WHUFC.com
Arsenal edged out West Ham United in a closely-fought FA Premier Academy
League fixture on Wednesday
21.04.2010
West Ham United Under-18s saw their six-match FA Premier Academy League run
come to an end with a 1-0 defeat at Arsenal on Wednesday. England U17
striker Benik Afobe scored the only goal of the game two minutes before the
break at the Gunners' London Colney training ground. Steve Bould's side, who
have already wrapped up the Group A title, edged a close game that could
have gone either way on a sunny afternoon. Academy Director Tony Carr said:
"It was a good game. In the first half, we had by far the better chances,
and Robert Hall missed a great opportunity following good work down the
flank from Dominic Vose and Matthias Fanimo. "They then scored when Sergio
Sanchez allowed a long punt down the field to bounce and their striker
nodded it over Deniz Mehmet as he tried to retrieve the situation. It was
disappointing, because they didn't really have to earn their goal. "We then
dominated much of the second half and Paco Craig could have scored, but he
couldn't get enough purchase on his header. We should have got at least a
draw, to be honest, and might even have won the game. "Considering some of
the players had played for the reserves in a friendly on Tuesday, they were
a credit to themselves. I thought we equipped ourselves very well."
Danny Subuola, a scorer at MK Dons on Saturday, had the first chance of the
match, but could only fire straight at goalkeeper James Dunn. Arsenal hit
back and only the post denied defender Daniel Boateng the opening goal a few
moments later. West Ham looked like ending the first half on a high when
both Subuola and Hall - goalscorer Afobe's international strike partner -
shot narrowly off-target. The young forward made Carr's side pay on 43
minutes, slotting Conor Henderson's pass past Mehmet. Arsenal missed a pair
of chances to double their lead before Craig (pictured) intervened to
prevent Afobe from scoring again midway through the second half. Craig was
thwarted by Dunn as West Ham finished strongly, with the goalkeeper showing
great agility to keep out the centre-back's downward header from a Vose
cross. Defender Cedric Evina was next to keep the Hammers at bay, hacking
Hall's free-kick off the line, before Fanimo fired a shot into the
side-netting to complete an decent yet frustrating afternoon's work. The
U18s contest their third game in the space of eight days when they travel to
Watford on Saturday morning.
West Ham United U18: Mehmet, Driver, Sanchez, Craig, Brown, Fanimo, Wearen
(Hurley 60), Moncur, Vose (Werndly 79), Subuola (Tombides 79), Hall
Subs not used: Cowler, Young
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Captain confident
WHUFC.com
Matthew Upson believes West Ham United have enough to beat the drop despite
Monday's defeat
21.04.2010
Matthew Upson remains confident that West Ham United will stay up with three
games left in the Barclays Premier League season. The Hammers are three
points ahead of the relegation zone, despite their 3-0 defeat at Liverpool
on Monday, although 18th-placed Hull City have a game in-hand at home to
Aston Villa to play on Wednesday evening.
Regardless of what their rivals do, captain Upson believes the Hammers will
pick up enough points from their remaining three matches to safeguard their
top-flight status. "It was a disappointing performance on Monday," said the
England centre-back. "Liverpool played pretty well but we were quite
disappointed after the last couple of games. "I thought we didn't react
quickly enough to situations defensively, which cost us really. Once you go
behind at Anfield at the moment, they keep the ball so well and create space
and move the ball so well and it's very difficult to get a grip of the game.
"I thought we had a couple of little decent chances in the second half when
Franco came on and made a difference. He slid a couple of little balls
through that looked decent, but we didn't particularly threaten and it made
it a long evening for us. "I don't think defeat has jolted the confidence
because we know what's at stake on Saturday and I think it's going to be a
survival match. Everything else goes out of the window at that point and the
intensity we need to play with and how we're going to go about getting the
points are all that matters. We'll have to be fully committed and do our
jobs properly to get the points."
Saturday will see Wigan Athletic arrive at the Boleyn Ground fresh from
their amazing comeback victory over Arsenal at the DW Stadium last Sunday.
The Latics recovered from two goals down in the final ten minutes to all but
ensure their own Premier League status. Roberto Martinez's side sit 15th in
the table, seven points above Hull and four above West Ham, with three
matches of their own still to play. "We were travelling up on the coach, so
we didn't see the Wigan match. It was a bit of a shock, but these things
happen. I thought Wigan really did make a big surge for it and got their
reward. They never gave up and produced a really resilient performance. "I
think that win has probably edged Wigan far enough out of it.
Mathematically, that's not true, but realistically, looking at the form of
Burnley, Hull and ourselves, it's highly unlikely that we're going to get
enough points to catch Wigan."
While he may believe Saturday's opponents are safe, Upson also insisted that
West Ham would emulate their achievement. "I think we'll stay up. I've
always said 'Yes' and I'll continue to say that. We'll definitely stay up.
I'm confident."
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Tony Carr Testimonial update
WHUFC.com
Preparations have been stepped up ahead of Academy Director Tony Carr's
Testimonial match on 5 May
21.04.2010
Hello everyone,
Well, we have exactly two weeks to go until my Testimonial match and things
are coming together nicely. I now have a commitment to play from more than
20 Academy graduates, including the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard,
Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Kieran Richardson and Anton Ferdinand. As the
Barclays Premier League title race hots up, I am now in the hands of the
goodwill of the managers in allowing their respective players to take part,
but I am very hopeful. Alongside those already mentioned, I have also spoken
to lots of other lads who have gone on to enjoy successful careers in the
Football League, while Paolo Di Canio has also agreed to pull on the claret
and blue for me one more time. When I sat down and looked at the full squad
list, I must admit it did make me feel very proud of what we have all
achieved at the club over the past 37 years.
If all goes to plan, then I should be able to put out a side that will cause
West Ham United some problems on the night! My only slight selection problem
is in goal, where my first-choice, Derby County's Stephen Bywater, has
injured his ribs in training and is out of the match. I think I am going to
have to pinch Peter Kurucz or Marek Stech from the opposition, but I'm sure
they won't mind if I ask nicely enough! Aside from the younger lads, I have
asked some of the older graduates to return, and they will be presented to
the crowd at half-time on the night. Away from the playing side,
preparations have been stepped up a gear as the game approaches. I have
taken delivery of the specially-designed shirt my team will be wearing on
the night, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ricoh/Alto
Digital for kindly being my shirt sponsor. I have also been working with the
media department on producing a commemorative matchday programme - going
through some of my old photographs has certainly brought back some great
memories. Ticket sales have also picked up and, as I have said before, I
want this to be a night of celebration for everybody connected with West Ham
United, rather than just my 37 years. All the players who turn out for my
All-Stars are players that we should be proud of. I know there has been some
discussion over which parts of the Boleyn Ground will be open on the night.
I have been assured that the West Stand Lower and Bobby Moore Stand Lower
will both be open, and other sections of the stadium will be opened, should
demand for tickets be there. For those who would like to watch the match in
a little more style, parties of up to ten supporters can hire an Executive
Box for the night.
I must admit, the Testimonial match has snuck up on me, and I cannot believe
it is only a fortnight away now. With three FA Premier Academy League
matches this week, including a trip to Arsenal this afternoon, I am as busy
as I have ever been, but I still love every minute of it.
Tony Carr
Academy Director
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Whelan wants them Hammered
The Sun
By MARTIN BLACKBURN
Published: 21 Apr 2010
DAVE WHELAN is hoping Wigan push West Ham closer to the drop on Saturday.
Bad blood between the clubs dates back to the final day of the 2003/04
season when a last-minute Hammers equaliser denied Wigan a Championship
play-off spot. Whelan also believes the Londoners should have been relegated
- instead of fined - over the Carlos Tevez affair three years ago. Wigan
virtually assured their own Premier League safety with Sunday's win over
Arsenal. But chairman Whelan is demanding more points, starting at Upton
Park. He said: "With West Ham away and Hull at home - I think we can pick up
another four points, if not six, especially if we play like we did against
Arsenal."
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£4000 a week to boss Hammers
The Sun
By HUGH SOUTHON
Published: 21 Apr 2010
DAVID SULLIVAN will pay West Ham's new manager just £4,000 a week if they
are relegated. Hammers must shell out £3million to get rid of Gianfranco
Zola and his No 2 Steve Clarke. Zola earns £1.8m a year but owners Sullivan
and David Gold will only hand his replacement a £200,000-a-year deal - one
of the lowest in the Championship. An Upton Park insider said: "Relegation
would be a financial disaster and the owners will not have players nor the
manager on Premier League wages. "Remember, we'll be up against Doncaster
and Scunthorpe - not Manchester United or Chelsea." Former West Ham boss
Alan Pardew could be a shock target to take over. The Southampton chief, who
was axed in 2006, led Hammers to promotion five years ago and is well liked
by the new regime. Blackpool's Ian Holloway is another likely candidate.
Even if Hammers stay up, there is little hope for Zola. The insider added:
"The defeat at Liverpool has bitten viciously because of the manner in which
the team surrendered."
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Hammers boss is still defiant
The Sun
By DAVID FACEY
Published: 21 Apr 2010
GIANFRANCO ZOLA insists he will not buckle under the pressure following West
Ham's dismal 3-0 surrender at Liverpool. The Hammers face a must-win match
at home to Wigan on Saturday and the Anfield shocker suggests they are not
ready for the challenge. But boss Zola claims the pressure on him is no
greater than it was before the visit to Everton earlier this month, when his
team ended a run of six successive defeats with an unlikely 2-2 draw. He
said: "We all know how important the Wigan game is and we will be ready. "We
have a few days to prepare and we will do it in the best way possible. "None
of us are pleased with the performance against Liverpool. We can only react,
play better and win on Saturday. "We have to move on quickly because we have
a massive game coming up. "Yes, there is pressure on us but that is not new.
The only way to deal with pressure is to work hard. "We were under pressure
at Everton but went there and worked hard. That is what we'll be doing on
Saturday too. "We'll be focusing on our job, doing it with everything we've
got and I'm sure the pressure will go down. "I've told the players we cannot
afford to play like that again. "We made too many mistakes, especially
defending against set-pieces. "That surprised me because it is something we
have been doing well lately. We know what we have to do and I know we can
react."
It looked as if the club's position was getting to some players on Monday
and Zola admitted heads went down after the first goal. He added: "It's a
danger and we cannot afford that."
West Ham fans will also have been concerned by the sight of Carlton Cole
limping off after 72 minutes. He watched the rest of the game with his leg
heavily strapped but Zola was adamant the England striker would be fit to
face Wigan. He said: "Carlton has issues with his knee and was struggling a
bit so we took him off as a precaution. But he will be flying on Saturday."
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West Ham will turn to Jones if McClaren bid fails - Exclusive
Published 23:00 21/04/10 By Neil McLeman and Alan Nixon
The Mirror
Dave Jones is a surprise candidate to become the next West Ham manager.
Former England boss Steve McClaren remains the No.1 choice of the Upton Park
board to replace Gianfranco Zola in the summer. But Jones' achievement of
leading cash-strapped Cardiff into the Championship play-offs has impressed
Hammers' owners David Sullivan and David Gold. Liverpool-born Jones, 53,
spent three years in the Premier League with Southampton and then took
Wolves into the top-flight for a single season in 2004. He has been at
Cardiff since 2005 and took the Bluebirds to the 2008 FA Cup final, while
selling Aaron Ramsay and Roger Johnson at huge profits. Cardiff are still
carrying debts of around £20m and face a High Court date with the taxman on
May 5 over an unpaid bill of £1.7m. MirrorFootball revealed that McClaren
was the manager West Ham wanted on March 30 and - despite denials from the
McClaren camp since - the Hammers are confident they can get their man. The
Yorkshireman, who has also attracted the interest of Hamburg after a great
season with FC Twente in Holland, has refused to consider any offers until
the end of the season. But the Upton Park outfit want McClaren to give them
an answer immediately the campaign is over. Any job offer to the former Boro
boss would depend on West Ham staying in the top-flight. And the
48-year-old, who is one win away from winning the Dutch title with FC
Twente, might have to be convinced to turn his back on the Champions League
to return to the Premier League. Hammers have been dealing with the project
via third parties and there seems to be some friction over who would finally
do the deal to bring McClaren in - and that has also to be sorted out.
McClaren has been out of English club football since leaving Middlesbrough
for the England post in 2006. He was interviewed for the Blackburn job
before going to Holland
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PARDEW IN FRAME FOR WEST HAM
Daily Express
Wednesday April 21,2010
By Matt Law and Tony Banks Exclusive
WEST HAM have put together two lists of managerial replacements for
Gianfranco Zola with Steve McClaren at the top of one if they stay up and
Alan Pardew emerging as a shock contender if they go down. Zola's only hope
of remaining at West Ham, it seems, is if they manage to stay in the Premier
League while displaying some style in all three of their remaining games
against Wigan, Fulham and Manchester City. But just staying in the
top-flight because three teams happen to be worse than them will not be
considered a success and changes will still be made. McClaren is first
choice, but the Upton Park club must stay in the Premier League to stand any
chance of appointing the former England boss and they would face competition
from elsewhere. If the Hammers are relegated, Pardew will be considered for
an emotional return to the club. He spent three years there, taking them
into the Premier League and the FA Cup final, before being sacked in
December 2006. Pardew still has a year of his contract to run at
Southampton, but he has an uneasy relationship with Swiss executive chairman
Nicola Cortese, who has criticised results even though the club started with
a 10-point penalty and won the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. Pardew, who has
also been linked with Celtic, has ,never made any secret of his desire to go
back to West Ham, but some decision-makers would need convincing that
reappointing a former boss would be the right move. McClaren, who is just
one victory from winning the Dutch title with FC Twente, is already aware of
the Hammers' interest but has not considered his future beyond this season.
Former West Ham defender Slaven Bilic and former Manchester City manager
Mark Hughes are also on the club's radar. West Ham owners David Sullivan and
David Gold were not only angered by the 3-0 defeat at Liverpool on Monday,
but were upset by what they saw as a lack of belief and fight. The home
clash against Wigan on Saturday is seen as a must-win and there is a feeling
that the trip to Fulham represents a chance to pick up some rare points on
the road.
Zola hopes Luis Boa Morte will be available to play a part in West Ham's
relegation battle. Boa Morte, 32, continued his comeback from a knee injury
yesterday by completing his first full 90 minutes in 11 months for the
reserves against Tottenham. Carlton Cole is set to be fit to play against
Wigan after he was substituted at Anfi eld and, with Scott Parker back from
suspension, Zola said: "We have a massive game coming up on Saturday. We
have to win as a team and everyone will have to produce a performance."
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Avram Grant on West Ham's wanted list
ESPN Soccernet staff
April 21, 2010
ESPN
Avram Grant's ability to work to a budget appeals to West Ham © Getty
ImagesFA Cup final mastermind Avram Grant is the new name on West Ham
United's list of potential new managers. The Portsmouth boss has won many
plaudits after guiding the club to Wembley despite huge financial problems,
although their relegation from the Premier League has already been
confirmed. Portsmouth administrator Andrew Andronikou said: "Avram has done
such a great job with no money, so I would expect clubs from here and abroad
to want him this summer, but I plan to sit down with him and try to keep him
with us." A source close to West Ham told Soccernet: "Everyone is impressed
with how Avram has got Pompey to the FA Cup final under their present
circumstances, and if West Ham are going to be watching their budget closely
with so much debt, then Avram has his appeal." Slaven Bilic, though, is the
No.1 choice of the Hammers fans and has his strong backers in the board room
to succeed Gianfranco Zola. Monday's abject performance against Liverpool at
Anfield almost certainly ensured the Italian would be shown the Upton Park
exit door at the end of the season. Soccernet understands that Grant has a
break clause in his Pompey contract that allows him to leave in the summer
if he wishes.
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Anfield and the Football 'Art of War!'
'The victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won,
whereas he who is destined for defeat first fights and afterwards looks for
victory.'
Sun Tzu (The Art of War)
West Ham Till I Die
The Sports Mirror just about summed it up yesterday morning with the
headline, 'Who needs Torres?' We thought before the match that the Spanish
striker's absence might be a bonus for us! In the end Liverpool did not
need him to defeat a Hammers team that appeared psychologically 'trashed'
before the kick off! As has happened so often over the last 47 years, the
West Ham team were mentally defeated from the start, a kind of football
related, 'Art of War' scenerio reasserted itself, whereby Liverpool win
mentally before they physically contest the match!
The other striking feature of the Sports Mirror piece was the picture that
accompanied it. It showed Benayoun getting ahead of the West Ham defence,
with Kovac, Da Costa and Faubert strung out in a line behind him, watching
him about to score! Our defending was truly awful. The first two goals saw
balls in from the flanks finding Benayoun and Ngog unmarked to score. On
both occasions the ball travelled right through our defence, without our
stationary defenders even attempting to intercept it. As for the 'comic
cuts' third Liverpool goal, lets not even go there!
I sat, watching the awful spectacle unfold, contemplating just what Zola
and Clarke were trying to achieve? We should have emulated Fulham in
'parking the bus' in front of the goal, with two solid banks of 4. This
was a game where we should have paired Faubert and Behrami on the right and
Spector and Daprela on the left, with Kovac and Noble shielding and tackling
hard in front of our central defenders! This would have enabled us to have
pinned down the flanks and prevented Liverpool playing around or right
through us.
The plan should have been to frustrate Liverpool in the first 45 minutes and
take later opportunities to push Faubert and Daprela forward on the flanks
to find Cole and Ilan. As it was, Liverpool took control from about the
10th minute and played through us at will. The only real effort and
resistance came from Noble and Da Costa, while we only demonstrated any
guile or threat up front with the introduction of Franco's technique. I do
not particularly blame Ilan, he tried to get forward, but needs the right
balls, played in to the final third, to bring his predatory instincts to
bare. The supply just was not there!
But no, all we got was a timid and abject surrender from the kick off. I
cannot disagree with those that state that the team were an embarrassment to
the fine Hammers support that followed the team up to Anfield. You can
only admire the stoic, self-depreciating and witty humour that Hammers fans
deploy on these occasions. And of course their defiant renditions of
bubbles throughout a hopelessly lost cause. These magnificent fans deserve
much, much better, of that there is no doubt.
Personally, I can put up with yet another defeat at Anfield, as long as the
team showed some guts and fight in the process. However, a tame surrender
like that is not acceptable. I had hoped that a distracted, under strength
Liverpool might find a tough, battling Hammers team difficult to break down,
much like Fulham the week before. At the very least we should have seen a
battling defeat of 2-1 or 3-1, but no we had to suffer the worst case
scenario, a 3-0 trouncing!
There really is something 'rotten in the state of Denmark' at Upton Park,
whether it is a management that does not consistently motivate the team,
poor tactics or the inability of the players to translate management's
tactics on the pitch? Perhaps it is a poor attitude within the squad or a
festering atmosphere within the club after the recent takeover, the various
public statements and the internal dissent that followed? Perhaps the
squad is just fatally imbalanced, with critical deficiencies in key
positions? Could it be a combination of these and other factors, one needs
to be an insider to know all of the factors for sure? Whatever the
correlation of factors, it is a toxic and debilitating cocktail.
So, we now all become honorary Villa fans tonight for the 90 minutes against
Hull City! If Villa win or draw against Hull (which they are more than
capable of doing) and we beat Wigan, then we will have taken a significant
step towards safety. We probably need two wins from the final three matches
to be absolutely certain of survival, although a win and a draw may prove
sufficient.
Are we capable of getting the necessary results? I sincerely hope so!
West Ham may well drag themselves over the PL safety line this season by
basically being 'less worse' than Hull City! Yesterday's Mirror article
suggested that we would have enough to survive this season. I tend to
agree, I think that Hull City will fail to accrue enough points from their
run-in. Also, if we win against Wigan it will put a massive pressure upon
them to defeat Hull City, prior to taking on Chelski at Stamford Bridge on
the final day. Now if Wigan got caught by both Hull City and ourselves on
the final day, would that not be a ironic and unexpected sting in the tail!
We fans can afford to vent our anger about the team, but Zola and Clarke
have to somehow galvanise them for a big final push! Do they have enough
left in the tank, we shall see? Certainly Wigan will be lifted by their
victory over the gooners and our tame surrender at Anfield. Hopefully, the
players will be so ashamed by their spineless performance on Monday, that
Zola will, indeed, get his 'reaction' this Saturday.
One can only hope that Zola proves a true disciple of Sun Tzu and can turn
the situation to his advantage by seeking to:
'Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and then crush him!'
We can but live in hope!
SJ. Chandos.
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http://www.justgiving.com/vyperz
I am running the BUPA 10k on May 31st and raising money for the Bobby Moore
Cancer Fund
Please donate generously! Thanks.
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