Daily WHUFC News - 29th January 2013

The Big Interview - Wellington Paulista
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's new Brazilian forward on Barcelona, Ramires and his
respect for English football
28.01.2013

Wellington Paulista may not be a well-known name to most English football
supporters, but he is soon hoping to change that soon. The 29-year-old
joined West Ham United on loan until the end of the season from Brazilian
Serie A club Cruzeiro on Friday, having enjoyed a prolific 2012 that saw him
net 28 goals in 40 appearances. The forward, who becomes just the second
Brazilian to sign for the Hammers after compatriot Araujo Ilan in 2010, told
whufc.com and West Ham TV that he is hoping to make a big impact in a claret
and blue shirt and could appear for the Development Squad in Monday's
Development Squad game with Arsenal.

Wellington Paulista, welcome to West Ham United! What are your emotions on
joining the Hammers?

WP - "Thank you. I am really happy to be here at West Ham United. Everyone
has been very kind to me since I have been at the club this week. I think I
can do my best here and I am coming to England to prove to everyone that I
am one of the best strikers in Brazil and to get better and better."

Supporters will have seen your goals on YouTube, but what other qualities
will you bring to West Ham United?

WP - "I am strong, I am a fighter and I can score with both feet. I run a
lot on the pitch and I can play as either as first or second striker."

You have played at the very highest level in Brazil, including the final of
the Copa Libertadores in 2009, so will you feel pressure in the Barclays
Premier League?

WP - "The pressure will not be a problem for me because I am used to it from
my time in Brazil, where the fans were really addicted to the club. The
manager also put pressure on the players too, so it will be the same playing
here. What I am interested in is the passion of the supporters for their
team, the way they keep going with the club and the way they make the
players perform better."

You scored on your debut for Alaves against Barcelona in the Camp Nou in
January 2007, so can you rise to any challenge?

WP - "It is a pity that we lost that game because it was my first match for
Alaves against Barcelona in the Camp Nou. As soon as I scored that goal I
thought 'I am a star' because it was my first goal in my first game in
Europe. I was really young and had come from a really small team in Brazil
so that goal was so important for my whole career."

A lot of Brazilians are playing in the Barclays Premier League - do you know
any of them and do you hope to emulate their success?

WP - "I know Ramires very well. We are very good friends because we played
together for Cruzeiro. I also talked to some of the others. The best thing
for me is to adapt to England, to the language and to the style of play of
West Ham. I want to get to know my team-mates better and be adapted within
three months."

What do you know about West Ham United?

WP - "I didn't know much because the highlights of the Premier League have
not been shown on Brazilian television for very many years. I have been
working on my form and my fitness, but I also want to learn about the
history of the club and the old players and coaches and everybody."

Do you feel ready to play immediately?

WP - "I have not played since the Brazilian Premier League finished at the
start of December and I had been on holiday for three weeks. I am prepared
to do all the training as best as I can so I will be available for selection
by the coach as soon as possible. I also know that I need to be stronger as
the game here is based more on strength than it is in Brazil, but I will be
ready."

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Hammers loan Pogatetz
WHUFC.com
Emanuel Pogatetz has joined West Ham United on loan until the end of the
season
28.01.2013

West Ham United are pleased to announce the signing of Austria international
defender Emanuel Pogatetz on loan until the end of the 2012/13 season.
Pogatetz, who joins the Hammers from German Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg,
has been capped more than 50 times and is able to play at either centre-back
or left-back. The powerful 30-year-old also has extensive experience of the
English Premier League, having spent five seasons with Middlesbrough between
2005 and 2010. After two-and-a-half seasons in Germany with Hannover 96 and
Wolfsburg, the Graz-born player is delighted to be returning to this
country.
"I feel very good to be here and I am very excited about playing for West
Ham," he told whufc.com. "I am looking forward to the opportunity to play
for the club and help it get good results. I will be doing my best to play
well and hope I can play a part in the club achieving the targets for this
season. "First of all when I heard that West Ham wanted me, I thought it was
a club I wanted to play for because they are a very traditional club, with
passionate supporters. Secondly, it was good for to have the opportunity to
come back and play in England. This is the football I want to play and I
have missed playing here, I want to show what I am still capable of after
five years playing in Middlesbrough."

Born in Austria's second-largest city in January 1983, Pogatetz won the
Austrian Cup with FC Karnten in his first season as a professional in
2000/01, earning a move to German club and then-UEFA Champions League
regulars Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Pogatetz spent four seasons with Leverkusen,
during which time he was loaned to Swiss side FC Aarau, his hometown club
Grazer AK and Russian Premier League outfit Spartak Moscow, where he played
alongside future West Ham midfielder Radoslav Kovac and partnered future
Manchester United star Nemanja Vidic in defence. The versatile defender
moved to the Premier League in June 2005, when one-time England manager
Steve McClaren spent £1.8m to take him from Leverkusen to Middlesbrough.
Pogatetz made 158 appearances in five seasons at the Riverside Stadium,
helping Middlesbrough to reach the UEFA Cup final in his first season on
Teesside, only to miss the 4-0 defeat by Sevilla after fracturing his eye
socket in a quarter-final victory over FC Basel.

During the 2007/08 season, Pogatetz was appointed Middlesbrough captain.
Playing alongside future Hammers Gary O'Neil and Mido and ex-West Ham
striker Jeremie Aliadiere, the Austrian helped Boro to maintain their place
in the Premier League. Middlesbrough were relegated in 2009, but Pogatetz
stayed loyal to the club as they started life in the Championship. However,
a recurrence of his fractured cheekbone restricted his first-team
appearances. The player was snapped up by Hannover in June 2010, helping the
club to reach the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals in 2011/12 and totalling
72 appearances over two seasons. Bundesliga rivals Wolfsburg liked what they
saw and moved for Pogatetz last summer.

The 6'3 tall defender has also been a regular for Austria at senior level
since making his debut in a friendly with neighbours Germany in Leverkusen
in May 2002. Since then, Pogatetz has become an influential figure for his
national side, starting all three group-stage games when Austria hosted the
UEFA European Championship finals in 2008. The defender has netted twice in
his 52 international appearances - in a UEFA European Championship qualifier
against Netherlands in September 2003 and in a friendly draw in Italy in
August 2008.

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Haycock revels in Arsenal win
WHUFc.com
Nick Haycock heaped praise on his young guns after West Ham United's 2-0 win
at Arsenal
28.01.2013

Nick Haycock was delighted with a job well done as West Ham United's
Development Squad kicked-off their Barclays U21 Premier League Elite Group
Stage campaign with an impressive 2-0 win at Arsenal's London Colney
training ground. January recruit Wellington Paulista marked his first
appearance in claret and blue with a well-taken header, before Matthias
Fanimo doubled the visitors' advantage with just half-an-hour gone. The
Hammers were pressed into defensive duties after the interval, but having
weathered the Arsenal storm, were ultimately good value for a third
successive win over the Gunners at this level.

"It was a very satisfying performance," confirmed Haycock, speaking to West
Ham TV. "Before the game we said, in every development game you're looking
for a performance first, and nine times out of ten, if you get a performance
you get the win. And that was the case on Monday. "I thought in the first
half we were the better team. I was slightly disappointed that we didn't
come in with more goals. I thought we created some good opportunities and we
imposed our game on Arsenal. "They're always going to the pass ball well.
They've got an abundance of talent right through the youth teams into the
development side and then the first team. And obviously we had a lot of boys
there making their debuts at U21 level [in Amos Nasha, Sean Maguire and
substitute Kieran Bywater].
"We slightly changed the system from the success we had in the first part of
the season, just because of the personnel we had. Namely Elliot Lee had to
play out wide and I thought he did a terrific job and worked hard for the
team. All in it was a pleasing day at the office."

As well as two good goals, Haycock revelled in his side's excellent
rearguard display, as Arsenal struggled to fashion many chances of note.
"The defending, the blocking, tracking runs and keeping it tight on the edge
of the box was fantastic," added Haycock. "They didn't get in too many times
and when they did there were blocks on the line and a couple of good saves
from Raphael Spiegel. "But what we've got to work on is to make sure that
when we win it, we don't give it away as quickly as we did at times. Because
when we kept the ball we looked like we could go and score another at the
other end as well. All being said, second half, yes they had the lion's
share of possession but we still missed two good chances. Sometimes it goes
like that but the discipline of the side, the work rate and the quality at
times was there for everyone to see."

Haycock, overseeing only his second game in charge of the U21s, also
reserved special praise for Paulista, who worked tirelessly as he led the
line for the inexperienced Hammers. "He's a good lad first and foremost.
I've picked that up in training. He wants to do extra, he wants to work, he
wants to get fit, he's hungry. I thought he showed that in his performance
today. You sometimes get players who are used to playing at a higher level
in their own minds, and they come down to this level and don't put the
performance in, but I couldn't question Wellington. "I have to add I thought
Jordan Spence was immaculate at the back as well. The first team players in
Jordan, Wellington and Rafa, all had good games, and it gave the younger
ones a little bit of experience around them."

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Emanuel Pogatetz: West Ham sign Wolfsburg defender on loan
BBC.co.uk

West Ham have signed former Middlesbrough defender Emanuel Pogatetz on loan
until the end of the season. The Austria international, who made 158
appearances for Boro in a five-year spell, joins from German Bundesliga side
Wolfsburg. "I feel very good to be here and I am very excited about playing
for West Ham," said the 30-year-old. Pogatetz had spells with AK Graz, Bayer
Leverkusen and FC Aarau before joining Middlesbrough in 2005. He was part of
the side that reached the Uefa Cup final in 2006, although he missed out on
the final through injury. The Austrian headed back to Germany in 2010 with
Hannover before signing for Wolfsburg last summer.

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'Mad Dog' completes West Ham transfer
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 28th January 2013
By: Staff Writer

Emanuel Pogatetz has completed his loan move to West Ham United. We revealed
yesterday how West Ham were on the verge of tying up a deal for the
30-year-old Austrian international, who currently features for Wolfsburg in
the German Bendesliga. And the Club have just confirmed the deal which sees
the former Middlesbrough central defender arrive in London on a six-month
loan deal. Speaking to whufc.com, Pogatetz - who, like former Hammer Martin
Allen is affectionately known as 'Mad Dog' - said: "I feel very good to be
here and I am very excited about playing for West Ham. "I am looking
forward to the opportunity to play for the club and help it get good
results. I will be doing my best to play well and hope I can play a part in
the club achieving the targets for this season. "First of all when I heard
that West Ham wanted me, I thought it was a club I wanted to play for
because they are a very traditional club, with passionate supporters.
Secondly, it was good for to have the opportunity to come back and play in
England. "This is the football I want to play and I have missed playing
here, I want to show what I am still capable of after five years playing in
Middlesbrough."

Pogatetz is likely to be straight into the squad to face Fulham at Craven
Cottage on Wednesday evening.

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Wellington grabs first West Ham goal
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 28th January 2013
By: Staff Writer

New signing Wellington Paulista scored his first goal since joining West Ham
in a under 21s fixture against Arsenal this afternoon. The 29-year-old
on-loan Brazilian - featuring as one of the permitted over-age players -
grabbed the opening goal for West Ham in today's Elite Group encounter at
London Colney, which United won 2-0. Paulista, who played for an hour before
being replaced by fellow newcomer Sean Maguire, rose highest to meet George
Moncur's near-post corner to hear West Ham ahead on the 20-minute mark. It
was a lead that Nick Haycock's young Hammers doubled ten minutes later as
Matthias Fanimo's attempted cross somehow found its way into the back of the
net. The win gave the under 21s a perfect start to their Elite Group
campaign in what should have been their second outing, with last week's
planned fixture against Manchester United cancelled as a result of the snow.

West Ham Utd: Spiegel, Driver, Shaw, Nasha, Spence, Ruddock, Moncur,
Lletget, Fanimo, Lee, Paulista.
Subs: Larkins, Onariase, Miles, Bywater, Maguire.

Arsenal: Martinez, Angha, Miquel, Yennaris, Boateng, Hajrovic, Eisfeld,
Aneke, Ansah, Henderson, Neita.
Subs: Rees, Charles-Cook, Wynter, Bihmoutine.

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January transfer madness
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 28th January 2013
By: Matthew Kemp

So the transfer window circus continued on Thursday 24th January as Mo Diame
confirms that he wants to stay at West Ham and Arsene Wenger echoes Big
Sam's comments from the previous evening that they have not made an official
approach for the midfielder.

Lo and behold, the Daily Mail follow up on Friday, revealing that Tottenham
Hotspur are now the latest club to be interested in the Senegal
international. Albeit they have Dembele and Parker already competing for
this position!

In between these stories, we discover that Alou Diarra says his move to West
Ham was a waste of time (L'Equipe - lost in translation?) and Guy Demel and
Joey O'Brien have signed new contracts.

Focusing the attention on players coming in, it has become evident that
there isn't much money to be spent, as players joining have been Joe Cole
(free - albeit his salary will make him one of the higher earners within the
club), Wellington Paulista (loan signing), Marouane Chamakh and Emanuel
Pogatetz (also on loan).

Big Sam, has already declared his frustration at being unsuccessful in
finding a defender or two to help solve injuries and lack of numbers. The
issue being that his prime focus is to try and get players in on loan.
Chelsea have reportedly said no to a short term loan for left back Ryan
Betrand, and Blackburn have rebuffed up to three offers for Swedish
international Martin Olsson.

Of the four trialists we had earlier on in the season, Mikael Silvestre is
in the process of joining Dodsal FC in the Indian league, John Mensah has
joined Rennes in France (a powerhouse defender who I was surprised we didn't
sign?), Anthony Vanden Borre is club-less and Michael Lamey has joined RKC
Waalwijk.

It was clear earlier in the season that we needed more defenders, any of the
forementioned players were free agents, yet for what ever reason they
weren't up to standard in the clubs eyes to challenge for a first team
place.

To balance this out though, we must recognise that the club are in debt, and
Gold & Sullivan have parted with a considerable amount of money to keep the
club going, and did spend big in the summer. Modibo Maiga joined from
Sochaux, and Britain's most expensive footballer Andy Carroll signed for a
one year loan , on a reported £100k weekly salary.

Matt Jarvis became the club's record signing from Wolves. Razak Boukari, a
Togo international who was close to signing if we didn't land Jarvis,
ironically joined Wolves for £3m and has been hampered by injury since
September (Kieron Dyer, anyone?). Offloading Yossi Benayoun back to Chelsea
in early January helped release wages to fund Joe Cole's arrival.

Sam Allardyce has a lot of options now in midfield and up front - and
considering he only ever plays one striker, means at least five strikers
will be getting splinters from the woodwork on the bench. It is in defence
where we have issues.

West Ham have been linked with thousands of players, as agents wheel and
deal, using the media to heighten the transfer frenzy. So in order to blend
in with the other tabloids, here are my predictions:-

It has become clear that as the deadline approaches, some clubs will more
willing to do business. I suspect, West Ham will sign Martin Olsson on
deadline day from Blackburn, yet don't be surprised if Henri Bedimo flies in
from France as a Plan B. The Cameroon international could be available for
around £4m.

I think Diarra will be sold to either Rennes, Espanyol, or Mallorca which
will help fund the Olsson deal. Modibo Maiga may also leave, with a number
of French clubs allegedly interested, and you never know, the French team up
North, Newcastle!?! Lastly, Stephen Henderson - to be loaned out to a
Championship club.

So ironically, it may be that we are net receivers in terms of transfer fees
in January - watch this space!

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Transfer news: Emanuel Pogatetz makes return to England on loan with West
Ham
Last Updated: January 28, 2013 9:19pm
SSN

Austria defender Emanuel Pogatetz has joined West Ham on loan from Wolfsburg
for the remainder of the season. Pogatetz, who can play at left-back or in
the centre of defence, has more than 50 caps for his country and experience
of the Premier League from five seasons with Middlesbrough. The powerful
30-year-old had been playing in Germany for the last two-and-a-half years
but is delighted to be returning to England. "I feel very good to be here
and I am very excited about playing for West Ham," he told the club's
official website. "I am looking forward to the opportunity to play for the
club and help it get good results. I will be doing my best to play well and
hope I can play a part in the club achieving the targets for this season.
"First of all when I heard that West Ham wanted me, I thought it was a club
I wanted to play for because they are a very traditional club, with
passionate supporters. "Secondly, it was good for to have the opportunity to
come back and play in England. This is the football I want to play and I
have missed playing here, I want to show what I am still capable of after
five years playing in Middlesbrough."

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Mad Dog 2 Signs, as Wellington gets off the Mark!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die

Ex-Middlesboro central defender, Emanuel Pogatetz, has completed a six month
loan move from German club Wolfsburg. The tough tackling central defender
has expressed his pleasure in signing for a 'traditional club' like West Ham
and returning to the English PL. Nicknamed 'Mad Dog.' like Martin Allen in a
previous era, he is a good solid defensive signing, who will give 100% to
the cause. He goes straight in to the first team squad for Wednesday
evening's important away fixture at Fulham.

The rumour is that Villa left-back, Stephen Warnock, will follow Pogatetz in
to the club. Some fans are distinctly underwhelmed by the prospect of
signing Warnock, their rationale being that if he cannot get in to a
struggling Villa side, why is he an appropriate signing for West Ham? But he
is an experienced performer, who will undoubtedly do a solid job. The
question is whether we will also sign a second left-back in this window. In
a recent interview, Sam Allardyce seemed to indicate that he needed two left
full-backs to provide adequate cover in that position. Perhaps if this is
the case, then the other signing will offer a bit more pace down the left
flank. Might we yet see a deadline day deal for Martin Olsson or Henri
Bedimo?

Who knows what is happening with the Diame situation. Hopefully nothing and
he will remain a Hammers player, at least until the end of the season.
However, no doubt the club have lined up a replacement as a contingency
measure. In that context, there were some intriguing reports today that West
Ham are lining up a bid for Marseilles midfielder, Charles Kabore. Kabore is
currently out of the Marseilles first team and a c.£2.5m bid could be enough
to secure his services. Yet another story has us competing with Reading FC
for the signature of another Marseilles midfielder, Morgan Amalfitano. Of
course, Kabore or Amalfiano could arrive regardless of Diame's fate in the
transfer window. It could be that a new signing comes in to replace a
discontented Alou Diarra, who is wanted by Espanyol and Mallorca amongst
others. Losing Diarra would be a shame in many respects, particularly with
regard to his ability to shield the centre of our defence and slot in to a
three at the back, giving the full-backs the extra assurance to attack down
the flanks.

Congratulations to the U-21s for defeating their Arsenal counter-parts 2-0
in this afternoon's Elite Group match at Colney Hatch. The match was also
notable for seeing Wellington Paulista score his first goal in a Hammers
shirt. He started as one of the two permitted over-age players and scored
with a near post header from a George Moncur corner. It was a well taken
goal and it bodes well for Paulista's first team debut, which will hopefully
happen sooner rather than later. Perhaps he might even be named on the bench
for the Fulham match. I hope so, as I am looking forward to seeing what
Paulista can offer the first team, hopefully goals and a few of them!

Finally, we need to do ourselves a favour and bounce back with a win at
Fulham on Wednesday evening. It is not beyond the team, as long as we can
play a consistent 90 minutes of good football. Our cause should be assisted
by the return of Andy Carroll, who is likely to be named on the bench. A
draw is a likely result, although I am hoping that we can sneak a 1-0 or 2-1
victory on the night. COYI !

SJ. Chandos.

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Book Review: West Ham - The Inside Story by Tony Cottee
By Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die

I think if any West Ham fan were asked to compile a list of their Top 5
greatest ever West Ham strikers, Tony Cottee would more than likely feature
alongside Geoff Hurst, Syd Puddefoot, Vic Watson and Iain Dowie. OK, maybe
not Iain Dowie.

When I saw that Cottee had written a new book I assumed it was merely an
update of his autobiography published back in 1995. So I bought it anyway
even though I only expected a couple of new chapters to bring his life up to
date. Boy was I wrong. It's a whole new book, covering the last 18 years of
his life. It covers the fag end of his playing career in Malaysia, Leicester
and Norwich before moving on to his ill fated six months as player/manager
at Barnet. He writes movingly about the difficult transition from top class
player to journeyman pro winding down his career, and the awful realisation
that through little fault of his own, his managerial reign at Barnet would
prove to be the first and last time he had the chance to manage a football
club.

This is not a particularly polished book. It's published very cheaply on
very shiny paper with far too many photos mixed into the text. It's not
edited that well either, but somehow none of this matters because it's so
authentic. Cottee isn't a bad writer and can certainly hold the readers
attention and he comes into his own when he starts discussing what turns out
to be the main theme of the book – how we tried to buy West Ham and install
himself as chairman. I reckon I know quite a bit about the recent history of
West Ham, but I hadn't realised how close Cottee came to achieving his goal,
and as he relates, had West Ham not not been promoted in the playoff final
of 2005, it's likely that the name above the Chairman's office at Upton park
would be Cottee not Gold or Sullivan.

Cottee hated what he saw happening to the club he supported as a boy. He
felt Terry Brown the then chairman, was resting on his laurels and fat
salary (£492,000 if you please). The club wasn't operating as it should
commercially, the wrong managers were being appointed and they were buying
the wrong players. So Cottee set out to do something about it. He tells the
tale in exhaustive detail, naming names and shaming those who he sees as
guilty parties. For a footballer with no background in finance to get so
close to successfully buying West Ham tells you something about his gutsy
determination. Despite Terry Brown constantly shifting the goalposts – and
price – Cottee persevered and whenever his bid suffered a setback, he
bounced back. But the one thing he seems to have lacked was perhaps the most
important thing – a sense of media nouse. Cottee went through the whole
episode operating by the maxim 'least said, soonest mended'. He didn't go
public with his bid and as a consequence was outmanouvred not just by rival
bids but also by Terry Brown's media operation, which sought to do him down
at every opportunity. Had Cottee gone public at the right time and solicited
the support of West Ham fans I suspect his bid would have been unstoppable.
Instead, he was shafted not just by Terry Brown, but by the Icelanders.

The Icelanders? I hear you chorusing. Yes, because the main point of this
book is to show us, the loyal West Ham fans, that it was Cottee who actually
gave them the idea of buying the club in the first place. They had agreed to
put up money to back Cottee's bid, but over time, they sought to edge him
out of the equation. Once they realised that Terry Brown wouldn't do
business with Cottee he was well and truly shafted. Was he naive? Probably.
Did he trust one or two people – like Keith Mills from Seymour Pierce – too
much? Absolutely.

I'm not going to go into any more detail because I don't want to ruin the
book for those who haven't read it yet, but suffice to say after reading it
you will change your opinion of quite a few people at the heart of the club
over those years.

One question he didn't really answer, though, is why didn't he try to buy
the club again in 2010, or at least attempt to become part of the
Gold/Sullivan bid? He clearly enjoyed good relations with them both.

Perhaps I will ask David Sullivan in our next interview. Or perhaps I should
interview Cottee himself. Now there's a thought.

Anyway, do buy Tony's book. It's published in paperback at £14.99. The
Newham Bookshop have signed copies available, which you could buy before the
next home game

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