Chelsea v West Ham United - Match Preview (KUMB)
Filed: Friday, 22nd April 2011
By: Preview Percy
As an older gentleman Preview Percy was pleased to see a brass band at
the Boleyn last weekend. That's about all he enjoyed though. He's
equally grumpy about our chances this weekend. He probably thinks that
this weather won't last either.....
Next we pop along to West London to visit Chelsea in a 5.30pm kick-off.
You can tell we're away this weekend. Upton Park tube is open.
Before I take a look at this match I should add the congratulations of
all of us at the Benni McCarthy Home For The Bewildered to the plaudits
given to Footballer Of The Year Scott Parker. A well-deserved award and
it makes a pleasant change to see our normally blinkered press corps
looking outside the big four for a change.
Chelsea currently lie in second place, some six points off top spot and
they still entertain some hope of taking the title from Man Utd. Their
current form suggests that title talk is not completely out of the
question, with them taking 16 points from their last 6 matches, the one
draw coming at Stoke.
Their obnoxious skipper has been in the news this week, having bunged a
few bob in the direction of Senrab FC, a boys' side for whom he used to
play. This of course comes over in the media as a nice heart-warming
gesture, which, presumably, was the whole point. Meanwhile of course
those clubs who have suffered in the past at the hands of Senrab's, er,
unorthodox, recruitment policy will be even worse off than they were before.
In amongst the recent furore surrounding Terry's position as England
skipper it seemed amazing that nobody questioned whether or not he was
actually up to the job of being a top-class international defender.
Playing countries named after Wombles in qualifyers is one thing but, if
we learned anything from South Africa it was that he is found sadly
wanting against truly world class players – his invisibility against
Germany being a case in point.
The big talking point amongst the football world at the moment is, of
course, the goalscoring form of one Fernando Torres. He had a poor
injury-punctuated Season last term, and his World Cup was notable only
for how much better Spain fared without him in the side. Now most of us
are aware that buying something second-hand from a Scouser is not to be
recommended at the best of times. Nobody seems to have told Ancelotti
this and a ludicrous £50m went to Merseyside – though a large chunk of
that ended up on Tyneside. Since his move Torres has failed to bother
the stattos prompting the joke doing the rounds that, for all their
moaning, Fulham supporters should at least be grateful that their club
didn't spend £50m on their statue. Such is our history in these matters,
it is almost a stone cold certainty that Torres will break his duck this
weekend. In fact I'd be amazed if you could get any sort of odds at all
at the bookies that would make the punt worthwhile.
Such has been his form of late, Torres has been starting from the bench,
his most recent appearance coming in the last 20 minutes or so of
Chelsea's 3-1 midweek win over Birmingham. Before that he picked up a
yellow card in the so-called champions League defeat against Man Utd,
the ref taking exception to his clipping his own heel in the manoeuvre
known as "doing a Gerrard". If we see him on Saturday, Torres won't be
the only player on show with a reputation for falling over. Step forward
(carefully now) Didier Drogba whose strange attacks of vertigo would
surely be cured by an application of yellow cards if referees could only
be bothered to apply the laws of the game.
Drogba has 13 goals this season of which 11 have come in the league.
Also on 13 is Florent Malouda, whose 12 in the league included a brace
in midweek. For all the brouhaha over Torres' lack of goals and the
higher profile given to Drogba and Anelka, Malouda should be considered
as a real threat up front.
They have a couple of injuries to consider. The pair of Brazilians (I'm
sure that sounds rude but I'm damned if I can work out why) Alex and
Ramires have both got hamstring problems and Ashley Cole is a doubt with
an ankle injury. I had a whole page of stuff written about the past
crimes and misdemeanours of the England left-back. However, when the
editors made their weekly visit to the rest home to pick up these words,
they took one look at the manuscript, muttered something about lawyers
having fits and took away my Werthers Originals promising to return them
only when I'd written something less scurrilous. So if this preview
seems a little shorter than usual, that's why. And if you're looking for
a few thousand words on the ungrateful little whippersnapper that is
Frank Lampard junior go home now because he's simply not worth bothering
about.
So what of us. Well just when we really need don't need it we have
injury problems. Da Costa lasted about 15 minutes last week before
Bent's niggly foul ended his match. Ths sight of him hobbling away from
court on crutches made the whole event doubly depressing.
Kieron Dyer survived a month at Ipswich only to break down in a reserve
match as soon as he returned to E13 amid rumours that he will be out of
the door sooner rather than later. Gary O'Neil's injury seems to be
every bit as serious as it looked on Saturday and he is looking forward
a long spell on the sidelines. Footballer Of The Year Scott Parker (and
boy does that title rankle with Spurs supporters who seem to think that
the award should be given on the strength of a good half hour in Milan)
will also be missing as treatment on his Achilles continues.
The word is that Jack Collison will be available to play some part in
proceedings. Great though it would be to see the youngster back again
part of me can't help but think that the player's interests might be
better served by taking a few more weeks off and getting a summer out of
the way. Given that we do have a bit of an injury crisis at present it
is to be hoped that the rumoured Collison return doesn't blow up in our
faces. After all it's not like we don't have previous in this area.
Last week was disappointing – not only for the result but also for the
manner of the result. Having had the best possible start the lessons of
so many other matches went unheeded as we sat back and gave the
initiative to Villa. We've done this so many times this season that you
have to wonder what goes on at half time if Footballer Of The Year Scott
Parker isn't about to give the team talks.
Prediction? Well even the arrival of the sunshine this week hasn't
improved my mood and fond as I am of making mindlessly optimistic
predictions (the nature of which usually depends on the strength of the
stuff they put in the tea to keep us quiet around here) even I can't see
us coming away with anything other than our tails between our legs. As
mentioned, they are still in with a shout of the title and great though
it would be to mess those chances up for them I fear that there is just
too much at stake for them to blow this one so I'm going for a
depressing 3-0 defeat which will leave us hoping for a Fulham result at
Wolves to keep us off the bottom.
Enjoy the match!
Last season: Lost 1-4 Footballer Of The Year Scott Parker's 25 yard
effort levelled the scores at half time but an (as usual) injury hit XI
failed to hold on as three second half goals gave the home side a
slightly flattering victory.
Danger man: Torres – let's face it it's nailed on isn't it.
Referee: Phil Dowd. The portly official was last seen missing a blatant
handball in the 3-1 home defeat to Man City having been distracted by an
advert for doughnuts.
Daft fact of the week: Ashley "could I borrow a trainee for target
practice" Cole is distantly related to Mariah Carey. Clearly, there was
not nearly enough chlorine in that particular gene pool.
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Player of the Year award will count for nothing if we get relegated,
claims Parker (Mail Online)
West Ham midfielder Scott Parker admits he is 'over the moon' to have
been named as the Football Writers Association's Footballer of the Year
but insists it will count for nothing if the Hammers are relegated.
The 30-year-old has impressed this season despite featuring in a side
teetering dangerously close to the Barclays Premier League precipice.
Up for the battle: Parker has starred for West Ham in a difficult season
for the east London club
Up for the battle: Parker has starred for West Ham in a difficult season
for the east London club
As well as the FWA prize, Parker's club form saw him shortlisted for the
Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award and
establish himself in the England national team.
Parker - who started his career at Charlton before spells with Chelsea
and Newcastle ahead of joining the Irons in 2007 - will receive the
award at a gala dinner at the Lancaster London Hotel on May 12.
Flying high: Parker beat off competition from Bale and Adam to the the
prestigious gong
Flying high: Parker beat off competition from Bale and Adam to land the
the prestigious gong
Speaking on Friday, Parker said he is enjoying the best season of his
career and admitted it is an honour to join the legendary Bobby Moore as
West Ham's only FWA winners.
'I'm absolutely delighted,' he said. 'It is fantastic to get the award.
'When I got the phone call to say I'd won it I was speechless really.
I'm just really, really pleased.
'You're always surprised when you get awards - there's always an element
of surprise.
'I feel like I have been playing some good stuff so I'm just glad that
I've been picked and people appreciate what I've been doing.
'Normally it's at the other end of the league where the players are
winning it,' he added. 'There's probably a lot of other candidates -
Charlie Adam, Gareth Bale - I'm really really buzzing that people are
appreciating what I'm doing or what I have done, what I'm trying to do.'
While looking forward to picking up the prestigious accolade for his
personal performances, Parker maintained that he is focused on securing
Premier League survival for West Ham.
'I stated recently the main focus this year is staying in the Premier
League with West Ham and if we don't do it the personal accolades will
be very, very disappointing,' he said.
'Our main aim is to stay in the Premier League. We've got five big, big
games left and hopefully we can get the points we need and stay in the
league.'
Parker struggled to put into words how well the season had gone on a
personal note, although he had no such problems describing where West
Ham's season had gone wrong.
He said: 'I cannot explain to you the way it's gone for me on a personal
level. Accolades and awards are massive...I'm absolutely over the moon.
'I'm playing well, obviously I wish we could be in a better position in
the league but on a personal level things are going good for me.
'I need to keep continuing that, working hard, and staying on the right
track. '[As for the team's under-performance] it is not just this
season,' he added.
'Last season as well we had our troubles and it's gone into this season.
'We have got a very good squad and some very good players but for one
reason or another we haven't picked up the points we need.
'If I could put my finger on it I would. We need to try to pick up some
results. But we still have a chance.'
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Chelsea match preview (O/S)
All the early team news and background for this afternoon's short trip
across London
CHELSEA v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SATURDAY 23 APRIL 2011
STAMFORD BRIDGE
KICK-OFF: 5.30PM
Introduction
• West Ham United travel to Chelsea knowing they face a battle to ensure
Barclays Premier League survival come the season end on 22 May. The
Hammers went into the weekend two points adrift of safety and will take
on a resurgent home side who still have title ambitions.
• Saturday's fixture will be noticeable for the absence through injury
of FWA Footballer of the Year winner Scott Parker - the first Hammer to
claim the coveted prize since Bobby Moore in the 1963/64 season.
• West Ham are seeking to end a run of three straight defeats - a 4-2
home loss to Manchester United on 2 April followed by a 3-0 defeat at
Bolton Wanderers last Saturday before last weekend's 2-1 home reverse
against Aston Villa.
• Chelsea are six points behind leaders Manchester United but still have
to play the Red Devils in their final five fixtures.
Last time out
Saturday 16 April 2011
Barclays Premier League
West Ham United 1-2 Aston Villa
West Ham United: Green, Jacobsen, Bridge, Da Costa (Gabbidon 14), Upson,
O'Neil (Ba 63), Noble, Hitzlsperger, Obinna (Hines 58), Keane, Cole
Subs not used: Boffin, Spector, Boa Morte, Piquionne
Goal: Keane 2
Wednesday 20 April 2011
Barclays Premier League
Chelsea 3-1 Birmingham City
Chelsea: Cech, Paulo Ferreira, Cole (Bertrand 56), David Luiz, Terry,
Essien, Lampard, Mikel, Malouda (Anelka 67), Drogba, Kalou (Torres 67)
Subs not used: Turnbull, Ivanovic, Benayoun, Zhirkov
Goals: Malouda 3, 62, Kalou 26
Last meeting
West Ham United welcomed Chelsea to east London on 11 September. Two
Michael Essien headers - one in each half - either side of a freak
Salomon Kalou goal paved the way for the Blues to win 3-1. Scott Parker
struck a stunning late consolation.
West Ham United: Green, Jacobsen, Ben Haim, Upson, Ilunga, Behrami,
Parker, Boa Morte, Noble, Obinna, Cole
Subs: Stech, Faubert, Tomkins, Kovac, Dyer, Barrera, Piquionne
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Ferreira, Terry, A.Cole, Essien, Ramires,
Mikel, Anelka, Kalou, Drogba
Subs: Turnbull, Alex, Zhirkov, Benayoun, Malouda, Kakuta, Sturridge
Background
• West Ham have fared well away from home in London derbies this season
- winning 3-1 at Fulham and drawing 0-0 at Tottenham Hotspur. Only a
late Alex Song goal denied them a goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium.
• The Hammers have not won at Stamford Bridge since Paolo Di Canio's
double in a 3-2 success back in the ill-fated 2002/03 season.
• In fact, the Hammers have not won in 12 matches in all competitions
against Chelsea home and away since May 2003. Di Canio's third goal
against the Blues that season sealed a 1-0 home win.
• Fernando Torres has not scored in 13 games for Chelsea but has a good
record against West Ham. He scored two goals for Liverpool in a 3-2 win
at Upton Park last season and back in March 2008 struck a hat-trick in a
4-0 Anfield win.
• Chelsea are the league's form team with 19 points from a possible 21.
• Lars Jacobsen and Victor Obinna made their debuts in the September
fixture.
• Jon Obi Mikel and David Luiz both turned 24 on Friday.
Previous meetings
• The most recent meeting between the two sides at Stamford Bridge was
on 13 March 2010, when 41,755 supporters saw Chelsea run out 4-1 winners
in a Barclays Premier League fixture at Stamford Bridge. Alex put
Chelsea ahead on 16 minutes before Scott Parker levelled matters on the
half-hour mark with a rasping half-volley. Second-half goals from Didier
Drogba (two) and Florent Malouda settled matters.
The lineups were:
Chelsea: Turnbull, Ferreira, Terry, Alex, Ivanovic (Zhirkov 80), Malouda
(Kalou 87), Lampard, Mikel, Ballack, Drogba, Anelka (J. Cole 66)
Subs not used: Taylor, Bruma, Deco, Sturridge
West Ham United: Green, Gabbidon, Upson, Spector, Daprela, Parker,
Kovac, Dyer (Cole 68), Behrami, Ilan (Diamanti 84), Mido (Stanislas 68)
Subs not used: Stech, Tomkins, Collison, McCarthy
• Saturday's game marks the 95th time West Ham and Chelsea have faced
one another in competitive fixtures, and the 86th in the Football League
and Premier League. West Ham have won 36, Chelsea 40 and there have been
18 draws. In this competition, West Ham have won 34, Chelsea 34 and 17
matches have been drawn.
Overall record
v Chelsea (all competitions) W 36 D 18 L 39
Team news
• Avram Grant is still without Scott Parker (achilles) with the
Footballer of the Year hoping to return to face Manchester City on
Sunday week.
• Gary O'Neil is out for the season at least with a serious ankle injury
suffered after an hour of last week's match against Aston Villa.
• James Tomkins (dead leg) and Manuel da Costa (ankle) have both trained
this week but it remains to be seen whether they will be involved.
• Jack Collison has played three times for the reserves after recovering
from his ankle injury and is back in the first-team picture.
• Kieron Dyer went off in the reserves defeat by Bolton Wanderers on
Tuesday with a tight hamstring. Winston Reid has also had a knock and
not trained this week.
• Grant is still without long-term absentee Peter Kurucz (knee) and
Junior Stanislas (hernia) while Jordan Spence (Bristol City), Frank
Nouble (Charlton Athletic) and Olly Lee (Dagenham and Redbridge) are out
on loan at present.
• Chelsea could be without ankle injury victim Ashley Cole after he was
substituted in midweek while Alex and Ramires both look set to miss out
with hamstring problems.
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
2002/03 Premier League 18th (42 points - relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th (53 points)
2000/01 Premier League 15th (42 points)
Chelsea
2009/10 Premier League 1st (86 points - champions)
2008/09 Premier League 3rd (83 points)
2007/08 Premier League 2nd (85 points)
2006/07 Premier League 2nd (83 points)
2005/06 Premier League 1st (91 points - champions)
2004/05 Premier League 1st (95 points - champions)
2003/04 Premier League 2nd (79 points)
2002/03 Premier League 4th (67 points)
2001/02 Premier League 6th (64 points)
2000/01 Premier League 6th (61 points)
Referee
• Saturday's referee will be Phil Dowd. He was promoted to the Barclays
Premier League list of referees in 2001. This is his tenth season as a
top-flight referee.
• He was the fourth official at the 2006 FA Cup final between West Ham
United and Liverpool at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
Old boys
• Avram Grant was appointed as Director of Football at Chelsea on 8 July
2007. Following the departure of Jose Mourinho, Grant was appointed as
manager on 20 September 2007. The first Israeli to manage an English
League club, Grant led Chelsea to the 2008 League Cup final, where they
lost to Tottenham Hotspur, the 2008 UEFA Champions League final, where
they lost to Manchester United in a penalty shoot-out and second place
in the Premier League. Voted Manager of the Month for April 2008, Grant
took charge of 54 matches in total at Stamford Bridge, winning 36,
drawing 13 and losing just five. He left Chelsea on 24 May 2008.
• Scott Parker made 28 appearances for Chelsea between January 2004 and
May 2005, scoring once.
• Carlton Cole began his career at Chelsea, making 31 appearances
between August 2001 and May 2006, and scoring eight times.
• Chelsea's Frank Lampard began his professional career at West Ham
United, making 187 league and cup appearances and scoring 38 goals
before heading west in June 2001.
• Blues midfielder Yossi Benayoun spent two seasons at West Ham between
July 2005 and July 2007, scoring eight goals in 72 appearances. Benayoun
started the 2006 FA Cup final for the Hammers and also played a starring
role in the 'Great Escape' season of 2006/07.
• Chelsea captain John Terry spent time at West Ham as a schoolboy.
• Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Clive
Allen, Syd Bishop, Peter Brabrook, Billy Bridgeman, Billy Brown, Robert
Bush, Dickie Deacon, Alan Dickens, Len Goulden, Jimmy Greaves, Ron
Greenwood CBE, George Hilsdon, George Horn, Joseph Hughes, Sir Geoff
Hurst, William Jackson, Glen Johnson, Joe Kirkup, Andy Malcolm, Harry
Medhurst, Scott Minto, Eric Parsons, Joe Payne, Dave Sexton, John
Sissons, Ron Tindall and Billy Williams.
• Saturday afternoon's forecast in west London is for a sunny day with a
maximum temperature of 26 degrees although it could turn overcast by the
time of kick-off.
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Scott Parker walks in the path of Moore (Daily Express)
Footballer Of The Year Scott Parker
Saturday April 23,2011
By John Dillon
SCOTT PARKER could be forgiven if he is heartily sick of McDonald's.
At the age of 30, Scott Parker has never escaped the constant reminders
that he first came to national prominence as a 12-year-old performing
ball tricks in a television advert for the burger chain.
The truly significant moment of his youth came, however, when he was
sent on loan by Charlton to Norwich because, even at 20, he couldn't get
a place in the first team at The Valley. The change it made to his life
was an emphatic one.
Eleven years on, Parker is celebrating the extraordinary achievement of
being voted Footballer of the Year while fighting a relegation battle
with West Ham, and the manager who first signed him yesterday hailed a
talent he says has been "stumbled upon" by Fabio Capello.
Alan Curbishley's testament to Parker is that "if you ask him to do a
job on the pitch, he will go out and do exactly what you have asked him
to do". It is the dream quality any coach could wish for.
Its most notable demonstration so far came last month when Parker
performed superbly in a defensive midfield role for England in the
revitalising win in Wales.
For Curbishley, it stirred memories of the day Parker came back from his
impressive loan spell in East Anglia and asked what more he could now do
to get into the Charlton side.
"What you have to understand about Scott is that he has always been so
extremely driven towards the goal of being a professional footballer and
then having a successful career," said Curbishley.
"As a youngster, everybody always knew he was going to make it. But he
saw himself as an attacking midfielder. He was young and I couldn't get
him into the team that way. At Charlton, we liked to give the young
players a chance, but we always had to have one eye on survival.
"I told him that if he changed and became a defensive midfielder, he
would get a chance. That was it. He just said OK – and that's exactly
what he went and did.
"A few months later, Mark Kinsella was injured, Scott played the role at
Manchester City and we won 4-1. After that, he never looked back."
The award Parker won yesterday is given by the Football Writers'
Association based on the votes of member journalists and has been
presented since the 1947-48 season, when Stanley Matthews was the
inaugural winner. The only other West Ham player to receive it apart
from Parker was Bobby Moore in 1964.
"It is usually a player from somewhere around the top four clubs who
wins so it's an amazing achievement for Scott to get this while he has
been in a dogfight with West Ham all season," said Curbishley.
"He will look down the list of the names of previous winners and
probably not believe he has joined them. But he will be very humbled
too, because that is the kind of professional he is.
"It is just such a shame that his dad, Mick, who passed away earlier
this year, is not around to see what he is achieving now. Scott has
always been such a great family man, too."
At club level Parker – Curbishley's first signing when he became manager
at Upton Park – has inspirationally carried West Ham through their
troubled past few seasons.
Ironically, it has been the most personally uplifting period of his
career after his big-money move from Charlton to Chelsea went wrong and
his family failed to settle when he joined Newcastle.
Internationally, he has finally convinced Capello that he was wrong to
leave him out of the World Cup squad last summer.
"Ask John Terry and Rio Ferdinand what they want in an England team and
I am sure the answer would be a screening midfielder in front of them,
someone to chase down the opposition No10," said Curbishley.
"Over 10 yards, Scott has the pace to do that, he is an excellent
tackler and he knows what to do with the ball once he has won it back."
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Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is delighted seeing West Ham
United midfielder Scott Parker named Footballer of the Year.
Centre-back Nemanja Vidic, winger Nani and striker Javier Hernandez have
all enjoyed impressive campaigns for United, who remain in contention
for a Premier League and Champions League double, and Ferguson could be
forgiven for expressing similar sentiments now as he did 12 years ago.
But he said: "It is a good step forward to give it to a really good
professional.
"Scott Parker has certainly done a good job at West Ham. There is no
doubt about that.
"He is probably the player who has driven them on and motivated them to
still have a chance of staying up, even though they have a mountain to
climb now.
"I remember when we won the Treble, David Ginola got it. I have nothing
against him at all but it was an insult to Manchester United that it was
felt not one United player had a better season than he did.
"It is nice to recognise someone outside the clubs who always get
publicity like United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham."
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