WHUFC.com
Robert Green believes the togetherness within the squad has helped make it
three clean sheets in a row
04.02.2009
After more than playing his part in helping West Ham United keep three clean
sheets in a row in early December, Robert Green has been slightly less busy
when building up his current trio of consecutive shut-outs.
Bar a brilliant reflex save in the 2-0 win at Hartlepool United and a 58th
minute stop from Jimmy Bullard in the 2-0 victory against Hull City, the
goalkeeper has enjoyed superb protection from those in front of him. Such
was the strength and resilience shown by his team-mates in Sunday's game at
Arsenal, Green only had to make routine catches and clearances despite the
home side seeing more of the ball.
"it's a tremendous effort by everyone and it shows if you don't concede
goals you're not going to lose games," Green said. "The main thing is we
keep going and keep the momentum going in the team and everybody is really
encouraged by our recent run of form. We're playing as a team everyone in
the team is a happy camper and everyone is playing well."
The 29-year-old Green will face another test when the might of Manchester
United visit the Boleyn Ground on Sunday, but Green is, understandably,
optimistic about the Hammers chances of making it nine games unbeaten.
"Confidence is good. The lads will get a rest before that game and Upton
Park will be rocking. They're [Manchester United] are on a tremendous run of
form but we're not doing too bad either. It's competitive so it should make
it a great game."
The draw at the Emirates demonstrated another side to Gianfranco Zola's
team, after they had impressed so much when going forward in recent weeks.
Although Green was happy to pick up the point in north London, he says the
players were disappointed not to have created more going forward. He said:
"We took 20 minutes to get going really, but after a while we started to
play. Going to Arsenal and getting a point is pleasing. I think we could
have done more on the ball but we defended well and we limited their chances
when they attacked."
"We'd have taken a point at the start but we're disappointed we didn't do
ourselves justice in the footballing sense and the lads feel that.
Disappointed is not really the word as we're walking off the pitch saying
"Tremendous point" but we feel we could have played more football."
New signing Savio got his second taste of the Barclays Premier League and
Green was impressed with the new No10's attitude in what could have been a
daunting occasion. "Everyone was working hard and when Savio came on he was
working hard and chasing. I'm sure it's a bit different from Brescia as
running out at the Emirates is a bit different from playing in Serie B. I'm
sure he knows he's still got a lot to learn but he's very young and I think
he knows he's not the finished product just yet."
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Important travel news
WHUFC.com
Fans planning to travel to Sunday's game with Manchester United by tube
should be aware of planned closures
04.02.2009
Fans planning to come to Sunday's game with Manchester United on the
Underground could have their travel disrupted by planned engineering works
on the network.
The District Line is closed between Embankment and Upminster in both
directions, the Circle line is completely closed and the Jubilee Line is
closed between Stratford and Green Park in both directions, meaning the
Hammersmith and City Line is the only line running to the Boleyn Ground.
Any fans travelling from London Euston will need to walk from the main line
station to Euston Square Underground Station and get the Hammersmith and
City line direct to the stadium.
For journey planning and more information visit the TFL website
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Brabrook tips Hammers
WHUFC.com
Former West Ham United hero Peter Brabrook wants to get one over old pal Sir
Bobby Charlton on Sunday
02.02.2009
West Ham United hero Peter Brabrook believes his old side can upset the odds
and beat Manchester United on Sunday.
If anyone knows how to get one over the Red Devils, it is the former Hammers
winger, who tasted victory on five of the nine occasions he lined up against
them. The most famous of those successes came in March 1964, when Brabrook
was part of the West Ham United side that beat Manchester United 3-1 at
Hillsborough to reach the FA Cup final.
Some 45 years on and the Greenwich-born player believes his former club can
recreate history this weekend - ending Sir Alex Ferguson's team's run of 12
consecutive Premier League clean sheets in the process.
"To be fair to Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke, they have done really well
since they came in and the team is playing good football. They have got the
players organised and teams are finding it hard to break us down and score
against us at the moment.
"Full marks to both of them because we have drawn with Liverpool, Chelsea
and now Arsenal away from home and I would not rule us out getting a result
against Manchester United on Sunday. We normally do well against them at
home and have beaten them at the Boleyn Ground the last two seasons. The way
we're playing, I would not be surprised if we did it again."
Brabrook, who roomed with Manchester United star Sir Bobby Charlton during
England's trip to the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, is hoping to be at the
stadium on Sunday to meet his former team-mate and honour the memory of
ex-West Ham United and England legend Bobby Moore, who he lined up alongside
as the Hammers lifted the FA Cup in 1964 and European Cup Winners' Cup a
year later.
Sunday's match will see the club raise the profile of the Bobby Moore Fund
for Cancer Research UK, the charity founded following the death of England's
1966 World Cup-winning captain. Moore, who made his debut against Manchester
United on 8 September 1958, died after battling bowel cancer in February
1993.
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Dalla Bona holds Hammers talks
Italian free agent hoping for Zola reunion
By Nadia Carminati Last updated: 4th February 2009
SSN
Former Chelsea midfielder Sam Dalla Bona has held talks with Gianfranco Zola
about the possibility of training with West Ham. The Italian is a free agent
after recently leaving Napoli and he has approached ex-Stamford Bridge
team-mate Zola. Dalla Bona - who made 55 appearances for Chelsea between
1999 and 2002 - has revealed that he was approached by Serie B side
Triestina on winter transfer deadline day, but he remains keen to return to
the Premier League. And the 27-year-old has confirmed that he has discussed
the possibility of linking up with Zola, who is set to approach the Hammers
hierarchy regarding the subject. "In the last hours of the transfer window,
Triestina did approach me, but I have another idea in mind," he told
Gazzetta dello Sport. "I spoke with Zola and I asked him about the
possibility of training with West Ham because free agents have until March
to find a new club. "Zola told me he will ask the officials. I wait for an
answer."
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Former Chelsea star Dalla Bona hoping to team up with Zola again at West Ham
By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 3:24 PM on 04th February 2009
Daily Mail
Former Chelsea midfielder Sam Dalla Bona has approached Gianfranco Zola
about the possibility of training with West Ham. The 27-year-old Italian is
a free agent after recently leaving Napoli and he has contacted ex-Stamford
Bridge team-mate Zola about a return to London. Dalla Bona - who made 55
appearances for Chelsea between 1999 and 2002 - was approached by Serie B
side Triestina on transfer deadline day, but favoured a return to the
Premier League.
And the 27-year-old has confirmed that he has discussed the possibility of
linking up with Zola. 'In the last hours of the transfer window, Triestina
did approach me, but I have another idea in mind,' he told Gazzetta dello
Sport. 'I spoke with Zola and I asked him about the possibility of training
with West Ham because free agents have until March to find a new club. 'Zola
told me he will ask the officials. I wait for an answer.'
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Curbishley's fear for Hammers
by Kirk Blows. Wednesday, 04 February 2009
thelondonpaper.com
ALAN CURBISHLEY believes West Ham may regret allowing so many players to
leave Upton Park in the January transfer window. The Hammers held on to most
of their top stars despite constant speculation that the current financial
climate would force big-money sales. But the wage bill was still heavily
reduced, with nine members of the first-team squad leaving and only Savio
Nsereko and Radoslav Kovac being added to it. Craig Bellamy, Matthew
Etherington and Hayden Mullins were sold for a total of £17m, while Lee
Bowyer, Julien Faubert, Calum Davenport, Nigel Quashie, Kyel Reid and Jimmy
Walker have been loaned out. And former boss Curbishley, who quit the club
earlier in the season after disputing player sales, believes the Hammers
could be left short if they suffer injuries. Curbishley told Sky Sports
News: "I don't think they could have let any more players go. "Quite a lot
of the fringe players have left and I think it's left them a little bit
short.
"They seem to be having the luck I never had regarding injuries, they have a
settled side and they are playing well. "But a few injuries here and there
can change all that."
Chief executive Scott Duxbury revealed the Hammers had been hoping to add
more players to the squad before Monday's deadline. Panathinaikos defender
Bryce Moon and Dinamo Bucharest's Sergiu Homei were both linked with moves
to Upton Park. And Duxbury said: "We'd been looking at a couple of the
manager's targets but a deal couldn't be concluded."
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Tottenham sorry to miss out on 'not very nice' Craig Bellamy
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Metro.co.uk
Tottenham assistant coach Tim Sherwood has revealed the club were keen to
sign Craig Bellamy, 'because he is not very nice'. Former Liverpool and
Celtic striker Bellamy left West Ham during the January transfer window to
join Manchester City in a deal believed to be worth £14million. However,
Sherwood insists bad-boy Bellamy may have been just what the club needed to
stir things up in the dressing room at White Hart Lane. 'That's why we tried
so hard to get Craig Bellamy because we've lots of nice guys at the club
and, no disrespect, but Craig Bellamy is not very nice,' said Sherwood. 'The
guy is a winner and he'll let people know if they are not pulling their
weight.'
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Sam's The Man for the Hammers
Published: Today
EX-CHELSEA star Sam Dalla Bona is on trial with West Ham. The Italian
midfielder, 27, is a free agent after he was released by Napoli. And he
hopes to earn a contract with the Hammers by impressing boss Gianfranco Zola
who he played with at the Blues. He said: "In the last hours of the transfer
window, Triestina did approach me but I have another idea in mind. "I spoke
with Zola and I asked him about the possibility of training with West Ham
because free agents have until March to find a new club. "Zola told me he
will ask the officials. I wait for an answer."
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No more Freddie Ljungbergs
They once typified the excesses of modern football, but West Ham are now a
much leaner operation – as their dealings in the January transfer window
have shown.
By Jason Burt
Independent.co.uk
After nine years at Arsenal, Freddie Ljungberg signed for West Ham for £1.5m
in July 2007 on a four year contract, in the middle of the former chairman
Eggert Magnusson's spending spree
There is a document at West Ham United called the Football Project. It
could, alternatively, be entitled the Freddie Ljungberg Legacy as it was
drawn up with the fallout from the midfielder's ill-fated, hugely expensive
move from Arsenal to Upton Park in mind. Its author is the club's chief
executive, Scott Duxbury, and it is the template by which West Ham have
rebuilt themselves, overhauling everything from their scouting network,
medical facilities – to reduce a crippling injury list – coaching and the
way they buy and sell players.
In Duxbury's words, it was an end to the "haphazard way of spending money"
and the start of a model of working that would lead to the club being
self-sufficient, not reliant on a wealthy benefactor and certainly not – as
had been predicted following the Carlos Tevez saga, the financial travails
of its owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson and the fallout from the departure of
manager Alan Curbishley – in the business of conducting a fire sale in the
January transfer window. If anything, the window is a relief for West Ham as
it means they can provide concrete evidence that they are not in crisis.
Clubs have been circling, with bids and inquiries received for Craig
Bellamy, Scott Parker, Matthew Upson, Valon Behrami and others. Duxbury
insists that the only players that will be allowed to go are those on a list
agreed by the manager Gianfranco Zola and the technical director Gianluca
Nani, such as Matthew Etherington (who has joined Stoke) and Calum Davenport
(whose move to Bolton fell through but is likely to move anyway).
Having said which, Duxbury says they are not afraid to sell. Everyone has a
price and Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on the £15m valuation for
Bellamy. But he expects Parker and Upson to stay and insists there there is
now a crucial difference. West Ham will now sell only when they are ready
and point to the record of Manchester United. They are one of the best
selling clubs in the world. David Beckham is moved on, but only when they
have Cristiano Ronaldo – younger, cheaper, better – to slot in. They sell on
their terms and that is West Ham's goal and one of the goals of the Football
Project.
The first step was the recruitment of Nani from the Italian club Brescia.
Duxbury interviewed Leonardo, Milan's technical director, and Franco
Baldini, with the latter declining the role because he was due to become
England's general manager following Fabio Capello's appointment. But Baldini
recommended Nani. With the Italian on board, West Ham then implemented a
plan to reduce their first-team squad to a "core" of 20 players plus
goalkeepers, with the reserve team a place for young, up-and-coming talents,
rather than older players returning to fitness. The average age of the
reserves would be 18 and they would play the same style of football as the
first team so they could slot straight in when needed.
To do this required an improved network of scouts and, certainly, a better
medical department. Injuries had to be prevented. So West Ham again raided
Serie A – this time taking Marco Cesarini and Giorgio Gasparini from Milan's
medical lab. The latter is famed for working with Filippo Inzaghi, who
overcame serious knee problems and is still playing at the age of 38. It is
no coincidence that West Ham's injury record is now vastly improved.
This was all done with Curbishley as manager but when he walked out,
claiming he had been undermined over transfers, it did give West Ham the
opportunity to recruit a different style of manager. A coach. Duxbury came
close to appointing Roberto Donadoni but then, in Rome, met Zola. He read
through the Football Project and found it chimed with his own ambition.
"He's got an incredible reputation as a winner and he wouldn't do anything
to risk that so he agreed to join on the basis of the Football Project,"
Duxbury said.
"He believed it was the way to achieve success and it's what excites him.
What's lost in football is that people think the only way to be successful
is to buy great players, but why can't you coach them into great players?
Take Freddie Sears and let Zola work with and teach him how to be a striker.
If you buy Kaka you defeat the object, you buy success. We want to create
it."
To that end, Zola also made clear he didn't want a big squad. The final part
of the personnel was the recruitment of Steve Clarke from Chelsea to give
Zola support, especially with defensive coaching, and to bring his knowledge
of working with Jose Mourinho and add experience. It is why West Ham paid
substantial compensation for the Scot.
Duxbury, Nani, Zola and – sometimes – Clarke meet on a daily basis away from
Chadwell Heath, West Ham's training ground, to discuss and appraise the
squad, what the aims and targets should be. At the training ground, there is
no talk of contracts, money, business, just coaching, tactics, fitness. The
players know not to ask Zola about contracts and the manager doesn't deal
with agents. That business is taken care of by Nani and Duxbury.
West Ham believe their project is working. Performances are better, results
improving. "This isn't new," Duxbury said. "What's new is putting together
all the different parts with a clear structure – scouting, medical,
business, coaching – so that they are separate but work together.
"The club has a bad history of being seen as a selling club. We don't have
to sell but we shouldn't be afraid to sell. But only on our terms. You
constantly re-evaluate the squad. So if a bid comes in we appraise it: how
old is the player, what's his worth, what's his worth to the team, and have
we identified a better player in his position? If the answer is yes, then we
do it. If no, then we don't. But the final decision rests with the manager."
West Ham may be sold. Gudmundsson is looking for a buyer but he maintains
that, despite his financial problems, he doesn't need to sell. And the
presentations that are being made, to potential owners, are on the basis of
the Football Project continuing.
Case study 1 How not to do it:
After nine years at Arsenal, Freddie Ljungberg signed for West Ham for £1.5m
in July 2007 on a four-year contract, in the middle of the former chairman
Eggert Magnusson's spending spree. He earned an astonishing £85,000 a week,
a significant increase in his Arsenal wages despite being 30 when he was
signed. There was also surprise that West Ham paid a fee when it was
believed he could leave for free. Ljungberg struggled and made just 25
appearances for West Ham, plagued by injuries and poor form, and was
eventually paid off, receiving 50 per cent of the remainder of his contract,
which amounted to around £3m. He has since signed for the MLS team Seattle
Sounders.
Case study 2 How to do it
The 27-year-old left-back George McCartney had probably his best ever season
in the last campaign, playing all 38 Premier League games following his
arrival from Sunderland in exchange for Clive Clarke plus £600,000 in the
summer of 2006. But he made it clear he wanted to return to Sunderland last
August and was eventually sold for £6m. West Ham signed the little-known
Congolese defender Herita Ilunga from Toulouse on loan as his replacement.
The club were fiercely criticised for the sale of McCartney and arrival of
Ilunga. A year younger than McCartney, Ilunga has been a major success and
is set to sign a deal, with West Ham taking up an option to buy him for
£1.5m in the summer.
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Faubert: Say that you love me
Setanta.co.uk
by Laurent Picard , 04 February 2009
Real Madrid's most surprising signing in history, Julien Faubert, has
declared that he deserves more credit from the fans. The West Ham defender
remains under contract with the East London club, but he will finish the
season in Spain with the mighty Real Madrid. Eyebrows were raised when the
Frenchman's move to the Spanish capital was announced, and the man himself
has said he would like football fans, especially the French ones, to be
happy for him. But the versatile player is determined to prove his doubters
wrong. Faubert told L'Equipe: "That's the French mentality: instead of being
happy for me, because there's a new French player at Real Madrid, they
prefer to criticise my move. "C'est la vie. I know people are waiting for me
to make a mistake, but I am a very proud person and I'm going to do anything
to make things turn my way." Despite the fact he is on loan to the Santiago
Bernabeu, Faubert believes that Los Merengues, whose chairman was recently
forced into resigning, have long term plans for him. He added: "This proves
that the club have a long term project. It also proves that a team such as
Real don't take a player on impulse or to please him."
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West Ham v Manchester United preview
10:50am Wednesday 4th February 2009
Guardian Series
West Ham v Manchester United
(Premier League)
Sunday, February 8, 4pm
LAST MEETING: Manchester United 2-0 West Ham (29-10-08) A first-half brace
from Ronaldo was enough to see the Premier League champions past the Hammers
last time out.
LAST TIME AT EMIRATES: West Ham 2-1 Manchester United (29-12-07) Ronaldo had
threatened to spoil West Ham's day with an early goal, but a late
intervention from defensive duo Anton Ferdinand and Matthew Upson saw the
Irons steal all three points.
HEAD TO HEAD: West Ham 41 wins, Manchester United 51 wins, 24 draws
FORM: United have soared back to the top of the table after a run of 12
league games without defeat. That run has coincided with a record-breaking
achievement by Edwin Van Der Sar, who has usurped Petr Cech for going the
most minutes without conceding a league goal – which now stands at 1,122
minutes.
DANGER MAN: While Ronaldo will no doubt be watched carefully by West Ham's
markers, it is Dimitar Berbatov who has hit form at just the right time for
United, with three goals in his last four games helping steer his side into
the last 16 of the FA Cup, as well as earning three valuable points at
Bolton.
FUN FACT: Actor and comedian Steve Coogan is a Red Devil at heart. But the
Alan Partridge star will be hoping there's nothing funny about United's
performance at Upton Park.
PREDICTION: West Ham 1 Manchester United 2
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Race yob banned after abusing West Ham star
Sunderlandecho.co.uk
Philip Dobson
Published Date: 04 February 2009
A racist yob has been banned from every football ground in the country for
screaming sickening abuse at a black Premiership star. Philip Dobson, of
Tees Street, Horden, made vile comments and gestures towards West Ham
United's Julien Faubert's – telling him to "go back home" during
Hartlepool's recent fourth round FA cup clash. Magistrates slammed his
behaviour as having "no place in society" and banned him from going to any
games for three years. Dobson, 27, singled out French midfielder Faubert
because of his colour in front of families and children during the match at
Victoria Park on January 24 which attracted Hartlepool's biggest crowd for
years and was screened live on TV. Hartlepool Magistrates' Court heard how
police in the ground first noticed Dobson, who had been drinking, goading
the West Ham fans from the Camerons stand. But his anger spilled over as
Pool went behind towards the end of the first half and targeted Faubert.
Faubert, 25, who has since joined Real Madrid on loan, twice came under
racist onslaughts by Dobson when he had the ball in front of the stand.
Prosecutor Zennett Begham said: "There were women and children in close
vicinity of where the defendant was."
Under the order, Dobson, who admitted racially aggravated behaviour, is
banned from any football game in England and Wales until December 1, 2012.
Barry Gray, defending, said: "He made these comments and he is sorry for
them. He accepts they were racially aggravated and feels extremely ashamed
of his actions to the unfortunate Mr Faubert, who was defending the West Ham
goal a little too well for Hartlepool." Dobson was also fined £100 and must
pay £60 costs and a £15 surcharge.
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West Ham chief Duxbury happy they held onto stars
04.02.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United chief Scott Duxbury is pleased they survived the winter
market with only Craig Bellamy leaving for Manchester City. Duxbury said: "I
am pleased we have kept our key players. "It is clear we have a committed
squad and we are excited to see what they can realise in the rest of the
season and beyond. "The addition of Savio and Radoslav Kovac in this window
underlined that we wanted to focus on players who could challenge for a
first-team place."
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Zola in swoop for Dalla Bona
Sport.co.uk
Author: Andrew Allen
Posted on: 04 February 2009 - 3:04 PM
Former Chelsea midfielder Sam Dalla Bona has held talks with West Ham
manager Gianfranco Zola about a possible move to Upton Park. The Italian is
a free agent after leaving Napoli and has until March to find a new club.
Dalla Bona, who made 55 appearances for Chelsea between 1999 and 2002, says
he is awaiting Zola's answer. The 27-year-old was approached by Serie B
minnows Triestina on transfer deadline day but he shunned their advances in
a bid to secure a return to the Premier League. And Zola is set to ask the
Hammers' board about the possibility of bringing the former Chelsea
midfielder to the club. "In the last hours of the transfer window, Triestina
did approach me, but I have another idea in mind," Dalla Bona told Gazzetta
dello Sport. "I spoke with Zola and I asked him about the possibility of
training with West Ham because free agents have until March to find a new
club. Zola told me he will ask the officials. I wait for an answer."
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