WHUFC.com
Oxford United on Tuesday means Avram Grant will not waste time feeling sorry
for themselves
23.08.2010
Avram Grant has already been hard at work back on the training pitch with
his West Ham United squad in preparation for a week featuring two very
different Uniteds in opposition. The Hammers travel to Old Trafford on
Saturday evening to face Manchester's finest but before then will take on
the Football League newcomers from Oxford on Tuesday night. The expectation
in midweek will be firmly on Grant's men to produce the goods and book their
place in the Carling Cup third round - in turn giving morale a lift before
the return to Barclays Premier League action. Certainly, should the display
match the effort of the weekend just gone, then progress seems assured.
West Ham were imperious for much of Saturday's contest against Bolton
Wanderers, with Pablo Barrera and Frederic Piquionne aggressive in attack
and a trio of established Hammers offering encouraging signs of fresh starts
in claret and blue after past injury woes - namely Herita Ilunga, Danny
Gabbidon and Kieron Dyer, who hit the post and was electric on only his
eighth league start in three years.
Tellingly with the new-look side still gelling under Grant's direction,
Bolton Wanderers capitalised in the second half - with perhaps some good
fortune from key decisions - to ultimately win 3-1. Still, the manager
rightly saw reason to be positive even if Mark Noble's late penalty was all
the Hammers had to show against a Kevin Davies-forced Matt Upson own goal
and a Johan Elmander double.
"Despite the two defeats this season, I am very much encouraged," said
Grant, who had been back out on the training pitch with his squad on Sunday
and may have the likes of Tal Ben Haim and Manu da Costa in contention for
Tuesday's tie although Thomas Hitzlsperger is still out. "They showed they
have strong character and a high spirit. This, along with the good football,
we played is important. "We had two big chances, and half chances. We
created five times more chances than them but didn't score. "The key to keep
the morale high is to continue playing like we did against Bolton and not
the way we did against Aston Villa [on the opening day]. If we do the right
things we will have a good season. It will not be easy but we have the
ability."
Grant was pleased with how his side coped with Bolton's direct balls before
the skipper Upson departed with a facial injury caused in that opening goal.
He was also delighted to see Dyer and Barrera flying on the flanks and
Piquionne lively in support of Carlton Cole, who was unlucky to miss a
penalty at nil-nil in the first half. "Kieron was brilliant in the first
half. Barrera is a good player and will be better and better as time goes
on. He and Freddie and he gave us a lot of pace in the final third. It was a
strange game. We played good football we did everything right and then we
lost the game."
With the transfer deadline closing at 6pm on Tuesday week, it is expected
that the Hammers may still yet be welcoming some more new faces. Grant
reminded of the club's great strides to overcome financial issues since the
turn of the year and - with five signings already in despite such issues -
was positive about the help coming his way in the months and seasons to
come. "Last year every day [at Portsmouth] was a surprise. But here I knew
the situation of the club. We knew we had to pass this year and the owner
said there will be more resources. We need to deal with it. We are trying to
build this team for the long term. "If we do the right thing we will be OK.
The owner says there is debt and the situation is not good but we know every
year there will be more money."
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Pablo keeping positive
WHUFC.com
Mexican international winger Pablo Barrera has seen enough to be optimistic
for the future
23.08.2010
As home league debuts go, Pablo Barrera's performance on the weekend was one
that did not deserve to see him finish on the losing side. The Mexico winger
was making his first start of the season since joining the club from Pumas
de la UNAM in his homeland. He was given licence to attack by Avram Grant
and did just that against Bolton Wanderers, with his rampaging runs
reminiscent of the form that, in particular, terrorised France at the FIFA
World Cup. Although ultimately finishing on the losing side for the second
straight game, the 23-year-old is convinced the long-term picture is bright.
"There are enough good players so I believe in the team. In the first half
we showed that we can be better than the result suggests. "The scoreline
doesn't for me reflect what happened on the pitch and I'm sure in the coming
weeks we will be better." He is not just committed to making an impression
on the pitch. Barrera is working hard on his English lessons to ensure he
can do his talking off it as well.
Barrera may not be able to join in the banter just yet but is rarely seen
without a smile at Chadwell Heath. There has also been help from a couple of
team-mates as well to ensure he knows what is required. "Sometimes I just
have to do hand movements because the only players I can speak to are Luis
Boa Morte and Benni McCarthy. Benni played in Spain and Boa is Portuguese
which is quite similar."
He is settling in well to life in England and eager to play as much as he
can. "My first impressions of the Premier League are that there are
beautiful stadiums, cities and supporters, and the football is faster. "By
that I mean in Mexico they play more with short passes. Here they play more
with long balls to find the striker so you have less time to think."
Although results have yet to materialise, Barrera knows he made the right
choice to head to east London - having done his homework before setting out
from North America. "I really like English football and when I knew West Ham
wanted to sign me I looked on the internet to try and find things out about
them. "Then I asked my agent about them. I felt it was a club I had to come
to. [I read about] the facilities of the club, the players that have played
here now and in the past."
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Duxbury at the double
WHUFC.com
The Ladies team are expecting another good season and certainly began as
they mean to go on
23.08.2010
West Ham United Ladies 2-0 Colchester United Ladies
Tracey Duxbury's second-half double meant the Hammers got off to the perfect
start in their FA Tesco Womens Premeir League South opener on Sunday.
The match had been scheduled to play at Colchester but was switched to
Thurrock, meaning the 'visitors' in fact became the hosts. They certainly
made home advantage count, although for a long spell it seemed the contest
would mirror the two goalless draws between the clubs last season. The
deadlock was not even broken on 61 minutes, when Colchester were awarded a
penalty. Toni-Anne Wayne produced a superb spot-kick save, as well as
blocking the follow-up, and that galvanised the forwards at the other end.
Duxbury took over with two goals to wrap up a good win. This season, the
Ladies are looking to improve on last season's fifth-place finish in what
looks to be a very open and competitive league with five or six clubs along
with the Hammers having credible title aspirations.
New Ladies first-team manager Julia Setford has kept the all the players
from last year's campaign and brought in three new faces in the shape of
former England Under-23 international Emma Thomas, Stacey Little from
Charlton Athletic and Jo Woodgates from Crystal Palace. The new trio have
all impressed in the side's pre-season programme which culminated with a 7-0
victory over Southampton a week ago.
West Ham United Ladies
Toni-Anne Wayne, Nat Grafton, Jess Barling, Rosey Sullivan, Jo Woodgates,
Clare Rogers, Stacey Little, Carly Roache, Emma Thomas, Gemma Shepherd, Nina
Downham, Holly Griffin, Zoe Marshall, Ruby Southgate, Becky Merritt.
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Coyle on ... West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 22nd August 2010
By: Staff Writer
Owen Coyle offers his thoughts after his Bolton side sprung a(nother)
surprise on the Hammers...
You woke up in the second half?
I accept what you're saying but I think we dominated the first fifteen
minutes of the match.
You could have scored after two [minutes]?
Well I'm glad we agree on that one! I think we did, I felt for the first ten
or fifteen minutes we were in charge of the game but you're right, after
that West Ham really got at us. Jussi Jaaskelainen had to be in top form
which he was, he made some terrific saves. On another day West Ham would
have probably scored from those situations.
I mean the penalty - I think there was contact, I can understand why it was
given - and Jussi's made a big save, but you're absolutely right. Maybe
there's merit in the qustion because we had to get them in at half time and
regroup. We had one or two things to say and I think second half we really
showed our qualities.
We scored some terrific goals and then at 2-0, when we looked so
comfortable, we had to withstand another little bit of pressure because of
the award of the second penalty which I think we'd all agree wasn't but it
happened. The lads showed another characteristic to their side which is
great for me and then went up the park and had the belief to score again.
So to come here and give that performance is very pleasing - and it was hard
work. I certainly felt it was a terrific game, end to end, and delighted to
get three points.
Seven wins in a row now over West Ham?
Yeah, I wish it was a two-team league! There's teams that for certain
reasons you're suited to playing against them. Sometimes playing against
real quality players you do well whereas if you feel as if you're playing
against inferior players... sometimes that happens with teams.
So I think coming into the game we were aware of that and i think we all
know the part psychology plays in football. But we had the belief that we
could come here and win the game, we did it last year and i think we've
improved from there, that's what we have to keep striving for.
We are nowhere near the finished article or where I'd like us to be. But
hopefully piece by piece and bit by bit we'll strive to get there. It's a
pleasing start but as I say, that's all it is.
How pleased are you for Elmander?
I'm not trying to be clever after the event, I am a great believer in Johann
Elmander - I've said that from day one. And what I said, particularly on the
back of last week, if he keeps giving that level of performance consistently
then the goals would go in for him and I think he'll have taken great
confidence from that today.
I think he's seen his team mates' reaction to how pleased they were for him.
He scored a terrific goal against Osasuna in the last pre-season game and he
was unlucky last week against Fulham, the young goalkeeper was outstanding
against him. But he's got his rewards today and that's what he has to keep
doing because he's a great lad and a very good player. But only Johann can
determine that when he crosses the white line by bringing all these
qualities to the game.
I felt that him and Kevin Davies were a real handful all day today for West
Ham, and as I said, I'm delighted to get those three points. Without going
back and looking at the incidents I feel that we had the biggest penalty in
the game when Lee was worked to the ground and it wasn't given. So if we
hadn't won away I think there would have been an element of frustration. But
the way we applied ourselves and kept focused and concentrated was very
pleasing.
Stuart Holden: I thought he had a terrific game?
I couldn't agree with you more. He brings an unbelievable energy and desire.
I mean this is a lad that we managed to get for free last year from Houston
and hadn't played in the Premier League - and probably had a bit of
rejection early in his career. I think he'd been over at Sunderland for a
little bit. The thing I love about that is that he's got a real desire to
try and be a Premier League professional. As you say, there's an energy
about him and with him and Muamba in there they certainly cover every blade
of grass.
With Chung-Yong Lee and Petrov in the wide areas we've dangerous players, so
we just have to make sure that hopefully week in, week out, we can get to
our maximum physically and mentally. If we do that we have a chance but as I
say, it's a pleasing start but that's all it is.
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Hammers backtrack on Yak
African ace unlikely to be on his way to Upton Park
Last updated: 22nd August 2010
SSN
West Ham United have 'cooled' their interest in signing Everton's Nigerian
striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni. The Hammers have been tracking the African ace for
much of the summer, having decided that their strike force is in need of
strengthening. As Yakubu is a proven Premier League goal-getter, the Upton
Park outfit felt he was an ideal candidate to bolster their ranks. They
have, however, been frustrated in their efforts to take him to the capital,
with Evertonreluctant to do business. The Toffees feel the terms on the
table are unacceptable and have informed the Hammers that they will need to
up their offer if they are to land Yakubu.
West Ham are reluctant to increase their bid, though, and could now turn
their attention elsewhere. Co-owner David Sullivan believes the club would
be better advised to bring in a potential star of the future, rather than a
27-year-old striker who has struggled with injuries in recent times. "We
have cooled on Yakubu," he said. "When you have a good, hard look at him, we
want younger and quicker and better."
Reports suggest Everton are holding out for somewhere close to £8million for
former Middlesbrough and Portsmouth ace Yakubu.
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Grant: we can beat boo-boys
The Sun
Published: Today
WEST HAM hit the boos after they dropped into the bottom two. No points, one
goal and six against all meant Upton Park was not a happy place, with
striker Carlton Cole booed off when subbed and the team half-heartedly
jeered off at the end. With Manchester United and Chelsea next up in the
league, it will not get any easier for the Hammers. But boss Avram Grant
said: "Cole does not deserve it. He was not at his best but it can happen to
anybody. He'll score lots of goals for us. "If we're in a relegation battle,
we will fight against it - but we're only two games into the season. We can
change the mentality."
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Hammer 'n Wrong - again
The Sun
STEVEN HOWARD - Chief sports writer
Published: Today
THEY could have been a couple of goals down in the opening 10 minutes. The
side then battered the opposition for the rest of the first half, only to be
denied by a visiting goalkeeper playing out of his skin. Next they won a
penalty. Instead of the normal taker, the ball was grabbed by a different
player.
To a huge groan. As 32,500 fans looked away, he produced a penalty attempt
the keeper hardly had to move to save. Yes, it could only happen to West
Ham. And, being the Hammers, it did not end there. They then fell 2-0
behind, firstly to an own-goal in which home defender Matthew Upson broke
his nose before going off six minutes later. Pulling one back with another
penalty - this time converted by the regular taker - they finally conceded a
third. Scorer Johan Elmander was left celebrating two goals in a game for
the first time in three years. It was the seventh consecutive time the
Hammers had lost to the same, extremely modest Bolton opposition. Afterwards
their manager, as if by way of explanation, said: "It's a strange game."
Others might have said: "It's a strange appointment."
Having let in six goals in their opening two matches, they now face
Manchester Utd (a), Chelsea (h), Stoke (a) and Tottenham (h). Somewhere,
Gianfranco Zola might have afforded himself a wry smile. Scott Parker, who
might have joined Spurs, would not have. West Ham skirted with relegation
last season and desperately needed three points on Saturday to prevent the
sort of tailspin that could, at its worst and noting the fixture-list, see
them without a point after their opening six games. It is the sort of start
from which most clubs fail to recover. Why Carlton Cole took the first
spot-kick is anyone's guess. Avram Grant, a manager who might now be found
out after landing jobs in the past because of friends in high places, said:
"We have two or three who can take penalties. It's up to them to decide."
No, it is not. It is up to him. If 32,500 knew Mark Noble should be taking
them, so should he. Looking at the final scoreline, it was hard to credit
West Ham had played so well before the break and only been denied by another
fine Jussi Jaaskelainen performance. Then all the old West Ham faults
resurfaced, with their defence unable to cope with Bolton's physical game.
And once they go a goal down, the confidence drains. Some comfort will be
taken from the display of new signing Pablo Barrera. Yet you wonder whether
the little Mexican knows what he has let himself in for. Probably not, when
he revealed he knew so little about his prospective club he had to look them
up on the internet.
And what of London? He said: "I like Big Ben." Or, perhaps, he was referring
to his well-padded colleague Big Benni. West Ham fans, who braved a District
Line strike to get to Upton Park for a game against opposition who can
scarcely be described as attractive, already fear the worst. Especially with
a manager who was calling for patience and understanding BEFORE the game.
Karren Brady's diary should make even more interesting reading than usual
over the coming months!
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Vinny's Bolton Report
Vinny - Sun Aug 22 2010
West Ham Online
West Ham United 1 Bolton Wanderers 3
Two games, two defeats and the worst possible start has been confirmed for
Avram Grants side as Bolton once again came to Upton Park and left with all
three points. This was a crushing defeat made worse by the fact that we have
Manchester United and Chelsea as our next two league games. It would seem
that the same doom and gloom surrounding the club from last season firmly
remains. Finding some perspective this was not the worst performance you
will see from a West Ham side and meaning no disrespect to Bolton I thought
we were quite unlucky not to have take at least a point.
If Carlton Cole had converted his penalty in the first half things would
have been very different and that would have been the goal we fully deserved
because we battered Bolton in the first half as Grant sent out his team to
attack as frequently as possible. I feel a little indifferent to how I
should react to this one. Ultimately we have to win games to survive in this
league but is it wrong to look for the positives? I suspect that if we did
not have those next two league fixtures I would not be as concerned but I'm
also noticing the word 'if' is starting to become a familiar part of our
season even at this stage.
After the terrible display against Aston Villa last weekend Avram Grant made
a number of changes which was what we were all hoping he would do. Some of
the changes were surprising but welcome nonetheless. In defence James
Tomkins was correctly dropped to the bench. Replacing him was Danny
Gabbidon. At right back Winston Reid was also dropped to the bench with
Julien Faubert moving back to right back. In midfield Pablo Barrera made his
full debut for the club starting on the right wing of a four man midfield
which saw Parker and Noble in the middle and Kieron Dyer on the left wing
which was a very surprise inclusion considering he did not make the squad
last weekend. Up front saw Carlton Cole partnered by Frederique Piquionne
who was also making his full debut. The substitute bench saw the return of
Benni McCarthy who has been struggling with fitness for many months.
Alessandro Diamanti was omitted from the squad fuelling speculation that he
will be imminently leaving the club.
With Transport for London making sure there would be no trains to Upton Park
or Plaistow it was the walk from West Ham station which had to be made.
Stopping at a couple of Pubs along the way and meeting some of the
Westhamonline faithful I felt as usual optimistic going into the ground.
I suspect I am still living off past seasons and that no matter how bad we
would be away from home you could count on us to get a result against anyone
at Upton Park. Unfortunately no one seems to fear coming to the Boleyn
anymore and Bolton's Zat Knights comments before the game about West Ham
fans turning on the players was pretty much spot on.
It took us a few minutes to settle as Bolton had the first chance of the
game and should have taken an early lead when Mark Noble hit a terrible
cross field pass which Bolton took advantage of and the ball was fed into
Elmander who dragged his shot wide when he should have at least been testing
Robert Green. As chance came our way when Ilunga put his long throw into the
area for Cole to show strength to hold off the defender. He was eventually
crowded out but the ball broke for Barrera who hit a half volley just over
the bar. The Mexican had seen another shot test Jaaskelainen only a few
moments before.
We were really beginning to take over in terms of possession with some good
football being played and corners being forced. One of these corners was
only cleared as far as Faubert who hit a shot straight at the Bolton keeper.
It seemed as though our good work was about to pay off when a route one move
saw us win penalty as Green pumped the ball towards Cole who was pushed in
the back by Steinson and the referee correctly pointed to the spot. Mark
Noble ran over to get the ball as he is the designated penalty take after
Diamanti but Carlton Cole would not let him have the ball and wanted to take
the penalty himself. But despite his confidence the penalty was easily saved
by Jaaskelainen to the dismay of the West Ham fans who many would not
forgive Cole for the remainder of the game and he was treated by many of the
home supporters. It is unfortunate how many idiots support West Ham. I
believe if Cole had gone to get a goal in this game many would have sat down
in protest.
Cole would never recover from the penalty miss and everything he did was
poor from then on. He wasn't lazy - he just wasn't very good which I am
happy to admit and whilst I am not defending his all round performance
Carlton Cole was not the sole reason we lost - something many cannot get
their head around.
Another chance was created when Scott Parker played a good through ball for
Cole to run on to and his left foot shot was saved well by Jaaskelainen with
Barrera unable to get to the rebound before the Bolton defender. Yet another
good move starting with a cross field pass from Noble saw the ball fed into
Cole who turned and attempted a cross which hit the hand of Zat Knight which
even on first look seemed a definite penalty but the referee was having none
of it and he was clearly unwilling to give us a second penalty so soon after
the first.
The best move of the half came just before half time as Parker intercepted a
pass and burst forward slipping a great pass for Dyer to get into the area
and his shot beat Jaaskelainen but not the post. The replays show that the
Bolton keeper got the slightest touch on the ball which prevented a certain
goal. The fans applauded the team as the came off at half time because we
had done everything but score. We were excellent and by far the best team.
If you had told me at that point that we were going to lose 3-1 I would have
questioned what game you were actually watching.
Just three minutes of the second half had past and we found ourselves a goal
down out of nothing. A long punt into our area from Jaaskelainen saw
Elmander easily beat Gabbidon and knock the ball into the six yard box for
Kevin Davies to go for the ball with Matthew Upson but the West Ham captain
despite getting to the ball first head the ball past Robert Green into the
goal. Some of the West Ham players were crying foul as Upson seemed to be
kicked in the face by Davies but Upson had stooped so low that there was
nothing wrong with what Davies did. He had to go for the ball and if this
was at the other end we would be laughing at the protests. Upson received
treatment but was unable to continue and had to be taken off with Winston
Reid replacing him at centre half.
And then we stopped playing and lost all the urgency we had in the first
half. Bolton saw a lot more of the ball and twenty minutes later they would
score their second goal and seal the three points. The lively Lee Chung-Yong
got the ball on the right and put in a pin point cross for Elmander to score
with a bullet header from just a few yards out.
Avram Grant reacted by bringing Benni McCarthy on for Kieron Dyer as we went
to three up front and things did start to look up just two minutes later
when McCarthy lofted a ball into the area for Parker to run on to and it
seemed that Bolton centre half Gary Cahill gave Parker the slightest of
pushes and the ref pointed to the spot. Mark Noble took the penalty kick
this time and put it firmly past Jaaskelainen to give us a chance to get
back into the game with ten minutes to play. But there was to be no great
come back. There was only to be more misery as Bolton score a third goal
which of course led to the mass exodus of the West Ham fans.
A long ball forward into the area saw Davies win the ball in the air (can
this man ever stop terrorising West Ham?) and the ball bounced off Matthew
Taylor and into the path of Elmander who couldn't miss from just a few yards
out. This the second goal for Elmander who managed just three Premiership
goals all last season. Carlton Cole was taken off a few minutes before the
end to a mass of boo's from the West Ham fans who had come to the conclusion
that it was Carlton Cole who had lost this game. Freddie Sears came on his
place.
A horrible result and one I believe we didn't deserve given our first half
performance but the scoreline is all that matters and it doesn't look
pretty.
Player Reviews
Robert Green
Picking the ball out of his net three times was all he actually had to do.
It would be unfair to say that he was at fault for any of the goals even the
first one which he was never going to get to.
Julien Faubert
Back at right back because he is an awful attacking right winger (despite
that being the reason we signed him in the first place). He like the team
did well in the first half and the right hand side of him and Barrera looked
very good. In the second half he struggled and his distribution of the ball
was often poor.
Matthew Upson
In the first half he was winning the battle with Davies and seemed to be
beating him in the air on a number of occasions but just three minutes into
the second half Davies gets in behind him and Upson is heading the ball into
this own net.
Danny Gabbidon
I felt he wasn't' as bad as I had expected him to be but we are always going
to look like conceding goals with him at centre half. As many have stated
previously this is not the same player from 2005/06. Injuries and possibly
other things have taken it's toll and he does not look like a Premiership
defender.
Herita Ilunga
He certainly worked hard and was strong in the challenge but switches off at
times and any winger up against him finds it easy to get their cross in. I
think for the second goal he stood off Chung-Yong and allowed him to pick
his man out in the box too easily.
Pablo Barrera
Again I thought he looked good and is obviously an exciting player. He has
bags of confidence, likes to take players on and is happy to have a shot.
His final ball needs some working on but so far so good from the winger.
Scott Parker
A low key performance from Parker in the sense that he clearly doesn't want
to make any crunching tackles or really get stuck in like we saw him do last
season. But at the same time he was at the heart of many of our best moves,
with the ball through for Cole's chance in the first half and the excellent
pass through to Dyer who hit the post. He also won the penalty in the second
half and this all goes to show that even performing at 75% he is still a
massive player for us.
Mark Noble
Similar to his performance at Villa as there would be times where you would
see him do some good things on the ball and make the right passes to help
the team moving forward but then for large chunks of the game he would
disappear. He needs to be more involved throughout the entire game as when
he is on the ball and in space he can hurt teams. A good confident penalty
and of course it is a shame that he didn't take the first one.
Kieron Dyer
An excellent first half and he looked dangerous and full of invention. His
fitness was obviously an issue as he dropped off completely in the second
half worse than most and was taken off. If he is fit then he is a first team
starter any day of the week.
Frederique Piquionne
A decent display from the new man who worked very hard and I was pleased by
the way he kept going. Never looked like a goal scoring threat but his
willingness to want the ball even if it meant coming deep to get it was
positive.
Carlton Cole
A nightmare game for Cole who just couldn't get much right in his time on
the pitch. A poor penalty didn't help his already poor relationship with
most of the supporters and he received some terrible abuse. I don't seem to
recall Noble or Diamanti receiving the same abuse when they have missed
penalties but this is Carlton Cole and he must be abused.
Subs
Winston Reid (on for Upson 54 mins)
Looked all over the place and was taught a lesson the air by Elmander and
Davies. Him and Gabbidon as a centre half partnership is already
frightening.
Benni McCarthy (on for Dyer 77 mins)
Looked decent enough in his short time on the pitch and played a part in the
penalty Parker won. I would like to see him start against Oxford as it's
about time we got something out him.
Freddie Sears (on for Cole 86 mins)
Hardly touched the ball. Amazingly Freddie Sears still hasn't scored a goal
since March 15th 2008.
Subs Not Used: Stech, Tomkins, Kovac, Boa Morte
Bookings: Parker, Noble
Man Of The Match: Pablo Barrera
Bolton Wanderers: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Knight, Robinson, Lee
(Taylor 81), Muamba, Holden, Petrov (Blake 88), K.Davies, Elmander (M.Davies
86)
Subs: Bogdan, Ricketts, A.O'Brien, Klasnic
Attendance: 32, 533
Overall
Any positive feeling I had going into this season has evaporated already.
Yes, this is a pessimistic view and I hate myself for not trying to find a
positive outlook on our chances this season as it is still very early on but
despite some good stuff in the first half the fact is we have lost again and
I cannot see anything other than a relegation battle this season.
There is still time to bring in a couple more players and the squad does
need strengthening. Hopefully we will see Hitzlsperger and Ben Haim over the
next few weeks as at this moment in time both these players will walk into
the side.
We did as much as we could do without scoring in the first half and that is
something to take out of the game but with Manchester United (a) and Chelsea
(h) coming up you are then looking at four games with no points. Then it is
away to Stoke which will not be easy then back at Upton Park for Tottenham.
Conceivably and in my opinion very likely we will not pick up a point in our
first six games. I don't mean this to sound totally negative and depressing
(which it seems to be) but not even in my most optimistic hour do I see us
getting much out of the next four fixtures.
Next Game - Oxford United (h)
The league cup game will hopefully see a comfortable victory which will
bring some confidence to the team. It is a damned if you do and damned if
you don't game but as I say every season the League Cup is something that we
can win and I am expecting to see us give it a much better go than in recent
years where our display in this competition has been pretty pathetic.
I hoped this was going to be a 'long and hard season' but I cannot see
anything else but the familiar slog and the scramble to stay up. It isn't
enjoyable and I am not looking forward to the next few weeks.
Here is hoping something will change soon because the cloud of depression
surrounding this club is becoming very tiresome.
The View From Avram
"It was a clear foul on the first goal," Grant said. "Davies couldn't get to
the ball and he smashed his face [with his foot]. Last week it was the same,
it was not a goal for me. "Until the goal, we had defended well. Even though
they have changed the way they play, they still play the direct ball. So
they did it and we defended it well. "Matthew was in the right place, he was
in front of Davies and he couldn't score. He pushed him."
"It was a strange game. I don't know what to think. We played better than I
thought we can play. Good football, good chances and quickly. We played like
a team that is right near the top but we missed the penalty and a lot of
chances. "We played last week against Aston Villa, they had 30 per cent less
chances than we had and they won the game. I was very happy with the
performance, I was very disappointed with the result."
"Carlton scored a penalty two weeks ago. Unfortunately he missed when it was
the right moment for us to score because they were not in the game.
"We were all over them. But we responded well after that. We had two or
three big chances to score. We didn't do it." "Kieron Dyer was very good. He
is a brilliant player and he played very well in the first half after a long
time not playing. He is a clever player and he did well. Of course he cannot
yet play 90 minutes but he is improving. He trained very hard and did well."
"We have a very tough two games coming but if you saw the spirit after the
game last week and even after being two down today you know that this season
we will not give up and keep fighting. "Our squad is a little bit short and
we want more players. Even today you saw the players that played did well.
More important is how we respond. Again we were fighting and I was very
pleased."
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Hammers move to tie up Inter striker
Published 23:00 22/08/10 By James Nursey
The Mirror
Inter Milan striker Victor Obinna is due at West Ham today for talks. The
Hammers are desperate to bolster their squad after losing their two Premier
League games this season. And boss Avram Grant has acted swiftly to tee-up a
possible move for Nigerian international Obinna, 23, who is flying into
London. West Ham are letting homegrown Hammers' striker Frank Nouble, 18,
join Championship Swansea on loan to pave for way for another forward to
arrive. Former Inter boss Jose Mourinho once described Obinna as one of the
club's best talents for the future. But he has struggled to hold down a
first-team place with the Italian champions since joining in 2008. Last
season Obinna was loaned to Spanish club Malaga. West Ham also have
potential moves for free agent Jeremie Aliadiere and a loan swoop for
Manchester City's Felipe Caicedo.
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Barrera confident of avoiding relegation
Published 22:30 22/08/10 By Darren Lewis
The Mirror
West Ham new boy Pablo Barrera insists he has seen enough to convince him
the club will avoid relegation. The 23-year-old Mexican winger was
impressive on his home debut . He said: "West Ham have good players, so I
believe in the team. "The scoreline doesn't for me reflect what happened on
the pitch and I'm sure in the coming weeks we will be better." Barrera
scoured the internet to find out about the Hammers' history after learning
of their interest in him. He said: "I read about the facilities and the
players that have been here. I was keen to play in England."
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Avram Grant in denial despite the sound of West Ham's disaffected fans
Match ends to beat of folding seats
Johan Elmander scores twice for Bolton
West Ham United 1 Noble (pen) 79
Bolton Wanderers 3 Upson (og) 48, Elmander 68, Elmander 84
David Lacey at Upton Park
The Guardian, Monday 23 August 2010
The closing minutes of Saturday's game were accompanied by a succession of
clunkety-clunks as West Ham United fans abandoned their tip-up seats and
headed for the exits. A dispiriting sound at the best of times but alarming
when it occurs at the opening home fixture of a new campaign.
Already, for West Ham, the season is looking grim after two defeats and may
soon get grimmer: three of their next four Premier League matches are
against Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, with a visit to
Stoke City, which is hardly a respite, in between. Unless their defending
improves West Ham could find themselves without a point after six games and
Avram Grant may start to think he is hearing the Pompey chimes.
Grant succeeded Paul Hart at Fratton Park last November after it had taken
Portsmouth eight matches to break their duck and was on a loser from the
start. Now, after Bolton had beaten West Ham for the seventh time in
successive league and cup meetings, he seemed to be reading from an old
script as he sought solace in a performance that, while it showed more
initiative in attack compared to the 3-0 defeat at Villa Park, was again
undermined by catastrophic defending.
Fans are apt to wonder if reporters have been at the same game and sometimes
as much goes for reporters and managers: "We played like a team at the top,"
Grant declared. "I'm very happy with the performance. I am very disappointed
with the result." This was a man in denial.
The reality was that while West Ham did dominate the latter part of the
first half, with the Mexican Pablo Barrera showing a refreshing willingness
to take on opponents with the ball on the right and Frédéric Piquionne
reproducing the industrious ingenuity he had shown under Grant at
Portsmouth, the defence again failed to function as a unit.
Danny Gabbidon had replaced the struggling James Tomkins but the centre-back
partnership with Matthew Upson remained tenuous and two of Bolton's goals
followed long kicks from Jussi Jaaskelainen which should have been dealt
with.
Jaaskelainen kept Bolton in the contest when, having easily saved a poorly
directed penalty from Carlton Cole in the 32nd minute, he kept out better
shots towards half-time. "We had to get the players to regroup," Owen Coyle,
the Bolton manager, admitted afterwards. "We had one or two things to say at
half-time."
Presumably ears were still ringing when Bolton went ahead three minutes into
the second half, Johan Elmander outjumping Gabbidon to meet Jaaskelainen's
long ball and nod it down for Kevin Davies to come up on Upson's blind side
with a legitimate challenge which had the centre-back diving to head into
his own net as he caught the striker's boot in his face. Upson gave way to
Winston Reid soon afterwards, which did not help West Ham's confidence at
the back.
Elmander scored Bolton's other two, suggesting he may not after all be
Sweden's answer to Emile Heskey, a non-striking striker, even though he did
miss a sitter in the second minute. Kevin Davies's pass out to Lee
Chung-yong set up the goal with Herita Ilunga, West Ham's left-back, nowhere
in sight as the Korean provided the cross for Elmander's header in the 68th
minute and Davies won the ball in the air to begin the move that led to
Elmander driving a low shot past Robert Green in the 84th.
Mark Noble's penalty, which temporarily brought West Ham back into the game
at 2-1 with 11 minutes remaining, brought a brief roar of encouragement
before the seats started to empty.
Coyle's Bolton are as direct in their methods as they were under Sam
Allardyce and Gary Megson, and Davies is so much a centre-forward of the old
school that he should have a centre parting. But the team looks well
balanced, with Fabrice Muamba and Stuart Holden offering subtler options in
midfield and Martin Petrov, late of Manchester City, providing pace and
penetration on the left.
Man of the match: Johan Elmander (Bolton Wanderers).
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West Ham on verge of Obinna signing
23.08.10 | Andrew Slevison
West Ham United are on the verge of signing Victor Obinna from Inter Milan
with the player due in East London for talks early this week. Hammers boss
Avram Grant is chasing some strike quality and wants the 23-year old
Nigerian to join his squad as soon as possible. Obinna was touted as one of
Inter's biggest talents by former manager Jose Mourinho but has failed to
nail down regular first team football and was subsequently loaned to Spanish
club Malaga last season.
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Brescia chasing West Ham pair Diamanti, Daprela
23.08.10 | tribalfootball.com
Brescia are chasing West Ham United pair Alessandro Diamanti and Fabio
Daprela. Gazzetta dello Sport says Brescia are in advanced talks with West
Ham for ex-Livorno star Diamanti. The newly-promoted Serie A side want to
take Diamanti on loan with the option to buy at the end of the season. Swiss
fullback Daprela is also wanted by Brescia.
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West Ham United and Avram Grant braced for another winter of discontent
Whisper it, particularly in the presence of David Gold and David Sullivan,
but West Ham have just suffered their worst ever start to a Premier League
campaign.
Telegraph.co.uk
WEST HAM 1 - 3 BOLTON
Saturday, August 21 15:00
Premier League
Upton Park
Noble (79)
ATT: 32,533
Upson (OG) (48) Elmander (68, 84)
By John Ley
Published: 7:00AM BST 23 Aug 2010
Two games in, six goals conceded and West Ham are in a relegation battle.
The West Ham co-owners made it clear how they felt about former manager
Gianfranco Zola and now they have witnessed successive defeats, hardly
encouraging ahead of games at Manchester United and at home to Chelsea.
While this performance was an improvement on the debacle at Aston Villa, the
weaknesses in Avram Grant's side outweigh the strengths.
With time running out, West Ham may consider a potential swap deal with
Scott Parker leaving for Spurs and Robbie Keane arriving at Upton Park. "We
knew the next two games were tough fixtures," Grant said. "They are
especially so now because we lost but we will try to pick up points."
Grant spent much of last season fighting to keep Portsmouth in the Premier
League so the territory is familiar. "If we are in a relegation battle we
will fight against it. But we don't want to be in a relegation battle. It's
only two games ."
Bolton's victory came with an element of fortune, with Carlton Cole's
poorly-taken penalty saved easily by Jussi Jaaskelainen. West Ham's
profligate attacking enabled Bolton to take the lead when Matthew Upson put
through his own net, aided by a boot in the face from Kevin Davies.
Two Johan Elmander goals either side of a Mark Noble penalty secured the
points for Bolton, for whom Gary Cahill was outstanding and Davies far more
significant than Cole.
"Kevin had the chance to play for Scotland but he always wanted to play for
his country, England," said Coyle. "It's the same with Gary Cahill. He could
have 30 caps just now for the Republic of Ireland but he just wants to play
for England, nothing else. "If England want a real No 9, a proper No 9, then
[Davies] fits the bill." A resigned Davies, though, said: "Last season I was
in a couple of the longer squads but even when there were 10 to 12 strikers
out injured I did not even get a call-up. "So I think that now it is never
going to happen. My half-brother is Jamaican, so I might try for them. I
must have more chance of getting into that squad than the England squad."
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