Daily WHUFC News - 29th October 2014

Diafra's dreaming big
WHUFC.com
Diafra Sakho says West Ham United are going flat out to prolong their rich
vein of league form
27.10.2014

Diafra Sakho is scoring goals for fun right now but reckons it should come
as no surprise, given the quality that surrounds him at West Ham United. A
second-half header, the winner as it turned out, against Manchester City on
Saturday extended his goalscoring streak to seven goals in seven starts, but
the 24-year-old has no plans to let it end there. While Barclays Premier
League points remain his prime concern, Sakho is keen to hear rather more of
his new song, even if 'he scores when he wants' poses a linguistic problem
or two.
Diafra Sakho cele v Manchester City "I didn't understand it at the
beginning, but I asked Ricardo Vaz Te and he translated it for me," Sakho
explained. "I'm really touched by them saying that all the time. It makes me
happy to hear that and gives me even more motivation to score. I'll always
try to give them that, if I can."

Not that Sakho is short of motivation at present, nor of goals, for that
matter. His supreme form has, in part, fired the Hammers to four wins in
five and the Senegal striker wants the Club to make the absolute most of
their purple patch. "The run goes on for all of us, the whole team," he
added. "We know that after Saturday there's still a long, long way to go -
as I always say - but we're trying to bag all the points that we can. "We're
trying to keep it going and that's really pleasing. My teammates on Saturday
inspired me and so I dream big. When it ends, I'll accept that. But we're
going to slog away to continue it. "Saturday was great. To play at home in
front of our fans, that spurs us all on to aim high and we'll carry on right
until the end so that it will be the stuff of dreams for all the fans who
came to watch us every week."

Compatriot and fellow summer signing Cheikhou Kouyate - himself just back
from injury - is revelling in Sakho's success and gladly gatecrashed the
interview to shower praise on the No15. "I feel good, that's a big win and
my man, who can't stop scoring and continues to make us happy," Kouyate
confirmed. "I am really happy for him and I hope, for him, that he's going
to continue like that. We owe Diafra a thank you! It's a great win and we
mustn't forget also to thank the fans, what we've done on Saturday is thanks
to them too. "Diafra's unreal, that's his level. He continues to surprise me
and surprise everyone. I know very well that he can do better still and he's
going to carry on scoring!"

Modest as ever, Sakho shrugged off the plaudits and instead claimed the
goals are par for the course in such talented company. Ironically, the
Senegalese duo so nearly combined to lethal effect, with Sakho curling
Kouyate's lay-off just over the angle of post and bar. The one that got
away, said Sakho, though he is vowing to stick it away next time and on this
form, he probably will. "When you play with great players that's what
happens - you have to score goals. That's normal. "The one I really wanted
to score was from the pass that Cheikhou gave me. That would have been the
one people would have been talking about all week long. Next time, for
sure!"

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Hammers to host international clash
WHUFC.com
Lionel Messi's Argentina will take on Croatia at the Boleyn Ground on
Wednesday 12 November
27.10.2014

West Ham United are set to play host to Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and
company when Argentina face Croatia in a prestige international friendly on
Wednesday 12 November. In what is likely to be his only appearance at the
Boleyn Ground, Messi and his Argentina team-mates will take on their fellow
2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in what promises to be a hugely entertaining
clash. The 7.45pm kick-off could also see Argentina's former Hammers
midfielder Javier Mascherano return to east London, while ex-West Ham
striker Davor Suker is now President of the Croatian Football Federation.
Messi could be just one of a host of household names on show for La
Albiceleste, with Barclays Premier League stars Sergio Aguero, Angel di
Maria and Pablo Zabaleta and Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain also set to be
involved.
Croatia also possess a strong group of players, with Real Madrid playmaker
Luka Modric, Atletico Madrid striker Mario Mandzukic and Messi's Barcelona
team-mate Ivan Rakitic all expected to be involved.

The two nations have met three times previously, with each recording one
victory. The most-recent meeting took place in Switzerland in March 2006,
when Messi and former Hammers striker Tevez were on target, but Croatia won
3-2. Argentina will be playing in London for the first time since September
2006, when they took on South American rivals Brazil at Arsenal, losing 2-0.
Croatia's most-recent visit to London was also an unhappy one, with England
running out 5-1 winners in a FIFA World Cup qualifier at Wembley in
September 2009.
Tickets for the match are on General Sale now and are available directly
from West Ham United.

Standard Ticket prices start from £25 for Adults and £15 for Over-65s and
Under-16s. Disabled Ticket prices are the same, including a complimentary
carer. Family Tickets priced at £60 for two Adults and two Under-16s are
also available in the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand Upper.

Demand for tickets for this exciting fixture is expected to be high, so fans
are urged to book early to avoid disappointment.
To make sure of your seat now, click here, call 0871 529 1966 (calls cost
10p/min plus network extras) or buy in person at the Alpari Stand Ticket
Office.

Corporate hospitality packages are also available, with Executive Boxes
available for just £1,250 plus VAT and lounge packages starting from only
£60 per person plus VAT. To book a package now, please 0871 091 1911 (calls
cost 10p/min plus network extras).

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Mediawatch - 28 October
WHUFC.com
Our daily look at West Ham United in the news
28.10.2014

In the Daily Mirror, Alex Song talks about an upwardly mobile West Ham, who
he believes can be 'one of the best clubs in England'.

The Evening Standard report that West Ham will learn the extent of Diafra
Sakho's shoulder injury within the next 48 hours.

Sun (£) columnist Ian Wright says that Sam Allardyce is his manager of the
week after guiding the Hammers to a memorable victory over Manchester City.

A comment piece in the Daily Express argues that West Ham and Southampton
could gatecrash the Barclays Premier League's top four.

The Mail Online carries coverage of Andy Carroll's fashion shoot for H&M and
his return to training.

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Messi and Tevez at the Boleyn: get your tickets now
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 28th October 2014
By: Staff Writer

Tickets are now available for the Argentina vs Croatia friendly that will be
hosted at the Boleyn Ground on 12 November. KUMB revealed last week that the
home of West Ham had been selected as the venue for the prestige friendly,
which will see Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano return to their former
home for one night. Supporters wishing to attend the game may now purchase
tickets directly from the West Ham ticket office by calling 0871 529 1966
(calls cost 10p/m plus network extras) or buy in person at the Alpari Stand
Ticket Office.

Corporate hospitality and lounge packages are also available; call the
number above for more details.

Also included in the 25-man Argentina squad to face Croatia is Barcelona
star Lionel Messi. The full squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero (Sampdoria), Willy Caballero (Manchester City),
Nahuel Guzman (Tigres)

Defenders: Nicolas Otamendi (Valencia), Cristian Ansaldi (Atletico Madrid),
Facundo Roncaglia (Fiorentina), Marcos Rojo (Manchester United), Martin
Demichelis (Manchester City), Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City), Federico
Fazio (Tottenham), Federico Fernandez (Swansea), Ezequiel Garay (Zenit)

Midfielders: Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), Roberto Pereyra (Juventus),
Lucas Biglia (Lazio), Angel Di Maria (Manchester United), Erik Lamela
(Tottenham), Javier Pastore (PSG), Enzo Perez (Benfica), Nicolas Gaitan
(Benfica)

Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Carlos Tevez (Juventus), Gonzalo Higuain
(Napoli), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City).

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LET ME THROUGH, I CAN EXPLAIN THE WEST HAM WAY
By Brian Williams 28 Oct 2014 at 08:00
West Ham Till I Die

I had no idea the economic plight of this once proud nation's senior
citizens had become so dire until I heard the heart-rending story of the
poor old soul from the frozen north who has had to eke out the miserly state
pension by selling his credibility.

It would be wrong to name this rather sad and confused gentleman – a man his
age should not be subjected to the harsh glare of publicity. Let's just say
he is of advanced years, having worked all his life in the hairdryer
business, and then – like so many of his generation – he found himself on
the human scrapheap of retirement. They say times were so hard that, at one
stage, he was down to his last case of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

Having been eased out of his Saturday job, he hoped to find financial
salvation as a writer – but, sadly, his magnum opus did not sell as well as
had been hoped. He resigned himself to the idea of augmenting his winter
fuel allowance by burning unsold copies on the pitiful fire in his tiny
garret, and then someone suggested he might be rekindle the public's
interest by rewriting his book to include a few controversial lines that
would excite literary circles throughout the land.

What makes this story so poignant is that the piece of fiction he came up
with was not his own – he "borrowed" it from a friend (plagiarism is such an
ugly word). And the gist of his tale? It is that what the likes of me and
you know to be the West Ham Way is nothing more than a myth.

The "friend" – we shall call him Stout Sam – first put forward this fanciful
idea after a trip to the picturesque cathedral city of Peterborough. Having
been offered some helpful and constructive criticism by 6,000 pilgrims who'd
made the journey as well, he responded by saying: "There has never been a
West Ham Way shown to me. I've spoken to a lot of people at the club and no
one can tell me what it is." Apparently, those of us who believe there is
such a thing are "deluded".

Two years later, after Sam himself appears to have seen the error of his
ways, his friend has now said: "I hope that, before I die, someone can
explain the West Ham Way." Well, if the crowd of care workers and nursing
staff who are doing such wonderful work trying to cope with his dementia
would care to let me through for a minute or two, I'll do my best. You see,
WE ARE THE FAMOUS, THE FAMOUS WEST HAM! And we're famous because of a
football genius who laid down a claret and blue print for the club that has
become an indelible trademark. His successors ignore it at their peril.

Ron Greenwood was not a man to go out of his way to win friends. He didn't
get on terribly well with his own captain (a certain Robert Frederick
Chelsea Moore). He didn't have much time for West Ham supporters. In fact,
he didn't care for the East End as a whole. The problem, according to
Greenwood, is that we "don't understand sincerity and intelligence."

Maybe not. But we do know a thing or two about football, and we came to
appreciate the way he believed the game should be played.

Greenwood joined West Ham from Arsenal in April 1961 – the same month that
Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space (personally, I'm in no doubt
which was the more important event). His footballing philosophy can be
traced back to the day he saw the brilliant Hungarian team of the
mid-fifties trounce England 6-3 at Wembley – the first time England had ever
lost at home – with a performance that revolutionised the way the young
Greenwood thought about the game and convinced him he wanted to become a
coach when his playing days as a centre half were over.

He said later: "I knew then for sure that football was a combination of
thought and intelligence, and fun and concentration, and vim and vigour, and
everything if you like, even art if you want to call it that."

In short, Greenwood's way – the West Ham Way – is about playing open,
attacking football by passing the ball quickly and accurately, based on the
concept that it is more important to score goals than it is to prevent them.
That's not to say defence isn't important ¬– Greenwood built his team around
the best defender the world has ever seen. But the main object of the game,
in the gospel according to Ron, is to break down the opposition using skill
plus intelligence and put the ball in the back of their net more often than
they put it in yours.

To attack effectively, a team needs options – which generally means
employing more than one striker at any given time. Supporters who believe in
the West Ham Way have been calling for two up front ever since we dragged
ourselves out of the Championship. By all means tinker with the midfield
¬set-up – the diamond has clearly become far more fashionable than the flat
line of four my generation grew up with – but the key element is what those
midfielders and their team-mates at the back are looking at ahead of them
when they've got the ball.

We have a proud tradition of striking partnerships. Geoff Hurst and Pop
Robson are my all-time favourites, but Frank McAvennie and Tony Cottee run
them a close second. Then there was Paul Kitson and John Hartson, who
famously got us the "snookers" Harry Redknapp said we needed to avoid
relegation. And who could forget David Kelly and Leroy Rosenior? (No matter
how hard I try, I can't seem to be able to forget Kelly and Leroy.) Now, in
Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia, we have a pairing that could turn out to be
as good as anything we've ever had.

Of course there are times when you have to adopt a different formation. One
of our greatest ever triumphs – the 1980 FA Cup final victory against
Arsenal – was achieved by playing just one out-and-out striker. The Gooners
simply never got to grips with our unexpected line-up, in which David Cross
battled manfully on his own up front while Stuart Pearson dropped back to
help out in midfield. Sir Trev's headed goal plus stellar performances at
the back from Billy Bonds and Alvin Martin did the rest.

The man who came up with that tactical masterstroke was Greenwood's chief
disciple, John Lyall – who, many years after his mentor had left the club,
came within a whisker of winning the league playing the West Ham Way.

Lyall is, arguably, the most successful manager in West Ham's history. He
won us two FA Cups, brought us some fabulous nights of European football,
masterminded our highest ever league finish and got his teams to produce
some breathtaking football. Best of all: he took the time and trouble to
write to my wife and me with some very kind words when we got married, even
though he'd never met us. (But that's another story.)

The man now sitting in the office once occupied by Greenwood and Lyall has
taken some while to come round to our way of thinking, but he seems to have
finally started to understand what we are looking for in teams that turn out
in claret and blue. So why the change of heart?

The Labour party has suggested that if it wins the next election it will
introduce legislation requiring football clubs to give supporters a 10%
stake and representation in the boardroom. It's an interesting idea
(although personally I'd prefer a new Labour government to set about
repairing the National Health Service and renationalising the railways
before it starts restructuring my football club). More institutionalised
democracy has to be a good thing, but at West Ham I think we have
demonstrated that supporters can get their message across in a number of
ways.

In the past couple of seasons, many have been voting with their feet. You
know that people have got the ache when it's still possible to get a ticket
for a home game against Spurs or Man U two days beforehand. Others, as we
are all aware, have protested more vociferously. Some of the anti-Allardyce
protests were nasty, personal and ugly. No one condones those. But we are
West Ham United; we do play on the floor; and we are well within our rights
to remind the manager of that occasionally.

It's been a difficult journey with Stout Sam at times, but the important
thing is that we have finally got to a point where we, the supporters, feel
the team he puts out wearing our shirts and carrying our hopes are playing
the sort of football we believe in.

We're now fourth in the table after beating the defending champions plus
last season's runners up, and we're doing it our way. The West Ham Way.
Perhaps you could mention that to the man with the red face and Scottish
accent the next time you see him shouting at pigeons in the park.

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TONY GALE V KEITH HACKETT: THE REMATCH
By Iain Dale 28 Oct 2014 at 14:22
West Ham till I Die

It went down in football history as one of the most infamous sending-off
incidents the game has ever seen – and it's still sung about in the stands
at West Ham today.


Keith Hackett caused a storm that continues to haunt modern football when he
sent defender Tony Gale for an early bath in the 1991 FA Cup semi-final v
Nottingham Forest for bringing down Gary Crosby. Gale became the first ever
footballer to be instantly dismissed for what is now known as the DOGSO rule
(Denial Of Goal-Scoring Opportunity) – but he has protested his innocence
ever since. Now Hackett and Gale have been reunited for the first time in a
video for you-are-the-ref.com – the website for all matters connected to
refereeing at all levels. Thanks to YouAreTheRef we can reprint the
exchanges between the two sworn enemies below.

Alan: Hello welcome to a very special edition of The Ref Show. It's one of
the most infamous incidents in the history of modern football. It goes back
some 23 years ago now but to this day, referees who have the misfortune to
make more than the odd mistake at Upton Park home of West Ham United are
serenaded to the tune of 'Are you Hackett in disguise?' Yes, that is our
Keith Hackett, You Are The Ref's Keith Hackett, whose here to face some
music now, because in an FA Cup semi-final in 1991 he did this. This was at
Villa Park an FA cup semi-final between Nottingham Forest and West Ham
United. Hammers, Tony Gale was the man very controversially sent off there.
The score at the time mid-way through the first half was nil – nil.
Nottingham Forest, under Brian Clough went on to win four – nil. That's how
important that particular incident was and now for the very first time
since, Tony Gale and Keith Hackett are together in the same room. This room,
Gale has said over the years that he can never forgive Hackett for that
incident but this is the first time they've ever talked about it. Talked
about this lets remind ourselves again mid-way through the first half FA cup
semi-final 1991. Tony, Keith a very warm welcome. Tony thanks ever so much
for travelling up to London, from London to Keith's home ground here in
Sheffield, his home ground in more than one sense because he's a Sheffield
Wednesday supporter and here we are by chance at Hillsborough. Now gentlemen
are we going to have a handshake before we start or are you saving that
until the end?

Gale: We'll do it at the end, but I only came up here because Keith's not
allowed down in London.

Alan: We weren't going to mention that, and you've come all this way because
you're really relishing this, now,Tony what happened there?

Gale: What happened there was obviously I got sent off Alan and Keith made
the decision at the time but bearing in mind the kind of player that I was
and I think everyone in football will agree that I was more of an
interceptor as a player, a central defender I had a disciplinary record that
was second to none. I played 700 games for my clubs over the years. I was
only booked seven times and two of those was for coming out of a wall at the
wrong time. So probably 5 bookings and that was the only blot on my copybook
and probably made me infamous. It might of made Keith famous but it made me
infamous at the time and it was something that I thought was unforgivable.

Alan: And you still can't forgive Keith for it?

Gale: Not for the decision no. Obviously, we're human beings and you have to
forgive and forget but maybe forget for me but not forgive because what
happened was the decision which I thought was wrong which was my first FA
cup Semi-final, I had been in 2 league cup semi-finals but not a FA cup
semifinal and probably ruined the day of not only myself and probably family
totalling 50 that went up there but also fans totalling probably 30 thousand
of the 45 in there of West Ham fans and probably ruined the day which I
thought could of been a far better game as well, and since I've gone on and
become a pundit and worked for Sky and everything, I still look at the
decision then and still think it was wrong.

Alan: You were going away from goal unmistakeably heading towards the corner
flag. I'm going to ask you, whether you think was it actually a foul in a
moment but that was Keith Hackett's verdict. Keith do you look back on that
now and wince?

Keith: Absolutely, for many reasons. As a referee I wasn't one that sent
players off willy-nilly. But I feel that even today I'maggrieved by the fact
that I was exposed as a referee by the FA. If this incident happened a week
before, Tony wouldn't have received a yellow card never mind a red.

Alan: So what happened in between then?

Keith: On the Thursday Ken Ridden at the FA called all referees in, to
discuss this particular type of incident.Up to that particular point we'd
worked on the premise in the Courtney final, where William brought Alan
down, it was cynical and we believed that this challenge had to by cynical.
There wasn't the DOGSO offence that we talk about now.

Alan: It's Denial Of a Goal Scoring Opportunity.

Keith: Correct. This was like it was almost last line of defence and there
wasn't the criterionto say moving towards goal all those sort of scenarios.
It was last man, foul, whatever and therefore the exposure was Tony, the
managers, even the referees below football league level at that particular
time were not aware of this interpretation.

Alan: Were you aware of it?

Gale: I think we were aware Billy Bonds, our manager at the time told us
about it but obviously it's difficult to change the way you play within a
short space of time, you know, and even the way that the game's evolved and
you see decisions now and probably denying a goal scoring opportunity or
whatever, I still probably think I wouldn't of got sent off nowadays and I
still question the decision, did I actually foul Gary Crosby? Because we
both got up in a heap and I wasn't quite sure what way the foul was going to
go so when Keith came up and done it then I thought, Oh

Alan: Your face was a picture; tell us what you were thinking?

Gale: A picture. Well I just couldn't believe it, you know. I couldn't
believe it would be someone like me getting in this kind of situation. I
wouldn't of said I was one of the world's most aggressive defenders, we did
have players of that ilk in the West Ham teams that I played in but, I think
if you asked any of the West Ham players who was the least likely to get
sent off, it probably would of been me. That probably might be a little bit
of a dent on my reputation as a defender but I wasn't that type of defender,
I was, what I had deemed was a footballing central defender, so,it was a… I
thought it was a poor decision and at the time what I did think because it
was the first decision from the Thursday to the Sunday, I thought it was a
bit on an egotistical one at the time in that Keith wanted to be the first
one to make that decision.

Alan: Keith?

Gale: Which is what I thought at the time.

Keith: Yeah apart from that, it wasn't that at all. I mean I concurred it
when I was running and knowing that I'd got to make a red card decision at
what I saw was a foul.I'm regretting it before I've got to do it and then
when … Alan: You appear not to show a lot of sympathy actually.

Keith: Well, I mean, because, well that's part of refereeing. You can't be a
shrinking violet in a corner, you've got a big decision you've made it and
you'vegot to carry it through. The reality is that if you look at the faces
of Tony, his colleagues and there after, the comments the Nottingham Forest
players themselves because as I'm actually coming away from it, there
actually saying Keith that's harsh, that really is harsh and I'm just sort
ofthen spend the next ten minutes in a daze. The reality was there was no
question, if you look at the game as a whole, it absolutely ruined the game.
It ruined it for the spectators and dare I say that I wasn't happy myself,
and the culmination was I came into the car park after the game, really
unhappy, very unhappy in this particular decision.

Alan: Have you got any sympathy Tony?

Gale: Not yet.

Keith: And I threw my bag into the car and there was an F A guy there whose
name will remain anonymous at this stage, and he just said to me, he tapped
me on the shoulder and just said well done. If you hadn't have sent him
you'd have been suspended, I always remember that because I then had some
choice words for him, because for me then set a scene that, in whatever I
did from that day on, it had to be you've got to inform players, you've got
to inform the public and everybody has a right to know what referees and how
they're going to interpret the laws and you should never change the
interpretation of the law during the course of the season.

Alan: Now you were a top referee, you refereed the FA Cup Final, you were a
FIFA International Referee and yet now,you're defined by this one incident,
Tonys' hearts bleeding about this, but you're defined by that one incident,
West Ham supporters are not slow to …

Keith: Well, I mean in the days after following that, I had the death
threats, which were taking quite seriously. Err, you know the fans have a
passion and this is, you know, we're talking about the semi finals here.

Gale: That was only me mum.

Keith: We're talking about semi finals here and you know there are lots of
players that never get to an FA Cup Final and you've actually had a part in
taking that away from them. The impact is enormous on the referee. I think
what most people don't understand that, you know, we're the first to admit
when we've made an error but here I'm unable to make an admission of an
error because I've done what the FA expected me to do.

Alan: Did you speak to him after, attempt to speak to him after, did Billy
Bonds, the manager attempt to speak to him after?

Gale: No I don't think Billy went in there, Billy was one of those players
who was a hard man both on and off the pitch and whatever the referees
decision was, then he'd abide by it and that was it and basically we had to
get on with the game. There was no point in me slamming down doors trying to
get at Keith and whatever, but I remember when Keith sent me off and I asked
what for? I wasn't sure whether I'd fouled GaryCrosby; I wasn't sure whether
I was last man, professional foul. If I had but what Keith was just saying
off and really there was no kind of explanation for it at all, not that a
referee's has to give an explanation, well you tapped him from behind or you
pushed in on the shoulder or whatever. But at best I thought it was clumsy.
At worst did I think it was a goal scoring opportunity or whatever the rules
are, now it's all changed, but no, I didn't it was going towards the corner
flag and Gary Crosby was going towards his left side and he's a right sided
player, so everything in my mind because I was that type of a player who had
a footballing brainwas, how have I got sent off and I couldn't get to the
reality of it when I was in the dressing room.

Alan: And the fall out meant is that I don't think you refereed at the Upton
Park again did you?

Keith: No that's right and rightly so probably

Alan: Cos you made the request..

Keith: No I didn't make the request but I was thankful that they didn't send
me. But the reality of all this is that since, that particular decision, the
law its self has been, err, the criteria's changed. It's more defined, but
let me make it quite clear from a refereeingperspective; I still think that
denial an obvious goal scoring opportunity is a bad law.It's a bad law for
the playing side because it really has no sympathetic overview of the
actions of a player. A player can make a mistake, he can make a careless
challenge and in the case of a defence inside the penalty area, you know,
that denial of the goal is replaced by the penalty kick. So it's an offence
where the punishment is a triple jeopardy, it's a dismissal, it's a penalty
and it's a suspension and that can't be right.

Alan: It's certainly a modern day issue but just going back to this Villa
Park incident and the intervening years I think you actually only met once
didn't you on the football pitch after that?

Gale: Yeah we played, it was funny the club I ended up with Blackburn
Rovers,it was the year before I went to Rovers, West Ham played Blackburn
Rovers at Ewood Park. Low and behold, the referee was Keith!

Alan: And he attempted some reconciliationdidn't he?

Gale: Well he did, I did, err, clatter into the back of Alan Shearer and got
away with the foul.

Alan: And according to you, he said something to you like, are you alright
big man?

Gale: Yeah he said are you alright big man, no hard feelings

Alan: You said?

Keith: Yes I can remember that

Gale: I think I know what I said in the East End, yeah.

Alan: Now then, we've wrapped this up, we could talk all day.

Gale: It was a little bit of a double whammythere Al and we were
speakingabout it afterwards aswell and Keith cleared it up, which he could
clear up again on camera was we tried to appeal against this because we
thought it was the wrong decision, still think it was the wrong decision,
because we were going for the second division championship at the time. The
FA said to us the referee doesn't want to look at the video because he feels
he's made the right decision. I missed the last three games. We were without
a recognised centre back West Ham and we lost out on a championship winning
medal because we would of won it, no doubt, and Keith has explained what
really did happen.

Keith: Well I mean quite clearly,I'll tell you that no one approached me to
have a look at that video, well you know at the end of the day were cannon
fodder at times.

Alan: Well Keiththere's no hiding from you today, thank you for facing that.
Tony, are we going to get that handshake?

Gale: Can I do it off air other wise the West Ham fans might ……

Alan: I'll tell you what will give you the pleasure off 'Are you Hackett in
disguise?'

Gale: Are you Hackett in disguise? And he is, but I mean it was a sad sad
day unfortunately but I'll tell you what the West Ham fans came out with it,
not for the things that were said about Keith but with so much credit
because they sang for the remainder of that game and they were a credit to
West Ham and to me and I'd just like to thank them all on film because they
made it such a good, I'll shake through you.

Alan: Thank you; I can feel the electricity, look at the distance, come on,
thank you both.

Tony: It's been great to get an explanation of it from the other side as
well.

Alan: Ok Tony thanks ever so much and Keith, and were back with another ref
show next week, it won't be as good as this one I can promise you that

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham midfielder Alex Song eyes European place for upwardly mobile
Hammers
Oct 27, 2014 22:30 By Darren Lewis
The revitalised Irons stunned Manchester City on Saturday and the Barca
loanee reckons the Hammers are capable of springing more surprises
The Mirror

Having seen off the defending champions and with superlatives still ringing
in his ears Alex Song has Europe on his mind. The ex-Arsenal star's Man of
the Match display to sink Manchester City on Saturday left some Gunners fans
wondering why Arsene Wenger did not take him back on loan from Barcelona.
West Ham fans, however, are delighted that he chose Upton Park - while Song
believes the east London club are on the verge of a fantastic new era. The
27-year-old said: "The future of the club is very good. That's why I chose
to come here. In Spain nobody was expecting anything from Atletico Madrid
and look at how well they are doing. "You have to look at examples like
that. The way that West Ham are looking now, in the next five years they
will be one of the best clubs in England. "When I see the way that we play
and where we are at the moment I know that I made a very good choice."

Fresh from playing alongside the likes of Messi and Iniesta at the Camp Nou,
Song believes even more top players could follow his lead if West Ham make
it into Europe ahead of their move to the Olympic Stadium. "If everything
goes well by the end of the season, the club will attract more players." he
said, "When the new stadium comes in everyone will start to look here
because we will be a different club.
When they move into the new stadium it will be fantastic. That's why I think
this year we have to do something very well together."
Even before Tata Martino had been replaced at Barcelona by Luis Enrique back
in May, Song had already decided he did not want another season sitting on a
bench. A few Premier League bosses, however, will be kicking themselves at
not moving in for his services before the Hammers snapped him up two days
before the summer transfer deadline. He explained: "It wasn't that I was not
playing at Barca because I am a bad player. I wasn't playing because they
have the best players in the world. "To be part of that team was a
privilege. You train with them then, at the end of the day, the manager has
to choose 11 to play. The players that were playing there won everything.
"For me it was difficult because I was playing every week at Arsenal so to
be on the bench was difficult. "So I decided that I didn't want to be in
that position for a third year. That would have been too long for me. That's
why I decided to move. I have to play. Once I get my fitness back I know
that I can show the people what I can do. "At the moment I am focused and
very happy with the way we are going. You never know what will happen but
everyone gives me the love that I need to perform. "I remember the last day
before I was due to come back here. There was a guy from Barcelona who said:
"No! Why? That's not you. You don't have to choose this way. But I said to
him: 'That's my opinion. Its a good challenge. I know I can do it.'"

Song and strikers Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho were key to Saturday's win
over City. The three points mean West Ham have scored in each of their last
eight games, their best run for five years. It also means West Ham are
enjoying their best start to a season since 1990. At £4.7m Sakho - only the
second man in Premier League history to score in each of his first six
appearances - is now one of the bargains of the summer. Song, however,
believes the former Metz marksman would be receiving far more plaudits if
his seven goals in seven games had come in the shirt of a Champions League
team. "When you look at the way that he has started it's amazing. He doesn't
get the credit he deserves but he has proved his quality in every single
game. He is a young player, he is in a new country and he is playing a new
style of football so to do what he has done is fantastic. "This guy, he
scores goals, he tackles. He is just trying to find his way. But he has the
chance to be one of the best players in the future."

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