Wednesday, September 14

Daily WHUFC News - II 14th September 2011

Taylor hails team ethic
WHUFC.com
Matt Taylor says West Ham United's one-for-all approach will stand them in
good stead at Millwall
14.09.2011

If West Ham United are to achieve their goal of winning promotion from the
npower Championship this season, then Matt Taylor believes team spirit will
play a massive part. The Hammers No14 has been an ever-present so far,
chalking up four assists in five league matches and also netting his first
goal for the club in Saturday's 4-3 home victory over Portsmouth. The
29-year-old has also brought experience and hard work to the left side of
midfield, showing exactly why Sam Allardyce brought him to the club from
Bolton Wanderers in July. "I think my form has been all right to be honest.
When you break it down, I've made a few goals and got one of my own now, but
the main thing is to win football matches as a team. "Obviously it's great
individually to play well, but to help the team is the most important
thing."

Concentrating on his maiden strike in claret and blue - a trademark 25-yard
free-kick to equalise just moments after Portsmouth had gone ahead through
Carlton Cole's own-goal - Taylor was delighted to get off the mark. The goal
was just one of a host of important moments that combined to see West Ham
record their first home win of the 2011/12 campaign. "My thinking was to
stick it in the back of the net and thankfully it went in! No, I was just
happy to see it to go in to be honest.
"The win was a bit overdue but we haven't waited that long - it was only our
third home league game if you look at it that way, but if you look at the
timing through the season it was obviously important for us to get that win
and get a few people talking about something else. "It can be difficult to
play here sometimes because the fans are so passionate. It's fantastic and
I'm so pleased we have won for them more than anything else."

Portsmouth proved to be tricky opponents, closing their hosts down and
snapping away at their heels - an approach that saw Pompey have three
players shown yellow cards and captain Liam Lawrence sent-off for two
bookable offences. "It was a niggly game. You've got to remember that we're
one of the biggest fish in this league and people are going to want to
frustrate us when they come here because I believe we've got a lot of
quality. "Portsmouth tried to frustrate us and I think they did it well, to
be honest. They had a gameplan and stuck to it, but fortunately we've
managed to win the game."

West Ham's approach at Millwall this coming Saturday is likely to be very
different. Having recorded three wins from three away games this season and
scored nine goals in the process, Taylor expects the Hammers to go on the
front foot from the start at The Den. The presence of new signings Henri
Lansbury and David Bentley - both of whom made positive debuts against
Portsmouth - will undoubtedly boost their chances of picking up another
three points. "I think we'll go and play our normal game. When we play away
from home, we seem to play with freedom so I expect we will play well and if
we do so, we'll get a positive result. "The new boys were very good. When I
look at the squad, I feel we've got a heck of a lot of quality. I would
suggest that there are a few teams in the Premier League who would like our
squad. "We've only got ourselves to blame if we don't have a good season.
We've definitely got the squad to do well in this league and hopefully, if
we continue playing like we have done in the last three or four games and go
on an unbeaten run, we should do well."

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Fan Forum on Thursday
WHUFC.com
Supporters can still apply to attend a Fan Forum at the Boleyn Ground this
week
14.09.2011

Limited places are available for Joint-Chairman David Gold's Fan Forum at
the Boleyn Ground on Thursday evening. The event will start in the Legends
Lounge from 6pm on 15 September and is primarily open to season ticket
holders or members with a valid client reference numbers. The Joint-Chairman
will discuss a wide range of topics and share insights from behind the
scenes at the Boleyn Ground. Because of high demand and the desire to ensure
a wide cross-section of supporters are represented, the club is operating a
first come, first-served system with anyone interested required to email a
short sentence or two stating why they want to be involved to
fanforum@westhamunited.co.uk Entry is strictly by invitation only, which
will be issued by return email to those successful. The Fan Forum is part of
the ongoing commitment at the club to ensure fan feedback is at the heart of
all decisions at West Ham United. The successful Supporters Advisory Board
which launched in the summer with Joint-Chairman David Sullivan and
Vice-Chairman Karren Brady is going from strength to strength and is already
having a significant impact.

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Champions League? You're having a laugh
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 14th September 2011
By: Staff Writer

West Ham's Championship fixture against Portsmouth last weekend managed to
draw a greater crowd than half of last night's Champions' League fixtures. A
grand total of 33,465 packed into the Boleyn Ground on Saturday afternoon to
witness United's thrilling 4-3 win over Pompey - just 2,000 less than the
Upton Park-based ground's capacity.

Meanwhile, in last night's Champions League fixtures, four of the eight
games had lower attendances whilst at only two - Barcelona and Dortmund -
were considerably larger gates recorded. Elsehwere Porto and Chelsea managed
to attract roughly the same number; the Blues recording a crowd of 33,820 -
just 355 more supporters than at the Boleyn last weekend - for their 2-0
Group E win over Bayer Leverkusen.

The four clubs to draw lower gates were Olympiakos, Genk, Apoel FC and
Viktoria Plzen.

Kings of Europe? Last night's Champions' League attendance figures
(including, for the first time ever, WHUFC)

96,641: Barcelona 2-2 AC Milan
75,000: Dortmund 1-1 Arsenal
36,612: Porto 2-1 Shaktar Donetsk
33,820: Chelsea 2-0 Leverkusen
33,465: West Ham Utd v Portsmouth (Championship)
33,300: Olympiakos 0-1 Marseille
22,000: Genk 0-0 Valencia
21,000: Apoel FC 2-1 Zenit St Petersburg
20,801: Viktoria Plzen 1-1 Bate Borisov

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A Bridge Too Far, as Henri Needs to Beware!
September 14th, 2011 - 2:22 pm by S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die

Sam Allardyce has been reported as stating that he was happy with the
quality and depth-in-strength of the West Ham squad and, as such, will not
be pursuing a loan deal for Wayne Bridge from Man City. However, he did not
confirm whether that included or effectively excluded the addition of
current, free agent, trialists David Carney and Juca? Personally, I feel
that it may indicate that David Carney will be offered a contract, as he
gives Allardyce cover both at left-back and wide left. As for Juca, a lot
will depend on his performance in training and assessments of his
contribution in the Developmental Squad match against Spurs yesterday? From
reports of the Spurs game, Juca put in a strong display in a defensive
midfield role, in front of BP. Diop, who played at centre-back.

Elsewhere, Stech's proposed loan to Ipswich Town appears to have fallen
through, due to the fact that they were not guaranteeing playing time.
However, other short-term loan options are actively being sought, so that
Stech can add to his competitive experience. It has also been announced that
Robert Hall has gone on a short-term loan to Oxford Utd. Hopefully that
will assist his development and a possible first team debut this season.
Hall is a superb prospect and it was always likely, all things being equal,
that he would be one of those exceptional players who debut early in their
careers. Lets hope that he makes sufficient progress to ensure that he makes
a break through at some point this season. Just think what a lively and
exciting combination Robert Hall and Sam Baldock would be in a future West
Ham forward line!

Elsewhere it has been announced that Henri Lansbury has signed a contract
extension at Arsenal. This is presumably in response to the player's public
statement that he may need to seek a permanent move to secure first team
football? It is typical of the position of English prospects, at clubs like
Arsenal and Chelski, that Lansbury has only been given limited first team
opportunities since 2007. These type of clubs will always bring in
expensive imports, rather than show faith in domestic players coming through
their Academy. The result is that they stagnate in the reserves or end up
perpetually on loan. West Ham have benefited from that situation this
season, with the aquisition of Lansbury, but it is not good for the long
term future of the English national team.

As such, Henri Lansbury should beware of signing too long a contract
extension at the Emirates. If he has a good season at West Ham, he
definitely needs to follow it up with regular PL fooball. Of course we do
not know Lansbury's contractual situation, it may be that he is in the final
year-18 months of his current deal and the extension is partly about
ensuring that he does not walk away without a fee being paid? Certainly,
the reports do not confirm the length of the contract extension that he has
signed? Anyway, the extension does not necessarily mean that he will not
exit the Emirates next summer. If he does there will probably be no
shortage of interested clubs, but West Ham are currently in pole position!
In the meantime this season, lets just enjoy his displays in a West Ham
shirt, alongside home grown players like Tomkins, Noble, Collison and,
hopefully, Brown, Montano and Hall.

One thing is certain, there is definitely life after Scott Parker!

SJ. Chandos.

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Tony Cottee Column: Relief after West Ham put Upton Park hoodoo behind them
Tony Cottee , London24, West Ham columnist
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
12:30 PM

It was great to see West Ham finally get that important home win in a game
that had a bit of everything at the weekend. There were red cards,
penalties, deflected goals, well-worked goals - the game was a great advert
for the Championship and I am sure that it was a great match to watch as a
neutral. What is important though, is that the Hammers got the result that
they wanted, which was a win. I know that the lads would have got back into
the changing room after the game and be relieved to have finally got that
win.

I said last week that I would have settled for a 1-0 win before kick-off but
it was great to see West Ham scoring four goals once again, although this
time it was in front of the home fans. We didn't get off to the best of
starts by going 1-0 down, but the team showed good character to pull a goal
back almost immediately and then build from there. I enjoy seeing West Ham
score goals for fun - we are the joint top-scorers in the Championship
alongside Southampton and long may it continue. By scoring goals we are
showing that the team is creating and more importantly taking chances, which
is a real positive for me. The only downside is that we conceded three goals
in the process, but I feel that even when the Hammers do concede, they have
more than enough firepower to outscore any team in the Championship.

Another positive note was the inclusion of Henri Lansbury. I saw a lot of
him last year when I was working at Championship games and I liked what I
saw. We now have a wonderfully talented midfield that is good enough for the
Premier League, let alone the Championship and it is a pleasure to watch. I
was also pleased to see Carlton Cole back on the scoresheet yet again. That
is now four goals in as many games for him and he is showing just how
dangerous he can be at this level. I have always been a big fan of Carlton's
and I know that he is a very good striker. He will be the first to admit
that he didn't have the best of seasons last year, but as a frontman, you
are only as good as your service. Last season that service was non-existant.
This season with the likes of Matty Taylor, Julien Faubert and now David
Bentley, the service is there and Carlton is scoring.

I was surprised not to see Baldock involved on Saturday, but maybe he isn't
ready yet. Allardyce will know when to include him and I am excited about
what Baldock can do, but it is a big step up from League One to the
Championship. Baldock needs to be ready for that and if he is patient I am
sure he will get his chance.

Tony Cottee was talking to Nathaniel John

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West Ham Noble's secret to penalty taking
London 24
Dave Evans, West Ham Correspondent
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
8:30 AM

Hammers midfielder Mark Noble has a tried and trusted formula from the spot
which worked a treat against Portsmouth on Saturday. Mark Noble has a secret
which he doesn't mind sharing. The 24-year-old Hammer placed the ball on the
penalty spot on Saturday with the score delicately poised at 2-2 and 34,000
fans watching him holding their breath. Just how do you keep your cool in a
situation like that? Noble has a tried and tested method. "You sort of have
to blank out the crowd and pretend you are back over the park with your
mates," revealed West Ham's longest serving player who was given the tough
task of trying to fire the Hammers back in front against Portsmouth at Upton
Park on Saturday. "You are thinking about where you are going to put it and
luckily enough the keeper went the wrong way and I managed to score it."

It was one of the turning points of Saturday's match. Just five minutes
after Pompey captain Liam Lawrence had been sent off for a second bookable
offence, Jason Pearce handled just inside the box and West Ham got
themselves in front again from the spot. It was not the end of the story,
but the Hammers did manage to grab their first home win of the season and
for Noble it was a great relief. "We need to get that hoodoo off our backs,"
said Noble, who has now made 177 appearances in claret and blue, scoring 19
goals along the way. "The last couple of games we have put in decent
performances, but let in late goals, so it's good that we have actually done
it this time round."

Noble's performances so far this season have left him vulnerable in the West
Ham midfield, though Saturday's display and goal will certainly give him
some renewed confidence. "With the new boys coming in, you have to be at
your best of course," said the Canning Town-born midfielder. "Jack Collison
played midweek (for Wales) so I think he was rested today, but Henri
Lansbury has come in and done brilliantly for us and David Bentley has come
on and shown little glimpses of what he is about. "We just need to keep
winning. If we can get on a roll of win, win, win, then it makes everything
a little bit easier." It certainly does.

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Hammers consider double signing
West Ham - David Carney and Juca have trials with club
By Will Haine September 14, 2011
GiveMeFootball

Sam Allardyce is considering offering contracts to David Carney and Juca,
after the unattached pair were given trials by the West Ham boss. Australian
winger Carney, 27, has been training with the east London club having been
released by Blackpool at the end of the last campaign. Juca, meanwhile, is
an experienced defensive midfielder, and the 31-year-old is available on a
free transfer having left Spanish outfit Deportivo La Coruna. Both players
were handed opportunities to prove themselves on Monday as the Hammers'
development squad took on a Tottenham XI in a behind closed doors friendly.

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Hammer blow for Allardyce in midfielder pursuit
West Ham - Henri Lansbury signs contract extension with Arsenal
By Will Haine September 14, 2011
GieMeFootball.com

Arsenal appear to have put paid to suggestions that Henri Lansbury could
join West Ham on a permanent basis after the midfielder signed a contact
extension with the north London club. The 20-year-old midfielder is
currently on a season long loan with the Hammers, and had claimed he would
consider joining the club on a full-time basis should opportunities at the
Emirates Stadium no longer present themselves. However, Lansbury has put pen
to paper on a deal he initially signed in 2009 to further extend his stay at
Arsenal. The England under-21 international has been with Arsenal since the
age of eight, and has steadily worked his way up through the ranks.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 14th September 2011

Hall's debut delight
WHUFC.com
Rob Hall scored on his Football League debut on an busy evening for West Ham
United's loanees
13.09.2011

Rob Hall was the star turn on a busy night for West Ham United's band of
young loanees. The 17-year-old forward marked his Football League and senior
debut with the winning goal for Oxford United in their 1-0 League Two
victory at Dagenham & Redbridge. The England Under-18 international, who
signed his first professional contract with the Hammers in October 2010,
struck four minutes before half-time to secure all three points for the Us
at Victoria Road. Hall's goal would have been welcomed by everyone
associated with West Ham - except on-loan Daggers midfielder Olly Lee, who
played the full 90 minutes for the home side. Elsewhere, Cristian Montano
was unable to maintain his recent goalscoring run, but the Colombian
youngster did start Notts County's 1-1 League One draw at Exeter City.
Montano, who had scored in each of the Magpies' previous two fixtures,
completed 52 minutes at St James's Park before being replaced by Lee Hughes.
In League Two, Ahmed Abdulla made his full Football League debut for Paolo
Di Canio's Swindon Town. The Saudi Arabian-born midfielder was booked, but
that did not take the shine off a superb 3-0 victory at Conference National
champions Crawley Town. Callum McNaughton made his home debut for AFC
Wimbledon, but was unable to help the newly-promoted Dons from falling to a
3-0 defeat by Northampton Town.

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Piq-ing up the pieces
WHUFC.com
Frederic Piquionne was happy to hit the target twice just 48 hours after his
sending-off against Portsmouth
13.09.2011

Frederic Piquionne rebounded from the disappointment of being sent-off at
the weekend by scoring both goals in the development squad's 2-2 draw at
Tottenham Hotspur. The former France international hit the net in each half
at Spurs Lodge and could easily have had at least a hat-trick, heading one
opportunity wide before prodding the ball past the post when clean through.
For Piquionne, Monday's game was the perfect tonic, coming less than 48
hours after he was shown the red card late in West Ham United's 4-3 npower
Championship victory over Portsmouth at the Boleyn Ground. "It is not hard
to motivate myself for these games because I enjoy playing football. We had
a good team here today and we played well against a good, young team from
Tottenham. "I was pleased to get my goals and it is just a pity we could not
go on and win the game at the end because we had a lot of chances."

Piquionne will miss Saturday's trip to Millwall through suspension, but the
experienced forward knows he will need to keep impressing at development
squad level and in training if he is to gain playing time under Sam
Allardyce in the future. With Carlton Cole scoring goals for fun and the
likes of John Carew and Sam Baldock also seeking opportunities, the No30
admitted he may have to settle for a substitute's role more often than not
this term. "I don't find it difficult to be out of the team because I am
32-years-old and I know my role in the squad. I hope I can do well when the
manager needs me, but I have spoken with him and I know what he expects from
me. "We have a lot of good strikers at the club who are playing very well,
so I know I cannot start every game. "Carlton is playing very well and
scoring his goals and we are winning a lot of matches, so that is why the
manager is not changing his team very much."

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'Terrific support' at Westfield
WHUFC.com
David Sullivan reflected on a great first day for the new Hammers store at
Westfield Stratford City
13.09.2011

David Sullivan was left to reflect on a successful first day after the
official opening of the new West Ham United store at Westfield Stratford
City on Tuesday. The Hammers Joint-Chairman signed autographs and posed for
pictures with supporters, before catching up with manager Sam Allardyce -
with the pair having worked together closely during a busy transfer window
to leave the high-flying Hammers extremely well placed in their npower
Championship promotion push. He said: "It was great to visit the new store
at Westfield. We had terrific support from fans, which we have come to
expect after the fantastic following we have had at all our matches this
season. That backing makes such a difference to the club at every level. "We
also hope the new store will also attract floating supporters and neutrals
to come and follow the club. Around 400,000 customers are expected through
the doors every week so it can only help to grow the club and the supporter
base to flourish."

Looking ahead to Millwall on Saturday, Mr Sullivan hoped the match was one
that would be remembered for all the right reasons. "Our fans have followed
us brilliantly this season and we expect the same at The Den this weekend.
Hopefully we can keep our winning run going and everyone will have a great
day in the right way.
"It is important our supporters remember they are ambassadors of the club
wherever they are. That's what football should be all about."

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Big Sam launches new store
WHUFC.com
A high-profile Hammers contingent were out in force for the official opening
of the new club store
13.09.2011

Sam Allardyce led a trio of his West Ham United players to the new store at
Westfield Stratford City. The manager, Kevin Nolan, Carlton Cole and Jack
Collison met hundreds of supporters that flocked into the shop from 2pm on
Tuesday to mark the official opening of the biggest shopping centre in
Europe. The quartet signed all manner of items purchased in store from
nodding dogs to the new 2011/12 Macron kits, and even someone's leg, with
the brave fan's intention to have the players' names tattooed on
permanently. Scores of journalists and photographers turned up to see the
big launch event, with the Hammers buzz spreading around the state of the
art centre. Big Sam said: "It is great to see everyone turn out for this new
store. It is in a good location and it is always nice to meet fans face to
face. They gave us their best wishes for the weekend and hopefully we will
do them proud."

All four were greeted by the two Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold,
while the Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales was also in attendance. With the
store now open seven days a week, fans should look out for more great
promotions and also a new loyalty card scheme running from today. Skipper
Kevin said: "The store looks really good and it was great to see so many
fans here on the first day of its opening. By coming along, they are
supporting the club and we are really grateful to them for turning out. We
were as happy to meet them as they were to see us."

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Henri Lansbury extends Arsenal contract
Page last updated at 11:59 GMT, Tuesday, 13 September 2011 12:59 UK
BBC.co.uk

England Under-21 international midfielder Henri Lansbury has extended his
contract with Arsenal. The length of the new deal for the 20-year-old,
currently on loan at West Ham, has not been disclosed. Lansbury has made
eight senior appearances for Arsenal since his debut in 2007 and played on
loan for Scunthorpe, Watford and Norwich before joining West Ham. He scored
in Saturday's 4-3 win over Portsmouth in the Championship.

LANSBURY'S LOANS
Scunthorpe United (2008/09) - 16 games, 4 goals
Watford (2009/10) - 39 games, 5 goals
Norwich City (2010/11) - 23 games, 4 goals
West Ham United (2011/12) - 1 game, 1 goal

Lansbury's only goal for Arsenal came in the Carling Cup tie against North
London rivals Tottenham in September 2010, but he netted four times in 23
appearances for Norwich last season as he helped Paul Lambert's team to
promotion to the Premier League. He played for England in the 2011 Uefa
Under-21 Championship Finals in Denmark, coming on as a substitute in all
three group games. His initial long-term contract at the Emirates Stadium
was signed in December 2009.

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Piquionne scores, Hammers draw
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 12th September 2011
By: Staff Writer

A West Ham XI eked out a 2-2 draw with their Tottenham counterparts at Spurs
Lodge earlier this afternoon. Freddie Piquionne, who has had a quiet start
to the 2011/12 campaign got both goal for Ian Hendon's side, who were forced
to come from behind twice in order to earn a share of the spoils against
their north London rivals, managed by Tim Sherwood. The home side - who,
like West Ham, have no reserve team this season - took the lead after just
eight minutes when Alex Pritchard put Cameron Lancaster through on goal; the
youngster beating Ruud Boffin with some aplomb. However Hendon's side were
on level terms on the quarter-hour mark after Piquionne was first to react
to Boffin's huge goal kick, beatin goalkeeper Oscar Jansson to the ball.
After a number of chances had been squandered by both sides - including one
for Freddie Sears who was denied by Jansson when one-on-one with the
goalkeeper - the home eventually regained the lead with 18 minutes left to
play. Dean Parrett picked up a stray pass from Piquionne before running
half the length of the field and placing a clever chip over the advancing
Boffin.
Sears squandered another opportunity to level the scores a minute later
before the Hammers eventually drew level on 76 minutes. A decent ball in
from right-back Callum Driver - who had replaced Guy Demel after just 22
minutes - was latched on to by the experienced Piquionne, who was given the
freedom of Spurs Lodge before firing home from close range.

West Ham Utd XI: Boffin, Demel (Driver 22), Carney, Faye (Wearen 67), Diop,
Moncur, Sears (E.Lee 85), Juca, Nouble (Turgott 85), Piquionne, Carew
(Montenegro 67).

Tottenham Hotspur XI: Jansson, Barthram, Veljkovic, Nicholson, Stewart,
Luongo, Parrett, Pritchard, Bostock, Ceballos, Lancaster.

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Hall change
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 12th September 2011
By: Staff Writer

Teenage striker Robert Hall has become the latest Academy player to go out
on loan, joining League Two Oxford United. The 17-year-old was touted as
'the next big thing' two years ago but his progression took a serious
nose-dive last year. Amidst a string of minor injuries, Hall failed to
recapture his form of the previous season and for the first time since
joining the club, doubts over his credentials were raised. However Hall
couldn't have started the 2011/12 season in better fashion and has already
gone some way to answering his critics by scoring six goals in his first
seven games of the season, all for Ian Hendon's development squad. Hall will
become the fifth young Hammer to feature in League Two, where he will join
Callum McNaughton (AFC Wimbledon), Jordan Brown (Aldershot), Ahmed Abdulla
(Swindon) and Olly Lee (Dagenham & Redbridge). Meanwhile Cristian Montano
continues to impress at Notts County, as does Jordan Spence at Championship
side Bristol CIty - whilst Pablo Barrera, currently at Li Liga basement club
Real Zaragoza is the eighth and final current loanee.

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Leader or leaner?
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 13th September 2011
By: Daniel Nussbaum

Kevin Nolan's summer switch, the one that saw him leave a Premier League
club in Newcastle to reunite with his mentor at West Ham, raised quite a few
eyebrows.
As captain of the St. James' Park brigade, his decision to drop down a
division was strange. Why does a 28 year-old midfielder, playing some of the
best football of his career, decide to join the newly relegated West Ham?

Well, the need for financial security is an obvious reason. According to
reports, Nolan was not offered a new long term deal by the Toon, even though
he had just finished the season with 12 goals to his name. A massive blow
for a professional footballer's ego, no doubt.

Another usual suspect is Nolan's relationship with Sam Allardyce, the
manager who gave Kevin his first real chance in football back in 2000. Big
Sam's vision and reputation were enough to secure Nolan's services, a move
that proved popular within the Boleyn Ground. His purchase was a clear sign
of intent: we plan to get back up to the Premier League, and are willing to
pay a premium (a reported £50k-a-week wage on top of an undisclosed fee,
thought to be around the £3million mark) to get Premier League class players
in order to do so.

Allardyce immediately gave Nolan the captain's armband, calling him a
natural leader and a positive influence. When trying to analyse his
all-round game, his leadership skills should not to be overlooked. Coming
off the back of a very bad season, with an absent manager and team captain,
Nolan's combative, no-nonsense and never-say-die attitude were like a breath
of fresh air. Always first to stick up for a team mate and never shy of
letting the referee know what's on his mind, the players and fans seem to
have rallied around him.

Just look at Andy Carroll, who needed an arm around his shoulder to get his
head in the game when playing for Newcastle. Nolan was there to get the
young striker playing the best football of his career, as he was for Joey
Barton who had recieved a world of stick. The former is currently struggling
to hold down a place at Liverpool, while the latter moved to London based
Q.P.R after publicly criticising Newcastle's decision to let their captain
go. Nolan seems to be relishing the responsibility and is 'a manager on the
pitch', according to his actual manager. A rarity in the modern game and a
throw back to the good old days.

However, putting his mental strength aside, what does Nolan actually
contribute from a footballing point of view?

Not a lot, according to quite a few West Ham fans. Described as unfit,
immobile and a limited footballer, it is quite clear that Nolan is yet to
win the hearts of the entire West Ham support. Questions have been raised as
to how a well-paid footballer is not yet at the top of his fitness, seven
games into the season. His work rate is suspect, and there are times where
the game looks to be passing him by.

Mind you, there are some positives to Nolan's game. You don't get to be a
Premier League player for so long without possessing some sort of talent.
His heading ability and positioning at set pieces are very good, as is his
passing.

Looking at the money invested in him, Nolan is quite clearly going to be a
permanent fixture within the starting line-up. This means that in order to
accomadate him, Allardyce is going to continue playing him in the hole, as
Nolan's tackling and pace aren't good enough allow him to play in defensive
midfield, and also rule him out for the box-to-box position. Thus, we are
forced to play with one up-front, making Carlton Cole's knock-downs
impossible to exploit. A very frustrating position to find ourselves in this
early in the season.

At the end of the day, the question that needs to be asked is: is Nolan's
influence irreplaceable?

If the answer is yes, and we have someone ready to step up to the plate,
then we can afford to let him earn his place through hard work in training,
possibly even losing some weight to bacome a leaner leader.

However, if Sam thinks he has no other vocal leaders within the squad, then
Kevin Nolan has to be the first name on the team sheet. The Championship is
a tough league to win promotion from, with clubs fighting tooth and nail for
every point. It's players like Nolan who carry teams at tough away grounds,
through organisation and referees' respect.

Whatever you may think of him, it does appear as though Nolan has Big Sam's
faith. We can only hope he can win that of the entire West Ham support.
Guide us to victory, Kev.

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West Ham bring in World Cup winger
Published 21:01 13/09/11 By Mike McGrath
The Mirror

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has given trials to Australia winger David
Carney and Brazilian midfielder Juca. Carney, who played for the Socceroos
at last summer's World Cup finals, is training with the club after leaving
Blackpool earlier this year. Juca, a 31-year-old defensive midfielder, was
with Spain's Deportivo La Coruna until last season and is available as a
free agent. Both men played in a behind-closed-doors friendly against a
Tottenham XI on Monday. New Hammers signing Papa Bouba Diop played at
centre-back in the game and development coach Ian Hendon said: "He got
through the game and looked quite composed, so I was impressed with him."

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Tottenham Hotspur were so close to new stadium deal
Telegraph.co.uk
By Paul Kelso, Chief Sports Reporter10:30PM BST 13 Sep 2011


Tottenham were so close to abandoning their legal challenge to West Ham's
tenancy of the Olympic Stadium last month that a press release was prepared
announcing the club's decision to commit to building a new ground next to
their historic home at White Hart Lane. The Daily Telegraph can reveal that
the draft statement was in circulation the night before last month's High
Court hearing at which Spurs were given permission to launch a full judicial
review of the Olympic Stadium decision.
In the event a deal with the Government and London Mayor Boris Johnson was
not finalised and the release was not circulated. Instead Tottenham's
lawyers, backed by Leyton Orient, won permission for a full judicial review
of the Olympic Stadium decision. That hearing is scheduled for Oct 18, but
Tottenham remain in talks with the mayor and Government and all parties are
increasingly hopeful of reaching a deal to keep the club in Haringey before
then. Until Tottenham are satisfied that the Northumberland Park Development
is viable however they will not withdraw their interest in the Olympic
Stadium, a position that prompted hopes of a deal to collapse on the steps
of the High Court last month.

The draft statement seen by The Daily Telegraph confirms just how advanced
talks were. Tottenham had spent the previous weeks in detailed negotiations
with London mayor Boris Johnson, who had offered £8.5 million to help
regenerate the area around White Hart Lane in the wake of the riots.

As well as the £8.5 million contribution from the mayor Tottenham had also
asked for their legal costs to be met, and demanded that the Olympic Stadium
contract with West Ham be strengthened so that the Hammers could not remove
the running track in future. The government is understood to have agreed to
these concessions.

On the basis of these discussions, on Aug 23 the draft release was prepared
in which Tottenham would announce their intention to remain in Haringey. It
said the club would be focus on the "viability and deliverability" of the
Northumberland Development Project, adding: "The Club can also announce that
as a result of its decision to concentrate on the NDP as a preferred stadium
solution, it shall be withdrawing from any further or continuing legal
action or interest in respect of the Olympic Stadium."

The draft also quoted club chairman Daniel Levy, who said that the riots had
served as a reminder of Tottenham's crucial role in the community.
"Tottenham needs our concerted efforts to reverse the decline of decades and
create a community with hope and prospects of future prosperity," he said.
Westminster sources have suggested that talks foundered over Tottenham's
demands for all litigation to be withdrawn. Tottenham deny this and say the
delay was a matter of timing, and caused by the complexity of reaching
arrangements with a number of stakeholders. They also insist that their
request for an end to all litigation was standard corporate practice
confined to civil actions, not the ongoing police inquiry into allegations
of data hacking made by West Ham.

Tottenham say they remain focused on negotiations over remaining in Haringey
and appreciate the goodwill of the mayor's office, who are desperate for the
club to remain in the borough to help drive regeneration in the wake of the
riots. Concerns over transport links are being addressed, with proposals to
open up access to White Hart Lane overground station enabling it to cope
better with increased crowds. Meanwhile Leyton Orient, whose legal challenge
to West Ham is not dependent on Tottenham's case, are in talks over a
possible new stadium development at Eton Manor in the north of the Olympic
Park. Were that to come off and end to the long a messy sage of the Olympic
Stadium would truly be in sight.

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Police warning for West Ham fans
London24
Kirk Blows, Recorder Reporter
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
5:31 PM

After violence marred the last meeting between the two, police are stepping
up their numbers for West Ham's visit to the New Den on Saturday. Police
have urged West Ham fans to stay away from Millwall on Saturday if they do
not have tickets for the lunchtime clash between the two clubs. The
Championship fixture has been branded a top-category game by police, meaning
there will be increased numbers of officers on duty for the 12.30pm
kick-off. West Ham have been allocated 2,000 tickets for the game, with both
clubs pleading for good behaviour from fans after the last meeting between
the sides – a Carling Cup second-round match at Upton Park in August 2009 –
was marred by crowd trouble both inside and outside the ground. One Millwall
fan was stabbed outside the Boleyn Ground while the game was disrupted by
three pitch invasions. The authorities are therefore anxious that everything
is done to ensure Saturday's event passes without incident. A Metropolitan
Police spokesman said: "Our intelligence tells us there is a high risk of
disorder so in policing terms it has been a made a top-category game. "That
means there will be increased numbers of police on duty for the game, which
has been given an early kick-off time. "We'd urge for people who have
tickets to enjoy the football match and those who don't to stay away."

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Allardyce rules out move for Bridge
TalkSport
By Marc Isaacs
Tuesday, September 13

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has ruled out a move for Manchester City
defender Wayne Bridge. The full-back has been strongly linked with a move
back to east London after spending a four-month loan spell at Upton Park
last season. The England defender was not named in Manchester City's 25-man
Premier League squad and Roberto Mancini revealed he would be happy for him
to join a Championship club. But Allardyce is happy with the business he
conducted in the lead-up to the transfer window and says he will not be
making moves to sign Bridge. Allardyce said: "We are full up now. We have
filled our squad with all the players we need for the time being and we have
a squad that is good and has strength in depth."

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Arsenal midfielder Henri Lansbury claims West Ham have stronger squad than
Norwich City
2:31pm Tuesday 13th September 2011
By Simon Mail »
Guardian Series

New signing Henri Lansbury believes West Ham have a stronger squad than
Premier League newcomers Norwich City. Arsenal midfielder Lansbury helped
the Canaries win automatic promotion last season but thinks the Hammers are
in a stronger position to follow them up to the top flight. Lansbury, who
has joined on a season-long loan, said: "I think it is a better squad, I
think there is a bit more experience in this team. I think if we work hard
on and off the pitch then we will have a great chance. "Yeah, it's an
unbelievable squad. There were some great players left out [against
Portsmouth] and everyone will have to fight for their place, but that is
what makes you better. "I think you have to have a good team spirit first of
all. You need to work hard at every training session and take that out on to
the field. I think the spirit here is good and we have a great chance of
getting promotion."

The England Under-21 midfielder marked his Irons debut by scoring in their
win over Portsmouth at the weekend and could not have wished for a better
start at Upton Park. Lansbury added: "It was nice to get a chance to play
football. I've had a good week away and come back here and to score on my
debut is a good feeling and a good start. "I played in the Championship last
season and most games were like that. You've just got to come out and get on
top of them and we have done that today and I think we did it well."

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Ex-West Ham defender Da Costa 'groped and punched woman in Essex nightclub'
By LEON WATSON
Last updated at 11:36 AM on 13th September 2011
Daily Mail

A former Premier League footballer has gone on trial accused of punching a
young woman in the face and sexually assaulting her. Ex-West Ham defender
Manuel da Costa, 25, allegedly grabbed the 21-year-old's crotch in Faces
nightclub in Gants Hill, Essex, in the early hours of October 17 last year.
Snaresbrook Crown Court heard the player - now with Lokomotiv Moscow -
admitted hitting the victim but denied sexually assaulting her. Miss Sonya
Saul, prosecuting, told the eight women and four men of the jury: 'Manuel da
Costa had absolutely no reason or right to touch her in that way.'

A police video interview with the victim was played to court in which she
said of Da Costa that 'he had a smug look on his face' during the alleged
assault. She was enjoying a night out with four friends and arrived at the
club at 10.30pm. As the evening wore on, the woman sat in a booth because
her feet were sore, then went to look for her friends. As she made her way
through the club, she said the Portuguese player reached out and grabbed her
between the legs before rubbing her left breast. Reliving the ordeal - and
alleging the French-born star also hit two of her friends - she said:
'Someone grabbed my hand. He grabbed my downstairs and grabbed my boob. 'I
pushed his face to get him off me. As I have turned around, he has punched
the left side of my face.' The victim said she felt 'violated' by the
assault. Da Costa's friends tried to intervene but he punched her again, she
said.

The witness, giving evidence from behind a screen, described the way Da
Costa assaulted her as a 'gropey slide' The scene 'kicked off', she said, as
she tried to find help from door staff. Her friends became involved in a row
with Da Costa, who punched two more women, said the victim, who cannot be
named for legal reasons.
The complainant said Da Costa squeezed her breast so forcefully it hurt and
left her face 'throbbing' and 'pulsating' after hitting her. She said his
expression said 'well, you deserved it'. The woman and her friends drove to
Ilford police station and reported the incident. The victim told officers
she was informed in the nightclub that the man was called Da Costa and
played for West Ham. Da Costa made no comment during his police interviews,
the court heard. As part of jury selection, potential jurors were excused
from serving if they or close family were either West Ham or Tottenham
Hotspur fans. The trial is scheduled to last four days.

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