Daily WHUFC News - 8th May

West Ham rescue a point against Blackburn but rue Robbie Keane miss
The Guardian

Premier League
West Ham United 1
Hitzlsperger 78

Blackburn Rovers 1
Roberts 12

West Ham United continue to cling to Premier League status by their
fingernails, but this result will demoralise rather than inspire. Within
two minutes of the final whistle here, Robbie Keane miscued from inside
the six-yard box with the goal at his mercy. This club's campaign must
be considered a collective rather than individual failure, but the miss
felt like a nail being hammered into the coffin.

The fact some hope is retained is starting to feel cruel. The London
club have not won a league game in two months and travel to Wigan, a
team hinting heavily at recovery, in the desperate hope that cramming
into their final two fixtures the victories that have proved so elusive
will be enough to prolong a six-year stay in the top flight. In the
context of recent form, that scenario feels distinctly unlikely.

Avram Grant conceded that only success at the DW stadium, where Wigan
are unbeaten since February, will extend his team's chances to the final
weekend. "But I think I'm confident," he said, rather unconvincingly.
"We have a chance to stay up, of course. But we need to win at Wigan."
Regardless, a shudder of grim acceptance must have gone through the
directors' box at the final whistle here. Even the boos from the
neighbouring stands felt half-hearted.

Profligacy remains a problem, but more worrying even than Keane's late
miss was the general lethargy that infected West Ham's play for long
periods. This team wore the haunted look of condemned men at times, the
frantic late pressure whipped up after Thomas Hitzlsperger's skimmed
equaliser, dispatched with wonderful zip and power as Jermaine Jones
dawdled for an instant, masking a pedestrian display.

The lengthy list of absentees may have included the side's better
players – Scott Parker, Matthew Upson, Mark Noble, Gary O'Neil, Victor
Obinna – but the locals were still justified in expecting more. Their
mood turned against the management early in the second half, when Luis
Boa Morte, one of the few home players to offer urgency as he snapped
relentlessly and sometimes wildly into tackles, was replaced. There was
a chorus of abuse, aimed specifically at Grant. The beleaguered manager
appears more isolated by the week.

His post-match assertion that his team are playing "the football we more
or less wanted to play this season" was baffling. If there is sympathy
to be had in the reality that he has been denied three of his
first-choice midfield quartet – it is by no means certain that Parker
will return at Wigan after an achilles complaint – then Grant's
inability to stoke confidence and conviction in this squad is damning.
The co-owners' willingness to offer public criticisms may not have
helped, but a sense of under-achievement prevails.

"It's my responsibility," said Grant. "I cannot argue with the position
we are in. I can argue that the football we are playing is positive and
good, and that we're dealing as well as we can without key players. But
I'm not looking for excuses or saying we have no luck... though we do
need a bit of this. It would help. Every-one, from the kit man to the
owner, wants West Ham to succeed. This was our target. We thought things
would be different. But sometimes people make mistakes." That rather
summed up the muddled nature of life at this club.

They had been prised apart early, Jones feeding the overlapping Brett
Emerton down the right and the Australian's cross by-passing Robert
Green for Jason Roberts to tap in. Blackburn rarely threatened
thereafter, but they appeared comfortable until the latter stages.

"We've had 'positive' results in five of the last seven matches, so
we're one of the form teams in the bottom half," said Steve Kean. "I
don't know what we'll need still, but we keep going."

Keane's late miss, and a fine block by Christopher Samba on Carlton Cole
three minutes into stoppage time, preserved their point. One more, from
games against Manchester United and Wolves, and they will feel assured
of their future at this level. West Ham can only crave being so close to
salvation.
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Grant on... Blackburn Rovers
Knees Up Mother Brown

Avram Grant fights on - whilst fending off some difficult questions
regarding his relationship with his employers...

Avram: a lot of chances to win it in the last ten minutes?

I think all game we were on top of Blackburn - maybe this is the story
of our season. Take all the games that we have drawn where we were on
top of the other team, created a lot of chances. In this game also we
created a lot of chances in the last ten minutes but didn't score. It's
happening again and again and again and it cost us points. But at least
we drew - from one-nil [behind] - so it keeps our chances alive.

Scott Parker missing again today; what's the chance of him playing next
week?

Every week we say 'next week'. When we had a good run we played with a
midfield of Thomas [Hitzlsperger], Scotty, Mark Noble and Gary O'Neil.
Now three of the four are not playing - especially Scott and you know
what his contribution to the team is. I think the other players did well
[but] of course it's better to play with Scotty and the others. No-one
wanted him to play more than me - but if he cannot, he cannot.

Do you concede that you have to win your last two games?

Yes, but it depends on the other results; it will not depend on us after
today. So we need to see if the other result will be what we want it to
be. It will depend on us if we win against Wigan, so we have to win -
and I think we can do it.

What were you saying to Keane after that terrible miss at the end? You
seemed to be in conversation with him.

[long pause] I think a player like Robbie Keane, and others that missed
today - Demba and others - they want to score. They didn't score... I
wish I knew why.

Was it a moment that could define your season?

Absolutely right. But as you know I cannot kill him for this - and I
will not. He [also] had big chances in the last games. I must say that
he arrives at the chances through intelligent movement, something that
we needed more of in the first half of the season. But at the end of the
day, the only thing that counts in putting the ball in the net - and we
didn't.

There is no-one more frustrated than me, because most games this season
have been like this. The footballing side, the effort, I cannot say
anything against the players for most of the games. Of course, not all
the games. Today they gave a lot of effort and were on top of them. But
we don't score and the other team scores - maybe from just one chance.
Maybe we need to learn from Blackburn, they had two or three chances and
scored. At the end of the day, this is what football is all about.

You've sounded very confident all season that you will stay up. Are you
still confident?

Yes. We have a chance, of course, but first we need to win at Wigan. If
we win against Wigan we will be above them on goal difference. This is
the most important game. We always say 'this is the most important game'
but when it's two games to the end [of the season], this IS the most
important game. We need to win; they also want to win - and they are
playing at home - but we have to do it.

Was it too much of a gamble to start Collison?

It was a gamble. I'll be honest and say it was a gamble. We missed
Matthew Upson today - ok, it's a different [position] - but we missed so
many midfield players and three of the four that we had when we had a
good run. Today we played [Jonathan] Spector. Spector is not a
midfielder; ok, he's doing a great job in midfield but we played with
Spector and then we wanted a change so we used Jack Collison.

Of course if everything was normal we could wait a little bit, but I
think he did a good job. He came on with a lot of enthusiasm to play;
he's a very good player. It's not easy to play when you've been injured
for more than a year but I think he did a good job.

Do you think another week will be enough for Scott Parker to come back?

That's what I said two weeks ago so I don't know. I didn't say it was a
bad injury, I said we'd miss him for one game or two but we've missed
him since Man United. Now we know he played the second half against Man
United when he was injured. I say it again, there is no-one more than me
that wants him to play. He's more than a player for me but when he
cannot, he cannot.

Where does this leave you in terms of managing West Ham, in terms of
your position at the football club?

What do you mean?

You've got two games left, you're three points adrift at the bottom -
it's a worse position than West Ham were in last season.

Yes, I cannot argue with the position - I can argue about the football
that we play, I think we're playing positive and good football. I think
we are dealing very well with problems that other teams cannot deal with
- see top teams when they miss one player. We've missed the player of
the year, we've missed other players, so many players. And we've dealt
with this very well by the football side.

Of course I want the results to be better, I'm not a guy that will find
excuses. I'm not a guy who can say there is no luck but we need a little
bit of this, it could help us. But to answer your question, I think you
need to wait and see. We have two games [left], we concentrate on the
football. My position, it's not important.

How much responsibility do you personally accept?

It's my responsibility.

Totally?

It's my responsibility. I'm responsible for all the professional things
that happen in the club.

Was Upson dropped?

No, he was injured. Couldn't play.

Are you happy with the support you and your players have received from
the owners?

I will not answer this question because I think it's a tricky question.
I think that everybody at the club wants West Ham to succeed. Some
people sometimes make mistakes, but everybody from the ticket-man to the
owner wants the team to stay in the league. This was our target, this
was part of our vision. We thought that it would be a little bit different.

But I can tell you that I don't want to speak about the season, but on
the football side we don't have any complaints. This is more or less the
football that we wanted to play this season but we didn't take enough
points until now. But we need to be patient, wait and see and then I
will answer any questions that you want.

The timing of some of the owners' interviews and some of the things
they've said are not really conducive with where West Ham are. They're
not helpful, are they?

You know, I can answer only about what I can do; I cannot answer about
what people do. I don't give them compliments and I'm not criticising
everybody. I'll answer you honestly about what I did good or wrong but
what other people do you need to ask them, not me.
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Hitzlsperger arrests slide but Hammers on the brink
The Independent

West Ham United 1 Blackburn Rovers 1

By Nick Szczepanik at Upton Park

Der Hammer gave the Hammers the most slender of lifelines in their
struggle to avoid relegation yesterday. Thomas Hitzlsperger's
power-packed left foot rescued a point for West Ham and almost inspired
a late surge to victory, but Robbie Keane missed a glorious chance to
hit the winner and the odds remain stacked against the Londoners.

Avram Grant's side arrested a run of five successive defeats, but
another must-win game was not won. They remain bottom of the Premier
League, with virtually no margin for error in their two remaining games,
away to Wigan Athletic and at home to Sunderland.
Related articles

When they most needed a display of intelligence, passion and commitment,
they got the opposite, and but for the German's strike their chances of
climbing out of the bottom three would be nil – not that there was much
to celebrate in a draw against Blackburn, who have been the joint-worst
travellers in the League this year and conceded the most goals away from
home.

Yet again West Ham missed Scott Parker, who had failed to recover from
an Achilles injury. His return, which could come against Wigan next
Saturday, may be too late, and Grant could not be sure that the
Footballer of the Year will be fit even then.

"No one wants him to play more than me, but if he can't, he can't," he
said. "We have a chance to stay up. But first we need to win at Wigan.
If we win against Wigan, we'll be above them. Two games before the end,
this is the most important game. We need to win."

Grant refused to answer questions about his own position, which has
seemed perilous in view of reports of shortlists of possible
replacements having been drawn up, and statements from the owners about
the possible sale of players if the club goes down.

"Everyone, from the kit man to the owner, wants West Ham to succeed," he
said. "I cannot argue with the position. We are missing the Footballer
of the Year and other players, and we're dealing with it as well as we
can. I'm not looking for excuses or saying we have no luck, but we need
a bit of this. You need to wait and see [about my position]. My position
is not important."

Blackburn's failure to hold out for a first victory on the road since 28
December means that their safety is not yet assured. Steve Kean, their
manager, believes that yesterday's result confirms that his team can
take the points they still need from a home match with Manchester United
and a trip to Wolves. "It was a big point," Kean said. "We've had five
positive results in the last seven matches, so we're one of the form
teams in the bottom half. I don't know what we'll need, but we'll try
and keep picking up points."

West Ham began confidently in front of a noisy crowd, but were soon
behind as Manuel Da Costa unaccountably left Jason Roberts unmarked to
stab home Brett Emerton's cross from the right. They made chances as
they looked for a reply – Demba Ba headed Wayne Bridge's cross wide,
Freddie Sears's shot lacked power and Hitzlsperger's rocket shot was
beaten away by Paul Robinson – but it was witless, one-paced stuff for
the most part.

Keane came off the bench as West Ham searched for inspiration, but even
with four forwards there seemed little to suggest a revival until
Carlton Cole rolled a pass to Hitzl-sperger, who struck the ball first
time past an unsighted Robinson from 18 yards.

Could West Ham grab an improbable win? With three minutes to go,
Frédéric Piquionne's low cross from the left put the ball on a plate for
Keane but he miskicked horribly, and the outstanding Christopher Samba
blocked efforts from Cole and Ba in injury time.

"I can't kill [Keane] for that," Grant said. "He had intelligent
movement but what counts is putting the ball in the net. Most of our
games this season have been like this. But at least we drew and kept our
chances alive."

Attendance: 33,789

Referee: Peter Walton

Man of the match: Samba

Match rating: 4/10
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEST HAM 1 - BLACKBURN 1: ROBBIE KEANE BUNGLES HIS BIG CHANCE
Sunday Express

THE moment came for West Ham with two minutes to go, after prolonged
pressure on the Blackburn defence forced a golden chance for Robbie
Keane to score the winning goal and lift them off the bottom of the table.

Keane was two yards out in front of an open net. He missed. He barely
got a touch on the ball.

It was the moment Hammers fans will surely recall as the one that doomed
them if they are relegated.

Right now, their destiny is still just about in their own hands, but
optimism was not fl ooding round Upton Park as the final whistle blew on
this disjointed and undistinguished contest.

Jeers were muted as the players trudged from the field. The mood was one
of quiet resignation to their fate.

West Ham 1 - Blackburn 1

The draw, and the point, suited Blackburn a great deal more – although
they are not out of danger quite yet.

For that they only have themselves to blame. If they had shown a little
more composure and adventure in the final minutes, they could have
snatched a winner themselves.

Manager Steve Kean knew that, but said: "It's a big point for us, and
it's encouraging that we keep getting
positive results.

"I was hoping we could hang on for the win that would probably have made
us safe, but there was also that Keane chance. I was sure he would score
when the ball flashed across the six-yard box."

So was West Ham manager Avram Grant.

"I wish I knew why he didn't get the ball in the net," said Grant. "It
was frustrating for everyone, especially Robbie. We had the chances to
score and didn't take them. It's been like that for us all season.

"We can still stay up. I am confident we can do that, but now we have to
beat Wigan next weekend. If we do that we have a chance."

West Ham have been six seasons in the Premier League, but it didn't look
like it for much of this game.

Their play was often ragged, and for long spells they resorted to
hit-and-hope stuff that is far from the club's tradition of stylish
football.

One particularly inept long ball forward by Manuel da Costa brought
noisy derision from the home fans.

It was a poor display all round from Da Costa, who was badly at fault
when Blackburn took the lead in the 13th minute with a simple goal,
striker Jason Roberts tapping in a cross from Brett Emerton.

He could hardly miss from three yards range, having been allowed space
by the hapless marking of his opponents.

A lead for Rovers was hardly a surprise. Morten Gamst Pedersen had
already shot narrowly wide during a frantic and nervous start, and he
might have scored, too, from another Emerton cross.

Pedersen then popped up on his own line to keep out a header from Da
Costa at a corner.

The Hammers' only weapon much of the time was from set-pieces,
particularly a succession of long throw-ins from Lars Jacobsen.

They were not a threat against the tall, powerful Blackburn defence, for
whom skipper Christopher Samba excelled.

There was more urgency in the second half from West Ham, though there
could hardly have been less.

A thunderous drive from Thomas Hitzlsperger was beaten away by Blackburn
keeper Paul Robinson and Grant went for a final gamble of playing four
strikers at the same time.

Carlton Cole's calmness created the chance for Hitzlsperger to fire home
an equaliser in the 77th minute – and that prompted a cavalry charge finish.

Samba made two superb blocks to keep out goal-bound shots, one at
point-blank range from Cole.

But it was the memory of the Keane miss that endured.

http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 7th May

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West Ham United v Blackburn Rovers: Match Preview
Knees Up Mother Brown

By: Preview Percy

He's been away with the Derby & Joan club - whic came as a surprise to
them since they kicked him out years ago. He is Preview Percy and here's
his take on this weekend's match....

Next we entertain Blackburn Rovers in a 3pm Saturday kick-off at the
Boleyn. TfL have helpfully shut the District line once more - their
excuse earlier this season was that the works are planned 6 months in
advance. They've remained rather silent on the past 4 months though.

Blackburn come into this match on the back of a 1-0 defeat of Bolton
last week, a victory that, whilst not totally easing their relegation
worries, at least pointed them in the general direction of safety. The
win was, however, the only one of their last six games, the other five
results comprising three draws (2-2 at home to Blackpool, 1-1 at the
library and 1-1 at home to Birmingham) and two defeats (2-0 away to
Everton and 1-0 at home to Man City) giving them a return of 6 points
from their last 18 and leaving them six points and four places above us
which, irrespective of our own problems, is still close enough to the
drop zone for them to have genuine concerns - especially if the result
of this match goes the right way from our point of view. Their remaining
fixtures include the visit of Moan Utd - where if the players don't beat
you the ref will - and a last day away trip to Molineux where fellow
strugglers Wolves will also be in "fighting for life" mode.

When we last met these opponents they'd just dispensed with the services
of Allardyce - funny how his surname contains the word "lard" isn't it.
The current incumbent in the hotseat is Steve Kean who, at the time of
our visit to Ewood, had just been appointed d caretaker manager by
Venkey's, the Indian based poultry farming business. Kean now has the
job on a permanent basis (though the definition of that word in football
terms is, of course, flexible in the extreme). There have been
mutterings about the various connections between Kean, his agent and the
sports management group Kentaro with more than one eyebrow being raised
at the potential for conflicts of interest to arise within a club where
agents appear to have a major say in the running of the club. Makes you
wonder what the late Jack Walker would have made of it all.

They have two definite antipodean absentees for this match in the form
of Ryan Nelsen and Vince Grella. Kiwi captain Nelsen's season ended
prematurely following knee surgery in April, whilst Aussie Grella is in
a similar boat, his injury-hit season coming to a spluttering halt with
an Achilles problem.

There are three further players listed on the "subject to fitness-test"
list: Dave "Junior" Hoilett is a striker/winger who hails from Canada,
thus adding to those players from around the Empire amongst the Rovers
squad. Oh ok then "Commonwealth" if you must. Hoilett's career in Europe
began in Germany with loan spells at Paderborn and St Pauli. On his
return to Ewood in 2009 he impressed with a brace in a pre-season
friendly against Leigh Genesis, though his contribution in later
pre-season matches against Westhoughton Pink Floyd, Horwich Emerson Lake
& Palmer and Ince-In Makerfield Van Der Graaf Generator don't seem to
have been recorded for posterity.

Another doubt is midfielder David Dunn. Dunn seemed to have enormous
potential as part of a decent England U21 in the period either side of
the turn of the millennium. Indeed, he even gained full international
recognition, replacing somebody called Kieron Dyer in a 2002
international v Portugal. However, all the early promise seemed to
disappear and a difference of opinion with Rovers boss Graeme Souness
led to his transfer to Birmingham City where he spent 3 ½ seasons
between 2003-2007. During the January 2007 window it looked for all the
world as if he would be signing for Allardyce who, at that time, was
espousing his version of "the beautiful game" at Bolton Wanderers. Dunn
even took and passed a medical but, alerted to the player's apparent
fondness of clubs beginning with the letter "B", Mark Hughes laid out
£2.2m to bring the player back to the club where his career had started.
The deal annoyed the hell out of Allardyce - which was nice - and
saddened the then Birmingham manager Steve Bruce who might have stood
more of a chance of hanging onto the player had he not constantly
referred to him as "Dunny" - a name that will no doubt raise a schoolboy
giggle amongst those who hail from the Australian part of the Empire,
sorry, Commonwealth.

The third fitness test will be taken by 35 year old Spaniard Michel
Salgado, who was once described by then Real Madrid team-mate Steve
McManaman as "a genuine psychopath" . Salgado apparently rejoices in the
nickname "Il Due" which apparently is Italian for the number two.
Aussies, feel free to make up your own punch-line involving Dunny at
this point. The last of the right-sided defender's 53 Spanish caps came
in 2006 and no doubt he was more than relieved to finally escape Real
Madrid in 2009, fulfilling a no doubt long standing ambition to play at
Ewood Park rather than the Bernabau. Of the three fitness test players,
Kean reckons "at least two" will be fit for the match - though rather
unsportingly the Rovers boss wouldn't say which two.

Up front against Bolton the line was led by veteran journeyman Jason
Roberts. Roberts is a nephew of former West Brom (amongst others)
striker Cyrille Regis. Roberts arrived at Ewood from Wigan in 2006 and
is yet another of those apparently ordinary forwards who seems to be
able to wreak havoc with our defence. Other options up front include
Senegalese international Mame Biram Diouf who is on loan from Salford,
and Roque Santa Cruz, who is on loan from Manchester City. Santa Cruz
has yet to score since his return from Eastlands whilst Diouf has netted
three times in his 25 league outings this term.

Their top scorer is Nikolai Kalinic, the Croatian international who has
five league goals this season, though he was one who started from the
bench last weekend, getting 25 minutes in the win over Bolton.

Us? Well if the owners can't be bothered to put in an appearance it does
beg the question as to why I should bother. It's only the editors'
insistence that they will hide my walking frame just before opening time
if I don't write something now that is keeping me putting pen to paper
as we speak.

Team news isn't great. There are major doubts about the fitness of
Footballer Of The Year (Bale? Pah!) Scott Parker and, even if he is fit
to start it's a bit of a dilemma as to whether he should play. On the
one hand, starting him might just kick start the team into better things
in a match from which three points are a must. On the other hand, if (as
reports suggest) his Achilles is still not right, risking him could well
rule him out for the equally as vital last two matches. It's an
unenviable position for the manager. Whichever option Grant goes for
he'll be damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

Mark Noble's season appears to be over - he's suffering from something
that has the brilliant name of Gilmore's Groin, which, coincidentally,
is probably the name of one of those Australian places in the middle of
nowhere which has one pub and one Dunny. There are also doubts over
Upson (dead leg) and Tomkins (knee, though arguably DaCosta if fit might
be the better option to deal with Roberts.

I suppose that there were some crumbs of comfort to be taken from the
performances at Chelsea and Man City. Predictable though the result at
Stamford Bridge was (not least Torres breaking his duck, the result
flattered them. But, as the old saying goes if you don't take your
chances... The true merit of the performance at Eastlands was less easy
to judge. Sure we had our moments but how much they were down to City
taking their collective feet off the pedal is open to question.

So it's down to this. Win and we get to prolong the agony for another
week lose and we may as well all join the owners wherever it is they
chose to go when they can't be bothered to watch us play. I'll go for a
nervy 2-1 win which will have us all looking nervously at the other results.

Enjoy the game!

Last Season: Drew 0-0 - a match devoid of interest

Referee: Peter Walton Poor official who famously sent off Freddie
Piquionne for climbing into the crowd at Everton, despite the fact that
he, er, didn't.

Danger Man: Jason Roberts He's just that sort of player.

Daft Fact Of The WeekStrange talent show winner Susan Boyle, was
actually born in Blackburn. Although it is a completely different
Blackburn, it's still the most interesting thing to have happened within
300 miles of Ewood Park.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sell at your peril, Grant tells Gold

Knees Up Mother Brown

Avram Grant has insisted that West Ham should hang on to their better
players in the event of relegation - 24 hours after co-chairman David
Gold suggested they would be sold.

With just three league games left to play this season - the first of
which comes tomorrow when Blackburn visit the Boleyn Ground - United sit
bottom of the Premier League and three points from safety.

Gold told the BBC yesterday that the squad's English internationals -
Robert Green, Matthew Upson, Scott Parker and Carlton Cole - would
almost certainly depart, should the Irons slip through the trap door.

However Grant - whose position is already under serious threat - accused
Gold of taking a short-term view of the situation, whilst maintaining
his stance that Premier League survival can still be achieved.

"To put West Ham in a good position you need to keep the good players,"
he said. "A good, positive player can help you do that. About the
profile of the squad, the strategy, you need to think more than one year.

"Newcastle were relegated, they kept their team and they are now in the
middle of the league. I can give you many examples.

"Most of the teams in the second division have become much stronger. We
don't want to do it. We want to stay in this league and do it in the
Premier League - and I believe that we can do it."

The Israeli also lambasted some of the club's 'ex-players', who he
claimed had been a negative influence on the club this season.

"Sometimes ex-players forget what they are doing," he blasted. "One of
the [former] players criticising one of our [current] players was
relegated twice at this club. So I think when you point the finger at
others you have to look at yourself.

"If I listen to the voices around us we would have been relegated in
December. All the voices of the former players started to speak in
October and November and said that in January we would be 20 points behind.

"I respect everyone's opinion. Everyone has an opinion. It is good for
people to have opinions, but I don't have to agree with it."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
EXCLUSIVE: Footballer of the Year Parker on West Ham, England and psychology
Daily Star

Since becoming only the second West Ham player after Bobby Moore to be
voted the Footballer of the Year, Scott Parker says things have
definitely improved at home.

'It has helped me out a bit indoors,' he explains. 'All I ever heard
from my seven-year-old son was "Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Frank
Lampard". Whereas Daddy's at West Ham, at the bottom of the league. I
think he was even getting a bit of stick at school. But just the other
day I overheard him talking to one of his friends. "Daddy's Footballer
of the Year, you know," he said. It was nice.'

Like young Frankie, Daddy is immensely proud and he is genuinely excited
to be receiving the prestigious award at a dinner in his honour at the
Lancaster London hotel on Thursday. Not least because he will be joining
a pantheon that includes some of the greatest players the world has ever
seen; from Stanley Matthews in 1948 to Cristiano Ronaldo 60 years later.
From names like Lofthouse, Matthews, Charlton and Best to Keegan,
Dalglish, Keane and Henry.

'I think, when I get there on Thursday and see all the past winners,
it's going to be a bit humbling for me really,' he says. 'I'm over the
moon and I'm really looking forward to the night. The way I am, I never
imagined I'd win it. Especially with us being at the wrong end of the
table. But that's partly what makes it quite nice. The fact that the
writers still appreciate what I've done over the last couple of years.'

For Parker, however, it will be a night of conflicting emotions. A sense
of joy that will be tempered by West Ham's current predicament but also,
on a far more personal level, the absence of the one man he says was his
greatest inspiration; the man who was always there for him and the man
who would have been the proudest of all those present. His father.

On March 18, Mick Parker died after a four-year battle with cancer. A
week before his son finally made his breakthrough as an England player
and a month before his crowning moment.

'That's going to be the biggest miss on Thursday,' says Parker. 'The
fact that my dad isn't going to be there, sitting there with my wife,
Carly, my sister and some of my closest friends. It was the same when we
played against Wales. He would have been chuffed to bits to have seen me
play like that for England. He was old school. Never that forthcoming
with praise, but if he said I'd played well I knew I must have.
Triumph through adversity: Parker's father died earlier this year

'In many ways he was a typical football dad. He worked as a lorry
driver, later as a taxi driver, but he took me everywhere, from the age
of nine. Even for the two years I spent at the national school at
Lilleshall, he travelled up to watch me every weekend.'
PARKER ON WEST HAM:

'It's nice to get personal accolades but if we are relegated it will all
count for nothing '

There is something very British about Parker. Something inside him that
does not crave sympathy for what has happened. He actually asked his
club to try and keep a lid on news of his father's death ahead of the
game against Tottenham he appear ed in the following day.

But at the same time he has no objection to reflecting on the kind of
tragedy that confronts most of us at some point during our lives. 'My
dad was 63 when he died and he'd been ill for a long time,' he says. 'He
was doing really well for a while. But it was probably a year ago when
he started to struggle again.'

On the Friday Mick died at the Maidstone Hospital in Kent, Parker had
gone to visit him after training. 'He was in a pretty bad way,' he says.
'And I remember asking the nurse for some pain relief for him. He was on
morphine and I'm glad he was. If he had known he was dying there's no
way I could have coped with it.
Proud father: Parker's award puts him up there with his sons other heroes

'I stayed with him all the way, until he got comfortable. And we talked.
My dad was a Spurs fan and as I was leaving he said, "Play well
tomorrow. I'll watch you on Match of the Day". I said, "Course I will,
Dad. See you tomorrow".

'That evening I joined up with the team at the hotel, ahead of the game.
But then, at about half 11, I got a call from my sister. My dad had
called her saying he was really struggling and he passed away later that
night. I left the hotel immediately to go to the hospital and after
dealing with things there I went home. I spoke to the medical staff at
the club and said I'd see how I felt in the morning before deciding if I
could play. It was obviously pretty late by the time I got home and I
didn't get much sleep as you can imagine.'

He chose to play because it really was what his dad would have wanted;
because it was the last thing he asked him to do. Parker takes some
comfort in delivering on his promise, performing a vital role in a
goalless draw at White Hart Lane that earned Avram Grant's side a
precious point.

He says it is the finality of death that has shocked him. The
realisation that the conversation they had before he left the hospital
that afternoon really was the last one they would enjoy.
Relegation scrap: Parker is determined to keep West Ham up

Relegation scrap: Parker is determined to keep West Ham up

'That's where I am at the moment,' he says. 'The football has been a
release from it all, but it's hit me harder in the last three weeks
because I've been injured. There's been more time to think about things.
After a game I would always speak to my dad. A couple of times I've
started to call him and then thought, "S**t, he's not going to answer".
That's what gets you, the fact that you're never going to talk to them
again. On the outside I'm trying to be strong for my family but inside I
have to admit it hurts.'
PARKER ON ENGLAND:

'If it hadn't gone well for me against Wales I would not have been
picked again'

It feels slightly inappropriate to steer the conversation back towards
football. 'It's OK,' says this thoroughly decent man. 'My dad wouldn't
be the least bit offended.' So we sit at West Ham's training ground and
talk about how he came to be considered the finest player in the
Barclays Premier League this season; how he finally gained the attention
of Fabio Capello; and how he owes much of it to the help he has received
from the sports psychologist he hopes will be among his guests on
Thursday night.

We divert briefly, however, to the question of which players have
impressed him this season. He declines the invitation to vote for his
Footballer of the Year. 'That's a tough one this season,' he replies.

But he is prepared to name the toughest opponents he has encountered in
the midfield battle zone he inhabits with such distinction. 'The one
player who has really stood out for me this season is Luka Modric,' he
says. 'He's a class player and really hard to play against. Jack
Wilshere, too. He's done exceptionally well and I saw first hand, away
with England, what a good player he is; how mature he is.
In awe: Parker has been impressed by Luka Modric's performances

In awe: Parker has been impressed by Luka Modric's performances

'Modric is difficult to play though, difficult to pick up. He's
obviously quite small, he's got a low centre of gravity. Technically
he's very good. He's got all the attributes. He's got a turn of pace, too.'

Capello would now agree that Parker also boasts some of those
attributes. Even if the Italian did leave the 30-year-old frustrated by
the fact that, having selected him for the pre-tournament training camp
ahead of last summer's World Cup, he did not give him a single minute of
match time to prove himself worthy of a place in the final 23-man squad.

'I don't think I'm any different to the player I was last season,' he
says. 'I'm exactly the same. I was obviously playing some good football
last season because I went to Austria.

'But at that moment in time there were clearly players ahead of me. In
football you always need your chance to come. And this year, with a few
injuries, I have been given another chance.

'Throughout my career I've noticed that when I get a chance I need to
take it. Some players I've seen over the years, get time to breathe a
bit. I can't explain why but I don't think I've ever been afforded that
luxury. I broke into the first team at Charlton at 16, didn't really
take my chance and went missing for the best part of four years.
Psychological battles: Parker feels he over-analysed the game at times

Psychological battles: Parker feels he over-analysed the game at times

'With England it had been the same and I'm sure, had it not gone well
for me against Wales, you never would have seen me in an England shirt
again. It sounds harsh but I certainly felt that was the reality. To be
honest, I thought after the whole experience in Austria it was unlikely
I'd ever get another chance.'
PARKER ON PSYCHOLOGY:

'For a footballer to admit that he might have a mental weakness is not
easy '

He quite rightly feels now that he has 'a foot in the door', that he has
become part of Capello's plans and he says he owes much of that to Mike
Griffiths, the sports psychologist who works with the players at Upton
Park. 'It was probably two years ago that Mike came into my life and
into my career,' he says. 'To find your weaknesses on the field can be
quite easy. If you're weak on your left foot you go and hit some more balls.

'But for a footballer to admit there might be a mental weakness there,
that maybe at times their thoughts decapitate them, that they can't
perform at the level they want to, is not easy. It's not something
players like to admit to, because it does sound like a weakness. Nobody
wants to admit that they've panicked because there's 60,000 people out
there and they can't perform.

'But I realised I was the sort of person who would think a lot and
probably analyse things too much. And at times I felt it was holding me
back, and I knew if I could improve that part of my game it would help me.
Midfield enforcer: Parker has forged a reputation as one of the Premier
League's best midfielders

Midfield enforcer: Parker has forged a reputation as one of the Premier
League's best midfielders

'Mike has helped me no end. Speaking to him, him understanding me, using
different techniques. We speak religiously the day before a game. It's
helped massively.

'He puts things into perspective for me, because it is just a football
match. We are all human. We all feel the same things. I get paid to play
football but I'm also a normal bloke and if I give the ball away three
times on the bounce I'm going to start thinking, "Bloody hell, it's
going to be one of those days". And it's those kind of thoughts that can
paralyse a player.'

Serious injury came just as he was beginning to impress Jose Mourinho
but he does now wonder if his time at Chelsea would have been more
successful had he worked with Griffiths then. 'I was very young when I
went to Chelsea and I had some serious injury problems there,' he says.
'But maybe if I'd known Mike then it would have gone better for me. I
maybe wouldn't have left as soon as I did.

'It's like anything. It's like having kids. My first child was born
seven years ago and it was a lot easier with the third than it was with
the first, because you are older and wiser. It's the same in football.'
Jumping for joy: Parker hopes his renaissance continues

Jumping for joy: Parker hopes his renaissance continues

That wise old head is certainly something West Ham need right now as
they try to secure enough points from their final three matches to
remain in the Premier League.

Parker thinks his chances of appearing today against Blackburn are
remote. The ankle and achilles injury is still extremely sore and, were
it not for the precarious position his club are in, they would not even
consider taking such a gamble.

'I think I'm probably touch and go for the weekend but I should be fine
for Wigan,' he says. 'But because of the pressure the club's under we're
trying everything we possibly can.

'It's very nice to get the personal accolades but, as I've said before,
if I'm driving home after the last game of the season and we've been
relegated it will all count for nothing.

'At the end of the day it's a team game and I'm part of a team, part of
a squad and if we get relegated I'm part of that, too. It's why we all
have to fight, because when a team gets relegated it affects everyone at
the club; the people who can't decide things on the pitch; who have to
rely on us to do that for them.'

That's another reason why he's Footballer of the Year.
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Karren Brady's football diary
The Sun

KARREN BRADY - First lady of football

Saturday, April 30

SPECULATION has it West Ham will be forced to sell our best players
should we go down while it seems Spurs could be in a similar position
because of their likely failure to make the Champions League.

This is the damned if you do and damned if you don't dilemma of
top-level football, which, I believe, brought the resignation of Martin
O'Neill as Villa manager five days before the start of the season.
He'd lost Gareth Barry to Man City and the departure of James Milner to
City a year later convinced him Villa were becoming a selling club.

Rightly, Harry Redknapp fears such a fate for his cleverly-assembled squad.
From the financial trench at our club, I can though report as much
sympathy for Spurs chairman Daniel Levy as for Redknapp, simply because
spending what you don't have can be a risk too far.

Sunday, May 1

THE KNIGHTS of West Ham are busy this weekend.

After Sir Trevor Brooking's appearance at the Royal Wedding, Sir Geoff
Hurst is on the morning airwaves voicing his thoughts on our dreadful
season.
There isn't much he says that I would argue with. He thinks the ability
in our squad ought to have ensured we finish around the middle of the
table and that a move from Upton Park is necessary.

However, he was less than sure about our future well-being at the
Olympic Stadium and in particular about the running track that must remain.

I am certain we can deal with those problems and compete in a
spectacular stadium, so I have absolutely no quarrel with him. Others
continue to fire their poisonous doubts at us, as if our plans to
involve the whole East London community are a sinful delegation of our
duties.

Let positive ideas prevail, I say. And in this mood, even our 1-2 defeat
to Man City is just another setback in the club's great adventure. But I
wouldn't mind some of the relief my husband is experiencing having
confirmed his Burton team are staying up.

Not easy having to play more than half a season's worth of games in
three months, or a game every 3½ days. But, as they say, when the going
gets tough, the tough get going. Well done.

Monday, May 2

WOMEN in football should have been jigging along with Delia Smith
celebrating, as part owner of Norwich, promotion to the Premier League.

We lasses are loyal to those we love. No one more so than Delia. It
takes a bigger commitment to stay that way when things aren't going
well. Two bouts of relegation would have knocked the stuffing out of
quite a few men but our great cook is no chicken.

She and her husband, fellow majority shareholder Michael Wynn-Jones,
are, says Steve Cotterill, manager of today's beaten rivals Portsmouth,
'proper football people.'

I like the homeliness of the East Anglian couple, more impressive
because of a hint of ruthlessness in the acquisition of Paul Lambert,
snatched from Colchester after their neighbours had beaten Norwich 7-1
in the first match of last season.

Tuesday, May 3

THE LOOK of disbelief on Cristiano Ronaldo's face at a disallowed Real
Madrid goal makes me laugh out loud.

There's a lot of talk about summary justice at the moment and, well,
this was poetic. Ronaldo has been falling over non-existent tackles for
years. Here he is again in the Nou Camp, lunging forward in
time-honoured fashion, and he's looking beseechingly at the referee even
as he accidentally nudges Javier Mascherano who himself collapses as if
gunned down.

The referee rules that the Barcelona defender is prevented from tackling
and disallows Gonzalo Higuain's 47th-minute attempt even as it settles
in the back of net. I can practically hear Jose Mourinho choking - and I
don't think he's even in the stadium.

Elsewhere, the mystery of who owns Leeds United is cleared up.

Lo and behold, it's the milkman - Ken Bates. But he's not telling us how
much he paid or even to whom.

Dear old Ken, he has his own rules and he's sticking to them.

Wednesday, May 4

THREE days after West Ham's defeat at Man City, I'm still being reminded
I wasn't at Eastlands.

For the record, I didn't attend because it was my daughter's birthday
and I'm sure I would be more missed by my 15-year-old than by a bunch of
professional footballers. I'm living alone in a one-bedroom flat in
London all week and don't see much of my family in the Midlands, so I
hope Hammers fans will forgive me.

I don't pretend to be a football expert but I do know how to run a
business. We made the first trading profit since anyone in the office
can remember. I realise that doesn't mean a lot to supporters who may
shortly be suffering relegation blues but, behind the scenes, it is
vitally important.

I've also led the campaign to take our club to the Olympic Stadium, an
historic achievement. My simple message to the carpers is this: Bog off.

Thursday, May 5

RYAN SHAWCROSS is crowing again that any jeers aimed at him in the match
against Arsenal at the Britannia will only spur him on.

The Stoke defender ought to be ordered to watch a video of his
leg-shattering assault on Aaron Ramsey. It was gross, the result so
sickening that several players held their faces in their hands.

Shawcross should belt up. Young Ramsey may be playing on Sunday and I
trust that if Shawcross is half the man he should be, he'll step up and
tell him he's sorry.

When our Birmingham centre-back Martin Taylor's mistimed tackle on
Eduardo caused a similarly career-threatening injury, his remorse was so
great he was affected for months.

These things happen but Shawcross is implying he doesn't care about why
Arsenal fans feel the way they do. He should put the record straight
immediately.

Friday, May 6

IT WOULD be dishonest of me to state that David Sullivan is the most
tactful of men but he is incredibly honest in all the interviews he
gives, preferring the truth to spin or PR gain for himself.

Asked a question, he will always answer honestly - and be consistently
surprised when his sentiments or motives aren't understood.

He and joint owner David Gold came to Upton Park with dreams the size of
whales and tomorrow, if we don't win, they could be shrunk to tadpoles,
for a few weeks anyway.

I can practically hear Sullivan's heart breaking at our current
predicament and, while David Gold tries to convey statesmanlike
messages, he suffers as much, but privately.

Unlike the non-British owners of most of our top clubs, my chairmen have
no intention of selling out and spending their time counting their oil
shares.

They have always known West Ham are a marathon task but they, like the
rest of us, just didn't think it would start like this.

So, accepting full responsibility for the current plight, we have to get
on with it - and pray we beat Blackburn.
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JASON ROBERTS VOWS TO HAMMER ANOTHER
The Star

JASON ROBERTS has vowed to fan West Ham's relegation flames by
continuing his remarkable Upton Park scoring record.

Roberts has netted goals for West Brom, Wigan and current club Blackburn
at the Hammers' home.

The striker joined his team-mates at a training ground barbecue on
Tuesday to celebrate assistant boss John Jensen's 46th birthday.

And Roberts has pledged to turn up the heat on Avram Grant's rock-bottom
Hammers.

The Blackburn forward inspiring his struggling side to victory would
almost certainly secure top-flight survival.

The Grenada international said: "This is not a situation you want to be
in near the end of the season – ­fighting near the bottom of the table.

"But at the same time you have to relish the ­challenge.

"There is a lot riding on this, a lot riding on Blackburn staying in the
league.

"We know what it means to the club and to the fans and we are focused on
doing that.

"There are no excuses and there have never been any excuses from us.

"We know we have to do better and that is what we have been endeavouring
to do."

Rovers have not won at Upton Park since Kenny Dalglish was boss in 1994.

But Roberts has enjoyed plenty of personal success – he has scored four
times there.

The striker added: "It's funny because people talk about our
not-so-great record at West Ham.

"But I think of really good memories when I play at Upton Park.

"I think it is going to be a really good atmosphere and they really need
to win.

"I am sure West Ham will turn up and be very passionate as they always are.

"They will look at this game and see it as a good opportunity to turn
their run around and win a game."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News II - 6th May

Blackburn Rovers match preview
WHUFC.Com

WEST HAM UNITED v BLACKBURN ROVERS
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SATURDAY 7 MAY 2011
BOLEYN GROUND
KICK-OFF: 3PM

Introduction

• West Ham United welcome Blackburn Rovers to the Boleyn Ground knowing
a positive result is vital if they are to retain their Barclays Premier
League status. The Hammers go into Saturday's game bottom of the table,
three points adrift of 17th-placed Blackpool.

• West Ham are seeking to end a run of five straight defeats - a 4-2
home loss to Manchester United on 2 April was followed by a 3-0 defeat
at Bolton Wanderers last Saturday. A 2-1 home reverse against Aston
Villa was followed by a 3-0 defeat by Chelsea and a 2-1 loss at
Manchester City last Sunday.

• Blackburn are not safe from the drop, either. Steve Kean's side go
into the weekend 16th in the standings on 38 points - three clear of
18th-placed Wigan Athletic.

• Blackburn have won just one of their last 12 matches in all
competitions. However, that victory did come in their last outing - a
1-0 home Barclays Premier League win over Bolton Wanderers last Saturday.

• West Ham have enjoyed a superb home record against Blackburn in recent
years. The Hammers are unbeaten in their previous 15 matches with Rovers
at the Boleyn Ground in all competitions - including the previous 12 in
the Premier League.

• West Ham's biggest home win over Blackburn came on 4 October 1958,
when the newly-promoted Hammers defeated Rovers 6-3 in a Division One
clash at the Boleyn Ground. A crowd of 25,280 saw Vic Keeble score four
times, while Noel Cantwell and a Matt Woods own-goal completed the
scoring for the hosts.

• Blackburn's biggest victory at the Boleyn Ground occurred on Boxing
Day 1963, when Rovers ran out 8-2 winners. Johnny Byrne scored twice for
West Ham, but hat-tricks from Andy McEvoy and Fred Pickering put Ron
Greenwood's side to the sword.

• The two clubs also met in the 1940 Football League War Cup final at
Wembley, with Sam Small scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory for West
Ham in front of a 42,399-strong crowd.

• Saturday's game will be the 107th meeting between the two sides. West
Ham have come out on top on 41 occasions, while Blackburn have recorded
45 wins and there have been 20 draws.

Last time out

Sunday 1 May 2011
Barclays Premier League
Manchester City 2-1 West Ham United
West Ham United: Green, Jacobsen, Tomkins, Upson (Da Costa 26),
Gabbidon, Spector, Hitzlsperger, Boa Morte (Obinna 79), Sears, Ba, Keane
(Cole 66)
Subs not used: Boffin, Reid, Kovac, Piquionne
Goal: Ba 33

Saturday 30 April 2011
Barclays Premier League
Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Bolton Wanderers
Blackburn Rovers: Robinson, Salgado (Diouf 76), Samba, P.Jones, Givet,
Emerton, N'Zonzi, J.Jones, Olsson, Benjani (Kalinic 64), Roberts
(Pedersen 79)
Subs not used: Bunn, Hanley, Santa Cruz, Rochina
Goal: Olsson 20

Previous meeting

West Ham United came from behind to grab a 1-1 draw with Blackburn
Rovers at a snowbound Ewood Park on 18 December 2010. After a goalless
first half, Ryan Nelsen stabbed Blackburn in front six minutes into the
second period. However, substitute Junior Stanislas kept his cool to
curl the ball beyond Paul Robinson and secure a share of the spoils 12
minutes from full-time. The game was also notable for being Ruud
Boffin's West Ham debut.

Blackburn Rovers: Robinson, Salgado, Samba (P.Jones 57, Hanley 67),
Nelsen, Givet, Emerton, Dunn, Pedersen, E-H.Diouf, Roberts (Benjani 10),
M-B.Diouf
Subs: Bunn, Olsson, Kalinic, Hoilett

West Ham United: Boffin, Ben Haim, Tomkins, Upson, Gabbidon, Spector
(Cole 57), Dyer (McCarthy 82), Parker, Barrera (Stanislas 56), Boa
Morte, Piquionne
Subs: Larkins, Reid, Faubert

Last six meetings
(All Premier League)

18 December 2010 - Blackburn Rovers 1-1 West Ham United
30 January 2010 - West Ham United 0-0 Blackburn Rovers
29 August 2009 - Blackburn Rovers 0-0 West Ham United
21 March 2009 - Blackburn Rovers 1-1 West Ham United
30 August 2008 - West Ham United 4-1 Blackburn Rovers
15 March 2008 - West Ham United 2-1 Blackburn Rovers

Overall record v Blackburn Rovers (all competitions) W 41 D 45 L 20

Background

• West Ham United are unbeaten in ten matches against Blackburn Rovers
in all competitions, winning six of those meetings and drawing the last
four.

• West Ham's leading Barclays Premier League scorer is Frederic
Piquionne with six goals. Carlton Cole and Demba Ba each have five,
while Cole is the club's leading scorer in all competitions with eleven.

• The Hammers' leading appearance maker in the Barclays Premier League
this term is Robert Green with 34. Carlton Cole has appeared in 33 of
West Ham's 35 league fixtures. Green and Cole have each made a
club-leading 41 appearances in all competitions this term.

• Nikola Kalinic is Blackburn Rovers' leading scorer in both the
Barclays Premier League and in all competitions. The Croatia
international has netted five times in the league and six times in
total. Mame Biram Diouf has also netted six times in all competitions.

• Michel Salgado leads Blackburn in terms of Barclays Premier League
appearances made this season with 34. Paul Robinson has appeared 33 times.

• Morten Gamst Pedersen is Blackburn's top creator, chalking up six
assists in the league this term. Frederic Piquionne is West Ham's assist
leader with five.

• Salgado has been booked eight times in the league this season, despite
only giving away 38 free-kicks, while Scott Parker has been shown seven
yellow cards.

Team news

• On-loan left-back Wayne Bridge returns to the squad after missing the
trip to parent club Manchester City last weekend. Jordan Spence is also
available for selection after being recalled from a successful loan
spell at Championship club Bristol City.

• Scott Parker (achilles) remains a major doubt with the Footballer of
the Year having missed the recent defeats at Chelsea and Manchester
City. Mark Noble is also set to be absent for at least another week
after a hernia operation.

• Gary O'Neil is out for the season at least with a serious ankle injury
suffered after an hour of the match against Aston Villa.

• Junior Stanislas has returned to full training after his own hernia
problem while Kieron Dyer has also joined in full training after a
hamstring problem. James Tomkins and Matthew Upson have also been in
training despite knocks at Manchester City last weekend but it remains
to be seen whether they will be fit to play.

• Jack Collison has played four times for the reserves - including two
full 90 minutes - after recovering from his knee injury and was back in
the first-team squad for the trip to Manchester City last weekend.

• Grant is still without long-term absentee goalkeeper Peter Kurucz
(knee), while Frank Nouble (Charlton Athletic) and Olly Lee (Dagenham
and Redbridge) are out on loan. Herita Ilunga is not in the 25-man squad.

• Blackburn Rovers have a number of injury concerns ahead of Saturday's
match. Midfielder David Dunn is sidelined with a calf strain, while
captain Ryan Nelsen (knee) and Australia midfielder Vince Grella
(achilles) have both been ruled out for the remainder of the season.

• Forward Junior Hoilett hopes to return from a hamstring problem, while
Republic of Ireland midfielder Keith Andrews is doubtful with a groin
strain.

Ten-year records

West Ham United

2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
2002/03 Premier League 18th (42 points - relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th (53 points)
2000/01 Premier League 15th (42 points)

Blackburn Rovers

2009/10 Premier League 10th (50 points)
2008/09 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2007/08 Premier League 7th (58 points)
2006/07 Premier League 10th (52 points)
2005/06 Premier League 6th (63 points)
2004/05 Premier League 15th (42 points)
2003/04 Premier League 15th (44 points)
2002/03 Premier League 6th (60 points)
2001/02 Premier League 10th (46 points)
2000/01 Championship 2nd (91 points - promoted to Premier League)

Referee

• Saturday's referee will be Peter Walton.

• The 51-year-old began his refereeing career in 1986, was appointed to
the Football League List of assistant referees in 1993, and the Premier
League List of assistant referees the following year.

• After running the line during the 1996 FA Cup final between Manchester
United and Liverpool at Wembley, Walton joined the FIFA list of
assistant referees and ran the line during the 1996 UEFA European
Championship group-stage fixture between Germany and Czech Republic at
Old Trafford.

• Walton, who lists golf and current affairs among his hobbies, joined
the Football League List of referees in 1998 and joined the Premier
League Select List in 2003.

• Walton's first West Ham United appointment came on 21 November 2004,
when the Hammers were defeated 1-0 at Millwall in the Championship.

• In 2007, he was part of a group of referees who travelled to Ecuador
to undertake an Advanced Course for Referees' Instructors on behalf of
the FA and CONMEBOL.

• The Northamptonshire-born official has taken charge of just one West
Ham United fixture so far this season - the 2-2 Barclays Premier League
draw at Everton on 22 January 2011.

• Walton has been the man-in-the-middle for two Blackburn Rovers
fixtures this season - a 2-1 home Barclays Premier League defeat by
Chelsea on 30 October 2010 and a 1-0 FA Cup Sponsored by EON third-round
win over Queens Park Rangers on 8 January 2011.

• Walton will be assisted this afternoon by Stuart Burt and Ron
Ganfield, while the fourth official will be Andre Marriner.

Old boys

• Lars Jacobsen spent the 2009/10 season and the start of the present
campaign with Blackburn Rovers before completing his move to West Ham
United on 31 August 2010. The Denmark right-back made 16 appearances for
Rovers.

• Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Fred
Blackburn, Martin Britt, John Burton, Herman Conway, Christian Dailly,
Tony Gale, Tommy Hampson, Harry Hindle, Matty Holmes, Marc Keller, Bob
Morris, Ian Pearce, Bob Pride, Syd Puddefoot, John Radford, Robbie
Slater, Matthew Smailes, Percy Smith and Lionel Watson.

General information

• All standard tickets for Saturday's match are SOLD OUT. However, a
number of corporate hospitality packages are still available. Please
call 0871 221 2700 for more details.

• There are extensive engineering works being carried out on the London
Underground network on Saturday.

• The will be no District line service between Embankment and East Ham.
Replacement buses will operate between Liverpool Street and Canning Town
and Mile End and East Ham.

• There will be no Hammersmith & City line service between King's Cross
St Pancras and Barking. Replacement buses will operate between Liverpool
Street and Canning Town and Mile End and East Ham.

• The Circle line will be completely closed and the Metropolitan line
will be closed between Baker Street and Aldgate.

• Due to resignalling works at West Ham, c2c services will be diverted
to run to/from Liverpool Street all weekend, calling at Stratford.
Supporters should note that Fenchurch Street, Limehouse and West Ham
stations will have no c2c services.

• National Express East Anglia services will run to a normal Saturday
timetable.

• Saturday's weather forecast is for light rain and a maximum daytime
temperature of 23C (74F).

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Rallying call from Grant
ITV.Com

West Ham manager Avram Grant has told everybody connected with the club
to forget what might happen and instead focus on securing Barclays
Premier League survival.

The Hammers head into Saturday's vital clash with fellow strugglers
Blackburn languishing rock bottom and on the back of a terrible run of
form, which has seen them fail to win in any competition for more than
two months.

The east London side have three matches left to stave off relegation to
the npower Championship and lie three points off safety. Despite the
need to focus on football, the past few weeks have been peppered with
stories relating to what could happen if the Hammers get relegated.

Last week Grant had to brush off comments from co-owner David Sullivan
after he questioned the players' commitment and survival hopes. The
former Chelsea and Portsmouth manager headed into this week's press
conference on the back of fellow owner David Gold's comments that their
England internationals would have to part from the club if they are
relegated.

"Why do I need to answer that question? If, if, if, if," he said when
asked about the situation regarding the likes of Matthew Upson, Robert
Green, Carlton Cole and Scott Parker. "We want to stay in the league, we
believe we can stay in the league and we believe we deserve to stay in
the league.

"We are playing football that deserves to stay in the league.
Unfortunately, we are on our last players but we think we can go to be
out of this. And we will do everything to do this because it is not easy
but still possible. I don't want to think negatively."

The subject of Grant's own future was also broached after reports
emerged this week suggesting the Hammers have drawn up a list of
potential replacements. Asked about the stories, he retorted: "So what's
new? I am not paying attention to this.

"I say to the players and everybody it is not a time to think about
yourselves. It is time to think about the team. I have been in this job
a long time. I have faced a lot of speculation. I have a job to do and
that is the only thing that is important right now."

The Hammers follow Saturday's clash by travelling to Wigan, before
ending the season with a home match against Sunderland. Grant admitted
the Rovers match could be a "double bonus" as defeat would drag their
opponents into the mire, although he was keen to insist that the match
with Steve Kean's side is his only focus.

"I don't think we need to think about the three games, we need to think
about the next game," he said.

"Tomorrow is the most important because this is very important for us,
as well as for Blackburn. We are only thinking about ourselves, though,
and are not thinking about the next three games after. It is a double
bonus but we are thinking about ourselves," he continued.

"We know that the other teams also do not have easy games up until the
end of the season so first of all we need to do our job and to think
about other things."

Grant could well head into the Rovers match without England
international Parker due to an Achilles complaint that has seen him miss
the recent defeats to Chelsea and Manchester City. Grant admits Parker's
return would be a welcome bonus but says he is "not so optimistic" that
he will be able to include him.

"If he can play I want him to play," he added. "I am not sure what is
80% or 100% but with Scotty you never know. Before the Liverpool game
there was not even a 10% chance he would play but he played. So we need
to wait and see because if he is fit I want him to play."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham chairman should "sit down and shut up"
BetsPlayer

It's unlikely the chant "sit down, shut up" has ever been directed at a
chairman by a football club's fans, but West Ham supporters would be
forgiven for doing just that when David Gold makes his presence felt at
the Boleyn Ground this Saturday.

Gold has done little to endear himself to the Hammers faithful since his
arrival and, along with co-owner David Sullivan and their perennial
crony Karen Brady, has seemingly wilfully undermined the position of
both managers who have had the misfortune of working under the current
regime.

Fans won't need reminding the powers that be at West Ham tried to sign
Graham Dorrans without consulting then boss Gianfranco Zola, or the
reports that suggested Martin O'Neill was set to replace Avram Grant
before the Northern Irishman, so disgusted by the manner in which the
affair had been conducted, pulled the plug on the deal.

No, fans won't need reminding of the behind-the-scenes shambles which
has gripped the club in the last couple of seasons, but it appears Gold
does. Supporters may have been a little surprised to hear their chairman
blames himself for the position the side find themselves in, but closer
inspection reveals he is seemingly as clueless as ever.

"You go over the decisions you have made and yes, you have to take the
blame. At the time you think you have done the best job. When the window
closed I thought we had done enough," he said.

Does Gold really believe the problems facing West Ham only stretch back
as far January? If so, it's a deeply worrying state of affairs – no
chairman is perfect, but it doesn't seem unreasonable to demand they
demonstrate a little tact and self-awareness. Now would have been the
perfect time to keep his mouth shut.

Worse, further comments from Gold in the same interview run the risk of
further denting West Ham's already fragile team spirit. By revealing the
club would be more than happy to sell their stars should they go down,
Gold was essentially saying "don't worry lads, even if we get relegated
you'll all still be playing Premier League football so there's probably
not much point in you trying too hard".

And what about those players who won't be moving on if West Ham end up
in the Championship? How are they supposed to feel about the comments?
They could easily grow to resent those team-mates who will be heading
off to pastures new and a split dressing room isn't what you want in a
relegation scrap. Once again Gold has risked creating a divide at the
club when he needn't have said anything in the first place.

If that wasn't bad enough it seems the chairman is determined to make
himself heard by any means possible – his decision to sign up to the
microblogging site Twitter is testament to that. Gold says he isn't
worried about being abused by supporters who use the service and that is
undoubtedly true – after all, you don't get involved with the kind of
sectors in which Gold made his fortune if you care what other people
think about you.

So perhaps any West Ham fans tempted to give Gold a piece of their mind
on Saturday should save their breath. After all, even if the Hammers do
go down Gold will still be there, sat in the grounds of his mansion,
spouting off to anyone who will listen.
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West Ham v Blackburn
BBC

Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 7 May Kick-off: 1500 BST
Coverage: Watch highlights on Match of the Day; listen on BBC Radio 5
live and local radio; text commentary on BBC Sport website and mobiles

TEAM NEWS

West Ham hope to welcome back their England midfielder Scott Parker, who
has missed the last three games with an Achilles injury.
The Hammers will give Parker a late fitness test and will also assess
defender Matthew Upson, who went off with a dead leg at Man City last week.
Blackburn will give late fitness tests to Junior Hoilett (hamstring),
David Dunn (calf) and Michel Salgado (knee).
Manager Steve Kean says he expects at least two of the three to be
available.

West Ham
Doubtful: Parker (Achilles), Tomkins (knee), Upson (leg)
Injured: Dyer (hamstring), Kurucz (knee), Noble (stomach), O'Neil
(ankle), Stanislas (hernia)

Blackburn
Doubtful: Dunn (calf), Hoilett (hamstring), Salgado (knee)
Injured: Grella (Achilles), Nelsen (knee)

MATCH PREVIEW

West Ham co-owner David Gold has told the BBC's Football Focus programme
that he would let the club's England internationals leave if they are
relegated.
We have to take points this weekend. There is no time to recover after this

With three games to go, that threat is very real. The Hammers are bottom
of the table and three points from safety, having lost five games in a
row. A match against fellow strugglers Wigan comes after this, making it
a huge week for Avram Grant's side.

They may have to face it without the Football Writers' Association
Footballer of the Year, Scott Parker. The England midfielder has missed
the last three games with an Achilles injury but is desperate to be
involved.

Blackburn also have relegation fears, although last week's 1-0 win over
Bolton has given them a bit of breathing space. Rovers manager Steve
Kean believes his side need one more win to guarantee their safety.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• This is the 107th time these clubs have met. Blackburn lead by 45 wins
to 41 - but have failed to win any of the last 10 meetings.

West Ham

• West Ham have failed to win their last six games, losing the last five.

• The Hammers have conceded at least two goals in each of their last
five games.

• Although bottom of the table, West Ham have more points (32) than they
had at this stage last season (31).

• Manager Avram Grant celebrates his 56th birthday on Friday.

Blackburn

• Blackburn's 1-0 win over Bolton last week was their first victory in
11 games.

• Rovers have picked up just one point from their last seven away matches.

• Blackburn are the only Premier League side yet to come from behind to
win this season.

• They have the worst defensive record away from home, conceding 40
goals on their travels.

LEADING GOALSCORERS

Carlton Cole

West Ham

Cole: 11 goals (5 league); Piquionne: 9 goals (6 league)

Nikola Kalinic

Blackburn

Kalinic: 6 goals (5 league); Mame Diouf: 6 goals (3 league)

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Peter Walton

Assistant referees: Stuart Burt & Ron Ganfield

Fourth official: Andre Marriner

LAST LEAGUE MATCH LINE-UPS

West Ham (L1-2 v Man City, a): Green, Jacobsen, Tomkins, Upson (da Costa
26), Gabbidon, Sears, Spector, Hitzlsperger, Boa Morte (Obinna 79), Ba,
Keane (Cole 66).

Subs Not Used: Boffin, Reid, Kovac, Piquionne.

Blackburn (W1-0 v Bolton, h): Robinson, Salgado (Diouf 76), Samba, Phil
Jones, Givet, Emerton, Nzonzi, Jermaine Jones, Olsson, Roberts (Pedersen
79), Mwaruwari (Kalinic 64).

Subs Not Used: Bunn, Santa Cruz, Rochina, Hanley.
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The world is not enough for Karren Brady
The Evening Standard

Karren Brady has an energy and determination that would daunt even
Margaret Thatcher. As vice-chairman of West Ham, she's spent the past
months putting together her team's winning bid to take over the Olympic
Stadium. She's Alan Sugar's sidekick on The Apprentice, sits on the
board of Philip Green's Arcadia Group and writes columns for a national
tabloid and a women's magazine. In her spare time, she's working on her
second book, a guide to empowering young women in business. What's
really astonishing about this superwoman is that she's also managed to
carve out time to conduct a successful private life. She is happily
married to Canadian footballer-turned-manager Paul Peschisolido and is a
devoted mother to their two children - and she doesn't employ a nanny.
Clearly, her juggling skills are beyond anything her players can dream of.

This is immediately clear when we meet in the directors' boardroom at
West Ham. Karren, 42, glamorously curvy in a blue silk MaxMara dress
under a tight black Valentino jacket, is having her face made up, being
briefed by her PA, typing on her computer, eating biscuits and reading
text messages on her phone simultaneously. 'I'm a woman, I can do more
than one thing at a time because I have to,' she says. 'The worst thing
is that it's become an obsession. I now can't just do one thing at a
time. If I'm watching TV, I have to be on the computer or doing a
crossword as well.' The night before we meet, she attended the
Children's Champion Awards, but was worrying about her daughter Sophia,
15, who was cooking dinner for her brother Paolo, 12, for the first time
while their father was at a football match. 'I kept ringing to say, "Are
you OK? Have you burned yourself?" ' she laughs.

Doesn't she ever feel role strain? 'No, not at all,' she says, looking
rather surprised at the idea. 'I can go from doing business with West
Ham into filming for The Apprentice and the next day be in an Arcadia
board meeting or go and sit in the House of Commons for a debate on
something and then come here and negotiate with a footballer. I have the
ability to switch.'

Her unbelievably complicated life is made tougher by geography: while
her job is in London, the plush, gated family home is in the West
Midlands celebrity enclave of Knowle, Solihull, where her children go to
school. Karren has a pied-à-terre in Knightsbridge where she lives four
days a week, returning home on Thursdays just in time to take over the
childcare from her husband, whose job managing Burton Albion football
club demands his full attention at weekends. In Birmingham, she throws
herself into full-on mummy mode, cooking vast meals, cleaning the house
('I'm a clean freak') and taking her children on expeditions. 'We really
don't do anything at the weekend that doesn't involve the family.'
Sophia is an aspiring model, who has a contract with Select and can be
seen on the Lipsy website sporting scarlet shorts, and Karren is always
her chaperone and taxi driver. 'She won't do it if I'm not there,' she says.

All the same, Karren is no pushover as a parent and doesn't use money to
compensate for her absence. 'If you continually give in to children,
they get petulant and spoilt. I can't think of anything I'd like less,'
she says, insisting that her offspring have no idea of the family's
wealth (which is substantial: last year she estimated her fortune at £82
million). In London, by contrast, Karren never cooks (she likes to go
out to Nobu or Scott's or orders takeaways) and sets no limit on her
working day. 'Yesterday, I got up at about 5.30am and got into bed at
midnight. And I'll often get text messages in the middle of the night,
but that's fine because there's nobody else to wake up.'

I don't think I've ever met anyone with such daunting levels of energy.
'When I was younger it was relentless,' she agrees, 'but now I have to
recharge more often. I never used to go on holidays - I used to really
hate the packing and the aggravation but I find I do need more breaks.'
All the same, she remains welded to her BlackBerry at all times. 'I get
500 emails a day. I'd never catch up if I left it at home.'

Karren is kinder to herself since a routine health check in 2006
revealed she had a cerebral aneurysm (a weakening in one of the arteries
in her brain), which could have ruptured at any time. The neurologist
she saw told her he was amazed she'd survived childbirth even once.
Karren underwent emergency surgery and spent several weeks off work. 'I
loathed every minute,' she says. 'I completely understood why being ill
makes people want to change their life. They realise they're married to
the wrong person or they hate their job. But what I realised was how
much I liked my life and that I wanted to do it for as long as
possible.' Her brush with death persuaded her to take more risks, she
says. 'If someone had suggested to me before that I should do The
Apprentice, I'd have thought they were mad. But I thought, "Why not? If
you don't like it, or they don't like you, it won't be the end of the
world." And I loved the show and I loved Alan.'

She joined the team last year, replacing lawyer Margaret Mountford, and
has proved to be one of Sugar's better business decisions. Not only does
she add a much-needed dose of glamour to the show, but her cosy
straightforwardness is a perfect foil to the camped-up bossiness of both
Sugar and his other adviser, former PR consultant Nick Hewer. Has she
been asked to play good cop to Nasty Nick's bad one? 'I am more
nurturing,' she says. 'I want to take them all home with me and help
them. I'm often most impressed by the ones who strut in making
ridiculous claims about how wonderful they are, but a couple of tasks
in, realise that they need to finesse their style and work as a team to
get the most out of the situation. If you want to win, you can't always
be looking out for yourself.' In the forthcoming series, she says Jim is
'one to watch. He's a bit of a smooth operator and always remains very
calm and collected. And Edward is the accountant who doesn't want to be
an accountant. It was quite amusing to see him struggle to break free
from the stereotype.' But she won't divulge who wins (the show is
entirely filmed in advance).

And how does she get on with Sugar? Can he really be as tetchy as he
seems on screen? 'Well, he's very direct,' she says cautiously, 'but
actually he's a great family man and a wonderful grandad. He brings his
grandchildren in and they're all over him. And his wife Ann is so
lovely, you know that the side you see on TV isn't all there is.' This
is generous, given their recent spat over the Olympic Stadium bid. West
Ham won the backing of Olympic bosses after promising to keep the
athletics track in place; Sugar, who used to be chairman of rival
bidders Tottenham Hotspur (which wanted to pull the whole stadium down),
declared it would be a 'white elephant' and a 'disaster for the taxpayer'.

'Alan was…' For once, Karren is lost for words (but I guess livid might
fit). 'I said to him, "I can't imagine what you'd be saying to me if we
weren't friends." I couldn't believe it!' She taps away at her computer
to bring up the Valentine's card he subsequently emailed her, offering
free binoculars with every West Ham season ticket. 'Isn't that funny?'
she says cheerfully, flaunting what she calls 'the world's thickest
skin' that has allowed her to climb unscathed to the top of a sexist
profession.

Karren, who has a brother Darren (yes, really), was brought up in
Edmonton, just outside the Tottenham stadium, ironically enough. Her
father Terry made a multimillion-pound fortune from printing and was
once chairman of Swindon Town FC; her mother Rita was a glamorous
housewife who had her cigarettes dyed to match her outfits. Karren
inherited her father's business acumen: as a child, she was forever
coming up with money-making ventures (at the age of six she put up a
poster in her bedroom window offering massages to passers-by). 'I was
asked to give a speech at my old school, Aldenham in Elstree. They gave
me my file and in it were all these letters I'd written to the
headmaster with ideas for how the school could make money,' she laughs.
'None of them were ever put into action so we can safely say what he
thought of them.'

Super-confident, Karren didn't bother with university but straightaway
set about the business of making her fortune. In her first job, in
telesales for LBC radio, she attempted to persuade porn publisher David
Sullivan to advertise his Daily Sport with the station, and when he
refused, went to persuade him in person, promising him his money back if
he didn't put on sales. He was so impressed by her that he hired her
himself and, when she was just 23, put her in as the MD of Birmingham
City FC. 'People thought it was a publicity stunt,' she admits. 'I'm
sure they all thought that a month later I'd be opening a nightclub. I
was very aware that I had to hit the ground running. In my first year,
we made a trading profit for the first time in the club's history. That
was a real turning point. People thought, "Perhaps she does know what
she's doing after all." ' But how could she possibly have known? 'It's
just instinctive,' she says. 'Put me into a failing business and I know
how to sort it out. It's a gut thing.'

Her job was made tougher by the entrenched sexism of the industry. She
had players commenting on her figure, a journalist asking for her vital
statistics at a press conference, and when she arrived for her first
away game, was invited to sit with the directors' wives because the
directors' box was men only. 'I thought it was the most prehistoric
thing I'd ever heard of in my life,' she says. 'But lots of people in
football in those days had been in it for 100 years. That's how it had
always been and how they always wanted it to be. Can you believe that
women weren't allowed into football boardrooms in 1993?' Similarly, she
was initially not asked to the Professional Footballers' Association
annual dinner. 'Then they phoned me and said they'd decided to let women
come and would I be the first woman guest? I said, "I have to have
dinner with a footballer every night - the thought of having dinner with
a thousand of them? You can keep your dinner." '

Experiences like these have left her convinced, she says, of the need to
ensure diversity in business, 'Because if you're all too like-minded,
you can't see the wood for the trees. You think your colleagues' ideas
are wonderful because they're the ones you'd have had yourself.' By the
time she left Birmingham in 2009, three-quarters of the senior
management team was female. 'And I've brought in senior people here and
they're all women.'

So what does she think of Lord Sugar's recent suggestion that women
should announce in job interviews if they plan to start a family? 'Well,
everyone who runs a business is entitled to their opinion,' she says
tactfully. 'If you're running a small business and people aren't there,
that's a difficult thing to combine with your own ambitions. But if you
say that you'd like children in the next five years and that rules you
out of a job then I don't think that's particularly fair. I don't even
think about those things. I managed to have a family and run a business,
so I don't see any problems.' Not surprising, since she took just three
days off after the birth of Sophia, a decision she regrets. 'Would
anything really have been lost if I'd had three months? I was just in
such a hurry,' she says wistfully.

A fortnight later I catch up with her again, fresh from an Easter break
in Spain with the children. Karren has a splitting headache but is
soldiering on with a day composed of endless meetings - about the club's
website, the transition to the Olympic Stadium - rounded off with a trip
to the US Embassy to get her visa (she's flying to the States shortly
for an overview of the Arcadia businesses out there). Despite the dreary
slog, she remains evangelical about the need to inspire the next
generation of women to come into business. 'I think it's my
responsibility to carve out an easier path for my daughter and her
daughter. Every year I go to a reception at Downing Street for
International Women's Day and every year I see the same people. Where
are the new entrepreneurs, the inventors, the lawyers? They're out
there, but how do we find them? I don't know what I'd do to fix it, but
I have a genuine belief that we should champion young people to do
better. I think that probably is my ambition.'

So she's definitely up for a Big Society role if David Cameron fancies
calling. 'I'm a Conservative supporter, and if they asked me, I'd do
anything for my country. That becomes more appealing to me the older I
get.' And what does she fancy taking on? The education system? The NHS?
'Even if they gave me the sewerage system, I'd give it a good go,' she
says lightly. After all, what's one more ball in the air for a champion
juggler? ES
The Apprentice returns to BBC One on Tuesday 10 May at 9pm; episode two
is on Wednesday 11 May at 9pm on BBC One
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham v Blackburn preview
Teamtalk.Com

Team news for Saturday afternoon's Premier League clash between West Ham
and Blackburn at Upton Park.

Scott Parker is a major doubt for West Ham.

The England international missed the recent defeats at Chelsea and
Manchester City with an Achilles complaint that he is still struggling
with, while fellow midfielders Gary O'Neil (ankle) and Mark Noble
(hernia) will be absent and defender Matthew Upson is doubtful with a
dead leg.

Jordan Spence could feature after being recalled from his loan spell at
Bristol City and on-loan Wayne Bridge returns to the squad after being
ineligible to face parent club City last weekend.

Blackburn will give late fitness tests to Junior Hoilett, David Dunn and
Michel Salgado.

Rovers boss Steve Kean believes at least two of the trio will be
available for the Premier League match.

Ryan Nelsen and Vince Grella are definitely out of the Upton Park clash
where three points would secure Blackburn's top-flight status.

West Ham (from): Green, Jacobsen, Tomkins, Upson, Hitzlsperger,
Piquionne, Spector, Ba, Cole, Boffin, Reid, Da Costa, Boa Morte,
Collison, Keane, Spence, Bridge, Parker, Stanislas.

Blackburn (from): Robinson, Samba, Givet, Olsson, Salgado, J Jones,
Emerton, P Jones, Nzonzi, Dunn, Diouf, Hoilett, Bunn, Roberts, Pedersen,
Hanley, Kalinic, Rochina, Formica, Benjani, Santa Cruz.

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Demba Ba race 'could see Spurs and Chelsea join top suitors Sunderland'
Metro.Co.Uk

A number of top Premier League clubs are believed to be keeping tabs on
West Ham striker Demba Ba, with fellow Londoners Spurs and Chelsea
joining the vultures circling above the relegation-threatened east-enders.

It has been suggested that several clubs, including Sunderland (the
early favourites), Blackburn and Aston Villa, are ready to bid for Ba -
who has been one of the Hammers' stand-out players this season.

But the former Hoffenheim forward, 25, is believed to be more interested
in any offers from other London clubs because he wants to remain in the
capital, even if West Ham decide to cash in.
As such, reported interest from - among others - sixth-placed Spurs and
title-challengers Chelsea is being talked up by Ba's agent, who has
already told the Hammers his client will demand a move if the club drop
into the Championship.

Fulham have also been mentioned as another potentially interested party,
although it is thought manager Mark Hughes is more interested in
bringing in potentially cheaper foreign-based alternatives.

Ba's stock has undoubtedly risen since he arrived in the Premier League
in January for £7million, having scored five goals in nine starts and
frequently looking like the Hammers' most dangerous player.

Blackburn manager Steve Kean - who could be one of the big spenders this
summer under the club's new owners - has already declared himself a fan
of the Senegalese star.

'Ba was one of the serious ones we looked at in January but he decided
to go to West Ham in the end,' said Kean. 'He's done very well at West
Ham and he looks like he can get goals.'

The news comes as West Ham chairman David Gold told the BBC's Football
Focus that he is prepared to let some of the club's biggest names leave
in the summer if the club finish in the Premier League's bottom three.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 6th May

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Ba set to head West Ham's potential firesale
Football Fancast
Written by James Kent

Mirror Football are reporting that if West Ham get relegated star
striker Demba Ba will be on the move, with Aston Villa, Blackburn and
Sunderland are all believed to be interested in the 25 year old. Though
Ba would be one of a number of players that are likely to move on
including; Scott Parker, Matthew Upson, Carlton Cole and Robert Green.

West Ham plays Blackburn this weekend in a match they really must win in
order to give themselves any chance of surviving; scouting has begun for
potential replacements in the event that they are relegated and need to
replace their top stars.

Aston Villa is understood to want to pair Ba with England striker Darren
Bent even if Gerard Houllier doesn't return as manager after his recent
health scare. Ba has made a strong impact on the Premier League since
signing from German club Hoffenheim in January for a fee that could rise
to £6m. Ba has scored 5 goals from his 10 starts, giving him a average
of a goal every two games in the Premier League.

Sunderland will need to add to their fire power in the summer with the
loss of Darren Bent to Aston Villa and Frazier Campbell to injury and
it's been reported they may look to sign up to three new strikers.
Blackburn will be looking for a striker in the summer that can score on
a more consistent basis than their current crop.
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Kean: Parker inclusion may backfire
ITV.Com

Blackburn manager Steve Kean claims West Ham will be taking a risk if
they play a less-than-fully-fit Scott Parker in the relegation clash on
Saturday.

Parker, the football writers' Footballer of the Year, has been
struggling with an Achilles problem but is desperate to help the bottom
club at Upton Park.

Kean however claims such a move could backfire on the Hammers. He said:
"It depends how fit he is. Sometimes if a player is not 100% fit and all
of a sudden has to go off that can have a psychological effect on the
rest of the team."

He added: "That was one of the factors we felt about Junior Hoilett over
the last few games. If he starts and he's not quite right and you have
to take him off after 10 minutes then people can say 'oh no, the
potential talisman is not on the pitch'."

Victory for Rovers will put them on 41 points and should assure them of
safety and Kean cannot see any reason why they should not triumph in London.

He added: "We do not fear these games - we are looking forward to going
and getting points because we are playing well.

"I think it will be an open game, I think they will come and try and
score in the first 15 minutes and will try and get at us. I don't expect
them to be cagey but to try to get the ball up front and try to get the
crowd on their side."

Blackburn will give late fitness tests to Hoilett, David Dunn and Michel
Salgado and Kean has predicted at least two of the trio will be
available for Saturday.

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Ba urges West Ham team-mates to turn performances into points
East London Advertizer
Striker confident can survive the drop

West Ham striker Demba Ba has urged his team-mates to turn their recent
good performances into points and ensure their team survive.

The Hammers are on a run of five consecutive defeats, but spirited
displays against Chelsea and Manchester City in the last two games has
not gone unnoticed by the former Hoffenheim striker.

Ba, who scored in the 2-1 defeat at Eastlands, feels the team are
capable of taking enough points from their final three games to climb
off the bottom of the table and avoid the drop.

"The season is not finished yet. We have three games to go and I think
if we do good in the last three games then we could save West Ham," said
the 25-year-old.

"If we give 100 per cent then if we stay up we will be happy, but if we
are relegated we will go with no regret, but we still have a big chance,
a really big chance.

"I think when you see the way we played the two last weeks, it should be
a surprise (that West Ham are bottom), because we had good games, but if
you miss the chances then you can't get the results.

"They were decent performances against both of them, but at the end of
the day we have got no points and football is just about getting wins or
getting one point to just go forward."
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Paolo Di Canio 'interested' in replacing Avram Grant as West Ham manager
Metro

Paolo Di Canio could be a surprise contender to take over as West Ham
boss, after his agent confirmed he was looking to break into management.

The former striker developed iconic status during his five year stay at
Upton Park, scoring 48 goals in his 118 appearances.

And while the Italian doesn't expect to be offered the role should Avram
Grant be sacked at the end of the season, he would have a hard time
resisting if Hammers chiefs David Gold and David Sullivan made an apporach.

Reports this morning claim West Ham have drawn up a seven-man hit list
of candidates to replace Grant, consisting of **** *******, Paul
Lambert, Malky Mackay, Chris Hughton, Slaven Bilic, Ian Holloway and
Martin O'Neill.

After the botched attempt to replace the Israeli with O'Neill earlier in
the year, it's believed the Northern Irishman would be reluctant to take
the Hammers hot seat should it be offered to him again.

QPR boss ******* will be managing in the Premier League next season
(barring an FA points deduction), as will Norwich's highly-rated coach
Lambert.

Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston has refuted suggestion the Holloway could
leave the Seasiders, even if they are relegated, saying: 'I certainly
hope Ian will be manager next season. And unless he's told you
different, he will definitely be the manager here next season.'

Former Hammer Bilic has never shown much desire to quit his post as
Croatia boss despite offers, while Watford man Mackay rejected the
chance to join Burnley in January and signed a new Hornets deal until 2014.

That leaves life-long West Ham fan Hughton as the most likely candidate,
as he's currently out of work and has valuable experience in the
Championship where he successfully guided Newcastle back to the Premier
League at the first attempt.

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Pre-season tournament announced

Knees Up Mother Brown

West Ham United are set to visit Switzerland this summer to take part in
the 50th Uhrencup.

The four-team competition - Europe's longest-running pre-season
tournament - will also include Swiss teams FC Basel and BSC Young Boys,
plus German side Hertha Berlin and is scheduled to take place between
8th-13th of July.

The Uhrencup, considered the most prestigious non-domestic trophy in
Switzerland traditionally takes place in the Brühl Stadium in Grenchen -
and has done since it was first held back in 1962.

The winners of the tournament are decided by points, with each team
playing two games (there are no knockout stages). The current holders
are VfB Stuttgart, who beat Young Boys, FC Twente and Deportivo La
Coruna to the trophy last season.

West Ham's participation will be the first by a British club since
Celtic in 2007, and the first by an English team since Ipswich featured
in the second tournament way back in 1963.

United are scheduled to face both Young Boys (11th July, 6:00pm kick
off) and FC Basel (13th July, 7:30pm kick off).

The full schedule is as follows:

Friday, 8th July
BSC Young Boys v Hertha BSC Berlin (7:30 pm)

Saturday, 9th July
Galaspiel, Borussia Dortmund v FC Zürich (6:00 pm)

Monday 11th July
BSC Young Boys v West Ham United (6:00 pm)
FC Basel v Hertha BSC Berlin (8:30 pm)

Wednesday 13th July
FC Basel v West Ham United (7:30 pm)
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Keane convinced Hammers will beat the drop
Irish Times

Soccer: Robbie Keane is convinced West Ham can beat the drop and hopes
to play his part in helping to see them safe. The Republic of Ireland
striker is currently taking in a short-term loan deal at Upton Park,
after slipping down the pecking order at Tottenham.

Injuries have prevented him from featuring as often as he would have
liked, but he has managed to net two goals in eight appearances for the
Hammers.

Keane is hoping to add to that tally over the next few weeks, with West
Ham left with just three fixtures in which to bridge the three-point gap
which separates them from Premier League survival.

"There are a few games to go and if we can get a few wins out of them,
if we can get nine or seven points, that could be enough," said Keane,
who is preparing for crucial clashes against Blackburn, Wigan and
Sunderland.

"It's so close down there for those of us that are involved in it, so
it's difficult circumstances, but I still think we have enough to get
ourselves out of it."

Keane's loan deal will expire at the end of the season, meaning he will
be due back at White Hart Lane over the summer.

There appears to be little future for the 30-year-old frontman at Spurs,
but he is keen to put any talk regarding his next move on hold until his
commitments with the Hammers have come to an end.

"We'll see what happens," he said. "I'm just concentrating at the moment
on trying to keep West Ham in the Premier League. We will see what the
situation is in the summer."
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Alpari (UK) sponsors West Ham United's End of Season Gala Dinner

Alpari (UK) Limited ("Alpari (UK)"), a leading global foreign exchange
("Forex", "FX") broker, is proud to be the official Main Event Sponsor
of this year's West Ham United End of Season Gala Dinner on 16 May 2011,
with over 800 guests expected including many current stars and
footballing legends. Alpari (UK) will also present the Best Team
Performance award at the event, held at Grosvenor House on London's Park
Lane.

"West Ham United is a club with a long history and track record. The
gala dinner is a great occasion to celebrate the club's highest
achievers and we are proud to support the event this year."

Andrey Vedikhin, CEO of Alpari (UK), says: "We are proud to be the main
sponsor of the West Ham United gala dinner. It is a great opportunity
for Alpari (UK) to be associated with a football club so well respected
and steeped in tradition. We look forward to celebrating with the
winners of the awards on the night."

David Stuart, COO of Alpari (UK), adds: "West Ham United is a club with
a long history and track record. The gala dinner is a great occasion to
celebrate the club's highest achievers and we are proud to support the
event this year."

West Ham fans wanting to attend the gala dinner can still do so by
contacting the club's corporate sales department on 0871 221 2700.
Tables of ten and a limited number of individual places are available now.

The entire first-team squad – as well as some famous names – will be in
attendance for this glittering event which will be highlighted by the
crowning of the 2010/11 Hammer of the Year. Scott Parker will be hoping
to make it three consecutive wins, a feat that only five-times winner
Sir Trevor Brooking has achieved since its inception for the 1957/58 season.

Several other seasonal awards will also be handed out on the night
including the Best Goal, Save of the Season, Players' Player of the Year
and Top Goal Scorer awards.

You can have your say today by going to whufc.com to cast your vote.

About Alpari (UK)

Alpari (UK) Limited is an award-winning foreign exchange ("FOREX",
"FX"), CFD and precious metals broker headquartered in the heart of the
City of London and with offices in Germany, China and India. Alpari (UK)
is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in
the United Kingdom. FSA Register number 448002. Company No. 05284142.
Alpari (UK) is an independent entity within the group of Alpari companies.

With a history dating back to 1998, the Alpari companies are among the
world's fastest growing providers of online Forex trading services, with
more than 50 offices in cities in over 20 countries, including London,
New York, Shanghai, Dubai, Moscow, Mumbai and Frankfurt. Combined, the
companies look after over 440,000 customer accounts*, generating monthly
trading volumes in excess of $160 billion (November 2010), and employ
over 550 people* worldwide.

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Jacobsen - Players to blame
Hammers defender offers support to manager

Sky.Com

West Ham defender Lars Jacobsen says the players are to blame for their
struggles and not manager Avram Grant.

The Hammers are fighting for their lives as they are bottom of the
Premier League with just three games left in the season.

Grant has come under fire for West Ham's poor form with reports
suggesting the club are looking at possible replacements for the Israeli
should they fail to secure survival.

However, Jacobsen believes it unfair to shift all the blame on the
shoulders on Grant and claims the players must take a good at themselves
for the below-par showings this term.

"I can only speak for myself, and I've enjoyed working with him [Grant]
and I've had a good season under him," Jacobsen told onside.dk.

"It may well be that we have not got the points we should, but you never
know if it would have been different with another manager.

"It's us playing and it would be very wrong for a player to criticize
the manager. "
Lars Jacobsen on Avram Grant Quotes of the week

"As a player you need to look at yourself. "It's us playing and it would
be very wrong for a player to criticize the manager. "It is us players
who need to look at ourselves and perhaps we should have done better
during the season."

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