Nobby On The Buses

Alan Curbishley looks set to have Bobby Zamora back in contention for tomorrow's game against Chelsea. The striker has been out since 28 August with a persistent knee problem but has made three reserve-team appearances in quick succession - scoring a hat-trick in the first of them, a 4-1 defeat of Birmingham City. His last game was the 3-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Monday although the 27-year-old forward picked up a slight knock to his other knee. He was taken off as a precaution but has since resumed training. Confirming he would have largely the same squad as he had for last week's 1-0 win at Fulham, the manager added that Zamora was close. "Bobby Zamora only played half a game on Monday. He got a kick just under the other knee and he had to come off with it but he is training. So we will see how he is. He has got through the last three or four weeks and has looked quite sharp so hopefully he will be back."

Dean Ashton also featured in that reserve game at the start of the week and Curbishley revealed it was the player's choice. Having played just ten minutes as a replacement in the weekend win at Fulham, he said: "He scored and he wanted to play in the game. It wasn't what people were reading into it." Ashton played alongside Freddie Sears for the second half of the reserve encounter. When asked if the youngster, who struck twice and made the other goal for Ashton, would figure soon, Curbishley added: "He is a centre-forward who we have got hopes for. It was a good display. As I said previously if we get to it and they go in, I have got no doubts about playing them. [James] Tomkins, [Jack] Collison and Sears have all been around the first-team squad for the last four or five weeks. [They are] part and parcel of the future of the club. Sears is different to what we have got available at the moment. He is Bellamy-like. He is quick, wants to get in behind people and goes about his business very quietly. He is a good finisher. He has burst on in the last two months really and I think the natural progression is to get some sort of football and we will see if that is in the next 12 games. I am not afraid to put the young boys in. If an opportunity arises I will do it."

Meanwhile, Scott Parker has come through eight days of full training after his recovery from a knee injury suffered when Cristiano Ronaldo accidentally fell on him during the Manchester United victory on 29 December. When asked if he would figure against Tottenham on Sunday week, the manager said: "It might be a bit tight for him". In addition, Craig Bellamy is recovering from his abdominal strengthening operation which, if all goes to plan, could see him "out for another three or four weeks".

In other news, John Paintsil has revealed his happiness in returning to the fold at West Ham United after his experience with semi-finalists Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations. The popular defender, known to his team-mates as Johnny P, played every minute of his country's five games at the finals and but his thoughts were never too far away from the Boleyn Ground. "I am so happy to be back with my group and the team at West Ham. When I was playing at the Cup of Nations, people were shouting the name of West Ham at me and I was so happy and proud to hear my club's name mentioned in Ghana." Since returning Paintsil found himself back on the bench for the first time in the 1-0 win at Fulham last Saturday and was overawed to get such a rapturous response from the travelling fans when he ran out to warm up including a special song in his honour. "It was so amazing to see the fans last Saturday and I am very happy to come back to the club. The song was amazing, it just showed me that I am back with the team and I must be ready for any chance that comes my way."

Hayden Mullins have come in for some much warranted praise. Alan Curbishley took time out yesterday to pay tribute to the contribution of the midfielder this season - describing the 28-year-old as his "unsung hero". Curbishley recognised that Mullins may have been concerned about his place last summer with the arrival of two big signings. "We bought Scott Parker and Kieron Dyer in and he must have looked at that and thought there is a bit of competition here but he has stayed strong," the manager said. "He has stayed fit and he has played every game. He has deserved to be playing in every game." Mullins himself has previously spoken about the impact of increased competition for places on his game. "You can deal with it in two ways. You can let your head drop, which will affect your game or you can let it bring out the best in you as a player with the competition it creates. I want to be at this club with these kinds of players around me, which is going to be pushing for bigger things. I just put my head down and got on with it. Then a couple of injuries occurred, I got my chance and made sure to make the most of it." Mullins has certainly made the most of his time at the Boleyn Ground - playing in 25 of the club's 26 league games this season as well as four in the cups. The definition of a reliable performer, he made 30 league appearances in 2003/04, 40 in 2004/05, 35 in 2005/06 and 30 in 2006/07.

Finally, Nobby Solano has revealed he is looking forward to the chance of repeating his match-winning heroics of last weekend when Chelsea come calling this Saturday afternoon. The Peruvian international came off the bench to score the only goal of the 1-0 victory at Fulham and would gladly take a similar result - especially as Chelsea were winners by the narrowest of margins when the teams last met at Stamford Bridge on 1 December. "When we played away against them, we played well," he declared. "It is always difficult against Chelsea. We can't sit back for 90 minutes and wait for them as they have quality players who can score any time. So we have nothing to lose. We aren't having a bad season. Compared to last season, we are in a comfortable position. But we want to win the game. We want to try and enjoy the game. It is eleven against eleven. They are a good team. But we are at home."

The midfielder is also aware of the desire from fans to see more goals from the team but acknowledges that the front men need improved service. "Our midfield has to give the chances to the strikers to create something," he admits. "It is a bonus for a midfielders to score goals, but the priority is for the strikers to score, as they are in better positions. We need to improve and create more for the strikers. We can't carry on only creating two or three chances in a game, we need to do much better. Sometimes it is very difficult to score in this league, as teams fight and fight for the result. But we need to improve and create more chances - we need to play better football if we want to score more goals."

The 33-year-old Solano is a popular figure at Chadwell Heath, most notably for the youthful enthusiasm he brings to every session. Revealing that he used to work as a bus conductor as a teenager growing up in Peru - "I needed the money to go training, or if I wanted to buy new boots" - he says he is nothing but grateful for the opportunity he has today. "We are privileged to play in this profession compared with different people. That is why I have no complaints. Some people go to work at 7.30, but we start at 9.30/10 - we are here two hours. It is a wonderful profession." Of his time in England and with West Ham United, he said he always tries to tell his colleagues of how lucky they are to be using the best facilities - unlike the experiences of his youth in South America. "When you move here, everything is perfect. That is why I appreciate it. I am very glad that every day I am still playing."

The Ticking Clock

Alan Curbishley has turned the heat up on Avram Grant ahead of this weekend's much anticipated clash. Curbishley warned the clock is already ticking on the Chelsea boss to turn his club's fortunes around following their Carling Cup Final defeat, at the same time insinuating that club owner Roman Abramovich will expect big returns on his huge investment. Curbishley, one of the Barclays Premier League's longest serving managers, also says Grant will not be afforded the sort of time that Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson have been given to win trophies. It is the latest in a war of words that dates back to the previous meeting between the two teams at Stanford Bridge in early December. Grant chided West Ham United for an overly physical approach during the controversial 1-0 home victory, while Curbishley responded by comparing the Israeli's effectiveness to that of Gary Megson. "He’s been put in a position where he’s got a big, big club on his hands, so perhaps he feels he has to make some big, big statements," Curbishley said at the time. "I don’t think he’s changed too much, he’s just said get on with it. I think he’s come in and done what Gary Megson’s done."

Almost three months on and the West Ham United manager, who spent 15 years at Charlton before taking over at Upton Park 14 months ago, said: "It's the life we're in at the moment. Unless you get results and success quickly then you don't get the same time anymore. When you get to a high profile club everything you do is going to be looked at - body language, the way you walk onto the pitch, the way you dress, every last detail. Everything Avram Grant does is going to be analysed and that is something he has to handle. I looked at the cup final and the start was the most important thing and Tottenham made much the better start. If you are lucky enough to be a manager of a top-four club then that comes with the territory. If it's not Avram Grant, it's Rafa Benitez and if Arsenal weren't doing so well it would be Arsene Wenger. Being a manager is getting tougher. That honeymoon period has gone. You even look at someone like Dave Jones at Cardiff who was under pressure and then he turned it around. I think you get applauded over the top when you win, then you get over castigated when you lose. You have to take it with a pinch of salt. I've never been under too much pressure as a manager, apart from maybe when I was first at Charlton when I wanted to do things and change things."

Curbishley insists that the expectancy level is lower at West Ham despite big foreign investment at Upton Park - but he has still set his sights on reaching Europe this season. He added: "We have to win at least half of our remaining games - and perhaps do a little bit more than that. I feel very confident. We need a bit of stability because in the last four or five years we've had a play-off final we lost, a play-off final we won and then last season was played out across the back pages."

Meanwhile, Robert Green has issued a rallying cry for all the West Ham United players and fans to pull together against Chelsea this Saturday. Speaking on the official site, Green expects the team to show the same resilience and form as in 2-1 and 1-0 home wins against Manchester United and Liverpool respectively this season. "In true West Ham style it seems to be the games where we excel," he said. "They had a big game on Sunday and they have a big [Champions League] game on the Wednesday after our game and you know they won't be looking forward to coming to Upton Park. I don't think anyone ever does really. Between ourselves and the fans we can make it as intimidating as possible and really get stuck into them and make it a double over the west London clubs."

The game is the first in a demanding spell that sees the club go to Liverpool on Wednesday and then Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday week. "Chelsea will be tough but we have got a tough few games coming ahead," mused Green. "We are looking up though and we can put a positive spin on the Fulham result. We have played better this season and not won. We created a lot of chances and on another day we would have taken them. It seems to be happening quite a lot this season." Solano's 87th-minute winner at Craven Cottage came just after Jimmy Bullard found himself bearing down on the West Ham United goal. He let fly for what looked like being the decisive moment when Green came to the rescue. "I was fortunate," he said. "It was one of them where I have made myself as big as possible and just managed to react as I am going down to where he has hit the shot. It is something I don't really think about and thankfully got a hand on it. We scored just after that so it was pleasing in what was a pretty terrible game."

They Are Not For Sale

The following is a fictionalized account of Brian Clough's very real attempt to buy Bobby Moore and Trevor Brooking in late September 1973. It is taken from David Peace's excellent 'The Damned UTD'...

You have been told there is no money. You have been told not to buy any new players. You have been told there is no money for transfers. But you lose 1-0 at Coventry and you know you have to buy some new players. You make a telephone call. You drive down to London. To the Churchill Hotel.
'I hear you are interested in winning a championship medal?'
'Who wouldn't be?'
'Someone who already had one.'
Bobby Moore smiles. Bobby Moore grins. Bobby Moore, captain of West Ham and England. Bobby Moore, World Cup winner and national treasure.
'Would you play for Derby County?' you ask him.
Bobby Moore lights another fag. Bobby Moore laughs, 'Why not?'
'That'll do for me,' you tell him and take him for lunch in the restaurant.
'I'm afraid,' begins the maitre d'hotel at the door, 'that Mr Moore is not dressed appropriately for our restaurant...'
'Listen to me,' you tell him. 'My team will never stay here again if my player can't sit in this restaurant, my player who has won the World Cup for this country, my player who has done more for this bloody country than any other person you have had in your fucking little restaurant!'
'I don't play for you yet,' whispers Bobby Moore.
'Shut up!' you tell him. 'You're my player. I'll ring Ron straight after lunch.'

***

You do not make an appointment. You do not telephone. You go straight to Upton Park. You do not wait in line and you do not knock on Ron Greenwood's door. You just walk right into his office and tell him, 'I'm here for a chat. Now, have you got any whisky?'
Ron Greenwood gets to his feet. Ron Greenwood gets you a whiskey.
'Any water?' you ask him. 'I am driving.'
'The kitchen's just round the corner,' he tells you.
You go off to find the kitchen. You get the receptionist to take you up to the directors' box. You ask her all sorts of questions about West Ham United, about Ron Greenwood and Bobby Moore-
Twenty minutes later, you're back in Ron's office-
'I've been having a good look around this place,' you tell him. 'Isn't it lovely? All nice and spruce. You don't know how lucky you are, a nice place like this.'
'Glad you like it,' says Ron Greenwood. 'Was there anything else?'
'Yes,' you tell him. 'I want to sign Bobby Moore and Trevor Brooking.'
'You can't be serious, Brian?'
'Every man's got his price,' you tell him. 'And I'd make sure it was a nice big bloody price, with a nice big fucking piece of it for you and for Bobby and Trevor.'
'They're not for sale,' says Ron Greenwood.
'How about we start at £300,000 for the pair of them, plus your slice?'
'They're not for sale,' he says again.
'Well then, how about £400,000 for the pair of them, plus your slice?'
'Brian,' says Ron Greenwood, 'they are not for sale.'
'Well listen then, if I can't have Moore, can I have Brooking? Or how about this? If I can't have Brooking, can I have Moore?'
'They're not available,' he says again. 'But I'll pass your offer on to the board.'
'How about £500,000?' you ask. '£500,000 for the pair of them? Not forgetting your slice of the cake for all your toil and trouble. Can't say fairer than that, now can we, Ron?'
Ron Greenwood is on his feet again, the door to his office open-
'Any chance of another whiskey then?' you ask him. 'One for the road?'

Continental Drift

Ambitious West Ham United aim to join continental drift screams a headline in this morning's Times. According to an exclusive by Gary Jacobs the club are preparing to offer Brescia general manager Gianluca Nani the role of technical director at Upton Park. The Italian’s duties- which would begin in the summer- would include finding players and conducting transfers. If the recruitment is successful then it would bring to an end a long search that has taken in names such as Franco Baldini, Wim Koevermans, Giovanni Trapattoni and the Brazilian Leonardo.

Nani is reputed to have a good depth of knowledge of players in South America and has been a familiar face in scouting circles at reserve matches all over the globe. He is also a renowned negotiator, which is something that appeals to Björgólfur Gudmundsson as he seeks greater fiscal control at the club prior to the planned relocation to a new stadium. Overseeing that development project next to West Ham Underground station, as well as the move to a better-equipped training facility, would be responsibilities to fall under Nani's remit. The Italian worked as a sporting events organiser before taking on his present role soon after he married Silvia Corioni, the daughter of Luigi Corioni, the president of Brescia. Nani’s arrival at Brescia coincided with that of Roberto Baggio, whose performances helped the team to seventh place in Serie A in 2001 – the best placing in the club’s history – but they were relegated after the retirement of the former Italy forward in 2004.

Jacobs observes that West Ham United’s shift to a continental structure would be a bold break from tradition for a club that became known as “The Academy” long before the word had its meaning today. They nurtured Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters to lead England to the 1966 World Cup triumph and more recently graduated the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole and Jermain Defoe. Crucially, Tony Carr, the club’s director of youth development, will be unaffected by any changes and will continue looking for young local players. That would leave Nani to concentrate on discovering foreign talent and experienced players for the first team.

Alan Curbishley has also been part of the interview process, leading the club to believe that there will be no tension between him and Nani. Damien Comolli and Frank Arnesen, the only other sporting directors working in the Barclays Premier League, have crossed swords with the managers at Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea respectively, while Nicky Hammond is the Reading director of football. Comolli’s fractious relationship with Martin Jol has been linked to the dismissal of the Dutchman at White Hart Lane in October. While the Mirror think that the appointment of such a 'low profile' figure as Nani would only strengthen Curbishley's position within the club, the Mail are cautioning that there is still some way to go before a final decision is made. They report that the Hammers' manager, together with chief executive Scott Duxbury, travelled to Italy to talk to Nani and both were impressed with the achievements of the managing director of the Serie B club.

In other news, various reports in Iceland are suggesting a strong interest from the club in signing 17 year old central defender Holmar Eyjolfsson. The player, who has also been tracked by Bayern Munich among other clubs, trained with the first team at West Ham United last week. Eyjolfsson revealed: "I had a great time at West Ham and joining the club is certainly a very exiting option. It was a great experience and a good learning curve. It was also interesting to see how I compared to the Premier League players. They treated me like an equal and it felt like I was just one of the boys. When I sat down with Alan Curbishley and the clubs chief scout Roger Cross, the manager told me he wanted me to join the club and that he would talk to my dad (former Iceland national team manager, Eyjolfur (Jolly) Sverrisson) about it as soon as I went home." Holmar arrived back in Iceland yesterday and news of West Ham United's interest was confirmed on the official HK Kópavogur club site shortly after. Eyjolfsson had an impressive U17 European Championship finals last summer and was voted one of the players to watch out for in the future. He has subsequently emerged as regular for the Iceland U21 side and has only recently returned from a trial at Hertha Berlin.

Freddie Searing Hot

Freddie Sears maintained his impressive scoring form to earn West Ham United a hard-fought 3-1 victory against a youthful Tottenham side tonight. The prolific 18-year-old forward, who now has three goals from six reserve appearances and 21 strikes in 17 games for the Under-18s, struck on the stroke of half-time to cancel out Troy Archibald-Henville's opener for Tottenham. He wrapped up the win with a superb run and shot 17 minutes from time. In between, he found time to set up Dean Ashton for a close-range finish.

Sears had begun the contest on the right wing but moved into attack when Bobby Zamora made way on half-time. It was an experienced side throughout with Jimmy Walker in goal behind Jonathan Spector and John Paintsil. The victory moves West Ham United three points clear of third-placed Reading in the southern section of the Barclays Premier Reserve League and just two points behind leaders Aston Villa - although both have two games in hand after a 1-1 draw on the same evening.

At a chilly Brisbane Road, Tottenham were the brighter of the two sides in a bruising first half which was most noticeable for several robust encounters. Walker, who had Ludek Miklosko as his replacement on the bench after the late withdrawal of Adam Street, and David Button in the Spurs goal were largely spectators in the opening stages as a number of moves broke down. After a couple of fine tackles by young left-back Ashley Miller to stop the visitors in their tracks, West Ham United's first real opportunity came in the 17th minute. Paintsil picked out Ashton in a good central position but he was just unable to make a clean connection and his glancing header flew wide. Six minutes later, Zamora did well to fashion an opening but the ball would not sit kindly and his effort looped over the bar. A minute later, Jack Collison had the chance to head for goal from the middle of the penalty area after fine work by Ashton but again Button watched it fly safely behind.

Tottenham picked up after that and looked the most likely with Danny Rose and Simon Dawkins looking particularly menacing. They finally broke the deadlock in the 34th minute when Troy Archibald-Henville glanced in a Rose free-kick. Walker had no chance with that but did well soon after the restart to save at point-blank range from David Hutton. James Tomkins then had to be alert to stop another potential Tottenham attack and it seemed if any side was going to strike before half-time it would be the hosts. However, good play by Ashton on the right saw him pick out Kyel Reid on the edge of the area. His shot was miscued into the path of Sears, who turned quickly and flashed a shot beyond Button. It was almost the last action of the half and proved pivotal as Kevin Keen's side were always in command after the break. Zavon Hines came on to replace Zamora which in turn allowed Sears to link up through the middle with Ashton.

Within ten minutes of the restart both forwards had made space for a couple of good efforts on goal and looked an effective partnership. With Tottenham making a couple of changes on the hour, the contest was beginning to open up and a second West Ham United goal seemed on the cards. It duly came in the 68th minute as Hines slipped Sears away and he raced through to the byline. From there, he looked up and picked out Ashton who had no trouble converting from close range. Sears was not finished. Five minutes later, he struck a sensational second to put his side two goals clear. Ashton set him away with a neat pass and the young forward did the rest, racing beyond three defenders before confronting Button in the Spurs goal. Before the keeper could react, Sears fired into the far corner and victory was assured.

West Ham United: Jimmy Walker, John Pantsil, James Tomkins (Jordan Spence 70), Ashley Miller (Lorcan Fitzgerald 78), Jonathan Spector, Freddie Sears, Tony Stokes, Jack Collison, Kyel Reid, Dean Ashton, Bobby Zamora (Zavon Hines 46)
Subs: Ludek Miklosko, Junior Stanislas

Elsewhere, Tony Carr was a happy man after his Under-18 side moved two points clear at the top of Group A of the Premier Academy League at the weekend. Goals from Tom Harvey and Freddie Sears helped West Ham United to win 2-0 at Crystal Palace as previous league leaders Southampton were losing 3-0 at Ipswich Town FC. The Hammers now have 42 points from 23 games, while Southampton have 40 from the same number of fixtures. Arsenal in third place are still most people's favourites for the title although they are six points adrift of top spot with four games in hand.

Reflecting on Saturday's fifth victory in six unbeaten games and a third clean sheet in a row on the road, Carr said: "We would like to finish the season on a high and keep this run going to the end. Certainly defensively we are looking quite strong. We are playing as a team unit at the moment. There is a lot of togetherness in the squad. We are getting the results and breeding confidence at the same time." Once again, Sears found himself on the score-sheet. His 85th-minute goal was impressive for the way he evaded the Palace defence before rounding the keeper to score and even more remarkable because he had only just come on as a late replacement. Carr said: "He is the guy you want in those positions because he can finish. He has had a terrific season and caught the eye. All the players at this level must keep grounded and he is that sort of player. He is West Ham through and through and just wants to do well for himself and the club."

Fulham 0 West Ham United 1

Fulham Berate Referee And Lurch Closer To Trapdoor by Sachin Nakrani

Fulham are lurching ever closer to the Championship and they know it. Defeat in a match they deserved to draw at least has brought gloom among the players and simmering tensions at boardroom level, where the cost of relegation is measured not only in pride but also in financial diminution of the most severe kind... Guardian

Solano Hands Out Cruel Punishment To Fulham by Will Buckley

The Duke of Edinburgh is probably to blame. Last week Fulham chairman Mohamed Fayed was outlining his conspiracy theories, and he had more grist for his mill during a London derby that was as dull as it was bleak. The desperately mediocre contest was decided by substitute Nolberto Solano's elbow... Observer

Solano's Controversial Winner Lifts Veil Of Mediocrity by Brian Glanville

“I THINK when you’re down at the bottom, it does go against you somewhat,” said West Ham’s manager Alan Curbishley, generously. Although he insisted that he had not had a plain view of West Ham’s late, highly-contentious winning goal, he felt from what he did see, there was “a clear contact”... Sunday Times

Nolberto Solano Nudges Fulham Closer To Relegation by Alyson Rudd

Roy Hodgson, the Fulham manager, tried to put the result into perspective. “I wouldn’t have been doing cartwheels with a 0-0 but I certainly wouldn’t have been as depressed as I am at this particular moment in time,” he said. Had he executed a cartwheel or jumped 50 feet into a bucket of water, it would not have been enough to lift the spirits at Craven Cottage... Times

Solano Joy Leads To Fulham Fury by Nick Townsend

Now this may have been worthy of a conspiracy theory. If Fulham chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed believes someone in high places doesn't want his Fulham team to retain their Premier League status you could offer him some sympathy on this count... Independent on Sunday

Upson's Defiance Honours No 6 Shirt by Evan Fanning

The last time Fulham emerged victorious from a league encounter with West Ham, Bobby Moore was not only captain of the Upton Park outfit but also of the recently-crowned world champions. On Saturday, Craven Cottage acknowledged the 15th anniversary of Moore's death with a minute's applause before Saturday's game... Independent

Fulham Furious Over Solano's Winner by Colin Malam

A scruffy game won with a scruffy goal. West Ham substitute Nolberto Solano settled this undistinguished London derby three minutes from the end of normal time by winning a challenge with Fulham goalkeeper Antti Niemi dubiously and then accidentally knocking the ball into the net with his elbow... Sunday Telegraph

Solano Hands More Bad Luck To Fulham by David Miller

Should Nolberto Solano's goal have been allowed? Roy Hodgson, manager of a sinking team, thought not. Alan Curbishley, manager of the winners, conceded that it might not have been. "You get these moments of luck." Crucially, referee Howard Webb saw no infringement... Telegraph

Upson Inspired By Moore Legend by Steve Curry

Matthew Upson stood in the centre circle wearing the No 6 West Ham shirt Bobby Moore made famous while the crowd applauded in respect the 15th anniversary of his death. Up in the stand England boss Fabio Capello joined in the warm remembrance of a man who played with dignity and honour for both clubs... Mail on Sunday

The Boy From Bootle

In the absence of any real news, here is a small piece on Alvin Martin taken from the latest issue of Hammers News...

Born in Bootle, on Merseyside, in July 1958, Alvin Martin signed for West Ham after only being offered a part-time apprenticeship with his local club Everton. The 15 year-old defender took the brave decision to move to London when he was offered terms by West Ham. The decision paid almost immediate dividends, as Alvin was a part of the side which reached the final of the FA Youth Cup in 1975. His sterling performances led to him being offered a professional deal the following year. Despite showing great promise in his early appearances, Martin could do little but look on as the team were relegated to the Second Division in 1978.

However, in many ways, this unfortunate situation would be the making of young Alvin. He soon became a regular in the side the following season, where he would benefit greatly from the experience and guidance of his usual central defensive partner, Billy Bonds. It would not be long before martin collected his only piece of silverware in a Hammers shirt, when he played a huge role in West Ham's infamous FA Cup win over Arsenal in 1980. The following season West Ham romp to the Second Division title and also provided yet another Wembley cup final appearance for our young defender. Although the Hammers lost in the League Cup showpiece against Liverpool, it was Alvin Martin's header which was handled on the line, thus allowing Ray Stewart's dramatic penalty equaliser.

The following season, Alvin had his first taste of European football as the Hammers took part in the European Cup-Winners' Cup. Martin shone on the European stage and this eventually led to international recognition. Ron Greenwood was manager of the national team by now and the man who had signed Alvin as a youngster showed no hesitation in throwing him in truly at the deep end, as the Hammers centre-half made his international debut against Brazil! Despite a defeat, Martin emerged with great credit from a game which saw him come up against, amongst others, Brazilian legend Zico. This led to a total of 19 international caps for the composed defender, including an appearance at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, although he had unfortunately missed the 1982 tournament through injury.

By this time, Martin had become one of the finest defenders in the country and upon the initial retirement of Billy Bonds, Alvin forged another exceptional partnership with Tony Gale. There have been few instances in English football in which two central defenders who are so accomplished on the ball have been paired together, yet Gale and Martin provided the platform for the hammers' most successful season ever in 1985/86. having pushed Liverpool and Everton all the way in the race for the title, West Ham eventually had to settle for third spot. Nevertheless, it was the club's highest ever finish in England's top flight and the season also saw Alvin record the strange first of scoring a hat-trick, against three different goalkeepers! It came in an 8-1 demolition of Newcastle, whose goalkeeper Martin Thomas picked up an injury, before being replaced by Chris Hedworth and then Peter Beardsley, with Alvin scoring against all three in the same game.

The following season however, injuries began to take their toll and a number of knocks restricted the tall defender's appearances over the coming seasons. However, every time it seemed as though he might have played his last game for the club, Martin would somehow find the determination to battle back and prove the doubters wrong. this was most evident when he had suffered a 10 month lay-off through injury, only to come back and help the Hammer' assault on the premiership in 1993/94. he had done enough to earn himself yet another top flight contract, at the age of 36.

Contrary to the realms of possibility, Alvin continued his career for another two seasons, despite being constantly dogged by injury. He eventually made his last appearance in an emotional game at his beloved Upton Park against Sheffield Wednesday, on the final day of the 1995/96 season, at the age of 38. It is unlikely any player in the modern era will ever replicate the commitment and service Alvin Martin showed to the club in 19 years of service. Despite his numerous injury problems, when the Scouse legend eventually left West Ham, he had made 586 appearances for the club, which meant that Alvin Martin would forever be remembered as an undoubted Hammers Hero.

Able And Ready

A nice interview with Luis Boa Morte in this morning's Independent...

Luis Boa Morte: 'I'm always able and ready and up for the fight. I'm not going to turn my back'... The Portuguese international returns to Craven Cottage today having endured a miserable first year at West Ham but, as he tells Mike Rowbottom, he has worked too hard getting where he is to give up now

Luis Boa Morte is on the spot, and clearly growing a little anxious. Behind his back, a slide screen shows a drawing of something which 20 eager pupils of West Ham Church School, seated in front of him, are striving to communicate – without using the word itself.

"It's quite big," shouts out one eager girl in a red sweatshirt. Well, that's narrowed it down a bit...

"You use it to do things," offers another. The picture is still not crystal clear to West Ham's famously spiky midfielder, who at this moment is looking like a puzzled boy.

"It helps you think," comes suggestion number three. Not quite correct, but it has the desired effect as Boa Morte – the day's guest player/mentor at West Ham's thriving Learning Zone project with local schools – announces with relief that he is sitting in front of a brain. If only all of his challenges could be solved as straightforwardly.

The Portuguese international's last appearance in the West Ham team, when they secured a 1-0 home win over Liverpool at the end of January, saw him substituted on the hour to a chorus of boos and ironic cheers. Missing two chances – albeit neither of them sitters – had failed to endear him to the Upton Park faithful, who have yet to embrace him in the way Fulham fans did at his previous club.

During his six and a half years at Craven Cottage, Boa Morte, now 30, thrilled the home fans with his mixture of speed, skill and spite. The latter quality has always been a distinguishing feature of his game, leading to a relationship with referees which once prompted former Fulham manager Chris Coleman to joke that his side would never have a chance of qualifying for Europe through the fair play trophy while Boa Morte was in the side.

Balancing the indiscretions, however, was a sequence of performances which yielded a regular if modest contribution of goals but always a major contribution in terms of influence and dynamism. Boa Morte has the power to transform football matches.

It was a power which Arsène Wenger appreciated very early on, as, in one of his first signings upon joining Arsenal, he paid Sporting Lisbon £1.75m for their hugely promising 20-year-old winger in 1997.

In the two years Boa Morte spent at Highbury he picked up Premiership and FA Cup winners' medals as part of the 1997-98 Double squad, although he missed out on the FA Cup final itself. Let go by Arsenal after he failed to earn a regular first-team place, he was signed for Southampton by Dave Jones in August 1999, but by January of the following year Jones had been replaced by Hoddle. And Hoddle, as Boa Morte recalls with a wry smile, was not a fan of his style of football.

"I only played three times for him, and at the end of the season he told me I wasn't part of his plans and I could go," says Boa Morte, who is in the squad for today's away match against his old side, Fulham, and eager to return to action after missing two games with minor calf problems. "But it was the end of July and I had difficulty getting another club. Even Huddersfield said no, they had a full squad, they didn't need anyone. I was struggling to get a club and I got a bit lost. I thought to myself, 'What am I going to do?' And then it came to my mind to phone Mr Wenger to ask for his help.

"He was always very clear with me when I was at Arsenal. He was very good."

Wenger contacted his fellow Frenchman Jean Tigana, then in charge of Fulham, and arranged a trial, after which Boa Morte joined on a year's loan. That move became permanent after a season in which Fulham won the First Division with a record number of 101 points, with Boa Morte contributing 18 goals in 39 appearances.

Thus was launched a Fulham career which ended only when Boa Morte moved across London to Upton Park in last year's January transfer window for a fee believed to be around £5m. He was plunged straight into a relegation battle, but played a key part in West Ham's unlikely recovery as they remained unbeaten in their last nine games, scoring a crucial first goal in a 3-0 win at fellow strugglers Wigan Athletic which seemed to convince players and fans alike that Premier League status might yet be retained.

This season, however, Boa Morte's form has been undermined by niggling injuries and he has started only 14 of West Ham's 31 matches, coming on as a substitute in seven others, and – most painfully as far as he is concerned – failing so far to contribute any goals.

"It's been one of my most difficult periods in football since I came to West Ham," he says. "But I'm always able and ready and up for the fight, you know, I'm not going to turn my back away.

"We are in a better position as a club this season, so of course I feel better. Personally I just need to score one or two goals to get the thing going because I have been putting in the hard work to get back from my hamstring injury but it is just the scoring bit that hasn't come along. It's been my fault because I have had a few chances, so I'll keep working hard."

Reflecting upon his misses against Liverpool, he adds: "The first one probably was the easiest one to hit the target, but my body was in the wrong position. The second one – I didn't really expect the ball to come to me.

"But I will take the blame. That's a side of football that exists, and we are here to take that. My back is big enough to take the boos for missing chances. But it is not big enough to take the boos for not working hard. That I won't take from the West Ham supporters or any other person. If someone says that, I won' t turn my face away."

As he speaks, his expression hardens, and you begin to see how this slight, amiable character becomes someone else on the pitch. He is unapologetic about the aggressive side of his game, which he believes stems from the attitude he established as the second youngest of 10 boys being raised by his mother in the Lisbon suburb of Quintela.

"Whatever people think of me, my way to be on the pitch is my way and I'm not going to change. My way to be in football is working hard and fighting, because whatever I have got in life in these days, it's because I did work hard and fight for it.

"My dad wasn't at home all the time, so my mum looked after us. I used to lie to my mum about how I'd done in my exams and when I was going to school. She couldn't keep up because she was so busy working. She would get up at 6.30am in the morning and be back home at 7.45pm to cook for all the kids and get things ready for the next day.

"I gave up school when I was 15. It's something I don't want my kids to do. I would like them to have a good time at school and then good careers and university. I did some naughty stuff as a kid. I told my mother recently what we used to do. She almost had a heart attack!'

But the naughty boy had a big talent – he was signed up by Sporting at the age of 11 and was soon playing in one of their junior teams. He also had the determination, or pig-headedness, not to let his opportunity go to waste. "One thing that was hard in my life was to leave school and start working. I worked in a supermarket, then I worked repairing engines on fridge-freezers. Then I was working as an electrician. So one thing that really hurt me was to get up at 5.30 in the morning and catch the bus at quarter past six. That was hard because by the end of the day, when I'd finished work, and when I'd finished training, I would get home about 10pm and I'd sit and try to watch TV and I would just go to sleep.

"My mum said to me 'It's hard, isn't it? Go back to school...' But because I took the option to start working I was not going to give up. I never give up. I always try to get a better job, better conditions. So that was the same thing in football.

"To move to Arsenal was a big surprise, a big gamble for me. I never had any regrets about going to Highbury because it was a big help to my career to play with people like Marc Overmars and Dennis Bergkamp.

"Then I move to Southampton, it was smaller than Arsenal. Then things didn't end up well at Southampton and I ended up going lower to Fulham because they were in the Championship. But then from Fulham I start building up again, because we fought and we did all we could and we got promoted. Then we were fighting for our lives in the Premiership every single season, apart from when we had a great season and finished ninth.

"That's the way that things go. You find sometimes you have downs in life, but you can never give up. You keep fighting to get back to the top. And because I have achieved, I am not going to give up now. I'm expecting to play until I am 35, 36 so I have to keep going."

And now Boa Morte, glancing at his watch, has to get going – back home to Romford, where his wife, Sarah, who is expecting a second child this month, is looking after their lively 19-month-old daughter Rafaela. With an eight-year-old son in Lisbon, Luigi Jnr, this most committed of midfielders has plenty of motivation to maintain his career. He could do with a goal. Perhaps an appearance against his old club today would help do the trick.

Bobby Moore Remembered

Fifteen years ago, on 24 February 1993, football fans in England and across the world united to mourn the tragic death of Bobby Moore at the age of just 51. Instinctively, thousands of them made their way to the Boleyn Ground to pay their respects and leave claret and blue tributes ranging from shirts and scarves to flags and flowers. It was not just West Ham United fans either. Rightly regarded as one of the all-time greats, Moore stood for everything that was right about the game and his passing compelled supporters of other clubs to offer condolences.

In his remarkable career, the legendary Barking-born defender served West Ham United to distinction between 1958 and 1974 before a three-year stint with Fulham. Moore helped the east London club to FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup glory as well as winning 108 England caps and lifting the World Cup trophy in the 1966 final at Wembley. That led to Royal recognition with his OBE in 1967. His achievements will never be forgotten. Indeed, visitors to the Boleyn Ground cannot miss the Bobby Moore Stand built in 1993 which serves as permanent recognition. Then there is the blue plaque in his honour outside and the statue on the corner of Green Street. Much more than all of those things, however, is the unseen legacy in the heart of every fan - that unstinting expectation of football played the right way by those who understand what it means to wear the shirt.

Moore's name also lives on with the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research, set up by his widow Stephanie to raise money in his memory. The bowel cancer that claimed his life is the third most common type of the disease in the UK after breast and lung cancer. Around 100 people in this country are diagnosed every day. The Bobby Moore Fund is one of West Ham United's two chosen charities this season. Bobby Moore was the essence of West Ham United. A local boy made good who walked with the best on a global stage but always in a down to earth manner that never belied his roots. His is the standard by which all others are judged.

Incredibly, this afternoon's fixture list has paired together West Ham and Fulham, the two English clubs for whom he played during an 18-year career. The match will provide a poignant memorial to the man who captained England to success in the 1966 World Cup final, as well as leading West Ham to victory in the FA Cup in 1964, and the European Cup-Winners' Cup the following year. "We will try and honour the occasion as much as we can," Alan Curbishley said. "Both teams will wear armbands. It is quite right that someone of his stature should be remembered."

Today's match has considerable significance for both sets of players regardless of the connection with Moore. West Ham require points toward their push for European qualification; Fulham, meanwhile, are three points adrift of safety and desperate to extricate themselves from the relegation zone. Lucas Neill was just short of his 15th birthday when Moore died aged 51, recognised the mantle he has taken over. "I have the utmost respect for his achievements," Neill said, "so it is an honour to wear the captain's armband like he did for West Ham."

At about the same age as Neill was in 1993, Curbishley was training regularly with West Ham, and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Moore, before following him into the first team. "I used to come to West Ham as a schoolboy and do pre-season training with Bobby Moore," Curbishley said. "We used to go running around Epping Forest and I soon became aware that he knew a shortcut or two. I was about 14, but [then manager] Ron Greenwood invited me to do pre-season during the school holidays. My introduction to the club was people like Bobby and Frank Lampard Snr."

Curbishley, now 50, did not break into the West Ham team until shortly after Moore left in March 1974 to wind down his domestic career at Craven Cottage. During his 16 years at Upton Park, Moore played nearly 550 League games, and he made more than 120 League appearances for Fulham during three years there before heading out to the United States to play for San Antonio Thunder and Seattle Sounders. Co-incidentally, at the end of his first full season with Fulham, they reached the FA Cup final where, co-incidentally, they met West Ham. There was no sentimental swansong for Moore, though, as Alan Taylor scored twice in West Ham's 2-0 win. "I was an apprentice here at the time," Curbishley said, "and I had played in a couple of games near the final and I thought I might have been in the squad, but I wasn't. I went to the final as part of the club and it was a great result."

Fulham were in the Second Division at the time, and face a return to the second tier unless Roy Hodgson can conjure the type of escape that Curbishley managed at West Ham a year ago. West Ham won seven of their last nine games to stay up, and when asked what Fulham need to do in their remaining dozen games, Curbishley said starkly: "Win six more games. That is all I can say. Last year, we were in a very similar position with 12 games to go. We know what they are up against. Hodgson has steadied the ship. Now he just needs to pick up results."

The First And Last Englishmen

Last weekend's FA Cup fixtures threw up an unexpected West Ham United related story with a small feature on the 1975 cup winning side. Most Irons fans will know that that particular team- Day, McDowell, Lampard, Bonds, Taylor T, Lock, Jennings, Paddon, Taylor A, Brooking and Holland- was the last all-English team to win a major domestic trophy. Not only that, but the beaten finalists of Fulham was also an entirely English team and featured, of course, Bobby Moore. As if things were not parochial enough, ten of the eleven players representing West Ham United at Wembley that day were born locally. The exception was Alan Taylor (pictured) who was born in Hinckley, Leicestershire. Taylor was the hero in the final with both goals scored in the space of four minutes.





The main point of the article in the Mail is to highlight the dwindling numbers of English talent in the top flight. Such a trend is hardly a revelation considering the way the game has developed over the last thirty years but the numbers are still startling. There are 210 English players in the Premier League and the squad list breaks down like this...

West Ham 18

Tottenham 17

Middlesbrough 15

Manchester United, Aston Villa, Bolton Wanderers, Derby County 13

Everton, Wigan 12

Newcastle 11

Portsmouth, Sunderland 10

Chelsea 9

Birmingham, Reading 8

Manchester City 7

Fulham 6

Blackburn, Liverpool 5

Arsenal 4

As can be seen, West Ham United are now, as back in 1975, still leading the way in championing home bred English talent. Just one more reason to be proud of this great club.

The March Of Youth

It is another quiet day today save for a slew of youth related stories on the official site. First up is Mark Noble, who we're told, is mightily impressed with the likes of James Tomkins, Jack Collison and Freddie Sears. All three have shown up well while training and travelling with the senior squad in recent weeks. Of reserve-team captain Collison, Noble said: "He is a fantastic player and a really nice kid as well. He handles himself well, gets on with everyone and is well liked. He is great in training every day with us, he is definitely one for the future." Collison, 19, made his senior debut away to Arsenal on New Year's Day, a match when central defender Tomkins, 18, also figured in the matchday 16 for the first time. "I rate Tomks highly," added Noble, who said it was harder for defenders to come through given the fact some of the best attacking players in the world are on view in the Premier League. That said, he has faith in his young colleague. "He is a clever centre-back who can pass, who can head - who can do everything."

The duo have been regulars around the first team since the turn of the year and Noble is convinced both will blossom when the time is right. He explained: "I am sure it is just a case of putting them in. As with me, you get chucked in and the adrenalin and the nerves kick in. You do things you don't expect you can do. They are just waiting for their chances and I am sure they are both going to be fantastic for this club in the future." Another name on the horizon is prolific scorer Sears - who has 20 goals in 16 games for the U18s this season and has begun to establish himself alongside Tomkins at England Under-19 level. Noble described getting a recent glimpse of the 18-year-old forward in action during a training ground match. "All the first team was watching and he was head and shoulders above the rest. He is quick, he can finish and he has got a little bit of arrogance about him as well. We have got some bright youngsters coming through."

The West Ham United reserves return to action this evening against Fulham at Bishop's Stortford. The two London rivals meet three days before the senior sides go head to head at Craven Cottage in top-flight action. Kevin Keen's side are on a roll and aiming for a third straight victory after a 1-0 success at Portsmouth and a 4-1 home defeat of Birmingham City. The Irons can go second, temporarily at least, in the 12-team southern section of the Barclays Premier Reserve League with victory. The club are two points behind Reading, who do not play until welcoming Arsenal on Thursday night. Aston Villa, whose away game against Chelsea on Tuesday night was postponed, lead the way at the top of the division by a further five points. Collison is intent on securing the highest possible league finish this season as well as maintaining his personal goals with the first team. "Kevin (Keen) had told us before the game against Birmingham, that if we won, we could go second in the table," he said. "That's what we want to do, get as high as we can in the table and keep getting the results. We have set standards for ourselves, we have a good mix in the reserve team of senior pros who have the experience and younger lads looking to push their way into reckoning for the first team."

Collison is also progressing well on the international stage, with another good outing for Wales Under-21s earlier this month in a 4-0 win in Malta, that also saw him make it two goals in three appearances for his country. If Wales continue their European Championship qualifying form for the 2009 finals, Collison could even find himself up against Mark Noble's England in the play-offs later this year. "It was nice to get amongst the goals and I was pleased to be able put in a decent performance," said the young midfielder. "It might be interesting if we get to meet England. I am sure there will be some extra banter between Nobes and myself if that happens."

Also hoping to continue his progress at reserve-team level tonight is Junior Stanislas. The attacking midfielder played a significant part off the bench in last week's 4-1 success against Birmingham City. Kevin Keen introduced him at half-time with the score at 1-1 after Jack Collison had cancelled out Birmingham's opener. Stanislas's arrival helped provide extra impetus behind Bobby Zamora that paved the way for the striker to score a comeback hat-trick. "Kevin wanted to change things around a bit, he felt we needed to push on in the final third and told me to come on, get involved and try to help change the game," Stanislas said. "He said get on the ball and do what you can for the team. Jack had got a goal and then Bobby went on and scored a great hat-trick, it was good to be involved and Kevin told me I had worked hard and done well."

These are good times for Stanislas as also continued his great form with the Under-18s at the weekend by scoring the winning goal in a 1-0 win at league leaders Southampton. "I am enjoying it," he stated. "Playing for the reserves has made me more confident and of course, you are learning alongside some of the senior players as well, it's good. My aim is to hold down a regular place in the reserve team, develop more as a player at that level and still push on and get better in the Under-18's. Playing reserves is a step-up, the game is much quicker and you have to learn that you don't get as much time on the ball, so you have to be thinking ahead all of the time." He has also had another taste of the England Under-19 set-up already familiar to Jordan Spence, James Tomkins and Freddie Sears - all of whom should also be on view this evening. He was involved in the 2-0 friendly win against Croatia earlier this month having also got a taste of playing against Germany last November. "It was a good experience, I loved it," he said. "Everyone wants to play for their country and you do think you must be doing something right for to be picked. But it only makes you want to go on and do more. In the last match, I came off the bench and had a few minutes and my aim is to have even more minutes on the pitch for both West Ham and England. With international football, it's all about keeping the ball and moving it fast as well. I had moral support from Tomka and Fred up there, and I really enjoyed it, so hopefully there is more to come if I keep working hard at my game."

Beasts Of Burden

West Ham United return to full training this week after a few days' rest with the likes of Bobby Zamora, Julien Faubert and Nolberto Solano pushing hard for first-team recalls. Speaking on the official site, head physiotherapist George Cooper revealed he has been very pleased with Zamora and Faubert's progress following their match-winning contributions over 90 minutes for the reserves in the 4-1 defeat of Birmingham City last week. Cooper also had positive news on the efforts being made by Scott Parker and Kieron Dyer, which comes after similar optimistic news concerning defenders James Collins and Calum Davenport last week.

A persistent knee injury has kept Zamora out of action since the Carling Cup victory at Bristol Rovers in the first month of the campaign. Having undergone extensive rehabilitation work to cure the residual swelling, the 27- year old is now closing on a first-team return. "He is strong as an ox now," said Cooper. "His legs are really good and he is in good nick. Bobby is always in early, has been working very hard and been very patient. It looks to have paid off. His running fitness is as good as anybody's at the club, if not better." The ox will become the beast of burden for a misfiring forward line still minus the services of Craig Bellamy. The Welshman will be sidelined for some time yet as he is due to have an abdominal strengthening operation to complement the core work he has been doing in his struggle for fitness. "He [Bellamy] has been absolutely brilliant," stated Cooper. "Everything he has done has got him back to almost being ready and there is a feeling that if he carries on with slight symptoms they are likely to get worse rather than better. The symptoms have to go. The operation will complement the excellent work he has done before and that should be the last bit he needs before continuing his strengthening." Despite several sources suggesting Bellamy would not return before season's end, Sky Sports are now reporting his absence could be more like six weeks.

Julian Faubert returned to action with those three reserve team assists against Birmingham City. He has been handled carefully in the previous two weeks because of tightness in his calves, although Cooper stressed he was not injured. He, like Nolberto Solano, who has recovered from a hamstring problem, is reported to be back to full fitness and in contention for the games to come. Equally positively, the duo could soon be joined in the battle for midfield places by Scott Parker. The England international has "totally recovered from his posterior capsule rupture" with Cooper adding that "we are extremely pleased". The midfielder, who was hurt in an innocuous challenge against Manchester United on 29 December, a problem unrelated to any previous knee problem, has started his running programme and could be back in full training in a fortnight. Elsewhere, Kieron Dyer continues to make "excellent progress" from his double leg break and is also running, although it is too early to set a date on his return while Danny Gabbidon is being treated for a persistent groin problem.

Away from the injury news and Robert Green has been dealt a further snub by Fabio Capello. In an interview with Rai Radio Anch'io in Italy, the England manager bemoaned the number of foreign players in the Barclays Premier League that has meant "the pool is reduced" when it comes to squad selection. "Only 38 per cent of the players are English," he complained. "The pool is reduced. I have had to reinstate a 37-year-old goalkeeper but I have spotted one in the Under-21s [Joe Hart] who is very interesting." Meanwhile Anton Ferdinand says that he hopes to follow his brother's footsteps by forcing his way into Fabio Capello's England squad. The 22-year-old defender has been enjoying good form since returning to the West Ham United first team following a turbulent year which saw him castigated for flying to America in order to attend a friend's birthday party (under the pretence of being with a sick relative) then land a spell in court for a club fracas in which he was later acquitted. But with all his troubled hopefully behind him, the new mature Ferdinand says that his immediate aim is to emulate his brother by making one of Capello's forthcoming squads. "It is definitely in my mind," he told whufc.com. "I am too old to play for the Under-21s now so the next step is the senior squad. All I can do is turn in performances for West Ham and that is what I am going to continue to do. I am just going to concentrate on doing that. If I do get the call, then great. If I don't, then so be it."

The Golden Thread

You see stars that clear have been dead for years

But the idea just lives on

In our wheels that roll around

As we move over the ground

And all day it seems we’ve been in between the past and future town

She was the golden thread that united him to a Past beyond his misery, and to a Present beyond his misery: and the sound of her voice, the light of her face, the touch of her hand, had a strong beneficial influence with him almost always...

Next Sunday will be 15 years to the day that Bobby Moore passed away and the man currently wearing his number has revealed what it means to him to have the shirt. "It's a big honour," reflects Matthew Upson. "Sometimes I do sit at home and think about it and I get a little buzz because it's a big honour. I didn't actually specifically ask for it. I was given it and it's a real honour to wear that shirt." With the team not playing this weekend ahead of the trip to Fulham, fittingly a club also served by the legendary Moore, next Saturday, Upson has relished the chance of an extended break. "It has been a crazy couple of weeks. I have had six games in two weeks, so the body and mind could do with a rest." That said, he is not going to stop putting in the work on the practice pitches - with a refreshing philosophy about life at the training ground. "Never waste a day," he said. "Turn up to work every morning and improve at something, even if it's learning how to do something really miniscule, it doesn't matter. Take something out of the day which has made you a better player. If you do that throughout your career, you can only get better."

Having played every minute of this season's league campaign after the "dreadful" events of last year when injury cost him the chance to help in the fight for survival, Upson said: "It's only just beginning at West Ham. I want to give some very good years in my career to West Ham and I feel I am coming into my prime." His current partner Anton Ferdinand is still only 22 himself and, having played alongside his brother Rio for England earlier this month, Upson can see that his young colleague has a bright future ahead. "They are quite different. Rio is a more polished version at the moment his stature, career and experience is at a greater level but Anton has some every good aspects and if he keeps working and improving I am sure that he will do very well." He also sees plenty of competition coming up through the ranks with the likes of England youth internationals Jordan Spence and James Tomkins set to stake a claim in future. "Tomka's showed some real talent and understanding of the position. Jordan looks very good too. He's trained with us a few times and he looks a really good athlete. He's got a good athletic build. There are some good young prospects coming through."

Also waiting in the wings is Bondz N'Gala. The imposing young defender is developing fast and enjoying life at reserve-team level alongside England Under-19 defender Tomkins. The pair first came together for Kevin Keen's side at home to Chelsea on 10 December with N'Gala turning in a man of the match display in the goalless draw. They then reunited last week for the visit of Birmingham City and again were imperious in a 4-1 success. "My aim is to be a regular for the reserves now and try to push on from there," the 18-year-old, who is nicknamed Bonzo, told WHUTV. "The next step is to make my mark for the reserve team. Hopefully, the manager is watching and I will do all I can to impress."

He could get another chance to do just that on Wednesday night when Fulham arrive at Bishop's Stortford looking to fare better than Birmingham. "It was a very good win," N'Gala said of last week's success. "We worked hard at them and got the result in the end. We had a good team out so we believed in our ability and got back in the game, and in the end we got four." As well as Tomkins, the back line featured the highly rated Spence, who is still only 17, at right-back and Jonathan Spector, a veteran by comparison at 21, at left-back. Having the chance to play alongside the likes of established US international Spector and returning hat-trick hero Bobby Zamora further forward is something that N'Gala is looking to use to his advantage. "I am always listening to what they have got to say and take it on. They have been there and are willing to help. It is good to see Bob back out there. Hopefully we will see him out there soon for the first team doing the same."

In between those Chelsea and Birmingham reserve fixtures, N'Gala went off to Weymouth on a work experience arrangement last month only to be recalled after a change of management at the Conference club. Despite that aborted spell he did get the chance to taste the top level of non-league football and found it as useful an experience as playing alongside Zamora and Co.
"It has helped me playing competitive football elsewhere," the homegrown talent from Forest Gate said. "I have grown up a bit more. I had to grow up quick in that league. It is a bit different to being here - they play the ball a bit long more, you have got to get used to it. There was more heading for me. It was good." N'Gala's first game upon his return to West Ham United was helping the Under-18s to a 2-0 win at Arsenal on 2 February and he was back in action again for Tony Carr's in-form Academy side at the weekend as they won 1-0 away to Southampton. "It is good to be back and to see the lads again. It is good to be playing in the West Ham shirt again as well."

Following that victory against Southampton, Tony Carr was effusive in paying tribute to his young team. "We just deserved to win it on the day," he said. "I thought we carried the bigger threat going forward. They defended resolutely and restricted us to a few efforts at goal but we got there in the end. It is a good time at the moment and hopefully we can carry on and remain unbeaten for as long as possible." Aware his team had previously lost 6-1 and 3-2 to Arsenal and Southampton respectively inside a fortnight at the end of October and start of November, Carr explained his satisfaction at seeing things go his side's way. "It is always nice to make amends for an earlier defeat. Three or four months down the road, the teams are slightly different and it is a different game but it is always nice to get one back if you get beaten by a team. Southampton are at the top and Arsenal are second. We have beaten them both and kept a clean sheet."

Bad Head In The Morning

Sunday. Tabloid. Gossip. I can't get out of bed. Not with this head...

The People regurgitate the Paolo Di Canio story that everyone else ran with a month ago. Slow night boys? Di Canio has revealed his dream is to return to West Ham United as manager. The Upton Park legend has 'exclusively' told People Sport (via the medium of a magazine interview he gave weeks ago) that he will quit playing this summer, when he turns 40, after completing his second season with Italian third division club Cisco Roma. The maverick Italian insists he wants to manage in the Premier League once he has completed his coaching badges. He is quoted as saying: "I will take up managing next year. I hope to have the same success as a coach that a did as a player. My dream would be to manage in the Premiership because English football is the best in the world. My dream in particular would be to manage at West Ham, that would be perfect. I spent four seasons there and I would love to go back and win something with them. The fans are fantastic there and the atmosphere at Upton Park was always special. I haven't been back for a few years but I hope to go and watch a match in the Bobby Moore Stand before the end of the season. It would be incredible to go there as a manager. Every weekend I watch all the English games on the TV but I have a special place for them in my heart, for West Ham. I watched the game against Liverpool the other week with four friends, all Italian West Ham fans, and we celebrated when Mark Noble scored the penalty in the 94th minute. When I watch the Premiership I am always proud to see players that were young boys when I was at West Ham, like Joe Cole, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand. I saw them grow up into men. The standard in the Premiership was always good but these old West Ham players, Jermaine Defoe as well, stand out for me as the best English players."

Di Canio was renowned for his fiery temperament as much as his sublime skills during eight years in British football with Celtic, Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham United and Charlton Athletic. He is currently banned for four matches after abusing a referee. Di Canio said: "I'm a bit different now, I try to keep a control of my temper - but I sometimes still get a rush of blood. In England I was recognised for my mistakes but also for my good things and that was important for me. I didn't have a permanent label put around me like in Italy."

In the same newspaper... West Ham United have put Wayne Bridge on their wish-list in a £10million double raid for Chelsea's back-up boys. England left-back Bridge is tired of playing second fiddle to Ashley Cole and is ready to quit this summer. According to the article, Hammers boss Alan Curbishley has already expressed an interest in Bridge, 27, who is keen to stay in London. The club has also lined up a move for Stamford Bridge midfielder Steve Sidwell, who has failed to gain regular first-team football at Stamford Bridge since last summer's move from Reading. Bridge has played fewer than half of Chelsea's matches since 2003 and was loaned out to Fulham to prevent him going rusty before the last World Cup.

Old rumour new... Dean Ashton is back on Newcastle United's radar after Kevin Keegan reveals that the 'hitman' is one of three targets he has pinpointed for the summer. Ashton is the new Alan Shearer... tea is the new coffee... gadget bag the new man purse... iorem ipsum the new alpha... progress the new stasis... prequel the new sequel... fat the new climate change... contrived the new original...

Hang your hat on Junior Stanislas' second half strike, which was enough to earn all three points for West Ham United's under 18s against Southampton at the Saints' Stapleford training complex yesterday morning. Tony Carr's youngsters moved to within a point of league leaders Southampton thanks to the midfielder's second half strike, which came 15 minutes from time. The midfielder took advantage of a mix-up between the Saints goalkeeper and one of his defenders to fire home the winning goal from close range. The margin- and Stanislas' personal tally- could have been even greater but for a penalty miss on the hour mark. West Ham United- on 39 points from 22 games and unbeaten in five matches- now trail league leaders Southampton by a single point with just six games of the season to go. However Arsenal- who Carr's side beat 2-0 at London Colney a fortnight ago- remain favourites to take the title, as they trail the Hammers by just three points with four games in hand having thrashed Southampton 5-2 last weekend.

The Horror!...The Horror!

I watched a snail crawl along the edge of a straight razor. That's my dream. That's my nightmare. Crawling, slithering, along the edge of a straight... razor... and surviving...

Talking on the official site this morning, Lucas Neill is telling any one who will listen that "the season starts now". In that one factually inaccurate but nontheless revelatory statement, we perhaps move one step closer to understanding the Aussie's hitherto perplexing performances over recent months. Still, if Alan Curbishley never bothered to tell him back in August then I don't see why we should be troubled now. "We have got 13 games left, how many can we win, how far can it take us?" ponders Neill. "Let's forget about everything that has happened and hope that we have got an 80 to 90 per cent squad fit to choose from and start the season now. We have to keep a small eye on our rivals Tottenham now who seem to be gaining momentum and seem to be getting things right. They are only five points behind as a result of our last two performances and not picking up enough points. We don't want to drop out of the top ten, that is the first thing."

That said, the emphasis is still on the other end of the table. "We have lost opportunities but there is still the opportunity to strive for fifth or sixth place," he adds. "We have come along way since last year. As exciting as last year was, this year we are winning games for different reasons and we know that teams are going to make it really hard for us. It is a back-handed compliment to us that teams are going to come and try to frustrate and as a result we might not be able to play that freeflowing football we probably haven't played enough of this season. The fans have been fantastic all season and we need them. We ask for them to get behind us even in the frustrating time."

While Lucas squirms in Gregor Samsa like confusion, Kevin Keen is so startingly out of kilter with contemporary thought that one can only imagine at the kurtzian hell in which he resides. Conducting an internal dialogue from the dark psychological jungle, our reserves boss believes that striker Bobby Zamora should be among the likes of Arsenal ace Emmanuel Adebayor and Liverpool star Fernando Torres as one of the leagues most feared strikers. Keen proclaimed: "Bobby is an outstanding athlete. In my opinion he is one of the best forwards in the Premier League when he is fit and I have told him that on many occasions. We have just got to be a bit careful as to when we bring him back. We haven't got a game this weekend and then we play Fulham away but he could be a real diamond to have in the run-in for Curbs and Mervyn. He can really turn games, he can score goals - I don't want to speak too highly of him because he is a big enough character anyway." The horror... the horror!

Different Paths

A quiet news day gives us the chance to catch up on two of the forgotten men of this season. James Collins is said to be targeting as quick a return as possible from his serious knee injury with surgery due next week before he begins on the road to recovery. The Welshman suffered damage to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a reserve-team outing at Portsmouth on 23 January - just as he was approaching full fitness and a return to regular first-team action. Speaking to the official site, West Ham United head physiotherapist George Cooper said he is optimistic that the defender could yet return to play some part in pre-season training this summer. "He has got a 75 per cent tear of his anterior cruciate ligament and that was diagnosed under arthroscopy which has made planning the operation much easier," Cooper revealed. "There is going to be no surprises when they go inside the knee. They know what is going on in there."

While it is difficult to predict yet when Collins will be ready to return, the hope is that he could resume training in six months. Of the unfortunate injury itself, which came about when a Portsmouth player went over under pressure on the halfway line and landed on top of Collins' right knee, Cooper said: "The guy's fallen on him. It was a committed tackle which he does four or five times a day in training. It looked innocuous compared to the whole-hearted challenges he usually makes." Speaking to the official matchday programme, Collins announced he is ready to begin the "hard work" as soon as the operation is carried out. He stated: "I think the minimum time I will be out is six months so that is what I am aiming towards. It is weird because I am not in any pain or anything. I can bend my knee no problem and even run already, which is what I am finding it hard to get my head round as I can do all that but I can't play football. However, I understand making any sort of tackle and kicking the ball, I would be in trouble so I just have to take my time, do as I am told by the physios and that way I will suffer no setbacks. This is the first long-term injury I have picked up so it is going to be tough to deal with, but everyone around me is really supportive, which always helps."

Meanwhile, Cooper said he was pleased with the prospects for Calum Davenport, who is also targeting a summer return after suffering a fracture to one of the vertebrae in his neck on 19 January during the first match of a loan at Watford. Cooper said: "I have to complement Watford for the impeccable way they handled it. Calum was lucky to have such a good team around him when it happened." Cooper said the initial "loss of power and pins and needles" Davenport felt was due to swelling. "That has now disappeared and he is expected to make a full recovery."

In other news, Mark Noble is leading the battle charge ahead of the team's return to action against Fulham on Saturday week. The young midfielder has been a key performer of late, so much so that he was voted whufc.com's player of the month for January in an online poll of supporters. "I am over the moon that the fans have appreciated the way I have been playing lately and they are enjoying my performances," he said. Central to that last month was his nerveless display against Liverpool when he scored from the spot in the last minute having run more than 13km during the game. "To beat Liverpool at home summed up a good month. We need to push on and get in them European places. We seem to take more points off the bigger teams than we do with the lesser teams. It is important that we keep playing, getting results."

Noble was referring specifically to the 1-0 defeat at Wigan Athletic and last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Birmingham City at home. "We need to take the points from these games," Noble added. "They are the games that are going to get you in the European places. We have got Fulham away next, that is going to be a tough game. They got an unlikely win against Aston Villa so we need to go there with a strong team and put a performance in." Speaking of the rest of the season, Noble claimed "we have got nothing to lose" before adding: "It is a similar situation to last season at this stage. Everyone thought we were down so we can just crack on now and really give everything we have got to put the points on the table because that is the most important thing. If we do that I am sure we can consolidate and keep on catching everyone up."

Jack Collison has also been vocal today as he insists he is focused on making another breakthrough to the first team sooner rather than later. The 19-year-old midfielder found himself unexpectedly on the bench last Saturday against Birmingham City when substitute Mark Noble was a late withdrawal as a precaution with a tight hamstring. Collison, who made his senior debut on New Year's Day at Arsenal, had little time to prepare but he was grateful to be given the experience by Alan Curbishley. "It is very good to be in and around it," the Welsh Under-21 international, who has now scored two goals in three games for his country this season, told WHUTV. "Nobes pulled out with a tight hamstring and I found out I was on the bench maybe 15 minutes before the game. I was absolutely buzzing and just hoping to get on the pitch, but unfortunately I didn't."

Collison was delighted with the reception he got when warming up in front of the Boleyn Ground faithful during the contest. "A couple more people are getting to know me," he said. "Obviously I just want to get in the team and try and do my bit." Collison did his chances no harm at all with a fine goal for the reserves on Tuesday night as he captained Kevin Keen's men to a 4-1 victory, also against Birmingham. Also impressive were the likes of James Tomkins and Kyel Reid, along with younger talents like Jordan Spence, Bondz N'Gala and Junior Stanislas. "A lot of the boys are a similar age to me," Collison said. "We are also trying to catch the eye and force our way into the team, even if it is only on the bench or getting some minutes on the pitch."

Collison will again lead the reserves out against Fulham at Bishop's Stortford on Wednesday - hoping to catch the manager's eye for when the two teams meet again for a top-flight contest at Craven Cottage on Saturday week. "I am really trying to do my best to force my way in. It is hard because the boys are performing really well - especially Hayden [Mullins] and Nobes in midfield, they have been superb. I have just got to wait my chance and keep doing what I am doing."

West Ham United's under 18s face a tricky trip to Southampton tomorrow. The young Hammers are unbeaten in four but will have to be at their very best to come away with anything from the Saints' Stapleford base. Key to United's hopes will be striker Freddie Sears, who will be hoping to continue his rich vein of form. Sears has scored eight goals in his last five appearances for Tony Carr's side.The game kicks off at 11am.

Finally, on the tabloid front, the Mirror are continuing their campaign to dictate West Ham United's summer transfer dealings with a story linking the club to Michael Owen. The article claims that Owen wants another four year contract at the club on his present salary of £5 million a year. If Newcastle to agree to his terms then they face losing him on a free at the end of next season. Several other newspapers have contented themselves with stoking the Nicky Shorey speculation following news that the defender's contract talks with Reading have stalled again.

Rich List Revisited

West Ham United have slipped outside of the Top 20 in football's rich list. The Hammers, who were listed in 19th place in the 2005/06 list with a turnover of £60.1million, have fallen in this year's Deloitte's Football Money League, which is based on revenues generated during 2006/7. Two of the teams that suffered a similar fate in last year's list, Valencia and Celtic, are back in this year's list which also sees Glasgow Rangers, Manchester City and Benfica slip outside of the top tier. Topping the list for the third successive year are Real Madrid, whilst six English clubs - Manchester United (2nd), Chelsea (4th), Arsenal (5th), Liverpool (8th), Tottenham (11th) and Newcastle (14th) - make the top 20. Looking ahead to next year's report, the authors state that "2007/08 could see England providing half the Money League clubs".

The list shows that the game's riches continue to be monopolised by the same group of clubs, with only one change in the top 10 from the previous season. Juventus dropped out because they played in the second-tier of Italian football in 2006/07, their place in the top 10 going to Italian rivals Roma. Deloitte's figures take into account income from ticket sales, merchandising and broadcasting contracts but do not include transfer revenues and does not calculate profitability. Between them, the collective revenue of the top 20 clubs - which are all European - grew by 11% to £2.5bn in 2006/07, the highest rate of growth since 2002/03. Real Madrid retained its crown as the world's wealthiest club, in terms of sales, in a season when it clinched the Spanish championship under Fabio Capello, and with David Beckham in the team. Its revenues rose to £236.2m from £202m the year before.

Dan Jones, of Deloitte's sports business group, said: "With the new Premier League television deals now online for the 2007/08 season, Manchester United have the opportunity to significantly close the gap on Real. A successful Champions League run may even see them challenge again for the number one position." Deloitte says the new TV money could help more English clubs into the top 20 in a year's time. Meanwhile, Arsenal, helped by increased revenues at their new Emirates Stadium, jumped from ninth place to fifth, while Chelsea's move up to fourth spot means England are the first country to have three clubs in the top five. The other British clubs to make it into the list were Liverpool (8), Tottenham Hotspur (11), Newcastle United (14), and Celtic (17).

Harry Philp, director of sports finance and advisory firm Hermes Sports Partners, said: "The top seven or eight clubs tend to usually be the same, and generally drawn from the big English, Spanish and Italian clubs. Real Madrid will have been helped by the very lucrative TV deal that they have, and the fact that their stadium is pretty much sold out for every game. Manchester United have been helped by their success on the field but also by ticket price increases. They have also done a lot of renegotiation of much of its financial arrangements. Arsenal have clearly benefited from the move to the Emirates." West Ham United's re-emergence into the Deloitte's list last year followed four years in the wilderness and was boosted by the FA Cup Final appearance against Liverpool. The slide on this year's list can be partly attributed to last season's traumatic relegation fight as well as comparatively early exits from both domestic cup competitions.

Deloitte's Football Rich List 06/07
(last year's position in brackets, income in Euros)

1 (1) Real Madrid 351.8
2 (4) Manchester United 315.4
3 (2) Barcelona 291.1
4 (6) Chelsea 284.4
5 (9) Arsenal 264.2
6 (5) AC Milan 227.7
7 (8) FC Bayern Munich 223.7
8 (10) Liverpool 202.1
9 (7) Inter 195.4
10 (12) A.S. Roma 157.7
11 (15) Tottenham Hotspur 153.6
12 (-) Juventus 145.5
13 (11) Lyon 141.5
14 (13) Newcastle United 129.4
15 (16) SV Hamburg 121.3
16 (14) Schalke 04 114.5
17 (-) Celtic 111.8
18 (-) Valencia 107.8
19 (-) Marseille 99.7
20 (-) Bremen 97.0

The club's income could soon be supplemented in the near future by the hosting of a casino and related entertainment facilities on the premises. As disclosed on the Hammered blog, a leaked letter has revealed that Newham will be allowed one of the sixteen new gambling palaces proposed by the government. Favourites at the moment to host the casino are ExCeL in the Royal Docks, Stratford City and West Ham United's Boleyn Ground at Upton Park. There are, as yet, no more details although it would be hard to think that the club's very public plans to move to a new stadium in the next few years will help their cause in selection.

One man who will be very interested in the casino news is self-confessed gambling addict Matthew Etherington. The troubled winger recently needed rehab for his addiction, but retains fond memories of his betting exploits. Asked by the Racing Post for his best betting moment, Etherington said: "Backing Westmead Hawk to win the Greyhound Derby both times. The first year he won it I had £5,000 each-way at 25-1." With winnings on that scale (payout: £166,250), imagine how much he may have lost before checking into the Sporting Chance clinic last year.

Finally, West Ham United are one of three Premier League teams being linked with a money-spinning pre-season tour of North America. Canadian outfit Vancouver Whitecaps announced yesterday that they had agreed to play a 'top ten' Premier League side this summer in either Burnaby's Swangard Stadium or BC Place Stadium. Whitecaps Club President and former manger of the Canadian national team, Bob Lenarduzzi, said: "We can't be specific at the moment. All I can say at this time is the team is currently in the top half of the English Premier League standings. If the draw is big enough, we would consider going into BC Place."

The Whitecaps play in the USL First Division, an 11-team league consisting of nine American sides and two Canadian. It is unsurprising that the club should be one of those linked given the announcement last May that West Ham United had opened an academy stateside. Interestingly, given the recent furore over the derided '39th game', Eggert Magnusson even hinted late last year that the Hammers were investigating the possibility of playing at least one 'home' Premier League fixture in North America.

Sid & Wid

Steve Sidwell will quit Chelsea for West Ham United in a shock £5million deal this summer according to a report in this morning's Mirror. 'Midfield dynamo' Sidwell joined the Stamford Bridge jet set on a free transfer but is reported to be frustrated at the lack of first team opportunities. The former Reading star has also been axed from their Champions League squad further prompting doubts about his future under Avram Grant. The article claims Alan Curbishley has now been put on alert and is willing to match the player's lucrative £3million-a-year contract. Sidwell was quietly shopped around during the recent transfer window and while Sunderland, Blackburn and Bolton were all interested no move materialised. The former Reading captain was previously linked with a move to East London back in 2004 and 2005 when Alan Pardew - who had overseen the young Sidwell's career - was known to be a keen admirer.

In other news, youth team full-back Joe Widdowson has joined League Two outfit Rotherham United on a month's loan. The left-sided defender made his debut for the Millers last night in their 3-0 reserve team defeat against Leeds United at Millmoor. The 18-year-old is expected to be named in this weekend's first team squad to face Wycombe Wanderers, who are currently one place behind Rotherham in League Two in sixth place. Widdowson's spell with Rotherham is his second on loan already this season; he previously spent a month with Carlisle United last November/December. Carlisle boss John Ward had wanted to take Widdowson back to Brunton Park in January for a second loan spell but that failed to come to fruition.

Lucas Neill remains adamant that European qualification is still an achievable possibility for the club. One point from the last two matches has made for a pretty miserable February but the skipper is a long way from conceding defeat. "We have obviously lost ground, we lost points and what should have been a really exciting month is starting to look a little bit anti-climactic now," he admitted. "It is definitely two games that we are going to look back at the end of the season and think we should have possibly got maximum points." West Ham United can still possibly move up to ninth spot with a victory against Fulham next time out and close on the top six or seven - especially as Neill's former club Blackburn Rovers were defeated 2-0 at Arsenal on Monday night. "We are all very disappointed but also we had a good chat about what we are going to do here on in. As we all know last year we won seven out of nine games so all is not lost yet," he declared.

Return Of The Z-Man

Bobby Zamora scored a hat-trick as West Ham United came from behind to record an emphatic 4-1 victory over Birmingham City at the Boleyn Ground yesterday evening. Having notched a goal in a friendly game against Queen's Park Rangers last week, Zamora showed he is getting back towards full fitness with a finely-taken treble in an all-action performance over 90 minutes. It was the first proper outing for the striker since a Carling Cup game away to Bristol Rovers on 28 August. All three of his goals came in the final half-hour of the contest after reserve-team captain Jack Collison had cancelled out Stefan Milojevic's opener just before half-time. Kevin Keen named a strong team for the game, with Jimmy Walker in goal, Jonathan Spector commanding at left-back and Julien Faubert an impressive figure on the right-side of midfield.

"It has been a while," a delighted Zamora reflected. "To get a full 90 minutes and score a hat-trick against a good team is nice, having got 65 minutes last week. They had a lot of pros playing, so to do well was good. We worked hard and thankfully I scored a few goals," said Zamora, before joking that the referee would not give him the match ball despite his hat-trick feat. He also had a word for the fans who were "right behind me", adding: "It was nice to give them something to cheer, thanks to them for coming out." All three of Zamora's goals were different. The first on 58 minutes saw neat control, a quick turn and a blasted effort into the net. The second was a cute flick from Faubert's low cross to the near post and the third was a powerful but precise header from another cross by the flying Frenchman on the right wing. Faubert also came through the full 90 minutes and Zamora said his team-mate performed "brilliantly".

"He is in exactly the same situation as me," the forward added. "He has had a few bits and pieces since coming back. He has been sub for the first team but for him to get another 90 minutes is the main thing. He put in a few brilliant balls and made my job a lot easier." While naturally delighted with the goals, Zamora stressed the "main thing was to get the fitness". He added: "It has been a long time. I don't want to go into the first team not fully fit and that is the main thing. I don't want to go out and not do the team justice and not do myself justice really. Making sure I am fit enough is important. I want to take it slowly, I don't want to break down. I want to make sure I am 100 per cent before I go back and try and fight for my place in the first team."

Zamora's return can not come sooner enough for a team who's current strikers are, by their own admittance, struggling to gel. "Me and 'Deano' are going to be working on our partnership all next week because we've got a break," revealed Carlton Cole. "We'll be looking at the prozone stats and at our previous games and what we could do better. We need to work on things like our movement, because sometimes we find ourselves in the same positions, and our communication which is not up to scratch." Cole has five goals to Ashton's six this season, but if West Ham are to make a late claim for a European place, then the strikers are going to have to find their shooting boots, especially against the lower-placed teams like Wigan and Birmingham where both drew a blank. "Me and 'Deano' have already sat down and talked about it, and we'll start that relationship this week," insists Cole. "I've watched my own game, I watch it every week after the matches. Now I'm going to look at our partnership and see how we can improve."

Cole's own game has certainly improved a tremendous amount, and though it hasn't corresponded into a glut of goals, his efforts have certainly earned the respect of the West Ham fans, with Ashton finding himself on the wrong end of the crowd's comments at the moment. "My game is my hold-up play, which I was really worried about. I wasn't holding the ball up before, but that is working well for me now and I've looked to capitalise on that and get more shots off in a game," explained Cole. "I'm trying to work on creating space for others in the team. I know I attract players towards me because of my size, and that should help others in the team. I've been trying to play them in and I've got about seven assists this season. The goal against Birmingham was a prime example. I was trying to hold off two or three players, I flicked it on and Freddie got in - these are the kind of things I do well." The fans are certainly appreciative of his efforts, emphasised by the booing that rang out around Upton Park when he was substituted just after the hour in the last game. "It is better than being booed like earlier in the season," he smiled, remembering some of the stick he had received from the home faithful. "It's a good sign for me - I'm very happy that the fans appreciate my work rate. I just feel all I need to do is get a few more goals to reward that."

Bowyer Reprieved

The Football Association have quashed the red card issued to Lee Bowyer last weekend. The combative midfielder was harshly dismissed on Saturday by referee Mark Clattenburg for an alleged two-footed tackle on Birmingham captain Damien Johnson in the Barclays Premier League clash at Upton Park. Bowyer was facing an instant three match ban but will not now face a suspension, or any kind of sanction, after the FA decided that no punishment was necessary. He is now eligible for the visit to Fulham on 23rd February. Hammers manager Alan Curbishley revealed straight after the 1-1 draw with Blues that he had asked Clattenburg to reconsider his decision on the tackle, two minutes from the end of the match at Upton Park. The club then lodged an official appeal before yesterday's noon deadline and the case was heard by the FA at Soho Square this lunchtime.

Elsewhere, academy director Tony Carr is insisting that Freddie Sears is ready for the "next challenge" of proving himself at a higher level than the Under-18s. The prolific striker hit another hat-trick in Saturday's 4-1 demolition of Norwich City to make it 20 goals from 15 games this season. Eight of those strikes have come in the last five games, to underline that Sears is more than over the foot injury which sidelined him last autumn. "At our level now, Freddie is scoring an absolute minimum of one a game," Carr said. "He is scoring lots and lots of goals and he is having a good season. He is training with the first team on a regular basis now and working with the senior players is doing him a lot of good. Obviously he is one that we hope can push on and reproduce his form at a more senior level. That is the key. We have had many a great youth player that can't make that step and Fred has to show that he can replicate his form in the reserves and then at a higher level in the future."

The signs are Sears will do just that, not least with another good display off the bench a week ago for England U19s in a 2-0 home friendly win against Croatia. Carr went along to the game in Swindon and said manager Brian Eastwick was very positive about the young Hammers striker. "He said he was very bright and looked good in training. He has to keep performing to stay there but we are very pleased with his progress." The 18-year-old will also hope to figure in this evening's reserve match for Kevin Keen's side against Birmingham City at the Boleyn Ground - with Carr confident his young charge has what it takes to show his ability at a higher level.

Bobby Zamora will make a welcome reserve-team return in the game tonight, while there is also the chance for Julien Faubert and Luis Boa Morte to stake their claims. Birmingham include senior players Colin Doyle, Stuart Parnaby, Rafael Schmitz, Daniel De Ridder, a Dutch Under-21 star, and Argentinian sensation Mauro Zarate. The visitors also have Semih Aydilek, recruited from Eintracht Frankfurt, in attack. It promises to be a tough encounter for the Irons who currently sit sixth in the closely fought ten-team Barclays Premier Reserve League. West Ham United are just two points behind Reading and this evening's opponents Birmingham City, who sit in second and third place respectively. It is the first game at home in 2008 with the last two fixtures being the 2-1 loss at Aston Villa on 7 January and a 1-0 win at Portsmouth a fortnight later. Keen said: "It would be great to see a few new fans coming to the game along with our regulars, as I am sure we will have some of our senior players appearing along with our talented crop of young players."

Finally Robert Green has revealed he was sending himself up with having 'England's N06' stitched into his gloves for Saturday's game against Birmingham City. The keeper, who was watched for the first time by new England manager Fabio Capello, revealed his glove manufacturer came up with the idea of "having a laugh on my behalf". Fans have been chanting England's No6 this season in response to Green finding himself down the international pecking order despite his good form. Green, who has pledged to "keep playing well and hope" about his national-team aspirations, added: "[The glovemaker] has been to games, heard the banter with the crowd and thought that it would be quite funny to have England's No6 stitched on my gloves. If you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at? It is not having a go at anybody. It is not against anyone. If it is anyone, it is against myself." So no truth in the rumour he was inspired by Dean Ashton's repeated claims to be 'England's N09' then.

Kinesiology or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Foot

There is still no official confirmation but the media chattering concerning Craig Bellamy's injury status is getting more deafening by the day. George Caulkin, writing in this morning's Times, claims the striker requires surgery and could miss the rest of the season. He is to undergo two procedures on a knee and his groin, robbing Alan Curbishley of a formidable presence in attack and, concludes Caulkin, undermining further the club’s challenge for European football. Bellamy is expected to have surgery for the first time this week, more than three months after he was first operated on in Germany. Laser surgery appeared to have cleared up his problem, but the forward suffered a recurrence and was out until ten days ago, when he appeared as a substitute against Wigan Athletic. He played in a friendly match two days later, but felt uncomfortable despite scoring.

Bellamy moved to London in the expectation of playing first-team football more regularly than he did at Anfield, but that has not been fulfilled. He has made only seven league starts for the club since his £7.5 million transfer from Liverpool in the summer and his possible unavailability for the remainder of the campaign represents another setback for Curbishley. The 28-year-old is not a stranger to injury, having suffered from a number of serious knee problems. In 2003, during his ill-fated time at Newcastle United, he travelled to the United States to be operated on by Dr Richard Steadman, a move that he subsequently admitted saved his career. An article in The Guardian notes that the injury is not believed to be that serious this time, although it will be the source of considerable frustration for the player. He returned only recently from a long-term absence with an abdominal injury.

Bellamy- missing in action

Dec 1998 (Norwich City): Two months out; injures knee.

July 1999 (Norwich): Nine months out; injures knee.

Sep 2000 (Wales): Two-match ban; sent off against Belarus.

Feb 2002 (Newcastle United): Two months out; knee injury, tendinitis.

Aug 2002 (Newcastle): One month out; recovers from knee surgery.

Sep 2002 (Newcastle): Three-match ban; head-butts Dynamo Kiev player.

Oct 2002 (Newcastle): One month out; hamstring injury.

Nov 2002 (Newcastle): Three-match ban; hits Inter Milan player, dismissed.

Oct 2003 (Newcastle): Three months out; knee surgery.

Apr 2004 (Newcastle): One month out; hamstring injury.

Aug 2005 (Blackburn Rovers): One month out; thigh injury.

Dec 2005 (Blackburn): One month out; hamstring injury.

Oct 2006 (Liverpool): One month out; calf injury.

Oct 2007 (West Ham United): Three months out; abdominal injury

There is better news concerning Kieron Dyer, where the comeback from a double fracture of his right leg is reportedly ahead of schedule. Dyer, a £6million signing from Newcastle United a fortnight before the ill-fated clash at the Memorial Ground, is said to be running at West Ham's training ground and is confident he will add to his three appearances for the club before the end of the season. According to several newspapers, sources at Upton Park have suggested he could be involved when his former club visit east London on April 26. It would be a poignant return for the midfielder, almost eight months to the day after he suffered his injury in a Carling Cup clash at Bristol Rovers. While the Mail think Dyer's return will boost West Ham's hopes of consolidating their challenge for a place in Europe, The Times are more concerned that the player will be back in contention for England’s close-season friendly internationals.

Alan Curbishley's stint at Upton Park has been marked by a long series of medical mishaps, leaving him routinely unable to name his first-choice team. It feels like Upton Park has been the setting for Casualty this season, observes Caulkin, but very soon West Ham may be screening a television programme on alternative remedies. Freddie Ljungberg is famed for performing yoga before matches to alleviate persistent niggles, while Matthew Upson uses torn-up pages from a telephone directory to solve his calf problem and now the England defender is seeing a sports psychologist to clear his head during matches. It is clearly working. Plagued by injury thoroughly his career, Upson has not missed a single minute of Premier League action for West Ham United this season. His resurgence gained full recognition after the centre back was selected for Fabio Capello's first England squad, going on to impress playing the full 90 minutes of the 2-1 win over Switzerland.

It is all a far cry from Upson's first season at Upton Park when a recurring calf problem restricted him to just 41 minutes of football following his £8million move from Birmingham in January. "I was having scans and injections to take fluid out of my leg and I was about to have surgery to cut through the calf. It would have been a dreadful operation to go through," recalls Upson. The career threatening injury was ultimately cured in most unorthodox fashion after Upson was advised to stuff torn up sheets of the Yellow Pages into his boots by kinesiology expert – the science of how the feet affect the rest of the body - Ron Holder. Upson spent hours on the internet in search of a surgery-free solution to his injury hell and eventually found Holder, a South African who has helped a host of sportsmen. "I’d had various treatments on the calf which had all failed," explains Upson. "But Ronald specialises in kinesiology, applying it to sports medicine. He is fantastic and the best person I have ever worked with. Kinesiology is to do in part with the feet and how all different parts of your feet relate to different parts of your body." Upson was ‘cured’ after a two-hour consultation with Holder — paid for out of his own pocket. He added: "As your body adjusts, he’ll take the papers out bit by bit from my boots. I wear them inside my trainers, in my normal shoes and even if I am wearing flip flops."

Kinesiology is an holistic and complementary therapy which helps the body recover from illness and injury by restoring its energy balance. "It's a way to get your body in line, especially for someone like myself who is 28 years old but has had a history of problems," explains Upson. "When you have surgery it knocks your body out of line so that when you come back you might be loading that area of your body differently which, in turn, can build up other problems. I had six months with a torn calf and I was chasing my tail everywhere to get fit before I met Ronald Holder. He had a dramatic effect. I was able to get him over just before I was due to have the operation. I just thought I would give it a real go for a week, three times a day, and I haven't missed a training session since then, which was six months ago. He uses Yellow Pages, he cuts a heel wedge or something for the toe or outside of the foot. He has a way of testing you which is clever. I remember once he put the wedge in, I went out to train for 20 minutes, came back in and he saw I was not quite in line. He took one page out of the wedge, put it back in and I went back out there. Such a small margin. A lot of people would say it's crazy but it's worked for me. I see him whenever I can and will continue to do so as long as it keeps working."

Upson had previously felt that psychology was the type of thing that Tiger Woods or Lewis Hamilton employed, but not football players, but has since demonstrated a willingness to explore all avenues when it comes to keeping himself in tip top condition extending beyond the physical, hence his reliance on the science of sports psychology. "You go so far in your career and if you are not making the right kind of progress then you have to change some things," said Upson of his decision to seek the one on one help of a sports psychologist. "I use someone who I speak to a lot about my performance and we analyse everything; my behaviour, my training during the week, everything. It is now starting to pay off. I have been turning out pretty consistent performances, which is something I have been working really hard on for the last 18 months".

Such focusing of the mind has become as integral part of Upson's match preparation as any gruelling training session under the orders of manager Alan Curbishley. "I am mentally preparing myself for the games and knowing that even if some days you go in and you don't feel great at the start of a game, it is a case of mentally adapting and making sure you put in a good performance," reveals Upson. "The preparation starts on Thursday or Friday for a Saturday game – it is a case of finding the time whenever you want to sit down and think positively about what you are doing to do at the weekend. That is an important factor for players; to be able to visualise what they are going to do before they do it. It (mental focus) is a massive part of the game; just as important as physical training, if not more important. Some people habitually can do it, they can focus. Some people can't. You can train, teach yourself, or, with help, learn to improve those skills and have a dramatic effect on your performance. It is quite a personal thing."

So personal, Upson is perhaps understandably unwilling to divulge the details of his sessions on the psychiatrist's coach. But he is no doubt as to the beneficial effect of such preparation on his game. "I have changed a lot," insists Upson. "Mentally, I am much stronger and more aware of what my job is and how to go about it. Physically, I am in the best shape of my life and that will only improve with the training and the work that is going on. I can 100 per cent say I am a much better player. Every day I want to get better and I want to learn, I want to improve and those are the things that are going to help me achieve what I want to do."

High on that list of ambitions is the burning desire to ensure his return to the international scene is more than just a fleeting visit. "First and foremost, I am concerned with West Ham United, the results we get and making sure I am ready to play for them," said Upson. "But definitely it (England) is something I think about, something I want to do and achieve again. That is what I am working towards. That is the pinnacle in everyone's career, to represent their country and it is something that I am very hungry to do again."

Reflections On Birmingham

Alan Curbishley was frustrated after his team could not make it four straight home league wins on Saturday. Reflecting on a game that "fizzled out for us", the manager said: "We started off OK. The expectation levels were on us. We got our goal but the penalty was really soft. I can't even see an arm around McFadden. I was really surprised when the referee gave it. We have seen it and we don't think it is a penalty at all. It knocked us a little bit. For the first half we created some little openings that perhaps we needed to take. We are really disappointed with the second. It fizzled out on us and I think both teams looked as they were never going to score. I have said to the players that the biggest disappointment for me is in recent weeks we have played Liverpool and Manchester City a couple of times and in those games we have passed it around and knocked it about. Our last two games have been very difficult - today I was expecting a bit more. We had one or two tired legs. It has been a tough week for some of them."

As well as Matthew Upson and Lucas Neill after big games for England and Australia, young midfielder Mark Noble also felt the effects of the international week after helping the Under-21s to a win and was a late withdrawal from the bench. "Mark Noble come back ever so tired and didn't train until yesterday," admitted Curbishley. "He went out in the warm-up and felt his hamstring a bit so we didn't want to take a risk with him." Those that did play gave their all but the decisive goal was not forthcoming. "We are really disappointed with the second-half performance," he added. "We set our fans up after the Liverpool game to go and get something at Wigan and today because we were playing teams down the bottom. We haven't gone and done it. We are a little bit frustrated." The manager also believes Lee Bowyer was unfortunate to receive a late red card for a challenge on Damien Johnson. "We have asked [the referee] to look at it and I think he will," Curbishley said. "Hopefully he will overturn it because when it happened I didn't think it was that serious. The referee on the spot sees it a little differently. If he is suspended it will be a bit tough."

Despite the setback, there is still a belief that West Ham United can mount a strong challenge on the leading contenders in the Premier League with 13 games left to play this season. The club sit just seven points behind seventh spot with a game in hand and have the chance to recharge before the trip to Fulham on 23 February. "We all think it is in our grasp," the manager said. "The players are really disappointed. We have got to pick ourselves up when we go to Fulham which will be a really tough game again. Last week, the results went for us and perhaps this week they didn't. We have got to start winning our games. We have got a little bit of a break now and it will do a few of them some good - especially [England's Matthew] Upson. I am hoping that after a couple of days rest, they can come back recharged and get going again. The players that have been playing have done fantastically well. I know everyone is disappointed but we have got 37 points. What they have achieved so far with the problems we have had shouldn't go unnoticed and perhaps it has a little bit."

Curbishley was also clear that Dean Ashton's efforts to get back to his best should also not go unnoticed - having missed the whole of last season with an ankle injury and then returned to fitness after a brief setback with his knee this campaign . "He has done well to get where he is," he said. "It was a big injury, he has worked ever so hard at it. Sometimes players can be affected by team selection, can be affected by the way the team's playing, results, scoring goals. This year, he came in roughly after the first couple of games, played three or four. Then he hurt his knee up at Aston Villa and missed five or six weeks. I don't think I have done such a bad job in terms of bringing him back and easing him in. We have all got to get on with it. I have one or two players there who are not quite happy with what they have produced and we just have to roll our sleeves up for the next game."

Interestingly, Curbishley added that both Ashton and Carlton Cole have "played a lot of football" in recent weeks, and said he hoped to have extra forward firepower in future. Julien Faubert came on as a substitute on Saturday, having got through a practice game last Monday. He also reiterated that Scott Parker "has been running fully this week contrary to stories last week", before adding that Craig Bellamy's fitness is to be assessed further with the striker "still feeling this abdominal strain" after he and Bobby Zamora, returning himself from a knee injury, scored in Monday's friendly.

One man who could be about to help out on the goal front is Freddie Ljungberg. Against Birmingham City on Saturday, Ljungberg popped up from close range in the seventh minute to connect with Carlton Cole's flicked header back across goal to send the ball beyond Maik Taylor into the net with a neat finish. "It was a great start to the game," he said. "It was nice to score a goal but it is disappointing we didn't win." The goal was the culmination of several impressive performances from the midfielder. "Personally I have felt great the last one or two months. It helps to be injury free and that you can train," he stated. With no game until Fulham away in a fortnight, the squad will have the chance to rest but Ljungberg's hunger to keep on going is such that "I would like to play again tomorrow".

West Ham United 1 Birmingham City 1

Dull, Overlong And No One Cared For The Ending by Paul Weaver

After this appalling game Alex McLeish, the Birmingham manager, said he had escaped, briefly, the Premier League relegation dogfight to attend the cinema. "I saw No Country For Old Men," he said. "It was nice and violent. There were a few red cards in that one."... Guardian

Bowyer Off As Hammers Fade by Anna Kessel

West Ham had been hoping for a fourth consecutive home victory, having beaten Manchester United, Fulham and Liverpool in recent weeks. But a fading performance from both teams resulted in a draw that failed to excite... Observer

Hammers Make Easy Viewing For McLeish by Hyder Jawad

So much that was unexpected came to Upton Park on Saturday: springtime, Fabio Capello, Alex McLeish's smile ... it was that kind of afternoon. And yet, towards the end, with aimless long balls becoming the tactic of choice for both teams, it was something foreseeable that disfigured this match: the Lee Bowyer sending off... Independent

McFadden Leads Blues Revival by Nick Townsend

"It fizzled out on us," reflected West Ham's manager, Alan Curbishley, glumly. He was alluding to the second half, one in which he conceded that neither team "looked as if they were ever going to score". But on this display he may well have been speaking about the remainder of the Hammers' season... Independent on Sunday

Birmingham's Defence Gives Renewed Hope by Patrick Barclay

On A ground where Manchester United and Liverpool have fallen since Christmas, a relegation-threatened Birmingham thoroughly deserved their point. Alex McLeish's defence, protected by Damien Johnson and the impressive Patrice Muamba, made West Ham look very ordinary in front of Fabio Capello... Sunday Telegraph

Dean Ashton Fluffs His England Audition by Tom Cary

Fabio Capello must have wondered what all the fuss was about. After weeks of speculation that Dean Ashton was fed up with his manager, Alan Curbishley, for his tendency to drop him in the big games - thereby denying him the chance to impress the new England manager - the Italian finally pitched up at Upton Park on Saturday only to the West Ham striker fluff his lines badly... Telegraph

Little On Show To Raise Capello's Interest by Gary Jacob

Robert Green had “England’s No 6” stitched on to his gloves, self-mocking his position in the country’s goalkeeping pecking order, but Fabio Capello’s early impressions about the shortcomings of the outfield players would only have been crystallised on the evidence of this encounter... Times

Lee Bowyer Off As Hammers Toil by Brian Glanville

Watching this game, with its plethora of unforced errors, Fabio Capello could only have been confirmed in his reportedly low opinion of the technique of the players from whom he must choose... Sunday Times

Balderdashed

It is a quiet morning on the tabloid front with just one Irons related story. The News of the World has a piece concerning Franco Baldini and how the Italian was destined for a role at West Ham United before Fabio Capello landed the England job. The article states that Capello's trusted lieutenant was set to be unveiled as Upton Park's new technical director to work alongside Alan Curbishley. His intended responsibility was to "scour the world to capture exciting young stars to help transform the Hammers into a top Premier League outfit and make the club millions in sell on fees". It is reported that Baldini certainly impressed the West Ham United board with his ambitious plans and global network of contacts in an interview for the job towards the end of the year. England's new general manager describes his expertise as looking after building teams through the markets, buying and selling players, and looking around the world for talent.

That skill set seems to be exactly what the Hammers are looking for, preferably in the guise of a well respected football figure who could compliment Alan Curbishley's managerial experience. The newspaper insists the Hammers are continuing their search and are now interviewing again with a view to having a new man in by Easter. According to the Mail on Sunday that person could be Wim Koevermans. They think West Ham United are poised to appointing a technical director by next month and the Dutch Under-18 coach is now one of the leading candidates. It is reported that chief executive Scott Duxbury is leading the search to bring in a continental-style director to assist manager Alan Curbishley and at least three people have already been interviewed. The new man will be charged with scouting foreign players and finding young talent.

Nigel Reo-Costly

Those Fink Tank boffins over at The Times have been conducting deep rooted statistical analysis in an attempt to quantify which of the Premier League's summer transfer acquisitions has offered the least value for money. Daniel Finkelstein states: "A million pounds here, a million pounds there, pretty soon it adds up to real money. This summer, while the Fink Tank was searching behind the sofa for some loose change to buy a new pocket calculator, Aston Villa went to the shops and splashed £7.5 million on Nigel Reo-Coker. Which of us got better value for money? You are about to find out." I think you know where this is going...

Dr Henry Stott and Dr Ian Graham have been sifting through the summer trades in order to see how they’ve been doing. They have had the help of the player level computer model. This takes every kick of the ball and relates it to the number of points it helps to create. Then the season is simulated again and again with the acquired player and without them (they are replaced by a player of average quality in the same position). Once this work is done it is possible to rank all the newly transferred players in terms of the points they have added (or subtracted) compared with the average player. Actually, not quite all. Quite a few transferred players haven’t been on the pitch enough to rank. Lassana Diarra, the midfield player, went from Chelsea to Arsenal and on to Portsmouth without being on the pitch long enough for us to assess his contribution to Arsène Wenger’s side. Let’s look at their contribution per minute first, shall we? You might consider this a measure of potential, and therefore of longer-term interest.

At the top is Carlos Tévez, the Manchester United forward. Last season we didn’t rank him so highly, but then he didn’t score for West Ham United until the curtains were beginning to close. This season he has been a sensation. Second comes Kieran Richardson, the Sunderland midfield player, although he has played in only 22 per cent of the games. Then comes Gareth Bale, the left-sided player, who looks like a good buy for Tottenham Hotspur. Things change when we multiply the points added by these players by the number of minutes they spent playing. As you can see from the graphic. Tévez and Fernando Torres, the Liverpool forward, won’t surprise many, but it turns out that Bacary Sagna, Arsenal’s £6 million defender, was a great buy. It will not cause heads to turn at Goodison Park to discover Yakubu Ayegbeni right up there, but it may interest Chelsea fans that Florent Malouda is the most valuable of their summer buys.

Who has been flopping so far? Reo-Coker has been a terrible disappointment. He has lost 8.1 points compared to an average player. Alan Smith, the Newcastle United player, hasn’t done terribly well either. What about Darren Bent? Not a flop. Yet. He is 0.3 points above average despite playing so little. Fink Tank has always rated him and thought he was worth a lot of money – but not to Tottenham.


On a separate note, and because West Ham United related news is at a premium this morning, here is a video of the 'We All Love The Hammers' song in case you haven't seen it. It is written and performed by Fanbanta regular Chris Cohen.

Egged On As Crisis Loomed

I stumbled across an interesting article by Tom Duncan in this week's Newham Recorder. I didn't see it anywhere online so I thought I would put it up here...

Egged on as crisis loomed (7 February 2008)
By Tom Duncan

The financial facts behind Eggert Magnusson's reign as chairman, which led to his sudden departure, are revealed in West Ham United's annual report.

At the time of the club's takeover in December 2006 the Hammers were nosediving towards relegation and the dressing room was in disarray. Less than two weeks later Alan Curbishley replaced Alan Pardew as manager, but a surprise victory over Manchester United in his first game was quickly followed by a 6-0 drubbing at Reading when the players were chided with chants of 'You're not fit to wear the shirt'. It coincided with the opening of the January transfer window when, some would argue, a desperate situation demanded desperate action. In the following four weeks £23.1 million was spent on recruiting players it was hoped would stave off what, by then, the fans angrily regarded as inevitable. It brought expenditure for the year under review up to £33 million and, although there was no immediate improvement in the club's prospects, another victory over Manchester United on the final day of the season completed a remarkable escape.

A massive increase in television earnings, as well as all the other benefits that go with Premiership status, encouraged the club to go on a further spending spree in the summer. Another £17.4 million went out, bringing the total amount spent on recruiting players up to more than £40 million in eight months following the takeover. A sizeable amount of that was recouped through outgoing transfers - mainly Yossi Benayoun, Nigel Reo-Coker and Marlon Harewood. As the main objective had been survival, Magnusson's gamble seemed to have been justified...but the devil was in the detail.

Questions were asked about the amounts paid for some of those recruited, but the fiercest criticism was reserved for the ongoing effect they would have on the club's wages structure. In the year covered by the report the number of people employed on the playing side of the business (players, team management and training staff) increased by 17 to 94 - including, of course, junior players. The overall staff costs went up by £11.1 million, due mainly to increased player wages - and it has to be remembered the report covers only six months under the new ownership with even less of that time affected by the incoming transfers. If those figures were extrapolated over the entire period the increase would obviously be significantly higher - and that will come home to roost in the current year and for as long as some of those overblown contracts continue.

Magnusson's share of the £85 million takeover of West Ham was five per cent and the remainder was financed by fellow Icelander Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson - a billionaire banker known more familiarly as BG. He acquired Eggert Magnusson's shares, replacing him as chairman in December, and now has total ownership of the club. BG has put in a further £20 million of his own money to cover a similar loss incurred during the year, even though turnover was down by only £2.6 million compared with the previous 12 months when the Hammers reached the FA Cup Final and held a much higher position in the league.

Eggert Magnusson's time in charge lasted for only a year and ten days, but it was a highly contentious period in the club's history. He inherited the controversy surrounding the signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano on the final day of the transfer window in the summer of 2006. Again, there is disagreement on the manner in which he dealt with an inquiry launched by the Premier League into the legitimacy of Tevez's position at Upton Park. At first the club said it would vigorously defend the action, but when the moment arrived Magnusson pleaded guilty to two of the claims levelled against West Ham and a record fine of almost £6 million was imposed. It appeared that, by claiming the new owners could not be held accountable for actions taken by a previous administration, the Hammers avoided a deduction of points which would most certainly have consigned the club to relegation. What was not so obvious at the time was how taking that course of action also got the Premier League off a difficult hook. If points had been deducted, the Premiership would have been left facing legal actions which could have jeopardised arrangements for the following season.

There were other reasons, too, why Magnusson's actions can be seriously challenged. What was so different about the position of Javier Mascherano, who is still on loan at Liverpool - or any other loan arrangement come to that - which justified such punitive action being taken against West Ham over Carlos Tevez? Magnusson's case centred mainly on blaming the former chairman, Terence Brown, and managing director Paul Aldridge - but neither was called to address the Commission, despite expressing a willingness to do so. It was hardly what one could call natural justice. Paul Aldridge had already stood down at the time of the takeover and received £521,000 compensation for loss of office, while Terence Brown, a lifelong Hammers fan, was perfunctorily expelled from Upton Park by Magnusson when the inquiry was announced. This controversy is rumbling on with Sheffield United, who were among those relegated at the end of last season, still pursuing what has always seemed a forlorn cause.

The unanswered questions are:

Why did Magnusson plead guilty when he had previously stated the case against West Ham would be contested vigorously and there were sound reasons for believing the club would be successful in doing so?

Why sacrifice the best part of £6m, unless it was intended only to mollify the Premiership and get both West Ham and the league out of a hole?

And on what possible grounds were those maligned at the hearing denied an opportunity to defend themselves?

Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson can do nothing now about the resultant effects of the first two questions, but he can do something to correct the apparent injustice meted out to those found guilty in their enforced absence. He has already created a good impression at West Ham and his expertise, honed in a hard world of business at the highest level, marks him out as someone capable of taking the club forward. The future revolves around moving to a new ground, where there is every reason to believe the fan base could sustain a stadium capable of holding 60,000 spectators. The club is also in the strong position of holding the freehold of all its current properties, including the Boleyn site currently valued at £74.8 million. It's anyone's guess at the moment how much that would really be worth if major redevelopment took place in conjunction with properties owned by Newham Council in Barking Road.

To the average fans, of course, none of this really matters. All they are interested in is what happens on the pitch, but that has to be secured by sound judgements made in the boardroom as well as on the training ground. For a few years the club must live with the excesses of the recent past and the problems they have created. The main problem is that some players - although fairly paid themselves - can resent others getting more if they think it is not justified and there is already evidence of that happening. This dilemma is just part of the reason why Eggert Magnusson had to be replaced - even though the debate will continue on how irrational or justified his actions were.

Bentham, Mill, Curbs

The said truth is that it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong.
Jeremy Bentham

The Daily Mail have become the first newspaper to pick up on the Craig Bellamy injury rumour posted here a few days ago. They claim the striker could be out for the rest of the season after suffering a recurrence of the abdominal problems which have plagued him all season. It looked as though Bellamy- who has made just seven Premier League appearances this season following his £7.5million signing from Liverpool last summer- was finally on the way back after coming on as a substitute against Wigan last Saturday and then playing in a midweek reserve-team match. However, the article claims he again felt some discomfort in the same area of the abdomen and now an operation is a distinct possibility. If that was to happen, it is reported, then he would likely miss the rest of the season. In the only quote attributed to Alan Curbishley, the West Ham manager said: "Craig is still feeling sore. We will have to assess things all over again." Obviously, this is the same newspaper that last week had Scott Parker finished for the season so we should probably wait for further official confirmation (or denial) of the story before we start to worry. In yesterday's pre-match press conference a reticent Curbishley would only say: "He's [Bellamy] a bit sore still to be honest. He's not 100 per cent how he wants to be but he still done enough in the reserve game - and when he came on against Wigan - that perhaps not being 100 per cent is not too bad."

When he is not speculating on the fitness of his players, Curbishley is busy espousing consequential utilitarianist rhetoric in defence of his methods in the face of a growing chorus of criticism. It follows French midfielder Julien Faubert registering surprise at the training methods deployed at the club and Dean Ashton reportedly blaming Curbishley for his omission from Fabio Capello's first England squad. "I am not here to keep people happy, I am here to get results," declared Curbishley. "It is a team effort, not for individuals. It is about the make-up of the side and I have changed formations during games. My only aim is to get a result. I am not here to keep people happy. Carlton Cole and Dean Ashton have got to work at their partnership a bit more because as a pair they can be very similar. I think Craig Bellamy offers us something different. He is one player who looks to get in behind defences." Curbishley has not spoken with Faubert about the controversial interview but has taken the quotes with a "pinch of salt". The Hammers boss said: "He has hardly been around us. He has only been in three squads. That was against Fulham, Manchester City in the FA Cup game where he came on for 20 minutes and in the Manchester City league game. We haven't seen him since then because he picked up a calf strain. In five or six months he has probably trained with the first team, in terms of being near the first team, on two or three days. And he doesn't mind kicking one or two people either. He is very aggressive with things!"

Curbishley was a little more eager to talk about Matthew Upson's ascension to the England ranks and how others within the club can take heart from his success. "They all can take inspiration from Matthew Upson," he said after the defender's solid display in the 2-1 win against Switzerland at Wembley on Wednesday night. "We have got a bit of a spine in our squad. Rob Green and Anton Ferdinand are playing well and [Fabio Capello] would have taken note of that in the last couple of weeks." As well as putting forward the names of Scott Parker and Kieron Dyer as future candidates, Curbishley added that "you have got Dean Ashton who they will be looking at and Mark Noble is in there as well. We have got a healthy contingent of players that Capello should look at. I think that [his adviser Franco] Baldini who does a lot of the scouting was at our two Man City games, he was at the Liverpool game. We know we have been well watched so anyone who is playing at the moment has got to be looking to impress. If there is a small group of English players out there who consider themselves with a chance of playing, they have got to be putting it in week in, week out."

For now, it is Upson who has made the break and Curbishley underlined that "we are all very pleased for Matty". He added: "He has worked ever so hard. I know all the games have been looked at. We are really pleased for him." On whether he has done enough to remain in the squad when the likes of John Terry and Ledley King are fit for next month's trip to play France in Paris, Curbishley added: "He has got himself there, he has not done himself any harm. He has got to stay fit, keep playing well and wait for the next squad. He has shown why we bought him. He is a very good player, a very good professional and very good around the training ground. We knew what we were getting. We were just disappointed we didn't have him for the run-in last season. He has shown what he's about since he has got himself right. On and off the field, he is totally professional."

Bouncing Back

Barclays Premier League
West Ham United v Birmingham City
Boleyn Ground
Saturday 9 February
3pm
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
Info: SOLD OUT
Weather: The forecast is for a sunny afternoon with the temperature is set to peak at around 11C.

Tenth-placed West Ham United will look to bounce back from the 1-0 defeat at Wigan Athletic last Saturday with a fourth home league win in a row. The club have dispatched Manchester United (2-1), Fulham (2-1) and Liverpool (1-0) and have lost just one of the last seven at the Boleyn Ground since mid December. The Irons are also seeking a fourth successive Premier League victory over Birmingham City, and a second double over them in as many seasons. Victory could potentially move the club up to eighth place- depending on Blackburn Rovers and Portsmouth, who begin the weekend three and two points ahead respectively.

This is the first of a trio of Premier League fixtures against London clubs for Birmingham City, and their record against teams from the capital in this league is nothing to write home about. They have won one, drawn three and lost nine of the last 13. The Blues travel to East London in their lowest position since the last week of August. Just two victories in the Premier League under Alex McLeish has seen them slip into the relegation zone. They have not won in seven in all competitions, and only won one of the last 11 - a sequence that included defeat to League One Huddersfield in the FA Cup. City have lost nine away league games and are without a victory in their last five away trips; drawing one and losing four since their 2-3 victory against Tottenham at White Hart Lane on McLeish's debut as manager on 2 December. Pride Park is the only other away ground from which they have emerged victorious this season.

Alan Curbishley expects a tough afternoon is in store for his team. "The expectations are full on for us because of where we are and where Birmingham are, but we know it is just as difficult," he insisted. "If you look at Derby's equaliser at Birmingham in the last minute, it just shows you there's no gimmes in the Premier League. We've drawn at home against Wigan and Reading and had a tough game against Sunderland. A lot of games are so tight and you have to perform every week. If you're not right you can get lucky - though invariably that doesn't work out too many times - but if you're playing as well you can then you have a chance."

The Hammers themselves will be going into the game desperately looking to put things right following the 1-0 defeat at Wigan on Saturday. Curbishley saw that match as a massive chance to close the gap on the teams directly above them in the table and continue the club's push for a top-six spot, and said: "We were so disappointed because of the performance, the clubs around us not doing so well and the (large) support we had. Also, the nature of the defeat and how it occurred, when I picked a side to deal with set plays and they've not done it." He added: "We do need to bounce back because we know what is at stake at the weekend. The two teams above us are playing away from home and if we get the result it will be a big lift for us. If we can do things right we should be looking to catch one or two of them teams - but we've got to win the majority of our 14 games to stand any chance."

Alex McLeish believes his side have nothing to fear going into the Premier League clash. "West Ham are a good side," he concedes. "They have spent a lot of money and enhanced their quality by investing which has helped them to be much more competitive and technical Premier League team this season. We are a point behind Reading and two points behind Wigan and Sunderland and there will be lots of twists and turns before the end of the season. It's about maintaining the focus and the belief and trying not to be distracted by the other stuff you read in the papers. I just see this as a great challenge and I am privilieged to be involved in it."

Alan Curbishley will assess Julien Faubert after he played the full 90 minutes on Monday in a friendly match against QPR. The French winger had missed the previous two games with a slight calf strain and the manager could wait to give him a reserve-team run-out on Tuesday. Nolberto Solano, a substitute at Wigan, also got another 45 minutes under his belt following hamstring trouble. Bobby Zamora (knee) and Craig Bellamy (stomach) both got an hour or so on Monday. Despite rumours to the contrary, Scott Parker (knee) is due back in three weeks while Kieron Dyer continues to make good progress from his double leg-break. Henri Camara is back from the African Cup of Nations - although John Paintsil is still on international duty with Ghana. James Collins' cruciate ligament damage will keep him out for at least six months, with Nigel Quashie (foot) and Calum Davenport (neck) also sidelined.

For the visitors, Olivier Kapo will miss the trip to West Ham through suspension after picking up his fifth booking of the campaign against Sunderland 11 days ago. The absence of the former Juventus player could give hope of a recall for Gary McSheffrey who has been axed from the starting line-up for the last three games. Alex McLeish has also to decide whether to make changes upfront with Mikael Forssell and Cameron Jerome in contention for a recall. McLeish will be boosted by the return of midfielder Mehdi Nafti and defender Rahi Jaidi from African Nations Cup duty with Tunisia, but Franck Queudrue is still side-lined with a hamstring injury.

The teams' last met on 18 August at the St Andrews, the first away fixture of the season. After a close-fought encounter, Mark Noble struck the only goal of the game from the penalty spot in the 70th minute after Colin Doyle had upended Bellamy.

Head to head (last six meetings, all league)

18 August 2007 - Birmingham City 0-1 West Ham United
13 February 2006 - West Ham United 3-0 Birmingham City
5 December 2005 - Birmingham City 1-2 West Ham United
11 May 2003 - Birmingham City 2-2 West Ham United
5 October 2002 - West Ham United 1-2 Birmingham City
30 November 1999 - Birmingham City 2-3 West Ham United

Lost In Translation (Revisited)

Julien Faubert has today refuted comments suggesting he has been unhappy with the training methods at West Ham United since joining the club last summer from Bordeaux. The under-fire winger gave a candid interview to French radio channel RNC a few days ago in which he discussed his experiences of living and playing in English football. Subsequently, certain aspects of that discussion- which was reproduced in detail here on Tuesday- were taken out context by the English media and subverted into a scathing criticism by the player of the club and his team-mates. Speaking on the official site this afternoon, Faubert reiterated: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here so far and I am really enjoying every minute. Everything here is very professional and my team-mates are all top-class players who have been totally supportive. I hope between now and the end of the season to make a big impact and help the club finish as high as possible."

Elsewhere, The Independent has rehashed the story that broke yesterday concerning the £7million writ filed at the Chancery Division of the High Court by Kia Joorabchian. Jason Burt suggests the saga surrounding Carlos Tevez's controversial season at West Ham United is now set to rumble on for up to another nine months with Sheffield United among the interest parties who are watching events closely. The Blades tried unsuccessfully to get West Ham United demoted for fielding Tevez after being found guilty of breaching the rules on third-party ownership. A Football Association arbitration panel is due to rule next month on their claim. Referring to this latest legal action, Burt claims Joorabchian is bullish about his chances and is also prepared for the issue to go to court if necessary. Yesterday, a West Ham United spokesperson insisted the club would contest vigorously the claim as they believe no verbal or written agreements exist to back up Joorabchian's stance.

Mixed Reviews

There were mixed fortunes for West Ham United players involved in internationals yesterday and in the case of Matthew Upson, who won his eighth cap for England in their 2-1 win over Switzerland at Wembley, there were mixed reviews. The Guardian labelled the defender a 'playground bully' who was plodding but solid in the air, even against the burly Blaise Nkufo. He was said to be a threat at the other end too, showing some overall nice touches, but ultimately his dream World Cup would only come as John Terry's understudy. In The Times, Matt Hughes remarked that Upson had not played for England since the infamous friendly in Spain when several black players were racially abused in November 2004, and in the early stages it was easy to see why. He observed that the West Ham United defender was beaten in the air by Philippe Senderos at a corner and gave the ball away more than is permissible, concluding that John Terry is unlikely to be worried about losing his place.

There was a more positive slant taken by The Telegraph's Jeremy Wilson. He stated Upson was a surprise inclusion rewarded for his club form, arguing that the player looked unfazed by the occasion and can expect to remain in the squad for the friendly with France. The Mail also gave the defender an above average score, noting that although he has not always performed so well in the big examinations, this was much better. The Sun thought on the whole Upson had a decent outing, but add the caveat that he was never really stretched. Capello, they reason, will not be too overjoyed at some of the marking from set-pieces but the fact that he got his international chance ahead of Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott and Jonathan Woodgate demonstrates just how much the Italian rates him. Finally, in The Mirror, John Cross stated Upson was disappointing and must try harder, noting he looked nervous, his passing was inconsistent and that he did not command in the air.

Reflecting after the game, Upson said he had enjoyed the whole experience of linking up with the Italian manager's squad - and not just the game itself. "To get the call was really pleasing," he told Sky Sports, admitting that he had been "optimistic" it would come. "I have enjoyed my time and I am really happy to be here. The manager has an idea of what type of player he wants and how he wants to play. International football is different to the Premiership - it is at a slower pace and more technical. [Capello's approach] is very detailed and positionally [you have to] be immaculate." Over in Belfast, George McCartney played the first 45 minutes for Northern Ireland in their 1-0 defeat by Bulgaria as Nigel Worthington's reign as manager of Northern Ireland got off to a losing start thanks to Martin Petrov's 38th minute strike.

Lucas Neill helped Australia to a 3-0 victory against Qatar in Melbourne, the first match in their bid to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. According to reports in The Australian Telegraph, stars Neill and Tim Cahill are now willing to risk angering their English clubs again to be part of Australia's World Cup qualifier at altitude in China next month, despite it being a midweek match sandwiched between club games. Socceroos skipper Neill said he would continue to make himself available for his country regardless of any pressure his English club West Ham and manager Alan Curbishley may put on him to dodge international duty. "People say 'why would you want to go and play for Australia in the middle of two English Premier League games?' (I say) Because I'm playing for Australia and I want to go to the World Cup," Neill said. "It's an honour, it's a privilege and I'm sure there are millions and millions of others who would want to be doing what we are doing. I'm not taking it for granted. If it was him (Curbishley) going to represent England he wouldn't have an argument and that's the only case we have to put forward to him."

While the four games in this qualifying stage following the China match will be played in the European off-season, the club versus country issue is set to escalate should the Socceroos advance to the next phase of Asian World Cup qualifying. That will involve another eight internationals, plus the prospect of more should Australia find themselves involved in playoffs.

Bellyache For Curbs?

There is a rumour circulating this afternoon that Craig Bellamy has been ruled out for the rest of the season. Firstly, I should say that I do not as a rule pass on every little piece of gossip that I hear and read. That said, I thought I would mention this because I know the source has been generally accurate in the past. Anyway, the story is that the Wales striker has had a recurrence of his stomach injury and the plan is to operate as soon as possible; at the same time removing some scar tissue from his knee. Like I said, this is only a rumour at the minute and the veracity of its content cannot as yet be substantiated or negated by any official news source. If it does prove to be true then Alan Curbishley's decision not to invest in the January transfer window will look very unfortunate indeed.

Upson Gets The Nod

Matthew Upson is heavily tipped to start for England against Switzerland tonight according to the morning papers. Several of today's tabloids are claiming that new England boss Fabio Capello has opted to start with the Hammers centre-half, who is set to win his eighth cap alongside Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand. The pair went through an extensive work out as a partnership in training yesterday and will likely be flanked by Wes Brown and Ashley Cole in a new look back four. Capello is thought to have opted for Upson ahead of Tottenham's newest recruit Jonathon Woodgate and fellow central defenders Curtis Davies and Ledley King.

The 28 year old defender last played for England in a 1-0 defeat to Spain in 2004, and is now setting his sights on the World Cup after his recall. "I’ve never been to a major championship," he said. "I’ve got a huge hunger to do that. If I perform at the level which I know I can, then I want to start putting myself in a position where, hopefully, the England coach will be thinking about picking me. Playing for England is a massive target and is the one personal achievement I would love to achieve again. I am pleased with my form and how things are going. I am working hard and being as consistent as I can be. I am getting better and working on things I must improve. I have some targets that I want to meet and I am working hard to achieve those."


One man who has been impressed with Capello in his short time in the job is Sir Trevor Brooking. He has spent the last few weeks working alongside the Italian and has been fascinated by the Italian's methods. "I've enjoyed what I've seen and heard from Fabio so far," said the FA's director of technical development. "I really believe every England player who is part of his squad now and in the future will benefit hugely from the experience of working with him." Brooking was an enthralled observer a couple of days ago, as the former Roma, Juventus, AC Milan and Real Madrid coach left his squad in no doubt about how hard they will work under his tutelage. "They had two really intense sessions on the first day," he said. "During that time, Fabio put a great deal of emphasis on the defensive shape of the team - in being compact, balanced, not ball-watching."

Like all good Italian football coaches, Capello likes to build from the back but there was also a clear message to his players about switching to the offensive. The 61-year-old made the point in his press conference yesterday when he said he wanted his England teams to "be brave" especially away from home. "What Fabio means by that is he wants the team to press the opposition higher up the pitch, to put them under pressure rather than dropping back," said Brooking. Another lesson according to the gospel of Capello is to keep the ball much better. "Fabio is a very hands-on coach," said Brooking. "He put on some keep-ball sessions in tight areas, working the players on retaining the ball. The more you practise something like that the better you become at it and I know he feels we could keep possession better rather than knocking the ball forward in a hopeful way."

It all adds up to a clear message from Capello to his new charges, with nothing lost in the translation. Brooking added: "Fabio has made it very clear to the players what he expects of them and he has done it very quickly with no room for misunderstanding." Obey the rules, be prompt, learn your lessons - otherwise you could be in trouble. "There are going to be golden opportunities over the next few months for a lot of players to try and force their way into Fabio's plans," said Brooking. "This is a new era, and new and established players will be treated the same - they will have their chance. It's an exciting time for all the players especially for the less experienced ones. They can learn so much from Fabio and his staff. He is very meticulous in what he does, very organised and he wants his teams to be the same."

Above all reputations will count for nothing. David Beckham has already been left out of the squad and it is believed Michael Owen will be named only as a substitute for tonight's friendly. "If you look through the side there are going to be very few automatic choices," observed Brooking. "That means everyone thinks it's up for grabs. If you play well then you could force your way into the Capello starting eleven, and that's great, that's what everyone wants. There are going to be very few who can automatically turn up and think 'I'm playing' because he is going to select formations and teams on merit."

The Italian has introduced a raft of new rules and regulations, governing everything from what the players wear to when they can leave the dinner table, something Brooking applauds. "He's trying to plant the seed that this is how we operate, we are in this together and it is not just a case of coming in and out with your iPods on and having a chat amongst yourselves," he said. "You can see it even in the coaching. He keeps everyone on their toes, they've been very competitive trying to impress, and it's something that you can sense is different and new."

Elsewhere, Mark Noble gave an assured performance as England's under 21s breezed past the Republic of Ireland at St. Mary's last night. The 20-year-old midfielder played 86 minutes and helped the young Lions to a 3-0 win over the Irish, with all goals coming in the second half. James Tomkins and Freddie Sears helped the England under 19s to a 2-0 win over Croatia at Swindon's County Ground earlier the same evening. Tomkins played a full 90 minutes whilst Sears came on as a 74th minute substitute for Manchester United's Febian Brandy. A third Hammer, Junior Stanislas, was an unused substitute. Finally Jack Collison was part of the Wales under 21 side that enjoyed an emphatic 4-0 win in Malta. Bryan Flynn's young charges scores all four goals in the second half; the win lifts the Welsh to the top of European Championship qualifying Group 10 with just three games left to play.

New Legal Challenge

West Ham United say they are prepared to go to court to fight a new legal challenge from the owners of Carlos Tevez over £7 million in 'unpaid' fees relating to his one-year spell at Upton Park. According to article in The Telegraph, Kia Joorabchian, the player's agent and front man for the two offshore companies which own the Manchester United striker, filed a writ in the Chancery Division of the High Court last week. It is claimed his lawyers are due to lodge the particulars of their claim at the court today and, according to the writ, Joorabchian is seeking an outstanding sum of £4.5 million, plus a further £2.6 million which, he alleges, was due to be paid to him by West Ham on Jan 31.

The Iranian born businessman is understood to be claiming he has documentary and taped evidence to back up his claims while West Ham United insist they do not owe any money pertaining to this matter, adding that they are ready to go to court to prove it. A club spokesman is quoted as saying: "We have been aware of this claim from Mr Joorabchian for some time. In our view there is no substance to it and, if necessary, we will defend our position in court." Club representatives insist they will not know exactly what Joorabchian is claiming until he files the particulars with the court. He is not thought to be seeking any monies on behalf of Tevez. Instead, it is thought the claim relates to loan fees, insurance for the player and other agents' fees he believes he was contractually entitled to. The first part of the claim is understood to be linked to promises made by the club's former chairman, Terry Brown, and managing director, Paul Aldridge, who negotiated the original loan deal which took Tevez and Argentine team-mate Javier Mascherano to West Ham in August 2006. The second tranche of £2.6 million is understood to relate to a verbal agreement Joorabchian says he had with Eggert Magnusson - the club's former chairman and frontman for the Icelandic takeover by billionaire Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson in November 2006.

West Ham United have always maintained no verbal or written agreements exist to back up Joorabchian's claims; it was one of the central tenets behind the club's stance during the protracted legal wrangles throughout the summer. They also believe that any outstanding issues with Joorabchian or Tevez's owners, Just Sports Inc and Media Sports Investment, were settled at the time of last August's out-of-court deal which secured the player's transfer to Manchester United. At that time, in an agreement designed to placate the Premier League, Just Sport and MSI agreed to pay West Ham United £2 million for the release of Tevez's registration. Manchester United agreed to pay Just Sport and MSI a £5 million loan fee plus £5 million a year to Tevez in wages. The deal avoided a bitter and highly expensive court battle.

A Football Association arbitration panel are due to rule next month on Sheffield United's claim that West Ham should not have been allowed to continue playing Tevez after they were found guilty of breaching league rules on third party ownership last season. A Premier League chairmen's meeting tomorrow is expected to prohibit the third party ownership of players.

Julien Opens His Trap

Julien Faubert has claimed in an interview that Giovanni Trapattoni could still be on his way to West Ham United. The former Italian manager is thought to be in the frame for the Republic of Ireland national job and was briefly linked with the Hammers' vacant 'Director of Football' role last month. The speculation was largely dismissed at the time. However Faubert - speaking in an interview with RMC - claimed that the 68-year-old could indeed be on his way to East London. "His arrival is possible, it is up in the air," said Faubert. "I don’t know if it will happen or not. I have a person at the club - he is Italian - who speaks French and helps me with the translation who told me about [it]. He [Trapattoni] would be a huge boost for our tactics because we have gaps in that area of the game, on the defending and positioning aspects."

With comments that are sure to be an eye-opener for Alan Curbishley, Faubert stated he was surprised by the lack of tactical training sessions and revealed how his team-mates have welcomed him. "We rarely speak tactics at training," he said. "It’s only based on little games and since I’ve been here we have just done two tactical training sessions. We just do games and try to play in little spaces with everybody in the front. They had ideas about French players so they tested me when I arrived; kindly kicked me (laughs). What is good here is that they kick you, then you kick them, but nobody complains, it’s just part of the game. Honestly, you have to be physically strong; everybody is big in my team, apart from the small strikers. They don’t like cry babies, players who stay on the grass. You have to accept being kicked and give it back to them. It’s their game and if it happened at training in France it would finish in brawls, but here the mentality is different."

The 24-year-old admits that English football is a brand new world for him, following his spells with Cannes and Bordeaux. "They do everything upside down and everything is different here and the league can’t be compared to the French one," he added. "They fight for every ball and the refs don’t whistle often. Then, the games are much quicker, they are not focused on tactics at all, there is no time to rest. You arrive at the stadium an hour before the game, contrary to in France where you are away with the team in a hotel a night before. It shows you if you are a professional or not because you are your own boss. It’s up to you to eat well, to drink enough, and to rest to be ready on D-day."

The Frenchman also spoke about his troubles since arriving in England, in particular the serious Achilles injury. "For the moment only bad things happened to me, first the injury, then the robbery," he commented. "It was difficult, especially when you move to a new club, but it is part of the past and I am looking for better days." A starting role is a priority for the flying winger who played in the practice match against Queens Park Rangers yesterday. "Being a starter is the next objective, but I have to pass stage after stage. I have been waiting for six months so I can wait for a few more weeks. I am not at my top form yet so I won’t risk being stupidly injured again."

Addressing the club's ambitions this season and their future plans to grow as a club, Faubert insists the team can qualify for a European cup. "I think that we haven’t been lucky from the start of the season because many players have been injured, a lot of recruits have been injured, but players are starting to come back, Craig Bellamy for example," he said. "I think that we can qualify for a European cup, that is the club’s aim. I think that we can do it. They want to create a new training centre and within two or three years to create a new stadium a little less big than Emirates Stadium but the same kind."

Seeing Stars

When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

When the Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold. They believe that when something has suffered damage then it becomes more beautiful. It is in this spirit that Calum Davenport has been speaking to the media for the first time since breaking a bone in his neck in the first game of his recent loan spell at Watford. The defender joined The Hornets as cover for Danny Shittu, who has been on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations. However, disaster struck for the West Ham man after team-mate Darius Henderson landed awkwardly on him in the game against Charlton. Talking to Sky Sports News, Davenport said that he believed the injury is going to make him a better person and that he is just thankful his football career is not over.


"I'm definitely going to have a different aspect on everything that I'm doing to be honest," he stated. "I think there was a lot of swelling and bleeding around my neck and obviously I broke a bone. It was quite worrying for me, but thankfully I'm still walking because some people don't come through it. I'm going to be alright. It's a long road but I'm going to come through it. It's difficult when you're picking up injury after injury to stay motivated and to see any light at the end of the tunnel, but I've got a good family around me who can pick you back up when you are feeling low. It's made me a better person. Even in the last two weeks since it happened I look at things differently. I was lying there thinking the worst. I'm just thankful that I'm still going to be able to play football which is something I love."

Two others who are well on the road to recovery are Craig Bellamy and Bobby Zamora. Both strikers were on target for West Ham United on Monday in the specially arranged practice match against Queen's Park Rangers. Zamora, after a knee injury, was getting his first run-out since 28 August and was a lively presence in the 2-1 victory alongside Bellamy, himself just coming back from an abdominal problem. The duo played for 60 and 65 minutes respectively. While Bellamy is nearer to full fitness having played a reserve-team game and then come on as a substitute at Wigan Athletic, Zamora has not figured since the League Cup game away to Bristol Rovers. There were also starts for Julien Faubert on the right wing and Nolberto Solano in central midfield. Faubert has not featured in the last two first-team games because of a slight calf strain after making three substitute appearances previously but played the full 90 minutes. Solano also continued his comeback from a hamstring problem and, having got most of the second half at Wigan on Saturday, played the first half before making way.

While Alan Curbishley looks forward to some relief on the injury front, he has again refuted the rumours circulating over the weekend concerning the extent of Scott Parker's injury. The midfielder is currently on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury in the win over Manchester United in December. Reports over the weekend suggested Parker could be ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with the latest injury, but Curbishley insists the former Newcastle and Charlton man will be back in action in six weeks. "Contrary to stories this week, Scotty Parker is about a month or six weeks away," Curbishley told the club's official website.

Elsewhere, Anton Ferdinand has revealed he is relishing life at West Ham United and insists that he is playing with freedom for "the first time in a long while". The home-grown centre-back, who turns 23 next month, has been a rock at the heart of the defence since returning to action in stunning fashion with a goal in the 2-1 victory at home to Manchester United on 29 December. It is clear for all to see that the longest serving player at the Boleyn Ground is focused solely on his football. "I am enjoying myself," he said. "This is the first time in a long while where I am playing with nothing over my head and I feel free. I am concentrating on nothing but football and I think that is showing in my play." Such has been the nature of his performances, that Ferdinand, who earned 17 caps as an Under-21 international, admitted he had hoped to figure in Fabio Capello's initial 30-man England squad. He added: "I was disappointed but all I can do is play football and play well for West Ham United. That is what I am going to try and maintain." Since that United victory, Ferdinand has formed a terrific partnership with Matthew Upson, who has deservedly received an international call.

Upson will be hoping to feature in England's friendly clash with Switzerland tomorrow; just one of several players representing their country over the next few days. Lucas Neill is in Australia's squad for their opening 2010 World Cup qualifier against Qatar in Melbourne. The match will be played at 7.30pm local time in what will be a tough week for the West Ham United skipper. Neill said: "I will be flying to Australia to play a World Cup qualifier against Qatar on Wednesday night. Then it is straight back on the plane to be ready for Birmingham at home on the Saturday. Physically it is going to be tough but with the break in matches that follows I know I will have a chance to recuperate. My desire to want to qualify for the World Cup coupled with the FIFA ruling means it's a game I must attend. However, I realise this is a very important time for me and the West Ham team as every win is crucial to achieving our European dream so I wish the timing could have been better."

John Pantsil has continued involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations and will be hopeful of selection for Ghana in Thursday's semi-final, while George McCartney is in contention for a start against Bulgaria in Belfast. Mark Noble has been selected by England for the European Under-21 Championship qualifier tonight against the Republic of Ireland in Southampton and Jack Collison will figure today when Wales go to Malta in the same competition. Both countries are firmly in contention for play-off places ahead of the 2009 finals in Sweden. However, the returning Craig Bellamy and Danny Gabbidon were pulled out of the Wales squad against Norway in Wrexham. Freddie Ljungberg will not travel with Sweden to Turkey either as the established captain has been rested to give younger players some valuable experience, and Jonathan Spector is not involved in the US's home friendly against Mexico.

Capo Di Tutti Capi

Paolo Di Canio has revealed that his dream job is to be manager of West Ham one day. The flamboyant Italian, who spent four tempestuous years with the Hammers between 1999 and 2003 is set to hang up his boots at the end of this season, but intends to go straight into management - with the Hammers very much in his sights.

"I'm a little too old to carry on playing so I will take up managing next year. I hope to have the same success as a coach that I did as a player," he told the Daily Mail. "My dream would be to manage in the Premier League because English football is the best in the world and my dream in particular would be to manage at West Ham - that would be perfect. I spent four seasons there and I would love to go back and win something with them. The fans are fantastic there and the atmosphere at Upton Park was always so special. Every weekend I watch all the English games on TV but I always look out for the West Ham score, I have a special place for them in my heart. When I watch the Premier League I am always proud to see players that were young boys when I was at West Ham - I'm talking about Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand and Trevor Sinclair. When I was there they were really young so I saw them grow up into men and players and I am proud to watch them playing at the top level in the Champions League. The standard in the Premier League was always good but these players and Jermain Defoe also stand out for me as the best English players."

Di Canio left the club after a row with then manager Glenn Roeder and spent a year at Charlton before returning to his boyhood team Lazio where he had also played. In 2001, he famously won the FIFA Fair Play Award after shunning a goalscoring opportunity the previous December when Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard was lying injured on the ground. FIFA described the act as "a special act of good sportsmanship." The Italian was also remembered for his fiery temper and the infamous incident where he pushed referee Paul Alcock to the ground after he was sent off during a Sheffield Wednesday match against Arsenal.

He said: "I'm a bit different now, I try to keep control of my temper but I sometimes still get a rush of blood." (Di Canio was given a four-match ban last week after insulting a referee last Sunday at his current club Cisco Roma.) The Italian, who will be 40 later this year, also praised FA chiefs for picking Fabio Capello as the national team squad - despite their previous stormy past. While on a far East tour in 1996 with AC Milan Di Canio and Capello had a blazing stand up row peppered with f-words in the changing room after the bespectacled coach substituted him at half time. Di Canio revealed: "We have had our problems in the past. Capello has a strong character and he is very determined. Things like that happen between players and managers all the time. I met him after that and we shook hands and it was all put behind us. These things can happen in football. But the FA have made a good choice with Capello. He won in Italy and Spain, everywhere he has been he has won something. I think he will do a great job. He is an intelligent man and when he wants something he will work 24 hours a day to get it."

Di Canio starts his year-long manager's course at Coverciano - the Italian equivalent of Bisham Abbey in the summer.

Bask in the madness...

Youth On The Rise

There was at least some good news this weekend when the U 18's recorded an impressive away victory against their Arsenal counterparts. Goals from Daniel Kearns and Freddie Sears helped West Ham United to a 2-0 victory against a strong Arsenal side on Saturday morning, thereby avenging a 6-1 home defeat in the previous meeting of the two clubs earlier this campaign.

After a slow start from both sides in the first 20 minutes, West Ham United broke the deadlock through Kearns. The young Northern Irishman cut inside from the left flank before scoring with a fierce low shot that was deflected past the home goalkeeper. Buoyed by the goal, the Hammers kept going and Kearns found himself well-placed with another opportunity - only for the keeper to save with his legs. Ollie Lee then had a good shot deflected wide for a corner as Carr's side finished the half strongly. The second half was barely a minute old when West Ham United carved their way through the middle. Jack Jeffery burst into the box only to be brought down. With the visitors appealing for a penalty, the quick-thinking Sears pounced to tuck the ball into the net as the referee played the advantage.

At that point, those involved would have been forgiven for thinking of the previous week's 3-3 home draw against Charlton Athletic when West Ham United let a two-goal lead slip. There was to be no repeat this time around as the resolute Hammers rearguard kept the home side at bay, limiting them to long-range efforts that never really troubled Adam Street, fully fit again after his collarbone injury. Tony Carr said: "It was a great result. It certainly avenges the disappointment somewhat of the way we lost the game earlier in the season. I was really pleased with our performance and thought we thoroughly deserved it. I was particularly pleased with how we approached the game and the way we played. We finished the game worthy winners. Two-nil up can be a dangerous scoreline because a goal the other way can turn the game in a minute. We were determined not to let that happen this week and so it proved. Bondz N'Gala and Josh Payne kept Freeman very quiet. He had a decent game but we limited his attempts on goal to shots from distance." N'Gala was playing his first game back at the club since finishing a temporary spell with Weymouth.

There was a further lift for the Academy when Junior Stanislas and Freddie Sears were added to the England Under-19 squad for a prestigious friendly against Croatia on Tuesday. With the more experienced James Tomkins already named in the Young Lions selection for the match in Swindon, the addition of 18-year-old duo Sears and Stanislas brings the West Ham United contingent to three. Jordan Spence, still only 17, has also been involved with the England U19s this season but has not been called this time. Academy director Tony Carr said: "This is great recognition for the club. We want our young lads to play for their country. It gives them confidence and helps them to push on from the youths to the senior side." He added that it was particularly pleasing for prolific striker Sears to get the call, having been given his first international taste in a friendly against Belarus back in September only to then be frustrated by injury.

Sears played 27 minutes in that match after coming off the bench, and looked set to continue with England because of a fine scoring run with West Ham United. However, a broken foot set him back and he has not figured again until this latest call-up. It is richly deserved, with the striker having scored five goals in four games since the turn of the year. "I am delighted for Freddie," Carr added. "He got called up before and got injured so it is nice for him to be involved." Stanislas is also looking for his second taste of England duty, having been called for the friendly away to Germany last November - the U19s last outing. The attacking midfielder was also forced into a spell on the sidelines over the turn of the year, recovering from a bruised foot to return last week and then get another run-out against Arsenal on Saturday. That Germany game also featured Tomkins, who was once more with the first team up at Wigan Athletic on Saturday afternoon.

Another youngster who will be involved in international action this week is fast emerging Welsh midfielder Jack Collison. The 19-year-old reserve-team captain is in Malta for a Tuesday lunchtime fixture which could see Wales take first place in qualifying group 10. After collecting nine points from their first four fixtures, the principality are two points behind Romania and France but have one and two games in hand on the leaders respectively. For Collison, it is also a high-profile chance to show off his talents, having made a significant impact on his U21 debut last November, scoring a stunning solo goal to round out a 4-0 home victory for Wales against Bosnia-Herzegovina. He followed that up three days later with a fine display against a strong visiting France team, as Wales won 4-2.

"Obviously at international level you are playing against top-class players and that can only help me raise my own game," the midfielder said. "Last time I got called up, we got two positive results and, if we win, we can go top of the group, which is a great position to be in for the last couple of games. It would be great to qualify for the finals. Also, I'm not playing that regularly at the moment, so these matches will come in handy for me. We don't have many reserves games and, while I am in and around the squad, I don't feature every week so the international break will be good for me to get these games under my belt."

Collison made his senior debut for West Ham United as a substitute against Arsenal on New Year's Day and was yet again with the first team for Saturday's fixture at Wigan Athletic. "This season has been very good for me so far. At the start, I got to travel away with the first team, then I made my international debut and then my debut for West Ham against Arsenal. I just have to carry on working hard and keep pushing on, to cement a place at West Ham and in the Welsh squad. Making it to the senior teams on both accounts is the aim. With Wales, I scored last time around and it would be nice to get on the score-sheet again and hopefully make another good impression."

Wigan Athletic 1 West Ham United 0

Pitch Battles Show Wigan An Obvious Route To Safety by David Hopps

From the primordial swamp otherwise known as the JJB Stadium pitch, comes the signs of stirring. Wigan Athletic might not be the highest evolutionary form known to the Premier League, but on this evidence they are certainly one of the most combative... Guardian

Heskey Injury Takes Gloss Off Wigan Win by Peter Keeling

Wigan's joy at gaining the three points that took them out of the relegation zone was tempered somewhat by their striker Emile Heskey limping out of the match and out of Wednesday's international friendly with Switzerland... Observer

Wigan Revival Continues Under Steve Bruce by Neil Johnston

Considering the drama in his private life, Wilson Palacios could be excused for not having the appetite for a relegation battle. After all, the “King of Honduras” has more pressing matters on his mind, such as whether he will see his 15-year-old brother again... Times

Heskey Ruled Out But Wigan Battle On by Pete Oliver

WIGAN’S revival under Steve Bruce has so far been a stop-start affair but suddenly they must see a chink of light in their escape tunnel from the relegation places. After deservedly beating West Ham yesterday, Sunderland and Derby County now stand between them and breathing space in their next two pivotal fixtures... Sunday Times

Kilbane Revives New-Age Wigan by Dan Murphy

The pitch belonged to another age, but there was no mistaking that this Wigan team is very much a creation of the Premier League-era... Independent

Injured Heskey Out Of England Squad by Graham Chase

It has always been a habit of those connected to West Ham to wonder and hope more than most but growing ambitions of European football next season suffered a firm jolt as Alan Curbishley's side came up second best in the Lancashire mud... Sunday Telegraph

Wilson Palacios Crowns Wigan's Victory by Phil Shaw

It was a moment loaded with symbolism. Lee Bowyer was overpowered by one of the Wigan midfield, the West Ham substitute's face a picture of disbelief as he looked up from the ground. He said nothing, but inscribed on his features were the words, "Who on earth are you - and where did you spring from?"... Telegraph

It's All Rosy For Kirkland On The Cabbage Pitch by Chris Wheeler

With a clean sheet for his club and a clean slate for his country, Chris Kirkland had every reason to smile on Saturday night. Having survived what he described as Wigan's 'nightmare' pitch without making an ill-timed blunder, Kirkland beat Fabio Capello's cut to make the final 23-man squad for the Italian's first game in charge against Switzerland on Wednesday... Mail

J'Accuse Jeff Vetere

Another Sunday tabloid round-up and another round of spurious rumours. It is the People's turn this week to feature a negative story about the Irons, this time concerning the club being hit with a £7million writ for unpaid fees pertaining to Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. Kia Joorabchian, the man who took the Argentinian stars to Upton Park last season, has launched the lawsuit in the High Court. The People 'understand' Joorabchian has written and taped evidence which will support his claim, which covers insurance and loan fees, plus other services. According to the article, the writ is another 'massive' blow to the Hammers, who are also facing a claim for damages from Sheffield United, who were relegated from the Premier League last term. The Blades launched their own action after the decision by an independent commission to issue a £5.5m fine - instead of a points penalty - against West Ham United for irregularities over the signing of Tevez and Mascherano.

In the same paper, Robert Green has insisted that he will not let his England disappointments get him down. Once again the West Ham United goalkeeper was left out of the international set up after hoping that the situation might change under the new England manager Fabio Capello. After missing out he says he is ready to put his focus on performing at the domestic level. He said: "You can let it get you down if you want to but I know I can not do anything about it so I just try to play the best I can for West Ham United every week. If that is not enough then so be it. There are plenty of people who think that they should be in the England squad and are not. I believe that I am good enough to play for England. The situation is, though, that I have never played a game in the Champions League or in the Uefa Cup. If I could say that I had played 50 Champions League games then maybe the situation would be different but that does not mean I do not have the belief that I can do well for England."

While Green contemplates life in the international wilderness, Matthew Upson has been confirmed in Fabio Capello's final 23-man England squad for next Wednesday's friendly against Switzerland at Wembley Stadium. Speaking to whufc.com about his chances of playing again for England before the squad was confirmed, he said: "That is something that I am desperate to do. All I can keep doing is playing well. I am looking to improve all the time and I am really enjoying being at West Ham. We are playing some good football here. I will keep working at it and see how far it takes me."

Elsewhere, forgotten man Bobby Zamora is on the verge of a return to competitive action, some five months after he last pulled on a claret-and-blue jersey. Zamora has been recovering from a knee injury and will join Craig Bellamy and Julian Faubert in a friendly against QPR on Monday. "We have got an arranged friendly against QPR on Monday. We are hopeful we will get that out of the way and that we are much further forward," Curbishley explained on the club’s website. "I just want Bellamy and Faubert to get through this week and if Zamora can also do that, then he'll be that little bit nearer too. The little chance Bellamy had, he perhaps would have taken if he was 100 per cent right. That is where we are at the moment, I am hoping some fresh legs, some fresh minds will come back into the squad for the long run-in. Some of the players have been playing week in, week out without a break." Curbishley also reiterated that Scott Parker is not too far from a return. "Contrary to stories this week, Scotty Parker is about a month or six weeks away."

Lastly, could this picture finally solve the riddle of one of the enduring mysteries of 2007? It shows (from left) Jeff Vetere alongside new Newcastle United signings Fabio Zamblera and Ole Soderberg with Denis Wise and Tony Jimenez. Now, on June 1st last year a blurred snapshot showing Alan Curbishley in deep conversation with an unknown person appeared on all the major West Ham United forums. Speculation was rife at the time that the man in question was an imminent new signing, although no one could put a name to the face. Some were convinced that the mystery figure was Mikel Arteta, others that it was Joao Moutinho or Harry Kewell. In reality, none of these people quite so perfectly match the man in the original photo quite so well as Jeff Vetere (arrowed). When you then discover, as I did through an article in the Guardian dated a few months ago, that Vetere has definite links to our manager then the pieces fall into place. He was formally at Charlton Athletic where his official role was overseas coordinator although his day-to-day involvement included working with the youth team. Then he followed Curbishley to Upton park in January last year to work as a part-time overseas scout before being lured away by Real Madrid.

Curbs On Sunday

Alan Curbishley was in relaxed mood when he guested on Goals on Sunday this morning. West Ham United are currently sitting comfortably in mid-table, which is obviously in stark contrast to the relegation dogfight and off-field disruptions of last season. Looking back over his time since taking over as manager before Christmas in 2006, Curbishley said: "It's been an eventful year for all sorts of reasons. We went in all guns blazing and beat Man United first game and this time last year we was on 20 points, in the bottom three and we went on a losing streak of about eight games. We just couldn't win a game, we found ourselves rock bottom and it looked as if it was all over with that run in. It was just a fantastic achievement to stay up. Carlos Tevez was one of the players that was instrumental but I think people tend to forget what happened in that run-in. We kept the same side for the first time and there were big performances especially from Carlos but also Greeny (Robert Green), Bobby Zamora gave us big goals, Mark Noble came into the side and gave us a lift."

The relegation scrap came down to the final fixture and a daunting trip to the home of the newly crowned champions. "We went to Old Trafford and knew there was all these scenarios but I thought perhaps it would be sorted out somewhere else," mused Curbishley. "I was hoping that our result wasn't going to be the one that counted. As the news was coming through from Wigan v Sheffield United it became apparent that we had to take something. Funnily enough the first 80 minutes was slow and then the last 10 minutes went quickly and we managed to do it. I came out of Old Trafford thinking 'whatever I do I don't want to do that again and put West Ham through that again'.

The ex-Charlton manager now has big plans to make West Ham bigger, including a new stadium that will allow more punters through the turnstiles. "There's a big difference between managing Charlton and West Ham," stated Curbishley. "It is not so much the pressure but the expectation level, no disrespect to Charlton, is a lot bigger. I didn't realise how big West Ham was until I got inside it. I obviously played there and managed against them but until I actually got to the club I didn't realise how big it was. It's a big club and we feel we can become bigger. There's plans for a new stadium and for us to push on but obviously we've got to lay the foundations for that to happen. As I understand it we can't develop Upton Park. We have 35,000 capacity and we've got 8,000 waiting list for season tickets, we know we can attract more fans and if we move a couple of miles into Canning Town near the Olympic stadium in Stratford then once the infrastructure goes in we can attract 60,000. That's the plan and if we can do that then we might be able to push on and become a bigger club."


When questioned about the lack of activity in the recent transfer window, Curbishley was typically candid. "We spent heavily in the last window because I felt we needed to bring some players in and then we balanced the books roughly over the summer," he said. "The problem we've had is that a lot of the players I brought in have hardly played any games. But the players that have been playing this season have shown that perhaps I have a stronger squad than I thought I had."

Curbishley then turned his thoughts to yesterday's disappointing defeat at Wigan Athletic, where he labelled the JJB playing surface 'embarrassing'. "I don't know whose fault it is but I don't think the Premier League are used to it," he said. "But anybody going there has got to get used to it. It's a big factor if you're trying to play some football. I'm not saying that we were the only football team out there, I'm saying that it was massively difficult to play on. Eventually you end up knocking it long and hoping for a scrap or a set play - and that's what Wigan got in the end. I'd have taken a point while the game was going on because I knew how difficult it was. We couldn't retain the ball and couldn't get going. It didn't happened for us and we went here with great hopes. We got on top in the first half but just couldn't fashion that final ball, and I think you'll find some of my players were resorting to just putting it in there and hoping for a bit of a scrap - and it never happened for us."

Despite his concerns over the state of the pitch Curbishley was also annoyed with his team's defending for the goal, which he described as 'massively disappointing'. "A big part of Wigan's play is set plays and balls into the box, and I think we coped quite well with that," he mused. "But we got undone, which was so frustrating because when we saw it again we've got one of our smallest players on one of their biggest players and one of our biggest players not marking anyone at all."

Whilst West Ham United's fortunes at home are steadily improving, the defeat meant that the Hammers have now gone four games (in all competitions) without a win on the road. With the season now entering its final phase, Curbishley says that his team must improve if they are to have any chance of breaking into the European positions. "Our home form has changed, we're picking wins up - but we've gone a couple of games away from home now where we haven't," he added. "We've had a very consistent run but for us to push into the top six we've obviously got to pick some wins up. We play Birmingham next week and then Fulham. So we've got to get results in the next two games if we're going to have a chance of doing that."

Hairdos And Hoodoos

Scott Parker will miss the rest of West Ham United's season with a knee injury according to a report in the Mail. The former Newcastle midfielder, who has made just 10 appearances since joining in a £7million deal last summer, was hurt in a tackle with Cristiano Ronaldo during the Hammers' 2-1 victory over Manchester United in December. He had only just returned from a lengthy lay off. At the time Alan Curbishley said: "It's a different injury. It's the same knee, but it's a different injury, he's hurt his knee cap this time. He's a resilient boy, he's been through it a little bit, and he'll come out stronger because of it. If it was similar injury, or the same injury, then I think we'd all be a bit disappointed, but it's a new injury, so we've just got to get on with it." It should be mentioned that the story is at odds with the party line from yesterday when it was stated on the official site that the player was a month away from a first team return. The Mirror claims that while Curbishley is still insisting that the midfielder will return, privately West Ham are coming to terms with the fact that Parker is extremely unlikely to play before the end of the current campaign.

If that news was not bad enough for Alan Curbishley, the same article claims there is a serious rift in the relationship between the manager and frustrated striker Dean Ashton. The forward, who was on the substitutes' bench for the 1-0 victory over Liverpool on Wednesday, is claimed to believe his club boss is damaging his England career. Ashton has been omitted from Fabio Capello's squad for Wednesday's friendly against Switzerland because he has not played enough games and the former Norwich striker is reportedly seething about his lack of first-team action. The story is also in the Mirror where it is claimed Capello sent his men to watch Ashton on several occasions but still decided to go with other options. An FA insider, as quoted in the Sun, insists the England boss does rate the striker but feels he has not played enough games. There is, of course, very little substance to support these claims. Indeed, it would have been a shock to most West Ham fans had Ashton received a call-up. His lack of sharpness and mobility since his return from injury means he has hardly warranted a place for club let alone country.

A similarly disgruntled figure is mercurial winger Luis Boa Morte. A section of the Upton Park crowd have turned on the Portugal international in recent weeks, and he was even booed in midweek despite the Hammers recording a memorable 1-0 win over Liverpool. "The supporters were booing, but I don't know why," Boa Morte told Sky Sports News. "I agree if they are not happy because I've not scored enough goals. Okay fair enough. If they feel I did not work hard enough, we're probably not watching the same game. I don't want them to boo me for the hard work because every single team I've had in England I've always worked hard. Things have not been going my way. I just have to dig in and keep working hard because I know the goals will come. I'm not going to throw in the towel. I'm going to keep working hard and to go and see a witch to see if she can help with the scoring."

Finally, Alan Curbishley has expressed dismay at Robert Green's omission from the England squad. Speaking ahead of the game against Wigan Athletic, he joked that perhaps the keeper's barnet was the problem. "I think Greeny perhaps is not spectacular enough - perhaps he's got to dye his hair to make himself seem more spectacular," smiled Curbishley. "Since I've been at the club he's been the same throughout. There's been lots of talk that he should be included but he has been consistent whenever I've spoken to him. All he will do is play as well as he can and, if the situation changes, it changes. I don't think he will see it any other way. His performances haven't gone unnoticed - we know that - and he just has to keep going. I don't think being left out of the squad is going to change his mentality. He'll just take it on the chin and get on with it. There is no part of his game he needs to work on, he's just been very, very consistent for us."

The Road To Wigan Tears

The atom bombs are piling up in the factories, the police are prowling through the cities, the lies are streaming from the loudspeakers, but the earth is still going round the sun

George Orwell

It is a strange world where the prospect of a football fixture against Wigan Athletic can elicit a response beyond apathy. Yet so hopelessly entwined have our paths become over the last few seasons, so antagonistic have the feelings grown between the clubs, that a trip into darkest Lancashire now enters into the realms of the mildly interesting. Indeed, not only have both parties steadfastly refused to bury the hatchet from last season's Tevezgate fiasco, but 'Honest' Dave Whelan has decided to ratchet the hostility even further by purposely seeking the services of the one Premiership manager designed to irritate West Ham fans above all others. I can think of no other reason for the employment of Steve Bruce. Yet strip away the recent history, the odious manager, the squealing Wigan 'hordes' and the hyperbolic media squall and underneath you're left with the banality of a visit to the JJB. On current form it should be three points, and when West Ham United visit it usually is.

Barclays Premier League
Wigan Athletic v West Ham United
JJB Stadium
Saturday 2 February
3pm
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Weather: The forecast is for a chilly afternoon, with the threat of sleet/snow. The temperature is set to peak at around 4C.
Odds: Wigan 11/8. Draw 21/10. West Ham 13/8

Tenth-placed West Ham United will look to follow up Wednesday's 1-0 win against Liverpool - thanks to Mark Noble's last-gasp penalty winner - with another league success at Wigan Athletic. Orwell's own country is a happy hunting ground for the Irons who have not lost in all five of their previous visits, winning four of those trips north. Consistency has been the watch word for Alan Curbishley's men, who have now lost just three league games (to Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton) since October. Victory could take the Hammers up to eighth - depending on Portsmouth and Blackburn Rovers, who begin the weekend one and two points ahead respectively. The club are eight points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in eleventh, with a game in hand.

Relegation threatened Wigan had been a somewhat rejuvenated force under new boss Steve Bruce, picking up four wins and three draws in the 11 games since he joined the club, but have slipped back into the bottom following their 1-0 loss at Middlesbrough on Tuesday. The Latics have lost their last three league and cup games but know a win could potentially lift them to 14th in the table. They have not won any of their last 15 meetings with London clubs, although have Marcus Bent in good form with seven top-flight goals.

fter the last-minute victory over Liverpool, Alan Curbishley will be tempted to keep the same side but has Nolberto Solano and possibly Danny Gabbidon back in contention. Dean Ashton will as usual be pushing for inclusion while Craig Bellamy and Julian Faubert both face late fitness tests. Bobby Zamora again misses out but will participate in a practice game on Monday and Scott Parker is still thought to be a month away from first team action. Of the longer term casualties, Kieron Dyer continues to make good progress, while James Collins' cruciate ligament damage will keep him out for at least six months. Nigel Quashie (knee) and Calum Davenport (neck) are also sidelined. John Pantsil is still on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Ghana, who will play Nigeria in the quarter-finals on Sunday, and although on-loan Henri Camara is due back at the club after Senegal's shock elimination from the tournament, he is ineligible to play against his parent club.

Wigan manager Steve Bruce is set for a tough decision in attack ahead of the game against West Ham United. Bruce played debutant Marlon King alongside Marcus Bent and Emile Heskey in an experimental three-pronged forward line in the defeat at Middlesbrough, but one of them will miss out after Bruce confirmed he will revert to a two-man strike force. King arrived from Championship outfit Watford for £4.5 million but came off on Tuesday with a knock that could make his selection a non issue. Swedish full-back Erik Edman is Bruce’s only other injury doubt having sustained a calf problem, while Erik Hagen could come straight into the side if his international clearance is sorted out. The tough-tackling 32-year-old Norway signed yesterday on loan from Russian club Zenit St Petersburg. Jason Koumas could return to the line up, with fellow regular sub Antoine Siberski likely to stay on the bench until the closing stages. Other January additions include Honduras international pair Wilson Palacios (who has made his loan move permanent) and Maynor Figueroa (who arrives on loan from Deportivo Olimpia) and pacy winger Luis Antonio Valencia who has officially signed on from Villareal.

The teams last met on 25 August at the Boleyn Ground, the second home fixture of the season. After a close-fought encounter, Paul Scharner put Wigan ahead on 78 minutes before Lee Bowyer equalised two minutes later and it finished 1-1. In the corresponding fixture last season the Hammers brushed aside the Latics 3-0, part of the impressive run of seven wins in ten games that saw them clear of relegation. Two of the scorer's that day, Marlon Harewood and Yossi Benayon, are no longer with the club, while the other, Luis Boa Morte, has hardly been prolific - it remains the Portugal winger's only goal for the east Londoners since his move from Fulham in January last year. Head to head (last six league meetings)

25 August 2007 - West Ham United 1-1 Wigan Athletic
28 April 2007 - Wigan Athletic 0-3 West Ham United
6 December 2006 - West Ham United 0-2 Wigan Athletic
25 March 2006 - Wigan Athletic 1-2 West Ham United
28 December 2005 - West Ham United 0-2 Wigan Athletic
2 April 2005 - Wigan Athletic 1-2 West Ham United