Exclusive: West Ham's Parker rated 50/50, but he did not train yesterday
Bexley Times
West Ham midfielder Scott Parker has a 50-50 chance of playing against
Blackburn on Saturday, but did not break down in training yesterday as
reported in the national media.
Parker, who has been struggling with an Achilles problem, did not even
train with the squad yesterday, but is undergoing tests to see if he can
play against Blackburn this weekend.
A source at the club confirmed the Hammer of the Year is a doubt for
Saturday's match.
"He didn't train yesterday, but that doesn't mean he won won't play on
Saturday. They are doing various things to try and get him fit. Often
players don't train earlier in the week but will closer to the game,"
the source said.
"The player is obviously desperate to play and with time running out in
the season, it is likely he will play. We need the points."
There was further positive news that captain Matthew Upson is likely to
be fit to take on Rovers this weekend.
The centre half had to be withdrawn against Manchester City at the
weekend with a dead leg, but should be okay for Saturday.
Fellow defender James Tomkins is a bigger concern however. Tomkins
suffered a bang on the knee at Eastlands and is doubtful, while Mark
Noble is definitely out.
Noble had a successful operation on his hernia earlier in the week and
could yet still play this season.
"He is definitely not ready for Saturday, but as we have seen in the
past, Mark recovers from injury very quickly, so he could still play
this season," the source added.
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Premier League clubs and Scottish giants lose over £1m as programme
printer folds
Mail Online
Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham are among the clubs to lose more than
£1m after Cre8 Publishing, one of the UK's largest printers of matchday
programmes, was put into liquidation.
The collapse came after Arsenal had filed a legal action against the
publishing group over a claim of £270,000 of unpaid royalties.
The football clubs worst hit are Rangers and Celtic, who are owed almost
£500,000 and £400,000 respectively. West Ham are owed £103,000 and Spurs
£42,000. Aberdeen and Oldham Athletic are also missing smaller amounts,
while the Welsh Rugby Union are owed £120,000.
Ouch: North London rivals Arsenal and Spurs have both been hit in the pocket
Just three years ago the company's predecessor, Cre8 UK, also went bust
leaving the likes of Birmingham City and Watford out of pocket.
In November last year The Old Firm clubs cancelled contracts with Cre8
Publishing. Celtic urged fans to apply for refunds on their
subscriptions, while Rangers told supporters to 'cancel any direct debit
payment with immediate effect'.
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Hammers legend wants Martin O'Neill as West Ham boss
Romford Recorder
Sir Geoff Hurst has said that the appointments of both Gianfranco Zola
and Avram Grant were mistakes.
Hammers legend Sir Geoff Hurst believes that Martin O'Neill should be
the new manager of West Ham, whether the team are relegated this season
or not.
The World Cup Final hat-trick hero believes the Hammers are doomed in
their survival battle and he insisted that the problems stem not just
from this season, but from the last three or four.
"I did not expect the disaster that it has been this season, but in many
respects it is not just this year," Hurst told BBC Radio Five Live.
"I think the appointment of Gianfranco Zola was not a good one. I admire
him as much as any player, but him coming in from the Italian under-21
team to manage a club in a difficult Premier League was not right."
Hurst has little time for current boss Avram Grant either.
"I am not sure the appointment of Avram Grant was particularly good," he
said. "He got the job possibly on the back of doing well at Chelsea, but
as we know they were set up with a tremendous bunch of senior players.
He just took over the reins and let the players get on with it."
Hurst, who played one short of 500 games in claret and blue, scoring 248
goals, knows exactly who he would select as the Hammers new manager.
"Martin O'Neill would be good for West Ham because he has proved that he
can do the job anywhere," said the footballing knight.
"I don't know how much it would cost, but if I could wave a magic wand
for the start of next season, I would have O'Neill in charge of the club."
Even if his wish came true, Hurst is not expecting Scott Parker to be
part of things.
"I wouldn't have thought Parker would stay," he said. "It is fantastic
what he has achieved in West Ham's very poor season.
"I believe in loyalty, but I think he has served his time and he
deserves an opportunity to play Champions League football and continue
to play for England, which he has a better chance of doing at another club."
West Ham still have three games to save their skins, but Hurst does not
hold out much hope.
"There is a glimmer," he said, "Until mathematically you are out of it,
there is always a chance, but it looks very ominous to me."
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The blame game: Torpedoes of truth surrounding our improbable relegation
Knees Up Mother Brown
The following are the reasons why, with three games to go, West Ham
United are bottom of the league and staring squarely into oblivion.
Torpedo 1 – The Owners.
When the decision was taken last summer to dispense with the services of
manager Gianfranco Zola, I think I speak for all Hammers fans when I say
that the names on our lips to replace Frankie were as follows: Mark
Hughes, Slaven Bilic, Steve McClaren and Martin Jol.
I think the common consensus was that Zola had been harshly treated, he
kept us up despite having no cash to spend and with David's Gold and
Sullivan undermining him at every turn. Nevertheless our popular,
charismatic and charming manager was canned; the fans were prepared to
accept it if a better man was put in place.
I don't know the ins and outs of the selection process, what the
criteria the Davids were interested in but I do know any of the
aforementioned managers would've jumped at the opportunity to manage a
London club in the Premier League that sells out its ground every week.
Having just avoided relegation with a tally of 35 points in the 2009/10
season the man they brought into replace Zola had to lead the club from
being perennial relegation candidates to the security of mid-table
obscurity.
The appointment was at a crucial crossroads in the history of West Ham
United, so why oh why did they choose Avram Grant? A man who had the
previous season just been relegated with Portsmouth, why did they choose
a man who was still something of an enigma?
A man who was the nearly man with the star studded Chelsea team he
inherited, a man who would've taken Pompey down even without their
points deduction, a man who hadn't achieved anything to warrant being
given the job of turning West Ham into a genuine force in English football.
I ask everyone who happens to read this article: do you really think
Fulham have a much better team/squad than us? Who in their team would we
really be interested in? Yet they are THIRTEEN points better off than us
and why's that?
Mark Hughes; a man who was without a job when we began our search to
replace Zola, a man who surely would've taken the job if it was offered
to him, a man who required no compensation whatsoever having been sacked
by Manchester City, a man with a proven track record in Premier League
football having worked wonders at a small provincial club like Blackburn
Rovers and without millions to spend.
Gold and Sullivan in my opinion went for the cheap option and ultimately
a 'yes' man in Avram Grant and it will ultimately cost us our place in
the Premier League; whatever way you want to look at it we replaced a
man who kept us up with a man who took another club down. Where was the
logic?
Torpedo Two – The Players.
Regardless of incompetent owners or a bungling manager the fact of the
matter is that on paper West Ham should have a top 10 team. The spine of
the side, Green, Upson, Parker and Cole are all England internationals.
Who else in the bottom half of the table with the exception of Villa can
boast such 'illustrious' names?
For an entire season teams such as Blackpool, Blackburn, Wolves,
Birmingham, Wigan and Newcastle despite not having the 'big names' that
we boast have been above us in the table.
The blame lies squarely on the players shoulders; from Carlton Cole's
erratic (to say the least) form, Mark Noble countlessly making errors
which lead to goals (Bent's equaliser in the Villa game a classic
example. Why didn't he just punt the ball into row Z instead of trying
to dribble his way out of our box?) and the continued enigma's of Obinna
and Piquionne who will look like world beaters in one game and
Conference standard in the next.
Too many of our players this season have just strolled around the pitch
putting in the odd decent performance here and there. Only Scott Parker
and Robert Green in my opinion have displayed any sort of consistency.
Isn't it becoming a bit tiresome that the aforementioned Green and
Parker are always the only two real options for player of the season?
Our players simply seem to think they're better than they are, that all
they'll have to do is turn up, stroll around the pitch and win. It may
be the old cliché about hard work and graft but that's exactly why teams
without so called 'big names' are above us. Look at Newcastle for
example, now Carroll has gone I'd say they don't have a genuine big name
at their club yet look at them; some seven points clear of us and safe
of relegation with three games to go.
It's become all too easy and familiar for West Ham's over-paid and
under-performing 'stars' to blame their poor displays on a manager
no-one wanted and owners that are just simply not fit to run a football
club. Instead the likes of Cole, Piquionne, Obinna, Noble and
Hitzlsperger need to look closer to home as to the real reasons why with
three games to go we're bottom and a team like Blackpool have been above
us all season.
Torpedo Three - The Manager.
Regardless of who actually wanted Avram Grant to manage our club (think
I'm right in assuming it to be solely Gold, Sullivan and Brady) he has
woefully under-achieved with the squad of players he has at his disposal.
As you may have gathered I've already made several references to Ian
Holloway's Blackpool team and the reason that is, is simply because
apart from Charlie Adam they have not got a single player West Ham would
be interested in and you cannot even begin to compare wage bills and
throw into the mix as well that they are a newly promoted club… yet
despite all this they have been above us in the table all season.
Grant can complain about decisions that haven't gone our way or injuries
to key players but the fact a Blackpool side whose average gate is
almost a third of ours has been better than us this season is solely at
his door.
Grant's persistence of playing a 4-3-3 formation for the majority of the
season has been baffling to say the least; I could understand it when we
had Noble, Hitz and Parker all available not to mention the added
impetus up front thanks to our January recruits. But for over half the
season Grant persevered with the formation and it plain and simply
wasn't working.
You simply cannot afford passengers in the Premier League and that's
exactly what Kovac was in the heart of that midfield three. And why oh
why didn't Grant maybe opt for a 4-4-2 playing Noble and Parker through
the middle and an orthodox front two so that Carlton Cole wouldn't have
spent the majority of the season isolated?
Another criticism I would level at Grant is his inability to get a
ninety minute performance out a team. I feel that was typified in our
League Cup semi second leg at St Andrews; in the first half we were all
over Birmingham, Coley scored a classic and it looked for all the world
we would face Arsenal in the final at Wembley. Yet in the second half,
the classic West Ham capitulation that has plagued us all season long.
Grant hasn't been helped by his players consistently under-performing
but as the manager he ultimately has to take responsibility, with the
squad at his disposal being bottom of the pile after 35 games regardless
of questionable decisions or injuries is just not acceptable.
To conclude the reason that in all probability we will be relegated is
because there is no one reason why we are where we are; it's an
amalgamation of so many mistakes, from giving the job to Grant in the
first place to not backing him significantly in the summer transfer
window (does anyone think if Keane and Ba had been signed in the summer
we'd be bottom with three to go?) a chasm indeed a myriad of errors are
why we're on the edge of the abyss.
Whilst watching the Chelsea game I was stunned by the passion of our
fans, bottom of the league with at the time four games to go, trailing
at the Bridge as the rain fell and all you could hear was three
thousand-odd Hammers singing and giving it. The support our fans give
is, in my humble opinion, unrivalled in London football and quite
frankly they deserve better.
We all do.
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No Room for Error!
West Ham Til I Die
What on earth were we doing starting with a 4-4-2 formation against
City? City set up with a fluid 4-5-1 and that extra man in midfield was
our undoing in the decisive first 20 minutes. We should have gone 4-5-1
as well and sought to win the key midfield battle. It cost us the match,
a consequence of the latest of a series of dubious tactical decisions.
Yet, we then rejigged it and for the remaining 70 minutes gave City a
real contest. It was disappointing to see West Ham play so well at both
Stamford Bridge and the City of Manchester Stadium and emerge with
nothing. We could have possibly taken a point from both matches. But it
is no good crying over spilt milk, we have to refocus on the final tree
matches, play for all nine points and hope that we can grab 17th place.
They say that luck evens itself out eventually, perhaps we will get the
lucky breaks to balance up the extreme misfortunate of being relegated
in 2002-03 with a record 42 points. Some supporters have said that, in
truth, we deserve relegation after under-performing so badly all season.
It is hard to argue against that objectively. We have had the winnable
games, we have had the opportunities to get out of trouble, but have
consistently failed to take them. Yes all too true, but supporting a
football club is not an objective experience, it is deeply partisan by
its very nature. And I am deeply fearful of the consequences for our
beloved club, unless the co-owners commit themselves to financing a
concerted, one year, promtion campaign and, in the process, retain some
of the quality in the current squad to facilitate that outcome.
Who knows, it could prove to be the making of players such as Sears,
Montano, Brown, Spence and Fry. But I really could not stand to see the
likes of Tomkins and Collison cherry picked by Spurs and Chelski, much
like Cole, Johnson, Carrick and Defoe were when we were relegated last
time. If relegation does happen then the club must retain these
youngsters, because they are the club's future and the integral to our
redemption. Of the established players, we should try to convince
Parker, Noble, Jacobsen, Ba and Cole to stay with us for at least a
year. It may be 'mission impossible' to convince Parker to play in the
Championship, but we can at least try. If he is adamant that he wants to
go, then we must reward his loyalty and commitment to the cause by
granting the move. But we should seek to get an auction going between
Spurs, Arsenal and Man City and achieve the best price/deal possible.
Who knows, it may be possible to pick up some good part-exchange or loan
deals as part of the package?
Then there is the need to bring in the players who are experienced and
successful at Championship level. Players like Long at Reading and
Pratley at Swansea (if their clubs are not promoted this season?) could
help us gain promotion; along with one or two more experienced heads who
will give us the necessary 'know how' and 'steel' to get us out of the
Championship. In my last blog post, I outlined a four prong strategy
that we should pursue to get us promoted in one season. Inevitably, that
would extend to the management and coaching staff. We need a manager
that can not only get us out of the Championship, but also take us
forward on a return to the PL. Paul Lambert has been mentioned and he
does appear to fit the bill. Lambert has shown that he can get teams
promoted, but it is often forgotten that he previously did very well
managing in German football, and the CL, with Stuttgart. So, he has the
future potential as well as the current substance. Whether we could
recruit him from Norwich City is another matter? Perhaps he would be the
right choice even if we manage to stay in the PL? I cannot see Avram
Grant remaining in the manager's post, next season, whatever our fate!
Yet, I digress, we still have a chance of saving ourselves. But can
Avram Grant and this fustrating squad muster the 'where with all' to
deliver three consecutive victories? That is the key question. It is a
challenging task, but not impossible given the opposition. Two wins and
a draw (7 points) might be enough, but three wins (9 points) should
definitely save us. I very much doubt that Wolves, Wigan and Blackpool
will pick up enough points to match 41 points, although that supposes
their forthcoming opponents, such as Man Utd and Spurs, will give 100%
if the outstanding issues of the PL title and the 4th place finish have
been resolved? And then you have the goal difference issue. It would
typical of West Ham's luck to be relegated by the odd goal or two!
The Blackburn match is now absolutely massive. If we lose next weekend
then the game is almost certainly up. There is no room for error. We
must start this game with passion and a high tempo performance, factors
that have been sadly missing for most of this season. Personally, I
would start with a 4-4-2 formation against Blackburn, with Rob Green,
Lars Jacobsen, Wayne Bridge, Manuel Da Costa and James Tomkins in
defence; a midfield of Freddie Sears, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Scott Parker
(who will hopefully be fit) and Luis Boa Morte; and a strike force of
Demba Ba and Robbie Keane. I feel that we need pace, mobility and guile,
up front, against Blackburn's lumbering defence and Ba and Keane are
probably best equipped to provide that. Depending on how the match
unfolds, it is possible that either Victor Obinna or Charlton Cole could
figure from the bench. I would also like to see Pablo Barrera reinstated
to the substitutes bench and potentially used later in the match to run
at the centre of the opposition's defence. As I have stated previously,
I feel that Barrera could still prove to be a asset, not stuck out wide
on either flank, but in more central attacking positions.
I know that many supporters feel that PL survival is now too big a
mountain to climb. Given the apparent tactical and motivational
shortcomings of the management, and the the infuriating
under-performance of the squad, I can well understand those misgivings.
I am afraid that all we can do now is support the team 110% and hope
that we can belatedly scramble out of the relegation zone. It will
certainly be gut wrenching and will probably go to the final day of the
season.
SJ. Chandos.
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Grant's fate sealed after dragging West Ham to brink of the abyss
The Independent
Not even avoiding relegation will save the manager, while going down
threatens the club's very existence
An internet poll on a West Ham fans' website yesterday showed 90 per
cent want Avram Grant replaced
When Avram Grant tossed his "lucky" claret and blue scarf to the crowd
after West Ham United's 3-0 home defeat to Arsenal in January, it was
seen as the last act of a man condemned to the sack.
Grant's farewell gesture at the turn of the year came amid rampant
speculation that he was about to be dismissed and replaced by Martin
O'Neill. However, the former Aston Villa manager rebuffed the club's
approaches, and Grant has remained in charge. Somehow.
Four months on and West Ham are still bottom of the Premier League,
relegation is looming, and Grant has survived, however unlikely that
might have seemed in January. He remains the team's dignified, if
unloved, leader.
An internet poll on a popular West Ham fans' website yesterday showed
nine out of 10 supporters want Grant replaced. They will get their wish.
Privately it is understood the Israeli has accepted that he will be
sacked in the summer, irrespective of whether West Ham stay in the
Premier League or not. Once again it is open season about who will
succeed him. O'Neill has again been mentioned, as has his protégé Paul
Lambert at Norwich City. Queen's Park Rangers' Neil Warnock's name
cropped up yesterday.
It all adds up to the perception that Grant, who took Portsmouth down a
year ago, is a doomed man, even though West Ham still have a fighting
chance of avoiding the drop into the Championship.
Two months ago, West Ham were out of the bottom three, playing their
best football of the season with back-to-back league wins over Liverpool
(3-1) and Stoke City (3-0). Yet having hauled themselves out of the
mire, they have now sunk deep back into it, earning just one point from
six games since. The news yesterday that their inspiration from
midfield, Scott Parker, is still struggling with his Achilles injury and
may miss Saturday's hugely important home game with Blackburn Rovers
only adds to the sense of impending doom. His dynamic displays are the
main reason West Ham are not relegated already.
Sunday's 2-1 defeat at Manchester City, the Hammers' fifth loss in a
row, was depressingly predictable, and while it will not ultimately
decide whether they stay up or not, it demonstrated the depths to which
this great club have sunk. Not the football but the non-appearance of
the board. The absence of co-owner David Gold, who is undergoing
treatment for cholangitis and septicaemia, is understandable. But the
failure of his fellow co-owner David Sullivan and the club's
vice-chairman Karren Brady to travel to Eastlands for the game, leaving
instead a pocket of empty seats in the City directors' box, sent out a
message of surrender at a time when strong leadership was required.
Sullivan's reasoning that he could not influence the result of the game
and could watch it live on TV instead has infuriated supporters,
particularly the 1,100 who did make the trip up to Manchester to support
their team.
The "no-show" at City followed Sullivan's comments last week that West
Ham have only a 25 per cent chance of staying up. "There is still a 25
to 30 per cent chance we won't be [relegated]. We have to be realistic.
The bookmakers put our chances at 28 per cent and you have to accept
that," Sullivan said before the City defeat. He also questioned whether
certain players who are out of contract this summer have the stomach for
the fight.
"I'm sure a few of the players are already looking at where they will be
next season – their contracts are up, they'll be off," Sullivan said.
Those players include England defender Matthew Upson, Danny Gabbidon,
Jonathan Spector and Kieron Dyer, while Robbie Keane, Wayne Bridge and
Victor Obinna are on loan.
Sullivan has so far been silent on the subject of Grant's future, his
fingers having been burnt by the fiasco of January, when boardroom leaks
about O'Neill's possible appointment ensured it never happened. West Ham
are aware they do not want to scare off any potential candidates,
although it may be too late for that.
Relegation would potentially be catastrophic. Last December, Sullivan
said: "We inherited £110m of debt and that is now down to £80m. But the
repercussions of relegation would be a financial disaster." He has since
said he and Gold, who between them own 62 per cent of West Ham, would
put in around £40m to keep the club afloat should it be relegated.
The goal then would be to follow the Newcastle blueprint, of returning
to the top flight at the first attempt but also reducing their
£50m-a-year wage bill. The stakes, however, are mind-boggling as West
Ham are committed to spending £95m converting the Olympic Stadium in
Stratford to a football ground before they can move in two years after
the 2012 Games. They are to borrow £40m from Newham Council and £35m
from the Olympic Park Legacy Company, and have to find the remaining
£20m from somewhere else. Relegation has allegedly been factored into
the costing, but not prolonged absence from the Premier League.
Oblivion beckons but West Ham, under the guidance of Grant, still have a
chance. The manager has remained optimistic throughout, to the point
where his Monday postings on the club website, in which he desperately
cites the reasons to be positive, have become a parody of themselves.
It all boils down to three games – at home to Blackburn, followed by
Wigan Athletic away and then Sunderland at home on the last day of the
season. Win them and Grant's final website posting could at least be
positive with good reason.
Upbeat or blinkered?
Avram Grant has resolutely looked on the bright side during a troubled
season:
"We are in a difficult fight but I am sure we will succeed. My players
played with passion and energy." After 0-0 draw with Blackpool in November
"I was happy with the response of the players. The players looked like
they wanted to succeed." Following 3-0 defeat at Liverpool in November
"We were in it at the beginning then gave away sloppy goals. At 3-0 we
tried to do something, but they then made it 4-0 and it wasn't easy."
Following 5-0 defeat against Newcastle in January
"We started OK and then they scored. This should give us energy and make
us stronger for our next game." After 3-0 reverse at Bolton last month
* Grant has spent 66 of the football seasons' last 70 weeks in the
relegation zone: Portsmouth 7 Oct 2009 – 21 May 2010, 31 weeks out of,
and 31 inside, the bottom three (includes director of football spell).
* From 3 June 2010 to present, West Ham have spent 35 weeks out of, and
39 inside, the bottom three.
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