David Di Michele

Date of Birth : 6th January, 1976 Place of Birth : Guidonia, Italy Signed : Loan (Torino) Position : Forward Height : 5.07 Weight : Appearances: 25 (9) Goals : 6 International Appearances : 6 (0)

KB: KUMB; HM Hammers Mad; ST Sunday Times; SE Sunday Express; SM Sunday Mirror; OB Observer;
DM Daily Mirror; GU Guardian; TM Times; HD Hammers Diary; SK Sky; DE Daily Express BC BBC

The Times: Defeat ended West Ham’s hopes of a European place, probably a blessing in disguise given the lack of depth in Gianfranco Zola’s squad. The Italian, who has done exceptionally well in his first season as manager, will take a couple of weeks to assess his side’s deficiencies. David Di Michele and Radoslav Kovac, who lashed home from 35 yards, are unlikely to have their loans extended. (Gary Jacob)

Sky Sports: David di Michele should have pulled a goal back when he seized on a mistake by Jamie Carragher. He raced through and got his feet tangled up as he tried to take the ball around Reina. It was a shocking miss and referee Alan Wiley rubbed salt in the wound by booking the Italian for diving.

Hammer's Diary: Di Michele had another shocker. He rarely, if ever, passed to a West Ham player and his first touch was non existent. His one clear goal scoring opportunity - a one on one with Reina - was embarrassing. He ended up tripping over his own feet while in the process of shooting. That takes a rare skill. And to show how crap the referee was, he booked him for diving!Tristan was marginally better, but only marginally. He showed one or two deft touches, but he is incapable of running. It would be kind to suggest that he is able to break into a canter. Perhaps trotting is a more accurate description. Freddie Sears eventually replaced Di Michele and was much brighter, but that wouldn’t be difficult. However, he too failed to get a real scoring chance. Zola must play him for the whole of our last two games. There’s no point in sticking with Di Michele. Give Sears a chance and see if he can take it.

The Sunday Times: David Di Michele is almost small enough to look Gianfranco Zola straight in the eye but for some time to come he may have trouble doing that. This was a forgettable game that contained a classic football moment - but not of the glorious kind. It was not so much a comedy as a whole six-season sitcom series of errors; first, in trying to accept an Alvaro Arbeloa pass, Jamie Carragher lost his balance inexplicably and swiped fresh air, allowing the ball to run free and Di Michele to collect it and bear down on Jose Reina. Di Michele lured the goalkeeper forward and nicked the ball past him with his right foot. So far so good. Then came the banana skin. The West Ham striker was four yards out, the goal was open and all he had to do was tap the ball in. Instead Di Michele lost co-ordination. His left foot came down in the wrong spot, he stumbled into the ball and it was somehow knocked wide of the goal. An attempt to retrieve the situation, and his pride, ended in further ignominy. Di Michele threw himself on the grass, looking for a penalty. Instead Alan Wiley booked him for simulation - Di Michele deserved punishment for trying to fake being a striker. (Jonathan Northcroft)

BBC Sport: In the closing moments of the half David di Michele had two decent chances for West Ham, one blocked by Gomes and the other put behind for a corner by Jonathan Woodgate's knee, but these were rare threats to the home side. Woodgate presented di Michele with probably the best chance of the game so far around the hour mark, as the defender lost his footing back-pedalling as he tried to cut out Green's route-one goalkick. The ball fell to the Italian who only had the keeper to beat, but he did not seem to realise how much time he had and snatched at his shot.

Sky Sports: David Di Michele squandered West Ham's best pair of chances as they pressed for an equaliser. Di Michele's best chance came directly from a goal kick which Jonathan Woodgate failed to clear. Di Michele turned the centre-back well, but he rushed his shot and failed to get enough power behind it to trouble Heurelho Gomes.

Hammers Mad: West Ham waited 34 minutes before creating their first strike on goal when David Di Michele's volley was kept out by Heurelho Gomes. Redknapp was forced to make a change at half-time after Jermaine Jenas was forced to withdraw from the action and was replaced by Didier Zokora. Zokora was lucky to stay on the pitch following a reckless challenge on Lucas Neill, but escaped with just a yellow card. The game was crying out for a goal and it was West Ham that had a golden chance to take the lead on 58 minutes. Jonathan Woodgate failed to deal with a long goal-kick from Green and Di Michele was clean through on goal but fired his shot straight at Gomes.

The Sunday Times: Zola’s priority for the future is in attack, where Diego Tristan is a shadow of his old self and David Di Michele insists on trying to do the hard thing when simplicity is the hallmark of the new West Ham. Once in the first half, he had time and space to put Mark Noble in on goal down the left, only take the shot himself. Noble vented his fury on the Italian, who squandered West Ham’s best chance when left one-on-one against Heurelho Gomes in the second half. (Andrew Longmore)

Hammers News: A few minutes later Noble hit a superb long pass that enabled Di Michele to beat the off-side trap for a second time. As Di Michele closed in on Jaaskelainen he decided against the easy option of passing the ball past the goalkeeper. Instead he tried to curve it around him with the outside of his foot. However, he got it terribly wrong and the ball sailed well-wide of the far post. It was nearly as bad as his miss against Middlesbrough. In many ways it was even worse because this time he failed to score because he was trying to show off his skills... Parker ran past Cole and arrived in the penalty area to knock the full-back’s accurate cross into the net. Eight minutes later Parker made another penetrating run into the box. He was brought down by Ricardo Gardner but the referee played the advantage rule as the ball ran free to Di Michele who once again faced an open goal. Instead of hitting it first-time he decided to show off his skills by taking the ball around the goalkeeper. He did this successfully but by this time two Bolton defenders were back on the line and his weak shot was easily blocked by Gary Cahill. Di Michele might have been a great player in his prime. However, he is definitely not a replacement for Bellamy.

Hammers Mad: David Di Michele was guilty of a worst miss six minutes before the break when the Italian sprung the hosts' offside trap only to fire disappointingly wide... West Ham surged forward in search of an equaliser and they must have thought they had got one when Di Michele danced round Jaaskelainen, only for the outstanding Gary Cahill to get back and make an incredible goal-saving challenge to help Bolton hold on for the points.

Sky Sports: Then Di Michele scampered clear and drew Jussi Jasskelainen out of his goal but his finish was dreadful, the ball missing the target by a distance.

Hammers News: After the loss of Bellamy we feared the worse as he appeared to be at the heart of what was best about West Ham as an attacking force. On his performances up to then, David Di Michele did not seem to be an adequate replacement for Bellamy. However, in the last three games this Italian has been a revelation. He is clearly a much fitter player than he was when he first came to the club and he is now willing to do his fair share of running-back. The presence of Savio Nsereko on the bench clearly helped to motivate him and he had his best ever game for the club. Di Michele and Cole caused the Hull defenders problems all night. After the game Phil Brown claimed that “the front two were the difference between the two sides.” Brown might want to believe this but in reality West Ham were better than Hull all over the pitch... West Ham had three good opportunities to take the lead before Di Michele curled a lovely shot against the post in the 16 th minute. Soon afterwards a mazy run by the Italian resulted in him being heavily tackled in the area. Di Michele's claims for a penalty were turned down but three minutes later Cole was brought down by Ricketts. Cole made the most of the challenge but Howard Webb clearly made the right decision by awarding a penalty. After going almost a year without a penalty, this was Mark Noble's fourth spot-kick in as many weeks. The previous three had been successfully directed to the left of the goalkeeper but it seems that Duke had done his homework and was able to get his hand to the ball. As recent games have shown, West Ham no longer get disheartened when things go against them. The team continued to press forward and first Cole and then Di Michele missed good chances. In the 33 rd minute Cole found himself on the edge of the area and tried to curl the ball behind Duke. This time the Hull goalkeeper got a hand to the ball but only managed to push the ball to the feet of Di Michele and at last we had our deserved lead.

Daily Mirror: David Di Michele last night gave Gianfranco Zola a selection headache after condemning Hull to a sixth straight defeat. The 33-year-old showed he is not ready to give up his place to new £9million signing Savio without a fight after scoring and making the Hammers' second goal for strike partner Carlton Cole. Di Michele, on loan from Torino, is hoping to earn a £500,000 move to Upton Park and Hammers boss Zola admitted he would be a bargain based on last night's display. "Di Michele was fantastic," said Zola. "He is such an important player for the team. We also want to build up competition. "If Di Michele keeps playing the way he is then there's a good chance he will stay here." (John Cross)

Hammer's Diary: There wasn’t a single weakness in this performance, but the best part of it was the burgeoning partnership between Di Michele and Cole. Who’d have thought it? Their interplay tonight had to be seen to be believed. Defensively we were almost perfect. They barely had a shot on goal. Ilunga was able to rampage down the left at will and once Lucas Neill realised he could do the same from time to time, we had the perfect attack. In midfield both Parker and Noble had stormers. Parker got forward a lot more, with Behrami filling in at the back, but Parker is the one who is developing into a massive player for us. It is inconceivable that we sell him. Behrami had his quietest game for a long time but was still impressive. Noble sprayed the ball around well, but his penalty was poor. It’s the third one in a row he has put in the same place. Third time unlucky. It was fantastic to see Di Michele on fire. Amazing what the arrival of a new player can do! He had a couple of superb shots which should have resulted in goals but just clipped the post. The curler in the first half looked a dead cert. He was definitely man of the match. Carlton Cole had another brilliant game too. He had two one on ones and was unlucky with both of them. He held up the ball very well, won a penalty and scored a goal. Fantastic performance.

BBC Sport: Defensive errors proved costly for Fulham as West Ham eased to victory at Upton Park to go eighth in the table. John Pantsil's poor concentration allowed David di Michele to put West Ham ahead before Paul Konchesky drove home a stunning 30-yard equaliser. Mark Noble restored West Ham's lead from the penalty spot after a foul on Carlton Cole. And it was Cole who sealed the win when he slid the ball past Mark Schwarzer for his fifth goal in as many games.

Hammers News: West Ham kept the ball well in the opening exchanges and was rewarded when in the seventh minute John Pantsil tried to show the Upton Park crowd that he was a skillful full-back who should not have been sold by calmly chesting Neill’s cross back to his goalkeeper. However, the gap between the two players was too wide and Di Michele nipped in to give us an early lead. (John Simkin)

Daily Telegraph: Fulham’s strength this season has been their resilience but, as manager Roy Hodgson admitted honestly, they produced a full quota of errors in one Sunday afternoon. The first came from former West Ham defender John Pantsil when presented with a cross from Lucas Neill. The Ghanaian attempted to chest the ball to Mark Schwarzer, but it dropped instead for Di Michele, who showed speed of thought and pace to nick in and finish well.

Sky Sports: Di Michele, on a season loan from Torino, skipped clear of the offside trap and into the left side of the penalty area. However, Shay Given stood up at his near post to make the save. The Italian then got lucky after eight minutes when he cut inside from the right and shot from 20 yards - then wheeled away in celebration as the ball ricocheted off Taylor and up over the keeper into the net. Mark Noble shot wide again - this time driving an angled effort well wide from the left side of the penalty box. Di Michele showed him how it should be done with eight minutes left to half-time, although the chance looked to have been spurned after the Italian was played in by Noble and Given had come out to make a reaction save with his head. However, the ball dropped back to the striker and given far too much time and space, he simply turned inside Taylor before slamming home his second from six yards... In the 53rd minute... Cole played Di Michele away down the right channel, and he sprinted into the area. Unselfishly, the Italian laid the ball back across goal for Etherington to sweep it into the net. Di Michele was then teed up by Herita Ilunga's left-wing cross - but crashed a left-foot effort over the bar from 15 yards.

Hammers Mad: The Hammers may have been pointless on their travels but on the green, green grass of Upton Park, they kicked-off looking for a third successive home win of the new campaign and, indeed, they were soon ahead, once more. With just eight minutes on the clock, Carlton Cole invited Di Michele to cut in from the right, skip past Coloccini and then unleash an 18-yarder that deflected off David Edgar, before looping over the stranded Shay Given.... Ten minutes before the break, Di Michele took another step towards entering East End folklore, when Noble sent him clear and, although Given parried his first shot, the inventive Italian was first to the loose ball, and after lifting it over Steven Taylor on the edge of the six-yard box, he fired home as Coloccini arrived on the scene a split-second, too late. Just after the break, Geremi's hopeful cross from the right flank sailed just beyond the far post and then Owen wastefully headed straight into the hitherto redundant Robert Green's hands from close range. But on 53 minutes, all hopes of a Tyneside turnaround evaporated, when that man Di Michele burst down the right wing and unselfishly squared into the six-yard box, where Etherington stole in front of Edgar to give the Hammers a three-goal advantage. On the hour mark, Di Michele should have claimed the match-ball but with time on his hands he impatiently blasted over from 15 yards as the muddling Magpies defence just stood and stared.

Hammer's Diary: Carlton Cole also had his best ever game for the Hammers. He didn’t get a goal, but his efforts were worth one. His control was better and his running with the ball had Newcastle reeling on several occasions. He combined well with Di Michele too. Di Michele. Well, where to start? He’s like a terrier which never gives up. There’s also a touch of the Di Canios about him. He controls the ball well and tackles as if his life depends on it. He took both his goals superbly and made the third for Etherington.

The Sunday Times: West Ham and Di Michele were encouraged by an eighth-minute goal. Cutting in from the right, the Italian evaded the Argentine centre-back, Fabrizio Coloccini, and his shot then cannoned off first David Edgar then Steven Taylor to curl tantalisingly over the head of the unfortunate Shay Given. There would not be another Hammers goal for another half-hour, but during this time, only the elegant footwork and crisp crossing on the left of Damien Duff kept Newcastle, however tenuously, in the game. On 37 minutes, Mark Noble’s defence-splitting pass sent Di Michele through alone. He should have scored immediately, but his initial shot bounced off Given. The chance seemed to have gone, but instead Di Michele raced to his right, beat Taylor and shot home. The third goal came in the 53rd minute, Di Michele racing up the right flank to cross for Matthew Everington to score at leisure. Newcastle’s goal, for what it was worth, came on 67 minutes, when Claudio Cacapa found Owen, who neatly side-stepped defender Lucas Neill and scored. (Brian Glanville)

The Times: Zola told the players to enjoy themselves, control the game and be patient. Crucially, he told David Di Michele to sharpen up in front of goal, which the on-loan Italian did, scoring twice and setting up a third goal. “I told Di Michele he can do unbelievable things, but he needs to improve his finishing – which shows he listens to me very carefully,” Zola said. “I have seen him in Italy many times doing unbelievable things, but then coming in front of the goalkeeper and missing. Today he did not do that, so I am very pleased.” Di Michele, on his home debut, soared from being a “Who is he, again?” sort of player to the next Paolo Di Canio. Di Michele, capped six times for Italy, has played for seven Italian clubs and at 32 seems an unlikely star in the making. His first goal was fortunate, the ball looping in over the head of Shay Given from a nasty deflection off Steven Taylor. His second owed more to his quick reactions. After the Italian’s initial effort had been saved by Given’s head, Di Michele scampered after the loose ball and beat Taylor to open up a second chance. “There is an immediate understanding with the manager because we come from the same football culture,” Di Michele said. “This is a new adventure for the manager and for all of us. We are all united to go forward and do our best for him because he is a great person. For me, it was an atmosphere that I am not used to. It was unbelievable and the fans helped me to focus.” (Alyson Rudd)

The Guardian: Di Michele's opening goal, after eight minutes, was aided by deflections off David Edgar and Steven Taylor which took the ball over Shay Given in a high loop. The second, eight minutes before half-time, owed much to the speed of his reaction after Given had blocked his first shot along with dull defending. First Taylor lunged in blindly, giving Di Michele an opportunity to turn past the challenge, flicking the ball with him as he did so. Fabricio Coloccini then turned his back as the forward prepared to shoot when he could have blocked the drive which beat Given at the near post. The low centre with which Di Michele set up Etherington to score eight minutes after half-time looked as if it might have been a miscued attempt at a shot but the Italian had done enough to earn the crowd's approval, although Cole's selfless running and willingness to take on defenders in batches were equally crucial to West Ham's victory. Zola was careful to mention this amid his praise for the win, the team, the performance, the crowd and life in general. "Cole was occasionally up against two defenders today and he was unbelievable." he said. "He started playing with me when I was at Chelsea and I feel he can become much better. There are things he can improve on but he has all the qualities to play for the national team." (David Lacey)

KUMB: Carlton Cole once again made the best all round contribution, but I think that we will need something better than Di Michele to get the goals we need. Maybe I’m being too harsh on his debut, but he doesn’t look the real deal to me. I hope I’ve called that wrong. (East Stand Martin)