WHUFc.com
Wayne Bridge is hoping for better in the future following a difficult West
Ham United debut on Saturday
16.01.2011
Wayne Bridge is focusing on his first full of week of training at West Ham
United after a tough debut in Saturday's 3-0 Barclays Premier League defeat
by Arsenal. The left-back endured a difficult first match in a claret and
blue shirt, conceding a second-half penalty before being withdrawn with
cramp late on.
West Ham's new No36 conceded that the Gunners had been the better side for
long periods, but that his new team-mates had created enough opportunities
to achieve a more positive result. "It was a difficult first game. Arsenal
are a great team and keep the ball well, so most of the time we were running
around chasing after the ball. We had a few chances and if we'd have put
them away it might have been a different story. We've just got to look
forward to the next game now."
Bridge, who has joined on loan from Manchester City until the end of the
season, is hoping to bring a winning mentality with him from Eastlands.
Saturday's defeat was just the third the 29-year-old had suffered this term
and he is eager to score the victories required to keep West Ham in the
top-flight between now and May. "We've just to forget about this and look
forward to the next one and get a win. Once we get everyone fit and fighting
for places, I see that this team can create chances and we've got to finish
them. "Obviously we've also got to concede less but not team is going to be
as hard Arsenal. We've just got to make sure we concentrate and keep our
focus and hope the games are a bit easier than they were on Saturday."
Bridge's chief tormentor on Saturday was lightning-fast England winger Theo
Walcott, who scored one goal and made two more for Robin van Persie.
The new boy is hoping to have an easier ride at Everton on Saturday, having
trained for a week at Chadwell Heath and increased his levels of fitness and
understanding with his Hammers team-mates. "It was a difficult game for me,
really. Theo is really quick and that was first 90 minutes for a while. I've
not played too many this season, so I had a little bit of cramp at the end,
but I didn't feel too bad for the first 60. "I'll just improve next week and
things can only get better. "I try not to look too far ahead, to be honest.
We have got Everton at the weekend and I just want to win. One thing I don't
want to see is West Ham go down."
While Barclays Premier League salvation is Bridge's No1 priority, the former
England international is also targeting a League Cup winner's medal to add
to the one he won with Chelsea in 2007. "We've also got a chance of winning
a medal this year and that would be great. We should just take one game at a
time and hopefully we'll end up staying up and getting a medal. "It's a
bonus for me to be allowed to be allowed to play in the League Cup and it
would be lovely to end up with a winner's medal."
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Grant future to be decided
West Ham to decide whether boss stays or goes this coming week
Last updated: 17th January 2011
SSN
Sky Sports News understands that the future of under-pressure West Ham
manager Avram Grant will be decided this week. It was widely expected that
Grant would be dismissed following their 3-0 home defeat to Arsenal on
Saturday night with Martin O'Neillin line to take up the reins. However,
Grant remained tight-lipped on his position after the full-time whistle and
West Ham refused to clarify his position, despite reportedly making a
decision at last week's board meeting. A senior source at the club has now
told Sky Sports News that Grant's position will be decided this week. Grant
replaced Gianfranco Zola over the summer, but the club remain at the wrong
end of the table. Their heavy defeat to title-chasing Arsenal on Saturday
evening means the club are two points adrift of safety 23 games into the
Premier League campaign. O'Neill, formerly of Aston Villa, is reportedly
waiting in the wings to try and save the East Londoners from the drop should
Grant be axed just six months into his West Ham tenure.
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Bridge vows to bounce back
On-loan left-back aims to put difficult debut behind him
By Ben Collins Last updated: 17th January 2011
SSN
Wayne Bridge is determined to bounce back from his nightmare West Ham debut
against Arsenal. The Manchester City left-back has joined the struggling
Hammers on loan until the end of the season and made his bow in Saturday's
home game against the Gunners. But the 29-year-old struggled up against
England winger Theo Walcott and was partly at fault for each goal in a 3-0
win for Arsene Wenger's title-chasers. "It was a difficult game for me
really," he told the club's official website.
Walcott pace
"Theo is really quick and that was my first 90 minutes for a while. I've not
played too many this season so I had a bit of cramp at the end but I didn't
feel too bad for the first 60. "I'll just improve next week and things can
only get better. I try not to look too far ahead. "We have got Everton at
the weekend and I just want to win. One thing I don't want to see is West
Ham go down."
Victory at Everton this Saturday could lift the Hammers out of the bottom
three before Bridge, who has made just one league start at City this season,
aims to help Avram Grant's men reach the Carling Cup final as they visit
Birmingham next week for their semi-final second leg. "We should just take
one game at a time and hopefully we'll end up staying up and getting a
medal," he said. "It's a bonus for me to be allowed to play in the League
Cup and it would be lovely to end up with a winner's medal."
Forget
Last Saturday's defeat saw the Hammers remain bottom, two points adrift of
safety, but Bridge stressed they face few tougher opponents this season.
"Arsenal are a great team and keep the ball well so most of the time we were
running around chasing after the ball," he said. "We had a few chances and
if we'd have put them away it might have been a different story. "We've just
got to forget about this, look forward to the next one and get a win. Once
we get everyone fit and fighting for places, I see that this team can create
chances and we've got to finish them. "Obviously we've also got to concede
less but no team is going to be as hard as Arsenal. We've just got to make
sure we concentrate and keep our focus and hope the games are a bit easier
than they were on Saturday."
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Monaco call on Mbokani
Striker summoned to training base despite desire to secure switch
By Patrick Haond Last updated: 17th January 2011
SSN
Monaco have summoned want-away striker Dieumerci Mbokani to their winter
training camp. The Congolese frontman recently informed the club of his
desire to leave, having struggled to settle at Stade Louis II. A switch to
England has been widely touted, with Everton, Fulham and West Ham believed
to hold an interest in the 25-year-old. Monaco have yet to sanction a deal,
though, with their efforts having been focused on managerial changes of
late.
Plans
Guy Lacombe has been replaced by Laurent Banide at the helm, offering a
clean slate for those on the fringes of the fold. That includes Mbokani, who
was initially left out of the Ligue 1 club's plans for the mid-season break.
Banide is keen to keen a look at the striker, though, and has called on him
to link up with the rest of the squad, regardless of his desire to secure a
switch elsewhere. He told L'Equipe: "I know he wants to leave, but for the
moment he is a Monaco player and there is no reason why he would not come
with us."
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Hammers duo are making us a joke
The Sun
Published: Today
WEST HAM legend Julian Dicks has blasted club owners David Gold and David
Sullivan over their handling of manager Avram Grant. Saturday's 3-0 defeat
to Arsenal came after intense speculation that Martin O'Neill had been
sounded out about the possibility of replacing the Grant as manager. But the
Israeli remains in charge following the loss, which kept West Ham rooted to
the foot of the league. The club have been silent on rumours that Grant was
being lined up for the sack. Now Dicks, who played over 250 times in his 10
years at the club, has called on owners Gold and Sullivan to end the rumours
about Grant's future either way. He said: "All I know is what I have seen in
the newspapers and on the television — I heard one minute that Avram was
leaving, then the next I hear it's Martin O'Neill who's coming in, and then
he isn't. "We're becoming a laughing stock really. "Gold and Sullivan have
the best interests of the club and the supporters at heart, I'm sure, but
they need to come out and end all this speculation and say 'we support you'
— or they should sack him. "They need to get this sorted out so everyone can
start concentrating on the football again."
Despite leading the Hammers to a Carling Cup semi-final, Grant has so far
only been able to register four league wins. The club sit two points adrift
of safety having played at least one more game than their relegation rivals.
So should the Londoners replace Grant with O'Neill, Dicks thinks the former
Leicester and Aston Villa boss would be a good appointment. He said: "I
would like to think Martin O'Neill would do a good job for the club. "He is
an experienced and very passionate manager and has had a lot of success at
all the clubs he has been at. "There are a lot of managers out there that
are out of work and apart from Roy Hodgson maybe, he is the highest-profile
one of the lot."
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Gold and Sullivan - End of year report
Mr Polite - Mon Jan 17 2011
West Ham Online
They say time fly's when you're enjoying yourself – so at least you know why
the last 12 months have gone so bloody slow! Yes it will be 1 year ago on
Wednesday that Mr David Gold and Mr David Sullivan 'came home'. So as we
reflect on the first year at the helm, let's put personal feelings aside and
look at what has been achieved.
I say put personal opinions aside but I realise this is a difficult thing to
do in this day and age with media coverage as it is, it is a lot easier to
form more personal opinions of people than you once would have. However
whether you like the Davids or you dislike the chuckle brothers one thing is
perfectly clear – they have done a lot in the short time at the club.
Taking control of the club at a time of huge uncertainty most would admit
saved us from oblivion and something, whatever happens from here on in I
will be grateful for. Of the options available at the time they were the
only viable ones. From day one they set to sorting us out financially by
investing money, but cutting costs and by trying to attract other investors.
I don't think anyone expected this to be a short term fix and although lack
of big transfer funds is available, I no longer wake up wondering if it will
be the last day of West Ham United's existent. Only the most biased person
would not be thankful for that.
Of course we still have massive financial problems and that is manifested in
our lack of clout in the transfer market. I think the first one can be
written off and excused seeing as they were in charge for 11 days of it,
however in that short space of time funds were made available to the manager
to get players in. In the summer however they backed the manger with a
number of new signings and seem to be trying to do so again this window,
with the expensive Bridge being the first. This is a thread about the owners
and so the rights and wrongs of individual transfers are not being covered.
The proposed Olympic Stadium move is something that splits opinion amongst
the West Ham faithful and arguments can be made for both sides. Of course we
want to keep our heritage, of course it will be a massive wrench to move
from our home but to compete financially in future it seems the most obvious
move. We have moved homes in the past and our history and heritage is still
intact and so I understand the argument of this just being another chapter
of that great history. For me personally I feel that the fans haven't been
consulted properly on it and the running track is a problem that hasn't been
explained properly and I fear for the OS as good place to watch football. It
seems on this subject the owners, as is their right, have made decisions on
what they feel the fans want rather that finding out what the fans want.
It's a financial decision and although I can understand it, that is all it
is – Financial.
One of the biggest decisions an owner has to make is who to appoint as a
manager and again their decision here has come under a lot of scrutiny.
Firstly I don't think (m)any can argue that Zola wasn't taking us forward
and that he only had himself to blame for being sacked. So this meant G&S
had to make their first managerial appointment of their WHU era. We were led
to believe that many people were spoken to, and for one reason or another
Grant was the top choice. I might be pushing it to say the jury is out on
him as I realise I am in a small minority that still backs him as manager –
the one thing that is obvious is that he isn't being given the full backing
of the board and this can only cause problems on the pitch. Pressure from
the boardroom affects a manager and therefore the team and that is
unacceptable, whether you like the manager or not, the team performing on
the pitch is all that really matters and although the manager has to take a
large part of the blame, the owners have to shoulder some blame too.
I honestly do believe they both have the welfare of the club at heart and
not just for financial reasons but because they love it here. I think that
showed in the amount they made themselves available for interviews and
comments and any given opportunity. Personally I liked that, I liked hearing
what was going on as often as possible, of course those that dislike them
used it as a stick to beat them with, no doubt the same people used to moan
that we were kept in the dark. But it has been noticeable that they have
been quieter recently a fact which Mr Sullivan has put down to fans being
unhappy about it – so he does listen to us I guess.
One of the first statements they made was 'We want to have some fun' well
one wonders just how much fun they've had. In this world where everybody
expects to see massive improvements and quickly you could say they haven't
had a great 12 months with very little fun. Those of us with our feet on the
ground and heads out of the clouds though will understand that they didn't
take over a 12 month project and that the problems at West Ham aren't going
to be fixed in a short space of time. There is no doubt about it that
improvements have been made, as a business we are in a healthier position
than we were. On the pitch problems however don't seem to have improved much
and take the fact that we have one foot in a cup final away, they haven't
improved at all and that is what really matters.
I think their end of year grade would be a C-
I hope they aren't happy with that grade and do all they can to make the
next 12 months a lot better. To carry on their work with regards to the
business, but to put more emphasis on the playing side of the club, to
listen to what the fans think as they have promised they will do, to do
everything in their power to put the United back into West Ham United. We're
a club divided at the moment from Boardroom all the way down to fans, we all
have a part to play in improving the club but it has to start from the top –
it has to start from today.
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What the back pages say: West Ham offer Martin O'Neill £20m war chest
Daily Mail
Last updated at 8:13 AM on 17th January 2011
THE GUARDIAN: West Ham United were last night trying to keep alive their
hopes of landing Martin O'Neill as their new manager after it emerged the
Northern Irishman is understood to have been unimpressed with reports on
Saturday morning claiming he would be named as Avram Grant's successor later
that evening.
ALSO: West Ham's under-pressure owners are banking on Martin O'Neill
agreeing to take charge this week after deciding Avram Grant's unhappy time
at the club has come to an end.
DAILY STAR: Martin O'Neill is being wooed by West Ham with the offer of a
summer war chest worth up to £20m.
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Behrami edges closer to Upton Park exit with West Ham and Fiorentina set to
agree transfer fee this week
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER Last updated at 1:34 PM on 17th January 2011
Daily Mail
Under-fire Avram Grant may not be the only man heading for the Upton Park
exit door this week with West Ham midfielder Valon Behrami set to return to
Italy. The versatile Swiss international could join Serie A side Fiorentina
within the next 48 hours, according to Italian daily Corriere dello Sport,
with the two clubs set to reach an agreement. The Hammers rejected an
opening £3.1million offer from the Italian outfit last week for the
25-year-old, standing firm on their £4.5m asking price. But with unsettled
Behrami desperate to head back to the country he left in 2008 to join the
Hammers - he signed from Lazio for £5m - the clubs are close to reaching a
compromise. 'We are hopeful,' Fiorentina club administrator Sandro Mencucci
told Italian TV station Rai 3 last week. 'But until he [Behrami] is in
Florence and he has signed, we cannot be sure.' Behrami's pending departure
would release vital funds for West Ham as they look to bring in fresh blood
to boost their top-flight survival chances.
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West Ham in fight with West Brom for PSG striker
Daily Mail
By Marc Isaacs
Monday, January 17
West Ham and West Brom are locked in a battle to sign Paris St Germain
striker Peguy Luyindula. Luyindula, 31, is ready for a new challenge in
England and reports in France suggest he could finalise a move in the next
few weeks. Avram Grant is desperate to bolster his forward line and after
missing out on a deal for Demba Ba, he has now switched his attentions to
the French interna tional. But he faces stiff competition from Roberto Di
Matteo who has also been monitoring the prolific forward and would like to
bring him to the Hawthorns. The major stumbling block for both clubs could
be Luyindula's high wages, but both clubs remain hopeful of signing him on a
loan basis with a view to making the move a permanent one during the summer.
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West Ham are a laughing stock! Grant must be backed or sacked by owners,
demands angry club legend Dicks
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER Last updated at 3:19 PM on 17th January 2011
Daily Mail
Former West Ham captain Julian Dicks has accused David Gold and David
Sullivan of turning the club into a 'laughing stock' over their failure to
end the growing speculation over Avram Grant's future. Grant's position
looked increasingly precarious after Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Arsenal was
preceded by intense speculation that Martin O'Neill had been sounded out
about the possibility of replacing the Israeli. Grant insisted that he was
still in charge following the loss, which kept West Ham rooted to the foot
of the league, but fans groups have strongly condemned the owners for their
failure to either back or sack the former Chelsea boss. The club have been
silent on rumours that Grant was being lined up for the sack.
Now Dicks, who became a West Ham legend after playing over 250 times in his
10 years at the club, has called on the pair to end the rumours about
Grant's future. He said: 'All I know is what I have seen in the newspapers
and on the television - I heard one minute that Avram was leaving, then the
next I hear it's Martin O'Neill who's coming in, and then he isn't. We're
becoming a laughing stock really. 'They (Gold and Sullivan) have the best
interests of the club and the supporters at heart, I'm sure, but they need
to come out and end all this speculation and say "we support you" or they
should sack him.
'They need to get this sorted out so everyone can start concentrating on the
football again.' Despite leading the Hammers to the Carling Cup semi-final,
Grant has so far only been able to register four league wins and his team
are two points adrift of safety having played at least one more game than
their relegation rivals. Should the Londoners replace Grant with O'Neill,
Dicks thinks the former Leicester boss would be a good appointment. 'I would
like to think Martin O'Neill would do a good job for the club,' said Dicks,
who now manages non-league Grays Athletic. 'He is an experienced and very
passionate manager and has had a lot of success at all the clubs he has been
at.
'There are a lot of managers out there that are out of work and apart from
Roy Hodgson maybe, he is the highest-profile one of the lot.' With West Ham
around £90million in debt, Dicks knows that money is tight at the club but
insists that any new manager must be given transfer funds to improve the
current squad. 'They need to bring in four players quickly,' said the
42-year-old. 'They need a central midfielder to play alongside Scott Parker
and they need a striker that is going to score goals and work hard for the
team. 'They could do with a right-back and a centre-half too.' Gold and
Sullivan admitted that the club would face 'Armageddon' if they were
relegated when they took over last January. The former Birmingham owners
have cut the West Ham's debt and reduced costs but Dicks admits being
relegated could have a devastating effect on the club. 'Nobody wants to get
relegated from any division, let alone the Premier League. It would be
unthinkable if West Ham got relegated,' Dicks added. 'It would be
financially catastrophic for the club if they went down. There are debts at
the club and the players' wages are huge.'
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