WHUFC.com
Junior Stanislas might be among the first-teamers on view when the Hammers
go to the Gunners
18.10.2010
Alex Dyer's reserves will head to Arsenal on Tuesday afternoon in confident
mood after three wins out of three in the Barclays Premier Reserve League
this season. The 100 per cent Hammers will take on an Arsenal side who sit
one place and one point above them in second spot of the Southern section,
although the Gunners have played a game more. Dyer's young side - skippered
by Jordan Spence - have already beaten Everton and Liverpool away, either
side of a home victory against Wigan Athletic. Benni McCarthy could once
again lead the visitors' attack after three goals in his last three starts
for the second string, while the likes of Marek Stech, Julien Faubert, James
Tomkins and Junior Stanislas may also get valuable playing time. Dyer said:
"It would be great to keep the unbeaten run going. It will be tough, Arsenal
are a good footballing side at every level. The boys are confident and
hopefully the senior players who need games will come with the same positive
attitude they have shown in all the other games this season. They have been
a credit. "We are building a squad mentality and everyone is up for it when
they play for the reserves. They know they can't do their chances any harm
if they play well. There are a lot of first-team games between now and
Christmas for them to be involved in."
The Barclays Premier Reserve League has been reshaped for the new season,
with the 16 competing teams now split into three divisions. West Ham are in
the Southern section alongside Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, West Bromwich
Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the Hammers taking on each of their
division rivals home and away. Dyer's squad will also take on the ten teams
in the two other divisions - Northern A and Northern B - once each, making
for a 20-match season. Aston Villa are currently on top of the Southern
section, two points ahead of the Hammers but have played three more games.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Cup incentive for Stoke seats
WHUFC.com
Fans buying for the last-16 tie with Stoke would have a priority ticket
chance were there to be a home quarter-final
18.10.2010
Supporters purchasing tickets for the Carling Cup tie with Stoke City should
take notice of a special incentive should the club progress in the
competition.
Were the Hammers to win through what will be a competitive encounter to a
home match in the last eight, anyone who bought a general sale ticket for
this round would be given a period of exclusivity after season ticket
holders and members to buy a quarter-final seat either by telephone booking
or in person.
Indeed, should we go all the way to the semi-final and final at Wembley,
priority would be given after season ticket holders and members to those
that have attended the previous rounds.
Fans that attended the second-round match against Oxford United that were
either part of a multi-ticket purchase or paid at the turnstiles would need
to contact the ticket office before 27 October to ensure this match is
registered on your client reference file. Please note proof of purchase in
the form of the match ticket will be requested.
With in-form Stoke equally sure to be up for the cup as well on 27 October,
the club is eager to make it a special night under the lights at the Boleyn
Ground. As such ticket prices for a game that will not be televised live
have been slashed to just £20 for adults and £10 for children.
Prices for season ticket holders remain at just £15 for adults and £5 for
kids.
Four days before Stoke, Youth Academy members can also exclusively take
advantage of the Kids for a Quid promotion when Newcastle arrive on Saturday
23 October. Anyone enrolled on the scheme, which has some terrific savings
and great member benefits, will be able to buy a child ticket for just £1.
There has never been a better time to buy a Youth Academy membership. For
just £25, children can see the Newcastle game for £1 and the package also
includes FREE match tickets for three Barclays Premier League games against
Wigan Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Stoke City later in the season.
Manager Avram Grant has spoken of the importance of fan backing and said
strong home support can play a key role in pushing his team forward. "The
stadium was sold out against Fulham and it is a big help to have everyone
right behind us. "We look forward to continuing our unbeaten run away at
Wolves a week on Saturday before our next home games against Newcastle and
Stoke City in the Carling Cup, when I hope we will again have a full
stadium. It makes such a difference."
His words were echoed by captain Matthew Upson, who sees the Stoke game in
particular as a chance to push forward the feelgood factor at the club.
"It is a big opportunity to get into the quarter-finals," he said. "We need
to give it everything we have got as the chance to go far would be great for
the club. The guys went to Sunderland in the last round and did a great job.
They performed really well and got it done and we will need to do that again
when we play Stoke."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Luis laments weekend luck
WHUFC.com
Luis Boa Morte believes West Ham United were unfortunate not to win at
Wolverhampton Wanderers
18.10.2010
Luis Boa Morte believes West Ham United were unfortunate to leave
Wolverhampton Wanderers with just one Barclays Premier League point on
Saturday.
The Hammers recovered from a sluggish first-half performance and a Matt
Jarvis goal to dominate the second half at Molineux and equalise through
Mark Noble's 53rd-minute penalty. Frederic Piquionne came within the width
of the crossbar of netting a winner from Boa Morte's inch-perfect through
ball three minutes later before the Frenchman saw a last-gasp winner ruled
out for handball by referee Mark Clattenburg. Boa Morte, whose move to the
centre of midfield from a starting position on the left wing played a part
in West Ham's recovery, admitted to having mixed emotions following a game
his team could easily have won. "We didn't play our stuff in the first half,
aside from a couple of times. The manager had a chat with us and we knew
what we had to do in the second half and that's what happened. We came out
and just did our work the way we knew we could do. We scored and had the
chance to score more than one. "We knew that in the second half we had to
change things and that's what we did [from a 4-4-2 to 4-3-3 formation]. We
changed the things and we grew in confidence and made a very good start. We
had the penalty and kept chasing the second goal. It wouldn't happen, but it
was a bit unlucky for us."
When asked about Clattenburg's decision to rule out Piquionne's 94th-minute
effort, Boa Morte was diplomatic, conceding that the Tyne and Wear official
had had to reach a hugely difficult split-second conclusion. "I didn't have
a clear view of the contact Freddie got on the ball so there is not much I
can say about it. Sometimes, the referee can take a couple of seconds to
come to a decision because it is a hard job for him as well. At the end of
the day, it was a deserved point. We didn't get beaten and that was the most
important thing. Earlier, before both Noble's spot-kick - awarded after
Kevin Foley's foul on Victor Obinna - and after Jarvis's 10th-minute opener,
goalkeeper Robert Green had been called upon to make a succession of fine
saves to keep Wolves at bay. Like so many of his team-mates before him, Boa
Morte was quick to praise the performance of the England stopper in
repelling efforts from David Jones and Christophe Berra. "Greeny is a top
goalkeeper and it's not the first time he has done that. We feel confident
in Greeny and everyone is behind him and he is behind everyone!"
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Matt's still Up for it, England
Published: Today
The Sun
MATTHEW UPSON will not turn his back on England according to West Ham boss
Avram Grant. Hammers centre-back Upson, 31, failed to make the bench for the
first two Euro 2012 qualifiers. And then he was axed from the squad for the
Montenegro clash despite the withdrawals of John Terry and Phil Jagielka.
But Grant said: "He was proud to play for England and is still proud. I
think he is still available. "He needs to be back in the squad. It would be
good for him and also good for England."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Young Lions in action
WHUFC.com
The Hammers have strong representation in the England Under-17 set-up this
week
18.10.2010
Blair Turgott and Matthias Fanimo were both on England duty today as England
began the defence of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship crown.
The attack-minded Hammers duo - both regulars in Tony Carr's Under-18 team -
came off the subsitutes' bench in the opening game against Sweden in
Tbilisi. England were in command when they arrived, thanks to a Hallam Hope
double and a Nicholas Powell effort. Turgott and Fanimo have stepped up from
helping the Young Lions win the Victory Shield at U16 level last season and
are part of an 18-man squad that have headed to Georgia for the qualifying
mini-tournament. England's second game will be against the host nation on
Wednesday. They then conclude the section with a game against Poland on
Saturday 23 October. The two nations will progress to the Elite round next
spring. Meanwhile, young Academy centre-back Leo Chambers made his England
Under-16 debut last Friday for the 2010 Victory Shield opener. The young
Hammer was captain but the Young Lions went down 4-0 in Haverfordwest,
although the scoreline - including two penalties - was harsh on England.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carr honours Eddie Baily
WHUFC.com
Tony Carr has remembered the life of Eddie Baily, the club's former chief
scout who passed away last week
18.10.2010
Academy Director Tony Carr has paid tribute to former colleague and West Ham
United Chief Scout Eddie Baily, who passed away last week at the age of 85
following a short illness. "Eddie made his name as a player at Tottenham
Hotspur, where he played for ten years. He also played for England at the
1950 World Cup. After retiring, he worked under Bill Nicholson and was
Tottenham's assistant manager when they won the double in 1961. "Eddie came
into the youth department here when Wally St Pier retired and later became
Chief Scout, bringing in people like Jimmy Hampson to the club. Before then,
he did work with John Lyall with the youngsters and became the club's Head
of Recruitment. "Eddie was a hard-working man who told you exactly what he
thought about everything. His greatest claim to fame was probably bringing
Alan Devonshire to the club in 1976. I worked closely with him and got on
with Eddie very well. He said it as it was and there were no grey areas with
him, which I think John Lyall respected him for a lot."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
We Must Convert Our Possession in to Goals!
West Ham Till I Die
The 1-1 draw at Wolves gave us a run of 5 games unbeaten. That is a real
feat, in itself, when one recalls the abject nature of the defeats in our
first three PL games this season! It is still relatively early days, and
two back-to-back wins could well see us climb up to mid-table, but it is
always best to get out of the bottom three as early as possible in the
Autumn. The relegation zone is a bit like quicksand, the longer you are in
it, the deeper you sink and the harder it is to escape.
Personally, I would reaffirm my original view that we will not have too much
of a problem this season. The defence is more organised (even if it could
do with improving further still), Parker and Noble are starting to realise
their potential as a central midfield partnership and we have both width and
pace in the forward line. The pace and mobility of Barrera, Piquionne,
Dyer and Obinna gives us some exciting movement up front. Indeed, these
players provide the team with the kind of threat that only comes from
running at defenders with pace. The perfect example of that is Obinna's
excellent run to the bye-line that forced the Wolves defender in to the
clumsy challenge that resulted in the penalty decision.
However, if the Wolves result underlines one point in particular, it is that
we must more ruthlessly turn our possession in to goals. In the second half
we bossed the game and carved out a number of good chances that should have
been sufficient to take all three points. Mind you, perhaps Wolves could
also draw the same conclusion, given their domination of the first half. We
did ride our luck in the first 45 minutes, but on this occasion we got away
with it! On another occasion, against a better team, we will not. So, we
must also ask the question, why Avram Grant delayed making the early
tactical changes necessary to counter Wolves' emerging domination? It was
only at half-time that he really got to grips with the situation and turned
things around in the second half. In the intervening period the game could
very well have been placed beyond retrieval.
Also, it is disappointing that we have once again been on the rough end of
an incorrect, key refereeing decision. Mr Clattenburg ruled that Piquionne
deliberately controlled the ball with his hand, disallowing the goal and
booking him to boot! Subsequent replays proved that Piquionne chested the
ball down and that the goal should have stood. The yellow card may be
rescinded (if Mr Clattenburg acknowledges his mistake) but the additional
two points will obviously remain lost. Those are two points that could
prove important in deciding the club's fate, during the course of the
season, whether in terms of relegation or qualification for Europe. As
such, it is an issue of some potential consequence!
The interesting thing is that some sections of the media have highlighted Mr
Clattenburg's position on the pitch (in relation to the incident) and the
fact that he appeared to be unsighted. If so, just how could he have
reached the decision that he did? Perhaps the linesman flagged for the
offence, but I am not sure that is the case?
Nevertheless, there is demonstrable improvement by the team and one can only
hope that it is an ongoing process. The loss of Thomas Hitzlsperger for a
further 4 months is a real blow. We must hope that a counter-veiling factor
is the return of Jack Collison to fitness. If we could get Collison fit and
playing before the end of the year that would be a real boost. Similarly,
the return of Zavon Hines would add to our pace in attack and, crucially,
improve our cutting edge in front of goal.
Next up in the PL are Newcastle Utd (H), Arsenal (A), Birmingham City (A),
West Brom (H), Blackpool (H). We need to aim for a minimum of 10 points
from those fixtures. That is a case of consciously setting the bar high.
Putting aside the Arsenal match, we should theoretically be capable of
winning the home matches and achieving at least a draw at St Andrews.
Indeed, this could well be the phase of the season that sees us achieve lift
off from the danger zone.
While, we also have the forthcoming Carling Cup tie to look forward to
against Stoke City at Upton Park. I would like to see Stech, Tomkins,
Barrera and Cole included in the starting line up for the tie; with Benni
McCarthy figuring from the substitutes bench. It should also see the return
of Juilen Faubert to the right-back slot, given that Jacobsen is cup-tied.
Personally, I would rest Kieron Dyer for this match, as his playing time
needs to be prioritised for the PL campaign.
Is this the season that we finally overcome our long running League/Carling
Cup hoodoo, stretching right back to the mid-1960s? As the saying goes, we
can but live in hope!
SJ. Chandos.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham defender Matt Upson backed to revive England career by boss Avram
Grant
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 1:07 AM on 19th October 2010
Daily Mail
Avram Grant believes Matthew Upson deserves to return to the England squad.
Upson, 31, was not even in the squad for the Euro 2012 qualifer against
Montenegro last week - despite the absence of John Terry, Phil Jagielka,
Ledley King and Michael Dawson. The central defender missed West Ham's 1-1
draw at Wolves on Saturday with a neck spasm but his manager insisted he was
fit and available for England duty and has not retired from international
football. Grant said: 'I don't think players can change from good to bad in
the space of a few months. Matthew Upson was first choice four months ago.
'He is one of the best centre-halves in England. 'If (Fabio Capello) wants
to call me I'd say "Take Matthew Upson", but I haven't spoken to Capello
about it.'
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Mal played his part in the 'making' of West Ham
West Ham correspondent: Malcolm Allison is fondly remembered by Hammers'
fans
By Nigel Kahn October 18, 2010
GiveMeFootball.com
The football world is in mourning following the sad news of the passing of
Malcolm Allison, who to most in football was well known for his success with
Manchester City but at West Ham he is credited with being one of, if not
THE, founder of our famed Academy. The story is that after watching the
Hungarians tear England apart at Wembley in 1953, he went back to West Ham
and gathered around his friends in the local café just around the corner
from the ground, where they would work out their new style of playing with
the salt and pepper pots and sauce bottles. They then imposed this style of
play onto manager Ted Fenton, who had a love-hate relationship with his
captain, although this turned out to be successful as in 1958 West Ham were
promoted into the top flight for the first time in over 20 years.
Unfortunately for Malcolm he never got to play in the First Division for
West Ham due to illness the season before and, although he did try to make a
comeback, a certain Bobby Moore was picked in his place. Malcolm had spent a
lot of his time training the juniors at Upton Park and knew Moore well and
probably helped make him into the legend that he became. For whatever
reason, he wasn't offered a coaching job at the Hammers and so he moved on
but the fans all know that Malcolm Allison played a big part in making the
club what it is today, famed for our style of football, and our development
of young players.
R.I.P Malcolm Allison.
Disclaimer: The views in this article are that of the writer and may not
replicate those of the Professional Footballers' Association.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Please donate to my sisters Kenyan Cycle ride for Women v Cancer
http://www.justgiving.com/sandhy-cycles-kenya
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment