Daily WHUFC News - 14th June 2013

Hammers make most of English talent
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's goals from Englishmen had the most impact in the top
flight last term
13.06.2013

The impact of West Ham United's Englishmen was so great last season that if
goals only scored by home-nation players counted throughout the Barclays
Premier League, Sam Allardyce's men would have come out on top. That is
according to a study by the Daily Mail, who have examined which clubs made
the most use of English talent in 2012/13. It shows that Allardyce's faith
in his English players paid dividends, as they secured a tenth place finish
in their first campaign back in the top division - and that would have been
even higher if the contribution of non-English players in the Premier League
was discounted.
32 of the Hammers' 45 league goals was scored by an English player - with
Kevin Nolan leading the way on ten, followed closely by Andy Carroll on
seven, then Mark Noble on four. Joe Cole, Carlton Cole, Matt Jarvis, James
Tomkins, Matt Taylor and Gary O'Neil also weighed in with goals over the
campaign.
In fact, 12 of the 26 players used by the Hammers in the Barclays Premier
League last season are qualified to play for England, demonstrating that the
east Londoners are giving home-based players a chance to shine. Only
Liverpool and Southampton scored more goals by Englishmen last season, but
the goals they also conceded to home players meant the Hammers would have
emerged on top. Four of the Hammers' 12 English players who featured last
season have been capped by the Three Lions at senior level, with the other
eight all receiving international recognition at age-group level.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Brown signs Hammers scholarship
WHUFC.com
England U16 forward Jordan Brown has signed a scholarship with West Ham
United from 1 July
13.06.2013

West Ham United are happy to confirm the signing of England Under-16
international forward Jordan Brown on a scholarship from 1 July. Brown joins
the Hammers after spending his schoolboy career with Arsenal. The
16-year-old hit the net regularly for the Gunners, forcing his way into the
U18 set-up in 2012/13. Last term, while still a schoolboy, he made ten
Barclays U18 Premier League appearances, scoring once, and turned out once
in the FA Youth Cup.
At international level, Brown scored three goals in seven games for England
U16s since making his debut against Northern Ireland in October 2011. His
two goals in a 4-2 win over Scotland the following month helped England to
win the Victory Shield. "I'm a No9 and my objective in a game is to score
goals," explained Brown, when asked what West Ham fans can expect to see
from him on the pitch. "I want to help the team out and to lead from the
front. I'm quick and strong and I think I can run with the ball as well. I'm
an attacker. "I'd been at Arsenal at eight years and they wanted to keep me,
but I sat down with my parents and my agents and we thought it was a better
decision to come to West Ham. The opportunities are here and I thought, at
Arsenal, maybe I could have faded away because I've seen it happen before.
"I thought, the opportunity was there for me at West Ham and it has the
attributes for me to be what I want to be in football."

Brown already knows a number of his new team-mates, including winger Nathan
Mavila, and lined up against the Hammers in the Barclays U18 Premier League
last season. "It should be easy to settle in as I know some of the lads
already. My plan is to go in hard at the start of pre-season and really just
try to impress people from there. I've obviously got to score goals whenever
I can because I'm a striker, whichever age-group I am put into. Whether it's
Under-18s or Under-21s, I've just got to do my best."

Brown joins nine existing West Ham schoolboys who have signed scholarships
with the Club, eight of whom have already played for the Hammers' U18s.
Goalkeeper Tim Brown, defenders Emanuel Onariase, Reece Burke and Kyle
Knoyle, midfielders Alex Pike and Djair Parfitt-Williams and forwards Jerry
Amoo and Marcio Martins all represented the Hammers in the Barclays U18
Premier League in 2012/13. The other new scholar will be midfielder Kieran
Bailey.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Cole proud of community role
WHUFC.com
West Ham United attacker Joe Cole is delighted to lend his support to the
Club's Community Sports Trust
13.06.2013

West Ham United star Joe Cole is thrilled to have been named as patron of
the Club's Community Sports Trust. As patron, Cole will lend his support to
the Trust, helping to raise the profile of its work and fundraising
activities as well as making selected special appearances at associated
events. "It filled me with pride when I was asked by the Club to be the
patron," said Cole. "West Ham play a big role in the community and it's
great to be a position where just your presence can make a difference and
hopefully inspire some of the young people in our local area. "I've been
here a long time and I started my career here. I know all about the area and
what the Club means to the community and I think that's one of the key
reasons I was asked to the patron. It's an important role and something I
take seriously. "I want to be a positive role model for the kids. It's about
being professional, doing your job right and giving the youngsters something
to aspire to. "It's a great feeling when you walk into a room and their
young faces light up. It's a perk of the job being able to take part in
things like this. The football club has a special relationship with the
community and it's the fans that make the club. This is about getting the
next generation involved in football and living in a positive way."

The 31-year-old, who first joined the Hammers as a schoolboy back in 1998,
recalls the Club's work in the community during his youth. "It's a long time
ago since I was here as a youngster but I remember IT courses at the ground,
football courses getting the kids out and about during the holidays and
after school. We've always been a club that have invested time in getting
children off the street and encouraging them to do something positive with
their time."

Since 1990 the Trust has had in excess of 1.5m service users and Cole
believes the Club's move to the Olympic Stadium in time for the 2016/17
season, will see even more young people taking part in the club's vast range
of activities. "Moving to the Olympic Stadium is a massive step forward for
the club and our work within the community will only get bigger and better.
We'll be at the heart of the regeneration of the area and it's going bring
so many new opportunities."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers snatch Arsenal youngster
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 13th June 2013
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United have signed England under 16 international Jordan Brown -
from under the noses of rivals Arsenal. Brown, who had been with Arsenal
since the age of eight has signed a scholarship with West Ham after
rejecting an offer from his former club. The 16-year-old was offered a
scholarship by the Gunners last December but opted to move to east London
instead, having become frustrated by the lack of opportunities at his former
club after he fell behind young strikers Chuba Akpom and Austin Lipman in
the pecking order. Having found the back of the net on a regular basis as a
schollboy, Brown broke into the Arsenal under 18 team this season and went
on to make nine appearances, scoring one goal. However he decided to accept
West Ham's offer due to the greater opportunity it brings for first team
football. "I'd been at Arsenal for eight years and they wanted to keep me,
but I sat down with my parents and my agents and we thought it was a better
decision to come to West Ham," he told West Ham's website. "The
opportunities are here and I thought, at Arsenal, maybe I could have faded
away; I've seen it happen before. I thought the opportunity was there for me
at West Ham and it has the attributes for me to be what I want to be in
football."

Not to be confused with the 22-year-old former West Ham Academy scholar of
the same name who now plays for Barnet, Brown's departure from the junior
ranks at Arsenal has not gone down too well with Gunners fans. "That's
shocking; he seemed to score for fun at lower levels," said A86 on
arsenalyouth.wordpress.com - whilst fellow Arsenal fan goonerguru wrote:
"Having seen Brown play a few times, he certainly is a promising talent -
and one that might come to haunt Arsenal in the years to come."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Should our intention be to strengthen?
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 13th June 2013
By: Ryan Wingrave

With big spending expected this summer from West Ham United, who
realistically should we be looking to bring in? Does the squad require a
major overhaul - or does our first season back in the big time show we have
a solid squad which simply requires minor tweaking?

Goalkeepers

A successful season for Jussi Jaaskelainen surely means he will keep the
number 1 - or 22! - jersey that he has earned to see out the last year of
his contract. Adrian is on board too, with also Stephen Henderson and
Raphael Spiegal also in the ranks.

Defence

Flop Emanuel Pogatetz won't have earned himself a deal but the capture of
Razvan Rat from Shaktar Donetsk has brought in cover for the left back slot.
We also have a number of young prospects coming through for cover; Dan
Potts, 21, and Jordan Spence, 23, in particular will be looking for more of
a role in the first team in upcoming years.

Guy Demel and Joey O'Brien - who was this week voted runner-up Most Improved
Player of 2012/13 by KUMB readers - at full back worked well in the
Championship and has worked sufficiently in some Premier League fixtures,
but I strongly believe these are not long-term team players in the position.

With Demel aging and both O'Brien and George McCartney with a history of
injuries, I don't believe they are the kind of players that we need to move
forward to the next level. Danny Simpson, formerly of Newcastle United could
be on the cards as another free agent (following apparent interest in
January and last summer). Could James Tomkins reinvent himself as a full
back after playing second fiddle to the solid duo of Winston Reid and James
Collins in the centre of defence?

Midfield

Alou Diarra seems certain to leave the club and with Gary O'Neil's having
apparently followed suit, it would seem necessary to add some back up to the
midfield. I don't think we seen enough of Diarra before he was shipped out
on loan - and I also think Gary O'Neil should be offered a new deal. I can't
see that we would be paying him a lot and he had a fantastic run of form
towards the end of the season. He filled in perfectly for the absent Mark
Noble and also scored a fantastic goal against West Brom, arguably our goal
of the season.

Matt Taylor seems past his best now but will be kept for reinforcement.
Kevin Nolan - being the club captain and Big Sam's lovechild - seems certain
to keep his place too. Mo Diame's future seems uncertain due to the contract
situation but every Hammer knows he will be an important player to keep. Do
we need to strengthen our midfield further? YES.

Bringing in another flair player like Diame would do us the world of good.
Players with a creative touch are hard to find; sometimes we have played
without him and looked lost as nobody in our team has the same
defensive/attacking capabilities that Mo does. Perhaps looking to tie up his
contract long-term would be our most important deal of the summer. Our
midfield and defence has been a strong highlight of the season and if it
isn't broke, do we need to fix it?

Wingers/Forwards

Joe Cole, Ricardo Vaz Te and Matt Jarvis have shared the wide men roles this
season, mainly in the latter half of the campaign. Vaz-Te can have off days
and occasionally resembles "the spoilt schoolboy who thinks he is better
than everyone else" but he has played an important part in the squad since
joining in January 2012 and deserves his place based on some of his
performances.

His 87th minute, winning goal in the 2012 Play-Off Final was one of our
finest moments of the last 10 years and if we hadn't signed him a few months
earlier, I would have to wonder whether we would have got promoted or not!?

Joe Cole has also provided some good performances since joining but needs a
good pre-season to get fit for the new campaign. Matt Jarvis's pace and
ability to get the ball in the box on a consistent basis surely means he
will keep his place. I'm sure if Andy Carroll signs they will link up so
much more next season in terms of goal attempts and chances.

Young Rob Hall and Ravel Morrison could also supply sufficient cover for
these positions. They both need runs in the first team to develop to Premier
League standard. Both enjoyed successful Championship loan spells with
Birmingham last season, something highlighted by Morrision winning an
impressive 13 Man of the Match awards (at all levels) during his spell at St
Andrew's.

In terms of forwards, club 'legend' Carlton Cole has moved on as expected;
Modibo Maiga is likely to follow, which brings personal disappointment as I
believe he deserves more of a chance in the first team. Marouane Chamakh and
Wellington Paulista have returned to their respective parent clubs with no
further action to be taken from us.

Speculation linking West Ham with Wilfred Bony raises concerns and the
inevitable comparison with Alfonso Alves who also made the switch from
Eredivisie to Premier League when signing for Middlesbrough - who paid
£12million for a handful of goals. Bony has proven himself in the Dutch
League, but the Premier League is a complete different prospect and would
therefore appear to be a risky move.

Many would prefer Carroll - despite the fact that he doesn't scored a
shed-load of goals. Surely there will be more to come; he set up a number of
goals last season and his aerial presence is world class. For the same
money, Carroll would be the safer option - plus he is still only 24 and has
a long career ahead of him.

Rumours linking us with ex-Hammer Demba Ba and Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku as
loan prospects have also arisen recently, but I wouldn't expect too much to
come from either of those.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham want to sign another striker as well as Liverpool's Andy Carroll
confirms Gold
13 Jun 2013 22:30
The Mirror

West Ham's joint-owner David Gold has confirmed the club want to sign a
top-quality strike partner for No.1 target Andy Carroll. The Hammers are
confident of confirming the capture of the Liverpool and England forward
Carroll, who impressed on a season-long loan last season, on a £15.5million
deal next week.
We revealed yesterday that the east Londoners have also made a move for
Chelsea's ex-Irons striker Demba Ba on loan - and reported that successfully
re-signing the 28-year-old would not impact on the east Londoners' bid to
buy Carroll. The Hammers are also keen on a loan move for Manchester United
starlet Wilfried Zaha, who was bought by the Reds in January then loaned
back to Crystal Palace and helped them win promotion to the top flight.
Asked by fans on Twitter to confirm whether it is true the club will bring
in another frontman besides Carroll as part of their summer shopping, Gold
said: "Yes, we will." He added: "We must bring in two quality strikers."
West Ham had been eyeing Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku on loan, after he starred
last season after being borrowed by West Brom, but new Blues boss Jose
Mourinho is understood to want to keep the Belgian in his new-look squad.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com