WHUFC.com
The reserves are back in action on Tuesday night at the home of Thurrock FC
in south Essex
27.09.2010
Alex Dyer's reserves will look to continue their superb start to the new
Barclays Premier Reserve League season when Wigan Athletic visit on Tuesday
night.
The competitive contest, due to be played at the Ship Lane home of south
Essex club Thurrock FC, will get under way at 7pm. It follows the terrific
1-0 season opener at Everton a fortnight ago, when Junior Stanislas scored
the only goal of a match dominated by first-team regulars and the brightest
prospects on both sides. The reserves then won 4-3 against Tottenham in a
friendly last week, with Freddie Sears scoring a hat-trick at Spurs Lodge.
Dyer could once again have a mixture of youth and experience at his disposal
this week as he looks to guide the second string to another success. The
reserves have tasted defeat just once in the last eight outings. "This is
reserve-team football and I want it to be done properly," he said. "I hate
it when people say to me 'It's just reserves and it's all about developing
the lads'. Of course it is about bringing them through, but part of their
development is learning how to win games."
Dyer's squad could be boosted by the presence of a host of players with
first-team experience, including James Tomkins, Jonathan Spector and Everton
match-winner Stanislas.
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West Ham's Robert Green escapes punishment over gesture
BBC.co.uk
West Ham keeper Robert Green will not be punished by the Football
Association (FA) for gesturing at the media after Saturday's 1-0 win over
Spurs. The 30-year-old keeper made an "up yours" signal with his arms at the
final whistle following the Hammers' first Premier League win of the season.
But the FA will write to Green to remind him of his responsibilities. Green
has faced intense scrutiny after his gaffe against the United States in
England's World Cup opening group game. Green failed to get behind a Clint
Dempsey strike from outside the penalty area, allowing the ball to squirm
through his hands and over the line to gift the US an equaliser just before
half-time in Rustenburg. It cost England dear, with Capello's men unable to
find a response despite a bright start that saw Steven Gerrard score a fine
opener after only four minutes. The Hammers goalkeeper has not played for
England since making that mistake and lost his place in Fabio Capello's
squad for the first two Euro 2012 qualifiers. He also endured a jittery
start to the season as West Ham lost their opening four Premier League
games. However, Green played a key part in West Ham's home win against
Spurs, making a superb one-handed save to tip Luka Modric's goalbound shot
on to the crossbar. "In football you can perform and then you do not have to
say anything," said West Ham manager Avram Grant after Saturday's win in
response to questions about Green's gesture. "I think Rob's performance was
his best speech. Rob showed what he can do on the only place a sportsman
needs to show - on the pitch. Not in the papers, not in the media, not with
excuses."
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Hammers hunger pleases Grant
Coach pleased with fighting spirit
By Chris Burton Last updated: 27th September 2010
SSN
Avram Grant is delighted to see his West Ham side laying the foundations for
a potentially prosperous future. The 2010/11 campaign has been a slow burner
for the Hammers, with a torrid opening giving cause for concern. They have,
however, started to show signs of improvement, with a first success of the
season collected against Tottenham on Saturday. That victory helped to lift
the club off the foot of the Premier League table and rekindled belief
within a star-studded squad. Grant, who took charge at Upton Park over the
summer, hopes the corner has now been turned. He accepts that it will take
time to return West Ham to the upper echelons of the game, but he is happy
with the progress being made at present. The Israeli believes hard work and
a determined attitude will be key to his plans this term, and he was pleased
to see those attributes on display against Spurs. "We have a project, not
just for one year, but to put West Ham in the right place," Grant said. "We
don't have a lot of money to spend so we choose hungry players who want to
succeed. You saw (Victor) Obinna, you saw (Frederic) Piquionne."
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Green avoids FA action
Shot-stopper escapes FA censure
Last updated: 27th September 2010
SSN
Robert Green will not be disciplined by the Football Association for his
gesture at the final whistle of West Ham's win over Tottenham. The
goalkeeper made the defiant action towards the press box following his
impressive display in the struggling Hammers' 1-0 victory at Upton Park.
Green has come under fire from the media following his blunder during
England's World Cup opener against the United States in the summer. The
30-year-old has not featured for the Three Lions since, losing his spot in
the squad for the first two Euro 2012 qualifiers, and his performances for
West Ham had suggested he was low on confidence. Green will be reminded of
his responsibilities in a letter from the FA, but no further action will be
taken. Hammers boss Avram Grant defended his keeper after the match, saying:
"In football you can perform and then you do not have to say anything. "I
think Rob's performance was his best speech.
"Rob showed (what he can do) on the only place a sportsman needs to show -
on the pitch. Not in the papers, not in the media, not with excuses."
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Now he'll be Robert Lean
The Sun
Published: Today
ROBERT GREEN is training with one of Britain's top Olympic coaches to
improve his performances. The West Ham goalkeeper, who returned to form with
a clean sheet against Spurs at the weekend, has started working at a London
athletics centre with sprint guru Ayo Falola. Green - who will not be
charged by the FA after gesturing towards his critics after Saturday's game
- heard about Falola through fellow Hammer Matthew Upson's girlfriend Ellie
Darby, an 800m runner. Falola coached 400m star Donna Fraser to fourth at
the Sydney Olympics and has also worked with one-lap specialist Vicki Barr
and 800m ace Marilyn Okoro.
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Hammers summer signing out till mid-October
Published 23:00 27/09/10 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
West Ham's Thomas Hitzlsperger is out until mid-October with a thigh injury.
Hitzlsperger, 28, has not featured for the east London club since a free
transfer from Lazio during the summer. The midfielder was outstanding for
the Hammers in pre-season but was injured on Germany duty in a new blow to
under-fire manager Avram Grant.
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Now We Are Really Cooking!
West Ham Till I Die
It is always a great pleasure to beat Tottenham Hotspurs, but it is an
absolute joy to also outplay them for 75-80% of the match. And have no
doubt about it, we did just that. They just could not penetrate an
organised defence (with an inspired Rob Green as the last line) or cope with
the industry of Parker and Noble in midfield and the pace and skill of Dyer,
Piquionne, Obinna and Barrera. Of course this was not adequately reflected
in the BBC MoTD coverage of the match, but so what! Who really expects fair
coverage from MoTD, just ignore it and access Sky's Football First coverage.
There you get an hour of the match and a far better edit of the action. The
'expert' post-match commentary is often a bit banal, but just watch the
action and make up your own mind.
At the end of the day, it does not matter if some of the media down play the
quality of our performance yesterday. What we now need to do is achieve the
consistency to keep playing at that level. If we get a run of positive
results then they will have to start giving us some credit! I really do
think that the team have turned a corner. Rob Green answered his critics
yesterday, with a first class performance. The defence looked much more
organised and disciplined. Upson and Da Costa are combining well as a
centre back partnership; while Jacobsen and Gabbidon provide experience and
solidarity at full-back. Gabbidon will not offer you too much going
forward, but with the likes of Dyer and Obinna ahead of him that need not be
too much of a problem.
The back four looked solid, but the 'cherry on the cake' was they way in
which the team defended as a unit to neutralise Spurs major offensive
threats. In particular, our midfielders continually doubled up with
Gabbidon and Jacobsen to counter the threat of Lennon and Bale on the
flanks. While Parker and Noble pressured and tackled Modric whenever he
received the ball, denying him the time and space to work his magic. With
those two key threats countered, that gave us the base from which to
dominate the game with our fluid and attractive forward play. Indeed, it is
significant that Lennon and Modric only really combined once in the 90
minutes (when Lennon got to the bye-line and pulled it back for Modric on
the edge of the box), although that nearly resulted in us conceding!
I have rated Victor Obinna from day one and he is really starting to look
the business. Obinna terrorised Spurs with his pace, skills and boundless
energy in making countless forward runs. He has the tools to function very
effectively in a 4-3-3 and he combines particularly well with Piquionne.
Hopefully, the club have a pre-agreed transfer fee with Inter-Milan for
Obinna, as well as a first option, because if he continues to impress then
other clubs will undoubtedly try to guzump us in the summer. If he lives
up to his early promise then get the deal done in the January transfer
window.
They dropped Carlton Cole yesterday for tactical reasons (to accommodate Boa
Morte), but it has hopefully sent a message to the England striker that his
place is not guaranteed. Cole needs to perform consistently well to justify
his place and, indeed, that must become the principle governing all team
selection. As it is, Piquionne played very well and should continue in that
role for the Fulham match. However, the point is that we suddenly have
options and competition for places and that is exactly the way that it
should be at a top PL club.
So, it seems that we are, indeed, really cooking now. But can we keep it
up? I see no reason why not. However the next game against Fulham will be
an excellent test of our resolve and consistency. Fulham are a solid, if
unspectacular outfit. They have a problem with injuries to their strikers
at present, but they are very well organised and difficult to break down.
It could very well be a case of our newly emerging (irresistible) attacking
force against their (immovable) defensive object. We shall see?
If we win again, and win with style, then we will have every reason to feel
optimistic that the poor early results can be overcome and that we can now
go on to have a good season.
SJ. Chandos.
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West Ham chairman David Gold thrilled with Spurs win
Matt Diner
Monday, 27 September, 2010
11:40 AM
East London Advertiser
"We've all been worried. There's nothing worse than being at the bottom of
the league. It's a terrible place to be and you wonder where are you going
from here." David Gold
West Ham co-owner David Gold has described Saturday's performance over
Tottenham as the best he has seen since buying the club and exclaimed his
relief that the club are off the bottom of the Premier League. The Hammers
were worthy 1-0 victors over London rivals Spurs at Upton Park, with
Frederic Piquionne's strike separating the two sides. It was the Hammers
first victory of the campaign and one savoured by Gold, who was thrilled
with what he saw in east London. "That was the best performance since I
returned to the club. It was outstanding. It was great to see Kieron Dyer
back. The spirit and determination was just the best," said the chairman.
"We've all been worried. There's nothing worse than being at the bottom of
the league. It's a terrible place to be and you wonder where are you going
from here. "We're off the bottom of the table and it's a great feeling. I'm
so pleased for Avram - who I know has worked his socks off - and the
players, who have been outstanding. They have worked hard."
That perseverance yielded a positive result on Saturday and Gold has warned
Saturday's opponents Fulham that there is more to come. "When you start a
new season with new players, a new manager, new owners, I would say it's not
bad that we've taken six, seven or eight games - including the cup - to look
like a team," he said. "Now, anyone coming to Upton Park, beware. We want
the same again next week. Just keep going. You keep playing like this and
we'll start climbing the table."
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Sky Sports pundit warns Green "one swallow doesn't make a summer"
Author: Ben Moss
Posted on:27 September 2010 - 12:13
Sport.co.uk
Sky Sports pundit Chris Kamara has praised West Ham United goalkeeper Robert
Green for his performance against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, but
warned the England international that he needs to continue improving in
order to banish his painful World Cup memory. Green was in inspired form
against Harry Redknapp's side at Upton Park on Saturday but Kamara suggests
no one has ever doubted his ability but unfortunately his mistake against
the USA during the World Cup finals will continue to loom large over the
Hammers star's performances this season. Kamara told Skysports.com: "Rob
Green had a great game against Tottenham. "We have all been waiting for him
to produce this sort of performance and get his career back on track. Since
the World Cup it seems it has been one mistake after another from him so it
was good to see him get back to his best on Saturday. "Unfortunately for Rob
Green the whole country has been upset by the goal he conceded against the
USA so it is much harder for him than most to put that behind him. "That
performance will help - but one swallow doesn't make a summer. He has proved
he has still got the ability and now he must keep on putting in performances
like that."
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FIVE THINGS WE LEARNT ABOUT WEST HAM THIS WEEKEND
Date: 27th September 2010 at 3:22 pm | Written by Jack Howlett
Football Fancast
West Ham United went into the weekend's game against Tottenham Hotspur with
the unwanted statistic of having the worst goal difference in the league.
Marooned at the bottom of the table, the Hammers faced a side they had
failed to beat since 'Lasagne Gate' in May 2006. But the home team made a
mockery of such dire statistics by beating their local rivals 1-0 through
Frederic Piquionne's first half header. A jubilant Upton Park celebrated
their fist league win of the season joyously and Avram Grant hailed the
team's progression. "We will get better and better." Like many of the fans
he will know point to next month's fixture list which includes home ties
against Fulham and Newcastle United.
Results breed confidence
Football can be a simple game especially when trusted clichés such as these
can be trotted out. A hard fought draw at Stoke and a League Cup victory at
Sunderland, breaking their cycle of away games without a win, had restored
confidence. Some players additionally suggested that negative media coverage
had spurred them on. Regardless of the motivating factors, the whole team
played with a belief hitherto unseen this season. From Victor Obinna to Luis
Boa Morte, every player was sure of their role and few mistakes were made.
Danny Gabbidon played out of position and faced the daunting task of marking
Aaron Lennon. Yet as a makeshift left-back he nullified the threat posed by
the winger and supported the attack when possible. Cries of 'Ole' are rarely
heard at the Boleyn Ground but rang around the stands as the team neatly
kept possession in the first half. Although Tottenham had their
opportunities, the belief of the team and the crowd never abated.
Cole may continue to warm the bench
Piquionne and Obinna grabbed a goal each at the Stadium of Light and duly
retained their starting places for this derby. It was a bold move from Grant
who decided to leave out Carlton Cole, a forward who has been an assumed
starter for over two seasons. The two new signings patently enjoy a good
working relationship and were invariably too much for Spurs' defensive
partnership of Vedran Corluka and Sebastien Bassong. The opposition's injury
concerns were West Ham's gain as Piquionne prevailed in the air, winning
headers and exhibiting a delicate touch. From the outset he flicked on balls
for Obinna who dribbled clear only to shoot wide. Piquionne was particularly
impressive, often playing as an auxiliary winger at times. West Ham won 14
corners on the day and a healthy portion of those arrived in the first 30
minutes. Unsurprisingly the deadlock was broken from a Mark Noble corner
which was met decisively by the Frenchman who headed the ball powerfully
into the far corner. Cole made an appearance in the second half and may
benefit from this renewed competition.
Reflexes reprise Green
West Ham profited in the initial stages by switching their play from the
direct to the intricate. Spurs by contrast seemed unwilling to search for
their lone front man, Peter Crouch, directly. Instead they opted to search
for that one defence splitting ball to produce a gilt edged chance. This
occurred after the restart as Tom Huddlestone went through on goal but was a
casualty of his own nonchalance, scooping his shot over the crossbar. The
away team was accordingly reduced to strike from long range through Rafael
van der Vaart and Jermaine Jenas. Robert Green made an excellent save from
the Dutchman's early shot and never looked back. He made a superb reflex
save to direct Luka Modric's goal bound volley onto the bar. Tottenham
improved their possession and presence in the second period but their shots
on target were largely tame. Green, who had consulted the club's chaplain
this week, glanced at the press box after the final whistle and unleashed an
uncompromising straight arm gesture. A defiant Green prompted this response
from Grant: "Emotion is good, if you take it in the right way." It appears
the FA who are reviewing Green's conduct will do just that.
Manuel da Costa was the real man of the match
For his diligent work, incisive build up play and winning goal, the
announcer named Piquionne as the man of the match. Yet as Spurs ramped up
the pressure in the final stages, da Costa reigned supreme. The former
Fiorentina centre-back had missed the majority of the season so far through
injury but made a welcome return to action at the Britannia Stadium last
week. Faced with the unenviable task of marking Crouch, he triumphed, rarely
letting the English international win an aerial contest. The Portuguese
defender has a fantastic leap, an important trait for any central defender.
He is also a cultured player, frequently spraying accurate long range passes
to the front men and striding forward from the back. Equally impressive was
his ability to anticipate the opposition's passing, thereby making
pre-emptive challenges before Tottenham's attackers could control the ball.
Tactical awareness
Is Grant a masterful tactician or a lucky gaffer? It seems few pundits can
agree on this pertinent question when evaluating his time at Chelsea and
various cup runs. On Saturday, however, his tactics were spot on. He may
have been tempted to field a 4-3-3 formation which was played in his absence
at Stoke. To counter Tottenham's five man midfield, he opted for a fluid
4-4-2 which retained its shape defensively. When Redknapp made a host of
substitutions and reverted to the home side's formation, Grant responded by
introducing Cole and pushing Obinna to the left flank. A 4-5-1 formation
ensued which arguably precipitated long spells of Tottenham possession but
the home side remained composed, absorbing that pressure. For a game that
was likened to a "basketball match" by Redknapp it was crucial to temper the
tempo of the encounter as the final whistle neared.
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