WHUFC.com
The Fulham match will no longer be played on Saturday 1 May because of their
European tie
12.04.2010
West Ham United can confirm that the final away game of the season at Fulham
has been put back 24 hours to Sunday 2 May. The match, which will kick-off
at 3pm, has been switched due to Fulham's UEFA Europa League semi-final
commitments against Hamburger SV on the previous Thursday. The Hammers will
head to Craven Cottage hoping to maintain an unbeaten run there stretching
back to the 1974/75 season.
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Fan thanks 'fantastic' club
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 12th April 2010
By: Staff Writer
Big Hammers fan Jon Aldridge was the recipient of a special gift for his
18th birthday recently - all thanks to his brother, KUMB.com member Steve.
Jon was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a relatively rare type
of blood cancer. With him having spent the last few months undergoing
chemotherapy, Steve decided to give his brother a lift by trying to arrange
for a signed shirt containing the signatures of the current Hammers squad to
be put together. Steve contacted KUMB.com with regards to making his wish a
reality and having been passed on to the relevant department at West Ham
United was rewarded with a brand new shirt, free of charge, containing the
signatures of the vast majority of the first team squad. This was thanks to
a particular diligent staff member who took time out of their own busy
schedule to visit the Chadwell Heath training ground, grab the necessary
signatures and post the completed item to Steve - an act of kindness that
Steve is most grateful for. "The club have been truly fantastic," he said.
"They have my eternal gratitude. The people I have been speaking with have
been fantastic. "My little brother was made up. I received the shirt on the
Friday and was able to give it to Jon on the same day at our family dinner.
He was so made up and I think it gave him a massive boost and made his
birthday."
KUMB's best wishes go to Jon and all the Aldridge family for his continuing
fight against the disease.
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Carlton Cole hopes all-round game will put him in pole position for World
Cup
Published 22:45 12/04/10 By Darren Lewis
The Mirror
Carlton Cole has spiced up the race for a place among Fabio Capello's World
Cup strikers by insisting there is more to his game than just goals.
Sunderland's Darren Bent has hit 23 goals this season while Bobby Zamora has
had an outstanding campaign with 19, including six en route to the Europe
League semi-finals. While Wayne Rooney is certain to go to the World Cup,
and Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch are expected to join him, doubts remain
as to the identities of the other front men also set to board the plane.
Match of the Day pundit Martin Keown insisted on Saturday night that Bent's
23 goals this season stand him in better stead that Cole, with his nine
goals and two assists. But Cole believes the selfless work he does outside
the box will aid his cause come the end of the season. The West Ham striker,
who set up Ilan's winner against Sunderland on Saturday, said: "I took a lot
of pleasure out of setting up that goal. That's what I was known for. That
was my main thing. "Then I started scoring goals and everyone was labelling
me as a goalscorer. I don't see myself as either really, I see myself as
just playing the game and trying to help the team. "I've always been a team
player and I am just so happy that I contributed on Saturday, and at
Everton, to a good team performance."The goals will come but the situation I
am in right now, I know goals would help the team, but first and foremost
you've got to work hard to get your goals."
Cole's fine mid-season form, in which he scored against Manchester City,
Arsenal and Sunderland, has been hampered by a persistent knee injury. He
has now gone eight Premier League games without a goal for Gianfranco Zola's
struggling side. He added: "I've got to start again from base because I had
a bad injury, came back and tried hard, but it wasn't working out. So I have
just got to graft and get my fitness back to where it is supposed to be.
"I've got to start again. The injury came at a bad time. You have to re-set.
I took two months out, I had to re-set my button and now I can start
blossoming and start concentrating on my goals. "But first and foremost the
team needs to stay up. There's more to my football right now than goals
because I need to help the team progress."
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West Ham join race for Beckford
Published 08:52 12/04/10 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
West Ham are the latest club to join the race for Jermaine Beckford,
according to reports circulating on Monday morning. The 26-year-old striker
will be a free agent this summer when his Leeds contract expires, and is
drawing the attention of a host of clubs after his impressive strike rate
this season - including the winner in an FA Cup tie at Manchester United.
West Ham have joined the race to sign Jermaine Beckford from Leeds and hope
to sign the 26-year-old striker on a free transfer when his contract expires
in the summer.
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Warriors for the working-day, as Anfield Awaits!
West Ham Till I Die
'We are but warriors for the working-day; Our gayness and our gilt are all
besmirch'd with the rainy marching in the painful field; But by the mass,
our hearts are in the trim'
(Henry V, Act VI, Scene III)
'Battle and grind' will be the order of the day for the remaining 4 matches
of this campaign. On Thursday, I called for warriors, and true Hammers, to
take to the field against Sunderland and that is exactly what we got! It
was a day for passion, hard work and steady nerves and our team delivered.
Perhaps the best commentary on the match was supplied by a Sunderland fans
website, who concluded: 'the Hammers wanted it more than us.' Honest, fair
and also very true.
The side carried over the positive spirit, from the pivotal Everton result,
into this crucial fixture. It was not pretty, but who cares, we have the
three points and that is all that matters. Indeed, that is what is likely
to save us this season, organisation, graft and commitment. We must
continue to be 'a band of brothers' that battles for every single ball and
grinds out the results that will see us safe come 5pm on 9 May 2010.
Noble and Behrami combined brilliantly to inject leadership, grit and work
rate into a midfield devoid of Scott Parker. And Ilan continues to be a
player making a real difference. Personally, I do not give a damn if he is
ineffective outside the penalty box, as long as he continues to be razor
sharp in it! Both of the goals against Everton and Sunderland showed a true
goal poachers instinct. It is that instinct that we have been lacking for
much of this season. Now we have it, lets keep it in the team for goodness
sake!
However, as Zola has wisely cautioned, we are not safe yet. We need to keep
the momentum going. Next up we face our own annual 'Agincourt' at Anfield.
But we should not write off the points prematurely, in advance of battle.
Now would be the perfect time for us to lay to rest our 47 year hoodoo at
Anfield. At the very least, we should aspire to take a point against a
badly ailing Liverpool side, who are not the force that they once were.
Fulham showed us the way to do it yesterday, with their hard fought draw.
We need to emulate Hodgson's tactics and play with two disciplined, hard
working, banks of four and two strikers up front. People often call for
4-5-1 on these occasions, as a kind of negative reflex action, but that is
not necessarily the best formation. It's proponents ignore the fact that
playing just one up neutralises your own attacking threat and gives the
opposition greater confidence and scope to push forward. While, in
contrast, playing two up front makes the opposition far more mindful of your
attacking threat and they have to deploy defenders to try to counter it.
Liverpool are heavily dependent upon the class of Torres and Gerrard.
Torres missed the Fulham match with a knee injury and, hopefully, that will
also keep him out of our match. If we have the right attitude and approach
we can potentially replicate last season's draw up there. However, Daprela
should replace Jon Spector at left-back (If Illunga remains unavailable).
The thought of Babel running at Spector is the stuff of footballing
nightmares! Daprela may be young and relatively inexperienced, but (as
predicted) his time has now arrived to shine!
At the very worst, I expect a organised and battling Hammers team to go down
to a narrow defeat. No 4-0 scoreline! It's vital that we preserve both our
vastly superior goal difference and our new found confidence and self-belief
as a team!
We must continue to be warriors for the working-day, right until the end of
the season! Nothing raises the spirits like a bit of Henry Five! However,
the reference is not just literary! Shakespeare's classic history play is a
tale of conviction, misfortune, doubt, inspiring leadership and ultimate
redemption in the face of overwhelming odds. And one hopes that is the
course to which West Ham's troubled season will also ultimately conform!
Oh well, once more unto the Anfield breach, dear friends!
SJ. Chandos.
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West Ham United lead chase for Leeds United striker Jermaine Beckford -
report
12 Apr 2010 21:31:00
Goal.com
West Ham United have joined the race to sign Leeds United striker Jermaine
Beckford this summer, according to reports on caughtoffside.com. Hammers
boss Gianfranco Zola believes he can persuade the 26-year-old to join the
club on a free transfer even if Leeds win promotion to the Championship this
season. The likes of Newcastle United, Everton and Aston Villa have all
expressed an interest in the striker but West Ham seem to be in pole
position, as they look to add more attacking options to their squad.
Although not always a favourite with the Elland Road faithful, Beckford has
netted an impressive 81 goals in the past three seasons. Leeds boss Simon
Grayson will not be happy to lose the hit-man but it looks increasingly
likely he will be leaving the West Yorkshire club in the summer.
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Hammers boss rounds on his critics
5:07pm Monday 12th April 2010
Guardian Series
WEST HAM boss Gianfranco Zola has told his detractors to judge him at the
end of the season as he defended his management style. After being branded
'too nice' by Hammers chairman David Sullivan last month, Zola has even
questioned his own ability, retiring home to Sardinia to collect his
thoughts just two weeks ago after the team had suffered their sixth
successive league defeat. However, a draw at Everton last week and a first
league win in eight games against Sunderland on Saturday has lifted the
Italian's spirits. And he was not about to be criticised for his approach to
management. "I am the way I am and I'm not going to change it just because
of the job that I do," said Zola. "That doesn't mean that I can't do a good
job. I've done it last year and I'm trying to do it this year as well. "The
point is you have to motivate and get the best out of your players. Some
people do it in one way, others decide to go another way and it's a simple
as that. They have to judge me at the end of the season when I finish my
job."
Zola also rounded on critics who claimed he was too soft on his players. "My
players, when they do something that is not good, they get told off. Don't
worry about that, they get told off," he added. "Maybe they don't get told
off in a way people would like to see, but I've got my way and I stick to
it, but they get the point straight away, don't worry about that."
West Ham are now four points above the relegation zone, with a tricky trip
to Liverpool coming up next Monday.
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Brazilian striker earns praise after Sunderland goal
1:44pm Monday 12th April 2010
Guardian Series
WEST HAM boss Gianfranco Zola paid tribute to Ilan after the striker earned
the team another precious three points in their bid to beat the drop at the
weekend. The Brazilian struck early in the second half against Sunderland,
stabbing home a Carlton Cole knock-down to take his tally to two in as many
weeks. His late diving header had rescued a point for the Hammers at
Goodison Park the previous week. His contribution then earned him a place in
the starting XI and, despite an inconspicuous first half performance, the
forward came to life when it mattered. It was to prove the only goal of the
game, and Zola was quick to applaud the player who signed as a free agent on
a six-month contract in January, comparing him to a more prolific version of
David Di Michele, who impressed for the Irons last season. "He has done very
well and he scored a very important goal last week," said the Italian. "He's
made his way through to the team and that goal he scored today was
unbelievable. He's becoming very effective for us and is making a big
difference for us. "He's a player that has got certain qualities and can do
the job that last year (David) Di Michele did for us. He's very similar to
him, maybe he's more effective at scoring goals than Di Michele was. "I
don't think we've seen the best of him because he's still adapting to this
football. I think he can do even better than that. His understanding with
Carlton Cole was good. The goal came from a combination from the two which
was something they had been trying to do all game."
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http://www.justgiving.com/vyperz
I am running the BUPA 10k on May 31st and raising money for the Bobby Moore
Cancer Fund
Please donate generously! Thanks.
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