Daily WHUFC News - 13th December 2013

Sunderland match preview
WHUFC.com
A look ahead at all of the need to know information for Saturday's visit of
Sunderland
12.12.2013

WEST HAM UNITED v SUNDERLAND
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER 2013
KICK-OFF: 3PM
REFEREE: ANDRE MARINER
FULL AUDIO COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV

Introduction
• West Ham United welcome Sunderland to the Boleyn Ground on Saturday
afternoon hoping to return to winning ways in the Barclays Premier League
after back-to-back defeats.
• The Hammers return to home turf after suffering a 1-0 defeat against
Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on 3 December, a loss which was followed by
a 4-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield four days later.
• On their last outing in front of the Boleyn Ground crowd, Sam Allardyce's
team hit the goal trail in a 3-0 win over Fulham, which was just the
Hammers' second home win of the season.
• Carlton Cole and Mohamed Diame scored their first goals of the season in
that win whilst Joe Cole netted his second in a much welcomed victory.
• Despite that win, two defeats dropped the Hammers down to 17th in the
table and leaves the Club level on points with two of the three teams below
them.
• Saturday's visitors Sunderland arrive with a horrid record on the road and
are still searching for their first away league win of the 2013/14 season.
• Seven away trips have yielded just two draws and five defeats for the
Mackems, who have conceded 14 goals and replied with just two.
• Gus Poyet's side arrive in east London after back-to-back defeats of their
own. A 4-3 loss to Chelsea was followed by a 2-1 defeat by Tottenham
Hotspur, both coming at the Stadium of Light.
• The defeat to Spurs left Sunderland bottom of the table, five points
adrift of safety.

Team news
West Ham United
• Andy Carroll has begun light training but is still some way short of a
return following a foot injury.
• Stewart Downing suffered an ankle injury in the defeat to Liverpool and
will miss the visit of Sunderland.
• Ricardo Vaz Te (shoulder), Winston Reid (ankle) and Mladen Petric (calf)
are definitely out of Saturday's encounter.
Sunderland.
• Goalkeeper Keiren Westwood will miss out on his side's trip to the Boleyn
Ground while defender Carlos Cuellar is also out of the clash.

Background
• West Ham United have faced Sunderland 82 times in official competitions,
winning 32, drawing 21 and losing 31.
• The first meeting between the two sides came on Saturday 25 August 1923 in
the old Division One and ended in a goalless draw.
• West Ham United's biggest win over Sunderland came in the shape of an 8-0
Division One success at the Boleyn Ground on 19 October 1968. Geoff Hurst
scored six goals - including a hat-trick in each half - while Bobby Moore
and a young Trevor Brooking added one apiece. No other Hammers player has
scored a hat-trick against the Black Cats.
• Sunderland's biggest win over West Ham United came on 5 March 1977, when
the Black Cats romped to a 6-0 Division One victory over the Londoners at
Roker Park. Their best performance in east London was a 3-0 Division One
triumph on 25 April 1931.
• The biggest Boleyn Ground crowd to witness at West Ham United versus
Sunderland fixture was the 35,033 who saw the Hammers' 2-0 Premier League
victory on 22 March 2003.
• Kevin Nolan scored a hat-trick for Newcastle United in a 5-1 Tyne-Wear
derby win over Sunderland at St James' Park on 31 October 2010. Andy Carroll
also started the match for the Magpies.
• Hammers midfielder Mohamed Diame was signed by Wigan Athletic from Spanish
club Rayo Vallecano as a replacement for Sunderland-bound Lee Cattermole in
August 2009.
• Future Hammers manager Harry Redknapp made his West Ham United debut in a
1-1 Division One draw with Sunderland at the Boleyn Ground on 23 August
1965.
• Ray Atteveld made his Hammers debut in a 1-1 FA Cup fifth-round draw at
Sunderland on 15 February 1992. The Dutchman, on loan from Everton, would
make two of his three West Ham United appearances against the Black Cats,
the final one being a 3-2 FA Cup fifth-round replay defeat at the Boleyn
Ground.
• George Andrew (February 1967), Jimmy Neighbour (September 1979), Chris
Cohen (December 2003), Lionel Scaloni (February 2006), Nolberto Solano
(October 2007) and Marouane Chamakh (January 2013) also made their West Ham
United debuts against Sunderland.

Last time out
Saturday 7 December 2013
Barclays Premier League
Liverpool 4-1 West Ham United
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, McCartney, Collins, Tomkins (O'Brien
56), Downing (J Cole 45), Diame, Noble, Nolan, Jarvis (Taylor 84), Maiga
Subs not used: Adrian, Collison, Diarra, C Cole
Goals: Skrtel og 66
Sent-off: Nolan 82
Saturday 7 December 2013
Barclays Premier League
Sunderland 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Sunderland: Mannone, Celustka (Giaccherini 77), Bardsley, O'Shea, Brown, Ki,
Larsson, Colback (Cattermole 67), Fletcher, Altidore, Johnson (Borini 67)
Subs not used: Pickford, Dossena, Gardner, Diakite
Goal: Johnson 37

Previous meeting
West Ham's last game against Sunderland was an instantly forgettable affair
for those in claret and blue. The Mackems romped to victory at the Stadium
of Light in mid-January thanks to goals from Sebastian Larsson, Adam Johnson
and a third from James McClean.
Sunderland: Mignolet, Gardner, O'Shea, Bramble, Colback, Johnson (N'Diaye
84), Vaughan, Larsson, McClean, Fletcher (Wickham 78), Sessengon (McFadden
88)
Subs not used: Westwood, Bardsley, Kilgallon, Campbell
Goals: Larsson 12, Johnson 47, McClean 74
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins (Tomkins 34), Reid, Potts,
Collison (Vaz Te 46), Diarra, J Cole, Nolan, Jarvis, C Cole (Chamakh 56)
Subs not used: Spiegel, Taylor, Diame, O'Neil
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
12 January 2013 - Sunderland 3-0 West Ham United
22 September 2012 - West Ham United 1-1 Sunderland
22 May 2011 - West Ham United 0-3 Sunderland
5 December 2010 - Sunderland 1-0 West Ham United
21 September 2010 - Sunderland 1-2 West Ham United (Carling Cup third round)
10 April 2010 - West Ham United 1-0 Sunderland
Overall record v Sunderland (all competitions) W 32 D 21 L 31

Ten-year record
West Ham United
2012/13 Premier League 10th (46 points)
2011/12 Championship 3rd (86 points - promoted to Premier League via
Play-Offs)
2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points - relegated to Championship)
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted to Premier League via
Play-Offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
Sunderland
2012/13 Premier League 17th (39 points)
2011/12 Premier League 13th (45 points)
2010/11 Premier League 10th (47 points)
2009/10 Premier League 13th (44 points)
2008/09 Premier League 16th (36 points)
2007/08 Premier League 15th (39 points)
2006/07 Championship 1st (88 points - promoted to Premier League)
2005/06 Premier League 20th (15 points - relegated to Championship)
2004/05 Championship 1st (94 points - promoted to Premier League)
2003/04 Championship 3rd (79 points)

Old boys
• George McCartney has enjoyed two spells with Sunderland. The Northern
Irishman initially moved to the north east as a 17-year-old in 1998, quickly
establishing himself in the first team and captaining the Black Cats to
promotion to the Premier League and being voted Player of the Year in 2005.
In all, he made 157 appearances for Sunderland before joining West Ham
United in 2006. After two seasons, the left-back returned to the Stadium of
Light to make a further 46 appearances before re-joining the Hammers,
initially on loan, in August 2011.
• Bryan 'Pop' Robson spent two spells with West Ham United and three with
hometown club Sunderland. Robson, who started his career with Newcastle
United, netted 104 goals in 254 appearances for the Hammers and 67 in 174
games for Sunderland - scoring in a 2-0 win over Leicester City in his final
Black Cats appearance in May 1984 that kept the club in the old Division
One.
• Don Hutchison enjoyed two spells with West Ham United, netting 17 times in
110 matches. The Scotland midfielder also represented Sunderland during the
2000/01 season, scoring an impressive ten goals in 39 games.
• Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Dick Bell,
Gary Breen, Clive Clarke, Keith Coleman, Ernest England, Anton Ferdinand,
John Foreman, Harry Forster, Jack Foster, Harry Hooper, Mick McGiven, Andy
Melville, Billy Moore and Dave Swindlehurst.

Referee
• The man in the middle for Saturday's fixture is Andre Marriner.
• Marriner last took charge of a West Ham United game when he refereed the
0-0 draw with Southampton at St Mary's.
• Birmingham-born Marriner began refereeing in 1992, progressing through the
Birmingham Amateur Football League and Southern League to become a Football
League assistant referee in 2000.
• He was appointed to the Football League List of Referees in 2003 before
joining the Select Group in 2005. Since then he has also been added to
FIFA's International List in 2009.

General information
• There are tickets remaining for Saturday's fixture. For ticket information
click here.
• The weather forecast for Saturday afternoon is overcast with sunny spells
and highs of 9C.
• There are no engineering works planned on the District Line this weekend.

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Big Sam on: Sunderland
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce spoke to the media ahead of Saturday's match against
Sunderland at the Boleyn Ground
12.12.2013

Sam Allardyce has spoken to the gathered media ahead of West Ham United's
Barclays Premier League match against Sunderland on Saturday afternoon.
Big Sam was quizzed on the importance of the clash against the Mackems, the
new manager factor and the latest team news.

Morning Sam, what's the latest team news?

SA: "I've bought a list in with me because I've got that many [out] today.
We've got a couple off sick but we think they'll be ok, James Collins and
Guy Demel. Obviously the ones who are definitely out are Winston Reid,
Stewart Downing, Andy Carroll, Mladen Petric, Ricardo Vaz Te and Kevin Nolan
who's suspended. We're not in a great place for selection purposes
particularly with this December programme we've got, with Wednesday as well
as Saturday and then Manchester United the following Saturday. "It's a
difficult period for us and we all know what position we're in with results.
The lads who are available need to step up to the plate and try and do the
business. We hope that James Tomkins will come through the fitness test but
we won't know that until tomorrow so I'll select the team around that. Off
we go to try and repeat a Fulham performance against Sunderland and
hopefully get the same result."

It's been suggested that Stewart Downing's injury could keep him out for up
to ten weeks; do you have an update on that?

SA: "I don't think it will be that long. We always try not to be too
specific about the date of any particular injury. First and foremost it's
about how quickly does the scar heal, does Stewart recover from that and
then when he starts training again how does he feel on a day-to-day basis?
At this moment in time it's very difficult to say based on the healing
process as we don't know how long that will be. "We've done all aspects
possible to make sure that the one big thing that is stopped with this is
infection. The size and depth of the wound means that the last thing we want
after the surgeon stitching him back together is an infection. That would
put him back a period of time. Hopefully they'll be no infection in there
and I think his recovery will be much quicker than ten weeks."

Just how big is this game against Sunderland?

SA: "The same size as the Fulham one. When we played against them we were in
a similar position and we alleviated that pressure for a short period of
time. We let ourselves down after that, particularly in the Crystal Palace
game, [not] on performance but no result. As expected it would always be
difficult with the way Liverpool are playing at home to get something there.
The big disappointment last week was obviously the Crystal Palace result
after such a big result against Fulham so Sunderland is another massive game
for us, another massive three points that we need to make sure we stay in
touch with the people above us. That makes it a critical game for both
teams. Both teams need to win, that's what you need to do and I presume that
listening to Gus' quotes that's their objective. They've got to start
winning somewhere along the line, as have we, we need to start winning more
games."

Is there any chance that Andy Carroll could play a part?

SA: "There's no chance that Andy Carroll will play any part because he's
only been training on his own at the moment. Going through gentle processes
of rebuilding his confidence in the injury not reoccurring and that's the
big thing. Once you've recovered from one injury there's always a confidence
factor when you come back into training over whether it's ok. When you come
back to training and it goes again then there's a greater fear the second
time you come back. I think that from Andy's point of view we take things on
Andy's say so as well as the specialists. He's got no chance of playing in
the next two weeks."

You had a fans' forum on Tuesday night, are the supporters understanding of
your predicament?

SA: "It's obviously not an easy time for us all and supporters are
frustrated, I understand that. They didn't and we didn't expect to be where
we are at this moment in time. I said to them what I've said to everyone
else here that we've got to continue on a positive note on the back of the
performance level that we've achieved this year. It hasn't bought the
results we've deserved as often as it should have done. We all know the
reason why because when we've been in control we've not been ruthless enough
to score at that particular time and instead of winning the game we've ended
up drawing the game and sometimes instead of drawing the game we've ended up
losing it. "That's been our ultimate problem throughout the whole of the
season. That coupled with injuries and suspensions makes life more difficult
for us as a squad to overcome that at this period of time to try and get
results. It's more difficult now than it was a few weeks ago because of the
selection processes I have within the squad and so many games coming all at
once. When we had the first three months of the season we'd only played
eleven games. Now we're going to play seven or eight in one month so if
you've got injuries in that month then that makes life very difficult."

We've spoken about your need for a result, have you had any discussions with
the owners about your future?

SA: "I wouldn't have thought I'd need any discussions with the owners,
they're either going to stick with me or they're not. That's entirely up to
them depending on how they see me in the job and how they see the situation
at the moment. I can only say when I look at their history that they've
always shown a level of patience to try and overcome a difficult situation,
I hope this will be the same and I'm sure it will. At the end it's about us
getting results again to alleviate the pressure on us all. "Everyone will
speculate about my position because I'm around where all the other clubs are
and all the other clubs have got rid of their managers so they all perceive
that I'm the next in line. It's about picking a few results up and then the
pressure goes away for a while. Hopefully we can sustain the results and
keep the pressure off us all for a while. From our point of view we have to
keep focused on our own job. It's the first time in two-and-a-half years
that we've had a bad run since I've been here. It happens, we've got to make
sure we're determined enough and have the right desire to overcome it."

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Harney heartbreak at Cup defeat
WHUFC.com
Jamie Harney says defeat to Accrington Stanley in the FA Youth Cup has left
the Under-18s heartbroken
12.12.2013

Jamie Harney cut a distraught figure after the West Ham United Under-18s
suffered FA Youth Cup heartache against Accrington Stanley on Tuesday night.
The Hammers were knocked out of the competition by virtue of a 2-1 defeat at
the Store First Stadium, with the winning goal coming five minutes before
the end of extra-time. Harney himself had equalised for the visitors two
minutes into the five added on at the end of normal time to force the extra
30 minutes and revealed his disappointment at the defeat. He told West Ham
TV: "Everyone's heartbroken. It wasn't our best performance but we gave
everything we could.
"I know some individuals feel as though they didn't perform to their highest
but we dug in and tried to scrape a result but unfortunately they got a bit
of luck with a chance towards the end and finished it. "We have to move on,
it's a big learning curve for the lads and hopefully we won't feel like this
too many times in our careers."

The defender's header cancelled out Accrington's opener goal, which came
after 49 minutes from Nathan Webb, and stung the Hammers into action. Once
Harney had drawn his team level, there only looked like there would be one
winner in extra-time and that view was shared by the centre-back. "One
hundred per cent, I thought that was the deadlock broken and I thought
everyone was going to get a lift. Extra-time came and we were brilliant in
extra-time, we really were. "We had chance after chance and should have
scored with a few of them but it's one of those games. It was a cup game and
they got one chance in extra-time to finish it. "I have to hold my hands up
and say 'Well done' to Accrington Stanley. They played their hearts out, so
well done to them."

The third round defeat came as a shock to Harney and his team-mates, but he
believes they will learn some valuable lessons from the loss and come back
stronger. "In your career you might play in those sorts of atmospheres. We
were obviously going into the game as favourites and I think we should have
dealt with it better. "I think the occasion might have got to some people
but, then again, we should be able to deal with it and hopefully get
results. A lot of people will take it on the chin and hopefully they can
learn from it. "It was absolutely devastating but we have to learn from it
and just keep going continue with the rest of the season and keep doing well
in the league. Hopefully we can put this behind us and learn from it, that's
the main thing for us."

Next up for Steve Potts' side is a Barclays U18 Premier League home match
against Leicester City on 21 December and the defender has already turned
his attentions to that game. "I think we have to look back on it with the
coaches at what we did wrong. We did do a lot of good stuff tonight but we
just have to look for areas of improvement. "We'll get back on the training
pitch, get back on it, get the lads going again and we've got a league game
against Leicester on 21 December so we'll get back at it and try and keep
the unbeaten run going."

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West Ham: Sam Allardyce expects patience from club's owners
BBC.co.uk

Sam Allardyce expects West Ham's owners to show patience with him as
manager, but admits speculation over his position is understandable. The
Hammers sit 17th in the Premier League and the three clubs below them have
changed managers this season. "Everybody will speculate about my position,"
said Allardyce, whose side have one win in eight league games. "The owners
have always shown patience in difficult situations, I hope that will be the
same - I'm sure it will."

A 4-1 defeat at Liverpool on Saturday left West Ham above the relegation
zone on goal difference ahead of this weekend's visit of fellow strugglers
Sunderland.
After the same number of games last season, Allardyce's side sat 10th, with
nine more points than they have achieved this term. "I wouldn't have thought
I would have needed a discussion about my future with the owners," added
Allardyce, who succeeded Avram Grant as manager in 2011 and led them to
promotion in his first season. "They are going to stick with me or they are
not, it is entirely up to them and how they see me in the job and how they
see the situation at the moment. "I know that in the end it is about us
getting results again to alleviate the pressure on us all."

The departures of Paolo Di Canio at bottom club Sunderland, Ian Holloway at
19th-placed Crystal Palace and Martin Jol at Fulham in 18th, have increased
speculation that Allardyce could be the next manager to leave his post. He
has been without record-signing Andy Carroll for the entire campaign because
of injury, with his side scoring just 13 times in the league this season.
Only Crystal Palace, Sunderland and Cardiff have found the net less. "It is
the first time we have had a bad run in the two and a half years I have been
here," added Allardyce, 59. "It comes and it will happen, we have got to
make sure we are determined enough and have the right desire to overcome
it."

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Allardyce: no discussions with owners
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 12th December 2013
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce believes that patience is key to West Ham turning the corner.
The under-pressure Allardyce told the assembled press pack at Chadwell Heath
this morning that no discussions with regards to his immediate future had
taken place with either David Sullivan or David Gold - despite United's
miserable recent record. "I wouldn't have thought I'd need any discussions
with the owners, they're either going to stick with me or they're not,"
retorted Allardyce, when asked if any talks had taken place. "That's
entirely up to them depending on how they see me in the job and how they see
the situation at the moment. "I can only say that when I look at their
history, they've always shown a level of patience to try and overcome a
difficult situation. I hope this will be the same [for me] and I'm sure it
will. At the end [of the day] it's about us getting results again to
alleviate the pressure on us all. "Everyone will speculate about my position
because I'm around other clubs who have got rid of their managers, so they
all perceive that I'm the next in line. It's about picking a few results up
and then the pressure goes away for a while. Hopefully we can sustain the
results and keep the pressure off us all for a while. "From our point of
view we have to keep focused on our own job. It's the first time in
two-and-a-half years that we've had a bad run since I've been here. It
happens, we've got to make sure we're determined enough and have the right
desire to overcome it."

Allardyce will have to do without the likes of Andy Carroll, Winston Reid,
Stewart Downing, Ricardo Vaz Te, Mladen Petric (all injured) plus captain
Kevin Nolan, who is suspended following his unnecessary dismissal at
Liverpool last weekend. However James Tomkins and Guy Demel, both of whom
have been unwell this week, should be fit to play. "We're not in a great
place particularly with the December programme we've got," confirmed
Allardyce. "It's a difficult period for us and we all know what position
we're in with results. "The lads who are available need to step up to the
plate and try and do the business. We hope that James Tomkins will come
through the fitness test but we won't know that until tomorrow so I'll
select the team around that. "Off we go to try and repeat the Fulham
performance against Sunderland - and hopefully get the same result."

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Hammers on live again
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 12th December 2013
By: Staff Writer

West Ham's third round FA Cup tie with Nottingham Forest is being broadcast
live on TV. With TV executives no doubt sniffing a giant-killing, the
Hammers' trip to the City Ground on Saunday, 5th January has been selected
for live TV coverage. The two clubs have met in the FA Cup on five
occasions previously, with West Ham winning four of those ties compared to
Forest's one. The most famous meeting between the two teams in the FA Cup
came in 1991 when West Ham were beaten heavily on the pitch but scored a
stunning victory on the terraces with a World-recod breaking chant of "Billy
Bonds' claret and blue army".

Previous FA Cup Meetings

30th January 2011: West Ham Utd 3-2 Nottm Forest
(Obinna 3)
FA Cup 3rd Round

4th January 2003: West Ham Utd 3-2 Nottm Forest
(Defoe 2, J Cole)
FA Cup 3rd Round

14th April 1991: Nottm Forest 4-0 West Ham Utd
FA Cup Semi Final

31st January 1925: Nottm Forest 0-2 West Ham Utd
(Yews, Ruffell)
FA Cup 2nd Round

14th January 1911: West Ham Utd 2-1 Nottm Forest
(Shea 2)
FA Cup 1st Round

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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has backing of club's board
Last Updated: 12/12/13 3:45pm
SSN

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes he has the full backing of the board
but admits he has not spoken to the club's owners. The Hammers have won just
three times in the Premier League so far this season and head into this
weekend's clash with fellow strugglers Sunderland hovering just above the
drop zone on goal difference. Pressure is mounting on Allardyce but the
59-year-old takes faith in the club's track record with managers and sees no
need for any dialogue. West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has trust in his
owners to remain patient as his side look to overcome a difficult period. "I
wouldn't have thought I'd need any discussions with the owners, they're
either going to stick with me or they're not," said Allardyce. "That's
entirely up to them depending on how they see me in the job and how they see
the situation at the moment. "I can only say when I look at their history
that they've always shown a level of patience to try and overcome a
difficult situation, I hope this will be the same and I'm sure it will. At
the end it's about us getting results again to alleviate the pressure on us
all. "I wouldn't have thought I'd need any discussions with the owners,
they're either going to stick with me or they're not." "Everyone will
speculate about my position because I'm around where all the other clubs are
and all the other clubs have got rid of their managers so they all perceive
that I'm the next in line. "It's about picking a few results up and then the
pressure goes away for a while. Hopefully we can sustain the results and
keep the pressure off us all for a while. From our point of view we have to
keep focused on our own job. "It's the first time in two-and-a-half years
that we've had a bad run since I've been here. It happens, we've got to make
sure we're determined enough and have the right desire to overcome it."

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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce plays down Obafemi Martins links
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo | Last Updated: 12/12/13
1:00pm
SSN

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce claims he knows nothing about any possible move
for former Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins in January. The Hammers are in
the market for striking reinforcements when the transfer window reopens next
month after struggling for goals so far this season. Martins, who currently
plies his trade in America with Major League Soccer side Seattle Sounders,
has been mentioned as a possible target to bolster their attacking options.
However Allardyce, who worked with Martins during his time in charge of
Newcastle, says he is in the dark over reports linking the Nigerian with a
loan move to Upton Park during the MLS off-season "I haven't heard anything
about Oba," said Allardyce. "He's playing in America at the moment.
"Everyone knows if we're in the market for a player, we'll be linked with
everybody. We'll deal with that - speculation is speculation."

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West Ham co-chairman David Gold offers support for Sam Allardyce
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo | Last Updated: 12/12/13
3:44pm
SSN

West Ham co-chairman David Gold has offered his backing to under-fire
manager Sam Allardyce. Allardyce's position at West Ham has been the subject
of conjecture with the side sitting just outside the drop zone only on goal
difference. However, Gold is confident Allardyce and the players will turn
things round and he has called on the fans to get behind them as they look
to steer clear of trouble. "I am hugely disappointed with the position we
are in," Gold is quoted as saying in The Sun. "I thought we would be at
least in mid-table. "We have to rely on Sam and the players. "We have to
stick together."

Gold believes West Ham's struggles this season are down to the fact that
they made a mistake in not signing another striker in the summer. West Ham
smashed their transfer record to make Andy Carroll's loan move from
Liverpool permanent and then splashed out another £6million on Stewart
Downing.
Carroll has not played this season due to injury leaving West Ham short of
attacking options and Gold concedes they blundered by putting their eggs in
one basket" by signing Carroll and not bringing in another striker as cover.
Gold insists the club will address the issue in the January transfer window
and look to bring in a new striker. "I thought we had spent our money
wisely," added Gold. "Clearly, we should have bought a centre forward.
That's my opinion. I'm not overly sure that not bringing in a centre-forward
as cover for Andy was the best idea. "It does mean we put all our eggs in
one basket. "It is a dangerous thing, not just in football but in life. "We
were concerned about the balance and we have come unstuck. "But the
opportunity to buy Downing at that price was great value for money. It cut
deeply into our budget. "But nobody thought Andy would be injured - and it
won't be until the next year before we see him. I'm hugely disappointed with
the position we are in. "No stone will be left unturned to bring in new
personnel in January."

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com



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