Daily WHUFC News - 18th August 2012

Development Squad 3-1 Reading
WHUFC.com
The Development Squad got off to a winning start in the Barclays Under-21
Premier League
17.08.2012

The Development Squad made the perfect start in the Barclays Under-21
Premier League by beating Reading 3-1 at Rush Green. Paul McCallum opened
the scoring in the 42nd minute, tapping home the rebound from Rob Hall's
initial effort. The forward then got his second ten minutes into the second
half. Hall twisted and turned before bursting into the box and crossing to
McCallum, who dispatched the ball expertly into the corner. Reading rarely
threatened, but pulled one back in the 72nd minute, but a trialist made sure
of the win for the hosts four minutes from time, clinically finishing over
the stranded Jonathan Henly. Speaking post-match, Development Squad manager
Ian Hendon revealed his delight after a near flawless performance from his
young side. "I'm delighted with the result because it gives us an excellent
platform going into the season," explained Hendon. "We had a mixed
pre-season and played a lot of experienced, physical teams but it has
prepared us well for tonight's game. "Reading are a big team who tried to
knock the ball long up to the front three and I felt we dealt with that, and
we of course did extremely well going forward scoring three good goals."

Hendon often admitted his side had lacked a little focus defensively during
pre-season so he was very pleased at the way his side organised themselves.
"It's something that I have highlighted recently so it's good to see the
lads respond and take it on board. "It was a little disappointing conceding
from a corner, but that may have more to do with a little lapse in
concentration due to being 2-0 up. "It's early days and that is something we
can focus on ironing out on the training ground, but as I say I'm delighted
with the result and to have got off to a winning start."

McCallum was the star turn, scoring two and grabbing an assist, leading
Hendon to praise him and his support trio of Hall, Blair Turgott and Dominic
Vose. "They are very talented, forward-thinking players as you can see, Dom
has done really well for the first goal and Rob has shown his talent with
the second and that is another thing that is pleasing. "We worked hard this
week on getting the ball to the back post for Paul because he is very good
at attacking that, so it's very pleasing as a coach to see something you
have worked on come to fruition."

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Joey's joy
WHUFC.com
Joey O'Brien has expressed his delight at returning to international duty
18.08.2012

Joey O'Brien has revealed his delight after playing for the Republic of
Ireland for the first time in over four years. Speaking ahead of West Ham
United's Barclays Premier League opener with Aston Villa on Saturday -
Tickets will be available on the day at the Boleyn Ground - O'Brien
expressed his pride at pulling on the green shirt once again. The Hammers
star appeared as a 79th-minute substitute in Wednesday's goalless
international friendly draw in Serbia and is now targeting a place in
Giovanni Trapattoni's squad on a regular basis as Ireland begin their quest
to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. "It was brilliant. It's
obviously it was a long time since the last time I had played at an
international level so it was great to meet up with the lads again," he
confirmed. The 26-year-old also admitted he didn't think he would play a
part in Belgrade, and he now hopes he can kick on and earn another call-up.
"I didn't expect to come on, I was delighted to get on the pitch and I think
we played really well and got a good result. "We had certain players who
don't usually start and they came in and did very well, I thought we were
unlucky not to get the win. "Hopefully I can keep playing well at West Ham
United and play a part in the World Cup qualifiers."

Ireland travel to Kazakhstan for their opening World Cup qualifier in
September before welcoming Oman to Fulham's Craven Cottage for a friendly
four days later.
O'Brien has endured a torrid few years after being blighted with a knee
injury, but he revealed that his religious faith played and will continue to
play a big role in his positive outlook on life. "Yeah definitely, over the
past few years I have endured a difficult time and had a big operation on my
knee. Everybody has their highs and lows and luckily for me I had my family,
my faith and great players around me who hoped everything was going to work
out. Luckily it did. "I was brought up around religion, my ma and da used to
take me to mass when I was a kid and when I went to the academy they also
made sure I would go to say my prayers and ask god to look after me and my
family. "It is just something we have in Ireland, it's a central part of my
life, I like to live a good life, keep the Catholic faith near to it."

O'Brien is in the squad for Saturday's Barclays Premier League visit of
Villa - a fixture that could see him come up against recently-retired
Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given. While Given will be missed, the No17 thinks
the Boys in Green have the strength in depth to move on from his departure -
perhaps in the shape of West Ham's own Irish stopper Stephen Henderson.
"Shay has just retired from international football. He has done everything
and played in a lot of games. Without him between the posts we may not have
qualified for the tournaments we have. "It's going to be hard without him,
but the lads we have are more than capable and going forward we have got
players who can score a lot of goals."

Concentrating on Saturday's kick-off, O'Brien believes both teams itching to
get started at the Boleyn Ground. "We're new coming into the league, but
looking at their squad they will pretty much be a new team as well. "It will
hopefully be two good teams having a good go at it on the first day of the
season, hopefully we can do the business, all the lads are raring to go and
we have had a good pre-season. "Everything has been building up to the first
game of the season, and we want to get off to a good start."

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Montano joins Oldham
WHUFC.com
Academy graduate Cristian Montano has joined npower League One side Oldham
Athletic
17.08.2012

West Ham United Academy graduate Cristian Montano has joined npower League
One side Oldham Athletic on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee. The
Colombia-born 20-year-old joined the Hammers as an Under-12 and was named
Academy Player of the Year for 2008/09. Montano spent time on loan at npower
Football League clubs Notts County, Swindon Town, Dagenham and Redbridge and
Oxford United last season. Everyone at West Ham United would like to wish
Montano well in his future career

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West Ham allow Cristian Montano to join Oldham Athletic
BBC.co.uk

Oldham have signed Cristian Montano from West Ham for an undisclosed fee.
The 20-year-old midfielder has agreed a two-year deal, with the option to
extend it by a further year. Montano, who can also play as a striker, could
feature at MK Dons on Saturday, as long as the necessary paperwork is
completed in time. Last season, he had two loan spells with Notts County, as
well as temporary stints with Swindon Town, Dagenham & Redbridge and Oxford
United. But he never featured at first-team level for the Hammers.

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West Ham v Aston Villa
KO 15:00
17 August 2012
By John Motson
BBC Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 18 August

West Ham will hand a second debut to centre-back James Collins but Jack
Collison is out with a knee problem. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce has revealed
new signings Modibo Maiga and Alou Diarra are not yet fit enough to start.

Aston Villa's Brett Holman has shaken off a knee injury and should start
alongside fellow new recruits Karim El Ahmadi, Ron Vlaar and Matthew Lowton.
Injured trio Richard Dunne, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Marc Albrighton all miss
Paul Lambert's first match in charge.

MATCH PREVIEW

West Ham's return to the Premier League takes place within the shadow of the
Olympic Stadium, fresh from all the excitement, euphoria and global
attention of the London Games over last few weeks. The Olympic Stadium could
well be West Ham's future new home if the Hammers board get their way but
their first priority above anything else this season must be to stay up.

To do this the Hammers are going to have to work on their home form, which
was a patchy last season despite their eventual promotion. The fans also
need to unite behind Sam Allardyce. Some may not like his methods but he is
a man who knows what the Premier League is all about, knows how to fire up a
newly-promoted side and most importantly knows how to keep clubs away from a
relegation battle.
Allardyce has made eight new signings so far, three of them goalkeepers as
he looks to replace loyal servant Rob Green. The experienced Jussi
Jaaskelainen and Stephen Henderson will fight it out to be the club's new
number one and a reliable goalkeeper is a vital for any newly-promoted side.
Resolute centre-back James Collins has returned to Upton Park from Aston
Villa to strengthen the defence, while the arrivals of Alou Diarra and
Mohamed Diame should add foreign industry to the British steel that already
exists in the Hammers midfield. I believe another new player Modibo Maiga
will eventually play as part of a front three alongside Carlton Cole and
Ricardo Vaz Te.
It must surely be a more stable campaign for Aston Villa under Paul
Lambert's management than they experienced during Alex McLeish's
uncomfortable season-long tenure. Hiring the manager of your most fierce
rivals is always risky, but especially in this case after he was relegated
with Birmingham the previous year. The slate is now wiped clean and this is
Lambert's Villa, although it may be small steps of recovery at first.
Lambert is a thoughtful manager, not frightened to switch his squad around.
I saw Villa play a friendly at Nottingham Forest and judging by what I saw
I'm expecting an adventurous 4-4-2 from them this season. Three of the four
new signings over the summer have come in from Holland, continuing a trend
from Lambert of unearthing gems rather than buying superstars.
I think they will need an immediate return from new centre-back Ron Vlaar,
who has already endeared himself to the Villa fans and won comparisons with
club legend Paul McGrath. Of the existing players I believe Charles N'Zogbia
owes Villa a good season, be it on the wing or as a second striker. Stephen
Ireland's role may have to adapt despite winning the club's Player of the
Year title last year, while Shay Given's decision to retire from
international football with the Republic of Ireland will see him dedicate
more time to his club commitments and he may need to with the impressive
Brad Guzan breathing down his neck.
I expect to see both sides battling it out for mid-table honours this
season, with perhaps a draw the most likely result to get both their
campaign up and running.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

Half of the 16 Premier League matches Aston Villa have played at Upton Park
have ended in draws.

West Ham have won only two of their last 11 Premier League home meetings
with Villa; a 2-1 triumph in 2009 and a 4-0 win in 2005.

The home side has won on eight of nine previous between the clubs in August,
including 7-2 and 5-2 West Ham wins in 1958 and 1960 respectively. The only
result to buck this trend was the 2-2 draw at Villa Park in 1999.

West Ham began their 2010-11 Premier League campaign against Aston Villa.
They lost 3-0 at Villa Park and went on to be relegated at the end of the
season.

West Ham

West Ham have lost their last two opening day fixtures since beginning with
a 2-0 win at Wolves three years ago.

Sam Allardyce's West Ham ended last season with seven wins in their last
nine matches and just one defeat in 21 games. This run included all three
play-off matches.

The Hammers ended the 2010-11 Premier League campaign with nine winless
matches. Their last top-flight victory was a 3-0 home triumph against Stoke
in March 2011.

Allardyce is taking charge of his 324th Premier League match - the only
Englishmen with more are Harry Redknapp (593) and Alan Curbishley (328).

Aston Villa

Villa have failed to win in their last five away opening Premier League
fixtures of the season, since a 1-0 victory at Newcastle in 1999.

Aston Villa ended last season with just one victory in their last 16 league
matches.

Villa recorded just seven league wins last term, their fewest in a
top-flight season since the 1890-91 campaign - when only 12 teams competed.

Darren Bent is two away from scoring his 150th league goal. The club won
only twice in 17 league matches without him last season.

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Der Hammer wishes West Ham United well
WHUFC.com
Thomas Hitzlsperger will be a keen viewer when the Hammers take on Aston
Villa
17.08.2012

Thomas Hitzlsperger will be keeping a close eye on events at the Boleyn
Ground this weekend. The ex-West Ham United and Aston Villa midfielder moved
back to his native Germany after leaving the Hammers in the summer of 2011,
but 'Der Hammer' remains a keen fan of his two former clubs. Still only 30,
Hitzlsperger also revealed in an exclusive interview with whufc.com that he
is eager to return to English football after an injury-affected season with
Bundesliga side VfL Wolsfburg.
As for West Ham and Aston Villa, the Munich-born Germany international
believes the abilities of managers Sam Allardyce and Paul Lambert will see
both thrive in the Barclays Premier League this season. "It's always
difficult to predict how a team is going to do, especially after promotion.
I wish the West Ham team all the best that they stay in the Premier League
and don't have to fight for survival all season long. Sam Allardyce is
experienced enough to get the job done. "Paul Lambert has had a good season
with Norwich City [last season] and I am sure he will bring some stability
to Villa. The club has big potential."

Hitzlsperger, who spent four seasons with Aston Villa between 2001 and 2005
before playing 13 times for West Ham during the 2010/11 campaign, believes
both clubs need to adopt a positive approach this season. With Villa
finishing 16th last term and the Hammers being newly-promoted, the
temptation may be to target 'winnable' games, but the former VfB Stuttgart
player believes every Barclays Premier League fixture represents a potential
three points. "Of course, any game is winnable and therefore I would always
try to achieve the maximum. However, international players sometimes need a
rest. It's important to have a balanced squad."

As for Hitzlsperger himself, he revealed that he would love to return to the
Barclays Premier League himself and make up for lost time. The midfielder
injured his thigh while on international duty just days before his scheduled
West Ham debut in August 2010. Last season, knee problems restricted him to
just six Bundesliga appearances for VfL Wolfsburg, but he is now returning
to full fitness and hoping to start a new chapter in his career. Last week,
he spent time training with MLS club San Jose Earthquakes in the United
States, but he told reporters there and whufc.com that he sees his future on
this side of the Atlantic Ocean. "I didn't have a good season, because I was
out for most of the time. Two operations on my knee allowed me only six
appearances. "I just hope that I can play regular football again. After two
years with little football, I just want to get back to playing, preferrably
in England."

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West Ham United v Aston Villa
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 17th August 2012
By: Preview Percy

It's a new season and that can mean only one thing. Ten more months of
visits to the Marco Boogers wing of the Avram Grant Rest Home For The
Bewildered to pick up the usual mad ramblings of Preview Percy, a prospect
we find about as appealing as the idea of being forced to sit and watch the
Olympic Closing Ceremony again.

Here's his opening salvo of the season, a look at Saturday's visit of Aston
Villa. At least he's cheap. By way of compensation there's statistical input
from John Northcutt to jog the memory cells…

So here we are once more, back upstairs in the penthouse apartment with the
big screen telly and the stunning river views having moved up from the
bedsit with the two-bar electric fire and rising damp. A home opener against
Aston Villa starts the Premier League ball rolling in a 3pm kick off on a
Saturday. Which is precisely as it should be of course.

All engineering activity on the tubes having ceased for the last few weeks
whilst the school sports were going on, the good people at TfL have
forgotten their usual habit of making it difficult for us to get to matches
and you should get a clear run on the modern electric underground railway
thing. You can ignore the special games lanes for the time being as well.

It's all change for our opponents at the start of this season. Last term the
faithful appeared less than happy at the appointment of Alex McLeish whose
previous employers just happened to be Birmingham City. This particular sin
might have been forgiven had McLeish actually been any good.

Unfortunately, it was a pretty undistinguished season for the Villains who
finished in 16th spot with 38 points – a slightly worrying two points clear
of Bolton who occupied the final relegation place. They failed to make any
meaningful impression in the cups either, Arsenal seeing them off in the 4th
round of the FA Cup whilst the aforementioned Bolton knocked them out of the
League Cup at the third round stage.

All of which was served up with a heavy dose of perspective as it was
announced that midfielder Stiliyan Petrov was suffering from leukaemia.
Happily his treatment has gone well enough for the club to be able to
announce recently that the player's condition is in remission and, whilst
there is a long way to go yet, the outlook is good.

Back on less serious matters, a relegation battle was never going to be good
enough for the club's owner, Randy Lerner (apparently his real name) and
barely 24 hours had elapsed after the final day 2-0 defeat to Norwich when
McLeish picked up his P45.

It was back to Carrow Road that Lerner went and, following a cuppa and
presumably some wonderfully light home-made cake with Delia the
highly–regarded Paul Lambert came in. Lambert had tried to resign at the end
of the season but the resignation had been rejected, presumably in order to
ensure compensation for any forthcoming departure.

Lambert is regarded as something of a thinker amongst coaches (much in the
same way that Harry Redknapp isn't) and it was back to Germany, where he won
the so-called Champions League with Borussia Dortmund, that Lambert
travelled to study for the coaching badges that are required to take office
these days. Look out for Villa in the Cups then in any go to penalty
shootouts.

Lambert's relatively early close-season appointment has afforded him the
time to go shopping and to rebuild the squad in his own image. Amongst those
through the exit door was the released Emile Heskey. Blackpool reportedly
offered Heskey £90 per week plus bonuses (that'll be £90 per week then) to
join. Heskey rejected the deal on the grounds that he felt insulted by the
offer and wanted a contract that reflected his worth (that'll be £85 per
week then).

They also sold James Collins back to us, the reported £2.5m fee meaning that
we're still in profit on 'The Ginger Pele'. Collins blotted his Villa Park
copybook towards the end of last season, picking up a club fine for being
involved in a nightclub incident a few days before a match with Spurs.
Still, hangover and all they still managed to mess up Spurs' so-called
Champions League prospects by drawing 1-1, so it wasn't all bad news.

Collins' replacement in the back four is Dutch International Ron Vlaar.
Vlaar came in on a deal worth around £3.3m having originally failed to agree
terms earlier in the window. Vlaar missed a couple of seasons a few years
ago with a cruciate ligament problem, followed by a bacterial infection
(sounds like one of those things go to those 'special' clinics for. Er, so
I'm told).

When he'd got over that, he did the same cruciate ligament again in a
training ground accident so it's fair to say that the player won't look back
on 2007/08 or 2008/09 with an awful lot of fondness. Having missed out on
the 2010 World Cup Vlaar made a couple of starts in Euro 2012 – which seems
so long ago now, doesn't it.

Vlaar was Lambert's second signing of the summer from Feyenoord, with him
having earlier popped over to Rotterdam to sign Dutch-Moroccan midfielder
Karim El Ahmadi. Feyenoord have spent most of the past couple of seasons
trying to offload the player in an attempt to raise funds for player
purchases and he spent the back end of 2010/11 in the United Arab Emirates
on loan, an experience that he likened to playing in and against the weakest
teams in the Dutch league.

Things might have got interesting had Feyenoord been able to agree a fee
with Al Ahli FC but 'twas not to be which is why El Ahmadi now finds himself
in the slightly less warmer climes of Birmingham. Although the player
represented the Dutch national side at junior age levels, when the Moroccans
came knocking at the door with competitive football on offer he went to his
family roots and now has full caps for the North African country.

They also brought in right back Matt Lowton, the £3.3m fee presumably going
some way to keeping parasite whingers Sheffield United afloat following
their inexplicable failure to be in the Premier League when it was
completely our fault that they went down.

At the end of last season Villa let 'keeper Brad Guzan go, his contract
having expired. Exit McLeish and enter Lambert and lo and behold, Guzan
re-signs. He's still likely to play second fiddle in the onion-bag guardian
pecking order to Shay Given, who has just announced his retirement from
international football.

Given must be having an attack of the 'what might have beens' as he looks up
at Man City's Premier League title, his career there never really having
taken off after his move from Newcastle. There's never a right time to pick
up an injury I suppose, but if there's a wrong time, just as your club is
beginning to hit the jackpot would probably be it.

Up front there's Darren Bent. Bent is a younger and less 'robust' version of
Emile Heskey and has never, ever impressed anyone. How he's managed to get
caps for England when Bert, who has the room next to mine here at the Avram
Grant Rest Home for the Bewildered doesn't get selected I'll never know.
(Actually we think it's something to do with Bert not being able to get the
oxygen tank he needs these days through the airport metal detectors).

What makes the thing so damned annoying is the fact Bent, who has played for
Ipswich, Spurs, Sunderland and Villa in his time has scored against us for
all of those clubs (except Sunderland – but it would only have been a matter
of time). I mean I know Michael Owen always scores against us but you can
sort of take it from him.

File him in the section marked 'annoying'. Bent picked up a brace in a
recent friendly against Werder Bremen so he'll be full of beans. Maybe it's
something about clubs beginning with the letter 'W'.

And so to us. Well as one might expect following a promotion there's been a
few changes in personnel. It's farewell to Rob Green who was always going to
leave once his contract was up, having got the hump previously over how
small his salary was in comparison to some other players whose contribution
to the cause was nowhere near his own. It's to his credit that he never let
his annoyance with the owners affect his game and he's one ex-Hammer who
I'll willingly applaud on his return.

The other notable departure was that of Julien Faubert who's off to
somewhere not particularly well-known in Turkey (ie not Fenerbahce or
Galatasaray). Faubert carried on with the time-honoured tradition of picking
up an awful pre-season injury when he signed for us and was probably nowhere
near the player we signed following his return. His time with us included a
surreal spell on loan at Real Madrid where the most notable thing he did was
fall asleep on the subs bench!

To replace Green in comes Jussi Jaaskelainen (Message to editors: if you
want me to type that out every flipping week I want a pay rise) and Stephen
Henderson, whose loan spell from Pompey has been made permanent. Hopefully
JJ (told you) will repeat the form for us that he always seemed to display
when playing against us.

In front of him we welcome back to the fold the aforementioned James
Collins. If we keep selling him then buying him back for half the price we
sold him for we'll be rolling in it.

So far this window we have operated on the "you can never have enough
midfielders" principle. Diame, one of two guys called Mo that we've signed,
has come in from Wigan to whom we didn't have to pay a fee. Which hopefully
will have annoyed child slave labourer Dave Whelan. Diame tends to play a
defensive midfield role, as does Alou Diarra to whom we also say, er, 'allo.

Diarra has come in from Marseilles, has captained France and his previous
spell in English football is noteworthy for his having arrived at Liverpool
and returned to France on loan before the ink on the transfer documents had
dried. I suppose that's something that we can all relate to – everytime I
pitch up on Merseyside I take one look at the state of the place and
immediately wish I was somewhere else. Possibly even France.

The second guy called Mo to arrive is Modibo Maiga from Mali. He's supposed
to have failed a medical with Newcastle before Christmas but is now
seemingly fit and ready for the rigours of Premier League life at the
Boleyn.

The new signings and the fact that we seem capable of fielding ten
midfielders (it'd have been eleven had Lansbury not gone back to Arsenal)
makes it difficult to establish what the line-up is likely to look like. We
do have injuries though. Jack Collison's knee has seen him spend pre-season
in the Kieron Dyer Memorial Treatment Facility.

Against Braga – which I suppose is as good a clue as any - we started off
with Reid and Ginge pairing up at the back, pushing Tomkins into that
auxiliary midfield role we kept trying him in only for someone to be sent
off requiring him to play in a more orthodox midfield position. Ginge missed
the midweek international with a pelvic/groin injury. The word is that
Ginge's injury may eventually require an op but that he is likely to be
available for selection this weekend.

In Portugal, Demel and O'Brien made up the full backs; hopefully Demel will
improve on his last competitive match for us where he had a 'mare against
Blackpool before getting injured. After the play-off Final I heard one of
our supporters go on the wireless the morning after suggesting full backs
ought to be a priority. I agree with that man.

In midfield, despite the apparent embarrassment of numbers one notable
absentee will be Jack Collison. Collison has apparently been unable to train
properly since the win over Blackpool all those aeons ago and rest is the
order of the day.

Up front in Braga we had Carlton Cole and Mo Maiga being augmented by Vaz Te
and, if I had to guess that would be my prediction of how we'll start out
this weekend, though given the manager's habit of preparing for each
opponent differently it wouldn't be too much of a surprise to see something
else.

Villa will be missing three important players themselves - in addition to
club captain Petrov (for obvious reasons). Richard Dunne has picked up
'Gilmore's Groin' which is a genuine injury that Mark Noble once suffered
from, and not, as some of you may be thinking, a piece of scurrilous gossip.

Marc (note to his family – don't be flash it's spelt 'Mark') Albrighton will
miss this one with a broken metatarsal. If ever you needed proof of our
being back in the Premier League it's the fact that the boring old broken
toes that people suffered from in the Championship have suddenly
metamorphosed back to the infinitely more trendy 'metatarsals' that we've
become used to in recent years.

Up front, Gabriel Agbonlahor will also miss out with a cruciate knee
ligament problem. Knees aren't what they used to be – when I was a lad
ligaments stood the test of time and it was cartilage operations that were
all the rage. Nowadays you rarely hear of cartilage ops. Unless that was in
the episode of Holby City that we missed in the TV room here at the Rest
Home I threatened to put my foot through the screen unless something else,
anything else, was shown.

The absence of Dunne will mean an unfamiliar back four for them, with the
main man having no English league experience. Also, without Agbonlahor they
seem to lack a bit of depth in attack so, for my first prediction of the
season I'll take us to turn the first game feel good factor into three
points.

The rest home's Olympic Celebration budget (£2.50) has therefore been
liberated from the secret place where Matron keeps it and placed firmly on a
home win to occur by a 3-1 margin. We might even be top of the league if
that happens.

For a bit.

Enjoy the game!


Referee: Mike Dean. Loves to be the centre of attention and if the players
aren't giving him anything to do he is not above making controversial
decisions for the sake of it. Actually had a half-decent match when last we
saw him in the 3-0 play-off semi-final defeat of Cardiff, which suggests
that he saves his self-promotion for the bigger TV audiences.

Some other referees rate him – which is not something to boast about.
Consider this: the last time we were in the top flight we had this ref twice
for every time he was entrusted with a match involving Man Utd. In fact we
only had him for one less match (2) than the Salford whingers (3) last
season – when we were in the Championship. Now call me suspicious but…..

When Last We Met: April 2011 (lost 1-2). A horrible, horrible match. Robbie
Keane (remember him?) gave us an early lead but we sat back and invited them
on to us. Darren Bent (qv) stuck away his customary goal whilst Gabriel
Agbonlahor added a stoppage time winner. Worse still, a shocking tackle from
Nigel Reo-Coker nearly ended Gary O'Neil's career. A lousy day all round
that was just another nail in the relegation coffin.

Danger Men: Mike Dean (obviously) and Darren Bent . Neither of this week's
danger men is particularly good at his job. Despite this both have an
irritating habit of putting in a match-winning performance against us.

Daft facts of the week: Villa didn't score a single goal from a corner last
season, apparently.

Additionally, apart from being home to Villa, Aston is also the surname
adopted by actress Anne Lloyd part of the way through her run as hostess of
seminal 1960's Birmingham-based TV game show 'The Golden Shot' when she
discovered that there was already an actress registered with that name.

For those of you too young to remember, Aston was a sort of anti-Carol
Vorderman: "Our next contestant is, er, I've forgotten your name. Oh yes,
Ronald from Birchfield. I mean Gloucester". "Ronald scored five points on
the static target and 20 points on the moving target making a total of (long
pause) er, 24 points. No 25. I think".

And Bernie The Bolt's real name was Derek - and he was no relation to Usain.


Stat man John: Northcutt's corner

Head to Head
Pld 103; West Ham Utd 37, Aston Villa 36, Draws 30.

Biggest Win
30th August 1958: West Ham Utd 7-2 Aston Villa (Boleyn Ground, Division One)

Heaviest Defeat
6th September 1930: Aston Villa 6-1 West Ham Utd (Villa Park, Division One)

First Meeting
1t February 1913: Aston Villa 5-0 West Ham Utd (Villa Park, FA Cup)

Last Five Meetings
16th April 2011: West Ham Utd 1-2 Aston Villa (Boleyn Ground, Premier
League)
14h August 2010: Aston Villa 3-0 West Ham Utd (Villa Park, Premier League)
17th January 2010: Aston Villa 0-0 West Ham Utd (Villa Park, Premier League)
4th November 2009: West Ham Utd 2-1 Aston Villa (Boleyn Ground, Premier
League)
18th April 2009: Aston Villa 1-1 West Ham Utd (Boleyn Ground, Premier
League)

Memorable Match
8th March 1980: West Ham Utd 1-0 Aston Villa (Boleyn Ground, FA Cup)

Second division West Ham were huge underdogs in this FA Cup quarter Final
against a first division Aston Villa side who were to be crowned European
Champions within two years. With the game entering the final minute of
normal time Ken McNaught's hand struck Trevor Brooking's corner. Referee
David Richardson had no doubt and pointed immediately to the penalty spot -
to the delight of more than 36,000 fans crammed into the Boleyn Ground.

With several of his team mates unable to watch, 20-year-old full-back Ray
'Tonka' Stewart - at Second Division West Ham for less than a year following
his £400,000 move from Dundee United - stepped up to smash the ball into
Jimmy Rimmer's bottom right corner to send the happy Hammers through to a
semi-final clash with another First Division team, Everton.

Video: http://youtu.be/bmDijc0Oc5U

Seeing Red
4th December 1982: Ray Stewart for body-checking Mark Walters

They Played For Both
Bill Askew; John Carew; Carlton Cole; James Collins; Alan Curbishley; Mervyn
Day; Marlon Harewood; Ray Houghton; Thomas Hitzlsperger; David James; Frank
McAvennie; Fred Norris; Nigel Reo-Coker; Tony Scott; Les Sealey; Phil
Woosnam.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Latics sign up Hammers winger
Last Updated: August 17, 2012 5:25pm
SSN

Oldham Athletic boss Paul Dickov has signed winger or striker Cristian
Montano from West Ham on a two-year deal. The 20-year-old, who had been at
West Ham since the age of 10 and signed his first professional contract in
2010, has the option of a third year at Boundary Park. He will be available
for the Latics' opening fixture against MK Dons as his paperwork was
registered in time. Montano, who can play as a striker or on the wing, spent
loan spells at Notts County, Swindon, Dagenham and Oxford last season,
scoring 10 goals in 39 appearences. Dickov believes his new signing can
provide his Oldham team with a variety of attacking options this season. The
Colombian joined the Latics after training at Boundary Park during
pre-season. Montano received interest from clubs in Italy and France but
opted for Greater Manchester instead - a decision Dickov puts down to the
20-year-old's desire to play first-team football. "It wasn't so much
Cristian being on trial, but him coming in and getting a feel for the club
and for us to do likewise," Dickov told the club's official website.
"Cristian is another piece of the jigsaw and a left-sided player who is
quick and talented. "He is left footed, but can play on either wing and he
loves to take on opponents and to get in crosses and shots. He can also play
up front so he gives us lots of options. "I gather he could have stayed at
West Ham, but he was keen to move because of his wish to play football
rather than being a squad player."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce caution over Villa
Hammers boss not expecting a comfortable return to the top flight
Last Updated: August 17, 2012 5:22pm
SSN

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is hopeful of getting off to a winning start
but admits he is apprehensive ahead of the visit of Aston Villa. The Hammers
return to the Premier League on Saturday after a one-season absence thanks
to Allardyce leading the club back to the top flight at the first attempt.
The experienced boss is confident of three points against Villa at Upton
Park but acknowledges it is difficult to judge how prepared his team will be
for the Premier League challenge. And he rejects the notion that the fixture
list has been kind on West Ham. "Everybody thought that Cardiff City at home
was a comfortable start last season and we got beat 1-0 in the last minute,"
he said. "I don't think there is any kind of comfortable start in the
Premier League. "I think there is a possibility that we can get off to a
good start if we give a good performance.

Chance

"What we are looking for is a good performance by our players and that might
give us a chance to win the first game here at Upton Park at the start of a
new Premier League season. "I think we all need to be a little apprehensive,
certainly myself because it doesn't matter how good or bad I think we are, I
won't really know until we play Barclays Premier League games." The match at
the Boleyn Ground will be Paul Lambert's first in charge of Villa since
leaving Norwich in the summer and Allardyce is expecting a tough game. "I am
expecting a pretty determined and well organised side," added Allardyce.
"Paul's record in terms of moving into a new club and producing results
almost immediately stands there in front of everybody. "I think that he will
get them playing a system that suits the players and playing the best they
possibly can play. "For us it's about making sure we are on top of our game
because we're obviously playing a well-established Premier League side.

Experience

"While we have got some players with Premier League experience, it's been a
year since we have been there. "We are looking forward to getting back there
and hopefully we can deliver in terms of expectations and, of course, try
and win as many games as we can, starting with the first one. "The first
game is as important as the last game, and if you can win the first game it
gets everybody off to a nice, pleasant start. "You try and get three points
in the bag and try and move forward. "It builds the confidence of all the
players at a club and it gets rid of any anxiety anybody may have, or at
least reduce what they have of 'can they really reproduce in the Premier
League and produce performances', as last time we were there we were
relegated."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham v Aston Villa preview
New dawn for both returning Hammers and Lambert's Villa
Last Updated: August 17, 2012 12:55pm
SSN

Newly-promoted West Ham are looking to make a winning Premier League return
when they host Aston Villa at Upton Park on Saturday. But there is also a
new dawn for the Birmingham club with recently-appointed manager Paul
Lambert taking charge of a competitive game for the first time. The Hammers
bounced back to the top-flight at the first time of asking, despite many
supporters having an uneasy relationship with manager Sam Allardyce amid
criticism of his team's style of play. Ultimately, Allardyce achieved the
club's sole aim of promotion with a 2-1 win over Blackpool in May's
Championship play-off final to silence his critics - for the time being.
However, a poor start to their Premier League campaign is likely to see fans
jump on his back again. Expectations of a raft of big-name signings have not
materialised, but Allardyce has added two seasoned top-flight campaigners in
goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen and centre-half James Collins, who joined from
Saturday's opponents Villa, to bring experience to his defensive line. And
Mali striker Modibo Maiga could prove to be an inspired signing for the
Hammers, who missed out on an ambitious move for England striker Andy
Carroll.

Meanwhile, Lambert's arrival has given Villa fans a renewed sense of
optimism after a traumatic campaign which nearly ended in relegation last
season. Former boss Alex McLeish was never a popular figure following his
switch from bitter rivals Birmingham and it was unsurprising when he was
sacked after a dreadful season where Villa finished 16th. Lambert was
immediately targeted by chairman Randy Lerner as the man to rebuild the
former European Cup winners after leading Norwich to a 12th-placed Premier
League finish following back-to-back promotions. He has brought in four new
faces, Australia midfielder Brett Holman, Netherlands central defender Ron
Vlaar, right-back Matthew Lowton and midfielder Karim El Ahmadi, who will be
eager to prove themselves in their debut Premier League seasons. Added to
the experience already in the squad, their arrivals should bring a new
hunger to Villa Park as Lambert aims for a top-half finish.

Midfielder Jack Collison is missing but defender Collins will be fit to face
his former club. Collison, 23, played a key part in the Hammers' promotion
but aggravated an existing knee injury in the process, which has seen him
miss pre-season. Fellow Wales international Collins is fit again after a
groin injury, while Allardyce has revealed his overseas signings, Maiga and
Alou Diarra, will not start.

Villa's Holman has shaken off a knee problem sustained in Australia's
midweek friendly defeat by Scotland and the midfielder is included in
Lambert's squad. Other newcomers Vlaar, Lowton and El Ahmadi are also in
contention to make their Premier League debuts at Upton Park. However,
striker Gabriel Agbonlahor (knee), defender Richard Dunne (groin) and winger
Marc Albrighton (foot) are still sidelined.

Opta Facts

Only relegated Wolves (23) dropped more points from winning positions than
Aston Villa (22) in 2011/12
West Ham have won just one of their last 10 Premier League meetings with
Aston Villa
Aston Villa's points total in the 2011-12 season was their lowest since
1986/87 (36) when they were relegated

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce out to match Arsenal
Hammers boss dreaming of walking out at Olympic Stadium
Last Updated: August 17, 2012 9:42am
SSN

Sam Allardyce believes becoming the new tenants at the Olympic Stadium would
allow West Ham to move onto a level playing field with the likes of Arsenal.
The Hammers are hoping a lengthy application process will see them given the
green light to move into the Stratford arena once the London Games come to a
close. The events which have unfolded in the stadium over the last few
weeks, and are set to continue over the course of the Paralympic Games, have
inspired a generation. West Ham hope they can buy into that feel-good factor
and inherit a world-class sporting venue. An 80,000-seater stadium would
allow them to bring in extra matchday revenue, offering a considerable boost
to their bank balance and spending power.

Atmosphere

In time, the Hammers feel they would then be able to stand alongside their
more illustrious capital rivals. "When you feel the atmosphere created in
that arena, then you dream about walking out there the way you dreamed about
walking out at Wembley when you were a kid," said Allardyce. "Everyone looks
forward to playing Arsenal at the Emirates. We could be the same size in
that stadium. "It would be awesome to walk a team out on that pitch."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carlton Cole Interview (Part 3): 'I Want to Stay at West Ham - I Don't Like
Change'
By Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die

ID: Who's been your best strike partner over the years at West Ham?
CC: Well there are many to choose from!

ID: But you're still there!
CC: I know, I don't know how I'm still here! [laughs]. It's hard for me to
say because I have enjoyed playing with a load of strikers. Demba Ba took a
lot of pressure off me. He scored a load of goals. We had Craig Bellamy, Di
Michele, Franco. Franco was really good as well. We have had quite our fair
share of good players who have moved on now. If I have to pick one, I would
say Di Michele.

ID: Really???
CC: Yup, he was such a clever player. He played with the striker. He wasn't
greedy. He wanted me to do well. He always talked to me and tried to help me
through. He was a good player to play with.

ID: Do you set yourself targets? I seem to remember last season it was 15
goals, which you achieved. What's your target this season. It's got to be 25
surely?!
CC: [giggles]. I've got to sit down with the manager again. We're going to
go through it. The way we did it last year was to talk just before the games
started. He sat us all down individually and we agreed targets, he told us
what he wanted from us. I think that will be happening on Thursday or
Friday. I didn't actually start the season last year, I was on the bench.
Freddie Piquionne started against Cardiff so our focus kind of changed
during the season.

ID: Do you do a lot of stat work. Sam Allardyce is known to be obsessed by
it. Your goals to games ratio is actually a lot lower than people think. Do
you look at stats like that and use them to inspire you to do better?
CC: I've not actually looked it, I should do. I go with games I start. If
you do that I think it's OK. I need to have a look. When I was younger, at
Chelsea, I was always looking at my stats, but with starting games. When you
come on as a sub it's really hard to get into the game, especially for my
type of player. I have never seen myself as a game changer, but maybe
sometimes I am.

ID: Have you ever consciously changed the way you play? Zola or Clarke once
said that you were so nice off the pitch but you needed to be more
aggressive on it.
CC: I have had that criticism from a few managers. I go through stages, I
think. It's more of a mental thing than just my character. When I am on it,
you can see I'm on it. I'm aggressive. In training today I was aggressive.
James Collins was complaining, so I was obviously doing something right, and
he's an aggressive player! I'm in the right frame of mind now to get
aggressive and when I am like that I know I am hard to control for a
defender.

ID: I think sometimes people look at a player and they see a body style
which is quite languid and laconic, but that doesn't mean to say they are
not giving their all.
CC: I always give my all. You can't hide nowadays. As the manager says, he's
got all the stats there. He knows what you're supposed to be doing so you
can't hide anymore. Maybe back in the day before all the stattos came out
with all these little machines you could get away with not working hard, but
now you can't get away with it at all.

ID: Earlier in your career you were a bit of a nomad. Chelsea sent you out
on loan a lot. When you first came not many people though you would stay 6
years. Would you like to see your career out at West Ham?
CC: Of course, yes. I am not really a guy that likes change. I just don't
like it. I like things as I know them. As long as I'm doing what I am
supposed to be doing, and not getting in the way, and I feel welcome, I will
continue to give my all for the cause. Not many people like change in their
jobs and it's the same for a footballer. You like to know what's expected of
you so it's the same pressure all the time.

ID: Which of the young players at the club do you think will push forward
this season?
CC: I am looking forward to see Robert Hall do well.

ID: I remember Scott Duxbury was waxing lyrical about him when I interviewed
him several years ago. I think he was 14 at the time – not Scott, Robert!
CC: Robert is a good, handy player. Really nippy. Daniel Potts is another
one. He's been travelling with us. He made a pretty good debut and hopefully
he can progress now and get the experience he needs. We've got the people
too help him here – players, staff, coaching staff. Young Blair Turgott is
another one who's doing really well. They all train with us and that's so
important. It makes them feel part of it and gives them experience. They
came with us on the pre-season tour too. I'm quite happy with all of them at
the moment.

ID: What are you hoping for this season? I suppose avoiding relegation has
to be the aim.
CC: I'm expecting more than that to be honest with you. We had a lot of
Premiership players playing the Championship last year. We have some great
players here. Hopefully we can build on what we did last year and do even
better. We have Premiership quality here. I'm aiming for mid table – eighth
to tenth. That might be a pipedream but if you aim any lower you're going to
be fighting relegation and we don't want to do that. I'd rather aim high and
come up a little short.

ID: How much is Robert Green's departure going to affect the side? We have
two new goalkeepers. What do they bring to the side?
CC: With Jussi I have seen vast experience. He knows what he is doing.
Obviously he's the oldest player in our squad. He talks to you, gives you
advice. Especially someone likes me. You've then got the young maverick in
'Hendo'. He's got quality as well.

ID: Why is he a maverick?
CC: I don't know. I just call him that.

ID: You mean he comes to play alongside you up front sometimes?
CC: [laughs]. He's wild. If you know his personality you'll understand.

ID: Right, he's the next player I want to interview then!
CC: He's young and he's raring to go. He can't wait to get into the team. So
we've got youth and vast experience. We'll see where that takes us, but from
what I have seen so far, I can't see any problems. Rob Green was massive for
us in goal and you could always rely on him, but time moves on and we have
got to adapt.

ID: Who's the best defender you've ever played against, apart from James
Collins, obviously!
CC: In my younger days I played a friendly against Nesta. Stam was a
monster. Nowadays in the Premiership I'd say Vidic and Rio Ferdinand are the
best pairing. They are really hard to get by.

The final part of the interview will be posted later today.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carlton Cole Interview (Part 4): 'Ashley Cole is Actually a Nice Guy!'
By Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die

ID: Who inspired you to become a professional footballer?
CC: My uncle, Duncan King, used to play football who used to play for
Chelsea when he was younger, but he got led astray a little. He floated
about a bit and went to QPR and Tottenham. He wasn't focussed on what he had
to do. But you've got to remember, he was a young kid coming from Africa so
he had other things on his mind. It was hard for him. When I was younger he
would take me to training, he would talk to me and make sure I stayed
positive and analyse my games with me and tell me what I needed to do better
or what I was good at. There was another guy called Richard Butler. I used
to play for a team around the Hounslow and Ealing area. He used to take me
to practice all the time as well and he got me involved me with Chelsea. A
real inspiration. I have had a lot of influential and good people around me
who helped me make it, and I am very privileged to be here.

ID: When you joined West Ham how aware were you of their history of brining
on black players going right back to the 1960s with John Charles and then
later Clyde Best, Ade Coker?
CC: I wasn't aware of it until I got here. I had known West Ham for being
the Academy of Football and bringing England players through and having that
kind of quality and the youth setup, but I didn't know about Clyde Best and
all the others. But they helped paved the way for us, and as a black boy I
am really grateful.

ID: You're quite famous on Twitter – not always for the right reasons! Well,
one time a wrong reason [alluding to whe he was fined £20k for a joke remark
made about immigration]…
CC: [laughs] Yes, for a stupid joke.

ID: Is social media a good way to keep in touch with fans?
CC: It's the best way, I think. Since I have been on Twitter I have been
fined £20k and I don't want to do that again so I have to manage what I say
properly, so I have Laura here to help me [points to Laura Burkin, a West
Ham press officer]

ID: She's your brake mechanism.
CC: She tells me to take it down quickly!

ID: Too late. These things are there somewhere for ever!
CC: Yeah, cos someone will retweet it straightaway. Yeah, it's a great way
to stay in touch with the fans – not necessarily to talk about football but
to keep in touch about general stuff. I think there's been a culture of
footballers not being in touch with the fans and people complaining about
that, saying 'oh they've got too much money', 'they don't talk to the fans',
'they won't sign programmes'…

CARLTON IS INTERRUPTED BY DAVID GOLD WHO WALKS OVER…

DG: Carlton good to see you in fine form today, good to see you again Iain…
CC: Good to see you chairman!
DG: Don't be late on Saturday!

CC: I think Twitter is one of the best ways of communicating with the fans,
so they can see what kind of personality you have got. I had to convince
Ashley Cole to join Twitter. He's actually a nice guy but people don't
realise that They just see him as 'the cheat'. I think Craig Bellamy needs
to go on Twitter so people can see where's he coming from. He's such a nice
guy as well. He does a lot of stuff for where my Mum is from – Sierra Leone.
He does a lot of charity work there. People don't see that side to him. But
he's just not interested. He says 'why should I have to explain myself, that
I'm a nice guy?' At the end of the day people will never know unless you
show them how it is – not to toot your own horn or anything. At the end of
the day you've got a personality, but people don't realise you do. They just
think you're a robot.

ID: Have you changed your seat on the team coach now? [Carlton had tweeted
earlier in the week that he wants to change his seat on the team coach as he
sits by the toilet and it reeks!]
CC: [laughs] I haven't yet! As I said, I don't like change! But that toilet
is getting out of hand! It's not smelling too good. I have already had a
word with Pete, the driver, and he's already looking into the air
conditioning.

ID: David Gold just walked over. How much do you have to do with him, David
Sullivan and Karren Brady? Do they have much to do with the players?
CC: On Friday's David Gold is always at the training ground and mingles in.
He wants to see what is going on, where the injuries are at. He mingles in
so all the players are familiar with him. David Sullivan not so much. He
used to come down, but he is not as hands on at the training ground. I think
Karren Brady has only been to the training ground just once. She's not
interested in that part, she's interested in us keeping safe, the finance,
the business part. But I have a good relationship with all of them.

ID: Right, some quickfire questions now… [Laura, the press officer looks
rather nervous at this point!]. What do you eat before a match?
CC: Pasta, Broccoli, that's my favourite. I love Broccoli, and I'll have
some chicken with that.

ID: Where do you like to go on holiday?
CC: My new favourite destination is Marrakesh. I took my family there. The
people, the country, everything's lovely there.

ID: If you weren't a footballer, what do you think you'd be doing?
CC: I'd probably be a DJ or something in the music industry. I love DJing in
my spare time, I love music.

ID: What kind of music do you like? Stuff I'd never have heard of, no doubt.

CC: Yeah, you'd never have heard of it.

ID: No Roxette, Abba, Dire Straits…
CC: Nah, although I don't mind listening to it, but I wouldn't be doing it
myself!

ID: Favourite footballer of all time?
CC: That's a really hard question. Probably Ronaldo. The real one. The
Brazilian one.

ID: Last book you read…
CC: [laughs] I'm not going to say what I was going to say…

ID: I bet it was 5 Shades of Grey…
CC: I'm not going to say that! I love comics. So I'm going to say The
Avengers.

ID: Funniest thing you have heard from the crowd?
CC: Baldock's chant! I heard it for the first time last year at the train
station. We were coming back from somewhere up north and the crowd just
started chanting, 'Baldock, Baldock, he's got a massive cock!' I was in
pieces. I was crying.

ID: Best away fans?
CC: I like going to Fulham. They give me a hard time, all the time. And I
usually end up scoring against them!

ID: And the worst fans?
CC: Got to be Millwall!

ID: Five dinner party guests. Living or dead.
CC: Bob Marley, Oprah Winfrey, John F Kennedy, Michael Jackson and Eddie
Murphy because I know he's make me laugh.

ID: I was going to ask for your favourite politician, but you've said JFK.
Are there any current politicians you have any respect for?
CC: No, not really, not at the moment. I don't really follow politics. I
don't really know why. My Grandmother does and she tries to keep me up to
date with what's going on but I'm not really into politics. Only football
politics!

ID: Best player you've ever played with at West Ham?
CC: Scott Parker would be up there.

ID: Favourite App?
CC: Right now it's got to be Shazam. I've got my own App actually, but it's
not working at the moment so I've got to get them to fix it. It's going to
be really good. Shazam is a music app. If a song is playing, it identifies
what it is and who it's by.

ID: That's it! Great to talk to you Carlton and good luck luck for the
season!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam expects
The Sun
Published: 17th August 2012

SAM ALLARDYCE says the pressure is on West Ham to do better than the other
promoted sides because of the club's history and fan expectation. But the
boss insists he thrives on pressure and goes into the opener against Aston
Villa with new signings James Collins and Jussi Jaaskelainen set to start.
Allardyce said: "We're expected to stay up. The pressure is constant but I
put myself under more pressure. "My life is about winning and standards, and
demanding standards from everybody who works with me."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Don't expect miracles from my Hammers
The Sun
Published: 17th August 2012

SAM ALLARDYCE has warned the West Ham faithful not to expect miracles this
season. Hopes are high in the East End with the area still basking in the
glow of the feel-good factor from London 2012. But while Allardyce is
quietly confident of picking up three points against Aston Villa tomorrow,
he insists his side will be taking nothing for granted as they find their
feet in the Premier League. He said: "Everybody thought Cardiff City at home
was a comfortable start last season and we got beat 1-0 in the last minute.
"I don't think there is any kind of comfortable start in the Premier League.
"I think there is a possibility that we can get off to a good start if we
give a good performance. "What we are looking for is a good performance by
our players and that might give us a chance to win the first game here at
Upton Park at the start of a new Premier League season. "I think we all need
to be a little apprehensive, certainly myself because it doesn't matter how
good or bad I think we are, I won't really know until we play Premier League
games."

Allardyce admits the Hammers will be in for a hard afternoon with the
visitors looking to make an immediate impression under new boss Paul
Lambert.
And Big Sam is well aware of the qualities Lambert will have instilled in
his squad. He added: "I am expecting a pretty determined and well organised
side. "Paul's record in terms of moving into a new club and producing
results almost immediately stands there in front of everybody. "I think that
he will get them playing a system that suits the players and playing the
best they possibly can. "For us it's about making sure we are on top of our
game because we're obviously playing a well-established Premier League side.
"While we have got some players with Premier League experience, it's been a
year since we have been there. "We are looking forward to getting back there
and hopefully we can deliver in terms of expectations and, of course, try
and win as many games as we can, starting with the first one. "The first
game is as important as the last game. If you can win the first game it gets
everybody off to a nice, pleasant start. "You try and get three points in
the bag and try and move forward. "It builds the confidence of all the
players at a club and it gets rid of any anxiety anybody may have."

Alladyce will be without midfielder Jack Collison, who misses tomorrow's
game after sitting out pre-season with a knee injury. James Collins is fit
to face his former club following a groin problem, but fellow summer
signings Alou Diarra and Modibo Maiga will not start.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
We'll be Hammered: West Ham must win new boys' mini-league or else - Big Sam
The Mirror

Sam Allardyce says the pressure is on West Ham to finish above their fellow
Premier League new boys Southampton and Reading. With a much bigger fan base
and an esteemed history of being in the top flight, boss Allardyce knows the
­expectation levels will be far higher for his east London club. The Hammers
kick off their season at home to Aston Villa on Saturday and Allardyce
insisted: "There's a greater ­expectation here than at Reading or
Southampton, even though we went up through the play-offs. "There's a bigger
­pressure. We are expected not to be ­relegated. Not just from the fan-base
but also the history and tradition.
"That's not quite the case with Reading or ­Southampton, with respect. "But
if you get off to a good start, some of the ­anxieties diminish and it
becomes a little easier than you thought it was."

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