WHUFC.com
All of the early team news and stats ahead of Tuesday's big game at the
Boleyn Ground
19.03.2012
WEST HAM UNITED v MIDDLESBROUGH
npower CHAMPIONSHIP
TUESDAY 20 MARCH 2012
KICK-OFF: 7.45PM
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
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Introduction
• West Ham United welcome Middlesbrough to the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday
evening looking to continue their impressive unbeaten run at home that
stretches back nine games to the beginning of December.
• Middlesbrough travel to east London looking to bounce back from two
defeats in a row at the hands of Leeds United and Birmingham City.
• The fixture between the two sides at The Riverside earlier this season in
November saw West Ham United gain a valuable three points with a 2-0 win
courtesy of goals from Carlton Cole and Freddie Piquionne.
• West Ham sit in third place in the npower Championship table only three
points off an automatic promotion spot whilst Middlesbrough are in the final
play-off place level on points with both Birmingham and Blackpool.
• Of the 63 games played between the two sides since 1912, the Hammers have
won 26 of them to Boro's 24.
Team News
• West Ham United are waiting on the fitness of James Tomkins and Abdoulaye
Faye, who both picked up knocks during the Leeds match. Big Sam is
optimistic they may both return but has options in midfield should Tomkins
not make it.
• Gary O'Neil, Henri Lansbury and Ravel Morrison - who made his debut at
Leeds - are all standing by to step in should they be needed.
• Guy Demel and Papa Bouba Diop are still long-term injured, while Ricardo
Vaz Te, Julien Faubert and Winston Reid are all still struggling with
hamstring, groin and head injuries respectively.
• Middlesbrough will once again be without key midfielder Barry Robson, who
serves the second game of his three-match ban. Rhys Williams will miss the
game with an ankle injury, while Faris Haroun's remains a doubt with a
hamstring problem.
Last Time Out
Saturday 17 March 2012
npower Championship
Leeds United 1-1 West Ham United
West Ham United: Green, O'Brien, Collins, Faye, McCartney, Noble, Nolan,
Collison (Morrison 81), Tomkins (O'Neil 46), Taylor, Maynard (Cole 56)
Subs not used: Henderson, Baldock
Goals: Collins (90)
Saturday 17 March 2012
npower Championship
Birmingham City 3-0 Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough: Steele, McMahon, Bates, Hines, Hoyte (Main 72), Thomson,
Bailey, Bennett, Hammill (Martin 72), Jutkiewicz, Arca (Smallwood 72)
Subs not used: Ogbeche, Emnes
Last Six Meetings
(Championship unless stated)
29 November 2011 - Middlesbrough 0-2 West Ham United
24 May 2009 - West Ham United 2-1 Middlesbrough
25 February 2009 - Middlesbrough 2-0 West Ham United (FA Cup)
14 February 2009 - West Ham United 1-1 Middlesbrough (FA Cup)
1 November 2008 - Middlesbrough 1-1 West Ham United
22 December 2007 - Middlesbrough 1-2 West Ham United
Overall record v Middlesbrough (all competitions) W26 D13 L24
Ten Year Records
West Ham United
2010/11 Premier League 20th (relegated to Championship)
2009/10 Premier League 17th
2008/09 Premier League 9th
2007/08 Premier League 10th
2006/07 Premier League 15th
2005/06 Premier League 9th
2004/05 Championship 6th (promoted to Premier League via Play-Offs)
2003/04 Division One 4th
2002/03 Premier League 18th (relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th
Middlesbrough
2010/11 Championship 11th
2009/10 Premier League 19th (relegated to Championship)
2008/09 Premier League 13th
2007/08 Premier League 12th
2006/07 Premier League 14th
2005/06 Premier League 7th
2004/05 Premier League 11th
2003/04 Premier League 11th
2002/03 Premier League 12th
2001/02 Premier League 9th
Referee
• Tuesday evening's referee will be Scott Mathieson.
• Mathieson has taken charge of two West Ham United fixtures this term.
Mathieson took charge of West Ham's 1-0 home win against Barnsley in
December and their victory at Doncaster Rovers in August by the same score
line.
• He had the honour of getting the 2011/12 npower Football League season up
and running when he took charge of Blackpool's 1-0 win at Hull City on
Friday 5 August.
• Mathieson last took charge of Middlesbrough on the 2nd January 2012 when
Boro went down 3-0 away at Blackpool.
• Mathieson will be assisted by assistant referees Stuart Butler and Mark
Scholes. The fourth official for Tuesday night's match will be Michael
Russell.
Old Boys
• Gary O'Neil played for Middlesbrough between August 2007 and January 2011,
when he signed for the Hammers. He scored seven goals in 119 appearances for
Boro in all competitions.
• Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Jeremie
Aliadiere, Brian Deane, James Dow, Paul Ince, Frank Piercy, Luke 'Lou'
Raisbeck, George 'Geordie' Reid, Robbie Stockdale and Robert Young.
Next Up
• West Ham United will travel to Turf Moor this Saturday 24 March to take on
Burnley, ticket information for this game can be found here.
• On the same afternoon, Middlesbrough will play host to Bristol City at The
Riverside. Both games will kick off at 3:00pm.
General Information
• Tickets for tonight's game will be available on the door. Click here for
more details.
• Tuesday's weather forecast is for an overcast day in East London with
temperatures expected to be mild at around 14C (57F).
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Big Sam on: Middlesbrough
WHUFC.com
The manager is targeting a return to winning ways at the Boleyn Ground
20.03.2012
Sam Allardyce is eager for his West Ham United side to return to winning
ways when Middlesbrough visit in the npower Championship on Tuesday. Tickets
are still available for the big match, with Youth Academy members able to
claim a FREE seat and Academy members' tickets available for HALF-PRICE.
Click the link at the bottom of this story to purchase now. The Hammers are
on an eight-game unbeaten run, but five of those matches have ended in draws
and the manager knows three-pointers are the order of the day as the season
approaches its climax. Speaking to the media ahead of the visit of Tony
Mowbray's men, Big Sam also expressed his support for Bolton Wanderers
midfielder Fabrice Muamba, who is critically ill in hospital after
collapsing during an FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday.
Do you have any team news ahead of Tuesday's game?
SA - We're waiting on a couple of players until tomorrow, particularly James
Tomkins and Abdoulaye Faye. We think everybody else is going to be OK, so
we're desperate to get those two players back and available for tomorrow
because squad-wise we've been struggling a bit with the number of players we
have missing.
Obviously Guy Demel and Papa Bouba Diop have been long-term injuries, while
shorter-term we've lost Ricardo Vaz Te, Julien Faubert and Winston Reid. We
don't want to add any more injuries on top of those with so many games
coming up and such a big game against Middlesbrough on Tuesday. I think
they'll be OK. If they had to play today it would probably be a 'No' but
another 30 hours looks like enough for them to recover from what they have
got.
How do you see your team shaping up for the final big push for promotion?
SA - It's quite simple, really, we need 23 points to give us 90. Ninety has
been enough over the past five years. Based on last season, 88 was enough
for QPR to win the league but we don't want to rely on 88 because that could
be a Play-Off place. Generally, 90 has guaranteed you to go up.
It's 23 points in ten games and we've done 22 before so it's a big target,
but one we're capable of, of course. If we're going to get that, then we
need to start winning at home again, starting with Middlesbrough.
Does the late goal you scored at Leeds United give you some momentum ahead
of Tuesday's game?
SA - We wanted it to be the winner rather than the equaliser and, looking
back on the game, we thought we'd done more than enough to win it. Sadly, we
didn't make it the winner, but it was a great, sound, solid performance
again and we have got to take that into our home games and not get anxious
or too frustrated by the fact the opposition want to make life difficult for
us. If we can repeat the form we've shown with a little bit more quality in
front of goal, we'll get the victory we're looking for.
It'll be tough for two reasons. One, Middlesbrough have the second-best away
record in the league and two, we're a little bit anxious at home because of
our draws against Crystal Palace, Watford and Doncaster Rovers. That will
make it a bit edgy and nervous for our players and we've got to make sure we
handle that situation and we do what we need to do and win the game.
It's about winning the game on Tuesday. Winning with style would be great,
but we just need to get back to winning ways. Eight games undefeated is
great but it's not if you draw too many and we've just drawn too many of our
last few games after starting the run so well under such amazing
circumstances.
What has been the reaction around the club to the on-field collapse of
Fabrice Muamba on Saturday?
SA - There are a lot of players here who have played with Fabrice. I know
him through Steve Bruce, who is a big mate of mine, and just what a good lad
he is as he had him at Birmingham. Some of the lads here have played with
him at England Under-21 level or at Bolton so they are pretty distraught and
are trying to ring around to get the actualy situation, rather than the
speculation.
We can only hope and pray that, when they bring him round from his sedated
state, they get a massive positive and hopefully he can recover from there.
Football pales into insignificance and we all get wound-up, angry,
frustrated and excited but it doesn't mean a lot in life when you see
something like that.
Kevin Nolan, Matt Taylor, Joey O'Brien, Mark Noble and Henri Lansbury have
all played with Fabrice. They are concerned about his welfare, but we are a
distance away from it. While our deepest sympathies go to him and his family
and we hope he recovers, we're professional and need to get on with the job
in-hand and win a game of football. Hopefully, we'll get some good news
after.
Should football do more to detect heart issues?
SA - This situation always poses that question but I think there is
protection and there is 'is it really necessary?'. In this case, you say
everything was necessary, but top cardiologists have given an opinion and
they say it cannot be detected. This type of situation seems to appear at
any single moment, no matter what. The only way it might be detected is if
you have inherited the condition through your family if someone has suffered
from a similar situation.
It looks like it doesn't matter if you're a top athlete or not - it might
just happen to you anytime, no matter how young or how old you are. If it
had to happen somewhere, it happened in the right place for Fabrice. From a
medical care point of view, the attention he got and how quickly he got it
is going to be critical to the recovery.
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West Ham United v Middlesbrough
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 20th March 2012
By: Preview Percy
Old people. Some age gracefully, moving on in their twilight years with as
much dignity as they can muster, trying as hard as they can not to be a
burden on the younger generation. They can be a font of knowledge with a
wealth of experience gained from a life well-lived over the years.
So quite why Preview Percy is such a complete pain in the backside we can't
imagine. Here he takes a break from writing letters of complaint to the BBC
to have a look at this week's visit of Middlesbrough. Stats round-up from
John Northcutt. It's a team effort, you see....
You'll barely have got home from Yorkshire before it's time to go back out
for the visit of Middlesbrough, who will be our visitors this Tuesday.
Kick-off is 7.45pm.
Before I start on my usual in(s)ane ramblings, I'd just like to add my good
wishes to all those currently on their way to Fabrice Muamba. To say
Saturday's events put football into perspective is something of an
understatement. It has been, however, heartwarming (at least to this bitter
and twisted old fool) to see the almost universal tide of goodwill toward
the player from "the football family" and, if the power of positive thought
(or prayer if you prefer) has anything to do with things, Muamba will be ok.
Ok on to less weighty matters. Boro's current form is what you might call a
bit 'bi-polar'. Of their last six they've won three (3-1 at Millwall and
Pompey and 2-0 at home to Barnsley) and lost three (0-2 at home to Reading
and Leeds and 0-3 away at Brum on Saturday). This has left them in 6th place
with 59 points from 36 games. That's level on points with 4th placed
Birmingham and 5th placed Blackpool, though both Birmingham and Blackpool
have a game in hand on the Tangerines.
Boro' are also a point clear of Hull in 7th, Cardiff in 8th and Brighton in
9th, though both Boro' and Hull have a game in hand over the Bluebirds and
the Seagulls. With the top play-off place seemingly destined for one of us,
Reading or Southampton that leaves six clubs separated by one point chasing
(probably) three places. Which is nice.
It appears that the defeat at St Andrews at the weekend was about as
comprehensive as the scoreline suggests, though a brief perusal of match
reports would indicate that there was the odd chance or two to equalise at
1-0 which, had they been taken, might have altered the direction of the
match. Life's like that.
They had a quiet transfer window with their priority seemingly being to keep
hold of the likes of Bates, Bennett and Williams, a target that they managed
to achieve. Despite the obvious Welshness of his name, Rhys Williams is a
full Aussie international (or 'Socceroo' as they will insist on referring to
such players). Through various combinations of parentage and grandparentage,
qualified for international recognition for England, India and, yes, Wales.
He has two younger brothers in the game; Ryan is currently working his way
through the ranks at Fulham whilst Aryn is in a similar position at Fulham.
All of which tells us that Mr and Mrs Williams really need to enlist help in
the naming department if they're planning on having any more kids. Rhys is
currently hors de combat with ankle ligament problems that will probably see
him miss this one.
Having little in the way of available funds, the lack of sales activity
meant that there was limited scope to do much on the purchasing ledger side
of things. The one significant arrival in January was Lukas Jutkiewicz from
Coventry for something like £1.3m. Jutkiewicz actually signed on an
emergency loan basis – something that allowed him to play for Boro' while
the two clubs were sorting out the fine print of the transfer deal.
Since his arrival from a few miles away from Highfield Road he's netted but
twice in 12 games (one in ten in the league and one in two in the Cup). Even
when you add in his nine goals (all league) for Coventry this term that
still leaves him second in the Boro' chart.
Top of that particular chart is Marvin Emnes who has 15 goals in all
competitions, 11 of which have been in the league. Emnes set off like Jesse
Owens (ok younger readers Usain Bolt if you must) at the start of the
season, netting seven in his first seven matches. However, goals have been a
bit thinner on the ground of late. In fact he went between November and
February without troubling the league statisticians. Which is probably why
Tony Mowbray felt the need to blow his transfer budget on Jutkiewicz.
Another absentee will be left winger Barry Robson. He's twiddling his thumbs
on the naughty step following a late kick at Adam Clayton in the home defeat
to Leeds. I must admit I felt much the same way when I heard the last U2
album.
Robson used to have a goal to his name for the Scottish national side.
Following up James McFadden's penalty in a World Cup qualifier a few years
back against Iceland (then Bejam), it was a race between Robson and McFadden
to stick away the rebound. This was a race that McFadden appeared to have
won. So FIFA gave the goal to Robson, obviously, only to change their mind
six months later.
I suppose when you're as poor a team as Scotland it matters quite a lot
which of your players scored – I mean with so few goals being scored it'd be
a bit embarrassing not knowing who was responsible. Robson was one of the
million players brought to Boro' from Celtic when Gordon Strachan made the
same move at managerial level, and his absence is something that Boro' will
be getting used to as he's off to Vancouver Whitecaps as soon as the season
ends.
And so to us. Injuries? Well you can add Tomkins (calf) to the list of
probable absentees that includes Demel (strained purlicue), Diop
(hamstring), Vaz Te (ditto), Reid (who presumably must has one of those
comedy bumps on his head like you see in cartoons) and Faubert (groin).
The draw on Saturday seems to have produced mixed feelings amongst the
faithful. I reckon that the point up at Elland Road was a decent one and is
one that normally, taken on its own merits at face value, would usually have
met with general approval. Only results elsewhere seem to have dulled its
lustre.
Southampton proved once more that there is no leg too far out of his way for
Lambert to fall over and surely the time has come for them to run out of
dubious refereeing decisions to save them from the defeat that has been
coming for a while. Reading did what was expected of them against Barnsley
and our match against them at the end of the month is looking to be a six
pointer.
I think this one will see us return to winning ways – Boro' aren't exactly
firing on all cylinders at present and, even if we're similarly spluttering,
at least we're not losing. I reckon that we'll be too strong for them. I
shall therefore elect to place the Rest Home's catering budget for the week
(£2.50) on a 3-1 win to us.
Enjoy the game!
When last we met: Won 2-0. An early goal from Piquionne and a late one from
Cole book-ended one of our better performances of the season.
Referee: Scott Mathieson. Displayed a less than satisfactory knowledge of
the laws of the game the last time he was in charge of one of our matches
(the 1-0 win over Barnsley). So much so that Mr Allardyce took his
frustration out on a tray of plastic bottles, a kick that saw him sent to
the stands once the 4th official had grassed him up.
Danger Man: Marvin Emnes. Although he's gone off the boil since his storming
start to the season we have had this habit over the years of being sequence
busters...
Daft Fact Of The Week: Every time there's a major royal anniversary or some
significant date like the millennium, the mayor of Middlesbrough fills out
the competition form for his town to become a city (I think that my town
should be a city because...). Every year the organisers have a good laugh at
the entry before binning it. This year Middlesbrough lost out to St Asaph,
which is a small cottage so obscure even the Welsh nationalists haven't
gotten round to burning it down yet. Meanwhile the mayor of Middlesbrough
has given up on the city idea and has returned to doing 'Spot The Ball'
instead.
Stat man John: Northcutt's corner
Head to Head
Pld 63; West Ham Utd 26, Middlesbrough 24, Draws 13.
Biggest Win
16th May 1999: West Ham Utd 4-0 Middlesbrough (Boleyn Ground, Premiership)
Heaviest Defeat
30th October 1954: Middlesbrough 6-0 West Ham Utd (Ayresome Park, Division
One)
First Meeting
3rd February 1912: Middlesbrough 1-1 West Ham Utd (Ayresome Park, FA Cup 2nd
Round)
Last Five Meetings
29th November 2011: 2-0 (Riverside Stadium, Championship)
24th May 2009: 2-1 (Boleyn Ground, Premier League)
25th February 2009: 0-2 (Riverside Stadium, FA Cup 5th Round replay)
14th February 2009: 1-1 (Boleyn Ground, FA Cup 5th Round)
1st November 2008: 1-1 (Riverside Stadium, Premier League)
Memorable Match
23rd April 2006: West Ham Utd 1-0 Middlesbrough (Villa Park, FA Cup Semi
Final)
West Ham reached the 2006 FA Cup FA Cup Final against Liverpool courtesy of
Marlon Harewood's 78th minute winner in a tightly-fought semi-final at a
packed Villa Park having previously beaten Norwich, Blackburn, Bolton and
Man City. However the abiding memory of the day happened before a ball had
even been kicked. Four days before the semi final, the club was rocked by
the news of the passing of former manager John Lyall. A minutes' silence was
held before the game, but just a few seconds in one lone supporter broke
into a chorus of 'Johnny Lyall's claret and blue army' - and was followed by
the entire away support. It was an outstanding and unique tribute to
possibly the club's greatest manager.
You're Off! Red Cards Received
Shaka Hislop (Riverside Stadium, 1999-2000); Tomas Repka (Riverside Stadium,
2001-02).
They Played For Both
Brian Deane; John Dow; Jeremie Aladiere; Paul Ince; Sam Jennings; Matthew
Kilgallon; Mido; Gary O'Neil; Robbie Stockdale; Frank Piercy.
Bossing It
Our former player Malcolm Allison was Middlesbrough manager between 1982 and
1984.
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Sam not bothered by flak
West Ham boss sets target for automatic promotion
Last Updated: March 20, 2012 9:08am
SSN
Sam Allardyce has insisted he can cope with any negativity from West Ham
supporters, while he has set a target of 23 points from their final ten
games of the season to secure automatic promotion. The Hammers have slipped
to third in the Championship following a run of three straight draws and
some fans have made their frustration at recent performances clear.
Allardyce can understand their feelings but says he can put up with the
boo-boys and remain focused on the task of trying to steer West Ham back to
the Premier League. "I have got two skins on top of my own," he said in the
Daily Mirror. "I could put my rhino skin on if it gets half bad, and if it
gets really bad I can put my elephant skin on top of that. "I have got two
skins on top of my own. I could put my rhino skin on if it gets half bad,
and if it gets really bad I can put my elephant skin on top of that. "
"That's life. It's what you have to deal with no matter where you go. At one
stage, you're going to get abused.
"With playing or managing, things are going to get a bit sticky as nobody
has patience now. But if you excite the fans, they'll get behind you."
Pressure
Southampton and Reading are currently three points clear of West Ham in what
is looking like a three-way battle for automatic promotion, and Allardyce
knows his men must enjoy a strong finish to break back into the top two. "I
think 23 points will be enough, that is the realistic target if you want
automatic promotion," he said.
"It is quite simple, 90 points has been good enough these past few years.
It's a big target, but one we are capable of." West Ham entertain fellow
promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough at Upton Park on Tuesday night and
Allardyce has urged his players to keep calm.
Live on Sky Sports
West Ham v Middlesbro'
March 20, 2012 7:30pm
He added: "We have been anxious in front of our own fans recently. "It has
been difficult for them to feel comfortable in their own environment. But if
we don't stay calm, it could cause the nerve endings to jangle. "Players
want to win more than the fans, whatever the fans think. "That's why we do
this job. We enjoy pressure - we want to win and send the fans home happy."
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Allardyce sets promotion target
Sam Allardyce can cope with any negativity from fans, while he has set West
Ham a target of 23 points from the final 10 games for promotion.
Football365
Last Updated: 20/03/12 at 09:16 Post Comment
The Hammers have slipped to third in the Championship following a run of
three straight draws and some fans have made their frustration at recent
performances clear. Allardyce can understand their feelings but says he can
put up with the boo-boys and remain focused on the task of trying to steer
West Ham back to the Premier League. "I have got two skins on top of my
own," he said in the Daily Mirror. "I could put my rhino skin on if it gets
half bad, and if it gets really bad I can put my elephant skin on top of
that. "That's life. It's what you have to deal with no matter where you go.
At one stage, you're going to get abused. "With playing or managing, things
are going to get a bit sticky as nobody has patience now. But if you excite
the fans, they'll get behind you."
Southampton and Reading are currently three points clear of West Ham in what
is looking like a three-way battle for automatic promotion, and Allardyce
knows his men must enjoy a strong finish to break back into the top two. "I
think 23 points will be enough, that is the realistic target if you want
automatic promotion," he said.
"It is quite simple, 90 points has been good enough these past few years.
It's a big target, but one we are capable of."
West Ham entertain fellow promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough at Upton Park on
Tuesday night and Allardyce has urged his players to keep calm. He added:
"We have been anxious in front of our own fans recently. "It has been
difficult for them to feel comfortable in their own environment. But if we
don't stay calm, it could cause the nerve endings to jangle. "Players want
to win more than the fans, whatever the fans think. "That's why we do this
job. We enjoy pressure - we want to win and send the fans home happy."
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West Ham vs Middlesbrough: Hammers to revive promotion bid
Upton Park victory will see Sam Allardyce's side re-ignite top two finish
aspirations
Ladbrokes.co.uk
West Ham's bid for automatic promotion has stalled of late, but they can end
their recent inconsistent Championship form by beating Middlesbrough at 4/5.
Their visitors Middlesbrough have lost their last two games without finding
the net, and are therefore lengthy at 7/2 to win at Upton Park. Meanwhile,
the draw is available at 5/2, and some punters may be interested in those
odds considering that West Ham have drawn their last three Championship
fixtures. The Hammers were assertive in recording a 2-0 victory over 'Boro
at the Riverside Stadium earlier in the season, and the 8/1 odds about them
triumphing by the same scoreline here looks an attractive price. Only four
sides have scored more than Allardyce's men though, and so it could pay
dividends to back a 3-0 scoreline at a longer 12/1.
Also, given Middlesbrough's recent woes in front of goal, it makes sense to
back the home side to win with 2 or fewer goals in the match at 10/3, and
also to win with three or more goals going in at 9/5. Half markets could be
worth paying attention to in this match too, and as West Ham have been ahead
in half of their eighteen Upton Park games by the break, the 8/5 odds on
them leading at half-time and full-time here look generous. It is 7/2 that
the teams go into the break level with West Ham eventually coming out on
top, and bearing in mind that the Hammers have yet to go into half-time
behind this season, this price could also be worth investing in.
Frederic Piquionne and Carlton Cole got West Ham's goals in the reverse
fixture earlier this term, and with the former out on loan, Cole is 9/2
favourite to notch first on Tuesday. His captain Kevin Nolan is good value
at 5/1 for the opener however, whilst Mark Noble is reliable from the
penalty spot, and can be backed at 9/1 to break the deadlock.
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The Cavenaghi rumour
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 20th March 2012
By: Staff Writer
Twitter is not exactly known as the most reliable source when it comes to
transfer rumours. With anybody being able to set themselves up as a
purported 'ITK' on the social network - as we have seen increasingly during
the past few transfer windows - the vast majority turn out to be false
prophets. So bearing that in mind, the following should perhaps be taken
with a rather large dose of salt. However one self-appointed 'ITK', who
calls himself 'Agent_ITK' has started one of the most interesting and
intriguing rumours to circulate for a while.
According to the Twitter account - which has been active since August 2011 -
West Ham are interested in signing former Argentinian international Fernando
Cavenaghi on loan for the remainder of the current season with view to a
permanent transfer. It has been suggested that the agent - understood to be
a gentleman named Marcelo Simonian - has arrived in London today in order to
hold talks with the Hammers over a proposed deal, said to be worth around
£7million. Further, Cavenaghi's agent is said to be the guest of the club at
tonight's Championship clash with Middlesbrough - a game that the Hammers
almost certainly need to win to stay in touch with current front-runners
Southampton and Reading.
The 28-year-old striker, who has made four appearances for Argentina - the
first being against Egypt in 2008 - currently plays in the Argentinian
second division with his home town club River Plate, with whom he started
his professional career. Having hit 71 goals in 122 appearances for Los
Millonarios , Cavenaghi was picked up by Russian giants Spartak Moscow in
2004. Moscow, who paid £6.5million for the forward failed to see much of a
reward for their investment and following three difficult seasons in Russia
during which he managed just 13 goals from 53 games, the player was on his
way to France where he joined Bordeaux for a fee estimated to be worth
around £9million.
After three-and-a-half years across the channel - that included brief loan
spells with Mallorca (Spain) and Internacional (Brazil) - Cavenaghi returned
to Argentina last summer to rejoin River Plate who had sensationally been
relegated from the Argentinian top flight. Having already hit 17 goals in 24
appearances this season, it seems unlikely that River would be keen to sell
him on. However that is exactly what is being claimed today.
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Football Firsts
Mitch Ayling of The Milk talks West Ham, hating Spurs and watching England
outside Dixons with Sky Sports.
By Rachel Griffiths - Follow me on Twitter @SkySportsRachG. Last Updated:
March 19, 2012 4:27pm
SSN
The Milk: Release new single 'Broke Up The Family' on April 2nd
.
Essex four-piece The Milk may be made up of fans from three rival London
clubs but drummer and West Ham supporter Mitch Ayling is adamant the band's
blood runs claret and blue. The Milk are currently in the middle of a
27-date UK tour ahead of the release of their new single 'Broke Up The
Family' on April 2nd, meaning cherished afternoons at Upton Park are
currently thin on the ground for Ayling. But the Hammers are never far from
his thoughts and he regaled Sky Sports with some of his earliest memories,
including pre-season friendlies against Billericay Town and growing up with
a "black sheep" Arsenal fan for a brother.
West Ham
My dad is a massive West Ham fan, he'd always take us to Upton Park. It was
either that or Southend, but I've got more to do with East London than I do
with Southend. Our whole family is from the East End, most people from Essex
are. I wish it was the case that all my family were West Ham fans but my
Grandad was an Arsenal fan. When Luke, the bass player in the band and my
brother, was young my Grandad got in there first and turned him into an
Arsenal fan. So he's definitely the black sheep of the family. Rick, our
singer, is a West Ham fan and that makes the majority of the band West Ham -
so we are a West Ham band. Dan is a Tottenham supporter so we don't really
listen to anything he says, ever, about football. When Arsenal and Tottenham
were playing the other day and Tottenham were 2-0 up, Dan was getting up in
Luke's grill - and then they go and get five goals back. Dan didn't say a
word. I think he went home.
Hammers pre-season friendly
For some reason I'm thinking it was Leicester at home. But West Ham often do
their pre-season games against Southend and Billericay Town and these places
were on my doorstep. So I've got the impression my first official game would
have been away at one of those and my dad would have taken me as a right
youngster. I think we won, I would have hoped so against Billericay Town. My
dad used to take us a few times when I was a kid, but it was when I left
school and started to earn money for myself that it became a bit of a hobby.
I went up there a couple of times last season because we were a bit quieter,
but the band is so busy now that sadly I'm struggling to get up there. When
we come back off the tour I might be able to catch a couple of games towards
the end of the season, at the business end. I think we can definitely go up,
it'll be good.
Julian Dicks
As soon as I got into football, he was our star man. He was like the first
proper West Ham legend for the generation of when I was a kid. He was on the
brink of the England squad around 1996. He should have got in, he was the
best left-back in the country at the time. Later on I suppose Paulo di Canio
and then there was Joe Cole. I remember when Joe came on the scene it was
the most exciting English footballer we'd had since Gazza. Then there was
Rio (Ferdiand), obviously, Michael Carrick, Frank Lampard. It was brilliant
- I had heroes coming out of my ears.
Jurgen Klinsmann
I know our rivals are Millwall, but it's anyone who plays for Tottenham. I'm
talking the likes of Jurgen Klinsmann and Darren Anderton, I just can't bear
the look of them. Anything involved with Tottenham. We've been in the
Premier League for most of my life, so only for the past couple of seasons
and when we went down a few years back is when we've been playing Millwall.
A lot of my friends are Tottenham fans as well, not many of them are
Millwall fans.
Euro '96
I vaguely remember Italia '90, although I was very young, but it was Euro
'96 when I first knew I was going to get into football. It was the first
time I really got how important international football tournaments are. I
was about 10 at the time, out on my rollerskates and it was England versus
Spain. We missed our bus or something to get back to watch it so we ended up
watching it outside the front of Dixons. That particular game went to
penalties and we actually won a penalty shoot-out, so it started out with me
and Rick sitting out the front on a Saturday afternoon but it went on so
long and by the time all the shops had shut, there was a massive crowd
outside Dixons. Everyone went berserk at the end.
West Ham home 1991-92
It had the old BAC Windows on it. I must have been six or seven, it was
right early on when the Premier League first started, so around 1991. That's
the first kit I can remember but I've got a feeling my dad would have bought
me a bib or something as a kid, like 'West Ham's Best Dribbler'.
Wickford Dynamos
I used to play 11-a-side as a kid. I played all through school but after
leaving school it was all about the band. I wasn't training during the week
or playing on a Sunday, I was usually rehearsing in the week and playing
gigs at the weekend. It was that point that music took over. I was a good
player - not amazing - but I was alright. I played anywhere down the
right-hand side; I was a right-back then on the wing for a bit. I had a
decent right peg. It wasn't about skill or pace, I just had a decent right
foot. There were much better players at that age than me, so it never really
took off.
The brand new single 'Broke Up The Family' from the hotly-tipped Essex
four-piece will be released on April 2nd. Visit The Milk's official website
and place your delivery order today!
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