WHUFC.com
All the early team news and background for Saturday's showdown at the Boleyn
Ground
26.11.2010
West Ham United v Wigan Athletic
Barclays Premier League
Boleyn Ground
Saturday 27 November 2010
3pm
Referee: Mark Halsey
Introduction
• West Ham United welcome Wigan Athletic searching for a much-needed first
win in eight Barclays Premier League matches since a 1-0 defeat of Tottenham
Hotspur on 25 September. Wigan have one just once in seven top-flight
outings.
• The Hammers have actually only lost three times in a dozen matches in all
competitions - including away days at Arsenal and Liverpool.
• The Hammers were 3-2 winners in a survival battle against Wigan Athletic
in this fixture last season on 24 April 2010. Then, as now, it came seven
days after a 3-0 defeat at Liverpool without Scott Parker. The Hammer of the
Year's absence at Anfield last Saturday was his first match missed since
that previous day at the Reds.
• Wigan are the only club that West Ham have faced in each of the last seven
seasons, as they were also in the Championship in 2003/04 and 2004/05 before
gaining promotion to the top-flight alongside the Hammers in May 2005.
• This is the 15th league meeting between the two sides. West Ham have won
seven, Wigan have won five and there have been two draws.
• There has never been a goalless draw between the clubs.
Last time out
Saturday 20 November 2010
Barclays Premier League
Liverpool 3-0 West Ham United
West Ham United: Green, Gabbidon, Jacobsen, Upson, Ilunga (Tomkins 76),
Kovac, Noble, Boa Morte, Piquionne, Cole (McCarthy 69), Obinna (Barrera 45)
Subs not used: Stech, Spector, Reid, Nouble
Saturday 20 November 2010
Barclays Premier League
Manchester United 2-0 Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic: Al Habsi, Gohouri, Stam (Di Santo 80), Figueroa, Alcaraz
(sent off 59), Caldwell, N'Zogbia (McArthur 80), Diame, Gomez (Moses 58),
Thomas, Rodallega (sent off 61)
Subs not used: Pollitt, Watson, Boselli, McManaman
Last meeting
Last season's meeting at the Boleyn Ground was arguably the most memorable
match of the Hammers' campaign. Scott Parker hit the decisive goal on 77
minutes to settle a five-goal thriller. Jonathan Spector scored an own goal
on four minutes before Ilan's headed equaliser on 31 minutes. Radoslav Kovac
put the Hammers in front on the stroke of half-time before Hugo Rodallega's
52nd-minute goal.
West Ham United: Green, Upson, Spector, Da Costa, Parker, Kovac, Noble
(Daprela 89), Behrami, Faubert, Cole, Ilan (Franco 71)
Subs not used: Kurucz, Gabbidon, Diamanti, Stanislas, McCarthy
Wigan Athletic: Kirkland, Bramble, Caldwell, Melchiot, Figueroa, Watson,
N'Zogbia (Scharner 89), Diame (Scotland 89), McCarthy, Rodallega, Moreno
(Moses 38)
Subs not used: Stojkovic, Gohouri, Sinclair, Boyce
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
24 April 2010 - West Ham United 3-2 Wigan Athletic
12 September 2009 - Wigan Athletic 1-0 West Ham United
4 March 2009 - Wigan Athletic 0-1 West Ham United
16 August 2008 - West Ham United 2-1 Wigan Athletic
2 February 2008 - Wigan Athletic 1-0 West Ham United
25 August 2007 - West Ham United 1-1 Wigan Athletic
Overall record v Wigan Athletic (all competitions) W 9 D 2 L 5
Ten-year 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 to Premier League via
play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
2002/03 Premier League 18th (42 points - relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th (53 points)
2000/01 Premier League 15th (42 points)
Wigan Athletic
2009/10 Premier League 16th (36 points)
2008/09 Premier League 11th (45 points)
2007/08 Premier League 14th (40 points)
2006/07 Premier League 16th (38 points)
2005/06 Premier League 10th (51 points)
2004/05 Championship 2nd (87 points - promoted to Premier League)
2003/04 Championship 7th (71 points)
2002/03 League One 1st (100 points - promoted to Championship)
2001/02 Championship 10th (64 points)
2000/01 Championship 6th (75 points)
Referee
• Saturday's referee will be Mark Halsey
• He played semi-professional football for Barnet and St Albans City in the
1980s before becoming a referee in the early 1990s. At the time, he would
continue to train with Barnet and later Potters Bar in order to maintain his
fitness.
• Halsey was the referee for the 2007 Community Shield between Chelsea and
Manchester United and the 2008 Carling Cup final contested by Chelsea and
Tottenham Hotspur.
• Although this is his first Hammers match of the season, Halsey took charge
of Wigan's 4-0 opening-day defeat at home to Blackpool and 2-2 draw at
Newcastle United on 16 October.
West Ham United
• Carlton Cole, with one goal so far this campaign, made his 100th start for
West Ham United in all competitions at Anfield last week.
• No Barclays Premier League player has had more shots without scoring this
season than Victor Obinna (39).
• No team has been caught offside more than West Ham this season with the
Hammers falling foul of the referee's assistant on 48 occasions.
• Radoslav Kovac, a scorer in that 3-2 win last season, will celebrate his
31st birthday on Saturday.
Wigan Athletic
• Wigan have had more shots per goal than any other team (18.90) in the
top-flight this season.
• No team have scored fewer away goals this season than Wigan.
Team news
West Ham United
• Manager Avram Grant is definitely without Thomas Hitzlsperger (thigh) and
Jack Collison (knee). Collison is hoping to return around the turn of the
year, Hitzlsperger has a February comeback date having had surgery on his
torn muscle.
• Manuel da Costa has had surgery a fortnight ago on an ankle injury and is
likely to be missing for up to three months as a result of the problem,
which followed a late Cesc Fabregas foul away to Arsenal.
• Mark Noble has been ruled out for the rest of the year with a hip injury
suffered in the last minute at Anfield. Kieron Dyer will also miss out on
Saturday as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
• All other members of the squad could potentially be involved.
• Scott Parker is hoping to be back from a chest infection that cost him his
place at Liverpool last season.
• Zavon Hines played 70 minutes for the reserves in the goalless draw at
Aston Villa on Monday, his second run-out in a week.
• Robert Green will hope to maintain his ever-present record this season in
the Barclays Premier League. Green is on a run of 140 consecutive league
starts for the club. Frederic Piquionne is the only other player to have
featured in all 14 top-flight games this campaign.
• Tal Ben Haim, Junior Stanislas, Junior Faubert and Valon Behrami have all
been working hard to return to fitness at Chadwell Heath this week.
• Freddie Sears has extended his loan spell at Championship side Scunthorpe
United until 3 January 2011.
Wigan Athletic
• Hugo Rodallega and Antolin Alcararaz are both suspended after their red
cards at Old Trafford last Saturday. The latter was the only player to have
started their first 14 matches of the season. Hendry Thomas, Rodallega,
Ronnie Stam and Mohamed Diame have all featured in every match so far.
• Goalkeeper Chris Kirkland has joined Leicester City on loan.
• Wigan are also set to be without Emmerson Boyce and Jamie McCarthy. Gary
Caldwell may recover from injury to feature, however.
Old boys
• Among the players who have represented both clubs are Roy Carroll, Henri
Camara and Bill Wade.
Next up
Both teams are in Carling Cup quarter-final action on Tuesday. West Ham
United welcome Manchester United to the Boleyn Ground, while Wigan Athletic
travel to Arsenal.
General information
• For ticket information, click here.
• Saturday's weather forecast in east London is for a cold day with some
sunshine. Temperatures will peak around the 3C mark.
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Avram on Friday
WHUFC.com
The manager looks ahead to the weekend fixture with Wigan Athletic - a vital
game at the Boleyn Ground
26.11.2010
The manager is up for the return to action on Saturday afternoon and eager
to put the disappointment of last Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Liverpool firmly
in the past. He remains concerned about the fitness of Scott Parker, Valon
Behrami and Kieron Dyer - but hopes to have extra midfield help to make up
for Mark Noble's hip injury for the crunch encounter with Wigan Athletic.
Avram on Parker, Behrami and Dyer...
They are all better but we will know tomorrow morning if they can play.
Everybody wants to play and are trying their best but we need to see if they
can.
Avram on Carlton Cole speaking out...
I do not say to the media what I say to the players. What I want to say to
the players, I say to them. It's an understatement that we played a bad game
against Liverpool but we played well in the last two months since we lost to
Newcastle. Sometimes it happens. We are not the first team to concede three
goals.
Avram on considering 'ugly football'...
We will not play ugly or put the ball in the stand. We cannot do it. That's
not the tradition of West Ham. However, I believe that sometimes when the
game is not going well, we need to do different things especially when we
are winning.
Avram on the importance of Saturday...
Every game is important for us. We want to win the game but even if we win
we've got a long way to go until we are saved. But I believe we will do it
because we can do it. So it is an important game on Saturday. Confidence is
never high when you are at the bottom of the league, especially after the
game against Liverpool which was really a bad game for us. I never think
about myself. I need to do my job and I did it last week like I did all my
life. Since I came to England or since I am in football, there were a lot of
times that I felt pressure from different angles. We will use the pressure
in the right way to get out of the relegation zone and be a good team. The
problem is if we can do it or we cannot do it. I believe we can because I am
not just looking at the last game against Liverpool.
Avram on Board support...
It is a good support from the Board, we like it. I spoke to them. We had a
few meetings this week as always, they were very supportive. Everyone want
to take more points, but nobody wants it more than me.
Avram on affection for West Ham...
Since the first minute I have felt this is my club, especially when I am
here in this situation. This club will have a good future if we do the right
things. I'm saying this now even when we are at the bottom of the league.
But first we want to win and we can do it, that is what it is important. I
understand when you ask me about the past, but we are looking to the future.
Avram on Wally Downes' influence...
No one can change things in two days. He is very good. Football is going
towards specialist coaching in the different areas. Every position is
different in terms of the physical, mental and tactical sides. I interviewed
many people. I liked Wally very much because he has a lot of energy, he
understands his job and he's got a lot of enthusiasm. I am sure that he will
do a good job.
Avram on West Ham in a false position...
I am sure about that. I know that there is no such thing as 'deserving to
win' but I am not just looking at the last game. If we look at the previous
eleven or twelve games we had lost just twice and all the draws we deserved
to win.
Nobody can say in those games that the football or the tactics were not good
or that players didn't give 100 per cent because they always did. We just
needed little bit of luck. We will fight and I can promise that they will
fight and we will do everything take the points and take West Ham forward
The situation is not easy now also but why think about losing against Wigan?
We are positive and we want to win this game.
Avram on fans....
Even the biggest teams sometimes can't score after 45 minutes so we need the
support of the crowd to stay with us. The supporters are always very good
but sometimes they are a bit impatient. We need them with us until the end
of the match. They are great, we feel them behind us and that's what it
important. I also understand them, because they are frustrated. They are not
a problem. They are good for us.
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Downes looking up
WHUFC.com
In his first televised interview since joining the club, Wally Downes talks
about what he expects to find at West Ham
26.11.2010
Wally Downes has made a quick impression at West Ham United and is fired up
for Saturday's meeting with Wigan Athletic. The new addition to the coaching
staff has been working with the players in the lead up to the crunch Boleyn
Ground fixture. The 49-year-old has plenty of experience as a player and
coach, and had already been reviewing the club's performances of late before
coming in. "Initially Avram asked me to have a look at a few of the goals
that have gone in recently and where it could be different," he told WHUTV.
"Basically It is easy to organise and tighten up a defence more than it is
to put the attacking philosophies into the players."
With only two days for him to work at Chadwell Heath this week, Downes has
focused on having an instant impact. "You can make a short sharp difference
with some structural stuff with defenders, give them a bit of attitude and
aggression. "I went up to Liverpool. Although it was a bad performance it no
way reflected the way the team has been playing recently. The amount of
games the team has been in front of and could have won, there is obviously a
disappointment that builds up and that culminated in the Liverpool
performance. That has gone now though. "There is a chance to push on for
Saturday and with the fans behind everyone, I am sure the players will be up
for it. It is a great time to wipe the slate clean. It's about aggression
and a will to win. It is about the players and making sure they are on the
front foot."
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Injured Mark Noble out for West Ham until new year
By Frank Keogh
BBC.co.uk
West Ham midfielder Mark Noble is set to be out of action until the new
year. Noble, 23, returned earlier in November 12 days after an appendix
operation but suffered an injury near his hip in Saturday's 3-0 loss to
Liverpool. His latest spell out is another blow for the injury-hit Hammers,
who are bottom of the Premier League table and five points off safety. The
home match against Wigan on Saturday has been billed as a 'save our season'
game by the club's board. West Ham are already without midfielders Thomas
Hitzlsperger and Jack Collison, who have still to feature this season as
they recover from long-term injuries. Noble, the Hammers' longest-serving
player, was the only recognised central midfielder selected for the match at
Anfield. He has started 12 Premier League games this season and been praised
by manager Avram Grant for his contributions. The former England Under-21
international has scored twice, netting penalties against Bolton and Wolves.
It is unclear exactly how long Noble will be out for, although it is hoped
he will be back playing in early January.
Meanwhile, Grant hopes the influential Scott Parker - who missed the defeat
at Liverpool with a virus - and Valon Behrami will be available for
selection at Upton Park on Saturday. In an effort to ensure the match
against 18th-placed Wigan is a sell-out, the remaining 5,000 adult tickets
were sold at a discount price of £20 each. The Hammers host Manchester
United in a Carling Cup quarter-final on Tuesday.
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West Ham v Wigan
BBC.co.uk
Barclays Premier League
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 27 November Kick-off: 1500 GMT
Coverage: Watch highlights on Match of the Day; listen on BBC Radio 5 live
and local radio; text commentary on BBC Sport website and mobiles
West Ham hope to welcome back captain Scott Parker from a chest infection.
Fellow midfielders Valon Behrami and Kieron Dyer will have their respective
hip and hamstring injuries assessed.
Wigan will be without suspended duo Hugo Rodallega and Antolin Alcaraz
following their red cards at Manchester United last weekend. Gary Caldwell
may return from a thigh injury, while on-loan Tom Cleverley is back after
missing the game against parent club United.
West Ham
Doubtful: Behrami (hip), Dyer (hamstring), Parker (chest infection)
Injured: Ben Haim (foot), Collison & Kurucz (both knee), Da Costa (ankle),
Hitzlsperger (thigh), Noble (leg), Stanislas (groin)
Wigan
Suspended: Alcaraz (one match), Rodallega (three matches)
Doubtful: G Caldwell (thigh)
Injured: Boyce (hamstring), McCarthy (ankle)
MATCH PREVIEW
The distress signal has gone out and the message is clear: 'save our season'
is the cry from the West Ham board as the Premier League's bottom club host
fellow strugglers Wigan on Saturday. The board has designated this match the
'save our season game'...
With nearly two thirds of the season remaining, the board's very public
'SOS' may seem a drastic measure, but these are drastic times at Upton Park.
The Hammers are propping up the league after winning just one of their 14
matches, and are five points adrift of third-from-bottom Wigan. The board
insist Avram Grant's position as manager is safe, but they clearly feel he
needs all the help he can get. Out goes assistant manager Zeljko Petrovic,
in comes former Brentford boss Wally Downes as a defensive coach, while
ticket prices have been slashed to encourage maximum support. Last season,
the Hammers bounced back from defeat at Liverpool to claim a dramatic
victory over Wigan that proved decisive in their fight to beat the drop. The
outcome of Saturday's match could prove an equally defining moment.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• West Ham have won three of their last four Premier League matches against
Wigan.
• Jonathan Spector has twice scored own goals while playing for West Ham
against Wigan at Upton Park.
West Ham
• Avram Grant has been at rock bottom for a year: he has not spent a single
day outside of the Premier League relegation zone since taking over at
Portsmouth on 26 November 2009. Portsmouth were never off the bottom, while
West Ham have only spent three weeks higher than 20th this season.
• The Hammers are without a win in their last eight Premier League matches.
Their sole victory in the league this season was 1-0 at home to Tottenham on
25 September.
• They have scored just five goals from open play, fewer than any other side
in the top flight.
Wigan
• Wigan have only won one of their last 14 Premier League away games.
• The Latics have the least effective attack in the division, with 10 goals
scored in 14 matches.
• According to Opta stats, the Latics have the lowest goals-to-shots ratio
in the Premier League this season (6.9%) and West Ham the second lowest
(7.5%).
LEADING GOALSCORERS
West Ham
Piquionne: 5 goals (4 league); Parker: 5 goals (3 league)
Wigan
Rodallega: 4 goals (4 league); N'Zogbia: 4 goals (3 league)
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Mark Halsey
Assistant referees: Simon Beck & Martin Yerby
Fourth official: Trevor Kettle
LAST LEAGUE MATCH LINE-UPS
West Ham (L0-3 v Liverpool, a): Green, Jacobsen, Gabbidon, Upson, Ilunga
(Tomkins 76), Piquionne, Noble, Kovac, Boa Morte, Obinna (Barrera 46), Cole
(McCarthy 69). Subs Not Used: Stech, Reid, Spector, Nouble.
Wigan (L0-2 v Man Utd, a): Al Habsi, Gohouri, Steven Caldwell, Alcaraz,
Figueroa, Stam (McArthur 80), Diame, Thomas, Gomez (Moses 58), N'Zogbia (Di
Santo 80), Rodallega. Subs Not Used: Pollitt, Watson, Boselli, McManaman.
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West Ham v Wigan preview
Must-win game for Hammers as Latics visit Upton Park
Last updated: 26th November 2010
SSN
PREDICTIONS:
Skysports.com prediction: West Ham 1 Wigan 1
SKYBET odds: West Ham evens, Draw 12/5, Wigan 11/4
One to watch: Carlton Cole
Pressure is building on West Ham manager Avram Grant ahead of the crunch
game with Wigan this weekend. With the Hammers struggling at the foot of the
Premier League table, a disappointing result at home to the Latics could
spell the end of the Israeli coach's time in charge of the club. There was
much pre-season optimism at Upton Park when Grant was handed the reins of
the East London outfit, but such positivity has faded into bleak pessimism
with West Ham five points adrift from safety. They can go two points behind
Wigan if they pick up a victory over Roberto Martinez's side, and it could
mark a turning point in what has been a woeful campaign to date. Last time
out the Hammers put in an abject display as they went down 3-0 at Liverpool,
and some away fans were seen leaving before the half-time whistle. It has
been a hectic week for the club as Wally Downes has been appointed defensive
coach, following the departure of former assistant Zeljko Petrovic. Petrovic
is rumoured to have been sacked by the club, although the former Yugoslavia
international has since insisted he left on his own terms. Whatever the
reason for his departure, it will be interesting to see whether Petrovic's
absence has a positive effect when the players take to the field on
Saturday. One potential glimmer of hope for West Ham could be taken from the
fact that when they lost 3-0 at Anfield last season in April, they went on
to beat Wigan 3-2 at home in their next game. It was a result that
effectively meant Gianfranco Zola's side were safe from relegation, and
Grant would love a repeat scoreline this weekend.
Team news
Scott Parker has been a rare shining light for the club this term, but the
midfielder missed the Liverpool defeat through illness and could still be
sidelined.
Meanwhile, fellow key man Mark Noble is thought to be out until January with
a hip problem. Manuel da Costa (ankle) and Valon Behrami (hip) are also
doubts, while Jack Collison, Zavon Hines, Peter Kurucz and Thomas
Hitzlsperger are long-term absentees for the Hammers.
Wigan pair Hugo Rodallega and Antolin Alcaraz are suspended for the trip to
the capital. Both players were sent off at Manchester United last week and
must serve three and one-match bans respectively. Defender Gary Caldwell has
an outside chance of returning from a thigh injury while on-loan Tom
Cleverley is back after missing the game against parent club United.
Emmerson Boyce (hamstring) and James McCarthy (ankle) remain on the
sidelines.
Veteran goalkeeper Mike Pollitt will be on the bench following Chris
Kirkland's loan move to Leicester.
Possible starting XIs:
West Ham: Green, Upson, Jacobsen, Gabbidon, Ilunga, Behrami, Kovac, Boa
Morte, Piquionne, Cole, Obinna.
Wigan: Al Habsi, Gohouri, S Caldwell, G Caldwell, Figueroa, Stam, Thomas,
Diame, Cleverley, N'Zogbia, Moses.
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Noble blow for Hammers
Midfielder ruled out until January with hip problem
Last updated: 26th November 2010
SSN
West Ham have suffered a blow with the news Mark Noble has been ruled out
until the New Year. Noble is facing over a month on the sidelines after
injuring his hip in last weekend's defeat at Liverpool. Noble joins the
likes of Thomas Hitzlspergerand Jack Collison on the sidelines, leaving
Avram Grant short of options in midfield. The 23-year-old made an unexpected
return to action against Liverpool just 12 days after undergoing appendix
surgery.
West Ham are hoping the influential midfielder will be back in January, but
he will miss the busy festive period. The injury is a major setback for
basement boys West Ham as they look to climb off the bottom of the table.
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Grant believes in Hammers
West Ham boss thinks troops can become a 'good' team
Last updated: 26th November 2010
SSN
Under-pressure West Ham manager Avram Grant believes his Premier League
strugglers can turn around their flagging season. Grant was brought in over
the summer as Gianfranco Zola's successor with the hope of improving the
club's fortunes. However, Grant's tenure has been a struggle, just as it was
for Zola, with the team languishing at the wrong end of the table. Grant has
seen and done it all before in the game and is not worried by pressure,
stating he believes his players can become a good team. West Ham entertain
Wigan this weekend and Grant is urging the home faithful to give their
heroes their full backing in order to help secure the points.
Pressure
"Since I have been in football, there have been a lot of times with pressure
from different angles," said Grant. "This, I think, can be a good pressure,
and I have told the players that if they take it in the right way, they can
go from the relegation zone to being a good team. "We need the support of
the crowd, and they are great, we can feel them behind us. "But sometimes
they are a bit impatient with a few players, and need to keep it to the end
of the game.
"I can understand them, because they have some frustrations, but can take
that as energy, so can the team."
Ugly
It has been suggested West Ham could ditch their traditional free-flowing
style in favour of less attractive football in order to try and win ugly.
Grant is unfamiliar with the expression and he doubts whether he will be
able to change his style of playing, although he concedes they need to try
new methods in order to achieve success. "I don't know what is ugly, that we
will not shave before?" continued Grant. "Or that we put the ball in the
stand? "We cannot do it, this is not the tradition of West Ham. It is not
something I believe in. "However, when the game is not going so well, we
need to do some different things, especially when we are winning."
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Downes wants clinical streak
Hammers coach wants defensive improvement
Last updated: 26th November 2010
SSN
New West Ham coach Wally Downes believes his team must defend leads better
if they are going to get out of trouble. The former Brentford boss was
appointed defensive coach at Upton Park earlier in the week following the
departure of assistant Zeljko Petrovic. Avram Grant's Hammers are currently
rock-bottom of the Premier League having only managed a measly nine points
so far this season. Downes is confident there is quality in the ranks, but
is adamant the players must learn to hold onto leads. "Bad teams don't get
into winning positions," he said in The Sun.
Gold dust
"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. "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." West Ham have a crunch game with Wigan in the league on
Saturday, and a win would see them go two points behind the Latics.
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Cole faces axe after own goal
The Sun
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: Today
CARLTON COLE could be axed today over his blast at West Ham boss Avram
Grant. The rebel striker is set to start on the bench against Wigan even
though Grant wants his stars to air their views. Cole, who has only one goal
this season, publicly blasted Grant's tactics in the 3-0 defeat at Liverpool
last week. Grant said: "I ask players to be honest - but privately in my
office. Carlton knows what I think about him."
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Boss Grant's SOS rap at board
The Sun
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: Today
AVRAM GRANT finally came out fighting last night by telling the West Ham
board to button it. The Hammers' hierarchy have piled even more pressure on
the beleaguered boss by billing today's cruncher with Wigan as Save Our
Season. Grant is clinging on to his job with the team nailed to the bottom
of the Premier League and five points adrift of today's visitors to Upton
Park. The whispering Israeli had his tactics slammed by his own players this
week and was forced to axe his assistant Zeljko Petrovic because of a rift
with the squad. But he had a clear message for chairmen David Gold and David
Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady for hyping up the game before a ball is
even kicked. Grant said: "Look, we have a long way to go. "After 14 games
there is still a long way. Nobody needs to tell us how important the game
is. "How people describe it will not change the fact we are playing at home
against a good team and we need to do everything to win. "If people say it
is Save Our Season or not Save Our Season, for us it is less important. "We
want to win the game. But even if we win we have a long way until we say,
which I believe we will, that we can do it. "But it is an important game.
Confidence cannot be so high when you are on the bottom of the league,
especially when you take the game against Liverpool, which was really,
really bad. "Karren Brady has been to the training ground this week, David
Gold came today. It is good support from the board. We like it. "We had a
few meetings like always, they are very supportive. Everybody wants more
points, but nobody more than me. "They are trying in every way to encourage
the supporters. I think for me it is not the case. "Inside we know it is a
very important game. The training has been very good this week. "The players
have good spirit. This is what is important to me - what happens on the
pitch, not what people have said or not said.
"I need to do my job, I have done it the last week like I have done all my
life. Since I've been in football, there have been a lot of times with
pressure from different angles. "This, I think, can be a good pressure and I
have told the players that if they take it in the right way, they can go
from the relegation zone to being a good team. "I believe we can do it
because I am not just looking at the last game against Liverpool - 90 per
cent of our matches have been good. "Even after 20 games, there is enough
time to do it. It is not easy of course, but it is possible. "Any gap,
especially at the bottom, can change."
Grant insists he gave his players a dressing down after last Saturday's
humiliating 3-0 defeat at Liverpool, which triggered striker Carlton Cole's
outburst over tactics. But he insists he will not sacrifice West Ham's
tradition of playing open football. He added: "We cannot do it. However,
when the game is not going so well, we need to do some different things,
especially when we are winning. "And I didn't count but I think it was many
times we have had bad luck with referees. "I'm not looking for sympathy and
I know nothing can be changed - our nine points will stay nine points - but
there have been too many cases."
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Karren Brady's football Diary
The Sun
KARREN BRADY - First lady of football
Email the author
Published: Today
SATURDAY, NOV 20
CHELSEA losing at Birmingham prompts wild speculation about manager Carlo
Ancelotti's job. What I find so weird about this is that, top or bottom, no
manager is exempt from the muck-stirring. I can understand why questions are
being asked of us at West Ham - after all we were a shambles in the first
half this evening at Liverpool as well. But surely if Ancelotti was going to
resign over the dismissal of Ray Wilkins then he would have done so at the
time.
Chelsea are missing their backbone, John Terry and Frank Lampard, although I
understand they played quite well. Anyway, there never was or will be a team
that doesn't go through a poor spell. And if Ancelotti's in a crisis, then
heaven knows what we're in at Upton Park.
SUNDAY, NOV 21
LUNCH today with a handful of football friends who are in London for
tonight's League Managers' Association dinner at the Hilton. As I arrive at
the restaurant one pulls up in his Aston Martin, his wife in the passenger
seat with a face like thunder. She storms out of the car, and hails a cab.
"Oh dear", I say. "In the doghouse again?" "Yes. I'm going away next week
and on the journey down I said 'Girl, I'll miss you'. 'Thanks', she said.
'Oh', I said, 'I forgot you were here. I was talking to the car'."
MONDAY, NOV 22
IN a contest to discover which nation's refs would strike first, most would
pick the French or Scottish. The Scots have won but surely the answer to
whatever their cause is would be to improve their refereeing. I'm fascinated
by Blackburn's takeover by Venky's, a company founded on poultry products.
Two of the Rao family, brothers Balaji and Venkatesh were at Rovers last
weekend. They are considering a name change for Ewood Park. I'll get no
marks for suggesting the Chicken Shack.
TUESDAY, NOV 23
STUNNED by promotion, Blackpool's board have not quite recovered their
senses if the Charlie Adam case is anything to go by. The Premier League
support the claim by midfielder Adam that he should be paid the
beat-the-drop bonus they agreed when Blackpool were in the Championship at
the start of last season. My only question is: Why ever not? Blackpool must
cough up to the whole team and manager Ian Holloway. But they should count
themselves lucky that (a) the league say Adam's contract was not breached
and (b) their players did not take their grouse on to the field.
WEDNESDAY, NOV 24
ONLY three women are among the 41 people named as the most influential
Londoners in sport. I'm pleased to be one of them but it seems women are
generally as shut out from dressing rooms as they are boardrooms. I'd like
to stick a boot through those glass ceilings. Today I'm explaining to sports
journalists why West Ham's bid for the Olympic Stadium is the tops. Spurs'
counter-bid is all but a mirage. A few months ago the London bid company's
chief executive Sir Keith Mills declared the athletics legacy at the stadium
had to be respected. Now the same man is saying it should be for football
only.
One change... Sir Keith is now a Spurs director.
THURSDAY, NOV 25
JOSE MOURINHO is a real heart-melter, all right. He pays tribute to Sir Alex
Ferguson, saying "He can go on for another 10 years," with such reverence he
could be the Special Son of the Man U manager. It's hard not to admire how
Ferguson is coaxing Wayne Rooney back into red and it says something about
how highly he regards him as a player because others such as David Beckham
and Paul McGrath, were booted out. Mourinho has similar ruthlessness. He
showed a little of it in the Real Madrid red-card trick on Tuesday.
FRIDAY, NOV 26
WE can do ourselves a big favour by beating Wigan this weekend. I've been in
football a while now and I know that rushing around in panic mode does not
help the team improve. Until David Sullivan and David Gold became the
owners, West Ham had been run like an offshoot of Lehman Brothers. Now it
isn't and we're rebuilding at every level. I'm well aware the only project
that really matters to fans is the team, yet I also know that things can
change very quickly. Stoke have shown how confidence can flood back and so
can we. We're at the turning point.
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Hammers boss plays down make or break Wigan clash
Published 23:00 26/11/10 By Neil McLeman
The Mirror
Avram Grant last night insisted West Ham's Premier League fate will not be
decided by the 90 minutes against Wigan today. And he dismissed the Irons
board dubbing the relegation dogfight as a "Save Our Season" match as a mere
marketing ploy. The top flight's bottom club have not won in more than two
months and are now five points from safety. And the SOS campaign suggests
the owners fear the debt-ridden club will be relegated if they cannot end of
run of eight games without a victory today. Under-fire Grant lost his No 2
Zelijko Petrovic this week and had Carlton Cole describe the defeat at
Liverpool as "diabolical".
But the former Pompey boss, who has now spent a whole year in the bottom
three, insisted he was still sure his team will survive no matter the result
at Upton Park today. "We have a long way to go," Grant said. "After 14 games
there is a long way. Nobody needs to tell us how important the game is. "If
people say it is save our season or not save our season, for us it is less
important. "If we win tomorrow, we will still have a long way to go. If we
lose, I don't want to think about it because I believe we can win. But even
if not, we have a long way to go. "We don't have the intention in any
situation to give up. "Confidence cannot be so high when you are on the
bottom of the league, especially when you take the game against Liverpool,
which was really, really bad. "But the other games have more or less been
positive. Even after 20 games, there is enough time to do it, it is not easy
of course, because of course it is possible. Any gap, especially at the
bottom can change."
But when Grant was told it was not "some people" claiming the game was
must-win but his bosses, he added: "They are trying in every way to
encourage the supporters. "I think for me it is not the case. Inside we know
it is a very important game. The players have good spirit. This is what is
important to me - what happens on the pitch. Not what people have said or
not said."
Vice-chairman Karren Brady visited the team on Thursday and co-owner David
Gold made his regular Friday appearance at the club's training ground
yesterday. "It is good support form the board - we like it," Grant said.
"Everybody wants more points, but nobody more than me." The Hammers manager
was less happy to hear Cole criticise the team's tactics at Anfield, a move
which could see Cole demoted to the bench. "What I have to say, I will say
to the players," he said. "I am not dealing with the players through the
media. "He knows and the players know. In our meetings they can say whatever
they like, I have no problem with that." And he rejected the England
striker's call for the team to start winning "ugly". Grant added: "I don't
know what is ugly. That we will not shave before? That we put the ball in
the stand? "We cannot do it, this is not the tradition of West Ham. It is
not something I believe in."
Grant claimed Petrovic asked to leave Upton Park three weeks ago to look for
a No 1 job and he is now seeking another foreign coach. But the Israeli
insisted he appointed new defensive coach Wally Downes, who will be on the
bench today. "Nobody can change things in two days, but he is very good,"
Grant said. "He has a lot of energy, understands his job and has come with a
lot of enthusiasm."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham must wait on Parker
Published 14:57 26/11/10 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
West Ham will check on the fitness of influential midfielder Scott Parker
(virus) ahead of tomorrow's Barclays Premier League clash against Wigan at
Upton Park. Fellow midfielders Kieron Dyer (hamstring) and Valon Behrami
(hip) will also be assessed. Young forward Zavon Hines (knee) is fit again,
but Mark Noble (hip) is set for another spell on the sidelines having only
just returned from an appendix operation. Manuel Da Costa (ankle), Thomas
Hitzlsperger (thigh), Jack Collison (knee) and Junior Stanislas (groin)
remain out.
Team (from): Green, Gabbidon, Jacobsen, Upson, Ilunga, Tomkins, Kovac, Boa
Morte, Piquionne, Cole, McCarthy, Obinna, Spector, Stech, Reid, Nouble,
Parker, Dyer, Behrami, Hines.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's 'Save our Season' battle with Wigan Athletic is Avram Grant's
last stand
Having designated Saturday's league match against Wigan Athletic as a "Save
Our Season" encounter, West Ham United may have been tempted to name it the
"Save Our Manager" game instead.
Telegraph
By Jason Burt 11:00PM GMT 26 Nov 2010
Although there has been little appetite to dispose of Avram Grant, just a
handful of months into a four-year contract, his chances of remaining in his
post are expected to evaporate this evening if West Ham fail to beat a team
also in the bottom three but an imposing five points ahead of them. He may
conceivably limp on into the midweek Carling Cup tie against Manchester
United and even next weekend, away to Sunderland, but it seems unlikely
Grant will survive. His stay will probably last only until a replacement is
found. Telegraph Sport understands that the West Ham board feel the club
will be, according to one source, "cut adrift" unless three points can be
collected in a match where, due to a marketing drive and the slashing of
ticket prices, it is hoped there will be a 35,000 sell-out.
West Ham have also been leafleting their supporters with a letter from the
players in what is regarded as a "must-win" game. "It really is a
save-our-season match," the source said, and it is, given the club's
financial precariousness, unthinkable if they are relegated. The West Ham
hierarchy are doing everything they can to avoid sacking Grant, partly
because of the strong public support he has had from co-chairmen David
Sullivan and David Gold, and because there is, despite results, a belief
that he is a fundamentally good manager. That opinion of the Israeli is far
from universally shared — and his record has done little to back it up —
although the departure this week of assistant Zeljko Petrovic and the
arrival of Wally Downes as a defensive coach will also probably be followed
with a striker coach, possibly Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, being appointed.
Paolo Di Canio — a guest at Saturday's game — has also asked for a role
while another former player, Steve Lomas, has been sounded out.
It is understood that striker Carlton Cole, who questioned Grant's tactics
after last Saturday's defeat away to Liverpool, could pay for his outburst
by losing his place in the team even though he has subsequently apologised.
Grant is considering a first league start of the season for Benni McCarthy,
who has kept to his target weight after being fined earlier in the campaign
for being too fat. Of greater concern to West Ham fans, especially with Mark
Noble ruled out until next year, and neither Kieron Dyer nor Valon Behrami
fit, will be whether Scott Parker can shake off the chest infection that
prevented him from playing against Liverpool in a match which appears to
have been a 'tipping point' for Grant's prospects of remaining in charge.
Sullivan had said that an agreed total with the manager for the four games,
including the Wigan match, had been seven points. Even if West Ham beat
Wigan they will collect only five points from a sequence that also included
home matches against West Brom and Blackpool. However, it was the crushing
nature of last weekend's loss at Anfield, with three goals conceded inside
40 minutes, that has caused such alarm. Grant, who has powerful, influential
friends and may even, one day, return to Chelsea in some capacity, was
defiant enough on Friday while admitting that the Liverpool match was
"really, really bad". "Confidence cannot be so high when you are on the
bottom of the league," he said while dwelling on his theory that West Ham
have been the victims of injustices served on them by referees and
contrasted his own behaviour to the more vocal Stoke City manager Tony
Pulis. Grant said West Ham had been "too nice" and "not speaking about the
referee .... but there have been too many cases," he said. "I didn't do it
[protest] until I saw the press conference of Tony Pulis – the whole press
conference was about the referees and since then everything is OK with him."
It did not appear a strong argument, especially from a manager whose side
have collected just one victory in the league. And what did he think of the
owners' designating today's game as the 'SOS' match? Grant didn't, it
seemed, agree. "Look, we have a long way to go," he said. "Nobody needs to
tell us how important the game is. "How people describe it will not change
the fact we are playing at home against a good team and we need to do
everything to win, we need to win because that is very important for us. "If
people say it is save our season or not save our season, for us it is less
important." Those people, Grant should have remembered, were his employers.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Stormy waters engulfing West Ham
Published Date: 27 November 2010
By Tom Lappin
The Scotsman
I BELIEVE the phrase is moving the deckchairs on the Titanic. West Ham
United, already on a collision course with an iceberg marked "relegation",
shuffled their backroom staff this week, to replace the departed assistant
manager Zeljko Petrovic. Given the general haplessness of their back four
this season, it was with characteristic East End black humour that the new
defensive coach was a bloke called Wally. His surname, Downes, also reflects
a season in which there have been precious few ups.
While coaching at Reading, Downes won himself the eternal affection of the
club's fans (and probably most English football supporters) by getting into
a scuffle with Neil Warnock (then in charge of Sheffield United). His
reputation, as a Wimbledon defender in the "Crazy Gang" era, and as a
stickler for basic defensive discipline, suggest that West Ham have realised
that they need to toughen up at the back, and cut out the pretty stuff. The
manager, Avram Grant, may take some shreds of solace in witnessing the staff
changes. It could be interpreted as a show of faith, or at least a stay of
execution. If a change of manager was imminent, it would probably make sense
for the club to wait to see who Grant's replacement would bring with him as
his assistants.
Not that Grant will take much discernible comfort from that analysis. His
facial expression probably remains uncompromisingly hangdog, even at his
most ecstatic (perhaps some enterprising Sunday tabloid could pay somebody
to tell us).
He seemed an astute, if unexciting, choice to replace the loveable rookie
Gianfranco Zola, but now appears incapable of energising his players, or
getting them to cohere into anything like a team.
Scott Parker is such a standout exception to the team's general mediocrity
this season that it seems inevitable that he will attract offers in January.
Robert Green and Matthew Upson have been waiting for the stigma of their
association with . . . oh all right their pivotal roles in England's World
Cup debacle . . . to dwindle, so that they too might be rescued from the
sinking ship. It's difficult to see any other members of the squad
attracting interest, unless Roy Hodgson is still carrying a torch for
Carlton Cole.
The young players who had promised much under Zola are struggling with
injuries, lack of opportunities and, in the case of defender James Tompkins,
a slump in form.
West Ham have missed the energetic wide midfielder Jack Collison during his
extended absence, compounded by the continued presence of the less committed
Luis Boa Morte. Junior Stanislas has been out of favour, while another young
forward, Zavon Hines, is just returning to training after 11 months out.
One key player, Mark Noble, has suffered by being overshadowed by Parker in
central midfield, and seems intent on turning himself into a hard man in
order to show his commitment to the cause, rather than using his skill and
intelligence. Noble is a decent player urgently in need of managerial
guidance.
With Cole making understandable but depressing suggestions that the team
needs to start "playing ugly" to win points, it's apparent that proper
leadership is lacking.
Indeed, there's a fatalistic malaise hanging over the club, that goes all
the way to the top. Actually, it probably starts at the top with the
pornography plutocrats David Gold and David Sullivan, and Karren Brady, the
limelight-loving chief executive, whose contribution so far has been a
suggestion that the club rename itself West Ham Olympic. For all their
professions of being born Hammers, the owners give the impression that
financial bottom-line is the priority.
Meanwhile, Brady's guest spots on The Apprentice might end up as a classic
example of an executive letting the day job slide in search of TV fame
if/when West Ham drop out of the Premier League.
At present the manager is providing a useful scapegoat. After the recent
surrender to Liverpool, West Ham fans, after a few ribald choruses about
Grant's private life, started to chant the name of Paolo Di Canio.
It would be nice to think this was a satirical barb about the Liverpool
supporters' nostalgic craving for Kenny Dalglish, but actually there seems
to be a significant desire for the volatile Roman to take his place in the
dugout.
Remarkably, rumours suggest the owners might have contemplated Di Canio for
a coaching role.
The notion that Di Canio could work with Grant is disturbing on several
levels, one of them having little to do with football.
An Israeli is unlikely to be impressed by Di Canio's openly fascist
politics, or by the Italian's contention that Mussolini was "basically a
very principled, ethical individual who was deeply misunderstood".
You would hope that Gold, himself a Jewish boy from the East End, born in
1936 when Cockneys were thumping blackshirts in Cable Street, might demur
about putting a fascist on the payroll.
Still Gold's business history does not suggest fastidiousness, and perhaps,
if Paolo agreed to keep the stiff-armed salutes to a minimum, he could be
welcomed back into the West Ham "family". . . well, you can see why the club
is turning into a joke.
Today's match against fellow strugglers Wigan is a must-win. If West Ham
can't beat Wigan, then they can't stay up.
In truth the same could have been said of games against Wolves, Fulham,
Blackpool, Birmingham and West Bromwich Albion, all of which ended in draws.
The iceberg looms closer.
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