WHUFC.com
The club received an overwhelming response in favour of a half-time dance
troupe
18.02.2010
West Ham United are delighted to announce that fans have voted
overwhelmingly in favour of a return for a dance troupe like the
Hammerettes. More than 15,000 votes, emails and correspondence have been
received by the club, with 95 per cent of supporters calling for the
half-time entertainment to come back to the Boleyn. The online poll came as
the club continues to look for ways to improve the matchday experience for
supporters and all suggestions are welcome.
With huge nationwide attention, including coverage on TV, online and in
national papers, the club would welcome interest from organisations wanting
to sponsor the half-time dancers. Anyone interested in getting involved in
sponsorship for this or any of the other exciting matchday opportunities,
should email corporatesales@westhamunited.co.uk with 'Half-time
entertainment' in the subject field.
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Upson's call to arms
WHUFC.com
The club captain is banking on the Boleyn being packed again for Saturday's
home match with Hull
18.02.2010
Matthew Upson has issued a rallying call for supporters to ensure a bumper
turn-out for this Saturday's home match against Hull City. With just under
2,000 seats left for what promises to be a major meeting at the Boleyn, the
skipper said strong backing from the Hammers faithful was vital to the
cause. The impact of the fans during the last win against Birmingham City
was clear he said in helping the team picking up three precious points. "The
supporters' backing is crucial," Upson said. "It always helps when they are
behind you. A lot depends on us, we have to show the right attitude and give
them the right messages to get behind us. If we do, it will be a big
atmosphere. "We are looking forward to Saturday. In our position if we were
to get two wins back to back it would boost the situation in the table and
the players' confidence. We need to make sure it happens. We needed the
Birmingham win massively and another would put us in a great position."
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Hammers battle for starlet
Youngster attracting interest from Premier League rivals
Last updated: 18th February 2010
SSN
West Ham face a fight to hold on to starlet Dominic Vose, skysports.com
understands. The Hammers only signed Vose from London rivals Fulham last
year, when he was just 15. Now the 16-year-old is attracting big interest
from abroad with leading clubs from Holland and Portugal looking to snatch
him away this summer. Vose cannot sign a professional contract until he is
17 and should he move abroad, as he is entitled to do, only minimal
compensation would be due. Being under 17, Vose is also allowed to join a
club in England, but being one of the top prospects in the country the
compensation deal is likely to be much greater. This, though, is not putting
off suitors like Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal. Vose was first
looked at by United and Arsenal 18 months ago, when he was labelled the new
Paul Scholes. Despite training at United, West Ham persuaded him to move
across the capital from Fulham, but now they face a battle to cling on to
him. West Ham are desperate for the midfielder to remain and will look to
persuade him that his future is best served at Upton Park
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Up won't be tied down by talks
The Sun
Published: Today
MATTHEW UPSON is refusing to commit his long-term future to West Ham. The
Upton Park skipper, 30, has a year left on his contract and West Ham owner
David Sullivan has hinted he may be sold to ease the club's financial debt.
Manchester City and Tottenham were strongly linked to the England defender
in the January window. And when asked if he was considering his future at
West Ham next season, Upson said: "Not really. "I've got a World Cup I'm
focused on. "My club form will dictate how successful I am in terms of going
to that. "I've a lot of responsibility and I'm glad of that. I want more and
us to do well."
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Gold: I'll lend Pompey 10 Million
The Sun
WEST HAM chief David Gold has offered to lend Portsmouth £10million to keep
them from going bust. But the Hammers co-chairman insists the loan would
have to be underwritten by the Premier League. Gold said "If Portsmouth
asked me for £10m, I would lend it to them so long as the Premier League
endorsed it and I was repaid on the agreed date. "West Ham have taken four
points off Pompey this season and were they to go out of business we'd be in
the bottom three. "But I also feel for the Pompey fans. To see your club go
into liquidation would be devastating. "If I can do something to avoid that
I'd be happy to do it as a football fan."
Pompey need to pay a £12.1m tax bill by March 1 or face being wound up. They
have already asked the Premier League for permission to sell players outside
the transfer window to raise cash. But Gold's amazing offer is almost
certain to be blocked by league rules which state a club cannot directly or
indirectly lend money or guarantee the debts of another club.
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World Cup legend Geoff Hurst 'conned out of £600k'
Published 09:48 18/02/10 By Allison Martin
The Mirror
England World Cup star Sir Geoff Hurst lost £600,000 in a Spanish property
scam. The hat-trick hero, 68, is one of seven investors fighting in the High
Court for £2million they claim was pocketed by financial adviser Mark
Cordner. Their barrister Peter Knox, QC told the High Court yesterday that
the alleged victims had been deceived by Cordner and partner Michael Hone.
Mr Hone has disappeared but it is claimed Cordner, who lives in a
£2.2million home in Knebworth, Herts, is liable. The seven, who handed over
a total of £1.3million, thought they were investing in property firm Royal
Marbella Group. But it never owned the land near Marbella where the luxury
flats were built by another group in 2007. The money was not held separately
but went into the accounts of Hone and Cordner, said Mr Knox. With interest
and other loans, the claim against Cordner is £2million.
Cordner denies negligence and deceit. Sir Geoff, said earlier: "I am angry
at the lies I was told." The hearing continues.
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Stanislas – Right, Left or Centre?
West Ham Till I Die
No, I am not alluding to the player's political views! The question that I
wish to pose is whether Junior Stanislas is best deployed on the right side,
left side or even through the middle?
Stanislas is a talented young player who has pace, good control & balance
and a eye for goal. He is probably second only to Diamanti in terms of
proficiency at the dead ball, as demonstrated most recently against Burnley.
However, he is not, as yet, the finished product. In particular, he does
not always use his gifts to the best effect and needs to have the
self-confidence to run at opponents more and, perhaps, polish up on his
finishing.
Another area that arguably needs attention is his work rate and ability to
track back and provide cover for his full-back/wing back, as appropriate. He
has been played quite a lot on the left hand side and makes a good go of it.
However, as a natural right-footer he constantly has to correct himself and
cut in on his right peg. That is not always a bad thing in itself, but he
is arguably at a disadvantage when crossing the ball or getting to the left
byline and cutting it back into the area. Arguably, this is an aspect of
play that West Ham need to improve on as a team. We need greater width to
get behind and turn opposing defences. Faubert showed how to do it against
Birmingham City, powering to the byline and pulling the ball back for Cole
to score. We need more of that in our attacking play in future.
So, should West Ham deploy Stanislas primarily on the right flank,
exploiting the greater utility of his right foot? That would seem to be the
sensible option, but it is a valuable trait that he can switch flanks, in
order to vary attacking play during the course of a match. However,
whichever flank he plays on, he needs to improve on his workrate to tackle
back and prove cover to his full-back/wing back partner. Otherwise the
full-back/wing-back on his flank could be over-exposed defensively when
either the opposition are on the attack or he is pushing forward to support
our forward play.
I have advocated deploying Diamanti in the hole behind the two strikers or
at the point of a midfield diamond. I still think that we should experiment
with Diamanti in that role at some point, although I acknowledge how
effective he was against Birmingham City on the left flank. And that he
probably needs to stay in that position for the time being. What will be
interesting with Diamanti is to see how he copes with man marking and
players doubling up on him when he has the ball, once the opposition coaches
realise how crucial he is to West Ham's attacking fluidity. Personally I
think he will cope with it well and, it should be remembered that, when a
player is given that much attention it does create extra space for his team
mates to exploit!
Anyway I digress, the point is it would also be interesting to see Stanislas
tried in a free role between midfield and the two strikers. With the tools
at his disposal he could excel there, playing, with pace, through the
middle, supporting the strikers and getting in to advanced, goal scoring
positions. Arguably, he would need to be bolder in such a role, having the
confidence to run at the heart of opposition defences, take a pop at goal
and convert chances.
Stanislas has been used a lot this season from the substitutes bench. And
he has often added width, and improved the quality of our forward play, when
introduced. He is a player that Zola needs to show confidence in and mould
in to a 'finished product.' With the right development not only could
Stanislas become an invaluable playing asset in the Hammers squad, but even
possibly force his way into England contention for the 2012 European
Championships and/or 2014 World Cup.
Indeed, amidst all the shock-horror financial revelations, and the anxiety
of a relegation battle, we should keep sight of the ability of our
youngsters and the quality of our Academy and youth scouting system. With
Stech, Daprela, Tomkins, Eyjolfsson, Spence, Stanislas, Hines, Collison,
Sears, Dixon and Nouble, all representing their respective countries at
either U-19 or U-21 levels, and firmly in the Hammers first team squad
picture, the future looks very bright indeed. Add to that those bubbling
under like Kerns, Edgar, Hall, etc, and things look even better! As Ian
Drury famously sang, 'reasons to be cheeful' ….. rays of optimistic light
amidst the seemingly never ending doom and gloom!
Speaking of which, congratulations to Terry Dixon on being selected once
again for the Republic of Ireland U-21s. That is a very good sign that
things are well fitness wise and he is also starting to show some good form.
In fact the Republic U-21 Manager, Don Givens, has said that he has watched
Dixon at West Ham and he looks like he is getting back to his best! That
can only be good news for a club that had the foresight and courage to take
a gamble on his recovery!
And finally, the SSN story 'Hammers Battle for Starlet' caught my eye this
morning. Apparently, 16 year old hot property, Dominic Vose is currently
with our Academy, but is attracting attention from Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelski
and clubs from Holland and Portugal! A very promising midfielder, Vose has
been called the new Paul Scholes!
The club cannot sign Vose on a professional contract until he is 17 and the
danger is that these clubs will try and step in at that point. Hopefully,
the youngster will realise that the quality of the football education he
will receive at West Ham, and the greater prospect of eventually being given
a first team opportunity, means that he should stay with the Hammers.
Perhaps he should also talk to Frank Nouble and ask him why he felt
compelled to leave a 'top 4 club' and join West Ham to develop and progress
his career!
SJ. Chandos.
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Fergie and Wenger battle for "Next Scholes"
Sport.co.uk
Author: Nigel Brown
Posted on:18 February 2010 - 12:03
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and Manchester United manager Sir Alex
Ferguson are both chasing West Ham united starlet Dominic Vose. The two
Premier League greats have already locked horns over Fulham youngster Chris
Smalling, a battle that was won by Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson. It is
believed the young England centre half commanded a fee in the region of £10
million.
West Ham snatched the youngster away from West London rivals Fulham last
summer, when the player was 15, and now the Hammers are expecting offers
from both Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson. Vose has already spent a week
at both Manchester United and Arsenal's training groung, back in 2008 when
the highly – rated youngster was at Fulham. However, West Ham managed to
snatch the player from under the radar of Manchester United and Arsenal,
with lure of a quicker path into first team football. West Ham have pushed
through a number of youngster in recent years including Jack Collison,
Junior Stanislas, Zavon Hines, and James Tomkins. The youngster has been
compared to Manchester United legend Paul Scholes, as well as being tipped
as England mainstay of the next generation.
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Bullard ready for comeback against West Ham
ESPN
February 18, 2010
Jimmy Bullard could make his latest comeback from injury in Hull's Premier
League clash against West Ham at Upton Park on Saturday. Bullard damaged his
left knee in City's defeat by Aston Villa on December 5 and limped off the
field in tears. The blow came less than two months after he had returned to
action following surgery to his right knee which kept him out for nearly ten
months. He first injured his right knee in September 2006 and did not play
again for more than a year, so Hull boss Phil Brown is keen not to rush his
record signing. ''Jimmy in his own head needs one or two games, not full
games necessarily, and a little bit of contact from opposition,'' said
Brown. ''Probably on Saturday he might play some part in terms of the bench
but he won't be ready to start. Then we've got a game against Wigan in the
reserves next Tuesday and we've arranged a game over in Ireland and again
that will be earmarked for Jimmy. ''Jimmy's raring to go and it's just
managing that situation. We did it very successfully last time. It's piecing
that jigsaw together and making sure when he crosses the white line in his
first game back that he's ready not just to play but to grab a hold of the
game in that fashion that only Jimmy Bullard can do.''
And Brown is confident the former Fulham midfielder's natural exuberance on
the park will not be affected by yet another serious injury. ''The knee is
not 100% but it's getting somewhere near,'' Brown explained. ''It's a new
reference point because it's a completely fresh injury on a different leg.
Jimmy's feeling confident about it, the twisting and turning that he's done,
and now a lot of work with the ball. If you can control the ball and control
the game like Jimmy does, then the confidence follows. ''Psychology plays
its part in any recovery and Jimmy has had a whole host of injuries that
he's come back from. So that suggests to me that psychologically Jimmy is
very strong. ''He's relishing the challenge. He had that challenge at
Fulham, they were in dire straits and he came back in and arrested it. He
gets players playing.''
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Should Sullivan let sleeping dogs lie at West Ham?
Date: 18th February 2010 at 7:04 pm
Author: prashant bhatt
West Ham's new owners have reignited the Carlos Tevez affair by launching a
legal challenge against the club's former solicitors, and the F.A., for
their handling in this long running problem. David Sullivan and David Gold
feel the Hammers were badly advised by their legal team during the Tevez
saga which landed the club a £5.5million fine, plus around £19m in
compensation and costs to Sheffield United.
In attempting to recoup the losses, Sullivan and Gold have already dismissed
match-day ambassadors and have ended club credit cards and mobile phones.
This all comes after inheriting a £110m debt at Upton Park last month;
therefore the owners are attempting to get the cash back. Overall, Sullivan
feels that West Ham were badly advised by their old legal team during the
whole Tevez episode.
In a backdrop to the financial difficulty at Upton Park, another of the
£110m debt relates to former manager Alan Curbishley. West Ham have paid up
the compensation to Curbishley who had asked for £3.2m, plus £500,000 costs,
and it is believed he received more than £2m in the end.
Amongst all the speculation, it is certainly within the realms of
possibility that the owners will launch court proceedings. However, this
could be hard to nail down due to the fact that this whole story has had
many twists and turns. David Sullivan had suggested that the Hammers were
making an error in pleading guilty in losing the compensation case against
Sheffield United. This all comes after a successful claim in the courts,
from Sheffield United, regarding their relegation to the Championship in the
season of 2006/07. West Ham has to pay out, and with seemingly no way out of
it, could they offer to pay a lump sum in the hope that a lesser amount can
be given?
The outline of the situation is that it is more to do with Gold and Sullivan
being unhappy with the way things appear to have been conducted. The action
that they are willing to take is brave, yet West Ham fans may salute them
for stamping their foot down on the way things were done previously, but
would it have been better just to leave alone what looked like finally dying
away? It is hard to see how the Hammers can seek benefit from what the
owners intend to do. It is questionable as to whether they are fully
justified because this is something that does not involve the new owners in
the first place. This is an offense from the previous owners.
The fact that the story has come in to the public eye, after the latest
revelations, is news that may worry West Ham supporters. Therefore, it might
have been better for the club to move on, but even that will be difficult
now that they have opened the doors. If anything does happen then the fans
have every right to question whether the owners have done the right thing or
not. As this is only the beginning of yet another twist, supposedly, then
there is the potential for things to become uglier.
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West Ham United v Hull City: match preview
Read a full match preview of the Premier League game between West Ham United
and Hull City at Upton Park, London, on Saturday Feb 20 2010, kick-off 15.00
GMT.
Telegraph.co.uk
By John Ley
Published: 6:00AM GMT 19 Feb 2010
Saturday Feb 20
West Ham United v Hull City
Upton Park
Kick-off: 15.00 GMT
TV: Highlights, BBC1 Match of the Day.
West Ham have won once in their last six Premier League games, but they have
lost only two during that run. In November, at the KC Stadium, West Ham were
2-0 up after 11 minutes but by half-time they were losing 3-2. Hull's
Bernard Mendy was sent-off in the second half before Manuel da Costa scored
the equaliser. Hull's hopes of surviving in the Premier League have been
hindered by a run of just one win in 12 League games. And they are without
George Boateng, sent off at Blackburn. In addition, Jimmy Bullard – once of
West Ham – is still recovering from a knee injury while Ian Ashbee is out
and Geovanni remains a doubt. West Ham are without Luis Boa Morte, Calum
Davenport, Zavon Hines and Danny Gabbidon while doubts persist over
Guillermo Franco, Benni McCarthy and Fabio Daprela.
Team details (probable)
West Ham (4-4-2): Green; Faubert, Tomkins, Upson, Spector; Behrami, Parker,
Kovac, Diamanti; Mido, Cole.
Hull (4-4-2): Myhill; Dawson, Gardner, McShane, Zayatte; Ghilas, Olofinjana,
Kilbane, Hunt; Altidore, Vennegoor of Hesselink.
Referee: Martin Atkinson. Matches: 20. R2 Y84.
This season: Hull 3 West Ham 3.
Last season: Hull 1 West Ham 0, West Ham 2 Hull 0.
Stat of the game: Hull last won at Upton Park in January 1990. In two
subsequent visits, they have lost 7-1 and 2-0.
Betting tip: Another 1-0 home win is offered at 9-2.
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Parker: Time for West Ham to get ugly
19.02.10 | tribalfootball.com
Scott Parker says West Ham United need to start winning ugly. The Hammers
are just a point off the drop zone in 15th but midfielder Parker believes
Gianfranco Zola's can pull clear if they do all the dirty work starting with
the visit of fellow strugglers Hull city at the KC Stadium on Saturday.
Parker, who has been the Hammers' outstanding player in a frustrating
season, said: "We're a good passing side and what we've got to do now is the
dirty stuff. We've got to get out there and do the ugly stuff to give us a
platform to build on and hopefully we can start doing that."
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