Noble named Club captain
WHUFC.com
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has named Mark Noble as the Hammers' new Club captain. The midfielder, who is West Ham's all-time leading Premier League appearance maker and the Club's longest-serving player, was announced as the new skipper in a short ceremony before training at Chadwell Heath. Noble, who succeeds Kevin Nolan, has thanked the manager for putting faith in him to lead the squad during the Hammers' historic final season at the Boleyn Ground. "When you are at a massive Barclays Premier League club like West Ham United playing in the best league in the world, to be captain and be brought up in the same area is something very special for me, for my family and the fans because they can relate to it," the No16, who was born and raised in Canning Town and has amassed 328 appearances in Claret and Blue, wrote in his new Official Programme column. "I have stood in for Kevin Nolan in the past and, in my eyes, he has been a top captain for this Club. He has brought the dressing room together and done all the stuff on the inside that nobody sees. "I've watched Kev and how he dealt with things and I've learned a lot from him and hopefully I can be as good a captain as he was."
Noble has already captained the side to victory at Arsenal and Liverpool this season and hopes to lead the Hammers to their first home Barclays Premier League victory of 2015/16 when Newcastle United visit on Monday evening. Having also scored in West Ham's last two fixtures, the 28-year-old is enjoying his own personal form at present and plans to put in another positive performance against the Magpies. "I've got a bunch of great players here and over the last couple of weeks their performances and attitude have made things much easier for me as captain," he revealed. "I think it helps that I have been at the Club for a long time and I know everyone and how it all works, and the experience I have had playing for West Ham in the Premier League, and I am looking forward to being the buffer between the players and the manager. "I captained the team at Liverpool and to lead the team out at Anfield for our first win their in 52 years, and scoring in front of The Kop was special and those memories will never leave me."
A sellout crowd will fill the Boleyn Ground on Monday evening as Bilic's side search for three points that would take West Ham up to fifth in the table.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Michail's living the dream
WHUFC.com
Michail Antonio cannot wait to fulfil a boyhood dream and take his first steps in Barclays Premier League football as soon as he can with West Ham United. The former Nottingham Forest winger, who joined the Club in a deadline day transfer, could make his Hammers bow in this evening's meeting with Newcastle United alongside a couple of other new arrivals in the form of Victor Moses and Nikica Jelavic. Having risen all the way from non-league football with Tooting & Mitcham in his early career to now playing for West Ham, Antonio says he is truly living the dream. "It's like a dream to be here at West Ham, back in London," he beamed. "I've been out of London for six years, so just being able to pop round to my mum's house, see my brother, see my family and friends I went to school with makes life so much easier for me. "I just had a new-born and my mum's only seen him once, but now I'm down here I can bring him round whenever I want. "West Ham is home for me and it's a Club I used to come and watch when I was younger. It's Premier League, and we've got a great fan base so hopefully we can push on and see where we can finish this season. "It excites me every day when I think about making my Premier League debut. Every day I wake up before my alarm just to come to training because it has always been my dream, so hopefully I can do it on Monday. "Since I was a kid, it has always been my dream to kick a ball in the Premier League and it could happen today. "I am a player who wants competition and wants to get better. Every team I've gone to I've had to prove that I'm the best in that position at the Club and it'll be no different here. "There is good competition, but I want to thrive and try to be the person who is first on that sheet."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Makasi enjoying non-league experience
WHUFC.com
By Adam May
Moses Makasi is enjoying life on loan at Chelmsford City and believes the physical nature of Non-League football will bode him fell for the future. The midfielder played just over 60-minutes in the Clarets' 0-0 stalemate with Wealdstone on Saturday and has helped City go on a four match unbeaten run. The Clarets currently sit eighth in the National League South ahead of Monday's local derby with Concord Rangers, and the 18-year-old is relishing the opportunity to not only play men's football but to also feature in his preferred holding-midfield role. "I feel most comfortable in the deeper role, it's where I can win most of my tackles, get on the ball and start dictating play from there," he said. "It's been a good experience. Playing men's football is a different league. You have to tackle and win every ball. It's much more physical and you get players playing who have played in different leagues, so you have to be physical too. You have to be smart with the ball and it's good for me."
Moses has made six appearances for the Clarets this season – recording an assist in City's early season victory over Hayes & Yeading – and was frustrated by City's result at the weekend but feels that the side can learn from that going into Monday's home match. He added: "It was a frustrating game on Saturday. "Wealdstone were decent, we were trying to play and they were trying to play and both defences just came out on top. "In those games you have to keep at it, keep plugging away and hope the goal will come. "It'll be a different game Monday, it's a local derby and we'd like to get the win. We're at home so are confident we can get the three points and push the games to five unbeaten."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Noble (finally) named club captain
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 14th September 2015
By: Staff Writer
Mark Noble has finally been named as the successor to former club captain Kevin Nolan. The Canning Town-born 28-year-old midfielder had taken the skipper's armband in West Ham's four previous Premier League outings so far this season but was officially unveiled as the club's new captain earlier today. "When you are at a massive club like West Ham United, playing in the best league in the world, to be captain and be brought up in the same area is something very special," he told whufc.com. "We've got a bunch of great players here and over the last couple of weeks their performances and attitude have made things much easier for me as captain. I think it helps that I have been at the club for a long time, that I know everyone and how it all works. "I am looking forward to being the buffer between the players and the manager. I captained the team at Liverpool for our first win their in 52 years, and scoring in front of The Kop was special."
Nolan also has a special word of praise for his predecessor Kevin Nolan, who left West Ham last month after four years as the team's skipper. "He has been a top captain for this club." noted Noble. "He brought the dressing room together and did all the stuff on the inside that nobody sees. I've watched Kev and how he dealt with things and I've learned a lot from him. Hopefully I can be as good a captain as he was."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
They tried to make me go to Tottenham but she said no, no, no
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 14th September 2015
By: Staff Writer
Michail Antonio has revealed how his MUM refused to allow him to sign for Tottenham when he was still a schoolboy. West Ham's newest recruit could be in line to make his Hammers debut in tonight's Premier League clash with Newcastle United at the Boleyn Ground. However he could have been playing for West Ham's closest top flight rivals in geographical terms - had him mother not stepped it to curtail his chances of making it at White Hart lane. "When I was 14 I had a trial for Tottenham," the 25-year-old winger told the Mirror. "They were thinking of signing me but my mum said no. She said education comes first. Did I hate her at the time? You couldn't imagine. I was crying and all sorts. "It's one of those things. I had to travel to north London and I'd probably get home at midnight every night. I had school the next day and she said 'no, it's not do-able'. If it was south, then maybe. "But it was the best thing she has done for me. I managed to get my diploma in sport, so it's one of those things where everything happens for a reason. Now I've finally got here and I can't complain. And she's buzzing about me joining West Ham!"
* West Ham face Newcastle at the Boleyn Ground tonight - the match kicks off at 8pm.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Nolan: I battled with Big Sam more than anyone
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 14th September 2015
By: Staff Writer
Kevin Nolan has attempted to put the record straight regarding his relationship with Sam Allardyce. A sizeable minority of West Ham fans were constantly critical of Nolan and his performances last season, often due to a perceived special relationship that was thought to exist between the 33-year-old and former manager Allardyce. However the ex-Hammers captain has spoken out to put the record straight, a fortnight after he bade farewell to West Ham - the club he had captained for four years since being signed by Big Sam. "A lot of people thought it was just me and Sam, but I was the one who battled with him more than anyone in the dressing room," Nolan told TV's Ben Shepherd. "When it started going a bit wrong last season, a lot of people gave me a lot of the heat for it. But I can take that, I'm big enough and I've got broad shoulders. Sam's done a lot for me in my career - but I've done enough for him and for the clubs I've been at. So I wouldn't say it's held me back."
Nolan, who has been training of late with Leyton Orient, maintains that he would have left West Ham last month regardless of who the manager was - with a desire to play first team football, rather than be in partnership with Allardyce, being the main consideration. "I think it probably would have happened the same even if Sam was still there," he claimed. "For the majority of my career I've played every week so last year, sitting on the bench, didn't really suit me. I was very miserable at home as my wife will probably tell you! "It came to the point where I thought 'I'm not going to play as much this year as I'd like'. Slaven Bilic wanted to bring in a lot of midfielders too which would have set me back even more, as he wants to put his own stamp on the team. "So I came to the decision that as I'm not going to play as much, I didn't want to just sit there and earn my money. I want to start a new chapter, I want to contribute to a new beginning or someone with a goal that I can be part of. "I think because I went to West Ham as skipper you sort of feel like you've lost a bit of your touch when you're not playing every week. Your respect might come down a bit more. There were a load of factors in the end, but I'm not one who can just sit there. "I know for a fact I'd have been hard work for Slaven, more than I'd liked to have been. If I'm not playing and the team weren't doing well I'd have been knocking on his door and I didn't really want to get into that 'I think I'm better than him', or 'I think I should be playing'. I just thought it's time for a change and a new chapter."
Despite having left the Boleyn Ground, Liverpool-born Nolan insists that he intends to remain in London - a place he now calls home. "I'm probably going to end up staying down here now as I'm living down here," he confirmed. "I've got some great friends now who I'll know for the rest of my life. "As for my time at West Ham, I'll never forget days like the play-off win at Wembley - fantastic. "That was a tough season and what we did that day was fantastic. To be fair to them, Blackpool were great on the day - and we'd beaten them by four in both [league] games during the season. I don't know whether that factored into it. "We were great in the semis but that was just unbelievable. The last minute, just seeing the ball in the back of the net so late on and Vaz showing off his physique! It was a great moment. It's just fantastic when you do it that way. "I loved it."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham United v Newcastle United
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 13th September 2015
By: Preview Percy
Ever felt sorry for a mosquito? Preview Percy has. To learn exactly why, and much, much less read on. If you like...
Next up we play host to Newcastle United. Our run of 3pm Saturday kick-offs comes to a grinding halt as this one will kick-off at 8pm on Monday night for the purposes of televisual entertainment of a subscription nature. So at least there won't be any weekend engineering works to fret over, not that that will be much consolation to the visiting supporters who will find themselves turfed out into the night at about 10pm the thick end of 250 miles from home.
The visitors arrive in third from bottom place of the fledgling league table with two points from the four played so far. They did in fact move up a place over the weekend courtesy of Stoke's defeat at the library, and the Geordies will no doubt glean some comfort from the fact that Sunderland somehow contrived to lose to Spurs leaving them at the bottom.
50% of Newcastle's points came on the opening day when they held an out-of-sorts Southampton 2-2. That was followed by a trip to the Principality where they came away on the wrong end of a 2-0 scoreline. A trip to Old Trafford ended goalless, gaining them the remaining 50% of their points whilst their last outing, at home to Arsenal saw them defeated 1-0.
They do of course have a new man in the hot seat since we last met at the end of last season. The slightly strange John Carver, who had replaced the (careful – kumb lawyers) er, not at all strange Alan Pardew, was given the tin tack. His replacement was he of the flexibly-awful accent, former England boss Steve McClaren. Of coursh.
There were changes in the way the club was organised as well. Fans' 'favourite' Mike Ashey is now no longer part of the board to which McClaren and others were elected. In fact the board of directors seems now to include everyone except Preview Alastair and that was probably because he was out (cold) when they called. I don't suppose that has affected how the club is run to any serious degree – presumably any changes that the board decide on would have to be approved by the main shareholder anyway.
The "still not a cockney" Ashley – whose fortune will collapse if Spurs supporters ever discover that shell suits are not items of high fashion – is the scapegoat for all that ails St James' Park in the eyes of the visiting support, taking the blame for everything from transfer policy to the white backs on the current home kits. The latter has so annoyed the faithful that they've gone out and designed their own kit, a process that was made slightly more tricky by the club threatening legal action over any design that carried anything that even vaguely resembled a magpie.
The Arsenal match saw them play much of the game with 10 men following Aleksandr Mitrovic's early bath. Striker Mitrovic arrived from Anderlecht during what I shall laughingly refer to as "summer". The fee was apparently undisclosed but the work-experience kid with the Harry Potter spectacles informs me that it was something not un-adjacent to £13m. It's taken Mitrovic only a few games to build up a bit of a reputation as somthing of a nutter. It took him 22 seconds to pick up his first yellow card against Southampton. His second yellow against Swansea took him an almost leisurely 90 seconds. Either one of those two cards could arguably have been of different hue. However he wasn't as lucky against Arsenal where, after a positively glacial 15 minutes, he saw red after an over the ball stamp on Coquelin which was described by McLaren as "harsh". It wasn't, and the resulting three match ban will see him miss the trip to the Boleyn.
The biggest fee shelled out this summer (£14.5m according to the work experience kid with the Harry Potter spectacles) went on midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum. Wijnaldum, who adopted that surname from the easier to spell/type/pronounce "Boateng" when his parents divorced has over 20 Dutch Caps (here at the Avram Grant Olympic Rest Home For The Bewildered we will never tire of laughing at that one) and arrived from Holland after a four year spell with PSV, presumably crossing "Schteve's" radar whilst the latter was employed during one of his spells with FC Twente.
Mitrovic wasn't the only arrival from our old friends at Anderlecht with Chancel Mbemba joining the Serbian striker on his trip across the North Sea. Mbemba once voluntarily underwent a series of bone scan tests when on the Belgians' books to prove that he was actually as young as claimed on his Democratic Republic Of Congo documentation, Belgium having long been used as a conduit for players from the African continent who were not always as young as they seemed. The tests confirmed his age was indeed genuine. The 21 year old has 17 Congolese caps, which somehow aren't quite as amusing as those awarded by the Dutch FA.
The other big money (£12m as per the work experience kid with the Harry Potter spectacles) went on French winger Florian Thauvin. There's a touch of the Berahinos about Thauvin. He left Bastia for Lille in January 2013, the arrangement being that he would see out the season back in Corsica. When the season ended and the time came for him to make the journey north he changed his mind. Enter Marseille who decided that they fancied the player. Lille weren't over-impressed with the idea of losing a player who hadn't actually played a game for them. Words were exchanged and Thauvin decided that he would go on strike rather than actually play for his employers. Eventually the transfer went through, the €13m fee representing a profit of about €10m on Lille's original investment. Which would sweeten the pill a bit I suppose. The story didn't quite end there though – there were unedifying scenes at Lille Airport when he turned up to play against his former club as Lille supporters clashed with the Marseille party. On the pitch Thauvin has been capped at pretty much every age level short of full recognition by the French.
We've had a bit of stick over the number of red cards we've received since the start of the season so it may come as a bit of a surprise that it's the Magpies who actually have the worst record in the Premier League since the start of 2014/15, with 9 red cards in that period. In addition to nut-job Mitrovic's red last week-end they also received a further six yellows. Lord knows what the idiot in charge of this weekend's match will make of two teams with such records this weekend.
And so to us. Firstly a few words about our last match. "Bloody marvellous" are two that spring to mind. Those of us who have been making that trip up to the god-forsaken hole that is Anfield over the years have despaired of us ever getting a result up there. To do so in such style fair brought a tear to the eye to us old 'uns I can tell you. There was, of course the usual fly in the ointment in the form of a poor refereeing performance of the type that is now occurring every week. The only people who haven't noticed how bad things have got would appear to be the FA. Their ludicrous pursuit of the club over the reaction to what even their own appeals panel were forced to agree was a dreadful decision to send off Noble showed how far the FA is prepared to go in turning a blind eye to the rubbish served up by PGMOL. As for the £50,000 fine, if I were SuGo I'd send the bill directly to Mike Riley since the "offence" resulted 100% from his failure to supply officials of a suitable standard for professional football.
Since the Liverpool match of course we have been a bit busy in the transfer market. Nikica Jelavic arrived from Hull to provide some much-needed depth to the striking department, an area where we've been hit with injury after injury in recent times. Jelavic replaces Modibo Maiga who ended up in Saudi, his last action for the club being to score the last goal in the Bournemouth match. The fact that he blagged a hat-trick in his first match out there probably tells you more about the standard of the game out there than it does about Maiga.
Arriving to supply the ammo for our strikers are Michail Antonio and, becoming the 400th player to go out on loan from Chelsea this season Victor Moses.
Antonio's trip to the top flight has taken a while – he had a decent non-league record with Tooting & Mitcham before going full-time pro with Reading, the Stepford Wife of professional football. Spells on loan at places like Southampton and Cheltenham ensued before he ended up at Sheffield Wednesday. He spent a couple of years with the Owls before moving down the M1 to Forest where he was last season's Player Of The Year.
Moses is a more familiar figure though his career has failed to hit some of the highs that a move to Chelsea might have suggested. Of course following loan spells at Liverpool and Stoke he's probably now aware of his status as "stock" at Stamford Bridge.
The fourth "new" arrival was, of course, Alex Song who is, of course, injured. Well we have to sign one player who is already injured each season, It's the law. Once fit, it is to be hoped that Song can reproduce the form of his first half of last season, rather than that of the second half.
With all the new arrivals it's easy to forget about all the injuries we've had of late. The big news on that front is that Andy Carroll stands a chance of being involved at some point in the game after missing most of last season. If that is the case we'll have no fewer than three strikers to choose from with Jelavic and Sakho also available for selection, and assuming that Zarate isn't right yet. Valencia is still a month or two away though.
In defence O/Brien is an injury doubt, though the bench was probably the limit of his ambition in any case.
There's an interesting selection problem at right back where Jenkinson is available once more after his disastrous outing against Bournemouth. Tomkins has performed admirably in the two matches where he has deputised – and we've won both of them. Of course with Thauvin to contend with it may be that the boss might prefer a regular full back in place, which might be a wee bit harsh on Tomkins but them's the breaks.
It is traditional of course that I should seek out a few words from the Rest Home's resident Geordie, Preview Alastair, prior to making any sort of prediction. His opinion of their season thus far was that they "could do better" and that they had "nothing to worry about – except our defence", a statement which he followed up with a shake of the head muttering "oh s***". In fact it was the work experience kid with the Harry Potter spectacles who pointed out that there may be problems further up the pitch – apparently they haven't had a shot on goal since the first half of the match at Swansea.
Well the win at Anfield was followed by a transfer window in which we not only got our men but also avoided Adebayor who ended up costing Spurs money to get rid of him in the end! This means that there is a bit of a buzz about the old place at the moment. Yes we've been a bit Jekyll and Hyde this season but the new faces mean that we will at least have a plan B if all is not going well. It's about time they gave the home support something to cheer so I'll be placing the £2.50 we've been fined by the FA for suggesting that the referees supplied by PGMOL are anything but 100% correct all of the time on us to win this one 2-0. If that's ok with Mr Taylor of course.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met At The Boleyn: Won 1-0 Cresswell's effort was enough to secure all three points in one that didn't live in the memory for much after the final whistle. Sissokho saw red for two stupid yellows.
Danger Man:Florian Thauvin. Still finding his feet but good things have been heard of him.
Referee:Anthony Taylor. Yes really. The fact that this imbecile is actually in a job after his last visit to the Boleyn is symbolic of the utter contempt that PGMOL has for the game. The fact that they sent him back to the Boleyn two games after his disgraceful performance in the Leicester match beggars belief.
Irritating Celebrity Supporter Of The week: Another "spoilt for choice" week. Unfunny camp comedian Alan Carr is the son of Magpies chief scout (and board member) Graham Carr and is quite irritating but this week's award goes to the talent-free zone that is Cheryl Fernandez-Versini who achieves the double whammy of being both irritating and thoroughly unpleasant. She allegedly caught malaria in 2010, the occasion being the first time that anyone has ever felt sorry for a mosquito.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Bilic insists West Ham United's meeting with Newcastle United tonight is about more than going face-to-face with Steve McClaren once more
GUardian Series
Tom Bodell / 1 hour ago / News
Slaven Bilic says he had sympathy for former England boss Steve McClaren after he was sacked following defeat to Bilic's Croatia side in 2008 as West Ham United prepare to meet Newcastle United this evening. The pair, now in charge of West Ham and Newcastle respectively, will meet in the dug-out for the first time since Bilic and co. ran out 3-2 winners at Wembley in November 2007 after the Three Lions had come back from 2-0 down to level the clash. However, Croatia grabbed a third through Mladen Petric and defeat meant England missed out on the 2008 European Championships, thus ending McClaren's reign as manager of the national side. But speaking to the press ahead of tonight's meeting at Upton Park (kick-off 8pm), Bilic was at pains to stress the game was about more than a non-existant rivalry between the two. He said: "That game wasn't Steve McClaren-Slaven Bilic, it was England-Croatia and on Monday it's West Ham-Newcastle. "I had sympathy for Steve, like I have sympathy now for the Croatia coach (Niko Kovac) who was sacked this week because we lost in Oslo. I have sympathy for every coach because you lose jobs. And not only do you lose jobs but they (the press) slaughter you big time. "That wasn't just a normal game, we played really well. England came back to 2-2 and then we scored again. Of course I felt sympathy because I know how it works. "But then Steve recovered really well to go to Holland. I went to see him when Mario Mandzukic was playing at Wolfsburg. We spent two or three hours chatting, and I have known him for a long, long time. "When he started as Jim Smith's assistant at Derby County my two colleagues from Croatia, Igor Stimac and Aljosa Asanovic, were playing there. "We spoke and they were telling me he was a brilliant young coach. Then he went to Manchester United and Middlesbrough and I rate him big, big time. "He was brave enough and had enough quality to prove himself in different leagues and now he's back in the Premier League and I'm glad for him."
Bilic is not the only Hammer set for a reunion tonight as striker Andy Carroll could be in line to make his first appearance since February after recovering from a long-term knee injury. The 26-year-old spent six years at Newcastle before his form tempted Liverpool to spend a then British record fee of £35 million to bring him to Anfield. His time on Merseyside was a disappointment and since joining West Ham for £15 million in 2013 he has managed just 24 Premier League starts due to injury. However, the Gateshead-born targetman has been passed fit and could feature against the winless Magpies this evening. Bilic could also hand debuts to transfer deadline day signing Nikica Jelavic, Michail Antonio and Victor Moses. Alex Song (ankle) is out, though. Carl Jenkinson returns from suspension but goalkeeper Adrian will serve the final match of his three-game ban, meaning Darren Randolph will continue in goal. Newcastle forward Aleksandar Mitrovic is also suspended whilst defender Paul Dummett (hamstring) is out as well. The Hammers go into this clash in tenth place after four games having thrilled against Arsenal and Liverpool and been beaten by Bournemouth and Leicester City. Meanwhile, the Magpies are one of three teams still without a win in the Premier League and will look to get their first league win under former Derby County boss McClaren at the expense of the inconsistent Hammers.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Frank McAvennie - the East End's answer to George Best - on how he became an overnight celebrity sensation at West Ham
Nineteen of Frank McAvennie's 28 goals from his debut 1985-86 season at West Ham United were only witnessed by those at the grounds
Without the publicity of televised football, the sight of the leading scorer in the country scarcely raised a flicker of attention
Going on the Terry Wogan show proved to be a watershed moment for the working-class hero from Glasgow
The striker's moment of realisation at his celebrity status was when he picked his mother up from Heathrow airport
McAvennie was regarded by many as West Ham's answer to George Best
By MATT LAWLESS FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 14:34, 14 September 2015 | UPDATED: 14:42, 14 September 2015
There was a time when the top goalscorer in Europe could walk around the capital, escaping any attention from the masses. Blissfully unaware of his presence, the man with trademark blonde good looks and an infectious smile that would light up any room could go about his business relatively at ease. Even his own supporters would be startled to learn his identity when told.
Back in 1985 when Frank McAvennie arrived at West Ham from St Mirren, England's top clubs and broadcasters were at loggerheads. It was unique period of time when television didn't want to cover football. The problem? A mere £4million, a fee pale in comparison to the £5.14billion on offer today. It meant that 19 of McAvennie's 28 goals from his sensational debut season were only witnessed by those there in the flesh. To prove a point, the popular Saint and Greavsie magazine show filmed McAvennie on a walkabout around London one afternoon. The reporter (who was, in fact, the irrepressible voice of football of today, Martin Tyler) quizzed bystanders on whether they knew McAvennie. Most did, they claimed, yet didn't recognise him when he was stood right beside them. 'Well, that's him,' revealed Tyler. Without the publicity of televised football, the sight of the leading scorer in the country scarcely raised a flicker of attention. 'It was funny because there were no goals being shown on TV,' explains McAvennie. 'So my life was alright because although most of the football fans knew who I was, the general public didn't really know what I looked like. Of course, that all changed. I went on the Terry Wogan show.'
It proved to be a watershed moment for the working-class hero from Glasgow. Regarded by many as West Ham's answer to the great George Best for his flamboyance and brilliance both on and off the field, McAvennie instantly became a national treasure when he was beamed into the homes of millions in Britain. The nation fell in love with the man who lived by the motto of 'blondes have more fun'. 'I went on Wogan because I was the top goalscorer in Europe, I think it was, at that time and I had blasted onto the scene. Obviously with the dispute with TV, it was a good topic. 'I was on with Denis Law. John Lyall, the manager, agreed to let me go on. I had to ask permission because it was filmed on a Friday night. It was good fun. But it really did change my life. I think there were 29 million people at home watching it' From a road sweeper in Scotland to an overnight sensation: McAvennie became a household name. Celebrity superstardom beckoned. 'I played football the next day. But the enormity hit me on the Sunday. I'll never forget it. 'I met my mother at Heathrow because I'd got her a flight to Australia to see my brother, who was living there. She was flying down from Glasgow. So, I parked the car and went into the airport. 'Then all of a sudden I had a load of ladies surrounding me for my autograph. And it got a bit chaotic. In the end, someone from British Airways took me through because I was getting mobbed. And made it he did. McAvennie forged a reputation as one of the most iconic stars to ever grace the beautiful game with his name permanently etched into the history of West Ham. Ironically, the East End's favourite adopted son returns home tonight for the televised game against Newcastle, reunited with the beloved Boys of '86. He fondly remembers the night when Lyall's title-chasers played Newcastle here under the lights, exactly 30 years ago. West Ham won by a record scoreline: 8-1. He notched. Yet it was Alvin Martin who was the unlikely hero of the evening, scoring a hat-trick against three different goalkeepers.
'Come on. I don't think Alvin's hat-trick should count,' jokes McAvennie. 'Peter Beardsley was one of the keepers and he's like an Oompa Loompa! So, I'm not having that.' The laughs, the stories and the unforgettable memories will be sure to flow again this evening. Now 55, McAvennie is relishing a reunion with the likes of Martin, penalty god Ray Stewart, Alan Devonshire, Alan Dickens, Mark Ward... and, of course, Tony Cottee. He and Cottee scored an incredible 46 league goals between them that season. 'You know what, Tony and I had been scoring moreorless every game. So, it was a shoe-in whether we would score again or not. But I think it got to 6-0 against Newcastle that night before one of us had scored. And that was me because Tony never scored! 'It was certainly the best ever season for me. I had such a good laugh at the time with the boys. John Lyall was just superb as a manager. He was just so far ahead of his time.'
McAvennie is looking forward to seeing the Boleyn faithful again too. They have enjoyed an inseparable bond from the moment he chose to join West Ham over Luton. 'As a boy from Glasgow, I wasn't really interested in moving to England,' he admits. 'But West Ham... even I knew that West Ham won the World Cup! 'As soon as I found that John Lyall had come in for me for West Ham, well that was it. 'There was absolutely no hesitation from me coming down.... well, actually just before I did sign, John and I had a argument over £2000 or something. The boys of today will be like 'Eh? How much?!' 'To this day I still have a great relationship with the West Ham fans. I came down to do a show with Russell Brand when they beat Manchester City last year. 'As I approached the main stand there were thousands of supporters stood there singing my name. It was hairs standing on the back of your neck kind of stuff.' With the move to the Olympic Stadium on the horizon and away wins over Arsenal and Liverpool, McAvennie is excited about the direction the club is heading under Slaven Bilic. He hails the appointment of Julian Dicks as the new manager's best summer signing. And he is a huge admirer of Dimitri Payet, Alex Song, Nickia Jelavic and Victor Moses too. Most of all, McAvennie can't wait to see the return of Andy Carroll. 'If those boys can get the right service into him, Andy will score a lot of goals this season. I like him a lot. He's a quality footballer.' After surprise defeats by Leicester and Bournemouth, McAvennie hopes the presence of the Boys of '86 will inspire the Hammers to their first home win of the new season. And he believes the current squad have the potential to go on a good cup run this season and finish in the top six in the Premier League. 'That will do me,' he says. There's only one McAvennie.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Antonio's mum stopped him from joining Spurs
Posted by Sean Whetstone on September 13, 2015 in News
C AND H
A report in the Daily Mirror says Michail Antonio's mum, Cislyn stopped him signing for Spurs when he was a teenager. "When I was 14 I had a trial for Tottenham," Antonio told the Mirror "They were thinking of signing me but my mum said no. She said education comes first. Did I hate her at the time? You couldn't imagine. I was crying and all sorts. It's one of those things, I had to travel to north London and I'd probably get home at midnight every night and I had school the next day, she said 'no it's not do-able'. "But it was the best thing she has done for me. I managed to get my diploma in sport, so it's one of those things where everything happens for a reason and now I've finally got here and I can't complain. And she's buzzing about me joining West Ham!"
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gold: 'This could be our bench against Newcastle"
Posted by Sean Whetstone on September 13, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
West Ham Co-Chairmen David Gold has highlighted the quality we could have on our subs bench tomorrow night at the Boleyn Ground by tweeting:
"SPIEGEL (GK) TOMKINS or JENKINSON N JELAVIC V MOSES M ANTONIO J COLLINS A CARROLL This could be our bench against Newcastle. dg"
Bilic is expected to start the same or a similar team which beat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield just over two weeks ago and the quality of players available which could be on the bench has not been lost on the Chairman who helped invest close an estimated £37m net of funds this summer to make it one of best transfer windows in living memory.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ogbonna's rallying cry
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 14, 2015 in News
C AND H
Angelo Ogbonna is ready for Newcastle particularly after the stunning win against Loverpool. Speaking ahead of the game, the central defender said: ""When you win you enjoy the next game.
"Our preparations have a good feel about it at the moment and we want to put things right against Newcastle because we are very annoyed about our last two results at home. " It is not just about playing under the lights, but we need to win for our home support. "We are focused and have to do everything to get the result. "I want to concentrate and give everything and all the players will prepare well to win the game. We have been unlucky at home and we need to change and do something better than what we did in the last two games."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Leroy's Verdict: Getting a monkey off our back
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 14, 2015 in Leroy's Blogs, News, Whispers
C AND H
The two week break after the Liverpool victory came at the wrong time for the Irons – after such a victory you just want to keep playing. But I can imagine that every one of those on duty for their countries will have returned to Chadwell Heath absolutely bursting to get back into action. They will want he home defeats monkey off their back as soon as possible. Football is played between the ears as much as anywhere else and these things can start to cause problem when they go on but I reckon we will sort it out tonight and am going for a 2-0 win. The big question is who will slot into the right back slot and I personally believe we need a guy who has that as his natural position – so it has to be Jenkinson for me. James Tomkins has done nothing wrong but quite apart from the fact that Carl was brought in for the role it might affect his confidence if he is left out after one poor game. Look how Aaron Cresswell bounced back from his dreadful game up at Anfield – players have to be given the chance to put things right so it's Jenks for me. The rest of the back four speaks for itself tonight – Reid, Ogbonna and Cressie. I'd play 4-2-3-1 with Noble and Kouyate in front of them but it's up front things get very interesting and my three behind Sakho would be Moses, Lanzini and Payet and Sakho. With the likes of Andy Carroll and Michail Antonio on the bench we look stronger than we have for years and, like all of you, I can't wait for kick off.
Mark Noble plays like a captain for West Ham every time he pulls on the shirt so I'm absolutely chuffed to bits that he has now become our official skipper. Much is made of the fact that he's a local lad but you don't become captain of a great club for that reason and for me his abilities are obvious. Mark does the simple things well and allows the gifted and creative players to play. He drives the team forward brilliantly and wears his heart on his sleeve along with the armband. He's been extremely unfortunate not to make the international set up as he is a player who regularly performs to high standards. Maybe Roy Hodgson should get out of his comfort zone and come watch us and learn to appreciate what he has right under his nose. MarkHe wants to win every time he steps out on the pitch but he will have an even bigger reason for wanting three points this evening.
Well done Mark!
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Dimitri Payet questions Didier Deschamps over France call-up snub
ESPN
Dimitri Payet has one assist to his name in the Premier League this season. West Ham United playmaker Dimitri Payet has hit out at France coach Didier Deschamps after he was left out of the national squad at the start of this month. Payet, 28, has enjoyed an excellent start to his career in England since moving to West Ham in a big-money deal from Marseille in the summer but was not included in the France squad for the friendly matches away to Portugal and at home to Serbia during the recent international break. "I get the impression that it's harder for some players than others. Honestly I struggle to understand what he really expects from me," Payet told Canal Football Club on Canal Plus on Sunday night. Deschamps had said he expected "better and more" from Payet, but the former Nantes, Lille and Saint-Etienne man replied: "I have been giving my very best for more than a year and I am maybe in the best form of my career so I don't understand what more people can expect from me, even if we can always do better."
Payet, who hails from the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, was the leading assist provider in Ligue 1 last season with Marseille. He won the most recent of his 15 caps for Les Bleus in the 1-0 friendly defeat in Albania in June.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment