WHUFC.com
The club's promising youngsters will be looking to make it three straight
wins away to Portsmouth
25.11.2010
Tony Carr's Under-18s will look to make it three straight wins on Friday
when they go to Portsmouth in a rearranged fixture. The Academy side have
roared back to form this month with a 3-2 defeat of Chelsea followed by a
1-0 success against Arsenal last Saturday, while Pompey have themselves lost
three in a row. Carr's youngsters have hit the heights at the right time
with the FA Youth Cup third-round tie against Aldershot Town at the Boleyn
Ground fast approaching on Tuesday 7 December. Among those possibly in
action will be Dominic Vose, who celebrated his 17th birthday this week and
also signed his first contract with the club. Vose scored his first goal of
the season in the win against Chelsea. Also possibly on view will be
Australian striker Dylan Tombides, fresh from his reserves bow in midweek
and his winner against the Gunners last weekend.
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Tailor made from Apsley
WHUFC.com
West Ham United supporters are being given a special offer from club
partners Apsley
25.11.2010
West Ham United are delighted to bring a special offer to all Hammers fans
from the club's official tailors Apsley. Established in 1889, Apsley offers
luxury, handmade, bespoke tailoring of exceptional quality, in great speed
and for excellent value from showrooms on Pall Mall, London. Having teamed
up with the club to design, fit and supply the entire first-team squad with
bespoke suits and accessories for the 2010/11 season, you can also look the
part with ten per cent discount off your first purchase. Simply download and
print the special leaflet* by clicking here and take it to the Apsley
showroom. You can select from a wide fabric range, including the finest of
Scabal, Holland & Sherry and Ermenegildo Zegna. For any corporate guests at
the Wigan Athletic match on Saturday, the club's official tailors will be
located in Box 257 and will be on hand to offer a full free consultation
with expert staff - so please feel free to drop in to meet and greet the
tailor and his team.
Apsley's service includes:
* Full consultation with expert staff
* A minimum of two fittings with resident old-world tailors
* Meticulously hand crafted suits ready within four to six weeks
All in all, there is a great range of bespoke suits and shirts to choose
from, with Apsley available to commission for weddings and all other special
occasions.
For more information, visit www.apsleytailors.com.
*Terms & conditions: valid until end May 2011. The discount is non
refundable. The promoter reserves the right to change this offer at anytime.
Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.
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Olympic Stadium update
WHUFC.com
Newham Council have again endorsed the club's proposals for the legacy of
the 2012 Stadium.
24.11.2010
West Ham United have welcomed the latest backing from the club's Olympic
Stadium legacy partners Newham Council. Newham has reiterated its commitment
to securing the best community, regeneration and sporting legacy for
residents from the 2012 Games. Councillors agreed on Tuesday that
negotiations should continue between the club, the council, the Olympic Park
Legacy Company and the government over proposals for the Olympic Stadium in
Stratford. Deputy Mayor Cllr Andrew Baikie said: "The Olympic Stadium must
produce the best community and regeneration benefits legacy for the people
of Newham. "It needs to be a centre of sport, culture and education. It
needs to generate much-needed employment and make for a healthier East
London by increasing sports and physical activity. It needs a permanent
tenant like West Ham United to make sure this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
to create a real, life-changing legacy is not missed."
The relocation of West Ham United to the Olympic venue would also offer the
opportunity for the current Boleyn Ground stadium site in Upton Park to form
part of a regeneration scheme that would include new homes, shops and
community facilities. West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren Brady said: "We
welcome Newham Council's continued support as underlined at last night's
full council meeting. Ours is the natural and logical solution for the
legacy of the 2012 Olympic Stadium. "As we have said, working together with
our partners we will help guarantee the 2012 Games deliver the greatest
legacy. We will create a busy and vibrant stadium. There will be no white
elephant and we welcome Sir Keith Mills' acknowledgement of the strength of
our proposal."
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Oi, Rays yer game Hammers
The Sun
Published: Today
RAY WINSTONE has branded West Ham's flops 'a disgrace'. The hardman actor,
an ardent Hammers fan, also accused Avram Grant's rock-bottom team of having
no heart and not caring about the club. In a radio interview with talkSPORT,
Winstone said: "I saw the Liverpool game and it was a disgrace. Carlton Cole
was walking. "I don't want to see that. I want to see a centre-forward run.
I want to see him go for the ball. "But the players were lethargic and had
no heart. They were beaten before they went on. "They don't care. Mark Noble
run his guts out and without Rob Green in goal we would have got done 7-0."
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Wonderkids hope to go father
The Sun
CHARLIE WYETT -
Published: Today
WEST HAM are known as The Academy for a very good reason. While the club's
first team languishes at the foot of the Premier League, its youth system
continues to produce top prospects. Most unusually of all, three of West
Ham's current crop of youngsters have one thing in common - their dads all
played at Upton Park. John Moncur, Steve Potts and Rob Lee have always had
strong ties with the club and they have endured through their sons. So the
names on the lips of many Hammers fans could soon be George Moncur, Danny
Potts and Olly Lee - with all three playing in exactly the same positions as
their fathers. Full-back Potts, 16, is a first-year scholar who has
successfully fought leukaemia. He said: "I started playing football as a
youngster just as dad's career was coming to an end. But whenever we
returned to watch games he was always mobbed as not too many players have
only one club. "It would mean so much to make the West Ham first team. Dad
is now a black cabbie but still gives me a lot of advice."
Second-year pro Lee, 19, has twice been on the bench for West Ham's first
team. He said: "I used to watch my dad at Newcastle but he was a West Ham
boy, so it was no surprise that we moved back here and he played at Upton
Park for one season. Dad was the one player I looked up to." Moncur, 17,
said: "I started at Tottenham, just like dad, before coming to West Ham. But
I've always been West Ham and made my debut for England Under-18s last
week."
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Wally : give me ups not downes
The Sun
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: Today
WALLY DOWNES kicked off his West Ham career yesterday by telling the squad:
Treat goals like gold dust. The Hammers have blown a lead in three recent
matches and are rooted to the foot of the Premier League table. New coach
Downes, 49, joined in a kickabout in his first training session as part of
boss Avram Grant's backroom staff. And the former Brentford manager said:
"Bad teams don't get into winning positions. "West Ham have been in front
three times and then let it slip. "You have to be good even to get in front
in this league. They have done that bit, then failed to close the match off.
That needs to be worked on."
West Ham ended up with two points instead of nine against Birmingham,
Newcastle and West Brom. Downes added: "The team has to learn to be more
clinical, ruthless. "Once they get a goal they should treat it like gold
dust. The players need to have confidence in themselves they can do it."
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Wigan skipper could play in West Ham six-pointer
Published 16:06 25/11/10 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez is hopeful club captain Gary Caldwell will be
fit for Saturday's crucial Barclays Premier League clash at West Ham.
The Scotland international missed last weekend's defeat at Manchester United
with a thigh injury. Wigan feared the 28-year-old former Celtic player could
be out for up to six weeks but the problem has not proved as serious as
first thought. Martinez said: "We never expected him to have any chance but
as it stands he probably has a small chance of being involved. "It is not a
surprise knowing Gary, the way he looks after himself. "Those little niggles
that for certain players could be three, four or five weeks out, for Gary it
is only a short period." Caldwell has made only four league appearances this
season after missing the start of the campaign as a result of double hip
surgery in the summer. A return for Saturday's bottom-three encounter at
Upton Park would give the Latics a lift with Emmerson Boyce and James
McCarthy out injured and Hugo Rodallega and Antolin Alcaraz suspended.
McCarthy is on course to return towards the end of January after undergoing
ankle surgery earlier this month. The 19-year-old Republic of Ireland
international was injured in a tackle from Bolton's Fabrice Muamba in
October. McCarthy said: "He is starting to put the weight on his ankle and
he is progressing really well. "From next week he will probably be able to
put 80% of the weight on it and from then on it is going to be a lot easier.
"The surgery was a real success and everything up to this point has been as
we expected, if not better. "He is a really fit boy and is looking after his
body. He is going to get the rewards real soon."
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Double fitness boost lifts hapless Hammers
Published 23:00 25/11/10 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
West Ham are hoping to receive a double midfield boost with Scott Parker and
Valon Behrami back for the must-win game against Wigan tomorrow.
Parker has been outstanding this season but was forced to miss the 3-0
defeat to Liverpool with a chest infection. The midfielder was badly missed
as the Hammers produced a dire display at Anfield and lacked any kind of
leadership in the team. Former Chelsea man Parker has resumed training this
week and is set to make an immediate return in a game which is being billed
as 'save our season' by the West Ham board. Behrami is also set to be named
in the starting line-up after missing the last three games with a hip
injury. But manager Avram Grant will be missing Mark Noble for the next five
weeks, after the young midfielder suffered a hip injury in the final minute
of their defeat at Liverpool last weekend.
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West Ham United - Wigan Athletic Preview: Scott Parker and Kieron Dyer set
to return for 'save our season' match
By Oliver Yew
Goal.com
Scott Parker could return after missing the 3-0 defeat against Liverpool
with a virus but Avram Grant could be without Mark Noble after the
midfielder suffered a leg injury at Anfield. West Ham will also be without
long term casualties Manuel da Costa (ankle), Jack Collison (knee), Thomas
Hitzlsperger (thigh), Anthony Edgar and Peter Kurucz (both knee). But Grant
will be boosted by the return of Valon Behrami and Kieron Dyer in midfield.
Possible starting XI: Green; Spector, Gabbidon, Upson, Illunga; Behrami,
Kovac, Parker; Dyer, Cole, Piquionne.
Wigan Athletic
Roberto Martinez is hopeful club captain Gary Caldwell could be fit to make
a surprise return to the starting line-up at Upton Park, three weeks ahead
of schedule. But Wigan will still be without injured duo Emmerson Boyce
(hamstring) and James McCarthy (ankle). The Latics will also be without
suspended duo Hugo Rodallega and Antolin Alcaraz.
Possible starting XI: Al Habsi; Gohouri, G Caldwell, S Caldwell, Figueroa;
Stam, Diame, Thomas, Gomez, N'Zogbia; Di Santo.
Save our season
Desperate times call for desperate measures and at Upton Park these really
are desperate times. With only one win all season and only nine points to
their name, West Ham prop up the Premier League table. For a club surrounded
in the history of West Ham it is not good enough and this fact is know by
fans, players, management and directors alike. So much so that Saturday's
match against relegation rivals Wigan has been branded the 'save our season'
match. But it is not as easy as cutting ticket prices to generate an
intimidating atmosphere at the Boleyn Ground, Avram Grant has to get a
performance from his players and they in turn have to play the match of
their lives against Roberto Martinez's men. History is on the Hammers' side
as last season they were thrashed by Liverpool but in their next game beat
Wigan to help gurantee their survival in the league. But this season the
pressure is telling on Avram Grant and his team, so much so that his
assistant manager Zeljko Petrovic was sacked following the side's poor run
of form. There has also been player unrest this week, so if Grant is going
to last in his job beyond the weekend he needs a win. A win will not even
take the Hammers out of the drop zone but anything other than that will
create clear daylight between the bottom club and Wigan in 18th.
Avoiding the drop
Meanwhile, Wigan will be hoping to climb out of the relegation places with a
win. The Latics will be hopeful of a win against the struggling Hammers but
Martinez's side have had their own problems on the road. They have won only
once on their travels and without the suspended Hugo Rodallega they could
find it difficult to breach Robert Green. But whatever happens on Saturday,
we do know there will be an intimidating atmosphere awaiting Wigan and how
they deal with it could decide the outcome of the game.
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West Ham United v Wigan Athletic: match preview
Read a full match preview of the Premier League game between West Ham United
and Wigan Athletic at Upton Park on Saturday Nov 27 2010, kick-off 15:00
GMT.
West Ham United manager Avram Grant Photo: ACTION IMAGES
By John Ley 6:00AM GMT 26 Nov 2010
Saturday, November 27
West Ham United v Wigan Athletic
Upton Park
Kick-off: 15.00 GMT
TV: Highlights, BBC1 Match of the Day.
West Ham United (Probable, 4-3-3): Green; Jacobsen, Upson, Gabbidon, Ilunga;
Kovac, Noble, Boa Morte; Piquionne, Cole, Obinna.
Wigan (Probable, 4-2-3-1): Al Habsi; Stam, Gohouri, S Caldwell, Figueroa;
Thomas, Diame; N'Zogbia, Gomez, Cleverley; Di Santo.
Referee: Mark Halsey. Matches: 8. R1 Y22.
Wigan Athletic v West Bromwich Albion: match preview26 Nov 2010
Tale of the game
Last season, in April, West Ham lost 3-0 at Liverpool before beating Wigan
3-2 at Upton Park, a victory that effectively saved the Hammers from
relegation. Following the 3-0 defeat at Anfield last Saturday, hopes are
high that they can repeat the victory.
But Scott Parker, whose winner earned them the win last season, is a doubt
after missing the defeat at Liverpool with illness. By their own admission,
this is a 'must win' game for West Ham with the pressure of manager Avram
Grant. If West Ham lose, or even draw, the Israeli's position could be under
threat. His assistant manager, Zelijko Petrovic, has already been sacked.
West Ham's results have been poor: they have won just once, against Spurs in
September. Since then they have played eight games, though they have lost
only three of those eight, drawing the remaining five. Manuel da Costa
(ankle) and Valon Behrami (hip) are also doubts for West Ham, while Jack
Collison, Zavon Hines, Peter Kurucz and Thomas Hitzlsperger are long-term
absentees.
Wigan, though, are under strength with both Antolin Alcaraz and Hugo
Rodallega suspended following their red cards during the 2-0 defeat at
Manchester United. With Gary Caldwell also missing, Wigan are short on
defenders. But Tom Cleverely, ineligible against his former club at Old
Trafford, is available.
Last season: Wigan 1 West Ham 0, West Ham 3 Wigan 2.
Stat of the game: West Ham (11) and Wigan (10) are the too lowest scorers in
the Premier League.
Betting tip: Sorry Hammers. Go for a 0-0 draw, at 11-1.
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HAMMERS JOIN VILLAINS' CHASE FOR £2.5M RATED BRAZILIAN STAR
Date: 25th November 2010 at 11:55 am
Author: Matt Visser
FootballTransferTavern.com
A couple of days ago it emerged on french radio that Gerard Houllier was
considering a £2.5million swoop for Brazilian free kick specialist Juninho
Pernambucano. However, West Ham can't buy a win at the moment and they are
desperate to strengthen their squad in January and the possibility that
Juninho will be available has put boss Avram Grant on red alert. The
35-year-old has been playing big money football for Al-Gharrafa in Qatar but
is now keen on a move back to Europe. Proof money can't always buy
happiness. Villa will certainly be favourites to land the Brazilian veteran
midfielder, given Houllier's time managing the player at Lyon, but interest
from West Ham could spark a potential bidding war. Financial constraints at
Upton Park will certainly dictate the extent to which either club may go,
potentially leaving the Brazilian with two straight options. Everyman and
his dog would probably anticipate Juninho to join Villa, but lack of assured
first team football may swing it for West Ham. Though, I'm sure the
Brazilian wouldn't want to finish off his career in the Championship and it
would take a lot of persuading to make somebody think otherwise given the
Hammers languish 5 points adrift at the foot of the table. Which ever club
he goes to though, I can see him having a positive impact, like that of an
aged Juninho Paulista or Youri Djorkaeff. It would be an exciting prospect
to see the Brazilian grace the prem and I sincerely hope he does. I can't
wait for January.
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Machiavelli eat your heart out
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 25th November 2010
By: Lee Byron
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that Gold and Suillivan are shrewd
businessmen. They may not be great football club owners, but they sure know
how to manipulate their position as one. This was obvious in their campaign
to buy the club (well a percentage stake anyway) otherwise how else would
they beat out much richer competitors? Again they proved their mettle as
businessmen by the way they handled the Zola departure without being fully
out of pocket. Now with this much touted, must win game coming up this
Saturday against Wigan, the two Davids have lined up their chess pieces for
a win win situation for them. Consider this. Grant is not performing as the
coach/manager of our team. The feeling among most of us is that any change
is better than this. We already have our savior in mind, and if the worst
case scenario happens and we go down this season, I'd rather go down
fighting with our hearts on our sleeves with Paulo at the helm, than cough
and splutter towards impending doom with Grant. I can imagine that even if
Paulo is not in the thoughts of Gollivan, then another replacement has
already been discussed, even if it is just a backup plan. So what better way
to save millions in a severance payment than to embarrass old toad face into
resigning if things don't go well this Saturday. How will they do this?
Well, have as a guest of honour the person the majority of the supporters
want to replace him. If we're not convincingly leading by the time the
twenty minute mark comes, then Paulo's name will be reverberating around the
Boleyn Ground, while Grant sits in the dugout wishing a bigger hole than the
one we're in opens up and swallows him; all this while Paulo watches on from
his own Suite 50 feet above him.
If we don't win convincingly, you can imagine Gold and Sullivan will be
pressurizing Grant to resign, with the boos still ringing in his ears, and
Paulo's name following him down the tunnel. I'm not a great fan of Gold and
Sullivan for the simple reason they meddle in football affairs. I'd have
more respect for them if they stuck to what they are, astute businessmen.
But I have to take my hat off to them with the set up this Saturday. If
they were truly behind Avram, they would have politely postponed Paulo's
visit to Upton Park for the time being, but they are who they are. And even
though I would keep Avram for at least another game in exchange for us
getting 3 points this weekend, if we fail to achieve that, well, Machiavelli
eat your heart out!
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Carlton Cole Plays a Dangerous Game with Attacks on West Ham
Fanhouse.co.uk
25/11/2010 6:18 AM GMT By Matt Butler
Hear that sound? That's one more wheel falling off West Ham's season. Or
another nail going into their coffin. Whatever the metaphor, Carlton Cole's
outburst is the reason for it. Striker Cole has given an insight into what
the players really think of Avram Grant by telling all and sundry that the
Israeli's tactics leave a lot to be desired. Cole was speaking after the
3-0 loss to Liverpool, in which West Ham were as bad as anybody had seen all
season – and led to the Upton Park board to flag the following home fixture
against Wigan as the "save our season" game. You could tell he was unhappy –
people tend not to use words like "diabolical", "starvation" and "deflated"
if things are rosy in their world. His summation of the game and Grant's
tactics went thus: "That was diabolical. We didn't even turn up. We had lost
the game in the first 10 minutes, psychologically anyway. I had just one
cross. Apart from that I had nothing and, as a striker, that's starvation,
that's famine. What am I supposed to work on?"
So far, so annoyed. Players criticising team mates is not uncommon. But then
Cole went a step further, attacking their tactics and therefore Grant, the
man responsible. He added: "The game plan was for me to stay as the longest
person away from everybody and try to hit me on the diagonal or something
but we weren't even doing that. So that went out of the window and we didn't
have a Plan B. "When we changed to 4-4-2 in the second half, I felt more
comfortable because someone was up there with me and I felt that we were
starting to get on the ball a little more, but then I got taken off and I
was like, OK, that's not what they want me to do."
Dangerous stuff – talk that is likely to end with Cole on the subs' bench
for the rest of the campaign, if he is lucky. And that is before the rest of
the squad digests Cole's comments. And he'd better hope they agree with him.
Some of Cole's attack could be seen as sour grapes, as he has struggled to
convince Grant he is worthy of a permanent place in the starting line-up.
It started well enough for the England striker, as he played all but three
minutes of West Ham's first five league games. But then he was demoted to
the bench for the next three. In fact since the middle of September he has
played a full 90 minutes just once.
Even is he is frustrated at his own lack of form – as strikers are wont to
be in times of trouble, as their form often reflects that of the team – to
publicly denigrate the manager's tactics is rash. His motivation could be
so that he can engineer a move away from Upton Park in January and therefore
hope the second half of the season puts him in contention for a regular
England spot – or at least keeps him in the Premier League. But whatever
Cole's motives are, you can bank on West Ham being down to the bare bones –
to borrow a former Upton Park manager's phrase – before Grant gives him
another chance to add to his single goal this season.
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Is it a Matter of Caring?
West Ham Till I Die
Celebrity West Ham fan, Ray Winstone, in an interview on Talk Sport has
questioned whether the West Ham players care enough about the club's plight?
I am sure that echoes with what a lot of fans think, even if they do not
openly state it. Go on to U-Tube and watch one of the numerous old clips of
warriors such Billy Bonds, Alvin Martin, Ray Stewart, Geoff Pike and Patsy
Holland and compare it with the commitment shown by most of the current
crop. Perhaps he does have a point?
Of course this accusation does not apply to the whole squad. Who would
doubt the commitment of Scott Parker or Mark Noble? But, generally, has Ray
Winstone hit upon a major contributing factor in our under performance this
season?
It appears that Wally Downes has been appointed as the club's new defensive
coach. When I mooted, some time ago, that a specialist defensive coach was
required, not all fans agreed. So, is this a good appointment? Or is it a
move deemed necessary to compensate for the failings of the current
managerial and coaching set up? Is Wally Downes a good appointment, both
in terms of his knowledge and background and the fact that he brings a bit
of personality in to the coaching team?
Carlton Cole has apparently broken ranks and criticised the tactics employed
against Liverpool. He has also suggested that West Ham need to drop the
pretty stuff and take a more gritty, robaust approach to ensure survival.
Does his criticism increase the pressure on Avaram Grant and is it an
indicator of the level of discontent currently, simmering below the
surface,within the squad? Should West Ham try to play their way out of
trouble or is he right to suggest that a more direct and gritty approach is
needed to escape the relegation zone?
Saturday's match is billed as 'Save Our Season.' If we fail to beat Wigan,
will the owners bring in a new manager? Can the owners afford to make a
change and, by doing so, by implication admit that they made the wrong
appointment in the summer? Can they afford not to in the current
circumstances? If they do 'bite the bullet' and go for the change, can they
attract someone of sufficient qualityand experience to make a difference?
So much for the Socratic method, please discuss!
SJ. Chandos.
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Oh , and finally , here's a headline from the Mirror... just to show what a
c**k Redknapp is...
"Redknapp hails William Gallas the new Bobby Moore as Spurs cruise through
against Weder Bremen"
Gallas , the same player who threw his toys at Arsenal when they lost ,
staged a sit down one man strike on the pitch.... ??? not fit to lace
Moore's boots.
PeterR
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Please donate to my sisters Kenyan Cycle ride for Women v Cancer
http://www.justgiving.com/sandhy-cycles-kenya
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