Daily WHUFC News - 20th September 2013

West Ham United statement
WHUFC.com
West Ham United have responded to the decision to not grant permission for a
judicial review
19.09.2013

West Ham United welcome the decision to not grant permission for a judicial
review into the LLDC's process that awarded the Club the opportunity to make
the Olympic Stadium its home in 2016. Although the application for a
judicial review would not have had any impact on West Ham United's move to
the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the Club have always believed the process
was robust, fair and transparent. The Club and other key stakeholders in the
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park can now focus fully on progressing their
groundbreaking plans to create a stunning venue of which the whole country
can be proud, alongside a long-lasting and tangible Olympic legacy with a
real community club at its core. West Ham United will continue its
consultation with supporters to ensure the Hammers' new home is the pride of
east London and the envy of the rest of the footballing world.

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Big Sam on: Everton
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce spoke to the press ahead of Saturday's Barclays Premier League
match against Everton
19.09.2013

Sam Allardyce was in good spirits ahead of Saturday's home Barclays Premier
League clash against Everton, as he fielded questions regarding the
challenge that faces his side at the Boleyn Ground. A third clean sheet in
four league games against Southampton last weekend has had the manager
singing the team's defensive praises, but going forward things have been a
little different. After the opening day 2-0 home win over Cardiff City, West
Ham United have failed to find the net in three league matches and Big Sam
is hopeful the team will return to goal scoring form on Saturday afternoon.

Sam, It's been three games since you last scored in the league so is that a
concern for you?

SA: "Yes there's no doubt about it, we've been creating chances but our
quality of finishing has not been good enough. Opportunities have arisen for
us and although we took them very well against Cardiff we've been unable to
take them in the other games and we've ended up drawing two and losing one
because of that. "On the defensive side we've been very good, conceding only
one goal in four Barclays Premier League games provides a great platform to
build on. When you're in possession and you get to the creative side of your
game you've got to take the opportunity when it arises to score a goal and
then that gives you the chance to secure three points. When you score it
obviously relieves the pressure from the defence and at the moment that's a
concern, but hopefully it won't be the case against Everton on Saturday."

Are you expecting a different Everton side now that Roberto Martinez is in
charge?

SA: "The players are more or less the same with a few very good additions to
the squad. Gareth Barry in particular is an outstanding acquisition from
Manchester City and with Romelu Lukaku joining their frontline as well he's
given them some excellent options. They've got a very good variety of
players added to the ones that were already there. "Arouna Kone has been
bought in and they've only really lost Marouane Fellaini so not only is
their starting eleven strong but their whole squad is now very strong. Our
job on Saturday is to make sure we know what we're playing against, they
will try and pass the ball out from the back more than they did under David
Moyes but after that they generally play the same as they did under David.
"They try to exploit the wings with the wide players cutting inside and the
full-backs bombing forward. They try to get into the final third and put you
under pressure with balls into the box for the likes of Nikica Jelavic and
Lukaku to get on the end of. They had a fantastic result against Chelsea
last weekend so we're expecting a tough match on Saturday."

During the transfer window was Lukaku one of the players you tried to sign?

SA: "He was one of our targets, I think we chased him all summer to be
honest. On the final day of the window we unfortunately missed out and
Everton snapped him up. We were told that he was heading back to West Brom
but for whatever reason he ended up going to Everton and we didn't manage to
clinch the deal."

What's the latest news on Andy Carroll's injury?

SA: "Andy's doing fine. He's recovering well now and we've set out a
programme for his recovery which will hopefully not be as long as last time.
We can't put a length of time on how long he'll be out for. We just have to
see how he progresses on a week by week basis. He'll go to Europe for some
one to one treatment which we've identified for him and which will hopefully
speed up his recovery."

Is there any danger that Andy might not play again this year?

SA: "I don't think we can say that at this moment in time. It's a week by
week assessment now guided by the specialists who are in charge of his
recovery."

How is Mladen Petric progressing?

SA: "He's training every day and trying to overcome the fatigue that he's
feeling from the pre-season work that he's doing at the moment. His training
is a lot more physically intense than it would generally be at this time of
the year, which leaves him a little fatigued. "We're finding that his
recovery is becoming quicker and quicker. He's now into the football side as
well as the physical side of the training programme and is coming along very
nicely. "He's enjoying being back at a football club and around a group of
players he can interact with rather than be on his own running around a park
somewhere, or going in a gym like he did before he joined us. We expect him
to make an appearance at some stage during the Cardiff match as he's
progressing well."

Tuesday night will be your 100th game in charge of West Ham. Looking back,
how do you assess your time here?

SA: "I've had a great time. There have been little or no hiccups and our
progress has been exceptional during the time I've been here. I've worked as
hard with the staff as I have with the players to instil a winning mentality
and also make sure we look after ourselves as a squad as we're all in this
together.
"From the backroom staff to the first-team players we've worked hard to
create a great team spirit which will stand us in good stead for the
challenges we face. Overall our progress has been very good and whilst we
targeted tenth place last year, deep down many of us probably thought we
wouldn't have achieved it but we did and now we have to build on that. "For
me it's been very enjoyable and the time has flown by and I hope we can move
on together and better what we achieved last season."

What's the current situation involving Carlton Cole?

SA: "He's training with us at the moment and hopefully when Carlton gets fit
enough to be part of the squad then we'll talk to him about the contract
situation. We still have one place available in our squad, with 24 players
currently named, so we still have one place left for somebody. "We have
George McCartney back training with us, Joe Cole and Stewart Downing are
very close to re-joining the team and after the Everton match they will
probably be back in full training. If Carlton proves that he can be the
player we all know he's capable of being then hopefully he'll join us as
well."

How much has Andy Carroll's absence affected your tactics?

SA: "We always assess the team we're playing against and then we decide on a
style of play which we hope will expose them. We've always exposed
everybody's weaknesses and created chances but our failure has come in
scoring those chances. Unfortunately against Southampton our best chance
fell to James Collins but we had many other chances before that, including
the goal which got ruled out. "People will tell you that it was offside but
when you look at the replay but he wasn't more than an inch offside and 99
times out of 100 the assistant referee wouldn't put his flag up. Kevin Nolan
produced an exquisite finish and that's what we're looking for on a more
consistent basis and unfortunately they ruled it out. "Had we gone in front
it gives us a great chance to go on and win the game. We don't know whether
we would have won the game from there but it gives you that chance and
that's what I'm looking for from the game on Saturday."

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Noble unfazed by Toffees test
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble is determined to get back to winning ways against Everton on
Saturday
19.09.2013

Mark Noble is looking forward to pitting his wits against the likes of
Gareth Barry and Ross Barkley when West Ham United take on Everton on
Saturday. The Toffees added to their midfield talent towards the end of the
transfer window by bringing in Barry from Manchester City and James McCarthy
from Wigan Athletic. They have made an unbeaten start to the campaign and
defeated Chelsea last time out, but Noble insists they will not relish a
trip to east London. "We're looking forward to Everton, it's going to be a
good game," he told West Ham TV. "They're a top side and have just beaten
Chelsea so their confidence is going to be up. West Ham is a tough place to
come and we need to make it that again. "It's the same every week, every
team in the Premier League has top midfield players. It's the best league in
the world and that's why the best players want to play there. "So I don't
worry about it at all, I just enjoy the challenge really. They're playing
differently now under Martinez, who plays similarly to how they did at
Wigan. "We've done our homework on Everton, we know how they play and we're
looking forward to the game."

The Hammers will be looking to get back on track in E13, having suffered a
rare defeat on their own patch to Stoke City in their last home match. "It's
a good chance for us to get back to winning ways at home," Noble added. "Our
last home game wasn't the best and we know we need to put in a good
performance, coming off a good away point at Southampton. "We like playing
at home in front of our fans and hopefully we can get the three points."

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Leyton Orient lose Olympic Stadium tenancy review bid
BBC.co.uk

Leyton Orient have lost their bid to win a judicial review into the decision
to grant West Ham the tenancy of the Olympic Stadium. The club argued the
London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) was wrong to award sole use to
the Hammers and wanted to share the venue. Orient said the club felt "a real
sense of injustice" at the decision. But at the High Court, Mr Justice Lewis
said the LLDC was entitled to make the decision which was not "irrational".

'Deeply disappointing'
Leyton Orient had argued they did not want to "disrupt or delay" West Ham's
move. The club said they would now have to "look to the House of Lords" to
find a solution. "Our real concern is the lack of transparency that has been
shown throughout the process by a public body," a club spokesperson said.
"It is deeply disappointing that both the Court and the LLDC have made
decisions based only on financial considerations, when the purpose of the
stadium's legacy was regeneration of the area with a community focus."
Earlier, Adam Lewis QC, representing the club, said: "Leyton Orient does not
suggest that it would be viable as a sole occupant of the stadium. "Nor does
it seek by these proceedings to prevent, disrupt or delay West Ham's move to
the stadium.

'Best deal'
"Rather, Leyton Orient wishes to be allowed back into the procurement
competition... and to be awarded a concession to use the stadium jointly
with West Ham." But lawyers for the corporation said the case was
"unarguable" and "lacked merit". Leyton Orient also claimed their bid for a
ground-share was not considered properly. The LLDC turned that down on cost
grounds, BBC London sports news correspondent Adrian Warner reported. In a
statement the LLDC said: "We welcome the ruling and are pleased that Mr
Justice Lewis agrees that we ran a fair, open and transparent competition to
appoint concessionaires for the stadium. "We believe the agreement we have
with West Ham United Football Club and UK Athletics will deliver a fantastic
sporting and community legacy in east London and represents the best deal
for the taxpayer."

West Ham were named as the preferred bidders to take over the Olympic
Stadium in December. However Orient chairman Barry Hearn has argued the
process was flawed. Mr Hearn has also claimed West Ham moving into the
Olympic Stadium - which is about two miles and one Tube stop away from
Orient's Brisbane Road ground - would affect attendances at Orient games. He
has long argued the effect could be so severe it could put the club,
currently top of League One with seven wins from seven games, out of
business. West Ham, who are expected to move into their new home from August
2016, welcomed the High Court's decision. In a statement they said:
"Although the application for a judicial review would not have had any
impact on West Ham United's move to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the
club have always believed the process was robust, fair and transparent."
West Ham said they could now focus on plans to develop the new venue.

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End of the road for Hearn
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 19th September 2013
By: Staff Writer

Leyton Orient's appeal for a judicial review into the decision to award use
of the Olympic Stadium to West Ham United has been rejected by the High
Court this afternoon. Lawyers acting on behalf of Barry Hearn and the League
One club argued that the London Legacy Development Corporation were wrong to
award sole tenancy to West Ham United when they made their historic decision
in December 2012. However their appeal was rejected this afternoon with the
decision announced shortly before 3pm, an hour or so after it had been
expected. The Hammers responded to the news with a brief statement posted on
whufc.com.

"West Ham United welcome the decision not to grant permission for a judicial
review into the LLDC's process that awarded the Club the opportunity to make
the Olympic Stadium its home in 2016," it read. "Although the application
for a judicial review would not have had any impact on West Ham United's
move to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the Club have always believed the
process was robust, fair and transparent."

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West Ham match day announcer Jeremy Nicholas resigns
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 19th September 2013
By: Staff Writer

Jeremy Nicholas - who has been the Club's match day announcer for 16 years -
has tendered his resignation after being ordered to take a 60 per cent pay
cut.
Nicholas, who started at West Ham back in 1997 - the same year as KUMB.com
first went online - announced via his website today that he was leaving the
Club after his position was made untenable. "With great sadness, I have
resigned as the stadium announcer at West Ham United after sixteen seasons
on the microphone," he said. "The club asked me to take a 60 per cent cut in
my wages, to less than half of last season's salary. "While I would do
anything to help the team I love, this just wouldn't work for my family and
me at this time. "My wife has been diagnosed with Lyme Disease and has been
off-work and housebound for the past eighteen months. I have had to stop my
freelance work as a BBC TV reporter, to stay at home and look after her.
"While it was a tough decision for me to resign from West Ham, I had to put
my family first. Without the TV work my main sources of income are now as a
conference host and an after-dinner speaker. "By committing myself to West
Ham for the lower fee, I would have effectively been making a loss on being
the announcer; because of the twenty days it ruled me out of speaking work."

West Ham are yet to comment on the matter but are understood to be preparing
a statement. Whilst a replacement for Nicholas is yet to be found, the Club
have confirmed to KUMB that they are looking at a number of options ahead of
this weekend's visit fo Everton.

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WEST HAM UNITED ANNOUNCER STATEMENT
http://jeremynicholas.co.uk/dt_portfolio/all-about-jeremy/

With great sadness, I have resigned as the stadium announcer at West Ham
United after sixteen seasons on the microphone. The club asked me to take a
60% cut in my wages, to less than half of last season's salary. It's part of
a review of all match days costs, to cut the club's debt. While I would do
anything to help the team I love, this just wouldn't work for my family and
me at this time. My wife has been diagnosed with Lyme Disease and has been
off-work and housebound for the past eighteen months. I have had to stop my
freelance work as a BBC TV reporter, to stay at home and look after her.
While it was a tough decision for me to resign from West Ham, I had to put
my family first. Without the TV work my main sources of income are now as a
conference host and an after-dinner speaker. By committing myself to West
Ham for the lower fee, I would have effectively been making a loss on being
the announcer; because of the twenty days it ruled me out of speaking work.

I understand the decision and realise that we, and I will always think of
the club as 'we', must be struggling with the debt. To put it into
perspective, I have earned less in my sixteen seasons at West Ham, than many
premier league footballers earn in a week. I will always be available to the
club in the future if they need me, but I felt now was the time to step
down. I'd like to thank all the lovely people I've worked with at the club
over the past sixteen years. We are in safe hands with David Gold, David
Sullivan and Karren Brady who have saved our club from financial disaster.
They have had to make some tough decisions. I just wish I hadn't been one of
them.

Most of all I'd like to thank the West Ham fans, who are second to none. If
any West Ham fans have need of a corporate host, media trainer or
after-dinner speaker, now is the time to ask, because the next few months
are going to be tough.

Come on You Irons!
Jeremy Nicholas
Writer and Broadcaster
jem@jeremynicholas.co.uk

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Leyton Orient fail in bid to challenge West Ham's Olympic Stadium tenancy
Last Updated: September 19, 2013 5:03pm
SSN

Leyton Orient have failed with a new legal bid to challenge the Olympic
Stadium tenancy. Orient's lawyers argued in the High Court in London that
the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) tenancy agreement with West
Ham was "entirely flawed". The League One club called for a judicial review
because they were "never properly considered as a co-tenant with Premier
League side West Ham". However, the LLDC argued that some of Orient's points
were "wholly illogical", their case was "devoid of merit" and their Decision
Letter clearly explained the process. Following the hearing, which lasted
over two hours, Mr Justice Lewis refused Orient's application for a judicial
review. Orient previously failed in a written application in April to get a
judicial review. West Ham issued a statement on their website welcoming the
news. It read: "West Ham United welcome the decision to not grant permission
for a judicial review into the LLDC's process that awarded the club the
opportunity to make the Olympic Stadium its home in 2016. "Although the
application for a judicial review would not have had any impact on West Ham
United's move to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the Club have always
believed the process was robust, fair and transparent. "The club and other
key stakeholders in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park can now focus fully on
progressing their ground-breaking plans to create a stunning venue of which
the whole country can be proud, alongside a long-lasting and tangible
Olympic legacy with a real community club at its core.
"West Ham United will continue its consultation with supporters to ensure
the Hammers' new home is the pride of east London and the envy of the rest
of the footballing world."

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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce reveals he tried to sign Romelu Lukaku this
summer
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo | Last Updated: September 19,
2013 4:53pm
SSN

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has admitted he tried to sign Romelu Lukaku "all
summer" as the forward prepares to visit Upton Park with Everton. The
Hammers have failed to score in the Premier League since their 2-0 opening
day win over Cardiff and club-record signing Andy Carroll remains sidelined
with a heel problem. Lukaku was brought in by Everton boss Roberto Martinez
on transfer deadline day on a season-long loan from Chelsea after impressing
in a similar spell at West Brom last year. And ahead of their meeting at the
weekend, Allardyce admitted a deal for the Belgium international escaped
from his clutches following a summer-long pursuit. "I chased him all summer
to be honest," said Allardyce. "But when it became the final day of the
deadline we missed out and Everton managed to secure his position. "We were
more or less told he was going back to West Brom. We tried, but didn't
manage to clinch it."

Meanwhile, Allardyce has revealed Mladen Petric is edging closer to making
his debut for the club after recently arriving on a free transfer. Petric
has been pencilled in to face Cardiff in the Capital One Cup next week as
the former Fulham man works on his fitness after missing pre-season
following his exit from Craven Cottage. "Mladen Petric is training every day
and trying to overcome the every day fatigue. He is going through a
pre-season and that leaves you tired," he said. "We're then waiting to find
his recovery is quicker and he's into the football as well as the physical
side. He's enjoying being back with a group of players he can mingle with
rather than being stuck in a park or gym. "We're hoping he can make an
appearance in or around for the Cardiff game [on Tuesday night]."

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Sam Allardyce wants cutting edge at West Ham
Last Updated: September 19, 2013 12:43pm
SSN

Sam Allardyce accepts that his West Ham side have to improve in the final
third if they are to establish a platform for the rest of the season. The
Hammers drew 0-0 at Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday, which means
they have not scored in three league games since the opening-day 2-0 win
against Cardiff City. "We're concerned that we haven't scored for a while.
It's not that we're not creating chances, but our quality of finishing has
to improve. We've ended up drawing two and losing one because of that,"
Allardyce told a press conference on Thursday, ahead of the visit of Everton
to Upton Park on Saturday.
"Only conceding one in four games is a great platform but we have to take
our opportunity to score when it comes. "Everton's players are more or less
the same and Roberto has made some very good additions. Barry is an
outstanding signing. "When you look at the squad as a whole, it is very
strong indeed. We expect them to maybe play out of the back a little more.
"But in general, they play the same after that. They try to get into the
final third and get good quality balls into the box. "They had a fantastic
result against Chelsea and we expect a very tough game on Saturday."

Carroll recovering

Allardyce was forced to make-do-and-mend for the visit to St Mary's last
weekend, and there would appear to be little respite on the injury front
this week.
"Andy Carroll is recovering well now. We have a programme set out for his
recovery and it won't be as long as last time," he said. "Let's see where it
is week on week. He will take some time away to have some one-on-one stuff
and hopefully that will speed it up. "We'll expect him (Petric) to be able
to make an appearance against Cardiff. He's coming along fine." "Petric is
training every day and trying to overcome the fatigue he's feeling. He's
going through pre-season work, which is more intense physically than general
training. "His recovery is getting quicker and he's coming along. He's
enjoying being back in with a group. We'll expect him to be able to make an
appearance against Cardiff (in the Capital One Cup tie on Tuesday). He's
coming along fine. "George McCartney is back training with us and we're very
close to Joe Cole and Stewart Downing being back too, probably after this
match."

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Jordan Spence happy to extend his current deal at Sheffield Wednesday
Last Updated: September 19, 2013 4:09pm
SSN

Jordan Spence would be happy to extend his current loan spell at Sheffield
Wednesday. The former England Under-21 international defender, who has
played the full 90 minutes in the Owls' last two matches since arriving for
an initial month from West Ham, is grateful to be playing first-team
football. "I've enjoyed it very much so far, the boys here are a really good
bunch and they've made it as easy as it can be to come to a different city
and quickly settle in," Spence said.
"I jumped at the chance to come up here because I'm at an age now where I
need to be playing regularly - I want to go out and show how good a
footballer I am. "The only way to do that is on a stage where you play week
in, week out and while I'll always look for West Ham's results - I've been
there since I was 15 - I'm at Sheffield Wednesday at this moment in time and
hopefully I can make them a better football team. "I've not thought too much
about beyond my original loan spell. I'm just focussing on the games ahead,
but if I was given the chance of staying longer, I'd be happy to do so. "If
you play well in this game everything else looks after itself and that's
what I'm looking to do. "I want to play in the Premier League. Every
footballer does. You want to play at the highest level, but in order to
achieve that I need to play more first-team football and prove myself."

Spence is expected to resume in manager Dave Jones' starting line-up at
Birmingham on Saturday when the Owls will be chasing their first league win
of the season.

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WHERE WILL THE NEXT HOMEGROWN STAR COME FROM?
By ExWHUemployee 19 Sep 2013 at 20:00
West Ham Till I Die

During recent seasons we have seen a lack of players break into the team
from the youth set up. Many have questioned the reasons behind this. The
academy was awarded level 1 status and of course still has the legend of
Tony Carr working behind the scenes to attract and nurture the best talents
although sadly and tragically no longer supported by the talent spotter
extraordinaire Jimmy Hampson. So why is it that we haven't really seen any
youth player establish themselves in the squad in recent years? The last two
squad players to establish themselves from our youth team are Tomkins and
Collison, although the later only joined the youth team aged 17, when
Cambridge United's youth team were abolished due to their financial
difficulties.

People have put it down to Big Sam's reluctance to play young players, a
feeling that was especially noticeable when Robert Hall was allowed to
leave. During the previous season, when questioned, David Gold on his
twitter account stated that Hall was the biggest talent we had at the club.
So why did he leave? I was very reliably informed that after his loan spell
at Birmingham, Robert had developed an overly confident approach to his
football and had insisted on a significantly high wage package for a player
who had figured once in the premier league for us and had made demands for
promises of first team involvement. It was felt he had the wrong attitude to
make it at our level and that it was best that he did leave.

It would be fair to say that he hasn't exactly started his Bolton career all
guns blazing. In fact when you look at the youth players who have all left
under Sam's management: Sears, Hines, Stanislas, and Stech, for example,
none of them have gone on to great things, or even semi good things! I
believe if they are good enough then Sam will play them as has been proven
by Ravel Morrison's introduction to the side this year.

Questions have been asked whether there is any top English talent out there.
You only have to look at the last England squad and see how few have come
directly from the big clubs youth academies, most have been bought from
other much smaller clubs. Some examples are Joe Hart-Shrewsbury Town, Chris
Smalling-Maidstone United, Phil Jagielka-Sheffield United, Leighton
Baines-Wigan, Kyle Walker-Sheffield United, and Ashley Young-Watford. So
perhaps English talent really isn't out there?

There have been some players from our academy who have featured in the past.
George Moncur was one of the most highly rated players a year or so ago and
who is very much in the mode of his father, although he hasn't featured as
much as he would have liked. Seb Lletget is another skillful midfielder,
from the USA, who impressed massively in the Colchester pre-season game but
unfortunately didn't quite have the same impact in the other games, although
someone who I do believe will make it in the game soon. We have seen Dan
Potts who has impressed in a few games now and perhaps in the long term will
establish himself as the clubs first choice left back. Leo Chambers featured
against Cheltenham and had it not been for the outstanding display of Ravel
Morrison I think more would have been said about his solid debut. Leo is a
centre back who has been converted to a right back (Glen Johnson did
similar) who has pace and an excellent work rate who we may see again in the
next round.

I do think that a few of these players need another loan spell at a
championship club, perhaps before they are ready because this has had many
positive impacts in the past with players such as Rio Ferdinand, Frank
Lampard, Glen Johnson, Michael Carrick, Jermain Defoe and Mark Noble have
all benefited massively from such deals in the past.
Those of you who follow me on twitter will know that I have a keen interest
in the youth academy and that I have tweeted about players from it and
written about them in my other column. I will now share some of the players
who I believe are worth keeping an eye out for with the hope that some of
them break into the first team in a few years.

Rio in loan action
One of the most highly rated players in our academy is Sam Howes, a player
who the club are very keen to protect and keep admirers away from. Sam, who
is a 15 year old goalkeeper, has already played for West Ham under 18s and
England under 16s. Despite our great academy it is very rare that top
goalkeepers come along but in this case the club believe they have a hugely
talented keeper on the books. He has regularly played above his age group
and is currently regularly doing so. He had originally been with Crystal
Palace youth team and has currently been with us for the last 5 years. He
has the potential to go all the way and of course, as a goalkeeper time is
certainly on his side. I have met him a couple of times and he is a good lad
who is dedicated and had a wise head on his shoulders. The only downside is
that he is a Chelsea fan!

Another player with a chance is Joe Powell. Some people would have probably
heard of Joe's older brother Jack who was in our academy for 10 years, and
was offered a pro deal but ended up being released at the end of last
season. Jack had trials with Charlton, Scunthorpe and one other lower league
club which didn't amount to anything. His luck turned when Chelsea, who he
had scored a great goal against for us, offered him a trial and he featured
in a number of their academy games and preseason matches, Well Joe is even
more highly rated than Jack. He has been a real star for the under 15s. It
was said that Joe and Jack's dad was unhappy with how Jack was treated and
he was going to potentially move Joe to another club with the likes of
Chelsea, Aston Villa and Norwich said to be interested. A move to Chelsea
was looking on the cards at one point, he hasn't featured for us this year
either, so I hope that we have been able to persuade him to stay.

Another youngster worth keeping an eye out for is Matt Carter - a
15-year-old central midfielder who has attracted attention from some of the
big Premier League clubs. He has a very good engine and last season broke
the SPARQ (Speed Power Agility Reaction Quickness) record for Premier League
under 15s. As is shown by his success in the SPARQ tests he has a lot to
offer physically and is also very technically gifted. Of course we will not
see him this year but he is worth tracking in the under 18s games.

Kieran Bywater, no relation to Stephen, is another player who has played
above his age for the development squad. He has captained many of the youth
teams and is looking to make the break through to the first team within the
next few years having turned 18 on Saturday 7th September 2013. Kieran who
is from Cambridgeshire has a great attitude and will make it in the game. I
hope he makes his mark with us, but we shall see.

Jordan Brown was recently signed from the Arsenal academy, as he felt he had
more chance of making it at West Ham than at our North London rivals. He is
an England under 16 forward who was regularly scoring for Arsenal and he has
carried this on with us. He is someone I have personally seen play a couple
of times before joining us and he really has an eye for a goal. Another
England Under 16 international who we have in our ranks is Josh Cullen who
is an exciting midfielder. Other who have a lot of potential are Lewis Page
a defender, Kyle Knoyle a right back and Alex Pike.

On my twitter account this week I have been talking about Gabriel Fernando
being on a six week trial with the club. He is a young South American
midfielder who was at Manchester City's academy before deciding his future
lay elsewhere. Manchester United had been close to signing him but he has
chosen to trial for us and by looking at his twitter profile he appears to
be close mates with Ravel Morrison. In a 0-0 friendly against Spurs at Rush
Green on Monday, Gabriel was said to have played ok and hit the bar with a
chip. He arrives with good positive reviews from his time at City so
hopefully if he signs he is another that could be pushing for the first
team.

I hope that at least two of these players will go on to play for the first
team at some point and maybe the academy will have a resurgence again. No
pressure then!

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LEYTON ORIENT'S JUDICIAL REVIEW EXPLAINED
By Sean Whetstone 19 Sep 2013 at 08:00
West Ham Till I Die

Today Barry Hearn and Leyton Orient will be returning to the High Court to
seek a Judicial Review of the LLDC tender process for the Olympic stadium.
It is the second time that Orient have been involved in judicial review
proceedings in relation to the Olympic Stadium. Their first legal challenge
in 2011 initiated a series of events which ultimately led to the process
being abandoned, and a new tender process commencing. The new judicial
review application is a claim relating to that new bid process. In April
this year Leyton Orient submitted a written application for a judicial
review to the high court into the bid process but was rejected. This time
Barry hopes a oral hearing debating the issues surrounding the Stadium will
allow the review to be granted

The Background to the challenge

All bidders were required to consent to 'teaming' when submitting their bids
as the LLDC planned to team as many bidders as the event calendars would
allow. The purpose of this requirement was to ensure maximum use of the
stadium and return to the tax payer.

West Ham agreed to this teaming clause in their bid.

Leyton Orient claim that the LLDC's decision has left West Ham as the only
potential tenant and should of considered teaming with Leyton Orient.

What is a Judicial Review?

A Judicial review is a type of court proceeding in which a judge reviews the
lawfulness of a decision or action made by a public body.
In other words, judicial reviews are a challenge to the way in which a
decision has been made, rather than the rights and wrongs of the conclusion
reached.

It is not concerned with the conclusions of that process and whether those
were 'right', as long as the right procedures have been followed. The court
will not substitute what it thinks is the 'correct' decision.

This may mean that the public body will be able to make the same decision
again, so long as it does so in a lawful way.

So the judge could make the LLDC review its decision process again but it
cannot force the LLDC to make West Ham and Leyton Orient share the stadium.

I have no problem with Leyton Orient as a club and even less problem with
the Leyton Orient fans who support their local team through thick and thin
but I do have a problem with Barry Hearn. He is like a bad loser who refuses
to give in gracefully. I also think it is insulting to suggest Orient fans
will switch alliances to West Ham just because we move into the Olympic
stadium.

My own personal view is this latest attempt for a judicial review will also
be rejected as was the case with the written submission in April but I am
sure that is not the last we have heard of Barry.


In what appears to be separate orchestrated campaign, a group of Leyton
Orient fans have launched their own bid to prevent West Ham moving into the
Olympic Stadium.
The supporters make the claim the move breaks league rules blocking one club
moving too close to another. They have contacted football clubs up and down
the country in an attempt to get as many supporters as possible behind a
campaign.

They have created an online petition which has been signed by over 500
people.

Their Group leader, Mat Roper, an Orient fan for 35 years, says: "We want to
highlight how unfair this whole affair is"

I understand that Matt Roper is the brother of Daniel Roper who is the
official Leyton Orient club mascot but I am sure that is just a coincidence.

4pm UPDATE

Leyton Orient lose right to Judicial review.

At the High Court, Mr Justice Lewis said the LLDC was entitled to make the
decision which was not "irrational".

LLDC statement said: "We welcome the ruling and are pleased that Mr Justice
Lewis agrees that we ran a fair, open and transparent competition to appoint
concessionaires for the stadium.We believe the agreement we have with West
Ham United Football Club and UK Athletics will deliver a fantastic sporting
and community legacy in east London and represents the best deal for the
taxpayer."

WHUFC.com Statement said "West Ham United welcome the decision to not grant
permission for a judicial review into the LLDC's process that awarded the
Club the opportunity to make the Olympic Stadium its home in 2016.Although
the application for a judicial review would not have had any impact on West
Ham United's move to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the Club have always
believed the process was robust, fair and transparent. The Club and other
key stakeholders in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park can now focus fully on
progressing their groundbreaking plans to create a stunning venue of which
the whole country can be proud, alongside a long-lasting and tangible
Olympic legacy with a real community club at its core."

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Carlton Cole must prove fitness before landing West Ham deal
Last Updated: September 19, 2013 10:07pm
SSN

West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce remains keen on re-signing Carlton Cole,
but says the striker must first prove his fitness. The 29-year-old, who saw
his previous contract at Upton Park expire at the end of last season, has
spent time training with the Hammers. Allardyce has expressed a desire to
bring the England international back on board, as he remains light in the
striking department. Attempts to bring the likes of Romelu Lukaku and
Nicklas Bendtner into the club failed on transfer deadline day, meaning free
agents are now the only available option. Cole is, however, not yet fit
enough to join the West Ham ranks and will not be offered terms until he is
ready to compete for a starting berth. Allardyce said in the Daily Star:
"He's training with us at the moment and hopefully when Carlton gets fit
enough to be part of the squad then we'll talk to him about the contract
situation. "We still have one place available in our squad, with 24 players
currently named, so we still have one place left for somebody. "We have
George McCartney back training with us, Joe Cole and Stewart Downing are
very close to re-joining the team and after the Everton match they will
probably be back in full training. "If Carlton proves that he can be the
player we all know he's capable of being, then hopefully he'll join us as
well."

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