Monday, September 10

Daily WHUFC News - 10th September 2012

Henderson called by Ireland
WHUFC.com
Stephen Henderson has been added to the Ireland squad for Tuesday's friendly
with Oman
09.09.2012

Stephen Henderson has been called up by Ireland for their friendly with Oman
at Craven Cottage on Tuesday. The 24-year-old goalkeeper will join up with
his international team-mates on Monday morning as they look to build on
Saturday's 2-1 2014 FIFA World Cup Group C qualifier win in Kazakhstan.
Henderson will be hoping to earn his first senior cap for his country,
having not featured on his only other senior call-up in February. Henderson
has represented Ireland at Under-15, Under-16, Under-17, Under-19 and
Under-21 level and will be hoping to now make the step-up to the senior
side. The Hammers' new No13 kept a clean sheet on his West Ham United debut
in the 2-0 Capital One Cup win against Crewe Alexandra on 28 August.
Henderson will have at least one familiar face in the Ireland squad, as
fellow Hammer Joey O'Brien joined up with the squad last week ahead of the
Kazakhstan game. O'Brien will be aiming for his fifth cap after featuring
for Ireland in their goalless friendly draw with Serbia last month.

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Ravel Morrison's Future and Sir Geoff on the Club's Bid to Move the Olympic
Stadium!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die

Birmingham City Manager, Lee Clark has stated that Ravel Morison has a big
part to play at Birmingham City this season. It obviously raises the
question whether this highly talented youngster can do well there and return
to star for West Ham in the PL? We can only hope that Morrison approaches
the loan in the right way, buckles down and convinces Sam Allardyce that he
has a future at the club. It would be a massive bonus for the club if this
top prospect could concentrate upon his football and progress his PL career
in a claret and blue shirt.

Elsewhere, Sir Geoff Hurst has spoken out in support of the club's planned
move to the Olympic Stadium. Sir Geoff was part and parcel of West Ham's
1960s glory days. He must have more emotional attachments than most to Upton
Park, but has, presumably, conceeded the case for the move is overwhelming.
With the conclusion of the Paralympics 2012, the focus will now shift back
to the future of the Olympic Park and the tenancy of the OS. Will we get the
nod as the tenant, is it just a formality or are there more twists and turns
to come? Time will tell!

SJ. Chandos.

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Hurst: Up and away
The Sun
Published: 09th September 2012

GEOFF HURST is "1,000 per cent" in favour of West Ham leaving Upton Park and
moving to the Olympic Stadium. This summer, the Hammers lodged a bid to
lease the Stratford arena for 99 years. West Ham legend Hurst said: "I'm
1,000 per cent in favour, nobody's got a greater feeling about West Ham
United at Upton Park than I have. "But we have to move on. We want to be in
a bigger stadium, we want to be a top Prem club. "We don't want to be
yo-yoing. It's just up the road, it's the future."

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Hammers go large with stadium bid to fend off other parties
By CHARLES SALE
PUBLISHED: 23:00, 9 September 2012 | UPDATED: 23:00, 9 September 2012
Daily Mail

West Ham, hot favourites to become the main tenants of the Olympic Stadium
when the decision is made next month, are understood to have put in a high
offer despite the lack of opposition. There were fears within the London
Legacy Development Corporation that the Hammers would take advantage of
being the only bidders who will get near to filling the venue on a regular
basis by offering a low annual rental for the number of days they want use
of the facility. But it is believed West Ham have tabled a bid of nearly
£10million a year, which should be enough to secure a rental deal which the
Upton Park hierarchy are banking the club's future on.

Leyton Orient have bid for an unlikely shared football usage, with owner
Barry Hearn shelving threatened legal action against the Football League and
Premier League over West Ham's relocation until the outcome. Certainly the
momentous events over the last six weeks that have given the Olympic Stadium
iconic status have made a mockery of Tottenham's scandalous intention to
knock it down and start a new build. As Lord Coe said on Sunday, the Spurs
bulldozers moving in would have produced a 'mystifying set of images'. He
added: 'It's perfectly within the wisdom of all of us to make a
multi-purpose sporting arena work.'

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West Ham's Yossi Conundrum
Claretandblues.com

I was excited by the acquisition of Yossi Benayoun on transfer deadline day.
Excited but also somewhat surprised. Yossi represents the sort of midfield
creator that has been largely missing from West Ham's style of play in
recent seasons. Our approach has been far more direct and pragmatic,
although there were encouraging signs against Fulham that Sam intends to mix
things up a lot more in the Premiership and we saw plenty of passages of
play that were defined by neat, one touch possession designed to work an
opening interspersed with careful, not aimless, longer balls towards the
excellent Carroll.

One wonders what assurances, if any, Yossi and/or chelsea have been given.
Is there the undertaking that he will be a regular starter and be expected
to play 90 minutes in most games? Probably not, I would guess although it is
a possibility.

Moreover, it is the question of who makes way for Benayoun that fascinates
me most, not to mention the impact on other players within the squad. With
Jarvis fit and available for selection on Saturday, Sam already has some
thinking to do. The other question is the degree to which the manager adopts
a style of play that differs slightly home and away, if indeed he does. I
would expect that our aim away from home is likely to be one of containment,
with a 5 man midfield. Where does Yossi fit into that picture? At first
glance you would think that the 5 would come out of Taylor / Vaz Te / Jarvis
in the wide positions, Noble / Nolan / Diame as the central 3.

Presumably, we have seen the last of James Tomkins in the central midfield
defensive role? Personally I hope so. That said, If Allardyce favours
Collins and Reid as the centre back pairing, as indicated by the selection
for the Fulham match, what does the future hold for the young and very
promising Tomkins?

I suppose that these sorts of questions are just the sort of problems we
want our manager to have. Strengthening the squad to this degree is
something no manager in recent years has really had to contend with at Upton
Park. With it comes difficult decisions. We will all await the outcome with
considerable interest.

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Hurst: OS still in our manor
Football365.com
Sir Geoff Hurst is "1,000 per cent" behind West Ham leaving Upton Park and
moving to the Olympic Stadium, saying: "It's still in our manor."
Last Updated: 09/09/12 at 11:24

The Hammers this summer lodged a bid to lease the stadium in Stratford for
99 years after their original bid to move to the London 2012 venue collapsed
last year following a number of complaints. If the newly-promoted Premier
League outfit, who are one of four bidders under consideration, were to move
it would mean leaving their Upton Park home after more than 100 years.
However, former England striker Hurst, who spent the majority of his playing
career at West Ham, is convinced it would be the right decision.
"Absolutely, (I'm) 1,000% in favour, nobody's got a greater feeling about
West Ham United at Upton Park than I have. I've rolled the pitch, I've
painted the stands there and I have great attachments to the club, but we
have to move on," Hurst, 70, told BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek programme.
"We want to move on, we want to be in a bigger stadium with more access, we
want to be a top Premiership club. "With the support we get, which is
fantastic, we should be mid-table and above in the Premier League, we don't
want to be yo-yoing up and down, as we've been doing. "And I strongly feel,
and I hope I can convince all the West Ham fans that I meet, that is where
we've got to go. "It's still in our manor, to use an old east London
expression, it's up the road, it's better access, its an absolutely
magnificent stadium." The World Cup winner added: "I'm sure in the long term
it is far far more beneficial for the club and I think the future of the
club should be at the Olympic park. "I just feel so strongly that's where
we've got to go."

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