West Ham Utd 5 Burnley 1 (21/02/11)

[Belgian Iron]

Looks like Grant is set on playing Ba tonight.

Don't want to play backseat manager, but this seems to have a lot of potential downside for very little reward - if we can't polish off Burnley with Piq, Cole or Hines up front then we probably don't deserve to win.

And with Keane out for the next month we should have Ba frozen in carbonite and hung like a trophy on David Gold's wall until the Liverpool game.

I can see the point of playing Ba, so the team can get used to his style of play, and he can get used to his teammates. Ok, these sort of things should be done in training, but we all know a match is different stuff.

I would not really say we should rest the whole team, but we certainly should not risk any players who aren't 100%
And I would rest Parker at least, I think it would benefit him (and us).

[rare as rockinghorse shat]

If Parker is rested and Upson out, who do we reckon will take the armband?

Has to be Noble, you'd assume? And if he isn't playing?

[the pink palermo]

Green.

[HammerMan2004]

If Parker is rested and Upson out, who do we reckon will take the armband?

Has to be Noble, you'd assume? And if he isn't playing?

Parker, Upson, Noble, Green, Hitz, Bridge, Kovac.

That'd be my order of captain list given who I think might play.

[CentenaryUpperHammer]

Looks like Hitz will feature tonight. Reckon they will give him an hour. Collison on twitter just said that 'he can't wait to see Hitz in action'. So I guess Parker will be rested and probably Noble. So midfield thoughts?!

Boa/Obinna/Hines - Hitz - Noble/Kovac/Spector - Barrera/Sears

With Ba and Cole uptop.

[rare as rockinghorse shat]

Stand in captain Radoslav Kovac capped off a fine display at the heart of the home side's defence 6 minutes from time, heading home the Hammers' 3rd from Wayne Bridge's corner.

[the pink palermo]

Stand in captain Radoslav Kovac capped off a fine display at the heart of the home side's defence 6 minutes from time, heading home the Hammers' 3rd from Wayne Bridge's corner.A red headed woman was seen running onto the field to celebrate with Raddy with what most onlookers described as a full on snog .A young lad was observed looking at his shoes whilst muttering, "not again mum"

[Essex 'Ammer12]

Green is usually the captain for cup games.

[Hatcham Iron]

realy think this game is the time to play kovak at ch i believe he could do a good job there. he looks best when he plays a holding roll in front of the back 4 why not in the back 4 itself.

[Sloop John B]

If Parker is rested and Upson out, who do we reckon will take the armband?

Has to be Noble, you'd assume? And if he isn't playing?

Was thinking about this...He's probably not playing tonight but I think Cole seems to be sticking his head above the parapit more recently than I remember him, maybe it's just his tweets and after game interviews. I wonder if giving him the armband would give that extra bit of confidence.

[MarshyWHU]

http://www.whufc.com/articles/20101209/tombides-learning-fast_2236884_2239892" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"It was my first time playing at Upton Park and nothing compares. This is where you want to be in the future"

who wants to break the news?

[w4hammer]

. he looks best when he plays a holding roll in front of the back 4 why not in the back 4 itself

which games have you seen these flashes of brilliance, per-chance?

He looks best holding the ball, picking up cones and warming up - bollox to giving him a game. Everything does downhill after that! He was worst player on the pitch v Forest- why we still give him a squad number i do not know...a czech sized peroxide blonde arm-waving tackle missing lia-****ing-bility...

Give one two or three of the young lads a chance ahead of this relic, please

[upton girlie]

Stand in captain Radoslav Kovac capped off a fine display at the heart of the home side's defence 6 minutes from time, heading home the Hammers' 3rd from Wayne Bridge's corner.A red headed woman was seen running onto the field to celebrate with Raddy with what most onlookers described as a full on snog .A young lad was observed looking at his shoes whilst muttering, "not again mum"

Love you Pinky

[eja32]

It’s been a huge couple of years for former Stirling Lions youngsters Dylan and Taylor Tombides, after both cemented spots in English Premier League side West Ham United’s academy teams.
Both returned home at Christmas with parents Jim and Tracy-Lee to visit family and friends, and we sat down with the pair for a chat.

Dylan, who was first to head to the UK, has impressed in the Hammers under 18’s side and made his senior debut for the Upton Park club when he came on as a substitute in the Reserves against Chelsea last month, is enjoying his time in the UK. “I’ve been around the club for two and half years, and I’m finding my feet well at the moment,” Dylan said.

The 17-year-old, who was on target for West Ham under 18’s against Arsenal in their 1-0 win last month, and he was also on target for the academy team that beat Aldershot Town 5-0 to see the Hammer progress into the FA Youth cup fourth round, heads back early in the New Year and he is looking forward to another opportunity in the reserves. “It’s been a great month personally and for the 18’s. To be fair we started the season really slowly, but the last couple of month the boys have lifted and it’s showed on the pitch. We beat Arsenal which gave us a massive lift, and like me a number of the side have pushed our way into the reserves side and I’m looking forward to getting back, working hard and looking for a starting spot in the side,” Dylan said.
Dylan began his football as a four-year-old at Wembley Downs, before joining the Lions at 12. He then moved to Perth SC for two seasons before being spotted by West Ham, and his performances in the UK were rewarded with an international call-up for the Australian under-17’s squad, which was a great thrill for the youngster. “It was a great experience for me, and to play for your Country is a great honour. We played England, Portugal and Turkey, and a couple of my West Ham teammates played for England, so I got a little bit of stick from them when they beat us,” Dylan explained.

The striker heads to Dubai in January for an international tournament with the Hammers academy. The Bani Yas International under 18’s Tournament, see’s West Ham United come up against German side Hamburger SV, Egyptian side Al-Ahly Sporting Club and Dubai based side Bani Yas FC, and Dylan is looking forward to it. “It will be a good work out for the lads, and it will be hot over there, something they aren’t used to, but they will enjoy getting away from the very cold temperatures in England at the moment. I’ll catch up with the rest of the squad in London, before heading to Dubai, so I’ve had to watch what I eat over Christmas, so I’m ready to go when I get there,” Dylan said.

With a number of young Australian’s returning to play in the A-League, such as Rostyn Griffiths, who returned from Blackburn Rovers in 2009 and is now at Central Coast Mariners, Dylan believes it’s an option in the future, but he hopes to stay in the UK as long as possible, and knows there is a great deal of work to do at West Ham. “If my career worked out well it would be an option for me. I’m happy in the UK at the moment but if I moved back to Australia and wanted to continue playing professional football then the A-League would be an option for me,” Dylan said.

“It’s an important time for me at Upton Park at the moment. I return home and hope to push for another reserves game and we’ve been drawn at home to either Manchester United or Portsmouth in the FA Youth Cup, so that’s all I’m concentrating on at the moment.”

For 15-year-old Taylor, it’s a great experience to be playing in the Hammers under 15’s academy side, and following in the footsteps of his brother. “Playing at that level in the UK, week in and week out is amazing, and it’s helped my game a great deal,” Taylor said.

The Youngster, who played for The Lions and Perth SC in WA, still has two-years of schooling to go, and he is fitting it in between his football, and he hopes to continue his improvement on the pitch as well as the schoolroom. “In Perth you have big games like Lions v Perth, but over in the Premier Academy league you have games like that every week. The football is sharp and you have to be on your toes all the time. It’s a great opportunity for me at West Ham, and it’s one I want to take with both hands, but I still need to the hard work off the pitch too with my studies,” Taylor said.

After two years in the UK, Taylor is getting used to the cold weather, but he’s not the only one in the side that struggles with the British winter weather. “I’m gradually getting used to the snow and cold weather and it’s just something you have to put up with. We have some talented African players in the squad, and they find it hard to get to grips with the cold, but it’s fantastic to play in the same side as these talented player’s week in and week out, and it’s improving my game all the time,” Taylor explained.

With his brother Dylan making the step to international football, it’s something that Taylor is working towards in the future. “It’s a dream to play for your Country, but it means a great deal of hard work. I’ve seen what Dylan has gone through to get there, and when I get old enough to represent Australia, I hope they release he has a younger brother, and they look at me, which would be fantastic,” Taylor said.

.

[3times]

I know Dylans (and Taylor) dad. He is really pleased with the progress. Was telling me the other day that Dylan has been training with the 1st team and being kept behind for extra sessions with some of the senior players.

He will be over the moon if he is in the squad tonight.

[eja32]

Nice one, sounds a prospect!

It was posted on twitter by Montano, Turgott and Cowler so i'd imagine it's true.

[munichhammer]

is this going to be shown on the box?

[the pink palermo]

A win tonight and we can start to see the road to Wembley .

If we beat Burnley ( and they will see this as a winnable game) , a trip to Stoke holds no particular fears , and with only one of Arsenal or Manure surviving , and the magic of the cup not being ingrained in Mancini's Foreign Legion , then a trip to the Empire stadium is a possibility .

We could win this competition .

We've won it before .

[djclipz]

is this going to be shown on the box?

espn i believe...

so no doubt a stream will be readily available too

[James P]

If we beat Burnley ( and they will see this as a winnable game) , a trip to Stoke holds no particular fears , and with only one of Ars*nal or Manure surviving , and the magic of the cup not being ingrained in Mancini's Foreign Legion , then a trip to the Empire stadium is a possibility.

Only need to beat Stoke to reach Wembley.