Archive for February, 2008

Curbs is in the limelight again, stating that those nasty West Ham fans after the Fulham game were very abusive to him, He was really upset after our 1-0 win to hear such foul swear words like Di Canio! Di Canio!

He is very pleased that the LMA (League Managers Assoc) is going to try and put an end to this disgusting behaviour, not only with the West Ham supporters but all supporters.

Avram Grant admittedly did receive real racist abuse by his own supporters shouting anti-Semitic abuse, which to me, makes some Chelsea supporters (and it is only a minority of Chelsea fans) as bad as the Racist prats in Spain.

So if the LMA get their way, any Abuse to anybody will more than likely result in ejection from the Club and a lifetime ban.

So let me get this straight now.

No Swearing!

No Smoking!

No Standing!

No Booze!

No Hero’s names to be mentioned!

**Things have changed so much from the 70’s at the Boleyn, Think ill stay at home and kick the Di Canio out of the dog if we lose Saturday.

**Animal Rights- I love dogs really! i must do, I’ve met enough of them.

You can read the educated article in the Times HERE by Gary Jacob

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

 

Robert Green said ” Chelsea will be nervous about playing at Upton Park on Saturday, because they have a Champions League game Wednesday and because they lost the Carling Cup Final”.

Avram Grant has been getting some stick off the Press since Chelsea lost to Spurs in the Carling Cup final, and will be under tons of pressure to beat the Hammers, but wasn’t it only a week or so ago that the Press were praising Avram Grant on how well he was doing since Mourinho left?

I’m sure Chelsea will have a tough game against us Hammers, as it is for any team that plays at Upton Park, and Green is right, we can intimidate Chelsea, but It is not intimidation that scores goals, its tactics and skills, and the result at the end of game will depend on who uses  those tactics and skills to the best of their ability, If Curbs has done his homework right, West Ham could have a victory over the Blues. 

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

There can be few fixtures that fire the imagination these days than to face Chelski at Upton Park. I can’t wait. Having beaten Man Utd repeatedly, Arsenal in the recent past, having just laid the Liverpool voodoo to rest, this is surely the remaining BIG fixture that we are due a result (and a performance) in.

If you need any more motivation, how does this picture do in terms of firing you up?

It’s a tiresomely familiar image. Kiss my ring, Lamps!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

The plans to build a new stadium at the old parcel-force site may be scrapped if Government Health & Safety Executives deem it unsafe,

 

Click Image to Enlarge 

The Guardian wrote. Surrey County Cricket Club’s plans to redevelop The Oval with a hotel and new stand that would expand capacity by 5,000 have been left in disarray after the Health & Safety Executive requested a “stop notice” preventing the granting of planning permission. As previously revealed here the HSE was motivated by fears of an explosion at a nearby gas repository which could have endangered spectators. It will now consider whether to ask government to “call in” the development, leading to delays in the construction process that could kill off the project. This has intriguing implications for West Ham United, who are exploring the possibility of developing a 31-acre site in Newham previously used as a Parcel-force depot. The site’s owner, the London Development Agency, last month gave the club until July to come up with outline plans for development after a previous deadline expired. But now the Hammers’ development proposals must consider the impact of a gas repository facility to the west of the site. 

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I’m Hyping Zamora up again, and why not? hes been a West Ham hero for ages and still is to me, and still may have the chance to be again very soon.

Whats the chances of Zamora moving to Birmingham in the summer? I doubt very much if the Blues will be the only ones to make an offer, and £4million is a lot of money, but come the end of the season, Zamora might be worth more.

If Fulham manage to survive, then I’m sure Hodgson will make an offer, so its looks like Bobby is on Relegation battlers minds at the moment, and i wouldnt be surprised if even the Spuds put in a bid.

After my last post, (HERE) i noticed there was mixed thoughts about Zamora, which is fair enough, that’s what this Blog is all about, but i find it hard to believe that some supporters forget what he did last season in helping the Hammers survive, Kinda reminds me of the old Bobby we used to love, i didn’t see fans from his day turning there backs on him.

Long Live Zamora and may he play for West Ham until he retires, But if he does move on, i hope Fulham win the battle.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

We’ve been caged in 10th place like a prison sentence for weeks now. We have had players come and go from the injury list, even that has not helped, but now Zamora is back, Yes Zamora! the guy a majority of us thought would not be good enough for this new elite West Ham, (lmfhao, Elite my arse) and some even wanted him sold in the transfer window, but, could it be that Zamora might be what we have been waiting for?

 He is due to play against the Spurs reserves tonight, a game that could prove influential in Curbs team choice for Saturday against Chelsea, a game Zamora is hoping to be picked for, for his return to 1st team football, and i, for 1, will be hoping he brings some class and skill back  into the West Ham side, and if he is picked by Curbs, than a 4-4-2 formation would suit the team best, and then maybe we may get some entertaining football back for us to get excited about.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Alan Curbishley wants to deliver more entertainment to West Ham fans so they are not relying of the likes of Nolberto Solano’s messy winner that settled their clash against Fulham.
Solano’s controversial strike was a scrappy goal to settle a scrappy game at Craven Cottage, with the winger appearing to catch goalkeeper Antti Niemi as he tried to reach Luis Boa Morte’s pass three minutes from full-time.

Niemi received a cut to the shoulder but to make matters worse, the ball appeared to go in off Solano’s arm. Leon Andreasen picked up his second booking protesting to referee Howard Webb.

The winner was the main talking point of a dreary game. Fulham’s excuse is battling relegation but West Ham are chasing European qualification and have been accused of being too negative.
“We need to get more players back fit”.
“It’s not for the want of trying,” said Hammers boss Curbishley. “In training it’s all we do”.

“We’ve got players like Freddie Ljungberg, Luis Boa Morte, Mark Noble - you can’t tell me they are defensive.

“Our defensive record is fantastic, just outside the top four for that. We need a little more. We have players that can give us that, some are injured and some of the players we have now can give us that. So we’ll keep working on it.

“We look at the Manchester City games when we played away from home and we created six or seven chances. On numerous occasions we got four or five in the box but we haven’t fashioned that final pass or finish.

“The Parkers, Bellamys and Dyers and the others that have to get themselves fit - we have the potential. We have a strong base at the moment and I’m hoping the attacking stuff will come through.”
Noble was Curbishley’s most influential player at Craven Cottage, amidst the mediocrity putting in a strong performance in front of England boss Fabio Capello.
“The Football Association cover every game and I know he and Franco Baldini have watched us regularly,” Curbishley said.

“Why not? We have a healthy contingent of English players, especially when the Parkers and Dyers get back.

“I hope one or two of them have done themselves justice.”
Robert Green did nothing wrong in goal either, saving a one-on-one chance from Jimmy Bullard.

Just in front of him was Matthew Upson, who started in Capello’s first match in charge.
“I’m really hungry to play for my country and do whatever it takes to stay in there,”
said the centre-back.
“Your domestic form is important for the manager when he’s watching and also for when you join up with the squad.

“The pressure is on in sense of the competition but that’s healthy.”
Upson was wearing the number six of Bobby Moore, who was honoured before the game at Craven Cottage by his only two English clubs.
“It’s great to wear the shirt of such a legend and I thought he got a great round of applause and he’ll never be forgotten at this club,” Upson added.

Victory edged West Ham closer to the European places, while Fulham are in deep trouble at the wrong end.

At least they could welcome Brian McBride back for his first start since a serious knee injury.

“We need wins right now,”
said the American striker.

“I wanted to be part of this team and helping them. I have that chance now and I have to do that.

“I think you can see there’s a lot of belief. I think as soon as we start taking our chances then things will change for us.”

Boss Roy Hodgson also has Jari Litmanen back in training next week after he complained of minor palpitations and was told by a cardiologist to rest.

Hodgson was upset by Solano’s goal but did not go to referee Webb for an explanation.
“I will do my grieving in private,”
said the Fulham boss.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Lucas Neill was well aware of the poignancy of captaining West Ham on the 15th anniversary of club legend Bobby Moore’s death.

Moore, the long-time West Ham and England skipper, was considered the epitome of professionalism and fairness during his career, leaving Neill humbled by the honour of following in the 1966 World Cup winner’s footsteps.

“Even now it makes me tingle,”

Neill said.

“It is a great honour. You mention Bobby Moore, and to put your name on a list with great names such as that is truly remarkable. I don’t see it as an achievement. I see it as a privilege or an honour.”

West Ham honoured Moore with a 1-0 away win against Fulham, the team he joined in the twilight of his career.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Chris Hughton, ex Asst Manager to ROI, and Spurs hero has been appointed 1st team coach to Newcastle United. Hughton Said to press,

“Having played for 11 or 12 years with Ireland it is a great honour to be able to return to Premiership football in a different capacity,” he said.

“I will bring to the job 10 years of coaching experience with Tottenham Hotspur and five of those years have, on and off, been with the first team”.

Hughton will be at Newcastle’s game against Man Utd.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Darren Bent, Michael Chopra, Rolando Bianchi… Mike Norman runs though £100m worth of players who just haven’t made the grade in the Premiership this season

That Harry Redknapp fella didn’t always have an eye for a good bargain you know. Cast your minds back to the summer of 1995 when West Ham United spent around £1m on Dutchman Marco Boogers. The story goes that Redknapp hadn’t even seen Boogers play, and the striker was only signed after a few videos were shown to the manager - videos of what we must now ask ourselves.

We all know what happened; Boogers made just two substitute appearances for the Hammers, with the second resulting in a straight red card after a horrific two footed tackle on Gary Neville (so it was justified then). He never played for the club again and went back to his homeland to live in a caravan for a while. I wonder if Thomas Brolin will ever be found camping in Sweden, or whether Franny Jeffers is planning to live at Butlins at some point - just two more of the Premiership’s worst ever signings.

The current season has had its fair share of poor signings too - I mean, whoever thought Jose Enrique was worth more than £6m wants sacking! Enrique wasn’t the only poor signing however; I can easily name £100m worth of Premiership footballers, who quite frankly, have been major disappointments - so that’s £94m to go then.

Tottenham’s Darren Bent isn’t really a bad player, he’s just a terrible signing at £16.5m. He has proved he can score goals at this level, but why pay so much for a player who you are going to use sparingly - whoever signed him wants sacking - sorry, I’ve already used that line. Bent has scored just three Premiership goals this season (against Boro, Wigan & Derby) and you just can’t see him playing often enough to add many more to that tally. No doubt he’d love to play on Sunday, with Spurs being available at [3.9] to beat Chelsea in 90 minutes, or [2.5] to win the Carling Cup outright.

Sunderland have made some decent signings this season, who will all be justified if they avoid relegation, but you would have to say that the £5m they paid for Michael Chopra and the £3.5m they paid for Greg Halford now looks bad. Chopra became an instant hero at the Stadium of Light when he scored a last ditch goal against Spurs on the opening day of the season, but he’s only added two more goals to his tally and doesn’t look good enough at this level. Halford made just eight league appearances for the Wearsiders and is now out on loan at Charlton. Sunderland are going in the right direction, and they are now out to [6.6] to be relegated.

You have to admit that West Ham have been the unlucky team. They spent over £26m on four players (Craig Bellamy, Kieron Dyer, Scott Parker & Julien Faubert), yet all four have had bad injuries that have prevented them from playing most of the season. Does this make them bad signings though? Well £26m for decent players that aren’t playing, I’d say yes - but let me know what you think. Would the Hammers be any further up the table if they had a fully fit squad? They are still available at [10.5] if you think they can put a run together and reach the top six.

So that’s around £50m of poor Premiership signings - where’s the other £50m coming from? Let’s start with Rolando Bianchi who cost Man City £8.8m - he’s now back playing in Italy. Or we could start with Marlon Harewood at £4m - he hasn’t started a league game for Villa yet. And what about poor David Nugent, who cost Portsmouth £6m - he was so bad they tried to sell him as soon as he arrived. At least these clubs are still fighting for a UEFA Cup slot, so it’s not all bad. To finish in the top six, Man City are available at [2.72], Villa at [1.95] and Portsmouth at [4.1].

So I’m still about £30m short. How about Mido (£6m) at Boro, Diomansy Kamara (£6m) at Fulham, Alan Smith (£6m) and Joey Barton (£5.8m) at Newcastle and Emerse Fae (£2.5m) at Reading - all have turned out to be poor signings in my opinion. As for the final £3.5m, I’ll put up Derby’s not so prolific striker Robert Earnshaw - now, whoever signed him really does want sacking!

Written by bradsmith

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!