Grant Remains Positive

The Star claim that Liverpool are targeting Carlton Cole and Peter Crouch as January signings.


Avram Grant says West Ham can still avoid relegation,

"I don't want to talk about history, whether things are possible or not possible. We are not in a situation where we cannot do it - we can do it.

"We need to win games, we have deserved to win games and will try to do it in the next game. We are not yet in November, so we have time to do it. There are six or seven months until the end of the season.

Even if we were in this situation in April, I would not think it was the end of the world."

Arsenal 1 West Ham 0

Upson didn't recover in time for this game but Piquionne did start.

A really good first half from West Ham restricted Arsenal to only two or three clear chances and West Ham even managed to show a bit of threat going forwards. Arsenal's best chance of the half fell to Fabregas only 10 yards out but Green pulled out the save of the season to deny the midfielder.

Arsenal's only other clear chances came in the dying minutes of the half. In the 45th minute Green was forced to save at his feet from a Song 12 yard shot and then tip the ball over the bar in response to a Squillaci header.

In midfield for West Ham Parker did well breaking up the play and Noble looked really effective breaking and passing forward. West Ham's best chance of the half fell to Noble when he broke forward on his own, carrying the ball to 26 yards of the goal and driving the ball goalwards. Unfortunately his shot was straight at Fabianski in goal.

Overall West Ham would have gone into the break pretty pleased with their first half performance.


The second half was nearly all one way traffic with West Ham being forced into some desperate back to the wall defending. In the 53rd minute Nasri fired a freekick in from all of 40 yards that had Green beaten but clipped the bar in going over.

For most of the half West Ham defended really well and Green was pretty outstanding again in goal. In the 68th minute Green saved a Chamakh header from 7 yards. In the 71st minute however Green was well beaten by Walcott after he cut in from the right and fired a shot across goal. The ball however rebounded off the left hand post and back into Green's arms.

In the 83rd minute Green got down well to save a deflected Walcott shot from the edge of the box. In the 85th minute Green again did well to save a 12 yard shot from Fabregas. However in the 88th minute Green could do nothing when Clichy crossed into the box from the left and Song dove in to head home from 4 yards.


All in all it was a pretty good performance from West Ham. There seemed a lot more commitment than in the Newcastle game and a willingness for all eleven players to work for the team.

Upson & Piquionne Doubts for Saturday

According to The Daily Mirror Upson and Piquionne are both still doubtful for tomorrow's game. The paper quotes Upson as saying,

"I have a small tightness in the hamstring. I know my body now and it was one of those when, if I need to burst or sprint quickly, I’m going to tear the muscle.

It’s not going to keep me out for long."

The paper also says that Piquionne is 50/50 to be fit for the game.


The Daily Star and The Daily Mail have both run stories saying that Avram Grant faces the sack if the next few games don't go West Ham's way.

David Gold, however, has ridiculed these stories,

"To talk about sacking Avram after just 10 games is utterly ridiculous. He will be given time. I've seen enough to know we have a competent management team, good players and that we'll win games."

West Ham Get Out of Jail

Stoke 1 West Ham 3

I didn't get to see this game but from the sound of it West Ham made a reasonable recovery after an awful first half.

By all accounts Stoke were fairly unlucky to go in to the half-time break only one goal to the good. As it was West Ham went behind early on after once again failing to cope with a ball crossed into the box. In the 6th minute Jones headed home a Pennant cross.


After the break West Ham appear to have played some better football and equalised within six minutes of the end of 90 minutes. Once again West Ham's saviour was Parker nodding in from 8 yards from a Barrara cross.

The game then went into extra time. In the 96th minute Mark Noble beat three defenders before cutting the ball back to Manuel da Costa, who scored from ten yards. Late on Noble did it again with a slide rule pass sending Obinna clear. Obinna then wrapped the game up with West Ham's third.

Nouble Recalled

KUMB are reporting that Frank Nouble has been recalled two months early from his three month loan to Swansea. KUMB say that he has been recalled because of the injury to Frederic Piquionne.


The Daily Mail claim that West Ham are set to make an offer for Barcelona striker Bojan Krkic but could face competition from Chelsea.

The 20-year-old, who can also play on the wing, hit the back of the net seven times in his last 12 games last season but has failed to score this season. He is currently being used mostly as a substitute by Barcelona.


The Guardian report that Piquionne and Upson will be absent against Stoke because of injuries. However Avram Grant says that the club are taking the competition seriously,

"The Carling Cup is important We won at Sunderland in the last round and this gave us a big lift forward for the league. We played well against a difficult team, and then won against Tottenham. We want to do the same again. It will be a big test. Against Stoke it is always a battle, a physical and mental battle.

"You always need to be awake, as it is a different style of football. We did well at Stoke in the league last month and I hope we reproduce that. We have to make the match all about us. We have bounced back before this season and we will be working hard to do that once again."

West Ham Need to Score More Goals

The Daily Mirror says that Matthew Upson will be back to face Arsenal but that both he and Piquionne are sure to miss the Carling Cup-tie against Stoke.


Matthew Upson says that West Ham need to analyse what went wrong against Newcastle but he thinks that the club can get clear of the relegation zone,

"We have to go away, analyse and find out the reasons why we unperformed. We know two wins is really going to pick you up out of there and thrust you into mid-table area. I think that is an area we feel we can realistically maintain.

When Carlton's fit and playing he's a great asset for us. With him back playing and fit it gives a good selection of strikers, that's important for us because I don't think we've scored more than one goal in a few games now. We need to increase that ratio."

West Ham Remain Positive

Matthew Upson says that West Ham are not panicking after Saturday's poor performance,

"We're not hitting the panic button. People can get carried away with our performances and our position but before this game we went on a five-match unbeaten run. We weren't on a drastically bad run. We just need to turn a few draws into wins."

Avram Grant is also remaining positive and says his job is not under threat,

"I remain positive. It is harder now but there are just under 30 games to go and we have games in the next two months that we can win.

"If we play like we did until now, when we had five games unbeaten and all the draws we were more close to winning, we will be okay. The owners told me they are patient, they understand. We knew that this season would be tough, we don't want to be in this situation."

West Ham 1 Newcastle 2

West Ham started with Cole and Behrami in for Dyer and Boa Morte, with Upson back in defence.

A fairly even first half was rewarded by goals for both sides. West Ham started the stronger of the two teams. This early pressure led to a goal in the 12th minute when Noble played a long ball forward from the halfway line. His ball found Piquionne in behind the Newcastle defence, wide left in the penalty area. Piquionne shot low and hard across the goal, his shot was going wide but Cole got to the ball first to fire in from four yards out.

After the goal Newcastle then began to dominate the play. In the 23rd minute Newcastle got back on even terms, after a cross from the right wing was knocked down in the area by Carroll for Nolan to shoot home from 7 yards.

West Ham then had a reasonable chance straight from the restart after some good work from Piquionne set up Obinna on the edge of the area but his chipped shot was well over.

As the half progressed Obinna's pace on the left wing began to lead to chances for West Ham. In the 36th minute Obinna bombed down the wing and fired a cross into the six yard box. Cole was just beaten to the ball by the Newcastle defence to deny the striker his second from 4 yards. In the 38th minute some more good work from Obinna on the left led to a Parker shot from 35 yards. But his shot flew well over.

So after a fairly even half the sides headed into the break on even terms.


West Ham didn't bother coming out for the second half. At least it didn't look like it. Newcastle were first to every ball, won every 50-50 challenge and West Ham could hardly string two passes together.

Admittedly West Ham didn't have too much luck with Upson and Piquionne both being forced off with injuries. However the writing was on the wall even before Upson's and Piquionne's injuries, with Newcastle looking by far the more adventurous.

In the 69th minute Carroll scored an easy headed goal from a left wing cross. Da Costa seemed to just walk away from the cross to allow Carroll to head home unopposed from 6 yards.

West Ham I think had only one effort on goal in the whole of the half when Da Costa headed well wide from 10 yards.

In truth West Ham were lucky not to lose the game by a wider margin. Mostly this season Grant has been able to get more out of his side in the second half of games but today West Ham offered absolutely nothing after the break.

Slide Tackle the Referee

Avram Grant says he may have to ask the West Ham players to hassle the referee if they keep giving decisions against the team. Grant is presumably upset at Piquionne's winning goal at Wolves being disallowed for handball.

"I don't want to think it's because my players are behaving well and not jumping on the referees and we on the bench are sporting. But it is affecting us. There are so many decisions going against us.

"If I think the other team has an advantage because of this, I will try. I always say to the players I like them when they are nice and positive, come to the pitch and you need to give everything.

"I am following the situation now. It is not my way to say, 'Scott Parker, next time slide-tackle the referee'. But I will think about this if I see it continue."


The Daily Mirror and The Daily Mail both have almost identical team reports before today's game. They say that Matthew Upson is pushing for a return to action against Newcastle after missing West Ham's draw at Wolves last weekend with a neck strain.

Defender Manuel Da Costa has been training all week and is available for selection after being released on police bail following his arrest on suspicion of sexual assault.

Winger Pablo Barrera and defender Winston Reid are back in contention after being rested last week following their return from international duty.

The Guardian's team report includes some predicted dates for the recovery of West Ham's injured players:

Collison (knee, 6 Nov), Hines (knee, 6 Nov), Hitzlsperger (thigh, Feb)

Da Costa Arrested

The Daily Mail and the BBC are reporting that West Ham defender Manuel Da Costa has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault.

A police spokesperson said,

"On Tuesday a 24-year-old man attended an east London police station by appointment, where he was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and common assault.

He was later bailed to return to the police station in early December pending further inquiries."

The arrest followed allegations made by a woman in her early 20s at an east London police station in the early hours of Sunday morning, following an alleged incident at Faces night club.

Upson Back for Barcodes Game

The Daily Mail says that West Ham captain Matthew Upson has returned to training after injury and will be fit to face Newcastle at Upton Park on Saturday.

The Mail also claim that West Ham lead Celtic and Wigan in the chase for former Bayern Munich keeper Michael Rensing. Rensing is a free agent.


TalkSport claim that West Ham are interested in signing Robert Pires. Pires is now 36 and a free agent. The article on TalkSport mentions that Zola was keen to buy Pires and seem to extrapolate from that fact that Avram Grant may also therefore be interested.

It all sounds like desperate talk from the agent of a player without a contract.

Sears Sent to Scunthorpe

Freddie Sears has joined Scunthorpe on loan for one month.


Avram Grant says that Matthew Upson should be in the England squad,

"He was proud to play for England and is still proud. I think he is still available. He needs to be back in the squad. It would be good for him and also good for England."


Victor Obinna says he is enjoying playing in the Premier League,

"I am settled now and I’m enjoying myself. This is the kind of football I really wanted to play and I’m really happy to be here and to play in the English Premier League.

The football is really fast and that’s the kind of football I’m hoping to play. I’ve been trying to adapt and it hasn’t been that difficult for me. I’m looking to start scoring goals because I believe that is what West Ham wants."

Upson Misses Game with Back Problems

The West Ham defence were in disarray in the first half of the Wolves game and certainly seemed to miss the presence of Matthew Upson. Avram Grant says that Upson has a minor back problem,

"He had a back and neck problem. He could not move his neck on the morning (of the game), but the back four played well, especially in the second half."


Victor Obinna has revealed that Avram Grant read the riot act to the players during half time at Wolves,

"He was really mad because he knows the quality in the team and he was really, really upset with the way we played. He just told us to go out and prove ourselves. It was justified from the manager as I think Wolves were the better side in the first half."

Obinna was also convinced that Piquionne's late disallowed goal was legitimate,

"It was a clean goal. It hit him on his chest."


Avram Grant says he is bewildered why Scott Parker has not been called up by England,

“With due respect for others, there is no doubt Scott has been the best midfielder this season. I’m not the England manager but I’m sure Scott deserves to be there. He plays well offensively and defensively and he’s good on the ball.

I’ve been working with Scott for four months and he is a top, top professional.

He can be an example to everybody because he always gives his best if he’s in a good mood or not in a good mood. I don’t think it just came as a gift, he made it happen by training well, by behaving well, by always being positive."

Wolves 1 West Ham 1

West Ham started with Ben-Haim in for the injured Upson, with Gabbidon moving to the centre to partner Da Costa. Dyer was in for Barrera. Wolves suffered an injury early on and had to replace Craddock with Stearman in defence within the first five minutes.

Wolves started the brighter of the two sides and in the 10th minute got the reward for their early pressure. Jarvis hooked the ball into the net from 7 yards after West Ham failed a number of times to clear the ball. A minute after the restart Wolves almost got their second but Jones was denied by a good Green save.

It took West Ham about 25 minutes to settle into the game. After being on the back foot for most of the half West Ham began to maintain possession for periods without really creating any chances.

In fact it was Wolves who continued to look the more likely to score. In the 31st Ben-Haim was forced to clear the ball off the line. From the corner Green made a fingertip save from a point blank header from Stearman.

West Ham's best chance probably fell to Dyer in the 40th minute. Dyer managed to get in behind the Wolves defence but couldn't control the ball and the ball rolled harmlessly into touch.

Some awful defending in the last five minutes from West Ham almost gifted Wolves another goal. The only consolation for West Ham going into the break was that they weren't more than one goal down.


Within eight minutes of the start of the second half West Ham were awarded a penalty for a foul by Foley on Obinna. Noble scored from the penalty.

Within minutes of the goal Green flapped at a ball, the ball fell to Jarvis who shot goalwards only to see the shot blocked by his own player. A few minutes later Piquionne hit the bar after a pass from Boa Morte. Then a couple of minutes after that Obinna shot goalwards and Mancienne blocked the ball on the line.

In the 66th minute Dyer crossed into the box and Obinna shot from 10 yards and the ball was deflected wide for a corner. In the 76th Obinna shot from distance and Hahnemann saved. In the 77th minute Dyer was replaced by Cole.

As the game progressed West Ham seemed to dominate play and looked the more likely to get the winner. In the 84th minute Noble passed across the box and Cole just managed to connect with the ball. Two minutes later Cole broke clear but couldn't beat Hahnemann with his left foot.

In the 91st minute Parker played Obinna free and looked odds on to score only for the ref to pull the play back for a foul on Parker. A minute later Parker broke into the box but shot straight at Hahnemann. A minute after that Piquionne put the ball into the back of the net but the goal was disallowed and Piquionne was booked for handball.


This was definitely a game of two halves. Wolves should have been two or three goals to the good at the end of the first half. However after 90 minutes West Ham will be disappointed not to have snatched all three points.

Hitz Back in February

Avram Grant has confirmed the set back in Thomas Hitzlsperger recovery, saying he will back in February,

"He was very good in pre-season until he got injured three days before the start.

"He was a major part of our team, but we have not had him until now. We know he is important and he will do things that are good for us.

"For the moment the doctors say four months before he's back, so it will be around February, but we need to wait and see."

West Ham Progressing

It seems West Ham won't be relegated this season. The Sun quotes Lars Jacobsen saying,

"We will be sure to get away from those bottom positions. There is no doubt that the team is clearly a top-10 side. There are plenty of good players and there is enormous potential in the team.

"But now we just have to get out of the bottom region first."


In The Mirror Avram Grant says West Ham are getting better,

"We lost the first four games of the season, but there was no panic here.

"When you have a vision, you need to be sure of ­yourselves. That means not panicking when you have a bad result, or thinking everything is great when you have a good result.

"We had a good pre-season, but it was always going to be a hard start ... The games we lost were against teams who were better than us – Aston Villa, United and Chelsea – but we deserved more against Bolton.

"Villa was the worst game I have seen, but we have progressed and I can see us getting better. We have now shown we know how to play together."

HItz out for Four Months

Thomas Hitzlsperger has been ruled out of action for a further four months because of his thigh injury. The Evening Standard says that it looks likes the German midfielder will probably need an operation.

The Daily Mail say that Dyer is fit for the Wolves game this Saturday after recovering from his stomach bug.

Der Hammer Resumes Training

TalkSport say that Thomas Hitzlsperger has begun light training after his injury. West Ham now hope he will be back in action by the end of October.

West Ham physio Andy Rolls said,

"We knew this was a serious problem with his thigh muscle, which undergoes a lot of strain with the way he kicks the ball.

"Thomas continues to work hard in order to return as soon as possible. He has been working outside with the fitness coaches and has started kicking a ball again. He has a few steps to go before he is fully available."


Manchester City goalkeeper Stuart Taylor says he nearly moved to West Ham in the summer. Sky Sports say however that Roberto Mancini persuaded him to stay at the last minute.


UK Athletics has confirmed its formal support for the West Ham and Newham Council joint bid to take over the Olympic Stadium.

UKA, the governing body for the number one Olympic and Paralympic sport, has worked closely with a number of the bidding parties, but has taken the decision to align with the West Ham proposal as the sport's preferred bidders.


Goal.com says Sp#rs 24 year old midfielder Jamie O’Hara has lined up a move to West Ham United and hopes to make the move in January.

Cole Deserved to be Dropped

Carlton Cole says he didn't deserve to be named in the current England squad,

"Being dropped from the England squad wasn’t a surprise at all. I haven’t been playing so I didn’t deserve to be called up. In the Bolton game I missed a penalty – and that has defined my season so far.

If that had gone in I think I would have gone on to score a few more goals by now.

But there’s a fine line in football sometimes and you get to learn from these things – that was a big moment to learn from. Right now, I’m heavily involved in the character-building process.

You have to understand that for the last two years I’ve been the first-choice striker. Now Victor and Freddie have come in and it’s time for me to up my game.

I have to admit that I haven’t been the same since my knee injury last year. I’m happy to admit that. I’m very honest about myself and I’m by far my biggest critic. I’ve just not been the same.

I’ve got to find my form and it’s a good thing that they are ­performing in my place. It can only inspire me to up my game. I have been told to step it up but ­sometimes you need to have that in yourself. I believe, though, it is ­important to be told things like that.

People can tell you everything you want to hear but sometimes you need that person in your life to say: ‘Listen, it’s not going well. You’re not doing what you were doing before your injury.’ Now I’m ready to take it to another level.

I’m going to bounce back a better person."

West Ham Chasing Mackie

West Ham have partnered with Live Nation, the US-owned company which promotes events for rock and pop acts, as part of the West Ham/Newham Council consortium to take over the Olympic Stadium.


The Ball is Round have a great interview with Jack Collison. In the interview Collison speaks about Tony Carr, his injury and his experiences playing for West Ham.


The Daily Mirror have once again reported that West Ham are after QPR’s Jamie Mackie. The Mirror say that West Ham will be willing to pay about £2million for the striker. I'm pretty sure the Mirror ran the exact same story last month. Nothing has changed in that month to suggest a cash-rich QPR team chasing promotion will sell Mackie for £2 million.

Behrami Out for October

The Daily Mail say that Valon Behrami could be ruled out until the end of October with medial knee ligament damage. They say he will miss West Ham's games against Wolves and Newcastle

Elsewhere in today's newspapers West Ham coverage mainly covers West Ham being in no rush for Upson to sign his new contract, David Gold talking about the Olympic Stadium and Barry Hearn claiming that West Ham moving into the stadium will destroy Leyton orient.

No Rush on Upson's Contract

David Gold says that there is no rush for Matthew Upson to sign a new contract. Upson's contract is up at the end of this season and he will then be able to walk away from West Ham on a free contract.

At the moment a formal contract has been offered to Upson and the club are waiting on the defender's response. However Gold says there is no hurry,

"I don't think there is any rush for Matthew to sign his new deal.

"He is now into the last year of his contract and doing it now or at the end of the season doesn't really matter to either side. Matthew is always welcome to come to me and talk about it.

"The fact that we're bottom of the league makes it a bit difficult but it's no rush for neither him nor us."

Spurs Bid Could Lead to Riots

The Guardian claim that the Olympic Stadium is now T#ttenham's first choice ahead of building a new stadium.

Spu#r's partner in the bid AEG says that it would tear up the running track. This will presumably go down very badly with the Olympic Park Legacy Company. West Ham's bid with Newham Council proposes to keep the running track.

David Sullivan speaking to The Daily Mail claims that if Sp#r's succeed in their bid that there could be civil unrest,

"It would be such a slap in the face to east London," he told the Daily Mail. "If it happens, there will be real problems that could easily lead to civil unrest. I think there could be riots, such is the ill feeling between West Ham and Spurs and I know the police feel the same."

Gabbs Retires from International Football

Danny Gabbidon has retired from international football. Gabbidon has won 43 caps for Wales but has not played for his country since last November due to injury. He was also not named in the squad for Wales' upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland.

After his recent excellent performances for West Ham Robert Green has earned a recall to the England squad for the Montenegro game at Wembley on Tuesday week.

The international break probably comes at the wrong time for a resurgent West Ham side but Avram Grant says he isn't worried,

We have an international break if we like it or not. We will try to make the best of it."

West Ham to Avoid the Drop

Avram Grant says West Ham's position at the bottom of the table is only temporary and that West Ham will not be relegated,

"We are not a team to be on the bottom of the league. We are not heading for relegation. We play football to be in a better place and we will do it."

"Obinna didn't play for a long time before he came to us and he was good for us (against Fulham). He can play in many positions. He can play left or right and he can play better also.

"He sometimes does things on his own but I do think he is a team player as you saw with his two assists in the last two games."


Martin Samuel, writing in The Daily Mail, says that T#ottenham should not consider a move to the Olympic Stadium,

"Daniel Levy’s idea of invading the territory of a rival London club shows contempt for the dynamic of football in the capital and the history of its teams ... Stratford is in east London and Tottenham are a north London club.

Tottenham’s Olympic contingency plans may also be a non-starter for legal reasons. Premier League rules I5 and I6 deal very specifically with ground location. I5 states that any change of ground requires the consent of the Premier League board, while I6 says there must be a relationship between the locality and the name of the club or its traditional association."

West Ham 1 Fulham 1

After last week's good display I thought West Ham would start this game with a bit of impetuous. However West Ham looked rather flat in the first half of this game.

It is a great option to have a long ball forward to Piquionne from deep but West Ham seemed to think it was a requirement in the first half hour. The players continued to pump long balls forward to Piquionne and the Fulham defence were not troubled in the slightest.

West Ham did fashion one chance in the 6th minute when from a corner Piquionne headed goalwards from 7 yrds but the ball was cleared off the line by Salcido on the far post. However that was the sum of West Ham's efforts in the opening half hour.

At the other end Dempsey shot well wide early on from 20 yards. In the 10th minute Duff also shot wide from distance. In the 30th minute it was Johnson's turn to shoot from distance but he put his shot over. Then in the 33rd minute Davies chipped the ball over a static West Ham defence and Dempsey ran onto the ball to score from 9 yards.

After the goal West Ham tried to play a bit more with the ball at their feet. However, despite a bit more drive going forward, failed to create much in front of goal. Obinna did well in the 42nd minute to beat two defenders but then shot well wide from 10 yards.

On the balance of play Fulham probably just deserved to go into half-time a goal to the good.


West Ham had an early scare in the second half when Dempsey shot over from wide right in the area. However West Ham responded well to this and in the 50th minute Obinna crossed from tight to the touchline on the right and Piquionne headed home the equaliser from 7 yards.

West Ham then pushed forward and in quick succession saw Barrera shoot over from wide left in the penalty area and Piquionne shoot wide across goal from wide right. After that however Fulham settled.

As the game progressed both sides created chances but Fulham probably had the best chances to get the winner. West Ham owed much to Robert Green in saving a point from this game. In the 59th minute Green bravely threw himself at Dempsey's feet to deny the striker after he had broken into the area. In the 86th minute Green got down to just divert a Davies 30 yard effort wide. A minute later Green again did well to save a header from 8 yards out.

West Ham's best chance probably fell to Parker in the 88th minute but from only 7 yards out he could only fire into the side netting from tight to the touchline. In the dying minutes Kamara shot over from 18 yards and Noble did well to create a chance for himself but his effort was easily saved.

After West Ham's first half performance they will probably be happy with a point from this game but I suspect Fulham will be unhappy not to have capitalised on the number of chances they created.

West Ham's Olympic Bid

Despite having their planning application for a new stadium agreed by Haringey council Sp#rs still want to desert north London and move to the East End. Sp#rs yesterday joined West Ham in registering their interest in the Olympic Stadium site yesterday.

West Ham should learn the outcome of their bid by the end of December. Whoever wins the bid will move in to the stadium in time for the 2014-15 season.


Despite West Ham being unbeaten in three games The Daily Mail claim Avram Grant is still the second favourite to get the sack. Wigan's Roberto Martinez is the favourite in The Mail's list.