WHUFC.com
Don Hutchison said West Ham United have the right midfield man in new
recruit Thomas Hitzlsperger
04.07.2010
Thomas Hitzlsperger begins life officially as a West Ham United player this
week and Don Hutchison is in no doubt he will relish life in east London.
The former Hammer is well placed to judge Hitzlsperger's likely impact,
having been a goalscoring midfielder to distinction himself during his
playing days. Hutchison had two spells at the Boleyn Ground as well as
impressive stays at Liverpool and Sunderland, along with a successful
international career with Scotland. "It is exciting times," Hutchison told
WHUTV. "I think Avram will do fantastic. He is looking at the right sort of
players and Hitzlsperger is in that category. He is the type of player mixed
in with the Carlton Coles, Mark Nobles and Matthew Upsons that will take
West Ham forward . I am sure Avram is the manager to push West Ham on.
"Thomas will bring a little bit of steel. He is more a less a British player
with his experience. He knows how to mix the game up. I know what it is like
when you are in a dressing room away from home and you wonder if you can
rely on the players around you. He is one you can to help you grind a result
at Blackburn or Stoke."
Hutchison believed Hitzlsperger could form a strong partnership with Hammer
of the Year winner Scott Parker, offering praise for the way he managed to
dominate last season. "He is a fantastic pro and a great footballer, which I
don't think people give him enough credit for. All these players mixed in
with a couple more new signings, Avram, the chairmen...it could be an
exciting time here."
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Coles keen to get going
WHUFC.com
Robert Green, Peter Kurucz and Marek Stech are all the responsibility of new
goalkeeping coach David Coles
03.07.2010
David Coles has revealed he cannot wait to get under way after being
officially confirmed as the club's new goalkeeping coach. The 46-year-old
will be working with Robert Green, Peter Kurucz and Marek Stech, having just
left Portsmouth where he oversaw the return of David James to the England
reckoning. Coles had previously worked with the likes of Paul Jones and
Antti Niemi during his Southampton days and will not be fazed by the
challenge ahead. "I am delighted to be here," he told whufc.com as he had a
first look around the Boleyn Ground since arriving. "It is a fantastic club
with a great reputation and obviously it is a major force in the Premier
League. "It is a new challenge. It is another England goalkeeper. I have
spoken to Robert and he seems like a fantastic fella. I have obviously
talked to him and seen him when I have been on the opposing side so I know
what he is all about. I am looking forward to working with all three of
them." I was at Southampton for eight or nine years, I was at Portsmouth for
four and a half years. I am quite a loyal person but this is the biggest
club I have been to in my time as a coach. I am excited about the new
season. I can't wait for it to start on Monday and then we have the tour and
games to look forward to."
Coles has a strong working relationship with new manager Avram Grant, built
up from their time together at Fratton Park. "I worked with Avram before
when Harry Redknapp was at the club, he brought him in as a technical
director and from there we built up a rapport. "When he came back as manager
last season it went from strength to strength. I like to think he has faith
in me and I have certainly got faith in him. It was fantastic to get this
all tied up after coming back from Australia where I have been coaching 160
youngsters in 14 days."
Coles relishes working with up and coming prospects and will start work with
just Kurucz and Stech on Monday, the club's Hungary and Czech Republic
Under-21 goalkeepers. He also keeps an eye on Academy prospects, claiming
that honing the talents of youngsters helps to keep him sharp. "I love that
part [working with youngsters]. At Portsmouth I liked to spend time with the
academy goalkeepers and that is what I have been doing in Australia. That is
important for me because as a coach I don't want to go stale and i think you
learn from young kids. "You can implement certain training regimes and
traits into a daily basis with your pro goalkeepers and vice versa with the
younger ones. It is not all about me as a coach, it is about developing the
goalkeepers, improving them and learning myself. The day you stop learning
is the day you stop living."
It is his one-to-one contact with Green that will perhaps dominate once the
new season starts, with the England keeper looking to maintain the fantastic
form that has seen him make 126 consecutive starts in the Barclays Premier
League. "The one-to-one relationship is the most important thing. He has to
trust me and I have to trust him, somedays we will agree and somedays we
won't. It is part and parcel of our job. Coach and goalkeeping coach are
totally different roles. They work with 20 odd players and I work with
probably three or four on a regular basis. The relationship is really
important."
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Fixtures for Outlook
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 2nd July 2010
By: Staff Writer
Download the current Hammers 2010/11 season fixture list for MS's email
client here. (http://www.mediafire.com/?zjqkt2mnnft )
Thanks to KUMB member Hammerite, you can now update your Outlook calendar
with all the current dates for the forthcoming season by downloading this
handy .pst file. All fixtures have been set up as private appointments so
they are hidden from general view - handy for those in a work environment.
To download the file, visit this link at Mediafire.
(http://www.mediafire.com/?zjqkt2mnnft ) Then follow the simple
instructions below.
Instructions
1. Save the .PST file to your desktop (or somewhere equally accessible).
2: In Outlook, select the File menu and then Import/Export.
3. Outlook asks you if you want to import or export. Select the 'Import from
another program or a file' option and hit 'Next'.
4. From this screen, select the 'Personal Folder File (.pst)' option and
click 'Next'.
5. Browse to the downloaded file you have just saved on your
desktop/somewhere else and select 'Next'.
6. Voila. Your calendar should now feature West Ham United's entire fixture
list for the 2010/11 season.
* Our thanks again to Hammerite for producing the calendar.
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Espanyol in for Mexican
Battle on for Barrera
By Patricio Figueroa Last updated: 4th July 2010
SSN
Espanyol and Lazio are leading the chase for Mexican star Pablo Barrera,
according to his club UNAM Pumas. However, they also confirmed there are
other clubs interested - with British sources claiming West Ham and Celtic
are both keen. Manchester United, Tottenham, Juventus and Valencia have also
been linked with the 23-year-old - who impressed at the World Cup finals in
South Africa. But Pumas have confirmed that Espanyol and Lazio are currently
the main two protagonists in the transfer battle. "Espanyol has been one of
the teams that have showed most interest in Barrera, they sent a fax that
arrived to our offices, but nothing has been agreed with them yet," sporting
director Mario Trejo confirmed. "There are a series of processes that we
have to go through, we have to see if the player agrees and also if the club
accepts what is being offered. "We are having negotiations and we can't say
yet in what percentage it's arranged. "There is also interest from other
teams, but we will give them some more time and we will wait for a few days
to see how it advances. "But I must say and be clear about that there isn't
any agreement with Espanyol. "I also have to make clear that it's not true
that Lazio asked for a one-year loan deal.
"For what I know they want to buy Barrera, so, we are waiting for them to
send us something so we are able to start to talk about this."
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Black Cats in for £7m Upson
Published: Today
The Sun
WEST HAM are ready to cash in on England defender Matthew Upson. Sunderland
are preparing a £7million bid for the centre-half. Hammers boss Avram Grant
will also hold talks with Valon Behrami as Roma and Palermo target the Swiss
star.
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Avram has Piq in the mix
Published: Today
The Sun
AVRAM GRANT is set to beat Fulham and West Brom to his old star Frederic
Piquionne. The West Ham boss wants to offer the Lyon striker an instant
return to the Premier League after last term's loan spell at Portsmouth.
Piquionne, 31, hit 11 goals for Pompey under Grant last season and is keen
to be reunited with his old gaffer at Upton Park. Grant wants to pair
Piquionne with Nice front man Loic Remy. But Remy's French club want
£30million for a player who bagged 14 goals last season. The other stumbling
block is the striker has his heart set on a move to Arsenal following his
fine season.
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Scott Parker is not for sale - West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan
Hammers star going nowhere...
By Niall McGlone
4 Jul 2010 21:40:00
Goal.com
West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan claims midfielder Scott Parker is
not for sale. The former Chelsea and Newcastle star was one of the few
shining lights for West Ham last season as the club struggled against
relegation. The 29-year-old was an influential figure in the Hammers
survival campaign last term and new boss Aram Grant will be desperate to
hold onto the tough-tackling midfielder. Parker is thought to have attracted
the attention of several Premier League clubs but Sullivan has dismissed the
sale of one the clubs star players. "Scott Parker really is not for sale,"
Sullivan told the Daily Express. Parker has long been considered the only
player unavailable to leave the club, as almost the entire West Ham squad
was placed on the transfer list in order to raise funds at Upton Park.
Thomas Hitzlsperger has already been brought to the club this summer, while
Brazilian club Santos have reportedly rebuffed the Hammers' £12 million
offer for striker Neymar.
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Cole opens door for shock return to Upton Park?
Guardian Series
Comments by Joe Cole hint at disquiet about how he was used at Chelsea and
his desire to recapture the role he enjoyed at West Ham, after England
bombed out of the World Cup in South Africa with Cole hardly used by boss
Fabio Capello.
6:09pm Sunday 4th July 2010
MIDFIELD wizard Joe Cole craves a return to playing the sort of football he
enjoyed as a West Ham player. Cole is looking for a new employer now he has
quit Chelsea because the club refused to bow to his wage demands. The 28
year-old, who got only 44 minutes of game-time at the World Cup under boss
Fabio Capello, has spoken fondly of how it used to be for him at West Ham.
"I'm thinking about my own future now. I want to play in a more central
position, like I did at West Ham" he said. "When I came through at West Ham
our league was probably the fifth best league in the world," he said. "A
group of us came through at the same time and we were able to do that
because of how things were in England then. "Now, though, the Premier League
is the best league in the world. That means it is much tougher for kids to
break through."
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McCarthy to prove he's no McSlob
Guardian Series
Striker who disappointed last season blames poor form on injury which
triggered weight gain, and vows to impress Hammers' fans next season.
11:00am Saturday 3rd July 2010
BENNI McCarthy is desperate to show he is not a flop to West Ham fans. The
32 year-old striker failed to make a splash at Upton Park after he arrived
from Blackburn Rovers last season. Now he says he has "written off" that
campaign and admitted he still has "loads to prove" to fans. McCarthy has
been training by himself after being snubbed for the South Africa squad at
the World Cup. "I am very determined and that is why I decided to come back
earlier" he said. "I wanted to make a fresh start. What I couldn't do then,
I want to be able to do now."
He begged fans to not hold against him his displays in Claret and Blue last
season, when he was overweight. "I still have loads to prove to the West Ham
fans" he said. "For me, I am like a new player coming in, because last
season I am writing off. "The injury is completely fine and the weight is
back to normal. I have been following my programme since the end of the
season. It is the first time that something like this has happened to me and
I need to make sure it doesn't happen again. "I have been training hard for
two weeks now and it is all off my own back."
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West Ham make £4 million move for Mexico winger
Harry Harris, ESPN
July 4, 2010
Pablo Barrera could be set for a move to London © Getty ImagesWest Ham have
launched a £4 million bid for Mexico World Cup winger Pablo Barrera.
The Hammers believe they are close to a deal with Pumas, as the club that
narrowly survived relegation embarks on a substantial rebuilding process
under new manager Avram Grant. Barrera had a cruciate ligament operation a
year ago so he will undergo a strict medical before signing, but West Ham
have been impressed by his three appearances as a substitute at the World
Cup. Celtic are also chasing Barrera, with Manchester United and Tottenham
also linked with the 23-year-old, but the Hammers feel they have come up
with the financial package to seal a deal. Barrera recently said he would
welcome the chance to play in the Premier League, telling Super Deporte: "I
hope I can go abroad to play in a traditional club in Europe. I like
football in Spain ... the Italian, English, I like various styles of the
game. I aspire to that, I want to be in a good team, that's all I want."
West Ham co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold have also authorised a
£11.1 million bid for Nice striker Loic Remy, 23, and continue their talks
to try to land Santos star Neymar. Lyon striker Frederic Piquionne interests
West Brom, but the Hammers are expecting their bid of £1.2 million to be
accepted and they have the edge of the newly promoted club in terms of
salary.
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WEST HAM STILL WANT NEYMAR
Daily Express
West Ham say they still want to sign Brazilian wonderkid Neymar
Sunday July 4,2010
By Arry Harris
West Ham have confirmed that they have not given up hope of signing
Brazilian wonderkid Neymar. But Upton Park insiders described the move as
"complicated" because of third-party owners. Santos forward Neymar, 18, is
40 per cent owned by an investment group, with a £28.4million release
clause.
In the wake of the Carlos Tevez affair, West Ham would need to buy the
player outright to comply with stricter third-party rules. West Ham denied
that the plan is to allow Chelsea to sign him and loan him out for one
season to acclimatise to Premier League football, but it is possible that
the Hammers will increase their £12m bid. One player who will not be sold is
Hammers player of the year Scott Parker. The midfielder has been linked with
a move to Aston Villa but co-owner David Sullivan revealed: "Scott Parker
really is not for sale." Parker has two years to run on his contract and the
club would only consider an exceptional bid.
Meanwhile, Sunderland lead a posse of clubs chasing Matthew Upson. The
England star has 12 months left on his contract and has asked for time to
consider a move. He has been offered a new three-year deal at West Ham.
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