Big Sam on: Aston Villa
WHUFC.com
The West Ham United manager talks to the press ahead of Sunday's game at
Aston Villa
08.02.2013
Sam Allardyce is looking for an end to the Hammers' 'Jekyll and Hyde' form
when they travel to Aston Villa on Sunday. West Ham have produced the goods
at the Boleyn Ground all season but have only picked up eight of their 30
points on the road and the boss says that has to change. Big Sam believes
the first goal at Villa Park could prove to be crucial so he will be looking
for a strong start from his side.
Sam, have you noticed more of a spring in the step in training this week,
more confidence?
SA - "Everyone's fit and well and everyone's looking forward to the Villa
game. Everyone knows the responsibility of turning around our away results -
they must get better and we've got a fantastic opportunity to change the
results we've had recently away from home on Sunday, given that we had a big
boost in confidence with a well deserved win against Swansea last week."
It's one point from 21 away from home, can you put your finger on why you've
struggled away?
SA - "Not scoring at the right time mostly. The fact of the matter is that
we've always had opportunities to score, but when we've failed to take them
we've allowed the opposition to take advantage by scoring themselves. We
then haven't managed to retrieve that position. It's always a difficult task
to win a game of football when you go a goal down and much more difficult
still when you're away from home. It's rare as a side playing in the Premier
League for the first season to turn around a result when you lose the first
goal. It can be done but it's rare. We have to focus on keeping on a level
playing field with Aston Villa and we have to try to be the team that scores
the first goal."
Conversely you're playing a side on Sunday that's really struggled at home,
so are they there for the taking?
SA - "I think they're up and at you, and there's nothing wrong with the
effort and the will to try and win at Aston Villa. I think what has cost
them on occasion is perhaps a lapse of concentration at certain times
probably due to the inexperience of the team. You can see that Paul
[Lambert} has introduced more experienced players again now. Agbonlahor,
Ireland, players like that, so it is a mixture of both now but if we can
take advantage of anything that is a weakness we'll try to do that. For us,
it's an opportunity to get a result and try to get some points on the board
away from home after what was a very good win and a very good performance
against Swansea. We are Jekyll and Hyde, there's no doubt about it. It does
niggle me that we can't quite find the same type of form away from home that
we've been producing all season at home."
You say you're a bit Jekyll and Hyde and the same can be said of Villa. A
team who can beat Liverpool 3-1 and nearly beat Everton last weekend, but
lose to Bradford City and Millwall.
SA - "The danger of Aston Villa is that if we allow them to get 3-1 up, I
don't think we'll come back from that. We can't afford that. Having the
lowest goalscoring ratio away from home in the Premier League is why we
haven't picked the results up. We can ill afford to let Aston Villa get off
the the sort of start they did against Everton. We've got to avoid that at
all costs and play our way into the game, making sure we don't give them any
opportunities to score. If we can do that and then start to create the
chances we always get - and put one or two in the back of the net - that's
what we're looking for."
How big a threat is Christian Benteke going to be?
SA - "He's the biggest threat. He's the man who scores the goals for Aston
Villa on a regular basis, he's the focal point for their attacks in that he
not only scores goals, but he holds the ball up, he's strong. He's had a
fantastic start in what must have been a very disappointing season so far
for Aston Villa. It says a lot for what he is as a player when he's
producing what he is in a team that's been struggling for results."
Sam, could you tell us injury or team news?
SA - "Our international players are all back fit and well, which is good
news for us. From an injury point of view, James Collins and George
McCartney are the only two players who are missing out of our squad at the
moment, which is good news for us at this stage of the season. Emanuel
Pogatetz was away but only in Wales, Mo Diame played in Paris and only
played 45 minutes, so nobody's had a long journey. Playing on the Sunday too
we've had an extra day's rest so we've got no problems from that point of
view."
People have been praising Andy Carroll after his performance against Swansea
weekend.
SA - "I would say that he was a lot better than we all expected. I expected
him to be a bit rusty maybe, a bit off the pace, but still a very poignant
figure in our attack. But he was even better than that, which is why I left
him on for 90 minutes. Not only did he play very well, but his fitness
looked very, very good as well. He's set a standard to hit and hopefully
improve on over the next few weeks and over the rest of the season."
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Aston Villa v West Ham
KO 13:30
8 February 2013
Last updated at 13:40
By Simon Brotherton
Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Villa Park Date: Sunday, 10 February
TEAM NEWS
Aston Villa midfielder Ashley Westwood has a virus and could miss Sunday's
game with West Ham. Karim El Ahmadi and Fabian Delph have overcome knee
injuries, while recent signing Yacouba Sylla could make his first start.
West Ham have no new injury concerns after their players returned from
international duty unscathed. Modibo Maiga remains on Africa Cup of Nations
duty, and James Collins and George McCartney are still out.
MATCH PREVIEW
I have two images in my head as I think about this game. Firstly, how good
Andy Carroll looked for West Ham last week against Swansea when he crashed
home the winner with his head from a corner. Secondly, how Aston Villa's
defenders failed yet again to deal with a corner in conceding the equaliser
at Everton deep into stoppage time. "Set-pieces are Aston Villa's biggest
issue, which is a particular problem when you play the Hammers because they
thrive on set-pieces and organisation - you may as well call their manager
Sam Allardyce 'set-piece Sam'. Richard Dunne's absence through injury is a
particular blow for Villa on that front but maybe they are due a little bit
of luck, and you have to remember West Ham's away form is pretty dire."
This inability to defend a lead or to deal with set plays has been a
recurrent theme for Villa which could cost them dearly and, based on what I
saw last week, Carroll will give them all they can handle and maybe a bit
more. He's had a frustrating season interrupted by injury and last weekend's
game saw him start for the first time since the back end of November, but he
looked surprisingly sharp and kept Swansea's back line on their toes
throughout.
Sam Allardyce was visibly relieved to have got the three points against
Swansea, as it brought to an end a rough patch of results that had seen an
over achieving start to the season threaten to unravel completely in the new
year. An up and down first campaign back in the Premier League is
illustrated by the fact that a win here would secure the team's first
back-to-back victories of the season and complete West Ham's first double of
the campaign, having beaten Villa 1-0 back in August.
Having praised Carroll for his efforts last week, it would be remiss not to
mention Aston Villa's leading striker Christian Benteke as well. What a
positive impact he's made in his first season in the Premier League. At 22
years of age you have to think there's more to come, but Villa will surely
find some big vultures circling in the summer, keen to acquire his services.
Paul Lambert knows it and has been quick to point out "they'd better have a
few quid in their pockets" if they want to prise him away from Villa Park.
Aston Villa haven't won any of their last eight Premier League matches, but
Benteke's form is good and he's scored on each of his last four appearances.
Villa badly need a win and are up against a West Ham side with a poor recent
away record. They've taken just one point from the last 21 available and
only scored five goals in the last nine games on the road, but the home team
can hardly be confident after four straight home defeats in the league to
Spurs, Wigan, Southampton and Newcastle.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
West Ham are looking to complete the league double over Aston Villa for the
first time since 2005-06. They won the reverse fixture 1-0 on the opening
day thanks to a Kevin Nolan goal - his fifth Premier League goal against the
West Midlands club.
Villa have won seven of their 16 Premier League meetings at home to West
Ham, with another seven matches drawn. West Ham's most win recent came in
January 2006.
Aston Villa
If Villa lose they will equal their top-flight club record five-match home
losing streak set between April to May 1963.
Aston Villa are winless in their last eight league games and without a clean
sheet in their last nine, conceding 26 goals in the process.
The West Midlands club have failed to win in their last 12 league matches
played on a Sunday since a 1-0 home win against Liverpool in May 2011.
Christian Benteke has scored in four successive appearances for Aston Villa
in all competitions (five goals). He has 10 Premier League goals this term
and is the first Villa player to reach double figures in his debut season
since Dion Dublin in 1998-1999 (11 goals).
West Ham
West Ham are searching for back-to-back league wins for the first time this
season. They last won successive Premier League games between February and
March 2011 when the beat Liverpool and Stoke.
Six of West Ham's eight Premier League wins have come against clubs in the
bottom half of the Premier League table.
Sam Allardyce's side have let in 11 goals in their last three away fixtures.
They are also the Premier League's most goal-shy attack on their travels
with just seven to date.
Andy Carroll, who has scored two league goals in his last four league
appearances for the Hammers, fired his only Premier League hat-trick against
Villa - for Newcastle in August 2010.
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Aston Villa v West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 8th February 2013
By: Preview Percy
Next up we go up the M1, M6 and down the A38(M) to Villa Park where our
hosts will be Aston Villa.
It's a Sunday 1.30pm kick off. There's engineering works on the Circle line
so if you are travelling via Euston you may need to give yourselves extra
time to get there. Otherwise it's on one of those space tv channels for
which coverage will probably start about four hours before kick-off if you
really have nothing else to do.
By and large it's been a pretty wretched season for the Villains, who have
spent much of the season flirting with the relegation places. As it stands
they're second from bottom with 21 points from 25 games. They're 4 points
clear from QPR who occupy the bottom slot and level on points with Wigan
thanks to an eight goal deficit on the goal-difference front. That'll be the
Chelsea defeat just before Christmas then.
Their last six league matches have seen them draw three (2-2 at Swansea and
West Brom and 3-3 at Everton) and lost three (all at home, 0-3 to Wigan, 1-2
to Newcastle and 0-1 to Southampton). In amongst all that they got knocked
out of the League Cup at the semi-final stage by Bradford and suffered the
ultimate ignominy of being knocked out of the FA Cup by Millwall. Pretty
grim stuff.
The man tasked with handling all this is Paul Lambert. Lambert came in to
replace the never popular Alex McLeish who stuck his head round the door at
Forest for a few days recently. One of the notable features of the Lambert
tenure is that he appears to share my views on the baffling "talents" of
Darren Bent. Regular readers will know that, despite his habit of scoring
against us on an irritatingly frequent basis, I really don't rate Bent. It
seems that Lambert is of similar opinion as he's only been given a handful
of starts in the league this season.
Instead, the first choice striker is near-namesake Christian Benteke.
Benteke (Congolese for "better than Darren Bent" I expect) is the club's top
scorer with 14 this season, of which ten have come in the league. Although
born in the Congo, Benteke qualifies for Belgium at international level and
has 4 goals from his 8 caps thus far. There are murmurings that Benteke
wants out at the end of the season. Whether there's any substance to the
murmurings or they represent some kite-flying from an agent, it's hardly the
sort of thing that they want to be hearing at Villa Park in the middle of a
relegation scrap.
The received wisdom on Villa's season so far is that they've lacked
experience in crucial areas. In defence the "old head" might have been
expected to have been Richard Dunne. The 33 year old Irish international
has, however, been injured all season with that old favourite of this column
"Gilmore's Groin" which, until I started doing these previews, I had
previously assumed to have been a small sheep-farming community somewhere in
the middle of nowhere in Australia. Dunne's had three operations on the
problem this season. Although he has apparently returned to training, he's
still listed as "no return date" by the usual sources.
Right at the time their most experienced defender caught Gilmore's, they
sold another central defender in the shape of James Collins to us. All of
which made the recent two month injury absence of skipper Ron Vlaar more
important. Vlaar's back now to bolster a defence that against Everton
included Matt Lowton, who came in from Sheffield Hypocrisy in the close
season, Ciaran Clark, the 23 year-old former England U18 & U19 skipper who
nailed his colours to the Republic of Ireland mast rather than not be
selected at grown-up level, and left-back Joe Bennett who came in from Boro'
last summer. There's a fair bit of "learning on the job" going on in there
and the defensive resources will be further tested with the news that there
is a doubt over Bennett who has that mysterious ailment of "a knock".
Another notable absentee will be midfielder Stiliyan Petrov. Petrov is
recovering from leukaemia which was discovered when he underwent tests
following Fabrice Muamba's collapse at Spurs last year. So the medics saved
at least two lives that night. Petrov is said to be in remission at the
moment and the general noises coming out from the player suggests that the
prognosis is good. Those of us here at the Avram Grant Rest Home For The
Bewildered send our best wishes anyway. They have taken to having a minute's
applause for the player in the 19th minute of matches. A laudable sentiment,
though I'm never quite sure of the etiquette on such occasions. What happens
if there's an incident in the 19th minute – a foul or a goal or something.
Does one just abandon the applause or what. Clearly I need some sort of
handbook to modern living.
They appear to have been playing in 4-2-3-1 formation. The three behind
Benteke last week were Weimann, N'Zogbia and Agbonlahor.
N'Zogbia famously had a falling out in 2009 at Newcastle with the then boss
Joe Kinnear. Kinnear, displaying all the wit and intellect we've come to
expect from him over the years, referred to the player as "insomnia". Whilst
the rest of the world were out having their split sides repaired after the
paroxysms of laughter, for N'Zogbia it was the final straw and, having
already earlier announced that he wanted to move to a club more in line with
his loftier ambitions a move in the January window was inevitable. He ended
up settling for Wigan, indicating the player's fundamental misunderstanding
of the meaning of the word "ambition". He spent much of his time at Wigan
seemingly looking for another club (well you would, wouldn't you) and at one
stage it looked like he might be off to Birmingham until someone had a word
in his ear about that word "ambition". He couldn't agree personal terms (he
wanted paying) and ended up at Villa Park in July 2011 for a reported fee of
£9.5m
It was a quiet window for them. Residing as one does in a rest home, most of
us are a bit mutton in these parts. So when I heard that Cilla had signed
for them I was a bit confused. After all, if you were going to sign an
untalented irritating scouser surely Carragher would be your first choice?
Once I'd replaced the Ever-Readies on the electric ear-trumpet I have to
wear these days I discovered that the player in question was in fact Yacouba
Sylla, a defensive midfielder who has arrived from the splendidly-named
Clermont Foot. He may get his first start on Sunday.
And so to us. That win has released some of the pressure that was building
up in recent weeks and the return of Mr Carroll was paramount in that. Kevin
Nolan looks a much better player with his one time lodger about and he does
bring other players into the game in a manner that Carlton Cole tries to do
but does so without consistency. Now he's fit (hopefully) we need to see him
scoring on a regular basis.
In other news Mr Allardyce has found himself £8,000 lighter in the wallet
for, well you tell me. It's as if the FA have rumbled that our referees are
rubbish but have decreed it to be some sort of a state secret that is not to
be revealed under any circumstances. Surely the FA would be better served
trying to find out why referees are so in thrall to the home side at Old
Trafford. For example, why don't they examine whether it was appropriate for
a referee to give a yellow card for a red card offence calling the player
over with a cheery "come here Scholsey". Why don't they look at certain
referees seem to be immune from sanction no matter how bad their
performances (clue – if you put someone like Riley in charge what exactly do
you expect?) Stop shooting the messengers and look at the real problem.
Rant over. There are no fresh injury worries Collins, McCartney, Demel and
Potts will all miss out, whilst Mo Maiga is still down in South Africa where
Mali will contest the third place playoff with Ghana.
This is an interesting match statistically speaking. Their home form is
about as good as our away form at the moment so that'll be preying on their
minds – and we all know how that feels. They will have felt good for 90 or
so minutes last week but the fact that they played ok but still managed to
throw away a 3-1 lead will also do little for their confidence. Hopefully it
won't have escaped their notice that Carroll scored from a corner –
something that they've not exactly been good at defending of late.
As for us we really need to actually go for it away from home a bit more.
When Mr Allardyce took over he made great play of how he intended to tighten
things up away from home. We saw that on a number of occasions last season
but the problem is that this season we've been conceding early goals, at
which point the sitting deep and attacking on the counter tactic becomes
self defeating. Nobody's saying we should go all gung-ho about things but
whatever we're doing at the moment isn't working – 6 goals on the road all
season would seem to bear that out. And if you can't go for it a little bit
against a team with a home record like Villa's when can you?
With as full a squad as we can hope for to choose from, and with the
confidence boost of last week's win against what was, let's not forget, a
fairly useful Swansea side, behind us I think we can get a rare win from
this one. I'm therefore going to put the Avram Grant Rest Home For The
Bewildered "investment" fund that would otherwise have been placed on
something that would have ended up as a Findus Lasagne (£2.50) on a 2-1 win
to us.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met At Villa Park Lost 3-0 (August 2010) First game of the
season, full of optimism, what could possibly go wrong? Well they appointed
Mike Dean as referee for a start and he decided to repeal the offside law.
He needn't have bothered. We were so bad we'd have lost 3-0 without his
usual incompetence helping the home side out.
Referee: Mark Clattenburg. Has milked the wave of sympathy over the crap
that Chelsea sent his way. Not the most reliable of refs but had a decent
match when last we saw him in the home match against Norwich on New Year's
Day.
Danger Man:Christian Benteke – he's their top scorer and will provide their
main threat. Unless they bring on Bent of course. He'll score against us
despite being useless.
Daft Fact Of The Week: Aston is a suburb of Birmingham which, by
coincidence, is also the name of a city in Alabama. You can tell the
difference between the two: one is a city where, due to a limited gene pool
caused by inbreeding, everyone looks like that scary kid with the banjo in
"Deliverance" whilst the other……nah far too easy and obvious!
Stat man John: Northcutt's corner
Head to Head
Pld 104; West Ham Utd 38, 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
18th August 2012: West Ham Utd 1-0 Aston Villa (Boleyn Ground, Premier
League)
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)
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
William Askew; Carlton Cole; James Collins; Alan Curbishley; Mervyn Day; Ray
Houghton; Thomas Hitzlsperger; David James; Fred Norris; Nigel Reo-Coker;
Tony Scott; Les Sealey; Tommy Southren; Phil Woosnam; John Carew; Frank
McAvennie; Nobby Solano; Marlon Harewood.
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Alou Diarra claims he never felt part of the set-up at West Ham
By Patrick Haond. Last Updated: February 8, 2013 12:33pm
SSN
Alou Diarra claims to have been given the impression that he was never
wanted by West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce. The France international
appeared to represent something of a coup for the Hammers last summer, with
the highly-rated midfielder having been linked with a move to England for
some time.
Things did not work out as planned for Diarra, though, as he found
first-team football hard to come by. Having aired his frustration, he was
then loaned to Rennes during the January transfer window. Diarra has now
suggested that his move to Upton Park was driven by agents, rather than
Allardyce, and that he was left with no choice but to look for regular game
time elsewhere. He told France Football: "In London, I knew that I had no
guarantee to start games and I knew there would be competition, but I was
not told that I would be a reserve. "The coach did not refuse my arrival,
but he didn't want it either. I was just one additional player. "I never
gave up, but in the end you get fed up of fighting for nothing. "Maybe that
is why the officials granted me a loan. They understood that I was no cheat.
A lot of players could have just waited for their cheques, but I won't do
that."
Cheated
The 31-year-old added: "Should I have spoken to the coach before I signed? I
wanted to but he was always at training. "I was handed a three-year
contract, but he (Allardyce) wanted to work with his own players that have
followed him for years. "It is one of my worst memories because I have been
cheated. I could not accept the situation any longer and went to meet with
my representatives. They understood and I thank them. "I have turned the
West Ham page until the end of the season, because I have been loaned with
no option to buy."
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Sam Allardyce defiant over FA fine
Last Updated: February 8, 2013 1:52pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes his fine from the Football
Association was for "speaking the truth" following his side's FA Cup
fourth-round replay defeat at Manchester United. The 58-year-old Hammers
boss was fined £8,000 and warned about his future conduct by the FA for
questioning the integrity of the officials in his post-match comments
following the game at Old Trafford. He was unhappy at the awarding of a
penalty to the home team while his side were denied two spot-kicks for what
he felt were clear handballs. Allardyce said he did not intend to suggest
any bias in the officials but stood by his suggestion that they may be
affected by large home crowds. "For me I spoke the truth, so if you like I
have been fined for speaking the truth, but there you go, we move on," he
said. "What I had to do was present my case and give it to the panel and
make sure they understood what I meant and there was no doubt I meant
nothing other than the influence that happens at the big arenas that happens
to everyone when you go there. "Those influences can make people make
decisions that are right or wrong, not just Phil Dowd but players and you as
a manager. "I thought we put an outstanding case forward and I thought I
should have got the benefit of the doubt based on the fact I didn't say
anyone was biased. "It is the implication that people might have thought I
meant the referee was biased and that I may have thought it on my comments,
and that was why I was fined. I tried to choose my words carefully and never
mentioned that word (bias) whatsoever."
In the aftermath of the FA Cup game, Allardyce said: "You see it time and
time again at Old Trafford. There's no doubt about the difference between
Rafael's handball and Jordan Spence's. Spence plays for West Ham and the
away team, while Rafael plays for the home side at Old Trafford." He
confirmed that he would not be appealing the fine.
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Aston Villa v West Ham preview
Last Updated: February 8, 2013 12:19pm
SSN
Aston Villa will aim to take advantage of West Ham's poor away form as they
look to boost their survival bid on Sunday. In the battle of the Claret and
Blue sides, it is the home team most urgently in need of points in front of
the Sky Sports cameras at Villa Park. A run of eight games without a win has
seen the Premier League perennials plummet into the drop zone. Only Queens
Park Rangers sit below Villa in the table and, with pressure mounting on
manager Paul Lambert, three points against dodgy travellers West Ham are
surely a must. The Hammers haven't won away from Upton Park since
mid-November but six home wins have helped ensure that Sam Allardyce's side
are nine points clear of their hosts going into this one. Despite their
questionable form, both these sides enjoyed encouraging results at the
weekend.
West Ham produced a gritty display to see off Swansea at the Boleyn Ground,
while Villa drew 3-3 in an entertaining contest at Everton. But it is the
manner of that draw - after conceding yet another late goal - that will
concern Villa supporters. Their fragile team will need to be strong both
mentally and physically against Allardyce's robust outfit in what could be a
significant afternoon in establishing Villa's survival credentials.
A Villa
Last 6
3-3
1-2
2-1
2-1
2-2
0-1
Villa midfielder Fabian Delph has recovered from an ankle injury after a
two-game absence and is included in the squad. Karim El Ahmadi has also
shaken off a knock to the knee sustained in the draw at Everton last
weekend. Villa boss Paul Lambert will run a fitness check over a third
midfielder in Ashley Westwood, who is currently suffering from illness, but
defender Richard Dunne is still out with a groin problem.
West Ham
Last 6
1-0
3-1
5-1
1-1
1-0
3-0
Sam Allardyce has no fresh injury concerns ahead of his side's trip to face
Villa and is able to welcome Modibo Maiga back to the squad. The forward has
returned to the club following Mali's exit from the Africa Cup of Nations
but is unlikely to feature. Defensive duo James Collins (hamstring) and
George McCartney (knee) are still out but all of the Hammers players on
international duty returned from their midweek exertions unscathed.
Opta Facts:
Aston Villa have recovered fewer points than any other team from matches
they have been trailing this season (two).
Paul Lambert's side are on a run of nine Premier League games without a
clean sheet; only Fulham (11 games) are on a longer current run in the PL.
The Hammers have taken just one point from the last 21 available on the road
and scored just five goals in their last nine games away from home in the
Premier League.
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Three Goals in Three Matches, as Paulista Takes Sam Allardyce at His Word!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
Wellington Paulista scored another goal in the recent Development Squad
match against WBA. That makes it Three goals in Three appearances. Paulista
has obviously taken Sam Allardyce at his word, when he stated that the
striker faced stiffen competition in wining a first team place, but the way
to force himself in to contention was to just score goals!
You will recall that there was a certain air of negativity surrounding
Paulista's loan signing, mostly created by online criticism by Brazilian
football fans. My attitude from the beginning was that the Paulista was
useful, we should give him a fair chance and then make up our own minds
about his ability. After his clinical finishes for the U-21s, I feel
justified in my view that he could make a positive impact in the final
months of the season. He gives 100% on the pitch and is a bit of a
character, both qualities that will endear him to the Hammers supporters;
additionally, he really looks like he can convert his chance. I have not
seen the travelling squad, for the Villa match, but if he is included then
he might very well be selected for the bench. It may be ill-advised for
Paulista to start the match. Rather, it is better if he is introduced from
the bench, given the opportunity to build up his game time and adapt to the
significantly greater demands of PL football.
Talking of words spoken, it appears that those imparted by Sam Allardyce
with such conviction, after the 3rd Round FA Cup Replay at Old Trafford,
have proven costly. He may very well have spoken the truth, based on all the
available evidence, but in the rarified atmosphere of the FA Disciplinary
rules and procedures, being right is no justification. Rather, it is all
about protecting the integrity of the officials and, through them, that of
the Football Assocation itself. Still, perhaps Sam Allardyce considers it
worthwhile to put the truth on record, even if it comes at a price in terms
of a possible fine/suspension?
Similarly, it seems that Alou Diarra still has plenty of words to bring
forth about his negative experience at West Ham. Following his loan move to
Rennes, Diarra has been reported as criticising an agent and the club for
allegedly making him false promises in order to capture his signature. There
is no apparent reference to the injury that effectively side lined him for
four months, nor the fact that this was a pretty pivotal reason for his
non-selection over that period. Unless, he is actually stating that he was
fit all along and was simply ignored for selection by the manager? I am
fairly sure that was not the case, so why the absence of this one central,
pertinent and inconvenient fact?
Finally, the team can do themselves a massive favour by securing a vital
away victory at Villa Park this weekend. Can they do it? Most certainly,
especially if they dig in, like against Swansea, and Andy Carroll can
faithfully replicate his prior outstanding performance. Of course, there is
still the distinct possibility that we will be victim to the 'fall guy'
tendency, which still so frequently afflicts us. Will we, once again, play
the hapless victims to a team that hitherto could not even buy a win? Or
will we buck the trend, build upon the admirably gritty Swansea victory and
accummulate a healthy looking 33 points total up to that point in the
season?
Villa certainly have some good players and their manager is very well
regarded in the game, so could they choose to launch their PL resurgence
against us? I certainly hope not and I am backing West Ham grind out another
hard fought 0-1 victory. Who knows, perhaps, a certain Welington Paulista
might even figure at some point in the procedings? COYI !
SJ. Chandos.
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Sign here, pal
Kevin Nolan has urged Andy Carroll to sign for West Ham on a permanent basis
The Sun
Published: 08th February 2013
KEVIN NOLAN has urged Andy Carroll to sign for West Ham on a permanent
basis. But he admits his big £35million pal still has unfinished business at
Liverpool. The England striker, 24, is currently on loan at Upton Park after
failing to fit into the plans of new Reds boss Brendan Rodgers. And best
mate Nolan believes Carroll should stay in London and become part of a club
where he is truly wanted and appreciated. The pair played together at
Newcastle before Nolan headed south to the East End for £3m in June 2011.
And former Toon skipper Nolan said: "Everyone at West Ham has really enjoyed
working with Andy — and we all believe there is no better place for him to
be than at our club. "He's in one of the best cities in the world. playing
with lads who want to play with him. "He was probably a bit harshly treated
by Liverpool and I think he feels hard done by with all that's happened
there. "I think most Liverpool fans were shocked by what happened to him in
pre-season, after the way he came into his own with some of his performances
towards the end of last season. "But he still loves Liverpool and he has the
hunger to prove to everyone there that he is good enough to play there. "No
one has spoken about what happens when his loan spell with us is up but
everyone in our dressing-room will want Andy to stay beyond the end of this
season."
Midfielder Nolan, 30, infamously took Carroll into his family home as a
lodger to keep the controversial striker out of trouble when they were
together at Newcastle. And Nolan believes that leaving the North-East was
probably the best thing for Carroll — despite his failure to live up to the
huge price-tag that took him to Anfield. He said: "Moving out of Newcastle
was important for Andy because he was getting himself into a bit too much
trouble. "He was here, there and everywhere but people forget that he has
still only just turned 24 and is a young man. "He's made a few mistakes but
because he's 6ft 4in tall and has long hair, he tends to stand out a bit
more. "Thankfully he's had his hair cut now. I told him I was getting sick
of looking at his greasy image and at least he washes it now! "But I do feel
sorry for him at times. "I tell him I hate going out with him because he
can't step out of the door without someone asking for an autograph. "I can
walk around London for days, go on the Tube and everything, and no one
recognises me. But two minutes next to him and we get mobbed.
"Only time will tell where Andy plays next season. We feel we're a good fit
at West Ham but he's only scored two goals for us so far so he's going to
have to get his finger out or we won't want to buy him."
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Kevin Nolan: Villa must stick together or face drop
Published: 08th February 2013
The SUn
WEST HAM skipper Kevin Nolan has warned struggling Aston Villa to sort out
the dressing room cliques or risk relegation. Nolan was part of the
Newcastle team which dropped out of the Premier League four years ago and
says that no club is too big to go down. And as the Hammers look to pile on
the problems for boss Paul Lambert at Villa Park tomorrow Nolan says it is
vital everyone is united. The midfielder, 30, said: "When your team is
struggling it's really important you stick together and don't start going
off in your little cliques. If there's a problem you need to all sit round
together and air your feelings. "When the chips are down and there is an
atmosphere about the place, a lot of people start worrying. "We had a lot of
big-name players at Newcastle and people were talking about the situation
escalating and the club going down. "But we stuck together and did what was
right for the club. "It's slightly different at Villa because they have
stopped spending the kind of money they were a few years ago and are
bringing in a lot of youngsters instead. "They have handled things quite
well considering the stick they have come under, but when you play for a big
club you have to expect criticism if results don't go well."
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Big Sam: We're a Jekyll 'n Hyde team
By PAT SHEEHAN
Last Updated: 09th February 2013
The SUn
SAM ALLARDYCE has branded West Ham a Jekyll and Hyde team. Big Sam takes his
side to relegation-threatened Aston Villa tomorrow worried by his side's
lack of firepower on the road. The Hammers have scored just seven times on
their travels — the worst record in the top flight. They have also taken
just one point from 21 in their last seven away matches. But, at Upton Park,
they have lost just three all season. Allardyce, 58, said: "We are a Jekyll
and Hyde side. It niggles me we can't replicate our home form on our
travels. "Away from home, we have the worst goalscoring ratio — even though
we have been putting the opposition under real pressure." Villa have won
just two at home this term and let in twice as many as the nine they have
scored.
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Allardyce: I've been fined for speaking truth
Published: 08th February 2013
The Sun
SAM ALLARDYCE believes he has been fined by the FA for "speaking the truth"
after West Ham's defeat to Man United. Allardyce was told to pay £8,000 for
his criticism of the referee. Speaking on January 16, he said: "You see it
time and time again at Old Trafford. "There's no doubt about the difference
between Rafael's handball and Jordan Spence's. Spence plays for West Ham and
the away team, while Rafael plays for the home side at Old Trafford."
Allardyce today claimed his comments did not suggest referee Phil Dowd was
biased. But he stood by his accusation that people are influenced by crowds
in big stadiums. He said: "For me I spoke the truth, so if you like I have
been fined for speaking the truth, but there you go, we move on. "What I had
to do was present my case and give it to the panel and make sure they
understood what I meant. "There was no doubt I meant nothing other than the
influence that happens at the big arenas that happens to everyone when you
go there. "Those influences can make people make decisions that are right or
wrong, not just Phil Dowd but players and you as a manager." Allardyce
added: "I thought we put an outstanding case forward and I thought I should
have got the benefit of the doubt based on the fact I didn't say anyone was
biased. "It is the implication that people might have thought I meant the
referee was biased and that I may have thought it on my comments, and that
was why I was fined. "I tried to choose my words carefully and never
mentioned that word whatsoever." The Hammmers have taken just eight points
away from home this season and Allardyce is desperate for a win at
struggling Aston Villa on Sunday. He said: "Everyone knows the
responsibility of turning around our away results, they must get better. "We
have a fantastic opportunity to change the results we have had recently on
Sunday given we had a big boost of confidence with a well-deserved win
against Swansea last week."
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Hoodwinked! Alou Diarra claims he was 'conned' into signing for West Ham
The Mirror
8 Feb 2013 12:15
Alou Diarra has claimed he was "conned" into signing for West Ham. The
Hammers midfielder, who has been loaned out to Rennes for the rest of the
season, told France Football: "They were not honest with me. They made me
believe I was the priority of the club but it was not true. "It shows that
at my age you can still be conned. "I wanted (to speak to Sam Allardyce) but
he was always at training camps, travelling left and right. At the same
time, I had the guarantee of a three-year contract. "But he came to West Ham
with his players, who have followed him for several seasons. The manager was
not against my arrival but he was not for it either! "I was an extra player.
It is tough to feel useless. In the end, you have enough of fighting for no
reason."
Diarra, 31, played only two hours in five months. "Yes, essentially because
I was misled. I could not accept this situation any longer and I went to see
the directors. They understood and I thanked them." Former Liverpool
midfielder Diarra, who cost £2m from Marseille, suffered a serious thigh
strain in training in September and has only started one Premier League
match. He made four appearances since returning to fitness in the New Year -
the last against Arsenal on January 23. Allardyce said last month: "It
hasn't quite worked out and he feels a little disgruntled in terms of
playing more. "Because of Alou's long-standing injury he has found it hard
to adjust to what is needed in the Premier League."
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Kevin Nolan interview: Sometimes I look at Andy Carroll and feel sorry for
him
The Mirror
8 Feb 2013 22:30
It's still not easy Being: Andy Carroll, even away from Liverpool. But West
Ham's Kevin Nolan reckons Carroll, his old Newcastle team-mate, is "perfect"
for the Hammers and should stay and play in London - even if the £35million
striker's fame means he could have his own fly-on-the-wall series following
his colourful life off the pitch. "Sometimes I do look at it and I feel
sorry for him," admitted West Ham captain Nolan, who has scored three times
as many Premier League goals from midfield this season as on-loan Liverpool
frontman Carroll has. "The lad can't walk out of here without somebody
asking for his autograph -I can walk around London for three days and not
get noticed once. "I am with him for two minutes and we get mobbed. I always
tell him I hate going anywhere with him. "I can sit on the Tube for two days
without anybody noticing me, but two minutes next to him and we are being
bothered for photos. It is part and parcel of it. "But, as a lad, I think it
has made him grow up and made him the person he is. He is a top lad - a good
person to know - and everybody who does know him enjoys being in his
company."
After an injury-hit start at Upton Park, the England forward has reformed
his on-field double act with Nolan and scored to give the Hammers a
pressure-relieving win last weekend. But Mrs Nolan will be relieved he is
not a house guest again following his eventful stay in 2010. "I wouldn't let
him anyway," Nolan laughed. "Once is enough." Nolan reckons leaving the
north-east has benefited Britain's most expensive ever player. "Moving out
of Newcastle was important because he was probably tending to get himself
into a bit too much trouble," the 30-year-old recalled. "He was here, there
and everywhere. But that was because he was young. "Everybody forgets he has
just turned 24. He has made a few mistakes but because he is 6ft 3in and has
got long hair, it tends to get out a bit more."
Now, the question is where Carroll will go next. He was last seen in a Reds
kit in Channel 5 documentary series Being: Liverpool - the day before he was
loaned out to West Ham for the season. Even though Kop boss Brendan Rodgers
doesn't want him, Carroll clearly feels he has unfinished Anfield business.
"He loves Liverpool," said Nolan, a born and bred Scouser. "He still wants
to prove to everybody that he is good enough to play there. He has got that
hunger - that is what people don't see. "Andy was probably a bit harshly
treated at Liverpool. I think most Liverpool fans were quite shocked at what
happened to him in pre-season and him getting loaned out, but that's
football. "You just have to take it on the chin. He's big enough and ugly
enough to do that and get on with it. I think he's done that."
Although Carroll's hometown club Newcastle could also be interested this
summer, playing alongside Nolan for Sam Allardyce's Hammers seems the next
best alternative. "I think Andy's perfect for us and we're perfect for him,"
said the Irons skipper. "Sam is definitely the right man to get the best out
of him. "He's in London, one of the best cities in the world. He's playing
for a great club, he's playing with lads who know him, want to play with
him. Only time will tell. "You'll never know what's going to happen in the
next window. We'll just have to wait and see. But he's got to score goals or
we won't want to buy him, will we? He's only scored two for us. "He's got to
start pulling his finger out for us if he wants us to buy him!"
Nolan is the Upton Park shop steward and the go-between for the team and
manager. "Maybe someone's been fined for something that's a bit harsh, I'll
go in and fight his corner for him," he said. "I tend to get them off - I'm
quite good at that." But the future of Allardyce is also not settled as
Nolan's former Bolton boss is out of contract this summer."I don't think
there's any rush," Nolan said. "But hopefully in the next month or so Sam
will be sitting down with the owners and trying to sort out the deal or
seeing if they want him or not." On Sunday, the Hammers face an Aston Villa
side whose torrid season has echoes of Newcastle's relegation season in
2009."What's happened this season has been tough," said Nolan. "They've got
a lot of young lads and they've handled it quite well with the stick they've
come under but when you play for a big club you have to expect the stick.
"I'm sure Paul Lambert will have them fired up and ready to go against us.
We've got to make sure we're up for it."
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