History will be kind to me because I intend to write it

CURBS BACKS CURRENT SQUAD TO PUSH FOR EUROPE

Alan Curbishley will not be dipping into the transfer market this summer as he has backed his injury-hit West Ham to push for European honours next season.

They take on Aston Villa tomorrow afternoon knowing that a win will see them finish in tenth – a far cry from last season when they survived the drop by a whisker.

Having shelled out £29m last summer Curbishley’s squad has been plagued by “an unprecedented amount of injuries”.

He said: “It has been a difficult season. From the second week of pre-season it has been very difficult in terms of injuries. But I have nothing but praise for the players who have featured.

“Last summer we lost an important triangle of players in Carlos Tevez, Yossi Benayoun and Nigel Reo Coker – they played a big part in keeping us up.

“And we replaced them with Craig Bellamy, Julien Faubert and Scott Parker, but they have not featured because of injury.

“It has been a very messy campaign in terms of team selection. The players we have been missing have been the pacy, offensive players, like Kieron Dyer and Bellamy.

“They are the type of players who can unlock a team, especially at home. And they can do much damage away on the break too.”

Curbishley, who meets with Icelandic owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson and the other board members on Monday morning for a season review, doesn’t want to make any signings – as his initial buys have not been allowed to have a fair go.

He added: “I am hoping that sometime in June that I can sit down and say, ‘right, I’ve got at least this 20 players’.”

“I wanted a solid season this year so we could lay some foundations this year. But with the injuries it hasn’t turned out how I wanted.

“But once all the players are back we can be confident that we will be better next year, and push on try and attack that top six.”

Labels: Alan Cubishley, England, football, Premier League, West Ham United

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 7:25 pm | Permalink | Comments

CURBS TO SILENCE BOO BOYS

Alan Curbishley has vowed to silence the boo boys who heckled his West Ham team last week, even after they won! The disappointed manager is convinced that a spectacular win against Premier League form team Newcastle United tomorrow afternoon will get the fans back on their side.

The Upton Park fans made clear their frustrations in last weekend’s 2-1 victory over already-relegated Derby.

But the Hammers are currently tenth in the Premier League – far from the relegation scrap they were involved in at this stage last season.

And having been hit hard by injuries this season, Curbisley believes that his squad have coped extremely well and that the boos are wholly unfair.

He said: “The message to the fans is: We are all frustrated, but get behind the players and the team. We are all in this together, and let’s see if we can finish the season strongly.

“I have never seen a team win at home and then get booed. It was really disappointing and doesn’t do anyone any good booing the players or the manager, because we are all in this together.

“There is a lot of frustration around the club at the moment but we know that the fans were great this time last year – they were instrumental in keeping us up, because of their support. Now we have to get that back.

“Last season we had a lot of bad publicity and we wanted a settling down period this season. The squad have played fantastically well, and we have competed well in the Premier League. With everyone fit we know we can be a lot stronger.

“We have got to stick by each other – let’s not hear booing this weekend. Despite the injures we have managed to get the wins, pick up the points and keep us in a decent position in the league.”

He continued: “We have had constant change, and constant problems. I want a bit of realism and appreciation.

“When Newcastle come to town it makes for a great atmosphere. We want to respond to the boos and get the result and send everyone home happy.

“Coming to Upton Park is always difficult for the away team and we have got to keep it like that. It was disappointing last Saturday but it is up to us to turn it around."

Labels: Alan Cubishley, Newcastle, Premier League, West Ham United

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 7:15 pm | Permalink | Comments

FULHAM 'TIGERS' TO PLAY EVERY GAME AS THOUGH A 'CUP FINAL'

Roy Hodgson has dismissed the notion that Fulham are too good to go down, and admits that his team must treat every game – starting with tomorrow’s match against West Ham United – like a cup final if they are to retain their Premier League status.

And he takes encouragement from Alan Curbishley’s achievements at Upton Park. The Hammers were second-bottom at this point last season - the position Hodgson finds his new team in now.

The 60-year-old, who has been at Craven Cottage for only a fortnight, said: “I think Fulham is an excellent club, but we have no God-given right to be in the Premier League – you have to play well enough to keep your place.

“Relegation can happen to us – it has happened to a number of quality, traditional clubs. We have got to be totally and utterly focus on working as hard as we possibly can on ensuring that it doesn’t happen.

“West Ham were in a similar position to ourselves last season and they found themselves in the relegation zone and for a long period of time they were concerned that they weren’t going to survive.

“They did, and since then they have pushed on and are now we know that if we are to get a good result we are going to have to be on the ball and at our best.”

The former Inter and Blackburn manager added: “Every game now needs to be seen as a cup final and the players need to prepare as though each game is a final. We need to be at our best and fighting like tigers in every game.”

Labels: Alan Cubishley, football, Fulham, Premier League, Roy Hodgson, West Ham United

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 9:11 am | Permalink | Comments

WEST HAM TO BRING IN DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL

Alan Curbishley has dismissed rumours that Rafael Benitez’s former assistant at Liverpool, Pako Ayestaran, will be joining him at West Ham United. He did admit, however, that the club would be employing someone in the near future to help develop their training facilities and a new stadium.

When asked about the prospect of Ayestaran, who departed Anfield in early September, becoming director of football, Curbishley said: “That is something I know nothing about.

“All I can say is that we have discussed the situation and we are formulating a job description of what the position entails. No one has been in the frame or talked about.”

West Ham’s owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, who bought a 95 per cent share of the club for a cool £108m (including club debts of £23m) 12 months ago, is hopeful that his investment is not wasted, and wants to compete with the top Premier League clubs.

Having spent over £45m on bringing players to the club, the Hammers’ owner is now looking to build a bigger stadium as well as a new training complex.

“What you are seeing now is all the clubs trying to compete on a better playing field,” continued Curbishley. “The main reason we are looking to bring someone in is because we are hoping to push on – new stadium, training grounds et cetera.

“If we are talking about a 60,000 all-seater stadium, and perhaps new facilities, we really need someone who has been around that situation.

“We are talking about the long-term development of the club. We know that we have the opportunity to become bigger and to do that we have to plan it, work it out before we go anywhere.”

The West Ham manager was keen to stress that whoever was brought to the club would not have any influence over first team affairs, as has been rumoured to have led to factionalism at Chelsea and Tottenham earlier in the season.

Curbishley added: “I will take control of all first team matters. I don’t have any problems at all in that area. What we are basically after is someone who can come on board and help develop the club.”

Labels: Alan Cubishley, Premier League, Upton Park, West Ham United

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 3:33 pm | Permalink | Comments

'NAIVE' NOBLE OUT WITH HERNIA INJURY

Mark Noble has been forced to have a double hernia operation because of his eagerness to play too much football, his manager Alan Curbishley believes. The West Ham central midfielder, who undergoes surgery tomorrow (FRI), joins ten team mates on the sidelines, and will be out of action for at least two weeks.

The locally-born 20-year-old, who signed to the club as a schoolboy, has been one of the most popular players at Upton Park since his emergence in the team midway through last season.

His grit and passion to the cause – epitomised by his tears when Tottenham hit a late winner in their 4-3 defeat of West Ham last season – earned him a regular spot in the side. His enthusiastic performances, along with Carlos Tevez’s timely goals, were one of the main reasons that his team avoided relegation.

However this enthusiasm may have been his downfall, his manager reckons. Curbishley said: “He has been having a groin problem for a couple of months and he hasn’t cracked on.

“He had been going full pelt for the last five or six months and he has not really had any recovery time.”

Noble, who captained England’s U18s, was called up to the U21s this summer, and made his debut in the European Championships in Holland. As a result he had scarcely any time off to recover.

“He only had two weeks off in the summer,” his manager continued. “I think you’re dealing with a young man, probably thinking all he wants to do is play and he can get through it.

“It was only after the Coventry game, when he came off, he declared how sore it was and that it had been niggling him for some time.

“It’s probably a bit of naivety from a young player that wants to play all the time, desperate to play for his club. We’ll put that down to experience, I think.”

Curbishley is hopeful that the youngster and his team mates – Craig Bellamy, Dean Ashton, Bobby Zamora, Anton Ferdinand, Scott Parker, Freddie Ljungberg, Callum Davenport and James Collins – will recover by the time West Ham host Tottenham on November 25, after the international break.

Kieron Dyer and French international Julien Faubert have long term injuries, and are expected to be out for five months and three months respectively.

Labels: Alan Cubishley, Mark Noble, Premier League, West Ham United

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 2:18 pm | Permalink | Comments

WEST HAM'S CURSE OF THE NEW SIGNINGS

Alan Curbishley hopes summer signing Craig Bellamy's injury problems can be resolved once and for all during next month's international break.

The £7.5m record signing was withdrawn at half-time against Portsmouth on Saturday, and joins forwards Bobby Zamora and Dean Ashton in the physio room, much to Curbishley's frustration.

Bellamy is likely to miss tonight's (Tues) Carling Cup fourth round tie against Coventry at the Ricoh Arena.

"Craig has been playing in a lot of discomfort," said Curbishley. "He is able to play, but his game is restricted.

"It looks like we are going to have to close him down again - we can use the international break. It will give him a decent chance of clearing it up."

The next international break begins after West Ham play Derby away on November 10 Curbishley hopes the 28-year-old Welshman will be ready by the time they host Tottenham on November 25.

"He has an abdominal strain, and it has been creating problems in other areas," Cubishley said. "The groin area was sorted out with an operation in Germany, but the abdominal strain has come back.

"It's frustrating for everyone. We are stopping and starting all the time. It's the continuity we are struggling with."

Last season the West Ham manager lost new signings Lucas Neill and Matthew Upson to injury soon after they arrived.

He added: "I've never known so many new signings get injured. It started last season with Lucas and Matty.

"It's the same with Scott Parker and some of the others. They have come here, desperate to do well and they can't get going.

"We started the season with Bobby and Craig up front and now they are both out injured. It has been the forwards who have taken the brunt of it.

"It's mostly impact injuries though - it's nothing to do with training - and you just can't legislate for that."

Curbishley believes Coventry, with former West Ham player Iain Dowie as manager, will be a stern test.

"I've been to see them, and we know we have a game on," he said. "I think Coventry are like a lot of clubs - they have been relegated and have found it ever so difficult since then.

"We know that if we set about the game in the right way, we will give ourselves a chance."

Labels: Alan Cubishley, Craig Bellamy, West Ham United

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 4:49 pm | Permalink | Comments