A great game for James Collins. It’s interesting to see Julien Faubert consistently in the upper reaches of this chart.
Spurs: Player Performance Result
August 24th, 2009 - 6:21 pm
Posting may be a little more sparse this week as I am on holiday. I’ve stopped posting on my political blog altogether this week, but as we have two games I will try to keep up with events on this one.
Transfer gossip seems to have ramped up a bit today, with us being linked to Goran Padnev of Lazion. Faubert is being linked with a swap deal with A C Milan’s Oddo. Zola has finally lost patience with Lucas Neill (good).
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Walking for Bobby Moore
August 4th, 2009 - 11:42 pmTwo friends, brought together by their passion for football, have decided to spend their Summer holiday joining a team of 38 people on Project Brazil, on behalf of the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK
From the 27th September to the 9th October, David Deane, (a Cambridge United fan) and Lloyd Hardwick (a West Ham fan) plan to travel to Forte in Brazil, to help the village renovate and rebuild their dilapidated school and football pitch.
WALK FOR MOORE
To be part of this opportunity of a lifetime, our challenge is to raise £8,000 which will stay in the UK to fund bowel cancer research, the disease which claimed Bobby’s life. Bowel cancer is the second highest killing cancer in the UK claiming 44 lives every day.
To reach our goal, we have decided to WALK FOR MOORE on Saturday 5th September 2009. This route traces the career of Bobby Moore, starting from his birthplace in Barking, via West Ham United and Upton Park, finishing at the Bobby Moore Statue at Wembley in time for kick off of the England Vs Slovenia International (KO:15:00hrs).
The route we are taking is a total of 26 miles. Along the way, we will be taking photos and blogging/ uploading to Twitter/ reading responses – to help raise further awareness and interact with our sponsors, friends and other football fans.
YOU CAN PLAY YOUR PART
Our aim to generate a considerable buzz around this event in the media. To play your part in helping us reach our target, please either:
1) Sponsor us direct by visiting www.justgiving.com/lloydhardwick
2) Help publicise WALK FOR MOORE (in your blog/ shop along the route/ football programme/ on the radio etc)
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Scott Duxbury Interview Part 6: Ashton’s Going Nowhere
July 4th, 2009 - 1:24 pmCopyright West Ham Till I Die. No part of this interview may be reproduced without crediting West Ham Till I Die Blog
All the papers are full of Dean Ashton going to Stoke? Why on earth would Dean Ashton want to go to Stoke?
You would have to ask Dean Ashton that. I haven’t spoken to Dean, or his agent and I certainly haven’t spoken to Stoke. Dean Ashton is not for sale. He certainly won’t be playing for anyone at the beginning of next season other than West Ham. I think it is a bit of transfer speculation that has no substance to it. He won’t be playing for Stoke.
But if someone came in with a really big bid for him, surely you’d be tempted to take it for a player who doesn’t play an awful lot, although when he does play, he invariably scores.
Gianfranco has not seen him play. Any decision in that regard will be down to Gianfranco. If he wants to accept a bid and believes that money can be better used elsewhere then he will do so. But all I know from the conversations I have had with Gianfranco is that he respects Dean Ashton and from what he has seen on the TV he is a top quality player. I think Gianfranco will want to see him. He wants him as part of his plans and then, like with any player, he will make decisions. But I think it is unthinkable to think that, when we signed a new contract with him only a year ago – a very good contract, and he’s been injured for most of that time, both parties owe it to each other that he starts the season and he plays and he achieves success for West Ham, because it would be unthinkable that after all of this rehab he then suddenly leaves. I just don’t see that situation happening.
But is loyalty a word which doesn’t exist any more?
Not with Gianfranco. He engineers loyalty. People want to play for Gianfranco. I agree with you – if they don’t want to play for Gianfranco then that’s fine. They can move on. I think Dean wants to play for Gianfranco. He wants to be part of what we are trying to achieve and therefore he will be very much part of our plans.
COMMENT
I desperately want to see a fit Dean Ashton firing on all cylinders. His goal ratio is second to none, and if he has the right service, he’s quite capable of getting 20 goals a season. But his attitude is under question. Rumour is that he was fit at the end of last season but refused to play. It’s also quite clear that there has been some sort of contact between him and Stoke, although why on earth he would want to go there is anyone’s guess. They already have an Ashton style player in James Beattie. There’s no way they could match his wages, and he’s unlikely to be taken seriously by Capello if he does go. If he wants to be considered for the World Cup he should stay put. Indeed, for a player who West Ham have stood by through think and thin to even consider going elsewhere at the moment is just plain wrong.
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Luis Jimenez Video
July 4th, 2009 - 11:06 amWhile I wrap a cold towel round my head and continue the Scott Duxbury transcribing, have a butcher’s at this video of Senor Jimenez displaying his wares.
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In Memory of Jeroen Boere
April 4th, 2009 - 11:08 amReaders may remember that in August 2007, I had the sad task of posting about the death of former Hammers striker Jeroen Boere. I thought you’d like to know that his wife Ann has posted on the thread. Here’s what she said…
This is the first time I have seen these comments even after looking in site every week for the last 19 months. Thank you to everyone for all the kind words and support following Jeroen’s death. Regards to all, Ann Boere (Jeroen’s wife)
I have emailed Ann to tell her I am posting her words here, so do feel free to add an appreciation of Jeroen in the comments. I am sure she will take great comfort from your words.
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Sunderland Preview
April 4th, 2009 - 8:47 am
I’m gutted I can’t be at today’s game. I drew the short straw and am having to represent my company at the Plaid Cymru conference in Cardiff today instead of cheering on the Happy Hammers to victory against Sunderland. Honestly, the things one has to do to keep house and home together nowadays.
It seems an absolute age since we last played a game. But one thing hasn’t changed – our injury situation, except for the fact that it has got much, much worse. In addition to Carlton Cole being sidelined for most of the rest of the season, there are worries today about Scott Parker and Radoslav Kovac, who took a knock in the Czech game in midweek. If either of those aren’t fit I suspect we could see one of the central defenders move into midfield, with James Collins being the most likely candidate. He came through the two Welsh games unscathed. But if he doesn’t come back in defence, the question is, will Zola restore him to the defence in place of Tomkins or Upson? An interesting selection dilemma. James Tomkins is in great form and deserves to keep his place.
Junior Stanislas is certainly pushing for a start following his hattrick against Chelsa. He would certainly be in my starting lineup.
Up front, I’d expect Tristan to start alongside Di Michele, even though if I had my way I wouldn’t let Tristan pull on a West Ham shirt again. The best thing to do would be for Zola to tell Freddie Sears that he will start the next eight games. It would boost his confidence no end.
Today also sees the return of Anton Ferdinand, Calum Davenport and George McCartney. I hope all three get a tremendous reception. They deserve to.
So, this is the team I expect to see, even if it isn’t the one I’d like to see.
Green
Upson
Ilunga
Neill
Collins
Parker
Kovac
Boa Morte
Noble
Di Michele
Tristan
Think of sitting on my stand in Cardiff, trying to keep up to date with the scores!
And don’t forget to come back sometime during the evening to give do the player ratings.
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Chelsea Report: Battling Hammers Impress
December 14th, 2008 - 6:58 pmOh Carlton Cole! You could have been a hero, yet as so often you scuffed your shot. But let’s not be too pernickety. This was a battling performance of the highest order. To play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and emerge with anything is a credit to the team. To nearly emerge with three points was perhaps asking too much.
When Bellamy put us one up so early on, I don’t think many of thought Chelsea wouldn’t score at least one goal, and so it proved. Under this amount of pressure far better teams than West Ham have cracked. We didn’t and it is a tribute to the central midfielders and central defenders that we managed to maintain out discipline.
Up front Bellamy battled and harried as if his life depended on it. He took his goal brilliantly. Cole was useless in the first half and lost possession almost every time he got the ball. In the second half he somehow discovered some controlled aggression and managed to hold the ball up well and had a couple of chances he should have done better with.
In midfield Scott Parker was magnificent. Noble too showed some of his old form and battled away. Behrami was everywhere as usual and Collison improved after a largely anonymous first 20 minutes. His close control became excellent.
At the back I thought Davenport and Upson looked very comfortable together and rarely looked troubled in the first half. Ilunga had a much better game than against Spurs. Lucas Neill didn’t do anything spectacular, but then he never does. He was lucky not to give away a penalty late on for a trip on Kalou, I think it was. Luckily the tosser of a referee didn’t see it. I cannot abide Mike Riley. He always seems to ruin a game.
Anyway, I think we can all be well impressed by that performance. Now let’s beat the Villa on Saturday!
Green 8
Ilunga 7
Neill 6
Upson 7
Davenport 7
Noble 7
Parker 8
Behrami 7
Collison 7
Cole 6
Bellamy 7
UPDATE: Just so we realise what this means, it’s the second away draw against a Top 4 side this season.
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Chelsea Preview & Open Discussion
December 14th, 2008 - 11:17 amThe Sunday papers do not make happy reading for Hammers fans. Zola says in the News of the World that if the club break their promises to him he would conside rhis position. The club doctor Ges Steinbergs is also set to quit and move across town to Arsenal as he thinks he is being frozen out. And there are continued rumours that Bellamy, Green and Upson may be on their way in January. But in case you hadn’t noticed, we have a game today!
No doubt Zola and Clarke will get a warm welcome at Stamford Bridge, and deservedly so. But once the game starts, that’s where the season of good will should end. I would hope Zola will ring a few changes today. If he is fit, I’d like to see Etherington brought in to provide some width, which we were sorely lacking against Spurs. I’d also like to see Noble or Collison come in for Faubert. Personally I’d put both of them in and rest Mullins. I can’t see the front two being changed, although I’d expect Freddie Sears to come on at some point after his brace of goals in the week in the reserves. Defensively, I can’t see any changes being made.
So I expect the side to be: Green, Ilunga, Neill, Upson, Collins, Etherington, Noble, Parker, Mullins, Cole, Bellamy
And what do I expect the score to be? To be honest, I expect us to get spanked.
UPDATE: Unaccountably, I left out Behrami. Shame on me!
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Where are They Now: Marc Rieper
March 4th, 2008 - 8:56 amMarc Rieper was a solid defender and one of Harry Redknapp’s first forays into the foreign transfer market. He playedn 93 games for us, scoring five goals between 1994 and 1997, when he departed for Celtic. His partnership with Slaven Bilic was one of the best central defensive partnership’s in recent memory. Any idea what has happened to him since and what he’s doing now?
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