WHUFC.com
Robert Hall is aiming to put his right foot forward after bagging a
left-footed hat-trick for the U18s
01.09.2010
Robert Hall is aiming to put his right foot forward as he bids to build on a
successful summer. The West Ham United scholar has enjoyed an unforgettable
few months, winning the UEFA European Under-17 Championship with England
before sitting his GCSE exams. After a short holiday, Hall returned to
pre-season training in July, opening his account for the new campaign with a
hat-trick in a 5-1 FA Premier Academy League victory over Middlesbrough.
Each of his three goals was scored with his left foot and, while he also
forced a Boro defender to score an own-goal with his weaker right, Hall
knows there is work to be done before he can be considered truly two-footed.
"I'm not sure what the secret to my finishing is, really. I work on it a lot
now that I'm full-time. Alex Dyer and Tony Carr want me to work on my right
foot a bit more and I did try to claim the first goal, but I don't think I'm
going to get it! "When the ball comes, you've got to have the awareness.
Once you know where the goal is, you've just got to put it in the net, and
luckily I did that. "I like to watch Freddie Sears a lot because I know he's
a good finisher. I need to work more on my right foot because I don't really
like using it because it's not my strong side, but I keep trying to use it.
They keep going on at me in training to use it and hopefully if I do, it'll
come off in a game."
Against Middlesbrough last Friday, Hall's left foot certainly did come off
in the shape of three clinical finishes that helped Carr's Under-18s score a
comprehensive first victory of 2010/11. "It was a good performance. At the
start of the second half, I thought we lost the ball for a while and were
chasing shadows, but Tony got at us and told us to keep our shape. "As a
striker, when you've got people like Eoin Wearen, George Moncur, Dominic
Vose and Lamarr Hurley around me and with me, it helps a lot. Whoever scores
the goals, it's a team effort, and thankfully I got my three. "We've set
ourselves a target and we're on course for that target and I feel confident
we'll get it, so I think the team is going in the right way."
Having trained with the first-team squad and forced his way into Dyer's
reserve team last season, the 16-year-old is already making strides, but the
young forward is mature enough to realise that he cannot afford to rest on
his laurels. "It was a busy summer. Once I got back from Liechtenstein,
obviously I had the buzz, but within two weeks I had exams. We'll leave out
how I got on! I came back in at the start of July so I only had two weeks
off. I've got myself fit and ready for the new season. "The summer was a
lovely feeling and it will always be in my mind, but I can't really sit back
on that and I've got to push on."
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Dyer driven
WHUFC.com
Kieron Dyer is urging his team-mates to rediscover their confidence ahead of
the visit of Chelsea
01.09.2010
Kieron Dyer has backed his team-mates to rediscover their confidence and
start climbing the Barclays Premier League table. The West Ham United
midfielder has returned to fitness and form at the start of the 2010/11
campaign, looking dangerous in his recent starts against Bolton Wanderers
and Manchester United. While both of those fixtures ended in defeats for the
Hammers, Dyer believes that there is too much talent in Avram Grant's squad
for their recent struggles to continue. "We were disappointed again on
Saturday. I thought we were fairly comfortable before their first goal. Once
Man United are 1-0 up there, it's a hard challenge. "Man United away is not
going to determine how our season goes, but it's another 3-0 loss. It would
have been good to get some kind of result just to get the confidence up.
"Obviously last season was a massive struggle but where I'm coming from, for
me personally, I'm just buzzing to play football again. "We've got two weeks
now and they've got to get the confidence from somewhere because when we do
click and we do get it together, we are not a bad team."
Next up for the Hammers is the visit of Premier League champions Chelsea to
the Boleyn Ground a week on Saturday. While the prospect of facing Carlo
Ancelotti's in-form side is not the most comforting for some, the England
midfielder pointed to the fact that West Ham could and perhaps should have
beaten the Blues at home last season. "We believe we can beat Chelsea. It's
a completely different game. It's a derby game and form will go out of the
window. We'll have the crowd and it's one of those games where Scotty
[Parker] gets in the tackles and gets the crowd going, so it's going to be a
completely different challenge to Man United so who knows? "The manager is
trying to change the mentality of players and we have to change it because,
like I said, we have to start winning games. We're obviously playing
catch-up already."
While things have not gone to plan on the pitch so far this term, the No7
has been grateful for the unwavering support shown by the club's supporters
- in particular the 1,100 who sang their hearts out at Old Trafford last
weekend. "We were losing 2-0 to Bolton when I came off and they gave me a
standing ovation and that meant a lot to me. Again, even though we were
losing 3-0 they were out-singing the Man United fans and pretending to
celebrate a goal being scored. That's just how they are - they are a
different gear and my message to them is 'We will start winning eventually
and we'll get up that league table'."
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Jacobsen joins
WHUFC.com
Denmark right-back Lars Jacobsen has become the club's eighth summer signing
01.09.2010
West Ham United are pleased to confirm the signing of Denmark defender Lars
Jacobsen at the end of a transfer window that notably saw the club's leading
names remain at the Boleyn Ground. The permanent transfer of Jacobsen from
Blackburn Rovers was given Premier League and Football Association
ratification on Wednesday afternoon after going through initially on
Tuesday. Belgian goalkeeper Ruud Boffin has also arrived, bringing to an end
an extremely productive summer for the club that has seen eight new signings
arrive. Jacobsen will link up with his new team-mates - including Scott
Parker and Carlton Cole who are pivotal to the club's ambitions this season
- after representing the Danes in the UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier against
Iceland next Tuesday in Copenhagen. He played every minute of his country's
three matches at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The 22-year-old Boffin moves to
England from Dutch side MVV Maastricht on a two-year contract, after a
successful trial at Chadwell Heath. He will provide extra competition for
Robert Green, who also remains a valuable part of Avram Grant's new-look
squad. West Ham United chairman David Sullivan said: "We have combined youth
with experience this window and are pleased with the work we have done, even
in these challenging times for the club. We were determined to keep Scott
Parker, as well as Avram's other key players, and were able to deliver on
what we promised. "Half of our eight signings are 23 or under and we are
confident they can become major players for the club, while the other four
have a wealth of international experience. Thomas Hitzlsperger had a
particularly impressive pre-season and we look forward to seeing him play a
major role once he returns to fitness."
The new duo join the six other internationals to have arrived in east London
in the past two months, namely Hitzlsperger, Tal Ben Haim, Winston Reid,
Pablo Barrera, Frederic Piquionne and Victor Obinna. Central midfielder
Hitzlsperger, who captained Germany last month, and forward Obinna, newly
signed from UEFA Champions League holders Internazionale, are both yet to
make their debuts, with the club next in action at home to Chelsea on
Saturday week.
The 30-year-old Jacobsen, who has a one-year contract, first arrived in
English football in summer 2008 when signing for Everton and won an FA Cup
runners-up medal at the end of the campaign. He then moved on to Blackburn,
where he played 15 times in all competitions last season. Jacobsen, who has
also played for Bundesliga clubs Hamburger SV and 1 FC Nurnberg during his
career, made his name with FC Kobenhavn, winning the title three times.
First choice for Denmark, he has been capped 36 times. He becomes the second
Dane to play for West Ham after Marc Rieper, who played 101 times for the
club, scoring five goals, between 1994 and 1997.
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25-man squad confirmed
WHUFC.com
Avram Grant will have a strong list of players to choose from for the
2010/11 top-flight campaign
01.09.2010
West Ham United manager Avram Grant will be able to pick from all of his
players except for Peter Kurucz in the 2010/11 Barclays Premier League
season.
All top-flight clubs had until 5pm on Wednesday 1 September to confirm their
25-man squad to the Premier League, in line with the following rule:
Premier League rules state that each club must submit a squad, maximum 25
players, containing eight home-grown players (players trained in England or
Wales for 36 months before the age of 21), with an additional unlimited
number of players aged 21 or under on 1 January that year.
All eight of the club's new summer recruits are included, along with the
five England internationals. Although eight homegrown players were required
for the 25-man list, the Hammers actually have ten eligible players.
Hungary Under-21 goalkeeper Kurucz suffered a long-term knee injury last
month that will keep him out for several months. Jack Collison and Zavon
Hines are making good progress in their respective recoveries from knee
problems but are still some way off a first-team return.
----
West Ham United 25-man squad (homegrown in bold)
Goalkeepers: Boffin, Green
Defenders: Ben Haim, Da Costa, Gabbidon, Ilunga, Jacobsen, Reid, Spector,
Upson
Midfielders: Boa Morte, Behrami, Collison, Dyer, Faubert, Hitzlsperger,
Kovac, Noble, Parker
Forwards: Barrera, Cole, Hines, McCarthy, Obinna, Piquionne
Under-21 pros
Goalkeepers: Stech
Defenders: Brown, Eyjolfsson, Fry (on loan at Charlton Athletic),
McNaughton, Modelski, Spence, Tomkins
Midfielders: Edgar, Lee, Stanislas, Wearen
Forwards: Abdulla, Montano, Nouble, Sears
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A special day
WHUFC.com
1 September marks the 110th anniversary of West Ham United's first-ever
official match
01.09.2010
Today, 1 September, marks the 110th anniversary since West Ham United's
first official match. Having existed as Thames Ironworks FC since 1895, the
club was relaunched as West Ham United in July 1900 and Syd King installed
as the new Hammers' first manager. Maintaining their links with the old
Thames Ironworks and its owner Arnold Hills, West Ham United initially
continued to play their home matches at the Memorial Grounds in Plaistow. It
was there, on 1 September 1900, that some 2,000 spectators turned out to see
their new club take on Gravesend in the Southern League First Division.
Billy Grassam (pictured) was the man who took the honour of scoring West Ham
United's first official goal, netting after just five minutes of play.
Grassam, a Scot who had joined the club from Burslem Port Vale earlier that
year, went on to score four times in a 7-0 win for King's men, automatically
making him the first Hammer to net a hat-trick. Two goals were added by
another former Burslem Port Vale player, James Reid, while Yorkshireman
Fergus Hunt added the seventh to complete a superb day for the new club. The
Hammers would end their first season in existence by finishing sixth in the
Southern League First Division standings, while Grassam would end the
campaign as top scorer with 15 in 23 appearances. West Ham United had been
born.
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One score and five
WHUFC.com
Filed: Wednesday, 1st September 2010
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have announced their final squad for the the 2010/11 Premier
League campaign. With the transfer deadline passing at 6pm last night the
Hammers managed to make just two final day captures - right-back Lars
Jacobsen on loan from Blackburn and the wonderfully named Ruud Boffin, who
has signed a two-year contract as understudy to Rob Green.
That leaves the club's final 25-man squad for the season as follows (squad
numbers in brackets):
Goalkeepers: Rob Green (1), Ruud Boffin (tbc).
Defenders: Winston Reid (2), Tal Ben Haim (3), Danny Gabbidon (4), Matthew
Upson (15), Jonathan Spector (18), Manuel Da Costa (22), Herita Ilunga (23),
Lars Jacobsen (tbc).
Midfielders: Kieron Dyer (7), Scott Parker (8), Jack Collison (10), Thomas
Hitzlsperger (11), Luis Boa Morte (13), Radoslav Kovac (14), Mark Noble
(16), Julien Faubert (20), Valon Behrami (21).
Forwards: Carlton Cole (9), Pablo Barrera (12), Benni McCarthy (17), Zavon
Hines (26), Frederic Piquionne (30), Victor Obinna(tbc).
The new Premier League rules insist that each squad must contain a minimum
of eight players who are considered to be 'home grown' - ie players who have
trained in England for three years prior to their 21st birthdays.
The first test for Avram Grant's new-look squad - which contains ten players
who qualify under the 'home-grown' criteria - comes against current Premier
League champions Chelsea at the Boleyn a week Saturday.
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West Ham confirm deal for Danish defender Lars Jacobsen
BBC.co.uk
By Frank Keogh
West Ham have confirmed they have completed the signing of Danish right-back
Lars Jacobsen from Blackburn. The move was sealed late on transfer deadline
day and was approved by the Premier League on Wednesday. Jacobsen, 30, has
earned 35 caps for Denmark and played 16 times for Blackburn since arriving
in June 2009. The Hammers, who are without a win this season, have also
signed Belgian keeper Ruud Boffin from Dutch side MVV Maastricht on a
two-year contract. Hammers boss Avram Grant, whose side have leaked nine
goals in their opening three Premier League games, had made recruiting a new
right-back a priority. Sam Allardyce signed Jacobsen for Blackburn on a free
transfer from Everton, where his appearances were limited by a shoulder
injury. The defender started his career at Danish side Odense and has also
played for Hamburg, FC Copenhagen and Nuremberg. Jacobsen played in all
three of Denmark's matches at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where they
beat Cameroon but lost out on qualification from the group stage to the
Netherlands and Japan. "We have combined youth with experience this window
and are pleased with the work we have done, even in these challenging times
for the club," said West Ham owner David Sullivan.
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Jacobsen seals Hammers switch
Danish defender pens one-year contract at Upton Park
Last updated: 1st September 2010
SSN
West Ham United have wrapped up a deal which will make Lars Jacobsen their
eighth signing of the summer. The Hammers have confirmed that an agreement
to bring the Denmark international to Upton Park on a free transfer from
Blackburn Rovers was completed prior to Tuesday's transfer deadline.
The 30-year-old, who has also turned out for Everton in the Premier League,
will join up with his new employers after representing his country in the
upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers. West Ham have also revealed that Belgian
goalkeeper Ruud Boffin has arrived on a two-year contract. He moves to
England from Dutch side MVV Maastricht following a successful trial period
with the Hammers.
The new duo join Thomas Hitzlsperger, Tal Ben Haim, Winston Reid, Pablo
Berrera, Frederic Piquionne and Victor Obinna in strengthening Avram Grant's
ranks. "We have combined youth with experience this window and are pleased
with the work we have done, even in these challenging times for the club,"
co-owner David Sullivan told the club's official website. "We were
determined to keep Scott Parker, as well as Avram's other key players, and
were able to deliver on what we promised. "Half of our eight signings are 23
or under and we are confident they will become major players for the club,
while the other four have a wealth of international experience. "Thoms
Hitzlsperger had a particularly impressive pre-season and I look forward to
seeing him play a major role once he returns to fitness."
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Roma admit Behrami bid
Italian club run out of time to sign West Ham winger
By Simone Bargellini Last updated: 1st September 2010
SSN
Roma's legal representative Antonio Conte has revealed the Serie A club made
a late, unsuccessful attempt to sign West Ham winger Valon Behrami.
Switzerland international Behrami, who arrived at Upton Park two years ago
from Lazio, had been linked with a move to the Italian outfit this summer.
But Roma lawyer Conte says the club's advances for the 25-year-old were in
vain as they failed to agree a deal before the transfer window slammed shut
on Tuesday. "(Roma's) President Rosella Sensi and other executives tried to
sign Behrami yesterday," Conte told Centro Suono Sport. "(Roma sporting
director Daniele) Prade tried until the end but there were problems of time
as well as some missed assignments that were required for Roma to conclude
the deal."
Meanwhile, Cesena were also targeting Behrami, but chairman Igor Campedelli
says the winger had already set his sights on a more high-profile move,
indicating he could be poised for a January switch. "We wanted the player
because our coach (Massimo Ficcadenti) knows him well," Campedelli told
calciomercato.it. "He said no because he had already given his word to
bigger clubs."
Campedelli also slammed the behaviour of centre-back David Rozenhal and his
agent after a potential deal fell through and the stopper ended up joining
Lille on loan. "I'm disappointed and a bit angry about the non-arrival of
Rozenhal," he added. "Until Monday we had an agreement with the player and
his agent, everything was prepared. Then yesterday we learned that they
agreed with another club, Lille. "They didn't behave well because, I repeat,
everything was done."
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Dyer - We're not a bad team
Midfielder feels Hammers can beat Chelsea in next game
Last updated: 1st September 2010
SSN
Kieron Dyer insists West Ham United are not a bad team following the club's
disappointing start to the new Premier League season. Avram Grant is still
seeking his first points as Hammers boss after opening the new campaign with
three consecutive defeats. West Ham have also conceded three goals in each
reverse and were comprehensively outplayed in last weekend's 3-0 loss at
Manchester United. However, Dyer does not feel the game at Old Trafford
should be used to define the Hammers' season and is hoping his own
enthusiasm at being back on the pitch will rub off on his team-mates. "Man
Utd away is not going to determine how our season goes, but it's another 3-0
loss," Dyer, who has started the last two league matches, told the club's
official website.
"It would have been good to get some kind of result just to get the
confidence up. "Obviously, last season was a massive struggle but, where I'm
coming from, for me personally, I'm just buzzing to play football again.
"We've got two weeks now and they've got to get the confidence from
somewhere because when we do click and we do get it together, we are not a
bad team."
West Ham have never before started a season with four straight league
defeats, but that now looks to be a real possibility, with red-hot Chelsea
their next opponents. But Dyer said: "We believe we can beat Chelsea. It's a
completely different game. "It's a derby game and form will go out of the
window. We'll have the crowd and it's one of those games where Scotty
[Parker] gets in the tackles and gets the crowd going. "The manager is
trying to change the mentality of players and we have to change it. "We have
to start winning games. We're obviously playing catch-up already."
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Hammers finalise squad list
Grant names experienced 25-man selection
Last updated: 1st September 2010
SSN
West Ham boss Avram Grant has a wealth of experience available to him in his
25-man squad. The Hammers have omitted just one senior player, Peter Kurucz,
from their plans for 2010/11. Premier League clubs had to make their squad
selections on Wednesday following the closure of the summer transfer window.
They had until 5pm on to make their choices, which had to include at least
eight 'home-grown' stars. Grant has abided to those rules, with the likes of
Scott Parker, Rob Green, Kieron Dyer,Mark Noble, Matthew Upson and Carlton
Cole all falling into that category. The Israeli coach has also named all
eight of his summer signings within his senior ranks. Youngsters Jack
Collison and Zavon Hines make the cut as they are making good progress in
their rehabilitation from knee injuries.
West Ham squad: Ruud Boffin, Robert Green, Tal Ben Haim, Manuel Da Costa,
Daniel Gabbidon, Herita Ilunga, Lars Jacobsen, Winston Reid, Jonathan
Spector, Matthew Upson, Luis Boa Morte, Valon Behrami, Jack Collison, Kieron
Dyer, Julien Faubert, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Radoslav Kovac, Mark Noble, Scott
Parker, Pablo Barrera, Carlton Cole, Zavon Hines, Benni McCarthy, Victor
Obinna, Frederic Piquionne.
West Ham can also use Marek Stech, Jordan Brown, Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson,
Matthew Fry (on loan at Charlton Athletic), Callum McNaughton, Filip
Modelski, Jordan Spence, James Tomkins, Anthony Edgar, Olly Lee, Junior
Stanislas, Eoin Wearen, Ahmed Abdulla, Cristian Montano, Frank Nouble and
Freddie Sears as they are all under the age of 21.
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Hammers deals please Sullivan
Virginmedia.com
West Ham chairman David Sullivan expressed delight at the club's transfer
activity after Lars Jacobsen was confirmed as the Hammers' ninth summer
signing. Belgian goalkeeper Ruud Boffin has also arrived, on a two-year
contract from Dutch side MVV Maastricht, along with Thomas Hitzlsperger, Tal
Ben Haim, Winston Reid, Pablo Barrera, Frederic Piquionne and Victor Obinna.
Sullivan told the club`s official website: "We have combined youth with
experience this window and are pleased with the work we have done, even in
these challenging times for the club."
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Cash-starved West Ham miss out on Yakubu Ayegbeni and Marc Wilson
£5m would have secured Everton's Yakubu
Marc Wilson of Portsmouth would have cost West Ham £3m
Jamie Jackson
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 1 September 2010 18.56 BST
Avram Grant, the West Ham manager, was not able to secure another striker
during the transfer window. Photograph: Phil Cole/Getty Images
After losing their opening three league games, West Ham's hopes of avoiding
a relegation struggle this season were dealt a further blow by their
precarious finances preventing the purchase of Yakubu Ayegbeni and Marc
Wilson during the transfer window.
While £5m would have bought Yakubu from Everton, only £3m was required to
take Wilson, the Portsmouth captain, to Upton Park as Avram Grant, the
manager, sought to strengthen his squad.
Under the Israeli, West Ham have scored only once in the league so far and
their next match is the visit of the champions, Chelsea, on Saturday week,
which suggests they could reach mid-September still pointless.
Following a net spend during the summer of £6m for the Mexico forward Pablo
Barrera, the New Zealand defender Winston Reid and Lyon's Frédéric
Piquionne, loan deals or the sale of an established player were Grant's only
viable options for further recruitment.
Although Liverpool indicated a late interest in Carlton Cole before
yesterday's closing of the transfer window, which may have allowed Ryan
Babel to join in his place, Grant's preference would have been to keep the
England striker while also adding a 15-goals-a-season striker to his squad,
such as Yakubu.
While Barrera cost £4m and Reid £3m, they are 23 and 22 respectively and
Grant has said they may need time to settle in. Piquionne's ability to score
enough goals to support Cole is also moot, after he managed only five in 34
appearances when on loan at Portsmouth last season.
There was better news for Grant, though, after the Premier League confirmed
that Lars Jacobsen, a 30-year-old right-back, could join on a one-year deal
from Blackburn Rovers after paperwork for the free transfer arrived close to
yesterday's 6pm deadline.
Kieron Dyer, meanwhile, the injury-plagued midfielder who has started West
Ham's last two league games, is confident the club's form will improve. "We
were disappointed again on Saturday," he told the West Ham website. "Man
United away is not going to determine how our season goes but it's another
3-0 loss. It would have been good to get some kind of result just to get the
confidence up. We've got two weeks now [ahead of Chelsea] and we've got to
get the confidence from somewhere because when we do click and get it
together, we are not a bad team."
Dyer, who is now 31, added that Chelsea can be defeated: "We believe we can
beat Chelsea. It's a completely different game, a derby game and form will
go out of the window. We'll have the crowd and it's one of those games where
Scotty [Parker] gets in the tackles and gets the crowd going, so it's going
to be a completely different challenge to Man United. So who knows?
"The manager is trying to change the mentality of players and we have to
change it because, like I said, we have to start winning games. We're
obviously playing catch-up already.
"Obviously last season was a massive struggle but where I'm coming from, for
me personally, I'm just buzzing to play football again."
David Sullivan, the co-owner, said tonight he was happy with West Ham's
recruitment he did hint at the club's financial difficulties. He said: "We
have combined youth with experience this window and are pleased with the
work we have done, even in these challenging times for the club."
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Goalkeeper Ruud Boffin signs for West Ham as cover for Robert Green
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER Last updated at 9:04 PM on 1st September 2010
Daily Mail
West Ham have confirmed the signing of Belgian goalkeeper Ruud Boffin on a
two year contract. The 22-year-old impressed while on trial two weeks ago
and he was brought in for a nominal fee from Dutch side MVV Maastricht just
before the deadline as cover for Robert Green who is due to undergo hip
surgery.
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Reds failed in Carlton Cole bid
This Is Anfield
Article added: September 1st, 2010
Liverpool failed to bring in the forward they need and wanted after West Ham
rejected a bid for Carlton Cole on deadline day.
From The Guardian: For the second successive season Liverpool have been
left over-reliant on the form and fitness of Fernando Torres having failed
to improve cover for a striker who has suffered two injury-plagued campaigns
and, as Roy Hodgson conceded on Sunday, is not fully recovered from the knee
problem that impacted on his World Cup. The Anfield club made a belated
attempt to wrest Carlton Cole from West Ham United yesterday, having
considered previous options over recent days, but several offers were unable
to convince the Hammers to sell the England international.
Liverpool are believed to have offered Lucas Leiva, the Brazilian
midfielder, and Ryan Babel, their Dutch international forward, in exchange
for Cole but neither player wanted to leave Anfield for Upton Park. Babel
reportedly travelled to London via helicopter in anticipation of a deal only
to eventually Tweet that; "I'm going no where. LFC all the way. YNWA!!" as
the clubs failed to agree on a valuation for Cole. With PSV Eindhoven's Ola
Toivonen priced out of Liverpool's reach, and Bayern Munich refusing to
release Mario Gómez even on loan, Hodgson will have to make do with Babel,
David Ngog and Dirk Kuyt as cover for Torres until January.
The failure to sign a much-needed striker means Liverpool recouped more than
they spent in this transfer window, another indication of the financial
restrictions under the co-owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, and this
after convincing Torres and Steven Gerrard to resist any overtures for their
signatures in the summer.
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Sam Cowler urged to grab West Ham chance
01.09.10 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United academy chief Tony Carr was delighted seeing Sam Cowler
called up to the senior squad this season. Goalkeeper Cowler was included in
the first-team squad for the visits of Bolton Wanderers and Oxford after
Hungary U21 international Peter Kurucz was laid low with a cruciate knee
ligament injury. Carr told whufc.com: "Sam was the next in line and it was a
great experience for him. It will have given him a bit of a taste for the
big time and spur him on to want more of it."
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Carr pleased for Stech after West Ham senior breakthrough
01.09.10 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United academy chief Tony Carr was delighted seeing Marek Stech do
so well in the Carling Cup defeat of Oxford United last week. Stech has been
with the club since the age of 16, when he moved to England from Sparta
Prague, and Carr was naturally delighted to see yet another Academy
youngster make the grade. He told whufc.com: "Marek wasn't technically
homegrown, but he came through the youth team for two years and has now had
an opportunity to show what he's all about. "He produced a creditable
performance against Oxford, did very well and got man of the match. He made
one great save from a long-distance shot. It was all good experience for him
and he can only improve."
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Obinna: The Legend told me to grab West Ham chance
01.09.10 | tribalfootball.com
Inter Milan striker Victor Obinna admits his loan move to West Ham United
has been given the thumbs up by Nwankwo Kanu. Kanu urged his fellow Nigerian
to make the switch to Upton Park. Obinna revealed to whufc.com: "I spoke to
the Legend, as we call him in Nigeria for advice. [Portsmouth striker] Kanu
is the king. He said many good things. "He was so excited for me to come
here. He gave me some advice before signing for West Ham and told me to go
for it. He encouraged me. He has played under the manager and said they had
a very positive relationship."
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We've Scottcha for 5 year
The Sun
Published: Today
SCOTT PARKER is set to agree a new five-year contract with West Ham. Upton
Park owners David Gold and David Sullivan should announce the deal within a
week. They previously promised the Hammers faithful they would not sell the
midfielder, 29, to Spurs. A source revealed: "Parker will become a Hammer
for life if the owners have their way. "He is earning top money at this club
— well over the £60,000 which represents the Tottenham wage ceiling. "He has
never given any indication he wanted to go anywhere."
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Shut That Window!
ESPN
Posted by Billy Blagg 5 hours, 41 minutes ago
The transfer window closed on August 31st with West Ham making a couple of
late signings in the shape of Blackburn's International Lars Jacobsen - who
played in all three of Denmark's games in this year's World Cup in South
Africa - and reserve keeper and wonderfully named Ruud Boffin, a 22 year-old
signed from Maastricht.
The Hammers also fended off a late bid from Liverpool to coax Carlton Cole
away and rebuffed the umteenth bid from Spurs for Scott Parker. In fact,
indications that Parker and Upson seemed quite happy to sign new contracts
was a good indicator that some of the more experienced players, at least,
seem keen to tie themselves to the mast of a ship that many commentators are
currently predicting will be floundering on the rocks by Christmas.
I know that the coaching staff's inability to get the best from the
available players is about 90% of West Ham's problems but I'd have to say
that if only half of the named squad performed to their full potential, we
surely shouldn't be hanging around the bottom for long. There's also an
impressive list of available under-21's compared to everyone else in the
league made up of Academy players - five of whom have already played Premier
or Cup football and acquitted themselves well - who will undoubtably all be
playing for Chelsea and ManU in 5 years time. Despite the doom and gloom
there really is NO excuse... errr...is there?
The full squad list of all the Premiership teams can be found here
The full 25 man squad is as follows: (Homegrown players are listed in bold)
Ruud Boffin, Robert Green, Tal Ben Haim, Manuel Da Costa, Daniel Gabbidon,
Herita Ilunga, Lars Jacobsen, Winston Reid, Jonathan Spector, Matthew Upson,
Luis Boa Morte, Valon Behrami, Jack Collison, Kieron Dyer, Julien Faubert,
Thomas Hitzlsperger, Radoslav Kovac, Mark Noble, Scott Parker, Pablo
Barrera, Carlton Cole, Zavon Hines, Benni McCarthy, Victor Obinna, Frederic
Piquionne. (West Ham can also use young players including: Marek Stech,
Jordan Brown, Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson, Matthew Fry (on loan at Charlton
Athletic), Callum McNaughton, Filip Modelski, Jordan Spence, James Tomkins,
Anthony Edgar, Olly Lee, Junior Stanislas, Eoin Wearen, Ahmed Abdulla,
Cristian Montano, Frank Nouble, Freddie Sears.)
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