WHUFC.com
All the early team news and background for Saturday's home match against
Fulham
01.10.2010
West Ham United v Fulham
Barclays Premier League
Saturday 2 October - 3pm
Introduction
• West Ham United are seeking to extend their unbeaten run to four matches
in all competitions when they welcome Fulham to the Boleyn Ground. The
Hammers drew 1-1 at Stoke City on Saturday 18 September before winning 2-1
at Sunderland in the Carling Cup third round on Tuesday 21 September. Last
weekend, Tottenham Hotspur were beaten 1-0 at the Boleyn Ground as West Ham
climbed off the bottom of the Barclays Premier League table.
• Both clubs have new managers from the summer. Avram Grant's arrival at the
Hammers was followed quickly by Mark Hughes replacing Roy Hodgson at Craven
Cottage.
• It has been a good week for the Hammers with Scott Parker, Carlton Cole
and Mark Noble representing the club at No10 Downing Street on Thursday to
hand in the club's formal bid for the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games.
The club - in partnership with Newham Council - propose a 60,000-seater
stadium that would have multi-sport use and be of lasting benefit to the
wider community in east London.
• Fulham remain unbeaten in their opening six Premier League matches,
drawing five of them. The Cottagers go into this weekend's game seventh in
the table, having collected eight points.
• Avram Grant's side face Stoke City at home in the Carling Cup fourth round
on Wednesday 27 October. Ticket prices have again been slashed by the club,
with season ticket holders able to secure their seat for just £15 for adults
and £5 for children. Non-season ticket holders can buy their seat for £20
for adults and £10 for children.
• If selected, Fulham's Damien Duff will be making his 300th appearance in
the Barclays Premier League. Team-mate Danny Murphy is on 48 goals.
• Freddie Piquionne was presented with a Nike golden ball on Friday after
last Saturday heading in the 10,000th goal scored with a Nike ball in the
Barclays Premier League.
• West Ham have not lost at home to Fulham in the Premier League since 3
November 2001. Since then, the Hammers are unbeaten in six meetings, winning
three of them. During that run, however, the Cottagers did leave the Boleyn
Ground with a 3-0 FA Cup fifth-round replay victory in February 2004.
• West Ham have won eight of the 14 all-time Premier League meetings between
the two clubs, losing just two.
• Saturday's is the 77th league meeting between the two sides. West Ham have
won 34, Fulham have won 25 and there have been 17 draws.
Team news
West Ham United
• It remains to be seen if Kieron Dyer will be involved after being forced
off during last weekend's victory over Tottenham Hotspur due to a stomach
upset.
• Herita Ilunga has returned to full training this week and could be in
contention for selection.
• Winston Reid and Jonathan Spector have both been nursing dead legs
suffered in Tuesday's Barclays Premier Reserve League victory over Wigan
Athletic. Both were expected to return to full training on Friday.
• Robert Green, Matthew Upson, Scott Parker and Mark Noble will all hope to
maintain their ever-present records this season in the Premier League. Green
is on a run of 132 consecutive league starts for the club.
• Benni McCarthy could appear for the first time since the Carling Cup
second-round victory over Oxford United on 24 August after working hard on
his fitness. The striker scored and completed a full 90 minutes in Tuesday's
reserve win over Wigan, when James Tomkins and Junior Stanislas, who was
also on target, featured.
• The Hammers will again be without Thomas Hitzlsperger after the
28-year-old suffered a thigh muscle injury during Germany's international
friendly draw in Denmark on 11 August.
• Valon Behrami suffered a medial knee ligament injury in the 1-1 draw at
Stoke City a fortnight ago and is definitely out.
• Peter Kurucz, Jack Collison, who is 22 on Saturday, Zavon Hines and
Anthony Edgar on the long-term injured list are all recovering from knee
surgery. Kurucz and Edgar have recently undergone surgery, while Collison
and Hines are regular visitors to Chadwell Heath as they continue their
rehabilitation.
Fulham
• Fulham could welcome back England striker Andrew Johnson. The No8 has been
ruled out since January with a serious knee injury. Johnson's last
appearance came against Blackburn Rovers on 17 January 2010.
• Belgium striker Moussa Dembele, who has netted three times in his opening
six appearances since arriving at Fulham in the summer, is expected to miss
out with an ankle injury suffered in the Carling Cup third-round defeat at
Stoke City on 21 September.
• Former West Ham United striker Bobby Zamora will definitely miss
Saturday's game after suffering a broken leg against Wolverhampton Wanderers
on 11 September. Zamora, who was recently capped by England for the first
time, is expected to be sidelined for at least four months.
• New signing Philippe Senderos will be out of action until February 2011
after suffering a ruptured achilles in training in early August.
• Goalkeeper David Stockdale is also definitely out of Saturday's encounter
after injuring his shoulder during the 2-2 Premier League draw at Blackpool
on 28 August.
• Swedish full-back Fredrik Stoor is not expected to feature as he has a
groin strain.
Previous meetings
• The two sides last met on 2 May 2010 in a thrilling game at Craven
Cottage. Fulham ended up winning 3-2 in a match notable for Carlton Cole
scoring at both ends of the pitch. Clint Dempsey and a Cole own-goal put
Fulham two goals up before Cole halved the deficit. Stefano Okaka Chuka
reinstated the hosts' two-goal advantage before Guillermo Franco scored a
late consolation goal.
Fulham: Schwarzer, Konchesky, Baird, Pantsil, Smalling, Greening, Dempsey
(Elm 86), Davies (Okaka Chuka 70), Riise, Dikgacoi, Nevland
Subs not used: Zuberbuhler, Kelly, Shorey, Etuhu, Gera
West Ham United: Green, Upson, Spector, Da Costa, Parker, Kovac, Noble,
Behrami (Stanislas 83), Faubert (Franco 61), Cole, Ilan (Diamanti 61)
Subs not used: Kurucz, Gabbidon, Boa Morte, Daprela
• Saturday marks the 84th time West Ham and Fulham have faced one another in
competitive fixtures, and the 77th in the league. West Ham have won 36,
Fulham 28 and there have been 19 draws. In this competition, West Ham have
won 35, Spurs 24 and 17 matches have been drawn.
Last six meetings (all Barclays Premier League)
2 May 2010 Fulham 3-2 West Ham United
4 October 2009 West Ham United 2-2 Fulham
18 January 2009 West Ham United 3-1 Fulham
27 September 2008 Fulham 1-2 West Ham United
23 February 2008 Fulham 0-1 West Ham United
12 January 2008 West Ham United 2-1 Fulham
Overall record
v Fulham (all competitions) W 36 D 19 L 28
Last time out
• West Ham United secured their first Barclays Premier League success of the
new season on Saturday 25 September, defeating Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at the
Boleyn Ground. Summer signing Frederic Piquionne was the hero, heading in
the only goal of the game shortly before the half-hour mark.
25 September 2010
Barclays Premier League
West Ham United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United: Green, Jacobsen, Gabbidon, Upson, Da Costa, Parker, Noble,
Dyer (Barrera 42), Boa Morte, Piquionne (Cole 64), Obinna (Kovac 89)
Subs not used: Stech, Ben-Haim, Faubert ,McCarthy
Goal: Piquionne 29
• Fulham drew 0-0 at home with Everton in the Barclays Premier League last
Saturday 25 September.
25 September 2010
Barclays Premier League
Fulham 0-0 Everton
Fulham: Schwarzer, Hangeland, Hughes, Salcido, Kelly (Baird 29), Etuhu,
Duff, Murphy, Gera (E.Johnson 55), Dempsey, Davies (Kamara 71)
Subs not used: Etheridge, Greening, Riise, Halliche
West Ham United
• West Ham United won their first London derby in the league in 13 attempts
when they overcame Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at the Boleyn Ground last Saturday.
• West Ham are without a win away from home in the Barclays Premier League
since 15 August 2009 - the opening day of last season - when they won 2-0 at
Wolverhampton Wanderers.
• Scott Parker is West Ham's top scorer this season with three goals in
eight matches in all competitions. Frederic Piquionne has two after last
week's headed winner against Tottenham Hotspur to make it two goals in two
games after his strike at Sunderland in the Carling Cup.
• West Ham's biggest ever home win over Fulham came in the shape of a 7-2
Division One defeat of the Cottagers on 3 February 1968, with all three of
the Hammers' World Cup winners getting on the scoresheet. A crowd of 31,248
saw Trevor Brooking (two), Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst (two), Bobby Moore,
Brian Dear.
• The Hammers also secured a 6-1 First Division victory on 5 November 1966.
Geoff Hurst scored four times and Martin Peters added a brace. Fred
Callaghan had given Fulham an early lead. That victory was matched on 1
September 1917, when Danny Shea scored four times and Frank Roberts twice.
• West Ham have the tenth-best all-time record in Premier League history.
The Hammers have contested 584 matches, winning 196, drawing 147 and losing
241. During that time, West Ham have scored 684 goals and conceded 823.
• The Hammers brought in eight new players this summer - Nigeria forward
Victor Obinna, Denmark full-back Lars Jacobsen, Germany midfielder Thomas
Hitzlsperger, Mexico winger Pablo Barrera, France forward Piquionne, New
Zealand defender Winston Reid, Belgian goalkeeper Ruud Boffin and Israel
defender Tal Ben Haim, who has arrived on loan from Grant's former club
Portsmouth.
• Five senior players left the Boleyn Ground during the summer transfer
window - Alessandro Diamanti and Fabio Daprela both joined Italian Serie A
new boys Brescia Calcio on permanent contracts. Brazilian Ilan was released
at the end of his short-term contract, Egyptian Mido returned to
Middlesbrough following the end of his loan spell and has since joined Ajax,
while Mexican Guillermo Franco was released at the end of his one-year
contract.
Fulham
• Fulham are one of two remaining unbeaten teams in the Barclays Premier
League this season - the other being Manchester United. The Cottagers have
beaten Wolverhampton Wanderers at home (2-1), drawn at Bolton Wanderers
(0-0), Blackpool (2-2) and Blackburn Rovers (1-1) and drawn at home with
Manchester United (2-2) and Everton (0-0).
• Fulham were eliminated from the Carling Cup at the third-round stage at
Stoke City (2-0), having thrashed Port Vale (6-0) at Craven Cottage in the
previous round.
• Fulham's biggest win at the Boleyn Ground came in an FA Cup fifth-round
replay on 24 February 2004. Brian McBride, Barry Hayles and current West Ham
United player Luis Boa Morte netted in the final 14 minutes to give the
Whites a 3-0 victory. Fulham have never won a league game at the Boleyn
Ground by more than two clear goals, most-recently winning 2-0 on 3 November
2001 through goals from Sylvain Legwinski and Steed Malbranque.
• Fulham have the 16th-best all-time record in Premier League history.
Fulham have contested 348 matches, winning 106, drawing 100 and losing 142.
During that time, Fulham have scored 390 goals and conceded 464.
• The highest-profile departure from Fulham during the summer transfer
window was manager Roy Hodgson. The vastly-experienced coach led the
Cottagers to a record seventh-place Premier League finish in 2008/09 before
guiding the club to last season's UEFA Cup final, where they were beaten by
Atletico Madrid. Hodgson has since taken charge at Liverpool.
• Switzerland defender Philippe Senderos arrived on a free transfer from
Arsenal, while Belgium forward Moussa Dembele was snapped up from AZ
Alkmaar, Algeria FIFA World Cup defender Rafik Halliche was brought in from
SL Benfica and Mexico full-back Carlos Salcido was signed from PSV
Eindhoven, all for an undisclosed fee.
• Leaving Craven Cottage were centre-back Chris Smalling, who joined
Manchester United and left-back Paul Konchesky, who followed Hodgson to
Liverpool. The Cottagers also allowed youngsters Elliot Omozusi and Stefan
Payne to join Leyton Orient and Gillingham respectively.
• Youngsters Lauri Dalla Valle and Alex Kacaniklic have both been signed
from Liverpool but are not expected to feature in the first team
immediately.
Ten-year League records
West Ham United
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
2002/03 Premier League 18th (42 points - relegated to Championship)
2001/02Premier League 7th (53 points)
2000/01Premier League 15th (42 points)
Fulham
2009/10 Premier League 12th (46 points)
2008/09Premier League 7th (53 points)
2007/08Premier League 17th (36 points)
2006/07Premier League 16th (39 points)
2005/06Premier League 12th (48 points)
2004/05Premier League 13th (44 points)
2003/04Premier League 9th (52 points)
2002/03Premier League 14th (48 points)
2001/02Premier League 13th (44 points)
2000/01Championship 1st (101 points - promoted as champions)
Old boys
• Luis Boa Morte made 250 appearances for Fulham in all competitions between
July 2000 and January 2007, scoring 54 goals. Boa Morte scored 18 goals as
the Cottagers secured promotion to the Premier League in 2000/01. He was
voted the club's player of the season in 2004/05.
• Injured striker Bobby Zamora scored 40 goals in 152 league and cup
appearances for West Ham United between February 2004 and July 2008.
• Ghana full-back John Pantsil played 24 matches for the Hammers between
August 2006 and July 2008.
• Bobby Moore MBE played for both West Ham United and Fulham during his
glittering career. Moore made 544 appearances for the Hammers before moving
to Craven Cottage for £25,000 in 1974. England's World Cup-winning captain
remained at Fulham for three years, making a further 124 appearances and
facing his former side in the 1975 FA Cup final, which West Ham won 2-0.
• Among the other players who have represented both sides are Jan Lastuvka,
Jimmy Bullard, Ian Pearce, Rufus Brevett, George Carter, Brian Dear, Tony
Gale, Ron Greenwood, Jon Harley, Fred Harrison, Jack Hebden and George
Horler.
Saturday's officials
Referee: Andre Marriner
Assistant referees: Darren Cann and Mike Yerby
Fourth official: Andy D'Urso
• The match referee will be Andre Marriner, who becomes the first official
to take charge of West Ham United twice this season. Marriner also
officiated the Hammers' 3-1 home Barclays Premier League defeat by Bolton
Wanderers on 21 August.
• Birmingham-born Marriner began refereeing in 1992, progressing through the
Birmingham Amateur Football League and the Southern League to become a
Football League assistant referee in 2000.
• Marriner, who turned 39 on New Years' Day, was appointed to the Football
League List of referees in 2003.
• The following year, on 13 November 2004, the official took charge of his
first Premier League fixture, with current West Ham United goalkeeper Robert
Green being forced off injured just past the hour-mark in Norwich City's 4-0
defeat at Charlton Athletic.
• Marriner was appointed to the Select Group in 2005. Since then, one of the
most notable matches he has refereed are the 2008 FA Community Shield
between Portsmouth and Manchester United at Wembley.
• The West Midlands-based official was added to FIFA's International List in
2009, but insists the biggest fixture he has ever refereed was the 2003
Conference National play-off final between Doncaster Rovers and Dagenham &
Redbridge.
• Marriner will be assisted on one touchline by 2010 FIFA World Cup final
assistant referee Darren Cann.
Next up
• West Ham United travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers after the international
break on Saturday 16 October, kick-off 3pm.
• Fulham host Tottenham Hotspur at Craven Cottage on Saturday 16 October,
kick-off 3pm.
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Avram on Friday
WHUFC.com
Avram Grant has spoken to the media ahead of Saturday's London derby meeting
with Fulham
01.10.2010
Avram Grant has conducted his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's
Barclays Premier League meeting with Fulham at the Boleyn Ground.
Avram on the prospect of another London derby...
It was a good week for us and a good win because we know how much it means
to the fans and everybody. This was the most important derby for West Ham,
but now we have another derby. How many derbies are there in London? Four or
five? We won the most important one, but now we want to continue winning.
The feeling around the training ground is good because, first, we won
against a very good team and second because we continued the progress we
showed before. It didn't come by surprise. We played good in the week before
and good two weeks before. Now we have won with points in the league so you
can imagine the feeling is good, but it is a long, long season and we want
to continue with this. Tomorrow, we have a game against Fulham, who didn't
lose even one game.
Avram on the Olympic Stadium bid being delivered...
I have so many things to deal with on the football side that I cannot deal
with the stadium also! It will be good for the community and good for
everybody, so I hope we get it.
Avram on facing the improved atmosphere at the training ground...
I think, except the first game, I am always seeing progress. Of course, it
was not so easy until the transfer window closed on the 31 August because
there were a lot of question marks on players going and coming or not. Since
then, except the first week which was international week, we have been
training together and we can see progress. You can see it also in the games
and we want to continue with this. I believe if you progress this is more
important than being good in one game and not good in the next. I think
pressure is part of our game. I don't see a game without pressure. Tomorrow
we have a game against a team that didn't lose, so it's another pressure.
There is always pressure.
Avram on Kieron Dyer's illness...
He's not feeling so good for the moment, so we will see later if he is OK
for tomorrow. He is doing everything to be fit. Our relationship has always
been good. Look, sometimes you like to create stories when there is no story
- most of the time you do not do it but there was not even one per cent was
true about that. We have a good relationship like a manager should have a
relationship with his player. He is trying his best for the team. It is not
easy for him. We have to manage him because he was injured for a long time,
but if you saw his performance this season, he didn't play all the games,
but when he did play he was good. He has some diarrhoea and didn't feel
good. He gave his best but if a player has to be subbed in the 40th minute,
especially a player like Dyer who likes to play all the time, it's not so
good. We will see, because today he was better.
Avram on his confidence in Robert Green...
There are not many times I agree with the FA after last year in Portsmouth,
so now I agree with them [not charging Robert Green for his gesture
following the victory over Tottenham]. I didn't see anything - I just saw
that his performance was good and I know that Rob Green is a very good
player and a very good professional. I didn't see anything. I was busy. We
were so happy after the game. I don't want to make judgements after one
game, two games or three games. I said last week and I say it again, we are
only in the beginning of the season and if you want to put a judgement on a
player, we all need to wait a few games more at least. Then, we will see. I
tell you last week and I tell you again, I have a feeling that come the end
of the season, we will see that it was a good season for Rob Green. In
sport, like in life but more in sport because you are in the spotlight all
of the time, you need to show good character. You cannot be good all the
time and you cannot be not good all the time. The reaction is the most
important thing. He's one of the best goalkeepers in England - nothing has
changed. He was good last year and he was very good in training this week.
For my opinion, he is one of the best goalkeepers in England and he deserves
to be in the squad, but I am not Capello.
Avram on Matthew Upson's international future...
I didn't speak with him about this. As far as I know he's available and he
wants to play for England, but I didn't speak with him about this. I think
he is a good player and could be in the England squad. I don't think much
changed from three months ago. It can't be that he was very good and now he
is very bad. You cannot put another judgement on players - any player - in
just three months. I don't believe in this. Capello didn't tell me who to
pick with West Ham so I don't tell him who to pick with England. I know that
he was proud to be in the England squad. I think any player that comes to
the squad and isn't in the 18 is not happy about this. I don't need to speak
with him about this. I can imagine that all the players who came but were
not in the 18 were not happy, but this is the life of a sportsman -
sometimes you are in the XI and sometimes you are not in the squad. You need
to show character in both situations. I think he needs to be in the squad.
He is one of the best defenders in England. He was like this six months ago
and nothing has changed.
Avram on Fulham's poor recent away record...
It is hard but it's not so much harder [to win away from home]. Of course,
every player wants to play at home. You feel better in your home than my
home - actually, maybe you would feel better in my home! It's reasonable and
is the same in every sport - you want to perform in front of your own
supporters.
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Golden honour for Freddie
WHUFC.com
The 10,000th Barclays Premier League goal with a Nike ball was scored by
Freddie Piquionne
01.10.2010
Frederic Piquionne has been showing off the golden ball he received for the
10,000th Barclays Premier League goal scored with a Nike match ball. The
goal last weekend was scored in the 29th minute of the match with Tottenham
Hotspur at the Boleyn Ground, and was netted with the Nike Total 90 Tracer.
Freddie had to dash straight off after the match so was unable to collect
his prize but finally got his hands on the ball on Friday afternoon. He
said: "I am very happy to win this, especially because it was such an
important goal. The main thing was that the team were able to win and I just
want to score more goals. "It is good for me to be the one who scored the
10,000th [with the Nike ball in the Premier League]. When my children read
the history of the Premier League they will see their father in there."
The France forward is looking to repeat the feat against Fulham this weekend
and is eager to savour the experience he had when celebrating that Spurs
strike. "The fans were very happy, everyone was with me celebrating. I was
saying 'Thank you' to Mark [Noble for the assist]. We stayed in the corner
and the fans were coming towards us. It was a very good atmosphere. "We need
that again against Fulham and we need to play well. We want three points to
move up the table, we need to win."
Nike, official ball supplier to the Barclays Premier League for the last ten
seasons, has unveiled a limited edition golden match ball to celebrate this
landmark. Only 100 golden balls have been produced and are available to buy
now from www.nikestore.com/football.
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Great Dane
WHUFC.com
Lars Jacobsen is looking forward to facing old pal Brede Hangeland when
Fulham visit on Saturday
30.09.2010
Lars Jacobsen will come up against an old friend when West Ham United take
on Fulham on Saturday. The Hammers right-back spent 18 months as part of the
same back four as Cottagers centre-half Brede Hangeland during a hugely
successful spell at FC Copenhagen. The pair won back-to-back Superliga
titles in 2006 and 2007, while both started when the Danish giants defeated
Manchester United 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League group stage in November
2006. Nearly three years later and Jacobsen will come face to face - or
rather face to shoulder considering the full-back is 6ft and Hangeland 6ft
5in - again in the Barclays Premier League.
The clash will bring back fond memories for West Ham defender, who talks
about his time at Copenhagen in Saturday's official matchday programme.
"I had three-and-a-half fantastic years at Copenhagen," said Jacobsen. "I
won three championships and the cup. We played in the Champions League too,
so that was probably the best part of my career so far. "We had a very good
team and were very solid. We lost 3-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford
where we tried but we weren't good enough. We then beat them 1-0 at home
which shows what type of team we were. We had some good quality in the
team."
Having arrived at the Boleyn Ground via spells at Everton and Blackburn
Rovers, Jacobsen is eager to continue the encouraging start he has made to
his career in claret and blue. The defender also talks about his formative
years at OB Odense, his country's fine footballing heritage, the role of a
modern full-back and his successful career with the Danish national team.
As always, the latest edition of matchday programme is crammed full of
interviews, features and photographs. Supporters can read the exclusive
views of Chairman David Gold and manager Avram Grant, while also getting the
latest news on the club's bid to ensure a lasting community legacy for the
Olympic Stadium. Another of the new boys, Victor Obinna, delves into the
Fans' Mailbag, while Junior Stanislas is the latest Hammer to Challenge
Kieron and Striker Clive Allen answers the question Where Are They Now? With
all this, plus the latest from the club's reserve, youth and Ladies teams,
up to date statistics and much, much more, fans cannot afford to miss out on
securing their copy.
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New season ticket transfer scheme
WHUFC.com
westham.strmarketplace.com is the new place for anyone wanting to buy or
sell a sought-after seat
01.10.2010
West Ham United have launched a new online service called the West Ham
United Seat Transfer Marketplace to help fans to sell and transfer the
rights to their season tickets. New website westham.strmarketplace.com will
serve as the official online home for season ticket holders to deal directly
with other supporters wanting sought-after seats. It has already been a huge
success in the United States with leading NFL, MLB and NBA teams all signed
up.
Any existing Hammers season ticket holders not able to renew their season
ticket for the 2010/11 campaign at the Boleyn Ground will be able to use
this new website to set the price they want for transferring it to another
fan. Should anyone be willing to meet their price, the season ticket will
be transferred to them for future seasons and the selling fan will
relinquish all claims to that seat. Barry Webber, commercial director at
West Ham United, said: "Our aim is to continually offer our fans something
more and we feel that joining forces with STR Marketplace provides our
supporters with a new service that could reward our season ticket holders
for years of loyalty. "At this time this is a unique service only offered to
West Ham United fans in the UK. This is the first major indication of the
off-field commercial strides we are making and plan to make more
announcements in the coming weeks."
Click here for more information on this innovative initiative run by STR
Marketplace.
Benefits of the West Ham United Seat Transfer Marketplace include:
* POST and SELL your seat transfer with no up-front listing fees or
registration fees.
* VIEW and PURCHASE seat transfers that season ticket holders have posted
for sale.
* UPGRADE your season ticket seat by selling your current seats and
purchasing new seats.
The West Ham United Seat Transfer Marketplace is located at
westham.strmarketplace.com or via the tickets page on the official West Ham
United website, whufc.com.
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West Ham v Fulham
BBC.co.uk
Barclays Premier League
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 2 October Kick-off: 1500 BST
Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 live, local radio, Final Score &
highlights on Match of the Day
TEAM NEWS
West Ham midfielder Kieron Dyer is suffering from an upset stomach and is a
doubt for Saturday's game. The Hammers will give late fitness tests to
defenders Winston Reid, Jonathan Spector and Herita Ilunga.
Fulham's Andrew Johnson is not ready for a first-team comeback and remains
on the sidelines, along with Bobby Zamora and Moussa Dembele. Zoltan Gera
may continue in attack with Clint Dempsey, while fit-again keeper David
Stockdale could be on the bench.
West Ham
Doubtful: Reid, Spector & Ilunga (all leg)
Injured: Behrami, Collison, Hines & Kurucz (all knee), Hitzlsperger (thigh)
Fulham
Injured: Dembele (ankle), A Johnson (knee), Senderos (Achilles), Stoor
(groin), Zamora (leg)
MATCH PREVIEW
West Ham have spent the week rejoicing over a derby victory against
Tottenham that their co-owner David Sullivan described as "the sweetest
win".
There has been an air of defiance coming out of Upton Park, and goalkeeper
Rob Green's 'stick it' gesture to the press box after their first league win
of the season showed that a new-found spirit is starting to course through
the club after their dismal start to the campaign. Defender Matthew Upson
said it was the best the Hammers had played for two seasons. The three
points failed to lift them out of the relegation zone, but they are now
blessed with another home fixture as they bid to extend their unbeaten run
in all competitions to four matches.
Fulham are one of only two unbeaten teams left in the Premier League, and
although manager Mark Hughes must be delighted with their resilient start,
he knows that their fixture list has been kind and they need to start
turning draws into victories. He must also be working hard on getting his
team to improve on their notoriously bad record on the road, given that they
have failed to win any of their last 21 away matches in the league.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• Fulham have only won two of their 14 Premier League meetings with West
Ham: their first, in 2001, and their last, back in May.
• The Cottagers last won at Upton Park in the league in 2001. In six
subsequent visits they have drawn three and lost three.
• This is the 85th meeting between the sides. West Ham have won 36, Fulham
29 and there have been 19 draws.
West Ham
• Victor Obinna has had more shots (18) in the Premier League without
scoring than any other player this season.
• All four of West Ham's goals this season have come from set pieces.
• Carlton Cole has scored in each of his last four league matches against
Fulham.
• If selected, Robert Green will be making his 400th club career appearance.
Fulham
• Mark Hughes has drawn 13 of his last 17 Premier League games as a manager.
• Fulham are only the second team in Premier League history (after Ipswich
in 1992-93) to draw five of their first six games.
• Fulham have won only three of the 41 Premier League London derbies they
have played away from home.
• Damien Duff is in line for his 300th appearance in top-flight football.
LEADING GOALSCORERS
West Ham
Parker: 3 goals (2 league); Piquionne: 2 goals (1 league)
Fulham
Dembele: 3 goals (2 league); Zamora: 3 goals (1 league)
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Andre Marriner
Assistant referees: Darren Cann & Martin Yerby
Fourth official: Andy D'Urso
LAST LEAGUE MATCH LINE-UPS
West Ham (W1-0 v Tottenham, h): Green, Jacobsen, da Costa, Upson, Gabbidon,
Dyer (Barrera 42), Parker, Noble, Boa Morte, Obinna (Kovac 89), Piquionne
(Cole 64). Subs not used: Stech, Ben-Haim, McCarthy, Faubert.
Fulham (D0-0 v Everton, h): Schwarzer, Kelly (Baird 28), Hangeland, Hughes,
Salcido, Davies (Kamara 71), Etuhu, Murphy, Duff, Dempsey, Gera (Eddie
Johnson 55). Subs not used: Etheridge, Riise, Greening, Halliche.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham United v Fulham - Match Preview
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 30th September 2010
By: Preview Percy
Look at it this way: if Preview Percy wasn't at home writing this stuff he'd
be out on the streets mingling with members of the public. We figure that
this is the lesser of two evils....
Next up it's another Saturday 3pm kick off for a second derby in a row as we
entertain Fulham.
Now before we move on to the preview proper I believe I need to do some
advance explaining of what is to follow. A "spoiler alert" if you will.
Those of you who don't like to have stuff explained to you should look away
now.
You see in last week's preview those oh so sensitive souls from White Hart
Lane took great offence at what I thought was a rather obvious in-joke in
which I referred to their no.3 as "Christian" Bale. I suppose I should have
factored in the room-temperature IQ of the opposition support, if only to
save the boss from having to deal with all those semi-literate emails to the
comments box. So in the interests of harmony, peace and all things lovely
and nice, I'd like to make the following quite clear for the benefit of any
Fulham fans that, unlikely as it sounds, might be as dim as them from WHL:
Yes I do realise that Fulham are not actually managed by Nerys Hughes. Nerys
Hughes is an actress with a track record in unfunny sitcoms about scousers
and dull dramas about nursing. Whereas Mark Hughes is a former professional
footballer who now manages Fulham. Mind you have have you ever seen the two
of them together in a room?
Ok it's safe to look again now. Fulham are currently unbeaten in seventh
place with eight points, four points clear of ourselves. They are the
league's draw specialists as, whilst they have but a solitary win to their
name (a 2-1 home victory over Wolves) they have drawn their other five (0-0
away at Bolton and at home to Everton, 2-2 at home to Man Utd and away to
Blackpool, and 1-1 at Blackburn). In the League Cup they got rid of Port
Vale 6-0 before falling at the next hurdle to our next round opponents Stoke
2-0.
The visitors are managed by Nerys Hughes, the former Man Utd, Barcelona
Chelsea, Southampton and Blackburn striker. Hughes arrived in the close
season replacing Roy Hodgson. Hodgson led the Cottagers to last season's
Europa Cup final where the Cottagers went down 2-1 to Atletico Madrid.
Liverpool moved in for Hodgson in the close season because, basically, they
needed someone with Europa Cup experience. Hughes came in after 7 months out
of work following his dismissal by Man City. He was linked with the vacant
post at the Boleyn, though only SuGo will ever know whether that was ever a
serious link. His appointment followed protracted negotiations with Martin
Jol who was close to signing from Ajax but ended up staying put.
The transfer window saw seven in and nine out. Hodgson raided his former
club to take former Hammer Paul Konchesky up to to Anfield. As part of the
deal two Livierpool youngsters Lauri Dalla Valle and Alex Kacaniklic came in
the opposite direction. Defender Chris Smalling left for Old Trafford in a
deal that was, technically, part of the previous window. To replace him
former Arsenal defender Philipe Senderos came in on a free in what was
effectively Hodgson's last deal for the club. However the Swiss
international will miss the lion's share of the season having ruptured his
achilles tendon in training. Jonathan Greening's season-long loan from West
Brom was also made permanent during the close season. Much of the window
headlines, however, centred around a transfer that didn't happen. Aussie
'keeper Mark Schwarzer seemed bound for Highbury in the early weeks of the
season. Having missed the first few League matches through injury it seemed
the good form of deputy David Stockdale would allow Schwarzer to leave.
However a combination of an allegedly derisory transfer fee offered by
Arsenal and an injury to Stockdale put paid to the deal – at least for this
transfer window. Schwarzer's return to fitness conveniently occurred too
late for Fulham to source a replacement.
The departure of Konchesky reduces the number of ex-Hammers in the squad to
two. A nasty injury to Bobby Zamora will keep him out until next year. Not
that there is ever a good time for injury but the broken leg he suffered
against Wolves came at a particularly rotten time for the likeable forward
coming as it did when he was being picked for England squads and this is (at
least) one Hammer who wishes him all the best for a speedy recovery.
Also in the squad is John Paintsil. There has always been some confusion
over the spelling of his name – apparently it's misspelt as Pantsil on all
his official ID documents having been spelt incorrectly on his birth
certificate. Just to confuse matters further, in the World Cup in South
Africa whoever was responsible for ironing the names on the back of Ghana's
shirts came up with yet another variant as, possibly after a surfeit of
Castle, someone called Panstil turned out in the group match against Serbia.
Pa(i)ns(t)il played in all five of Ghana's matches in SA including the
unfortunate quarter final defeat to Uruguay – a match that is still looked
on with great fondness by your correspondent who had Uruguay in the office
sweep. Paintsil has been out of favour in recent weeks – his last appearance
came in the victory over Wolves and, though he has been on the bench in
subsequent matches he was missing completely from the squad for last
weekend's 0-0 at home to Everton.
Up front, they went with Dempsey and Gera against Everton, though the
Hugarian half of that partnership was replaced by Eddie Johnson. Johnson's
namesake Amy (ok Andy if you must) has been absent of late with an ailment
called "jumper's knee" and this weekend may be a few days to soon for a
return to the starting line-up. The other attacking option available to them
is Senegalese international Diomansy Kamara. A former West Brom player of
the year, Kamara spent the back end of last season on loan at Celtic where
he partnered Robbie Keane. Let's hope Kamara is as effective this week as
Keane was last week.
"And what of us" I hear you shout. Well, as the song would have put it had
the lyrics been different: what a difference a week makes. In the space of 7
days we picked up a deserved point at the Britannia, knocked Sunderland out
of the League Cup and, picked up three points against Spurs. The newspaper
reports of the Spurs match were hilarious. The journos took great pains to
mention how Green had "silenced his critics" - whilst failing to mention
exactly who those critics actually were. Journalists in hypocrisy shock!
Most reports concentrated on Green's form – but it was a superb team
performance that ensured that the points ended up in the right place. The
Piquionne-Obinna partnership that showed so much promise up on Wearside in
midweek flourished on Saturday and I'd hope that they would start this
weekend (subject to fitness). This, I'm afraid, is likely to mean a run of
games on the bench for Carlton Cole if they can keep up the sort of form
shown in the last week.
On the injury front "Der Hammer" looks to be out for another couple of
weeks. There is something that is so West Ham about signing a class player
who escaped injury in the World Cup by not getting selected for the squad,
only to see him pick up a knock in his first international afterwards. It's
going to be a nice selection headache for the boss once all are fit,
assuming – and knowing our our luck that's a big assumption – we do manage
to keep everyone fit. Thankfully Dyer's tummy should have recovered for this
one and, that being the case I'd hope, nay expect an unchanged starting XI.
Damned if I can remember the last one.
Well all is optimism and light at the moment and I'm not going to buck the
trend in my prediction this week. A slight word of caution is due, mind.
Fulham will probably be more difficult to turn over than Spurs were.
Nevertheless, the tails are well and truly up at the moment and I can see
the nightmare start to the season fading in the rear view mirror. Lets say
3-1 another three points and a step up a place or two.
Enjoy the game!
Last season: drew 2-2 One of those matches where we were cruising until the
opposition had a player sent off. One nil up through Cole's header, we then
went 2-1 down and things looked grim until Stanislas grabbed a late
equaliser, which fooled nobody.
Danger man: Clint Dempsey to be fair nobody has really stood out for them
thus far this season but Dempsey has caused us problems in the past.
Referee: Andre Marriner second appearance of the season at the Boleyn for
this official. Let's hope he's studied the laws of the game in the month or
so since his last one against Bolton. Jewel in the crown of a woefully
sub-standard performance was his baffling failure to award a free-kick for
Davies' assault on Upson. That was effectively the turning point in a match
that, up to that point, we'd dominated.
Travel news: Hallelujah, rejoice, let joy be unconfined. There are no,
repeat no, planned engineering works on our bit of the District Line this
weekend. Upton Park station will be open so you can resume all those
friendships that you used to strike up in the interminable post-match
queues.
Daft fact of the week: Apparently the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham
has the fewest railway stations of any London borough. Which begs the
question: how come there will be so many trainspotters in the away support
this weekend?
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The Jeremy Nicholas Column: Mr Moon All Over The World
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 1st October 2010
By: Jeremy Nicholas
The new FIFA 11 came out today. I think it's the best football video game in
the world. But I'm biased; I've been involved in the EA Sports FIFA games
since 2006.
Every year I spend a day in Soho in a sound studio, putting down two
thousand new messages in my role as stadium announcer on the games.
If you play any of the FIFA games, alongside the commentators you'll hear me
in the background announcing the team line-ups, the substitutions, the
scorers and the added minutes. In fact, everything I announce in real life
at West Ham United. There is the facility to turn up the announcer if you
want to have a really good listen. I sometimes wish that was possible at the
Boleyn Ground.
Each time I also record ten 'hidden' messages, which are played at random
points. For example on FIFA 08 I congratulated my wife, Jeanette Kruger, on
finishing the London Marathon. My good friends Dave Cheeseman and Nicola
Underdown were delighted to find their marriage being announced on FIFA 09.
I also like to give my nieces and nephews a mention. Christopher, Julian,
Kate and Joe have all had birthdays or been lost children who should contact
the nearest steward. My youngest niece was also welcomed to her first ever
game, before she was even born. At the time of the recording she was just a
bump, going under the working title of Lulu Lemon. By the time she was born,
my sister had decided to drop the Lemon bit, quite wisely in my view. But in
the game she will always be Lulu Lemon.
Once a recording is done, it's done. When you are doing two thousand
messages in a day, there's little time to go back and change it. Every car I
have ever owned is given a mention over the stadium PA in the games. Listen
out for my first car from student days, a blue Mini 1000. I seem to remember
the announcement is about its lights being left on. Then there's my old
white Ford Cortina which is illegally parked. There's a yellow Opel Kadett,
a claret Ford Sierra, a blue BMW and a blue Ford Focus, all committing
various offences outside stadiums across the world. They're cars I've driven
over the years. I should think they're mostly in the big scrap yard in the
sky now, but I like to think they live on through the medium of video
gaming.
I read out all the number plates as well. I haven't put my current car on,
in case some deranged gamer comes round my house. Maybe my announcement put
them off during a vital moment. That's the thing with the random messages;
they can play at any point in the game. It all adds to the authenticity.
There are a few announcements on there especially for West Ham fans. I don't
mention the club by name, because these messages play out in virtual
stadiums across the world. However there's no reason, I thought, why our
safety announcement shouldn't receive a wider airing. Gamers have the option
to play matches with any teams in any ground, but it's always my voice on
the PA. So Mr Moon has been arriving and leaving stadiums across the globe
since FIFA 10. There's also a welcome for 'everyone at Knees Up Mother
Brown' on the last two games, a thank-you for the support on the forums I
received during the difficult days of the first half of the 2008/09 season.
If you listen carefully there are lots of Canadian youngsters who also get a
mention. Electronic Arts is based in Vancouver and the team on the FIFA
games get a kick out of hearing their off-spring announced.
So how did I get this dream job? Like most of the good things in my life,
there's a West Ham connection. After the success of FIFA 06 the EA guys
decided to bring out a special edition, called FIFA 06 -The Road to the
World Cup. They were facing increasing competition from rivals like
Pro-Evolution Soccer, so to keep ahead of the game they added some extras.
Video game consoles were getting more sophisticated. The newly launched X
Box 360 had increased capacity that would allow more layers of audio. As
well as the commentators, EA decided to add a stadium announcer and enhanced
crowd sounds. I was lucky. The commentators were Andy Gray and Martin Tyler,
represented by an agent called Matthew Fisher, who just happened to be a
West Ham season ticket holder. When the guys in Vancouver asked him to find
an announcer for the new game, he gave me a call. I've been the voice of the
games ever since.
This summer I was speaking at a three day football event at the NEC in
Birmingham. After facilitating at a few sessions with big name speakers like
Graham Taylor, Peter Taylor, Ian Holloway and one of the Alan Smiths, I
found I was signing just as many autographs as they were. They couldn't all
be West Ham fans and most of the kids were far too young to remember me
presenting football on Channel 5. They were gamers. I realised this on day
one when two boys asked me what Mr Moon means on FIFA 10. I said it was a
safety message at West Ham, and if I told them exactly what it meant, I
would have to kill them. At which point they ran off crying.
For the rest of the three days I happily posed for photos and signed
autographs for football fans, who'd only ever heard me in the confines of a
video game. It was all a bit strange and reminded me of a time a few years
back, when I'd left West Ham after a match, by the player's entrance. A
small boy who'd been patiently waiting held up his autograph book and said,
'scuse me mate, are you anyone?' I replied that sadly I wasn't anyone, but
he might have heard my voice on the PA and I'd happily sign for him. 'No,
you're all right,' he said, and put his book away.
A few years later it seems I have now cracked the child market. Being the
stadium announcer on a video game, it seems is far more prestigious than
doing it in real life!
Up the Irons! Here's to keeping up our unbeaten run against Fulham and
building on that win over Spurs.
Jeremy Nicholas - London, UK 1st October 2010
Jeremy Nicholas is an after dinner speaker, BBC TV reporter and the West Ham
United stadium announcer.
To read more of his thoughts on life, football and being punched by Brian
Clough, please visit
http://mrmoonhasleftthestadium.com
For TV and speaking blogs or to book Jeremy to speak or MC at your event
please visit
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West Ham v Fulham preview
Hammers eye successive league wins against unbeaten Fulham
By James Dall Last updated: 1st October 2010
SSN
PREDICTIONS
Skysports.com's prediction: West Ham 1 Fulham 1
SKYBET odds: West Ham 5/4, Draw 9/4, Fulham 11/5
One to watch: Victor Obinna
West Ham United aim to make it consecutive Premier League victories when
they host unbeaten Fulham at Upton Park on Saturday. The Hammers recorded
their first league win under manager Avram Grant last weekend after they
beat London rivals Tottenham. Grant will now be eager for his charges to
push on from that result, having endured a difficult beginning to his
tenure. The injury-plagued Kieron Dyer is available again after he was
forced off through illness in the first-half of the Spurs scalp. Thomas
Hitzlsperger is not fit enough to make his debut, but fellow midfielder
Valon Behrami could return.
Draw specialists
Fulham are sixth in the top flight and are yet to taste defeat in the league
under manager Mark Hughes. However, the Cottagers have struggled to turn
draws into wins, with five of their matches ending all square. Andrew
Johnson is not ready for a first-team comeback and remains on the sidelines,
along with fellow strikers Bobby Zamora and Moussa Dembele. Zoltan Gera is
likely to continue in attack with Clint Dempsey.
Possible starting XIs
:
West Ham: Green, Upson, Jacobsen, Gabbidon, Da Costa, Dyer, Parker, Noble,
Boa Morte, Piquionne, Obinna.
Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hangeland, Hughes, Salcido, Davies, Etuhu,
Murphy, Duff, Dempsey, Gera.
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Grant wants Green recall
Hammers boss backs keeper to return for England
Last updated: 1st October 2010
SSN
West Ham manager Avram Grant has called on Fabio Capello to recall
goalkeeper Robert Green to the England squad. The 30-year-old keeper has
been under the microscope since his catastrophic blunder during the World
Cup, when he dropped a tame long-range effort into his own net to deny the
Three Lions an opening win in South Africa. A series of shaky performances
followed for the Hammers at the start of the season, but Greenwas in fine
form against Spurs last time out. Israeli coach Grant has called on Capello
to call him back to the England squad for the upcoming Euro 2012 qualifier
against Montenegro, saying he is one of the best in the country. "He is one
of the best goalkeepers in the country," Grant said. "Nothing has changed.
He was good last year, he is good this year. "This week in training he was
very good but he is one of the best in England so he needs to be in the
England squad in my opinion."
Meanwhile, the Hammers boss has also denied that centre-half Matthew Upson
is considering retiring from international football. Reports suggested the
31-year-old defender was considering his England future after slipping down
the pecking order behind the likes of Phil Jagielka, Gary Cahill and Joleon
Lescott.
But Grant insists he has not confided him about hanging up his international
boots. "He hasn't spoken to me about it (retiring). As far as I know he is
available and wants to play for England," he added. "I think any player that
doesn't get in the 18 is not happy about it but I do not need to speak to
him about this. "I know that he was proud to be in the England squad and I
think he needs to be in, he is one of the best defenders in England."
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I cheated death thanks to God
The Sun
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: Today
VICTOR OBINNA thanks God after every match having cheated death in an
horrific car smash. The Nigerian striker is emerging as a key figure in West
Ham's revival from a disastrous start to the season. Yet deeply-religious
Obinna admits he is lucky to be alive - let alone playing Premier League
football.
Obinna, 23, was on loan from Italian giants Inter Milan at Chievo when the
accident happened three years ago and his eyes still widen as he tries to
recollect the dramatic events. He said: "There was only one road in and out
of the training ground back to town. "I was approaching a sharp bend, a
hairpin bend and not driving at all fast. On the opposite side of the road
one car was trying to overtake another right on the corner. "He could not
have seen me at all, the corner was too sharp. I just remember this car
drifted over to my side of the road and there would have been a head-on
collision and I would have been killed no doubt. "All I had time to do was
do my best to swerve out of the way. The moment flashed by, but it took me
off the road and down into a ditch. The car flipped. I closed my eyes. "I
heard boom, boom. Then everything was still."
Obinna's Audi A3 was a write-off. He added: "I opened my eyes and was upside
down with the airbags in the car inflated in front of my face. "Then I
managed to kick the door and it opened and I took off my seat belt and
crawled out. "People came rushing down the embankment. Fortunately, I was
conscious. "Because it was the only road, my team-mates started coming along
soon afterwards. They rushed to me and then called an ambulance.
"I had a few knocks, my hands hurt. It could have been the end of my career,
the end of my life. "I keep thanking God because I couldn't have imagined
what might have happened. I can't even think about dying or even not playing
football any more.Incredibly, I was only in hospital overnight for
observation in case I had internal injuries. I had a few scratches and a cut
on my head. I went home the next day and was back in training two days later
and played on the Saturday and scored. "It was a miracle. I just had a few
knocks. The pressure of football is nothing to what I have been through."
Obinna's lucky escape only fuelled his devotion to God - and he celebrated
last week's vital win over Spurs by going to church. Despite playing for
Nigeria at the World Cup this summer - alongside today's Fulham opponent
Dickson Etuhu - Obinna is relatively unknown in England. He is the youngest
of six kids from what he describes as the 'cool' town of Jos. Obinna insists
football has been his 'guiding star' since the age of four. His first team
was Eleven Stars as a nine-year-old. and the first break at the big time was
with Nigerian side Enyimba. But his talent was soon picked up by European
scouts. He left home at 18 and signed for Chievo but only because of complex
foreign player rules - and the deal included a clause he would later sign
for mighty Inter. Further loans at Malaga in Spain have helped him mature
and now he is at West Ham on loan again with a view to a permanent deal at
the end of this season. His first goal, at Sunderland in the Carling Cup
last week, settled nerves but as well as God, mum Grace is a huge guiding
light. He said: "I speak to her every day maybe five or six times. I can't
even remember how much my phone bill was. "My mum is everything to me. She
jokes I started playing football in her tummy because I kicked her a lot.
"When I was much younger I was so crazy about football. She yelled at me and
told me there are other things in life. "But I said 'mum, this is my star,
this is what I love.' And I was only four. From that moment she stopped
yelling at me."
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Grant: Fab should go Green
The Sun
Published: 01 Oct 2010
AVRAM GRANT has urged Fabio Capello to recall Robert Green for England's
Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro. Green's hopes of being Capello's No1
throughout the World Cup were dashed in England's opener with the United
States, where his bungled attempt to save Clint Dempsey's shot cost the team
victory. A series of shaky performances for West Ham, combined with a hip
injury, have meant the former Norwich keeper has not played for his country
since. But last week's excellent performance against Tottenham, which was
followed by a defiant gesture towards his critics, may well have put him
back in Capello's thoughts. And West Ham boss Grant is in no doubt that
Green's rightful place is in the Three Lions squad. He said: "He is one of
the best goalkeepers in the country. "Nothing has changed. He was good last
year, he is good this year. "This week in training he was very good but he
is one of the best in England so he needs to be in the England squad in my
opinion."
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Grant laughs off Green's press box gesture
Published 23:00 01/10/10 By Mike Walters
The Mirror
Robert Green must exorcise his nightmare fumble in the jungle today at a
reunion with his World Cup nemesis Clint Dempsey. Axed England goalkeeper
Green and United States midfielder Dempsey come face-to-face for the first
time since the black comedy of Green's scissorhands blunder in Rustenberg
four months ago. Back to his best, Green made a scribbling gesture, and a
more primitive hand signal, towards the Press box after his magnificent save
against Tottenham turned out to be a match-winning moment last week.
Semaphore experts at the Football Association decided to take no action
against Green over his gesture – and his Hammers manager Avram Grant last
night joked: "Maybe he was only asking for an autograph."
Yes, it's true – Grant cracked a joke. But in a more serious vein, he
claimed Green had not been traumatised by his World Cup gaffe... it was
merely a wake-up call. Grant said: "Footballers are human and of course they
think about things which happened in the past, but for me the most important
thing is that Robert was very good last week. "I think there are two kinds
of sportsmen who handle adversity – they either find it traumatic, or there
are players who are more awake when something bad happens to them.
"Robert belongs in the second category – it's not easy to put in the
performance you saw from him against Tottenham last week after what happened
to him. "The save he made (tipping a Luka Modric volley against the bar) was
very important because he had nothing to do before then and we had dominated
the game. To pull off a save liken that from almost your first touch is very
difficult."
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Fulham face selection headache over keeper
Published 16:06 01/10/10 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
Goalkeeper David Stockdale is in contention for Fulham's trip to West Ham
tomorrow after recovering from an ankle injury. The 25-year-old was
preferred to Mark Schwarzer for the opening four games of the season and
will hope to give manager Mark Hughes a selection headache. The Cottagers
remain short in attack, with Moussa Dembele (ankle) and Bobby Zamora (broken
leg) sidelined, although Andrew Johnson played in a behind-closed-doors game
yesterday and is working his way back to full fitness after eight months out
through knee problems.
Team (from): Schwarzer, Kelly, Pantsil, Salcido, Baird, Hangeland, Hughes,
Halliche, Gera, Murphy, Duff, Riise, Etuhu, Dempsey, E Johnson, Greening,
Davies, Dikgacoi, Kamara, Stockdale.
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Aztec two-step leaves Dyer doubtful
Published 16:02 01/10/10 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
Kieron Dyer could miss West Ham's Barclays Premier League clash with Fulham
tomorrow through illness. The midfielder has been suffering with diarrhoea
all week after coming off during last week's win over Tottenham. Valon
Behrami (knee) and Thomas Hitzlsperger (thigh) are out while Hammers boss
Avram Grant will give late fitness tests to Winston Reid, Jonathan Spector
and Herita Ilunga (all leg).
Team (from): Green, Jacobsen, Tomkins, Upson, Ilunga, Parker, Noble,
Piquionne, Boa Morte, Dyer, Cole, Obinna, Kovac, Faubert, Stech, Barrera,
Ben Haim, Gabbidon, Da Costa, Reid, Spector.
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Spurs' Olympic Stadium bid doomed to failure, say West Ham chiefs
Published 12:12 01/10/10 By James Nursey
The Mirror
West Ham chiefs are confident they will beat off competition from Premier
League rivals Spurs for use of the Olympic Stadium after 2012. Tottenham
today (Friday) confirmed they have registered an interest in the site after
outgrowing their White Hart Lane home. This is despite Spurs getting the
go-ahead to build their own new £400million 56,000-seater stadium by
Haringey Council next to their existing ground. Hammers officials are
unhappy about Tottenham's declaration having eyed the future Olympic venue
in East London for years. This week West Ham stars Scott Parker, Carlton
Cole and Mark Noble delivered the club's joint bid with Newham Council to
the Prime Minister's office. The club's plan intends for the stadium to have
a 60,000-capacity and host football and athletics, alongside other sports,
concerts and community facilities. And West Ham supremos believe Tottenham's
bid for the stadium near them is doomed to failure. A Hammers' insider told
Mirrorsport: "Only the West Ham United and Newham Council bid can deliver a
real legacy for East London.
"Our bid offers so much to the local community. "Newham is one of the
poorest boroughs in London and we are the club of that borough. "We doubt
the Premier League would let another club move into the same borough as an
existing one. "Imagine if West Ham United wanted to build a stadium in
Haringey what Spurs would say or if Liverpool or Everton wanted to build one
in Wigan or Blackburn or if Man United moved to Bolton. "Spurs moving to
Newham is the same thing. "Spurs' application is clearly just one of a
number of options they are looking at and appears just a backup plan in case
something goes wrong with their plan for a new stadium in Haringey."
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