WHUFC.com
James Tomkins has vowed to keep up the good work after being crowned SBOBET
Player of the Month
07.09.2011
James Tomkins has vowed to keep up the good work after being crowned SBOBET
Player of the Month for August. The centre-back has been truly outstanding
for West Ham United during the opening month of the 2011/12 campaign,
producing a string of dominant defensive performances and scoring a fine
headed goal in the 4-0 victory at Watford on 16 August. The No5 has started
each of the Hammers' five league fixtures alongside Winston Reid, with the
pair just two of a host of players to shine as Sam Allardyce's team have
climbed into the Play-Off places. "I've really enjoyed the first month of
the season. It's obviously nice to play some games and play regularly and I
feel like I'm improving in every game. "My fitness is getting there, so all
in all we've had some good results, we're in a good place in the league at
the minute and I feel like I've been performing well and I want to continue
it. "I appreciate the votes and it means a lot. There are so many players
who have done well at the start of the season - the whole starting XI could
have got the vote - so to be picked out as the best means a lot to me.
"Basically, I want to continue because it's not just my performances but the
performances of the whole team which have been good. We need to continue
that for the rest of the season - not just at the start."
While Tomkins has excelled in the early running, the 22-year-old is not
willing to rest on his laurels. Instead, the defender is targeting a first
home league win of the season when Portsmouth visit the Boleyn Ground on
Saturday afternoon. "It's a good opportunity for us to get our first home
win. We're not going to underestimate Portsmouth because they're a good
team, but it's important for us to get our home form up and running. "We
need to get the fans behind us, which they always are, by winning at home.
Our away support has also been fantastic at every game. "The last few home
games have been disappointing because we've conceded goals late in every
game. That's obviously something we have to improve on but that will come
and hopefully it'll come when we get the victory on Saturday."
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Cole wants goals galore
WHUFC.com
In-form Carlton Cole is looking to maintain his recent hot streak in front
of goal
07.09.2011
Goal-hungry Carlton Cole has the appetite to score goals, goals and more
goals. West Ham United's England international striker has begun the 2011/12
season in fine form, netting in each of his previous three npower
Championship games and has hopes of keeping that going in Saturday's tricky
Kids for a Quid fixture with Portsmouth. In typically modest fashion, the
27-year-old was quick to praise the contribution of his team-mates in
helping him to make such a fast start to the current campaign. "Anybody
would be happy with three goals in three games," he told West Ham TV.
"Credit to the lads for producing the performances and creating the chances.
"Obviously I'm chuffed to be getting my name on the scoresheet again, but
it's about other stuff as well. I think I've worked hard and created some
chances for my other professionals as well and hopefully I will do again in
the next game."
Cole's goals have coincided with West Ham's encouraging start to the season
- a start which has seen them pick up ten points from five matches,
including a perfect nine from nine from away wins at Doncaster Rovers,
Watford and Nottingham Forest "This is what we expect. We set ourselves a
standard at Watford when we won 4-0 and we wanted to emulate that at Forest
on Sunday. It was a really professional performance from the lads and I
can't praise them enough. "They really did well, got out of the traps well
and were a bit lucky with a few chances that they had and Greeny [Robert
Green] made a save that was as good as a goal [with West Ham leading 2-0].
"We managed to get the first goal. I felt sorry for their defender [Luke
Chambers] because it was an own-goal, but we really did well to capitalise
on the situation. Credit to the lads."
"Hopefully in the next game we won't concede and we can score more. That's
what we need to do in this league - score goals and not concede and win
games.
While West Ham's away form has been flawless, Sam Allardyce's side have
picked up just one point from a possible six at the Boleyn Ground, conceding
last-minute goals to Cardiff City and Leeds United in the process. With the
visit of Portsmouth next up on the Hammers' fixture list, Cole knows he and
his team-mates have to start producing the goods on home turf sooner rather
than later if they are going to maintain their promotion charge. "I don't
think there is a big issue with our home form - we just need to see out
games and be professional. That is all it is really, we've just been a bit
naïve. "We just need to see out games like we did at Nottingham Forest. We
got the goal we needed to settle our nerves, because sometimes when it is
3-1 we can lose a lead - it happened to us loads of times last year when we
were comfortably in the lead and the other team got a goal and were all of a
sudden back in the game. "We saw it out nicely and the boys did really well.
I was celebrating on the bench when the fourth goal went in. It was an
emotional rollercoaster but that's how it goes sometimes. We got the goal to
settle our nerves and it really took the pressure off us."
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A bunch of Rs
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 7th September 2011
By: Staff Writer
Ian Hendon's development squad were well beaten by Queens Park Rangers
reserves in a behind-closed-doors friendly this afternoon. Hendon's side -
featuring a number of youngsters and a couple of triallists - went down 4-1
to the Premier League new boys, who won the game through goals from Lee
Cook, Troy Hewitt and Bruno Perone. West Ham - who featured new signing
Brian Montenegro - managed just the one in reply, that coming from Freddie
Sears. Also in attendance was Rangers manager Neil Warnock.
West Ham Utd XI: tbc.
QPR Reserves: Murphy, Harriman, Perone, Borrowdale, Hill, Shariff, Cook,
Vaagan-Moen, Hewitt, Helguson, Andrade.
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Jack's back
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 7th September 2011
By: Staff Writer
Jack Collison was the only Hammer on show at Wembley last night as the Welsh
were beaten 1-0 by Fabio Capello's England. The 23-year-old West Ham
midfielder played for 85 minutes, in front of a crowd of 77,128, as the
supposed minnows went close to causing a major upset at Wembley. The only
goal of a close contest was scored by Manchester United's Ashley Young ten
minutes ahead of the half time break, although the Welsh should have been
celebrating a point this morning. However Cardiff striker Robert Earnshaw
somehow managed to miss an open goal from no more than six yards out in the
game's closing stages.
Collison - who despite being born inside the M25 qualifies for Wales through
his grandfather - got through plenty of work in the middle of the park and
was eventually replaced five minutes from the end of normal time by
Leicester's Andy King. His appearance also laid to rest any doubts that he
may switch allegiance to England, being as it was his first competitive
start for Wales. Sadly the game was marred by the death of a Welsh
supporter; initial unconfirmed reports suggested that he was involved in a
fracas between rival factions of Welsh supporters.
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Guest Post: New Upton Park or SBOBet Stadium by Roshi
September 7th, 2011 - 5:37 pm by Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die
By Roshi
I have had my visit to the New Upton Park and disappointedly have to report
my visit into the stadium was scuppered due to a "security situation" which
personally, along with others think this had more to do with Lord Coe
checking out all was going to plan for Seb's big day out rather than the
imminent discovery of Colonel Gadaffi lurking about under the seating.
I did however have a good tour of the Olympic Park and as such got a good
close up of the stadium, it is big, very big and my initial thoughts echoed
that of the rest of my tour group, "how the bleeping hell are you going to
fill that up" was the general opinion being directed at me, even the most
hardened blinkered Hammer would have to agree, it seems an impossible dream.
I was neither for or against the move, I think the season as it unfolded
last year ultimately gave me a couldn't care less attitude about a lot of
things revolving around West Ham, but as it has panned out I think it was
meant to be and as a club we have now turned the corner and are moving in
the right direction as such my thoughts are beginning to change. If we are
to get significantly better we have to get bigger, which means we have to
get a stadium that suits our ambition.
The Olympic Stadium will do that, it would be magnificent if our club found
itself in a home that would be without doubt the most impressive football
facility in Europe, not just the stadium, but the infrastructure around it,
the unrivalled transport links of Tube, DLR, Mainline trains, high speed
links and of course an airport just up the road, what could possibly go
wrong.
Well, the football on a pitch so far away from the spectators could go
wrong, an atmosphere representing a League 2 match on cold night in January
would be awful and the transition to a new home that seems to take the fans
and players forever to get used to ie The Emirates, do we want that? I quite
like the cramped and tired old Upton Park, I was brought up in it, but I
guess everything changes.
The running track will have a seating structure built over it to take us
closer to the action, the roof will be extended over the running track area
which will hold noise in, the capacity will be reduced considerably, and the
stadium facilities will be second to none. If our owners pull it off, we
will be able to consider ourselves very lucky indeed. Financially it will
cost a fortune, but what doesn't now? I'm sure there has been due diligence
taken as to the financial risks and I am sure they will stack up in the long
run but it's gambling at the highest level and although it's difficult for
many to say, our owners should be applauded for taking that risk. Council
loans aside, it is still a risk only blue chip business men or fools would
make. Take your pick.
What are my thoughts now after being so close to the our new home? I'm still
seething that I did not get in. I even had an old faux silk circa 1976 scarf
to lift aloft and in my mind give the first "come on you irons". My thoughts
are, memories are great but the future is more important and I am sure that
all our fears regarding the the track and atmosphere etc will be addressed,
because this venture will have to work. If it doesn't we could possibly be
looking at the demise of West Ham as we know it. So after much thought and
and soul searching I have come down in favour of the move, but only just.
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West Ham's 'Little' Sam is ready to step up to the next level
London 24
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
4:42 PM
New West Ham striker Sam Baldock is champing at the bit at the prospect of
making his Hammers debut against Portsmouth at Upton Park on Saturday. The
diminutive, speedy forward, who has already scored six goals this season,
signed from MK Dons in a £2million deal two weeks ago and he is determined
to add more firepower to West Ham's promotion push. "It is a big step up,"
admitted the 22-year-old striker this week. "But I've settled in well and
I'm already learning from some quality players here. "The squad is full of
Premier League players, but hopefully I can bring something different to the
squad."
Baldock reportedly turned down West Ham's Championship rivals Southampton to
come to Upton Park, but the player himself had no doubt where he wanted to
go.
"Things have been reported elsewhere, but for me as soon as West Ham showed
an interest they were the only club I wanted to come to," admitted Baldock.
"I didn't even have to speak to the manager about it. West Ham is a massive
club and Sam Allardyce has done so much in the game. "I spoke to him about
my role and he told me it allowed the team to play with two strikers. It has
been going pretty well with just the one striker at the moment, but I am
ready to play wherever he wants me.
"The strikers here are good, but so are the midfielders too. I see myself as
a player who can make runs and work really hard and when you have players
with the quality of Kevin Nolan, Mark Noble and David Bentley threading
balls through to you, I hope I will be able to do something with them!"
Baldock has only really played up front with one big man in the past – Aaron
Wilbraham – who is now at Norwich, but a lot of the time this season he has
been a lone striker. Now he is likely to be pitched alongside the likes of
Carlton Cole, Freddie Piquionne and John Carew, who he has been training
with since his arrival at the club.
"The training is different to Milton Keynes," he said. "It is about being
sharper and stronger and that is coming along well for me. Milton Keynes
have a very good training regime though as well, so I think I am pretty fit
already."
Baldock is likely to be on the bench against Portsmouth on Saturday unless
Allardyce decides on a radical change to his formation from the previous
games they have played this season. But Baldock's arrival adds pace to the
team and if things are not going well then the little man could thrive in a
4-4-2 set-up and help West Ham grab their first home win of the campaign.
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Cole hails Hammers team ethic
West Ham United - Carlton Cole aims to continue rich run of form
By Mark Bollons September 07, 2011
Give Me Football
West Ham United striker Carlton Cole has paid tribute to his team-mates
after a stunning start to the current campaign. The Hammers hitman has
scored three goals in the last three Npower Championship fixtures, notching
in the 4-0 win at Doncaster, the 2-2 draw against Leeds and 4-1 win at
Nottingham Forest. Whilst happy to take the plaudits, the England
international made a point of praising the effort of a squad which remains
perfect away from home this season, and is well-placed in the division's
play-off places after the opening month. "Anybody would be happy with three
goals in three games. Credit to the lads for producing the performances and
creating the chances," Cole told West Ham United TV. "Obviously I'm chuffed
to be getting my name on the scoresheet again, but it's about other stuff as
well. I think I've worked hard and created some chances for my other
professionals as well and hopefully I will do again in the next game." "We
set ourselves a standard at Watford when we won 4-0 and we wanted to emulate
that at Forest on Sunday. It was a really professional performance from the
lads and I can't praise them enough."
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