WHUFC.com
An encouraging display from James Tomkins has left him looking forward to
the weekend
14.10.2010
James Tomkins will be part of a confident but not complacent West Ham United
squad that heads to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. The Hammers are
unbeaten in four games but know that Wolves will provide a stern test at
Molineux on Saturday afternoon. Tomkins is vying for a starting eleven
return but knows it is a tough task with Matthew Upson and Manuel da Costa
performing well at the heart of the defence, and the likes of Tal Ben Haim
and Winston Reid also returning after the boost of playing for their
national teams. Tomkins turned in an impressive performance in Monday's
friendly at Dagenham and Redbridge to remind the watching manager of his
potential. Still only 21, he knows time is on his side and is more than
content to see the team doing well. "It is massively important to take your
chance when you get it," said Tomkins. "If you don't perform well you can be
dropped and that's what we've got here at the moment. It was good to get 90
minutes. "People need to try extra hard so they can stay in the team and
impress. When you get a chance you've got to take it. That is important for
myself, obviously I am going to keep working hard in training."
On the mood in the camp, the defender said there was a real belief that the
team can continue the good form and move quickly up the table. After all,
there is only four points between last and tenth place. "It is important to
keep the confidence up," Tomkins added. "If we can keep this run going into
Saturday then things will look better for us. "We know that we've got a
couple of points on board now, so we need to keep that going and need to
keep up our performances. The atmosphere is good."
Tomkins said the second-half showing of a young Hammers side on Monday at
Dagenham also bodes well for the future. He and Frederic Piquionne were the
only recognised first-teamers on view in the closing stages and the England
Under-21 international relished the chance to be a senior figure. "It is
nice for the youngsters to come in and play in front of the gaffer and in
front of the chairman. It doesn't feel that long ago since I was in the
Academy and trying to do the same. The young lads have done well and done
themselves justice. "I've got responsible on my shoulders. I feel I have to
give back to the youngsters and it was really nice to see the players round
here doing well."
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Ladies take first place
WHUFC.com
Gemma Shepherd scored a hat-trick in a convincing home win for the Hammers
14.10.2010
West Ham United Ladies 4-1 Cardiff City Ladies
West Ham United Ladies went three points clear at the top of the FA Tesco
Women's Premier League South after Gemma Shepherd's hat-trick helped them on
their way to a 4-1 over Cardiff City at Thurrrock. With her treble, Shepherd
has now four goals in the League after her first strike in the Hammers'
victory against Portsmouth last month. Just before half-time, the former
England under-23 international Emma Thomas scored the second goal for the
Hammers. With ten minutes to go, and with West Ham winning 4-0, Cardiff
scored a late consolation. The opening goal came just before the half hour
when Shepherd hit a looping shot from 25 yards out that beat Cardiff keeper
Rhian Nokes and crept in just under the bar. After the goal West Ham settled
into a more relaxed and controlling manner and began to dictate the game.
Carly Roache and Clare Rogers both had chances before the break and, with
just seconds remaining in the first half, Thomas broke away down the left
flank fighting off her marker before turning into the box and firing a super
strike into the far corner of the net. In the second half the Hammers were
in full control and on 53 minutes Shepherd added to her tally and put the
Hammers three up after Thomas drove into the box and under a challenge the
ball fell to Shepherd who volleyed home from close range. Shepherd then
completed her hat-trick in the 62nd minute latching on to Roache's inch
perfect pass through the Cardiff defence and calmly side footing the ball
past the advancing keeper. Cardiff gained a consolation goal in the 80th
minute when the West Ham defence twice failed to clear from a corner but the
final whistle signalled the three points that put the Ladies back on top of
the Premier League South. The final whistle also brought news that results
elsewhere of League Cup matches postponed from the previous week had
guaranteed the sides passage from their qualification group into the
knockout stages of the FA Women's Premier League Cup. Next up for the side
in the league are Yeovil Town who visit Ship Lane next Sunday, kick-off 2pm.
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West Ham's Thomas Hitzlsperger out for four months
By Frank Keogh
BBC.co.uk
West Ham midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger has been ruled out of action for
four months because of a thigh injury. The 28-year-old German international
has yet to make his Hammers debut after being injured in a pre-season match
for his country against Denmark. He was popular with the fans when at Aston
Villa and was Avram Grant's first recruit when the ex-Portsmouth manager
took over at Upton Park in June. Hitzlsperger signed a three-year deal after
leaving Lazio on a free transfer. The central midfielder was injured when
captaining his country in a match on 11 August - three days before the start
of the season. Hitzlsperger, who is nicknamed 'der Hammer' for his powerful
shooting, had harboured hopes of appearing for the London club before the
end of October but has suffered a setback so may require surgery. He had
impressed in pre-season matches for West Ham and scored the winner in a 1-0
win over Greek side Panathinaikos on a tour of Germany. Mark Noble, Luis Boa
Morte and Radoslav Kovac have all featured in midfield alongside Scott
Parker as the Hammers have arrested a poor start to their Premier League
season. They remain bottom of the table but have picked up their five-point
total in their last three league games and have reached the last 16 of the
Carling Cup. While the German's absence is a major blow for him and West
Ham, Grant believes he has a strong enough squad to move up the table, with
midfielder Jack Collison and striker Zavon Hines the only other long-term
absentees.
Hitzlsperger spent five years at Aston Villa until 2005 and has been capped
52 times by his country His contract had expired at Lazio, where he played
only six times after moving from Stuttgart in January.
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Sears eyes loan move
Hammers striker wants first-team football
Last updated: 14th October 2010
SSN
West Ham forward Freddie Sears admits he may have to go back out on loan to
get more first-team experience. The 20-year-old has featured only twice for
the Hammers this season under new manager Avram Grant and has not played
since the Carling Cup victory over Oxford back in August. Sears, who has had
previous loan spells at Crystal Palace and Coventry, may be forced out as he
is behind the likes of Frederic Piquionne, Victor Obinna, Carlton Cole and
Benni McCarthy in the striking pecking order. He has been performing well in
the reserves, but is keen to get some first-team football under his belt. "I
am hoping to do what I can to get back in the first team," the England
Under-21 international told the club's official website. "The manager
obviously picks the team, so it is up to him. You have just got to be
patient and wait and see what happens. If I get a chance, I have to take it.
"My aim is to break into the first team, but if not then maybe go on loan
somewhere else to play games, score a couple of goals and then go from
there."
Meanwhile, German midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger could be set for surgery on
a thigh problem and around four months on the sidelines. The 28-year-old
former Aston Villa star signed on a free transfer from Lazio during the
summer but has yet to feature in a competitive fixture.
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Gabbidon eyes Hammers deal
Defender happy with fitness
Last updated: 14th October 2010
SSN
West Ham defender Danny Gabbidon is hoping to win a new deal to extend his
stay at Upton Park. Gabbidon, who joined the Hammers from Cardiff in the
summer of 2005, is out of contract at the end of the season and could leave
on a free transfer. Gabbidon quit international football with Wales earlier
this month so that he could put all his focus on his club career at Upton
Park. The 31-year-old has struggled with a number of injury problems, but he
is now back to full fitness and he is determined to prove he deserves a new
deal in East London. Gabbidon has made an encouraging start to the campaign
under new manager Avram Grant, playing five games in an unfamiliar left-back
role and he hopes he is over his injury problems. "I am in the last year of
my contract and I have not had any discussions over a new deal at the
moment," Gabbidon told skysports.com.
Stay fit
"The most important thing for me is to stay fit and I am happy with the way
I am playing at the minute. "If I stay fit and am playing well then I am
hopeful I will be offered a new deal to stay at West Ham." Gabbidon added:
"I hope I am over my injury problems as this is an important time and an
important season for me. "I have worked hard on my fitness over the summer
and so far so good for me as I have only missed one game with a slight
niggle. "Things are looking good for and I am confident I can enjoy a good
season."
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Hammers will have Lars laugh
The Sun
Published: 14 Oct 2010
LARS JACOBSEN reckons there is no chance of West Ham being relegated. The
Danish defender, 31, expects bottom club Hammers to climb the table —
starting on Saturday when they travel to Wolves, who are one place above
them in the table. He said: "We will be sure to get away from those bottom
positions. "There is no doubt that the team is clearly a top-10 side. "There
are plenty of good players and there is enormous potential in the team. "But
now we just have to get out of the bottom region first."
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We're down but not out - Grant
Published 23:00 14/10/10 By Martin Lipton
The Mirror
Avram Grant has promised West Ham fans he will not let their club go down –
insisting the next few months will show he is getting it right. Despite a
four-game unbeaten run in all competitions, the Hammers went into the
international break bottom of the Premier League table. Grant got back to
work on the training ground at Chadwell Heath this week, vowing to prove the
past month has demonstrated the real strength of his squad. Irons boss Grant
said: "We lost the first four games of the season, but there was no panic
here. "When you have a vision, you need to be sure of yourselves. That means
not panicking when you have a bad result, or thinking everything is great
when you have a good result. "We had a good pre-season, but it was always
going to be a hard start. We knew the fixtures were tough and also, up until
August 31, we weren't sure what was going to happen – which players would
stay here, which ones would come. "The games we lost were against teams who
were better than us – Aston Villa, United and Chelsea – but we deserved more
against Bolton. "Villa was the worst game I have seen, but we have
progressed and I can see us getting better. We have now shown we know how to
play together."
South African striker Benni McCarthy has finally got down to his fighting
weight after shedding nearly two stones of summer excess. But German
midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger has been sidelined for another four months
with thigh problems. On a more positive note, Grant has huge faith in the
long-term prospects of New Zealand defender Winston Reid and Mexican winger
Pablo Barrera. But he accepts Hammers fans need to see further improvement
at fellow strugglers Wolves on Saturday. Grant added: "I knew West Ham was a
very good club, with a lot of tradition and history. "It is a club, I am
well aware, that always speaks about the past. I understand that fully and
it is right, because the fans have every reason to be proud of what the club
means in English football. "I respect the past, but I also have to look to
the future and create something new that the supporters can talk about in
the years to come. We don't have the resources of the other London clubs.
"We have to be a home for players who have the right quality, and want to
develop both the club and themselves. "What I like is that the owners came
to me and said, 'We know the situation is not good, but we want somebody who
understands that situation and will try to build something, not just for one
year, but for the future'. "Of course, we must have targets. The first one
is to stay in the league and after that, once we get more stability, to
build step by step."
Grant believes both Robert Green and Matthew Upson have now cleared their
minds of World Cup clutter. He said: "All the players from the English squad
at the World Cup were left in some kind of trauma after the summer.
"Sometimes we forget that we are talking about 20-year-olds, even
30-year-olds. They might think they are experienced in life, but they do not
have so much experience. "All the country believed that England were going
to do well, maybe win the World Cup, and that their team was the best. "But
there was huge disappointment because they didn't perform well or achieve
their targets, and then lost to Germany. "There was a lot of emotion there.
I didn't see it in training with Rob and Matthew, but I didn't know then how
they worked. "They didn't start the season well, but now they are better.
They just needed one performance each to restore their balance. "But they
also needed a team performance and we've started to get those, which has
helped a lot. "Since the Chelsea game we spoke about things. From Stoke
onwards the mistakes have stopped and they have started to play like they
can."
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Hammer Dyer fit to brave Wolves' den
Published 23:00 14/10/10 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
Kieron Dyer has given West Ham a major boost by declaring himself fit for
Wolves tomorrow. Dyer missed the game against Fulham with a stomach bug, but
has resumed training over the international break and is available for
selection. The England midfielder believes he has finally overcome his
injury hell and is ready to reproduce his best form at Upton Park. With West
Ham rooted to the foot of the Premier League, Dyer knows the importance of
getting a victory at Molineux if they are to claw their way away from the
bottom three. Dyer said: "I am over my illness and it was a shame I had to
come off so early against Tottenham. "But I have been training all week so I
am ready and raring to go. "I am nearly 100 per cent and it is nice that
people are saying that I am playing really well and there is still more to
come. "It is great to be playing again. I have the enthusiasm and I hope to
have a big season."
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Wolverhampton Wanderers v West Ham United - Match Preview
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 14th October 2010
By: Preview Percy
We asked the Chilean authorities if they had any plans for the hole now all
the miners are free. Unfortunately, as soon as we mentioned Preview Percy
they hung up. Here's his take on this weekend's trip to the Midlands.......
Next cab off the rank is a visit to Wolves for a 3pm Saturday kick-off at
Molineux, a stadium which, as a kid, I was convinced was named after the
food blender.
Our hosts currently lie one place above us having, like ourselves, amassed
(if that's the word) five points. Their goal difference of -5 keeps them off
the bottom being better than our own -9. They started the season brightly
enough, with a home win over Stoke being followed up with 1-1 draws away at
Everton and at home to Newcastle. However since then things have gone
downhill for them and they have lost their last four, those defeats coming
away at Fulham, Spurs and Wigan and at home to Villa, where Heskey's late
but superb header saw them go down 2-1. Like us they are still in the League
Cup, though extra time was needed to beat both Southend (2-1) and Notts
County (4-2), both matches ending up 1-1 after ninety minutes. They face a
trip up to Old Trafford for the next round.
Of course Wolves have been catching all the headlines of late for reasons
other than their results. Their somewhat, er, robust, style of play has
attracted criticism and Public Enemy No.1 in that respect has been skipper
Karl Henry. Henry spent the 1-1 draw with the Geordies kicking lumps out of
Joey Barton, though this is admittedly a "crime" to which many would happily
turn a blind eye (presumably the one Barton had stubbed a cigar into). Henry
was also involved in the tackle that broke Bobby Zamora's leg, though to
these eyes that one appeared more accidental than anything. However, the
tackle he perpetrated on Wigan's Gomez the other week was, on his own
admission, dreadful. That tackle got the red card it deserved, which means
Henry will miss this one through suspension, something that will come as a
relief to one or two of the more fragile limbs in our first team squad.
The hosts are managed by Mick McCarthy who, I am reliably informed, is no
relation to Benni. Whenever I see the Wolves manager on the box he seems to
have an air of mild paranoia about him. He seems to treat every question put
to him as if it were expressly designed to catch him out. You get the
impression that if a journo were to mention to him on how nice the weather
has been lately, he would call the Met Office to check the stats before
making a non-committal statement to the effect that he didn't pick the
weather and that they'd just have to get on with whatever came his way. Of
course much of this possible paranoia might stem from the criticism his
sides have come in for of late, though the siege mentality seems to pre-date
the current debate. Perhaps the infamous "Keanegate" affair in the 2002
World Cup has something to do with it. McCarthy has been quick to defend his
charges against the "Dirty Wolves" tag, suggesting that the aforementioned
Henry "hasn't got it in his locker" to be a nasty player. Which is a bit of
a relief really – who knows what damage he'd have caused Gomez had he been
feeling nasty. Or even a bit mischievous.
They spent a few bob in the summer window. £7m went on Burnley striker
Steven Fletcher. They also brought in Belgian defender Jelle "Jean-Claude"
Van Damme from Anderlecht. Van Damme spent two years on Southampton's books
between 2004-06 but made only six appearances in what was generally
described as an "unhappy" spell on the South coast. He's recently gone into
print claiming that he is homesick for Belgium - which makes you wonder
exactly how bad Wolverhampton must be. His mood won't have been improved by
being left on the bench, most recently in the 2-0 defeat to Wigan. They also
made a double swoop on Hull from where Steves Hunt and Mouyokolo were
acquired. Hunt has yet to feature in the starting line-up this season having
broken a toe (or metatarsal as we are obliged to say these days) playing for
Hull at the Boleyn last season. Hunt played in a reserve match in midweek
and is likely to feature at some stage in the proceedings this weekend. A
nasty little player, it was he who was responsible for the fact that
Chelsea's Petr Cech now turns up for every match dressed as Biggles. His
presence will at least give visiting supporters a pantomime villain to boo.
The summer also brought back Chelsea's Michael Mancienne for his third loan
spell at the club. Mancienne has made his name as a centre back, though
McCarthy has played him in midfield in recent weeks. This has left them with
a centre back pairing of Berra and Craddock, Mouyokolo having spent much of
the time since his signing on the treatment bench. Another definite
non-starter will be Algerian midfielder Adlene Guedioura. Guediora spent
last season on loan from Charleroi before signing a permanent deal. However
a broken leg sustained in the defeat by Villa will preclude his involvement
this weekend.
Up front they have been pairing Fletcher and Irish international Kevin Doyle
as their first choice partnership. Doyle pulled out of the Republic's 1-1
draw with Slovakia in the midweek Euro qualifiers with an injury described
as an "irritation" to the knee, something that doesn't sound too serious and
local reports suggest that they are optimistic as to his availability this
weekend. The alternative would be Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. Ebanks-Blake twice
topped the Championship goalscoring tables but has arguably found the leap
to Premiership a bridge too far, scoring only twice in their first season
after promotion – one of those a penalty. However, he has matched that tally
already in his four matches this season.
And so to us. Team news is that Der Hammer is now going to be sidelined
until the new year, in a continuance of the curse of the new signing that
dates back to the days of Richard Hall and Simon Webster. Hitz joins
Behrami, Hines and Collison as the principal long-term residents of the
treatment room. On international duty, Green managed to avoid suffering
anything more serious on the injury front than the odd bench splinter. I
would therefore expect to see a line-up not too dissimilar to those that
faced Spurs and Fulham, the one major question being whether Kieron Dyer has
stopped throwing up yet. Barrera would normally be expected to get the nod
in the absence of Dyer. However, Barrera is likely to be a bit knackered
having played in Mexico's 2-2 draw at home to Venezuela. Barera played the
full 90 and will also have the effects of the flight back to contend with.
I'd therefore expect Dyer to start if he can keep his pre-match pasta down.
Like Barrera, Jonathon Spector will also have a transatlantic flight to
recover from – those racing car seats look comfy so, if he makes the squad,
he can probably catch up on his sleep during the match. Not sure where
Ilunga has been of late but Gabbidon has looked ok at left back so I'd
expect that the best Cheri can expect is a view from the dugout.
Well we're bottom at the moment despite doing something against Fulham that
has been all too rare an occurrence in recent years, namely grinding out a
draw. The international break came at the wrong time for us really given
that things had been improving in the weeks prior to the Euro qualifiers.
This included a notable improvement to results on the road with a deserved
point coming from the always difficult Britannia Stadium, and an equally
deserved win in the League Cup over Sunderland up on Wearside. To say we're
overdue an away win in the league is an understatement akin to suggesting
that Dawn French ought to cut back on the odd cake here and there. Football
has a habit of throwing up (sorry Kieron) little coincidences from time to
time so, as a prediction, I'll go for a win in this one – let's say 2-1 to
get us off the bottom as we continue on the slow route to mid-table
respectability.
Enjoy the game!
Last season: Won 2-0 – goals from Noble and Upson gave us a fairly
comfortable three points. That was in August 2009. We're still waiting for
another away win.
Referee: Mark Clattenburg – second time we've had him this season – he did
the defeat at Old Trafford back in August. Erratic at best, it'll be
interesting to see if all the brouhaha about Wolves has had any effect.
Danger Man: Kevin Doyle – if fit, he is probably the pick of their strikers.
Often used as a lone striker last season, a role in which he turned out a
number of impressive performances. In midfield Matt Jarvis, who made his
Wolves debut in the corresponding fixture last season, has a bit of pace and
is capable of causing problems.
Daft fact of the day: Wolverhampton is over 60 miles from the coast. Despite
this, every time the big prize on Bullseye was a speedboat, it was usually
won by someone from Wolverhampton. Who probably lived in a tower block.
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Wolverhampton Wanderers v West Ham United: match preview
WOLVES V WEST HAM
Saturday, October 16 15:00
Premier League
Molineux
By John Ley
Published: 6:00AM BST 15 Oct 2010
Wolves (Possible, 4-1-3-2): Hahnemann; Foley, Craddock, Berra, Ward,
Mancienne; Fletcher, Edwards, Jarvis; Hunt, Doyle.
West Ham (Possible, 4-4-2): Green; Jacobsen, Da Costa, Upson, Gabbidon;
Barrera, Parker, Noble, Boa Morte; Obinna, Piquionne
Referee: Mark Clattenburg. Matches: 6. R1 Y19.
Tale of the game
These are tough times for the Old Gold. Wolves have failed to win in their
last six games and have lost their last four, a sequence that has seen them
drop to 19th place, level on five points with bottom club West Ham. The four
losses represents their worst sequence since April 2004, when were relegated
from the Premier League. A fifth defeat would be their worst run since
November 1991 when they lost five successive games in the old Division Two,
and their worst in the top division since April 1984, when they lost six.
West Ham, after their worst ever start (four defeats), are unbeaten in their
last three Premier League games, with a win and two draws. And they could be
able to call on Valon Behrami, absent for the last three games with a knee
problem.
In this game last season Wolves won 3-1 at Upton Park after losing 2-1 at
home to West Ham. They test Stephen Hunt, who could make a belated debut
four months after arriving from Hull. Wolves miss Karl Henry, sent off at
Wigan, so Stephen Hunt, set to return after recovering from a broken leg,
mat join Kevin Doyle in attack.
Last season: Wolves 0 West Ham 2, West Ham 1 Wolves 3
Stat of the game: Wolves have gone 10 games without keeping a clean sheet.
Betting tip: West Ham on a reasonable roll. A 1-0 away win is 8-1.
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