WHUFC.com
Robert Green was feeling good after completing another 90 minutes for
England in the win over Egypt
04.03.2010
Robert Green was all smiles after producing a confident display in England's
3-1 friendly victory over Egypt at Wembley on Wednesday. West Ham United
goalkeeper Green shrugged off pre-match discussion over the No1 position,
and an early opener from Pharaohs striker Mohamed Zidan, to put in a
performance that is sure to have impressed head coach Fabio Capello. The
30-year-old, who has kept clean sheets in his last four home Barclays
Premier League appearances, also had words of support for Matthew Upson
after his club-mate's untimely slip allowed Zidan to score. Thankfully for
Upson, England fought back to win through a Peter Crouch brace and a goal
from Shaun Wright-Phillips, further increasingly the feelgood factor ahead
of this summer's FIFA World Cup in South Africa. "It was pleasing overall,"
Green told WHUTV. "Egypt had their chance and took it. We saw a lot of the
lad Zidan before in the build-up to the game and he's a sharp player who
took the chance when it came. "I think it was good for us to bounce back the
way we did in the second half. We put on a bit of a show in the second half
and made Wembley our own, so to speak. It was a feather in our caps."
Green had sympathy for Upson, who slipped on a loose Wembley pitch, while
also refusing to get carried away with playing the full 90 minutes at the
Home of Football.
"There is a lot that has been said about the pitch over the last few days
and he has had the rug pulled out from under his feet. It was something that
was unforeseeable and something that was uncontrollable. What he did show
was that he could shrug it off and continue to play how he wanted to play,
which was as solid as ever after that, if not more so. That's the strength
of character that Matt has. "It's pleasing to play. I just want to play and
I'm just looking forward after the success of Wednesday night's game and
will try to do so in the future. I try not to read too much into it. After
this I just want to look forward to Saturday's game."
A lesser concern for Green was his new luminous yellow goalkeeper kit, which
he suggested had been designed to distract opposing strikers. "It's meant to
put off as many forwards as possible. We're going for the retro look and I
must admit I didn't know they had that many bright colours back in the 50s
and 60s! It's an interesting concept that I'm not going to criticise."
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Three Lions stake claim
WHUFC.com
Robert Green, Matthew Upson and Carlton Cole all featured in England's 3-1
friendly win over Egypt
03.03.2010
Robert Green, Matthew Upson and Carlton Cole staked their claim for a place
in Fabio Capello's 2010 FIFA World Cup squad by appearing in England's 3-1
friendly win over Egypt at Wembley. Goalkeeper Green, who produced a
near-flawless display, and centre-back Upson were both named in Capello's
starting lineup, completing a full 90 minutes against the African champions.
Meanwhile, Cole was sent on as an 86th-minute substitute for Manchester
United forward Wayne Rooney. Green was handed his ninth cap between the
sticks, while Upson earned his 19th in the absence of Manchester United's
injured ex-West Ham United defender Rio Ferdinand, and Cole made his seventh
substitute appearance for his country. Egypt, who had lost to England on
each of the countries' previous two meetings - a 4-0 friendly defeat in
Cairo in January 1986 and a 1-0 group-stage reverse at the 1990 FIFA World
Cup in Cagliari - took the lead through Borussia Dortmund forward Mohamed
Zidan, who capitalised on an unfortunate slip from Upson before confidently
slotting the ball past Green on 23 minutes. At the other end, two of the
eight former or current Hammers in the 24-man squad - Chelsea midfielder
Frank Lampard and Tottenham Hotspur striker Defoe - had England's best
chances of the first half, only to find 37-year-old goalkeeper Essam El
Hadary in inspired form.
Green made a save from Zidan early in the second period before substitute
Peter Crouch - on for club-mate Defoe at the break - smartly swept in Gareth
Barry's right-wing cross on 56 minutes. Having levelled the scores, England
took the game to their north African opponents, with Rooney going close with
a spectacular overhead kick in front of an 80,602-strong crowd at the Home
of Football. England's pressure finally told with 15 minutes remaining, when
Shaun Wright-Phillips rifled past El Hadary after the goalkeeper had parried
fellow replacement James Milner's fierce volley. The Manchester City winger
turned provider with ten minutes to go, sliding the ball square for Crouch
to score his 20th goal in 37 appearances for his country. The Hammers trio
will be hoping to have impressed Capello sufficiently to be named in the
Italian's 23-man squad for this summer's tournament in South Africa - which
England begin by taking on Jonathan Spector's United States at the Bafokeng
Stadium in Rustenburg on Saturday 12 June. Capello will name his final
selection for the tournament on 1 June following two final warm-up fixtures
against Guille Franco's Mexico at Wembley on 26 May and Japan in the
Austrian city of Graz on 30 May. Earlier on Wednesday, James Tomkins was an
unused substitute for England Under-21s as they went down 2-1 at home to
Greece in the race for the 2011 UEFA European U21 Championship. Tomkins had
featured in the previous five qualifiers - three wins and two draws - before
being sidelined for the latest match in Doncaster. The reverse has left
Greece in pole position and five points clear of Stuart Pearce's Young Lions
at the top of Group 9.
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Behrami gets Swiss run-out
WHUFC.com
FIFA World Cup finalists Switzerland saw Valon Behrami play for 75 minutes
of their Uruguay friendly
03.03.2010
Valon Behrami played 75 minutes for Switzerland in their 3-1 friendly defeat
by fellow FIFA World Cup qualifiers Uruguay in St. Gallen. The West Ham
United midfielder was making his 26th appearance for his country in the AFG
Arena on Wednesday night and is a certainty for Ottmar Hitzfeld's squad for
this summer's finals. Wearing the No11 shirt, he played his part in a strong
opening spell and the Swiss took the lead on the half-hour mark from the
penalty spot courtesy of captain Gokhan Inler.
However, Uruguay fought back through Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez either
side of half-time to ensure the victory and give a warning shot to Benni
McCarthy's South Africa and Guille Franco's Mexico, who they will play in
the group stage of this summer's finals. Behrami was substituted with a
quarter of an hour to play before Edison Cavani added a late third.
The Swiss have Spain, Honduras and Chile to contend with in their section in
South Africa. Behrami will hope to figure in home friendlies against Costa
Rica and Italy on 1 and 5 June before they depart for the tournament. The
popular 24-year-old has previously played at the 2006 World Cup and the 2008
UEFA European Championship.
Earlier, left-back Fabio Daprela played for 64 minutes as the Swiss
Under-19s drew 1-1 with Poland. The friendly was a warm-up for May's UEFA
European U19 Championship Elite round mini-qualifying tournament featuring
Serbia, Denmark and Austria - with the group winners going through to the
finals in late summer.
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Wales woe as Collison plays
WHUFC.com
A disappointng defeat by Sweden was not the result Wales wanted as they look
to UEFA Euro 2012
03.03.2010
Jack Collison won his seventh senior cap for Wales as they went down 1-0 in
a friendly loss to Sweden on Wednesday. The West Ham United midfielder
played for 71 minutes in Swansea as Bolton Wanderers forward Johan Elmander
- who Collison will face this weekend in Barclays Premier League action -
scored the only goal just before half-time. Collison's compatriot Danny
Gabbidon did not play as he was focusing on his return to full training at
Chadwell Heath. Collison had reportedly undergone a late fitness test to
line up for John Toshack's men. Wales have missed out on the 2010 FIFA World
Cup and are already looking to their 2012 UEFA European Championship
campaign, when they will meet England in group action.
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Dixon back for Ireland
WHUFC.com
A four-year international exile ended for Terry Dixon with his return to the
Irish Under-21 fold
03.03.2010
Terry Dixon returned to international action with the Republic of Ireland as
they went down 2-1 to Armenia in their UEFA European Under-21 Championship
qualifier on Wednesday night. Dixon was a 62th-minute substitute at the
Tallaght Stadium. By that time, the Irish were 2-0 down but the visitors had
seen a man sent off. The hosts managed to pull one back with ten minutes to
play through Ian Daly. However, the loss means Ireland are adrift at the
bottom of Group 2 with four draws and two defeats.
The striker had been capped as a 16-year-old back in 2006 - and even made it
to the bench for the seniors that year - but has been away from the
international fold ever since because of knee problems. He left Tottenham
Hotspur in 2008 because of his injury concerns but was given a second chance
at West Ham United. Dixon signed a three-year contract back in February 2009
and has since worked closely with the medical staff at Chadwell Heath. He
has recovered to play four times this season for the reserves with one goal.
He headed off on international duty in the hope of regaining some of his
match fitness.
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Diamanti praises the fans
WHUFC.com
Man of the moment Alessandro Diamanti was delighted to be voted SBOBET
Player of the Month
03.03.2010
Alessandro Diamanti has thanked fans for making him the SBOBET Player of the
Month and called on them to reproduce their superb support this Saturday.
The Italian maestro was in sparkling form in February, most notably with his
spectacular free-kick that raised the roof in the 2-0 win against Birmingham
City and then his man of the match display in the 3-0 triumph against Hull
City. He becomes the sixth different winner after Julien Faubert, Zavon
Hines, Carlton Cole, Scott Parker (twice) and James Tomkins. Diamanti is
looking for to maintain his progress in his next outing at the Boleyn
Ground, when Bolton Wanderers arrive this Saturday. The No32 will also be
eager to put right the 3-1 away defeat at the Reebok Stadium last December,
when he was again on target for the Hammers - one of seven goals in 22
league and cup appearances. A firm favourite with the fans, he knows they
will be crucial again this weekend. With less than 1,000 seats left, it
promises to be a noisy occasion. "Every game it is important to have the
support from all the fans and this Saturday again, is an important match.
They are very special. I know that again the support will be 100 per cent
and very warm to us. We will try to play for them to win the game."
He will receive his SBOBET Player of the Month award on Saturday afternoon
and said he will be eager to keep up his excellent progress since arriving
in east London last summer from AS Livorno Calcio. "I want to say 'Thank
you' to all the supporters, to everyone who has voted for me - it is very
good for me to know of their support. There are many matches still to go and
I will be trying to help the team have more good results in the next few
months."
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Return of the dancing girls
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 3rd March 2010
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United are set to welcome a female dance troupe back to the Boleyn
Ground during this weekend's Premier League clash with Bolton. Supporters,
voting in polls on both KUMB.com and whufc.com voted overwhelmingly in
favour of bringing back the half time entertainment which was dropped five
years ago following a number of complaints after the dancers appeared in a
number of risque poses on their subscription-only website. This week the
club have been looking at a couple of options to replace the group formerly
known as the Hammerettes - including a group comprised of the same dancers
that formerly worked under the name. Whoever is given the green light to
perform this weekend will once again feature on a regular basis after new
joint owner David Sullivan - who has been busy making cuts across the board
elsewhere in the club - gave the go-ahead to re-introduce the dancers.
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Hammers hope for Upson stay
Sullivan thinks it is payback time for centre-back
Last updated: 3rd March 2010
SSN
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan believes he is owed a favour by Matthew
Upson as he attempts to persuade the defender to stay at Upton Park. The
centre-back has just more than one year remaining on his current contract
and the Hammers are offering an extension, but reportedly with no pay rise.
Upson currently earns £65,000-a-week, however, he has been linked with
former club Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham where he would earn a
salary increase. Sullivan, though, hopes the 30-year-old will sign as a
token of gratitude after the ex-Birmingham supremo allowed the England
international to leave for West Ham in 2007. "We all really want Matthew to
stay," Sullivan said in The Sun. "I did him a favour letting him leave
Birmingham and I hope he can return it." Upson has remained coy on his plans
and in mid-February was only prepared to say that this summer's World Cup is
his immediate focus.
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London 2012: future use of Olympic Stadium should be decided by the end of
this year
The post-Games future of the 2012 London Olympic Stadium must be decided by
the end of this year, the woman charged with overseeing its legacy said on
Wednesday.
Telegraph.co.uk
By Telegraph staff and agencies
Published: 8:12PM GMT 03 Mar 2010
"This is a £540 million public asset so it goes without saying that we are
not just going to have some conversation off stage left and someone is going
to take over the stadium," Baroness Margaret Ford, chairman of the Olympic
Park Legacy Company (OPLC), told lawmakers at a parliamentary committee
hearing. "I am quite confident that we can get to a good decision on the
stadium but we must do it this year because it cannot be left to just drag
on."
Britons face battle for 2012 tickets Part of London's bid to win the 2012
Games centred around a pledge that a Grand Prix standard athletics track
would be left in place after the event. Under present plans, the 80,000-seat
Olympic Stadium in Stratford, east London, is due to be reduced in size to a
25,000 capacity venue complete with an athletics track. But there are
concerns an athletics stadium alone will not be economically viable, leaving
taxpayers to pick up the bill for running costs years after the 2012
Olympics have ended.
David Gold and David Sullivan, the new co-owners of the nearby West Ham
football club, have expressed an interest in relocating the Premier League
side to the Olympic Stadium. However, it is doubtful if they would, ideally,
want to retain an athletics track that would prevent football fans being as
close to the action as they are at West Ham's Upton Park ground. "We know
that the amount of times that athletics will be used in the stadium will not
be a huge amount of times, maybe a couple of dozen times a year, but for me
premier athletics must be part of the mix because that was part of the bid
commitment," Ford said. She added that, as happens at Berlin's Olympic
Stadium, it was possible for football and athletics to co-exist at the same
venue. "Technically the pitch within the track is absolutely FIFA (the world
football governing body) compliant, from the point of view of size and sight
lines, and evidently the stadium is IAAF (International Association of
Athletics' Federations) compliant. "These things could technically co-exist,
it is whether people would want to co-exist. "Ed Warner (UK Athletics chief
executive) I know is quite happy to share with football and it is now for
football to tell us, if they want to come in to the stadium, how they would
want to keep their part of the bargain in terms of the bid."
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West Ham 'not the only show in town' over future of Olympic Stadium
Decision must be taken on Olympic legacy by end of year
'It's for football to tell us how they'll keep their part of bargain'
Owen Gibson guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 3 March 2010 19.21 GMT
The body deciding the future of the Olympic Park today warned West Ham
United they were not "the only show in town" when it came to finding a
tenant for the main stadium and said the Premier League club would have to
accommodate a running track if they were to move in.
Margaret Ford, chair of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, revealed that a
decision would be taken on the stadium's future before the end of the
financial year. West Ham's new co-owners, David Sullivan and David Gold,
have made clear their ambition to move in but uncertainty remains over how
the £100m-plus conversion costs would be met.
"We need to get this settled once and for all this year," Ford told the
culture, media and sport select committee. "The planning status quo is for
the stadium to be taken down and rebuilt into a 25,000-seat athletics
stadium, the new Crystal Palace. If that happens, I don't think we should
apologise for that. We have Wembley, we have Twickenham, we would have a new
athletics stadium.
"If, alongside that or complementary to that, other things can happen in the
stadium that make it more viable, more animated, that give loads of access
and involve the community then absolutely fantastic. I am confident we will
get to a good decision on the stadium but we must do it this year."
The 80,000-capacity £537m Olympic Stadium was originally designed to be
reduced to 25,000 or 28,000 seats after the Games and be used for elite
athletics. But a succession of influential figures have urged officials to
reconsider, retaining a capacity of 55,000 or 80,000 and also becoming a
venue for the 2015 Rugby World Cup and a potential 2018 football World Cup
site.
Ford said that West Ham or any other potential tenant would have to co-exist
with athletics. "Technically, the pitch within the track is absolutely
Fifa-compliant in terms of the size of the pitch, the sightlines and so on.
It is IAAF-compliant, obviously," she said. "These things were built to
coexist, it's whether they want to coexist. Ed Warner [UK Athletics
chairman] is quite happy to share with football and it's for football now to
tell us how they would keep their part of the bargain."
Local east London boroughs and the Tory shadow sports minister, Hugh
Robertson, have suggested that only by persuading a Premier League club to
move in can the OPLC secure a viable legacy for the stadium. "West Ham are
not the only show in town, there are plenty of other people who are
interested in other uses for the stadium," said Ford. "West Ham have gone
public but we are in lots of discussions with many other people."
Prospectuses will be issued in the next few weeks, with a formal six-month
procurement process to follow. Recent reports from the National Audit Office
and the London Assembly have urged the OPLC to decide on the future of the
stadium as a matter of urgency.
"This is a £540m public asset so it goes without saying we're not just going
to have some conversation stage left and then somebody is going to take over
the stadium," said Ford. "It has to be a publicly managed process to
demonstrate value for money and to demonstrate the bid commitments are being
kept."
Ford said that agreement was close on a deal with City Hall and the
government to ensure that the OPLC would not be responsible for the £600m
debt incurred in buying and regenerating the land. Up to £500m in additional
funding will be required in order to run the park in legacy mode. She said
the deal would enable the OPLC to restructure plans for the park to include
more family housing and less high density apartment-style developments.
Andrew Altman, chief executive of the OPLC, told the committee that finding
a tenant for the cavernous International Broadcasting Centre was "a
challenge" and "a serious concern". The hope is to find a major media
company to move in which could act as a magnet for other creative businesses
and educational establishments.
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Peterborough's Lewis lined up by West Ham?
Romfordrecorder.co.uk
03 March 2010
Peterborough keeper Joe Lewis is the favourite to make the move to Upton
Park should Rob Green depart. ONE OF the biggest surprises conjured up by
current England boss Fabio Capello was the inclusion of goalkeeper Joe Lewis
in his squad in 2008, writes DAVE EVANS. The Peterborough number one was
drafted in for the matches against Trinidad & Tobago and the United States
that summer, and though he was an unused sub in both, he certainly came to
the attention of English football fans. Now Lewis has been linked with a
move to West Ham in the summer with many suggesting he will be an ideal
replacement for current England goalkeeper Rob Green. The West Ham custodian
has not asked for a transfer away from Upton Park, but there seems to be a
distinct difference in his body language this season, as well as his form.
Two seasons ago he walked away with the Hammer of the Year award, last
season he wasn't far behind, but this time round his patchy form has been
indicative of the way the team has struggled. Green has made no secret of
the fact that he wants to win trophies and even harbours ambitions of
playing abroad. West Ham have hinted that they will not stand in the
30-year-old's way should he ask for a move to one of the top clubs, as he
will have just one year left on his contract in the summer. The England man
is hoping to prove himself at Wembley tonight when Capello's men begin their
World Cup warm-up campaign with a clash against Egypt. He was sent off in
his last England appearance against Ukraine last October, with David James
taking the opportunity to reclaim his number one spot. Since then, Joe Hart
has muscled his way into the picture with some superb performances on loan
at Birmingham City, and he will also look for a start against the African
champions. Hart was linked with a move to West Ham a couple of weeks ago,
with David Sullivan keen to copy the deal he did for the youngster while he
was at St Andrews, but it seems that Lewis may be a better bet should Green
depart. The 22-year-old comes from similar stock as Green. He was a Norwich
City trainee before joining Peterborough in a £400,000 deal in January 2008.
Since then he has clocked up over 100 appearances for the Posh, collecting
runners-up medals in both League One and League Two along the way. This
season has not been so easy as Peterborough have struggled at the bottom of
the Championship, but the England under-21 international has still received
rave reviews, not least from his display against Spurs in a 4-0 FA Cup
defeat. Once again, it could be Harry Redknapp and Tottenham who are the
main competition for the signature of Lewis, with bidding expected to start
at around £3million. Green's departure is by no means cut and dried, but
West Ham need to economise and if that means cashing in on the England
goalkeeper, then having Lewis as a replacement will certainly cushion the
blow.
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West Ham facing new Tevez compo claims
04.03.10 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United could face another compo pay-out over the Carlos Tevez
affair. The London Evening Standard says West Ham still face potential
claims of £4million from the Tevez affair despite having paid out £21m to
Sheffield United. Tevez helped West Ham avoid relegation in the 2006-07
season but it was later ruled that his signing broke rules on third-party
ownership. Although reaching an out-court-settlement with Sheffield United,
who were relegated that term, the players want a total of £3.5m for loss of
earnings.
Fulham are considering a claim of £500,000 for loss of merit money having
finished two places below West Ham.
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West Ham's Dixon could be on the move to Colorado
04.03.10 | Andrew Slevison
West Ham kid Dixon again in Ireland U21 action four years on A loan move for
young West Ham striker Terry Dixon could be on the cards according to
reports. The club in question is MLS outfit Colorado Rapids who would
benefit greatly from the 20-year old Republic of Ireland forward who began
his professional career with Tottenham Hotspur in 2007. But Dixon is intent
on winning a place in Gianfranco Zola's Hammers first team after recovering
from several injuries. "It was frustrating because when they had a lot of
strikers out, I was injured too and now they've brought in some more
strikers. But I think if you're good enough, you're good enough and you'll
come through anyway," he said.
"The physios and medical staff at West Ham have saved me. My knee only
swells up now when I go on a flight. I ice it every day after training and
it's fine. "I've spoken to Zola a few times but without match fitness I
can't show what I'm about. It's just glimpses at the moment. The manager has
been encouraging but I've got to do it myself."
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