On the recommendation of Stephen Coutts, lead writer for Man On Platform 13, I took a look at the Inter Milan's 20-year Austrian, Marko Arnautovic. This was after Arnautovic finally scored for Inter against Vaduz in a friendly match recently.
Thus far, Marko Arnautovic has been warming the bench at the Nerazurri, trying hard to convince Jose Mourinho that his talent is worthy of the Serie A stage. Click to continue reading...

West Ham insist in-form striker Carlton Cole is not for sale at any price despite reports that Premier League's big guns are preparing January bids.
Manchester United are the latest club linked with a £20million bid for Hammers hot-shot Cole when the transfer window reopens, with misfiring Liverpool also reportedly interested in a player who has flourished under the tutelage of Gianfranco Zola. Click to continue reading...

West Ham United have told Liverpool that Carlton Cole will cost an astonishing £20million.
The East Londoners are desperate to keep hold of the England striker, who only signed a lucrative four-year deal at the club 12 months ago.
Cole, 26 today, has been a revelation since Gianfranco Zola's arrival last season and is firmly in the running for a place in Fabio Capello's World Cup squad. Click to continue reading...

Gianfranco Zola's West Ham were no match for Everton at Upton Park. West Ham were beaten 1-2 by Everton. Click to continue reading...

If he were an opera star, he would be il divo.� If he were an American sports star, he would be called a prima dona (yes, Americans don't speak other languages well) and be compared to Terrell Owens or various NBA figures.� If he was a politician, he would rise to stratospheric heights only to quickly fall to the ground.

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West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola was over the moon after Zavon Hines' last-gasp strike earned his Hammers their first win since the opening day of the season. England Under-21 striker Hines was the toast of Upton Park after he netted the winner in the fourth minute of injury time.

Zola said:

"This could be the turning point for us.

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Surplus to requirements at White Hart Lane, Roman may have a future just down the road at Upton Park?

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Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko wanted by West Ham
As West Ham prepare for the visit tomorrow of Aston Villa, Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko has emerged as a surprise target.

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West Ham may well be going down this season with a string of useless displays and a home record that even Derby County would be proud of. However, if the Hammers had kept hold of their top players where would they be now? Top 10, top 6, top 4 or even challenging for the title? Here's our Ultimate 11 of Ex West Ham players still plying their trade in the Premier League today, unfortunately for them, for other teams.

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Steve Bruce has already shown what he is capable of after immediately transforming Sunderland from the eternal strugglers to the league's surprise package. The Black Cats have ensured that the Stadium of Light remains a fortress this season as they have not lost at home since their opening home fixture against league leaders Chelsea.

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Darren Bent has given Steve Bruce and Sunderland a boost as he is in line to make a return from injury against West Ham United on Saturday. Bent injured his knee against Birmingham last weekend and was forced to miss out on Sunderland's Carling Cup clash with Premiership rivals Aston Villa midweek.

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Gianfranco Zola just checked and everything seems to be in place. You can start the game now.

[Photo: Getty; Previously in odd Zola images.]

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I don't know about you but I'm still smarting from the two points dropped at Upton Park last Sunday. Having watched a recording of the game (I was at Wembley watching the NFL game) I'm even more depressed. We were so in control in the first half but we simply don't seem to have the killer instinct.

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Gianfranco Zola's side battled back well from two goals down to earn themselves a point against in form Arsenal.

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0-1 Van Persie

0-2 Gallas

1st Half Highlights

1-2 Cole

2-2 Diamanti

Don't forget to check out Online Football Manager!

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By Phil Gregory Arsenal travel to Upton Park looking to heap more pressure on a beleaguered Gianfranco Zola. The West Ham boss has not seen his team win since August, and sitting three points adrift of safety, Hammers fans will be hoping for, but not expecting an upset. Recent form: West Ham are growing desperate for points, [. Click to continue reading...

Back the bid...
The 67 Ambassadors Reccruited By The FA To Promote England's Bid To Host The 2018 World Cup
1. Aaron Mokoena (South Africa)
2. Alan Shearer
3. Alexandre Song (Cameroon)
4. Andrew Cole
5. Ashley Young
6. Brian Deane
7. Bryan Robson
8. Carlos Edwards (Trinidad & Tobago)
9. Click to continue reading...

Stuart Pearce's England U21 squad for last Friday's European U21 Championship qualifier against Macedonia included players from towns such as Essex, Doncaster and Basingstoke; so it was ironic that a man born in Jamaica, the island nation in the Greater Antilles with a population of just 2.

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I find myself asking it all the time: how old is that player? My last such quandary was over Arshavin (older than I would have guessed). Before that it was over Jovetic (younger than I would have guessed). When I' m looking up a player's age for an article or to settle a bet or for the hell of it and a date before 1980 pops up, my initial reaction is: "Wow, he's getting old.

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English Premier League is one of the most exciting football leagues in Europe but while Chelsea shouldn't have too many problems taking the title from United, the relegation race promises to be as exciting as ever. Last weekend both Hull City and Portsmouth boosted their survival hopes by beating direct relegation rivals, while Wolves, Birmingham and Blackburn proved they could be involved in the battle to avoid the drop.

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Wolves fans are gutted. Prior to this weekend's fixtures, Portsmouth had lost their first seven matches. While losing runs can't go on forever, every club in the country was licking it's lips at the prospect of playing the South Coast side. But on a glorious Saturday afternoon, in front of a packed Molineux,� Wolves fans witnessed utter horror as their team became the first club to give up points to Europe's worst team.

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Just over half a dozen games in and the Premier League is beginning to take shape.� There have already been some heavyweight clashes with the newly oil rich Man City upsetting Big 4 stalwarts Arsenal while Spurs' flying start was kept in check by Manchester United and Chelsea.� With the electric Fernando Torres leading the line Liverpool have steadied the ship after a nervy start and last year's pretenders, Aston Villa, have picked up useful points despite not fully hitting top form yet.

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Editor's Note: Geoff Reid appears on WVHooligan each week. Today he's back with his weekly look at the life of a Liverpool fan living in American. Feel free to leave Geoff your thoughts below.

This week has been a pretty slow week in football compared to previous weeks. Over in England, matches last weekend in the Premiership followed by Carling Cup during the week where most clubs gave their reserves and younger players a chance to prove themselves to the manager of their respective clubs.

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One of the most popular figures ever to have graced the Premier League, Gianfranco Zola was a magician with the ball at his feet, able to conjure moments of artistry that captured the imagination of English football fans during his seven years at Chelsea. Click to continue reading...

The influence of foreigners on football in England cannot be underestimated. While Coach Fabio Capello has guided England through the qualifiers and instilled a winning mentality amongst the players, the skills of English� players such as Wayne Rooney and the presence of leaders like John Terry must also be credited with the change in England's fortunes. Click to continue reading...

Fernando Torres scored twice as Liverpool held off a brave fightback from West Ham to earn a deserved 3-2 victory in a five-goal thriller at Upton Park.
Torres put the Reds in front in the 19th minute with a fine solo goal but debutant Alessandro Diamanti levelled from the penalty spot. Click to continue reading...

Ahead of this match at the DW Stadium, Gianfranco Zola has no injury worries except calf trouble from Jack Collision sustained during a Wales U-21 match. More good news is that Valon Behrami and Alessandro Diamanti had a fantastic reserves match against Birmingham City. Behrami and Diamanti are fast becoming great friends and that is sure to be helping Diamanti settle in at West Ham. Click to continue reading...

Of the 20 clubs in the English Premier League, only 8 have English managers. Four clubs have Scottish managers, and there are two each from Spain, Italy, and Wales. Here is the complete list of Premier League managers by nationality:

8 - England: Sam Allardyce (Bolton), Gary Megson (Bolton), Roy Hodgson (Fulham), Phil Brown (Hull City), Paul Hart (Portsmouth), Steve Bruce (Sunderland), Harry Redknapp (Spurs), Mick McCarthy* (Wolverhampton)

4 - Scotland: Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United), Alex McLeish (Birmingham), Owen Coyne (Burnley), David Moyes (Everton)

2 - Italy: Carlo Ancelotti (Chelsea), Gianfranco Zola (West Ham)

2 - Spain: Rafael Benitez (Liverpool), Roberto Martinez (Wigan)

2 - Wales: Mark Hughes (Manchester City), Tony Pulis (Stoke City)

1 - France: Arsene Wenger (Arsenal)

1 - Northern Ireland: Martin O'Neill (Aston Villa)

*Mick McCarthy was born in England, but played internationally for the Republic of Ireland.

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Wenger keen on talented young Italian striker.

Mario Balotelli can't find room at Inter and Arsene Wenger offers him a chance at Arsenal. "He can become one of the greatest."
The Under-21 international has pace, power and technique in abundance, but his questionable attitude has seen him dropped by Jose Mourinho recently.

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Arsenal target Marouane Chamakh revealed he is not close to sign for an English Premiership side, although if he is to leave Bordeaux, he will most likely sign for West Ham.

Speaking to L'Equipe on Gianfranco Zola's side, the striker said:

Yes, indeed, my representatives were in London.

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Fingers crossed for another Paolo!

West Ham have signed Livorno striker Alessandro Diamanti for an undisclosed fee on a five-year contract.
Diamanti, 26, scored 18 goals in 37 league and cup matches last season as Livorno were promoted to Serie A.
Diamanti said he was looking forward to linking up with Hammers boss and fellow Italian Gianfranco Zola.

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.Back in January the odds on Burnley beating both Manchester United and Everton by one goal to nil would have been significantly high. The town of Burnley only is only home to around 73,000 residents (the smallest in the division), they have the smallest wage bill in the Premier League and their transfer funds are [. Click to continue reading...

It's been a tough 12 months for the boys at Upton Park. A row between the board and manager over the sales of Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney to Sunderland lead to the resignation of Alan Curbishley. That was followed by major sponsors 'XL' going bust, and then an ex-Chelsea player taking over as manager. Click to continue reading...

Arsene Wenger has made a fresh move for St Etienne midfielder Blaise Matuidi after fearing Cesc Fabregas is facing an injury lay-off.

Arsenal captain Fabregas, 22, faces a race to be fit for Saturday's trip to Manchester United and could be out for up to three weeks with a hamstring injury.

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Talented Serie A man on his way to east London.

In a surprising twist to this particular Lazio saga, English outfit West Ham United are believed to have agreed a fee for the Biancocelesti's Macedonian forward, Goran Pandev.

According to calciomercato.com, the Roman club have reportedly accepted West Ham's offer of an initial €5 million.

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Would be one hell of a signing.

WEST HAM boss Gianfranco Zola is close to agreeing a loan deal for Eidur Gudjohnsen.
The cash-strapped Hammers are in no financial position to agree a £5million permanent deal for the striker but a season-long deal is on the cards.

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. Image by Getty Images via Daylife Tottenham have continued their good form with a 2-1 victory over West Ham at Upton Park. The first half was goalless, but the game came alive in the second half. spurs had to come back from a goal down after England striker Carlton Cole struck [...] Click to continue reading...