Daily WHUFC News - 20th October 2013

Aguero double downs Hammers
WHUFC.com
Sergio Aguero's double helped Manchester City defeat West Ham United 3-1 on
Saturday
19.10.2013

West Ham United 1-3 Manchester City
Barclays Premier League

West Ham United were unable to prevent Manchester City from recording their
first away Barclays Premier League win of the season on Saturday evening.
Ricardo Vaz Te's 58th minute overhead kick gave them hope of overturning a
two-goal deficit to Sergio Aguero's brace either side of half-time, but City
always seemed to have the edge and sealed a 3-1 victory with a David Silva
goal. There were still positives to take for the Hammers, who did not allow
the game to run away from them as it could have done at 2-0, and forced City
onto the back foot for a spell around Vaz Te's strike.The visitors showed
their strength in seeing off the hosts, however, as they moved into the top
four, Ravel Morrison had the Boleyn Ground crowd on its feet with a spin
away from Yaya Toure on 14 minutes. He laid off to Mark Noble, who found
Mohamed Diame, and his swerving shot faded away and past Joe Hart's far
post. A minute later Manchester City went on the attack and Winston Reid cot
caught on the wrong side of Alvaro Negredo as the ball was played into him
inside the area, but the New Zealander recovered to tackle. However, the
Hammers did not heed the warning and they found themselves behind a minute
later when Negredo cleverly let Fernandinho's pass run through his legs and
into Aguero, who was suddenly in the clear and he kept his calm to roll
beyond Jussi Jaaskelainen and into the far corner. Three minutes later
Augero was presented with a great chance to double the tally when Negredo
leapt highest to nod David Silva's dink into the box back to the
Argentinean, but his shot was directed straight at Jaaskelainen.

City seemed to have a greater intensity about them and Negredo showed huge
desire to dispossess James Tomkins on the edge of his own box on 32 minutes
before dragging a left-footed shot past the far post. West Ham's moments of
threat before the break were limited, although with 40 minutes played Micah
Richards and Javi Garcia combined strongly to block a Vaz Te header
following Stewart Downing's right wing cross. At the other end Jaaskelainen
had to tip a Toure scorcher over the top and City did not have to wait too
long after the interval to stretch their advantage. The simplicity of the
51st minute goal would have annoyed Hammers boss Sam Allardyce as Aguero was
left all alone to nod Silva's left wing free kick into the top left corner
of the net. West Ham found that the best way to stem the tide was to go on
the attack themselves and they were right back in the contest just seven
minutes later. Vaz Te bagged his second goal in as many games, improvising
well to acrobatically volley home after Downing and Ravel Morrison had done
well to keep a Razvan Rat cross alive at the far post.

The game had a great tempo about it at this stage and the lively Negredo
almost restored his team's two-goal advantage just past the hour, but his
angled shot crashed against the bar and to safety. Shortly afterwards
Jaaskelainen was at full stretch to deny Aguero his hat trick, but City
could not be contained as an attacking threat and they made sure of the
points ten minutes from time. Silva was the goalscorer, sidestepping Reid
and firing home after Aguero made the space in the area to back heel to his
teammate. The goal gave the visitors a healthy cushion as they entered the
closing stages and the Hammers were unable to come again.

West Ham United: Jaaskelainen; Deme (O'Brien 65), Tomkins, Reid, Rat; Nolan
(Petric 82), Noble, Diame; Downing, Morrison, Vaz Te (Jarvis 65)
Subs: Adrian, Taylor, C.Cole, J.Cole
Goal: Vaz Te 58
Booked: Noble

Manchester City: Hart; Richards, Garcia, Nastasic, Clichy; Nasri (Milner
74), Toure, Fernandinho, Silva; Negredo (Kolarov 65), Aguero (Jovetic 82)
Subs: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Lescott, Dzeko
Goals: Aguero 16, 51, Silva 80
Booked: Silva, Nastasic

Referee: Michael Oliver
Attendance: 34,907

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Under-18s down Canaries
WHUFC.com
The Hammers' Under-18s bagged a fourth successive league victory with this
2-0 win over Norwich City
19.10.2013

West Ham United Under-18s made it four wins in four in the Barclays U18
Premier League, as they downed Norwich City 2-0 at Little Heath on Saturday.
A tight game for the most-part remained goalless until the 70th minute, when
Portuguese striker Marcio Martins popped up to fire the Hammers in front.
Then, in the final minute, Jerry Amoo's long run, from his own half into the
penalty area, earned the hosts a spot-kick as he was felled. Skipper Kieran
Bywater stepped up, confidently dispatching the penalty to notch his tenth
goal of the season.

Manager Steve Potts made several changes to the side that defeated Tottenham
Hotspur last weekend with Amoo, Sam Baxter, Jordan Brown, Emmanuel Onariase
and Djair Parfitt-Williams the men to drop out, while returning England U18
internationals Reece Burke and Kyle Knoyle, along with Martins, Nathan
Mavila and 'keeper Sam Howes earned a recall. The game started slowly and
the closest either side came to a goal in the first quarter of an hour were
two overhead kicks from Martins, neither of which posed a great threat to
Lloyd Thomas in the Norwich goal. Shortly afterwards, West Ham were
appealing for a penalty, when Bywater was upended, only for the referee to
award a free-kick right on the edge of the box. Uncharacteristically for
Bywater, the resulting free-kick was fired straight into the wall. West Ham
continued to press and might have broken the deadlock when Moses Makasi's
effort from 18 yards was parried by Thomas, before Mavila curled his low
strike round the far post. The best chance of the first half, however, fell
to Norwich's Jake Simpson, who found himself one-on-one with Howes, but
snatched at the chance and sliced over the crossbar. After the break, Lewis
Page almost scooped a clearance from a Norwich corner straight into the top
corner of his own net, but 'keeper Howes did brilliantly to claw the ball
away from the top corner. The Hammers, meanwhile, were much improved and
had three strikes on goal, but neither Martins, Knoyle or Mavila could make
the most of promising situations. The deadlock was eventually broken with 70
minutes on the clock, with Martins confidently slotting into the bottom left
corner of the net, having been played in by Bywater. Then, as Norwich looked
to grab an equaliser from a late corner, the ball was cleared into Amoo, who
collected inside his own half and looked to be headed for the corner flag.

Having run in excess of 50 yards, Amoo surged toward goal, prompting
Canaries defender Ben Burgess to concede a last-gasp penalty. It was Bywater
who stepped up to take it and did so confidently, taking his tally for the
season to an astonishing ten goals in ten games. Steve Potts' Academy outfit
will look to stretch their winning streak to five, when they head north to
take on Middlesbrough U18s on Saturday 26 October at 11am.

West Ham United Under-18s: Howes, Knoyle, Girdlestone, Burke, Page, Cullen,
Marlow (Amoo), Makasi, Mavila, Bywater, Martins.
Subs not used: Nemrava, Bailey, Onariase, Brown.

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'We had a good go'
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble believes West Ham United can hold their heads high, despite
losing at home to Manchester City
20.10.2013

Mark Noble believes West Ham United could not have given any more in
Saturday's 3-1 Barclays Premier League defeat by big-spending Manchester
City.
The Hammers slipped to their third straight league defeat at the Boleyn
Ground courtesy of two goals from Sergio Aguero and an outstanding clincher
from David Silva. Following Aguero's double. West Ham rallied and got back
into the game when Ricardo Vaz Te volleyed in with more than half-an-hour to
go, but Noble conceded that the Londoners had been beaten by the better side
overall. "We had a good go in the second half," Noble told West Ham TV. "We
had a couple of half-chances in the first half, too, where if the ball had
dropped or we could have bundled it in, we could have gone ahead. "They were
a couple of great pieces of skill by Aguero. Against those sort of teams you
have to ride your luck and they scored a couple of great goals and we got
beaten by the better team in the end."

After starting the match in the same 4-6-0 formation that secured a
sensational 3-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur in their previous fixture, the
Hammers were forced to go on the offensive when Aguero put City two goals
clear six minutes after half-time. For the next 20 minutes, with the
full-backs and wingers pushing on and Ravel Morrison, Kevin Nolan and
Mohamed Diame pressuring City's makeshift central defenders, West Ham
repeatedly knocked on the door. However, the ball just wouldn't drop to a
home player inside the City penalty area, allowing Silva to settle matters
at the end of fine move that also involved Yaya Toure and Aguero. "Me and
Nobby said it on the pitch when they scored their second goal that we were
going to push Ravel and Mo up and I think the Gaffer told them to get up and
pressure their back four and it seemed to work a little bit better. "We got
a foothold in the game and got a goal and it could have gone either way. As
it was, it was a great piece of skill from Aguero and David Silva that
finished us off."

In the final analysis, Noble conceded that City's expensively-assembled
squad had just had too much, but pointed out that West Ham supporters
recognised the effort put in by their team. "Manchester City did play well
but that's what you should expect when you spend £300 million. We didn't
embarrass ourselves and the fans could see that because they clapped us off
the pitch and we had a good go. "Sometimes against the top, top teams you
need a bit of luck but we never got that and we got beaten by the better
team."

Looking forward, West Ham will look to continue their fine away form - one
defeat and one goal conceded in four league matches - at Swansea City next
Sunday. There, Noble and company will be eager to erase the memory of last
season's 3-0 reverse at the Liberty Stadium, while also seeking to pick up
much-needed points as the first quarter of the season draws to a close. "The
thing is, we came off a great result against Spurs and although we lost on
Saturday, we can go into the game confident. We've been playing well in all
the games this season, apart from Stoke. "We've given a good account of
ourselves otherwise and we'll give it a good go."

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Big Sam's birthday blues
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce reflects on Saturday's Barclays Premier League defeat at home
to Manchester City
19.10.2013

Sam Allardyce lamented West Ham United's uncharacteristically charitable
defending as Manchester City ran out 3-1 winners at the Boleyn Ground to
dampen the manager's birthday celebrations. Sergio Aguero twice escaped the
attention of the Hammers' defenders to put the visitors two goals to the
good, and though Ricardo Vaz Te's acrobatic effort halved the deficit, David
Silva's tidy finish wrapped up the points with 80 minutes on the clock.

While Manchester City were excellent on the day, Big Sam was nevertheless
disappointed in the manner of the visitors' first two goals.

He told West Ham TV: "It's a miserable birthday for me, because the only
thing you want for your birthday is a good, positive result. But we didn't
get that and unfortunately, when you play a side of Manchester City's
quality, we need to hit top form.

"I don't think we set the tempo high enough at the beginning, and,
Manchester City, with their quality, got the ball down and kept it, passed
it and passed it until they got through us. It made life very difficult for
us. When we did win it again, we didn't pass it properly ourselves, we gave
it back to them.

"So they were controlling the tempo and then we made, unfortunately, a
howler of an error for the first goal. Just a straight little ball down the
middle and unfortunately neither of our centre-halves dealt with it, which
is very unusual for them. And you don't give Aguero a one-on-one with the
goalie. Very rarely does he miss and he puts it in.

"Not only did we do that, we did exactly the wrong thing on a free-kick six
minutes into the second half. So the first half was very disappointing,
apart from Jussi, who kept us in the game with some outstanding saves."

At the other end of the pitch, Big Sam conceded that his men had failed to
give England stopper Joe Hart enough to worry about, in the knowledge that
the 26-year-old had endured one or two difficult moments in recent weeks.
That said, the Hammers boss could, at least, take some solace in his side's
response to going two goals down.

He continued: "We had a few fleeting moments in the opposition's box, but we
didn't test Joe Hart enough by hitting the target, which I tried to insist
on before the game. He has made one or two errors, as we know, and we needed
to find out whether there was any nervous edge there.

"We certainly didn't hit the target enough to find that out and he did make
one outstanding save at 2-1 when we got through with Mo Diame's one-on-one.

"It was disappointing up until we went 2-0 down and then we showed a bit of
spirit, a bit of fight and a little bit of quality, at last. We scored a
very good goal and looked like we might actually get a result out of it. In
the end, we didn't score again in that spell and Manchester City scored a
very good third goal. I can't criticise the lads too much for that one, but
we'd already gifted them two."
Even in defeat, Big Sam pointed to the stand-out performances of Jussi
Jaaskelainen and Stewart Downing, though he acknowledged that too few of his
men were able to replicate their heroics at White Hart Lane.

"Stewart Downing was very, very good, and, like I said, Jussi too. But the
rest of the team never hit the same heights as they did at Tottenham, and
that's my big disappointment.

"For me, you can talk about systems, but at the end of the day, the players
have to play their best within the system that you pick and then it works.
It would always have to be the best performances from the XI out there to
compete against Manchester City and then see what happens. Unfortunately, we
didn't and Man City, on top of that, were very, very good as well."

Casting an eye toward next Sunday's trip to Swansea City, Big Sam knows
exactly what he expects of his side, namely a performance akin to the one
produced at Tottenham Hotspur.

"Certainly the last away performance at Tottenham is something we have to
try to emulate at Swansea. They've eventually won, having not won at home
for a very long time, against Sunderland.

"So we have to go there with a positive attitude and say to the players, I
want you to perform like you did at Tottenham and if you do that, you're
going to give Swansea a hell of a game and will get the chances to win the
game. Because Swansea, as good as they are, are not as good as Tottenham, so
if we get to that level, we'll get the opportunity. Whether we take it or
not will be a different matter."

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On this day - 20 October
WHUFC.com
The Hammers struck four on a profitable away day for the club in 1984
20.10.2013

Classic match
Stoke City 2-4 West Ham United
Division One
20 October 1984

Four different scorers saw the Hammers record a good away win at the
Victoria Ground on this day in 1984. Paul Allen, Paul Goddard, Tony Cottee
and an own goal from Stoke's George Berry saw the away side to victory in a
six goal thriller. The Hammers went on to finish the season in 16th place
whilst the Potters were relegated after finishing bottom of the league.

Complete record - 20 October
1923 Chelsea 0-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1928 West Ham United 2-4 Everton (Division One)
1934 West Ham United 2-0 Swansea Town (Division Two)
1951 Birmingham City 2-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1956 Bristol Rovers 1-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1973 Coventry City 0-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1971 Leeds United 0-1 West Ham United (League Cup)
1979 West Ham United 1-2 Luton Town (Division Two)
1984 Stoke City 2-4 West Ham United (Division One)
1990 Swindon Town 0-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
2001 West Ham United 2-0 Southampton (Premier League)
2012 West Ham United 4-1 Southampton (Premier League)
Played 12, Won 7, Drawn 2, Lost 3, Scored 20, Conceded 12

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Ladies to make do without Little
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies midfielder Stacey Little has been ruled out with a
long-term ankle injury
19.10.2013

Last weekend, West Ham United Ladies' title hopes took another hit with a
disappointing 4-1 FA Women's Premier League defeat at Keynsham Town Ladies.
One player who unfortunately had to sit out of that game is midfielder
Stacey Little, who suffered an ankle injury during a league meeting with
Spurs a fortnight ago, which could see her ruled out for the rest of the
season. That was tough news for the hard-working and dedicated 26-year-old
to take.
"I took a couple of heavy tackles to my ankle," Little explained. "I played
on after the first tackle in a lot of pain but the second tackle finished me
off. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to play on, I just couldn't. I later
found out I had chipped a bone in my ankle. "When I got the news, I was
fighting back the tears, which will explain how devastated I was. Even more
so, as I feel that I was having one of my best seasons so far."

While Little will not be on the pitch, she will be cheering her team-mates
on when they attempt to return to winning ways at Gillingham on Sunday, with
kick-off at Chatham Town FC at 2pm. Little's footballing career started on
the playground playing against the boys, before she joined her local team
Hatfield Youth.
"I never really started playing football until I joined Hatfield Youth. I
used to play with the boys at primary school at break time but that's as
serious as it got really. "Hatfield Youth were my local team. For me, at
that age, I suppose it was just a way for me to learn more about the basics
of the game."

Before long, Little found herself being advised to take a step up to a
higher level and, despite never being part of an Academy, she joined Queens
Park Rangers. "For years I have been told that I should be playing at a
higher level but I've never had the self-confidence for it. I don't know
that made me take the step, but one day I just thought I'd try it and see if
I was good enough and how I got on. "My inspiration has always been my Dad.
He was always there to drive me to games and is always honest with me
whether I have played well or not. Even now, he is still trying to teach me
a thing or two. "I never went to the Academy of any club as I didn't know
much about them when I was younger. However, I wish I had because I think
that they would have developed me more as a player. "My Dad was working with
a girl at the time that had previously played for QPR and she arranged a
trial for me. It was an easy decision for me to join them as they were at a
decent level of women's football for me to test myself."

Little's time at QPR helped her develop as a player as she was being coached
by more experienced coaches and playing against better teams, but she became
unhappy and decided to move to Charlton Ladies. "The best thing about my
time at QPR was experience at a whole. The level of football was new to me
and it was a chance for me to play with better players and learn new things
from the coaches and players around me to better myself. "I was unhappy at
QPR and was looking for a new club. At the time, Charlton had withdrew all
the funding from their women's team and lost all their players so were
starting from scratch with no players. "When I joined Charlton, they were in
the Women's Premier League playing against the likes of Arsenal, Everton and
Liverpool so again this was another massive step up for me. "Our manager,
Paul Mortimer, was an ex-professional footballer so he was very experienced
when it comes to the tactical side of the game as well as the physical
attributes needed."

In 2010, Little again decided to move on and there was only one team that
she wanted to move to. "I just felt the need to move on from Charlton to a
new team and new challenge and for me, the only team that I had in mind was
West Ham. "It was a little surreal when I joined West Ham Ladies but it was
a very proud moment for me and my family to put on that shirt for the first
time and play for the club I love."

Little is now in her fourth season with West Ham and looking back over her
career, she believes that her main growth as a footballer has been her
self-confidence. "I have developed as a footballer massively over the years.
When I look back from when I started at QPR to where I am now, my confidence
has been the main factor of my growth as a player. "This confidence came
from the start of my time at West Ham. It was Julia Setford that gave me the
opportunity and believed in my ability when I joined and I am forever
grateful to her for that."

Since getting injured during the 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur, Little
is trying to keep positive, but is taking the news that she may not play
again badly as she was planning for this season to be her last. "Although
the boyfriend is trying to remain positive for me, it's very hard for me to
stay positive in all honesty. "I was planning on this to be my last season
and now it's been cut short and I'm unsure whether I'll feature again at all
this season."

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West Ham 1 Man City 3
19 October 2013
Last updated at 19:56
By Chris Bevan
BBC Sport

Sergio Aguero scored twice as Manchester City saw off West Ham to go fourth
in the Premier League. City tore through the middle of the Hammers' defence
for their opener, with Alvaro Negredo leaving Fernandinho's pass for Aguero
to calmly slot home. Aguero made it 2-0 with a header from David Silva's
free-kick but Vaz Te replied with an acrobatic strike. That set up a tense
finish, until Silva found the top corner to seal City's first away league
win of the season.
City's form on the road has been the biggest concern for new manager Manuel
Pellegrini this season, and they badly needed a solid display in the first
of four successive away games in the league, Champions League and League
Cup. This was the third time that Sergio Aguero has scored more than once
away from home in a Premier League away match - he also scored twice in the
2-2 draw at Fulham on 18 September 2011 and 14 April 2012 - when he scored
two in the 6-1 win at Norwich.

They began strongly in east London, establishing a platform in midfield and
controlling that area of the pitch. West Ham were chasing shadows and City's
slick movement and passing saw them take an early lead through Aguero, who
galloped clear unopposed after 16 minutes. That was only the second goal
West Ham have conceded in open play in the Premier League this season, but
Sam Allardyce's side were looking vulnerable every time City came at them.
Aguero made space for another shot that just eluded Silva after squirming
out of Jussi Jaaskelainen's grasp, while the Hammers keeper did well to keep
out a curling Yaya Toure shot after a mistake by Winston Reid. The home
side, who were again operating without an out-and-out striker, did enjoy
spells of pressure too but they lacked a cutting edge when they put the ball
into the box and ended the first half without managing a shot on target.
Things got bleaker for West Ham after the break when Aguero met Silva's
free-kick with a pin-point near-post header - his first in the Premier
League - to double City's lead. But the Hammers responded with their best
spell of the match, culminating with Vaz Te's overhead kick after Ravel
Morrison had hooked the ball back into the danger zone.
City had gone ahead in both of their away Premier League defeats this
season, and their lead looked fragile again as West Ham bombarded their box
with crosses and free-kicks. This time, however, there was a different
outcome.

In contrast to their displays in defeats at Cardiff and Aston Villa,
Pellegrini's side kept their defensive discipline, and got their reward at
the other end too.
Negredo could have settled City's nerves when he slammed an angled shot
against the underside of the bar, while Jaaskelainen had to be alert to keep
out efforts from Aguero and Aleksandar Kolarov. Instead it was down to Silva
to put the game beyond West Ham's reach. He met Aguero's clever backheel on
the edge of the area to curl an unstoppable shot into the top corner and
ensure City embark on their next trip, to CSKA Moscow in the Champions
League on Wednesday, on the back of a win.

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce: "City were very, very good. Because they were
so good we could not get near our best. "The lads had a right go after going
2-0 down. Before that, we were nowhere near our best. We had to be at our
best, and they had to have an off day, for us to beat them. "For the size,
power and money they have, we could not live with them today. It showed at
times. "We could have felt sorry for ourselves and lost 4-0, but we made a
spirited comeback. We did not find the form we had at Tottenham. It did not
work today. The lads did not apply themselves as well."

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini: "Winning the game was the most
important thing for us. We played very well, and the best player for West
Ham was their goalkeeper. "We played as well as we did against Aston Villa
[when City lost 3-2]. Someone asked me if I needed to change the way we
played away, and I do not think so. "This team should always play in
attacking way because of the players we have. "We were absolutely sure
playing the way we were, we would win away. We lost against Cardiff and
Aston Villa, but football is like that."

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Allardyce on... Manchester City
KUMB,com
Filed: Saturday, 19th October 2013
By: Staff Writer

Big Sam was understandably disappointed by a third home defeat of the season
- whilst admitting that his team were distinctly second best...

Sam: I thought you gave it a good go today, especially after the second
goal?

Too late though, wasn't it. That's the problem. Manchester City were better
than us today. If we were to get a result then I've always said that you
have to play your very best - but sometimes the opposition don't allow you
to do that.

We came out of the traps hoping we could set the tempo but what happened is
that Manchster City decided they would, what with the quality of their
players. When you get the front two and Yaya Toure passing the ball like
they did it frightened us a little bit, put us on the back foot.

The sad thing was, even after all of that, when they got through our
goalkeeper was magnificent today - but then we made two basic errors for two
goals, rather than the quality of Aguero, Negredo or Silva putting the ball
in the back of the net with great, fluent moves.

A simple ball down the middle for the first goal and somebody not picking
the smallest man in Man City up on the second goal was really disappointing
for us. So gifting the two to them was something that you don't really
expect to come back from against a team of their quality.

But we gave it a go, and at least I was pleased with the response the lads
showed in not giving up and fighting right until the end. And, of course,
when we got back to 2-1 with a good goal that we scored we showed a little
bit more of the passing qualities that had failed us in the first half.

The constant passing back to our players and the opposition regaining
possession was the reason we didn't look anything like we did at Tottenham
two weeks ago. So really our only contribution from an attacking point of
view was 20, 25 minutes - but that was after Manchester City were already
2-0 up and that was too late.

Was James Collins maybe the most important missing element out there today?

No,
I don't think so. We played with James Tomkins and got a clean sheet against
Tottenham so I think whether it's James Collins or James Tomkins, the
quality of Negredo and Aguero was outstanding. The quality of their runs
with Yaya Toure and David Silva passing it to them. But, even when they
pierced our defence Jussi was there to save us today.

It wasn't the quality of the first goal, it was a huge mistake by our
defence and a good finish. But it wasn't really quality the second goal, it
was a huge mistake by us letting him have a free header seven yards out. To
be fair to him he's put both of them away pretty well but for him they
weren't difficult finishes because he didn't have any pressure on him.

What's the news on Guy Demel, who was substituted in the second half?

He's okay; it's just a dead leg.

Thank you.

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Sergio Aguero scores two as Manchester City beat West Ham
Last Updated: October 20, 2013 9:13am
SSN

Sergio Aguero scored two and set up a third as Manchester City climbed into
the top four of the Premier League with a 3-1 victory against West Ham at
Upton Park. The opening goal came in the 16th minute when Fernandinho's
slide-rule pass was allowed to run by Alvaro Negredo, putting the West Ham
defence on their heels and giving Aguero the opportunity to ghost into the
box and finish with aplomb beyond Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Best of the match:

Man of the match: Sergio Aguero can be the only winner after scoring two and
setting up David Silva for the third.
Goal of the match: Aguero's opener was excellent. From Fernandinho's
slide-rule pass, to Alvaro Negredo's excellent dummy and the Argentina
international's cool finish.
Moment of the match: West Ham looked as though they could get back into the
match before Aguero and Silva put the game beyond them 10 minutes from time.
Save of the match: Jussi Jaaskelainen could not be blamed for any of the
goals and he produced a fine stop to deny Aguero his hat-trick in the second
half.
Talking points: Can Manchester City reclaim the Premier League crown this
season? How long will Sam Allardyce preserve with his 4-6-0 formation.

The Argentina international then accepted a gift-wrapped second from the
home side early in the second half as he was left unmarked eight yards out
to power a header in at the near post from David Silva's free-kick despite
the best efforts of Jaaskelainen. West Ham responded well and enjoyed their
best period of the match, which culminated in an improvised response as
Stewart Downing's header back across the box was flicked on by Ravel
Morrison for Ricardo Vaz to fire an overhead kick into Joe Hart's bottom
corner in the 58th minute. But City's first away win in the Premier League
this season was sealed with 10 minutes remaining as Aguero turned provider,
setting up Silva with a neat back-heel to curl a powerful left-foot shot
across Jaaskelainen to halt any hopes of a comeback from the home side.
Hopes were high among the home fans at kick-off. With the 3-0 win at
Tottenham still fresh in their minds, rarely-heard chants of "Sam
Allardyce's barmy army" rang out around Upton Park.

Grip

West Ham started with the same purpose and drive they displayed at White
Hart Lane two weeks previously. Mohamed Diame picked the ball up from Razvan
Rat before cutting inside and hitting a swirling shot that flew inches wide
of Joe Hart's goal. Then City started to take a grip of the game. Reid put
in a crucial tackle to deny Aguero but the New Zealand defender switched off
moments later and City's Argentina striker took full advantage. Fernandinho
played a long ball along the floor from the halfway line towards Negredo.
Winston Reid and James Tomkins expected the Spaniard to collect the ball,
but he sold them a dummy, leaving the ball completely. Aguero was in behind
the two defenders and he slotted the ball calmly past Jaaskelainen.

Pellegrini on important win

Aguero could have made it 2-0 two minutes later, but he volleyed straight at
the West Ham goalkeeper while free inside the box. City were playing some
delightful football. Silva was given too much time on the ball and he kept
looking to unlock the home defence with a series of superb incisive passes.
Aguero was looking unstoppable. The striker slalomed his way through the
West Ham back line and drew another save from Jaaskelainen. Silva then
entered the book with a dangerous late tackle on Rat and Michael Oliver also
cautioned Kevin Nolan. West Ham were barely creating anything going forward.
Vaz Te headed weakly into Hart's arms just before half-time. City flew up
the other end and would have doubled their lead had Jaaskelainen not pulled
off a save to deny Yaya Toure.

Shambolic

What Allardyce said to his team at half-time had little effect as the
Hammers fell 2-0 down after another piece of shambolic defending. This time
Vaz Te was the offender. The Portuguese player gave Aguero two yards of free
space in the box and the striker capitalised by nodding Silva's cross past
Jaaskelainen.
But West Ham responded and Rat's cross made its way to the back post where
Downing headed back and Morrison flicked on before Vaz Te, with his back to
goal, acrobatically beat Hart from eight yards. The goal lifted the home
side, but City went back on the attack with Negredo, who struck the bar on a
breakneck counter. West Ham were vulnerable as they pushed for an equaliser
and City capitalised. With 10 minutes left, the visitors went on a lightning
counter-attack. Toure played in Aguero, who back-heeled to Silva and he
curled the ball home after giving Reid the slip.

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Sam Allardyce admits West Ham errors gifted Manchester City victory
By Rob Parrish - Follow me on Twitter @skysportsrobp | Last Updated: October
19, 2013 8:33pm
SSN

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce admitted his side only had themselves to blame
following their 3-1 defeat by Manchester City at Upton Park. Two defensive
blunders allowed Sergio Aguero to put the visitors 2-0 up, with James
Tomkins and Winston Reid falling for Alvaro Negredo's dummy for the opener
in the 16th minute, as Aguero ran onto Fernandinho's excellent pass to beat
Jussi Jaaskelainen. Ricardo Vaz Te then switched off and left Aguero
unmarked to head home David Silva's free kick early in the second half,
although the West Ham man redeemed himself to an extent with an overhead
effort which brought the home side back into the game. But the result was
put beyond doubt 10 minutes from the end when Aguero's neat back-heel set up
Silva to curl a third beyond the helpless Jaaskelainen, who made several
excellent saves throughout the game. Allardyce told Sky Sports: "We gave two
dreadful goals away from our point of view. They have created some very good
chances and our goalkeeper has kept us in the game. "That is what
disappoints me, that Manchester City's goals were given, rather than earned,
and in the end we paid the price for that. "We gave a spirited fight-back
when we got to 2-1. We showed what we could do for a period of time and made
Manchester City's defence look shaky. "But, unfortunately, it was far too
late."

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Kevin Nolan bemoans lack of England chances for West Ham team-mates
Last Updated: October 19, 2013 12:35pm
SSN

West Ham United captain Kevin Nolan has bemoaned the lack of international
chances for his English team-mates. England boss Roy Hodgson was in
attendance for the Hammers' impressive 3-0 win at Tottenham but, despite
having five Englishmen in their starting line-up, not one player received a
call-up for the recent World Cup qualifiers against Montenegro and Poland.
Nolan, who has represented England at under-21 level, believes that Sam
Allardyce's side are often ignored by the national team, regardless of how
well they are performing. "There's eight months to go to the World Cup and
West Ham have probably got the biggest, strongest English set of players in
the country. I don't think there's anyone like us," he told the Sun. "It
feels like the England manager doesn't seem to notice us. Hodgson was at our
game at Spurs but that was because everyone had been talking about Jermain
Defoe. "But you can't tell me he went there and Ravel Morrison or Stewart
Downing, James Tomkins and Mark Noble at least didn't catch the eye. He must
be thinking there's at least four lads there he could call up. "It's very
frustrating. We finished 10th last year and the boss has strengthened the
squad in the summer. If those lads were from other European countries, they
would have caps."

Nolan also pointed the finger at the influx of overseas players in the
Premier League as one of the reasons for England's failings in recent years.
"Something must be done about the amount of foreign players. Playing with
the best players makes it best for the Premier League, but does it make it
the best for England?" said Nolan. "Joe Hart is the only Englishman at Man
City getting regular games. Joleon Lescott would get in most Premier League
sides and you have Micah Richards and James Milner. "They have got Champions
League experience and trophies but they are certainly not regulars. Those
boys should be Man City's main men in my eyes."

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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FOOTBALL FOR WEST HAM
By Sean Whetstone 20 Oct 2013 at 08:00
West Ham Till I Die

This is the last in a series of financial articles which explain the
financial rewards of the League Cup, FA Cup, Europa league and the Premier
league. This last article will explore the lofty ambitions of the financial
rewards that await us in the UEFA Champions league. Since 2007 successive
owners of West Ham have set the ambition for Champions League football for
West Ham.

"Champions League? No question about that. Give me at least five years and
from then on. No question," Eggert Magnusson,Chairman of West Ham United,
March 29th, 2007.

"We have a seven-year plan to get them into the Champions League" David
Sullivan Joint Chairman, West Ham United January 2010

"We hope to close that gap. Our aim is to finish third or fourth. In five or
six years, once we get the revenues from the stadium, we will be a force to
reckon with." David Sullivan Joint Chairman, West Ham United March 2013
Champions League Money

UEFA's revenue for the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Super Cup
comes from TV rights and commercial contracts worth of around £1.135bn.
75% of the total revenue from media rights and commercial contracts
concluded by UEFA, up to a maximum of the first £449m, will go to the clubs,
while the remaining 25% will be reserved for European football, and will
remain with UEFA to cover organisational and administrative costs as well as
solidarity payments to associations, clubs and leagues.

A total of 82% of any revenue received from the same stream in excess of
£449m will go to the clubs, with the other 18% allotted to European football
and remaining with UEFA for the purposes listed above.

£46.6m is assigned to the Champions League play-offs, as was the case in the
2012/13 season. Each of the 20 teams taking part in the play-offs will
receive a fixed amount of £1.77m. After the deduction of the allocation for
the clubs involved in the play-offs, the gross amount available for the UEFA
Champions League and UEFA Super Cup totals £1.088bn

The net amount available to the participating sides is divided into two –
£424.3m in fixed payments (group stage allocations, performance and
qualification bonuses) and £347.1.6m in variable amounts (market pool). The
market pool amount will be distributed according to the proportional value
of each television market represented by the clubs playing in the UEFA
Champions League (group stage onwards), and will be split among those teams
competing from a given association.

The 32 clubs featuring in the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League group stage can
anticipate a minimum £7.2m. The side that eventually wins the UEFA Champions
League title this term could collect £31.7m, not counting the market pool
share.

Each of the 32 teams involved in the group stage will collect a base fee of
£7.3m. Performance bonuses will also see £847,457 paid for a win and £423728
for a draw in the group phase. The sides competing in the round of 16 can
also expect to receive £2.9m each, the eight quarter-finalists £3.3m and the
four semi-finalists £4.1m. The UEFA Champions League winners will pick up
£8.9m and the runners-up £5.5m.

Despite a Premier League club failing to make the last eight for the first
time in 17 years last season. Manchester United came out on top of the
Premier League clubs by collecting £30.5m, while Manchester City received
£24.7m, Chelsea made £26.3m and Arsenal got £26.8m. UEFA says Bayern got
£47.3m in prize money and bonuses, edging beaten finalist Borussia Dortmund
who received £46.4m.

So there you have it! All we have to do now is qualify for Champions league
football.

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Ravel Morrison uses his first-name on his West Ham shirt because of poor
relationship with father
19 Oct 2013 22:31
The Mirror

The West Ham youngster changed the name on the back of his shirt in a bid to
distance himself from his dad, with whom he has a difficult relationship
Ravel Morrison requested special dispensation from the Premier League to
have his first name on the back of his West Ham shirt. And the name change
was down to Ravel's wish to distance himself from his dad after their
relationship had deteriorated. An earlier similar request to the Football
League was turned down on the basis that he had already been named as
Morrison. But the Premier League sanctioned the switch and it appears to be
part of the lad turning over a new leaf.
Morrison's troubled past was one reason why Sir Alex Ferguson finally
decided to let the youngster leave Manchester United in 2012. There were
allegations that Morrison had even gone to the lengths of securing a
restraining order against his parents. And, prior to joining West Ham, he
was living with his grandparents, in Denton, Greater Manchester. It appears
the rift with his mum has now subsided, even though he has a police caution
for assaulting her.
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has revealed that the club follow Morrison's
twitter account to see what he's up to. He landed himself in trouble in
February last year after posting a homophobic threat and was fined £7,000 by
the FA. But trouble still stalks him, as, last week, he was involved in an
ugly on-field row with Under-21 team-mate Wilfried Zaha that was halted by
the interjection of team-mate Nathan Redmond.

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David Gold praises Ravel Morrison but warns not to follow path of Paul
Gascoigne and George Best
19 Oct 2013 22:30
The Mirror
Mike Hewitt

David Gold has told Ravel Morrison he's got the whole world in his hands –
but has warned the young star not to blow it. The West Ham co-owner thinks
Morrison can go from bad boy to poster boy after a man-of-the-match display
for England Under-21s earlier in the week. The 20-year-old has been tipped
to break into Roy Hodgson's World Cup squad after two recent jaw-dropping
goals for the Hammers and the Young Lions. But his bust-up with ­team-mate
Wilfried Zaha near the end of the European ­Championship qualifier against
Lithuania on Tuesday revived memories of a career plagued by disciplinary
problems and off-the-pitch issues. Gold said: "It's up to him now. He's 20
years of age and he can be anything. I truly believe we have a young genius
emerging. "He is such an exciting ­prospect for us. "He's gone past the
stage where people have told him you can be a star and it's now completely
100 per cent in his hands. That happens to a lot of players. "It happened to
Paul Gascoigne and to George Best. It was in their hands. Yes, they need
help in their teens. But once they are in their twenties – with Gascoigne,
Best and now Ravel – it's up to them."

Morrison was booted out of Manchester United last year and looked set to
leave Upton Park this summer. But he got his head down towards the end of a
season-long loan spell at Championship side Birmingham last term. He had a
furious confrontation with Zaha at the Under-21s match at Portman Road, with
Norwich midfielder Nathan Redmond having to act as peacemaker. But Gold
believes Morrison is now a reformed character – especially as he has great
support from his West Ham team-mates. The Hammers co-owner said: "He has,
obviously, had ­difficulties in the past. I've read that he's had
difficulties.
"But whenever I meet him and I see him, I believe he is a very sensible
young man. I believe all the ­troubles are behind him. We should stop seeing
him as a problem young man. He's not. He's level-headed, he's sensible, he's
charming. "We've got good people looking after him and out for him at our
club. West Ham United have a great tradition in doing this. "Joe Cole helps
him. He's got Mark Noble, who's come through the ranks. He's got Kevin
Nolan, the best captain in the Premier League in terms of man-management.
"Kevin has embraced him and there is this great camaraderie. He is in this
fantastic place. So it's now up to him."He's got Sam Allardyce and West Ham
is a great club for looking after its players."

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