WHUFC.com
The club parted company with assistant manager Zeljko Petrovic on Tuesday
23.11.2010
West Ham United can confirm the club have parted company with assistant
manager Zeljko Petrovic. The club would like to thank Zeljko for his efforts
during his four months at the Boleyn Ground and wish him well for the
future.
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FA Cup draw awaits
WHUFC.com
The third-round draw will be held on Sunday with the ties set to be played
in early January
23.11.2010
West Ham United will learn their first opponents in this season's FA Cup
when the 2010/11 third-round draw takes place on Sunday evening. The draw
will be held at approximately 6pm and shown live on ITV1. The third round
will be played on the weekend of 8 January 2011, with this stage seeing all
Premier League and Championship clubs enter for the first time. The Hammers
were knocked out at this round last year with a 2-1 home defeat by Arsenal.
West Ham won the famous old competition in 1964, 1975 and 1980 with last May
marking 30 years since the last time the Hammers got their hands on the
trophy.
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West Ham assistant boss Zeljko Petrovic departs
BBC.co.uk
West Ham have announced that Zeljko Petrovic, assistant to under-pressure
boss Avram Grant, has left the club. Petrovic, 45, from Montenegro, departs
after less than four months with the Hammers, who are bottom of the table
with only one Premier League win. Vice-chairman Karren Brady told BBC Sport
last week that Grant was likely to be manager at the end of the season. The
West Ham board have labelled the home match against Wigan on Saturday as a
'save our season game'. With nine points from 14 league games, West Ham are
five points adrift of safety. They have fared better in the Carling Cup and
will face Manchester United at home in a quarter-final clash on 30 November.
Former Chelsea and Portsmouth boss Grant replaced Gianfranco Zola as manager
in June after the team narrowly avoided relegation under the Italian.
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Petrovic gone
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 23rd November 2010
By: Staff Writer
West Ham have confirmed the departure of Zeljko Petrovic. We revealed
yesterday that Petrovic was on his way out of Upton Park just four months
after being confirmed as Avram Grant's assistant. The news was confirmed by
a brief statement on whufc.com this afternoon, which stated: "West Ham
United can confirm the club have parted company with assistant manager
Zeljko Petrovic. The club would like to thank Zeljko for his efforts during
his four months at the Boleyn Ground and wish him well for the future."
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Petrovic makes Hammers exit
Grant's assistant manager leaves Upton Park
SSN
Premier League strugglers West Ham have confirmed that assistant manager
Zeljko Petrovic has left the club. The former Yugoslavia international only
joined in July as part of manager Avram Grant's new-look coaching staff.
However, with the Hammers struggling at the foot of the Premier League
table, Petrovic has now left as they attempt to turn around their season.
West Ham refused to confirm whether the 45-year-old had been sacked, stating
only that he has parted company with the East Londoners. "West Ham United
can confirm the club have parted company with assistant manager Zeljko
Petrovic," read a statement on the club's official website. "The club would
like to thank Zeljko for his efforts during his four months at the Boleyn
Ground and wish him well for the future."
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Mills - Hammers are favourites
London duo battling it out for Olympic Stadium
Last updated: 23rd November 2010
SSN
Tottenham director Sir Keith Mills believes West Ham are in pole position
for the Olympic Stadium. Mills, who is also deputy chairman of London 2012,
feels the Hammers will win the race provided their bid is financially
viable. The two London clubs are going head-to-head for the right to move
into the stadium after the showpiece event. Central to the bids are the
clubs' plans for athletics, as the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) wants
it to be taken into account after the Games. West Ham have stated that they
would keep the running track while Spurs' bid would see it removed. However,
Spurs have yet to disclose what they would do to ensure an athletics legacy
should they take that action. Mills is happy for an athletics legacy to be
created somewhere else in the city is this helps to avoid the embarrassment
of the stadium turning into a white elephant.
Proposals
"West Ham's proposals are to leave the running track in place and if it
stacks up economically I am sure the OPLC will award it to them," he said.
"If it doesn't stack up they have an alternative in Tottenham with an
athletics legacy elsewhere. "We promised in our bid to leave an athletics
legacy. The IOC president has made it clear that is more important not to
leave a white elephant in London than whether that legacy is in the stadium
or elsewhere in London. "The OPLC's job is to ensure there is a legacy and
to ensure there are no white elephants. "We have been told we will have an
answer by Christmas and look forward to them coming up with the right
decision." Mills, however, was keen to stress that even if Tottenham were
awarded the Olympic Stadium that did not mean the plans to redevelop White
Hart Lane would be scrapped.
Preferred
"Even if we are the preferred bid, we need to see what the deal is, what the
economics are like and only then make a proper assessment about which option
makes more sense," he added. A move to the new stadium, with its proximity
to the City, could generate extra streams of revenue - and with money
increasingly playing a larger part in football, this is something that
cannot be ignored. "We will be moving to a part of London that is 100 per
cent more accessible; we'll generate more revenue; it's closer to Canary
Wharf and to the City; and it'll attract more sponsorship," Mills told the
Evening Standard.
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Petrovic leaves West Ham
Published: 23 Nov 2010
The Sun
WEST HAM assistant manager Zeljko Petrovic has parted company with the club.
The Montenegrin has been axed just four months into the job after falling
out with a number of the club's senior players. An official statement from
the Hammers said: "The club would like to wish Zeljko for his efforts during
his four months at the Boleyn Ground and wish him well for the future."
SunSport recently revealed how members of the Hammers' squad were unhappy
with Petrovic's training methods and 'arrogant' personality. West Ham are
currently anchored to the bottom of the Premier League having taken just
nine points from their opening 14 games.
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Hammers flop: Prem is c**p
The Sun
By ROB BEASLEY and MARK IRWIN
Published: Today
AXED West Ham assistant boss Zeljko Petrovic has labelled the Premier League
'c**p'. He was sacked yesterday - as predicted by SunSport - and now manager
Avram Grant has three league games to save his job at rock-bottom Hammers.
In a scathing attack Montenegran Petrovic said: "Everybody has great words
for the Premier League but it is a myth. "The Premier League is a c**p
league, it is nothing. In truth the level is shocking. Every team has just
three good players. If you take those players out of the teams then there
are only players left who would not be playing in the bottom team in
Holland. "The Bundesliga is far better."
Under-pressure Grant will go if his team are still adrift going into
Christmas. That means they must win two of their next three Premier League
games - at home to Wigan, away to Sunderland and home to Manchester City.
Joint-owners David Sullivan and David Gold are doing everything possible to
keep Grant in charge. But they will wield the axe unless there is an
immediate improvement in the team's results - with their side bottom and
trailing Fulham in 17th by five points after just one win in 14 league games
this term. Grant, 55, is only five months into a four-year deal since
replacing Gianfranco Zola. He has already missed one target set by Sullivan
after taking three points from West Ham's last four games. Hammers fans have
also lost faith in the ex-Chelsea boss, chanting "You're getting sacked in
the morning" during Saturday's 3-0 loss at Liverpool.
Co-owners Gold and Sullivan are reluctant to pull the trigger so soon but
are anxious to protect their investment after a £55million takeover in
January.
If they ditch Grant, ex-Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill would be first
choice, with ex-England coach Glenn Hoddle or former managers Alan Pardew
and Alan Curbishley in the frame. Petrovic went four months after being
brought in by Grant, with the players unhappy at his training methods and
'arrogant' personality. Hammers have appointed ex-Brentford boss Wally
Downes as a defensive coach after conceding 25 goals in 14 League games. And
they are keen on having a second specialist attack coach, with Paolo di
Canio and John Hartson both linked with the job.
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West Ham in pole position for Olympic Stadium, admits Spurs director
Published 16:52 23/11/10 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
Sir Keith Mills, the deputy chairman of London 2012 and Tottenham director,
admits West Ham are in pole position to take over the Olympic Stadium - but
only if their bid "stacks up economically". Tottenham/AEG are bidding
against West Ham to take over the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games - but
the Spurs' bid would see the running track removed while the Hammers' would
keep it. The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) are due to decide between
the two bids before Christmas. Mills said it was more important to avoid
having 'white elephants' than insist on keeping a running track inside the
Olympic Stadium, so long as an athletics legacy was created elsewhere in
London. Spurs' plans for that legacy have remained under wraps. Mills told
Press Association Sport: "West Ham's proposals are to leave the running
track in place and if it stacks up economically I am sure the OPLC will
award it to them. If it doesn't stack up they have an alternative in
Tottenham with an athletics legacy elsewhere. "We promised in our bid to
leave an athletics legacy. The IOC president has made it clear that it is
more important not to leave a white elephant in London than whether that
legacy is in the stadium or elsewhere in London.
"The OPLC's job is to ensure there is a legacy and to ensure there are no
white elephants. "We have been told we will have an answer by Christmas and
look forward to them coming up with the right decision." Mills said that
even if Tottenham were chosen that did not definitely mean they would chose
that over a new stadium at White Hart Lane. He added: "Even if we are the
preferred bid we need to see what the deal is, what the economics are like
and only then make a proper assessment about which option makes more sense."
Mills said it was important not to saddle the club with huge debts if it
made financial sense to move to the Olympic Stadium in east London. "We'll
be moving to a part of London that is 100% more accessible; we'll generate
more revenue; it's closer to Canary Wharf and to the City; and it'll attract
more sponsorship," he told the Evening Standard. Tottenham MP David Lammy
criticised the remarks, saying: "It is clear the club are no longer
committed to developing White Hart Lane and want to move to Olympic Park
regardless. "He is willing to sacrifice the atmosphere of White Hart Lane to
stuff the Olympic Stadium with corporate hospitality boxes. "Tottenham
Hotspur should be a club for everyone, not just for the suits in the City."
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Knives are out for Grant as Hammers No.2 gets the bullet
Published 23:00 23/11/10 By Alan Nixon
The Mirror
Avram Grant is fighting to save his job at West Ham - with his number two
Zeljko Petrovic leaving the troubled club last night. Grant brought in the
Serbian coach through his contacts but the move has not worked out and the
Hammers assistant has been axed in the build-up to the crunch game with
Wigan.
Petrovic, who worked with Ruud Gullit and Martin Jol in his time in Europe,
is regarded as Grant's right-hand man and his exit damages the Israeli at a
time when he was supposed to have backing. The Hammers heirarchy have been
working on bringing in a new coach to help Grant - with former skipper Steve
Lomas lobbied for within the club - but instead the Petrovic departure has
pushed the manager closer to the edge. West Ham owners David Sullivan and
David Gold want to prop up Grant, the boss they brought in to replace
Gianfranco Zola, but their failure to line up a new staff member has left
him exposed. Grant was willing to have a new face on board - with Lomas,
Paolo Di Canio and John Hartson all seen as potential assistants to get the
fans onside and give the club a lift on the cheap. However the loss of
Petrovic - and the timing of the Wigan six-pointer - means that Grant's
position could be beyond repair if they lose and are cast adrift this
weekend.
Former West Ham boss Alan Pardew fears time is running out for his old club
in their relegation battle. The Hammers are bottom of the Premier League and
six points from safety already as they have terrible goal difference.
Pardew, boss for three years until 2006, said: "The points total they've got
is going to make it very difficult, they've got a lot of catch-up to do.
"The one difficult thing in the Premier League is catch-up - when I was at
Charlton we had 10 points midway through the season. "We had a brilliant
second half of the season but that still wasn't enough, so you need to get
in touching distance of the other teams before halfway."
Pardew, 49, believes the tight Premier League this season at least gives
West Ham the chance for survival. Pards said: "As Stoke have proved, with
straight wins you can move up to the top 10, and you've got to focus on
keeping that positive feeling within the group that you're going to escape.
"Being an ex-West Ham manager I know that fight is at the club and I hope
they make it." He added on Sky Sports News: "I do feel West Brom and
Blackpool will be involved and there will be four or five teams fighting for
their lives."
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HAMMERS TELL BOARD TO STOP BUYING TRASH
Daily Express
Wednesday November 24,2010
WEST HAM'S unhappy players fear changes to the coaching set-up will not be
enough to save the club from relegation unless the board drastically change
their transfer strategy. Assistant manager Zeljko Petrovic became the first
member of staff to leave, but the Daily Express can reveal he had already
been plotting his escape for weeks by lining up a coaching job in Japan.
West Ham co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold are now considering
bringing fans' hero Paolo Di Canio and Steve Lomas back to Upton Park in
coaching roles and appointing Wally Downes to work with the defence.
Avram Grant's job as manager will be under even greater threat should the
Hammers fail to beat Wigan on Saturday. But senior players have pointed the
finger at Sullivan and Gold, claiming the squad has been made weaker since
they took control almost a year ago. The duo have entrusted most of their
transfer business to agent Barry Silkman, but the only signing to have made
a difference has been former Portsmouth forward Frederic Piquionne, who was
suggested by Grant.
Benni McCarthy has failed to make any impact since joining from Blackburn in
January, while there is a strong feeling inside the dressing room that Pablo
Barrera, Winston Reid, Tal Ben-Haim and on-loan Victor Obinna are all not
good enough. Free transfer Thomas Hitzlsperger is yet to make his debut
because of injury. Alessandro Diamanti, sold for £1.8million in August, has
been such a hit at new club Brescia that he won his first international cap
for Italy this month and is a big-money target of German club Wolfsburg.
Sullivan and Gold have promised to make money available again in January to
try to help steer West Ham to safety, but the concern around Upton Park is
that it will again be wasted on cheap foreign imports and cast-offs.
Existing members of the squad believe the Hammers need to bring in players
with Premier League experience, who can offer leadership . The departure of
Petrovic was a popular move among the players, who had been suspicious that
his mind was not fully on the job. But Petrovic hopes to step back into
football in a coaching role with J-League side Urawa Red Diamonds, where he
spent three years as a player. His commitment to West Ham's cause has been
questioned since as far back as September, when Grant handed over control
for the game away at Stoke while he observed the Jewish holy day Yom
Kippur.With the Hammers leading 1-0 at the break in that game , the players
were stunned that Petrovic offered them no half-time advice – and instead
concentrated on cutting his fingernails.
Stoke equalised early in the second half but Petrovic again failed to
reorganise them or give any instructions . Petrovic's training sessions were
also said to lack any thought and imagination and it is understood that he
regularly blanked players and staff . Striker Carlton Cole appeared to make
his feelings clear to Petrovic when he was substituted in the second half of
West Ham's 3-0 defeat by Liverpool on Saturday. And last night the Hammers
released a short statement that read: "West Ham United can confirm the club
have parted company with assistant manager Zeljko Petrovic. We would like to
thank Zeljko for his efforts ."
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Lomas in contention for Hammers role
November 23, 2010
ESPN
By Harry Harris, Football Correspondent
Former West Ham skipper Steve Lomas is "one of a number" of names being
considered as a new coach to aid under-fire boss Avram Grant after the club
confirmed Zeljko Petrovic has left Upton Park. But the Hammers owners are
worried about bringing in club legend Paolo di Canio because of his lack of
coaching experience. The Hammers board have earmarked this Saturday's home
clash with Wigan as the most crucial game of the season, with a loss to the
Latics unthinkable in the eyes of the club hierarchy. The board have thrown
their full backing behind Grant, though the idea of bringing in a former
player as a coach to help rally the current squad holds appeal. Di Canio is
waiting for his first coaching appointment, though he has already earned his
full coaching D and A badges, up to international standard. The maverick
Italian's name was chanted by the fans during the 3-0 defeat to Liverpool at
Anfield, but Lomas has been recommended to co-owners David Sullivan and
David Gold. A Hammers insider told ESPNsoccernet: "Avram is highly thought
of at West Ham, and the club are appreciative of how he is doing under
difficult circumstances. They don't want him to shoulder the blame for the
problems. There is no indication as yet that they will sack him. "[But]
Steve Lomas is one of a number of people whose names have been put forward
[as a possible coaching addition]."
The former Northern Ireland international, who has been cutting his
managerial teeth in non-league football, is under review to replace
Petrovic, whose exit has proved intriguing as his time under Grant at Upton
Park. A club statement read: "The club would like to thank Zeljko for his
efforts during his four months at the Boleyn Ground and wish him well for
the future."
Lomas was a no-nonsense midfielder with the Hammers and would likely be
welcomed by fans, who are being urged by the club to turn up in numbers
against Wigan. An e-mail from the board to fans said: "The board has
designated this match the 'save our season game' and, in an unprecedented
move, has made available 5,000 adult tickets for just £20 to ensure a bumper
Boleyn crowd." Grant is seeking to end a run of nine games without a win
against the Hammers' relegation rivals.
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West Ham add ex-Brentford boss to coaching staff
TalkSPort
By Declan Taylor
Tuesday, November 23
West Ham have appointed former Brentford manager Wally Downes as a
specialist defensive coach. The rock-bottom Hammers have conceded 25 times
in their first 14 Premier League games and the club's owners have appointed
Downes in a bid to assist under-fire manager Avram Grant with stemming the
alarming flow of goals. The appointment was made just before the Hammers
decided to axe Grant's assistant manager Zeljko Petrovic, but it is
understood Downes will focus solely on the defence and has not been brought
in as the new No.2. As well as managing Brentford from 2002-04, Downes was
Reading's defensive coach when they surged to the 2006 Championship title,
conceding only 32 goals in 46 games. Downes has been working in an advisory
role for League Two Gillingham since the start of November but is due to
take up his new full-time post this week, in time to work with the side
before Saturday's crunch game against fellow-strugglers Wigan. Meanwhile,
the club's owners are also keen on appointing a second specialist coach to
work with the side's striking unit. Only Wigan have scored less than the
Hammers' 11 goals this term and former strikers Paolo di Canio and John
Hartson have both been linked with the position.
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Avram Grant pushed to brink as West Ham sack his assistant Zelijko Petrovic
West Ham have confirmed the sacking of Avram Grant's No 2, Zelijko Petrovic,
as the manager himself comes under increasing pressure to hang on to his
job.
Telegraph.co.uk
By Jason Burt 7:34PM GMT 23 Nov 2010
Saturday's 3-0 defeat away at Liverpool appears to have been a tipping point
for Grant, who now has to ensure that West Ham beat Wigan Athletic at home
this weekend to give himself a chance of salvaging his position. The Israeli
only signed a four-year deal in the summer and although the West Ham board
have reiterated that his position is not in jeopardy, and are reluctant to
part with him despite the team being bottom of the Premier League, it is
understood the mood has changed since the Liverpool defeat. The removal of
Petrovic was expected and is understood to be part of a plan to bring in a
defensive coach and a forwards coach to work on key areas of the team that
have underperformed this season.
West Ham are believed to want to copy the approach taken by Tottenham
Hotspur, where Harry Redknapp, has brought in ex-players, such as former
England striker Les Ferdinand, to work on specific areas of the team. Paolo
Di Canio will be a guest at the Wigan game – which has been labelled as the
"save our season" match by the club – and has been lobbying hard for a role,
although he is not likely to be employed. Indeed it may be that the West Ham
board now delay appointing Petrovic's replacements until they have decided
whether or not to stick with 55 year-old Grant. It was the manner of the
loss at Anfield that has shocked the club's owners, David Gold and David
Sullivan, as much as the defeat itself. If they sense that Grant is
struggling to cope, and the momentum is heading towards relegation, with the
side having amassed just nine points in 14 games, then they may be forced to
act.
Petrovic, a former PSV Eindhoven and Yugoslavia midfielder, joined West Ham
two weeks before the start of the season but failed to gain the respect of
the players during his short spell at the club.
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West Ham go for Wally Downes after sacking assistant boss Zeljko Petrovic
By STEVE SKERRY
Last updated at 2:01 AM on 24th November 2010
Daily Mail
Wally Downes is set to be named as Avram Grant's No 2 at West Ham in the
next few days. The 49-year-old's appointment follows the sacking of Zeljko
Petrovic earlier this week after just four months in the job. Joint owners
David Sullivan and David Gold are hoping Downes will help Grant move the
east London club off the bottom of the Barclays Premier League. He has been
lined up to work on a West Ham defence that has already leaked 25 goals this
season. Downes has been out of work since he was dismissed as a member of
Alan Pardew's backroom staff at Southampton in August. The former Wimbledon
midfielder was also a member of Steve Coppell's coaching staff at Reading
after nearly two years in charge at Brentford where he was sacked in 2004.
West Ham have already labelled the clash against Wigan at Upton Park on
Saturday as a 'save our season' game.
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