Daily WHUFC News - 12th January 2015

Mixed feelings for Macca
WHUFC.com
Neil McDonald was pleased with a well-earned point at Swansea but felt it
could have been three
10.01.2015

Neil McDonald admitted to feeling a mixture of frustration and satisfaction
after West Ham United earned a valuable 1-1 draw at Swansea City on
Saturday. The West Ham United assistant manager took the reins in the
absence of the unwell Sam Allardyce as Andy Carroll's sublime opener was
cancelled out by a Mark Noble own goal 16 minutes from time. 'Macca'
admitted to being disappointed that the team could not hold out after
leading at half time, but was proud of the way his team contained the threat
from their high-flying hosts. "We limited them to long-distance shots and I
think they only really had one good chance in the box when Bafetimbi Gomis
puts it over the bar. We put our bodies on the line, defended smartly and
tried to not to not give them any space in behind and when they tried to
play through us, we marshalled that quite well. "We created a few chances
ourselves and we are disappointed that we didn't get the second and kill
them off."

McDonald took on the responsibility of leading the dugout duties during the
match in the absence of Allardyce, who was laid low at home with a chest
infection. He is expected to be back commanding his technical area against
Everton on Tuesday, a job his assistant manager said he was more than happy
to help with in his absence. "Sam's got a chest infection and was watching
the game on the internet on the live stream. So he had a few tips on the
phone for us to pass on the players. He's taken time off to recover and I'm
sure he'll be fine for Tuesday. "You can follow a game live and he had a few
pointers for us and we passed on our thoughts so it all worked quite well."

Big Sam would have certainly been feeling a little better two minutes before
half time when Carroll concluded a lovely solo move by firing a fine
left-footed shot into the top corner. While it was a perfect demonstration
of the England international's underestimated ability on the floor, the
Hammers' No9 also used his strength and power to unsettle the hosts' defence
throughout. "Andy's goal was great. He used his control and then his quick
feet to stick it in the back of the net. It'll give him confidence. "We're a
bit disappointed that the goal that he scored didn't mean we came away with
the three points."

The Hammers started the game with three central defenders, with James
Tomkins drafted in alongside James Collins and Winston Reid and the
impressive Aaron Cresswell and Carl Jenkinson pushed forward into wing-back
positions. The tactic seemed to succeed, with the visitors enjoying the
better of the early exchanges, before the hosts gradually edged their way
back into the game. "I think the formation worked well. It was always going
to be that Swansea got lots of the ball and we had to deny them the space
they needed and I thought we did that very well. "We said to the players at
half time that we had to get the first and the second pass off better and if
we did that then we would find space to counter attack. We saw lots of the
ball and we did that better in the second half and that's why we got the
chances
"You always have to respect the point and that's four points we've taken off
Swansea from the two games this season."

The Hammers pushed on in the dying minutes but could not force a winner with
a combination of good goalkeeping and last-ditch defending denying Tomkins,
Jenkinson and Carroll. They will not have long to dwell on might have been,
though, with McDonald once again promising a strong starting XI for Tuesday
night's FA Cup replay with Everton at the Boleyn Ground. "We need to make
sure all the bumps and bruises clear up. We'll be focusing on the Everton
game straight away and will be looking forward to the game and looking to
win the game."

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AC reflects on Swansea draw
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll had mixed emotions after scoring in Saturday's draw at Swansea
City
10.01.2015

Andy Carroll admitted to feeling both elation and frustration after
Saturday's 1-1 Barclays Premier League draw at Swansea City. The West Ham
United No9 slammed in an outstanding opening goal at the Liberty Stadium to
put the Hammers ahead a minute before half-time, only for Swansea to snatch
an equaliser through Bafetimbi Gomis' header after the break. The
Frenchman's leveller was all the more galling as James Collins was off the
pitch at the time after suffering a head injury. Carroll himself then passed
up one of a host of opportunities missed by West Ham late on as the visitors
were forced to settle for a point after taking the lead for the second
league game in succession. "It was disappointing we didn't keep the lead,
which I thought we deserved. We kept on pressing but when Ginge went down
before the corner, that's who we needed in the box," he told West Ham TV.
"They got a free header and it's ended up in the back of the net which was
very disappointing for us. "I think we dropped off a lot in the second half.
They came out raring to go and, being away from home and 1-0 up, we didn't
want to concede We might have dropped off too much and put the pressure on
ourselves, but we did deserve to win the game. "The lads were saying after
the game that they didn't really do anything dangerous to us apart from
score the goal. It's always hard to come away to Swansea, though, so we'll
take a point and move on to the next game."

On a more positive note, Carroll had plenty to be proud of after hammering
his side into the lead with a truly magnificent goal. The forward controlled
Stewar Downing's cross on his chest before beating a defender, turning,
looking up and curling an unstoppable shot into the top right-hand corner of
Lukasz Fabianski's net. "The ball came in and I brought it down and tried to
get my shot off. I stood up a few players and hit it and it's gone in the
back of the net and it was great. I was obviously happy with it because it
was great to go in at half-time 1-0 up. "It's good. I like to get a shot off
from outside the box when I can, but it's not very often I do get to have a
shot from there, so it was nice to finally get one and put it in the back of
the net. "Their fans were giving me a bit of stick so I basically went over
and told them to 'Shut up'! They were telling to get my ponytail cut off
too, so I grabbed hold of it - it was good banter! "Their 'keeper said at
the end 'You must be my favourite 'keeper to play against!' but I'm just
happy to score goals in any game."

Despite the inconvenience of failing to hold onto a lead for the third game
in succession, Carroll says the seventh-placed Hammers have much to be
positive about ahead of Tuesday's FA Cup third-round replay with Everton at
the Boleyn Ground. "We're doing well and we just need to keep it up. The
lads are confident and happy with where we are and how we're playing. It's
just got to carry on until the end of the season now. "It'll be a good game
on Tuesday. Hopefully we'll get the win this time because up there we should
have had it. We will bring them down to our place and hopefully we'll get
into the next round."

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Westley: 'We didn't deserve to lose'
WHUFC.com
Terry Westley said his side did not deserve to lose 3-1 to Tottenham Hotspur
09.01.2015

West Ham United Academy Director Terry Westley said his side did not deserve
to lose 3-1 to Tottenham Hotspur on Friday evening. The Hammers succumbed to
their first defeat of the New Year when Tottenham took a first half lead
through Grant Ward's deflected free-kick. However, the Dev Squad rallied and
deservedly got back on level terms when Ravel Morrison equalised with a
superb bicycle kick. After the break, the game was very much in the balance
until the visitors took advantage of slack defending which allowed Harry
Winks to roll the ball home. They then secured the victory late on when Ward
scored his second of the game - another free-kick identical to his first.
Speaking after the game, Westley said: "The score was 3-1 but in terms of
how we played and how close the game was it was a lot tighter than that.

"In patches that was as good as I've seen us play, we opened them up a few
times. They had to defend very well as unit. At 1-0 down, through a
deflected free kick we got back into the game through a great bit of play
through Amos and a great finish from Ravel."
A positive for the Dev Squad was the return of Elliot Lee who played his
first 45 minutes of competitive football having picked up a hamstring injury
in early November. The 20-year-old striker put in a typically hard working
performance as he led the line by pressing the Spurs' defenders well.
Speaking about the return of Lee to the starting line-up, Westley said: "It
was good to see Lee back on the pitch, we knew at the start it would only be
45 minutes, but he played well for 45 minutes and didn't have any problems
with the injury. He had a great go and he'll ready to go again against
Everton."

The win was Tottenham's sixth of the campaign and, at least temporarily,
takes them top of the Barclays U21 Premier League. "Tottenham are a good
side, they play good football. Their academy director John McDermott has
been there 10 years plus so they have a system that they stick to. "You
need to be competitive and get after them. We needed to stay in the game and
be resilient, that is the only real criticism I have. They need to learn
that. Once they do then there ability will come through."

The Dev Squad's next game is away at Everton on Thursday 15 January, their
third game in just eleven days. Looking ahead to the game, Westley said he
would be making several changes to accommodate the busy schedule. "Everton
is our third game over a short space of time. After that we play Chelsea
quite quickly. So the team will be changed again, there were some players
rested tonight deliberately."

The Dev Squad's next home game is against Chelsea on Friday 23 January at
Rush Green Stadium, admission is FREE for Season Ticket Holders and only £3
for adults and £1 for U16s.

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Swansea 1 West Ham 1
10 January 2015
Last updated at 22:43
By Mike Henson
BBC Sport

Swansea fought back to earn a point against West Ham and protect a strong
home record at the Liberty Stadium. The hosts made the best of the early
chances but fell behind as Andy Carroll floated a precise shot into the top
corner just before the break. Substitute Marvin Emnes sparked Swansea into
life and Mark Noble could only divert Bafetimbi Gomis' header into his own
net as the tide turned. West Ham came on strong, but a late onslaught could
not regain the lead. Andy Carroll has scored four goals and assisted three
in six Premier League games against the Swansea through his career. The
visitors will reflect on two points lost in their pursuit of the top four as
they dropped deeper in defence of their narrow lead. But Swansea have only
been beaten once in the Premier League at home this season and it is
difficult to deny that the hosts deserved something from the contest. West
Ham's physicality and aerial threat had hustled Swansea to a 3-1 defeat at
Upton Park in December and the hosts seemed determined not to be bullied in
the opening stages. Ashley Williams and Federico Fernandez grappled with
their opponents under every high ball, goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski commanded
his six-yard box and West Ham, without their manager Sam Allardyce on the
touchline because of illness, seemed to lack their usual intensity. They
also carved out the better chances with Gomis and and Gylfi Sigurdsson going
close before their promising start was undone and Carroll showed there is
more to his game than just old-fashioned target man. The Hammers' record
signing had scored with two headers in the reverse fixture, but on this
occasion deftly controlled Stewart Downing's cross on his chest before
switching feet to buy a yard of space and clipping a superb shot into the
top corner from 15 yards. Carroll's gleeful celebrations in front of a
particularly vocal section of the home support had scarcely finished when
Carl Jenkinson produced a superb last-ditch sliding block to deny Wayne
Routledge at the other end and ensure the lead lasted until the break. West
Ham's advantage was barely threatened in the early part of the second half,
with James Collins almost doubling their lead with a close-range header.

The tone of the game changed though as Garry Monk brought on Emnes and Modou
Barrow for Nathan Dyer and Routledge, focusing his attack on the heart of
the Hammers defence. The Swans, for whom Manchester City target Wilfried
Bony was absent on international duty, immediately had more central threat
with Gomis scooping a presentable chance over the bar before glancing a
header towards goal and seeing Noble turn into his own net as he tried to
clear. It set up a grandstand finish and West Ham came closest to a winner
through Stewart Downing's 20-yarder and James Tomkins' header, before
running out of time.

Swansea manager Garry Monk on Bafetimbi Gomis: "I brought Bafi in the summer
and he has worked very well. He has been frustrated with his game time but
the games he has played he has shown his quality. "Now he has the perfect
run and you saw against West Ham the quality he has, and in the coming weeks
he will be an even better player."

West Ham assistant Neil McDonald: "I think we should have won as we created
some really good chances. "Andy's goal set us up and it was a very pleasing
goal because we have worked on his movement in the box. "The first touch was
great, he showed fast feet to get half a yard and he sticks it in. People
think he is just a lump but he has more to his game. He has great touch and
is a goalscorer with his head or feet."

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Swansea 1-1 West Ham Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 10th January 2015
By: Staff Writer

West Ham had to settle for a point against Swansea at the Liberty Stadium
this afternoon having thrown away a third successive lead.
There will be a great deal of frustration in the West Ham camp after they
contrived to throw away a winning position for the third match in a row,
having been similarly foiled by West Bromwich Albion and Everton in 2015.
However stand-in boss Neil McDonald - deputising for a sick Sam Allardyce -
will be pleased at the manner in which his team ended the game, with Swansea
mostly on the backfoot for the last 15 minutes of the game.

Andy Carroll gave West Ham a 43rd-minute lead with an exquisite piece of
solo skill, turning on a sixpence before lifting the ball over the head of
Lukasz Fabianski. However the Irons' slender advantage was nullified just
16 minutes from full time when Mark Noble inadvertently turned Bafetimbi
Gomis' header from a corner over the line - whilst the Swansea forward's
marker, James Collins, was off the field receiving treatment. The hosts'
equaliser was the signal for a renewed push by McDonald's men, who ended the
game in complete control without managing to find the killer touch that
would have transformed one point into three.

Stewart Downing was inches away from restoring West Ham's lead on 82 minutes
when his curling effort was tipped wide by Fabianski. The 'keeper was on
hand again 60 seconds later to deny Man of the Match Carl Jenkinson's
long-range effort. James Tomkins was next to be denied when his goal-bound
header from a Downing corner was hacked off the line by the alert Neil
Taylor before both Aaron Cresswell and Andy Carroll were thwarted by
Fabianski, who enjoyed a large slice of good fortune having spilled the
full-back's free kick. Sadly it wasn't to be and whilst the point is a
reasonable return, there will be few returning from Wales to London tonight
not thinking that it really should have been all three.

West Ham Utd: Adrian, Jenkinson, Tomkins, Reid, Collins, Cresswell, Noble,
Nolan, Downing, Carroll, Valencia.
Subs: Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Poyet, Amalfitano, Jarvis, Vaz Te, Cole.

Swansea City: Fabianski, Rangel, Williams, Fernandez, Taylor, Britton,
Carroll, Sigurdsson, Dyer, Routledge, Gomis.
Subs: Tremmel, Tiendalli, Emnes, Barrow, Oliveira, Bartley, Fulton.

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Swansea peg back West Ham to draw 1-1 at the Liberty Stadium
By Adam Bate. Last Updated: 10/01/15 9:50pm
SSN

West Ham had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Swansea despite having the better
chances at the Liberty Stadium. Andy Carroll scored a fine goal to give the
visitors the lead before the break but Swansea levelled things late on when
a header by Bafetimbi Gomis found the net via Mark Noble. The Hammers, with
Neil McDonald taking charge on the bench due to an illness to Sam Allardyce,
almost forced a winner but found Lukasz Fabianski in good form and the
points were shared. McDonald had West Ham lined up in a 3-5-2 formation and
the away side appeared content to soak up pressure in the early stages as
Swansea started the brighter. Gomis, deputising for Manchester City target
Wilfried Bony while the Ivorian is on Africa Cup of Nations duty, had the
first opportunity but couldn't get on the end of Nathan Dyer's cross.
However, the Hammers soon got a foothold in the game with Carroll holding
the ball up well in attack and Carl Jenkinson and Kevin Nolan each curling
right-footed efforts over the bar. Gomis looked a real handful for the Swans
but was dispossessed when one-on-one with James Tomkins and further chances
were spurned by Gylfi Sigurdsson. Twice the attacking midfielder was fed by
Dyer on the right but he failed to connect properly both times and the home
side were soon made to pay for their profligacy in front of goal.

Opening goal

Stewart Downing swung in a cross from the left and Carroll took the ball on
his chest before nodding it away from Ashley Williams. There was still
plenty of cover but Carroll proceeded to drop the shoulder to buy a yard of
space from Federico Fernandez and curled the ball left-footed into the far
corner of the net. Garry Monk's side attempted to respond immediately but
Jenkinson produced a brilliant piece of last-ditch defending to deny Wayne
Routledge from point-blank range. After the interval, West Ham continued to
look a threat with Jenkinson enjoying his wing-back role and finding Carroll
with a low cross to the near post that the striker fired just wide of the
post.
James Collins subsequently headed wide from Downing's corner before Enner
Valencia almost latched onto an Adrian goal-kick when Rangel misjudged his
header back to his own goalkeeper. Swansea's possession failing to find a
way beyond a compact West Ham defence to the frustration of the crowd with
one overhit cross by Routledge seeming to sum things up. Monk tried to
freshen things up by removing Dyer and Routledge for Modou Barrow and Marvin
Emnes and the latter immediately set up Gomis only for the striker to spoon
his shot over the bar. But with West Ham defending ever deeper, the
equaliser did come in the 74th minute when Gomis headed Sigurdsson's
left-wing corner against the post and the ball ricocheted in off Noble.

Emotion

Gomis didn't seem to mind and appeared overcome by emotion when celebrating
with a French flag, calling to mind the tragic events in Paris earlier in
the week. If that might have been the prelude to some late Swansea pressure,
West Ham had other ideas with Downing and Jenkinson forcing fine saves from
Fabianski in quick succession. A sweeping move from West Ham led to another
corner that Tomkins headed goalwards only for Neil Taylor to clear off the
line as Swansea looked to be buckling. Aaron Cresswell tested Fabianski with
a low free-kick that the goalkeeper spilled and Carroll looked set to bundle
home the winner only for the Pole to react quickly to deny him. There were
no further opportunities and while Swansea and West Ham extend their winless
streaks to three and four games respectively, their efforts showed why both
remain in the top half.

Soccer Saturday analysis – Matt Le Tissier

Fabianski was the busier goalkeeper of the two and Swansea probably had a
little more possession than West Ham, but I thought in the end a draw was a
pretty fair result. Fabianski made a couple of very good saves, particularly
one from Downing. I would imagine Arsenal are maybe looking at that and
thinking 'he may be better than what we've got'. I was really impressed with
Jenkinson down the right-hand side; he pushed on a lot during the game and
got himself into some good crossing positions. He was a real threat down the
right-hand side.

Player ratings

Swansea: Fabianski (7), Rangel (6), Fernandez (6), Williams (6), Taylor (7),
T.Carroll (6), Britton (6), Dyer (7), Sigurdsson (6), Routledge (5), Gomis
(7).

Subs: Emnes (6), Barrow (6), Oliveira (6).

West Ham: Adrian (6), Jenkinson (7), Tomkins (7), Reid (7), Collins (7),
Cresswell (6), Noble (6), Nolan (6), Downing (7), Valencia (7), A.Carroll
(8)

Subs: Amalfitano (6), Poyet (6).

Man of the match: Andy Carroll.

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West Ham assistant manager Neil McDonald disappointed with 1-1 draw at
Swansea
Last Updated: 10/01/15 6:27pm
SSN

West Ham assistant boss Neil McDonald was disappointed to see his side draw
1-1 at Swansea after a strong performance at the Liberty Stadium. Taking
charge of the team in the absence of Sam Allardyce due to illness, McDonald
saw the Hammers take the lead through Andy Carroll only to be pegged back
when Mark Noble could only divert a Bafetimbi Gomis header into his own net.
West Ham had chances to win it late on but had to settle for a point and
McDonald felt that was the least the visitors deserved. "After looking at
all the half-chances that Swansea have had and obviously scoring from a
corner, we're very disappointed that we haven't come away with the three
points," he told Sky Sports. "We created very good chances and Andy
Carroll's goal was the pick of the bunch. We've had a couple cleared off the
line and a couple go just wide of the post so we've got at them."

Frustration

Swansea's equaliser came while West Ham centre-back James Collins was off
the field getting treatment for a head injury and that was a further cause
of frustration for McDonald. "He's got a knock on the head and the referee
has indicated that he can come back on the pitch and then said to our
medical staff that he's got to go off the pitch," he added. "So there was a
little bit of a misunderstanding happened there. The corner has come in and
obviously Ginge is one of our markers, we haven't cleared it and they've
scored. "We're disappointed when we concede set plays because we work very
hard on them."

Although Allardyce was not present at the Liberty Stadium, the West Ham boss
made his presence felt and McDonald confirmed he was the man on the other
end of the phone throughout the match. "It certainly wasn't Pizza Express or
anything like that," said McDonald. "He was just trying to give us a few
pointers and things like that from what he was seeing on TV and we tried to
relate that to the players."

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Leroy: 'We let ourselves down"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 10, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

The trouble with that Andy Carroll is he's only any good in the air isn't
he? Well the big fella nailed that nonsense once and for all today and I
hope you won't mind me saying I've always said he was good on the deck. That
was one blinding goal and the celebration which followed was brilliant. he'd
been getting a lot of stick from the Swansea fans and had a great time
putting it up to 'em.
We played some really good football at times today and had we come away with
a point this time last year we would have been doing some big time
celebrating. But we let ourselves down a bit in the second half and started
to defend what we had. It's as much to do with the players as the manager.
When you haven't won for a while there's a collective psyche kicks in but
it's the wrong way to go. We started defending deeper and deeper and you
just knew what was going to happen. It was a real shame to see it happen
because the further we went into our shell the harder it was always going to
be to come out.

The goal was really unfortunate for Mark Noble but there was nothing he
could do and to be fair we responded really well, creating a lot of chances
towards the end. The fact is though that we've now gone five without a win
and we need to get that one on the board either against Everton on Tuesday,
Hull on Saturday or both of course. After that it's Liverpool at their place
and Man United at the Boleyn. These are free hits and both teams are
beatable. They are definitely not what they once were. Every team will have
its little disappointing run but once we have sorted Everton, Hull or both
we'll be back on our way again. No problem.

Come on you Irons.

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Fans blast Irons 'safety first' policy
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 10, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham fans have been responding to this afternoon 's 1-1 draw at Swansea
on the ClaretandHugh Facebook forum and website "Leave a Comment" area.

Despite a thrilling game and a cracking Andy Carroll goal, the majority
appear to believe it was an opportunity missed.

Here's a selection of immediate post match comments:


Neil Abrey As far as today was concerned I do not understand why we would
start trying to defend a 1-0 lead with more than half the game left to play
especially when we look a decent team when we play football. However,
realistically we don't want to qualify for Europe next year. We will need to
sign Jenkinson, Song and Reid (or equivalents) just to stand still) and it
is not as if any big money will be coming in from selling anyone. I don't
think we will have the squad to compete in domestic and European
competitions.

PennsylvaniaHammer: As the season goes on, for me, it's clear that Jenks and
Creswell have been the biggest difference. Song, Sakho and Downing's
resurrection have all played a massive part but if we lost either of those
two I think we would notice it more than any other absences

Lee Pearce Draw is not bad at all. Remember that winless run includes
Swansea n Chelski away and Arsenal at home. Not easy games . . This "new
team" is only in its first season. Improvement doesnt happen over night.
COYI

Ricky Charlie Hebdo Peters why is the management team of the mindset to sit
back on a lead .. surely the best form of defence is attack ….

David Head Sorry about the same old thing, but how much more mobile did we
look when the teacher's pet Nolan came off, he should be an impact sub at
best, we have better players now. I bet Sam ships out Poyet to keep a place
for Nolan in cm.

Martin Pacetti Nothing like sitting back though and waiting for them to
level, how many times.

Alan Goulding Its Just not good

Richard Trezise My bet for Tuesday is a screw up and then lots of excuses
and blame from the manager. Not one bit of it will be directed at himself.

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Carroll belter but Irons winless run goes on
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 10, 2015 in Whispers
Swansea 1 Irons 1

West Ham were forced to settle for a draw in an often thrilling affir which
saw Andy Carroll score a goal of the season qualifier.
Sadly, Swansea equalised through Bafétimbi Gomis but on the balance of play
-disappointing though it was – a draw was probably a justified result. The
big fella had given the Irons their lead when he took two touches with his
head two touches with his head from Downing's cross, before nicking the ball
from Fernandez, turning and smashing home a top right hand corner belter. It
was his fourth goal of the sdeason – three of them coming against the Welsh
outfit. Until then chances had been few and far between although the
influential Gylfi Sigurdsson had a chance when firing straight at Adrian at
the end of a fine move. The Hammers had never allowed the hosts to settle
into their normal free flowing home ground style and Garry Monk's men could
never get really underway. However, immediately following Carroll's
blockbuster Carl Jenkinson produced a magnificent block to deny Routledge.
Aaron Cresswell on the other side, produced a flawless display, defending
superbly and getting forward at every opportunity to constantly trouble the
Swansea defence.

Sigurdsson was a constant menace popping up in space to prompt Swansea
forward but the Irons should have been two up when an unmarked Collins
guided his header from Noble's corner wide. But as the game swung from one
end to the other it was Gomis who rose above the Hammers defence from
Sigurdsson's corner before the ball crashed into the post and off Noble into
the net. That prompted a serious reaction from the Irons with both Downing
and Jenkinson bring fantastic flying saves from Fabianksi. The Taylor
cleared a Tomkins header off the line and a Cresswell freekick was spilled
by the Swansea keeper but Carroll could toe end the rebound past him.

Adrian 5 Jenkinson 7 Reid 6, Toimkins 7, Collins 7 Cresswell 9 noble 7 Nolan
6 Downing 6 Carroll 7 Valencia 5 Subs Amalfitino 6 Poyet 5

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West Ham reportedly eye Matija Nastasic as possible Reid replacement
HITC
Olly Dawes

West Ham United are reportedly interested in a deal to sign Manchester City
defender Matija Nastasic. Whilst West Ham fans have been hoping that Winston
Reid would sign a new contract to stay at Upton Park, manager Sam Allardyce
effectively ended any lingering doubts by saying that the New Zealand
international has no future with the Hammers. "There is no future for
Winston Reid at West Ham at the moment," said Allardyce earlier this week.
"His contract finishes on June 30. He hasn't said he's going to sign or that
he's not going to sign." "I'm airing on the side that he isn't going to sign
by the feel of it and look of it. Knowing how the football world works,
talking to managers about the situation it's very unlikely Winston will sign
for us given what people are saying to me," he added.

With Arsenal and Liverpool both lining up moves to sign the 26-year-old,
it's time for Hammers boss Allardyce to start identifying potential
replacements for Reid. The likes of Aleksandar Dragovic (Dynamo Kiev),
Martin Hinteregger (Red Bull Salzburg) and Nicolas N'Koulou (Marseille) have
all been touted as possible contingency plans for Allardyce, but he may look
closer to home. According to the Daily Mail, the Hammers are considering a
move to hijack Schalke's move for Manchester City outcast Matija Nastasic.
The Serbian international, 21, has been frozen out by City manager Manuel
Pellegrini, and looked set to sign for Schalke in £10m deal this week.
But with nothing signed and sealed, the Daily Mail suggest that West Ham may
well hijack that bid, with the former Fiorentina defender seen as a
potential replacement for Reid.

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West Ham & Crystal Palace will bid for Celtic's Efe Ambrose
HITC
Tim Poole

The Premier League duo are said to be plotting a £3 million offer. West Ham
United and Crystal Palace are planning a £3 million bid for Celtic defender
Efe Ambrose, according to the Sunday Mirror. The 26-year-old has been at
Celtic since 2012 but is reportedly the subject of Premier League interest,
with the defender said to be willing to move from the SPL to the English top
flight. Ambrose, however, has been much criticised for his form by
supporters this season, although Celtic boss Ronny Deila has kept faith in
him throughout the campaign. Ambrose could be of use to both West Ham and
Crystal Palace as his versatility sees him able to play both at centre-back
and at right-back. Another Celtic defender linked with a Premier League move
this January has been Virgil van Dijk but the Mirror now claim Ambrose is a
target for two top-flight sides. West Ham and Crystal Palace have both
displayed significant room for improvement defensively in recent weeks - but
whether the 26-year-old is the solution is another matter.

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West Ham reportedly set to offer new contract to goalkeeper Adrian
HITC
Olly Dawes

After a number of great displays, West Ham are reportedly set to offer a new
contract to goalkeeper Adrian. West Ham's great season has hit something of
a stumbling block, with Sam Allardyce's men going five games in all
competitions without a win. Two defeats and three draws have slightly
dampened spirits, and the ongoing saga over Winston Reid's contract
situation with the club is another concern.
The 26-year-old New Zealand international is out of contract at the end of
this season, and manager Allardyce even admitted that Reid doesn't have any
future with the club given that he seemingly has no intention of signing a
new deal to stay with the Hammers. In a bid to prevent a similar situation
happening in the future, West Ham are reportedly set to offer a new contract
to goalkeeper Adrian. The 28-year-old Spaniard joined in 2013 from Real
Betis, and was initially considered to be something of a backup to Jussi
Jaaskelainen. Yet now, Adrian is one of the top goalkeepers in the Premier
League after a superb season between the sticks for West Ham - leading the
Hammers to pursue a new contract. Adrian's current contract expires in 2016,
meaning he has just 18 months left to run on his deal - and it seems they
may have learned their lesson from the Reid situation by offering him a new
two-year extension.

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