Macca on: Stoke City
WHUFC.com
The Hammers assistant manager spoke to the press ahead of Saturday's game at
Stoke City
28.02.2013
Neil McDonald believes West Ham United can solve their Barclays Premier
League away-day woes if they are able to replicate their showing on Monday
against Tottenham Hotspur, as they head to the Britannia Stadium.The Hammers
are set for the Potteries to take on Stoke City having earned just a
solitary point from their six previous league clashes on their travels. But
West Ham's assistant manager is confident they will buck the trend on
Saturday, provided they are able to produce the goods as a defensive unit.
What's the news on Kevin Nolan?
NM: "We're still waiting for the results to come back, his toe is very, very
sore. He's had problems in the past with it, all season really. And he got a
real good kick on it. So I'd imagine he won't be available for Saturday and
then we'll see how the results come back and see where he's at. As I said,
he has had problems with his foot all season, and he has been playing
through the pain barrier. It's probably worse than it has been with him
having the kick right on it. Guy Demel came off but he's OK now and
everybody else is fine. [McDonald later revealed that Mark Noble is a doubt
with an arm injury]"
What did you make of Pogatetz's performance on Monday?
NM: "Well it's always difficult coming into an atmosphere in a game at that
stage. But he has settled in OK. He has already played a game. He was
against a good player in Aaron Lennon. He had a few problems, he didn't stop
enough crosses to be fair. But it's always difficult for the last 20 minutes
coming into a game."
Six points off the relegation places, are you concerned?
NM: "Of course we are. We've always looked up the table this season and
we've always tried to get into the top ten and with a good result on
Saturday we can push ourselves a little bit closer to that.
"I think the away form hasn't been as good as we'd have liked. I think our
home form has been really, really good, even though we've lost a couple. We
have to address that, we've got to be a little tighter and a bit more
physical away from home and make sure we try and keep a clean sheet. And if
we can do that, that gives us a good chance to get back to winning ways on
our travels."
What sort of challenge do Stoke present?
NM: "Well I think they're very well organised. They're quite direct with the
way they play, into the forwards, and then knocking it down and getting it
wide. So we'll have to deal with crosses, and with knockdowns as well. So
it's a stern test but in our game plan, hopefully we can give them a bit of
a test as well. We're trying to put right what we haven't done over the last
four or five away games."
Stoke haven't been on the best run of form either, I think it's one win in
five, do you take something positive from that?
NM: "You always have to take something positive. Apart from Gareth Bale
scoring two brilliant goals, we've acquitted ourselves really well against a
top-four team [on Monday], and if we do that away from home we've got every
chance of getting a result."
What's the situation with Ricardo Gardner?
NM: "Ricardo has just been in for a few weeks trying to get his fitness back
and we've helped him out with a couple of games as well. We've got no space
in our 25-man squad, so there's nothing doing. We had a great relationship
with him at Bolton and he asked to come in and do a bit of training to top
his fitness
up, and that's what he has done. So he's ready and raring to go if somebody
needs a left-back, stroke left-midfielder."
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'We have to go to Stoke and give it a go'
WHUFC.com
James Collins believes West Ham United have to go to Stoke City with a
positive gameplan
28.02.2013
James Collins says there is more than enough quality in the West Ham United
squad to start turning strong performances into results. The Hammers have
performed to a decent level in their most-recent two Barclays Premier League
fixtures, only to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa and go down 3-2 at home
to Tottenham Hotspur on Monday. Collins, who returned to the starting XI
against Spurs after six weeks out with a hamstring injury, said he and his
team-mates were disappointed not to have picked up points against Spurs.
Now, the Welshman wants to turn encouraging displays into points, starting
at Stoke City on Saturday. "We were talking afterwards and I think we felt
we could perhaps have done better with Tottenham's first goal but overall we
were very happy with how we played and how we created chances against what
is a top-three side and a team very much on form," said the centre-back. "It
was a tough game and a London derby. We had other chances that, if they had
gone in, would have made it 3-1 and then you are looking at a different
game. "It is gutting when you are only minutes away from getting something,
but we were strong on Monday night and that gives us plenty of confidence
and belief going to Stoke on Saturday."
Collins' Wales international team-mate Gareth Bale took the headlines on
Monday, scoring Spurs' first and third goals - the latter an unstoppable
90th-minute rocket into the top corner that won the game for his side.
Having trained and played with the 23-year-old for his country, the defender
was not surprised to see the Tottenham No11 shine at the Boleyn Ground. "His
goal is one where you just have to hold your hands up, there was nothing we
could have done I don't think. He is on fire at the moment, scoring and
creating goals, and has not got a weakness at all."
The centre-back will come up against another familiar left-footer this
weekend, when West Ham travel to the Britannia Stadium to face Stoke, who
could include former Hammer Matthew Etherington. "We are looking up and
onwards. There are more tough matches coming up, but we have a great squad
and great team spirit. We have to go to Stoke and give it a good go, and I
feel we have more than enough in the team to do that. "The way we started
the season showed what we are capable of. We are training hard, we want to
win every game and that is no different against Stoke, who we know will be
tough on their own ground, but I strongly believe if we keep playing the way
we are playing, the results will come."
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Dev Squad at the Boleyn on Friday
WHUFC.com
Nick Haycock is looking forward to pitting his Dev Squad against the very
best at the Boleyn Ground
25.02.2013
West Ham United's Development Squad are in action at the Boleyn Ground this
Friday evening when they play host to Manchester United. Nick Haycock's team
will be swapping their usual Rush Green home for the bigger stage of the
Hammers' main stadium, and with season ticket holders being admitted free of
charge, there's no excuse to miss out. Kick-off is at 7pm and admission for
non-season ticket holders is priced at £3 adults and £1 concessions. The
Hammers follow this Boleyn Ground run-out with two more before the end of
April, against Arsenal (March 15) and Tottenham Hotspur (April 8). The
Stadium Store will also be open up until kick-off, giving supporters a
chance to make the most of the club's half-price sale on the Macron replica
kit and accessories range.
Haycock cannot wait for the challenge. He said: "It will make a big
difference playing at the Boleyn Ground, as that's ultimately where we'd
like the boys to play. The more games you can get at your main stadia the
better. "That just raises the environment for the boys to prepare themselves
for the biggest challenge, namely when they do step out in that domain for
the first team. "We can hopefully get back to the passing style that we have
got and I think the boys will be looking forward to the occasion as well."
Boleyn Ground Development Squad fixtures
Friday 1 March - Manchester United (7pm)
Friday 15 March - Arsenal (7pm)
Monday 8 April - Tottenham Hotspur (7pm)
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Lletget makes good on promise
WHUFC.com
Sebastian Lletget spoke of his mixed emotions after scoring in a 2-1 defeat
by Wolves
28.02.2013
Sebastian Lletget was thrilled to repay West Ham United's continued faith in
him, as he celebrated a new two-year contract with his first goal of the
season for the Development Squad. It was, however, to end a bitter-sweet
evening for the American, as his first-half strike could not prevent the
Hammers from falling to defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Last time
out, Lletget had vowed to break his goalscoring duck this term, and now that
he has, he is planning to make sure he has plenty more to celebrate between
now and the season's end. "I was just very happy to give back to the club
what they've given me through the past couple of years so hopefully I can
keep moving on and getting some goals," Lletget told West Ham TV. "It was
particularly pleasing to score. With Nick being the new Dev Squad manager he
has pushed me forward a bit and has really got on to me to score more goals.
"We've worked on it in training and it's working out, so I'm happy. It
worked out well, thank you to my teammates. It was good build up as well,
they set me up and I was just glad to finish it off."
Positive though he is, Lletget couldn't fail to be somewhat deflated after
surrendering a lead so late in the day against Wolves. But far from being
all doom and gloom, he believed West Ham should have had something to show
for their efforts. "We played our hearts out," he added. "It's unfortunate
that the last ten minutes didn't go our way but we did our best. We were
hanging in there. I thought we were going to win it. I think we were good
enough to win it. The referee made a call and even though we disagree with
it, it happens so we can't take it back. "There are a couple of young ones
in there and I think it's a good lesson for them. For our experienced
players in the squad, like myself, there are always lessons to be learned
out of these games especially."
Casting his mind to Friday's showdown with Manchester United, Lletget is
relishing the prospect of showcasing his talents at the Boleyn Ground, in
the hope the Hammers can topple the heavyweights. "It's going to be a big
stage for a lot of us and managers will be watching and a lot of scouts, so
it will be a good opportunity. Manchester United will have a lot of good
players but we have a lot of good players as well and we're well up for the
challenge. Every season that's our aim, to play the best and beat the best."
Entry for Friday night's 7pm kick-off is free for Season Ticket Holders,
while all other adult tickets are just £3 and under-16s £1. The main car
park and Stadium Store will also be open to supporters.
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Sculpting a legend
WHUFc.com
Philip Jackson is the man who created two fantastic sculptures of the late,
great Bobby Moore OBE
28.02.2013
Philip Jackson is the sculptor whose works of Bobby Moore stand outside the
Boleyn Ground and Wembley Stadium. Jackson is a renowned sculptor with an
outstanding international reputation. Born in Inverness in 1944, Jackson now
lives and works in West Sussex. He was appointed Commander of the Royal
Victorian Order (CVO) in the Queen's Birthday Honours list 2009. As well as
his two fine works depicting Bobbby Moore, Jackson has also sculpted public
works of 1966 FIFA World Cup-winning manager Sir Alf Ramsey, Manchester
United trio George Best, Bobby Charlton and Denis Law, King George VI and HM
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. In an exclusive interview with West Ham
United, Jackson discusses the process behind his two magnificent sculptures
of the late, great Hammers and England captain: "The first Bobby Moore
statue I worked on was the one at West Ham. It was to celebrate the 1966
World Cup victory, with Bobby as captain. It's based on an iconic
photograph, showing three of the players holding Bobby aloft. "As Bobby was
unfortunately no longer with us, we were relying on photographs to make sure
his features were correct. West Ham were very helpful with supplying images
from their archive, and Bobby's widow Stephanie too. "When you're working on
a piece, you start by identifying your audience. In this case there were
three - the panel who have put forward the commission, who you work very
closely with, the people involved, in this case Stephanie, who would see
them differently from the panel, and the fans too, who would have a very
high appreciation of what he looked like.
"This piece was one from a snapshot in time, and when you're working from
photos they often span a greater period. The difficulty was that there
aren't too many of the players involved from before, and although there are
plenty from the event and afterwards, ideally you have photographs very
close up as you're producing a stature nine feet tall with their head
one-and-a-half times real size. You can't fudge the details. "I was lucky
that Stephanie provided such great access to photos from her own archive as
they were a huge help. "The other detail you need to get right is the kit -
it changes all the time and if you get it wrong there are hundreds of
experts out there who will point it out, so I had to study that very closely
too. "Having been commissioned for the piece at West Ham, that was helpful
when it came to the Wembley one. There was a public poll to decide which
iconic football figure would be standing in front of the new Wembley
Stadium, and more than 50 per cent said Bobby Moore. "For this one there was
a super panel, which included the architects of the stadium itself, the
Chairman of the FA and the other football authorities. They were of the
mindset that they would be telling us what to do, but I was of the mind that
I would do my study into the subject and then tell them what I thought
appropriate. "That involved giving all the people on the super panel a ring,
hearing what they thought about Bobby and finding out what it was that stood
out about him.
"It became clear that he wasn't the fastest footballer, although he was
captain he wasn't a shouter, and he wasn't a goalscorer. But he was a
leader, who gave the confidence to his team-mates to win. I found that very
interesting, along with the fact that as a defender he was a very difficult
man to get past. He was a player who was always thinking and that was why I
wanted to show him deep in thought, as a determined, thoughtful tactician.
"The fact there are statues commemorating Bobby at both the Boleyn Ground
and Wembley is fantastic, because his is an image which is seen by so many
people at both venues and his story is one which will live on. He's the only
England captain to lift a FIFA World Cup, and that remains a massive high
point in English football. "Bobby was so popular and liked by the public,
and it has been an honour to build up a picture of him in my own mind, from
researching his story so deeply and getting to know people who knew him. We
have images of him at both the Boleyn Ground and Wembley that will last for
100 or 200 years and that's fantastic."
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Kevin Nolan: West Ham skipper sidelined by broken toe
BBC.co.uk
West Ham are set to be without captain Kevin Nolan for at least a month
after he suffered a broken toe in Monday's 3-2 defeat by Tottenham. The
Hammers midfielder, 30, was substituted after 35 minutes following a tackle
by Spurs' Mousa Dembele. Reports claiming Nolan would be out for six to
eight weeks are "wide of the mark," a West Ham spokesman said. Nolan will
miss Saturday's game at Stoke, which is one of only three matches for the
Hammers in March.
As they are out of the FA Cup, Sam Allardyce's men are next in action at
west London rivals Chelsea on 17 March, and then host West Bromwich Albion
on 30 March after an international break. Ex-Newcastle player Nolan, who
suffered a toe injury in a pre-season friendly against Colchester United
last summer, is West Ham's top scorer with six goals. He joined the Upton
Park club from the Magpies on a five-year deal in 2011.
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Birmingham City: Newcastle's Shane Ferguson signs on loan
BBC.co.uk
Birmingham City have brought in young wide man Shane Ferguson on a month's
emergency loan from Newcastle United. The 21-year-old Northern Ireland
international, who can also play at full-back, has been signed to cover
Blues' six games up to and including Easter Monday (1 April). Ferguson's
arrival follows the return of injured on-loan winger Rob Hall to parent club
West Ham United. Teenager Hall has returned to West Ham for treatment on a
groin injury.
Play media The England Under-19 international has made 13 appearances for
Blues since first arriving at St Andrew's in November . But, having last
appeared in the 4-0 home defeat by Watford two weeks ago, Hall's current
loan spell ends on 16 March.
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West Ham suffer injury blow as captain Kevin Nolan breaks toe
Last Updated: February 28, 2013 5:31pm
SSN
Kevin Nolan suffered a broken toe during Monday night's derby against
Tottenham, West Ham have confirmed. The captain collided with Mousa Dembele
during the first half of the 3-2 defeat, exacerbating a long-standing
problem. Nolan is out of this weekend's trip to Stoke and will instead
undergo intensive treatment, but it is not yet known how long he faces on
the sidelines. West Ham assistant manager Neil McDonald said: "His toe's
very, very sore. He's had problems in the past with it - all season really -
and he got a really good kick on it. "I'd imagine he'll not be available for
Saturday and we'll see how the results come back and we'll see where he's
at. "He has been playing through the pain barrier. We'll assess it in the
next couple of days." West Ham have 15 days between the visit to the
Britannia and their next game - away at Chelsea on 17 March. Manchester
United's continued involvement in the FA Cup means their trip to east London
- originally scheduled for 9 March - has been postponed.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Friday, March 1
Thursday, February 28
Daily WHUFC News - 28th February 2013
Der Kaiser pays his tribute
WHUFC.com
Franz Beckenbauer tells of his admiration for West Ham United's greatest
player, Bobby Moore
27.02.2013
Few players in the history of world football can be considered as equals to
the great Bobby Moore. Franz Beckenbauer is one of those players. Just like
his English contemporary, Beckenbauer enjoyed a glittering career with
Bayern Munich and West Germany, earning a reputation for being the greatest
defender his country has ever produced. Like Moore, he lifted the FIFA World
Cup as his country's captain, doing so on home turf in 1974, before
repeating the feat as a manager in 1990 - becoming the first individual to
complete that amazing double. Throughout his career 'Der Kaiser' - 'The
Emperor' - regularly came up against West Ham United and England's greatest
centre-half, most notably at the 1966 and 1970 FIFA World Cup finals and
later in the North American Soccer League. As players and as human beings,
the pair developed a deep respect and friendship. Twenty years after Moore's
passing, Beckenbauer still holds his old adversary in the highest possible
esteem. "If you play football as long as I did, even internationally, you
get to know a lot of footballers. But only a few become true friends and
even remain so after your career has ended. Bobby was such a friend. As a
footballer he was great and as a person loveable."
"Bobby was one of the best players in the history of football. He was the
captain of the team which won the major title for England in 1966 at the
World Cup in their own country. "He was an exceptionally gifted player and a
true leader on the field, because he was a personality with charisma and he
was able to motivate his teammates. "His particular strength was his
intuition. Thus he had an incredible positional play."
The two legends enjoyed their greatest battle in the FIFA World Cup final at
Wembley in July 1966. There, 25-year-old Moore captained England to victory
over a West Germany side that included the 20-year-old Beckenbauer in
central midfield. Despite his country's defeat - and the controversy
surrounding whether or not England's third goal crossed the line -
Beckenbauer admits England deserved their 4-2 win and Moore to lift the
Jules Rimet Trophy. "You will never forget such a game. However, today the
dramatic is very difficult to explain. England certainly deserved to win,
although it is unclear still today - and probably will never be answered -
if the third goal was one indeed. "Anyway, England has rightly become world
champions."
It would not be the final time the pair would meet at international level.
In 1970, Moore's England raced into a 2-0 lead over West Germany in the FIFA
World Cup quarter-finals in Mexico, only for Beckenbauer's side to stage a
dramatic comeback to secure a 3-2 win. Two years later, the pair met as
captains in the UEFA European Championship quarter-finals. West Germany were
again victorious, winning 3-1 on aggregate. Finally, in 1978, 37-year-old
Moore and his Seattle Sounders faced 32-year-old Beckenbauer's New York
Cosmos in the North American Soccer League. The pair were joined by Brazil
greats Pele and Carlos Alberto, England internationals Rodney Marsh and
Trevor Francis, Wales defender Mike England and West Ham goalkeeper Phil
Parkes as attempts were made to make 'soccer' popular in the United States.
Beckenbauer believes their presence helped pave the way for the modern-day
success of the MLS.
"Bobby and I played a few times against each other. It's true that Bobby,
Pele, a few others and I were pioneers of football at that time. "I think
that we have contributed some things that helped football made the gap in
the USA and it has become increasingly popular."
Unfortunately, of course, Moore is no longer with us, having passed away in
February 1993 at the age of 51. Now 67, Beckenbauer spoke at the memorial
service held four months later at Westminster Abbey - an experience he will
never forget. "After Bobby's death, I experienced one of the most touching
moments of my life. His memorial service was held at Westminster Abbey.
Every seat was occupied and everybody of distinction was present. "I was
asked to read from the Bible during the funeral ceremony in the pulpit. I
was terribly humbled - it was a great honour to say 'Goodbye' to Bobby in
this way."
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O'Neil eyes Stoke success
WHUFC.com
Gary O'Neil believes West Ham United can cure their travel sickness at Stoke
City on Saturday
27.02.2013
Gary O'Neil says West Ham United need to get over the 'massive blow' of
Monday's 3-2 Barclays Premier League defeat by Tottenham Hotspur when they
travel to Stoke City. The Hammers go to the Britannia Stadium on Saturday
having been edged out by a last-minute goal from Spurs' Gareth Bale and
seeking to end a run of six consecutive away league defeats. While the odds
may be against West Ham winning in the Potteries, midfielder O'Neil believes
Monday's performance should give the players and supporters belief that
better is just around the corner.
"We've got some big, strong, physical players who can hopefully deal with
Stoke's physical threat, then hopefully we'll have the chance to get it down
and play," the 29-year-old told West Ham TV. "We got the chance to play a
little bit on Monday night and show people what we can do, getting it down
the sides to Matt Jarvis and Joe Cole with people driving in. Hopefully we
can work on some more of that. "We hope to stop getting so many little
injuries as well. We had to take people off, which wasn't ideal. It spoils
your rhythm when you lose your captain after half-an-hour and then we lost
our right-back Guy Demel. It makes it tough, so hopefully we can stop that
as well. "We need a reaction because our away form hasn't been good enough.
I thought we played a bit better at Aston Villa, but came away with nothing
which is no good. Saturday is a big game and we need something from it."
For O'Neil, seeing his name in the starting line-up at Stoke will be
incentive enough to produce his best. "It's been a long time since I started
a Premier League game in the middle of the park," said the No32, who started
his first league game since the 1-0 defeat at Reading on 29 December. On
Monday I played in a slightly new role a bit deeper with Mark Noble missing
through injury, and I enjoyed it. I thought we did well as a team and looked
fairly comfortable. It was just a massive blow at the end that made me
forget about all the rest of it, really. "It was tough to take so late in
the game but it was such a good goal by Bale, and especially as we'd had
some good chances at 2-1 to make it three. I thought the lads worked hard
against a good side with one outstanding player, as well. We were a little
bit unlucky but we've got to dust ourselves down and we've got another big
game on Saturday. "I don't think Spurs looked too dangerous until Bale got
the ball. They kept it comfortably and we knew they'd try to keep the ball
as they like to pass it, then as soon as he got hold of it there seemed to
be an extra edge to their play. He scored a great first goal and, with the
second one, I still can't believe he's managed to do what he did from where
he was. It was a real sickener."
For O'Neil, Bale's late winner was particularly tough to take as he had
tracked the Welshman half the length of the pitch before the Spurs No11
unleashed an unstoppable long-range shot into the top corner. In assessing
the situation again, midfielder summed up the difficulty of dealing with a
player with pace, power and the ability to score goals from anywhere. "It
was a tough one for me. It was about 35 yards out, I was on a yellow card
and I had to decide whether to try and go tight and risk him going by me.
Maybe I gave him a yard too much space but I didn't expect him to do what he
did. "I've had a look at it again to see if there is anything I could have
done and the ball misses my foot by about a millimetre. Maybe I could have
got a bit tighter but we'll discuss it over the next few days and see what
we could have done better about all three goals."
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'There are lessons to be learned'
WHUFC.com
Nick Haycock insists that disappointment at Wolves will stand his U21s in
good stead for the future
27.02.2013
Nick Haycock admitted his Development Squad had learned the hard way after
two late goals consigned West Ham United to a Barclays Under-21 Premier
League Elite Group defeat at the hands of Wolverhampton Wanderers.Sebastian
Lletget's first goal of the campaign seemingly had Haycock's men on course
for a valuable away win, only for calamity to strike twice in the final
eight minutes. A suspiciously harsh penalty award allowed Jake Cassidy to
slam home from the spot, before the hosts seized upon Frazer Shaw's
defensive mishap, with Robbie Parry the man to fire Wolves ahead in the 90th
minute. While defeat was certainly scant reward for a perfectly good
showing, Haycock was adamant that Wolves' late show will prove an invaluable
experience in the long run.
"It's probably the first time that I do feel really aggrieved," Haycock told
West Ham TV. "Every game that we've played has been competitive and this was
no different. We've come to a good club in Wolves and I think the
environment was exactly what the boys are going to experience out on loan.
The game played that way as well and it's a great game for the boys to have
played in. There are some young lads out there who are learning by the day
and this was no exception. "We nearly gave them a goal at 1-0 when we were
playing out the back and dropped it short to the 'keeper, but we'll learn
from that. That's key. If they don't make mistakes they may never learn.
Sometimes you have to be harsh and tell them a few home truths. I think
that's part and parcel of football as well. That's the world they are coming
in to. At this level you can't afford to make mistakes like that because you
get punished."
The Hammers might have had a two-goal lead to protect had Elliot Lee enjoyed
better fortune, as his strike, just seconds after the restart, cannoned off
the inside of the post and rolled across the face of goal. Haycock reckoned
it was a pivotal moment on the night, while he was disappointed with the
penalty that handed Wolves a route back into the contest. "If Elliot's
chance just after half-time goes in, it's probably a different game at 2-0,"
he added. "I don't think Elliot could have done any more really. He's hit
the post, and it could have gone in off the post. They are game-changers and
I think we've had a week of it with the first team. It was a good
performance against Spurs and it was no different on Tuesday night. "They
had their chances as well and I'm not going to gripe about a referee but
it's never a penalty. I've seen it on the DVD. That's given them the lift to
push on and get the winner, albeit in the last few minutes. We're very
unfortunate just to be sat on six points, I think we deserve far more than
that. But there are lessons to be learned."
Next up for Nick Haycock's charges is the visit of Manchester United to the
Boleyn Ground on Friday 1 March, with kick-off set for 7pm. Season Ticket
Holders are to be admitted free of charge, while Adults will pay just £3 and
Under-16s £1. The main car park and Stadium Store will also be open to
supporters.
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John Carew leaves Inter Milan trial after concerns over his fitness
BBC.co.uk
Former Aston Villa and West Ham striker John Carew has left Inter Milan
after the Italian club expressed concerns over the trialist's fitness. "His
present physical condition would need a lengthy period of fitness work not
compatible with the needs of the club," said the Serie A side. Carew, 33,
has been a free agent since leaving Upton Park last summer. The Norwegian
linked up with Inter after forward Diego Milito suffered a serious knee
ligament injury. "We would like to thank John for the willingness and
professionalism he has shown," added Inter in a statement on their official
website. Since his release by West Ham in May, Carew has taken part in an
action film and also been linked with a return to Premier League strugglers
Villa. But he was given a surprise opportunity by the Nerazzurri as boss
Andrea Stramaccioni looks for cover for Argentina international Milito. "I
wasn't expecting the call - life is full of surprises. But I'm ready, I feel
good and I've worked with the team over the last two weeks," said Carew
before his trial ended. Inter, who will play Tottenham in the last 16 of the
Europa League in March, are fifth in Serie A, 14 points behind league
leaders Juventus. However, Inter are on a poor run of form and have only won
two of eight league matches in 2013. Carew, who scored 24 goals in 91
appearances for Norway, has previous experience of Italian football, after a
loan spell at Roma in the 2003-04 season.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce: this round's on me
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 27th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce treated his backroom staff to a pre-Christmas
'jolly' the night before a Premier League clash with West Bromwich Albion,
it has been revealed. Allardyce and his team were staying at the Hilton
Hotel - which is adjacent to the new National Football Centre in Burton upon
Trent - on Saturday, 15th December ahead of the following day's visit to the
Hawthorns. A hotel receipt published by a tabloid newspaper today reveals
that the West Ham contingent, which included up to 15 backroom staff plus
interns ran up a bill of around £1,200 the night before the game - a bill
that Allardyce met in full as a 'thank you' for his staff's efforts in 2012,
a year in which West Ham returned to the Premier League. However there is no
suggestion that any of the players - who earned a well-earned point the
following day with a 0-0 draw - were drinking alcohol. A club source told
KUMB.com: "Sam decided to treat his staff. It was a Christmas treat from the
manager who picked up the bill."
Details of the bill were first published by The Sun this morning. The
tabloid claimed that the bill was "posted by mistake to a firm whose staff
were stunned".
However a strapline claiming that "stars including Kevin Nolan and Joe Cole
were present" was quickly removed from their website once it was explained
that Cole was still a Liverpool player at the time of the West Brom trip.
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West Ham interest for former Porstmouth man Nadir Belhadj
By Giscard Gourizro. Last Updated: February 27, 2013 8:51pm
SSN
Reported West Ham United target Nadir Belhadj has hinted he might be
interested in a return to the Premier League. The former Portsmouth
full-back is currently with Qatari outfit Al Sadd having left Fratton Park
in 2010 after winning the FA Cup. But West Ham, Benfica and Lazio are all
being linked with Belhadj and the 30-year-old Algerian has not ruled out the
possibility of moving back to Europe in the summer. He said:" I am happy to
be linked with prestigious clubs, such as Benfica, Lazio and West Ham.
"Benfica have been linked with me before but nothing happened. They are a
great club with great tradition and infrastructures. "West Ham are also a
great team with a good reputation and I always enjoy the English league. To
be honest, nothing has been decided yet so wait and see."
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Joe Cole Excels Once Again at Upton Park!
By S J Chandos
West Ham till I Die
Losing to Spurs in the final minutes of Monday evening's match was tough on
a batting West Ham side, who also gave probably the best passing display of
the season. So much for the stubborn myth that Sam Allardyce's teams only
play one way and, indeed, the elements that perpetuate it. We knew that
Spurs would be a major challenge and that we needed both the 'rub of the
green' and a 110% performance to win. However, we came very close to it and
I was hugely encouraged by the quality of much of our play. It bodes well
for the rest of the season, because if we play like that consistently, for
the remainder of the season, we will win fooball matches. Certainly enough
to comfortably secure our PL status this season and then re-group and
strengthen th squad further in the summer.
I thought Joe Cole was outstanding yet again. He seems to reserve his best
performances for our home games. His vision and passing in the final third
was excellent and he exhibited a growing fitness that was self-evident. He
made a number of decisive passes in the final third, most notably that
intelligent slide rule pass that played Taylor through on goal. Its a pity
that Taylor could not convert, because going 3-1 up would have probably
secured the win. Similarly, Cole's turn and shot to put us 2-1 up, was
extremely well executed. In fact he scuffed his shot, but that probably
helped to beat the Spurs keeper. Those who wrote Cole off as 'finished' have
been proven absolutely wrong. And the rest of us are very grateful for it.
Coming home to West Ham really was the right move for Joe Cole, it's just a
pity he did not join us rather than Liverpool a couple of seasons ago. Still
better late than never.
Matt Jarvis was also excellent down the left flank and was a constant
problem for the Spurs defence. If Jarvis is to reach his best form, he needs
to play regularly and be given the latitude to express himself. He is a good
player and can be a real asset once he finds his best form. Much has made of
the wisdom of the substitutions in the second half. It appears that Demel
was injured and that is the reason that he was substituted. But I must admit
that putting Pogatetz up against Lennon did seem ill advised. Surely, Danny
Potts would have been better equipped to cope with his pace and trickery on
the ball, dispite his relative inexperience. But I am nots ure if he was
even included on the bench on Monday? Also, I agree that substituting Diame
was a major factor in the tide turning against us. Diame is a massive
presence in midield and he constantly makes powerful forward runs that
Parker and co had to cover. When he was substituted, that created the space
and the opportunity fo them to push forward more readily. I am not sure if
there was a specific fitness reason why such a key player was withdrawn? Of
the three substitutions, only Taylor for Nolan seemed a good move. But be
honest, and given a choice, which of those two players would you have
preferred Cole to play in to a 1-on-1 with the Spurs keeper? For me, its
Nolan everytime!
Of the Spurs goals, the first was an absolute 'gift' from our perspective.
How did Demel make that mistake? When it fell to Bale you just knew that we
would be punished for it. The second and equaliser was a messy and
unfortunate affair. Spurs certainly were lucky in the way that the ball fell
for them, because on another day it would have fell kindly for the West Ham
defenders and we would have cleared it. As for the third goal, you really
cannot legislate for a strike of that quality. Of course, O'Neill gave him a
bit too much space, but what is done is done. It was just hugely
disappointing that it occurred so late in the match.
As I predicted, there was no cricket score and West Ham actually gave a very
good account of themselves. If you do not believe me, check out Gary
Neville's post-match assesment on Sky. The truth is that some fans were so
convinced of a trouncing that they completely lost sight of the threat that
our team could, in turn, pose to Spurs. The match proved that West Ham have
more than enough ability to give Spurs a tough game, pushing them all the
way. And that is a positive at this stage of our progression as a club,
because at the end of the day, West Ham are a promoted team, in their first
season back in th PL. We can build upon this season, and the current squad,
and progressively bring in the extra quality that we need to challenge the
top 6-8 of the PL.
The team need to build on the many positive aspects of that performance and
get a good result at Stoke City. Stoke are a very physical, tough side, who
are not above practising the 'dark arts' of the game. We need to meet their
physical challenge, watch out for under hand stuff and get the ball down and
play like we did against Spurs. I am sure that a effective combination of
physical strength, effective passing & movement and posing a constant threat
at set peices can deliver the points for us on Saturday. Say, a 1-2 victory.
My concluding comment on the Spurs match, is to praise the club and its fans
for the 20th Anniversary commemoration of Bobby Moore's death and the
celebration of his life. It was very emotional and illustrated what a great
player and human being Bobby Moore was. Those that saw him play are blessed,
those that knew him and counted him as a friend or team mate much more so.
And also very well done to the Hammers support for heeding the mesages from
the club and eradicating any disciminatory chants towards the Spurs fans.
The club is genuinely committed to promoting equality, inclusion and
community cohesion and non-discrimination has become a key objective of the
club. That is a very good development and one that supporters should embrace
and actively support.
It has been reported that Kevin Nolan could potentially be sidelined for the
next six weeks with a broken toe. So, who fills in for the absent skipper?
In my opinion, we either go 4-4-2 and a 2nd striker partners Andy Carroll or
we stay 4-3-3 and either Joe Cole or Jack Collison goes into the advanced
central midfield position, with the other one playing on the right flank.
Probably Cole in the centre, with Collison on the right flank. This could be
an opportunity to give Collison a run in the team and play Joe cole in a
central or free role. Both player are skillful and undoubtedly have goals in
them.
Similarly, another report has appeared out of nowhere stating hat West Ham
may launch a summer move for Nadir Belhadj. The former Portsmouth
left-back/winger is currently with Qatari outfit Al Sadd having left Fratton
Park in 2010 their FA Cup victory. I am not sure if this is an actual
possibility or just an agent placed story,designed to generate interest? But
it is one to watch.
Finally, I had the great pleasure to meet a small group of WHTID readers
last week. We had a very interesting discussion over a drink or two and they
were most generous in the praise of my blog articles. It really renewed my
faith in the vast majority of people following WHTID. None of them had ever
posted a comment, but had loyally followed the site since around 2008 or
2009. Actually, the traffic for the site is massive, and still growing, but
only a tiny percentage of the readers actually post. Which is an amazing
fact and puts everything in to perspective. WHTID, of course, values every
single reader, including those that contribute comments. Due to my other
commitments I rarely get the time to read the comments these days, but I
know that Iain regularly suveys them and responds as necessary.
No doubt readers/contributors disagree with me in occasions, that is
inevitable and hopefully generates a good discussion and exchange of views..
The important thing is that we are all Hammers supporters, not enemies, and
we treat each other with respect and all due regard. Which I am certain that
the vast majority do. That is one of the characteristics that has always
made WHTID different to the rest. Long may it be the case. COYI !
SJ. Chandos.
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Parker hurt by West Ham boos
The Sun
Published: 27th February 2013
SCOTT PARKER admits he was gutted to get booed by some West Ham fans on
Monday. The 32-year-old moved to Tottenham at the start of last season in a
£6million deadline day move when the Hammmers were in the Championship. But
despite spending four seasons at Upton Park and winning the club's player of
the year award in the last of those, some sections of the crowd gave him an
earful during the 3-2 defeat to Spurs on Monday. He said: "I didn't expect
the West Ham fans to boo me and obviously it was a little bit upsetting. "I
don't know if it's because I went to their local rivals — I'm not sure. But
I just would have liked to think that maybe I would have got a better
reception after what I did in my time here. "I loved Upton Park, the fans,
and I loved the club. "I had four fantastic years here and it will always be
a club with a massive place in my heart. "I was looking forward to coming
back and I couldn't wait to go out there and play so I was disappointed."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammer blow as Nolan is crocked
Exclusive
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: 5 hrs ago
The Sun
WEST HAM have suffered a huge blow with confirmation that skipper Kevin
Nolan has a broken foot. Nolan's injury, following a tackle by Spurs' Mousa
Dembele on Monday, could rule the midfielder out for up to eight weeks.
Medics will not know for another fortnight if he can play with pain-killing
injections.
Hammers are six points off the drop zone. Defender James Collins said: "
Relegation has not been mentioned."
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Wilson's ready for battle with Carroll
By GRAHAM HILL
Published: 5 hrs ago
The SUn
MARC WILSON is preparing for a baptism of fire against Andy Carroll. Stoke
midfielder Wilson is set to replace Robert Huth at centre-half against West
Ham on Saturday. Huth starts a three-match ban after yesterday accepting an
FA violent conduct charge for landing a forearm on Fulham's Phillippe
Senderos last weekend. Wilson said: "Carroll's a good player, he'll be a
challenge. But l'll play anywhere for the team."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Franz Beckenbauer tells of his admiration for West Ham United's greatest
player, Bobby Moore
27.02.2013
Few players in the history of world football can be considered as equals to
the great Bobby Moore. Franz Beckenbauer is one of those players. Just like
his English contemporary, Beckenbauer enjoyed a glittering career with
Bayern Munich and West Germany, earning a reputation for being the greatest
defender his country has ever produced. Like Moore, he lifted the FIFA World
Cup as his country's captain, doing so on home turf in 1974, before
repeating the feat as a manager in 1990 - becoming the first individual to
complete that amazing double. Throughout his career 'Der Kaiser' - 'The
Emperor' - regularly came up against West Ham United and England's greatest
centre-half, most notably at the 1966 and 1970 FIFA World Cup finals and
later in the North American Soccer League. As players and as human beings,
the pair developed a deep respect and friendship. Twenty years after Moore's
passing, Beckenbauer still holds his old adversary in the highest possible
esteem. "If you play football as long as I did, even internationally, you
get to know a lot of footballers. But only a few become true friends and
even remain so after your career has ended. Bobby was such a friend. As a
footballer he was great and as a person loveable."
"Bobby was one of the best players in the history of football. He was the
captain of the team which won the major title for England in 1966 at the
World Cup in their own country. "He was an exceptionally gifted player and a
true leader on the field, because he was a personality with charisma and he
was able to motivate his teammates. "His particular strength was his
intuition. Thus he had an incredible positional play."
The two legends enjoyed their greatest battle in the FIFA World Cup final at
Wembley in July 1966. There, 25-year-old Moore captained England to victory
over a West Germany side that included the 20-year-old Beckenbauer in
central midfield. Despite his country's defeat - and the controversy
surrounding whether or not England's third goal crossed the line -
Beckenbauer admits England deserved their 4-2 win and Moore to lift the
Jules Rimet Trophy. "You will never forget such a game. However, today the
dramatic is very difficult to explain. England certainly deserved to win,
although it is unclear still today - and probably will never be answered -
if the third goal was one indeed. "Anyway, England has rightly become world
champions."
It would not be the final time the pair would meet at international level.
In 1970, Moore's England raced into a 2-0 lead over West Germany in the FIFA
World Cup quarter-finals in Mexico, only for Beckenbauer's side to stage a
dramatic comeback to secure a 3-2 win. Two years later, the pair met as
captains in the UEFA European Championship quarter-finals. West Germany were
again victorious, winning 3-1 on aggregate. Finally, in 1978, 37-year-old
Moore and his Seattle Sounders faced 32-year-old Beckenbauer's New York
Cosmos in the North American Soccer League. The pair were joined by Brazil
greats Pele and Carlos Alberto, England internationals Rodney Marsh and
Trevor Francis, Wales defender Mike England and West Ham goalkeeper Phil
Parkes as attempts were made to make 'soccer' popular in the United States.
Beckenbauer believes their presence helped pave the way for the modern-day
success of the MLS.
"Bobby and I played a few times against each other. It's true that Bobby,
Pele, a few others and I were pioneers of football at that time. "I think
that we have contributed some things that helped football made the gap in
the USA and it has become increasingly popular."
Unfortunately, of course, Moore is no longer with us, having passed away in
February 1993 at the age of 51. Now 67, Beckenbauer spoke at the memorial
service held four months later at Westminster Abbey - an experience he will
never forget. "After Bobby's death, I experienced one of the most touching
moments of my life. His memorial service was held at Westminster Abbey.
Every seat was occupied and everybody of distinction was present. "I was
asked to read from the Bible during the funeral ceremony in the pulpit. I
was terribly humbled - it was a great honour to say 'Goodbye' to Bobby in
this way."
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O'Neil eyes Stoke success
WHUFC.com
Gary O'Neil believes West Ham United can cure their travel sickness at Stoke
City on Saturday
27.02.2013
Gary O'Neil says West Ham United need to get over the 'massive blow' of
Monday's 3-2 Barclays Premier League defeat by Tottenham Hotspur when they
travel to Stoke City. The Hammers go to the Britannia Stadium on Saturday
having been edged out by a last-minute goal from Spurs' Gareth Bale and
seeking to end a run of six consecutive away league defeats. While the odds
may be against West Ham winning in the Potteries, midfielder O'Neil believes
Monday's performance should give the players and supporters belief that
better is just around the corner.
"We've got some big, strong, physical players who can hopefully deal with
Stoke's physical threat, then hopefully we'll have the chance to get it down
and play," the 29-year-old told West Ham TV. "We got the chance to play a
little bit on Monday night and show people what we can do, getting it down
the sides to Matt Jarvis and Joe Cole with people driving in. Hopefully we
can work on some more of that. "We hope to stop getting so many little
injuries as well. We had to take people off, which wasn't ideal. It spoils
your rhythm when you lose your captain after half-an-hour and then we lost
our right-back Guy Demel. It makes it tough, so hopefully we can stop that
as well. "We need a reaction because our away form hasn't been good enough.
I thought we played a bit better at Aston Villa, but came away with nothing
which is no good. Saturday is a big game and we need something from it."
For O'Neil, seeing his name in the starting line-up at Stoke will be
incentive enough to produce his best. "It's been a long time since I started
a Premier League game in the middle of the park," said the No32, who started
his first league game since the 1-0 defeat at Reading on 29 December. On
Monday I played in a slightly new role a bit deeper with Mark Noble missing
through injury, and I enjoyed it. I thought we did well as a team and looked
fairly comfortable. It was just a massive blow at the end that made me
forget about all the rest of it, really. "It was tough to take so late in
the game but it was such a good goal by Bale, and especially as we'd had
some good chances at 2-1 to make it three. I thought the lads worked hard
against a good side with one outstanding player, as well. We were a little
bit unlucky but we've got to dust ourselves down and we've got another big
game on Saturday. "I don't think Spurs looked too dangerous until Bale got
the ball. They kept it comfortably and we knew they'd try to keep the ball
as they like to pass it, then as soon as he got hold of it there seemed to
be an extra edge to their play. He scored a great first goal and, with the
second one, I still can't believe he's managed to do what he did from where
he was. It was a real sickener."
For O'Neil, Bale's late winner was particularly tough to take as he had
tracked the Welshman half the length of the pitch before the Spurs No11
unleashed an unstoppable long-range shot into the top corner. In assessing
the situation again, midfielder summed up the difficulty of dealing with a
player with pace, power and the ability to score goals from anywhere. "It
was a tough one for me. It was about 35 yards out, I was on a yellow card
and I had to decide whether to try and go tight and risk him going by me.
Maybe I gave him a yard too much space but I didn't expect him to do what he
did. "I've had a look at it again to see if there is anything I could have
done and the ball misses my foot by about a millimetre. Maybe I could have
got a bit tighter but we'll discuss it over the next few days and see what
we could have done better about all three goals."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'There are lessons to be learned'
WHUFC.com
Nick Haycock insists that disappointment at Wolves will stand his U21s in
good stead for the future
27.02.2013
Nick Haycock admitted his Development Squad had learned the hard way after
two late goals consigned West Ham United to a Barclays Under-21 Premier
League Elite Group defeat at the hands of Wolverhampton Wanderers.Sebastian
Lletget's first goal of the campaign seemingly had Haycock's men on course
for a valuable away win, only for calamity to strike twice in the final
eight minutes. A suspiciously harsh penalty award allowed Jake Cassidy to
slam home from the spot, before the hosts seized upon Frazer Shaw's
defensive mishap, with Robbie Parry the man to fire Wolves ahead in the 90th
minute. While defeat was certainly scant reward for a perfectly good
showing, Haycock was adamant that Wolves' late show will prove an invaluable
experience in the long run.
"It's probably the first time that I do feel really aggrieved," Haycock told
West Ham TV. "Every game that we've played has been competitive and this was
no different. We've come to a good club in Wolves and I think the
environment was exactly what the boys are going to experience out on loan.
The game played that way as well and it's a great game for the boys to have
played in. There are some young lads out there who are learning by the day
and this was no exception. "We nearly gave them a goal at 1-0 when we were
playing out the back and dropped it short to the 'keeper, but we'll learn
from that. That's key. If they don't make mistakes they may never learn.
Sometimes you have to be harsh and tell them a few home truths. I think
that's part and parcel of football as well. That's the world they are coming
in to. At this level you can't afford to make mistakes like that because you
get punished."
The Hammers might have had a two-goal lead to protect had Elliot Lee enjoyed
better fortune, as his strike, just seconds after the restart, cannoned off
the inside of the post and rolled across the face of goal. Haycock reckoned
it was a pivotal moment on the night, while he was disappointed with the
penalty that handed Wolves a route back into the contest. "If Elliot's
chance just after half-time goes in, it's probably a different game at 2-0,"
he added. "I don't think Elliot could have done any more really. He's hit
the post, and it could have gone in off the post. They are game-changers and
I think we've had a week of it with the first team. It was a good
performance against Spurs and it was no different on Tuesday night. "They
had their chances as well and I'm not going to gripe about a referee but
it's never a penalty. I've seen it on the DVD. That's given them the lift to
push on and get the winner, albeit in the last few minutes. We're very
unfortunate just to be sat on six points, I think we deserve far more than
that. But there are lessons to be learned."
Next up for Nick Haycock's charges is the visit of Manchester United to the
Boleyn Ground on Friday 1 March, with kick-off set for 7pm. Season Ticket
Holders are to be admitted free of charge, while Adults will pay just £3 and
Under-16s £1. The main car park and Stadium Store will also be open to
supporters.
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John Carew leaves Inter Milan trial after concerns over his fitness
BBC.co.uk
Former Aston Villa and West Ham striker John Carew has left Inter Milan
after the Italian club expressed concerns over the trialist's fitness. "His
present physical condition would need a lengthy period of fitness work not
compatible with the needs of the club," said the Serie A side. Carew, 33,
has been a free agent since leaving Upton Park last summer. The Norwegian
linked up with Inter after forward Diego Milito suffered a serious knee
ligament injury. "We would like to thank John for the willingness and
professionalism he has shown," added Inter in a statement on their official
website. Since his release by West Ham in May, Carew has taken part in an
action film and also been linked with a return to Premier League strugglers
Villa. But he was given a surprise opportunity by the Nerazzurri as boss
Andrea Stramaccioni looks for cover for Argentina international Milito. "I
wasn't expecting the call - life is full of surprises. But I'm ready, I feel
good and I've worked with the team over the last two weeks," said Carew
before his trial ended. Inter, who will play Tottenham in the last 16 of the
Europa League in March, are fifth in Serie A, 14 points behind league
leaders Juventus. However, Inter are on a poor run of form and have only won
two of eight league matches in 2013. Carew, who scored 24 goals in 91
appearances for Norway, has previous experience of Italian football, after a
loan spell at Roma in the 2003-04 season.
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Allardyce: this round's on me
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 27th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce treated his backroom staff to a pre-Christmas
'jolly' the night before a Premier League clash with West Bromwich Albion,
it has been revealed. Allardyce and his team were staying at the Hilton
Hotel - which is adjacent to the new National Football Centre in Burton upon
Trent - on Saturday, 15th December ahead of the following day's visit to the
Hawthorns. A hotel receipt published by a tabloid newspaper today reveals
that the West Ham contingent, which included up to 15 backroom staff plus
interns ran up a bill of around £1,200 the night before the game - a bill
that Allardyce met in full as a 'thank you' for his staff's efforts in 2012,
a year in which West Ham returned to the Premier League. However there is no
suggestion that any of the players - who earned a well-earned point the
following day with a 0-0 draw - were drinking alcohol. A club source told
KUMB.com: "Sam decided to treat his staff. It was a Christmas treat from the
manager who picked up the bill."
Details of the bill were first published by The Sun this morning. The
tabloid claimed that the bill was "posted by mistake to a firm whose staff
were stunned".
However a strapline claiming that "stars including Kevin Nolan and Joe Cole
were present" was quickly removed from their website once it was explained
that Cole was still a Liverpool player at the time of the West Brom trip.
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West Ham interest for former Porstmouth man Nadir Belhadj
By Giscard Gourizro. Last Updated: February 27, 2013 8:51pm
SSN
Reported West Ham United target Nadir Belhadj has hinted he might be
interested in a return to the Premier League. The former Portsmouth
full-back is currently with Qatari outfit Al Sadd having left Fratton Park
in 2010 after winning the FA Cup. But West Ham, Benfica and Lazio are all
being linked with Belhadj and the 30-year-old Algerian has not ruled out the
possibility of moving back to Europe in the summer. He said:" I am happy to
be linked with prestigious clubs, such as Benfica, Lazio and West Ham.
"Benfica have been linked with me before but nothing happened. They are a
great club with great tradition and infrastructures. "West Ham are also a
great team with a good reputation and I always enjoy the English league. To
be honest, nothing has been decided yet so wait and see."
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Joe Cole Excels Once Again at Upton Park!
By S J Chandos
West Ham till I Die
Losing to Spurs in the final minutes of Monday evening's match was tough on
a batting West Ham side, who also gave probably the best passing display of
the season. So much for the stubborn myth that Sam Allardyce's teams only
play one way and, indeed, the elements that perpetuate it. We knew that
Spurs would be a major challenge and that we needed both the 'rub of the
green' and a 110% performance to win. However, we came very close to it and
I was hugely encouraged by the quality of much of our play. It bodes well
for the rest of the season, because if we play like that consistently, for
the remainder of the season, we will win fooball matches. Certainly enough
to comfortably secure our PL status this season and then re-group and
strengthen th squad further in the summer.
I thought Joe Cole was outstanding yet again. He seems to reserve his best
performances for our home games. His vision and passing in the final third
was excellent and he exhibited a growing fitness that was self-evident. He
made a number of decisive passes in the final third, most notably that
intelligent slide rule pass that played Taylor through on goal. Its a pity
that Taylor could not convert, because going 3-1 up would have probably
secured the win. Similarly, Cole's turn and shot to put us 2-1 up, was
extremely well executed. In fact he scuffed his shot, but that probably
helped to beat the Spurs keeper. Those who wrote Cole off as 'finished' have
been proven absolutely wrong. And the rest of us are very grateful for it.
Coming home to West Ham really was the right move for Joe Cole, it's just a
pity he did not join us rather than Liverpool a couple of seasons ago. Still
better late than never.
Matt Jarvis was also excellent down the left flank and was a constant
problem for the Spurs defence. If Jarvis is to reach his best form, he needs
to play regularly and be given the latitude to express himself. He is a good
player and can be a real asset once he finds his best form. Much has made of
the wisdom of the substitutions in the second half. It appears that Demel
was injured and that is the reason that he was substituted. But I must admit
that putting Pogatetz up against Lennon did seem ill advised. Surely, Danny
Potts would have been better equipped to cope with his pace and trickery on
the ball, dispite his relative inexperience. But I am nots ure if he was
even included on the bench on Monday? Also, I agree that substituting Diame
was a major factor in the tide turning against us. Diame is a massive
presence in midield and he constantly makes powerful forward runs that
Parker and co had to cover. When he was substituted, that created the space
and the opportunity fo them to push forward more readily. I am not sure if
there was a specific fitness reason why such a key player was withdrawn? Of
the three substitutions, only Taylor for Nolan seemed a good move. But be
honest, and given a choice, which of those two players would you have
preferred Cole to play in to a 1-on-1 with the Spurs keeper? For me, its
Nolan everytime!
Of the Spurs goals, the first was an absolute 'gift' from our perspective.
How did Demel make that mistake? When it fell to Bale you just knew that we
would be punished for it. The second and equaliser was a messy and
unfortunate affair. Spurs certainly were lucky in the way that the ball fell
for them, because on another day it would have fell kindly for the West Ham
defenders and we would have cleared it. As for the third goal, you really
cannot legislate for a strike of that quality. Of course, O'Neill gave him a
bit too much space, but what is done is done. It was just hugely
disappointing that it occurred so late in the match.
As I predicted, there was no cricket score and West Ham actually gave a very
good account of themselves. If you do not believe me, check out Gary
Neville's post-match assesment on Sky. The truth is that some fans were so
convinced of a trouncing that they completely lost sight of the threat that
our team could, in turn, pose to Spurs. The match proved that West Ham have
more than enough ability to give Spurs a tough game, pushing them all the
way. And that is a positive at this stage of our progression as a club,
because at the end of the day, West Ham are a promoted team, in their first
season back in th PL. We can build upon this season, and the current squad,
and progressively bring in the extra quality that we need to challenge the
top 6-8 of the PL.
The team need to build on the many positive aspects of that performance and
get a good result at Stoke City. Stoke are a very physical, tough side, who
are not above practising the 'dark arts' of the game. We need to meet their
physical challenge, watch out for under hand stuff and get the ball down and
play like we did against Spurs. I am sure that a effective combination of
physical strength, effective passing & movement and posing a constant threat
at set peices can deliver the points for us on Saturday. Say, a 1-2 victory.
My concluding comment on the Spurs match, is to praise the club and its fans
for the 20th Anniversary commemoration of Bobby Moore's death and the
celebration of his life. It was very emotional and illustrated what a great
player and human being Bobby Moore was. Those that saw him play are blessed,
those that knew him and counted him as a friend or team mate much more so.
And also very well done to the Hammers support for heeding the mesages from
the club and eradicating any disciminatory chants towards the Spurs fans.
The club is genuinely committed to promoting equality, inclusion and
community cohesion and non-discrimination has become a key objective of the
club. That is a very good development and one that supporters should embrace
and actively support.
It has been reported that Kevin Nolan could potentially be sidelined for the
next six weeks with a broken toe. So, who fills in for the absent skipper?
In my opinion, we either go 4-4-2 and a 2nd striker partners Andy Carroll or
we stay 4-3-3 and either Joe Cole or Jack Collison goes into the advanced
central midfield position, with the other one playing on the right flank.
Probably Cole in the centre, with Collison on the right flank. This could be
an opportunity to give Collison a run in the team and play Joe cole in a
central or free role. Both player are skillful and undoubtedly have goals in
them.
Similarly, another report has appeared out of nowhere stating hat West Ham
may launch a summer move for Nadir Belhadj. The former Portsmouth
left-back/winger is currently with Qatari outfit Al Sadd having left Fratton
Park in 2010 their FA Cup victory. I am not sure if this is an actual
possibility or just an agent placed story,designed to generate interest? But
it is one to watch.
Finally, I had the great pleasure to meet a small group of WHTID readers
last week. We had a very interesting discussion over a drink or two and they
were most generous in the praise of my blog articles. It really renewed my
faith in the vast majority of people following WHTID. None of them had ever
posted a comment, but had loyally followed the site since around 2008 or
2009. Actually, the traffic for the site is massive, and still growing, but
only a tiny percentage of the readers actually post. Which is an amazing
fact and puts everything in to perspective. WHTID, of course, values every
single reader, including those that contribute comments. Due to my other
commitments I rarely get the time to read the comments these days, but I
know that Iain regularly suveys them and responds as necessary.
No doubt readers/contributors disagree with me in occasions, that is
inevitable and hopefully generates a good discussion and exchange of views..
The important thing is that we are all Hammers supporters, not enemies, and
we treat each other with respect and all due regard. Which I am certain that
the vast majority do. That is one of the characteristics that has always
made WHTID different to the rest. Long may it be the case. COYI !
SJ. Chandos.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Parker hurt by West Ham boos
The Sun
Published: 27th February 2013
SCOTT PARKER admits he was gutted to get booed by some West Ham fans on
Monday. The 32-year-old moved to Tottenham at the start of last season in a
£6million deadline day move when the Hammmers were in the Championship. But
despite spending four seasons at Upton Park and winning the club's player of
the year award in the last of those, some sections of the crowd gave him an
earful during the 3-2 defeat to Spurs on Monday. He said: "I didn't expect
the West Ham fans to boo me and obviously it was a little bit upsetting. "I
don't know if it's because I went to their local rivals — I'm not sure. But
I just would have liked to think that maybe I would have got a better
reception after what I did in my time here. "I loved Upton Park, the fans,
and I loved the club. "I had four fantastic years here and it will always be
a club with a massive place in my heart. "I was looking forward to coming
back and I couldn't wait to go out there and play so I was disappointed."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammer blow as Nolan is crocked
Exclusive
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: 5 hrs ago
The Sun
WEST HAM have suffered a huge blow with confirmation that skipper Kevin
Nolan has a broken foot. Nolan's injury, following a tackle by Spurs' Mousa
Dembele on Monday, could rule the midfielder out for up to eight weeks.
Medics will not know for another fortnight if he can play with pain-killing
injections.
Hammers are six points off the drop zone. Defender James Collins said: "
Relegation has not been mentioned."
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Wilson's ready for battle with Carroll
By GRAHAM HILL
Published: 5 hrs ago
The SUn
MARC WILSON is preparing for a baptism of fire against Andy Carroll. Stoke
midfielder Wilson is set to replace Robert Huth at centre-half against West
Ham on Saturday. Huth starts a three-match ban after yesterday accepting an
FA violent conduct charge for landing a forearm on Fulham's Phillippe
Senderos last weekend. Wilson said: "Carroll's a good player, he'll be a
challenge. But l'll play anywhere for the team."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Wednesday, February 27
Daily WHUFC News - 27th February 2013
'It's onwards and upwards'
WHUFC.com
Joe Cole is determined not to let Monday's defeat by Tottenham Hotspur
linger in West Ham United's minds
26.02.2013
Joe Cole has enjoyed and endured every emotion as a footballer. From
inspiring West Ham United to win the FA Youth Cup as a teenager through
suffering relegation with the Hammers to winning Premier League titles with
Chelsea and scoring for England at the FIFA World Cup finals, the
31-year-old has seen it all. On Monday, he again went through the full range
of emotions, putting West Ham 2-1 up against Tottenham Hotspur, only for
Andre Villas-Boas' men to pull off a dramatic victory through late goals
from Gylfi Sigurdsson and man-of-the-moment Gareth Bale. "It's horrible -
the worst thing about being a footballer," said the No26. "We worked so hard
so to get nothing out of the game was horrible. "It was heartening and nice
to see Jussi Jaaskelainen have a great game, but we worked so hard. They are
a top side and have gone third in the league now, so it's disappointing."
Cole struck his second goal since returning to the club in January with a
smart turn and shot on 58 minutes, completing a turn-around after Andy
Carroll's penalty had cancelled out Bale's early opener. However, substitute
Sigurdsson scrambled the ball home with 14 minutes to go before Bale stole
the show with a rasping, unstoppable 30-yarder that not even an inspired
Jaaskelainen could keep out. "It was a big derby and a big game, so just a
sickener not to get the result in the end. It's onwards and upwards. We have
got to stick together and take the positives out of the performance. "Like I
said, our 'keeper was fantastic for us and we looked strong at times. You
can't help the goal from Bale - it's world-class and he is in that kind of
form at the moment. "He could be up there with the best players in the
Premier League's history. He has still got some work to do, but he has
certainly got the potential to be up there with the [Cristiano] Ronaldos and
the [Thierry] Henrys that this country has seen. He is great to watch, but
he's a nightmare to play against, unfortunately."
As one of the senior players in the Hammers dressing room, Cole is now
conscious of the need for the squad to retain their focus and belief after
such a late body-blow on Monday evening - especially ahead of a trip to a
Stoke City side just three points above them in the table. "I think we need
to go to Stoke and go for the win, but it's important to go there and not to
get beaten. We certainly can do that and it won't be for a lack of
togetherness if we don't. We need a little bit more quality and patience in
the build-up and we should be alright, but it's going to be a tough game up
there, that's for sure. It'll certainly be a lot different from Monday
night. "It's just a case of us needing to put our chances away. On Monday,
when Matty went through he could have made it 3-1 and we'd have expected to
win the game then. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. We've got to stick
together. We've got a lot of experienced players and we should be alright."
Finally, despite the ultimate disappointment of defeat, Cole lauded the
atmosphere created on a night when the club honoured the memory of the late
Bobby Moore OBE, who passed away 20 years ago last Sunday. "Upton Park under
the lights is special. It's great. It's blinding. I've played in all the
best stadia in the world but when this place is rocking like that, it's
something else. I enjoyed the game, but I didn't enjoy the result."
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Sunday move for Chelsea away
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Stamford Bridge trip rearranged for Sunday 17 March
26.02.2013
West Ham United's Barclays Premier League game away at Chelsea will now take
place on Sunday 17 March with a 4pm kick-off. The Hammers' trip to west
London was originally scheduled for the Saturday, but Chelsea are now in
UEFA Europa League action against Steaua Burcharest just two days before
that original date. Sam Allardyce's men will be looking for a Premier League
double against Chelsea, having recorded a memorable 3-1 victory over the
Blues at the Boleyn Ground in December. Carlton Cole, Mohamed Diame and
Modibo Maiga were on target as West Ham overturned a first half deficit
handed to them by Juan Mata.
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Jarvis bemoans 'sickening' defeat
WHUFC.com
Matt Jarvis said West Ham United's last-gasp loss to Tottenham Hotspur was
tough to take
25.02.2013
Matt Jarvis has played 322 first-team matches as a professional footballer,
but all that experience does not make defeat in the last minute any easier
to take.
Jarvis and his West Ham United colleagues were left deflated after Gareth
Bale's late wonder-goal scored Tottenham Hotspur a dramatic 3-2 Barclays
Premier League victory at the Boleyn Ground on Monday. West Ham recovered
from a goal down to take the lead just before the hour-mark, only to concede
a lead and lose at home for the fifth time this season - four times in the
league and once in the Capital One Cup. "It's sickening to lose when you've
played so well and you have a valuable point taken away at the last minute,"
said the No7. "Bale has turned and stuck one right in the top corner. It's
hard to stop that, but we played well and that's why it's hard to take. But
we've got to look at the positives that we did play really well, created
some great chances and should have got a result."
Despite the disappointment of defeat, Jarvis said the Hammers could be proud
of their overall performance against a Spurs side challenging for a UEFA
Champions League place. "We really got in their faces and closed them down
to not allow them to play the way we wanted to play. We passed it well, got
in behind them, got crosses in and created chances. We really should have
got something from the game."
At the other end of the pitch, the winger had words of praise for goalkeeper
Jussi Jaaskelainen, who made a succession of outstandnig saves to keep Andre
Villas-Boas' team at bay. "Jussi pulled off some great saves and kept us in
it. Obviously they're going to create chances, so when we needed him he
pulled off some fantastic saves." Ultimately, though, neither Jaaskelainen
nor Jarvis could do anything about Bale's 90th-minute strike, which arrowed
into the top right-hand corner from more than 25 yards out. As a fellow
professional, Jarvis could not hide his admiration for the Wales
international, who has now scored nine goals in his previous seven
appearances for club and country. "He can do anything he wants with the
ball. When he struck the last one it wobbled everywhere and ended up in the
top corner. It's a fantastic strike and sometimes you have to hold your
hands up."
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Moore remembered
WHUFC.com
There were moving tributes throughout Monday night to mark 20 years since
Bobby Moore passed away
26.02.2013
A host of special guests and more than 35,000 fans made for a moving night
of tributes to West Ham United and England legend Bobby Moore, who passed
away 20 years ago last weekend, during Monday's game with Tottenham Hotspur.
The Boleyn Ground was repeatedly rocking to the sound of 'Bobby Moore's
claret and blue army' following touching messages from friends, fans,
team-mates and relatives of the world-famous No6. The Hammers faithful
continued their tradition of tying scarves and shirts to the Boleyn Ground
gate as thy made their way down Green Street on their way to the stadium for
the game.
Then, as the atmosphere started to build towards kick-off, the big screens
inside the ground carried video messages from his team-mates and family
members.
His daughter Roberta Moore provided her own personal tribute to her late
father, before she watched on as his grandchildren Freddie, Poppy and Ava
led the two teams out with the match ball, as the stadium synonymous with
Bobby Moore erupted into a poweful chorus of 'Bubbles'.
After the traditional pre-match handshakes had been concluded, referee
Howard Webb brought the teams together for a rousing minute's applause from
all four sides of the ground. Then as the teams broke away to kick-off, the
final touch of a memorable pre-match build up was rounded off with a
stunning 'MOORE 6' mosaic across the Bobby Moore Stand.
Then, in the sixth minute the home support once again burst into a rendition
of 'Bobby Moore's claret and blue army' as picture of the only England
captain to lift a FIFA World Cup was displayed on the big screen. The
memories continued to flow at half time as Moore's fellow World Cup winner
Martin Peters joined a host of his famous former team-mates on the Boleyn
Ground turf for a rare team photo before SBOBET Executive Director Bill
Mummery handed over a cheque for £5,000 to the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer
Research UK. The Fund also benefitted from the generosity of Hammers fans
who donated to bucket collectors and via text message, in addition to the
50p donation from every 100-page commemorative programme sold.
Although West Ham United lost to the odd goal in five against a Gareth
Bale-inspired Spurs, Hammers manager Sam Allardyce felt it was a fitting
tribute to a man held in such high esteem by so many in east London. "It was
a fantastic atmosphere before kick-off and the fans helped to pay a great
tribute to one of their own," Allardyce said. "We couldn't have had any more
backing from the supporters than we did - we tried to give them what they
wanted but unfortunately one man got in the way and that man was Gareth
Bale."
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Garth Crooks's team of the week
By Garth Crooks
BBC.co.uk
GOALKEEPER - JUSSI JAASKELAINEN (West Ham)
Joe Hart and Mark Schwarzer came close to making my team this week. However,
had it not been for Jaaskelainen's performance for West Ham against
Tottenham, Spurs could have scored five or six goals. Forget the three that
flew past him and focus on the eight or nine world-class saves he made. He
gave the Hammers the best possible chance of not just staying in the game
but winning it. It takes a special performance to let three goals in and
still get in my Team of the Week.
Did you know? His 11 saves in tonight's game is the first time a goalkeeper
has reached double figures in a single Premier League game this season
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Villas-Boas on... West Ham United
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
It was a packed press room at the Boleyn last night - the busiest this
season so far - and all the (borderline sycophantic) press wanted to ask
Andre Villas-Boas about was one player in particular (no prizes for guessing
who)...
Andre: He's some player that lad, isn't he?
Yes, a great talent and to see him keep on trying until the last minute
exemplifies the talent that he is. For the goal he came short in midfield to
receive it, took it forward, gets fouled inbetween and gets up. He's been
getting some stick for staying down so he gets on with business, receives
the ball and manages to score a great goal. He's a tremendous talent, for
sure.
You deserved to win the game, you had so many chances - yet it didn't look
as if it was going to be. Where does that work ethic come from in the team
to keep going?
We were very persistent. We didn't drop back and try to play for the point,
which is the way the Premier League is, always positive. We kept pushing for
that winning goal and we got rewarded in the end for doing exactly that.
It was a very competitive game, we could have probably got a better margin
earlier on in the game but it was difficult against West Ham, they were very
objective, aggressive and direct. We had lots of long balls and crosses to
deal with and the players were very brave in the second half to hold on. I
think the reward was excellent for everybody.
Does Gareth surprise you with the things that he does? For the rest of us he
just seems to get better and better.
He's on a tremendous level this season and he's really enjoying his
football, now playing as a striker. When you are able to make the player
feel so comfortable I think things can only get better and it's down to him,
to his motivation. The whole team wants to achieve; the team is also
creating a lot for him and he is able to make the difference.
It's at this time of year that we start thinking about Player of the Year; I
presume if you were voting it's be him every time?
Yes, I think so; he truly deserves it but it's not up to me to make that
consideration. You have to recognise that he's having a tremendous season
and he's a contender, for sure. Hopefully he can nick that.
Sam Allardyce said that as soon as it left his boot he could see it going
in; do you see him score goals like that in training?
Yes, he's very special. I think that also comes with confidence; the more
belief you put into your actions the more certain a goal is to be scored. He
has scored [several goals] recently and is always getting in good positions.
But the team is also scoring late goals which always makes them believe they
can score another. That also has an impact and were profiting from it.
You've dealt with some big players in your career; have you ever seen anyone
quite like Gareth?
His precision is tremendous. When the ball leaves his boot it's incredible.
This evening we saw him go close a couple of times and he just kept on
trying. It's down to the player that he is and the ambition that he has.
He made a point of running over to you to celebrate. How do you think you've
changed Gareth's game?
The team is very committed to their objectives. We were handed the
opportunity tonight of going third - and not only that, but also building a
nine-point gap between us and Everton which is extremely important for the
team. We have a further opportunity against Arsenal to hopefully put them
seven points behind us but it's going to be a hard game. So the conditions
were there for us to play this game very seriously and I think that's why
you saw the players going into that celebration altogether.
Earlier in the season you were conceding a lot of late goals, now you seem
to be scoring a lot. What do you put that down to?
There's a knock-on effect; normally when you suffer a late goal you end up
suffering more because you believe that you are going to concede them once
again. When you score late goals you believe you are going to score them and
you keep on persisting.
How do you turn that around? What have you done?
I've done nothing. It's just the players believe the more often we score the
more often we are likely to score again.
One of the negatives for you today was that Clint Dempsey wasn't available.
What's the latest on him?
He has a calf strain, so I think he's going to be out for one, maybe two
weeks.
You went to hug Bale after the final whistle; what did you say to him?
Nothing; I just congratulated him. Thank you.
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Allardyce on... Tottenham Hotspur
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
A naturally disappointed Sam Allardyce reflects on the derby defeat, but is
full of praise for his players and the supporters nonetheless...
Sam: it's hard when you lose a game that you think you might get something
out of, but at the same time you can't but admire the quality of the goal
that beat you?
Oh, you've got to admire the quality of the goal. It's disappointing when
it's scored against you but you can't knock it whoever you are. Whether
you're a Tottenham fan or a West Ham fan, you've got to admire a goal like
that by a player who's the big difference for Tottenham at the moment.
We've heard a lot about what Michu's done for Swansea this year and we've
heard a lot about what Van Persie's done for Manchester United - but at the
moment, there's nobody doing more for a football club than Gareth Bale for
Tottenham. The quality and consistency of goals he's scoring at the moment.
I'm not so sure anybody else had scored apart from him recently. Maybe one
out of the last nine? Every goal he seems to be hitting from outside the box
as well; it's not that he's tapping them in from inside the box. If you get
too tight to him he skips past you and if you stand off him he hits them
like that.
I'm gutted for the lads and gutted for everybody tonight. We'd hoped to have
come off with a result as it was the Bobby Moore tribute night and a great
atmosphere created by the fans, which created a great game. Unfortunately
we're on the end of a very disappointing defeat after we gave our best but
we couldn't play any better than we played.
The key moment for me was when you're moving into the final quarter of the
game and you get a one-on-one - the best chance of the game for both sides -
and we missed it. That was a telling moment, because I don't think Tottenham
would have come back from 3-1 [down].
The 'keeper did well though?
Superb, but I've got to say we've got to score it. If you're going to beat
Tottenham - like we beat Chelsea - you've got to put them in the back of the
net. We did against Chelsea to win 3-1 and they couldn't come back from that
- this one, Tottenham came back from that and got the second goal then the
'worldy' at the end that killed us off.
We also had a disappointing situation that I feel is to be pointed out by
me, because I feel that Howard Webb has to send Dembele off. The laws tell
us what we have to do and even though some of the referees say they don't
like having to do it they're told that they've got to do it.
Dembele's foul on Kevin Nolan was a booking. Dembele then fouls Mo Diame, he
pulls him back. If you look at some of the fouls that our players were
booked for they were very similar. Two minutes into the second half he pulls
Joe Cole down, that's his third one. What does he do after that? Kicks the
ball 20 yards away so we can't take the free kick.
Mike Riley tells us all day long that that's a booking. That's ten men for
Tottenham, so that's a disappointment for me. Like I said, at the end of all
that we've given it our best shot and we're disappointed that we haven't got
any points out of it - but we've played very well again at home.
What is Nolan's injury?
He got stamped on, on the top of his foot by Dembele. He tried to continue
for as long as he could but couldn't any more as it was getting worse and
worse. Generally, the adrenalin that's pumping through your body sometimes
means you can get away with it but the pain increased so he couldn't carry
on.
Is that likely to be long term?
Only if it's what we hope it's not - and that's a cracked or broken bone. I
think it'll be bone bruising. Obviously we've got a game on Saturday against
Stoke City, whether it'll recover in time for that I don't know.
The thing is for us, we don't have any games after that. We move into March
on Thursday; after Thursday we play Stoke on the 2nd, Chelsea on the 17th
and West Brom at home on the 30th - and that's not enough games for us this
month.
So we have to make sure that we stay focussed, remember the performance that
we've given tonight and give that again starting at Stoke and beyond and
pick up as many points as we can. Then we'll see if we can come out of that
in a similar or better position than we are now.
If we can remember to give that type of performance, against a side who are
in the top four of this league, it's going to yield the results that we
want.
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Fixtures shambles is driving me mad
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th February 2013
By: Paul Walker
I don't know about you, but I am getting pig sick with the continued
chopping and changing to our fixture list.
Had I forgotten just how bad the continued manipulation of matches by the
evil paymaster that is Sky after just one season in the backwaters of the
Championship? Or has it just got worse this season as far as we are
concerned, than ever before?
Losing the Manchester United game as a Saturday fixture on March 9 because
it clashes with the FA Cup sixth round now, was just about the last straw.
Not least because it has lumbered me and my lad with £70 of worthless train
tickets.
I know that is probably our fault for not noticing the small print when the
club website announced an initial change to a midday kick-off time for the
match. But booking train tickets early keeps the cost down when you travel a
long distance to matches, and we jumped too soon to our cost.
You have to book trains early - driving is just too expensive - or the whole
thing collapses because of the excessive costs.
But I cannot recall us being used as cannon fodder for the big boys as we
are over the forthcoming away trip to Manchester City, which could be on
Saturday or Sunday of the weekend of April 27. And we may not know for sure
until 17 days before the game takes place, that's surely taking the
proverbial. But more of that later.
What is really worrying at the moment is the fragmented mess that is our
fixture programme, and there are plenty of people to blame over this, not
least ourselves for not being able to beat Manchester United in the FA Cup.
I mean, how hard can that be?
It has meant that we will have had to sit twiddling our thumbs on three
blank weekends for the fourth, fifth and now sixth rounds, plus an
international break next month. It all means that since the Aston Villa game
on February 23, we will play just seven matches in 72 days until Easter…and
only three of those are at home. You could even calculate it as five games
in 57 days since the Swansea home match, if you like.
Either way, I don't agree with there not being a programme of matches on Cup
weekends. Back in the old days after the third round, everybody played every
weekend. Then the fourth round was left matchless, now it's every Cup
weekend.
It all puts tremendous pressures on our team at a vital time of the season.
You need continuity and momentum now, and players need to be match fit, at
their peak. And that, to my mind, is not possible in the current situation.
Take Andy Carroll. He arrived in August not match fit because he'd been
bench warming at Liverpool. Then he picked up two injuries, one for sure
because of his lack of match fitness.
Now he's back and desperate to put on a show and be at his peak, and the
first three months of this year are going to be constantly disrupted by
inactivity. Training or trips to Dubai are not the same, and the way it is
going, he will not be considered properly match fit until the last weeks of
the season.
Kick-off changes and movement of matches inconveniences the majority of our
fans, but if you live close to London it is not so bad, you can cope. But
for long-distance fans - yes, I know, a small minority - it means missing
games.
Seeing last night's Spurs moved to a Monday night - I bet Sky did that just
to see if we can behave ourselves this time around having not covered the
controversial game at White Hart Lane - as well as Manchester United now
certain to be midweek, means that our two biggest home league games are out
of reach for me.
I know this all sounds irrational, and moans from someone who knew the score
when he bought his season ticket. But I believe there are more than a few
like me who are unable to get trains home after night matches. I am retired
now so the days of me staying over are long gone, certainly at £100 for a
Travel Lodge. It's just not affordable.
And I know several folk who travel long distances to games. Euston is full
of them on match days. One pal flies from Glasgow, another comes from
Portsmouth, for example. Me and my lad travel from Manchester.
Only six home games this season with 3.00pm kick-offs underlines how
increasingly difficult and expensive this is all becoming.
But the Manchester City away game takes the cake. I'm sure you all saw the
vague announcement on the club website that said it would be a Saturday
lunch-time kick-off OR a Sunday 4.00pm game, depending on whether Arsenal or
Manchester United reach the Champions League semi-finals that start the
following midweek.
I did blink at that, and was bemused by the link with the Champions League.
Then the penny dropped. The scheduled games for the weekend of April 27
shows Arsenal v Man Utd. Sky clearly want that as their flagship game on the
Sunday, but you can bet that Wenger and Ferguson were not going to agree to
playing on Sunday afternoon and then potentially Tuesday evening in Europe.
So potentially shifting our trip to the Etihad Stadium to Sunday is the
back-up in case Sky lose their preferred option. Now, even tough Arsenal
look like they will not be bothering the scorers in Europe by then, there's
every chance Man Utd will still be in the competition.
And the second-leg of the Champions League quarter-finals is not until April
10, that's 17 days before our potential trip to Man City. Booking train
tickets then will be at a premium, all the cheap offers will have gone.
We have mates who always come up to Manchester for that game, it's an excuse
for a few sherbets with our family's City fans. But nobody from down south
is going to want to come up for a Sunday game that sees them not back home
until midnight, with work in the morning.
Again, this is just a personal grouse, it's just the way it is. But it is
still very annoying to be messed around.
Now we all know that Sky don't care about travelling fans, if they care
about anyone, and our club will want to grab the TV fee. Times are hard, as
we keep being told.
And, I repeat, I understand travelling fans are a minority, and
long-distance fans like me are similarly rare. And I chose where to live in
this country.
But the away fans and long-distance commuting fans seem to get the rough end
of things. Take the ridiculous ticket price for the Man Utd away Cup replay.
Our club would have known about that before the first game, where Man United
fans paid just £20. But they chose too say nothing, and had to have the
1,400 allocation for the replay they'd asked for, dragged out of them days
after the tickets went on sale.
There is so little concern these days for the people who actually watch
matches. Sky don't give a monkeys, as I was once told by someone on the end
of the phone at our ticket office, but sooner or later someone will argue
with them.
I've seen comments this week on similar subjects on message boards to the
tune of 'what would we do without Sky's money?'. Well we used to survive
quite nicely, England won the World Cup and the game was a decent spectacle.
Anyway, Sky money has gone to agents and players.
West Ham, if they do finally get the Olympic Stadium - now stop laughing,
you lot - will want every fan coming through the gates that they can get.
But just watching my favourite club these days has become an increasingly
annoying obstacle course, I just hope I can still afford the travelling and
the tickets to see Stratford happen.
Don't hold your breath, though.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Nolan fears eight weeks out
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: 6 hrs ago
The Sun
KEVIN NOLAN faces an anxious wait to find out the extent of his foot injury.
West Ham fear their skipper could be out for up to EIGHT WEEKS after
hobbling out of Monday's 3-2 defeat by Tottenham following a crunching
first-half tackle by Mousa Dembele. The 30-year-old midfielder's foot is so
swollen that it cannot even be scanned yet. But, at the very least, Nolan is
unlikely to be available for Saturday's trip to Stoke. A Hammers insider
said: "Kevin's tough and if he can play with a pain-killing injection, then
he will. "But it's impossible to determine the extent of his injury yet. It
could be one week, it could be eight."
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce was furious over the clash with Dembele — and
felt the Spurs midfielder should have been given a second yellow card later
in the game after pulling back Joe Cole and then kicking the ball away.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Joe Cole is determined not to let Monday's defeat by Tottenham Hotspur
linger in West Ham United's minds
26.02.2013
Joe Cole has enjoyed and endured every emotion as a footballer. From
inspiring West Ham United to win the FA Youth Cup as a teenager through
suffering relegation with the Hammers to winning Premier League titles with
Chelsea and scoring for England at the FIFA World Cup finals, the
31-year-old has seen it all. On Monday, he again went through the full range
of emotions, putting West Ham 2-1 up against Tottenham Hotspur, only for
Andre Villas-Boas' men to pull off a dramatic victory through late goals
from Gylfi Sigurdsson and man-of-the-moment Gareth Bale. "It's horrible -
the worst thing about being a footballer," said the No26. "We worked so hard
so to get nothing out of the game was horrible. "It was heartening and nice
to see Jussi Jaaskelainen have a great game, but we worked so hard. They are
a top side and have gone third in the league now, so it's disappointing."
Cole struck his second goal since returning to the club in January with a
smart turn and shot on 58 minutes, completing a turn-around after Andy
Carroll's penalty had cancelled out Bale's early opener. However, substitute
Sigurdsson scrambled the ball home with 14 minutes to go before Bale stole
the show with a rasping, unstoppable 30-yarder that not even an inspired
Jaaskelainen could keep out. "It was a big derby and a big game, so just a
sickener not to get the result in the end. It's onwards and upwards. We have
got to stick together and take the positives out of the performance. "Like I
said, our 'keeper was fantastic for us and we looked strong at times. You
can't help the goal from Bale - it's world-class and he is in that kind of
form at the moment. "He could be up there with the best players in the
Premier League's history. He has still got some work to do, but he has
certainly got the potential to be up there with the [Cristiano] Ronaldos and
the [Thierry] Henrys that this country has seen. He is great to watch, but
he's a nightmare to play against, unfortunately."
As one of the senior players in the Hammers dressing room, Cole is now
conscious of the need for the squad to retain their focus and belief after
such a late body-blow on Monday evening - especially ahead of a trip to a
Stoke City side just three points above them in the table. "I think we need
to go to Stoke and go for the win, but it's important to go there and not to
get beaten. We certainly can do that and it won't be for a lack of
togetherness if we don't. We need a little bit more quality and patience in
the build-up and we should be alright, but it's going to be a tough game up
there, that's for sure. It'll certainly be a lot different from Monday
night. "It's just a case of us needing to put our chances away. On Monday,
when Matty went through he could have made it 3-1 and we'd have expected to
win the game then. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. We've got to stick
together. We've got a lot of experienced players and we should be alright."
Finally, despite the ultimate disappointment of defeat, Cole lauded the
atmosphere created on a night when the club honoured the memory of the late
Bobby Moore OBE, who passed away 20 years ago last Sunday. "Upton Park under
the lights is special. It's great. It's blinding. I've played in all the
best stadia in the world but when this place is rocking like that, it's
something else. I enjoyed the game, but I didn't enjoy the result."
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Sunday move for Chelsea away
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Stamford Bridge trip rearranged for Sunday 17 March
26.02.2013
West Ham United's Barclays Premier League game away at Chelsea will now take
place on Sunday 17 March with a 4pm kick-off. The Hammers' trip to west
London was originally scheduled for the Saturday, but Chelsea are now in
UEFA Europa League action against Steaua Burcharest just two days before
that original date. Sam Allardyce's men will be looking for a Premier League
double against Chelsea, having recorded a memorable 3-1 victory over the
Blues at the Boleyn Ground in December. Carlton Cole, Mohamed Diame and
Modibo Maiga were on target as West Ham overturned a first half deficit
handed to them by Juan Mata.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jarvis bemoans 'sickening' defeat
WHUFC.com
Matt Jarvis said West Ham United's last-gasp loss to Tottenham Hotspur was
tough to take
25.02.2013
Matt Jarvis has played 322 first-team matches as a professional footballer,
but all that experience does not make defeat in the last minute any easier
to take.
Jarvis and his West Ham United colleagues were left deflated after Gareth
Bale's late wonder-goal scored Tottenham Hotspur a dramatic 3-2 Barclays
Premier League victory at the Boleyn Ground on Monday. West Ham recovered
from a goal down to take the lead just before the hour-mark, only to concede
a lead and lose at home for the fifth time this season - four times in the
league and once in the Capital One Cup. "It's sickening to lose when you've
played so well and you have a valuable point taken away at the last minute,"
said the No7. "Bale has turned and stuck one right in the top corner. It's
hard to stop that, but we played well and that's why it's hard to take. But
we've got to look at the positives that we did play really well, created
some great chances and should have got a result."
Despite the disappointment of defeat, Jarvis said the Hammers could be proud
of their overall performance against a Spurs side challenging for a UEFA
Champions League place. "We really got in their faces and closed them down
to not allow them to play the way we wanted to play. We passed it well, got
in behind them, got crosses in and created chances. We really should have
got something from the game."
At the other end of the pitch, the winger had words of praise for goalkeeper
Jussi Jaaskelainen, who made a succession of outstandnig saves to keep Andre
Villas-Boas' team at bay. "Jussi pulled off some great saves and kept us in
it. Obviously they're going to create chances, so when we needed him he
pulled off some fantastic saves." Ultimately, though, neither Jaaskelainen
nor Jarvis could do anything about Bale's 90th-minute strike, which arrowed
into the top right-hand corner from more than 25 yards out. As a fellow
professional, Jarvis could not hide his admiration for the Wales
international, who has now scored nine goals in his previous seven
appearances for club and country. "He can do anything he wants with the
ball. When he struck the last one it wobbled everywhere and ended up in the
top corner. It's a fantastic strike and sometimes you have to hold your
hands up."
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Moore remembered
WHUFC.com
There were moving tributes throughout Monday night to mark 20 years since
Bobby Moore passed away
26.02.2013
A host of special guests and more than 35,000 fans made for a moving night
of tributes to West Ham United and England legend Bobby Moore, who passed
away 20 years ago last weekend, during Monday's game with Tottenham Hotspur.
The Boleyn Ground was repeatedly rocking to the sound of 'Bobby Moore's
claret and blue army' following touching messages from friends, fans,
team-mates and relatives of the world-famous No6. The Hammers faithful
continued their tradition of tying scarves and shirts to the Boleyn Ground
gate as thy made their way down Green Street on their way to the stadium for
the game.
Then, as the atmosphere started to build towards kick-off, the big screens
inside the ground carried video messages from his team-mates and family
members.
His daughter Roberta Moore provided her own personal tribute to her late
father, before she watched on as his grandchildren Freddie, Poppy and Ava
led the two teams out with the match ball, as the stadium synonymous with
Bobby Moore erupted into a poweful chorus of 'Bubbles'.
After the traditional pre-match handshakes had been concluded, referee
Howard Webb brought the teams together for a rousing minute's applause from
all four sides of the ground. Then as the teams broke away to kick-off, the
final touch of a memorable pre-match build up was rounded off with a
stunning 'MOORE 6' mosaic across the Bobby Moore Stand.
Then, in the sixth minute the home support once again burst into a rendition
of 'Bobby Moore's claret and blue army' as picture of the only England
captain to lift a FIFA World Cup was displayed on the big screen. The
memories continued to flow at half time as Moore's fellow World Cup winner
Martin Peters joined a host of his famous former team-mates on the Boleyn
Ground turf for a rare team photo before SBOBET Executive Director Bill
Mummery handed over a cheque for £5,000 to the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer
Research UK. The Fund also benefitted from the generosity of Hammers fans
who donated to bucket collectors and via text message, in addition to the
50p donation from every 100-page commemorative programme sold.
Although West Ham United lost to the odd goal in five against a Gareth
Bale-inspired Spurs, Hammers manager Sam Allardyce felt it was a fitting
tribute to a man held in such high esteem by so many in east London. "It was
a fantastic atmosphere before kick-off and the fans helped to pay a great
tribute to one of their own," Allardyce said. "We couldn't have had any more
backing from the supporters than we did - we tried to give them what they
wanted but unfortunately one man got in the way and that man was Gareth
Bale."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Garth Crooks's team of the week
By Garth Crooks
BBC.co.uk
GOALKEEPER - JUSSI JAASKELAINEN (West Ham)
Joe Hart and Mark Schwarzer came close to making my team this week. However,
had it not been for Jaaskelainen's performance for West Ham against
Tottenham, Spurs could have scored five or six goals. Forget the three that
flew past him and focus on the eight or nine world-class saves he made. He
gave the Hammers the best possible chance of not just staying in the game
but winning it. It takes a special performance to let three goals in and
still get in my Team of the Week.
Did you know? His 11 saves in tonight's game is the first time a goalkeeper
has reached double figures in a single Premier League game this season
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Villas-Boas on... West Ham United
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
It was a packed press room at the Boleyn last night - the busiest this
season so far - and all the (borderline sycophantic) press wanted to ask
Andre Villas-Boas about was one player in particular (no prizes for guessing
who)...
Andre: He's some player that lad, isn't he?
Yes, a great talent and to see him keep on trying until the last minute
exemplifies the talent that he is. For the goal he came short in midfield to
receive it, took it forward, gets fouled inbetween and gets up. He's been
getting some stick for staying down so he gets on with business, receives
the ball and manages to score a great goal. He's a tremendous talent, for
sure.
You deserved to win the game, you had so many chances - yet it didn't look
as if it was going to be. Where does that work ethic come from in the team
to keep going?
We were very persistent. We didn't drop back and try to play for the point,
which is the way the Premier League is, always positive. We kept pushing for
that winning goal and we got rewarded in the end for doing exactly that.
It was a very competitive game, we could have probably got a better margin
earlier on in the game but it was difficult against West Ham, they were very
objective, aggressive and direct. We had lots of long balls and crosses to
deal with and the players were very brave in the second half to hold on. I
think the reward was excellent for everybody.
Does Gareth surprise you with the things that he does? For the rest of us he
just seems to get better and better.
He's on a tremendous level this season and he's really enjoying his
football, now playing as a striker. When you are able to make the player
feel so comfortable I think things can only get better and it's down to him,
to his motivation. The whole team wants to achieve; the team is also
creating a lot for him and he is able to make the difference.
It's at this time of year that we start thinking about Player of the Year; I
presume if you were voting it's be him every time?
Yes, I think so; he truly deserves it but it's not up to me to make that
consideration. You have to recognise that he's having a tremendous season
and he's a contender, for sure. Hopefully he can nick that.
Sam Allardyce said that as soon as it left his boot he could see it going
in; do you see him score goals like that in training?
Yes, he's very special. I think that also comes with confidence; the more
belief you put into your actions the more certain a goal is to be scored. He
has scored [several goals] recently and is always getting in good positions.
But the team is also scoring late goals which always makes them believe they
can score another. That also has an impact and were profiting from it.
You've dealt with some big players in your career; have you ever seen anyone
quite like Gareth?
His precision is tremendous. When the ball leaves his boot it's incredible.
This evening we saw him go close a couple of times and he just kept on
trying. It's down to the player that he is and the ambition that he has.
He made a point of running over to you to celebrate. How do you think you've
changed Gareth's game?
The team is very committed to their objectives. We were handed the
opportunity tonight of going third - and not only that, but also building a
nine-point gap between us and Everton which is extremely important for the
team. We have a further opportunity against Arsenal to hopefully put them
seven points behind us but it's going to be a hard game. So the conditions
were there for us to play this game very seriously and I think that's why
you saw the players going into that celebration altogether.
Earlier in the season you were conceding a lot of late goals, now you seem
to be scoring a lot. What do you put that down to?
There's a knock-on effect; normally when you suffer a late goal you end up
suffering more because you believe that you are going to concede them once
again. When you score late goals you believe you are going to score them and
you keep on persisting.
How do you turn that around? What have you done?
I've done nothing. It's just the players believe the more often we score the
more often we are likely to score again.
One of the negatives for you today was that Clint Dempsey wasn't available.
What's the latest on him?
He has a calf strain, so I think he's going to be out for one, maybe two
weeks.
You went to hug Bale after the final whistle; what did you say to him?
Nothing; I just congratulated him. Thank you.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce on... Tottenham Hotspur
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
A naturally disappointed Sam Allardyce reflects on the derby defeat, but is
full of praise for his players and the supporters nonetheless...
Sam: it's hard when you lose a game that you think you might get something
out of, but at the same time you can't but admire the quality of the goal
that beat you?
Oh, you've got to admire the quality of the goal. It's disappointing when
it's scored against you but you can't knock it whoever you are. Whether
you're a Tottenham fan or a West Ham fan, you've got to admire a goal like
that by a player who's the big difference for Tottenham at the moment.
We've heard a lot about what Michu's done for Swansea this year and we've
heard a lot about what Van Persie's done for Manchester United - but at the
moment, there's nobody doing more for a football club than Gareth Bale for
Tottenham. The quality and consistency of goals he's scoring at the moment.
I'm not so sure anybody else had scored apart from him recently. Maybe one
out of the last nine? Every goal he seems to be hitting from outside the box
as well; it's not that he's tapping them in from inside the box. If you get
too tight to him he skips past you and if you stand off him he hits them
like that.
I'm gutted for the lads and gutted for everybody tonight. We'd hoped to have
come off with a result as it was the Bobby Moore tribute night and a great
atmosphere created by the fans, which created a great game. Unfortunately
we're on the end of a very disappointing defeat after we gave our best but
we couldn't play any better than we played.
The key moment for me was when you're moving into the final quarter of the
game and you get a one-on-one - the best chance of the game for both sides -
and we missed it. That was a telling moment, because I don't think Tottenham
would have come back from 3-1 [down].
The 'keeper did well though?
Superb, but I've got to say we've got to score it. If you're going to beat
Tottenham - like we beat Chelsea - you've got to put them in the back of the
net. We did against Chelsea to win 3-1 and they couldn't come back from that
- this one, Tottenham came back from that and got the second goal then the
'worldy' at the end that killed us off.
We also had a disappointing situation that I feel is to be pointed out by
me, because I feel that Howard Webb has to send Dembele off. The laws tell
us what we have to do and even though some of the referees say they don't
like having to do it they're told that they've got to do it.
Dembele's foul on Kevin Nolan was a booking. Dembele then fouls Mo Diame, he
pulls him back. If you look at some of the fouls that our players were
booked for they were very similar. Two minutes into the second half he pulls
Joe Cole down, that's his third one. What does he do after that? Kicks the
ball 20 yards away so we can't take the free kick.
Mike Riley tells us all day long that that's a booking. That's ten men for
Tottenham, so that's a disappointment for me. Like I said, at the end of all
that we've given it our best shot and we're disappointed that we haven't got
any points out of it - but we've played very well again at home.
What is Nolan's injury?
He got stamped on, on the top of his foot by Dembele. He tried to continue
for as long as he could but couldn't any more as it was getting worse and
worse. Generally, the adrenalin that's pumping through your body sometimes
means you can get away with it but the pain increased so he couldn't carry
on.
Is that likely to be long term?
Only if it's what we hope it's not - and that's a cracked or broken bone. I
think it'll be bone bruising. Obviously we've got a game on Saturday against
Stoke City, whether it'll recover in time for that I don't know.
The thing is for us, we don't have any games after that. We move into March
on Thursday; after Thursday we play Stoke on the 2nd, Chelsea on the 17th
and West Brom at home on the 30th - and that's not enough games for us this
month.
So we have to make sure that we stay focussed, remember the performance that
we've given tonight and give that again starting at Stoke and beyond and
pick up as many points as we can. Then we'll see if we can come out of that
in a similar or better position than we are now.
If we can remember to give that type of performance, against a side who are
in the top four of this league, it's going to yield the results that we
want.
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Fixtures shambles is driving me mad
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th February 2013
By: Paul Walker
I don't know about you, but I am getting pig sick with the continued
chopping and changing to our fixture list.
Had I forgotten just how bad the continued manipulation of matches by the
evil paymaster that is Sky after just one season in the backwaters of the
Championship? Or has it just got worse this season as far as we are
concerned, than ever before?
Losing the Manchester United game as a Saturday fixture on March 9 because
it clashes with the FA Cup sixth round now, was just about the last straw.
Not least because it has lumbered me and my lad with £70 of worthless train
tickets.
I know that is probably our fault for not noticing the small print when the
club website announced an initial change to a midday kick-off time for the
match. But booking train tickets early keeps the cost down when you travel a
long distance to matches, and we jumped too soon to our cost.
You have to book trains early - driving is just too expensive - or the whole
thing collapses because of the excessive costs.
But I cannot recall us being used as cannon fodder for the big boys as we
are over the forthcoming away trip to Manchester City, which could be on
Saturday or Sunday of the weekend of April 27. And we may not know for sure
until 17 days before the game takes place, that's surely taking the
proverbial. But more of that later.
What is really worrying at the moment is the fragmented mess that is our
fixture programme, and there are plenty of people to blame over this, not
least ourselves for not being able to beat Manchester United in the FA Cup.
I mean, how hard can that be?
It has meant that we will have had to sit twiddling our thumbs on three
blank weekends for the fourth, fifth and now sixth rounds, plus an
international break next month. It all means that since the Aston Villa game
on February 23, we will play just seven matches in 72 days until Easter…and
only three of those are at home. You could even calculate it as five games
in 57 days since the Swansea home match, if you like.
Either way, I don't agree with there not being a programme of matches on Cup
weekends. Back in the old days after the third round, everybody played every
weekend. Then the fourth round was left matchless, now it's every Cup
weekend.
It all puts tremendous pressures on our team at a vital time of the season.
You need continuity and momentum now, and players need to be match fit, at
their peak. And that, to my mind, is not possible in the current situation.
Take Andy Carroll. He arrived in August not match fit because he'd been
bench warming at Liverpool. Then he picked up two injuries, one for sure
because of his lack of match fitness.
Now he's back and desperate to put on a show and be at his peak, and the
first three months of this year are going to be constantly disrupted by
inactivity. Training or trips to Dubai are not the same, and the way it is
going, he will not be considered properly match fit until the last weeks of
the season.
Kick-off changes and movement of matches inconveniences the majority of our
fans, but if you live close to London it is not so bad, you can cope. But
for long-distance fans - yes, I know, a small minority - it means missing
games.
Seeing last night's Spurs moved to a Monday night - I bet Sky did that just
to see if we can behave ourselves this time around having not covered the
controversial game at White Hart Lane - as well as Manchester United now
certain to be midweek, means that our two biggest home league games are out
of reach for me.
I know this all sounds irrational, and moans from someone who knew the score
when he bought his season ticket. But I believe there are more than a few
like me who are unable to get trains home after night matches. I am retired
now so the days of me staying over are long gone, certainly at £100 for a
Travel Lodge. It's just not affordable.
And I know several folk who travel long distances to games. Euston is full
of them on match days. One pal flies from Glasgow, another comes from
Portsmouth, for example. Me and my lad travel from Manchester.
Only six home games this season with 3.00pm kick-offs underlines how
increasingly difficult and expensive this is all becoming.
But the Manchester City away game takes the cake. I'm sure you all saw the
vague announcement on the club website that said it would be a Saturday
lunch-time kick-off OR a Sunday 4.00pm game, depending on whether Arsenal or
Manchester United reach the Champions League semi-finals that start the
following midweek.
I did blink at that, and was bemused by the link with the Champions League.
Then the penny dropped. The scheduled games for the weekend of April 27
shows Arsenal v Man Utd. Sky clearly want that as their flagship game on the
Sunday, but you can bet that Wenger and Ferguson were not going to agree to
playing on Sunday afternoon and then potentially Tuesday evening in Europe.
So potentially shifting our trip to the Etihad Stadium to Sunday is the
back-up in case Sky lose their preferred option. Now, even tough Arsenal
look like they will not be bothering the scorers in Europe by then, there's
every chance Man Utd will still be in the competition.
And the second-leg of the Champions League quarter-finals is not until April
10, that's 17 days before our potential trip to Man City. Booking train
tickets then will be at a premium, all the cheap offers will have gone.
We have mates who always come up to Manchester for that game, it's an excuse
for a few sherbets with our family's City fans. But nobody from down south
is going to want to come up for a Sunday game that sees them not back home
until midnight, with work in the morning.
Again, this is just a personal grouse, it's just the way it is. But it is
still very annoying to be messed around.
Now we all know that Sky don't care about travelling fans, if they care
about anyone, and our club will want to grab the TV fee. Times are hard, as
we keep being told.
And, I repeat, I understand travelling fans are a minority, and
long-distance fans like me are similarly rare. And I chose where to live in
this country.
But the away fans and long-distance commuting fans seem to get the rough end
of things. Take the ridiculous ticket price for the Man Utd away Cup replay.
Our club would have known about that before the first game, where Man United
fans paid just £20. But they chose too say nothing, and had to have the
1,400 allocation for the replay they'd asked for, dragged out of them days
after the tickets went on sale.
There is so little concern these days for the people who actually watch
matches. Sky don't give a monkeys, as I was once told by someone on the end
of the phone at our ticket office, but sooner or later someone will argue
with them.
I've seen comments this week on similar subjects on message boards to the
tune of 'what would we do without Sky's money?'. Well we used to survive
quite nicely, England won the World Cup and the game was a decent spectacle.
Anyway, Sky money has gone to agents and players.
West Ham, if they do finally get the Olympic Stadium - now stop laughing,
you lot - will want every fan coming through the gates that they can get.
But just watching my favourite club these days has become an increasingly
annoying obstacle course, I just hope I can still afford the travelling and
the tickets to see Stratford happen.
Don't hold your breath, though.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Nolan fears eight weeks out
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: 6 hrs ago
The Sun
KEVIN NOLAN faces an anxious wait to find out the extent of his foot injury.
West Ham fear their skipper could be out for up to EIGHT WEEKS after
hobbling out of Monday's 3-2 defeat by Tottenham following a crunching
first-half tackle by Mousa Dembele. The 30-year-old midfielder's foot is so
swollen that it cannot even be scanned yet. But, at the very least, Nolan is
unlikely to be available for Saturday's trip to Stoke. A Hammers insider
said: "Kevin's tough and if he can play with a pain-killing injection, then
he will. "But it's impossible to determine the extent of his injury yet. It
could be one week, it could be eight."
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce was furious over the clash with Dembele — and
felt the Spurs midfielder should have been given a second yellow card later
in the game after pulling back Joe Cole and then kicking the ball away.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Tuesday, February 26
Daily WHUFC News - 26th February 2013
Big Sam laments 'genius' of Bale
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce admitted an in-form Gareth Bale had been the difference
between victory and defeat by Spurs
25.02.2013
Sam Allardyce had no complaints with his side's terrific efforts after West
Ham United were undone by the brilliant Gareth Bale. A pulsating derby
looked destined to end honours even, before Bale took aim in the 90th minute
and slammed a 25-yard drive past Jussi Jaaskelainen to end Tottenham
Hotspur home with all three Barclays Premier League points. It was rough
justice on a Hammers side who looked the more likely victors for much of the
second half and were, at the very least, worthy of a share of the spoils.
"Bale's winner was more than a bit of quality, it was a bit of genius," Big
Sam told West Ham TV. "As difficult as it is to take, you've got to admire
the player. He's an unbelievable player and one that Tottenham must keep
hold of. He's the reason why Tottenham are winning games and not losing or
drawing them. "The difference, without any question is one man. I'm not
suggesting they're a one-man team but they are in terms of the victories. I
think he has scored eight out of ten goals in the last few weeks, which has
got them so many wins. I don't think any of them are from inside the box,
other than a header. So it's an unbelievable record he has. "We started the
game well enough, but he pops up with the first shot that Tottenham have had
and puts it in the back of the net after 13 minutes. After that we've done
OK with him but he has still made some terrific runs. Then in injury time,
he's 30 yards out and he has just hit this one and as soon as it left his
foot, I knew it was in the back of the net. It's a really cruel blow for us,
particularly after the way we came back and got ourselves in the lead."
Ultimately, Big Sam was left to rue a brilliant stop from Hugo Lloris, as
the French 'keeper showed all his class to foil Matt Taylor. With West Ham
2-1 up at the time, the Hammers boss believes there would have been no way
back for Spurs had Taylor scored. "I'm not disappointed in the lads'
performance," he added. "I thought it was a terrific performance against one
of the top sides in the country at the moment. We were a whisker away from
getting the win today, and that whisker was Matt Taylor's one-on-one when it
was 2-1. If it goes to 3-1, Tottenham wouldn't have come back. "As long as
we keep this performance level up from now until to the end of the season
we'll pick up enough points. I'm convinced about that. We've got to pick
ourselves up and get to Stoke. We've only got three games now in March and
we've got to get as many points out of those three games as we can. "It's
too long a period really [with so few games], but we're going to have deal
with it as best we can and make sure we're ready to give performances like
this one and hopefully that will bring us enough points to move forward and
up the table."
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Bale wonder winner cruel on Hammers
WHUFC.com
West Ham United suffered late heartbreak against Tottenham Hotspur at the
Boleyn Ground on Monday
25.02.2013
Gareth Bale's stunning 90th minute winner left West Ham United heartbroken
by Tottenham Hotspur on a pulsating night at the Boleyn Ground on Monday.
The Hammers showed great fight to overturn an early deficit conceded to the
Welshman by netting through Andy Carroll and Joe Cole to move into a 2-1
lead not long after the interval. But, on the night West Ham marked the 20th
anniversary of Bobby Moore's death, they couldn't hold on for the win that
would have been a fitting tribute to the great No6. Gylfi Sigurdsson
scrambled an equaliser 14 minutes from time before Bale's moment of magic
ensured the north Londoners would be taking the points. Roused by the
stirring pre-match tributes to Moore, the Hammers started at a real tempo
and fashioned a chance to take the lead on seven minutes when they broke
quickly through Carroll and Joe Cole. Cole threaded a ball through to Matt
Jarvis on the left, and the Hammers man ran at Kyle Walker before producing
a low shot that Hugo Lloris gathered down by his near post. But when the
visitors launched their next attack four minutes later they made it count
through the red-hot Bale, who didn't waste the invitation to shoot when Guy
Demel gave the ball straight to him on the edge of the box, drilling across
Jussi Jaaskelainen and into the bottom right corner. 11 minutes later Bale
had another opportunity to drive at the heart of the Hammers backline when
he picked up possession just inside the West Ham half, looked up and saw the
space to run into. Fortunately on this occasion his shot lacked the power to
trouble Jaaskelainen.
The Hammers found themselves level two minutes later thanks to Carroll's
second goal in as many home games. This one came from the spot, with the Big
Geordie picking himself off the turf after being fouled by Scott Parker to
drill blast emphatically past Lloris. Six minutes before the interval only a
flying block from Walker prevented Jarvis from giving the home side the lead
as the right back tracked across superbly after a miscontrol from Steven
Caulker gave Joe Cole the chance to loft a pass through. The momentum was
shifting both ways throughout the opening period and Jaaskelainen had to use
a strong left hand to stop Caulker's powerful header from a Bale corner a
minute before the break. Spurs looked for a shift in impetus when they
introduced Sigurdsson for Lewis Holtby 10 minutes after the break and the
move came so close to having the desired impact immediately, as the
Icelander shot goalwards from 25 yards, Jaaskelainen tipped onto the post,
then sprung up to somehow deny Emmanuel Adebayor on the rebound. West Ham
made full use of the Finn's save by moving in front themselves with 58
minutes on the clock, Joe Cole drifting off Caulker's shoulder to collect a
Joey O'Brien pass, turn and fire under Lloris.
Cole's celebration summed up just what the goal meant, as he whipped off his
shirt before wheeling away to the Alpari Stand in delight - a feeling shared
by the majority of the 35,005 inside the Boleyn Ground.
Spurs responded strongly and Jaaskelainen had to pull off two fantastic
saves - from another Caulker header and from a Bale effort heading for the
top left corner - to keep the home side in front. Matt Taylor, on as a first
half sub for Kevin Nolan, then found himself in the clear and with a great
chance to settle it, but before he knew it Lloris was on top of him with the
Frenchman smothering the danger expertly. The game took another twist 14
minutes from the end when the Hammers conceded a free kick in a dangerous
area down their left, Bale delivered and the ball ricocheted around the
six-yard box nicely for Sigurdsson to force home. Jaaskelainen was called
upon to make fine saves from Sigurdsson and Adebayor to keep the score at
2-2 as time ticked away, but there was still time for a moment of brilliance
from Bale to settle it. The Welshman has been in almost unstoppable form in
recent weeks and he gave the Hammers a taste of what he is all about with a
wonderful left footed drive from 25 yards that arrowed into the far corner
of the net and left Jaaskelainen helpless.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel (Pogatetz 72), Collins, Reid, O'Brien;
O'Neil, Diame (Collison 84); J.Cole, Nolan (Taylor 35), Jarvis; Carroll
Subs: C.Cole, Vaz Te, Chamakh, Spiegel (GK)
Goals: Carroll pen 25, J.Cole 58
Booked: J.Cole, O'Neil, Diame, Collins
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris; Walker, Dawson, Caulker, Vertonghen; Parker
(Livermore 87), Dembele (Carroll 75); Lennon, Bale, Holtby (Sigurdsson 56);
Adebayor
Subs: Gallas, Naughton, Friedel (GK), Assou-Ekotto
Goals: Bale 11, Sigurdsson 76, Bale 90
Booked: Dembele
Referee: Howard Webb
Attendance: 35,005
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 2 Tottenham 3
25 February 2013
Last updated at 22:49
By Sam Sheringham
BBC Sport
Gareth Bale continued his incredible scoring run with a stunning last-minute
winner against West Ham to lift Tottenham to third in the table. Bale gave
his side the lead with a powerful strike before Hammers forward Andy Carroll
won and scored a penalty. On the 20th anniversary of Bobby Moore's death,
Joe Cole put West Ham ahead with a low shot but Spurs drew level when Gylfi
Sigurdsson poked home. Bale sealed the points from long range with his
eighth goal in six games. It was another show-stopping performance from
Tottenham's man of the moment after a string of superb saves from West Ham
keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen looked certain to frustrate Spurs.
Gareth Bale scored his 14th and 15th Premier League goals of the season,
drawing level with Michu in the scoring charts. Only Robin van Persie (19)
and Luis Suarez (18) have more. Bale scored his 10th and 11th PL away goals
of the season - the outright most away goals of any player in the division.
Bale has scored nine goals in eight PL matches since Christmas Day - more
than any other PL player. Picking up the ball in a central area some
distance from goal, he worked it on to his favoured left foot and arrowed a
drive, which dipped over Jaaskelainen's outstretched right hand and into the
top corner. The Welshman has now scored eight of his team's last 10 goals in
all competitions and 19 in total this season. Almost single-handedly he has
lifted Spurs two points clear of fourth-placed Chelsea going into Sunday's
crucial north London derby against Arsenal, who are a further two points
back in fifth. For the Hammers, Bale's strike was a devastating blow after a
whole-hearted performance which did justice to the memory of England's World
Cup-winning captain Moore. Cole's goal gave them a 2-1 lead and had
substitute Matt Taylor not been thwarted by Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris when
through on goal it could have been a different story.
Before kick-off, the Upton Park crowd joined both sets of players in a
minute's applause to pay tribute to Moore, who played more than 500 games
for West Ham.
Hammers players warmed up in Moore number six shirts, a giant poster of the
former defender was unfurled in the corner of the stadium before his three
grandchildren placed the match ball on the spot. Roared on by their
impassioned fans, West Ham made the brighter start and Lloris had to make a
sharp low save to keep out a shot from Matt Jarvis after neat interplay
between Carroll and Cole. But where there is Bale there is danger and the
winger picked up the ball in a central position 25 yards from goal, pushed
it past James Collins and lashed a left-footed shot past Jaaskelainen to
give Spurs the lead. West Ham drew level in the 25th minute after Scott
Parker's lunging challenge took out Carroll's standing leg and referee
Howard Webb pointed to the spot. The England striker rose to his feet and
blasted the penalty into the roof of the net.
Spurs looked more likely to take the lead and West Ham were indebted to
Jaaskelainen, who pulled off sharp saves either side of half-time to keep
out goalbound headers from centre-back Steven Caulker. Spurs manager Andre
Villas-Boas introduced Sigurdsson and it almost paid instant dividends as
the Icelander curled a shot on to the post from outside the area. The
rebound presented Emmanuel Adebayor with a golden chance, but his tame
header gave Jaaskelainen a relatively straightforward save. West Ham
responded to the scare in devastating fashion by scoring from their next
attack. Joey O'Brien's lofted pass from the left wing picked out Cole's run
and the former England midfielder swivelled before firing off a left-footed
effort which bobbled past Lloris and into the far corner.
Tottenham's quest for an equaliser was once again thwarted by the inspired
form of Jaaskelainen, who palmed away yet another Caulker header from a
corner before deploying all his athleticism to tip a fine curling effort
from Bale over the bar. Lloris pulled off a brilliant stop of his own as he
raced off his line to deny Taylor and the miss proved costly to the Hammers
as Spurs equalised. West Ham's defence failed to clear a Bale free-kick from
the right and the ball dribbled through to Sigurdsson who poked home at the
far post. A rampant Spurs continued to bombard the home side's goal only to
be denied by a goalkeeper at the top of his game as Jaaskelainen tipped
Sigurdsson's effort around the post and pushed aside a close-range header
from Adebayor. But just when both sides appeared to have settled for a
draw, up stepped Bale to steal the stage.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "We made a terrific go of it. It was at a
crucial stage when Matt Taylor got through one on one and their keeper made
good save, we want to be scoring that. "At 3-1 there is no way back for
them. "But I thought the lads caused them a lot of problems."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bobby Moore: West Ham tribute features family at Spurs game
By Frank Keogh
BBC Sport
Bobby Moore's grandchildren led the teams out before West Ham played
Tottenham to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of the Hammers legend.
Poppy, 21, Freddie, 16, and 13-year-old Ava carried out the ball at Upton
Park. Fans and players from both clubs provided a minute's applause while
home supporters held aloft cards making up a mosaic reading "Moore 6". West
Ham produced a tribute programme with 50p from each sale going to the Bobby
Moore Fund for cancer research. On Sunday, Poppy and Ava joined Moore's
daughter Roberta, his former team-mate Martin Peters and club co-chairman
David Gold, in paying tribute to England's only World Cup-winning captain,
who died from cancer aged 51 on 24 February 1993. Club chaplain Rev Alan
Bolding laid a wreath at the 'Champions' statue near West Ham's ground which
celebrates Hammers World Cup heroes Moore, Peters and Geoff Hurst, alongside
Everton's Ray Wilson. "He was our England World Cup-winning captain, but
also more personally for all of us here at West Ham, a legend at our club
and always will be," said Gold. "It was great to see so many West Ham fans
turn out in what was bitterly cold weather. But they wanted to pay their
respects to a man we hold very dear at this club."
Football Association chairman David Bernstein has expressed regret that the
governing body did not do more to honour the former defender, who won 108
caps for his country. Bernstein wrote in a Sunday Times column: "I am aware
the Football Association has been criticised over its treatment of Bobby
once he retired from football. "It saddens me that this is the case and
while I am not privy to exactly what happened at the time, it is clear to me
the organisation could have done more."
However, the FA chief is proud of the work the organisation has done
recently to commemorate Moore and help the charities associated with the
player who also won the FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup. "During my
time as Wembley Stadium chairman I was immensely proud that we were able to
commission the outstanding statue of Bobby, which was unveiled before the
official stadium opening in 2007," said Bernstein. "If Bobby were alive
today I am sure we would have asked him to be the chief ambassador for the
Football Association in its 150th year. Equally, I have no doubt he would be
extremely modest - if not embarrassed - about his achievements and the
legacy he has provided for every English football fan. "Over more recent
years the FA has worked very closely with the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer
Research UK, also now in its 20th anniversary year. "We will continue to
work with Bobby's charity and its campaign this coming year, at England home
matches and at the FA Cup semi-finals and final."
Bernstein believes it is also fitting that Sunday's Capital One Cup final
between Swansea and Bradford was played on the anniversary of Moore's death
outside the ground where his statue sits. "Of course the great man would
appreciate the significance of such a London derby and I hope the teams can
emulate the skill, athleticism, grace and respect for which we all remember
Bobby Moore so fondly."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham Utd 2-3 Tottenham
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
A last minute wonder goal by Gareth Bale denied Sam Allardyce's side a share
of the spoils on an emotionally-charged evening in east London.
With the game heading for stalemate, the Welsh midfielder popped up to score
one of the goals of the season to win all three points for the visitors in
what was a thrilling London derby.
Bale had given the visitors an early lead with just 12 minutes on the clock
when he was allowed to pick his spot, having been granted far too much time
by West Ham's retreating defence.
But West Ham- who had started the evning by paying their respects to former
captain Bobby Moore on the 20th anniversary of his death - were back on
level terms within a few minutes when Andy Carroll, who moments earlier had
been taunted by chants of 'he scores once a year' by the visiting
supporters, scored from the penalty spot to make it 1-1.
Joe Cole completed the turnaround on the hour mark when he beat the offside
trap before converting a Matt Taylor - on for the injured Kevin Nolan -
through ball.
With Jussi Jaaskelainen performing heroics in the West Ham goal it looked
for a while as if United would hang on for all three points. Indeed, the
Hammers should have extended their lead when Matt Taylor was sent through
one-on-one with Spurs 'keeper Hugo lloris, before seeing his effort blocked.
That miss proved to be the game's turning point and within a matter of
minutes Spurs drew level through sub Sigurdsson who bundled the ball over
the line follopwing a melee inside the six-yard box.
That's how it looked as if the game would stay until the in-form Bale
intervened to break Hammers hearts. Having been felled five yards outside
the penalty area, the Welshman recovered miraculously to collecy a short
pass which he lifted over Jaaskelainen's head into the far corner.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Legend on a legend
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
Former West Ham United captain and manager, Billy Bonds, has admitted that
he used to feel in awe of team mate Bobby Moore.
Bonds, 66, holds the record for West Ham appearances - some 804 matches
between 1967 and 1988. That's 158 more than Bobby Moore - fourth in the list
behind Frank Lampard (674) and Trevor Brooking (647) - managed during his
playing career.
Yet Bonds, speaking to Talksport on the 20th anniversary of Moore's passing
revealed that despite playing alongside each other for seven years, the
World-Cup winning England captain - who he first met as a schoolboy -
remained his sporting hero.
"I was always in awe of Mooro a little bit but he was just such a nice
bloke, that's all you could say about him," said Bonds. "You could think of
hundreds of footballers nowadays who haven't achieved half of what he has,
but aren't as down to earth as he was. He was a sporting icon for me, Bobby.
"I first met Bobby at a very impressionable age. I lived on an estate in
South London and was only 13 years old. We'd won a trophy and we used to
train at our local school; our manager said he had a treat for us; somebody
was coming over to present the medals.
"We did a few training skills and then Mooro presented us with our medals.
He must have just broken into the West Ham side then so we didn't know much
about him, we were mainly all Charlton fans
"In those days he was still in his teens, Mooro. A great looking lad, blonde
and with an aura about him. His girlfriend Tina also turned up; she didn't
look half-bad either!"
Having moved from Charlton to West Ham in 1967 - a year after England, with
Moore at the helm, had won the World Cup - Bonds suddenly found himself
playing alongside three national heroes. But it was Moore with whom he
developed the strongest relationship.
"He was usually one step ahead of everybody," added Bonds. "His positional
sense was fantastic - as it had to be, as Mooro wasn't quick. But he was
always in the right place at the right time, a great interceptor of the
ball.
"As a captain he wasn't one to shout and bawl at you, or a great leader as
such - for us it was just the fact that he was Bobby Moore, a sporting icon.
"By the time I went over to West Ham and played with him he'd won the FA
Cup, the Cup Winners Cup and the biggest cup in the world, the World Cup. He
was probably one of the most famous people in the world, along with Pele. He
achieved so much."
Some 25 years or so later Bonds, then the manager of West Ham happened upon
a chance meeting with his former team mate - in Grimsby, of all places. And
as so many others have said this week, the fact that England's only World
Cup-winning captain was even there was a major disappointment to Bonds.
"So much more could have been done for him," he surmised. "I last saw Mooro
at Grimsby and you know what that's like on a cold Tuesday night in
November! We drew 1-1 and he must have been doing the radio upstairs with
Jonathan Pearce.
"I was sat on a wall after the game just thinking about a few things on my
own in the pitch dark and he wandered down from the top of the stands to say
hello. Typical of him; we just sat there chatting about the game and life in
general.
"He didn't look great then and he died within the next three or four months.
You just wondered what Bobby Moore was doing in Grimsby on a cold, wet
night. He should have been used a lot more, they could have made much more
of him.
"There's always the question about why Mooro wasn't knighted. I wasn't one
of Mooro's drinking pals, I didn't go out with him too much but you just
wonder. Some people throw up the argument that he got involved with the
wrong kind of people in the east end of London, but he should have still
been an ambassador for the game."
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West Ham's Sam Allardyce left to rue a crucial miss after 3-2 loss to Spurs
Last Updated: February 25, 2013 11:14pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce felt a key miss from Matt Taylor was the vital
moment in the 3-2 home defeat by Tottenham. While quick to praise Spurs'
Gareth Bale, who won a pulsating match with a superb last-minute winner from
long range, Allardyce felt it could all have been different. The Hammers had
come from 1-0 down to lead 2-1 and substitute Taylor was then put through on
goal, but Hugo Lloris rushed out to save well and Spurs equalised soon
afterwards, before Bale's wonder goal clinched it. Allardyce told Sky
Sports: "We've done a terrific job and made a terrific go of it. Jussi
(Jaaskelainen, goalkeeper) played so well. "It was at a crucial stage when
Matt Taylor got through one-on-one. The 'keeper made a good save, but we
want to be scoring that and, at 3-1, there's no way back for them. "In the
end, we've been beaten by Gareth Bale. He continues to produce world-class
strikes. You'd think he's run out, but that was probably the best of the
lot. "The way he hit it, there's not a lot you can do and, at that stage,
there's not much time to come back.
"If you go in too tight on Bale, he skips past you and, if you make him hit
it from 30 yards out, it's got to be a hell of a strike to score. But, as
soon as he hit it, I went, 'Oh no'. "It's a very disappointing end to one of
our best performances here against a top side. We caused them a lot of
problems. "We went 1-0 down to their first shot on target, got 2-1 up, had a
chance to get 3-1 up, and then paid the price."
Allardyce was not happy that Tottenham midfielder Mousa Dembele, who was
booked in the first half, was not given a second yellow. "Consider the
consistent bookings that Howard (Webb) gave our players," said Allardyce.
"But, after getting booked, Dembele fouled (Mohamed) Diame and the ref let
it go. "And, in the second half, he (Dembele) pulls Joe Cole back and then
kicks the ball away. If he does that, he's got to send him off, that's what
we're told, so I'm really disappointed. "At 1-1, that makes a huge
difference. I'll put it in my report and see if the boys agree with me. If
they don't, I'd like to know why not."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Premier League: Gareth Bale brace inspires Tottenham to victory at West Ham
Last Updated: February 25, 2013 11:17pm
SSN
Best of the Match
Man of the match: Gareth Bale is beyond doubt the man of the moment. His
brace was not just good, but world class!
Goal of the match: The Welshman's stoppage time winner was simply stunning.
He made room to send his left-foot dipper into the top corner past a
helpless Jussi Jaaskelainen.
Moment of the match: Andy Carroll scored from the spot and then waved two
fingers towards the away support, who had been goading him.
Saves of the match: Jaaskelainen was in excellent form and was forced into
action keeping out a hat-trick of Steven Caulker's headers.
Tackle of the match: Moussa Dembele's challenge on Kevin Nolan forced the
midfielder off the field with a toe injury.
Stat of the match: Bale has scored six of Spurs' last seven Premier League
goals.
Bale continued his red-hot form after breaking the deadlock after 13 minutes
with a clinical finish. However, Andy Carroll levelled from the spot before
Joe Cole put the Hammers ahead on the night the club commemorated the 20th
anniversary of Bobby Moore's death. But the visitors were not to be denied
victory as Gylfi Sigurdsson restored parity before Bale's astonishing winner
in stoppage time. West Ham were on top for the first 10 minutes, with
Mohamed Diame and Matt Jarvis both drawing saves from Hugo Lloris. Bale shot
wide early on and teed up Aaron Lennon, whose shot took a deflection which
Spurs thought struck a West Ham hand in the box. Bale, like former Hammer
Scott Parker, was subjected to jeers from the home fans, but he had stunned
the West Ham faithful with the opener after 13 minutes. The Welshman,
operating up front alongside Emmanuel Adebayor, gained a yard on James
Collins and another two Hammers defenders before firing across Jussi
Jaaskelainen into the back of the net.
Bale led a rampaging Spurs break soon after but he shot tamely, much to the
frustration of the unmarked Jan Vertonghen, who was screaming for the ball
at the far post. Soon after, Spurs were made to pay thanks to Carroll's
second goal of 2013. Parker put in an ill-advised two-footed challenge on
Carroll in the box and Howard Webb pointed to the spot. The former Newcastle
striker picked himself up and smashed the ball past Lloris.
Spurs almost took the lead again just after the break when Vertonghen's shot
flew off Guy Demel's leg, but Jaaskelainen scrambled across his line and
tipped wide. The big Finn then saved brilliantly to tip Sigurdsson's shot on
to a post and he quickly regained his ground to save Adebayor's follow-up.
West Ham still had the majority of possession and they made it count with
their second just before the hour. Cole timed his run to perfection, gaining
two yards on Steven Caulker before slotting past Lloris and removing his
shirt in a wild celebration. Sam Allardyce almost spilled his cup of tea in
another raucous celebration on the Hammers bench.
Spurs threw everything at the hosts and had it not been for another two
outstanding saves by Jaaskelainen from Bale and Caulker, they would have
retaken the lead. Lloris pulled off a top-drawer save of his own when Matt
Taylor beat the offside trap and fired on goal. The save proved crucial as
Tottenham went up the other end and equalised.
The Hammers failed to deal with Bale's free-kick, a melee ensued in the box,
but Sigurdsson held his nerve to poke past Jaaskelainen from close range.
Jaaskelainen pulled off another two top-class saves to deny Adebayor and
Sigurdsson as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes.
Then with 10 seconds left, the man of the moment picked himself up after
being flattened by a tackle, collected the ball off Tom Carroll and let fly
with an audacious 25-yard bullet that beat Jaaskelainen for his sixth goal
in his last four Premier League matches, taking his overall tally for the
season to an impressive 19.
Andre Villas-Boas' side now have all the momentum heading into Sunday's
north London derby at home to Arsenal.
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PSG's Zoumana Camara snubs West Brom, Fulham and West Ham
By Giscard Gourizro. Last Updated: February 25, 2013 5:37pm
SSN
Zoumana Camara is in no rush to leave Paris Saint Germain amid reports
linking him with West Bromwich Albion, Fulham and West Ham United. Despite
the absence of Thiago Silva and Mamadou Sakho, the defender has still not
been featuring in the plans of boss Carlo Ancelotti and missed Sunday
night's win over Marseille. But after the game, in which David Beckham made
his PSG debut, Camara confirmed he remains committed to the new era under
wealthy owners Qatar Investment Authority. Zoumana said: "It is always
disappointing when you do not play, especially in a big game against
Marseille. "But you have to respect the choice of the manager and work hard
in training and hopefully your chance will come. "I want to be a part of
this new chapter. Let us wait and see."
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'We have really been beaten by Gareth Bale': West Ham boss admits Tottenham
superstar made the difference
The Mirror
25 Feb 2013 23:28
Sam Allardyce last night claimed his West Ham side had been beaten by Gareth
Bale. The Welsh wizard smashed home a sensational 90th-minute winner to send
Spurs into third place in the Premier League. England stars Andy Carroll and
Joe Carroll scored on the night West Ham were honouring the 20th anniversary
of the death of former captain Bobby Moore. But Bale, who had opened the
scoring for Spurs, stole the show with his ninth goal in seven games for
club and country. "We have really been beaten by Gareth Bale," said the
Hammers boss. "Five yards off his foot and I thought: 'That's it, it's in'.
"You have got to admire the quality of the goal. You are disappointed when
it is scored against you but whether you are a Tottenham fan or a West Ham
fan, you have got to admire a goal like that by a player who is the big
difference for Tottenham at the moment. "We have heard a lot about what
Michu has done for Swansea this year and what Robin Van Persie has done for
Manchester United but at the moment, there is nobody doing more for a
football club than Gareth Bale for Tottenham. "Every goal seems to be
outside the box. It is not like he is tapping them in. If you get too tight
to him, he skips past you. If you stand off him, he hits them like that. It
was a worldie at the end which killed us off."
Bale raced over to the touchline to celebrate a club record eight away win
with his coach Andre Villas Boas. The Portuguese said: "He's very, very
special. I think him winning the Player of the Year would be truly deserved.
It is not up to me but you have to recognise he's having a tremendous
season." Tottenham have turned around their season from conceding late goals
to scoring them. "The players were very brave in the second half and I think
the reward was there," AVB added. "I think it has a knock on effect. The
team is scoring late goals and it makes them believe they can score another.
"The team is very committed to the objectives, we were handed this
opportunity tonight of going third and nine point distance from Everton, we
have further opportunity against Arsenal to go seven points ahead, it will
be a hard game. The conditions were there for us to play this game very,
very seriously, which is why you saw the players go in that celebration."
Bale said: "It's not about me, it's about the team and we played really
well. We obviously wanted to get the three points to keep our Champions
League hopes alive."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce admitted an in-form Gareth Bale had been the difference
between victory and defeat by Spurs
25.02.2013
Sam Allardyce had no complaints with his side's terrific efforts after West
Ham United were undone by the brilliant Gareth Bale. A pulsating derby
looked destined to end honours even, before Bale took aim in the 90th minute
and slammed a 25-yard drive past Jussi Jaaskelainen to end Tottenham
Hotspur home with all three Barclays Premier League points. It was rough
justice on a Hammers side who looked the more likely victors for much of the
second half and were, at the very least, worthy of a share of the spoils.
"Bale's winner was more than a bit of quality, it was a bit of genius," Big
Sam told West Ham TV. "As difficult as it is to take, you've got to admire
the player. He's an unbelievable player and one that Tottenham must keep
hold of. He's the reason why Tottenham are winning games and not losing or
drawing them. "The difference, without any question is one man. I'm not
suggesting they're a one-man team but they are in terms of the victories. I
think he has scored eight out of ten goals in the last few weeks, which has
got them so many wins. I don't think any of them are from inside the box,
other than a header. So it's an unbelievable record he has. "We started the
game well enough, but he pops up with the first shot that Tottenham have had
and puts it in the back of the net after 13 minutes. After that we've done
OK with him but he has still made some terrific runs. Then in injury time,
he's 30 yards out and he has just hit this one and as soon as it left his
foot, I knew it was in the back of the net. It's a really cruel blow for us,
particularly after the way we came back and got ourselves in the lead."
Ultimately, Big Sam was left to rue a brilliant stop from Hugo Lloris, as
the French 'keeper showed all his class to foil Matt Taylor. With West Ham
2-1 up at the time, the Hammers boss believes there would have been no way
back for Spurs had Taylor scored. "I'm not disappointed in the lads'
performance," he added. "I thought it was a terrific performance against one
of the top sides in the country at the moment. We were a whisker away from
getting the win today, and that whisker was Matt Taylor's one-on-one when it
was 2-1. If it goes to 3-1, Tottenham wouldn't have come back. "As long as
we keep this performance level up from now until to the end of the season
we'll pick up enough points. I'm convinced about that. We've got to pick
ourselves up and get to Stoke. We've only got three games now in March and
we've got to get as many points out of those three games as we can. "It's
too long a period really [with so few games], but we're going to have deal
with it as best we can and make sure we're ready to give performances like
this one and hopefully that will bring us enough points to move forward and
up the table."
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Bale wonder winner cruel on Hammers
WHUFC.com
West Ham United suffered late heartbreak against Tottenham Hotspur at the
Boleyn Ground on Monday
25.02.2013
Gareth Bale's stunning 90th minute winner left West Ham United heartbroken
by Tottenham Hotspur on a pulsating night at the Boleyn Ground on Monday.
The Hammers showed great fight to overturn an early deficit conceded to the
Welshman by netting through Andy Carroll and Joe Cole to move into a 2-1
lead not long after the interval. But, on the night West Ham marked the 20th
anniversary of Bobby Moore's death, they couldn't hold on for the win that
would have been a fitting tribute to the great No6. Gylfi Sigurdsson
scrambled an equaliser 14 minutes from time before Bale's moment of magic
ensured the north Londoners would be taking the points. Roused by the
stirring pre-match tributes to Moore, the Hammers started at a real tempo
and fashioned a chance to take the lead on seven minutes when they broke
quickly through Carroll and Joe Cole. Cole threaded a ball through to Matt
Jarvis on the left, and the Hammers man ran at Kyle Walker before producing
a low shot that Hugo Lloris gathered down by his near post. But when the
visitors launched their next attack four minutes later they made it count
through the red-hot Bale, who didn't waste the invitation to shoot when Guy
Demel gave the ball straight to him on the edge of the box, drilling across
Jussi Jaaskelainen and into the bottom right corner. 11 minutes later Bale
had another opportunity to drive at the heart of the Hammers backline when
he picked up possession just inside the West Ham half, looked up and saw the
space to run into. Fortunately on this occasion his shot lacked the power to
trouble Jaaskelainen.
The Hammers found themselves level two minutes later thanks to Carroll's
second goal in as many home games. This one came from the spot, with the Big
Geordie picking himself off the turf after being fouled by Scott Parker to
drill blast emphatically past Lloris. Six minutes before the interval only a
flying block from Walker prevented Jarvis from giving the home side the lead
as the right back tracked across superbly after a miscontrol from Steven
Caulker gave Joe Cole the chance to loft a pass through. The momentum was
shifting both ways throughout the opening period and Jaaskelainen had to use
a strong left hand to stop Caulker's powerful header from a Bale corner a
minute before the break. Spurs looked for a shift in impetus when they
introduced Sigurdsson for Lewis Holtby 10 minutes after the break and the
move came so close to having the desired impact immediately, as the
Icelander shot goalwards from 25 yards, Jaaskelainen tipped onto the post,
then sprung up to somehow deny Emmanuel Adebayor on the rebound. West Ham
made full use of the Finn's save by moving in front themselves with 58
minutes on the clock, Joe Cole drifting off Caulker's shoulder to collect a
Joey O'Brien pass, turn and fire under Lloris.
Cole's celebration summed up just what the goal meant, as he whipped off his
shirt before wheeling away to the Alpari Stand in delight - a feeling shared
by the majority of the 35,005 inside the Boleyn Ground.
Spurs responded strongly and Jaaskelainen had to pull off two fantastic
saves - from another Caulker header and from a Bale effort heading for the
top left corner - to keep the home side in front. Matt Taylor, on as a first
half sub for Kevin Nolan, then found himself in the clear and with a great
chance to settle it, but before he knew it Lloris was on top of him with the
Frenchman smothering the danger expertly. The game took another twist 14
minutes from the end when the Hammers conceded a free kick in a dangerous
area down their left, Bale delivered and the ball ricocheted around the
six-yard box nicely for Sigurdsson to force home. Jaaskelainen was called
upon to make fine saves from Sigurdsson and Adebayor to keep the score at
2-2 as time ticked away, but there was still time for a moment of brilliance
from Bale to settle it. The Welshman has been in almost unstoppable form in
recent weeks and he gave the Hammers a taste of what he is all about with a
wonderful left footed drive from 25 yards that arrowed into the far corner
of the net and left Jaaskelainen helpless.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel (Pogatetz 72), Collins, Reid, O'Brien;
O'Neil, Diame (Collison 84); J.Cole, Nolan (Taylor 35), Jarvis; Carroll
Subs: C.Cole, Vaz Te, Chamakh, Spiegel (GK)
Goals: Carroll pen 25, J.Cole 58
Booked: J.Cole, O'Neil, Diame, Collins
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris; Walker, Dawson, Caulker, Vertonghen; Parker
(Livermore 87), Dembele (Carroll 75); Lennon, Bale, Holtby (Sigurdsson 56);
Adebayor
Subs: Gallas, Naughton, Friedel (GK), Assou-Ekotto
Goals: Bale 11, Sigurdsson 76, Bale 90
Booked: Dembele
Referee: Howard Webb
Attendance: 35,005
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West Ham 2 Tottenham 3
25 February 2013
Last updated at 22:49
By Sam Sheringham
BBC Sport
Gareth Bale continued his incredible scoring run with a stunning last-minute
winner against West Ham to lift Tottenham to third in the table. Bale gave
his side the lead with a powerful strike before Hammers forward Andy Carroll
won and scored a penalty. On the 20th anniversary of Bobby Moore's death,
Joe Cole put West Ham ahead with a low shot but Spurs drew level when Gylfi
Sigurdsson poked home. Bale sealed the points from long range with his
eighth goal in six games. It was another show-stopping performance from
Tottenham's man of the moment after a string of superb saves from West Ham
keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen looked certain to frustrate Spurs.
Gareth Bale scored his 14th and 15th Premier League goals of the season,
drawing level with Michu in the scoring charts. Only Robin van Persie (19)
and Luis Suarez (18) have more. Bale scored his 10th and 11th PL away goals
of the season - the outright most away goals of any player in the division.
Bale has scored nine goals in eight PL matches since Christmas Day - more
than any other PL player. Picking up the ball in a central area some
distance from goal, he worked it on to his favoured left foot and arrowed a
drive, which dipped over Jaaskelainen's outstretched right hand and into the
top corner. The Welshman has now scored eight of his team's last 10 goals in
all competitions and 19 in total this season. Almost single-handedly he has
lifted Spurs two points clear of fourth-placed Chelsea going into Sunday's
crucial north London derby against Arsenal, who are a further two points
back in fifth. For the Hammers, Bale's strike was a devastating blow after a
whole-hearted performance which did justice to the memory of England's World
Cup-winning captain Moore. Cole's goal gave them a 2-1 lead and had
substitute Matt Taylor not been thwarted by Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris when
through on goal it could have been a different story.
Before kick-off, the Upton Park crowd joined both sets of players in a
minute's applause to pay tribute to Moore, who played more than 500 games
for West Ham.
Hammers players warmed up in Moore number six shirts, a giant poster of the
former defender was unfurled in the corner of the stadium before his three
grandchildren placed the match ball on the spot. Roared on by their
impassioned fans, West Ham made the brighter start and Lloris had to make a
sharp low save to keep out a shot from Matt Jarvis after neat interplay
between Carroll and Cole. But where there is Bale there is danger and the
winger picked up the ball in a central position 25 yards from goal, pushed
it past James Collins and lashed a left-footed shot past Jaaskelainen to
give Spurs the lead. West Ham drew level in the 25th minute after Scott
Parker's lunging challenge took out Carroll's standing leg and referee
Howard Webb pointed to the spot. The England striker rose to his feet and
blasted the penalty into the roof of the net.
Spurs looked more likely to take the lead and West Ham were indebted to
Jaaskelainen, who pulled off sharp saves either side of half-time to keep
out goalbound headers from centre-back Steven Caulker. Spurs manager Andre
Villas-Boas introduced Sigurdsson and it almost paid instant dividends as
the Icelander curled a shot on to the post from outside the area. The
rebound presented Emmanuel Adebayor with a golden chance, but his tame
header gave Jaaskelainen a relatively straightforward save. West Ham
responded to the scare in devastating fashion by scoring from their next
attack. Joey O'Brien's lofted pass from the left wing picked out Cole's run
and the former England midfielder swivelled before firing off a left-footed
effort which bobbled past Lloris and into the far corner.
Tottenham's quest for an equaliser was once again thwarted by the inspired
form of Jaaskelainen, who palmed away yet another Caulker header from a
corner before deploying all his athleticism to tip a fine curling effort
from Bale over the bar. Lloris pulled off a brilliant stop of his own as he
raced off his line to deny Taylor and the miss proved costly to the Hammers
as Spurs equalised. West Ham's defence failed to clear a Bale free-kick from
the right and the ball dribbled through to Sigurdsson who poked home at the
far post. A rampant Spurs continued to bombard the home side's goal only to
be denied by a goalkeeper at the top of his game as Jaaskelainen tipped
Sigurdsson's effort around the post and pushed aside a close-range header
from Adebayor. But just when both sides appeared to have settled for a
draw, up stepped Bale to steal the stage.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "We made a terrific go of it. It was at a
crucial stage when Matt Taylor got through one on one and their keeper made
good save, we want to be scoring that. "At 3-1 there is no way back for
them. "But I thought the lads caused them a lot of problems."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bobby Moore: West Ham tribute features family at Spurs game
By Frank Keogh
BBC Sport
Bobby Moore's grandchildren led the teams out before West Ham played
Tottenham to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of the Hammers legend.
Poppy, 21, Freddie, 16, and 13-year-old Ava carried out the ball at Upton
Park. Fans and players from both clubs provided a minute's applause while
home supporters held aloft cards making up a mosaic reading "Moore 6". West
Ham produced a tribute programme with 50p from each sale going to the Bobby
Moore Fund for cancer research. On Sunday, Poppy and Ava joined Moore's
daughter Roberta, his former team-mate Martin Peters and club co-chairman
David Gold, in paying tribute to England's only World Cup-winning captain,
who died from cancer aged 51 on 24 February 1993. Club chaplain Rev Alan
Bolding laid a wreath at the 'Champions' statue near West Ham's ground which
celebrates Hammers World Cup heroes Moore, Peters and Geoff Hurst, alongside
Everton's Ray Wilson. "He was our England World Cup-winning captain, but
also more personally for all of us here at West Ham, a legend at our club
and always will be," said Gold. "It was great to see so many West Ham fans
turn out in what was bitterly cold weather. But they wanted to pay their
respects to a man we hold very dear at this club."
Football Association chairman David Bernstein has expressed regret that the
governing body did not do more to honour the former defender, who won 108
caps for his country. Bernstein wrote in a Sunday Times column: "I am aware
the Football Association has been criticised over its treatment of Bobby
once he retired from football. "It saddens me that this is the case and
while I am not privy to exactly what happened at the time, it is clear to me
the organisation could have done more."
However, the FA chief is proud of the work the organisation has done
recently to commemorate Moore and help the charities associated with the
player who also won the FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup. "During my
time as Wembley Stadium chairman I was immensely proud that we were able to
commission the outstanding statue of Bobby, which was unveiled before the
official stadium opening in 2007," said Bernstein. "If Bobby were alive
today I am sure we would have asked him to be the chief ambassador for the
Football Association in its 150th year. Equally, I have no doubt he would be
extremely modest - if not embarrassed - about his achievements and the
legacy he has provided for every English football fan. "Over more recent
years the FA has worked very closely with the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer
Research UK, also now in its 20th anniversary year. "We will continue to
work with Bobby's charity and its campaign this coming year, at England home
matches and at the FA Cup semi-finals and final."
Bernstein believes it is also fitting that Sunday's Capital One Cup final
between Swansea and Bradford was played on the anniversary of Moore's death
outside the ground where his statue sits. "Of course the great man would
appreciate the significance of such a London derby and I hope the teams can
emulate the skill, athleticism, grace and respect for which we all remember
Bobby Moore so fondly."
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West Ham Utd 2-3 Tottenham
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
A last minute wonder goal by Gareth Bale denied Sam Allardyce's side a share
of the spoils on an emotionally-charged evening in east London.
With the game heading for stalemate, the Welsh midfielder popped up to score
one of the goals of the season to win all three points for the visitors in
what was a thrilling London derby.
Bale had given the visitors an early lead with just 12 minutes on the clock
when he was allowed to pick his spot, having been granted far too much time
by West Ham's retreating defence.
But West Ham- who had started the evning by paying their respects to former
captain Bobby Moore on the 20th anniversary of his death - were back on
level terms within a few minutes when Andy Carroll, who moments earlier had
been taunted by chants of 'he scores once a year' by the visiting
supporters, scored from the penalty spot to make it 1-1.
Joe Cole completed the turnaround on the hour mark when he beat the offside
trap before converting a Matt Taylor - on for the injured Kevin Nolan -
through ball.
With Jussi Jaaskelainen performing heroics in the West Ham goal it looked
for a while as if United would hang on for all three points. Indeed, the
Hammers should have extended their lead when Matt Taylor was sent through
one-on-one with Spurs 'keeper Hugo lloris, before seeing his effort blocked.
That miss proved to be the game's turning point and within a matter of
minutes Spurs drew level through sub Sigurdsson who bundled the ball over
the line follopwing a melee inside the six-yard box.
That's how it looked as if the game would stay until the in-form Bale
intervened to break Hammers hearts. Having been felled five yards outside
the penalty area, the Welshman recovered miraculously to collecy a short
pass which he lifted over Jaaskelainen's head into the far corner.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Legend on a legend
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
Former West Ham United captain and manager, Billy Bonds, has admitted that
he used to feel in awe of team mate Bobby Moore.
Bonds, 66, holds the record for West Ham appearances - some 804 matches
between 1967 and 1988. That's 158 more than Bobby Moore - fourth in the list
behind Frank Lampard (674) and Trevor Brooking (647) - managed during his
playing career.
Yet Bonds, speaking to Talksport on the 20th anniversary of Moore's passing
revealed that despite playing alongside each other for seven years, the
World-Cup winning England captain - who he first met as a schoolboy -
remained his sporting hero.
"I was always in awe of Mooro a little bit but he was just such a nice
bloke, that's all you could say about him," said Bonds. "You could think of
hundreds of footballers nowadays who haven't achieved half of what he has,
but aren't as down to earth as he was. He was a sporting icon for me, Bobby.
"I first met Bobby at a very impressionable age. I lived on an estate in
South London and was only 13 years old. We'd won a trophy and we used to
train at our local school; our manager said he had a treat for us; somebody
was coming over to present the medals.
"We did a few training skills and then Mooro presented us with our medals.
He must have just broken into the West Ham side then so we didn't know much
about him, we were mainly all Charlton fans
"In those days he was still in his teens, Mooro. A great looking lad, blonde
and with an aura about him. His girlfriend Tina also turned up; she didn't
look half-bad either!"
Having moved from Charlton to West Ham in 1967 - a year after England, with
Moore at the helm, had won the World Cup - Bonds suddenly found himself
playing alongside three national heroes. But it was Moore with whom he
developed the strongest relationship.
"He was usually one step ahead of everybody," added Bonds. "His positional
sense was fantastic - as it had to be, as Mooro wasn't quick. But he was
always in the right place at the right time, a great interceptor of the
ball.
"As a captain he wasn't one to shout and bawl at you, or a great leader as
such - for us it was just the fact that he was Bobby Moore, a sporting icon.
"By the time I went over to West Ham and played with him he'd won the FA
Cup, the Cup Winners Cup and the biggest cup in the world, the World Cup. He
was probably one of the most famous people in the world, along with Pele. He
achieved so much."
Some 25 years or so later Bonds, then the manager of West Ham happened upon
a chance meeting with his former team mate - in Grimsby, of all places. And
as so many others have said this week, the fact that England's only World
Cup-winning captain was even there was a major disappointment to Bonds.
"So much more could have been done for him," he surmised. "I last saw Mooro
at Grimsby and you know what that's like on a cold Tuesday night in
November! We drew 1-1 and he must have been doing the radio upstairs with
Jonathan Pearce.
"I was sat on a wall after the game just thinking about a few things on my
own in the pitch dark and he wandered down from the top of the stands to say
hello. Typical of him; we just sat there chatting about the game and life in
general.
"He didn't look great then and he died within the next three or four months.
You just wondered what Bobby Moore was doing in Grimsby on a cold, wet
night. He should have been used a lot more, they could have made much more
of him.
"There's always the question about why Mooro wasn't knighted. I wasn't one
of Mooro's drinking pals, I didn't go out with him too much but you just
wonder. Some people throw up the argument that he got involved with the
wrong kind of people in the east end of London, but he should have still
been an ambassador for the game."
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West Ham's Sam Allardyce left to rue a crucial miss after 3-2 loss to Spurs
Last Updated: February 25, 2013 11:14pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce felt a key miss from Matt Taylor was the vital
moment in the 3-2 home defeat by Tottenham. While quick to praise Spurs'
Gareth Bale, who won a pulsating match with a superb last-minute winner from
long range, Allardyce felt it could all have been different. The Hammers had
come from 1-0 down to lead 2-1 and substitute Taylor was then put through on
goal, but Hugo Lloris rushed out to save well and Spurs equalised soon
afterwards, before Bale's wonder goal clinched it. Allardyce told Sky
Sports: "We've done a terrific job and made a terrific go of it. Jussi
(Jaaskelainen, goalkeeper) played so well. "It was at a crucial stage when
Matt Taylor got through one-on-one. The 'keeper made a good save, but we
want to be scoring that and, at 3-1, there's no way back for them. "In the
end, we've been beaten by Gareth Bale. He continues to produce world-class
strikes. You'd think he's run out, but that was probably the best of the
lot. "The way he hit it, there's not a lot you can do and, at that stage,
there's not much time to come back.
"If you go in too tight on Bale, he skips past you and, if you make him hit
it from 30 yards out, it's got to be a hell of a strike to score. But, as
soon as he hit it, I went, 'Oh no'. "It's a very disappointing end to one of
our best performances here against a top side. We caused them a lot of
problems. "We went 1-0 down to their first shot on target, got 2-1 up, had a
chance to get 3-1 up, and then paid the price."
Allardyce was not happy that Tottenham midfielder Mousa Dembele, who was
booked in the first half, was not given a second yellow. "Consider the
consistent bookings that Howard (Webb) gave our players," said Allardyce.
"But, after getting booked, Dembele fouled (Mohamed) Diame and the ref let
it go. "And, in the second half, he (Dembele) pulls Joe Cole back and then
kicks the ball away. If he does that, he's got to send him off, that's what
we're told, so I'm really disappointed. "At 1-1, that makes a huge
difference. I'll put it in my report and see if the boys agree with me. If
they don't, I'd like to know why not."
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Premier League: Gareth Bale brace inspires Tottenham to victory at West Ham
Last Updated: February 25, 2013 11:17pm
SSN
Best of the Match
Man of the match: Gareth Bale is beyond doubt the man of the moment. His
brace was not just good, but world class!
Goal of the match: The Welshman's stoppage time winner was simply stunning.
He made room to send his left-foot dipper into the top corner past a
helpless Jussi Jaaskelainen.
Moment of the match: Andy Carroll scored from the spot and then waved two
fingers towards the away support, who had been goading him.
Saves of the match: Jaaskelainen was in excellent form and was forced into
action keeping out a hat-trick of Steven Caulker's headers.
Tackle of the match: Moussa Dembele's challenge on Kevin Nolan forced the
midfielder off the field with a toe injury.
Stat of the match: Bale has scored six of Spurs' last seven Premier League
goals.
Bale continued his red-hot form after breaking the deadlock after 13 minutes
with a clinical finish. However, Andy Carroll levelled from the spot before
Joe Cole put the Hammers ahead on the night the club commemorated the 20th
anniversary of Bobby Moore's death. But the visitors were not to be denied
victory as Gylfi Sigurdsson restored parity before Bale's astonishing winner
in stoppage time. West Ham were on top for the first 10 minutes, with
Mohamed Diame and Matt Jarvis both drawing saves from Hugo Lloris. Bale shot
wide early on and teed up Aaron Lennon, whose shot took a deflection which
Spurs thought struck a West Ham hand in the box. Bale, like former Hammer
Scott Parker, was subjected to jeers from the home fans, but he had stunned
the West Ham faithful with the opener after 13 minutes. The Welshman,
operating up front alongside Emmanuel Adebayor, gained a yard on James
Collins and another two Hammers defenders before firing across Jussi
Jaaskelainen into the back of the net.
Bale led a rampaging Spurs break soon after but he shot tamely, much to the
frustration of the unmarked Jan Vertonghen, who was screaming for the ball
at the far post. Soon after, Spurs were made to pay thanks to Carroll's
second goal of 2013. Parker put in an ill-advised two-footed challenge on
Carroll in the box and Howard Webb pointed to the spot. The former Newcastle
striker picked himself up and smashed the ball past Lloris.
Spurs almost took the lead again just after the break when Vertonghen's shot
flew off Guy Demel's leg, but Jaaskelainen scrambled across his line and
tipped wide. The big Finn then saved brilliantly to tip Sigurdsson's shot on
to a post and he quickly regained his ground to save Adebayor's follow-up.
West Ham still had the majority of possession and they made it count with
their second just before the hour. Cole timed his run to perfection, gaining
two yards on Steven Caulker before slotting past Lloris and removing his
shirt in a wild celebration. Sam Allardyce almost spilled his cup of tea in
another raucous celebration on the Hammers bench.
Spurs threw everything at the hosts and had it not been for another two
outstanding saves by Jaaskelainen from Bale and Caulker, they would have
retaken the lead. Lloris pulled off a top-drawer save of his own when Matt
Taylor beat the offside trap and fired on goal. The save proved crucial as
Tottenham went up the other end and equalised.
The Hammers failed to deal with Bale's free-kick, a melee ensued in the box,
but Sigurdsson held his nerve to poke past Jaaskelainen from close range.
Jaaskelainen pulled off another two top-class saves to deny Adebayor and
Sigurdsson as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes.
Then with 10 seconds left, the man of the moment picked himself up after
being flattened by a tackle, collected the ball off Tom Carroll and let fly
with an audacious 25-yard bullet that beat Jaaskelainen for his sixth goal
in his last four Premier League matches, taking his overall tally for the
season to an impressive 19.
Andre Villas-Boas' side now have all the momentum heading into Sunday's
north London derby at home to Arsenal.
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PSG's Zoumana Camara snubs West Brom, Fulham and West Ham
By Giscard Gourizro. Last Updated: February 25, 2013 5:37pm
SSN
Zoumana Camara is in no rush to leave Paris Saint Germain amid reports
linking him with West Bromwich Albion, Fulham and West Ham United. Despite
the absence of Thiago Silva and Mamadou Sakho, the defender has still not
been featuring in the plans of boss Carlo Ancelotti and missed Sunday
night's win over Marseille. But after the game, in which David Beckham made
his PSG debut, Camara confirmed he remains committed to the new era under
wealthy owners Qatar Investment Authority. Zoumana said: "It is always
disappointing when you do not play, especially in a big game against
Marseille. "But you have to respect the choice of the manager and work hard
in training and hopefully your chance will come. "I want to be a part of
this new chapter. Let us wait and see."
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'We have really been beaten by Gareth Bale': West Ham boss admits Tottenham
superstar made the difference
The Mirror
25 Feb 2013 23:28
Sam Allardyce last night claimed his West Ham side had been beaten by Gareth
Bale. The Welsh wizard smashed home a sensational 90th-minute winner to send
Spurs into third place in the Premier League. England stars Andy Carroll and
Joe Carroll scored on the night West Ham were honouring the 20th anniversary
of the death of former captain Bobby Moore. But Bale, who had opened the
scoring for Spurs, stole the show with his ninth goal in seven games for
club and country. "We have really been beaten by Gareth Bale," said the
Hammers boss. "Five yards off his foot and I thought: 'That's it, it's in'.
"You have got to admire the quality of the goal. You are disappointed when
it is scored against you but whether you are a Tottenham fan or a West Ham
fan, you have got to admire a goal like that by a player who is the big
difference for Tottenham at the moment. "We have heard a lot about what
Michu has done for Swansea this year and what Robin Van Persie has done for
Manchester United but at the moment, there is nobody doing more for a
football club than Gareth Bale for Tottenham. "Every goal seems to be
outside the box. It is not like he is tapping them in. If you get too tight
to him, he skips past you. If you stand off him, he hits them like that. It
was a worldie at the end which killed us off."
Bale raced over to the touchline to celebrate a club record eight away win
with his coach Andre Villas Boas. The Portuguese said: "He's very, very
special. I think him winning the Player of the Year would be truly deserved.
It is not up to me but you have to recognise he's having a tremendous
season." Tottenham have turned around their season from conceding late goals
to scoring them. "The players were very brave in the second half and I think
the reward was there," AVB added. "I think it has a knock on effect. The
team is scoring late goals and it makes them believe they can score another.
"The team is very committed to the objectives, we were handed this
opportunity tonight of going third and nine point distance from Everton, we
have further opportunity against Arsenal to go seven points ahead, it will
be a hard game. The conditions were there for us to play this game very,
very seriously, which is why you saw the players go in that celebration."
Bale said: "It's not about me, it's about the team and we played really
well. We obviously wanted to get the three points to keep our Champions
League hopes alive."
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