Daily WHUFC News - 31st August 2013

Stoke City match preview
WHUFC.com
All the key pre-match info ahead of Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash with Stoke City
30.08.2013

WEST HAM UNITED v STOKE CITY
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
BOLEYN GROUND
SATURDAY 31 AUGUST 2013
KICK-OFF: 3PM
REFEREE: JON MOSS
WEST HAM TV I iPHONE APP I TWITTER I FACEBOOK I PODCAST I YOUTUBE

Introduction
· West Ham United play host to Stoke City in the Barclays Premier League fresh from a 2-1 victory over Cheltenham Town in the Capital One Cup.
· Tuesday night's win continues the Hammers unbeaten start to the season and if they avoid defeat against Stoke it will be the first time since the 1999/2000 season that the club has not suffered a defeat in their opening four fixtures.
· West Ham could be top of the table on Saturday night if victory over Stoke is achieved, as Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United all play on Sunday, with current leaders Chelsea not in action.
· Three points on Saturday would leave Sam Allardyce's side a point better off than after three games last season when two wins and a defeat yielded six points. After the opening day victory over Cardiff and last weekend's 0-0 draw with Newcastle seven points from a possible nine is now in the team's sights.
· Stoke come into the game on the back of Wednesday night's win over Walsall in the Capital One Cup and a victory over Crystal Palace in their last league outing. That win was however preceded by an opening day defeat to Liverpool.
· Mark Hughes has never been on the winning side at the Boleyn Ground in six previous attempts with three different clubs (Blackburn, Fulham and Manchester City). This is his first visit to the ground as manager of Stoke City.
· Former Hammer of the year Matt Etherington again returns to the Boleyn Ground where he made 195 appearances for the club before leaving to join the Potters in 2009.
· In this fixture last year Stoke held the Hammers to a 1-1 draw on 19 November 2012. In the return game a Jack Collison goal was enough to earn West Ham a 1-0 win at the Brittania Stadium in March.

Team news
West Ham United
· Alou Diarra will miss the game after picking up a serious knee injury during the win against Cheltenham, whilst Andy Carroll continues his recovery from a heel injury.
· George McCartney stepped up his recovery from injury with a 90 minute run out in the midweek win and is in contention to make the squad for Saturday.
Stoke City
· Jamie Ness is expected to miss the game as he continues his recovery from a thigh injury.
· Wilson Palacios and Brek Shea could feature after making their comebacks during the win over Walsall on Wednesday night.
· Hat-trick hero Kenwyne Jones may have done enough to earn a start after his midweek heroics.

Last time out
Tuesday 27 August 2013
Capital One Cup second round
West Ham United 2-1 Cheltenham Town
West Ham United: Adrian, Chambers, Tomkins, McCartney, Rat, Morrison, Diarra (Diame 35), Cole (Downing 46), Collison, Vaz Te, Taylor.
Subs not used: Henderson, Lletget, Ruddock, Nolan, Lee.
Goals: Vaz Te 42, Morrison 46.
Wednesday 28 August 2013
Capital One Cup second round
Stoke City 3-1 Walsall
Stoke City: Sorensen, Huth, Muniesa, Shawcross, Wilkinson, Whelan, Pennant, Palacios (Wilson 50), Shea (Assaidi 46), Adam (Nzonzi 75), Jones.
Subs not used: Butland, Shotton, Kightly, Jerome.
Goals: Jones 22, 31, 84.

Last meeting
The two sides last met at the Brittania Stadium on 2 March 2013. A Jack Collison goal in first-half stoppage time was enough to secure a valuable three points for the Hammers on their ultimately successful quest for a top-ten place. A late Charlie Adam volley which thumped the bar was the only real scare for the West Ham defence as they recorded a crucial three points.
Stoke City: Begovic, Shotton, Shawcross, Wilson, Wilkinson, Walters (Jones 74), Nzonzi, Whelan (Adam 77), Kightly (Shea 66), Jerome, Crouch.
Subs not used: Sorensen, Cameron, Palacios, Whitehead.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins, Reid, O'Brien, O'Neil, J.Cole (Vaz Te 11), Taylor (Collison 11), Diame, Jarvis (Pogatetz 83), Carroll.
Subs not used: Spiegel, C.Cole, Maiga, Chamakh.
Goals: Collison 45+3

Background
· Monday's game is the 85th time West Ham United and Stoke City have faced one another in competitive fixtures. West Ham have won 34, Stoke 30 and there have been 20 draws.
· Stoke City are considered to be the second-oldest professional football club in the world behind Notts County. Formed in 1863, the Potters were also one of the 12 founding members of the Football League in 1888.
· West Ham first faced Stoke in a Southern League First Division match at the Boleyn Ground on 16 December 1911. The Potters won the game 4-3 with William Kennedy (two) and Tom Randall on target for the Hammers.
· West Ham's biggest win over Stoke City came in the 1957/58 season. Vic Keeble bagged a hat-trick in a 5-0 Division Two victory on 6 November 1957, the Hammers would go onto be promoted. Keeble also scored twice in the reverse fixture - a 4-1 win at the Victoria Ground the following March.

Head to head
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
2 March 2013 - Stoke City 0-1 West Ham United
19 November 2012 - West Ham United 1-1 Stoke City
13 March 2011 - Stoke City 2-1 West Ham United (FA Cup sixth round)
5 March 2011 - West Ham United 3-0 Stoke City
27 October 2010 - West Ham United 3-1 Stoke City (Carling Cup fourth round)
18 September 2010 - Stoke City 1-1 West Ham United
Overall record v Stoke City (all competitions) W 34 D 20 L 30

Ten-year records
West Ham United
2012/13 Premier League 10th (46 points)
2011/12 Championship 3rd (86 points - promoted to Premier League via Play-Offs)
2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points - relegated to Championship)
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted to Premier League via Play-Offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
Stoke City
2012/13 Premier League 13th (42 points)
2011/12 Premier League 14th (45 points)
2010/11 Premier League 13th (46 points)
2009/10 Premier League 11th (47 points)
2008/09 Premier League 12th (45 points)
2007/08 Championship 2nd (79 points - promoted to the Premier League)
2006/07 Championship 8th (73 points)
2005/06 Championship 13th (58 points)
2004/05 Championship 12th (61 points)
2003/04 Division One 11th (66 points)

Referee
· Saturdays referee will be Jonathan Moss.
· Moss was in charge of the last meeting between the two sides on 2 March 2013, when West Ham recorded a 1-0 win over the Potters at the Britannia Stadium.
· In all, Moss showed 86 yellow cards; sent-off one player and awarded nine penalties in the 31 matches he took charge of last season.
· Headteacher Moss was promoted to the Select Group of Referees in June 2011.
· He took charge of the 2005 Conference Play-Off final between Carlisle United and Stevenage and was then promoted to the National Group of Referees.
· He will be assisted by Steve Child and Andrew Halliday, while the fourth official will be Andy D'Urso.

Old boys
· Former West Ham United captain Matthew Upson played 147 matches for the Club between January 2007 and May 2011. He captained the club for the final two years of his stay and scored four goals in total before joining the Potters in the summer of 2011 where he made 25 appearances.
· Stoke winger Matthew Etherington made 195 appearances for West Ham between August 2003 and January 2009, scoring 18 goals. He joined the Potters on 8 January 2009, having moved to the Boleyn Ground from Tottenham Hotspur five-and-a-half years previously.
· Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Clive Clarke, Bob Dixon, Sir Geoff Hurst, Lawrie Leslie, Nicky Morgan, Henri Camara, Abdoulaye Faye and Frank Richardson.

General information
· A handful of tickets remain for this Kids for a Quid match. Click here to buy now.
· The weather forecast predicts a sunny day in east London on Saturday, with temperatures at kick-off of 20C (68F).
· The District and Hammersmith & City Lines have no closures planned this weekend.

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Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
Matt Taylor blogs on Cheltenham, Stoke, fishing and more
30.08.2013

Matt Taylor made his first start of the season in Tuesday's 2-1 victory over Cheltenham Town in the Capital One Cup and is the latest player to blog for whufc.com in our Chadwell Chatter series. It was nice to start a game and play on Tuesday. That ultimately is what we're all striving for, so from that point of view it was nice to play 90 minutes and nice to be on the winning team. I must say that we probably should have won by more than the goal that we did. We reviewed the game on Thursday morning and we had 23 chances, and hit the target ten times. Their keeper has made some very good saves, and for us we should have won the game by more than just one goal but the main thing is that we're in the hat for the next round. From a personal point of view, I had five or six shots and I hit the target with all but one of them which was a positive. I made the keeper made some saves and the defender made a goalline block right at the end. If I'd not struck them so well, they might well have gone in, but it's important to get in those positions. If I wasn't then I'd have concerns.
It's the first game I started since I got knocked out at Stoke away last year so I can't be too unhappy about that. Talking of Stoke, I don't have any memories of that last game, happy or sad, because I don't remember anything after being knocked out so early!. One thing I do know is that it'll be a tough game on Saturday, but we're at home and hopefully we can pack the stadium out, continue our good form and give the crowd something to shout about. We've got a decent record at home, we haven't conceded a goal yet this season in the Premier League and that's something we've got to keep going. We know the threats that Stoke possess, but maybe you'll see them change slightly under the new management. Outside of the top six, I'd suggest that the home form is imperative to the success of your season. That will be no different for us this year, we need to pick up as many points as we can at home. Last season we were only defeated at home by teams inside the top six and that needs to continue if we are to have a successful campaign as lwe did last year.

Off the pitch, I had a little trip fishing last week. Nobes and I took the kids along, and we had some fun for a few hours in the afternoon. The kids enjoyed it which was great as well. I think Nobes is starting to get a bit more into it. I'm trying to persuade him to go on a trip next year to France, but I think he's weighing up France or Vegas. For me it's fishing but you'd have to ask him what he's going to choose! It's something I've done, like a lot of the boys here, since childhood and it's nice to be able to introduce one of your passions to your children as well.

See you on Saturday.
Come on you Irons!
Matt

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The Opposition View - Chris Kamara
WHUFC.com
whufc.com spoke to former Stoke player and boss Chris Kamara ahead of Saturday's game.
30.08.2013

Having played for and managed Stoke City, Sky Sports pundit Chris Kamara is well-placed to know what new Potters boss Mark Hughes is going through as he gets to grips with life at the Britannia Stadium. Stoke arrive in east London on Saturday with three points from their opening two Barclays Premier League fixtures and Kamara expects them to give the Hammers a stern test. He also envisages a gradual change in the style of play under the new boss. He said: "It has all changed [at Stoke this summer]. Tony Pulis did such a wonderful job, but sometimes you have a sell-by date and I think he realised that himself. "He was trying to improve the squad in terms of quality season-on-season and he was with the faces, but the football wasn't changing. "I think the chairman and himself decided between them that he'd done such a wonderful job, quit while he's ahead and that's given Mark Hughes the opportunity to come in. "I think anybody taking over there would have a really good chance because they have got really good players. "I'm not going to criticise Tony in any way, shape or form because what he did was effective. They got results and never were in any danger of going down from the league, and were always competitive in the league. "Mark Hughes is going to change the philosophy, they're going to play a bit more, have a go, but sometimes you have to wait and see, give him his chance. Mark Hughes did a good job at Blackburn Rovers, but he's not at Blackburn any more, he's at Stoke, and he has to prove himself again after QPR."
"They'll be tough to beat, that's one thing for certain. There's no easy games in the Premier League, no matter who you play. "For West Ham, Sam's done some really good business. To get Carroll and Downing was really good, and I don't see any reason why they can't better their 10th place finish from last year."

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Hall compensation package set
WHUFC.com
The Professional Football Compensation Committee have set Bolton's compensation for Robert Hall
30.08.2013

West Ham United can confirm that the Professional Football Compensation Committee have set the compensation package with Bolton Wanderers for the transfer of Rob Hall.

An independent tribunal has ruled that Bolton Wanderers must pay West Ham United an initial sum of £450,000 with the following further additions:
• £250,000 if Bolton are promoted to the Premier League in the next three seasons
• £2,500 per appearance for the first 100 appearances (for Bolton) in the Championship
• or £10,000 per appearance for the first 100 appearances (for Bolton) if in the Premier League
• 20% of any profit made by Bolton Wanderers in selling the player to another club at any point in the future.
West Ham United would like to thank Robert for his efforts during his time with the Club and wish him well in his future career.

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Noble stoked for Potters clash
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble is looking forward to another game at the Boleyn Ground this weekend
30.08.2013

West Ham United midfielder Mark Noble is hopeful home advantage will help the team build upon their unbeaten start to the season, when they entertain Stoke City on Saturday. The Hammers have the opportunity to extend their run to four games without defeat after an opening day win over Cardiff City was followed up with a 0-0 draw away to Newcastle and then a Capital One Cup victory over Cheltenham Town. Noble was rested for Tuesday night's win, but returns to the team eager to carry on the side's decent run against an opponent who has undergone big changes over the summer. He said: "Stoke City pass it a lot more now, they've got some quality players. "It will be a tough game on Saturday. We'll need to be on it to win the game and hopefully we can come away with another three points and make it an even better start."

A win will mean Sam Allardyce's team have taken a point more than at the same stage last season, where two wins and a defeat yielded six points. This season though, the popular midfielder believes the team have raised their expectations and are satisfied with the start they've made. "It's been a strong start; I've just said to someone else that when you're disappointed with a point away to Newcastle it shows how far you've come as a club. "We sat in the changing room after the game disappointed that we hadn't won the game. "We had more than one chance to score a goal and we didn't manage to finish them off. We move onto Stoke on Saturday now which we're looking forward to."

A key reason for the team's strong start to the season has been a miserly defence which has only allowed one shot on target over the course of two matches in the Barclays Premier League. Noble believes that if their fine form is to be maintained then the whole team will have to contribute to keeping the ball away from the Hammers goal. "The whole team works hard for each other, from the forwards through the midfield to the wingers to the backs; we're all working as one. "When you work together you get results and if teams don't have shots on target they don't score, so if we keep that up it will be fantastic. "It's a credit to the lads that we've only had one shot on target against us and it's got to continue all through the team. "The less time the defence have to defend the fewer mistakes there will be and obviously mistakes cost you goals."

Despite not featuring in Tuesday night's win over Cheltenham, Noble is hopeful that the team can make good progress in the Capital One Cup this year and in the process provide fans with the entertainment they deserve. "The lads did brilliantly; a win is a win in the cup no matter what. "We'd like to have a cup run and take the fans all-round the country and hopefully to Wembley, that's the goal. And if we keep our Premier League form up then hopefully it will be a good year. "The fans have been brilliant, they need to keep up what they're doing, keep getting behind the team and hopefully we can reward them with another three points."

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Big Sam on: Stoke City
WHUFC.com
West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce looks ahead to Saturday's visit of Stoke City
30.08.2013

Sam Allardyce has challenged his West Ham United team to continue their fine defensive form when they welcome Stoke City to the Boleyn Ground on Saturday. Big Sam's team have yet to concede in the first two games of the new Barclays Premier League season, and are looking to continue that run against a team who they took four points from in the last campaign. The team will however be without French international Alou Diarra, whose season looks likely to be over after a knee injury he suffered in the Capital One Cup victory over Cheltenham Town.

Good morning Sam, could you start by giving us team news for the weekend?

SA: "Our team news is that only Alou Diarra, who unfortunately got injured the other night, is not involved in the squad. The injury is more serious than we expected and it's an ACL reconstruction it looks like, so that will almost certainly finish Alou's season. It's a big blow to us in squad terms, he was hoping to force his way into the side this season but obviously after that injury that now won't be the case."

Does the injury to Alou affect your thinking ahead of the transfer deadline?

SA: "Like I said, at the moment funds are the restriction in the new rules and regulations and our funds are almost, if not to the limit. Having spoken to David Sullivan, unless it's a really good deal and it's on loan then that might be a possibility, but anything other than that and we will find it difficult to do."

Ravel Morrison is someone you've had to steer in the right direction at times so how pleasing was it to see his performance in midweek?

SA: "It's a carry-on of his pre-season performances and we're all delighted to see the performance he gave against Cheltenham, particularly the goal because that's added to a total of seven in pre-season. He's making a big statement now and that's good. From a midfield point of view now it's Kevin Nolan, Mark Noble and Mo Diame watch out, this boy's after your place. "It's going to really kick-start those three to make sure they perform at the level we know they can because this lad, sooner or later, will get the chance and maybe take it. It's really pleasing that we've got competition for places, and for the lads to come down and watch him play like that, perks their ears up and makes them think they don't want it to be me that they're replacing."

Stoke have undergone a lot of changes over the summer, what do you expect from them on Saturday?

SA: "There's no doubt that every manager has a different way of managing a football club. Every manager, his coaches and backroom staff will have different ideas on what squad you've got, what system you play, and it's all about you getting the best out of your players. So I imagine Mark has adjusted the team, I don't think he will have done anything dramatic, because dramatic change unhinges players from what they're used to. I think his turn will be a slow process, but as we know when you move into a new club fans want you to get results, and they want you to get results and victories as quick as you can otherwise they show their dissatisfaction very quickly these days."

Regarding Mark Hughes, how do you think he will fare taking over from Tony Pulis?

SA: "Mark Hughes is hugely experienced and he'll be glad to get the chance to manage in the Premier League again after the disappointment he had at QPR. He's had his rest, he's no doubt learned huge amounts from the experience he had at QPR, he'll take that and become a better manager than he was before and he was a pretty good manager before that. He knows the pressures of this league so I can't see him having any problems dealing with it. He knows like everyone else that your job is judged on results. You can play whatever system you want, pick whichever players you want to choose but if you don't win then people are dissatisfied and when people are dissatisfied owners change managers and they do it very quickly, so your responsibility first and foremost is to get results for the first team."

It must be pleasing that you've yet to concede in two league matches so far?

SA: "It's very pleasing indeed; the only disappointment is that we don't have six points on the board after last week. It was our own fault that we didn't get it, but the players realise that and in the days after when we've reviewed the game against Newcastle they saw the fact that it was there for the taking and but for their poor finishing in front of goal we would have secured the three points. Defensively speaking, two games in the Premier League and Jussi hasn't had to make a save yet. If Jussi is in the same boat again on Saturday afternoon and he gets a clean sheet then I think we'll win the game. I think we'll score here at Upton Park, it's not often it goes to a 0-0 here, so if we can get that all important clean sheet then I think we'll definitely grab the three points."

What's the situation with Ricardo Vaz Te after he handed in a transfer request?

SA: "He might leave now, if anybody's going to leave now it would be Vaz. You don't keep anybody that doesn't want to stay. If a club comes and makes the right offer for him then we would be more than happy to accommodate the transfer request he's given us."

Have you had any offers for him yet?

SA: "No, but like I said I would expect that in the next few days that we probably will have an inquiry."

Is your relationship with Vaz beyond repair?

SA: "No 18 to 20 years ago he'd probably never have kicked a ball for the club again. In today's world and me perhaps being a bit more mature and mellow, then I'm always ready to give someone a second chance, but at this moment in time if he wants to leave then he can, I've no problem with that. It's just that the club who wants him will have to pay a fair price that we consider is right for Vaz. He won't get to leave this football club just because he wants to and somebody thinks they can get him for a price that we don't value him at."

Where will you be on transfer deadline day?

SA: "I don't know yet, I don't have to be anywhere special because contacts between phone and computer mean you can link up anywhere at any time. But like I said I expected it to be a quiet one for us this year, not like last year when we had Matt Jarvis, Andy Carroll and Yossi Benayoun arriving in the last week. I'm glad to say we haven't got to find three players this time, we haven't got the money to find three players this time either, but if there is the chance of one loan player or if someone goes out it might be two loan players, but if no one does then it might not be anybody."

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West Ham v Stoke
KO 15:00
30 August 2013
Last updated at 13:28
By Simon Brotherton
Match of the Day commentator

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 31 August

West Ham are without midfielder Alou Diarra, who looks set to miss the rest of the season after picking up a knee ligament injury in the League Cup. Andy Carroll (heel) and George McCartney (knee) remain out but could return after the international break.

Stoke striker Peter Crouch is back after missing the Potters' League Cup win through illness, although hat-trick hero Kenwyne Jones may keep his place. Jamie Ness has a thigh injury and is City's only certain absentee.

MATCH PREVIEW

This match finished in a 1-1 draw last season and there's every chance there won't be much between the two sides in this one as well.
West Ham have started with two clean sheets, beating newly-promoted Cardiff on the opening day and drawing 0-0 at Newcastle a week ago.
Stoke secured their first win of the season under new manager Mark Hughes last weekend with a 2-1 victory over another of the Premier league new boys, Crystal Palace. That followed their tough opener at Anfield, where they were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool. "Stoke boss Mark Hughes will be pleased so far but he has two problems: first, he has very little money to spend and second, he is trying to change the way they play. That can't happen overnight but he is looking for more quality in the final third and more goals."

The defeat on Merseyside could easily have been a draw, but Simon Mignolet saved Jonathan Walters' late penalty. That result continued a run that has seen Stoke win only one of their last dozen away matches in the Premier league, at QPR in April. I'm interested to see what changes Hughes has implemented already at Stoke following the summer departure of Tony Pulis. I noticed a clear change of style from Everton under Roberto Martinez even on the opening day at Norwich. This game also brings together two former managers of Blackburn Rovers, who were in charge during happier times at Ewood Park. Mark Hughes took them into Europe, while Sam Allardyce started his reign there with a 3-0 win over Stoke City in December 2008 and was surprisingly sacked two years later with the club 13th in the table. What they'd give to be in that position now. Last season's 2-1 win for West Ham over QPR was Allardyce's first Premier League success in the last seven over a Mark Hughes team. The Hammers' solid home form probably makes them slight favourites here, though once again they'll be without striker Andy Carroll, who is still recovering from a heel injury.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head
West Ham are enjoying a four-match unbeaten run against Stoke (W2, D2). This includes a 1-0 win at the Britannia Stadium in March courtesy of a Jack Collison goal.
Stoke's only Premier League win in four previous attempts at Upton Park (D1, L2) came in March 2010, when Ricardo Fuller scored in a 1-0 win.
The Potters are two goals away from reaching a 100 goals against the Hammers in all competitions.
West Ham and Stoke have both been involved in six 0-0 draws since the beginning of last season, joint league highs. However, there has never been a goalless Premier League draw between the clubs.
West Ham
The Hammers are unbeaten in their last six home league games (W4, D2) since a 3-2 defeat to Tottenham last February.
Sam Allardyce's men are yet to concede a goal so far this campaign. They have not kept three clean sheets in their opening three Premier League games since the 1998-99 season.
West Ham have kept clean sheets in three of their last four home matches.
The 617 passes attempted by West Ham is fewer than any other side in the Premier League so far this season.
Stoke
Mark Hughes has lost only three of 12 previous Premier League encounters against Sam Allardyce (W5, D4). One of those defeats was in the last meeting between the two men as West Ham saw off Hughes' QPR 2-1 last October.
Stoke, beaten at Liverpool on the opening weekend, won only twice away last season, the equal-lowest tally in last season's Premier League.
Asmir Begovic (14) has made more saves in this season's Premier League than any other goalkeeper.
The Potters' pass completion in their victory over Crystal Palace last week was 78%. Last season they averaged only 70%.

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Alou Diarra: West Ham midfielder likely to miss the rest of the season
BBC.co.uk

West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra is likely to miss the rest of the season with a serious knee ligament injury. Diarra, 31, picked up the knock in Wednesday's Capital One Cup second round win against Cheltenham. "It's a big blow to us in squad terms" said manager Sam Allardyce. "He was hoping to force his way into the side." The France international arrived from Marseille in August 2012. He struggled to settle and joined Rennes on loan for the rest of last season in January.

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West Ham United v Stoke City
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 30th August 2013
By: Preview Percy

We've kept Preview Percy busy this week. Well it stops him from going out and breaking all those restraining orders. Here's his look at this weekend's opponents Stoke City....

Next we entertain Stoke City at the Boleyn – 3pm kick-off on a Saturday. Excellent.

I have a major shock for you all at this point. Are you sitting down? Put that cuppa down. Seriously. Ready? Ok here goes: There are no engineering works on the District Line this weekend. I know, incredible isn't it? The last time that happened Arsenal had won a trophy – I think it was the Inter Cities Fairs Cup.

Our visitors this weekend come having replaced the manager during the close season. Tony Pulis had spent most of his career at the Britannia openly boasting of how he spent training sessions coaching his players in how to break the laws of the game. Quite how he escaped a disrepute charge for tis is a mystery. Actually it isn't – the FA are in charge of disciplinary matters so nobody should have been in the least bit surprised.

Towards the end of last season their form was a bit patchy and the stirrings of fans' unrest were there – at our 1-0 win at their place there was a "Pulis Out" banner on display for example.

Pulis is supposed to have turned up for a meeting at the end of last season with a big dossier over his vision for the view of the club's future. Chairman Peter Coates, possibly worried by a whole generation of Academy players being taught how to dive, punch and kick, decided that it was time for a change in footballing direction and, although the official announcement stated that the parting of the ways was "by mutual agreement" few bought that particular euphemism.

Pulis's replacement was Mark Hughes who had a few issues to sort out. Someone had left a pig's head in Kenwyne Jones' locker, something that resulted in Jones putting a brick through the car window of team-mate Glenn Whelan. This event was dismissed by Pulis as some sort of light-hearted high spirits, though given that it costs a few thousand to replace a sidelight on the average footballer's car, lord knows how much it cost to replace a whole window. I somehow doubt that that Brummie bloke from the ads would have been able to repair it with his "special resin" anyway.

There were other disciplinary issues to be dealt with. Striker Camerone Jerome found himself a cool £50k lighter in the wallet having infringed betting rules – though everyone was keen to point out that the offence involved neither match-fixing nor any matches in which the player or Stoke had had any involvement. So that's alright then. Jerome was highly critical of his former boss, by the way, suggesting that he had a favourite clique of players that were guaranteed a place irrespective of form.

Usually a new manager gets busy in the transfer market. However, with the transfer window about to close, their official site lists only three arrivals. And one of those is hardly a "new" signing, what with it being a re-signing of Jermaine Pennant. Pennant looked to be on his way from the Potteries having fallen out of favour during the latter part of last term. He spent a spell on loan at Wolves but failed to make any impression, other than to become the target of the boo-boys. On his return to the Britannia he was left on the sidelines and, since his contract expired at the close of the season, it looked like tag boy was on his way. However, the player was subsequently offered a one year deal and his name now sits proudly at the head of the list of new signings on their official site. Pennant's chequered personal life has been covered in these columns before – my favourite story is the one about him getting a phone call from the bloke in charge of the car park at Zaragosa Railway Station asking him if he was thinking about picking up that Porsche Turbo he'd left there several months back. "Ah – so that's where I left it". Easily done I suppose.

The biggest outlay so far this summer was the €3.6m (no idea but it doesn't sound much even if I knew what the exchange rate was) spent on left-back Erik Pieters, who arrived from PSV Eindhoven. Pieters was first choice left back for the Dutch national side for much of the past couple of years, though he did miss out on Euro 2012 due to a foot injury. In one of his final games for PSV he came on as sub and was involved in a defensive mix-up with the splendidly-named 'keeper Boy Waterman which let in Ajax for what turned out to be the winner. Ajax went on to win the title and there are some that say that Pieters' subsequent move to the Britannia was some form of punishment for his role in handing the Amsterdam side the title, although the player was quick to come out with the standard speech beloved of foreign players coming to these shores: "I have always wanted to play in the Premier League".

Another who has "always wanted to play in the Premier League" is central defender Marc Munisea. Munisea arrived on a free from Barcelona, signing a four year deal in the process. The 21 year old was part of the squad that won the Euro U21 tournament this summer – though his pitch time was limited to a ten minute cameo at the end of the 3-0 victory in the final group match against the Dutch when qualification for the semi finals had already been assured.. His "full" international career to date consists of a solitary cap for the Catalonian "national" side. This is something of an anomaly in world football as, although there is a Catalonian FA it is neither a member of UEFA or FIFA so their matches are sort of only semi-officially recognised. Gibraltar's recent election to full membership of UEFA and FIFA must have gone down well then.

Munisea was an unused sub in the 1-0 defeat at Anfield which opened their season with Huth and Shawcross preferred as the central partnership. Clearly the transition to total football is going to be a gradual one. They followed up that defeat with a home win against Palace – something I suspect may not be the last for them on the road. They then entertained Walsall in the League Cup coming out 3-1 winners, a slightly flattering result which came courtesy of a Kenwyne Jones hat-trick.

With the retirement of Michael Owen (who we all thought had knocked it on the head years ago), forward duties in the league have been entrusted to Peter Crouch and the somewhat hapless Jonathan Waters. Waters, you will recall, had the ultimate nightmare against Chelsea back in January, managing to score two own goals and miss a penalty all in the one match. He missed another penalty a few weeks later but, strangely, Stoke persisted with him as their spot-kick man into the current season. With only a couple of minutes left on the clock at Liverpool Agger's, handball gave Stoke a lifeline which they handed to Walters, who promptly saw his poor kick saved by Mignolet. I wouldn't have thought we'd be lucky enough to see Walters taking any spot kicks against us should they get one.

Our turn now. The Cheltenham match taught us little to be honest. I'd have thought that we already knew that Ravel Morrison has the potential to be a hell of a player. It's always nice to see Academy youngsters get a run out and Chambers can be happy with his night's work after a slightly nervy start, though I'd say he's still a while away from a challenge for a regular place. Collison disappointed me though. He hasn't featured in the league this season and did little to suggest that he should be pushing for more regular appearances, which is a shame as we all know that he's a good player on his day.

We will obviously revert back to a "first team" line up for this one. Andy Carroll is still not ready – the international break trip to Barcelona where those not on national service will be playing Espanyol in a friendly should see him see some pitch time with a view to seeing him turn out at some point during the Southampton game. So expect to see returns for the likes of JJ, Reid, Ginge, Noble, Nolan, Jarvis etc. I suspect that Joey O'B might get the nod over Roland as well. At time of writing the elusive new striker signing seems as far away as ever with the deal to sign this Roger Ramjet character seemingly now dead in the water.

Prediction time. As mentioned the continued reliance on a central defensive partnership comprised of the far from Messi-like pairing of Huth and Shawcross does suggest that if the leopard is changing its spots, it's not going to happen overnight. This would be the sort of battle that Carroll would relish. Maiga is a different sort of player so if we're to get the best out of him it'll be vital that we get play to his strengths and allow him to get amongst the defence on the deck.

Having said that, it's not been the greatest of starts for them – Liverpool ought to have been out of sight well before Walters' penalty faux pas and, let's face it, they're not going to be the last team to beat Palace at home this season are they? So I'm going to place the AGORHFTB fund to send Catherine Zeta Jones the fare to come and visit me (£2.50) – I believe that she's rather partial to older gentlemen and finds herself a t a loose end at the moment – on a home win. I'll plump for a battling 2-1 to us on this occasion.

Enjoy the game!

When Last We Met At The Boleyn Drew 1-1 November 2012
Walters scored from a corner where most observers noted at least three fouls by Stoke players blocking off potential challenges to the penalty kid. Joey O'B steered home a second half equaliser that was probably the least we deserved.

Referee: Jon Moss. Took charge of the reverse fixture last season and remained resolute in the face of some of the worst dives seen outside Anfield. The only blot on his copybook that day was his refusal to get the yellow card out for such transgressions. Still not to be confused with the "I'm sorry but they were no good then and I'm not accepting irony as an excuse now" crap 80's pop band drummer from Culture Club.

Danger Man: Ryan Shawcross – I use the word "danger" in its literal sense here – has a history of hospitalising opponents. His selection for an England squad is possibly the only time I've ever thought Carragher actually have been worth a call up.

Daft Fact Of The Week: The Captain of the Titanic Edward Smith, came from Stoke. With a captain from Stoke and its Port of Registry being Liverpool it's little wonder that the ship ended up taking a dive, resulting in the demise of over 1,500 souls and the creation of a film so gobsmackingly awful it made Plan 9 From Outer Space look like Citizen Kane. Had he been around Walters would probably have missed the resulting penalty as well.

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Bolton and West Ham agree Hall package
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 30th August 2013
By: Staff Writer

West Ham could potentially land around £2million from the sale of Rob Hall to Bolton, after a tribunal agreed a transfer fee this morning. Hall, touted for several years as one of the Academy's brightest prospects left for the Reebok Stadium in the summer after rejecting a new contract offer from United.
And this morning a panel agreed that West Ham would received £450,000 up front for the 19-year-old plus a further £250,000 should Bolton be promoted to the Premier League. Additionally, West Ham will receive a lump sum from Bolton for the first 100 games Hall plays for them. For Championship appearances the figure is £2,500 per game, and £10,000 per game for Premier League games. Additionally West Ham would receive 20 per cent of any profit from a future sale. Sam Allardyce, who was present at the tribunal admitted to being reasonable pleased with its outcome. "Often no one emerges from these tribunals fully satisfied," he said, "but the decisions have been made and we wish Robert all the best at his new club and move on."

The compensation package agreed is however a fraction of the fees West Ham were ordered to pay 15 years ago when signing Stephen Bywater from Rochdale and Jermain Defoe from Charlton. Both clubs received fees of circa £1.5million from West Ham for the pair, both only 16 at the time of their transfers.

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RVT can leave West Ham, says Allardyce
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 30th August 2013
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce says that Ricardo Vaz Te can leave West Ham, after the Portuguese forward handed in a transfer request. The 26-year-old former Bolton and Barnsley attacker asked to be made available for transfer when submitting a request to leave the club earlier this week. And Allardyce - who still harbours hopes of bringing in one or two new faces ahead of the transfer deadline - says that he will be happy to listen to offers. "Iif anybody's going to leave [ahead of the transfer deadline] now it would be Vaz," he confirmed. "You don't keep anybody that doesn't want to stay. If a club comes and makes the right offer for him then we would be more than happy to accommodate the transfer request he's given us. "[We've had no offers yet but] I would expect that in the next few days that we probably will have an inquiry. "I'm always ready to give someone a second chance, but at this moment in time if he wants to leave then he can, I've no problem with that. It's just that the club who wants him will have to pay a fair price that we consider is right for Vaz. "He won't get to leave this football club just because he wants to and somebody thinks they can get him for a price that we don't value him at."

Vaz Te joined West Ham in January 2012 and has scored 16 times in 48 appearances - although just four of those have been scored since West Ham returned to the Premier League. The wantaway forward earned a place in Hammers folklore on 19th May last year when his 87th minute strike aganst Blackpool at Wembley gave the Irons a 2-1 play-off Final win that catapulted them back into the top flight at the first attempt.

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Allardyce: Diarra out for the season
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 30th August 2013
By: Staff Writer

Alou Diarra could be out for the remainder of the 2013/14 campaign having sustained an anterior cruciate injury during Tuesday night's Capital One Cup win over Cheltenham. The French midfielder, who has barely made a first team appearance for West Ham since moving from France to London last summer will be sidelined until early 2014 after the ligament injury was confirmed. Sam Allardyce, speaking about the injury during this morning's pre-match press conference said: "The injury is more serious than we expected and it look like an ACL reconstruction. That will almost certainly finish Alou's season. "It's a big blow to us in squad terms, he was hoping to force his way into the side this season but obviously after that injury that won't be the case." 32-year-old Diarra, who moved to West Ham via Marseille a year ago this month has made just five starts for United since making his £2million switch. Of those five, only one has come in the Premier League.

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Unbeaten West Ham welcome Stoke to Upton Park
Last Updated: August 30, 2013 3:43pm
SSN

West Ham will look to continue their unbeaten start to the Premier League season against Stoke at Upton Park on Saturday. Both sides go into the clash in buoyant mood, with West Ham yet to lose this season, while Stoke are looking for a third-straight win in all competitions. West Ham began the campaign with victory over Premier League new boys Cardiff and the Hammers followed that up last week with a creditable goalless draw at Newcastle. Indeed, Sam Allardyce is disappointed not be going into this match with a 100 per cent record. Stoke opened their season with a one-goal defeat at Liverpool but Mark Hughes' men would likely have taken a point from Anfield had Jon Walters' late penalty not been saved. The Potters came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 at the Britannia Stadium last week and built upon that win with another home victory in the Capital One Cup against Sky Bet League One side Walsall.
Stoke have changed their traditionally-direct style slightly since Hughes took over from Tony Pulis and the new manager is hoping to go into the international break with a third consecutive win.

Paul Merson's prediction

I'm doing this game on Soccer Saturday and I don't see there being too many goals at all. I think West Ham are very strong at home; I've said a few times before that I think they'll pick up a lot of points at Upton Park this year and it will be a tough place to go for a lot of teams. I fancy them to win this game.
Stoke haven't been great in front of goal this season. They gave Crystal Palace a goal head-start last week and turned it around, but you don't want to be doing that away at West Ham. I think they'll lose this narrowly.

PAUL PREDICTS: 1-0

West Ham Badge West Ham
Last 6
Cheltenham (h)2-1
Newcastle (a)0-0
Cardiff (h)2-0
Pacos Ferreira (h)2-1
Braga (a)1-0
Hamburg (a)1-3

West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra will be absent after he was ruled out for the season. A serious knee injury in the Capital One Cup second-round victory over Cheltenham appears to have ended Diarra's campaign just two weeks in. Andy Carroll (foot) and George McCartney (knee) are also absent, but could be back in contention after the international break.

Stoke City Badge Stoke City
Last 6
3-1
C Palace (h)2-1
Liverpool (a)1-0
Genoa (a)0-0
Wrexham (a)0-1
Macc'field (a)1-2

Stoke striker Peter Crouch comes back into contention for the Barclays Premier League trip to West Ham on Saturday. Crouch missed Wednesday's midweek Capital One Cup win over Walsall due to illness, but will be vying for the lead forward role alongside Kenwyne Jones following the latter's hat-trick against the Saddlers. Manager Mark Hughes has only one player out through injury, with midfielder Jamie Ness still struggling with a thigh problem.

Opta stats:

West Ham have kept a clean sheet in three of their last four Barclays Premier League games at home.
Since the beginning of last season, West Ham and Stoke have both been involved in six 0-0 draws; joint highs in the Premier League.
Last season, 16.2% of the passes Stoke attempted in the Premier League were long passes. This season, that figure has dropped to 10.3%.

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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce suspects illegal approach for Ricardo Vaz Te
Last Updated: August 30, 2013 3:30pm
SSN

West Ham boss Sam Alladyce suspects wantaway striker Ricardo Vaz Te has been illegally "tapped up". Vaz Te, out of favour at Upton Park this season, has asked to leave the Hammers and Allardyce believes that the timing - just a few days before the end of the transfer window - points to an illegal approach. And Allardyce says he will allow Vaz Te to leave, provided the price is right. "If anybody's going to leave now it'll be Vaz," he said. "You don't keep anybody that doesn't want to stay. If a club comes in to make the right offer for him we'll be more than happy to accommodate the transfer request he's given us. "Generally when you make (a statement) like that, they've been tapped up. Someone would've probably already contacted him. "I am expecting a bid for him in the next couple of days because you don't do that sort of thing this late in the transfer window. "I would expect in the next couple of days we will have an inquiry. If not he's put himself in a difficult position having said what he's said if he doesn't have another club lined up." If Vaz Te does not leave, Allardyce says the former Barnsley star can fight for a first team place. "Nothing is beyond repair with me," he added. "20 years ago, 18 years ago, he'd probably never kick a ball again. In today's world of football and me being a bit more mature and mellow, I'm always ready to give someone a second chance. "At this moment in time if he wants to leave he can. There's no problem with that. The club who wants him will have to pay a fair price we consider is right. He won't just leave the club because he wants to."

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West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra 'out for season'
Last Updated: August 30, 2013 12:30pm
SSN

West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra could be out for the rest of the season after he suffered a serious injury in their Capital One Cup victory over Cheltenham on Tuesday night. The France international was stretchered off in the 34th minute of the second round match at Upton Park and could now be out for an extended period of time with an anterior cruciate ligament problem. "Our team news is that Alou Diarra got injured the other night and is not involved in the squad," Allardyce said of Saturday's Premier League clash with Stoke. "It's more serious than we expected and it looks like an ACL reconstruction, unfortunately.
"That will probably finish his season, that is a big blow to us in squad terms. He was hoping to forge his way into the side this season but, obviously with the injury, now that won't be the case."

No Vaz Te bids yet

Allardyce also confirmed they are yet to receive any bids for striker Ricardo Vaz Te, who recently put in a transfer request. "We've had no offers for Vaz Te yet but I'd expect that we have an enquiry for him in the next couple of days. If he wants to leave, he can," added Allardyce. "But the offer has to be right for us."Meanwhile, Allardyce admits he is happy with the club's start to the top-flight campaign, which has seen them pick up four points from their opening two matches. But he has demanded his team be more ruthless in front of goal after they spurned some excellent chances to claim victory as they were held 0-0 at Newcastle last weekend. "It's pleasing to have two league games without conceding, but our disappointment is that it's not six points," he said. "It's our fault we didn't get the three points at Newcastle, it was there for the taking. "In defensive terms though, two games in and Jussi Jaaskelainen hasn't had to make a save yet. Let's hope that he's in the same boat tomorrow. "If he keeps a clean sheet, I think we'll win."

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MATCH PREVIEW: WEST HAM V STOKE CITY
By Iain Dale 30 Aug 2013 at 22:04
West Ham Till I Die

Will he, won't he? Will Sam Allardyce have the courage to blood Ravel Morrison for the first time in a Premier League game? My bet is that he won't, for the very valid reason that none of our central midfield threesome of Diame, Noble and Nolan deserve to be dropped. Two games in and none of them have had a bad game. Hopefully, the knowledge that Morrison is knocking on the door will spur them on to greater things against Stoke. But I know we all hope that we will see Ravel Morrison at some point during the game.

I can see little case for making many other changes. It's possible that Razvan Rat could make his Premier League debut too, but to be honest it would be hard on Joey O'Brien. One thing I think we can be sure of is that Ricardo Vaz Te won't feature at all. Sam Allardyce is clearly furious with him and sent him to train on his own today.

On the wings, it looks as if Joe Cole will miss out to Stewart Downing, with Matt Jarvis on the other wing and Maiga in front of them.

I'm bringing my web designer Russell to the game tomorrow. He has never been to a football match and has no understanding of the game whatsoever. I'll let you know if he becomes a Hammers convert!

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Chelsea willing to let Demba Ba return to Newcastle on loan for £3million fee
30 Aug 2013 22:43
The Mirror
Mike Hewitt

Chelsea are ready to loan Demba Ba back to Newcastle – but they want £3million to do the deal for one season. Blues owner Roman ­Abramovich is willing to shake up his squad after signing Samuel Eto'o, which has left question marks over Ba and Fernando Torres. Newcastle are watching developments closely and fancy taking Ba with West Ham also keen – but both will be quoted the sky-high loan fee. Signed from Toon for £7m in January, striker Ba is the most likely departure from Chelsea before the window shuts but if £3m is a ­stumbling block, Newcastle will firm up their interest in Lyon's Bafetimbi Gomis. Southampton have joined West Brom, Liverpool and Crystal Palace in the battle to sign Chelsea winger Victor Moses on loan. Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino, who has already spoken to Jose Mourinho about the former Wigan ace, said: "We are keeping an eye on what happens in the market before the window closes. "We are not specifically looking at any one position but all teams expect perhaps to add one more player to improve the squad."

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West Ham United's Alou Diarra ruled out for season after cruel knee ligament injury blow
30 Aug 2013 16:24
The Mirror

West Ham United powerhouse midfielder Alou Diarra will be ruled out for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury, according to Hammers boss Sam Allardyce . The French international - who spent the second half of last season on loan to Rennes - tore knee ligaments in the Premier League side's 2-1 win against League Two Cheltenham on Tuesday. Diarra, signed from Marseille in 2012, was only on the pitch for 34 minutes before tearing his cruciate, and Allardyce admitted the injury was a cruel blow for him and his squad. "Alou got injured the other night unfortunately," he said. "The injury is more serious than we expected and it is an ACL [anterior cruciate ligament] reconstruction unfortunately. "That will probably finish his season, that is a big blow to us in squad terms. He was hoping to forge his way into the side this season but, obviously with the injury, now that wont be the case."

The Hammers will be looking to get back to maintain their unbeaten run against Mark Hughes's Stoke City after the 0-0 draw against struggling Newcastle United last weekend . Record signing Andy Carroll is still a week away from a return while George McCartney will also miss out through a knee injury, but could be back in contention after the international break.

Wets Ham United squad: Jaaskelainen, Adrian, Reid, Collins, Tomkins, Rat, Demel, O'Brien, Nolan, Collison, Morrison, Noble, Diame, Taylor, Vaz Te, Jarvis, Cole, Downing, Maiga

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West Ham United Make Offer For Juventus Striker
ForzaItalianFootball.com

West Ham United have reportedly made an offer for Juventus striker Fabio Quagliarella in hopes of signing him on loan for the 2013-14 campaign. According to Sportitalia, the English side have made a bid of €750,000 for the 30-year-old and are aiming to secure his services in a season-long loan deal with an option to buy later on. The proposal was reportedly submitted through Beppe Bozzo, agent of the former Udinese and Napoli man, who is now waiting along with West Ham for an answer from the Bianconeri. Juventus have been on a mission to unload two of their strikers this summer after signing Carlos Tevez from Manchester City and Fernando Llorente from Athletic Bilbao, and have already sold Alessandro Matri to AC Milan for a fee of around €11 million. Quagliarella, who has been with The Old Lady since 2010, has also been linked to other European clubs including Arsenal, Norwich City, Sunderland, and Shakhtar Donetsk.

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