War of the tag-teams
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 20th July 2009
By: Alex Shilling
The summer months, I find as a football fan, are intolerably boring.
As each season nears its conclusion I tell myself that I'm going to forget
about football and West Ham United for the next three months and concentrate
only on beer, getting a tan, and the ladies. But come early morning on
Monday 25 May, I'm straight onto KUMB.com, checking out Cockney Hammer's
excellent West Ham gossip round up. This pattern has continued every day
since the season ended and when I'm not on the forum, I'm either on the BBC
gossip page or thinking about West Ham. Thus, as a result of many wasted
hours spent thinking about our beloved club, I thought I'd actually do a
useful West Ham-connected something, and analyse the managerial double-teams
we've had over the five years.
In the flashy silver and consistent blue corner - Alan Pardew and Peter
Grant. Always reminded me of a lower-scale Brian Clough and Peter Taylor.
Grant always seemed to be the brains behind Pardew's success - as he got on
with all the players most of the time and they seemed to respect him, which
is more than be said for Pardew. Not quite an exact replica of the
Clough-Taylor partnership, but hopefully you can see where I'm coming from
on this one. For me, it was no coincidence that after the two previous
seasons' success, Grant's departure to Norwich City in the first half of the
season preceded our slide down the table.
In the dreary grey corner - Alan Curbishley and Mervyn Day, aka 'Al 'n'
Merv'. Has there ever been a less inspiring duo in charge of the Hammers?
You'd be pretty pushed to find one. You have to admire them for the miracles
they worked towards the end of 2006/07 season to keep us up in the
Premiership but you also have to take into account that they had at their
disposal a much better squad than any of our relegation rivals thanks to the
Icelandic millions. The two ex-Hammers spent even more the next summer yet
with a squad which was the envy of many teams, failed to build anything
special. It was fitting that the pair's penultimate match was one in which
the side struggled against a frankly rubbish League Two side and were losing
for 80 minutes until the introduction of a player who epitomised Al 'n'
Merv's reign, Carlton Cole.
Thirdly and finally - once in the royal blue but now in a shade of white
which symbolises a blank canvas and all the future promise in the world -
Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke. All we could have hoped for in terms of a
first season; our highest league finish since 2002 - with very limited
resources - attractive football, and young players being brought through and
being given ample opportunities.
Firstly, Alan Pardew and Peter Grant. Pards had been our gaffer for just
under a year when Grant arrived as his assistant. After his failure to get
us promoted the previous season, many people wanted his head. What we got,
however, was not a manager sacked but a reliable, hard-working assistant
manager appointed. Pardew's team immediately appeared more organised, more
determined to grind results out in difficult circumstances - the
early-season wins against promotion rivals, at home to Reading and away to
Sheffield United, were clear examples of these newfound qualities. Coupled
with Pardew's natural exuber... (did I even have to start that word?),
rapport with his players and knowledge of sports science and the game in
general, the Hammers started the season on fire.
And then came the slide. Pards' head is called for yet again, and he looks
more and more depressed after each sh*t result- 0-1 at home to Brighton, 1-4
away to Cardiff, 1-2 at home to Preston - but meanwhile, Peter Grant just
got on with his job, out of sight, behind the scenes. We never heard from
him apart from when we'd just had an outstandingly good/bad result and
Pardew was being touted as the next England manager/next gaffer to be
sacked, and Grant would make a straightforward comment, but one that was
always perfectly apt.
At the end of the season we were promoted via the play-offs, and the duo
followed the team into the Premiership. We heard even less from Grant that
first season - he was never pictured on the touchline like some Premiership
assistant managers; Sammy Lee, once of Bolton,seemed to be on the box almost
as much as Sam Allardyce, the then Bolton Wanderers manager, was.
Practically the only thing we heard from Grant in 2005/2006 was an
admission, after a mid-season break to Dubai which proved to be disastrous,
that the break was, in hindsight, a bad idea.
I always got the feeling with Grant that he was not only performing the
function of steering wheel with the players, but also with a young,
talented, and at times overtly excitable manager in Pardew. In my view, much
of the success of 2005/2006 was down to him and I belivee that he is one of
the - if not the - most effective assistant managers that West Ham United
have ever had.
Secondly, Alan Curbishley and Mervyn Day. Fair play to them, they kept us up
and they also guided us to a top half finish the following season. But at
what cost? Almost £20 million of Icelandic money was spent in January 2007
in an attempt to salvage something from a truly disastrous season. Money was
clearly needed, as only two of Curbishley and Day's first fourteen matches
in charge were won. It was reported in some quarters of the press that
Curbishley simply did not have the respect of the players. What little
respect the 'Baby Bentley' crew - as Curbishley characteristically bluntly
dubbed them - had for Pardew was not transferred to Curbishley. It was
reported in the media and reported in Brian Belton's book 'Brown Out' that
elder statesman Teddy Sheringham was 'badmouthing his manager' in the
canteen one day, and when Curbishley appeared, the player simply walked off
without a word.
Sheringham said later, 'I don't see what car you drive has to do with
performance on the pitch.' Quite.
Curbishley was clearly trying to shake things up at West Ham, but he went
about it in an irredeemably crass and stupid fashion. As for Day - well,
whereas Grant assumed a background role and left Pardew to deal with the
primadonnas and enigmas of his dressing room whilst working hard behind the
scenes and earning a quiet respect from Hammers fans, 'Merv' was simply
nowhere to be seen - save for the occasions when he would leap off the bench
at random intervals to wave his arms about and shout instructions which I
doubt made any more sense to the players on the pitch than it did to the
fans in the stands. My own impression of him was that he was simply a boring
old fart and thus the perfect right-hand man for Curbishley. I remember at
the open training day (yes, I still go to those and yes, I know I can no
longer get away with going to them on my own without being derided as a
saddo with no life) where for some reason, I decided to collect 'Merv's'
autograph.
With difficulty, our keeper in the '75 Cup Final scribbled his signature on
my replica shirt with a cheap plastic pen usually used for filling in order
forms for shirt printing that I'd swiped from the shop upon discovering that
my black marker pen had run out. One 'cheers, Merv' later and the grim
deadpan expression upon his droopy features still remained. He then went on
to lecture the poor bloke next in line on the benefits of the traditional
black marker pen as opposed to the new-fangled new biros - '..them other
ones don't work.'
Petty jibes aside, full credit to the two of them - they kept us up.
However, I felt at the time that quite a few of our players were playing
primarily for themselves and not for the manager - and not just ones like
Reo-Coker who were merely trying to put themselves in the shop window having
grown weary of life at West Ham. If you believe Paul Konchesky, Curbishley
was hated by a sizeable proprortion of the squad. Curbishley's old nemesis
from his Charlton days, 'Konch', claimed shortly after being sold to Fulham
for £2million that 'there are a lot of unhappy players in that dressing room
who don't like him.' Curbishley retaliated by accusing the England defender
of 'having no class.' However, 'Curbites' would point to the aftermath of
Carlos Tevez's first goal in the 3-1 defeat of Bolton Wanderers in May 2007,
where Tevez ran to his manager and embraced him and was followed by Mark
Noble and James Collins.
Nevertheless, I would say that these three players all owed a debt of
gratitude to Curbishley for being given a chance in the first team. It was
noticeable that no other players joined the rush to embrace Curbishley. The
point I am really dragging out here is that in my view at least, Curbishley
alienates players. The following season there were rumours of a dressing
room bust-up between the manager and record signing Craig Bellamy after the
2-0 opening day defeat to Manchester City. This was no vague tabloid claim
either - the papers were very specific about the circumstances. The argument
had sourced from the manager's decison to play winger Matthew Etherington at
left back for the second half with City leading 1-0 after the first period.
By the end of that season, through negative tactics and what were seen as
poor results, Alan Curbishley had turned the majority of the fans against
him. The three consecutive 4-0 defeats against Chelsea, Liverpool and
Tottenham had contributed much to this. However, the base of Curbishley
haters had built up long before - but earlier the situation was a 50-50 one,
split between those who supported Curbishley and those who didn't. This was
particularly noticeable at the Fulham away game in February where minutes
before Nobby Solano's winning goal, the Curbishley haters (and I counted
myself amongst them) had been chanting 'too f*cking negative' after the
manager made yet another defensive substitution. Minutes later, the bloke
next to me, and a notable few others began chanting ironically 'too f*cking
positive' as an angry riposte to those who didn't support 'Curbs.'
However, as with many things concerning the Curbishley-Day partnership, the
negatives drowned out the positives. Somehow, it seemed fitting that the
pairing's last two matches in charge of us were a stark contrast in
comparison to each other - both 4-1 wins, but one a glorious performance
against a major rival for a top half Premier League finish; the other a
scraped victory against a poor League Two team.
Curbishley and Day were never the right management team for West Ham United.
I just never really felt that they understood the club and its traditions
and history - and I never could comprehend why two West Ham old boys
couldn't understand what the West Ham fans expected in terms of football and
respect of the traditions of the club, having spent so much of their playing
career at the club. However, the manner in which they were treated by the
board in the summer of 2008 was completely below the belt and I'm sure that
I wasn't the only fan to feel sorry for Curbishley and Day last summer over
the way Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney were sold above their heads.
Finally, Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke. Despite my disgust at the way the
board treated Curbishley and Day I felt an overwhelming sense of relief when
Zola and Clarke were appointed. 'Now we'll see something,' thought I. Things
were on the up, despite the fact that we'd just lost our shirt sponsor and
so our players were running round with little nylon patches on their shirts;
despite the fact that we'd lost half our defence and whether we'd replaced
them was doubtful; and despite the fact that our fans, upon arriving at The
Hawthorns for Zola's first game as our manager (albeit in the stands while
Kevin Keen took charge) were greeted with many choruses of 'Zola is a
Chelsea fan' from the West Brom fans - despite all this, I believed it and
so do thousands of others, that the Hammers were on the up. Not even losing
3-2 to a newly-promoted team and getting mugged off £7 for a Wimpey burger
and chips at services at Watford Gap could dampen my enthusiasm for the
little Italian and the substantially larger Scotsman as our new management
team.
The early signs looked promising in the pair's first game, against
Newcastle. I had been sceptical when two necessary strikers had been signed
in aging David Di Michele and Diego Tristan, but after half an hour of Di
Michele's debut, I was screaming to any of my fellow occupants of the
Centenary Lower who would listen that the Italian was the new Di Canio. In
hindsight, this was an over-the-top reaction as exactly half of Di Michele's
goal haul for the entire season was attained inside his first 30 minutes in
a West Ham shirt, but such was my excitement at the GFZ-Clarke reign being
underway that I quite forgot my natural pessimistic self. Even though
Michael Owen got his traditional goal against West Ham, my optimism wavered
none. Oddly, I didn't even notice the fact that we failed to win any of the
following seven games until someone pointed it out on the KUMB.com forum.
As far as I was concerned, the side was playing good football under the new
management and that was all that mattered. I was thrilled that, in the
middle of this run, Zola had the balls to play three up front against
Arsenal. Yes, we lost, but not without a fight. I could see something
special in that team, something which was previously unseen in either
Curbishley or Pardew's regimes. As I began this article both these men were
out of work, although Pardew has since been unveiled as the new manager of
League One Southampton.
On the subject of Steve Clarke, many supporters had been as delighted by the
Scotsman's appointment as assistant manager as they had been by Zola's
appointment as manager. He brought with him an excellent reputation from
Chelsea and the Hammers had had to pay a substantial compensation packet to
Chelsea, such was their reluctance to lose him. Clarke very much took the
role that Peter Grant had taken during his time at the club. He was slightly
more in the limelight than Grant was, being more high-profile because of the
Chelsea connections, but had the exactly the same characteristics and
operated in the same manner. You could see right away that he had the total
respect of the players and that they would do anything that him and
Gianfranco asked of them.
Soon enough, we were out of the rut and were mounting a serious challenge
for Europe. Things got even better; Gianfranco acquired his own song, which
unlike the categorically failed 'Alan Curbishley's Claret and Blue Army' was
now being sung with heart-warming regularity. In fact he had two songs - the
claret and blue army song with Gianfranco (later Franco Zola) being the word
inserted before the main body of the tune. In addition, the little Italian
also had his more personal soundtrack to the tune of that god-awful DJ Otzi
'Hey Baby' tune that the likes of Bolton and Wigan base their entire musical
repetoire on - 'Giiiiaaanfrancoo Zola, he's only five foot three, Gianfranco
Zola, he comes from Eetarrlee, he ain't Chelsea no more.'
This was invariably followed up by 'stick yer blue flag up yer arse' or, to
the same tune, 'from Stamford Bridge to Upton Park, we nicked yer Zola and
yer Clarke.'
The club, whose supporters feared relegation at the start of the season now,
due to the vagaries of the European qualification system and the situation
of Man United winning the League Cup and two European-qualified sides,
Everton and Chelsea, contesting the FA Cup Final. In the midst of all this
excitement, a snag had appeared. In the event of us qualifying for Europe,
Zola would not be allowed to manage us in the UEFA Cup (or Europa League as
it went on to be known) as he did not have the necessary coaching licence.
In the event, however, more than a few supporters seemed less than
distraught at the possibility of Steve Clarke being the man on the touchline
for only the club's second European campaign in ten years.
In the event, a series of injuries, bad luck, bad results, and the revival
of Spurs culminated in the Hammers finishing ninth and failing to qualify
for Europe, but 'UEFA Pro-Licencegate' was a telling episode. If for any
reason Gianfranco should leave the club, I think that the club should look
no further for a replacement than the man sitting a few inches along from
him in the dug-out. Because this current managerial 'tag-team' in our dugout
right now gives me greater cause for optimism than any other I can remember
in all the time in which I have been supporting the club. We have two men on
our bench who want us to play attacking football, who want to bring young
players through, and along with Scott Duxbury, have a vision for the club.
It's an ambiguous word I know, but a vision is all it is at the moment.
While Manchester City are committing potential suicide by splashing billions
on players well into their twenties who will likely go on to provide nothing
like long-term value, we're going steady with The Project. Nothing more,
nothing less.
Vive The Project, vive The Academy, vive attacking football, and vive Frank
'n' Steve!
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Teenage kicks
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 19th July 2009
By: Staff Writer
West Ham have handed teenage winger Daniel Kearns a one-year contract.
Belfast-born Kearns signed his new deal at the weekend, and will battle for
a place in Alex Dyer's reserve side next season along with the latest batch
of graduate graduates. The 17-year-old, who is entering his third year with
the club having initially joined as a 15-year-old told whufc.com: "I'm
absolutely delighted. I actually found out just before the end of last
season. I had a meeting with Tony Carr and he was saying that he was going
to offer me a professional contact. Now I've got it done I'm happy it's out
of the way and I want to get cracking on with the season. "The main aim for
this season is to get another contract at the end of it. I'm hoping to get a
regular spot in the reserves and maybe try to go out on loan during the
season and from there, I hope to push on and get into the first team. You
never know what's going to happen. "Hopefully I'll be involved in the
[Irish] Under-19s this year and maybe I could push on into the Under-21
squad as well. We'll see what happens."
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Brooking's last stand
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 20th July 2009
By: Staff Writer
The Boleyn Ground North Bank will be renamed the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand
from the beginning of next season. The stand - which has been known as the
Centenary Stand since the mid 1990s - will be renamed and revamped in time
for the start of the 2009/10 campaign in honour of the Hammers and England
legend. Brooking - who also has a street in Newham named after him - told
whufc.com: "It is obviously a terrific honour which I am very grateful for
because this is my club. It will be my club forever. The great thing was
being able to spend my whole career with West Ham, having a stint as
caretaker manager and as a director and then going to the FA. "I still try
and get to most of the home games. On my travels, if I am in a cab or
something then everyone talks to me about West Ham because they know I am
associated with the club. It is something I am only too pleased about
whenever it happens. We have a very passionate and loyal support."
The North Bank becomes the second stand to be named after a former Hammers
legend following the rebranding of the South Bank as the Bobby Moore Stand
at the end of the last century. Additionally, it was recently revealed by
Scott Duxbury in his interview with KUMB.com that the club's entrance gates
will be renamed after John Lyall.
Duxbury, confirming the news this morning added: "I know how much he
[Trevor] means to everyone connected with West Ham United and I look forward
to us being able to show our appreciation when we play Napoli next month for
the Bobby Moore Cup. "We are determined to pay tribute to those that have
helped make this club what it is today. He is not just one of our greatest
ever players but also one of the country's best - and he continues to give
so much back to the game in England."
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Quashie would consider loan move
BBC.co.uk
West Ham midfielder Nigel Quashie would agree to another loan move if he
cannot force his way into manager Gianfranco Zola's first-team plans. The
31-year-old spent time at Birmingham and Wolves last season as he recovered
from a long-term injury. He told BBC London 94.9: "I've got to do what's
right for me, and for me it's to want to play. If it means me going out on
loan again, that's fine. "Everything they've asked me to do I think I've
done." He added: "They have asked me if I would like to stay behind and get
myself fit for a possible loan move, and I've made it clear that's probably
the best option for me."
Quashie has not pulled on a West Ham shirt since the 4-3 home defeat by
Tottenham in March 2007. His contribution for Birmingham and Wolves last
season helped both sides' win promotion to the Premier League. But neither
club have made an offer to take Quashie on a permanent basis, even though he
says he enjoyed both spells. "It was brilliant, because to come back to West
Ham it would have been difficult to get into the first team with so many new
players," he admitted. "So it was good for me, and last year was about
getting fit because I was out for 16 months. "I've come back, the manager
said he would be happy for me to come back and get fit. "He said he was
taking the team to Austria and asked me what I wanted to do, he's got nine
midfielders and I said 'for me, I just want to play'. "I've played for 13
years now."
While West Ham's players were left frustrated in Austria when their friendly
against German side Werder Bremen was called off due to torrential rain,
Quashie played in a youthful side who drew 1-1 with Cambridge United.
Despite seemingly being out of the picture at Upton Park, Quashie has only
good things to say about his employers. "The manager has been first class -
he said he would do everything he can for me," added Quashie. "Last year was
a difficult year. In December my mum passed away and it was difficult for me
and my mum's partner - for me to be close to my family in Birmingham - it
was a tough, tough time. "I just wanted to be close to people at that stage,
and I had a tough year with injury. "But now I'm back fit and focused on
wanting to play and there are a few things in the pipeline. "Hopefully, if I
play well in pre-season the manager will be informed of my form and my
attitude. "At the end of the day, I've had a good career and I've enjoyed my
time playing, I'm 31 now and I've enjoyed my football. "Whether I stay in
the Premier League or join another Championship club it's just about
enjoying football now because being out for 16 months is not good for
anybody really."
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Hammers trial for Italian
Bezziccheri given chance to impress
Last updated: 20th July 2009
SSN
West Ham United have confirmed they are casting an eye over young Roma
midfielder Simone Bezziccheri. The 16-year-old has been invited to London
for a trial period as Gianfranco Zola mulls over whether to offer him a
contract. The senior squad is currently in Austria but Bezziccheri was part
of a youthful Hammers side that drew 1-1 with Cambridge United over the
weekend. Academy director Tony Carr took charge of the team and played
Bezziccheri for the full 90 minutes. Ahmed Abdulla scored for West Ham early
in the second half before Rory McAuley grabbed a late equaliser for the Blue
Square Premier outfit.
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Nouble set for Hammers move
Chelsea youngster heading to Upton Park
By Peter O'Rourke Last updated: 20th July 2009
SSN
West Ham are poised to sign Chelsea youngster Frank Nouble, skysports.com
understands. The Hammers have moved for Nouble after the 17-year-old
rejected the offer of a professional contract at Stamford Bridge. Nouble is
rated one of the best teenage talents in England having impressed for
Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup and in the reserves. Chelsea were keen to tie
down Nouble to a long-term deal, but the young striker has decided to move
on as he fears his first-team chances would have been limited at Stamford
Bridge. Arsenal were credited with an interest in Nouble, but West Ham have
managed to lure the powerful frontman to Upton Park. Nouble's signing will
come as a massive coup to Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola as he is tipped for a
big future in the game.
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HAMMERS HOME IN ON FRANK, 17
The Mirror
21/07/2009
West Ham are poised to pull off a coup with the signing of young Chelsea
striker Frank Nouble. Arsenal were favourites to land the 17-year-old
(above), who they failed to sign two years earlier. Nouble rejected a
professional deal at Stamford Bridge because he feared the signing of Yuri
Zhirkov would stop him getting first-team action.
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West Ham starlet Daniel Kearns out to impress boss Zola after being given a
year to prove himself
By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 5:33 PM on 20th July 2009
Daily Mail
Daniel Kearns intends to be the next starlet off the West Ham United
production line after signing a pro contract at Upton Park. The 17-year-old
has earned a one-year deal and hopes to prove he is worth a prolonged stay
by forcing his way into Gianfranco Zola's first team. Winger Kearns joins
Matt Fry, Tony Brookes, Oliver Lee and Anthony Edgar in progressing from the
academy, with each hoping to follow the example of the likes of Mark Noble
by muscling in among the big boys. 'I'm absolutely delighted to have
signed,' he said. 'All the other boys signed their contracts while I was
still away so I'm pleased to have got it done and dusted. 'The main aim for
the season is to get another contract at the end of it. I'm hoping to get a
regular spot in the reserves and maybe try and go out on loan during the
season. And from there, I hope to push on and get into the first team. You
never know what's going to happen.'
Meanwhile, 25-year-old winger Julien Faubert, who spent half of last season
putting his feet up on the Real Madrid bench, admits his future at the club
remains undecided
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West Ham keen to secure Green, Upson to new deals
20.07.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United are keen to secure England pair Matthew Upson and Robert
Green to new contracts. The Sunday Mirror says Upson has spoken of his
desire to play Champions League football and would jump at the chance to
join a top four club. Both Manchester City and Aston Villa are interested,
while West Ham are hoping to open contract negotiations in the next few
months. Club chief executive Scott Duxbury has stated he hopes to agree a
new deal with Upson, while the club are also looking to extend Robert
Green's stay in east London.
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Thailand group in West Ham takeover talks
20.07.09 | tribalfootball.com
An Asian group are eyeing takeover talks for West Ham United. The Sunday
Mirror says Pairoj Piempongsant, the Thai businessman who brokered two
takeovers at Manchester City and was involved in the projected acquisition
of Portsmouth, is playing a pivotal role in negotiations. At the moment the
two parties are miles apart in their valuation with the group offering
£75million and West Ham wanting closer to £125m. The consortium, whose
investors are predominately from Thailand, are bound to raise alarm bells at
the Premier League after claims that Thaksin Shinawatra, the controversial
former Thai prime minister, is looking to invest in another Premier League
club.
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Cologne move for West Ham's Faubert
20.07.09 | tribalfootball.com
Cologne are chasing West Ham United midfielder Julien Faubert. The Daily
Star says Faubert is top of Cologne's wanted list. The French star, 25, who
cost the Hammers £6m from Bordeaux in 2007, was loaned out to Real Madrid
last season after a ruptured Achilles tendon wrecked his chances of shining
at Upton Park. Cologne want to snap him up but will struggle to match his
£1m-a-year salary.
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West Ham on verge of signing Chelsea's Nouble
21.07.09 | Andrew Slevison
Chelsea youth player Frank Nouble is reportedly set to sign with West Ham
after turning down an professional offer from the Blues. The highly talented
17-year old believes he would struggle to play first team football at
Stamford Bridge so has decided to pursue his career elsewhere and it seems
as though the Hammers may benefit.
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West Ham chief Carr delighted with Quashie, Davenport commitment
21.07.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United academy boss Tony Carr praised the attitude of senior pair
Nigel Quashie and Calum Davenport after their 1-1 draw with Cambridge.
"Nigel Quashie played very well in midfield and Calum Davenport held the
defence together at the back," Carr told whufc.com. "If you're going to have
a proper reserve team with very young players - we had Robert Hall coming on
for another 15 minutes and he is just a schoolboy - they need the experience
of older players to help them develop. "It doesn't happen too often these
days but Nigel and Calum should be given great credit for their attitude.
Overall, it was a good work-out for 20 players to have."
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Hammers trial for Italian starlet
TeamTalk
West Ham have confirmed they are casting an eye over young Roma midfielder
Simone Bezziccheri. The 16-year-old has been invited to London for a trial
period as Gianfranco Zola mulls over whether to offer him a contract. The
senior squad is currently in Austria but Bezziccheri was part of a youthful
Hammers side that drew 1-1 with Cambridge United over the weekend. Academy
director Tony Carr took charge of the team and played Bezziccheri for the
full 90 minutes. Ahmed Abdulla scored for West Ham early in the second half
before Rory McAuley grabbed a late equaliser for the Blue Square Premier
outfit.
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Hammers game halted by rain
10:07am Monday 20th July 2009
Guardian Series
By Jonathan Moyes »
GIANFRANCO Zola has apologised to West Ham United fans after their friendly
against Werder Bremen in Austria was cancelled because of a waterlogged
pitch. West Ham were due to take on the German Cup winners on Saturday after
their 1-1 draw against Austrian outfit Flavia Solva. But persistent rain
made the pitch unplayable and a decision was taken to cancel the game hours
before kick-off. Hammers boss, Zola, said: "I was very sorry for our
supporters. I know that many came to see us and it is a shame that we could
not play the match for them, as they had made all that effort to watch us.
"I would like to thank them still for coming over and just say sorry that
the match could not happen. We were also disappointed, because we were up
against a good side, it would have been a good test for us. "We wanted to
play, they wanted to play but the conditions stopped us."
The game may have not gone ahead but it did not mean West Ham's players put
their feet up because Zola arranged an impromptu training session.
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Bezziccheri ready to follow in Macheda footsteps
Sport.co.uk
Author: Andrew Allen
Posted on: 20 July 2009 - 10:33
West Ham United look set to snap up Roma midfielder Simone Bezziccheri after
the 16-year-old completed a successful pre-season outing for the East London
side. The move for the Italian youngster continues the Hammers' close ties
with the country following Gianfranco Zola's arrival last year. The move for
the Roman born youngster also echoes the move made by Manchester United for
Lazio starlet Federico Macheda, who shot to prominence last term with
decisive goals against Aston Villa and Sunderland. The West Ham United
senior squad is currently in Austria but Bezziccheri was part of a youthful
Hammers side that drew 1-1 with Cambridge United over the weekend. Academy
director Tony Carr took charge of the team and played Bezziccheri for the
full 90 minutes.
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Carr: "Well Contested Game"
Posted on: Mon 20 Jul 2009
Cambridge-United.co.uk
West Ham Academy Director Tony Carr was pleased with the 1-1 draw at the R
Costings Abbey Stadium on Saturday and felt both sides will benefit from the
match. "I thought it was a well contested game," he said. "Both teams gave
their all and I thought we had to defend very well. "Obviously with Calum
Davenport giving that little bit of experience at the back and Nigel Quashie
in midfield gave us that little bit extra to contain Cambridge, who pushed
us all the way and fully deserved their equalizer at the end. "Having the
keeper playing outfield and coming in on our keeper like a Sherman Tank
caused our keeper to flap at the ball and the lad (Rory McAuley) was well
placed to knock it in. Our lad will learn from that and I know we will take
a lot out of this game and I hope Cambridge will as well."
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Loan move's my first step says Daniel Kearns
James Olley
This Is London
20.07.09
West Ham starlet Daniel Kearns today targeted a place in the first team
after signing a professional contract at Upton Park. The 17-year-old winger
agreed a one-year deal and joins Matt Fry, Tony Brookes, Oliver Lee and
Anthony Edgar in progressing from the Academy as manager Gianfranco Zola
looks to maintain the club's promotion of their young players. Players
including Mark Noble and Freddie Sears have come through the ranks in recent
seasons and Kearns believes he can emulate their achievements once he learns
his trade out on loan. "I'm absolutely delighted to have signed," he said.
"All the other boys signed their contracts while I was still away so I'm
pleased to have got it done and dusted. "The main aim for the season is to
get another contract at the end of it. I'm hoping to get a regular spot in
the reserves and maybe try and go out on loan during the season. And from
there, I hope to push on and get into the first team. You never know what's
going to happen."
Meanwhile, winger Julien Faubert admits his future at the club remains
undecided. The 25-year-old Frenchman, who finished last season on loan at
Real Madrid, said: "Maybe I will stay, maybe I won't. I will try to do my
best and we'll see what happens."
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Kearns signs pro Hammers contract
TeamTalk
Teenage winger Daniel Kearns has expressed his delight after signing a
one-year professional contract with West Ham United. The 17-year-old was
offered the terms at the end of last season, but has only recently been able
to put pen-to-paper after returning from his native Northern Ireland. Kearns
follows Matt Fry, Tony Brookes, Oliver Lee and Anthony Edgar in recently
progressing from the Hammers Academy to earn professional status with
Gianfranco Zola's side. He is now pleased to have the deal completed,
telling West Ham's official website: "I'm absolutely delighted. "All the
other boys signed their contracts while I was still away so I'm pleased to
have got it done and dusted. "The main aim for the season is to get another
contract at the end of it. I'm hoping to get a regular spot in the reserves
and maybe try and go out on loan during the season. "And from there, I hope
to push on and get into the first team. You never what's going to happen."
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Galatasaray move back on for West Ham's Neill
20.07.09 | Andrew Slevison
The move to Turkey for West Ham's Lucas Neill appears to be back on. Neill
has once again been linked with Galatasaray, this time after the Hammers
made a last-ditch effort to keep him at Upton Park. The Australian
international has been considering the move to the Turkish Super Lig club,
where he will team up with compatriot Harry Kewell, for some time and a
source close to him has confirmed his desire to move to Istanbul. "The West
Ham thing is off. It looks like he's going to Galatasaray," the source told
Daily Star Sunday.
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West Ham target Taylor won't demand Newcastle move
20.07.09 | tribalfootball.com
Steven Taylor is adamant he is not agitating for a move away from Newcastle
United. He said: "I have got two years on my contract and unless Newcastle
sell me, I am still a Newcastle United player." West Ham and Chelsea have
been linked with the Geordie.
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West Ham consider signing Roma forward Bezziccheri
20.07.09 | Andrew Slevison
West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola is entertaining the idea of signing young Roma
forward Simone Bezziccheri. The 16-year old played a full 90 minutes for the
Hammers in a recent trial match against Cambridge United which ended 1-1.
Reports suggest Zola is closely considering handing the Italian a deal at
Upton Park.
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