Daily WHUFC News - 3rd October 2013

Jack planning positive loan spell
WHUFC.com
Birthday boy Jack Collison is hoping a loan spell with AFC Bournemouth will
help him hit top form
02.10.2013

Birthday boy Jack Collison is hoping a loan spell with AFC Bournemouth will
help him hit top form. The West Ham United midfielder joined the Cherries on
a one-month emergency loan deal on Tuesday afternoon, making his debut just
a few hours later in a 2-1 Sky Bet Championship defeat at Leeds United.
Having made just one substitute appearance for the Hammers in the Barclays
Premier League so far this term, Collison is hoping regular football with
Bournemouth will help him to force his way back into Sam Allardyce's
thoughts. "It was a busy day, but I was able to get to the stadium and I was
grateful to get on the pitch," Collison, who celebrated his 25th birthday on
Wednesday 2 October, told BBC Radio Solent. "I wasn't on the bench for West
Ham at the weekend and the opportunity to come here arose. It's a fantastic
club, which is on the up, and hopefully I can help them and they can help
me."

As any player would be, Collison admitted to feeling frustration at his lack
of first-team football with West Ham, but the No10 is not the sort of
character to give up without a fight. Having bounced back from the knee
injury that restricted him to just 21 appearances last season, he is now
hoping to work on his fitness and form during his month-long stay at the
Goldsands Stadium. Collison could feature in three more Sky Bet Championship
fixtures for Bournemouth at home to Millwall and Leicester City and away at
Nottingham Forest. The midfielder also hopes to play in Wales' final two
2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers at home to FYR Macedonia and away to Belgium
during the upcoming international break. "I haven't been involved as much as
I would have liked [at West Ham], so it's a good opportunity for me to come
here and show what I can do," he added. "It's a bit disappointing [to have
the international break during the loan spell], but it's a chance for me to
go away with Wales and get some more football. "Hopefully I can come back
fitter and sharper and ready to do the business."

Collison's fellow Academy graduate Jordan Spence has returned from a loan
spell with Bournemouth's Sky Bet Championship rivals Sheffield Wednesday.
The former England U21 defender started four games for the Owls during his
time at Hillsborough.

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The Big Interview - Kevin Nolan
WHUFC.com
The West Ham United skipper on taking chances, penalty decisions and more
02.10.2013

West Ham United captain Kevin Nolan admits the Hammers are having a
frustrating time at present. A failure to take chances and a number of
controversial refereeing decisions have left West Ham sitting just above the
Barclays Premier League's bottom three. However, skipper Nolan said the
players and staff will not allow the situation to play on their minds and
will be working even harder to turn the recent slide in results around -
starting at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Nobby, Saturday's defeat at Hull City must have been frustrating,
considering we dominated the game for long periods, had 60 per cent
possession and unleashed 18 shots at goal?

KN: "Of course, because stats don't lie at the end of the day. They got
given a penalty which wasn't and we didn't get given one which was [a
penalty], but it was just one of those things. They got 1-0 up and defended
fantastically. "Hull are newly-promoted and they've got eleven points and
they deserved it on Saturday because of the hard work and effort they put
in, but we had more than enough chances to get back level and it's criminal
by us that we're not putting them away at the moment."

What was your view of the incident where Jake Livermore appeared to handle
the ball inside the Hull penalty area?

KN: "At the end of the day it was a blatant handball and everyone knows it
was a handball, and that's the be-all and end-all. The referee has got to
give it and, after what he has given earlier in the game, he's got to give
that penalty. "I thought they were very poor decisions for both penalties
because if he gave us the penalty we would have got back to one-all and the
game changes. Hull would have had to come out because they couldn't just sit
in. "We have pressed them all the way but it just wouldn't fall for us. You
have those days, so this is a time when we've just got to stick together and
we are doing that. No-one is pointing the finger."

You seem to be getting into good positions but not putting the ball in the
net?

KN: "Definitely. As I said, we're creating chances and if we weren't
creating chances we'd be really worried. It's just about them falling to us
now. It's inches rather than anything else. If we just keep doing the right
things, we know it's going to turn for us. "In the last couple of weeks,
refereeing decisions have hurt us and it's massive because it could have
been another couple of points on the board. We've now got five points after
six games and we're just above the relegation zone and it costs us
massively. "These lads have got to realise that - they are professional
referees now and they've got to get everything right."

Presumably you cannot get your injured forward players back soon enough?

KN: "Of course. When your major signing cost £15million and he's not
playing, it's going to affect you, but it's down to the lads to step up to
the plate. Mo [Maiga] has had a few chances on Saturday and he probably
could have done better with a couple, but it wasn't to be. "At the end of
the day, we've just got to keep fighting and creating the chances and one of
them will go in. Mladen Petric is getting up to full-speed with us and we've
got Carlton Cole who is going to join in with us soon in training.
"Hopefully we'll start creating more and better chances and converting
them."

As captain, what do you say to the other players in the dressing room during
a difficult period like this?

KN: "We can't afford to panic and, at the end of the day, we understand the
position we're in. I've been in this type of position at this stage of the
season before. At the minute, things are just not falling for us and
refereeing decisions are absolutely killing us - little decisions they have
to get right are going against us at the moment. "Last week, Nobes won the
ball, but he got sent-off and they (Everton) scored a goal and went on to
beat us 3-2. If he'd stayed on we might have seen the game out and won 2-1
or got a draw but that's the way it is. "I still cannot believe why Hull
have got a penalty when I've seen it and I've seen the handball and it's as
blatant as can be. It's very disappointing overall but we'll just keep
plugging away and stick together. We've got a good camaraderie at this Club,
throughout the players and staff and the fans, who I thought were fantastic
again at Hull. They came down in their thousands again and we're just hoping
we can get the results we feel we deserve."

So, looking down the fixture list, we now travel to Tottenham Hotspur and
welcome Manchester City to the Boleyn Ground...

KN: "Definitely with the way it is going at the moment, everyone is beating
everyone. Tottenham are in a great run of form but it's a local derby and
we're going to go there with nothing to lose and have a good go at them.
Hopefully it'll be the start of the little run that we need."

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Learning Academy off and running
WHUFC.com
West Ham United CST got off to a flier with a 3-2 victory over Dagenham and
Redbridge
02.10.2013

West Ham United CST are off and running in the Football Conference Youth
Alliance and will bid to make it two wins out of two when they play host to
Canvey Island on Wednesday 9 October. Following an eventful summer of
trials, the SCL Learning Academy turned out for their first competitive
fixture a fortnight ago, edging past Dagenham and Redbridge 3-2 in the Beds,
Essex & Herts Division. Jointly managed by the experienced duo of Bryan
Glover and Simon Copley, the Hammers owed much to an Albert Akinremi double,
followed by a third courtesy of substitute Reece Collins. Though the Daggers
subsequently clawed their way back to within a goal, the hosts hung on to
register an opening-day win. While encouraged by a positive start, Copley
acknowledged that it remains very early days for his side. He told
whufc.com: "We're pleased with the boys' first performance, although there
is still obvious rawness and work to be done.
"We have set the foundations of discipline and hard work, a philosophy that
the lads have bought into straight away. There is a feel-good factor within
the squad which will help us accelerate our development and progress. "We
felt in control against the Daggers throughout, but couldn't capitalise
quite enough and made unforced errors in the final third. When we did trust
our shape and each other though, the signs were promising."

The two-year programme will see the Academy players study a broad range of
nationally recognised qualifications, within the domain of sport, coaching
and fitness. As for the football, UEFA licenced coaches are on hand each day
to, hopefully, propel the youngsters toward a long-term career in the game.
Senior football development officer Bryan Glover said: "All in all, after a
competitive fixture, I was pleased with our players' character to come
through and win it.
"It was a tight game and encouraging to see both sides playing the game the
right way. We now need to make sure we continue to improve as the season
progresses."

Next up for the Hammers is the visit of Canvey Island to Beckton on
Wednesday, fresh from an emphatic 6-1 win at Welling United Blues. For full
details of forthcoming fixtures, results and tables, visit the FA's website
here.

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Collison motivated by Cherries move
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 2nd October 2013
By: Staff Writer

Jack Collison says he intends to use his loan spell with Championship club
AFC Bournemouth to give Sam Allardyce "a few headaches". 25-year-old
Collison joined Bournemouth yesterday and made his debut for the Cherries in
last night's 2-1 defeat to Leeds. Yet despire dropping a tier in order to
obtain some much-needed first team football, the Welsh international
maintains that his target is to regain a stating spot at the Boleyn Ground.
"Hopefully I can do well and give the manager at West Ham a few headaches,"
he told BBC Radio Solent. "I haven't been involved with West Ham as much as
I would like so this is an opportunity for me to show what I can do. "I
believe in myself and hopefully I can do well for Bournemouth. It's a chance
for me to come and play some football. I want to do my best for the team and
we'll see what happens at the end of the month." "It's a fantastic club on
the up and obviously I hope I can help them and they can help me and it will
be a partnership made in heaven."

Meanwhile Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe revealed that he was excited at the
prospect of adding Collison to his squad - albeit only temporarily. "We have
no doubts about Jack because I think he's a top class player," Howe added.
"When you don't know your team-mates or the system it's very difficult. But
he came in and did very well [last night]. "

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Kevin Nolan urges West Ham to turn chances into goals
Last Updated: October 2, 2013 11:49am
SSN

West Ham skipper Kevin Nolan is convinced the Hammers will soon start
knocking in the goals and move quickly up the Premier League table. The east
London club have not tasted a league victory since the opening day of the
season and currently rest 17th in the table. They are yet to score an away
league goal in three attempts and Nolan told the club's website: "We're
creating chances and if we weren't creating chances, we'd be really worried.
"It's just about them falling to us now. It is inches rather than anything
else. If we just keep doing the right things, we know it's going to turn for
us. "In the last couple of weeks, refereeing decisions have hurt us and it
is massive because it could have been another couple of points on the board.
"We've now got five points after six games and we're just above the
relegation zone and it costs us massively."

With Andy Carroll still sidelined, the Hammers have been working hard on
improving Mladen Petric's fitness, with the Croatia striker having only made
two league appearances so far as a second-half substitute. But Nolan
believes the 32-year-old will soon be fully fit. He added: "Mladen is
getting up to full speed with us and we've got Carlton Cole, who is going to
join in with us soon in training. "Hopefully we'll start creating more and
better chances and converting them."

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THE 1972 LEAGUE CUP RUN: AN EXHAUSTING TIME
By Tony Hanna 2 Oct 2013 at 13:52
West Ham Till I Die

In my short time writing mainly nostalgia pieces for this site, we have
looked back on some wonderfully sunny days in the Hammers history. It would
not be the West Ham way if we did not remember one evening that was filled
with gloom and despair. In fact it was two evenings really as we look back
at the League Cup semi-finals against Stoke in the 1971-72 season.

It was an exhausting time for the players and fans as West Ham's League Cup
run started with a draw at home to Cardiff before winning the replay 2-1 in
Wales. Next up was Don Revie's mighty Leeds. Again a draw at home followed
by a totally unexpected 1-0 win in the replay at Elland Road after extra
time! Two games down and both had gone to replays with one going to extra
time. Just to ensure things did not get easier our next game was to be
against Liverpool at home. More than 40,000 packed Upton Park that night as
Pop Robson scored a late winner in a 2-1 victory. So to the quarter final
and Pop scored a hat trick in a 5-0 win against Sheffield United to ensure a
two legged semi-final against Stoke City.

The first leg was at Stoke and we came home with a 2-1 win and the Hammers
were just 90 minutes away from Wembley. The second leg at Upton Park saw
Stoke take the lead in the 73rd minute after a Tommy Taylor and John
McDowell mix up. In the final minutes there came a memory I have never
forgotten. I was right behind the North Bank goal to witness Harry Redknapp
brought down in the box and Geoff Hurst stepped up to take the penalty that
would have sent us to Wembley. Well, history tells that Gordon Banks was to
save Geoff's spot kick and take us to extra time yet again but with no
change to the 2-2 aggregate score. So a third game was necessary and was
played at Hillsborough where the kick off was to be delayed by traffic
congestion. Yet again it went to extra time but with no score it was to go
to a fourth match to finally decide our fate. Ron Greenwood had lost the
toss after the match for choice of venue and then found out that the team
coach had been sabotaged. During the game someone had taken the petrol cap
off and filled the tank with sand!


So on to the 26th January, nearly two months after the two teams first met,
we trudged off to Old Trafford on the wettest and windiest night you could
imagine. The stadium was under renovation at the time and Hammers fans that
were there that night would remember there was no shelter for us against the
elements. The match was packed with incident, starting with Stokes Terry
Conroy kicking our keeper Bobby Ferguson "accidentally" in the head.
Ferguson had to go off and Bobby Moore volunteered to go in goal. There was
not the luxury of three subs back in those days and Ron Greenwood was hoping
Ferguson would come good with a small spell off the pitch before considering
our only substitute, Peter Eustace. Within minutes Stoke had a penalty and
incredibly Bobby Moore saved Mike Bernard's shot only for the rebound to be
drilled back for the opening goal. Still playing with ten men and with Moore
in goal, Billy Bonds fired us level and back in with a chance. A sublime
Trevor Brooking volley put us 2-1 ahead, and dreaming again, before Dobing
made it 2-2. Ferguson was to return in the second half but Stoke were to try
and take every opportunity to exploit Ferguson's now dodgy vision and Conroy
struck the winner as we continually back pedalled to try and provide cover
for him.

It was finally all over! That Cup run saw us play ten games with three going
to extra time and the four matches against Stoke saw 420 minutes played in
front of a total attendance exceeding 170,000. In days of muddy pitches and
no penalty shoot outs, this tie will never be forgotten by fans who
witnessed this incredible marathon that just about had it all – except for a
Hammers Wembley dream of course.

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JACK COLLISON LOANED TO BOURNEMOUTH AND OTHER NEWS
By S J Chandos 2 Oct 2013 at 08:00
West Ham Till I Die

It has been confirmed that Jack Collison has been sent on an emergency 1
month loan to Championship club, Bournemouth. At first sight, this decision
will probably puzzle most fans. Some will reason that at a time when we are
severely struggling to score goals, Sam Allardyce has seen fit to ship out
on loan a midfielder who possesses a natural goal scoring touch in the final
third. No doubt, they will see this as a prelude to a permanent move in
January. That could be the case, but it is also more than possible that
Allardyce is loaning him out for this short period to up his game time and
sharpen his game ahead of him playing a far greater part in first team
affairs.

There is no doubt that Jack Collison's playing development was adversely
affected by that fateful knee dislocation picked up in a mid-week fixture at
Wigan a few seasons ago. Prior to that he had come in to the first team and
looked an outstanding prospective. Displaying good staimina, excellent
technique, powerful forward runs and a marked finishing ability in the final
third. Post-injury, he has only, hitherto, recaptured his former performance
levels in flashes. Most notably, that excellent double against Cardiff City
in the 2012 Play-Off Semi-Final in Cardiff.

Personally, I hope that this loan represents an attempt to build up
Collison's match fitness and sharpness. Because, I still feel he has much to
offer at first team level. The former knee injury has to be managed, but
that is possible these days. We will need to keep an eye on this one. It
could be a test, to give Collison three or so consecutive first team
fixtures to see how he stands up to a intense period of matches. We shall
see?
It has also been widely reported that West Ham are lining up a January free
agent move for Malmo's 22 year old, attacking midfielder, Jiloan Hamad.
Hamad has scored 11 times for Malmo in the current Swedish season, which has
assisted them to the verge of the title and qualification for next season's
Champions League. There is widespread interest in the player, but he has
expressed an interest in playing in this Premier League. Apparently, West
Ham made contact with the player's agent this summer and although no deal
transpired, it is possible there may be some sort of pre-contract deal in
place. Of course, we all know how much the club's co-owners love picking up
a Bosman bargain, so it could be a runner. Provided that the necessary
striker(s) are signed as well. Well one would presume so, but this West Ham
and confounding things have an habit of commonly happening!

Elsewhere, I see that Barry Hearn was once again banging his Olympic Stadium
drum in yesterday's Evening Standard. If you get a chance to read the
article, you should do so. It goes over all the old disproved ground and
need not be repeated here in detail. However, two statements do stand out
though. The first was that Leyton Orient have been at their current site for
130 years!!! When in reality it is a verifiable historical fact that they
relocated from Clapton in Hackney in 1935-36. The second is that the OS is a
mere 750 yards from Brisbane Road. Again, that is just plain wrong, the true
distance in 1.5 miles. Leyton Orient can keep feeding the legal profession
copious fees on a lost cause, the fact is that all the loop holes in the
original procurement process were closed and the 2nd process is water tight.
This stadium anchor deal with West Ham is just too important to the future
of the OS site, and the delivery of the wider Olympic Legacy in East London,
for it to be amended at this stage. Orient should have just accepted the
rejection of their judicial review and, instead, sought to develop a
strategy to co-exist with West Ham at Stratford. I, for one, believe that it
is more than possible.

Finally, some apparent good news on Andy Carroll's physical rehabilitation
from his persistent heel injury. After an initial assessment by Dutch
specialist, Professor Van Dijk, Carroll is to be given the green light to
step up his rehabilitation work over a three week period. At the end of
which, and all things going well, Van Dijk will put a definitive time-scale
on his return to full fitness. This initial prognosis by the Dutch
specialist has apparently been received with much encouragement by the
club's medical and physio team. So, hopefully a early New Year return is a
possibility.

Its just the current dangerous period that have to traverse in the meantime!
Hopefully, the return of Downing and Joe Cole will have a positive influence
and a new strike partnership of Petric and Carlton Cole will deliver some
goals. This is a very difficult period and the manager needs to motivate his
players and the players need to show unity and a collective spirit to see us
through. This striker situation should never have occurred, but we are where
we are, and we have to dig in and fight for the points up until the January
window. We especially need to reverse this recent trend of conceding points
at Upton Park, we must re-assert our former dominance at home. That is
probably the key factor in safely guiding us through to the New Year.

SJ. Chandos.

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We'll be hammered if West Ham takes over Olympics stadium, say Leyton Orient
fans
Eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk
Mike Brooke
Thursday, October 3, 2013
12:01 AM

Angry Orient football fans fear their club will be hammered if their east
London rivals West Ham get their hands on the Olympics stadium. So they are
running a 'Stand Up For The Orient' social media campaign with nearly 4,000
protesters signed up to their online petition so far. Their concern is the
Olympic stadium being less than a mile from their Brisbane Road ground which
would push the 'O's to the wall. "The move of a Premier League club onto our
patch could kill off Leyton Orient," said campaign spokesman Mat Roper. "It
contravenes the FA's own rules and would decimate the communities 'The
Hammers' leave behind in Upton Park."

Shops, pubs and community services in Upton Park itself would lose out once
West Ham moves away, campaigners point out. So they have started an online
petition for a second Judicial Review, after an earlier review went against
Orient. The fans fears are shared by club chairman Barry Hearn, who spoke at
a Parliamentary Olympic Legacy Committee earlier this year about the affect
of having West Ham less than a mile from Orient's home ground. "Leyton
Orient could become the lost tribe of London," he fears. "No youngster in
our catchment area would come to our ground if West Ham are at the Olympic
Stadium. My front door is 750 yards from the new stadium."

Their online petition calls on the government to review London Mayor Boris
Johnson's decision in March to "gift" the Olympic stadium to West Ham, who
are set to get £40 million from Newham Council to fund the move from Upton
Park and another £64m from Whitehall, campaigners point out. Leyton Orient
is London's second-oldest professional football club, established in 1881
and admitted to the Football League in 1905.

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Morrison set to continue redemption with Southgate's England U21 call-up
By JOHN DRAYTON
PUBLISHED: 00:17, 3 October 2013 | UPDATED: 00:56, 3 October 2013
Daily Mail

Ravel Morrison will be named in Gareth Southgate's England Under-21 squad
for their clashes with San Marino and Lithuania. The West Ham winger has
been in good form for Sam Allardyce's team in the early stages of the season
and will be rewarded with a place in the Under-21 squad. The former
Manchester United youngster has three goals in five starts this term, and
Southgate is set to reward his form with a run-out for the national team.
Morrison was hailed among the Untied academy when at Old Trafford, with
comparisions to Paul Scholes being drawn. However, after numerous scrapes
with the Old Trafford heirarchy the talented midfielder was turfed out.
Southgate signed a three-year contract as Under-21 boss in August after
Stuart Pearce's departure, and looks to continue his unbeaten record after a
win over Moldova and a point in Finland last month.

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