WHUFC.com
West Ham United kick-off their Barclays Premier Reserve League season later on Tuesday
14.09.2010
West Ham United begin their challenge for the Barclays Premier Reserve League title with a trip to Everton on Tuesday. Alex Dyer's squad have contested no fewer than eight pre-season friendly matches in preparation for the 2010/11 campaign, defeating Crystal Palace and Leicester City along the way. The Hammers will begin with a trip to Everton's Finch Farm training ground to face the Toffees on Tuesday, with kick-off at 2pm. Dyer could have a number of first-team squad members at his disposal, including New Zealand FIFA World Cup star Winston Reid, who has recently returned to full training. The manager has urged his players to start the new season on a high against a Toffees side that has drawn at Chelsea and beaten Wolverhampton Wanderers in its opening two matches.
"I'm looking forward to it and the boys are as well," said Dyer. "They are chomping at the bit and are ready to play. Hopefully we can go up to Everton and put in a good performance and get a good result. It's important this year that we just don't think about the performances. Let's see if we can get some results, because that's what counts. "They are all big games for us. I want us to start the season off with the right attitude - the attitude that this is our job. I want us to go there and put a good performance in but not come away without a result. This is my third season as reserve-team manager and I want to put some results together. "I want the boys who play in the reserves to play with the right attitude, the right application and to approach the game well in the right way. If the boys in the first team see that the reserves have put in a good performance, it will give everyone around the club a bit of a lift. "For whatever reason you are in the reserve team - whether you are not in the first team, you are generally a reserve-team player or a youth-team player - there are reasons to want to do well and impress."
The Barclays Premier Reserve League has been reshaped for the new season, with the 16 competing teams now split into three divisions. West Ham are in the Southern section alongside Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the Hammers taking on each of their division rivals home and away. Dyer's squad will also take on the ten teams in the two other divisions - Northern A and Northern B - once each, making for a 20-match season. Everton are currently top of Northern B, having taken four points from their opening two matches. The winners of the Southern section will then take on the winners of a play-off between the Northern A and B divisions to determine an overall champion.
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Fulham is Kids for a Quid
WHUFC.com
All supporters can buy child tickets for one pound for the derby date with Fulham
13.09.2010
The Fulham match on 2 October promises to be another derby to remember at a packed Boleyn Ground and the club is running the hugely popular Kids for a Quid scheme once again. The club had already decided to offer the promotion to Academy and Youth Academy members but, in the wake of the fantastic support seen against Chelsea last Saturday, have now decided to let as many fans as possible take advantage. Manager Avram Grant and his squad will benefit from a sold-out stadium roaring them on to victory. Adults can purchase child tickets for this Barclays Premier League showdown for just £1 - with the aim being to get a full house for this major derby date at the Boleyn Ground. Kick-off is at 3pm on Saturday 2 October. Carlton Cole said: "It is good to encourage the kids to come along, they are the next generation. We want more coming to matches and it will be great to have a full stadium cheering us on.
"The Fulham match is going to be an important one. It is a derby and everyone will be up for it. I scored in this match last season and I am going to be doing my best to notch again."
The Hammers have a great home record against the Cottagers, having been unbeaten in the last five meetings at the Boleyn Ground. Academy and Youth Academy members will still get the chance of an exclusive Kids for a Quid promotion, with the arrival of Newcastle United at 5.30pm on Saturday 23 October. All club members will be able to purchase child tickets for £1, including adult members. This new membership benefit is in addition to the existing junior offers including:
Three free Barclays Premier League games* - an instant return on your membership fee
Reductions on all match tickets, saving up to £11
Two £5 vouchers for the Lakeside and Stadium Store**
Reduced online and telephone booking fees
Priority booking period on all fixtures over general public
An exclusive invitation to watch the first team train - only available to members
A unique welcome gift pack containing a gym bag, a West Ham United magazine, a badge, a Youth Academy authentication certificate plus much more
* Matches to be: Wigan Athletic - 3pm Saturday 27 November, Wolverhampton Wanderers - 3pm Saturday 1 January 2011 and Stoke City - 3pm Saturday March 2011
** Shop discount and vouchers are not applicable to Macron replica products and sale items
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Captain's rallying cry
WHUFC.com
Matthew Upson has urged his team-mates to give everything to beat Stoke City on Saturday
13.09.2010
Matthew Upson has called on every member of the West Ham United squad to channel all their energy into beating Stoke City. The Hammers captain issued a rallying cry ahead of Saturday's trip to the Britannia Stadium, with the sole aim of bringing three Barclays Premier League points back to east London.
Upson urged his squad-mates to build on a positive performance against champions Chelsea by turning on the style in front of a live Sky Sports audience this weekend. "I think it is important how we behave this week in training, how the training is structured and what we do, the intensity of it and the atmosphere around it," said the skipper. "I think those things have to be important this week going into a game we want to win on Saturday. "We need to do things that are positive, do things quick and sharp and get things buzzing again. I think they are important parts of moving forward to next week."
Upson believes victory at Stoke would be built on a strong, resolute and settled defence, with new arrivals Denmark FIFA World Cup right-back Lars Jacobsen and experienced Israel centre-back Tal Ben Haim impressing on their Premier League debuts for the club. "We need the stability. If you look at it, we've had four games and four different right-backs, three different people in at right centre-half. It's so hard to get that momentum and clarity of what your job is when things are changing all the time. We need players to come in and stamp their authority on a position and make it their own. "We're four games into the season and hopefully that can now happen and we can set up with Lars, who is a solid right-back who knows his job. I liked the look of him on Saturday. I thought he did well. He's experienced, he's played a fair bit in the Premier League and he knows his job, so he looked good. "I thought Tal did all right. His positioning is good and he uses the ball pretty well. We just need somebody to stamp their authority, as the manager then knows who his No1 and No2 centre-halves are and he goes with them when they are fit. I think every good team has that and in every position we need to have that kind of stability. "We need to get that momentum going as a unit and stop conceding goals, which has been a problem for us."
Behind the back four, Robert Green will also be crucial. Upson knows the No1 better than most, playing and training with him at both club and international level for the past three-and-a-half years. With that in mind, the captain believes Green will not be fazed by Chelsea's fortuitous second goal in Saturday's 3-1 defeat. Upson reacted quickest to the loose ball after Green had not held a free-kick, only for the clearance to hit Salomon Kalou on the heel and loop agonisingly into the far corner of the net. "It was a difficult ball for Rob. Drogba hits those ones, and you've seen it before, with topspin on the ball and it bounces in front of the keeper. It's a difficult ball to hold and that's what I was in there for, if it spins out. We got there and it was one of those things. "I could still deal with the ball. I got to the ball first. I think there is pressure on me so I want to make sure I get to it, the clearance hits somebody, spins up in the air and goes into the net. "When things are going badly for you, that is what happens - it hits somebody and spins back into the net. The first goal, though, we have no excuses for. We need to deal with those things. When the ball comes in, we need to have a head on the end of it, but other than that we gave a good account of ourselves and can take positives from the game. "Rob will continue to work. He has had a bit of minor surgery last week so he didn't train that much, but the type of professional he is, he works his socks off every week. He's got a personal situation that he will want to get right, get back in the swing of it and put some performances in like he has done over the last three years at this football club. I've got no doubt he will do that."
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New date for West Brom
WHUFC.com
West Bromwich Albion will now take on the Hammers at the Boleyn Ground a day later than planned
13.09.2010
Supporters should note that the home fixture with West Bromwich Albion has been put back a day to Wednesday 10 November. The match, which will kick off at 7.45pm, was originally due to be played on Tuesday 9 November. It has been moved because West Brom's weekend fixture against Manchester City will now be played on the previous Sunday because of City's European commitments. As a result of the fixture change, the 10 November match will no longer be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
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Optimistic Obinna
WHUFC.com
Victor Obinna believes results will turn soon following an encouraging debut against Chelsea
13.09.2010
Debutant Victor Obinna gave West Ham United fans plenty of reasons to be optimistic during Saturday's 3-1 home defeat by Chelsea. The Nigeria FIFA World Cup forward showed plenty of glimpses of the talent that has seen him win more than 30 international caps and the Italian Serie A title with Internazionale. The 23-year-old combined well with strike partner Carlton Cole, showed intelligent movement and a willingness to run at his opponents, and came close to marking his first appearance in a claret and blue shirt with a deserved goal. Obinna was voted man of the match by sponsors Beta Technology, but the youngster would have much preferred to have taken home three points rather than a bottle of champagne. "It was not the result we wanted, but it was a good start for me," he told WHUTV. "I was happy with the way we played because we played good football. I was a disappointed with the chances we created because I had a couple of chances to put it in the back of the net. "Unfortunately, I couldn't score, but we just have to improve and work hard and make sure that we take more of our scoring chances because that is the most important thing. There are better games to win and we just have to work hard towards those games."
Having played in Italy's Serie A and Spain's Primera Division with Malaga CF last season, Obinna has now tasted life in three of Europe's top leagues. After his first 90 minutes in the Barclays Premier League, the forward cannot wait to return to action at Stoke City on Saturday. "It was pretty fast, it was very, very fast! I really enjoyed myself because it's what I wanted. I wanted to be here and to feel the taste of the English football. I'm really happy to be here. I believe I will have good days here with West Ham. "Mostly we have to defend well and I believe we're going to score at Stoke. We have to start scoring. We played against a tough team in the champions and it was a very tough debut, but against Stoke we know it's going to be a different ball game. We are on the same level and just have to play to our best to make sure we win the game. "It was really an encouraging start for us because it wasn't nasty. A couple of the players are new here and we just need a little bit of time to bring an understanding and get to work together. I believe in the next couple of games we will find it."
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Grant tells Green to man up
Hammers keeper under fire from own fans after latest gaffe
Last updated: 13th September 2010
SSN
West Ham goalkeeper Rob Green has been told to ignore the jeers of his own supporters and 'react like a man' to his latest blunder. Hammers boss Avram Grant had little sympathy for his No.1 after Green's latest blunder helped Chelsea cruise to a 3-1 win at Upton Park on Saturday. The shot-stopper, who lost his place in the England squad following his infamous World Cup blunder against USA, failed to deal with a routine Didier Drogba free-kick at the weekend.
The ball bounced away from Green's chest before Matthew Upson's hacked clearance smashed into Salomon Kalou and looped over the stranded keeper to give the champions a 2-0 advantage with just 18 minutes on the clock. Hammers fans, who have now seen their side lose all four of their opening Premier League game, reacted by cheering ironically when their last line of defence gathered a simple ball soon after.
And Grant has urged Green to swiftly move on from his latest blunder, saying: "You can imagine his mood. But this is the life of a sportsman, of football players and managers. "I don't know if the World Cup is on his mind. You'd need to ask him. "He's a good goalkeeper. Let's say he was not happy with his performances sometimes but this is part of the game. "The supporters were very tough with David Beckham after 1998 and very hard on Cristiano Ronaldo after 2006. "Sometimes supporters love you, sometimes they are against you. You need to do your job no matter what. Rob is a tough guy. He's a good goalkeeper and he needs to react like a man."
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Upson refuses to panic
Hammers stopper heartened after Chelsea match
Last updated: 13th September 2010
SSN
Defender Matthew Upson insists West Ham can turn a corner after enduring a dismal start to the Premier League season. The Hammers have failed to collect a single point from their opening four games and have conceded 12 goals, with Saturday's 3-1 home defeat to Chelsea marking their latest setback.
Avram Grant's side travel to Stoke at the weekend desperate to escape the basement of the standings, but Upson claims the atmosphere is calm at Upton Park. "It has been a shocking start in terms of results, but I am not hitting panic buttons yet and there were definite positives to take from the Chelsea game," said Upson in the London Evening Standard. "It is important how we behave in training this coming week, how it is structured, what we do. "Those things are vital going into a game against Stoke next weekend that we want to win. "We need to do things sharp, positive and get things buzzing. "The biggest negatives were the errors and that is something we have to eradicate from our game to move forward. "We also need some stability at the back.
"We have had four games now and four different right-backs plus three different players on the right side of central defence. "It is so hard to get that clarity of what your job is when you are chopping and changing all the time."
Following his England gaffe at this year's World Cup, Hammers goalkeeper Robert Green suffered more woe on Saturday as he spilled a 30-yard free-kick from Didier Drogba to set up Salomon Kalou for Chelsea's second goal. However, Upson insists his team-mate was not at fault for the Hammers' defeat.
"It was a difficult ball for Rob to hold. We have seen Drogba take those kicks many times - he gets top spin onto the ball," said Upson. "That is what we defenders are there for, to deal with it - we got back there, but then it was just one of those things. I could have still dealt with the ball - I got there first because I thought there was pressure on me and the clearance hit their player, speeded up in the air and went into the net. "When it is going bad for you, that is what happens."
Upson thinks Green will have no trouble shrugging off the incident, as he added: "Rob is a strong character. He will continue to work hard. "I am sure he will want to put Saturday behind him and turn on the kind of performances we have seen from him over the last three years."
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Grant - McCarthy not ready
Striker loses weight but still not ready for action
Last updated: 13th September 2010
SSN
West Ham boss Avram Grant has revealed Benni McCarthy is still not fit enough to play for the club. The South African striker has been criticised for his weight problems since arriving at Upton Park from Blackburn last winter. McCarthy has made just seven appearances for West Ham and has so far failed to find the net for the East London outfit. McCarthy has been battling to lose weight and despite losing eight kilos, Grant believes the 32-year-old is not ready to start for the struggling Hammers. "I was surprised he was like this," Grant told the Daily Telegraph. "He was brought here to perform and then there was the World Cup in his country. "I can tell you he's a very nice guy, I don't know why he was like this. "But he's lost eight kilos and is a very good player and I'm sure he will help us - and that's what's important. "If I look at the past about many things I will be like many people here at the club who always say 'last year was not this, not that'... I say to everybody 'I don't care what happened. I'm looking forward', and so is Benni McCarthy."
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Benni's no longer Big Mac
The Sun
Published: 13 Sep 2010
BENNI McCARTHY has shed the pounds to prove he is not a big-money West Ham flop. The South African striker failed to impress after signing from Blackburn in January. He has made just two starts and four sub appearances for the Hammers and is yet to score. McCarthy was criticised for being overweight but he has now beat the bulge to be in contention to face Stoke on Saturday. West Ham boss Avram Grant said: "I can tell you he's a very nice guy. I don't know why he was like that in the past. "But he has lost eight kilos and is a very good player and I'm sure he will help us. That's what's important. "If I look at the past about many things I will be like many people here at the club who always say 'last year was not this, not that'. "I say to everybody 'I don't care what happened. I'm looking forward' and so is Benni McCarthy."
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Hammers don't have a prayer
The Sun
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: Today
TAL BEN HAIM has pulled out of struggling West Ham's crunch clash at Stoke... to celebrate a Jewish holy day. The on-loan Portsmouth defender will stay away from Saturday's match for the annual Yom Kippur. And, in what could be a further blow, Hammers boss and fellow Israeli Avram Grant is unlikely to be at the Britannia Stadium either as he observes the day. They will instead take part in 25 hours of fasting and intensive prayer on Saturday as West Ham bid for their first points this term. Perhaps they will both pray for the Irons to finally get their first points of the season after four defeats on the spin. One person who will definitely be praying is skipper Matthew Upson, who has called for stability. He said: "We've had four games and four different right-backs as well as three different people playing at right centre-half. "It's so hard to get momentum and clarity of what your job is when things change all the time.
"We need players to come in and stamp their authority on a position and make it their own." "We're four games into the season and, hopefully, that can now happen."
Ben Haim played his first Premier League game for West Ham in Saturday's 3-1 home defeat by Chelsea. Upson said: "Tal did all right. His positioning is good and he uses the ball well. We need someone to stamp their authority, as the boss then knows who his No 1 and No 2 centre-halves are and he goes with them when they're fit. "All good teams have that and in every position we need to have that stability. We must get that momentum going and stop letting in goals."
Upson reckons Robert Green is desperate to bounce back after yet another gaffe. The Hammers keeper was guilty of a fumble for Chelsea's second goal at Upton Park. Green is still ridiculed by fans for his blunder during the World Cup when he gifted a goal to USA. Upson said: "Rob had a bit of minor surgery last week so he didn't train that much but he works his socks off every week. "He's got a personal situation that he will want to get right, get back in the swing of it and put some performances in like he has done over the last three years. I've no doubt he will do that."
Stoke won their first game last night, beating Aston Villa in injury-time. The Hammers are now the only team in the country without a point and legend Tony Cottee has called for the board to give Grant just SIX more matches to bring his men back from the dead. He told Talksport: "If we have no points or only three points after 10 games, they must look at it."
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No panic at pointless Irons
The Sun
Published: 13 Sep 2010
WEST HAM captain Matthew Upson says the Premier League's bottom club have the ability to turn things around. The Irons have lost all four games played so far, conceding three goals in every match. But Upson says the club's fortunes will change, beginning with the trip to Stoke this weekend. "It has been a shocking start in terms of results, but I am not hitting panic buttons yet and there were definite positives to take from the Chelsea game," said Upson.
"It is important how we behave in training this coming week, how it is structured, what we do. "Those things are vital going into a game against Stoke next weekend that we want to win. "We need to do things sharp, positive and get things buzzing. "The biggest negatives were the errors and that is something we have to eradicate from our game to move forward. "We also need some stability at the back. "We have had four games now and four different right-backs plus three different players on the right side of central defence. "It is so hard to get that clarity of what your job is when you are chopping and changing all the time."
Upson was inviolved in the comedy of errors which led to Chelsea's second goal last Saturday, when West Ham slumped to a fourth successive defeat.
Goalkeeper Rob Green spilled a long-range Didier Drogba free kick, and as Upson attempted to hoof the ball away, it rebounded off Chelsea's Salomon Kalou and into Green's goal. Chelsea ran out 3-1 winners. Upson said: "It was a difficult ball for Rob to hold. We have seen Drogba take those kicks many times, he gets top spin onto the ball. "That is what we defenders are there for, to deal with it. We got back there but then it was just one of those things.
"I could have still dealt with the ball. I got there first because I thought there was pressure on me and the clearance hit their player, speeded up in the air and went into the net. "When it is going bad for you, that is what happens." "Rob is a strong character. He will continue to work hard. "I am sure he will want to put Saturday behind him and turn on the kind of performances we have seen from him over the last three years."
Hammers boss Avram Grant says it is too early to judge his time in charge of the team. "My vision was not for four or five games, my vision is for the long-term project and we will do it," he said. "Even if we had six points on the board I wouldn't think we were doing a great job. We need to develop and do the right things."
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Pretty Bubbles
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 13th September 2010
By: Suhail Dhawan
At the time that I put pen to paper or in a less technologically challenged world, put finger to key, I witness two contrasting web pages regarding the good ol' Hammers.
The first of those is the official Premier League table, updated till after gameweek 3, displaying the melancholy of seeing West Ham languishing rock bottom, and the only team other than baseball-cap-enthusiast-Tony-Pulis-managed-club-that-Sir-Stanley-Matthews-also-played-for: Stoke City, to have lost all three games. A majestic Wigan-esque goal difference of minus eight, after having let in three in all games is an inexorable continuation of Bob's nightmarish summer. That is how the innocuous right hand column on the Premier League homepage blackens every claret and blue in the capital. But all isn't lost…
The other webpage in the aforementioned juxtaposition was a snippet on the whufc.co.uk homepage about a certain '66 bar. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the manifestation of the pinnacle of football, not only for the club or the capital, but for the nation of England as a whole. Sir Geoff Hurst's as yet insurmountable distinction of being the only scorer of a hat-trick in the final of a World Cup is not only a reminder of the glory days of the cup that we won, but, in some abstruse way, also a prognosis of why the Premier League table lies, almost too blatantly. Minus eight and rock bottom isn't where we belong, and it is rationality not fanaticism that makes me believe it. This isn't a rant about how we could have faced Bolton better or stood up to the claret and blue from the Midlands, this is about why status quo demands that we be a force to be reckoned with, for it is the natural order of things.
For starters, the Israeli mystique of dear Mr. Grant. Sharing his last name with that of thespian Hugh and with the first name of cult graphic novelist Morrison, one knows that Avram has oodles of talent that can rejuvenate the wraith of West Ham. He also has a sublime record in London, bringing Chelsea to within inches of Champions League glory, a feat that hasn't been replicated at the Bridge, not even by the self-proclaimed 'Special One'. Upon returning to the realm, he too over the reigns at financially-challenged-also-blue-brigade at Fratton Park, and in almost trademark fashion, took them to the finlas of the world's oldest tournament, upsetting 'Arry's Spurs by a two goal margin. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a resume of Grant as a manager, but a portentous view of his abilities and what he can bring to the table. His virtuosity displayed during extra-time in that epic semi-final with the lily whites showed how much he could extract out of a depleted squad, outclassing his opponents.
Having the right man replace Gianfranco Zola, the summer has been more than helpful to West Ham's cause. Keeping midfield workhorse Scott Parker and lanky frontman Carlton Cole have been the window's greatest acquisitions for Grant, but the talent scouting eye of the man celebrating Yom Kippur has given the East End lot many reasons to be joyous. Acquiring the services of his previous employee and Tottenham slayer Frederic Piquionne gives the squad options up top and the likes of Pablo Barrera provide much needed stability. If the results Grant obtained from his previous jobs under pressure are any sort of example, then with a stentorian list of players and an entire season to go, the future is resplendent.
On the topic of squad enhancements and locker room cohesion, the Hammers seem to outdo most of the other Premier League sides. A re-entry for left-foot wonderboy Thomas Hitzlsperger adds a dash of know-how and innovation to the mix.
2009-10's finishers have had a whole lot of new faces to deal with. The advent of loan signings has ameliorated the diversity in playing styles. Another one of grant's former employees, Tal Ben-Haim is rock solid on his day, giving ample support to his centre-back partner. Inter's Champions League winner Victor Obinna lends his expertise to the club for a year, and we presume he keeps the post-World Cup fiasco with Nigeria out of the dressing room. Amongst the cornucopia of new players, Danish thunderbolt Lars Jacobsen stands out, simply because of his burning penchant to override Chelsea after the FA Cup final defeat in 08/09 with the Toffees. So while he complements American ex-Red Devil Jonathan Spector from the right, he shall only be thinking of outfoxing 'Cashley'.
If all this isn't enough to alleviate the misery, there always is the overshadowing cloud of experience. Former Magpie Kieron Dyer is almost a new signing after being plagued by injuries and his past record ranges back to the glory days of the Toon from Tyneside. Luis Boa Morte's previous expeditions in London with the Cottagers and Radoslav Kovac's keen eye have kept the fire alive, even after the departure of the likes of Walter Lopez, Diego Tristan and Guillermo Franco. In a stark contrast, the players also have the ebullience of youth with the likes of Junior Stanislas and Freddie Sears.
Despite the recent slump, the Hammers have still maintained the legacy of representing the nation and both Matthew Upson and Robert Green showed moments of surreal adroitness with the former being one of three goal-scorers in the World Cup.
The hallowed Boleyn Ground plays host to back-to-back derby days with the Champions and Grant's conquest in last year's FA Cup semis. It is the natural order of things for West Ham to rise above and all of England should take notice. Tottenham beware, The Boleyn isn't three point lane. Any result to upset them would prove conclusively that Green Street really does house the elite.
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Upton Parker
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 13th September 2010
By: Haim Baram
As a diehard socialist I don't tend to observe religious holidays including Yom Kippur, but out of empathy with my neighbours I always stay indoors for the duration of the Day of Atonement, universally regarded as the most sacred day for the Jewish people.
Therefore, Avram Grant's newly-found piety is morally justified. A day of reckoning at a synagogue is much better than other, rather obscure pursuits, so our manager is vindicated and one can only hope that his sincere and heart-felt prayers will help the team in their bid to stay in the Premier League.
I hope that the same religious zeal will prevent Tal Ben-Haim from playing. He is my countryman, just like Grant himself, but I must admit that he is an extremely limited footballer, as several English clubs have found out, normally too late.
I hope the readers of KUMB don't jump to the harsh conclusion that all Israeli players are devoid of talent. Two of the best Israeli players, Eyal Berkovic and Yossi Benayoun, have excelled in our colours. I was very proud of them, as well as wary of some parochial fans at Upton Park who had been narrow minded enough to suggest that I patron our stadium because of the presence of Israeli footballers at the club.
Now the situation is more complicated for me: I love West-Ham despite Grant and Ben-Haim, and believe that both of them will vanish from our scene pretty soon.
But these Israelis only exercise their basic human rights by observing the Holy Day, and this enables even a secular person like me to wish them well and to hope that their prayers will be answered. Upton Park has become 'Upton Parker' of late, but the game against Stoke City is away from home and it may prove to be a tough undertaking, with or without the manager.
If our players emulate the spirit and dedication displayed by Scott Parker, we may be able to salvage at least a point. The West-Ham fans here in Israel will watch the outcome with the usual combination of hope and anxiety.
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West Ham turn to Groves as Grant is excused
By Harry Harris, Football Correspondent
September 13, 2010
ESPN
West Ham's senior coach Paul Groves will take charge of the team for their Premier League game at Stoke on Saturday as Avram Grant has been excused for religious reasons. Israeli Grant will observe Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, which is the most important in the Jewish religious calendar and Hammers co-owner David Sullivan is hugely sympathetic to his manager's religious predicament. ''In the world we live in one has to respect somebody's religion,'' Sullivan told ESPNsoccernet. "Sadly the Day of Atonement falls on a Saturday one year in seven and sadly for us it's this year." Zeljko Petrovic, West Ham's assistant manager, is not believed to be favoured to take over the role in Grant's absence, and Groves is primed to take control, perhaps given his experience of managing Grimsby in over 100 games. Tal Ben Haim, the Israeli international defender, also will be missing from the Hammers squad and it couldn't come at a worse time for the Hammers as they are rooted at the bottom of the table with no points. Grant has always observed Yom Kippur in the past. In 2007, only 36 hours after being appointed Chelsea manager, he observed Yom Kippur even though it was the day before a vital away match at Manchester United. According to the Jewish Chronicle, Avi Cohen, the first ever Israeli to play in England, caused a storm in Israel when he turned out for Liverpool in a match against Southampton on Yom Kippur in 1980. Avi Cohen's son Tamir currently plays for Bolton, who are away to Aston Villa on Yom Kippur, although he has not appeared for the first team this season. Chelsea's Yossi Benayoun and Blackpool's Dekel Keinan play at Stamford Bridge in a Sunday game, and are therefore unaffected.
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West Ham fine Benni McCarthy over weight deadline - Battle of the bulge costs striker £80,000
EXCLUSIVE By JOHN EDWARDS
Last updated at 7:34 AM on 14th September 2010
Daily Mail
West Ham have hammered Benni McCarthy with £80,000 in fines after he fell behind their deadline to lose weight. But the South Africa striker has returned from a specialist fitness clinic in Austria having shed two stone - and is now under the 85 kilograms (13st 4lbs) weight set by the medical staff to take him to the brink of a first team recall. A friend said: 'Benni regrets what has happened, but is keen to put it behind him now. 'He has paid the fines and now wants to repay the club by playing well and scoring goals.'
Sportsmail has learned that the fines built up after he missed a series of deadlines in a gruelling fitness programme. McCarthy cost £2.5million from Blackburn last season but has yet to score for West Ham, despite being signed by Gianfranco Zola on a two-and-a-half year deal on wages of almost £40,000-a-week. He was even left out of the World Cup by South Africa because of his ballooning weight.
Chairman David Sullivan told Sportsmail in the summer that McCarthy's body fat had soared to 24.2 per cent. The recommended figure for male athletes is between five and 12. 'I'm the type of person who, if I don't train hard, I pick up weight,' McCarthy told Sportsmail earlier in the season. 'With my bone structure, body structure, if I don't train with intensity, I will get bigger. 'When you're injured, you can't train, and for three weeks I was told to stay off my feet, just come in for treatment (for a knee injury). I couldn't go in the gym. If I was on my feet, my knee would swell up. 'When I started training again, I could tell I was two or three kilos too heavy, and I didn't train at the intensity I normally would.' Now he is in line to start at Sunderland in the Carling Cup next week, with West Ham in dire need of firepower.
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Grant & Ben Haim to Miss Stoke?
West Ham Till I Die
I suppose few of us who are not of the Jewish faith will be able to understand the apparent decisions of Tal Ben Haim and Avram Grant to absent themselves from Saturday's game at the Britannia Stadium due to the match coinciding with the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. This means that both will be fasting and taking part in 25 hours of intensive prayer on Saturday. I am not religious at all so I find the whole thing slightly bizarre, even though I suppose I have to respect their deeply held convictions. Matthew Upson complains in this morning's Sun that he has had three different centre backs in four games and four different right backs. Well it seems he's going to get another different partner at centre back on Saturday. I hope it's Da Costa. If not, we'd better all join Grant and Ben Haim in prayer!
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