By JAMES CLARKSorry for the lack of posts in the last two months, but some serious personal matters needed attention. They haven't gone away, but you can't spend your life expecting people to reciprocate and "have your back" even though you have theirs, always and forever. Que sera, sera . Click to continue reading...

By JAMES CLARKHarkesy and I have had many recent conversations about how no U.S. men's side, in a game that truly matters, can afford to be without striker Jozy Altidore and midfielder/striker Freddy Adu in the starting 11. Those two players, while still learning the game and not without their flaws, give the U. Click to continue reading...

By JAMES CLARKManager Gianfranco Zola is 2 for 2 in Premier League matches (the Carling Cup loss to Watford notwithstanding!), but even more so than the results, it's the type of football we are playing that's winning new converts and reinforcing the convictions of the old guard of supporters. Click to continue reading...

By JAMES CLARKGianfranco Zola has landed. What a time to be a Hammer! Yes, the jury is still out over whether he will replicate his stellar, attack-minded accomplishments as a player while prowling the touchline in a suit and tie. But you have to like the odds. I have been told by Jim Sturman -- a name familiar to many of you Hammers' fans -- that "Gianfranco is a wonderful man. Click to continue reading...

By JAMES CLARKAll reports out of England indicate that ex-Chelsea striker and Italian international Gianfranco Zola (pictured above top, twice) will be named as West Ham's first foreign manager within days, if not hours. There has been a subtle uproar amongst Hammers supporters -- mainly due to Zola's Chelsea connectons, but also as we try to get over the fact that Europe's manager du jour, Croatia's Slaven Bilic, won't be returning to his one-time Upton Park home. Click to continue reading...

By JAMES CLARKCoach Bob Bradley's latest USA Men's National Team roster for the upcoming CONCACAF qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup against Cuba and Trinidad & Tobago has a curious absence: One Freddy Adu. Based on his performances in the USA's first two group games at the Beijing Olympics (Adu was suspended for the third match, down to his own petulance), this sort of beggars belief. Click to continue reading...

By JAMES CLARKEast Rutherford, New Jersey -- The lads and I spent a beautiful Sunday with 12,000-plus fellow fans at Giants Stadium and saw the resurgent New York Red Bulls impose themselves during a comprehensive 3-nil win over the Houston Dynamo in a match that was broadcast nationally on Spanish-language network Telefutura. Click to continue reading...

By JAMES CLARKIt's not the fact that we're losing Anton Ferdinand (pictured) to Sunderland, per se. He was always a raw-but-talented defender. In many cases, his penchant for scoring goals seemed to outweigh his talents for stopping goals at the other end, at least in the Premier League. Remember, his best days with Hammers were when he partnered Elliot Ward and helped us win promotion in 2004-05. Click to continue reading...

By JAMES CLARKWhen you think about what West Ham needs to do in order to stay in the Premiership -- and, let's face it, with Curbs as manager and the credit crunch putting paid to the Icelandic-owners consortium's ability to compete financially -- finishing anywhere from 17th and above MUST! Click to continue reading...

By JAMES CLARKAlex, Ben and I left the house at 7:15 a.m. on Saturday, July 19th and spent the day at Fort Dix in 97-degree heat as the lads were playing in the Central Jersey Invitational Cup as part of the South Jersey Barons summer select U-11 soccer team. Click to continue reading...

By DAVE HOLAK(photo by Alex Clark)
Unfortunately, I think MLS has fallen into the same marketing philosophy many businesses, big and small, fall into in regards to David Beckham ... make the big initial "grand opening" push and get the snowball running downhill, and once it starts rolling it will get bigger and bigger. Click to continue reading...

By JAMES CLARKNew Jersey has such a rich, wonderful history when it comes to American soccer. Names like John Harkes, Claudio Reyna, Tony Meola, Tab Ramos and Bob Bradley drip off the tongue, as do clubs and schools like Kearny Thistle and St. Click to continue reading...

By JAMES CLARKAn occasional Pardew's Guardian feature leading up to the August 16th kickoff ...1) Will Mark Noble fulfill his potential in the heart of West Ham's midfield? The local East Londoner (pictured above, top) is one of the gems of Tony Carr's famed Youth Academy, and Hammers supporters warm to him even more than most because he was born and bred as one of them. Click to continue reading...

By JAMES CLARKAn occasional Pardew's Guardian feature ahead of the August 9th kickoff of England's "second tier" ...1) Will Alan Pardew rescue his managerial reputation by taking Charlton back to the Premiership at the second time of asking? "Pards" (pictured above, top) was riding high after leading West Ham to a surprising 9th-place finish in the Prem and a place in the FA Cup final in the spring of 2006, capping an upward trajectory that saw him lift Reading into contention for the top flight before taking on the Hammers job while the club was getting used to the Championship in 2003. Click to continue reading...

By JAMES CLARKAn occasional Pardew's Guardian feature leading up to the August 16th kickoff ...1) Will West Ham's Kieron Dyer recover fully from his horrific leg break? As you can see from the top photo above, the Hammers midfielder suffered a nasty injury in a League Cup match early last season, just as he was starting to make an impact for the East London side. Click to continue reading...