Thursday, March 30, 2006
Canberra Venue for Semi Final
Canberra have also just announced their meet up venue to watch the Cup Semi Final.
BELCONNEN LABOR CLUB (Main Bar),
CHANDLER STREET,
BELCONNEN ACT 2617
Tel: 6251 5522
1am kick off on 24 April 2006
If you are not a member page Danny Brosnan when you enter the Club and he will sign you in.
Any problems or questions contact DANNY BROSNAN (W) 02 6266 4520 (M) 0416 053135 or Email: hammersince72@hotmail.com
BELCONNEN LABOR CLUB (Main Bar),
CHANDLER STREET,
BELCONNEN ACT 2617
Tel: 6251 5522
1am kick off on 24 April 2006
If you are not a member page Danny Brosnan when you enter the Club and he will sign you in.
Any problems or questions contact DANNY BROSNAN (W) 02 6266 4520 (M) 0416 053135 or Email: hammersince72@hotmail.com
Posted by norven munky at 3:49 pm
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Charlton Game Live On Fox
Seems we are on Fox live on Sunday night against Charlton.
Be careful of the time. Daylight saving time ends at 3.00am Sunday so if my math is correct the match will be live at :-
Sun 11.00pm WA
Mon 12.30am SA/NT
Mon 1.00am QLD/NSW/ACT/VIC/TAS
Be careful of the time. Daylight saving time ends at 3.00am Sunday so if my math is correct the match will be live at :-
Sun 11.00pm WA
Mon 12.30am SA/NT
Mon 1.00am QLD/NSW/ACT/VIC/TAS
Posted by norven munky at 11:02 am
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Adelaide Venue for Semi Final
There is now a confirmed venue for Adelaide hammers to watch the FA Cup Semi Final together.
Sky City Adelaide Casino
Balcony Bar
North Terrace, Adelaide.
Kick Off 12.30am (CST) Monday 24th April
Contact David Sosnowski or Kevin Pinchback for more info.
Just repeating other confirmed venues so far (full details in earlier posts) are :-
NSW
Hakoah Club
61-67 Hall Street
BONDI NSW 2026
Tel: 02 9130 3344
KO 1.00 am
QLD
Pig 'N' Whistle
123 Eagle St
Brisbane
Tel: 07 3832 9099
KO 1.00am
Sky City Adelaide Casino
Balcony Bar
North Terrace, Adelaide.
Kick Off 12.30am (CST) Monday 24th April
Contact David Sosnowski or Kevin Pinchback for more info.
Just repeating other confirmed venues so far (full details in earlier posts) are :-
NSW
Hakoah Club
61-67 Hall Street
BONDI NSW 2026
Tel: 02 9130 3344
KO 1.00 am
QLD
Pig 'N' Whistle
123 Eagle St
Brisbane
Tel: 07 3832 9099
KO 1.00am
Posted by norven munky at 10:23 am
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Silver Lining
West Ham United lost at Old Trafford, hardly a shock result, but Alan Pardew will have been immensely pleased by the performance of the Londoners, who had started to look a little bit crusty of late.
The first half was magnificent and back to the best of the season, despite the lack of any real clear cut chances. I thought we played exceptionally well and if this form can be taken to the clubs lower in the league then we will have a fantastic finish to the season.
The approach was different. Keep the ball down, and attack. It's the West Ham way and, as it usually does when we play like this, it worked well even though the final payoff was missing. The problem we had was Ashton's form and the difficulty we had in getting him the ball - Ferguson obviously told his minions to keep close to him and today it worked for them. He was given virtually no time to do anything and his touch was letting him down. It's the sort of game where Teddy Sheringham would have reveled, and - and I will firmly stress that this is with the benefit of hindsight - it was a shame he didn't start. Teddy would have found the space up front and due to the nature of the game would not have been too hindered by his lack of pace. Ashton did look like if he was given a decent chance he'd have buried it (witness the very well executed shot into the side netting for an example), but he was probably kept on the pitch a little too long and by the time Teddy was brought on, the game had changed and he wasn't able to pull the strings as well as if he'd been on in the first half.
The reaction after the goal was disappointing. I thought we were really in it with a shout but after the break we went down a notch and they went up a notch. I had a feeling they'd score at the end of the first half but thought we'd have pulled one back if we'd attacked them early in the second half. But whatever Pardew said to them, it was the wrong thing (or not enough of the right thing) and they lost their self-belief. That was the real turning point of the game. Towards the end the belief came back a bit (and I would like to suggest that Anton played a big part in this) and we did start to worry them.
Anyway, it was great to see them playing the way I know they can play. That first-half form will get us points in other games and might - please, let it be so - just get us into the FA Cup Final and greater glory.
Player ratings:
Shaka 6 - Fumbled a couple of times but they were difficult shots, and also handled some other things very well.
Konchy 8 - This might seem like a high mark considering he let Park in for the goal, but wave after wave of attacks came down his side and he dealt with them all quite well and kept working harder than ever, even managing to get forward quite a lot. One or two mistakes in such a game is just due to the law of averages. Passing has improved.
Danny G 7 - Back to form and it's good to see, although he did take one or two unnecessary risks.
Collins 7 - Reliable and always tending to play the ball out, which is great to see. For both central defenders I would need to see a replay of the goal to see who, if anyone, was responsible for the space that van Nistelrooy was allowed. However, it was their only blip in a tough game.
Scaloni 7 - Played well within his known limitations.
Ethers 7 - Good in the first half but mostly relegated to defensive duties and not quite as sharp as he could be. Still, a good performance.
Mullins 7 - Broke up play well.
Reo-Coker 7 - Very active and hungry. Good to see him running at defenders.
Yossi 8 - Faded early in the second half but otherwise a real attacking threat. Coming back to form, I hope. Not a great final ball, but kept charging at the Man U defence.
Marlon 7 - Not up to his best but still quite a decent performance and, as the commentator put it, quite a handful. Some decisions could have been better.
Ashton 6 - Just not involved. His touch has gone to pot in the last couple of games and I hope he gets it back. However, having said that he had maybe two half chances at goal and took them as well as could be expected - if he was given a good solid chance he'd have taken it and I think that's why Pardew delayed in taking him off. His form on goal seems as good as ever but I just think his support play needs improving at the moment.
Anton 8 (on for Scaloni) - Absolutely superb. Did everything brilliantly in defence and attack. If he'd started the game and played like this for 90 minutes I'd have given him a 9. I never thought I'd say this about Anton due to his performances in the middle but have we found our new right back?
Zamora 6 (on for Ethers) - Quiet.
Teddy 7 (on for Ashton) - Played well and perhaps should have been on the pitch sooner - didn't get enough time to get a rhythm going.
Posted by whubris at 8:53 am
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Dave said...
I remember Ian Pearce having a fantastic game against Leeds at right back - one of the best games I ever saw him play. He got played there a few more times and never looked as good there as in that game. All I'm saying is Anton may have looked good there today but next week it might not suit him so much. First and foremost he is a central player but with Collins' form I can see Anton having to play out the season there for sure.
whubris said...
You make some good points - I hope they both continue their good form. A thought just occurred to me - Anton would be more likely to get into the England squad at right-back than in the centre... ;-)
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Dave said...I remember Ian Pearce having a fantastic game against Leeds at right back - one of the best games I ever saw him play. He got played there a few more times and never looked as good there as in that game. All I'm saying is Anton may have looked good there today but next week it might not suit him so much. First and foremost he is a central player but with Collins' form I can see Anton having to play out the season there for sure.
whubris said...You make some good points - I hope they both continue their good form. A thought just occurred to me - Anton would be more likely to get into the England squad at right-back than in the centre... ;-)
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Taking the Piss!
When Fat Frank Lampard pisses, it takes a deflection and goes in
Henry tries to get Pires to do it for him, they both f*ck it up and end up pissing on eachother's shoes. But Henry doesn't just get his own piss in more than anyone else, he also helps others with theirs a lot for a striker
Ruud actually lowers his c*ck inside the bowl first - no chance of missing then
Christiano Ronaldo spins his c*ck around in a windmill motion before spraying his urine all over the bathroom scales
Scholes' is a curious shade of orange.
Ronaldinho has got zig-zag piss
And maradona has his go up on his knee, his left shoulder, head, right shoulder, right knee and dinks it in the bowl
Thomas Hitzlsperger stands in his front garden whilst he has a piss, in the toilet upstairs
Casillas just loves golden showers!
David Beckham does a cool curly one, but it's the only type he can do.
Essien breaks his toilet everytime he goes.
Shevchenko goes for pisses so frequently, especially in Europe.
Mido's piss is explosive when it hits the water.
Diego Forlan can only have a piss when he's in warmer weather.
Shearer gets a bit of pee on his hand then after he's finished runs over to the sink with his hand in the air to wash it.
Wenger misses every time 'cos he claims he didn't see the toilet.
Rooney only likes pissing in English toilets.
N'gotty goes in the ladies toilets.
Peter Crouch can hold it in for weeks and then pisses 10 pints in one visit to the loo.
Frank Sinclair always pisses in the wrong toilet
Diouf pisses out of his mouth
Matt le tissier only used to go for a piss when he felt like it...
Keano screams at his penis to get it's act together.
Joe Cole can't do it without sweatbands on. Then, when he's done, he falls over
John O Shea pisses bent over.
Kanu sometimes takes a piss with his c*ck wrapped around the back of his leg
Woodgate pisses into his own face
Dietmar Hamann takes an acoustic piss. Patrick Vieira is standing at the next urinal and falls over.
Alex ferguson pissed right in Beckham's face.
Henry keeps pissing on the seat of late.
Darren Fletcher pisses over his own feet, up the wall, all down his legs and on anybody nearby. Sometimes he wishes Fergie would stop making him go and piss.
Zidane does a 360 degree piss around the toilet before cooly slotting it home.
Ronaldo steps over his piss, then over it again and again and again...
Eric Cantona does a sublime piss and then pirouttes around to face everyone as if to say "Did you see that? I did that. That was a God like piss."
Bramble And Boumsong piss together on the seat and Shay Given deflects it into the bowl with his mouth
Does Gerrard tell his toilet he's leaving before he's finished his piss and then change his mind at the last second before the resulting accident involving trousers, shoes, piss and swear-words?
Emile Heskey falls over before even reaching the urinal.
Darren Huckerby charges blindly towards the toilet door with his head down not noticing that it's closed.
Lua Lua likes to celebrate in his usual way after finishing his piss but tries to forget the day when he celebrated prematurely...
Andy Johnson stands 12-yards away on a spot on the floor and only pisses from there.
Michael Owen has to piss upwards in order to hit the bowl.
Cygan gifts lots of piss to anyone who comes asking
Milan Baros sprints out the living room shimmys past the study bolts up the stairs pirouettes round the dog hops over a chair rolls into the bathroom then after all that hardwork misses the toilet and pisses out the window.
Cisse just races off towards the urinal, and when he's in range, he shoots. Occasionally it goes it, but more often then not it hits everything else and misses.
When Carragher takes a piss no-one can understand the sound
Peter Crouch has good piss for a big man.
Drogba is piss
Sol Campbell only does half a piss then goes home
Henry tries to get Pires to do it for him, they both f*ck it up and end up pissing on eachother's shoes. But Henry doesn't just get his own piss in more than anyone else, he also helps others with theirs a lot for a striker
Ruud actually lowers his c*ck inside the bowl first - no chance of missing then
Christiano Ronaldo spins his c*ck around in a windmill motion before spraying his urine all over the bathroom scales
Scholes' is a curious shade of orange.
Ronaldinho has got zig-zag piss
And maradona has his go up on his knee, his left shoulder, head, right shoulder, right knee and dinks it in the bowl
Thomas Hitzlsperger stands in his front garden whilst he has a piss, in the toilet upstairs
Casillas just loves golden showers!
David Beckham does a cool curly one, but it's the only type he can do.
Essien breaks his toilet everytime he goes.
Shevchenko goes for pisses so frequently, especially in Europe.
Mido's piss is explosive when it hits the water.
Diego Forlan can only have a piss when he's in warmer weather.
Shearer gets a bit of pee on his hand then after he's finished runs over to the sink with his hand in the air to wash it.
Wenger misses every time 'cos he claims he didn't see the toilet.
Rooney only likes pissing in English toilets.
N'gotty goes in the ladies toilets.
Peter Crouch can hold it in for weeks and then pisses 10 pints in one visit to the loo.
Frank Sinclair always pisses in the wrong toilet
Diouf pisses out of his mouth
Matt le tissier only used to go for a piss when he felt like it...
Keano screams at his penis to get it's act together.
Joe Cole can't do it without sweatbands on. Then, when he's done, he falls over
John O Shea pisses bent over.
Kanu sometimes takes a piss with his c*ck wrapped around the back of his leg
Woodgate pisses into his own face
Dietmar Hamann takes an acoustic piss. Patrick Vieira is standing at the next urinal and falls over.
Alex ferguson pissed right in Beckham's face.
Henry keeps pissing on the seat of late.
Darren Fletcher pisses over his own feet, up the wall, all down his legs and on anybody nearby. Sometimes he wishes Fergie would stop making him go and piss.
Zidane does a 360 degree piss around the toilet before cooly slotting it home.
Ronaldo steps over his piss, then over it again and again and again...
Eric Cantona does a sublime piss and then pirouttes around to face everyone as if to say "Did you see that? I did that. That was a God like piss."
Bramble And Boumsong piss together on the seat and Shay Given deflects it into the bowl with his mouth
Does Gerrard tell his toilet he's leaving before he's finished his piss and then change his mind at the last second before the resulting accident involving trousers, shoes, piss and swear-words?
Emile Heskey falls over before even reaching the urinal.
Darren Huckerby charges blindly towards the toilet door with his head down not noticing that it's closed.
Lua Lua likes to celebrate in his usual way after finishing his piss but tries to forget the day when he celebrated prematurely...
Andy Johnson stands 12-yards away on a spot on the floor and only pisses from there.
Michael Owen has to piss upwards in order to hit the bowl.
Cygan gifts lots of piss to anyone who comes asking
Milan Baros sprints out the living room shimmys past the study bolts up the stairs pirouettes round the dog hops over a chair rolls into the bathroom then after all that hardwork misses the toilet and pisses out the window.
Cisse just races off towards the urinal, and when he's in range, he shoots. Occasionally it goes it, but more often then not it hits everything else and misses.
When Carragher takes a piss no-one can understand the sound
Peter Crouch has good piss for a big man.
Drogba is piss
Sol Campbell only does half a piss then goes home
Monday, March 27, 2006
Brisbane Venue Confirmed for Live Cup Semi
Attention Brisbane Hammers. The Pig 'N' Whistle has been confirmed as the venue to watch the Semi Final Live in Brisbane with other West Ham faithful. Remember with both Chelsea & Liverpool odds on to qualify for the Champions League via league position it is likely that a semi win against Middlesborough or Charlton would see us in Europe next season!
Pig 'N' Whistle
123 Eagle St
Brisbane
Tel: 07 3832 9099
Kick Off 1am Monday morning 24 April Brisbane time.
Start putting the word around.
Updates will appear here in the WHU-AU blog and will also be emailed to the Brisbane Hammers email list. If you are not already on the list please send your email address to us at brisbanehammers@hotmail.com and we'll add you in.
Pig 'N' Whistle
123 Eagle St
Brisbane
Tel: 07 3832 9099
Kick Off 1am Monday morning 24 April Brisbane time.
Start putting the word around.
Updates will appear here in the WHU-AU blog and will also be emailed to the Brisbane Hammers email list. If you are not already on the list please send your email address to us at brisbanehammers@hotmail.com and we'll add you in.
Posted by norven munky at 3:20 pm
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Dave said...
Nice one beggers! If I was a CEO then I would gladly do so, unfortunately that luxury is not within my capacity. :-)
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Dave said...Nice one beggers! If I was a CEO then I would gladly do so, unfortunately that luxury is not within my capacity. :-)
UPDATE - West Ham United FA Cup Semi-Final LIVE in Sydney
Message From DPL for Sydneysiders!
The venue is confirmed and its FREE!
Hakoah Club
61-67 Hall Street
BONDI NSW 2026
Tel: 02 9130 3344
West Ham United v Charlton/Middlesbrough
FA Cup semi-Final
will take place UK time at 4pm Sunday 23 April, Villa Park, Birmingham. This will be:
KO 1am Monday morning 24 April Sydney time.
ALSO, I am sponsoring the bar! Every WHU fan who is on my list from the 2004/2005 playoff finals gets a free drink on me. All you have to do is respond via email confirming your attendance and you will be placed on a list. Simply mention your name and your "DPL beverage" will be supplied. Sorry guys but one only per person and strictly only those on my email list!!! This way I restrict it to the WHU faithful.
The Hakoah Club is open 24 hours and has a 24 hour licence. We will be showing other matches on Sunday night 23 April before the WHU game. More info on that closer to the time, however we will try to put on some recent WHU games as well if we can. This is a registered club so make sure you bring ID for entry. Children ARE WELCOME on the night - another good reason to use this venue.
More info closer to the time, however please spread the word and help to get a good crowd there so we can sing a few songs and celebrate our entry to Europe in 2006/2007. Wear your colours, bring your voice and support this club that is supporting us!
see you there!
Come on you Irons!
dpl
The venue is confirmed and its FREE!
Hakoah Club
61-67 Hall Street
BONDI NSW 2026
Tel: 02 9130 3344
West Ham United v Charlton/Middlesbrough
FA Cup semi-Final
will take place UK time at 4pm Sunday 23 April, Villa Park, Birmingham. This will be:
KO 1am Monday morning 24 April Sydney time.
ALSO, I am sponsoring the bar! Every WHU fan who is on my list from the 2004/2005 playoff finals gets a free drink on me. All you have to do is respond via email confirming your attendance and you will be placed on a list. Simply mention your name and your "DPL beverage" will be supplied. Sorry guys but one only per person and strictly only those on my email list!!! This way I restrict it to the WHU faithful.
The Hakoah Club is open 24 hours and has a 24 hour licence. We will be showing other matches on Sunday night 23 April before the WHU game. More info on that closer to the time, however we will try to put on some recent WHU games as well if we can. This is a registered club so make sure you bring ID for entry. Children ARE WELCOME on the night - another good reason to use this venue.
More info closer to the time, however please spread the word and help to get a good crowd there so we can sing a few songs and celebrate our entry to Europe in 2006/2007. Wear your colours, bring your voice and support this club that is supporting us!
see you there!
Come on you Irons!
dpl
Why?
Why :-
Do Liverpool fans get upset when you start singing bye bye Gerrard *before* his bad tackle?
Is Dave now called chunky?
Do big maori blokes get peeved when you make fun of their loud trumpet like fart noises from the cubicle next door. (Well technically I was speaking to Dave 2 cubicles up.)
Did nobody tell me that Kronenberg 1664 was French until after I’d drunk enough of it to kill a horse?
Posted by norven munky at 10:05 am
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Dave said...
Okay Okay so I blew chunks, but like you said we drunk enough beer to kill a large horse!!! :-)
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Dave said...Okay Okay so I blew chunks, but like you said we drunk enough beer to kill a large horse!!! :-)
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Hammers Steal 3 Points
Once again West Ham have come out smelling like roses despite a rather poor performance, thanks to a last-kick victory against rivals Wigan last night.
That's not to say the Hammers didn't put in the elbow grease - they fought hard till the last second (literally) and showed a lot of character. It's more a criticism of the style of play.
We have become a very average team and we're riding on the coattails of the forwards' talent (along with early season performances). Luckily for the Irons, on the day when Ashton was off form, Harewood and Sheringham brought glimpses of brilliance and helped bring the points back home.
As is their recent habit the Londoners let the opposition pressure pile up and were consistently choosing the wrong option: going long, back to Shaka, or attempting something fancy, when a sideways pass would be better. Because of this, Wigan kept finding the ball too easily and the Irons were left with a lot of work getting it back again. This time, however, the left side was underused, mostly due to Konchesky's over-willingness to come forward, meaning that Etherington was not as free as he usually is in making his runs. Yossi was the outlet but he failed to produce anything of note.
Player ratings (2nd half only - thanks a lot Fuxtel!)
Hilsop 6 - some good saves but still doesn't look entirely solid.
Konchesky 6 - too hungry, and poor passing. Too quick to go long ball.
Gabbidon 5 - What's happened Danny? Made one vital interception which was world class but otherwise pretty ordinary. Could have given away two goals.
Collins 7 - Good. Looking forward to Anton coming back though - the defence, including Danny G, is much more reliable with him.
Scaloni 6 - Did his job reasonably.
Etherington 6 - Quiet. Not given much of a chance though.
Mullins 6 - Didn't notice him much.
NRC 7 - Nice finish, but along with Muggers needs to find space when off the ball.
Yossi 6 - Lots of ball, little end product. Seems to have lost his spark unfortunately. I'd still play him though - we all know what he can do.
Harewood 7 - Class wherever he plays, and a well won goal.
Ashton 5 - An off day for Deano, poor ball control.
Zamora the Enforcer 6 - no impact aside from hacking every Wigan player in sight.
Teddy 7 - Lovely turn and pass for the goal. No impact otherwise but what an important 3 points he and NRC have got us.
Newton 6 - didn't touch the ball for the 5 seconds he was on the pitch. What's with the Sky Sports vote rating - 7.5 for that? Bloody hell!
That's not to say the Hammers didn't put in the elbow grease - they fought hard till the last second (literally) and showed a lot of character. It's more a criticism of the style of play.
We have become a very average team and we're riding on the coattails of the forwards' talent (along with early season performances). Luckily for the Irons, on the day when Ashton was off form, Harewood and Sheringham brought glimpses of brilliance and helped bring the points back home.
As is their recent habit the Londoners let the opposition pressure pile up and were consistently choosing the wrong option: going long, back to Shaka, or attempting something fancy, when a sideways pass would be better. Because of this, Wigan kept finding the ball too easily and the Irons were left with a lot of work getting it back again. This time, however, the left side was underused, mostly due to Konchesky's over-willingness to come forward, meaning that Etherington was not as free as he usually is in making his runs. Yossi was the outlet but he failed to produce anything of note.
Player ratings (2nd half only - thanks a lot Fuxtel!)
Hilsop 6 - some good saves but still doesn't look entirely solid.
Konchesky 6 - too hungry, and poor passing. Too quick to go long ball.
Gabbidon 5 - What's happened Danny? Made one vital interception which was world class but otherwise pretty ordinary. Could have given away two goals.
Collins 7 - Good. Looking forward to Anton coming back though - the defence, including Danny G, is much more reliable with him.
Scaloni 6 - Did his job reasonably.
Etherington 6 - Quiet. Not given much of a chance though.
Mullins 6 - Didn't notice him much.
NRC 7 - Nice finish, but along with Muggers needs to find space when off the ball.
Yossi 6 - Lots of ball, little end product. Seems to have lost his spark unfortunately. I'd still play him though - we all know what he can do.
Harewood 7 - Class wherever he plays, and a well won goal.
Ashton 5 - An off day for Deano, poor ball control.
Zamora the Enforcer 6 - no impact aside from hacking every Wigan player in sight.
Teddy 7 - Lovely turn and pass for the goal. No impact otherwise but what an important 3 points he and NRC have got us.
Newton 6 - didn't touch the ball for the 5 seconds he was on the pitch. What's with the Sky Sports vote rating - 7.5 for that? Bloody hell!
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Fox Craps on Australian Hammers Fans!!!
Fox have changed tonight's guide at the last minute! To encorporate the bogan rugby they will only be showing one half of Wigan vs West Ham tonight live at 2am Queensland time, 3am for the rest of the east coast. Feel free to take your anger out on one of their call centre bods on 131 999. I'm sure it won't do any good explaining your ill feeling towards their lack of respect for our beautiful game, but it may make you feel better and would let them know West Ham are here in Australia in force and we count!!
Also we are not getting a full replay of the game tomorrow (there's an awful lot of Rugby re-runs though) only an hour compressed highlights.
Also we are not getting a full replay of the game tomorrow (there's an awful lot of Rugby re-runs though) only an hour compressed highlights.
Semi Draw Made - Charlton/Middlesboro at Villa Park!
The Semi final draw has been made and it has worked out very kindly for us for a change but we will have to wait for a replay for confirmation of our opponents for the match which will be hosted at Villa Park on Sunday 23rd April at 4pm BST. When I saw those number 3 and number 4 balls come out of the pot one after the other confirming Chelsea will play Liverpool, I punched the air with joy! That could only mean The Mighty Hammers will face a rather more favourable tie and are now just a single match from a garunteed place in europe. With almost certainty, Chelsea and Liverpool will claim their European places via the league, leaving a place for the cup's runners up should one of them lift the FA Cup in May.
On a personal note it looks like any chance of getting a ticket for the semi legitmately are going to be slim with the half capacity of Villa Park expecting to sell out to season ticket holders. Another personal blow is that if it were to be Middlesbrough, then Pards will probably field a weakened side for the prior league game for which I have tickets. Small personal sacrifices of we lift the cup in May or even make the final.
It truely is a great time to be a Hammer!
Here is a video link to the draw
On a personal note it looks like any chance of getting a ticket for the semi legitmately are going to be slim with the half capacity of Villa Park expecting to sell out to season ticket holders. Another personal blow is that if it were to be Middlesbrough, then Pards will probably field a weakened side for the prior league game for which I have tickets. Small personal sacrifices of we lift the cup in May or even make the final.
It truely is a great time to be a Hammer!
Here is a video link to the draw
Friday, March 24, 2006
Brisbane Hammers Drinks - Pig n Whistle, Eagle Street
We will be having a small gathering to watch the Wigan game @ the Pig n Whistle tomorrow (Saturday) night. All are welcome to join us, would be great to catch up. We should be in there from 9pm donning our claret n blue.
Norvern Munky is also going to co-ordinate a meet up for the Semi Final at the same venue. Unfortunately I will not be there as I shall be in the UK sleeping with anybody who is willing to get me a ticket for the game.
See you tomorrow.
Norvern Munky is also going to co-ordinate a meet up for the Semi Final at the same venue. Unfortunately I will not be there as I shall be in the UK sleeping with anybody who is willing to get me a ticket for the game.
See you tomorrow.
Posted by Dave at 3:08 pm
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whubris said...
I'm still too far gone to go tomorrow but be sure to txt me during the game! As for the semi I reckon I'll be well up for it.
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whubris said...I'm still too far gone to go tomorrow but be sure to txt me during the game! As for the semi I reckon I'll be well up for it.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Maths time!
Something to mull over, considering the comments of the last post.
If we assume Pardew is "choosing" the FA Cup over League position you can compare prize money. If this stuff gets too complicated, skip to the paragraph with the asterisk*.
We have six league matches between now and the semi, and another two between the semi and the final (hopefully). Between now and the semi we have two writeoffs (Man Utd and Chelsea) and four more matches against Wigan, Charlton, Man City and Boro. I count 7 points between that lot if we prioritise the league, and 2 points if we prioritise the cup.
Between the semi and the final we'd have Liverpool and West Brom - let's give us three points against them if we prioritise the league and one if we prioritise the cup.
Add to those the four points (win and draw) we've already sacrificed against Bolton and Portsmouth,and Pardew is probably sacrificing 11 points (4 + 7 + 3 - 2 - 1) if we make the final and 9 points (4 + 7 - 2) if we don't.
I reckon the highest we'd have got was 5th. Looking at last year's table, dropping 11 points from 5th would have dropped the team to 10th, and dropping 9 points also drops the team to 10th. In 03/04 it would have been 13th and 12th respectively. I think this year is quite close so I'll say that sacrificing league games for cup games puts us in 12th (if we make the final) or 11th (if we don't make the final), partly because two games are against direct opposition (Wigan and Man City) and gifting them points puts us further behind.
Anyway that's a drop in prize money of £1,750,000 (if we make the final) and £1,500,000 (if we don't make the final).
Now - there's a 2/3 chance of us drawing Chelsea or Liverpool in the semis. I'll assume a 1/3 chance of winning against Liverpool or Chelsea and 50% chance against the other team in both the semis and the final. From prior to the last cup game you'd have given us 50/50 of turning over Man City. So our expected return is (0.5 x £565,000) + 0.5 x ((2/3 x £900,000) + (1/3 x 900,000) + (1/3 x 2/3 x 1,000,000) + (0.5 x 1/3 x 1,000,000)) = £926,944.
* So by sacrificing league for cup we expect to lose about £500,000 in revenue plus whatever UEFA Cup earnings we'd have received.
Making the big assumption that we will actually win the FA Cup, we'd get £2,465,000 from that (quarter + semi + final winnings) so we'd end up, at most, about £1 million in front, minus UEFA earnings.
Is it worth it? The FA Cup is priceless, right? Plus you've got to take into consideration fan sentiment, attendances, future season ticket sales and so on.
Well, it's something to think about.
If we assume Pardew is "choosing" the FA Cup over League position you can compare prize money. If this stuff gets too complicated, skip to the paragraph with the asterisk*.
We have six league matches between now and the semi, and another two between the semi and the final (hopefully). Between now and the semi we have two writeoffs (Man Utd and Chelsea) and four more matches against Wigan, Charlton, Man City and Boro. I count 7 points between that lot if we prioritise the league, and 2 points if we prioritise the cup.
Between the semi and the final we'd have Liverpool and West Brom - let's give us three points against them if we prioritise the league and one if we prioritise the cup.
Add to those the four points (win and draw) we've already sacrificed against Bolton and Portsmouth,and Pardew is probably sacrificing 11 points (4 + 7 + 3 - 2 - 1) if we make the final and 9 points (4 + 7 - 2) if we don't.
I reckon the highest we'd have got was 5th. Looking at last year's table, dropping 11 points from 5th would have dropped the team to 10th, and dropping 9 points also drops the team to 10th. In 03/04 it would have been 13th and 12th respectively. I think this year is quite close so I'll say that sacrificing league games for cup games puts us in 12th (if we make the final) or 11th (if we don't make the final), partly because two games are against direct opposition (Wigan and Man City) and gifting them points puts us further behind.
Anyway that's a drop in prize money of £1,750,000 (if we make the final) and £1,500,000 (if we don't make the final).
Now - there's a 2/3 chance of us drawing Chelsea or Liverpool in the semis. I'll assume a 1/3 chance of winning against Liverpool or Chelsea and 50% chance against the other team in both the semis and the final. From prior to the last cup game you'd have given us 50/50 of turning over Man City. So our expected return is (0.5 x £565,000) + 0.5 x ((2/3 x £900,000) + (1/3 x 900,000) + (1/3 x 2/3 x 1,000,000) + (0.5 x 1/3 x 1,000,000)) = £926,944.
* So by sacrificing league for cup we expect to lose about £500,000 in revenue plus whatever UEFA Cup earnings we'd have received.
Making the big assumption that we will actually win the FA Cup, we'd get £2,465,000 from that (quarter + semi + final winnings) so we'd end up, at most, about £1 million in front, minus UEFA earnings.
Is it worth it? The FA Cup is priceless, right? Plus you've got to take into consideration fan sentiment, attendances, future season ticket sales and so on.
Well, it's something to think about.
Posted by whubris at 8:32 am
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Dave said...
You know how to write an intersting thread don't you ;-)
I am accountant and I'd had enough about 2 lines below the asterisk. :-)
Summary - sacrificing league points will cost us hard cash - fact. Win the semi final and we'll get another million though so it could even out quite nicely and get us some silver along the way. :-)
Dave said...
Also just realised (must've got lost in the maths) you said we'd lose uefa earnings by sacrificing the league. If we win the cup we're in the Uefa cup. If we get to the final vs Chelsea or Liverpool we are also in the uefa cup. :-)
whubris said...
:-)
That's true - I'd forgotten about that. We just have to hope that Chelsea and Liverpool are drawn together in the semi. That way we have a good chance because making the final means making the UEFA Cup, like Millwall did last year, right?
norven munky said...
Fuck me Graham, you must have fallen on your head in that crash and become a maths savant (forget the P&W, let's hit the casino)...I think the TV money from the semi and especially the final if we make it skew it back in favour of the Cup. The final must be worth mega $$$ with it's world wide audience.
Altogether now, We are the boys from Pardew's army, we're all goin' to Wem-ber-ley, and we'll really shake em up when we win the FA cup cause United are the greastest football team...
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Dave said...You know how to write an intersting thread don't you ;-)
I am accountant and I'd had enough about 2 lines below the asterisk. :-)
Summary - sacrificing league points will cost us hard cash - fact. Win the semi final and we'll get another million though so it could even out quite nicely and get us some silver along the way. :-)
Dave said...Also just realised (must've got lost in the maths) you said we'd lose uefa earnings by sacrificing the league. If we win the cup we're in the Uefa cup. If we get to the final vs Chelsea or Liverpool we are also in the uefa cup. :-)
whubris said...:-)
That's true - I'd forgotten about that. We just have to hope that Chelsea and Liverpool are drawn together in the semi. That way we have a good chance because making the final means making the UEFA Cup, like Millwall did last year, right?
norven munky said...Fuck me Graham, you must have fallen on your head in that crash and become a maths savant (forget the P&W, let's hit the casino)...I think the TV money from the semi and especially the final if we make it skew it back in favour of the Cup. The final must be worth mega $$$ with it's world wide audience.
Altogether now, We are the boys from Pardew's army, we're all goin' to Wem-ber-ley, and we'll really shake em up when we win the FA cup cause United are the greastest football team...
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
It's the Semis
Alan Pardew has no doubt heaved a huge sigh of relief after seeing his West Ham team scrape through with a 2-1 win against 10-man Manchester City.
I thought the sending off was a joke and spoiled the game. But, no complaints - we're through. I must say I don't like the way we've played lately - all long ball and always too direct even when the ball is on the ground. Earlier in the season we were somewhat less direct (although still very pacey) but more importantly used Mullins and NRC when we had the ball. Today, our midfielders didn't see much ball in the middle third except at the feet of the opposition. I miss NRC's driving runs (although he did one or two today), Mullins' incisive passing, andYossi's dribbles. Really only Etherington got the ball at his feet and only in the second half - give the others a chance to get involved!
Anyway, it was a fine game as a spectacle and we played well as a team for a change. Unfortunately Man City had all the possession, but we took our chances.
Player ratings:
Shaka 6: Spilled it once and wasn't entirely sure of himself.
Konchesky 7: Good attacking play and defended quite well generally.
Gabbidon 5: Was it just me or did he go AWOL for long periods? Not a good game.
Collins 8: Superb. Many interceptions, tackles, headers and clearances. His only fault was failing to close the ball down on two occasions, and for one of those Danny G had gone missing so he was between a rock and a hard place. On this form he might take Danny's place once Anton is fit.
Dailly 7: Did well at right back. Knows his limitations. Shame he got injured.
Etherington 8: Did superbly when given the chance but those chances were too few. Defended very well.
NRC 7: Fabulous work for the goals. Battled hard but again little opportunity to strut his stuff in attack.
Mullins 6: Fairly good defensively but otherwise little contribution.
Yossi 7: Once again, fine defensive work and did well on the rare occasions he got the ball. Top notch assist.
Harewood 6: Fairly quiet. Not really at his best.
Ashton 8: Bonus point for that brilliant first goal and the leadup to it - possibly my personal favourite goal this season. Awesome. Otherwise fairly quiet but he certainly earned his pay. Pretty good holdup work though.
Scaloni 6 (on for Dailly) - Adequate.
Fletcher 6 (on for Mullins) - Little contribution.
Zamora 6 (on for Deano) - Little contribution.
I thought the sending off was a joke and spoiled the game. But, no complaints - we're through. I must say I don't like the way we've played lately - all long ball and always too direct even when the ball is on the ground. Earlier in the season we were somewhat less direct (although still very pacey) but more importantly used Mullins and NRC when we had the ball. Today, our midfielders didn't see much ball in the middle third except at the feet of the opposition. I miss NRC's driving runs (although he did one or two today), Mullins' incisive passing, andYossi's dribbles. Really only Etherington got the ball at his feet and only in the second half - give the others a chance to get involved!
Anyway, it was a fine game as a spectacle and we played well as a team for a change. Unfortunately Man City had all the possession, but we took our chances.
Player ratings:
Shaka 6: Spilled it once and wasn't entirely sure of himself.
Konchesky 7: Good attacking play and defended quite well generally.
Gabbidon 5: Was it just me or did he go AWOL for long periods? Not a good game.
Collins 8: Superb. Many interceptions, tackles, headers and clearances. His only fault was failing to close the ball down on two occasions, and for one of those Danny G had gone missing so he was between a rock and a hard place. On this form he might take Danny's place once Anton is fit.
Dailly 7: Did well at right back. Knows his limitations. Shame he got injured.
Etherington 8: Did superbly when given the chance but those chances were too few. Defended very well.
NRC 7: Fabulous work for the goals. Battled hard but again little opportunity to strut his stuff in attack.
Mullins 6: Fairly good defensively but otherwise little contribution.
Yossi 7: Once again, fine defensive work and did well on the rare occasions he got the ball. Top notch assist.
Harewood 6: Fairly quiet. Not really at his best.
Ashton 8: Bonus point for that brilliant first goal and the leadup to it - possibly my personal favourite goal this season. Awesome. Otherwise fairly quiet but he certainly earned his pay. Pretty good holdup work though.
Scaloni 6 (on for Dailly) - Adequate.
Fletcher 6 (on for Mullins) - Little contribution.
Zamora 6 (on for Deano) - Little contribution.
Posted by whubris at 9:36 am
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Dave said...
Gonna try and get tickets for the Semis. Come on you Irons!! Adequate performance - great result!!! Deano for England - get him on the plane Sven!!
norven munky said...
1st time since 1991. Fortunately since Keith Hackett has moved upstairs he won’t be in the middle making a complete twat of himself like he did in ’91 when he sent off Tony Gale to the astonishment of everyone at Villa Park that day. Not to mention I had confirmed final tickets already...
The draw will be live at Soho Square at 12.55pm GMT 24th March, ties to be played Sat 22nd April (Can anyone confirm the venue?)
For winning the 6th round tie this morning we receive 300,000 prize money + 265,000 TV payment. The semi final winners receive 900,000 each and the final winner receives 1,000,000.
With all the debate about whether AP should rest players in the league to concentrate on the cup, does anyone know the prize money payout for each position in the league this season?
beggers said...
Spot on with our style of play at the moment, are we Bolton in diguise! This long ball shite is not WH. Bit of a worry really, but we won the game, so must'nt grumble. Stoked with the win really, can't wait for the semi, roll April 22/23. Hopefully it will be 3PM(UK)kick off, planning a big night at the pub,Pince Albert at the Casino on the Gold Coast, if they show it!
said...
from F365
Moreover, having lambasted managers for fielding under-strength teams in the third round of the FA Cup, it would be hypocritical for pundits to then criticise Pardew for prioritising the cup.
There's something rather noble in Pardew’s policy of pursuing the possibility of cup glory in the knowledge that every league position lost will cost £250,000 in guaranteed prize money.
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Dave said...Gonna try and get tickets for the Semis. Come on you Irons!! Adequate performance - great result!!! Deano for England - get him on the plane Sven!!
norven munky said...1st time since 1991. Fortunately since Keith Hackett has moved upstairs he won’t be in the middle making a complete twat of himself like he did in ’91 when he sent off Tony Gale to the astonishment of everyone at Villa Park that day. Not to mention I had confirmed final tickets already...
The draw will be live at Soho Square at 12.55pm GMT 24th March, ties to be played Sat 22nd April (Can anyone confirm the venue?)
For winning the 6th round tie this morning we receive 300,000 prize money + 265,000 TV payment. The semi final winners receive 900,000 each and the final winner receives 1,000,000.
With all the debate about whether AP should rest players in the league to concentrate on the cup, does anyone know the prize money payout for each position in the league this season?
beggers said...Spot on with our style of play at the moment, are we Bolton in diguise! This long ball shite is not WH. Bit of a worry really, but we won the game, so must'nt grumble. Stoked with the win really, can't wait for the semi, roll April 22/23. Hopefully it will be 3PM(UK)kick off, planning a big night at the pub,Pince Albert at the Casino on the Gold Coast, if they show it!
said...from F365
Moreover, having lambasted managers for fielding under-strength teams in the third round of the FA Cup, it would be hypocritical for pundits to then criticise Pardew for prioritising the cup.
There's something rather noble in Pardew’s policy of pursuing the possibility of cup glory in the knowledge that every league position lost will cost £250,000 in guaranteed prize money.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Fox Again - they can't get enough of us!
English Premier League, Wigan v West Ham next Saturday - well officially Sunday 1am Brisbane time. Might be a good oppotunity for a few of us Brisbane Hammers to get together - probably the last chance we'll get this season as I'm off to the UK for a month in 3 weeks.
Let's hope we field a full strength team and start getting some points on the board again and put an end to this nonsense. Like Graham says, Pardew will look very silly tonight if we get a pasting from Man City! Let's hope it doesn't come to that and we are in the hat for the semi finals also managing to avoid Chelsea and Liverpool. Big ask I reckon but seems we have all our eggs in one basket right now.
Let's hope we field a full strength team and start getting some points on the board again and put an end to this nonsense. Like Graham says, Pardew will look very silly tonight if we get a pasting from Man City! Let's hope it doesn't come to that and we are in the hat for the semi finals also managing to avoid Chelsea and Liverpool. Big ask I reckon but seems we have all our eggs in one basket right now.
Posted by Dave at 1:14 pm
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norven munky said...
What did you have in mind for Sat night..Pig & Whistle type dealie? (CBM is standing here taking the piss out of me for using the word "dealie"..she can bog off)
Let's see if we can get a few more faces there for this one!
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norven munky said...What did you have in mind for Sat night..Pig & Whistle type dealie? (CBM is standing here taking the piss out of me for using the word "dealie"..she can bog off)
Let's see if we can get a few more faces there for this one!
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Hammers slip to 10th
Fielding a weakened side in preparation for the FA Cup match in two days' time, Alan Pardew suffered another 4-goal drubbing but this time at the hands of a relegation candidate.
As any West Ham fan will tell you, the Bolton and Portsmouth league games were lost before kickoff. "In war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory," said Sun Tzu.
I didn't see the match but from all accounts the scoreline reflected the superiority of the southern side on the day. It seems that Pardew is sacrificing league position for a shot at the trophy.
Well, as far as the former is concerned it's worked so far. From 6th to 10th, in fact, helped by the fact that every team above us won their fixture. We do have a game in hand, but that's by no means points in the bag.
It is becoming apparent that Pardew, perhaps not expecting a good Cup run or failing to appreciate the rigours of the Premiership, has stuck with the same team too long and they are tired. Rather than introduce fresh players piecemeal to help them gel, he has made wholesale changes and they have not worked.
We have a small squad, yes. It perhaps wasn't possible to bolster the numbers further during either of the transfer windows but it certainly was possibleto introduce bit-part players in order to give the first team some rest to last out the season.
If I may quote Sun Tzu one more: "If you order your men to roll up their buff-coats, and make forced marches without halting day or night, covering double the usual distance at a stretch, doing a hundred LI in order to wrest an advantage, the leaders of all your three divisions will fall into the hands of the enemy. The stronger men will be in front, the jaded ones will fall behind, and on this plan only one-tenth of your army will reach its destination."
As any West Ham fan will tell you, the Bolton and Portsmouth league games were lost before kickoff. "In war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory," said Sun Tzu.
I didn't see the match but from all accounts the scoreline reflected the superiority of the southern side on the day. It seems that Pardew is sacrificing league position for a shot at the trophy.
Well, as far as the former is concerned it's worked so far. From 6th to 10th, in fact, helped by the fact that every team above us won their fixture. We do have a game in hand, but that's by no means points in the bag.
It is becoming apparent that Pardew, perhaps not expecting a good Cup run or failing to appreciate the rigours of the Premiership, has stuck with the same team too long and they are tired. Rather than introduce fresh players piecemeal to help them gel, he has made wholesale changes and they have not worked.
We have a small squad, yes. It perhaps wasn't possible to bolster the numbers further during either of the transfer windows but it certainly was possibleto introduce bit-part players in order to give the first team some rest to last out the season.
If I may quote Sun Tzu one more: "If you order your men to roll up their buff-coats, and make forced marches without halting day or night, covering double the usual distance at a stretch, doing a hundred LI in order to wrest an advantage, the leaders of all your three divisions will fall into the hands of the enemy. The stronger men will be in front, the jaded ones will fall behind, and on this plan only one-tenth of your army will reach its destination."
Posted by whubris at 8:48 am
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Dave said...
We just lost at home to Portsmouth and you want me to be optimistic about getting a result at Old Trafford?
whubris said...
You never know - if Fulham can turn Chelsea over...
Anyway, how much of a cock is Pardew gonna look if Man City steamroller us tomorrow?
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Dave said...We just lost at home to Portsmouth and you want me to be optimistic about getting a result at Old Trafford?
whubris said...You never know - if Fulham can turn Chelsea over...
Anyway, how much of a cock is Pardew gonna look if Man City steamroller us tomorrow?
Friday, March 17, 2006
Bits n Pieces!
* The Man City cup game is on ESPN this Tuesday morning 6am Brisbane time. Gotta love all this coverage we've had lately.
* We appear to have a massive fixture pile up. Portsmouth tomorrow coupled with the cup tie means we have 2 games in 3 days straight after going 120 mins against Bolton this week. This suggests to me Pardew will again ring the changes for the visit of Portsmouth at Upton Park this weekend and rest a few legs before the cup game.
I would give Pardew one message - do NOT mess with the defence. Our biggest downfall vs Bolton in the league last week was not keeping the defensive partnership of Gabbidon and Ferdinand that has been so successful this season. Of course playing Ferdinand out of position did nothing but hinder our midfield also. So FFS Pardew - leave the defence alone! In fact I would just leave out Harewood, Ashton & Yossi and bring all 3 on at half time or shortly after.
* We appear to have a massive fixture pile up. Portsmouth tomorrow coupled with the cup tie means we have 2 games in 3 days straight after going 120 mins against Bolton this week. This suggests to me Pardew will again ring the changes for the visit of Portsmouth at Upton Park this weekend and rest a few legs before the cup game.
I would give Pardew one message - do NOT mess with the defence. Our biggest downfall vs Bolton in the league last week was not keeping the defensive partnership of Gabbidon and Ferdinand that has been so successful this season. Of course playing Ferdinand out of position did nothing but hinder our midfield also. So FFS Pardew - leave the defence alone! In fact I would just leave out Harewood, Ashton & Yossi and bring all 3 on at half time or shortly after.
Posted by Dave at 5:02 pm
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whubris said...
I think we should play a 4-3-3 with 3 of Mullins, NRC, Dailly, Fletcher, & Newton in the middle, and Zamora up front with Teddy and Yossi supporting - keep it narrow for this game and keep possession, up front as much as we can.
c+p BBC
Pardew: "I'm going to try to field the best possible team that I can but obviously with one eye on Monday night. I have to do that for the good of West Ham but I do take the concerns of David Gold and everybody who is in that situation on board. It's not the greatest dilemma I have ever faced but one I will have to sleep on. We are not going to moan about it as to have this problem is much nicer than being out of the cup and not having it but it is a tough agenda for the players. I have a lot of responsibility to the people who have paid tickets for Saturday and are desperate to see us win. We don't just have a duty to the teams who are involved in that position but also to ourselves as we want to do well in the league The two routes for Europe are there for us and we need to attack both."
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whubris said...I think we should play a 4-3-3 with 3 of Mullins, NRC, Dailly, Fletcher, & Newton in the middle, and Zamora up front with Teddy and Yossi supporting - keep it narrow for this game and keep possession, up front as much as we can.
c+p BBC
Pardew: "I'm going to try to field the best possible team that I can but obviously with one eye on Monday night. I have to do that for the good of West Ham but I do take the concerns of David Gold and everybody who is in that situation on board. It's not the greatest dilemma I have ever faced but one I will have to sleep on. We are not going to moan about it as to have this problem is much nicer than being out of the cup and not having it but it is a tough agenda for the players. I have a lot of responsibility to the people who have paid tickets for Saturday and are desperate to see us win. We don't just have a duty to the teams who are involved in that position but also to ourselves as we want to do well in the league The two routes for Europe are there for us and we need to attack both."
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Revenge is Sweet!
Feels good to get that dreadful shabang that was Saturday's game at the reebok stadium out of our season with a 2-1 cup win over the same side which sees us advance to the quarter finals. An away tie vs Man City will pose its own problems but for now we can just bask in the glory of our 5th time lucky defeat of our bogey side Bolton Wanderers!
An early own goal from Nicky Hunt saw the Hammers edge in front before Nolan smashed in a ferosious equaliser to lead the teams into a 1-1 draw at half time. Little to crow about in the second half apart from Matty Etherington getting the ball stuck under his feet 2 yards from the goal, it took extra time to seperate these familiar opponents. Yossi Benayoun picked out Harewood's near post run as he lifted the ball neatly over the giant Jussi Jaskaleinen.
2-1 to the cockney boys! It wasn't always pretty but a job well done.
An early own goal from Nicky Hunt saw the Hammers edge in front before Nolan smashed in a ferosious equaliser to lead the teams into a 1-1 draw at half time. Little to crow about in the second half apart from Matty Etherington getting the ball stuck under his feet 2 yards from the goal, it took extra time to seperate these familiar opponents. Yossi Benayoun picked out Harewood's near post run as he lifted the ball neatly over the giant Jussi Jaskaleinen.
2-1 to the cockney boys! It wasn't always pretty but a job well done.
Posted by Dave at 9:27 am
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whubris said...
Hislop 6, Konchesky 7, Gabbidon 6, Ferdinand 6, Mullins 6, Reo-Coker 6 (Dailly 6), Scaloni 7, Etherington 7 (Zamora 6), Benayoun 7, Harewood 7, Ashton 6 (Sheringham 6).
Not too bad although IMO Bolton edged it. Harewood played well. Yossi & Matty did well but should have shot instead of passing/crossing on several occasions. Scaloni big improvement. Qhere was everyone for their goal?
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whubris said...Hislop 6, Konchesky 7, Gabbidon 6, Ferdinand 6, Mullins 6, Reo-Coker 6 (Dailly 6), Scaloni 7, Etherington 7 (Zamora 6), Benayoun 7, Harewood 7, Ashton 6 (Sheringham 6).
Not too bad although IMO Bolton edged it. Harewood played well. Yossi & Matty did well but should have shot instead of passing/crossing on several occasions. Scaloni big improvement. Qhere was everyone for their goal?
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Message from Pardew
Posted by whubris at 11:39 am
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said...
Why Wenger's way is an assault on English football's integrity
Richard Williams
Tuesday March 14, 2006
Guardian
According to Arsène Wenger, England should be coached by an Englishman. So when the sage of Highbury responded at the weekend to Alan Pardew's criticism of Arsenal's recruitment policy by saying that if we want to build a successful Europe without frontiers then we must accept a club manager's freedom to assemble the best personnel, regardless of origins, he appeared to be contradicting himself.
If Wenger's firmly expressed belief that Sven-Goran Eriksson should be succeeded by an Allardyce or a Curbishley - or even a Pardew - is rooted in a feeling that national teams ought to be an expression of the identity of the nation in question, then should the same principle not apply to a club? His answer would clearly be no.
"Racism starts there," he said of the West Ham manager's view that Arsenal's approach constitutes a threat to the "soul" of English football. In choosing a pretty strong way of expressing his disapproval of a man who plies his trade in Alf Garnett country, Wenger was trying to make a point that goes far beyond football. He was launching an attack on the sort of creeping fears that express themselves in cultural and economic protectionism.
"We can't say we want to make a [united] Europe but when we work abroad we should only live with English people," Wenger continued. "They are like that in France. They vote against the constitution but they want Europe. They want to buy the big companies abroad, but when a big company comes into France to buy they don't like it. But it doesn't work like that."
Football clubs, he believes, derive their identity from their players and their supporters, but not from a sense of loyalty based on origins. "The club is built on values, not passports," he said. So he is free to pick a starting line-up containing not a single Briton, knowing that only bad results will lead the club's fans to question his operating method.
In the modern world, there is some merit in his view. Notoriously, Manchester United have long drawn their huge following from around the country and, today, from around the world. No doubt Chelsea, under Roman Abramovich and Jose Mourinho, will have attracted new followers lacking ties to west London but tending to form allegiances with success.
The case against Wenger's opinion is hard to make, since it depends not on the evidence of verifiable results but on a feeling for the shifts and rumblings in football's tectonic plates. Far below the surface of the game , these movements are the distant pre-echoes of future dissatisfaction.
Making the argument even more awkward to sustain, the suggestion that English football clubs need English players also flies in the face of a change in the nature of a country which appears likely to enjoy a peaceful future only if it embraces demographic change. I hope that my children, for instance, are growing up to accept without question a nation in which contrasts of colour and language are integral to a collective identity no longer dependent on a single set of assumed cultural characteristics. I envy them the possibility.
But life is not football, and vice versa. Like all sports, football is governed by rules that seem arbitrary but are there for good reasons: not just to govern the competition itself but to maintain the overall health of the enterprise. Gérard Houllier, nowadays a generally derided figure in England, may only have had one club's interests in mind, but he was right when he tried to rebuild his side around "a good Liverpool heart".
If the present imbalance worsens, as it shows every sign of doing, eventually there will be even fewer Jimmy Bullards or Dean Ashtons in the Premiership. A place will always be found for prodigies of genuine world class (and perhaps Arsenal's own Theo Walcott will turn out to be the next Wayne Rooney), but the talented journeyman will become extinct at the highest level. In this way, Wenger's approach is indeed an attack on the integrity of the English game - and perhaps even on its soul.
Open in his dislike of Uefa's proposed quota system, Wenger would never agree that the problems faced during his transitional year might have been eased by more carefully maintaining a continuous strand of locally produced players in his first-team squad. Quite right about an Englishman managing England, he is wrong to believe that clubs are not to some degree affected by the same imperatives. But then, as he says, "what makes the national teams, I don't care about".
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said...Why Wenger's way is an assault on English football's integrity
Richard Williams
Tuesday March 14, 2006
Guardian
According to Arsène Wenger, England should be coached by an Englishman. So when the sage of Highbury responded at the weekend to Alan Pardew's criticism of Arsenal's recruitment policy by saying that if we want to build a successful Europe without frontiers then we must accept a club manager's freedom to assemble the best personnel, regardless of origins, he appeared to be contradicting himself.
If Wenger's firmly expressed belief that Sven-Goran Eriksson should be succeeded by an Allardyce or a Curbishley - or even a Pardew - is rooted in a feeling that national teams ought to be an expression of the identity of the nation in question, then should the same principle not apply to a club? His answer would clearly be no.
"Racism starts there," he said of the West Ham manager's view that Arsenal's approach constitutes a threat to the "soul" of English football. In choosing a pretty strong way of expressing his disapproval of a man who plies his trade in Alf Garnett country, Wenger was trying to make a point that goes far beyond football. He was launching an attack on the sort of creeping fears that express themselves in cultural and economic protectionism.
"We can't say we want to make a [united] Europe but when we work abroad we should only live with English people," Wenger continued. "They are like that in France. They vote against the constitution but they want Europe. They want to buy the big companies abroad, but when a big company comes into France to buy they don't like it. But it doesn't work like that."
Football clubs, he believes, derive their identity from their players and their supporters, but not from a sense of loyalty based on origins. "The club is built on values, not passports," he said. So he is free to pick a starting line-up containing not a single Briton, knowing that only bad results will lead the club's fans to question his operating method.
In the modern world, there is some merit in his view. Notoriously, Manchester United have long drawn their huge following from around the country and, today, from around the world. No doubt Chelsea, under Roman Abramovich and Jose Mourinho, will have attracted new followers lacking ties to west London but tending to form allegiances with success.
The case against Wenger's opinion is hard to make, since it depends not on the evidence of verifiable results but on a feeling for the shifts and rumblings in football's tectonic plates. Far below the surface of the game , these movements are the distant pre-echoes of future dissatisfaction.
Making the argument even more awkward to sustain, the suggestion that English football clubs need English players also flies in the face of a change in the nature of a country which appears likely to enjoy a peaceful future only if it embraces demographic change. I hope that my children, for instance, are growing up to accept without question a nation in which contrasts of colour and language are integral to a collective identity no longer dependent on a single set of assumed cultural characteristics. I envy them the possibility.
But life is not football, and vice versa. Like all sports, football is governed by rules that seem arbitrary but are there for good reasons: not just to govern the competition itself but to maintain the overall health of the enterprise. Gérard Houllier, nowadays a generally derided figure in England, may only have had one club's interests in mind, but he was right when he tried to rebuild his side around "a good Liverpool heart".
If the present imbalance worsens, as it shows every sign of doing, eventually there will be even fewer Jimmy Bullards or Dean Ashtons in the Premiership. A place will always be found for prodigies of genuine world class (and perhaps Arsenal's own Theo Walcott will turn out to be the next Wayne Rooney), but the talented journeyman will become extinct at the highest level. In this way, Wenger's approach is indeed an attack on the integrity of the English game - and perhaps even on its soul.
Open in his dislike of Uefa's proposed quota system, Wenger would never agree that the problems faced during his transitional year might have been eased by more carefully maintaining a continuous strand of locally produced players in his first-team squad. Quite right about an Englishman managing England, he is wrong to believe that clubs are not to some degree affected by the same imperatives. But then, as he says, "what makes the national teams, I don't care about".
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Fucking Dismal!
Alan Pardew followed up his Manager of the Month award with an absolutely shameful display of team selection and tactics last night with an embarassing 4-1 mauling at the hands of Big Sam's Bolton.
NRC's illness meant a change was forced, but Pardew's actions were unforgivable in the face of such an important match. Getting up at 1am to watch the woeful antics was like a nightmare, but the half-time substitutions were as bizarre as the inexplicable starting lineup and the whole farce was a slap-in-the-face serve of reality to this bleary-eyed fan.
* Why take the league's most in-form defender and play him in a totally unfamiliar role?
* Why play two defensive midfielders, then substitute one for another at half time?
* Why play a debutant at centre back in such a vital match with no effective support?
* If NRC was ill, where was Carl Fletcher?
* Why remove every player (bar one) with any counter attack ability and instead start with the slowest players available?
* Why play two supporting strikers together and leave "Mr Opportunist" Ashton on the bench?
* Why change every single partnership possible except one (left side) in the same match? The strikers, right side, centre mid, and centre back partnerships were all changed.
* Why play "Teflon Don" Scaloni when Dailly is, sadly, a better option there?
* Why not move Newton to right-back, instead of subbing him off and leaving Scaloni at right back?
* Why name slow, unfit Teddy in the starting XI?
* Why leave Ashton and Harewood benched for the ENTIRE match?
* Why did Teddy's goal prevent Pardew from making the third sub?
* Why do all this dicking around with the squad in what is probably the most important game of the entire season?
Player ratings:
Shaka 5 - some good saves but should have prevented the first two goals - maybe the third.
Konchy 7 - the left side was our only consolation.
Elliot N/A - I will not rate him because he was thrown in the fire and we all know he is capable of much more. It would be unfair to rate him. Pardew: way to go, shatter his confidence!
Danny G 6 - OK.
Scaloni 4 - showed up on time for the match. Targeted thereafter. Bring Clive back.
Ethers 7 - the left side was our only consolation.
Mullins 5 - absent.
Anton 5 - Played out of position in the first half, OK in the second.
Newton 5 - absent.
Zamora 6 - tried desperately hard but given no support. Teddy could not benefit from his play.
Teddy 6 - got a goal & some passes, tried his best, but too slow in the absence of pace elsewhere.
Dailly 5 (on for Elliot) - not much better than Anton.
Yossi 5 (on for 10K) - absent.
Pardew 0 - did nothing right. The starting lineup was so wrong that we needed about 7 substitutions to get it right. The two that he did make were wrong. Take the blame, Pardew - everyone makes mistakes.
It's a blip - roll on!
NRC's illness meant a change was forced, but Pardew's actions were unforgivable in the face of such an important match. Getting up at 1am to watch the woeful antics was like a nightmare, but the half-time substitutions were as bizarre as the inexplicable starting lineup and the whole farce was a slap-in-the-face serve of reality to this bleary-eyed fan.
* Why take the league's most in-form defender and play him in a totally unfamiliar role?
* Why play two defensive midfielders, then substitute one for another at half time?
* Why play a debutant at centre back in such a vital match with no effective support?
* If NRC was ill, where was Carl Fletcher?
* Why remove every player (bar one) with any counter attack ability and instead start with the slowest players available?
* Why play two supporting strikers together and leave "Mr Opportunist" Ashton on the bench?
* Why change every single partnership possible except one (left side) in the same match? The strikers, right side, centre mid, and centre back partnerships were all changed.
* Why play "Teflon Don" Scaloni when Dailly is, sadly, a better option there?
* Why not move Newton to right-back, instead of subbing him off and leaving Scaloni at right back?
* Why name slow, unfit Teddy in the starting XI?
* Why leave Ashton and Harewood benched for the ENTIRE match?
* Why did Teddy's goal prevent Pardew from making the third sub?
* Why do all this dicking around with the squad in what is probably the most important game of the entire season?
Player ratings:
Shaka 5 - some good saves but should have prevented the first two goals - maybe the third.
Konchy 7 - the left side was our only consolation.
Elliot N/A - I will not rate him because he was thrown in the fire and we all know he is capable of much more. It would be unfair to rate him. Pardew: way to go, shatter his confidence!
Danny G 6 - OK.
Scaloni 4 - showed up on time for the match. Targeted thereafter. Bring Clive back.
Ethers 7 - the left side was our only consolation.
Mullins 5 - absent.
Anton 5 - Played out of position in the first half, OK in the second.
Newton 5 - absent.
Zamora 6 - tried desperately hard but given no support. Teddy could not benefit from his play.
Teddy 6 - got a goal & some passes, tried his best, but too slow in the absence of pace elsewhere.
Dailly 5 (on for Elliot) - not much better than Anton.
Yossi 5 (on for 10K) - absent.
Pardew 0 - did nothing right. The starting lineup was so wrong that we needed about 7 substitutions to get it right. The two that he did make were wrong. Take the blame, Pardew - everyone makes mistakes.
It's a blip - roll on!
Posted by whubris at 11:58 am
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Manager of the Month?? Clown of the month more like!
What a joke fielding a stupid side agaionst Bolton - it is now half time and it is 3-0 to Bolton! To add insult to injury Christian Dailly has just come on for the 2nd half! Absolute joke!
Friday, March 10, 2006
Pardew Slams Arsenal
Alan Pardew has criticised Arsenal on their lack of homegrown players. The last British player to appear for the Gunners was Sol Campbell, who went home in disgrace at halftime againt the Irons.
"I saw a headline saying Arsenal are flying the flag for Britain in the Champions League," said the West Ham boss. "But I had to wonder where that British involvement was when I saw the team. Every English club should carry at least three British players in the first team. The foreign players have added massively to our game, but the soul of the club is the homegrown players and they should be integrated into that team. It is important we don't lose sight that this is the English Premier League and English players should be involved. I know it is difficult to buy British players because the market is expensive. Chelsea are in a position where they can pay over the odds to bring in those players whereas we have had to search through the lower divisions to do that and Dean Ashton was the only player we had to pay top money for."
West Ham currently have 25 British players on the books (20 English, 3 Welsh, one Scottish, and one Northern Irish), 9 of whom are usually named in the starting eleven (barring injuries). Only eight West Ham players are foreign - and that includes an Irishman and an Australian. Oh, and of course the manager is English!
In contrast Arsenal have 11 British (all English) players and one Irish in their squad of 39. Of these, only two (Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole) play regularly for their side when in form and uninjured. The remainder have only a handful of appearances between them.
"I saw a headline saying Arsenal are flying the flag for Britain in the Champions League," said the West Ham boss. "But I had to wonder where that British involvement was when I saw the team. Every English club should carry at least three British players in the first team. The foreign players have added massively to our game, but the soul of the club is the homegrown players and they should be integrated into that team. It is important we don't lose sight that this is the English Premier League and English players should be involved. I know it is difficult to buy British players because the market is expensive. Chelsea are in a position where they can pay over the odds to bring in those players whereas we have had to search through the lower divisions to do that and Dean Ashton was the only player we had to pay top money for."
West Ham currently have 25 British players on the books (20 English, 3 Welsh, one Scottish, and one Northern Irish), 9 of whom are usually named in the starting eleven (barring injuries). Only eight West Ham players are foreign - and that includes an Irishman and an Australian. Oh, and of course the manager is English!
In contrast Arsenal have 11 British (all English) players and one Irish in their squad of 39. Of these, only two (Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole) play regularly for their side when in form and uninjured. The remainder have only a handful of appearances between them.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Hammers on Fox Again!!!
Fox Sports 1 are showing our game vs Bolton on Saturday - 1am kick off. I'm still pretty confident our cup game will be on ESPN too as commented a couple of weeks ago. Gotta love being in the premier league and doing well - they can't get enough of us, woohoo!
Posted by Dave at 8:58 pm
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said...
* "I've got an opportunity which I didn't think would ever come to me. The opportunity is to say that at West Ham, in football terms and in my opinion, I hit the post. I took over a team which was one game away from relegation to the third-highest finish in their history. The following year, with 42 points and injuries, we went down; I feel I came that close to staying in management a lot longer. I know it's hypothetical, but if you put the points together from my two years there, I finished above Steve McClaren, Sam Allardyce and Alan Curbishley, who are the three great coaching hopes of English football. That’s fact. The great crime is that we were relegated, but 95 points was more than those three got at Middlesbrough, Bolton and Charlton Athletic. I've never had the chance to say that before" - F365 is happy to oblige, Mr Roeder.
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said...* "I've got an opportunity which I didn't think would ever come to me. The opportunity is to say that at West Ham, in football terms and in my opinion, I hit the post. I took over a team which was one game away from relegation to the third-highest finish in their history. The following year, with 42 points and injuries, we went down; I feel I came that close to staying in management a lot longer. I know it's hypothetical, but if you put the points together from my two years there, I finished above Steve McClaren, Sam Allardyce and Alan Curbishley, who are the three great coaching hopes of English football. That’s fact. The great crime is that we were relegated, but 95 points was more than those three got at Middlesbrough, Bolton and Charlton Athletic. I've never had the chance to say that before" - F365 is happy to oblige, Mr Roeder.
Photo of Hammers Flag at Barca
Ok found this on West Ham online
Hammers in Barca
Hats off to the fans who raised a huge West Ham United flag at the Barcelona-Chelsea champ's league match, and somehow got a full screen shot after the final whistle. Well done lads!
Monday, March 06, 2006
Purty!
Ah, that's better! Thanks to Dave's mate for the new banner.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
West Ham Hang On
Excuse the briefness but I am unable to type properly due to a motorbike racing accident.
I thought we played poorly in general. Everton were more disciplined and organised. Our midfielders need to push up more when defending instead of dropping back all the way to the defensive line and into the 18 yard box. They are trying to play on the break but this only plays to one of our many strengths, that is, speed. The skill and guile of our strikers, wingers and NRC are then wasted, and also Shaka is put under unnecessary pressure. Let the defence do their job. We need to put the opponents under pressure in the midfield area instead of inviting them on, and this is not just talking about the second goal.
Player ratings:
Shaka 7 - Good job under pressure. Decisive, strong and reliable.
Konchy 7 - very good defensively and coming forward. His passing in the first half was poor but this improved a lot after the break.
Danny G 6.5 - OK generally, could have done much better for the goal.
Anton 6.5 - like Danny spoiled an otherwise good performance with a brain explosion, in this case trying to get himself sent off.
Scaloni 5 - Ugh.
Ethers 7 - yet another good performance, was full of fight.
NRC/Mullins 6 - See comments above. Both had good moments but didn't have control over the match.
Yossi 5 - Did little apart from his involvement with the first goal. His defensive game has gone way downhill.
Marlon 8 - Never stopped and took his goal well.
Deano 7 - Solid. Excellent finish for his goal, I didn't think he'd get it but he did. Seems to me to have a certain Alan Shearer quality - in the best way possible of course.
Z-man 6 - no impact but the substitution and pack shuffle helped the side.
10K 6 - did his job as usual.
"Terry" Sheringham 6 - no real impact.
I thought we played poorly in general. Everton were more disciplined and organised. Our midfielders need to push up more when defending instead of dropping back all the way to the defensive line and into the 18 yard box. They are trying to play on the break but this only plays to one of our many strengths, that is, speed. The skill and guile of our strikers, wingers and NRC are then wasted, and also Shaka is put under unnecessary pressure. Let the defence do their job. We need to put the opponents under pressure in the midfield area instead of inviting them on, and this is not just talking about the second goal.
Player ratings:
Shaka 7 - Good job under pressure. Decisive, strong and reliable.
Konchy 7 - very good defensively and coming forward. His passing in the first half was poor but this improved a lot after the break.
Danny G 6.5 - OK generally, could have done much better for the goal.
Anton 6.5 - like Danny spoiled an otherwise good performance with a brain explosion, in this case trying to get himself sent off.
Scaloni 5 - Ugh.
Ethers 7 - yet another good performance, was full of fight.
NRC/Mullins 6 - See comments above. Both had good moments but didn't have control over the match.
Yossi 5 - Did little apart from his involvement with the first goal. His defensive game has gone way downhill.
Marlon 8 - Never stopped and took his goal well.
Deano 7 - Solid. Excellent finish for his goal, I didn't think he'd get it but he did. Seems to me to have a certain Alan Shearer quality - in the best way possible of course.
Z-man 6 - no impact but the substitution and pack shuffle helped the side.
10K 6 - did his job as usual.
"Terry" Sheringham 6 - no real impact.
Posted by whubris at 9:21 am
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Dave said...
Ashton Shearer like qualities. FFS Pardew - Dean Ashton!!! Ah I love being right. Fantastic finish. I was thinking all the way he's gonna spoon that or blast it wide - what a goal.
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Dave said...Ashton Shearer like qualities. FFS Pardew - Dean Ashton!!! Ah I love being right. Fantastic finish. I was thinking all the way he's gonna spoon that or blast it wide - what a goal.
Friday, March 03, 2006
England Despose of Uruguay - Eventually!
Thanks to Been Extreem for capturing this post match from the BBC.
Posted by Dave at 12:30 am
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said...
My name is been extreme, you know...
Nice to see many ex-Hammers players on the pitch there :p
whubris said...
i thought england looked quite average apart from Joe Cole, Terry, Beckham (sometimes) and Gerrard (occasionally). Uruguay sat deep and i thought tactically had the upper hand. against a stronger front line england might struggle more. They need fat frank, i have to say. Carrick isn't good enough. Gerrard and Rooney run everywhere but we need decent players in other positions so they can play to their strengths.
quick update for you guys, I'm still recovering [fyi collarbone snapped in half (and some fragments floating about), really did a good job on it, hamate (wrist) & radial head (elbow) also broken, and tore a neck ligament but spine is thankfully 100% undamaged]. had a CT scan this morning to check for other damage, dunno results yet. but doing well. hard to type with one hand :-)
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said...My name is been extreme, you know...
Nice to see many ex-Hammers players on the pitch there :p
whubris said...i thought england looked quite average apart from Joe Cole, Terry, Beckham (sometimes) and Gerrard (occasionally). Uruguay sat deep and i thought tactically had the upper hand. against a stronger front line england might struggle more. They need fat frank, i have to say. Carrick isn't good enough. Gerrard and Rooney run everywhere but we need decent players in other positions so they can play to their strengths.
quick update for you guys, I'm still recovering [fyi collarbone snapped in half (and some fragments floating about), really did a good job on it, hamate (wrist) & radial head (elbow) also broken, and tore a neck ligament but spine is thankfully 100% undamaged]. had a CT scan this morning to check for other damage, dunno results yet. but doing well. hard to type with one hand :-)
