U18s back on track
WHUFC.com
Josh Cullen bagged the game's only goal as the Hammers' U18s won 1-0 at
Norwich City
19.01.2014
West Ham United U18s returned to winning ways with an excellent 1-0 Barclays
U18 Premier League win at Norwich City on Saturday. Josh Cullen's goal five
minutes after the interval earned Steve Potts' charges all three points, as
they bounced back in style from last weekend's 2-1 reverse at Southampton.
Midfielder Cullen was the beneficiary of a ricochet in the box, turning
smartly and dispatching a low drive beyond the 'keeper. Though the hosts saw
a late free-kick cannon back off the crossbar, Academy Director Tony Carr
MBE insists the Hammers were worthy winners at the Canaries' Colney Training
Centre.
He told whufc.com: "I thought we dominated the game for the most part and
were the better team. The only disappointment is that we're not taking the
chances coming our way. "We're missing good opportunities and allowing
teams to stay in the game when, really, we should be out of sight. We could
have been two, even 3-0 up at half-time."
Saturday's success was all the more pleasing in the context of defeat by the
Saints last time out, a result that ended a ten-match unbeaten run. But the
Hammers' response was an excellent one and owed much to a mature defensive
display. "The boys responded really well," he added. "It was a similar
performance to last week, in the sense that we created chances and didn't
take them, but got punished and lost 2-1. This week we were a bit more
resolute, slightly more defensively minded and consequently we saw it
through and got the result."
Carr reserved particular praise for schoolboy duo Reece Oxford and Josh
Pask, who played their part at centre-half. In the absence of the more
experienced Kyle Knoyle, Jamie Harney and Reece Burke, Oxford and Pask stood
up to the challenge, helping the U18s secure a first clean sheet since
October.
"The two schoolboys who came in at centre-back, Reece Oxford and Josh Pask,
acquitted themselves really well and they can be very pleased with their
performance."
Next up for Steve Potts' side is the visit of Chelsea to Little Heath on
Saturday 25 January, with kick-off scheduled for 11am.
West Ham United U18s: Howes; Pike, Onariase (Oxford 45), Pask, Page; Nasha,
Cullen, Makasi; Parfitt-Williams (Amoo), J Brown (Martins), Mavila
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Taylor takes solace in second half
WHUFC.com
Stand-in right-back Matt Taylor hopes the Hammers can build on Saturday's
second-half display
19.01.2014
Matt Taylor insists momentum is all important for West Ham United and called
on the Hammers to take encouragement from a spirited second-half showing in
Saturday's 3-1 Barclays Premier League home defeat by Newcastle United.
Right-back for the day, Taylor reckons the hosts would have had something to
show for their efforts, but for their wayward finishing. Both Carlton Cole
and Andy Carroll passed up gilt-edged chances to level matters at two
apiece, before Yohan Cabaye put the contest to bed in the dying seconds.
Sam Allardyce's men had earlier fallen two goals behind before half-time and
the versatile Taylor lamented the Hammers' failure to make their dominance
count after the interval. He told West Ham TV: "I felt we didn't start the
game particularly well, but we were in the ascendancy in the second half and
had we taken the chances, then maybe it would have been a different result.
When we are on top, we need to take our chances. Unfortunately, you find out
the brutal reality of the Premier League and that is if you don't take your
chances, the opposition, because of their firepower, will. And we got
punished on Saturday because we didn't. "It didn't fall for us but we need
to try and take the positives out of it and the positives are the
second-half performance, which I though was very good. We just didn't score
when we were on top and because of that we got punished."
Of those positives, Taylor's link-up play with winger Stewart Downing ranked
highly, with the 32-year-old pressed into services at right-back.
Admittedly, not the geography to which he is accustomed, but Taylor was
little fussed by the reshuffle. "It was fine, I was just happy to be on the
pitch," he continued. "I would play anywhere that the manager asked me to,
so I'm not too worried about that. I think that I'm an experienced player
now and there isn't really too much that fazes me to be honest. "Stewart is
an exceptional footballer, he's a current England international, he has
great strengths going forward and I thought that, as a partnership, we did
OK today. It was just disappointing that we didn't get the result that all
the fans and the players wanted."
Attention now turns to Tuesday's Capital One Cup semi-final against
Manchester City, a competition in which Taylor has been ever-present this
season. While there may not be much life left in the tie, Taylor reckons the
return leg is no write-off, with plenty still at stake. He added: "What
we've got to do now is dust ourselves off and go into a game against
Manchester City and hopefully try to get something from it. We all know it's
going to be a huge, momentous task to get anything from it. They're playing
well and they won again on Saturday. But we're at home and we need to give
our fans a positive performance.
"We obviously all know the scoreline, but it's another chance for players
who are given the shirt to try and keep the shirt. It's just another
football match and we need to build some momentum going into the Chelsea
game."
In a similar vein, the returning Kevin Nolan and Carroll will be earmarking
Tuesday for an extended run-out, with Taylor adamant that the England
frontman is already making his mark on proceedings. "I'm sure Kevin will be
chomping at the bit to get back into the fold and I'm sure he will do. For
Andy, it's a great opportunity for him to get some minutes under his belt. I
thought again, we he came on against Newcastle and was exceptional. He
offers you such a presence up there, he occupies two or three of their
players at any one time."
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Demel on the mend
WHUFC.com
Guy Demel is on the mend after suffering a severe concussion in the victory
at Cardiff City
19.01.2014
Guy Demel is on the mend after suffering a severe concussion in the victory
at Cardiff City. The West Ham United right-back was knocked unconscious in
an accidental clash with fellow defender Roger Johnson eight minutes into
the game in South Wales. He was immediately tended to by Club medical staff
and the on-site pitch rescue team and treated on the turf for nine minutes
being stretchered off. The No20 was taken to a Cardiff hospital, where he
spent the night under observation before being discharged and allowed to
return home the following day - accompanied by physio Frazer Young. Speaking
for the first time since his injury, Demel admitted he could not remember
anything of West Ham's victory and thanked the medical team for the
attention they gave him throughout a worrying ordeal. "I don't remember
anything about it," he admitted. "It was hard to look at the video, but I
saw some pictures so I know what happened, but I cannot remember anything
for 48 hours before the incident happened. I don't remember travelling to
Cardiff or the match or anything. "The first thing I can remember is waking
up in hospital and they asked me where I was and I didn't know. I knew I was
in hospital but I thought I was in London because my last memory was of
being at home. "Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. I was very
confused for a couple of days after it happened but now I'm feeling better.
It is really hard when you cannot remember things, even if it was only for
two days. I had a headache, so it was hard for a few days after, but now I'm
feeling better."
Demel said his family had learnt of his injury and were concerned with the
initial reports that he had suffered a head injury and a dislocated elbow.
While the alarming images showed the Ivorian had landed heavily on his arm,
he thankfully did not suffer any injury to the limb. As for his head, the
defender did suffer a severe concussion and the Club are taking every
precaution before allowing Demel to return to training. "The doctor said to
me that I had suffered a severe concussion and it was a serious one because
I had been unconscious for a lot of minutes. They also had to put a tube in
my mouth because my blood was going backwards down my throat. They said that
when I woke up, I couldn't speak for an hour and a half and then I slowly
started to come back around.
"Actually, I would like to thank the medical team because their reaction was
really good, really quick and they made the right decisions. I would also
like to thank God because you never know what can happen in your life and I
am happy to be here. Now, I am getting right. "The Club has been really
good. They have not put any pressure on me and I have started doing things
at my own pace, like some running and some core work. Day after day, we
watching how my body reacts, so we are trying to make sure we don't take it
forward too fast before I start training again."
While he cannot remember anything of his trip to Wales, Demel said news of
West Ham's 2-0 victory had boosted his spirits as he laid in his hospital
bed.
"The doctor told me that when I woke up, I couldn't remember the game, so he
told me that we had won. I kept asking him every few minutes because I
couldn't remember. It wasn't that I didn't believe him! "It was an important
win for us because got some points on board. We're not in the position that
we should be with the quality that we have, but we can go forward and
improve our position in the table."
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Everton medical for Monaco striker Lacina Traore
Last Updated: 19/01/14 6:55pm
SSN
Monaco striker Lacina Traore is to have a medical ahead of a move to
Everton, according to Sky Sports sources. The 6ft 8ins striker looked set to
join West Ham last week, and even had a work permit granted, but Sam
Allardyce missed out on Ivory Coast international who now looks to be on his
way to Merseyside. Everton look to have hijacked the deal for Traore and
Allardyce admitted earlier this weekend there is nothing they can do to stop
the Goodison Park outfit signing the player. When asked after Saturday's
defeat to Newcastle if Traore would be signing for the Upton Park club, he
said: "It's unlikely by the sounds of it. "We're finding it extremely
difficult (to bring players in). "We had a terrible day yesterday (Friday)
when I thought a player was signing for us and then I found out he wasn't,
but there you go. "[Any other club] can apply for a work permit like we did.
"They would have to do a separate application."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham defender Guy Demel is hoping to return to action soon
Last Updated: 19/01/14 8:08pm
SSN
West Ham defender Guy Demel is hoping to return to action soon following his
recent head injury. Demel suffered severe concussion during West Ham's 2-0
win away at Cardiff on January 11 and spent the night in hospital. Speaking
for the first time since his injury, Demel admitted he could not even
remember playing in the match. Demel told the club's website: "I don't
remember anything about it. "It was hard to look at the video, but I saw
some pictures so I know what happened, but I cannot remember anything for 48
hours before the incident happened. I don't remember travelling to Cardiff
or the match or anything.
"The first thing I can remember is waking up in hospital and they asked me
where I was and I didn't know. I knew I was in hospital but I thought I was
in London because my last memory was of being at home. "Nothing like this
had ever happened to me before. I was very confused for a couple of days
after it happened but now I'm feeling better."
Demel also thanked the club's medical team for all their help. He added: " I
would like to thank the medical team because their reaction was really good,
really quick and they made the right decisions. "The club has been really
good. They have not put any pressure on me and I have started doing things
at my own pace, like some running and some core work. Day after day, we
watching how my body reacts, so we are trying to make sure we don't take it
forward too fast before I start training again."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WHERE ARE YOU? WHY ISN'T THERE MORE OF AN ATMOSPHERE AT UPTON PARK NOWADAYS?
By Iain Dale 19 Jan 2014 at 19:57
West Ham Till I Die
Remember a couple of months ago I wrote a blogpost about falling out of love
with football, in much the same way as I have been falling out of love with
politics? Well yesterday's matchday experience just about tipped me over the
edge. I genuinely thought the Cardiff match heralded a new beginning, but it
was the same old-same old. With one or two notable exceptions it was a
performance lacking commitment and passion. The tactics didn't work from the
opening minute and Allardyce had no idea how to counter the Newcastle way of
playing. Even bringing Morrison on at half time had no discernible impact.
In addition, the introduction of Carroll for the hapless Diame didn't change
things much.
But it's the atmosphere which is of just as much concern. Namely, there is
none. At all. The Newcastle fans outsung us throughout the match, part from
a very loud rendition of Alan Pardew shagging who he wants. Jeremy Nicholas,
our erstwhile matchday announcer, has a theory on his BLOG. Admittedly he
has a vested interest, but nevertheless…
The standard of announcing and the pre-match build up have fallen to below
that should be expected from a Premier League club, particularly one with
such a fine reputation for doing things right. We've had Monreal of Arsenal
announced as Montreal, leading to speculation from The Mirror that a
Canadian international was on the bench! Substitutions have been announced
that haven't happened. Worst of all 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' has been
talked over! That should be a sackable offence in my book. On other
occasions 'Bubbles' has been played way too early, so the song is over by
the time the teams walk out, leaving a gap before the handshake music.
Second halves have started in virtual silence, without any kind of rousing
call to action. This team needs our help and they are not getting it. The
interviews pitchside have been stilted. The introduction of Julien Faubert
as a 'legend' was laughable. I apologise to Martin Godleman who has filled
my shoes as announcer. He's a smashing bloke and a friend of mine, but it's
just not working out. He wrote a book recently called 'We're West Ham United
– We Play on the Floor.' Two things emerged from that book: One is that he
never felt comfortable in the announcer's role, when he filled in for me
when Scott Duxbury sacked me in 2008 for a few months. The second is that
Martin's not a fan of the way Sam Allardyce's teams play football. Nice
bloke as Martin is, he's not the man we need rallying the support behind our
club. If I hear Twisted Firestarter at half-time again I think I'll go mad.
We need a rethink of the music to play some old favourites associated with
the good times, to get that feelgood factor back. The manager can pick
eleven players and seven subs, but at the moment he is being denied that all
important twelfth man. The Boleyn can be an intimidating place to come, but
not at the moment. Our away support is as magnificent as always, but at home
the supporters are being let down by the pre-match build up.
You may think that because of his desire to return as matchday announcer he
is overplaying his hand, but I think he has got a very valid point. People
who sit around me mutter often about "it not being the same" and they are
right. I suspect doing that job is a lot tougher than it looks, but at the
moment it's too local radio. Something needs to happen. And before anyone
accuses me of wanting the job for myself, let me rule myself out. I have the
self-knowledge to realise that it wouldn't be my cup of tea and I haven't
got the right voice for it.
Having said all that, it's not fair just to blame the announcer for failing
to whip up an atmosphere. And we can't just blame it on the performances of
the team, it's also down to us – those who pay good money to watch the
rubbish that's being served up to us. Perhaps we need Karren Brady to do a
Delia…
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WEST HAM HOPE TO SIGN ITALIAN VETERAN ALBERTO GILARDINO ON LOAN
By Sean Whetstone 19 Jan 2014 at 12:13
West Ham Till I Die
The Sunday Express claim West Ham hope to sign Italian international Alberto
Gilardino from Genoa on loan after failing with their loan bid for Lacina
Traore.
The 31-year-old has scored 19 goals in 57 international appearances and is
said to be targeted by Sam Allardyce for a permenent move in the summer. He
has scored 12 goals from 30 appearances for Genoa with another 13 goals from
35 appearances for Bologna while on loan. Genoa are believed to want around
£5m for Gilardino, but West Ham hope to tie up an initial loan deal until
the end of the season to try before they buy. It is claimed Allardyce wanted
to sign Gilardino on loan last summer but was unable to finalise a deal. The
\Forza Italiana website suggests that he now is planning a fresh move for
the Italian veteran. Gilardino was reportedly being lined up to become
Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe's strike partner at Toronto, but he rejected
a move to the MLS side.
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RICKIE LAMBERT ANYONE?
By Tony Hanna 19 Jan 2014 at 08:14
West Ham Till I Die
The promise of early new signings, in particular a quality striker, has not
been delivered by the owners this transfer window. But who really thought
things were going to be that easy? Hull City have got early business done
but the rest of the Premier League clubs have not exactly been running out
of ink. The Hammers have actually signed more players this window than any
other club, but with due respect to Jaanai Gordon, Roger Johnson and the
re-signing of Carlton Cole, it has not been exactly the inspiring season
saving stuff we were crying out for!
The anticipated signing of Lacina Traore has not yet eventuated, despite Big
Sam going in to bat for him successfully at the work permit tribunal. There
are many rumours around as to why this has not happened. Some sources are
saying that he is injured (knowing our luck that would have been at our
medical), whilst others are saying that Everton may have gazumped us-
(remember Lukaku)? Another theory is that we have actually gone cold
ourselves on the deal? The changing point may have been this weeks turmoil
at Southampton which reignites the hope that the Saints may actually sell
Rickie Lambert to us? A look at the bookies boards show that Lambert is 1/5
to join the Hammers this window. The re-signing of Carlton Cole to a new
contract suggests that signing both Traore and Lambert is something that is
not feasible.
UPDATE: Since writing this piece, Sam has told the press that Everton have
indeed gazumped us on the Traore deal. It also appears that the player may
be carrying an injury that may take several weeks to recover from. So, the
Lambert scenario may not have been the catalyst for Traore not signing for
us. However, it is interesting to see the bookies price so short for a deal
that would seem unlikely in our current predicament.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carroll will 'grab' Hammers and drag them to safety says Toon boss Pardew
By CRAIG HOPE
PUBLISHED: 13:30, 19 January 2014 | UPDATED: 13:32, 19 January 2014
DailY Mail
Alan Pardew has backed Andy Carroll to 'grab' hold of West Ham and drag them
to Premier League safety. The Newcastle boss, who sold the striker to
Liverpool for £35million three years ago, has never hidden his admiration
for the player and there was even talk of him re-signing for the Magpies
last season.
Carroll, though, became West Ham's £15millon record signing during the
summer, only for a heel injury to keep him sidelined for the first five
months of the campaign. He appeared for the first time at Upton Park on
Saturday as the Hammers were beaten 3-1 by Pardew's Geordies, the
second-half substitute skying one glorious chance over the crossbar. That
result left Sam Allardyce's third from bottom in the top flight, goal
difference only keeping them from the foot of the table. Pardew, however,
believes that Carroll's return will prove the catalyst for an upturn in
fortunes in East London. 'He is going to be important for Big Sam in this
second part of the season,' said the former West Ham boss. 'He had that one
big chance (on Saturday) but he's a bit rusty – he would have taken that on
another day.'He's a terrific character and I'm sure that he's going to grab
this team and keep them in the division. 'They have Kevin (Nolan) coming
back as well and Sam has a lot to lean on there and he can be encouraged by
their performance in the second half.'
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West Ham's Sam Allardyce feels pressure mount after loss to Newcastle
• West Ham manager rues transfer and injury frustrations
• Home fans jeer Sam Allardyce during another defeat
Jacob Steinberg at Upton Park
theguardian.com, Sunday 19 January 2014 11.22 GMT
Sam Allardyce was under increasing pressure after West Ham United dropped
back into the bottom three after a dismal 3-1 defeat against Newcastle at
Upton Park on Saturday, with the manager blaming defensive lapses and
expressing frustration over a number of setbacks in the transfer market this
month.
While West Ham believe that Allardyce remains the man to keep them up,
supporters could not hide their anger at their team's performance. One fan
made his way towards the home dugout after Newcastle's second goal to direct
abuse at Allardyce and West Ham were jeered during the match and booed off
after the final whistle.
However Allardyce defended himself by pointing to the number of absentees in
his back four. James Tomkins was suspended and Winston Reid, Joey O'Brien,
Guy Demel and George McCartney were all injured.
"Our defensive frailties were exposed in the first half," Allardyce said.
"It was about our defensive lapses rather than Newcastle's quality, even
though they were two good finishes. Our back four today never played
together. You don't get that solid unit when players don't play together."
Allardyce said that the chances of West Ham signing the Monaco striker
Lacina Traoré were "extremely unlikely" – Everton are the favourites to sign
the Ivory Coast forward – and revealed that a deal for another player had
fallen through on Friday.
"It's extremely difficult," he said. "I had a terrible day when I thought
one player was coming and he didn't."
Allardyce was insistent that results will improve once West Ham's injured
and suspended players are back but could at least take encouragement from
another appearance off the bench by Andy Carroll after his return from a
heel injury. However the £15m forward missed a great chance to earn West Ham
a point against his old club.
"It's eight months since he played," Allardyce said. "He's had a long
gruelling rehabilitation programme. Without those players, we see what
results we're getting. If we're going to get back we need those injured
players."
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Be patient with Andy Carroll urges Matthew Taylor
Last Updated: 19/01/14 11:56pm
SSN
Matthew Taylor has warned West Ham and England fans not to expect too much,
too soon from striker Andy Carroll. Carroll was a second-half substitute on
Saturday in the Hammers' 3-1 defeat at home to his former club Newcastle.
The 25-year-old missed the start of the season with a foot injury and has
only just returned to the side. Carroll, who missed a decent opportunity to
score at Upton Park, could still be named by England head coach Roy Hodgson
in his England squad for this year's World Cup and Taylor insists people
must be patient. "Having Andy back is a huge lift. He's a huge player for us
and a huge presence in the squad. You can see that on the pitch as well,"
said Taylor. "It's great for him to be back in the fold and hopefully in the
next couple of games he'll be raring to go again. "He's our record signing
and is very good at occupying two or three players at a time when the ball
is played to him. "He'll be disappointed that he missed that chance, but it
wasn't an easy one. "He's been beating himself up in the changing room about
it, but it wasn't as easy as people are making out. "He hasn't played
football for a long time and we need to remember that. The next one will
come in and hopefully he'll put it away."
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