WHUFC.com
Three matches in quick succession will give Avram Grant the chance to turn
performances into points
01.11.2010
Avram Grant will pick his players up again this week after they followed
their epic cup victory against Stoke City by giving Arsenal a real run for
their money at the weekend. With the likes of Manu da Costa - who took a
whack on his ankle - and Scott Parker having played 120 minutes in the
Carling Cup win that took the club through to a last-eight date against
Manchester United, Avram Grant's men arrived at the Emirates with few
neutrals expecting much. What they saw was a "heroic" display despite a 1-0
loss that bodes well for the battles ahead. The manager is under no
illusions about the club's league placing but also knows full well that a
win or two can make a drastic difference, having guided his team to just one
defeat in seven before Saturday. Starting next weekend at Birmingham, the
club have three major matches in eight days - with the latter two being home
games against top-flight newcomers West Bromwich Albion and Blackpool. "No
one is happy with our position, but at this stage of the season, one win can
make the picture look so much different," said the manager. "We are only in
November and we know we can do it with the matches we have coming up. Many
things were very positive at Arsenal. The fighting spirit was good and the
players can be proud of the way they played against a very good team. "We
have a long way to go. We will pick out the many positives from that, work
hard in training this week and I know we will take points. We had a tough
game in midweek but we deserved to win and even though some played extra
time and some were just coming back from injury, they kept going. "I am
pleased with their effort. It was just unfortunate there was no time to
respond. We tried but from their point of view they scored in the perfect
moment. Arsenal are a very good team but we did a very good job tactically."
The manager, who could run the rule over some more of his squad in Tuesday
afternoon's home reserve-team match against Manchester City, also has that
Carling Cup quarter-final too look forward to in a month's time. Although
paired with holders Manchester United, Grant said his team have what it
takes to win. "It will be difficult but I believe we can get through to the
semi-finals. We are at home and that is our target."
But league matters will rightly dominate before then, and Grant is
undeterred. "The difference between us winning games is very small thing. We
are doing all the right things. The next couple of months are very important
for us and I am encouraged by the performances. It would be different if we
were not playing well."
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Lars keeping the faith
WHUFC.com
Lars Jacobsen will draw on his positive experiences following Saturday's
defeat at Arsenal
30.10.2010
Lars Jacobsen has had plenty of ups and downs in his career. The West Ham
United right-back has more than 30 full international caps for Denmark,
appeared at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and won three Danish titles and appeared
in the UEFA Champions League with FC Copenhagen. On the flip side, Jacobsen
struggled to make an impact in German football early in his career and
endured two injury-affected seasons prior to joining the Hammers in August.
Having experienced both the good and the bad, the 31-year-old has the
strength of character to help West Ham recover following Saturday's Barclays
Premier League defeat at Arsenal. Jacobsen played a full part in his team's
stubborn defensive display at the Emirates, only for Alex Song's 88th-minute
winner to leave the visitors crestfallen. "It's the worst way to lose a
game, really. We defended very well throughout the game. Arsenal had a few
chances, to be fair, but we kept them to a low number and I think we did
very well. "As a team, coming to the Emirates is always difficult and I
think we deserved a point in the end. Like I said, it's the worst way to
lose and we're all very disappointed right now. "We fight for each other. We
showed that and it is something we have to take into the next couple of
games as well because we know we can play football. Sometimes we didn't
fight enough but we certainly did that on Saturday and if we continue to do
that, I'm sure the points will come. "We just have to forget about this game
now. Obviously we're disappointed and will be until we have analysed the
game but then we have to look forward to the game against Birmingham."
"The ability to bounce back is why we are here and some other players aren't
here. That's the difference because you will always lose games in your
career and always have ups and downs - if you can't get up from the downs,
you will never reach the level of playing in the Premier League. "Of course,
we are professional football players. It's our job, so we'll get ourselves
together and get the points we need."
What made things worse for Jacobsen and his colleagues was the fact that
Song's late header came at a time when Arsenal looked to have run out of
ideas. Robert Green had produced a number of miraculous saves to keep Cesc
Fabregas, Marouane Chamakh and Theo Walcott - earning praise from Jacobsen -
while every player in a white away shirt had run themselves into the ground.
"You could feel the [home] crowd was not happy, you could hear it. The
players were not happy and the game developed the way we wanted, really. We
were just hoping we could pinch one on the counterattack. "We didn't counter
very well in the second half. We had some chances and half-chances in the
first half. We kept them away from the big chances and Greeny in the goal
saved tremendously a couple of times. That's the luck you need to have
against a world-class team, so I really thought we had that point.
"I'm so pleased for Greeny and that he's playing very well. The last five or
six games he's been a tremendous character in the goal and done very well."
While the final result was hard to take, Jacobsen insisted that he and his
fellow players could not afford to let it affect their performance at
Birmingham City next Saturday. Instead, the defender will draw on his
positive experiences for club and country and try to inspire his team to a
much-needed victory at St Andrew's. "It's always difficult away from home
but we need to get some points starting next weekend at Birmingham. We need
to take some points there. "We have to be realistic - in the last seven
games, we only lost two of those, so it's not that negative. I know we lost
on Saturday and we lost the last home game and if you look just at them it's
very negative, but we have to look at the bigger picture - seven games and
two losses, three wins and the rest of them were draws. "We have to take the
positives from now on because it's not good if you're thinking about the
games you lost because you won't take any points. You have to take the
positives and look forward and we will do that."
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Wenger relief at Arsenal victory
BBC.co.uk
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger expressed his relief after the Gunners needed
an 88th-minute winner to beat West Ham. Robert Green made several fine saves
to deny the hosts before Alex Song's late header sealed a dramatic 1-0
victory. "When you win with two minutes to go, it is always a relief," said
Wenger. "We needed to be patient, intelligent and not to make a mistake at
the back. "I was thinking it was one of those days but we kept going and
have once again shown a great attitude."
The result keeps Arsenal second in the table, five points adrift of leaders
Chelsea after they beat Blackburn at Ewood Park. It looked as though
Wenger's men would have to settle for a draw as Green pulled off a series of
brilliant stops to thwart Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott, while Samir Nasri
rattled the crossbar and Walcott saw a shot come back off the post. But
Arsenal continued to press for the win and they eventually broke West Ham's
resilience when Song met Gael Clichy's floated cross with a diving header.
"We did not do anything stupid, kept trying to be intelligent and that got
us the goal," stated Wenger, whose side face Shakhtar Donetsk in the
Champions League on Wednesday. "I was thinking it was one of those days when
the ball went on to the post and came back into the goalkeeper's hands, that
is not a good sign. "We have matured, you see that in the game the way we
handle it when it does not work for us, the players remain calmer than
before. "We have a good chance for the title, yes, but we want to show
consistency first. We go step by step and we still need to step up a gear to
completely achieve that. "But on the other hand you feel there is more to
come out from this team, we have good potential on the bench today and some
players to come back. "If we can keep a good injury record then we have a
chance."
Arsenal claimed a morale-boosting victory over title rivals Manchester City
last Sunday and backed it up by brushing aside Newcastle to reach the
Carling Cup quarter-finals. The north London club are bidding to win their
first piece of silverware since 2005 and a first league title since 2004 and
Wenger is confident they can succeed.
"It is too early in the season, but I have belief," said the Frenchman. "We
need to show from game to game we can handle every single game with a
different aspect which the Premier League has. "Today we played against the
team bottom of the league and it was a real battle. We have to show we can
compete like that in every game." Wenger hopes captain Fabregas will be fit
to travel to Donetsk and revealing the Spaniard may have suffered a
recurrence of the hamstring injury that recently kept him out for a month.
"Cesc played a bit within himself. He had a bit of tension in his hamstring.
Let's hope he has no setback," added Wenger. "At half-time, I had a
hesitation to take him off. Then I left him on, I thought 'just for 10 or 15
minutes', but in the end he got better and better."
West Ham's defeat leaves them bottom of the table with just one win all
season, but boss Avram Grant was pleased with his side's efforts. The
Hammers, who also reached the Carling Cup quarter-finals with an extra-time
victory over Stoke in midweek, defended doggedly throughout and looked
dangerous on the counter-attack. "When you come to just two minutes from the
end, and it was 0-0, Arsenal almost did not create many chances, because we
defended well and played well, so we are very disappointed," said the
Israeli, who believes his side can escape the relegation zone. "We have
played a game against a very good team who just beat us in the last minutes,
so we can take a lot of positive things and also from many things which have
happened in the past week. "I don't want to talk about history, whether
things are possible or not possible. We are not in a situation where we
cannot do it - we can do it. "We need to win games, we have deserved to win
games and will try to do it in the next game [at Birmingham on Saturday]. We
are not yet in November, so we have time to do it. There are six or seven
months until the end of the season. "Even if we were in this situation in
April, I would not think it was the end of the world."
Grant added: "We are not in a good situation in the league, but we are in a
good situation with our performances so we need to take more points like we
deserve. "I really believe we can do it because the team have a good spirit
and it was an heroic performance today. We know the difference to us winning
games is not so big, so let's continue to fight. "The players are not giving
up, they are fighting, it is a good basis for the future."
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Hammers gutted by Lars place
The Sun
By MARK IRWIN
LARS JACOBSEN says West Ham need to fight for their lives if they are going
to escape from the foot of the table. The Danish full-back was devastated
after his team's cruel defeat and said: "This is the worst possible way to
lose. "We defended very well and Robert Green made some tremendous saves.
I really thought we were going to get a point and now we have to keep
fighting like that in our next game against Birmingham. "Sometimes, in the
past maybe, we didn't fight enough. "We sure did today and, though there is
now a bit of a gap at the bottom, we have to stay positive because we have
only lost two of our last seven games." Hammers are three points adrift at
the foot of the table but boss Avram Grant insisted: "If we keep playing as
well as this, we will not have any problems."
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