Daily WHUFC News - 24th February 2013

'I was in awe of Bobby'
WHUFC.com
Assistant Academy Director Paul Heffer says he wouldn't be there without
Bobby Moore
23.02.2013

Twenty years ago this Sunday, West Ham United and England's greatest-ever
defender passed away. Bobby Moore OBE, the first Hammers captain to lift the
FA Cup and the only man to skipper England to FIFA World Cup glory, was just
51 when he lost his battle with bowel cancer in February 1993. In a
week-long tribute to Moore, the official website, West Ham TV and the
Official Programme for the Barclays Premier League visit of Tottenham
Hotspur on Monday 25 February will feature a series of interviews and
features paying homage to West Ham's No6. Paul Heffer grew up watching Bobby
Moore in the West Ham United side and then was honoured to partner the No6
at centre half for the Hammers.

He told West Ham TV: "I was in awe of him as soon as I joined the club. I
had supported West Ham since I was four - I was born near the ground, we
used to walk to the games, and Bobby Moore was my hero. I had his pictures
on the wall and then was fortunate enough to actually play alongside him.
"It was quite nervewracking to be honest, but I had trained alongside him
previously. He was very good to the young players who came into the side.
Before my debut, he just said 'go and enjoy it - it's a game of football, go
and enjoy it'. "That's what you tried to do. Nerves did sometimes take over
when you were that young, but he always would support you and if you made a
mistake he would lift you up and say 'get on with it, go for the next one'."

All this week and over the weekend, West Ham TV brings you interviews with
those who knew Moore best, including his daughter Roberta and his former
West Ham, Fulham and England team-mates.

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Turgott relishing Wembley dream
WHUFC.com
Blair Turgott is thrilled to be gearing up for a Wembley final as Bradford
City take on Swansea City
23.02.2013

West Ham United starlet Blair Turgott can hardly believe his luck as he
contemplates running out at Wembley in Sunday's Capital One Cup final
against Swansea City. The 18-year-old winger penned a short-term loan deal
at Bradford City in November, a stint that has coincided with the Bantams'
scarcely believable run to the League Cup final. In just two months Turgott
has racked up eleven appearances for the npower League Two outfit, including
memorable Capital One Cup cameos against both Arsenal and Aston Villa.
Wembley now awaits for the young man and whatever transpires on Sunday he
has every intention of savouring what is sure to a special weekend. "Of
course, when you're young, you want to be involved in games like this,"
Turgott told whufc.com. "To play at somewhere like Wembley will be a great
experience, if I'm given the chance. I'm looking forward to it and
everyone's buzzing to be fair. "While I've been on loan here, I've had a
chance to get on the pitch and feel the atmosphere in all the games leading
up to the final. That was brilliant to be involved in and whatever happens
individually for me, I know it will be a great experience and a great day
for everyone. "A company in Bradford have sorted us out with suits and we're
going to look smart and sharp. We're going to look the part going up there,
so it's going to be good."

Turgott has become part of a strong West Ham contingent at Valley Parade,
with former Hammers Kyel Reid and Zavon Hines also plying their trade with
the West Yorkshire club. All three could yet be involved in Sunday's Wembley
showpiece, as Bradford bid to topple a fourth Barclays Premier League side
in the competition. "When I first started it was nice to have some familiar
faces, because obviously I knew Zavon and Reidy from West Ham," Turgott
explained. "It's always nice to share occasions like this with people you
know. "But I think once I've been here the boys themselves have been great.
To be fair, they're a good set of lads. You can see by the things you've all
witnessed that we definitely deserve to be here. "We obviously realise we're
underdogs going into it. Especially as we've come this far, to win it would
be the icing on the cake. But with the backing and recognition the club has
had, it has been great for everyone involved and as players we're going to
try and win it. We'll take it as it comes and just enjoy the moment. "Three
months ago I was at West Ham playing in the Development Squad. When I had
the chance to come out on loan I did hear they had the Arsenal game. But
it's a dream to play at Wembley and to be involved in a cup final and being
so young as well, it can only be good for my career going forward."

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Ginge expecting great atmosphere
WHUFC.com
23.02.2013

A London derby against Tottenham Hotspur with another bumper home crowd at
the Boleyn Ground is just the way to celebrate the life of a legend like the
late Bobby Moore OBE, says West Ham United defender James Collins. The No19
is fully aware of the impact Moore had and continues to have at West Ham and
says that the activities planned by the club around the match on Monday week
will be a fitting gesture to the life of the former World Cup winning
captain.
As defender himself Collins knows all too well the skills of Moore, even
though he was too young to see him actually play. But ever since he arrived
at the Hammers in his first spell, he knew just what Moore meant to the fans
and everyone at the club. He said: "It is just massive, what Bobby Moore
means to everyone connected with West Ham United. I remember being here in
my first spell and we retired his No6 shirt that said it to me, what a
legend the man is and was in during his life. "There are photographs of him
around the place, the training ground and the stadium and we are reminded
every day of the presence he had and continues to have. It is respected and
welcomed by all the players as he is someone we all appreciate and to be at
the same club as he was at, is great."

With the strong connection Moore still has with the club, even though he
sadly passed away 20 years ago on 24 February 1993, Collins says that means
that his legend will continue to live on. He continued: "There are people
around the club still who have great stories to tell about Bobby, that he
was a lovely man as well as a great player and I am sure the fans have as
well, stories that will be passed on to future generations of our supporters
still to come. "I have seen clips of him playing, you could see the class he
had and for me, he is the best defender that has played the game. On what is
the 20th anniversary of him passing away, it would be a good tribute for us
to get that good result against Tottenham for him as well."

Speaking about the Hammers' London neighbours, Welsh-born Collins said the
team are well aware of a certain other Welshman in the opposition ranks,
Gareth Bale. Bale is an international team-mate of Collins, the two having
played together for their country several times. He added: "He is on fire
but he has been terrific all season for them. It is a tough one. I was
speaking with Nobes [Mark Noble] the other day about [Robin] van Persie, we
said he is the sort of player, that if he is going to score he will, Gareth
is similar in that respect. "We know like other teams, you have to be on
your toes with a player like Gareth, he is one of the best players in the
Premier League at the moment. But you know, as a team we will go into this
game with confidence, we know what we can do at home and will be giving it a
right go, to get those three points."

Collins said there was no better boost for the team than playing in front of
another full capacity Boleyn Ground crowd under the lights. He explained:
"The night games are the best for me. I love playing in them, under the
lights with a big crowd. Our supporters are passionate and noisy anyway, but
the night games seem to bring that out more and it should be a great
atmosphere. "There is nothing like your supporters giving it everything to
get behind you. It is then up to us to make sure we are performing on the
pitch to make sure they stay on side with us and keep that atmosphere going.
"If we can get back to how we were defending at the start of the season,
keeping clean sheets and being solid at the back, then that will filter
through to scoring more goals again. There is no reason why we can't do
that. "We are still in a good position in the league table. Hopefully we can
get off to a solid start against Tottenham, which will get our fans cheering
and we can look to kick on again from there."

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Motty on Mooro
WHUFC.com
BBC commentator John Motson shares his memories of the late, great Bobby
Moore
23.02.2013

John Motson OBE has watched a lot of great players and unforgettable matches
during a commentary career spanning more than 40 years. However, it was in
the little-known Anglo-Scottish Cup final between Middlesbrough and Fulham
in November 1975 that 'Motty' had his first opportunity to commentate on the
late, great Bobby Moore. Fulham were beaten 1-0 on a wet Wednesday evening
at Ayresome Park, but Moore put aside his disappointment to welcome the
soaked Motson into the away dressing room for a post-match chat. "Bobby's
playing career was drawing to a close when I started commentating, but I did
meet him on a number of occasions," Motson recalls. "I'm only going to
repeat what other people say, he was the perfect gentleman. He behaved with
a great deal of humility for a man who had achieved so much. "I can remember
the first time I ever did a midweek game for the BBC, it was a really
forgettable one - a rainy Wednesday night in Middlesbrough with Fulham in
the final of the Anglo-Scottish Cup. Bobby was playing for Fulham and I was
shivering waiting outside in the pouring rain to try and get hold of someone
to do an interview. He opened the dressing room door and welcomed me inside
to get in the dry. That was the England World Cup-winning captain and I
thought 'What a lovely thing to do'."

Moore, of course, went on to follow Motson into the commentary box, working
as an analyst and summariser for Capital Gold radio. Again, Motson said the
West Ham United and England legend treated his broadcasting colleagues with
the utmost respect. "I did meet him a number of times in his local radio
days, of course. He never behaved like a man who was the colossus that he
was. "I think he should have been given a Knighthood for being the only man
to captain England to winning the World Cup. I don't think he quite got the
credit in his latter years that perhaps he should have done. He never pushed
himself forward, Bobby. He was always happy to play a supporting role. If
you met him at a function he was always very charming."

Surprisingly, Motson even played alongside the great centre-half at the
stadium where he lifted the FA Cup, European Cup Winners' Cup and FIFA World
Cup in the mid-1960s - Wembley. "Before a final at Wembley of the lower
division teams, there was a celebrity match on the Wembley pitch. I think it
was ten minutes each-way before the big game. Believe it or not I actually
played for ten minutes in the game and at half-time they made all the
substitutions because there were about 30 or 40 celebrities who wanted to
play the game and I walked off the Wembley pitch with Bobby Moore, because I
was being substituted and so was he! "The other thing I remember about that
day was how he was the one who went round the dressing room handing out the
kit to everybody. Bobby was a leader, certainly, but he had the humility and
the down to earth attitude that he was quite happy to go around and give
people their shirts."

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Setford sets sights on league title
WHUFC.com
Julia Setford called on her players to respond in the wake of Sunday's
defeat at Colchester United
23.02.2013

West Ham United Ladies manager Julia Setford was in bullish mood as she
plots to shake off cup disappointment with a renewed title charge in the FA
Women's Premier League Southern Division. Setford was none-too impressed
with a lacklustre showing at Essex rivals Colchester United, as her side
bowed out of the FA Essex County Cup. Frustrating though it may be,
single-minded Setford is turning her attention to league matters ahead of
Sunday's trip to Lewes, intent on leading her ladies to the Southern
Division summit. Though the Hammers are currently fifth, some eight points
behind frontrunners Reading, West Ham have as many as four games in hand on
other sides, and that, says Setford, is reason enough to be positive.
"Ultimately, we always wanted to win the league," she explained. "We haven't
got to worry about any cups now and we've got a few games in hand on other
teams. Hopefully the weather will get better and the pitches won't be so
boggy. If that's the case we can start playing our football and get a few
results. I believe we can still do well in this league. "As you get towards
the end of the season, other teams will have finished playing and we might
get the advantage where we continue to play. We've got good momentum all the
way through to the end of the league now. We're looking forward to a trip to
Sunday and hopefully picking up three points and moving on there. "I do
believe it's possible to win the league. We've just got to be disciplined
and focused on the job in hand. "It was disappointing against Colchester but
we've got them twice in the league and I know for a fact we won't be making
the mistakes we made on Sunday."

If semi-final defeat at Colchester was not hard enough to bear, Setford was
dealt another blow with in-form striker Hannah Gowland suffering a
season-ending ankle injury. Gowland's misfortune does, however, give her
fellow forwards an opportunity to make an impression, with Zoe Lipley-Hinton
and Samantha Rowland the likely deputies. "Sunday was very disappointing to
be honest," added Setford. "Colchester know we're a footballing side. There
were a few strong challenges and some refereeing decisions that didn't go
our way. But at the end of the day, we didn't really turn up. "It was a
massive blow to lose Hannah so early. We had struggled with her in the week
but we got her through. Unfortunately, she went over on her ankle from a
strong challenge and sadly she has torn all her ligaments, so I don't think
we'll see much of her for the rest of the season. "It's a massive blow. We
were starting to put some goals away. But it's one of those things, we've
got other players who can come in and do just as good a job. Little Zoe and
Sam Rowland have got to step up now and prove they want that shirt and it's
down to them to compete for who's going to get it. It is disappointing but
we'll get ourselves together and move forward."

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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce targets home form as key to overcoming Tottenham
Last Updated: February 23, 2013 1:59pm
SSN

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is confident his side's strong home form this
season will help them overcome an in-form Tottenham team in Monday's Sky
Live clash. He has warned his side to be extra vigilant against Gareth
Bale,who has scored six goals in Spurs' last five matches. But Allardyce is
still convinced they can nullify the threat posed by the Welshman and impose
themselves on the game. "We know like other teams, you have to be on your
toes with a player like Gareth, he is one of the best players in the Premier
League at the moment," said Allardyce. "But as a team we will go into this
game with confidence, we know what we can do at home and will be giving it a
right go, to get those three points. "Our home form has been excellent all
season and so we're going to hopefully make sure Tottenham worry about us
for a long period of time on Monday night, rather than us worry about them
too much."

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Remembering Bobby Moore
By Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die

It really doesn't seem 20 years ago since Bobby Moore departed this earth.
February 24th 1993. On Monday the club will mark the occasion before the
start of the Tottenham match at Upton Park, and well they might. Bobby Moore
remains the greatest player ever to play for our great club, and I would
argue, the greatest player ever to play for England. But for some very
strange reason he never got the recognition he deserved when he was alive.
Were he still with us today he would no doubt have become a feted figure,
with major ambassadorial roles to play. But when he died his only part in
the beautiful game was as an occasional commentator on Capital Gold.

I don't think I ever saw Bobby Moore play live. By the time I attended my
first match at Upton Park against Chelsea in 1974 he had departed for
Fulham. And I am pretty sure he didn't play in the testimonial match at
Cambridge I had attended a couple of years earlier. But even at the age of
twelve I knew what a great player he had been. His grace on the pitch was
matchless. I've never seen a player since who could time his tackles like
Bobby Moore or look so comfortable on the ball. His philosophy was simple.
Get the ball, then pass it to someone who could do something with it.

People seem to forget that Moore's achievements weren't just captaining
England to winning the World Cup in 1966. He had captained West Ham to cup
success in each of the two previous seasons, winning the FA Cup in 1964 and
the European Cup Winners Cup in 1965. His finest match was probably the 1970
World Cup match against Brazil. His battle with Pele remains one of the
greatest footballing duels of all time. And it was a duel which Moore won,
although you might not think it from the result. The picture of them
exchanging shirts at the end of the game demonstrated the mutual respect
they had for each other.

It is right that West Ham now remember Moore in the way that he deserves
because from the moment he left for Fulham to the day he died he was treated
shabbily. West Ham even demanded a £50,000 transfer fee when he left the
club in 1974. But even after he retired there was no recognition, no role
offered, not even as a roving ambassador, but Bobby never complained. The
Football Association also did nothing to use his undoubted abilities. He
almost became a non person. His managerial career never got off the ground
and the only opening at that time for him to keep a hand in the game was to
become a pundit. Not with the BBC, but with Capital Gold. It was a sad
ending to his football career.

'Moore Than a Football Club' says the billboard in the north east corner of
Upton Park. A huge Bobby Moore banner hangs from the corner of the West
Stand. Bobby Moore's memory is alive and well at Upton Park nowadays,
although some of us remain slightly queasy about how his memory is being
used as a marketing tool. But that's a minor carp.

Tomorrow, everyone at the ground will remember Bobby Moore. The greatest.

KUMB have done a 45 minute podcast on Bobby Moore, with tributes from Trevor
Brooking, Harry Redknapp, David Gold and many others, including, er, me.
And finally, here's a 50 minute discussion and tribute to Bobby Moore,
broadcast on 5 Live on February 13th.

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Big Sam's big deal
Published: 8 hrs ago
The Sun

WEST HAM will offer Sam Allardyce a new deal in the summer... IF he keeps
them in the Premier League. Big Sam's contract is up at the end of the
season but Hammers are ready to hand him a new deal worth between
£1.5-£2million. An Upton Park source revealed: "If the club stays up, Sam
will be offered a new deal. "He will have brought us up in a season and kept
us up — it gets no better than that. "The club needs stability and he will
have brought that. Another two years of the same kind of progress is exactly
what's required. "However, if we were relegated he would have to accept a
big pay cut and that probably wouldn't be acceptable."

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Pal Bobby was a knight of old
The Sun
By HARRY REDKNAPP
Published: 8 hrs ago

IT'S unbelievable to think two decades have gone since my mate Bobby Moore
passed away — about as unbelievable as the fact he was never knighted.
Bobby left us exactly 20 years ago today but you could go another century
and I doubt you'd find anyone who had a bad word about him. Rather like he
was with everyone else, to be honest. But while everyone knows what a
player, what an icon, what an ambassador Bobby was, I bet there aren't many
who realise he may not have even got a West Ham contract in the first place
if it hadn't been for Malcolm Allison. Bobby was in his early teens and
still hoping for his big break when Big Mal was the Guv'nor at Upton Park.
And in a dressing room full of characters like Noel Cantwell, Frank
O'Farrell, Dave Sexton and John Bond, that took some doing. Malcolm knew
even then he wanted to be a coach and on a Tuesday and Thursday night he
used to go down to train the kids.

When Bobby was about 15 or so it was touch and go whether he'd be taken on
full time. There were certainly some who were unsure. But Mal took a shine
to him, saw something there that not everyone did and really pushed for him
to get a contract. Bobby would always swear the most important influence in
his career was Malcolm Allison and insisted the advice he got was what made
him into a player. The two of them became great friends, even though when
Bobby became a fixture in the first team, it was at Malcolm's expense. Of
course, we all know what Bobby went on to but he never forgot how big a part
Big Mal played, and always said he'd been his mentor.

Bobby eventually became THE Guv'nor at West Ham and we all put him on a
pedestal — even if some of his methods would make modern-day coaches go
berserk. Back then, Sunday was always a day off but Bobby would go in
religiously for a few laps and Albert the kitman would have everything laid
out for him. Bobby liked a few lagers on a Saturday night and sometimes
would go straight in the following day, still in his dinner suit and bow
tie. Then he'd often have a couple more in the Black Lion before heading
home! That's just what we did in those days and it didn't do us any harm...
a far cry from these days.

Talking of which, I see Sam Allardyce has taken a bit of stick but I can't
really understand why because staying in the Premier League this season was
always the be-all and end-all. And he's doing a great job. Sam took over a
Championship team, got them back into the top flight and staying up ain't
easy. They can talk about the style of football played but over the years
West Ham had become a yo-yo club and no Hammers fan wants that. If Sam keeps
them up — and all the signs are he will — then I really don't know what more
he could have done. They've not got the massive budgets of the likes of
Chelsea, Spurs or the Manchester clubs, so anything he achieves is
fantastic. His brief is surely to stay in the Premier League, establish West
Ham and then, maybe, pick up one of the cups. That's easier said than done,
we all know, but he certainly deserves a crack at it.

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Eleven-man band: Matt Taylor says it is wrong to only hail Bale alone ahead
of Spurs clash
The Mirror
23 Feb 2013 22:30
Jamie McDonald

Matt Taylor has warned his West Ham teammates ­Tottenham are no one-man
band. The Gareth Bale Show arrives at Upton Park ­tomorrow in a crucial
match for both clubs. West Ham need the points to ensure they are not
dragged into the ­relegation dogfight after a poor run that has left then
looking nervously at the drop zone. Spurs want a win to maintain their push
for a Champions League football next season, with their sights on the top
four rather than the bottom three. Their assault will be headed by in-form
Bale, but Taylor is aware of the talent throughout the whole team. Taylor
said: "Everybody is talking about Gareth because he is scoring and playing
well. But Bale is only one of a number of players we are going to have to
watch. We'll have to try to shackle them."

Taylor is aware ­morale at White Hart Lane has been boosted by the team's
progress into the last 16 of the Europa League. "They are obviously on a
high," said Taylor. "I would not ­suggest Tottenham are a one-man team
­because they have lots of exceptional players. We have to keep as a close
an eye as possible on those players, but also do our stuff." West Ham have
only three games in March due to the cup commitments of other sides. That
could give clubs around them a chance to make up ground and lead to a
­fixture pile-up. But Taylor is not concerned, saying: "It will show us what
we need to get from any games in hand. We were in the Championship last
­season, playing Tuesday-Saturday-Tuesday. We are used to it." Today marks
the 20th anniversary of the death of West Ham and England legend Bobby
Moore, which will be marked by a minute's applause ahead of the match.

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