Thomas ready to be a Hit
WHUFC.com
New recruit Thomas Hitzlsperger is aiming to live up to his nickname and do
well for West Ham United
07.06.2010
Thomas Hitzlsperger has spoken of the "destiny" of playing for West Ham
United as Der Hammer prepares for life at the Hammers. The Germany
midfielder earned his fitting nickname during his five-season stay at Aston
Villa because of his powerful left foot and long-range shooting. The alias
stuck during a hugely successful spell over the next five years at VfB
Stuttgart, during which time he helped them to the Bundesliga title and two
cracks at the UEFA Champions League. As such, it is more than fitting that
'The Hammer' has signed on at the Boleyn Ground, having passed a medical in
England on Saturday before concluding the deal and then heading back to his
home city of Munich on a high. He will report for pre-season training a
month today under new manager Avram Grant - who has been appointed subject
to a work permit - ready to live up to his nickname once more. "It is
destiny," he told whufc.com with a smile. "I knew that West Ham were called
The Hammers and it has actually always been on my mind whether I would play
for the club one day. I am really pleased to be a Hammer. "It is nice and it
suits perfectly to be at West Ham. Hopefully people will be talking about my
nickname a lot because that will mean I will be doing my job and scoring
some goals as well."
Having put a short-tem spell at S.S. Lazio in the first half of this year
behind him - when he found himself out of favour after a change of manager -
Hitzlsperger is raring to go and prove just why he has won 51 full caps for
Germany. Only just 28, he has his best years ahead of him. "The manager who
signed me at Lazio got sacked after a week and the new manager didn't fancy
me. They were in a relegation battle and he felt he needed players with
experience of the league who spoke the language. I tried my best and worked
very hard in training but he didn't pick me. That happens sometimes. It was
frustrating but you just have to get on with it. "I want to establish myself
very quickly. I am raring to go with the experience I have had in Italy. I
want to prove myself and play week in and week out, but I know I have to
show what I can do. We have perfect conditions for a good season and I am
really looking forward. The fans are looking forward, they are optimistic
and we have to give them reasons to be excited. We will see where that takes
us. "After the experience in Italy, my contract came to an end and I wanted
to move on. I have always wanted to come back to the Premier League. I had a
really good time when I was in England and I knew this is where I wanted to
be."
Hitzlsperger needed little persuading to head to east London when the
opportunity arose - flying to London to get the deal done at the end of last
week. "My agent spoke to the club and there was good interest. The manager
was really keen, the chairman was very positive and it felt right. There
were plenty of other clubs but it was West Ham that showed the most interest
and wanted me. "I don't think there will be any shocks for me and I know the
league well. I know a few things about the club and I am sure I will learn
more when I am there. I will try to integrate into it as quickly as I can.
There is no language barrier so it is just about getting there, meeting all
my team-mates and working hard. I am looking forward to it."
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Green and Upson play
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's two England internationals both played a part in Monday's
friendly
07.06.2010
Robert Green and Matthew Upson both appeared to come through unscathed in a
successful friendly 2010 FIFA World Cup warm-up for England on Monday
afternoon. The Three Lions were 3-0 winners against South African club side
Platinum Stars with goals from Academy graduates Jermain Defoe and Joe Cole,
who was the only player to feature in the whole 90 minutes, before Wayne
Rooney rounded out the scoring. Fabio Capello gave few clues over his
preferred XI although Ledley King got the nod alongside John Terry. The West
Ham United duo were both sent on at half-time as Capello gave valuable
playing time to his squad, bar David James and Gareth Barry. James' absence
will fuel Hammers hopes Green will get the nod in goal for on Saturday
against the United States - although Joe Hart also did what was asked of him
in the first 45 minutes when the hosts also blasted a penalty over.
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Der Hammer on the Hammers
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 7th June 2010
By: Staff Writer
West Ham new boy Thomas Hitzlsperger says that he is 'raring to go'. The
28-year-old German signed for United at the weekend following the successful
completion of a medical on Saturday before flying back to Germany - but not
before he had a chance to speak with whufc.com.
"My agent spoke to the club and there was good interest," he said. "The
manager was really keen, the chairman was very positive and it felt right.
There were plenty of other clubs but it was West Ham that showed the most
interest and wanted me.
"I don't think there will be any shocks for me and I know the league well. I
know a few things about the club and I am sure I will learn more when I am
there. I will try to integrate into it as quickly as I can. There is no
language barrier so it is just about getting there, meeting all my
team-mates and working hard. I am looking forward to it.
"I want to establish myself very quickly. I am raring to go with the
experience I have had in Italy. I want to prove myself and play week in and
week out, but I know I have to show what I can do. We have perfect
conditions for a good season and I am really looking forward. The fans are
looking forward, they are optimistic and we have to give them reasons to be
excited. We will see where that takes us."
Hitzlsperger - whose signed for Lazio in January of this year, but only
played four times - admitted that his time in Serie A had not gone as
planned, but hinted that this makes him more determined to succeed in his
second spell in the Premier League.
"The manager who signed me at Lazio got sacked after a week and the new
manager didn't fancy me," he revealed. "They were in a relegation battle and
he felt he needed players with experience of the league who spoke the
language. I tried my best and worked very hard in training but he didn't
pick me.
"That happens sometimes. It was frustrating but you just have to get on with
it. [So] my contract came to an end and I wanted to move on. I have always
wanted to come back to the Premier League; I had a really good time when I
was in England and I knew this is where I wanted to be.
"It is destiny. I knew that West Ham were called The Hammers and it has
actually always been on my mind whether I would play for the club one day. I
am really pleased to be a Hammer. Hopefully people will be talking about my
nickname a lot because that will mean I will be doing my job and scoring
some goals as well."
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The Deadwood stage is rolling over the hill
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 7th June 2010
By: Kit Robinson
The arrival of the club's new manager has been rapidly followed by the
surprise arrival of the first signing of the summer.
So the transfer window has been sprung open early for West Ham United which
means as well as a promise from the Chairmen of new faces arriving at the
club, it also means a possible mass drift of deadwood out of the drains at
Upton Park. So who is likely for the chop? Who can justify an extended spell
under a new manager? In what positions do we need replacements?
Well we could consider it a new decade a new era, what with new chairmen and
a new manager and maybe at last a sense of stability at the club. The fact
that Avram Grant has been signed up for four years and that he seems
enthusiastic about being at the club shows a great deal of promise. The
first player signing is always a benchmark by which the rest of the transfer
dealing can be judged and Thomas Hitzlsperger signing for three years from a
team such as Lazio and on a free transfer , reveals a great deal.
It shows that although not a great deal of money will be spent on transfer
fees, the emphasis will be on proven quality coming into the club. It was
also reassuring that for the first time since the chairmen had arrived,
nothing had been blurted out to the press before the players signature. With
regard to players leaving the club it shows that anyone considered to be
falling short on quality may be released for little or nothing in order to
get them off the wage bill but any players with any genuine prestige will
only be let go for a decent fee.
Rumour of Carlton Cole and Mark Noble leaving for Stoke may be either
premature or far-fetched but either way, neither will be leaving for nothing
as they have some quality coveted by our competitors. I am sure that Avram
Grant would be happy for either to stay but fans needs to appreciate that he
will formulate a new team with a new way of playing that may see both not
fitting in with those plans. A new manager will always want to form his own
team and we are lucky that Avram has a good eye for players and commands a
great deal of respect within the game in order to attract what he wants.
No doubt the players already at the club will want to play under Grant but
may find themselves rapidly expelled whether they had a good season under
Zola or not. Sadly few of them did which is unfortunate for some,
particularly as a large reason for them having a poor season was because of
the management.
As the chairmen have stated, only Scott Parker may not be sold but that
obviously leaves a few assets available. Yet it has to be said, given that
so many, including those who can command a decent transfer fee, are
expendable because so few found any consistency. It is questionable as to
whether any players apart from Parker can justify an extended spell at the
club.
Faubert and Da Costa improved over the season. Diamanti did score goals and
was one of the few players who provided any attacking invention, despite
consistently being played out of position. Daprela showed promise in the few
matches he was played. I am struggling to think of anyone else.
Matthew Upson, Carlton Cole, Robert Green, Valon Behrami could all go and
although they are all good players, none were amazingly outstanding and
could be judged as squad players in a newly formed squad. It depends on how
high Avram Grant is aiming. Certainly the list of potential low or free
transfers out of the club can extend to these 4 players and Parker. There is
also the issue of the chairmen reducing the wage bill considerably and that
may mean players offering to leave or seeking other clubs or similarly to
Luis Boa Morte's case, being offered a reduced contract in salary and
length.
Typically many West Ham fans will be hoping that many of the younger players
raised through the Academy will be retained. But there are so many
inconsistant players who have been brought in over the past few years it is
hard to see that many of those will stay. I should think that all of the
following are likely to face the chop - Gabbidon, Spector, Kovac, McCarthy,
Dyer, Ilunga. Add those to Franco, Mido and Ilan who have already left and
the aforementioned players with transfer value and the players leaving could
easily reach double figures.
This leaves glaring gaps in the squad and in positions throughout the squad.
With the return of Zavon Hines, at least two or three strikers will be
necessary if indeed Cole does leave. We still don't have a consistent left
back, a back up for Faubert as right back. The midfield has fallen short
many times despite the names on the team sheet. It really does look like
Avram Grant will almost be working from a blank sheet of paper.
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Lay not thy hand upon the lad
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 7th June 2010
By: Haim Baram
Haim Baram, a well-known Israeli football pundit, is also a keen West Ham
fan. There are mixed opinions regarding Avram Grant in the Israeli press but
in the last 7-8 months his time at Portsmouth earned him a lot of credit
within the Israeli sports media. Baram expresses a different voice.
46 years ago I shared the ultimate English experience with tens of thousands
of new East End companions at Wembley stadium. West Ham United won its first
FA Cup Final, 41 years after a 2-0 defeat in its last final against Bolton.
That 1923 final inaugurated the national stadium and according to reliable
sources was watched by a quarter-of-a-million people, who broke the
barriers, crowded across the touchlines and behaved in exemplary order to
allow the match to go on. The legend tells that a single officer on his
white horse calmly managed the thousands of spectators just like a colonial
governor in a tribal assembly in Kenya or Uganda.
Only a few supporters from that magical era between two world wars, when no
one in Europe expected another one, were left to witness the final vs
Preston North End, from the second division. However, there was no
difference in 1964, as the majority of the West Ham faithful wore ties on
their white shirts, with only Claret and Blue scarves to imply their
lengthily association to East London's representative of England's top
division.
Manager Ron Greenwood was interviewed by the Evening standard prior to the
match, and admitted his sole message to the players was "play our beautiful
football, and try to win fairly". During the slowly passing minutes before
kickoff, all of Wembley's capacity sung 'Abide With Me', and for a moment I
thought my heart would miss a beat. The song united the 100,000 fans and
created a passing, yet moving moment for a community that has uniqueness and
character, in spite of colliding interests by definition of a cup final.
Then, our fans stated chanting 'Bubbles', which stands alone in its sweet
melancholy, that prepares West Ham's fans not only for victory celebrations
but also for the sorrow of loss. The bubbles we're about to blow into the
air will eventually fade ad die, just like our dreams. I came to London from
Hapoel Jerusalem, and carried the collective spirit of YMCA stadium and
Katamon, so the colourful celebration at Wembley was truly exciting. It did
not end in tears: in the end of a dramatic game, we won 3-2 by a Ronnie
Boyce goal in the dying minutes, so Bobby Moore could step up the lift the
cup.
So that's how my affair with Moore, who was a month older than me, and sadly
passed away 18 years ago due to Cancer, started. I was lucky enough to watch
him for 3 straight years, climbing the Wembley staircase to accept three
luxurious cups as a captain: the FA Cup in 1964, European Cup Winners cup in
1965 and the World Cup in 1966. Most Englishmen do not believe me. In 1996 I
was commentator for Channel One and had a chat with one of the stewards
about the game. When I told him about my experience in 1966, he was very
doubtful, up until I pulled out my original match ticket, which was in my
wallet for 30 years. He apologised and got the ticket as a souvenir.
There's no need to mention that every true Eastender considers England's win
in the final as one of West Ham's titles, and I suggest Avram Grant to
remember that well. In the past, I was delighted that two of my favourite
Israeli players, Eyal Berkovich and Yossi Benayoun, played for us and thanks
to them I had the chance to watch many of West Ham's games live. Grant's
appointment however, is an emotional barrier that's hard to stomach.
I was very fearful of this move, but somehow realised it's unavoidable, and
that his career-characterising meddling hands would eventually penetrate to
my God's little acre, the team I loved in good and bad times for years. I
told my friend Eliezer Lehana live on his radio show that I feel like an
uninvited guest has invaded my living room, and stays there regardless to
the owners' feelings.
Ze'ev Jabotinsky translated Edgar Allan Poe's immortal piece, "The Raven"
with great inspiration to Hebrew. The bird that delivers bad news invades
the poet's property, and declines all his protests. Eventually the poet
gives up, while the Raven stays.
And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!
Nice? Address your compliments to Poe and Jabotinsky. I have no choice but
to hope that clever Grant will realise that West Ham has a tradition, that
prefers beautiful football rather than his cynical style. If he will realize
the holiness of the temple he was invited to and doesn't destroy it
disgracefully, he might positively surprise us. In terms of spirit, he was
successful at Portsmouth, and he is lucky enough to walk into the small
shoes left by former manager Gianfranco Zola, a great player, who wasn't as
successful as a manager, yet still remains a loved and admired figure by
all.
When I sat at Wembley in 1964 and the tears in my eyes almost blurred the
heart warming sight of West Ham's players running wild in celebration on the
pitch, Grant was a young man in Petach Tikva, and his best of days would be
a visit to Tel Aviv cinema at Pinsker Street. Now he's at Upton Park, and I
will serve the heaviest of punishments, I will have to pray for his success
every Saturday.
That's the answer I gave the many people who recently asked me if I will
stay a West Ham fan even under Grant. They don't realise that Upton Park is
like a home, that I travel to like a pilgrim at every opportunity. I carry
Bobby Moore, Trevor Brooking, Geoff Hurst and Alan Devonshire to the stand
with me. I hope that this time, just like in Genesis, Avram will not lay his
hand upon the lad, and will fulfil with new openness the dreams of the many
West Ham fans of brilliant attacking football, alongside sportsmanship, and
will preserve the festiveness of the Upton Park experience.
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Expect the expected
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 7th June 2010
By: Kit Robinson
Well here we are again. It's like Christmas but every four years and always
expecting to end up with a fake Action Man with no moving body parts,
instead of the genuine article with gripping hands and eagle eyes. England
are at the World Cup with media full of hype and expectation and we are
being told we can win. But are we really expecting much? Are we destined for
another series of limp displays and another sacked manager? Do we have the
players with enough skill to bring the cup home?
The scenario this time around is that on paper England look capable of
achieving the equivalent of their FIFA ranking, eighth, suggesting a quarter
final place. Yet the media is maintaining its usual over-expectation with
hyperbole in over-rating good but not excellent players. However, many fans
on websites across the land are expecting much less. Is it the case this
time of the fans having been in this situation so many times before that
they finally no longer believe the hype? Maybe.
Every newspaper is treating the England players as though they are world
class. The TV channels are giving us updates to the extent of telling us who
ran out to a training session first. Every other advertisement on television
has England players appearing on it. Most articles on the Internet are
perpetuating the momentum of expectation. All testament to the fact that
their Agents and the players image rights continually up-sell their clients
. It is overkill but at least it seems the fans are reacting with a sense of
perspective and realism this time around.
There is the possibility that the realisation that so few is our number of
decent players that the loss of Rio Ferdinand was a blow but not one which
is insurmountable because he maybe isn't as good as he is depicted ? Just
because we see him play regularly in the Premier League or his image rights
splatter him across all the other media, that does not make him or any other
England player World Class. Within the first 2 weeks of the competition we
will quickly see for ourselves the skills of the players in the other teams
and realise our true status. To be World Class is not simply to be appearing
in the World Cup, it is to compare English players with players in every
league in the world.
Foreign players do not play in the Premier League simply because of being
cheaper to acquire than English players, it is because the vast majority are
better than English players. On top of that is the fact there is a wealth of
decent foreign players of similar skill playing around the rest of the world
who we have never seen. Its a bit depressing to think about but for every
decent Brazilian, there several of similar skill in Brazil and all better
than an English player playing in the same position. Just because scouts
have not caught up with them and we don't watch them playing in Europe does
not mean they don't exist.
Yes we see many of them but are still fairly blinkered in our view of world
football. Who had heard of the two Argentinians Tevez and Mascherano before
West Ham brought them to their club under dubious circumstances? But they
have both proved their worth since.
However, in a bizarre twist of fate, recent negative events may conspire to
work in England's and Fabio Capello's favour. After the excellent run of
results in qualifying there was a genuine feeling of hope about our chances.
There was some sporadic excellent play, occasionally some good passing,
goals were being scored and a genuine feeling of motivation seemed to have
been acquired by the squad. For once, the management looked right, the team
looked right and the belief was there from both players and fans alike.
But along with the expectation comes complacency and the belief that the
team can operate happily in third gear in order to sweep aside the "minnows"
below that FIFA eighth spot ranking. The USA, Slovenia and Algeria are not
there to make up the numbers and are certainly capable of matching most
teams in the competition. We have been here before and England could easily
find themselves dumped out in the group stage.
So those two most recent games for England and the loss of Captain - and
former Hammer - Rio Ferdinand, could turn out to be blessings in disguise.
The English mentality dictates that we operate better as underdogs and in
the face of adversity and having seen the dubious and abject displays in the
friendlies against Mexico and Japan, lets hope that Capello really was using
those matches for testing players and formations and the fact we somehow won
those matches was pure luck rather than intent. You only have to look at the
results of the Italian national team before each World Cup to see that these
games are not games necessary for bolstering confidence. They don't need to
be won and that is quite reassuring.
If England – hopefully including our very own Rob Green and Matthew Upson -
get past the group stage we should be very happy. Capello should stay and
the team should be congratulated, not pilloried. But the media hype dictates
that we will all feel let down with anything less than bringing the cup
back. There may well be flacid displays of poor passing, a lack of energy,
invention and goals but I believe that with a great manager or not, we are
closer to realising that English players are simply not as skillful as we
are being led to believe.
Just as in 1966, luck may see us get to and past the quarter finals but
don't expect it to happen, just cross your fingers.
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Who is on the Shopping List, as Belief and Team Spirit are Also Key Factors?
West Ham Till I Die
The signing of Thomas Hitzlsperger, has opened what should be a summer of
significant transfer activity. There have already been a number of players
linked with us in the press, including Henry, Beckham, Belhadj, OHara, Tal
Haim and Hutton.
Much of this is probably just media speculation, certainly, I am not in
favour of signing players way past their best. That is a retrograde policy.
A step back back in time, to the approach adopted during the 'Ljundberg
phase' at the club. I was, however, interested in David Sullivan's recent
comment that our transfer strategy would combine the recruitment of exciting
young talent, with experienced players. If and how they deliver on that
will be interesting to observe over the coming weeks.
Ok, so the general view seems to be that they have made a good start with
Hitzlsperger's signing. But what else do we need and who should be our
targets? It is a moot point, but we probably need a bare minimum of a
right-back, at least one centre-back, a holding midfielder, a wide player
and a striker. Alan Hutton or Luke Young could both be good signings at
right-back, although I favour Young. On the other side of the back four, I
am assuming that Daprela and Illunga will compete next season for the left
full-back spot? At centre-back, there is this mystery Spanish U-21 target
(whoever that is?) referred to by Sullivan. However, if Upson does leave,
we probably need an experienced player to come in as well. Apparently,
William Gallas is unsettled at the gooners, so why not try for a swop deal?
That might be a bit optimistic, but as they say, if you do not ask, you do
not get!
In midfield, I hope that Kovac exits in the summer. I also feel that
Behrami might be sold if the price is right. In terms of possible
replacements, a player that I have always rated is Steve Sidwell at Aston
Villa. We could probably get Young and Sidwell for a combined fee of c. £6m
and that would be great value. Hitzlsperger is a left sided midfielder.
As such, it will be interesting to see whether that deal, plus Boa Morte's
retention, finishes the mooted £3m move for Belhadj? I hope not, Belhadj
is a left sided player that I have admired for some time, plus he also has
the advantage of being able to play as an auxillery left-back.
Up front, if we stick with Cole, Nouble, Hines and perhaps McCarthy, we need
to recruit at least one experienced, quality striker. Who might we go for?
How about Robbie Keane at Spurs? He is available, will cost a reasonable
fee of c.£7m, has a good goal scoring record and would combine very well
with Carlton Cole. The club tried unsuccessfully to sign him on loan in
January, prior to his eventual loan move to Celtic. So, there is a previous
history of interest in the player. Personally, I would retain Cole and
target the signing a more mobile, proven goal scorer to play off him.
What we really need is a penalty box predator and we should prioritise our
transfer funds to try to get one. Although, admittedly, quality players of
this type are increasingly rare and inevitably cost. This should be
supplemented by the return of Zavon Hines, who really must prove his fitness
and push on this season. Whilst, we also have Freddie Sears, who could yet
blossom as a late developer, or someone like Montano, who could suddenly
push in to the first team squad picture? The other alternative is to loan a
promising youngster, like Vela from the gooners?
The rumour continues that the club is interested in Yakubu from Everton and
that we will increase our initial £5m bid. Yak is a decent striker and I
would have liked to see us purchase him from Middlesboro a few seasons ago.
However, his recent in jury record is a cause for concern. I would
certainly think twice before signing him as a replacement for Carlton Cole,
if that is the plan. Of course much will depend on the formation that
Avram Grant seeks to deploy. There has been a suggestion that he might
pursue a 4-3-3 as his first option tactically? If so, we need mobile
players that can play off of a centre forward and exploit space on the
flanks.
Ok, but I also feel that we need width in the squad to deploy an effective
4-4-2. A lack of width was a real Achilles heel last season. In the likes
of Faubert, Stanislas, Bejhadj, Boa Morte and Hitzlsperger we would have
players that could provide it. I want to see the team playing a high paced,
attacking game. One built upon our traditional passing game, mixed up with
an intelligent directness. Certainly, the style of play adopted is going to
be one of the determaints of whether Grant is a success at the club.
In short, we need a strong and balanced 30 man first team squad, with 25
senior players and 5 youngsters pushing for first team places. We need five
or six good quality additions, but care must also be taken to ensure that
space is retained in the squad to enable youngsters like Tomkins, Spence,
Stanislas Nouble and Hines to develop and push on. The Academy production
line must continue to keep rolling and not break down, as imported players,
of variable quality congest the first team squad. The emphasis should be
on quality, rather than quantity, as the guiding principle for our transfer
policy.
The challenge for Avram Grant is to balance these considerations and also
instill a new, winning mentality in the first squad. That was arguably one
of the greatest failings of Zola's time at the club, the failure to build a
tough minded, winning ethos within the playing staff. Psychologically, and
motivationally, things were not right, hence our consistent failure to get
results once we fell a goal behind last seasonand the prevalence of too many
tame surrenders like Wolves at home and Liverpool away.
We need an hunger, togetherness and belief installed into the squad.
Because, as we know from our past history, these factors can augment the
ability of a side and win matches that, on paper, you should perhaps lose.
In both the league and the cup competitions such results can be the
difference between cup success or failure, Europa qualification or mid-table
obscurity.
SJ. Chandos.
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