Daily WHUFC News - 22nd January 2014

Haycock rues narrow loss
WHUFC.com
Nick Haycock was disappointed after the U21s suffered a 1-0 defeat against
Fulham on Monday night
21.01.2014

Nick Haycock felt the Development Squad came up just short against Fulham on
Monday night as they went down by a single goal at Motspur Park. The
visitors arrived hoping to inflict a first Barclays Under-21 Premier League
defeat on the Cottagers but left having been beaten by Lyle Della Verde's
deflected shot which found a way past Raphael Spiegel after 37 minutes.
Elliot Lee and Matthias Fanimo went close to finding an equaliser but their
efforts were ultimately fruitless, leaving Haycock to ponder what might have
been. He told West Ham TV: "I thought it was a tight game. They were
probably the better team in the first half. I thought they had more control
of the game whilst we played off shape and on the counter-attack. "I just
thought we were naïve when we won the ball. I thought the boys were in good
shape when we won it, but I don't think we opened the pitch up enough when
we passed it. "We had a chance after 60 minutes where Matthias Fanimo
toe-poked it too hard over the bar, had that gone in that might have given
us more confidence. As the game wore on we made a couple of substitutions to
change the game slightly and I think it paid off and we could have got the
equaliser near the end. "I thought Fulham probably deserved it on the night
as they controlled possession a bit more and that's the disappointing thing
because it's what we're normally good at."

Defeat to the Cottagers means the Hammers are still yet to experience the
winning feeling in 2014, a feeling which was a regular part of a strong
first half of the season. That strong start had put the Hammers third coming
into the match against table-topping Fulham, but they were always likely to
present the Development Squad with a tough challenge. "I think they're a
good team, I wouldn't necessarily say the best. I thought that we could have
asked more questions of them. "I just said to the boys in there that they
can't use the excuse that they haven't had enough games because the whole of
the U21 programme had a lack of games over the Christmas period. "I didn't
think that our fitness levels looked sharp enough tonight, the speed to open
the game up wasn't right and tactically being not bright enough at times."

Haycock believed that some of his squad may have got carried away after the
first half of the season and is keen to see them return to the things which
made them successful. "We've got two players who are involved in the first
team squad tomorrow night who could've played tonight and sometimes that
hurts your preparation for the game, but again it's not a moan because we
want them in the first team. "Neil McDonald gave a few of the lads a few
home truths about the standards he expects. We've got an ownership programme
at the Club where the players own their programme and I think one or two
have just got carried away with what we did in the first part of the season.
"They need to remember what got them there in the first place and that's
getting the basics right, off the pitch making sure they're watching the
games back, making sure they're topping their fitness levels up and not
being reminded by staff all the time is the way forward."

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Big Sam reflects on semi-final exit
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce spoke to West Ham TV following Wednesday's Capital One Cup
semi-final second leg defeat
21.01.2014

Sam Allardyce was encouraged by aspects of West Ham United's display,
despite their 3-0 Capital One Cup semi-final second leg defeat by Manchester
City at the Boleyn Ground. The Hammers ended up 9-0 aggregate losers to
Manuel Pellegrini's high-fliers, but Big Sam was trying to take the
positives afterwards, pointing to the returns of Kevin Nolan and James
Tomkins and a successful 45-minute run out for Andy Carroll. There was
further better news from the manager, who revealed that a knee injury that
saw Mohamed Diame stretchered off in the closing stages may not be as
serious as it first appeared. On a less positive note, the manager lamented
the poor defending that allowed Alvaro Negredo to nod City in front inside
three minutes, as well as his own players' inability to turn chances into
goals. "I thought we'd got a goal. It would have done Kevin and everyone the
power of good if his [offside] goal [after six minutes] had stood after the
disappointing start we had made, when we easily conceded that first goal,"
said Big Sam. "It would have made for that little bit more excitement for
the fans if we'd got that one goal back and made it 1-1. That poor defending
would have been overcome and it would have lifted us. "In the end, we got
into the final third against Manchester City quite often and Andy got a
decent 45 minutes in again and cause their defenders some real problems. In
the second half, Carlton Cole had two really good chances with the
one-on-one with the 'keeper and the header that went wide, so we have got to
believe that sooner or later we'll start putting more balls in the back of
the net. "We've had more clean sheets away than at home, so that becomes an
ultimate problem that we've got to do better. We've got to protect our goal
better and, while that might be harsh in this game, it's about making sure
we make teams work much harder for the goals that they score. Ultimately, if
you give a team like this the chances we gave them, then they are going to
punish you and they did.
"We did create chances, but once you lose the ball you've got to get back in
and be defensively sound. In more games coming up, when we play teams of
lesser ability than Man City, that's going to be even more important -
getting the attacking side of it going and the defensive side right. We made
two errors for two of their goals on Tuesday. "City have scored 19 goals and
conceded one to get to the final, which shows you the quality of their team,
but I was a little disappointed with the way we conceded the goals."

The manager was pleased to see Nolan, Tomkins and Carroll back in his
starting XI, while an eye-catching display from Ravel Morrison also gave him
encouragement. The No15 was always available and never afraid to run at the
City defence, forcing a last-ditch block from Joleon Lescott and being
denied a convincing penalty shout for a foul by the same player. "Rav looked
all right. He was comfortable and tries to find the right space and the
right pass. He worked quite hard, which is always important, so we'll look
for him to keep that up. "Of course, Rav should have had a penalty but the
way it is for me, we aren't going to get one even if a penalty of their
players punches one of our players in the face! Everything is conspiring
against us, but we have to keep our heads up and play some of the football
we played with an effective finish and tighter at the back. "Obviously we
were disappointed to lose Joe Cole and Mo Diame to injuries, but we'll have
to see how serious they are. I spoke to Mo afterwards and it seems it might
not have been as serious as it first looked."

West Ham now have eight days to prepare for a Barclays Premier League trip
to Chelsea on Wednesday 29 January. There, Big Sam is hoping to have a
number of injured players available following a behind-closed-doors friendly
later this week. "Guy Demel and Joey O'Brien should be back and both will
play in the behind-closed-doors game, as should Ricardo Vaz Te. Andy got
through 45 minutes, which is on the schedule for the way he has to progress
with us, so his match-fitness has lifted up a little bit more. A better
quality of touch and pass and finish will all come naturally as he gets that
match-fitness. He was a little rusty but was still competitive and
frightening defenders. Andy is going to be important to us."

In closing, the manager was asked whether the Club are getting any closer to
adding to the squad, with the transfer window set to close at the end of the
month. "Well, this is another scenario for me. I've never experienced
negotiating for so many players and not clinching one [deal]. From my point
of view, every which way we turn, we cannot keep it as quiet as we want to -
I think we might have signed more players had it not leaked into the press
and alerted other people. That seems to be the case for every football
club. "We will keep trying and we have to continue to keep trying to improve
the squad if we can, with the right quality of player - and there are not
too many players available of the quality we need. If there are, can we
afford them? If we can, do they want to come? "We will be pursuing that area
both in Europe and in this country from a loan point of view, or a buy point
of view if we get the opportunity."

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Hammers suffer second leg defeat
WHUFC.com
Manchester City completed their Capital One Cup semi-final victory with a
3-0 win over West Ham on Tuesday
21.01.2014

West Ham United 0-3 (0-9 agg) Manchester City
Capital One Cup semi-final second leg

West Ham United were comfortably beaten by Manchester City for the second
time in as many weeks as their Capital One Cup run was brought to an end at
the semi-final stage on Tuesday night. Already trailing 6-0 from the Eithad
Stadium first leg, City's power up front told once again as Alvaro Negredo
notched a brace to sandwich Sergio Aguero's effort. The Hammers did offer
more of an attacking threat than in Manchester City, but were still unable
to find a goal of their own as City claimed a final aggregate score of 9-0.
The second leg began just as the first ended, with City both on the front
foot and the scoresheet.
Just three minutes were on the clock when Marcos Lopes crossed from the left
and Negredo snuck in between James Tomkins and Razvan Rat to plant a header
beyond Jussi Jaaskelainen. Now seven goals behind, the Hammers looked to
rouse themselves with a response and Mo Diame smashed a right-footed effort
over the angle of post and bar with eleven minutes on the clock. Diame
turned provider four minutes later when he sent over a cross from his right
flank, and Andy Carroll ran across Joleon Lescott to win the header, but the
ball flew over the top. At the other end, Jaaskelainen had to get down
sharply to his right to touch Aguero's long-range daisy-cutter around the
post, but he could do little to prevent the Argentine from doubling the
advantage with his next chance on 24 minutes. Youngster Lopes played a big
part in the goal, making a forceful run from midfield to take Tomkins and
Roger Johnson out of the equation, leaving Aguero to take over, see off the
combined attention of Rat and Matt Taylor, and clip over Jaaskelainen's
dive.

Carroll was withdrawn at the break after giving the first 45-minute run-out
since his return from injury, as Carlton Cole took over in attack, Stewart
Downing also came off the bench shortly afterwards, and he was involved on
51 minutes, sliding a ball through to Cole, who forced a save from Costel
Pantilimon with his effort from a tight angle. However, City were able to
add to their lead further just before the hour when Negredo notched his
fifth goal of the tie, surging through a gap between Johnson and Taylor to
evade the former's slide and dink home. Ravel Morrison almost picked a route
through the City defence to pull one back for the hosts, but Lescott threw
himself in front of his shot to block. Carlton Cole also headed wide from a
Matt Taylor corner, but there were also chances at the other end as Navas
fired wide at the near post after being fed in down the right. An already
miserable evening worsened for the Hammers in the final minute when Diame
departed the action on a stretcher, while City could not force their tenth
goal of a disappointingly one-sided tie.

West Ham United: Jaaskelainen; Taylor, Johnson, Tomkins, Rat; Morrison,
Diarra, Nolan; Diame (Collison 89), Carroll (C.Cole 46), J.Cole (Downing 47)
Subs: Adrian, Jarvis, Noble, Chambers
Booked: Diarra
Manchester City: Pantilimon; Boyata, Lescott, Nastasic, Clichy; Navas
(Kolarov 78), Garcia (Rodwell 63), Fernandinho, Lopes; Aguero (Jovetic 65),
Negredo
Subs: Hart, Zabaleta, Dzeko, Demichelis
Goals: Negredo 3, Aguero 24, Negredo 59
Booked: Aguero, Clichy
Referee: Chris Foy
Attendance: 14,390

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Diame demands parity with top earners
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 21st January 2014
By: Staff Writer

Central midfielder Mo Diame is understood to have told West Ham to "double
my money or I'm off". KUMB.com has learned that the Senegalese midfielder,
who arrived at West Ham on a free transfer from Wigan in the summer of 2012
has asked for a salary increase that would put him in the same wage bracket
as Andy Carroll, the club's current highest-paid player at circa
£70,000-per-week. Further, it is also believed that the 26-year-old has
informed West Ham that if they fail to comply with his demands he will seek
a move elsewhere. Diame moved to east London in July 2012 whereupon he was
hailed by Sam Allardyce as "a very exciting addition to the squad." However
that has rarely been the case this season, with the midfielder having faced
the occasional spell on the sidelines as a result of some
less-than-impressive performances. Two months ago he insisted that he wanted
to remain at West Ham for several years, with the impending move to
Stratford a major lure. "I imagine myself playing at the Olympic Stadium and
I hope to sort my contract as soon as possible to make sure I play there,"
he said. "With the transfer window [looming] we will start to talk. At the
moment we are not talking, but I hope it is possible soon."

Fulham have most recently been linked with a move for Diame and are believed
to have had one double bid for the midfielder and team mate Ravel Morrison -
said to be worth around £7million - rejected already. Diame's current
three-year deal with West Ham runs until the summer of 2015. It is well
documented that his existing contract contains a minimum fee release clause
of £3.5million which has alerted a string of clubs - although none prior to
Fulham are believed to have made a concrete bid.

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West Ham striker Modibo Maiga wanted by Sivasspor
Last Updated: 21/01/14 5:44pm
SSN

Modibo Maiga's agent has told Sky Sports that Turkish club Sivasspor have
expressed an interest in the West Ham striker. The 26-year-old joined West
Ham from Sochaux in the summer of 2012 and arrived at Upton Park on the back
of a solid goalscoring record in France where he bagged 24 goals in just 42
starts.
However, Maiga has scored just three goals in 31 Premier League appearances
for West Ham after often being played out of position and has started only
13 times. West Ham are reportedly ready to let Maiga move on before the
transfer window closes and Sivasspor are not the only club chasing his
signature, according to his representative Willie McKay. "Sivasspor have
expressed an interest in Maiga and we are talking to them and several other
clubs," McKay told Sky Sports. "There are other Turkish clubs, French clubs
and two in the UK who are interested in him. "West Ham are ready to let him
leave and it could be a permanent deal. "Modibo might go out later this week
to Turkey for talks and have a look around the clubs who are interested."

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Midfielder Alou Diarra is hoping to leave West Ham this month
By Patrick Haound | Last Updated: 21/01/14 12:37pm
SSN

Alou Diarra thinks joining West Ham was a "bad career choice" and is hoping
to leave Upton Park in this month's window. Diarra joined the Hammers from
Marseille for £2million in August 2012 - but struggled to make an impact at
Upton Park and spent the last half of the 2012/13 season on loan with
Rennes.
He suffered a serious injury in their Capital One Cup second-round victory
over Cheltenham earlier this season, with the France international being
stretchered off in the 34th minute with an anterior cruciate ligament
problem. Sam Allardyce feared at the time that Diarra would be out for the
season - but he is back to full fitness and played in the 2-1 defeat at
Fulham, albeit at centre-back rather than his preferred midfield position.
That was a rare outing for the 32-year-old, who is desperate to depart Upton
Park in January but is not too keen on a return to France. Diarra, who has
played for Le Havre, Bastia, Lens, Lyon and Bordeaux - where he scored 11
goals in 132 appearances - told L'Equipe: "When I talk with other Frenchmen,
I would have loved to experience the same as them - but there is a whole
world between us. The great excitement of the Premier League - I am not
experiencing it at all. "Since the very first day people wanted me to accept
that I am second choice. I'm in a dead end. "It was a bad career choice and
I need a real challenge. "A January departure? Yes it is very likely. To
France? I've explored it all." Diarra added: "The fact I was back from
broken knee ligaments after six weeks without having surgery? Some people
could hardly believe it. "Anyway my situation has not changed. I am not
fooled. I quickly understood he (Allardyce) didn't rely on me, as I am again
confined to the bench."

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Sam Allardyce again not happy with West Ham defending
Last Updated: 21/01/14 10:26pm
SSN

Sam Allardyce admits West Ham's defending was again not good enough as they
lost 3-0 to Manchester City in the second leg of their Capital One Cup
semi-final. Goals from Sergio Aguero and a brace from Alvaro Negredo gave
City a 9-0 aggregate success over the Hammers to send them to Wembley. And
while West Ham put in an improved performance in comparison to the first leg
drubbing, Allardyce admits that their defending was still poor as they went
behind just three minutes into the return leg at Upton Park. "The most
disappointing thing was the defensive unit doing what it did in the first
few minutes," Allardyce told Sky Sports. "Man City are a super, super team -
but that was not a super, super goal - that was bog standard defending not
done correctly and that was really disappointing. "I thought we may have
come back through Kevin Nolan's goal straightaway but as our season is going
that was offside. "You can't do mistakes at this level to the level we did,
far too many errors in our half - there was a fair bit of action in Man
City's box, but no clear cut chances for the amount of time we had in their
final third." Allardyce admits a potential serious injury to Mo Diame was
the real disappointment on the night, with the midfielder stretchered off
late on. On the injuries, he added: "I thought we might have done better and
the real killer for us is that. "First Joe Cole, which is a groin which
shouldn't be too long, but it is Mo Diame, which looks serious, really
serious."

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West Ham goalkeeper Adrian says he is loving life in London
Last Updated: 21/01/14 10:14am
SSn

Goalkeeper Adrian has admitted he is loving life in London, despite enduring
a difficult start to his West Ham career. The 27-year-old stopper has
shipped 20 goals in six games since coming into the side, including six at
Manchester City in the Capital One Cup semi-final first-leg. And despite the
daunting prospect of facing the Premier League leaders again in the second
leg on Tuesday night, the Spaniard insists he has no regrets over moving to
England. "I have fallen in love with London," Adrian told The Sun.
"Everybody looks at a keeper after big defeats but all the lads and the fans
have been brilliant."

The former Sevilla 'keeper has won the praise of boss Sam Allardyce despite
the Hammers suffering a poor run of form. With just one win in their last
eight in all competitions, the pressure is mounting on Allardyce to turn
things around, but Adrian had nothing but positive things to say about his
manager. "I'm so grateful for the gaffer's kind words - and faith in me,"
Adrian added. "He flew to Seville in the summer to speak to me personally
and persuade me to sign. That's why I came here. "I'm sure we can lift
ourselves up the table after tonight's cup game."

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West Ham sweat on transfer moves for Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen and Joleon
Lescott of Manchester City
Jan 21, 2014 22:29 By Darren Lewis
The Mirror

West Ham are waiting for a response from Arsenal to an audacious bid to take
captain Thomas Vermaelen on loan. The Belgium international defender has
been unable to break into the Gunners' first team this season as Per
Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny have been outstanding as a centre-back
pair. Vermaelen has made just 12 appearances this season, despite being
skipper, with a World Cup just months away. Allardyce has moved for the
28-year-old, with West Ham having kept just three clean sheets in their last
13 games. The Hammers are are also waiting for Manchester City defender
Joleon Lescott to decide on whether he actually wants to move to Upton Park,
having already agreed to a loan deal until the end of the season with a
three-year option thereafter.

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Diame injury 'very serious'
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 22nd January 2014
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce has been rocked by the news of another potential long-term
injury - this time to Mo Diame. The midfielder sustained the injury with
less than two minutes of normal time remaining in tonight's 3-0 Carling Cup
semi final, second leg home defeat to Manchester City. After receiving
treatment on the pitch, Diame was stretchered off - before finding out the
bad news. "Mo Diame looks very serious," admitted a crestfallen Allardyce.
"We won't know for sure for another couple of days until the scans of his
knee come in, but the pain he was in when he was stretchered off means it's
a very serious injury indeed.
"I've never had anything resembling this in my entire career. You will
always have a period when a number of players are out with injury or
suspension, but it's never as long as we're enduring at the moment. "Any
player that gets injured is one more than we can stand at the moment. We
thought we were just about to come out of it, but after today the number of
players we have out is too high again. We can't stand to have any more."

Allardyce, speaking to the press after tonight's humbling defeat also
revealed that Joe Cole had sustained a knock that saw him substituted with
the second half barely two minute old. "Fortunately it doesn't appear to be
too serious, but it's a groin injury which will still see him out for a
couple of weeks," he confirmed.

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