Preview - Sunderland
WHUFC.com
In brief
West Ham United host struggling Sunderland at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday
as they bid to bring to an end a seven-game winless run in the Barclays
Premier League. Since seeing off Hull City at the Boleyn Ground on 18
January, Big Sam's men have picked up just three points from draws against
Manchester United, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, slipping to tenth in
the table in the process. However, they now only have to face one top-seven
side in their final nine games so will be eyeing this as an opportunity to
finish the season strongly.
Sunderland, meanwhile, travel to east London under Dick Advocaat's
management for the first time. The Black Cats dispensed of previous boss Gus
Poyet's services on Monday after a 4-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa last
weekend left them just a point above the drop zone.
The teams played out a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light in December and West
Ham will be hoping to take a step back towards the top eight of the division
with victory on Saturday.
Who are they?
Founded in 1879 as Sunderland and District Teachers AFC, the club joined the
Football League for the 1890/91 season. They won the league title the
following season and added five more championships to their trophy cabinet
by 1936. Top tier success has been harder to come by in the modern era, with
the 1973 FA Cup their last major honour. The current campaign is their
eighth consecutive Premier League season, after they won the Football League
Championship title in 2006/07.
Team news
West Ham United
The Hammers welcome back Carlton Cole to their squad after his recovery from
a hamstring injury sustained at Tottenham Hotspur in February. Carl
Jenkinson is also back after sitting out against his parent club Arsenal at
Emirates Stadium last weekend, but Winston Reid might miss out once again
with his hamstring problem. James Tomkins (shoulder), Enner Valencia (foot)
and Andy Carroll (knee) remain sidelined.
Sunderland
Adam Johnson returned to training with the Black Cats this week after his
suspension by the club was lifted. Lee Cattermole completes a two-game ban,
while new boss Advocaat has suggested that young striker Duncan Watmore
could be involved, while John O'Shea and Sebastian Larsson hope to be
involved despite missing training this week.
Referee
Saturday's match referee is Lee Mason. Mason started refereeing in 1988 and
in 1992 he was added to the North West Counties Football League assistant
referees' list, and progressed to full referee for that competition four
years later. He was included on the Football League list of assistant
referees in 1998, and was then added to the Premier League list in 2000.
In 2002, he was promoted to referee for the Football League and in 2003
became a 'Development Group' referee, before finally reaching the Premier
League list of Select Group referees in 2006.
His first ever match in the top tier was on 4 February 2006, when
Middlesbrough lost 4-0 at home to Aston Villa. Mason was chosen to control
the League One Play-Off final between Barnsley and Swansea on 27 May 2006,
and this term he has dished out 84 yellow cards and five reds in 25 games.
One to Watch
West Ham United
James Collins
James Collins will continue to hold the fort in defence as Big Sam's injury
worries in his position continue. The 31-year-old centre back was partnered
by Cheikhou Kouyate at Arsenal last week and the pair defended well to keep
the Hammers in the hunt until the 81st minute.
Collins, who will report for international duty with Wales after the game,
has made 21 appearances this season, with one goal – at Everton in the FA
Cup.
Sunderland
Jermain Defoe
Ex-Hammers striker Jermain Defoe was a January arrival at the Stadium of
Light, leaving Major League Soccer side Toronto FC behind after a six-month
stint in Canada. Having notched twice since his arrival in the north-east,
the Black Cats will be hoping for more goals from the England striker as
they try to climb away from the bottom three. The east Londoner started his
career with the Hammers, scoring 29 league goals in 93 games.
Tickets
Tickets for Saturday's game have all SOLD OUT. However, tickets may become
available online as Season Ticket holders relist on Ticket Trader.
Travel
There are no planned closures on the London Underground lines serving Upton
Park station. Click here to plan your journey with Transport for London.
On the Greater Anglia network, buses replace mainline services between
Ipswich and Billericay, where passengers can connect with Southend to London
services. Click here for the latest from Greater Anglia.
There are no planned service alterations on the c2c network.
Weather
A cloudy day with sunny intervals is expected on Saturday, with temperatures
of 8C (46F) at kick-off.
Last home meeting
West Ham United 0-0 Sunderland
Barclays Premier League
Saturday 14 December 2014
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel (O'Brien 58), Collins, Tomkins,
McCartney, Morrison, Noble, Diame, Jarvis (Collison 56), Maiga, J.Cole
(C.Cole 75)
Subs: Adrian, Rat, Taylor, Diarra
Sunderland: Mannone, Bardsley (Dossena 82), Brown, O'Shea, Celutska, Ki,
Larsson, Cattermole, Giaccherini, Altidore (Fletcher 72), Borini (Johnson
73)
Subs: Pickford, Roberge, Cabral, Gardner
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Birthday boy Morgan means business
WHUFC.com
Birthday boy Morgan Amalfitano says West Ham United will be concentrating on
their own performance on Saturday, rather than worrying about the impact of
newly-appointed Sunderland boss Dick Advocaat's arrival. Though the Hammers
are without a league victory since brushing Hull City aside in January,
Amalfitano wants the Hammers to end the Barclays Premier League season in
style and insists they are more than capable of doing just that.
Saturday, then, is the perfect time to start and the French midfielder, who
turned 30 on Friday, expects the hosts to be on their mettle for the teatime
kick-off."The last win to date was against Hull, we've got to get back to
winning ways as in previous weeks," he told West Ham TV. "The games now are
important to finish the season properly, with a decent return, and it's for
us to rally the troops in what is a delicate period "I know that we're
capable of doing exactly what we did in previous matches and particularly at
the beginning of the season."
The French midfielder admits the Black Cats are a dangerous animal at the
best of times and even more so at the end of a turbulent week. But he is
urging his colleagues to banish all thoughts of the visitors' managerial
switch and instead focus all their efforts on producing their very best on
Saturday.
He continued: "We don't tend to pay too much attention to the others, we
focus on ourselves. We know that we have to concentrate and build our
confidence at the moment. "They're a team who are not easy to play against,
particularly when they change their manager and so perhaps there will be a
reaction. But we have to worry about our own performance and not theirs."
West Ham are set to be strengthened by the return of Carl Jenkinson,
ineligible last weekend against his parent club Arsenal, and Carlton Cole,
who came a cropper at White Hart Lane. It is a timely boost for the Hammers,
who, as Amalfitano points out, could do with some better fortune. "We need
everyone, we're not a massive squad. We need everyone's quality. Hopefully
we'll have players back on Saturday and we can use their quality as well. We
really need to concentrate ourselves and it's for each player to try to
produce their best.
"We've been missing a bit of luck in the games that we've played against
Manchester United and Chelsea perhaps. But we've got to make our own luck,
just as we did earlier in the season. If we're not quite getting that luck
now, we've got to make it happen and I think it will turn out well."
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Phillips ready for Rams test
WHUFC.com
West Ham United U18s coach Mark Phillips is hoping the Hammers can find
their first win in the Barclays U18 Premier League Play Offs when they
travel to play Derby County this Saturday. The young Hammers started their
campaign with a 0-0 draw at home to Brighton & Hove Albion which saw a
number of schoolboys put in an assured performance. The Rams finished sixth
in the Northern Group with 33 points from their 22 games, however Phillips
conceded he knows little else about Saturday's opponents. To be honest, I
don't know much about them. We haven't played them for a long time. I think
the last time was at U15 level maybe five years ago. I've never played them
at this level." "I know they lost their first game in the play offs 3-0 to
Wolves, and we were sent a DVD of that game, so we know a little bit."
Having named a youthful squad against Brighton last weekend, which included
U16 players Declan Rice, Tunji Akinola and Vashon Neufville, Phillips is
anticipating a similarly youthful squad. "With the U21s playing away at
Liverpool the night before, it largely depends on what team Steve (Potts)
picks. Obviously the U21s is the priority, then we'll pick a team based
around that. "It's a good situation to be in because that means our young
players get the opportunity to play above their age groups."
Having finished sixth in the Southern League, narrowly missing a top four
finish by just two points, Phillips is targeting a strong end to the 2014/15
season. After Derby, the Hammers are set to host Reading the following
weekend, and Phillips continued to say he was confident that his side can
end the season strongly. "Finishing as high as possible is without a shadow
of a doubt the aim. The highest we can finish is now ninth which is
obviously a lot better than finishing 16th. With the players we've got, we
know that if we play to our strengths, we have a very good chance."
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Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
Hello,
I hope you are looking forward to the Sunderland game as much as I am. What
was already set to be a tough but exciting game has that bit more to it now
Sunderland have brought a new manager in.
I don't know too much about Dick Advocaat but he's certainly got a lot of
experience and we're expecting a difficult match. Every game in the Premier
League is a challenge and we will have to rise to it.
I have to say I feel sorry for any manager who loses their job, it's all too
common in football but it doesn't make it better. It's obviously been a
tough couple of weeks for Gus Poyet with what's happened on and off the
field, but I'm sure he'll bounce back.
When a new manager comes in it gives everyone at the club a lift and the
players will want to impress the new manager.
The first game under a new manager seems to favour the team with the new
manager and I certainly think that was the case when we played West Bromwich
Albion on New Year's Day just after Tony Pulis had taken over.
While we know it will be a difficult game, we're prepared for that and we
fancy ourselves against anyone in the Premier League at home. Coming to
Upton Park is never easy and we need to recreate the way we played against
Chelsea, particularly in the second half.
We've had a tough run of fixtures recently and while no game is easy in the
Premier League, some are harder than others. Having played all the top clubs
in the last two months, we know that we have a fair few winnable games in
our last nine games so I firmly believe we can finish strongly.
We haven't had the results that we feel our performances deserve so we need
to work that bit harder to make sure we get what our performances merit. No
one at the club wants the season to fade away and we want to finish as high
as we can.
Personally, I want to play as many games as I possibly can this season and
long may this ever present run continue. I'm feeling good whenever I'm
playing and I've been fortunate not to pick up any injuries so far, touch
wood that continues!
On another note, I'm delighted with the form of my former team Ipswich Town.
I'm still in touch with a few of the lads and I know they're desperate to
get promoted.
They're a talented bunch of players and even though they haven't had the
best run of late, with ten or so games left there's no reason why they can't
reach the play offs or even get into the automatic places.
Hopefully with a bit of luck they'll be in the Premier League next season.
See you on Saturday, I hope you enjoy the game.
COYI!
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On this day - 20 March
WHUFC.com
Anniversary
Trevor Morley
Born: 20 March 1961
Clubs: Nuneaton Borough, Northampton Town, Manchester City, West Ham United,
Reading SK Brann, Sogndal
Nottingham-born frontman Trevor Morley joined the Hammers in 1989, as both
he and Ian Bishop made the switch from Manchester City. In only his second
season at the Boleyn Ground, Morley plundered 17 goals to fire West Ham to
promotion to the old First Division. Though relegation followed, Morley
struck a further 22 times back in the second tier, as the Hammers won
promotion to the top flight for a second time in three seasons. In the
club's first season in the Premier League, Morley racked up 16 goals, to top
the Hammers' scoring charts for a third time in just four campaigns, with
Billy Bonds' side finishing a creditable 13th. His goalscoring feats also
earned him the prestigious Hammer of the Year prize. However, for all the
success of the previous year, the 1994/95 campaign was to prove his West Ham
swansong as the return of Tony Cottee saw him make just ten starts, without
scoring. He was subsequently allowed to depart, joining Reading, including
intermittent spells with Norwegian side Brann. Morley ended his spell in
east London having netted 70 times in 215 appearances.
Classic match
Manchester City 1-2 West Ham United
FA Cup sixth round
20 March 2006
A memorable evening at Eastlands nine years ago saw Dean Ashton strike in
either half to book West Ham United's place in the last four of the FA Cup.
With four minutes of the first half to play, the former Norwich City forward
fired the Hammers ahead, as he rounded off a stylish move, skipping past
Sylvain Distain before slamming home at David James' near post. West Ham's
grip on proceedings tightened after the break, courtesy of Sun Jihai's
dismissal, as he saw red for an injudicious swing at Matthew Etherington.
Alan Pardew's men would make their numerical advantage count in the 69th
minute, albeit in somewhat controversial circumstances. As a stricken
Christian Dailly lay on the touchline, City opted to play on, only for
Reo-Coker to dispossess Kiki Mussampa in his own half. With the hosts
horribly exposed, Reo-Coker played in Israel international Yossi Benayoun,
who in turn squared for Ashton, handing the Crewe Alexandra graduate the
simplest of tasks to slot home. The travelling Hammers were to endure a
nervy final few minutes, when Mussampa spectacularly volleyed past Shaka
Hislop in the 85th minute, but they would cling on to set up a semi-final
date at Villa Park against Middlesbrough.
Complete record - 20 March
1920 South Shields 3-0 West Ham United (Division Two)
1926 West Ham United 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Division One)
1933 West Ham United 2-1 Bradford Park Avenue (Division Two)
1937 Burnley 2-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1948 Barnsley 1-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1954 West Ham United 2-1 Doncaster Rovers (Division Two)
1961 Blackburn Rovers 4-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1965 Blackburn Rovers 4-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1971 West Ham United 2-2 Ipswich Town (Division One)
1976 Arsenal 6-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1982 Middlesbrough 2-3 West Ham United (Division One)
1991 West Ham United 1-0 Bristol City (Division Two)
1993 West Ham United 2-0 Tranmere Rovers (Division One)
1999 West Ham United 2-0 Newcastle United (Premier League)
2006 Manchester City 1-2 West Ham United (FA Cup)
2010 Arsenal 2-0 West Ham United (Premier League)
2012 West Ham United 1-1 Middlesbrough (Championship)
Played 17, Won 8, Drawn 3, Lost 6, Scored 24, Conceded 27
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West Ham v Sunderland
KO 17:30
20 March 2015
Last updated at 13:11
By Steve Wilson
BBC Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 21 March
TEAM NEWS
West Ham welcome back Carl Jenkinson, who was ineligible to face parent club
Arsenal last week, while Carlton Cole is fit after a hamstring injury.
Winston Reid is a major doubt with a similar problem, while James Tomkins
and Enner Valencia remain sidelined.
Sunderland midfielder Lee Cattermole completes a two-game ban. New
Sunderland head coach Dick Advocaat will consider selecting Adam Johnson
after the club lifted a suspension imposed following his arrest. Striker
Duncan Watmore, 21, could also be involved, while John O'Shea and Sebastian
Larsson hope to be fit despite missing several days of training.
MATCH PREVIEW
Three points won from their last six games, and a dismal FA Cup exit ending
any hope of distraction from the weekly drudgery of attempting to cobble
together some kind of form in the Premier League - these have been grim
times. And that's just West Ham. Sunderland's record over the last half
dozen matches exactly matches that of the Hammers, and they suffered the
same FA Cup sinking feeling at the same stage of the competition. But as
Allardyce sees out the last few weeks of his West Ham contract without any
tangible evidence that he'll be offered another, Sunderland decided they had
to act. The big difference between West Ham and Sunderland, of course, is
that West Ham's slide began around Christmas time, when they were fourth in
the table - Sunderland's began the moment the season started. Gus Poyet -
last season's miracle worker - had lost his magic touch and Burnley are the
only team they've beaten in the league since New Year's Day. Losing four
goals in one half at home to Aston Villa, even a revitalised Aston Villa,
was just not acceptable. So enter Dick Advocaat, charged with keeping the
Wearsiders in the Premier League. The 67-year-old becomes the senior citizen
of current Premier League bosses and has nine major club honours plus
experience of leading teams at two World Cups and two European
Championships. It's a nine-game assignment and no more, we're told: the
footballing equivalent of the little Dutch boy keeping the dyke from
crumbling with his finger whilst someone looks for a proper builder. I
remember Advocaat as a sprightly 40-something outwitting Graham Taylor's
England in Rotterdam in 1993. Back then, he had the De Boer brothers,
Dennis Bergkamp, Marc Overmars, Ronald Koeman, Frank Rijkaard and Aaron
Winter. Any one of those would come in handy now.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Sunderland have lost just one of their last seven games against West Ham
(W3, D3).
The Black Cats drew 0-0 on their last visit to Upton Park in December 2013 -
but that is the only goalless draw in the last 30 league and cup games
between the sides.
West Ham United
The Hammers have won one of 12 league games since Christmas Day (D5, L6).
In that period they have collected eight points - the only teams with lower
totals are Sunderland and QPR, who have earned seven and five points
respectively.
Morgan Amalfitano has scored three goals from just four shots on target for
West Ham.
Adrian is set to make his 50th appearance in the Premier League.
Sunderland
The Black Cats are winless in seven league and cup games (D3, L4), and have
scored just once in their last six - Jack Rodwell's equaliser at Hull.
They have attempted 204 shots - fewer than any other Premier League team
this season.
Gus Poyet won 14 of his 60 Premier League matches in charge of Sunderland
(D21, L25).
During his tenure they averaged less than a goal per Premier League game,
scoring 59 times in 60 matches.
Jermain Defoe has scored four goals in his last five Premier League
appearances against former club West Ham.
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'Not good enough' Zarate failing to prove Allardyce wrong
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 20th March 2015
By: Staff Writer
Mauro Zarate has been on loan at Queens Park Rangers for 78 days - and
played for a total of just 71 minutes. Sam Allardyce was heavily criticised
at the end of December when he said of the departing Argentinian: "He is not
good enough to play as regularly as he wants compared to the others. It's as
simple as that." Former Velez star Zarate - who celebrated his 28th birthday
this week - was incandescent with rage at the time of his departure,
accusing Allardyce of dropping him for "personal reasons". However Big Sam
appears to have won that particular war of words in hindsight, given
Zarate's failure to make an impact at a club one place off the bottom of the
Premier League. Brought in by Harry Redknapp on the opening day of the
January transfer window, Zarate made just one appearance under the
ex-Hammers boss before he departed (for personal reasons) on 3 February.
Since then, under the stewardship of Chris Ramsey, Zarate (who also
sustained a brief recent injury) has made just three brief appearances for
Rangers from the substitutes bench - against Southampton, Sunderland and
Hull City.
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Advocaat confirms Johnson can play
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 20th March 2015
By: Staff Writer
Sunderland boss Dick Advocaat insisted today that every player in his squad
has the opportunity to feature at the Boleyn Ground tomorrow - including
Adam Johnson. The 27-year-old winger returned to Sunderland this week
following his recent arrest "on suspicion of sexual activity with a
15-year-old girl". As a result, the club suspension that had been in place
was immediately lifted. Speaking this morning Advocaat insisted that, as per
club policy, Johnson would be available for selection at the Boleyn Ground
tomorrow. When asked, he told reporters that Johnson "can be picked", adding
that "every player who trains has an opportunity to start against West Ham".
The Black Cats' 67-year-old boss was appointed as Gus Poyet's successor
earlier this week - albeit on a short-term basis. Today he refused to
speculate on his position post-May, insisting that his only concern were the
next nine games and preserving Sunderland's Premier League status. The first
of the nine matches Advocaat will oversee prior to the end of the season is
tomorrow's trip to West Ham, who are equally in need of three points
following a dismal run.
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West Ham v Sunderland preview: Dick Advocaat eyeing winning start
Last Updated: 20/03/15 2:16pm
SSN
Jamie Redknapp looks ahead to Sunderland's trip to the Boleyn Ground as they
prepare to take on West Ham. Upton Park plays host as West Ham take on
Sunderland in Dick Advocaat's first game in charge of the Back Cats, live on
Saturday Night Football. The Dutchman has nine games to try and turn things
around at the Stadium of Light and if the side remain where they are in 17th
at the end of the season, it is likely to be viewed as a job well done.
Sunderland have failed to win in their last eight games, with a 3-1 FA Cup
win at Fulham at the start of February the last time they tasted victory. If
there is anything that may provide encouragement for the visitors though it
is that West Ham are on a similarly poor run. Sam Allardyce's side have lost
their last three and have to go back to late January for their last win, 1-0
over Bristol City in the FA Cup. A 3-0 triumph over Hull a week prior to
that is the Hammers' most recent league win.
Team news
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has confirmed James Tomkins will miss the
remainder of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery while Winston Reid
(hamstring) is a major doubt. Carl Jenkinson is back in contention having
been ineligible against parent club Arsenal last weekend but, while Carlton
Cole is fit again following a hamstring problem, fellow strikers Andy
Carroll (knee) and Enner Valencia (toe) remain sidelined.
New Sunderland head coach Advocaat has revealed winger Adam Johnson is
available "in principle". The 27-year-old midfielder returned to training
earlier this week after a club suspension was lifted which had been imposed
following his arrest on suspicion of sexual activity with a girl under 16,
although Advocaat was not planning to make a decision on his inclusion or
otherwise until after his final session.
Defender John O'Shea (knock) and Sebastian Larsson (ankle) are doubts, while
fellow midfielder Lee Cattermole completes a two-match ban and Will Buckley
(knee) and Emanuele Giaccherini (ankle) remain on the sidelines.
Opta facts
Sunderland have lost just one of their last seven Barclays Premier League
games against West Ham (W3 D3 L1).
Jermain Defoe has scored four goals in his last five Premier League
appearances against former club West Ham United.
Jermain Defoe has four goals in his last five goals against West Ham
The Hammers have won just one of their last 12 Premier League matches (W1 D5
L6), as have Sunderland (W1 D4 L7), but they've won none of the last six
away (W0 D3 L3).
Morgan Amalfitano has scored three goals from just four shots on target for
West Ham.
Only Sunderland (7) and QPR (5) have picked up fewer points than West Ham
(8) since Christmas.
West Ham have the highest tally of headers on target (39) and headed goals
this season (15).
Merson's prediction
I do not know where Dick Advocaat's appointment has come from really – if
you had given me 100 guesses, I still would not have got it and I can see
this being a Fulham situation all over again like with Felix Magath. I know
people have said that Advocaat has managed in Scotland before, but that is
not the Premier League at all and I am really shocked by the news. I would
have liked to see Kevin Ball get the job until the end of the season had
they not gone first to get Sam Allardyce from West Ham, who is the manager
they should have tried for.
Who is Dick Advocaat?
I do not know why they did not offer Big Sam a three or four-year deal and
seen what he said, as Allardyce would have definitely kept them up. And even
if he did not, he would have brought them straight back up the next season,
so it would have been worth the investment either way. But I cannot see
anything other than an easy 3-0 win for West Ham on Saturday.
PAUL PREDICTS: 3-0
Betting
Dick Advocaat is 16/5 with Sky Bet to begin his reign as Sunderland manager
with a win, as a losing start is deemed more likely with West Ham marginally
odds-on for the victory at 17/20. The Black Cats head into the weekend rated
13/8 fourth favourites for relegation, while Advocaat is 7/4 to still be in
charge come the start of next season. Diafra Sakho is favourite in the first
goalscorer betting at 4/1, while Jermain Defoe is considered the visitors'
biggest threat at 6/1.
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MATCH PREVIEW: SUNDERLAND
By Dan Coker 20 Mar 2015 at 08:23
West Ham Till I Die
Blast from the past
Queen Elizabeth II once remarked that "1992 is not a year on which I shall
look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more
sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an Annus Horribilis" –
Her Majesty could have been referring to Prince Andrew separating from
Fergie, Princess Anne divorcing Captain Mark Phillips, the release of
Princess Diana's revealing book or Windsor Castle catching fire. Much more
likely, however, is the possibility that at the forefront of her chagrin was
the dwindling fortune of her beloved bubble-blowers as the Hammers suffered
a calendar year which included a disastrous relegation from the top flight,
the ignominy of being taken to an FA Cup replay by non-league Farnborough
and a League Cup exit at the first hurdle at the hands of Third Division
Crewe.
As Kevin Keegan's Newcastle ran away with the First Division title from the
outset, West Ham had done enough in the closing months of 1992 to position
themselves amongst the pack hunting the second automatic promotion spot to
the newly-formed Promised Land known as the Premier League. The Hammers
underlined their credentials as promotion candidates with a thoroughly
convincing win on Sunday 11th October 1992 when this weekend's visitors to
Upton Park, Sunderland, rolled into town for a game televised live on ITV.
The Shamen were number one with 'Ebeneezer Goode' and the Irons were more
than good enough in notching up a 6-0 win over the Wearsiders, 24 years
after the 8-0 triumph over the same opposition which was the subject of an
excellent piece by Tony Hanna earlier this week. Further to the three points
and boost to the goals-scored column, which would ultimately prove to be
priceless in the Hammers' successful promotion push, the emphatic result
acted as revenge for a 5th round FA Cup exit the season before – Sunderland
went all the way to the 1992 Final before being defeated 2-0 by Liverpool.
Sunderland had already gone close through their danger man, Don Goodman,
before the striker was forced off to receive stitches for a wound above an
eye suffered in a collision with Alvin Martin. By the time he returned to
the action, his side were two goals down. Kevin Keen cut inside from the
left after a short corner routine and fired a stinging effort beyond Tim
Carter at the goalkeeper's near post after 24 minutes before Trevor Morley
pounced on defensive indecision to fire home from close in four minutes
later. Martin Allen sprung a poor excuse of an offside trap on 39 minutes to
deftly lob over the stranded Carter with the outside of his right foot to
give the Hammers a commanding three-goal half-time lead.
Goal number four arrived just four minutes into the second half when Alvin
Martin stabbed home after a corner and Mark Robson, recently appointed
first-team coach at Aston Villa, clipped a fifth over Carter after 62
minutes. Goodman had an 85th-minute opportunity to provide the visiting
support with some cheer after Steve Potts brought down Gary Owers and
referee Roger Milford pointed to the spot, but his penalty was brilliantly
kept out low to his left by Ludek Miklosko to preserve the Hammers' clean
sheet. Robson rounded off the rout in the final minute, scoring his second
and West Ham's sixth with a rebound into an empty net after the exposed
Carter could only parry Keen's shot.
A crowd of just 10,326 turned out for the victory, the lowest at the Boleyn
Ground for 35 years. Attendances would improve as the Hammers went on to
finish the 1992/93 season in 2nd place, achieving automatic promotion by
virtue of scoring one more goal than Portsmouth. Sunderland closed the
campaign in 21st position, one point clear of relegation.
West Ham United: Ludek Miklosko, Tim Breacker, Steve Potts, Alvin Martin,
Julian Dicks, Mark Robson, Peter Butler, Martin Allen, Kevin Keen, Trevor
Morley, Clive Allen.
Sunderland: Tim Carter, John Kay, Gary Bennett, Kevin Ball, Anton Rogan,
Shaun Cunnington (David Rush), Gary Owers, Martin Gray, Gordon Armstrong
(Brian Atkinson),
Don Goodman, Peter Davenport.
Club Connections
A large number of players have worn the shirts of both Sunderland and West
Ham United. Of the current crop, Stewart Downing will be facing the team he
spent a successful loan period with back in 2003 while Hammers manager Sam
Allardyce also played for the Wearsiders. A brief run-through of some others
who have represented both clubs is best served by dividing them by playing
position.
Defenders: Danny Collins, Matt Kilgallon, Keith Coleman, Gary Breen, Ernie
England, Tal Ben Haim, Wayne Bridge, George McCartney, Calum Davenport, Andy
Melville, Anton Ferdinand, Clive Clarke.
Midfielders: Harry Hooper, Don Hutchison.
Strikers: Billy Moore, David Bellion, Lee Chapman, Brian Deane, Pop Robson,
David Kelly, Dave Swindlehurst, David Connolly, Jack Foster, Dick Bell.
Paolo Di Canio also played for the Hammers and managed the Black Cats.
Today's focus though is on a frizzy-haired centre-half who made his name at
Sunderland in the early 1970s before turning out for the Hammers. Mick
McGiven was born in Newcastle on the 7th February 1951. He joined Sunderland
as a schoolboy and was thrown into the team as an 18-year-old by manager
Alan Brown, featuring in every league game in his first full season as
Sunderland suffered relegation from Division One in 1969/70. McGiven played
15 times in the second tier during the following campaign, chipping in with
three goals, two of which were winners against Norwich and Bristol City at
Roker Park. 1971/72 was much improved for Sunderland as they finished fifth
in the table, missing out on promotion by only four points – McGiven
featured more prominently too as he recorded 38 appearances in all
competitions, scoring four goals. After a poor start to the 1972-73
campaign, manager Brown was replaced by Bob Stokoe. McGiven played 20 games
in one of the most memorable years in Sunderland's history but didn't play
in the latter rounds of the FA Cup-winning campaign, though he did feature
in both games against Notts County in the third round. McGiven played five
more games for Sunderland during the 1973-74 campaign before joining West
Ham United on loan – a move he would later make permanent for £20,000 after
playing 113 games for Sunderland, scoring 9 goals.
McGiven made his Hammers debut on 1st December 1973 in the annual Anfield
defeat, with the Irons only losing 1-0 on this occasion. He made 21 league
appearances in the remainder of the campaign, as well as playing in both
games in the FA Cup third round as Hereford shocked the Hammers. McGiven
missed the entire 1974/75 season through injury, returning in an FA Cup
third round home defeat to Liverpool on 3rd January 1976 as the FA
Cup-holding Hammers relinquished their grip on the trophy at the first
hurdle. He appeared on nine further occasions in 1975/76, including both
legs against Den Haag in the European Cup Winners' Cup. McGiven played 18
matches in all competitions in 1976/77 but only managed 4 the following
season. His final match was the 0-0 home draw with Nottingham Forest on 8th
October 1977 – after 56 goalless appearances for West Ham United, McGiven's
career was prematurely cut short by injury.
John Lyall handed McGiven a position on the coaching staff and, along with
Ronnie Boyce, led the Hammers to FA Cup success in 1980, promotion in 1981
and a third-placed finish in the top flight in 1986. Following relegation
and Lyall's sacking in 1989, McGiven remained under new manager Lou Macari
but walked out on 4th January 1990 after becoming disillusioned with the new
manager's regime. He spent nine months working with Chelsea's youth team
before teaming up again with Lyall at Ipswich, helping the Tractor Boys to
the 1992 Second Division title and a place in the inaugural Premier League.
He returned to Chelsea in the mid-1990s, playing his part in the development
of former England captain John Terry. Now 64, McGiven is currently Chelsea's
Senior Opposition Scout.
Referee
Saturday's referee will be Lee Mason from Greater Manchester. Mason refereed
four of our games last season, sending off two of our players (Mark Noble
against Everton and James Tomkins at Cardiff) and disallowing a perfectly
good Stewart Downing equaliser at Crystal Palace. He has officiated in one
Hammers Premier League match this term, that being the 2-1 defeat at Old
Trafford when he sent off Wayne Rooney, denied the Hammers a penalty when
Morgan Amalfitano's cross struck Radamel Falcao's arm and disallowed Kevin
Nolan's last-minute strike for a marginal offside. Mason was also the man in
the middle for our 1-0 FA Cup win at Bristol City in January.
Possible line-ups
Sam Allardyce will have Carl Jenkinson back and may be able to call on
Winston Reid, who will have a late fitness test on Saturday morning. Enner
Valencia, James Tomkins and Andy Carroll all remain unavailable though.
New Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat will be without the injured Emanuele
Giaccherini but Will Buckley could return. Adam Johnson is back in
contention after his club suspension was lifted earlier this week. Ageing
centre-back pairing John O'Shea and Wes Brown could be the first casualties
of Advocaat's reign after last week's 4-0 home humiliation at the hands of
Aston Villa.
Possible West Ham United XI: Adrian; Jenkinson, Collins, Reid, Cresswell;
Song, Kouyate, Noble; Downing, Jarvis; Sakho.
Possible Sunderland XI: Pantilimon; Jones, Vergini, Coates, van Aanholt;
Johnson, Rodwell, Larsson, Alvarez; Wickham, Defoe.
Enjoy the game – Up The Hammers!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham will show struggling Sunderland no mercy Stewart Downing warns his
Black Cats mates
22:30, 19 March 2015 By Darren Lewis
Winger who knows several of the Wearsiders' players from England duty not
doing any favours when they visit under new management on Saturday
The Mirror
Stewart Downing understands more than most the trouble with Sunderland. The
West Ham winger has friends and former England team-mates there. He played
for the Wearside club on loan as a youngster and his current club were in
the kind of relegation trouble last season that the Black Cats find
themselves in now. It is the reason why, ahead of Friends Reunited on
Saturday night, 30-year-old Downing is determined to stay focused on three
much-needed points. "I know quite a few of the people at Sunderland." he
said. "Guys like Lee Cattermole and Wes Brown. They've got a decent squad.
It's a massive club. "Its not really gone for them but then that was us last
year - similar situation, injuries and suspensions. They have to roll their
sleeves up and try to get out of it. "But we've got to try and take
advantage while their confidence is low. A lot of teams were probably
looking at us last season in the same way, saying: 'West Ham haven't got a
striker. Let's go for it.' Its just the way that football is. "Our aim is to
finish in the European places so we need a strong finish. It will be
difficult but there are still a lot of points to play for."
West Ham have their own problems with just one win in their last 12 and
uncertainty over whether boss Sam Allardyce will be handed a new deal when
his current contract expires at the end of the season. Allardyce has been
tipped to take over from Dick Advocaat, appointed this week after the
sacking of Gus Poyet, in the summer. Downing, however, is determined to help
keep Big Sam at Upton Park. He added: "He has stabilised the club. He has
made the squad better. Last summer was his best transfer window of getting
players in to take us to the next level. "I don't think he gets the credit
he deserves but if you look at his managerial record he has always had
stability and always gets the best out of his players. For him and for us
the best thing we can do is finish in a European spot. "And I'd say that we
were small details away from being a European team. If we didn't so it this
season it would be disappointing after being in fourth or fifth for such a
long, long time. But we can do it."
Downing admits to being jealous that Southampton - despite having to rebuild
their team last summer - have maintained their charge for European football
while the Hammers are battling to keep theirs alive. He maintains, however,
that it is even more of a reason to put business before pleasure this
weekend. He said: "There are so many games where you look back and think
'How did we lose that?' or 'How did we draw with them?'. "But credit to
Southampton. That is where they have capitalised. They have scored late
goals, they've seen out games because they have defended very well - and
they were tipped to be relegated at the start of the season. "So its
phenomenal where they are finishing but there is a hint of jealousy because
we should be where they are. We can't let all of our hard work go to waste
and fade away. "We need to finish strongly."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fanbase division has killed Allardyce
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 20, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
by Rich Sprent
All successful businesses work with a plan.
Financial projections are drawn up, liabilities, growth, debt, assets –
they're all scrutinised and the budgets are presented to the board.
From here they are able to assess the direction the company drives out in
determining milestones along the way. Football clubs are no different.
Except that away from the business side of things there is the complication
of the actual football.
Currently West Ham is a club on the up. Back from the brink of
administration and relegation the club's first team is in the top half of
the Premier League albeit amidst a run of poor form. The future football
growth is at an important crossroads.
It has been well documented that the owners prefer to give 2year contracts
out to their football manager reviewable at the end of each season.
Coinciding with that review is a very important milestone looming in the
business plan – the move to the Olympic Stadium. This makes the next two
seasons possibly the most important in the club's history – the last at the
Boleyn and the first at Queen Elizabeth Park.
With the season in its final third the current incumbent manager appears to
be lurching his way towards the end of his contract and tenure. Much has
been written of the discord between David Sullivan and Sam Allardyce.
And not to mention the unbridled hatred of 50% of the fanbase towards
towards the man from Dudley. It really matters little what he has achieved
or could achieve with West Ham, half of the fans won't be changing their
opinion. And that is a dreadful situation for any organisation to be in.
The board have more than just the decision of who to replace Allardyce with
– as it surely must be. Whatever the man's merits, to be reviled by half of
the paying customer is as divisive as it gets. And it is that division, as
can be seen on any Hammers internet forum, that shows how destructive it can
be. Every little step back gets blown up and it's trench warfare between
those who want him (or just for now) and those who don't.
Many potential manager names have been bandied about however, a factor that
is only scratched at is the level to which the football club is being
directed to compete at. Someone on a similar managerial level who isn't Sam
Allardyce may appease the masses for a while. Unless the team can progress
to challenge for European football then he would only be a cosmetic change
and nothing but a caretaker.
The next appointment along with the 'warchest' handed to him will show
exactly what the board's ambitions are. Our current footballing aim is
clearly to challenge for European football. That is to break in amongst
Liverpool, Sp*rs, Southampton and keep ahead of Stoke, Everton, Swansea and
Newcastle. The team currently has an excellent first XI. The bench is
creaking with deadwood and needs overhaul.
The Saints may have developed a way in doing things that should be looked at
and maybe even emulated. The beginnings of a legacy is what they hope. It
certainly is showing early signs of promise for the south coast club with
Koeman continuing the work started by Adkins and moved on by Pochettino.
The David's have the opportunity to show their thinking with a progressive
move this Summer. I wrote earlier that Rafa Benitez would be an ideal
upgrade on Allardyce. Yet at a reported £6m year to even talk to us it begs
the question of whether the club could afford the 'warchest' he'd expect to
improve on things.
There are plenty of managers out there. Most are no better than Allardyce.
Those that have successful CVs will expect a lot of money to spend. The
danger of getting in manager who is in effect nothing but a caretaker for
two years is a real one for me. This is an opportunity to rebrand West Ham
United on the pitch as well as a business. The beginning of a legacy. Dare I
suggest it, a West Ham way.
One thing is for certain, whatever direction they decide to go, if the board
can appoint someone that unites the fans then we'll all be onto a winner. As
Sham69 is often heard over the Boleyn sound system, 'If the kids are united,
then we'll never be divided'.
The views expressed in this article are those of the blogger and are not
necessarily shared by ClaretandHugh.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Downing defends boss ahead of Black Cats
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 20, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
I enjoyed the opening comment in one of the nationals today declaring
boldly: 'Stewart Downing understands more than most the trouble with
Sunderland' Given that he failed to realise that Adan Johnson – the guy he
named as their most important player – was back in training earlier in the
week, that may be a slightly over-bold statement!
Downing in singing the winger's praises, clearly believed he wouldn't be a
part of things at the Boleyn tomorrow evening given his bail conidtions on
suspicion of sexual activity with a 15 year old girl.
But that aside, the winger – who has friends and former England team-mates
with tomorrow's visitors and where he was on loan as a kid – obviously
believes he has some insights into thing Black Cats.
Speaking to the new and improved club site at www.whufc.com and quoted in
the Mirror he says: "I know quite a few of the people at Sunderland. Guys
like Lee Cattermole and Wes Brown. They've got a decent squad. It's a
massive club.
"Its not really gone for them but then that was us last year – similar
situation, injuries and suspensions. They have to roll their sleeves up and
try to get out of it.
"But we've got to try and take advantage while their confidence is low. A
lot of teams were probably looking at us last season in the same way,
saying: 'West Ham haven't got a striker. Let's go for it.'
"Our aim is to finish in the European places so we need a strong finish. It
will be difficult but there are still a lot of points to play for."
Downing has also responded to the speculation over Sam Akllardyce's future
saying: "He has stabilised the club. He has made the squad better. Last
summer was his best transfer window of getting players in to take us to the
next level.
"I don't think he gets the credit he deserves but if you look at his
managerial record he has always had stability and always gets the best out
of his players. For him and for us the best thing we can do is finish in a
European spot.
"And I'd say that we were small details away from being a European team. If
we didn't so it this season it would be disappointing after being in fourth
or fifth for such a long, long time. But we can do it."
He admits to being jealous that Southampton – despite having to rebuild
their team last summer – have maintained their charge for European football
while the Hammers are battling to keep theirs alive.
He said: "But credit to Southampton. That is where they have capitalised.
They have scored late goals, they've seen out games because they have
defended very well – and they were tipped to be relegated at the start of
the season.
"So its phenomenal where they are finishing but there is a hint of jealousy
because we should be where they are. We can't let all of our hard work go to
waste and fade away.
"We need to finish strongly."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
CandH EXCLUSIVE: DS after two world stars
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 20, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
David Sullivan has told the Hammers fans to look forward to a big and busy
transfer market this summer. As the club heads into its final Boleyn season,
he expects to bring in top young prospects and a couple of high class world
names. The big bonus of the season has been the form of near ever-present
Aaron Cresswell who has demonstrated there are top young players at
Championship level who can step up and do a great Premier League job. Cressy
was the PFAs left back of the season in the Championship, and fitted with
the club's desire to help in the drive towards more attacking football..
And it was David Sullivan who did the deal with Ipswich – outbidding two
other clubs in the process -before agreeing personal terms through his
agent. And the co chairman -speaking exclusively to ClaretandHugh today –
has revealed that the club is looking to do more of the same at the end of
the season. He said: "The supporters will see this Summer that we'll go for
youth, but that will be combined with one or two established world class
players."And he has went as far as to name his target number of signings for
the summer adding telling the fans:"We expect 5 new players minimum."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Golden goal: Paolo Di Canio for West Ham v Wimbledon (2000)
Hero worship can be problematic. It makes perfect sense when you are a kid,
but it can make you look tragically childish as an adult
Jacob Steinberg
Jacob Steinberg
Friday 20 March 2015 10.27 GMT
The Guardian
If you came here looking for a brief recap of Paul Weiland's 2006 film,
Sixty Six, then you are in luck. The story of a Jewish boy whose Shabbos
spirit was dampened by his barmitzvah tragically falling on the same day as
the World Cup final between England and West Germany in 1966 (spoiler alert:
England win in controversial circumstances) was a niche topic that was met
with mixed reviews, but it struck a resounding chord with me.
How I sympathised with poor Bernie Reubens's plight as he stepped in front
of the congregation at his synagogue, knowing that he was going to miss the
biggest match of his short life and that nothing could make the
disappointment go away, because 13-year-old me had been in his position. I
understood. I felt his pain. I was Bernie, Bernie was me, I was in a film
with a 63% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film was about me. "Don't
worry!" I shouted at the television. "Maybe one day you'll also get to write
a needy, self-indulgent article in the Guardian about that time you missed a
football match!"
And so, 15 difficult years on, here I am dealing with the trauma of my
barmitzvah falling on the same weekend as a West Ham home game. And not just
any game. A game against Egil Olsen's struggling Wimbledon. The big one.
But the barmitzvah was the bigger one. I performed it to rave reviews on
Saturday morning, receiving a 93% approval rating on Mitzvah Matters ("Has
any boy ever hidden his reluctance about singing Ancient Hebrew text in
public with such skill?" one critic wrote), accepted the acclaim of family,
friends and strangers with great dignity and then turned my thoughts to West
Ham's match on the Sunday afternoon. Could my dad and I go to Upton Park for
the 4pm kick-off and be back in time for my party in the evening? Would
anyone notice if we were late? Would new loan signing Fredi Kanouté be up to
much?
All questions that were treated with frankly admirable disdain by my
footballistically-challenged mum, so I sat in my room, got ready and
listened to the match on the radio (Sky Sports would not enter our house
until 7 March 2001). Curses!
Then it happened. After eight minutes, Marc-Vivien Foé sprayed a pass out to
Trevor Sinclair on the right wing. Sinclair took a touch, looked up and
pinged a glorious crossfield ball from right to left, over Kenny
Cunningham's head, and towards Paolo Di Canio, who was preparing something;
he was up to mischief, a flick had switched in his mind and something
special was about to happen. Di Canio was in the air as the ball reached
him.
"Sinclair's cross," Martin Tyler told those who did have Sky, the interest
in his voice rising. "Over Cunningham's head. Di
CanioOOOOHHHHHIDONOTBELIEVETHAT! That is sensational! Even by his
standards!"
Somehow defying the laws of physics, Di Canio had managed to maintain his
balance and lace a searing right-footed volley past Neil Sullivan from the
left of the area and into the far corner. It was a goal that required absurd
levels of technique, athleticism and skill, just the way that he managed to
control the ball when he was off the ground, and the West Ham supporters
responded to what they had just seen not with the usual cheering, but with
what sounds like startled, baffled laughter.
26,000 people shook their heads in disbelief in perfect unison and back at
home, I shook mine in fury, silently fuming, honing my grudge-holding
abilities. It had happened more than once that season; I never asked to be
born.
On 11 September 1999, we missed Watford at home because it was Rosh
Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Di Canio scored the winner with a cheeky
free-kick from a tight angle. On 18 December 1999, we missed a rollicking
4-2 defeat to Manchester United – Di Canio almost inspired a fightback from
3-0 down – because we had to go the birthday of a grown man who was wearing
a novelty tie when he opened the door. This was less than ideal.
Another sore memory was school commitments ruling me out of the 1999/2000
League Cup quarter-final that had to be replayed against Aston Villa after
West Ham fielded a cup-tied player, Manny Omoyinmi, in the first match. My
dad went and I fell asleep listening to the radio, shortly after Frank
Lampard had given West Ham the lead.
An hour or two later, my dad woke me up. "I'm back," he said. "From the
game."
The game that I wasn't at.
"Did we win?" I said hopefully. "Are we in the semi-finals?"
"No!" he chirped. "They were winning 1-0, but Villa won 3-1 after
extra-time."
Silence.
"Di Canio had a penalty when it was 2-1," my dad continued, "but David James
saved it. Anyway, you'd better go back to sleep, you've got school in the
morning. Night!"
Villa were back at Upton Park for a league match three days later. It
finished 1-1, Ian Taylor scoring for what felt like the 1,000th time against
West Ham that week, Di Canio hooking in a late equaliser after a mistake by
James. Di Canio then landed himself in hot water for making an obscene
gesture after the final whistle, later saying that he had directed it
towards an unnamed Villa player who had called him a "cheating Italian
bastard". It was never simple with him.
Although some of his actions since that time mean my feelings towards him
are now mixed, Di Canio meant everything back then. A few months earlier,
our class had been told to make a short speech in assembly about a hero of
the 20th century. Most of the choices were obvious – Nelson Mandela, Winston
Churchill, Jamie Theakston – but when it was my turn to speak, the entire
school was treated to five minutes on the spectacular magic of Paolo Di
Canio. There were some odd looks.
Hero worship can be problematic. It makes perfect sense when you are a kid,
but it can make you look tragically childish as an adult. From a moral
perspective, it is difficult not to agonise over whether it is acceptable to
laud a man who expressed admiration for Benito Mussolini in his
autobiography (the first chapter is called 'Look at this beautiful, talented
boy!' and the book ends with Di Canio's tiramisu recipe) and who has freely
admitted that he is a fascist but not a racist. They say that you should
never meet your heroes and even if you manage to do that, they are still
liable to make a fascist salute after helping Lazio beat Roma in the Rome
derby in 2005. Armed with that knowledge, it becomes easier, if a little
gutwrenching, to remove the claret and blue glasses and view Di Canio in a
different light.
Then again, Larry David saw nothing wrong with whistling Wagner, even though
it led to an accusation that he was a self-loathing Jew. Some people find it
more palatable to separate the art from the artist and maybe football is
supposed to be an escape, the place where grown adults can spend 90 minutes
acting like children again, and it would be disingenuous to deny that Di
Canio was a hugely talented player.
He was captivating for West Ham in the 1999-2000 season and most weeks his
team-mates were relegated to the roles of interested bystanders as Di Canio
went about putting out various fires – and sometimes starting a few along
the way. It is a team game, but he was capable of winning matches on his
own, which is why he would take all the corners and free-kicks and why he
would sometimes appear in the right-back position demanding the ball, ready
to take on every last member of the opposition. He even took throw-ins.
His ego was huge, of course, and he was far from perfect. Di Canio played
for Giovanni Trapattoni's Juventus and Fabio Capello's Milan, but his book
is full of anecdotes about various bust-ups with managers, which probably
explains why he never played for Italy. He fell out so badly with Capello
during a pre-season tour of the Far East in 1996 that his last words to his
manager were: "I'm not going to hang around here and look at your ugly penis
face any longer!"
Di Canio was sold to Celtic, where he spent a season before joining
Sheffield Wednesday. He struck up a partnership with another Italian
forward, Benito Carbone, but his time at Hillsborough was brought to an
abrupt end after his infamous push on Paul Alcock during Wednesday's 1-0 win
over Arsenal in September 1998.
Alcock's tumble earned Di Canio an 11-match ban and pariah status in
England. However that merely brought out the wheeler-dealer in Harry
Redknapp, who could not resist bringing Di Canio to Upton Park for £1.5m in
January 1999. Redknapp and Di Canio hit it off immediately and West Ham
qualified for the Intertoto Cup after finishing fifth, securing their place
in the Uefa Cup by beating Metz 3-2 on aggregate in the final. Metz won the
first leg 1-0 at Upton Park, but Di Canio was inspired in the return leg in
France, creating goals for Sinclair and Lampard.
West Ham were set for a season of terrifying lows, dizzying highs and creamy
middles, with Di Canio at the centre of everything that was good, bad or
indifferent about them. When he played well, they could beat anyone and,
much like Dennis Bergkamp in 1997-98, he could have run his own goal of the
season competition.
He cemented his place in West Ham folklore when Arsenal visited east London
in October 1999. Arsenal had thumped West Ham 4-0 at Upton Park earlier that
year, but this time they were facing Di Canio on a mission. It was one-way
traffic for long periods and Davor Suker and Bergkamp had already missed a
couple of presentable chances for Arsène Wenger's side when Di Canio
collected the ball on the halfway line, from where he proceeded to dribble
his way through the Arsenal midfield thanks to a series of ricochets,
favourable bounces and limp challenges. The ball squirted to Sinclair, who
appeared to control it with his arm before dinking it over David Seaman and
into the middle, where Paulo Wanchope's knockdown was turned in by Di Canio.
Arsenal laid siege to the West Ham goal in the second half, but Suker
remained profligate and Bergkamp had a goal disallowed for a combination of
handball and offside, before Wanchope flicked a long clearance from Shaka
Hislop to Di Canio with 18 minutes left. It looked like Di Canio was heading
down a dead end, but he turned past Martin Keown with his left foot and then
cushioned a splendid shot high past Seaman with his right foot. "Out! Of!
Nothing!" the BBC's Barry Davies yelped and Keown was later seen wandering
around Green Street with a confused look on his face, asking for directions
back to the stadium.
West Ham held on for a 2-1 victory that owed everything to Di Canio and two
months later he could be seen mounting a one-man offensive on Manchester
United. The champions had stormed into a 3-0 lead inside the first 20
minutes, but Di Canio dragged West Ham back into it with two goals,
delighting Davies again by rounding the goalkeeper for his second – by the
52nd minute. Nine minutes later, he looked certain to score his first West
Ham hat-trick when he ran through on goal again, only to mess up an
attempted chip that was easily saved by Raymond van der Gouw. United
countered, Dwight Yorke made it 4-2 and when the camera panned to Di Canio,
he was beating himself up.
Yet there were so many moments to cherish: a stunning equaliser in a 1-1
draw with Derby County, a solo effort in a 3-1 win over Leicester City, a
bullet off the inside of the post in a 5-0 win over Coventry City. Every
week, there was something that took the breath away and West Ham struggled
when Di Canio was missing. He was out with a hamstring injury when Everton
won 4-0 at Upton Park.
Controversy was never far away and Di Canio regularly clashed with referees,
claiming that they treated him unfairly. He was booked for diving after a
blatant trip in the area by Middlesbrough's Gary Pallister and West Ham's
2-0 defeat to Steaua Bucharest in the second round of the Uefa Cup was
marred by Di Canio's allegations that the referee, Claus Bo Larsen, had
sworn at him. Di Canio was replaced by Joe Cole when West Ham were 1-0 down
and it was later claimed that the referee had warned that he was going to
send him off if Redknapp did not substitute him.
Di Canio boiled over during a game against Bradford City in February 2000.
West Ham were trailing 4-2 to Paul Jewell's strugglers and Di Canio's
indignation at seeing another obvious penalty appeal turned down by the
referee, Neale Barry, led to him sitting down by the side of the pitch and
telling Redknapp to take him off. Meanwhile Dean Saunders was busy hitting
the post up the other end, wasting the chance to make it 5-2 to Bradford,
and Redknapp told Di Canio to get on with it.
Eventually he roused himself and when Paul Kitson won a penalty for West
Ham, Di Canio spied his chance to redeem himself after the miss against
Villa. One problem, however – Lampard had grabbed the ball and had decided
that he was taking it. He was wrong. After a long, heated and reasonably
one-sided debate, Lampard backed off, Di Canio scored and West Ham fought
back to win 5-4. Lampard, teed up by Di Canio, scored the winner.
The Wimbledon game came six weeks later and let's let the man himself take
us through his astonishing goal, writing in his autobiography:
"I got a lot of praise for the volley I scored against Wimbledon. Sure, it
was a spectacular goal. What I did was extremely difficult, because it
requires total body control, timing and balance. Compared to a bicycle kick
or a scissors kick it is much more difficult, because in those situations
your body weight is going backwards, which helps stabilise you. But when I
struck the ball against Wimbledon, both feet were in the air, even just
making contact was quite an achievement. But goals like that don't just come
out of thin air. I was able to do it because it was something I had
practised for hours and hours in training. I attempted it so many times that
it became an instinctive gesture. As the cross came in, I didn't even think
about what I was going to do. My brain just decided for me, it just
happened."
Di Canio was named West Ham's player of the season and his goal against
Wimbledon won goal of the season. Few efforts can top it for sheer chutzpah
and imagination.
It was at least two months before I saw it but I have since managed to find
a DVD of the entire match and, in the absence of having an actual life,
recently spent an afternoon watching it. Di Canio was great.
Back on that March afternoon, my dad caught me on the stairs shortly after
the final whistle. "Apparently Di Canio scored a good goal," he said.
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Saturday, March 21
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