WHUFC.com
Tony Carr takes his Academy squad to the first Baniyas Youth Championship of
Football this weekend
06.01.2011
West Ham United's Under-18s will escape the wet weather by flying off to Abu
Dhabi for a special youth tournament this weekend. Having been out of
competitive action since defeating Fulham on 11 December, West Ham's FA
Premier Academy League match scheduled for Friday morning has been postponed
due to a water-logged pitch at Little Heath. Thankfully, the players will
not have to wait too long to get back to playing football, as Academy
Director Tony Carr will lead the party on an all-expenses paid trip to the
inaugural Baniyas Youth Championship of Football. The Hammers are one of
four teams taking part, with hosts Baniyas FC, German side Hamburger SV and
Egyptian team Al-Ahly the three other competitors. West Ham begin with a
semi-final against Hamburg on Monday evening before, depending on the result
of that match, contesting the final or third-place play-off on Wednesday.
Carr said he and his squad were about the experience of both training and
playing in a completely different culture. "We will be in Abu Dhabi for six
days and we have all been looking forward to the trip because it is
something different and something new. "It is the first tournament of its
type being run by the Baniyas FC sporting club, who have very generously
invited us on an all-expenses paid trip. "We have been looking forward to
doing some warm-weather training, which is certainly something different for
us in the Academy. "The itinerary we have will also give us the chance to
visit the Formula 1 circuit there, which will be something to behold and
we're also going to a place called Ferrari World, where you sit in a mock-up
of a Ferrari and it whizzes you around like a Wild Mouse at Peter Pan's
Playground on Southend seafront!"
For the latest news from Abu Dhabi, keep a close eye on whufc.com and the
club's official Facebook and Twitter pages.
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Fry extends at Charlton
WHUFC.com
An FA Cup meeting Tottenham Hotspur is on the cards for Hammers youngster
Matt Fry
06.01.2011
West Ham United youngster Matt Fry could be in line for an FA Cup showdown
with Tottenham Hotspur after extending his loan spell at Charlton Athletic
by a further month. Defender Fry, 20, will now remain with the Addicks until
5 February and could be named in the starting XI for Sunday's FA Cup
third-round tie at White Hart Lane. The Academy product has been a regular
starter this season and will hope to keep his place under caretaker manager
Keith Peacock, who replaced Phil Parkinson at the helm earlier this week.
Peacock, West Ham fans may recall, served as a scout and later assistant
manager to Alan Pardew and Alan Curbishley.
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'Take the bull by the horns'
WHUFC.com
Ian Pearce has urged the players to make themselves heroes by leading the
club to safety
06.01.2011
Ian Pearce attained hero status when he thumped an unstoppable last-gasp
equaliser into the top corner at White Hart Lane in April 2002. There were
just seconds remaining when West Ham United's No19 stepped forward and
unleashed a rising half-volley past Kasey Keller to secure Harry Redknapp's
side a memorable 1-1 draw. Nearly nine years later and Pearce has called on
his modern-day counterparts to do likewise and etch their own names in
Hammers folklore by leading the club to Barclays Premier League safety. The
centre-back and occasional emergency striker, now 36, was back at the Boleyn
Ground recently. Pearce was naturally greeted warmly by supporters and staff
alike on his return to the East End. "This is a special club and I was lucky
to come back and see a few people and say 'Hello'. This was a lovely place
to play and I had a fantastic time here. Injuries hampered me a little bit
but, other than that, this was a brilliant place to play. "I'd like to think
we can get out of it. We had a good result against Fulham away so that was a
boost and we need to build on it and take the bull by the horns. "The most
depressing time I had was getting relegated with West Ham. We didn't get
going until after Christmas, but with a bit of luck now there is still time
and a good chance. If we get a good run going, we can get out of it and I
hope we do."
Pearce spent six-and-a-half years with West Ham, making 163 appearances and
scoring ten goals - none of which came in a losing cause. The Suffolk-born
player was part of the side that finished fifth in the Premier League in
1998/99 - the season he also finished second in the Hammer of the Year
voting - and seventh in 2001/02. The memories of playing alongside the likes
of Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, John Moncur, Joe Cole, Steve Potts,
Jermain Defoe and Paolo Di Canio bring a smile to Pearce's face. "When I
looked around we had Rio, Defoe, Carrick and John Moncur, Pottsy and Paolo -
we had some great players here and I was very lucky to be playing with them.
Every now and then, though, as a defender you wondered where everyone else
had gone!"
Inevitably, talk turns to Pearce's unforgettable strike against Tottenham
Hotspur. The home side were leading through Teddy Sheringham's 53rd-minute
goal when a clearance broke to him 25 yards from goal. A first-time
left-foot strike flew past goalkeeper Kasey Keller and Pearce sped off to
celebrate in front of the jubilant travelling supporters. "The Tottenham one
springs to mind all the time. If my boys ever ask me if I did anything
special then that's the one I'm going to pull out. It will never happen
again, though - a half-volley from outside the box with my left foot! I
didn't even know what I was doing at that moment but it was a special time.
"We were one-nil down at the time and I can remember watching it back on the
telly and, because it was right at the end, some of the boys in the stand
had already left. You could see them sprinting back into the ground! That
was a good time. "I honestly don't know how it happened because my left foot
was for standing on! It just dropped down and I remember thinking 'Why
not?'. I later played with Kasey Keller at Fulham and he asked me about it
and how it happened. I really enjoyed that."
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Ba - I'm not a mercenary
Senegal international does not want to be known as 'a capricious guy'
Last updated: 6th January 2011
SSN
Demba Ba does not want to be treated as a 'mercenary' after accusing
Hoffenheim of breaking promises in an ongoing transfer row. The striker has
been in London and has not returned to training with his Bundesliga club
since Christmas because he thinks that a switch to West Ham has been
blocked. Senegal international Ba claims that he was given the 'green
light' to move in the transfer window before going back on the promise.
Hoffenheim general manager Ernst Tannerhas threatened to punish Ba by
terminating his contract and preventing him from playing for any other club,
but the 25-year-old feels he is being treated unfairly. He wrote on his
official website: "I know what I owe to TSG 1899 (Hoffenheim). They brought
me to Germany and they believed in my potential. They helped me improve and
be a good player in the Bundesliga. For all of that, I thank them.
Seniority
"I also know that, with my team-mates and the support of our fans, I had the
chance to give back a lot to my club by scoring a lot of goals and being a
major player in the good performance of the team. "Today I am one of the
oldest players in the team and, due to my seniority, I refuse to be treated
like a mercenary or a capricious guy. "I want to say that I regret this
situation, and I suffer from it. The club gave me a green light to leave
under certain conditions, which have been met; I hope that the promises made
will be fulfilled. "I just want to ask my club to be honest and to respect
the green light that I was given."
Ba was equally intent on joining Bundesliga rivals Stuttgart in 2009, but
was told by Hoffenheim that he must respect his contract, which expires in
2013.
Dream
Hoffenheim are taking the same stance again now and he is accusing them of
scuppering his dream of playing in England. "A club made an offer to
Hoffenheim. From there, I had a talk with our sporting director to discuss
my desire to take one more step in my career and join the Premier League,"
he explained. Ba added: "Both clubs have negotiated and an offer arrived in
Hoffenheim's office. From there, all parties were expected to agree on the
transfer. "However, for some obscure reason, Hoffenheim have suddenly
decided otherwise."
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Upson - We let fans down
Hammers skipper admits Toon thrashing did not do fans justice
Last updated: 6th January 2011
SSN
Captain Matthew Upson has apologised to West Ham's supporters following his
side's humiliating 5-0 defeat at Newcastle. The Toon romped to victory at St
James' Park on Wednesday night to send the Hammers back to the basement of
the Premier League, much to the dismay of the followers who had made the
long trip midweek to the North East. Defender Upson admits he and his
team-mates did not do the fans justice, and insists they will look to redeem
themselves when Barnsley visit Upton Park in the FA Cup third round on
Saturday.
Apology
"I can only apologise for the display," Upson told West Ham's official
website. "Again, it was a fantastic effort from the supporters who came to
watch and we didn't do them justice and that's a shame. "We need to improve
and keep them coming away from home. "They've been great all season and we
will be back on it in the next game."
Upson admits the Newcastle defeat was deflating after a four-match unbeaten
run prior to the clash suggested the Hammers were on the up. "It's very
difficult to sum it up after such a heavy defeat," he said. "We're obviously
very disappointed and need to re-group and get ourselves together after a
good run. "I think we have put a lot of our efforts into our last four games
and had some good results so perhaps this was one step too far for us
because we were really poor. "You need to look at it, pick pieces out of it
and scrap it. That's the best way to move forward. "You can't dwell on it or
over-analyse it so we'll do that and get back to what I would call normal.
Poor
"It was just a poor performance - a poor individual performance and a poor
collective performance and just a poor performance from everybody associated
with the team. We just have to move on." West Ham's next Premier League
encounter comes at home to Arsenal on January 15th, and Upson admits it is
up to the Hammers alone if they want to avoid relegation this season. He
added: "Results have gone poorly but it's all about us and the points we
accumulate. We can't worry about anyone else."
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Grant him two games
Former defender says Hammers can survive
Last updated: 6th January 2011
SSN
Julian Dicks says Avram Grant should be given two more games to save his
West Ham job. The Hammers boss is under increasing pressure following
Wednesday night's 5-0 thumping at Newcastle that sent them back to the
bottom of the Premier League table. A senior club source has told Sky Sports
News HD that the board are 'still undecided' on his future but no official
comment has come out of Upton Park. But Dicks says co-owners David Gold and
David Sullivan need to make a decision sooner rather than later - and says
if the FA Cup tie with Barnsley and the massive game with fellow strugglers
Birmingham don't bring positive results, then Grant should go. "They either
have to back him all the way through the January window and to the end of
the season, or they let him go," he told Sky Sports News HD. "They've got to
make a decision. Me, I would wait until the next two games then if nothing
comes of that, then things have to change."
Dicks also called on Gold and Sullivan to back the manager - whoever it is -
in the transfer window if they want to remain a Premier League club.
He believes they need a left-back, a right-back a centre-back and another
midfielder before the end of January. But more importantly he says they
simply cannot afford to let skipper Scott Parker go. "At the end of the day
they're at the bottom of the Premier League, so there has to be money to
spend, to bring a few faces in, try and give the club a lift and move up the
league," he said. "I think they need a right-back and a left-back, I think
they need a new centre-half and maybe a new midfield player to go alongside
Scotty Parker. We'd all like to have a striker that scores 20 goals a
season, but they cost a lot of money. "They've got to keep him (Parker)
because at the end of the day he's their best player by a long shot. "He's
always going to be linked to bigger clubs by the way he plays; he's got
great ability, he also works hard - and if all the other West Ham players
looked at him and the way he plays, West Ham wouldn't be in the position
they're in."
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We'll have Jay say Hammers
The Sun
Published: Today
WEST HAM boss Avram Grant is set to move for Cardiff's Jay Bothroyd. Fulham
and Stoke have also been linked with the 28-year-old hitman and Cardiff boss
Dave Jones is ready to listen to offers.
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Sidwell is looking Ful of himself
The Sun
Published: Today
STEVE SIDWELL will join Fulham after his move from Aston Villa to Wolves
fell through at the last minute. The 28-year-old midfielder had originally
agreed a deal with West Ham but that also collapsed.
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Hammers Av plan to axe Grant
The Sun
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: Today
WEST HAM'S owners have lost patience with Avram Grant and want him out -
within the next week. The board are already searching for a successor after
deciding they must act now to save the club from relegation. Their biggest
obstacle is finding someone who is available and prepared to take on the
challenge of saving West Ham with less than half the season left. Boss Grant
could go before Tuesday's Carling Cup semi-final first-leg home tie with
Birmingham. Wednesday's crushing 5-0 defeat at Newcastle has sealed his
fate. A Hammers insider said: "It was a very, very bad performance that has
hit the club hard. We made them look like Barcelona. "Grant is likely to be
gone within a week - maybe even four days. He has about a 20 per cent chance
of saving his job. "The club has been inundated with emails and letters from
fans demanding change and it's been a growing call over the past few weeks -
despite the decent Christmas results."
Axed Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce is a leading candidate as is ex-Newcastle
gaffer Chris Hughton. Grant would get around £2million compensation but West
Ham stand to lose around £35m a year if they go down. Hammers may also miss
out on Tottenham striker Robbie Keane. Fulham have jumped to the head of the
queue after Birmingham refused to meet Spurs' £8million valuation. Blackburn
are also in the hunt but it is understood Republic of Ireland international
Keane would prefer to stay in London as his children are settled at school
in the capital. And Spurs boss Harry Redknapp said: " If Robbie doesn't go
I'm more than happy to keep him."
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Grant apologises for St James' stinker
Published 23:00 06/01/11 By Neil McLeman
The Mirror
Avram Grant issued a personal apology to fans last night after the 5-0
thrashing at Newcastle. The West Ham manager's job is on the line again, but
he promised that his side will perform better in their two upcoming cup
games. The shambolic nature of the St James' Park defeat has caused the
Upton Park board to question whether Grant is still the right man for the
job. West Ham have returned to last place, although they are only two points
away from 14th - a much healthier position than a month ago. The Irons had
climbed out of the bottom three after a run of two wins and two draws over
Christmas and New Year. Now Grant has appealed not to be judged on one
performance. "I make no excuses. Everything went wrong last night. But we
must remember the form shown in four previous matches unbeaten," he said.
"Of course, we are not happy with the performance and not happy with the
result, but we did well before now and we will get back to that. Our points
situation has improved with the teams around us. "I am certain we will see a
positive reaction from the team and we have an FA Cup third round tie with
Barnsley and then a huge Carling Cup semi-final first leg with Birmingham to
prepare for now and, most importantly, the game against Arsenal a week on
Saturday."
Hammers captain Matthew Upson used the club's website to say sorry to the
travelling fans who were eye witnesses to the Newcastle loss. "I can only
apologise for the display," said the England defender. "Again, it was a
fantastic effort from the supporters who came to watch and we didn't do them
justice and that's a shame. "It was just a poor performance - a poor
individual performance and a poor collective performance, just a poor
performance from everybody associated with the team. We just have to move
on."
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Bridge building up to Villa switch
Published 23:00 06/01/11 By Martin Lipton
The Mirror
Wayne Bridge is set to join Aston Villa from Manchester City - after West
Ham's cash crisis ruled out a move to Upton Park. Former Chelsea and England
left-back Bridge was poised for a return to the capital from City, only for
West Ham to tell him they did not have the money to meet the shortfall in
his £80,000 per week Eastlands wages. That left the door open for Gerard
Houllier to tie up a deal for the 30-year-old to move to Villa Park until
the end of the season, with a view to a permanent deal. The collapse of the
Hammers' move for Bridge comes after boss Avram Grant also missed out on
signing Villa midfielder Steve Sidwell and Spurs striker Robbie Keane for
similar reasons. Sidwell had been keen on a switch to Upton Park, only for
the cash problems to scupper the move and open the way for Wolves and Fulham
to move for the player. West Ham's lack of money meant initial interest in
Birmingham City-bound Keane petered out swiftly, leaving the injury-plagued
Grant increasingly frustrated by the club's inability to freshen up a squad
that looked dead on its feet in Wednesday's mauling at Newcastle. Grant is
without 10 first team players through injury, with main summer signing
Thomas Hitzlsperger still to kick a ball for the club and defenders Manuel
Da Costa and Lars Jacobsen and midfielder Jack Collison among the long-term
casualties.
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Steve Sidwell's dream move to West Ham United scuppered by Premier League's
new 25-man rule
Telegraph
By Jason Burt 9:25PM GMT 06 Jan 2011
Steve Sidwell has made history. The Aston Villa midfielder is believed to
have become the first player whose transfer has fallen foul of the new
Premier League rules which limit the size of each squad to 25. His move to
West Ham United was agreed before Christmas — loan fees and wages were not a
problem and there was also the happy coincidence that Sidwell came from a
West Ham-supporting family and wanted the move to happen. It appeared to be
a certainty. Sidwell certainly thought so. Except West Ham had already
reached their quota last summer and so had to make a decision — did they
sign Sidwell to bolster their midfield and, as a result, have to drop
another highly paid professional off their list, or did they hope that one
of those players surplus to their requirements would be sold in the first
week of the January transfer window?
Given the club's debts and financial commitments they could not risk paying
for a player who would be kicking his heels for the rest of the campaign
(with £38,000-a-week Benni McCarthy in their ranks it could be argued there
was enough of that already going on at Upton Park). After all, Sidwell is
paid £45,000 a week by Aston Villa.
Much was made when the Premier League introduced its 25-man rule — including
eight home-grown players – although most clubs comfortably came within the
guidelines, with some, such as Chelsea, easily under-shooting. West Ham,
with an older, more experienced and well-paid group, were always in trouble
and so the Sidwell deal has fallen by the wayside. Instead the 28 year-old
will now join Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan until the end of the season.
Indeed he was their guest for the victory over Chelsea on Wednesday.
Wolves had also agreed terms with Villa last month for the player but had
resigned themselves to losing out on him after he passed his medical at West
Ham. The Premier League's bottom-placed club will now restore Valon Behrami
to their ranks after the suggestions that the failure to sell him back to
Italy had scuppered the move for Sidwell. In a difficult market, the new
rules have certainly complicated matters further.
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West Ham actively seeking alternative to under-fire manager Avram Grant
On his way: Avram Grant days are numbered at Upton Park Photo: ACTION IMAGES
By Jason Burt 11:00PM GMT 06 Jan 2011
Telegraph.co.uk
Avram Grant's chances of remaining as West Ham manager were dwindling
rapidly on Thursday night, with the club understood to be actively
considering appointing a replacement for the Israeli. A preferred candidate
has been identified as Grant's successor, with a second name understood to
be on the shortlist, should the club's co-owners, David Sullivan and David
Gold, decide to sack the 55 year-old. It was unclear last night whether a
formal approach had been made, but West Ham have cancelledFriday's press
conference ahead of West Ham United's FA Cup third-round tie at home to
Barnsley, at which Grant was due to speak. The club claimed this was because
of their heavy fixture commitments. Indeed, it is understood that there is
an outside chance that Grant might still be in charge for the game. If so,
it remains possible that he will be sacked before Tuesday's Carling Cup
semi-final first leg against Birmingham City. West Ham could put assistant
manager Wally Downes in charge for the cup games before making a permanent
appointment. West Ham have certainly considered an approach to former
Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce, although it is understood his
financial demands may be prohibitive as he ponders a move to Qatar.
There is also the prospect of an offer being made to the other manager
sacked from the Premier League this season, Chris Hughton, a former West Ham
player. The 5-0 thrashing at Hughton's former club, Newcastle United, on
Wednesday appears to have been a tipping point for Grant, whose team dropped
back to the bottom of the Premier League table. It was the manner of the
loss as well as its emphatic nature which – combined with other results –
has pushed the club's hierarchy into finally deciding that a change is
needed if West Ham are to survive relegation this season. Grant is
understood to believe that he still enjoys the full backing of the club's
board, although he issued an apology, via email, to supporters on Thursday
for the abject nature of the defeat at St James' Park, which was all the
more difficult as Newcastle are now led by former West Ham manager Alan
Pardew. "I make no excuses. Everything went wrong last night, but we must
remember the form shown in four previous unbeaten matches," Grant wrote in a
message that was similar to the explanation he gave to the club's board. "It
is difficult to explain what happened. It was a bad day at the office. Of
course we are disappointed to be back at the bottom but all that matters is
where we will be at the end of the season. Our points situation has improved
with the teams around us.
"It is really frustrating because we had a good Christmas and New Year
period, but this is football. Everything we did went wrong and everything
they did came off. I am sorry for those of you who came a long way [to
Newcastle]. I am disappointed for you to see that performance after what we
had given you in the previous two games. "I am certain we will see a
positive reaction from the team and we have an FA Cup third round tie and
then a huge Carling Cup semi-final first leg with Birmingham City to prepare
for now and, most importantly, the game against Arsenal a week on Saturday."
Sources suggested on Thursday that it was "80 per cent certain" that Grant
would be sacked before that match, even though he signed a four-year deal at
West Ham last summer. His only chance of survival would appear to be an
inability to recruit a suitable replacement in time, but it seems that would
only delay the inevitable. What has shocked West Ham's board is that,
despite an apparent upturn in results before Wednesday, the club remain
rooted to the bottom of the table and unable to pull clear of the threat of
relegation. It may well be that West Ham offer a contract which is highly
incentivised on the club avoiding dropping out of the Premier League. There
are managers such as Martin O'Neill whom they would also consider, although
he may not want to move to Upton Park. The club is also debating whether it
should look at a promising Championship manager such as Norwich City's Paul
Lambert.
If, as expected, Grant is sacked then it will be a decision taken
reluctantly by the club's owners, who have shown great faith in his ability
since he joined from Portsmouth.
However, Grant has struggled to convince the West Ham players that he is
capable of saving the club from relegation and his hands are tied during the
January transfer window unless he can move on some fringe squad members to
make way for new signings.
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Two Steps Forward, one Step Back ….
West Ham Till I Die
Just about encapsulates the way that West Ham's disgraceful capitulation on
Wednesday evening, undermined the progress achieved over the festive period.
The whole performance was shocking both in terms of the managerial
decision-making and the poor application of many of the players.
The manager has been criticised for his selection/tactics, but that is not
the sole reason for the sheer scale of this defeat. Even allowing for the
aforementioned factors, the team should have done better. Our undoing was a
catalogue of defensive errors more appropriate to Hackney Marshes than the
PL. Without being churlish, I certainly do not feel that Newcastle Utd put
in the quality of performance that Alan Pardew claimed in his post-match
interview. The post-match stats in terms of possession, shots on target,
corners, etc, reveals no overwhelming domination by the home side. Even
allowing for the fact that Hammers players underperformed in most positions,
this heavy reverse was principally caused by our abject failure in defence,
all five goals being the product of basic individual and collective
mistakes. In that sense, we handed Newcastle their resounding victory on a
plate!
What on earth happened to all the defensive progress achieved since Wally
Downes' appointment? It was without doubt the worst defensive performance
of the season (surely we cannot defend more poory this campaign?). It is
like they conspired to shoot themselves five times in the same foot! Before
the match I felt that Andy Carroll's absence was a bonus, but such was West
Ham's ineptitude that he was not actually missed by Newcastle.
Of course, a major contributing factor was our failure to learn lessons from
our defeat by Newcastle Utd at Upton Park and, more specifically, the need
to negate Joey Barton's threat on the right flank. Barton is a very good
player, regardless of the disciplinary/conduct issues often associated with
him. And he was certainly the chief architect of this Toon victory. Surely
we should have been prepared to counter him more effectively?
Prior to the match, I also suggested that the one thing we needed to avoid
was a demoralising walloping (optimistically quantified as a 3-0
reverse!!!). God knows what adverse impact this debacle will have upon
squad morale? I feel particularly sorry for Rob Green, James Tomkins, Scott
Parker and Freddie Sears, who were badly let down by their colleagues.
While criticism of Mark Noble, who was clearly lacking match fitness and
playing out of position, is unwarranted.
So, here we are at the beginning of the transfer window, with uncertainty
over the manager's future and, indeed, our transfer targets. The SSN
reports yesterday (if accurate?) stated that a senior club source had
confirmed that the board were 'undecided' about the future of the manager!
Well, just how indecisive and unsatisfactory is that position? It is the
job of the board to take the difficult decisions and they should get on with
it. Of course, if today's Telegraph is to be believed, it could well be
that they are just stalling for time to secure a successor?
As for our transfer activity, it is not shaping up very well, so far, is it?
First we fail to sign Steve Sidwell, supposedly because of the 25 man squad
rule, and then he promptly moves to open negotiations with fellow PL
strugglers, Wolves and Fulham. Now we have the whole emerging controversy
about Demba Ba's availability. If Ba's club are refusing to sell him then
we should accept that and move on to other targets. We must not waste
valuable time waiting for a deal that is unlikely to come come to fruition.
Many fans are skeptical about the club's commitment to invest in the
transfer window. After the disappointments of the last two windows that is
understandable. The board have been making the right noises about bringing
in two or three players. While, Karen Brady in her Sun column has stated
that the club must prioritise players that improve us, rather than those who
are really no better than those already at the club. One can only agree
with that, we need to make better quality signings that can come straight in
to the team and make an instant, positive impact. It also probably means
paying way over the odds to get the right players in. Are the board really
prepared to do that?
Of course, if we need to off-load players from the existing 25 man squad
before we can bring signings in, then that complicates matters. The
possible alternative is to push ahead with the signings and stick any
players displaced on the side lines for the remainder of the season. Are
they prepared to leave the likes of McCarthy and Kovac inactive, whilst
still paying their wages? It's doubtful, but it might just be a case of
needs must!
This whole toxic situation originated in our failure to radically
restructure our squad in the summer. Failure to act then only stored up
problems that now requires 'iron surgery. ' The club should not have got in
that position. Arguably the difference between comfortable mid-table safety
and a relegation struggle can possibly have boiled down to the extra
addition of a class striker in summer window. We could probably have
compensated for the other weaknesses in the existing squad, along as we had
that extra cutting edge. Still, we can not rewrite history, we must learn
from it and proceed from where we currently find ourselves.
It is still all to play for in the bottom half of the PL, but the current
squad urgently needs extra quality added. The real question, and the
ultimate challenge to the West Ham board, is whether they have the ultimate
will to make the type of signings that can virtually guarantee our survival?
Or are we going to rely, yet again, on cut price, 'hit or miss' gambles like
the signings of Mido and Ilan? We shall see?
The home FA Cup tie against Barnsley on Saturday provides a good chance to
both rebuild confidence and shuffle the pack. Personally I would deploy a
4-4-2, with Green, Jacobsen (or Faubert), Brown, Tomkins, Upson, Behrami,
Noble, Sears, Hines, Cole, Obinna. Substitutes: Boffin, Ben Haim, Spence,
Parker, Faubert (or Lee), Montano, Piquionne.
It is a good opportunity to give Jordan Brown his debut at left-back and put
two or so other promising youngsters on the bench. I would also try to rest
the likes of Parker, Stanislas and Piquionne ahead of the forthcoming Caring
Cup semi-final and PL programme; whilst giving Noble, Behrami, Hines and
Cole much needed match time.
SJ. Chandos.
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