WHUFC.com
The skipper said all that matters on Saturday afternoon is how he and his
team-mates perform
24.04.2009
It's a good sign in the changing room when the lads are disappointed after
coming back with a draw away from home against a very good Aston Villa side
last weekend.
Those at the game will see that, after a few half-chances, Villa created
early and going a goal up, we had more than had our fair share of chances to
be up front ourselves in the first half.
In the second half, the domination and possession from us was very pleasing.
Kieron Dyer came on and looked like he had been playing all season, Nobes
was yet again outstanding and at the back young Tomka and Matty kept things
nice and tight and made sure Villa had very little chances.
So, a very pleasing performance but at the same time, very frustrating,
because if we had perhaps got a goal earlier, I am sure we would have gone
on to win that game comfortably. But it was good to go there and bring back
a point that perhaps some people thought we wouldn't get.
I am sure Villa would have given a lot of thanks to Brad Friedel for keeping
them in the game on numerous occasions. Once again we had a great following
up at Villa Park, it provided a great atmosphere and we thank all of you who
made the trip up there to support us.
It brings us nicely into the match against Chelsea. We have been preparing
well all week. I think Guus Hiddink has been quoted as saying that Chelsea
will be coming here and perhaps being very selective with their team, having
one eye on the Champions League game against Barcelona on Tuesday.
This may not necessarily help us, but as in any game, we can look to take
advantage of these situations and use it to the best we can. It's important
that we get off to a very good start on Saturday - I am sure the crowd will
be right up for it.
For some reason, there is always quite a partisan crowd when it is West Ham
versus Chelsea. We have got to make sure, like when we went to Stamford
Bridge earlier in the season, that we are in the game for a very long period
of time and take the performance from the last time we played them this
season - it is the way we want to approach the game again this time.
That match back in December, we nearly went on and won it in the last few
minutes. Coley had a chance late on, but we came away pleased with what we
achieved that day still.
We are of course, now playing a Chelsea team under a new manager. The
manager is someone I have a lot of respect for, one of the greats in the
game and I learnt so much from him in a short space of time when he was my
national manager for Australia.
The success we had as a national team in the World Cup was largely down to
him. It's a very similar to what he is doing now at Chelsea. He has taken a
talented bunch of players and got the best out of them, it was the same with
Australia.
It's no surprise that they are in one final and in the semi-final of
another. But Saturday is not about Guus, not about Chelsea, it is about us -
West Ham.
We are, I think, six points off qualifying for Europe and sooner we get
those points the better, so why not start that this weekend, with a victory
over Chelsea.
It is going to take a big team effort and a big team performance. A draw
would be a fantastic result, a win would be beyond people's expectations but
wouldn't come as a surprise to any of the players or the manager here.
Off the pitch this week, saw the club's annual golf day event, the proceeds
of which go to the club's chosen charities.
It was a great day organised by the club, with Tony Gale and Tony Cottee
leading the way. A really good turn-out, we were lucky to have fantastic
weather at Five Lakes Golf complex in Essex.
There were a few people being frowned upon the next day though, about their
handicaps. One man in particular, naming no names - well, Steve Clarke - who
managed to go round with a phenomenal score. Hence him now being given the
nickname 'Bandito', for his very dubious handicap and points scored on the
day.
But it was a fantastic day out and everyone was pleased. Yet again, it was
another good way for the boys to get out and interact with the fans. The
feedback was all positive, everyone seems to be enjoying the season and like
everyone they want us to finish on a great note.
Before I finish, I would like to remind everyone that Saturday's game is to
support and raise awareness and money for the Richard House children's
hospice, one of the club's official charities.
The hospice does a lot of fantastic work for very ill children and young
people, along with giving great support to their families and carers -
giving them just that the little bit of quality in their lives which makes a
huge difference.
So, please, help us to help them continue that work and show your support in
any way you can. I am sure it is going to be a great atmosphere and it is a
game we are all very much looking forward to. Lets hope that by 5pm on
Saturday afternoon, we are watching other results coming in and eyeing up
just what we have left to do for European qualification and that it is
another step closer.
Thanks for all your support, it is as always, very valuable to us and is
even more so as we count down the games, keep eye on other results and how
the season is going to end for us. I am confident it can end on a high.
Lucas Neill
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'You have to push yourself'
WHUFC.com
Steve Clarke is buoyed by how things have gone at West Ham United and has
big plans for the future
24.04.2009
"I didn't see it coming, but when I spoke to the people here and to
Gianfranco about the project they had in mind they sold it to me very well.
I'm glad I came."
Steve Clarke has not looked back since arriving at West Ham United last
September and is relishing the prospect of helping the club to plenty of
success in future. While he achieved huge success at Saturday's opponents
Chelsea and earned plenty of credit for his part in their recent fortunes,
Clarke said he was hugely motivated by the task in hand at the Boleyn
Ground.
"I'm now at a club where if you have a problem, you solve it in a different
way," he said. "We've had terrible run of injuries and in January had to get
a few players out and we have had to call on the young players we hadn't
thought would have been in the team this season and we've had to work with
them and deal with them but they've responded greatly and it has been very
satisfying."
Looking forward to 2009/10 and his first full season at the club, Clarke
said he had no doubt about his immediate ambitions with five games to go
this campaign. "Me personally I want to be involved in European football. If
I miss one thing from my job at Chelsea, it would be involvement in the
Champions League, that would be the one thing I would miss the most. For me
personally I would like to be involved in Europe.
"You have to push yourself and you have to challenge yourself. It may get to
the point next season where we may wish we hadn't qualified but we'll deal
with that when we come to it. Apart from plaudits and pats on the backs and
well dones - the one tangible thing we can take from this season is to
qualify for Europe. If you are ambitious you need to aim for as high as you
can get."
Clarke is looking forward to working with Dean Ashton for the first time and
the hard work of a pre-season programme. "Over the summer all of the injured
players will come back hopefully. I think every injury will be back
pre-season so we will have a strong squad and then it's another test of
management and coaching to get the best out of the whole squad and utilise
the players as best you can to challenge for every competition."
The Scot would not be drawn on whether he had enhanced his undoubted
reputation since turning up in east London. "It's up to other people to
decide. I made the step to come here for personal ambition so other people
will need to judge whether I'm doing a good job or not. I think West Ham are
quite happy with what I'm doing and I think Gianfranco is quite happy with
what I am doing."
He admitted he wants to be a manager one day and had positive talks with
Zola about such a scenario. "It went very well as because it's not going to
happen tomorrow or next week or next year, it's something for the future …
At this moment of time I'm happy here."
Clarke and Zola are expected to confirm their long-term commitment to the
club shortly and he paid tribute to the club for the faith shown. "When we
came here initially they wanted us to be together as a team and to work on a
long-term project and not a quick fix. They've stuck with us as we've had
difficult times and backed us 100 per cent and we'd like to repay that faith
by finishing as high up the league as we can. "
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Double delight for Montano
WHUFC.com
Cristian Montano was on target twice as the Under-18s romped to a 5-0
victory on Friday afternoon.
24.04.2009
West Ham United Under-18s 5-0 Bristol City Under-18s
Cristian Montano scored twice to top off a polished performance by the
Under-18s in an inter-group FA Academy League encounter on Friday.
The Colombian-born attacker opened the scoring before Georg Grasser, the
Austrian Under-19 international midfielder, added to the advantage before
the interval. The second half was dominated by the home team with Danny
Kearns, Montano again and Anthony Edgar all finding the target for the young
Hammers.
More to follow
West Ham United: Street, Driver, Brown (Fry 45), McNaughton, Sanchez,
Barrett, Kearns, Grasser, Abdulla (Bajner 65), Montano, Edgar (Okus 65)
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Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink to rotate for West Ham clash
Guus Hiddink will shuffle his squad for Chelsea's Premier League meeting
with West Ham United and admitted that it was a something of a "relief" the
team were no longer in the title race.
Telegraph
By Jason Burt
Last Updated: 3:56PM BST 24 Apr 2009
"We want to fight for all the three roads," Chelsea's interim manager said.
"If your squad isn't fully equipped with quality players for all the 11
positions, sometimes you might play a high price if you fight for three
titles. But it's difficult, as it's shown for us."
Hiddink insisted that Chelsea would continue to fight to try and finish
second – and would pounce if Manchester United or Liverpool did slip up.
Premier League team news "We have to be realistic," he said. "The big clubs
don't waste too many points these days. They recover. It's very, very
difficult, but I don't exclude it.
"Manchester United had a difficult time dropping points a few weeks ago, but
this game in hand is a luxury. They'll use that. If you're in the driver's
seat, and you are used to being there, then you are the favourite. They are
favourites. When I'm favourite, normally I win.
"You know the big clubs don't slip up. Man U did once or twice, but the big,
top clubs never lose twice in a row. That's a kind of unwritten rule within
the squad. I had that in my other teams as well. You can never lose twice in
a row."
Chelsea are without the injured pair of Deco and Ricardo Carvalho although
Jose Bosingwa returns to the squad. "We have the squad fit, which means
there can be a few other starters from the last game (the goalless draw
against Everton)," he said.
"That's possible. But we have to take the league seriously. We have to be in
the first few spots for qualification next year as well. We have to go for
second or third place at least, so we have to take this game very seriously.
Whoever's starting, they can be as good as the XI who started last week."
With Ashley Cole suspended for next Tuesday's Champions League semi-final
first leg, Hiddink has to consider who will play at left-back in the Nou
Camp.
"Everyone knows that, in the squad, we don't have double natural coverage
for the left-back position, so we have to improvise," he said. We have some
candidates. It's obvious that, in the West Ham game, we use this option."
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Gianfranco Zola converts West Ham to his vision
They say that being a manager can never replace the feeling of being a
footballer.
Telegraph
By Jason Burt
Last Updated: 11:22PM BST 24 Apr 2009
Not for Gianfranco Zola. When he stands on the touchline, as West Ham
United's manager, it is as if he is out there. "When I see our team playing
well and the way I like, it's like I am on the pitch myself. Absolutely it
is," he says.
The way I like. It is Zola's way. There are a series of unshakeable tenets
that underpin the philosophies of one of the most cherished players to have
featured in the Premier League and who is now forging an unlikely – because
of his earlier insistence that it was not for him – reputation as a manager
of substance.
West Ham to be taken over by bank consortiumAnd yet Zola did everything he
could, he says, to turn West Ham down when, one Sunday in early September,
Scott Duxbury, the chief executive, came calling to meet the 42-year-old in
Rome as he searched for Alan Curbishley's replacement.
The job was to be given to another Italian, Roberto Donadoni. Until Duxbury
met Zola. "I was completely surprised," Zola says, talking ahead of
Saturday's meeting with his former club, the club who voted him their
greatest player and who have tried to woo him back ever since, Chelsea.
"I didn't know there was someone crazy enough to choose a manager like me,"
he adds. "But they trusted the way I wanted to play football."
He was daunted. He was comfortable in his life. Back in Sardinia, a
part-time coach working with the Italian under-21s, he was able to do the
things he had always hankered to do – gaining a pilot's licence, playing the
piano and travelling – but that were denied because of the monastic focus he
had as a player.
"When I was a player I was a workaholic and I needed to get away from that,"
he says.
So life was good and he wanted to turn West Ham down, just as he had turned
down others, some of whom had even tried to coax him out of retirement. "I
tried to say no," Zola admits.
"I tried to find every possible excuse. I didn't know whether I was good
enough."
It helped that, in his briefcase, Duxbury had a document which he had
provisionally called "The Football Project". It was a blueprint he had drawn
up for West Ham's future, a mandate to hire a young manager who wanted to
coach and to be out on the training pitches, to develop young talent.
It could have been written for Zola. "The idea of establishing my kind of
football and my ideas was stronger than any doubts I had," he says. "If you
play and train and make the team in the right way you can have success and
make it enjoyable."
Enjoyable? But this is Premier League football and West Ham were also in
danger of freefall with a financial crisis looming and an unsettled squad.
"I would like to see one team that is frantic and desperate for points
playing against a team that is really enjoying its football and see who
wins," Zola states. "For me, I have no doubts. Even in the Premier League.
The principle is the same.
"One of the problems in certain teams, big teams, is that they build up a
team with 24 champions, 24 national team players and it's difficult for
youngsters to come through. It's a natural process, not just in sport, to
leave space for the youngsters to come through. It's a dynamic for a vital
environment."
And so the Football Project had its champion. Zola agreed a one-year rolling
contract – now extended to a four-year deal – but insisted, before he
signed, that Steve Clarke was lured from Chelsea to be his assistant.
"The secret of the good results we have had is that we are a team, we are a
team inside and on the pitch."
His relationship with Duxbury, he says, is strong as it is with technical
director Gianluca Nani and this has helped overcome the financial
difficulties which have beset the club's owner, Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson.
Not that things started so well. Zola admits he was "incredibly nervous"
when he arrived. He looked bewildered. He had rehearsed what he would say to
the players when he met them. The gist of it was clear: be true to yourself
on and off the field. "I was under pressure," Zola says. "But it was a
pressure I wanted."
Maybe that's easy to say now. Not only did Zola inherit a team with a season
already under way, but also he tried, radically, to change their style. It
would be a passing game.
"I believe the players were 'in between'," Zola says. "They liked the way I
was coaching them but because we were not getting any results, they doubted
it. Maybe they thought 'yes, it's nice, but is it working?' It was important
to hold my position and impose my mentality." His first 13 games yielded
just three victories.
Then, in one of those moments of almost magical coincidence, it was at
Stamford Bridge that Zola began to turn things round in mid-December. West
Ham erned a draw, and should have won. Zola admits it was all a daze, the
returning hero, greeted with adulation but leading a team with a history of
bitter rivalry. Confused? He was. "For the first 10 minutes I could not
think clearly," Zola admits. "There was a lot going on in my mind."
Zola is happy to confirm that Roman Abramovich did indeed buy the club just
a day too late in 2003 to stop him from leaving. "Roman Abramovich has been
brilliant with me," Zola says.
"He tried to get me to change my mind and it's a pity because I would have
liked to have played under him but I had other plans unfortunately and I had
already agreed."
Agreed to return to Cagliari and to Serie B, but not yet signed a contract.
Couldn't he have reneged? "I had given my word. I signed the day after. He
tried very hard and then, after that, he asked me if I wanted to come back."
Zola declined. Again and again. But there are, he says, no regrets. "I had
such a wonderful time winning the FA Cup and the Cup-Winners' Cup and I
wouldn't change those moments for anything. I shared those moments with
fantastic players who are very good friends. When I meet them now it's like
we never left each other. It goes beyond sport."
That, too, is something he instils in his players. "Skills are very
important but there are things that go beyond skills. The mentality, the
approach, the way you play football."
Now he faces Chelsea once again and, despite an injury crisis, there is a
rallying cry. Attack. "Of course," Zola says. "I'm not going to play one
game when I refuse to attack." It's the claret and blueprint. Zola's way.
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Clarke: Why I had to leave Chelsea for Hammers
Northampton Chronicle
Date: 24 April 2009
Assistant coach Steve Clarke quit Chelsea because he knew there was no
chance of him ever being given the top job at Stamford Bridge. Clarke
enjoyed lengthy spells at Chelsea both as a player and coach but left in
September last year when former Blues star Gianfranco Zola asked him to
become his assistant at West Ham. His move across London stunned Chelsea as
Clarke had previoADVERTISEMENTusly hinted he would only ever leave the club
for a managerial post. Clarke's initial resignation was rejected by Chelsea
but a compensation package was eventually agreed with West Ham that allowed
the former right-back to make the switch to Upton Park. The tough-tackling
Scot helped Jose Mourinho win every domestic honour at Chelsea before the
Portuguese boss left in September 2007 and Clarke was alongside Avram Grant
when the Israeli inspired the Blues to the final of the Champions League
last season. But he found himself marginalised under Grant's replacement,
Luiz Felipe Scolari, and jumped at the chance to link up with Zola at West
Ham because he knew there was no possibility of him stepping into the
hot-seat at Chelsea. "I think I could have been the manager but I don't
think it was realistic that Chelsea would have offered me the job," said
Clarke. "One of the reasons I left was that there was always the danger I
would be labelled as number two at Chelsea. I was there as number two but
then somebody else came in, and then someone else, then someone else and
then someone else. "I had to make a choice. Don't get me wrong it would have
been a great job to have stayed at Chelsea and been number two. I could have
stayed there for the next 10 years, I am sure. But I have personal
ambitions, so I just felt I had to leave Chelsea to further my career. "I
made the step to come to West Ham for personal ambitions. Other people have
to judge whether I have done a good job or not but I think West Ham are
quite happy with what I am doing and Gianfranco is quite happy, so things
are good just now. "Chelsea were very surprised I left them to be a number
two elsewhere, maybe that's why they made it so difficult for me to leave.
"It wasn't a gamble because I knew who I was coming to work with. I wanted
to challenge myself in another way. I felt I could get a manager's job
somewhere, so if it didn't work out, I would have been able to move in
another direction anyway, so it wasn't such a big gamble. "Medium to long
term being a manager is my aim. I have got to be honest, when I was at
Chelsea, the next aim was to be a manager. It was very unusual circumstances
that saw me come across London - I didn't see it coming. "But when I spoke
to the people here and to Gianfranco, they sold the project to me very well.
I am glad I came. "At Chelsea I was working with the cream of the players in
Europe if you like. I was working at the highest level and at a club where
they could solve the problem by buying another player or throwing money at
the problem to solve it. Here, we solve things in a different way. "
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Lampard to be thrown into fray after radio rant
By Mark Fleming
Independent
Saturday, 25 April 2009
Guus Hiddink will send out Frank Lampard to face the abuse of the West Ham
fans this afternoon, despite the England midfielder's fragile emotional
state following an extraordinary rant at a radio DJ yesterday.
The normally laid-back Lampard lost his temper live on London station LBC
over accusations he had forced his former fiancée Elen Rives and their two
young daughters to move out of their home. He rang the station to angrily
confront host James O'Brien and said they should sort it out "man to man".
Lampard's emotional outburst followed accusations by his former partner that
he was being "a bastard" over their split. Yesterday was also the first
anniversary of the death of his mother Pat at the age of 58 from pneumonia.
The England midfielder is always subjected to prolonged abuse at Upton Park,
where he used to be booed even when he was a West Ham player. But the
Chelsea manager said Lampard told him he is ready to play. "If I would
suggest he would rest, he would be very angry," Hiddink said. "Frank is one
of those players who loves to play every day. He's so strong. It's in his
nature to want to play, of course, against his old club. I don't react on
things externally. I only see and talk to my players, and he wants to play."
Jose Bosingwa will play at left-back today, a trial run to see if he can
cope with Barcelona's Lionel Messi in the Nou Camp on Tuesday night. With
Ashley Cole suspended for the Champions League semi-final first leg, Hiddink
is pinning his hopes on right-back Bosingwa to prove himself.
"Bosingwa will start there at West Ham," Hiddink said. "We've practised a
few days in this position. But I have options. We might even change it
during the game. I won't say he'll play on Tuesday. We'll see how things are
going. We have to improvise. But whoever plays against Messi has a
tremendous job to do. He is one of the most productive players in the world
when he's performing."
The defender Michael Mancienne – who has received glowing reports from the
scouts of both Real Madrid and Barcelona – is another option at Nou Camp.
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ZOLA OPENS DOOR TO CHELSEA
Daily Express
Saturday April 25,2009
By Nigel Clarke
GIANFRANCO ZOLA and Steve Clarke have opened the way for an approach from
Chelsea by stalling on signing lucrative new deals at West Ham. The Hammers
managerial partnership put themselves in the shop window today as they
confront their former club in a derby dogfight at Upton Park. It could be
seen as a dress rehearsal for next season, for both Zola and Clarke are on
the Blues shortlist to replace Guus Hiddink. A win for the Hammers would
send out signals that they are the combination to take Chelsea to the next
level. And with West Ham's future tied up in a tug-of-war between Icelandic
banks and would-be buyers, the time might be right for both to consider
their options. West Ham are desperate for both Zola and Clarke to sign, and
talks have taken place. But the duo are in "no great rush" to seal the deal.
The Hammers are keen to head off further interest from Chelsea and they
could put a long-term deal on the table as early as next week. But with
their management team prevaricating, it gives Chelsea time to consider their
options. Initially, they targeted Carlo Ancelotti, of AC Milan, but if their
courting of him runs into problems then they have a ready-made replacement
team to step in. Both Zola and Clarke were legends at Stamford Bridge, while
Clarke has indicated he wants to go into management. "Gianfranco is in
discussions with the club about extending his contract. They have approached
me about the same," he said. "We have had good talks but I have only just
arrived and it will be sorted when it is sorted. There is no great rush, I
have two years left on my contract."
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Noble gestures keep West Ham's rising star's feet on the ground
West Ham midfielder Mark Noble has England ambitions but he also has the
importance of football put in perspective
Paul Doyle The Guardian, Saturday 25 April 2009
A day after signing a new contract that will keep him at West Ham until 2013
and, you imagine, in rude financial health for ever more, Mark Noble is
engaged in the sort of activity some people might describe as the down-side
of the job. A visit to Richard House, an east London hospice for children
with life-limiting illnesses, is not many people's idea of a privilege.
Certainly Noble's 19-year-old team-mate Junior Stanislas, who is being
introduced to this aspect of the profession three days after scoring his
first Premier League goal, seems unsure how to act. Noble is only two years
older but puts his team-mate at ease as they join the kids for art and
gardening activities. "It's always nice to come here," he enthuses after a
visit which is part of the Premier League's Creating Chances campaign. "To
see the facilities and the way the staff are with the kids is just
fantastic. They deserve all the support they can get."
It would be easy to dismiss that declaration as self-serving PR savvy.
That, however, seems cynical when hospice staff confide that Noble, like his
childhood hero Joe Cole, is one of the current or former West Ham players
who help out even when no media are in attendance. It is interesting to
reflect that if Noble had not always had perspective and an appreciation of
the world beyond himself, he would probably still be at Arsenal.
"I was at the Arsenal academy from 10 to 12 and they wanted me to stay there
but that would have been too hard for my dad," he says. "We lived around
here [in Beckton, to be precise] and he worked every day [as a lagger at
Rainham Steel] and had to come home, jump straight in the car and drive all
the way across London to Highbury. I was always a West Ham fan so when we
found out they were also interested in me, I went to a training session with
them, loved it and I've been here ever since."
His senior debut came in August 2004 when West Ham were still in the second
tier. He helped get them back into the top flight via the play-offs, then
came loan stints at Hull and Ipswich and a frustrating wait on the sidelines
before, in the wake of a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Charlton in February
2007, Alan Curbishley turned to him again. That selection may have been a
reflection of the manager's desperation rather than high expectation, but
Noble went on to play a key part in West Ham's great escape from relegation.
Two games into the 2007-08 campaign, with the talisman of the survival
operation, Carlos Tevez, having gone to Manchester United and anger in the
stands still lingering at how close big-spending West Ham had come to
demotion, they were awarded a penalty at Birmingham. Only one player, the
youngest on the pitch, volunteered to take it. Noble scored and ever since
then he has taken all the side's penalties as well as most free-kicks and
corners. Perspective again prevents pressure.
"We were going through a rough time and the crowd were on our backs but I
just think there are worse things in the world than missing a penalty," he
says now. "I want to score but when you think of the soldiers in Iraq with
bullets flying around their heads you realise a penalty isn't something to
get too worried about."
It is not simply because his only siblings are two younger sisters that
Noble has "always felt older than I am". The feeling predates the birth of
his first child six weeks ago ("She's brilliant – we don't get to eat out
much at the moment, and I probably won't get a game of golf again for a good
few years, but it's been the happiest time of my life"). "I've just always
got on with people older than me for some reason," he says. "I used to love
playing with Teddy Sheringham, for example. I played 15 games with him in
the Championship and it was fantastic. I learned a lot about how to be
around football." He pauses, chuckles and adds a caveat: "I don't mean off
the pitch because I think everyone knows how Teddy likes to live his life!"
Sheringham is gone now but plenty of experienced players remain. That many
of them are English is, according to Noble, one of the reasons for the
side's success this term. "Robert Green, Matthew Upson, Scott Parker, me and
Carlton Cole, we've got Englishmen right through the middle of the team and
I think that spirit and that knowledge of the Premier League are why we've
done so well this season. And all the problems we've had, and nearly getting
relegated, that just gives us a real hunger. We really want to get into
Europe."
Qualifying for the Europa League would bring its own problems, given the
gloomy financial forecasts involving West Ham. "To play 19 Europa League
games on top of 38 Premier League games and maybe 10 cup games would be
crazy, you'd be dead at the end of the season! So we'd have to have a bigger
squad, but that's got nothing to do with me, that's up to the management
staff to sort out."
That staff includes Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke, whose arrival at Upton
Park is another reason why West Ham have defied predictions this season and
why their former employers, Chelsea, will not relish today's encounter.
"There have been massive changes since they've come here," says Noble.
"Training, games, the whole set-up is different. Steve Clarke is so
experienced and the drills are so tight. But the main thing about the gaffer
is that he wants the boys to enjoy themselves when they play. Everything's
to do with passing. I think that's showing in our performances. Some of the
goals we've scored over the past few months have been amazing."
Critics have claimed Zola's genial personality and track record as a player
mean it was inevitable he would make a sound early impression as manager but
add that he lacks the required ruthless streak to sustain this success.
Noble disagrees. "If you're not playing well he lets you know. But he's such
a positive man that he doesn't do it in a way that makes you put your head
down and sulk, rather he makes you want to go out and improve for him as
much as for yourself. That's great management."
There is, of course, another Italian manager Noble wants to impress. As the
captain of England Under-21s, he aspires to graduating into the senior team,
perhaps even in time for next year's World Cup. "It's not impossible!" he
grins. "It's certainly one of my aims, I'd be lying to say otherwise. I
think playing for England is the pinnacle of every young English player's
career. If I keep working hard and we keep playing the way we are, I might
get just that chance."
Richard House (http://www.richardhouse.org.uk) would welcome applications
for new volunteers for the hospice
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Ferdinand: Redknapp made me who I am
Sport.co.uk
Author: Andrew Allen
Posted on: 24 April 2009 - 10:23 PM
Rio Ferdinand has nothing but admiration for the way Harry Redknapp has
emerged as one of the best coaches in the English game and feels he owes
everything to the Tottenham boss for turning him into a star.Ferdinand
became the world's most expensive defender when he moved to Manchester
United for £30million in 2002 and the former Leeds United ace will never
forget the way Redknapp gave him his break in the professional game while he
was at West Ham in 1996. Ferdinand said: "Whenever I hear Harry Redknapp on
TV or radio, my first reaction is to smile. "Why? Because Harry will always
remind me of the good times when I was making my way in the game. He is a
man who represents everything that is enjoyable about football. "He was my
inspiration, the manager who took a chance on a gangly, slightly awkward
teenager and gave me the momentum to become a Premier League and Champions
League winner and an England international. "Joe Cole, Michael Carrick,
Jermain Defoe, Frank Lampard, my brother Anton and many others have made a
career in this wonderful game, either at the top or lower down the leagues,
also owe Harry a debt of gratitude."
Tottenham have a woeful record against 'Big Four' opposition, winning only
two of their 66 visits since the Premier League game. Since the Premier
League began in 1992, Spurs have scored just five league goals at Old
Trafford and picked up a meagre three points from a possible48. But
Ferdinand reckons Redknapp is capable of rousing the players ahead of their
daunting trip to Old Trafford on Saturday evening. "Harry makes you feel ten
feet tall. We went out on that pitch believing we were the greatest
footballers that ever lived, whatever our ability. Few managers can walk
into a dressing room and generate an instant feelgood factor the way he
does," Ferdinand added.
"His approach to the games against the big teams was brilliant. All week he
had you working from that moment where you would truly believe you were a
better team than Manchester United or Arsenal."
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Chelsea boss Hiddink: Zola has good potential
25.04.09 | tribalfootball.com
Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink says West Ham United counterpart Gianfranco Zola
has the potential to be a great manager. "I see potential," said Hiddink. "I
haven't seen the younger managers working, but I see some guys who, when you
have a conversation with them or they appear on television, come across very
intelligently. "Zola is one of the guys who can make this change to being a
manager. But I also see some English managers. "Everyone has to start at
high levels sometimes. One can need 500 games and might not feel he's suited
for that job. Another one less. "I haven't seen him (Zola) working. I see
him from the outside. He's a very intelligent man. He was a brilliant
footballer, a very intelligent man and player, and I think he likes to learn
a lot still. But I cannot judge whether he's capable of doing that (managing
Chelsea) now."
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West Ham assistant boss Clarke: I had no influence on Scolari's Chelsea exit
25.04.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United assistant boss Steve Clarke has dismissed claims his
departure from Chelsea led to the downfall of Luiz Felipe Scolari. "I was a
little bit surprised Scolari wasn't a success," admitted Clarke. "The team
started the season great and had some tremendous performances and results.
"Don't forget the run of matches they won away from home and the quality of
some of the football they played, but I don't know what went wrong. I wasn't
there. "It wasn't me leaving. Nobody was saying anything about me when I was
there at the start of the season and the team was playing fantastic. Just
after I left the team was playing fantastic - it is just a coincidence."
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West Ham No2 Clarke: I could've taken charge of Chelsea
25.04.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United assistant boss Steve Clarke believes he was capable of
taking the top job at Chelsea. "I think I could have been the manager but I
don't think it was realistic that Chelsea would have offered me the job,"
said Clarke. "One of the reasons I left was that there was always the danger
I would be labelled as number two at Chelsea. I was there as number two but
then somebody else came in, and then someone else, then someone else and
then someone else. "I had to make a choice. Don't get me wrong it would have
been a great job to have stayed at Chelsea and been number two. I could have
stayed there for the next 10 years, I am sure. But I have personal
ambitions, so I just felt I had to leave Chelsea to further my career. "I
made the step to come to West Ham for personal ambitions. Other people have
to judge whether I have done a good job or not but I think West Ham are
quite happy with what I am doing and Gianfranco is quite happy, so things
are good just now. "Chelsea were very surprised I left them to be a number
two elsewhere, maybe that's why they made it so difficult for me to leave.
"It wasn't a gamble because I knew who I was coming to work with. I wanted
to challenge myself in another way. I felt I could get a manager's job
somewhere, so if it didn't work out, I would have been able to move in
another direction anyway, so it wasn't such a big gamble. "Medium to long
term being a manager is my aim. I have got to be honest, when I was at
Chelsea, the next aim was to be a manager. It was very unusual circumstances
that saw me come across London - I didn't see it coming. "But when I spoke
to the people here and to Gianfranco, they sold the project to me very well.
I am glad I came. "At Chelsea I was working with the cream of the players in
Europe if you like. I was working at the highest level and at a club where
they could solve the problem by buying another player or throwing money at
the problem to solve it. Here, we solve things in a different way. "
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