WHUFC.com
Jack Collison is hoping to return to first-team action in time for the busy
festive season
04.09.2010
Jack Collison is targeting a happy Christmas as he continues his comeback
from a serious knee injury. West Ham United's talented midfielder has been
working hard after undergoing surgery in April, recently returning to
Chadwell Heath to take part in daily physiotherapy and rehabilitation
sessions. Speaking on Sky Sports' Soccer AM, the new No10 said he was aiming
to be back in first-team action in time for the busy festive season. "I'm
hoping to be back around Christmas time. I had an operation about four or
four-and-a-half months ago just to stabilise my kneecap and have a bit of a
tidy-up. "I knew it had been coming a little while. I'm not sure if you
remember but at Wigan I did it properly there, tried to play on and had a
little bit of trouble with it and eventually it's come to this. "Fingers
crossed, it's all gone really well so far and I should be back around
Christmas and I'm looking forward to getting back into the action. "It's
nice to get it sorted out. Now I'm confident in it and I can't wait to get
back out on the pitch."
Collison, who made 22 Barclays Premier League last season, scoring twice,
also described the painstaking treatment he underwent to build-up the
strength in his knee, including sitting on a continuous passive motion
machine for eight hours a day. "It was good fun! The first 12 weeks were a
bit boring but thankfully my Mum looks after me. I've moved back in with
her, which is nice. "Basically I had to move back home and laid down flat
and it moved my leg up and down for me. It was pretty lazy, but I managed to
get quite good at FIFA and watched quite a lot of DVDs! "I just tried to get
through it as quick as I can. Obviously it was a long time but I want to
come back. "I had a little bit of work on the cartilage and in one of the
operations they stabbed little holes in it and made a new scar. It's quite
complicated stuff, but the machine just smoothes out the scar and makes it
all right."
Moving on to football matters, Collison spoke positively when asked about
manager Avram Grant, suggesting that it will not be long before the Hammers
starting winning matches for their new boss. "The new manager seems good.
He's quite friendly and comes over and says 'Hello'. At the moment I'm in
getting physio every day and it's nice being in and around the boys and
being in the mix. "I think they've all reacted really well to him. He's
obviously bringing in his own ideas and it's up to us to start picking up a
few points I think. "Obviously it's not a great start to the season and
nobody wants to start like that, but the new manager has come in and he's
got his own ideas of how he wants to play and maybe it's going to take a
little while to adapt. "It's only early doors and we've got a nice easy one
next week against Chelsea so hopefully we'll pick up some points there."
While he is targeting a Christmas comeback in claret and blue, Collison also
has one eye on Wales' 2012 UEFA European Championship qualifying Group F
clash with England on 26 March next year. Born in Watford, the 21-year-old
qualified for Wales through his grandfather, scoring on his Under-21 debut
in a 4-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in November 2007. Since making his
full debut against Iceland in May 2008, he has amassed seven senior caps.
"To be honest, at the time I wasn't really concentrating on international
football. I was trying to break into the West Ham first team and Brian Flynn
from the Wales Under-21s came down and asked if I wanted to go and play for
them and obviously I jumped at the opportunity and I've really enjoyed my
time. "I had a really good time with the Under-21s, but unfortunately it
seems every time I go away with the seniors I pick up an injury or
something, so I'm hoping to get my leg sorted and be back in time for the
England game in March."
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Collison laments Zola departure
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 4th September 2010
By: Staff Writer
Young Hammers midfielder Jack Collison has admitted that he was disappointed
with the decision to fire Gianfranco Zola at the end of last season. The
22-year-old Welsh international, talking on Soccer AM this morning revealed
that he was sad to see the back of the Italian, who was fired by Karren
Brady following the culmination of the 2009/10 campaign. "He was the one who
gave me my big chance and I feel like I owe him a lot," said Collison. "He
took an interest in a lot of the young lads and for me it was great learning
off someone like him because he wasn't a bad player, was he? "He could still
play; he joined in during training and some of the stuff he would do was
pretty unbelievable. The first day in training we were playing two touch; he
got the ball, flicked it round the corner and dinked Rob Green. Everyone
just stood there and was like' whoa, what have we got here?'!
"He was really good. After training sometimes he'd take the boys for a
one-to-one session which was nice to see from a manager, you don't always
get that. He took a real interest. He let all the boys go out there and
express themselves, which was nice. It's just a shame what happened."
Collison - who last featured for the first team in February - recently
underwent an operation to solve a long-standing knee problem, from which he
expects to return at the beginning of 2011. "I'm hoping to be back around
Christmas time," he confirmed. "I had an operation about four months ago to
stabalise my knee cap and to have a bit of a tidy up. "I done it properly at
Wigan , tried to play on and had a little trouble with it - and eventually
it came to this. But fingers crossed, it's gone really well so far. I should
be back around Christmas and I'm looking forward to getting back into the
action. "It was nice to get it sorted out, now I'm confident on it and rehab
has gone really well. I just can't wait to get back out on the pitch.
Luckily my mum looked after me - I moved back in with her, which was nice; I
managed to get quite good at FIFA and watched a lot of DVDs! I just tried to
get through it as quick as I can to be honest. Obviously [I've been out] a
long time but I want to come back and play. "I had a little bit of work on
the cartilege and in one of the knee operations they stabbed little holes in
it and made a new scar, so it was quite complicated stuff. But the machine
[I was using] smooths out the scar and makes it alright."
And with regards to the club's poor start to the 2010/11 campaign - and
Zola's replacement, Avram Grant - he said: "The new manager seems good, he's
quite friendly, he comes over and says 'hello'. At the moment I'm in getting
physio every day so it's nice to be in and around the boys, to be in the
mix. But I think they've all reacted really well to him. Obviously he's
bringing in his own ideas and it's up to us now to start picking up a few
points. "Obviously it's not a great start to the season, no-one wants to
start like that. But the new manager's got his own ideas, the way he wants
to play and maybe it's going to take a little while to adapt. But it's only
early days - and we've got a nice easy one next week against Chelsea, so
hopefully we'll start picking up points there!"
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Lletget signs Hammers deal
Midfielder hoping to make impact at Upton Park
Last updated: 4th September 2010
SSN
Sebastian Lletget has celebrated his 18th birthday by putting pen to paper
on a professional contract with West Ham. Lletget was spotted by Hammers
scouts in California at the age of 13 and has trained on and off with the
Premier League club for the past four-and-a-half years. The attacking
midfielder is thrilled to have earned a deal at Upton Park and is now
looking forward to the next stage of his development. Reflecting on his
breakthrough moment as a youngster, Lletget told West Ham's official
website: "I started playing at a club back in San Francisco called Sporting
as Sporting Lisbon had brought their Academy over to the United States.
"It's a very competitive club, so that was my best chance of ever being seen
by a European club. "One day, I went to training as always and one of my
coaches, Carlos Brasil, had a friend called Mike Leigh who was a scout for
West Ham. "I played a game against an older team and did really well in
front of him. He said 'OK' and invited me over to England. "I came over when
I was 13 and trained with the youth team because the Under 16s were not in.
I had a great training session so they asked me to play that afternoon and I
scored a goal with my first touch. "After that game, I've been visiting and
training with the club ever since. I have now signed my professional
contract."
Lletget hopes to make an impact at West Ham but recognises that he will have
to stay patient before he breaks into Avram Grant's first-team plans. "In
the upcoming season, I really want to get established and comfortable and
play for the reserves, then maybe I'll get spotted by the manager," said
Lletget, who has Italian heritage but would like to play for the USA at
international level. "Now I have signed I don't want to rush things and put
extra pressure on myself," he said. "I'm just going to take it
step-by-step, day-by-day."
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Roma still tracking Behrami
West Ham player remains on Italian club's radar
Last updated: 4th September 2010
SSN
Roma president Rosella Sensi has refused to rule out a swoop for Valon
Behrmai at later date after missing out on the West Ham player this summer.
The versatile Switzerland international was heavily linked with a move away
from Upton Park during the transfer window and Roma were one of several
interested clubs. A switch did not materialise but the Giallorossi later
admitted they had made a late attempt to prise Behrami away from the
Hammers.
Behrami has also admitted he is disappointed to be staying in London, but it
now seems Roma could renew their pursuit at some point in the future.
Sensini remains an admirer of the 25-year-old, who spent time in the Italian
capital with Roma's rivals Lazio before joining West Ham. "Behrami is an
important player," Sensi told Centrosuonosport. "We did want him but
unfortunately the deal could not be sealed. We had to keep our balance." He
added: "I don't know whether we will sign him or not, but never say never."
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Collison owes a lot to Zola
Hammers midfielder grateful to former Hammers boss
Last updated: 4th September 2010
SSN
West Ham United midfielder Jack Collison has admitted it was a 'shame' to
see Gianfraco Zola sacked at the end of last season. The Italian coach was
axed after the club struggled for form during the 2009/10 term and flirted
with relegation as a result. Collison is grateful for Zola's tutorship
during his time in charge of Upton Park, conceding he was disappointed to
see him leave. "He was the one who gave me my big chance and I feel like I
owe him a lot," said Collison on Soccer AM. "He took an interest in a lot of
the young lads and for me it was great learning off someone like him because
he wasn't a bad player, was he? "He could still play. He joined in during
training and some of the stuff he would do was pretty unbelievable. The
first day in training we were playing two touch; he got the ball, flicked
it round the corner and dinked Rob Green. Everyone just stood there and was
like 'whoa, what have we got here?' "He was really good. After training
sometimes he'd take the boys for a one-to-one session which was nice to see
from a manager, you don't always get that.
"He took a real interest. He let all the boys go out there and express
themselves, which was nice. It's just a shame what happened."
Collison - who last featured for the first team in February - recently
underwent an operation to solve a long-standing knee problem, from which he
expects to return at the beginning of 2011. "I'm hoping to be back around
Christmas time," he confirmed. "I had an operation about four months ago to
stabilise my knee cap and to have a bit of a tidy up."
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SULLIVAN BLASTS HAMMERS LAYABOUTS
News Of The World
By Greg Gobere, 04/09/2010
DAVID SULLIVAN has blasted a section of West Ham's 'lazy' foreign stars for
their woeful start to the season. But the Hammers co-owner warned the
players who "couldn't be bothered" they have no choice but to give 100
percent now that the transfer window is shut for six months. So far, the
pointless Hammers have shipped nine goals in defeats to Aston Villa, Bolton
and Manchester United. And while Sullivan cited injury to new recruits as a
contributing factor to his side's alarming start, he was adamant that some
of the foreign contingent containing Radoslav Kovac, Julien Faubert, Herita
Ilunga, Luis Boa Morte and Jonathan Spector have not been pulling their
weight. Valon Behrami has also spoken of his disappointment at seeing a
move to Roma break down.
Sullivan refused to name names but French midfielder Faubert and full-back
Ilunga are the only players from that group boss Avram Grant has used in all
three defeats. Sullivan said: "We've got a few foreign players who wanted to
leave but we didn't receive any offers. "I think they couldn't be bothered
but now the deadline has passed they realise the only way out is to play for
the club and to play well and I think they will make a contribution. "They
realise now that they are here until at least January so they will get their
heads down and work for the benefit of the club. They had their heads in the
air before that. "The team that started against Man United was the same team
from last season because virtually all the new signings were injured. "You
will find over the next few weeks that it won't be the team of last season -
but if players are performing well they will retain their place. It's the
manager's decision. "Out of our new signings Victor Obinna didn't have
international clearance, Thomas Hitzlsperger was injured, Winston Reid has a
torn muscle in his buttocks, Tal Ben Haim was not fully fit and Pablo
Barrera was knackered after playing two full games in the week after the
World Cup. "Now with our new players getting back and the others back
playing, you will see us get better game by game."
Sullivan is so confident of Grant's team eventually finding their feet, he
confessed he is happy to virtually write off another THREE league games
before he considers the season to have truly begun. By then it will be
October and the Hammers could have played a month and a half of the league.
But Sullivan said: "You can't judge a team after three games. It's very
premature. When you're building something it takes time and there have been
changes at all levels.
"The next three games are very, very tough. Chelsea at home, Stoke who are
particularly good on their own ground and Tottenham at home. "Three tough
games and then the season really starts with the Fulham game on October 2.
But I hope to surprise a few people against Chelsea, Stoke or Tottenham.
"The Bolton game was a major disappointment but it's early days. "There was
a stage last season where we lost six games in a row, these things happen. I
haven't relayed any messages to Avram at all, I just expect a gradual
improvement in form. It's not all doom and gloom. "He inherited a very
imbalanced squad. Over the next year he'll turn things round. Results will
gradually come. Avram is very, very confident about the future. "He'd love
to have £30m-£40m to spend but what manager wouldn't? "I've got every
confidence in the manager and every confidence in the team."
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GRANT JOB ON THE LINE
News Of The World
By Neil Ashton
AVRAM GRANT is fighting to save his job after just three Premier League
games in charge of West Ham. Incredibly the former Chelsea and Portsmouth
chief is under intense pressure from co-owners David Gold and David
Sullivan. West Ham are bottom of the Premier League without a point and are
facing a daunting set of fixtures in September. They face Chelsea at Upton
Park this weekend and then travel to Stoke and host Tottenham in their next
three games. The Hammers board are expecting an immediate improvement and
are preparing to review Grant's position if they remain bottom of the table.
Sullivan was furious with his team's lack of commitment during the 3-1
defeat against Bolton at Upton Park in August. He is well are of supporter
unrest and is willing to make a swift change in management if results do not
improve. Expectations of a mid-table finish have already been adjusted and
the owners will now be satisfied if they escape relegation. Grant did not
play any of the club's new signings in the 3-0 surrender at Manchester
United last weekend. Pablo Barrera, Frederic Piquionne and Benni McCarthy,
who was on loan at the Hammers last season, were all on the bench.
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PARKER SET TO SIGN NEW DEAL
News Of The World
By Marc Isaacs, 04/09/2010
SCOTT PARKER is finally set to agree a new five-year contract with West Ham
in the next few days. Parker, 29, was strongly linked with a £7m move to
Tottenham during the summer, but the club turned down an offer from the
north London club and were adamant he was staying at Upton Park. Tottenham
were accused by West Ham of trying to unsettle the player, but Harry
Redknapp hit back saying the east London club made it public that they had
made an offer. Parker was offered a new five-year deal, but hesitated in
putting pen-to-paper and West Ham feared he could depart before the transfer
window closed. But the window closed without West Ham having to sell any of
their key players and Parker is now expected to pledge his long-term future
to the club.
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Aliadiere salutes Middlesbrough after injury nightmare
Published 23:00 04/09/10 By Steve Stammers
The Mirror
As cruel twists of football fate go, it ranks up there with the worst. West
Ham were keen on signing Jeremie Aliadiere a month ago, but wanted evidence
of his fitness. So he was invited to play for the reserves against Crystal
Palace on a Monday night, but five minutes in, Aliadiere felt a searing pain
in his knee.
"I had damaged my cruciate knee ligaments," he recalled. And that meant the
end of any possible revival of his career at Upton Park, leaving Aliadiare
clubless. He said: "There was a misunderstanding about the deal. I was led
to believe it had been agreed, but West Ham said it hadn't. "I asked the PFA
to help and they said that all the club were obliged to pay was my medical
expenses which they have."
Former club Boro stepped in when they heard what had happened. "They have
been brilliant," said Aliadiere who starts his rehabilitation up at Teesside
this week. "Gordon Strachan offered me the use of all their facilities.
Hopefully I can be running again in six weeks and fit again in four months."
"I can't wait to be playing again," he said. "This has all been so
frustrating. "Money is not the priority but I do want to be earning again.
No-one is paying me at the moment. I'm not on the street – but it is my
profession and I want to be out there."
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Grant has THREE games to save his job - Exclusive
Published 23:00 04/09/10 By Paul Smith
The Mirror
Avram Grant has just three more League games to save his job at West Ham.
The Hammers are pointless and bottom of the Premier League after their
opening three matches of the new campaign. It has led to growing unrest
among supporters who are fast running out of patience with Grant, who was
appointed on a four year contract in June. Co-owners David Sullivan and
David Gold are also targets for the fans' fury. The West Ham fans' internet
message boards are laden with criticism and furious fans are bombarding
radio stations. Grant, who resigned from relegated Portsmouth at the end of
last season, has become agitated by West Ham's failure to sign key players.
As the transfer window closed last week he claimed the Hammers' financial
position put paid to several proposed deals at the last minute. After
inheriting a spendthrift club following the days of Icelandic ownership, the
Gold-Sullivan hierarchy have insisted on bringing a hard-headed business
approach. But it's likely to be the Israeli coach's head on the block if the
club fail to get points and goals in their next three fixtures. And even
though his contract runs to 2014, there is a specified pay-off within the
deal. The next visitors to Upton Park are free-scoring Premier League
leaders Chelsea, followed by a tough trip to Stoke.They then face Sunderland
in the Carling Cup before the visit of Tottenham on September 25. Grant
needs to show the team he's putting together can climb the table. It was
claimed the 55-year-old's arrival would bring stability and progress. After
deciding the gamble on the inexperienced Gianfranco Zola had backfired, the
Hammers expected Grant to be a safe pair of experienced hands. The fact that
he guided crisis club Pompey to the FA Cup Final last May certainly worked
in his favour as a miracle worker on a tight budget. But the Hammers have
found the net just once this season and during their last away game at
Manchester United Grant did not select a single one of the club's six summer
signings in his starting line-up. Co-owner Gold has claimed the club
expected to secure a mid-table position this season. Avoiding relegation may
become their prime target.
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