Reserves ready for City
WHUFC.com
Reserve-team boss Alex Dyer is keen to score a morale-boosting victory over
Manchester City on Tuesday
01.11.2010
West Ham United reserve-team manager Alex Dyer is hoping his side can give
the club a morale-boosting victory when they take on Manchester City on
Tuesday afternoon. Dyer is hoping his second-string can also boost their own
title hopes by defeating Andy Welsh's side at Thurrock FC's Ship Lane
stadium, kick-off 2pm. Radoslav Kovac, Winston Reid (pictured), Jonathan
Spector, Marek Stech and Frank Nouble are among those who could feature in
Dyer's squad, while a number of the club's young professionals will be eager
to make their mark. "I think we can give everyone a boost," said Dyer. "The
reserves have done quite well this year. We've had a couple of sticky
results recently, losing at Arsenal in the league and in a friendly at
Crystal Palace in which I played a lot of trialists, so I'm writing that one
off. "We now get back to the league programme and I want to do really well
on Tuesday against a Man City side who are doing well in their own league.
"Obviously they are a big club and are always in the media so it would be
nice to get one over them, whatever level it is at."
The reserves made a storming start to the 2010/11 campaign, winning away at
Everton and Liverpool and defeating Wigan Athletic, only for Arsenal to end
their unbeaten run with a 4-1 victory at London Colney a fortnight ago. That
defeat left the Hammers fourth in the Southern Group, five points behind
leaders Aston Villa, but with three games in-hand on the reigning national
Premier Reserve League champions. Tuesday's opponents are also seeking to
bounce back from their first reverse of the season, having been defeated 2-0
at Wigan last time out. City sit third in Northern Group A, having collected
ten points from their opening five league matches. With City in UEFA Europa
League action at Polish side KKS Lech Poznan on Thursday evening, the
visitors are expected to bring a squad of youngsters to Ship Lane.
*West Ham supporters should note that the reserves' away fixture at
Blackpool will now be staged at Bloomfield Road on Wednesday 15 December,
kick-off 3pm.
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Grant calls for Parker to be given England shot
Published 23:00 31/10/10 By John Cross
The Mirror
West Ham boss Avram Grant has urged Fabio Capello to give Scott Parker
another England chance. West Ham's stand-in captain is in the form of his
life but has been overlooked since Capello axed him from his provisional
30-man World Cup squad. It is hard to think of a player having a bigger
individual impact on a Premier League team this season. Grant said: "It
surprises me he's not involved because I think he is one of the best
midfielders. He deserves to be in."
Under-pressure Grant says no-one expected West Ham to get anything from
Arsenal so the club's owners will not be pressing the panic button. "I don't
think they are disappointed today," he said. "No-one expected us to get
anything but we are pleased with the performance."
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Baggies hopeful over key trio
VirginMedia
West Bromwich Albion head coach Roberto Di Matteo has a handful of key
injury doubts ahead of Monday's trip to Blackpool. Striker Peter Odemwingie
has been out with a knee injury, but is making good progress. Di Matteo is
also hopeful that defender Jonas Olsson (Achilles) and striker Marc-Antoine
Fortune (ankle) will be fit for the trip to Bloomfield Road. James Morrison
is also a doubt, having picked up a knock in training.
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West Ham are still bottom, so will Avram Grant be waving goodbye soon?
By MATT BARLOW
Last updated at 10:51 AM on 1st November 2010
Daily Mail
David Sullivan and David Gold will prepare for their first return to
Birmingham City with Avram Grant testing their self-proclaimed reluctance to
sack managers. Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Arsenal leaves West Ham stuck to the
bottom of the Barclays Premier League with only six points and cracks
already appearing in Grant's camp. At the Emirates, his coaching staff Paul
Groves and David Coles, who came with him from Portsmouth, lost patience on
the touchline, with Coles snapping back at the manager as he changed his
mind about substitutions. Some senior players also were unhappy that he was
slow to make changes, waiting until 17 minutes from time to bring on Carlton
Cole, when the Hammers were desperate for a striker to hold up the ball and
relieve the pressure on Rob Green's goal. Then he performed a major
reshuffle with only four minutes left, replacing left-winger Victor Obinna
with right-sided Julien Faubert, who was promptly skinned by Gael Clichy for
Alex Song's late winner. 'We wanted to change something at the last moment,
to do something better, to bring on fresher players,' said Grant. 'First we
wanted to take off another player, then we changed it.' Grant's
substitutions were credited with turning last week's Carling Cup tie against
Stoke but this time, he dithered on the touchline and things swung against
him. Exasperated comments and arms were flung in his general direction as
the players came off at the end. 'I am not happy about the situation but
most importantly we have a lot of time to recover from this,' said Grant,
although for him personally, time may be running out. Support is gathering
among supporters for the return of Alan Pardew, who led West Ham to the FA
Cup in 2006 and came within seconds of winning the trophy only to be ousted
by the Icelandic regime which took control the following season. Pardew is
also being eyed by Crystal Palace, a club he served well as a player. Given
the choice he would prefer to manage his former club at the foot of the
Premier League rather than his former club at the foot of the Championship,
but Palace's interest puts time pressure on the West Ham board if they are
to consider replacing Grant with Pardew. Despite unseating Gianfranco Zola
within five months of taking over at Upton Park, Sullivan and Gold like to
boast of their proud record of backing managers. When Grant arrived in the
summer, Sullivan went on the record to say the manager would not be judged
for 'two or three' years because of the parlous state of the club and the
time it would take to solve the problems with limited resources.
This philosophy did not change when the Hammers lost their first four games
of the campaign, followed by a draw against Stoke and a rot-stopping win at
home to Tottenham. 'No manager can survive nine defeats in a row,' said
Sullivan after beating Spurs in September, but since then his team have
collected just two more points from four Premier League games, despite the
superb form of Scott Parker and Mark Noble in midfield.
Goalkeeper Green has returned to good form and Manuel da Costa has been
impressive in defence and still the Hammers do not win. No-one inside the
club had predicted such an awful start and heroic defeats are not much good
at the moment. For the first time inside the club, questions are being asked
about Grant's demeanour and his ability to inspire. He is suddenly exposed
to managing in the Premier League without the ready excuses on hand at
Chelsea and Portsmouth. At West Ham, he will be judged and he will be judged
soon if he cannot stop the slide, starting at Birmingham on Saturday.
Relegation would be disastrous for a club carrying debts close to
£100million and fat contracts, most of them without automatic pay-cut
clauses if they go down. Maybe not quite the 'Armageddon' foretold by
Sullivan when the Hammers flirted with the drop last season, but not be far
off. None of which represents a triumphant return to St Andrews for the
Davids who sold the Blues and bought the Hammers. None of which sits
comfortably with their style for giving managers a chance.
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Premier League strugglers West Ham linked with move for Barnsley striker
Adam Hammill
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 12:38 AM on 2nd November 2010
Daily Mail
West Ham manager Avram Grant is weighing up a £500,000 move for Barnsley's
Adam Hammill but faces stiff competition from Blackpool, Bolton and Wigan.
The 22-year-old striker joined the Oakwell side from Liverpool in August
2009.
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My Country, right or wrong?
West Ham Til I Die
There are rumours presently circulating that Mark Noble has allegedly grown
tired of waiting for his call up to the full England team and is considering
playing for the Republic of Ireland. Indeed, in some versions of the story,
Noble will actually be named in Irish squad for next week's friendly against
Norway.
Personally, I feel that the qualification rules for international sides have
become far too lax. I cannot see how a player that has captained England
U-21s in a European championships tournament can now qualify for another
country? It just makes a mockery of international selection. Yes, I know
that Noble qualifies via an Irish grandparent (and I support qualification
via grandparents), but surely a player gives up any such choices when he
appears for a national side at a major international tournament?
One alternative view is that Mark Noble is unlikely to play for the full
England side and that this is a good opportunity for him to have a fully
fledged international career. Yet, I am not so sure about that. The
Lampards, Gerrards and Barrys are getting on in years and there is not
exactly a large surplus of quality central midfielders waiting to replace
them. Noble has started to really show what a good player he is this
season. And I feel that he could now develop very quickly to become a
genuine international class midfielder. Indeed, England missed out on Jack
Collison (to Wales) and they may very well come to regret losing out on Mark
Noble as well.
If possible, Noble should give it the rest of this season before making a
final decision. Who knows Capello might shortly decide to shake up the
England squad, still further, and bring Mark Noble in from the cold.
Perhaps Noble has looked at Scott Parker's situation and feels that if
Parker does not get a 'fair shake' with England, then neither will he? I
can well understand him reaching that conclusion, considering the unfair
treatment Parker has received in Capello's England set up.
But, I guess it is ultimately Noble's personal decision. The rules are
there and he is perfectly entitled to take advantage of them! Good luck to
him whatever he decides! If he does accept selection then England's loss
will most certainly be Ireland's gain. He could very well turn out to be
another Ray Houghton for the Republic!
SJ. Chandos.
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November is a Crucial Month!
West Ham Till I Die
West Ham followed the gutsy extra time win over Stoke City, in mid-week,
with a courageous display at The Emirates. The Hammers matched Arsenal in
the first 45 minutes, but had to defend bravely in the second half, as the
gooners asserted a tighter grip on the match. The things that stood out for
me were the guts and commitment shown by the Hammers players, particularly
Scott Parker who negated Fabregas and was responsible for breaking up many
of the gooners passing movements. But there were a number of other players
that also merit a mention in dispatches, particularly Rob Green, Lars
Jacobsen, Danny Gabbidon and Mark Noble.
The gooners struggled to pass through us and the break through, when it
came, originated from the flanks. Song laid the ball off to Clichy and met
his cross in to the centre, to head past Green. Grant needs to sort this
out, he must ensure that the full backs, and any covering players, do better
blocking attempts to deliver from the wings. Moreover, questions need to be
asked about who had responsibility for tracking Song's run in to the box and
the apparent indecision between Green and the centre backs in dealing with
Clichy's cross. It is cruel, but West Ham were punished on Saturday for
their one major defensive lapse. But that is the way that it is in the PL,
especially against the top four sides.
We need to learn not only from that incident, but also the positives arising
from the match. It was another display where the team showed fight and
commitment. And those are key factors that must be present if we are to get
out of trouble. It is present in this team and it gives us a solid base
upon which to build. No one is pretending that we are not currently in an
uncomfortable place, but the priority must be for the management and players
to unite and fight to lift us out of the relegation zone. It is absolutely
vital that we do recover and stay in the PL. The possible consequences of
relegation are unthinkable.
However, as I have consistently stated, I do not believe that this squad
will be relegated. The organisation, discipline and collective effort shown
against Stoke City and Arsenal was massively encouraging. But lets lay it
on the line. November must be the month where West Ham gain the results
that lift us up the table. It is a crucial month that sees us play
Birmingham City (a), WBA (h), Blackpool (h), Liverpool (a) and Wigan (h).
That is a sequence of fixtures that should give us ample opportunities to
maximise our points total.
That needs to start with an away win over Birmingham City. We must start
picking up away victories, otherwise there is far too much pressure on the
team at home. Birmingham City are a team that are beatable and we need to
go there and do it. A victory at St Andrews will then set us up for three
very winnable home matches. It is not even beyond the realms of possibility
that we could pick up a point at Anfield. After all, Liverpool team are
not nearly as formidable these days, as long as West Ham do not do their
usual 'rabbits caught in the headlights' act at Anfield.
To get the results we need to solve the residual problems in defence. We
must also get Dyer fit and playing. He could make the vital difference,
with his experience, pace and ability to create and take chances. The
question is can we keep him off the treatment table and on the pitch?
Moreover, the forwards must sharpen up and be far more clinical in finishing
the chances that we create. I would have loved to have seen us sign a
proven goal poacher in the summer, but it did not happen. So, we need to
work with the existing forwards and get them hitting the target more
regularly. The likes of Cole, Piquionne, Obinna, Boa Morte and Barrera can
finish and it is to them, principally, that we must look for an improved
cutting edge.
November could prove not only crucial to West Ham's season, but the fate of
Grant's management. If we go in to December in the bottom three, then
pressure will inevitably build for a change of management. The weekend's
results did not go our way, with both Liverpool and Wolves winning. We are
now three points adrift at the bottom, but it should be noted that Fulham
only have 12 points in 9th position in the PL. The difference is just two
wins, the table is that tight. However, the recovery needs to happen in
November, starting at St Andrews. Nothing is set in stone yet, it is all to
play for!
With regard to the Carling Cup quarter-final draw, I had a feeling that we
would face a 'top four' team. In those circumstances, we needed the home
draw and that is exactly what we have! If the match had been at Old
Trafford I could understand any premature pessimism, but at Upton Park we
will always have a chance.
But that can wait, the overriding priority now is getting the right results
against Brum, WBA and Blackpool.
SJ. Chandos.
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Hammers' Jacobsen: 'The boss will not throw a bottle at our faces'
Dave Evans, West Ham correspondent
Monday, 1 November, 2010
18:01 PM
WEST HAM defender Lars Jacobsen is convinced that the team can get
themselves out of Premier League relegation trouble, despite staying rock
bottom of the table after a 1-0 defeat by Arsenal. With the Hammers three
points adrift at the foot of the division, the Denmark international right
back is battling to stay positive. "We have to be realistic – but in the
last seven games, we only lost two of those, so it's not that negative,"
insisted the 31-year-old former Blackburn rovers and Everton defender. "I
know we lost against Arsenal and we lost the last home game and if you look
just at them it's very negative, but we have to look at the bigger picture –
seven games and two losses, three wins and the rest of them were draws. "We
have to take the positives from now on because it's not good if you're
thinking about the games you lost because you won't take any points. "You
have to take the positives and look forward and we will do that."
So how will manager Avram Grant react to another defeat for his team.
Jacobsen confirms that it will be a measured, rather than a knee-jerk
reaction.
"He will analyse the game and then we'll know what we need to do better and
what we did well," explained the defender. "He's not the manager that will
throw a bottle in your face if you lose a game! He's a very talented manager
who knows what he is doing."
That's good to know, though Jacobsen is experienced enough to know that it
is the players themselves rather than the boss who must do most to turn
things around. "It's why we are here and why some other players are not
here," he said. "Picking yourself up is the difference because you will
always lose games in your career and always have ups and downs. "If you
can't get up from the downs, you will never reach the level of playing in
the Premier League. "Of course we are professional football players. It's
our job, so we'll get ourselves together and get the points we need."
Jacobsen gave his all at the Emirates on Saturday and he felt that it was
the West Ham plan that was winning the day. "You could feel the Arsenal
crowd was not happy, you could hear it," he said. "Their players were not
happy and the game developed the way we wanted really. We were just hoping
we could pinch one on the counter attack. "We kept them away from the big
chances and 'Greeny' in the goal saved tremendously a couple of times.
That's the luck you need to have against a world-class team," said Jacobson,
who thought his team had earned a draw. "As a team, coming to the Emirates
is always difficult and I think we deserved a point in the end," he
insisted. "It's the worst way to lose a game really. We defended very well
throughout the game. "Arsenal had a few chances to be fair, but we kept them
to a low number and I think we did well."
They did well, but again West Ham missed out on the points and Jacobson
knows they need a result at Birmingham next Saturday. "It's always difficult
away from home, but we need to get some points starting next weekend at
Birmingham. We need to take some points there," said the Dane. "We fought
for each other against Arsenal and that is something we have to take into
the next couple of games as well because we know we can play football.
"Sometimes we haven't fought enough, but we certainly did that against
Arsenal and if we continue to do that, I'm sure the points will come."
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