premier
League. Manager Avram Grant insisted afterwards that the win, which was
achieved despite the absence of 10 first-team players through injury and
suspension, proves the club have a bright future beyond this season's
survival battle. 'We want to continue the direction of the club with young
players,' said Grant, whose team included 21-year-old Freddie Sears, making
his first Premier League start since March 2009 after being recalled early
from a loan spell at Scunthorpe. 'We played with three players under 21 and
even one came on as a sub for the last three minutes. We are very pleased
that we won but we also continued with our vision.'

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Exclusive - Downes: West Ham can't just rely on Scott Parker
TalkSport
By Nick Rostron-Pike
Monday, December 27

Wally Downes has told the West Ham squad that they can't rely on Scott
Parker's influence in every game. Speaking to the Alan Brazil Sports
Breakfast show, the West Ham defensive coach said that although the former
Chelsea midfielder is important to the team, he is just one of 11 players on
the field at anytime. He said: "We sat the whole squad down and explained to
them that we had ten games in 30 days, including cup games. "There are about
22 of them that we're going to be using over the next ten games so as much
as Scott Parker is important to us we need all of them to perform at the
highest level. "We have explained to them how important the whole support
squad is as well as just the first XI and anytime a sub has come on they've
been brilliant. "They know they're going to play their part over the next
couple of weeks.

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