Daily WHUFC News - 5th September 2015

On this day - 5 September – WHUFC.com

Anniversary
Name: Tony Carr MBE
Born: Bow, 5 September 1950
West Ham United's Academy Director Tony Carr MBE celebrates his birthday
today.
Carr first joined the Club in 1966, when he was signed as a youth player. 
However, injury meant that he had not made a senior appearance when he left
to join Barnet in 1971. There, he made 13 appearances and scored one goal
before he returned to the Boleyn Ground as a youth coach under John Lyall in
1973. Carr has overseen the development of Academy graduates such as Rio
Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe, to name but a
few, as well as current first-team players Mark Noble, James Tomkins and
Jack Collison during his time with the Hammers. Carr was awarded a
Testimonial in 2009, and was also made an MBE for his services to football
in the Queen's Birthday Honours List the following year. He is now West Ham
United Ambassador, in his 42nd season of service to the Academy of Football.

Classic match
Sunderland 0-2 West Ham United
Division One
5 September 1981
West Ham United followed up a 4-0 away win over Tottenham Hotspur with
another victory on the road against Sunderland at Roker Park.
David Cross was the hero against Spurs, netting all four goals, and he was
on target again when they took on the Black Cats. Paul Goddard also scored
as the newly-promoted Hammers maintained their unbeaten start to the
1981/82 Division One season.
Despite their good early season form, this win was one of only five on their
travels all season as they finished the campaign in ninth place.

Complete record
1921 Bradford Park Avenue 2-0 West Ham United (Division Two)
1925 Liverpool 0-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1931 West Ham United 0-2 Middlesbrough (Division One)
1936 Blackpool 1-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1949 West Ham United 1-2 Southampton (Division One)
1953 West Ham United 3-1 Fulham (Division One)
1959 West Ham United 1-2 Leeds United (Division One)
1960 West Ham United 2-1 Manchester United (Division One)
1964 Stoke City 3-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1967 Everton 2-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1970 West Ham United 1-2 Everton (Division One)
1981 Sunderland 0-2 West Ham United (Division One)
1987 West Ham United 1-1 Liverpool (Division One)
1992 West Ham United 2-1 Watford (Division One)
2000 Sunderland 1-1 West Ham United (Premier League)
Played 15, Won 4, Drawn 3, Lost 8, Scored 15, Conceded 2

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Lanzini happy with 'special' goal – WHUFC.com

Despite only being at the Club for a few months, Argentine midfielder Manuel
Lanzini has certainly hit the ground running. While eyebrows may have been
raised when Slaven Bilic brought the 22-year-old to east London from United
Arab Emirates-based Al Jariza, the former River Plate man has demonstrated
his pedigree, scoring twice in two starts. Having opened his account against
Astra Giurgiu, he famously scored the Hammers' opener against Liverpool
after just three minutes. Speaking at a Store Signing at the Club's Official
Lakeside Thurrock store, Lanzini spoke of his delight at opening his Premier
League account: "It was very special, for myself and for the team. We won
and we played very well, and it was important too. "I am very happy and I
hope it keeps going like that. I'm very happy. The Club and the Premier
League are excellent; the people have been very polite to me. I came from a
different background but I am enjoying this a lot."
While the Argentinian U20 international has settled in well at the Boleyn
Ground, he continued to say that he hoped this was just the start of a
special season for both himself and the Club. As the Hammers are already two
home games into their final season in E13, Lanzini said he was focusing on
making the most of each game. "I try to enjoy London as much as I can, but I
try to rest and keep focus to be ready for my job. This is why I am here! "I
will always do my best to show respect to the fans and the Club. It will
help establish a good relationship with the fans. "I'm grateful for the
support that they are showing to us. I heard that there is a long waiting
list to get a season ticket for next year in the new Stadium. This is really
good for the Club."  

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Captain Sylvestre ready for Foxes – WHUFC.com

West Ham United U18s return to action after a weekend off Premier League
action with a home game against table toppers Leicester City. The Foxes have
made a strong start to their campaign, winning all three of their opening
games, scoring ten goals in the process. One player likely to feature is
midfielder and captain Noha Sylvestre: "We've been training really well
recently, obviously we need to win this weekend so everyone is working hard.
"The second years are really setting an example for the new first years
coming through. We're all trying to lead the team and I can feel the good
atmosphere around the squad at the moment."
The Swiss U17 international has played in every game of the season so far
and continued to say how much he is enjoying his role as U18 captain. 
"I'm really enjoying it. I like to take risks with my ability and to push
myself. I like talking on the pitch and making sure everything is going
alright. I like to think I can motivate the younger players around me and
encourage them. "Leicester are top of the table so we know they're a strong
team, it's always been a difficult game whenever I've come up against
Leicester. But I think we have enough to do well on Saturday, everyone will
work really hard and I hope we will get a win."
On top of his newfound responsibility, Sylvestre was one of the more senior
players who made the journey to the Netherlands last week which faced AZ
Alkmaar and FC Groningen. Reflecting on the experience, the 17-year-old said
he thought the weekend away would stand them in good stead for this
Saturday's match with the Foxes. "I really enjoyed the trip to Holland, it
was a good experience. The games were pretty tough because we came up
against some first team players who were 23, and we were much younger  so it
was a good challenge. In the second game, we were much, much better. We kept
the ball well and only lost out to a last minute penalty which was unlucky.
"We were good against Tottenham where we drew 1-1 but we could have played
much better against Fulham and Norwich. We know where we need to improve and
we should demonstrate that this by getting the three points."

Having made a strong start to the season, Sylvestre is hoping this is just
the start of a big season as he hopes to bridge the gap between the U18s and
U21s. The ambitious midfielder finished by saying: "My targets for this
season are to try and get a few games for the U21s while captaining the U18s
as much as possible and setting an example to the younger players. The
target by the end of the season is to be an established U21 player."

West Ham United U18s host Leicester City at Little Heath, kick off 12pm.
Admission is FREE for all fans so come down and see some of the stars of the
future!   

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Jack Sullivan Column –WHUFC.com

Jack Sullivan is the youngest son of West Ham United Joint-Chairman David
Sullivan and is a huge Hammers fan. Jack will be giving his exclusive views
to the official website in a regular column...
 
Hello everyone,

It has been an incredible few days and I didn't think it could get any
better following our memorable 3-0 win over Liverpool last weekend. But my
dad and everyone behind the scenes have made it a great end to the transfer
window and we were able to bring in four major new signings before the
deadline closed. To be fair my dad has been extremely busy throughout the
summer trying to bring in new players and all the fans can now see what we
were working towards. These deals are not straight forward and my dad can
spend hours trying to negotiate a deal and then for whatever reason it
doesn't happen. But thankfully all his hard word paid off in the end and if
you look at our squad, it is much stronger than what it was last year. We
have got lots of different options throughout the team and the quality of
our bench is going to be so much better now. We are going to see more
attacking football. I asked my dad what his starting XI would be now and he
couldn't name it – I was the same !!
We have got so much competition for places and there is real strength in
depth which is what you need at this level. I am thrilled that we were able
to do a deal to bring Alex Song back to the Club. There is every chance he
will be back to the player he was in the first half of last season. Even
though he is injured at the moment, we still wanted to sign him and that
shows how much we rate him. You can learn a lot from someone like him as he
has played at the highest level and has Champions League experience. He can
teach the other players and I'm sure the youngsters in the squad will be
looking up to someone like him. He can pass the ball and open up defences
and there are not many better than him. A big signing like Song shows the
Club is heading in the right direction.
Victor Moses is another great signing. He has the hunger to do well and is
unplayable at times. We have been working hard on that deal for a number of
weeks and fought off some big clubs who were also desperate to sign him. But
like Song, we managed to clinch his signature and he can see the ambition
that we have. We have already beaten Arsenal and Liverpool away from home
and there was no luck from us in either game. Someone like Moses can see
there is a lot of quality in the squad. The fans are going to be excited by
the signing of Nottingham Forest winger Michail Antonio and he has great
potential. He has come from non-league to the very top. He scored a lot of
goals in the Championships and created a number of assists last season and
Forest didn't want to sell him. But we wanted him to come to us and his
personality has shown that he is not prepared to give up and wants to
compete at the highest level. We also solved our striking problems by
bringing in Nikica Jelavic and Slaven was keen to bring him to the Club. The
manager knows everything about him and he has scored goals in the Premier
League before. He will put more pressure on Sakho and Carroll and give us
real competition for places in the forward line. I'm sure there a lot of
Clubs in the top flight that would have liked to have signed him. The
players we have brought in make us so much stronger.
All this followed a remarkable victory at Anfield and ending 52-years
without a win over Liverpool. I will remember the celebrations at the final
whistle for a long time to come and even seeing David Gold head down to the
tunnel and towards the West Ham fans behind the goal. I'm still not sure how
he managed to get down there !! But the away fans were magnificent as
always and we cannot thank them enough for all their support. Everyone can
see that the squad has so much enthusiasm and we are playing fast-flowing
football. Dimitri Payet was outstanding and Manuel Lanzini was superb. He
was not frightened of anyone and showed he can tackle as well. The whole
midfield was so strong and I have to pay special tribute to Cheikhou Kouyate
who was so strong and looks so dangerous when he drives with the ball into
the opposing half. I was so pleased for Sakho to get his first league goal
and it all went to plan. It really shook up the Liverpool defence who didn't
expect it. There is no reason why can't we push on and have a really good
season this year.
Why can't we do really well in the cup competitions and make this a season
to remember – especially in our final ever year at the Boleyn Ground.
We are welcoming back the Boys of 86' for the next home game against
Newcastle so it will be another great night. I look forward to speaking with
you all again soon.

Jack

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Joe Cole back at the Academy – WHUFC.com

West Ham legend Joe Cole made an emotional return to the Club's Academy
training ground this week and came out on top once again after he passed his
UEFA B coaching licence. Cole is already thinking about his next move in the
game when he eventually hangs up his boots and would love the chance to go
into management. The former England star will never forget his breakthrough
into first-team action and the chance he was given by Tony Carr when he made
his way through the Club's famous Academy alongside the likes of Rio
Ferdinand, Michael Carrick and Frank Lampard. Cole, who is currently playing
for Aston Villa was back in east London and faced the final assessment when
he coached the Academy's Under 15/16's. The 33-year-old impressed as he put
the youngsters through their paces and relished the chance to pass on his
vast knowledge of the game. Cole said: "It is nerve-wracking because it is
not something I am used to. I really enjoyed coaching and it has sparked
something inside of me. I want to stay in the game when I finish eventually
and you need to get these badges. "Once you play for West Ham you are always
part of the family and I'm sure I will be back one day in some capacity. "It
was great to see all the old faces and seeing some old friends. All the top
clubs bring players through and West Ham have a good tradition of doing it
and they need to keep improving. "West Ham need to keep producing players
and everyone here is doing well."

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International round up – WHUFC.com

Hammers' goalkeeper Darren Randolph is set to start for his native Ireland
after impressing in his two Premier League appearances for the Claret and
Blues. Having joined West Ham in the summer, the 28-year-old was the Irons'
best player against Bournemouth before putting in another assured display
away at Liverpool. The Greens will travel to minnows Gibraltar with Martin
O'Neills men knowing they need a win to keep their chances of qualifying for
France 2016 alive. After six games, Ireland are in fourth with nine points,
behind Poland, Germany and Scotland.

Meanwhile fellow goalkeeper Sam Howes is also in international action. The
highly rated youngster will travel with his Three Lions' teammates to face
arch-rivals Germany before playing their Croatian counterparts on Monday 7
September.

Senegalese duo Diafra Sakho and Cheikhou Kouyate return to international
action against Namibia in the Sam Nujoma Stadium, Windhoek. Les
Lions approach the game in good form having won their last three consecutive
games. Just three days later, they face South Africa in a friendly match in
Johannesburg. Kick off on Tuesday 8 September is 7pm local time.

Stephen Hendrie has been called up to the Scottish U21 squad to face
Northern Ireland in their UEFA European Championship Qualifier while Martin
Samuelsen's Norway U18 lost 2-1 to Sweden. They face Denmark on Saturday,
kick off is 1pm.  

Defender James Collins was unused substitute in Wales' 1-0 win over Cyprus.
Gareth Bale's 82nd minute header sealed the victory which leaves Chris
Coleman's men, ranked 9th in the FIFA rankings, one win away from
qualification.

U17 midfielder Declan Rice came on as a substitute in Ireland's 0-0 draw
away in Hungary. 
 
Hammers in International action

5pm, Sunday 6th – James Collins' Wales could secure a spot at France 2016
with a win against Israel at the Millennium stadium.
12.30pm, Monday 7th – Winston Reid's All Whites play Myanmar in a friendly
7pm – Sam Howes's England U19 face their Croatian counterparts
7.30pm – Reece Burke could make his U20 debut when the Three Lions play
Czech Republic
5pm, Tuesday 8th – Josh Cullen's Ireland U21 travel to Andorra
7pm, Tuesday 8th – Sakho and Kouyate's Senegal play South Africa

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Chadwell Chatter – WHUFC.com

Hello everyone,

Well, what a week it has been! Not only did we win 3-0 at Liverpool and do
some fantastic business in the transfer window, but I also managed to make
my Barclays Premier League debut and sign a new long-term contract with my
club, West Ham United. Our win at Liverpool was fully deserved, too. The
boys were saying in the dressing room afterwards that they didn't really
have a chance because we restricted them well. We looked a constant threat
really, every time we got the ball. When they got it, we looked resilient
and they didn't get a sniff to be honest.  I would like to thank the gaffer
a lot for chucking me on for my Premier League debut. It was amazing, and
hopefully it's the first of many and I can repay him the favour sometime
soon. 

It was a surreal feeling straight after the game, what with us not having
won at Anfield for a long, long time, so to go there and win 3-0 and get on
the pitch for a few minutes at the end made for one of the best days of my
life. I'm absolutely chuffed. I managed to swap shirts with James Milner at
the final whistle, but then I had a bit of a panic because I wanted to keep
my Premier League debut shirt too! Luckily, I was able to get it back so
it'll be great to have two shirts, one for my Premier League debut and also
one from a full international like James. 

After beating Arsenal at the Emirates and Liverpool an Anfield, we can go
into every game believing we can win it. People probably expected us to be
on six points by now but not in the way we've done it! We've proved we can
beat the best teams and there's no doubt in the changing room that the
results at home will come. We've proved it to ourselves and everyone else
that we can mix it with the best of them. 

On a personal level, I know I've got a long way to go. Obviously the U21s
isn't quite the same as playing in front of 45,000 fans. When I get the
opportunities, I need to do my best and show what I can do.  On Monday, I
was delighted to sign a new contract until 2018, which was great. West Ham
is my club and I want to be here for as long as possible, so to have this
security means I can concentrate 100 per cent on my football and not worry
where I will be playing for the next few seasons. We are currently on an
international break and I was honoured to be called up by Republic of
Ireland U21s for the first time and I hope to be involved on Friday night
when we take on Qatar U23s in Bury. We play in Andorra next week in our
second 2017 European Championship qualifier – in the same stadium where I
played for West Ham against FC Lusitans back in July in the Europa League!
It'll be funny to go back to Andorra, as it's a place I thought I'd never go
to in my life but I'll have gone there twice in a few weeks! It's my first
U21 call-up so hopefully that'll go well and we'll get another win like West
Ham did. The boys beat Lithuania in their first qualifier, so we want to
build on that and keep our 100 per cent record going.

Have a great weekend.

Josh

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Andy Carroll in contention to face former club – KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 4th September 2015
By: Staff Writer

Perma-crock Andy Carroll is set to return to West Ham United's match day
squad on Monday week in order to face former club Newcastle United. The
Hammers number nine, who has made just 27 Premier League starts since
becoming the club's record signing more than two years ago is set to make
the bench - at least - when the Magpies visit the Boleyn Ground. The news
was hinted at by co-Chairman David Gold in response to a fan's question via
Twitter. DG also revealed that Enner Valencia, who was still in plaster a
week ago is seto make his return sometime in October, as previously planned.
West Ham ar scheduled to face Newcastle United at the Boleyn Ground on
Monday, 14th September.

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Lifeline for Amalfitano
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 4th September 2015
By: Staff Writer

Morgan Amalfitano may have been banished to train with the reserves, but he
has been handed an unexpected lifeline by manager Slaven Bilic. Three weeks
ago it was revealed that the French winger had been ordered to train with
the club's youngsters after he fell foul of Bilic's rules and rergulations,
implemented when he arrivd at the club in the summer. However Bilic has
handed an olive branch to the 30-year-old by including him in West Ham's
25-man squad for the current Premier League season. Amalfitano has been
granted the numbet 18 shirt by Bilic in this year's squad list, which also
sees Alex Song given the number four shirt and fellow new arrival Victor
Moses handed the number 20, previously worn by Guy Demel. Meanwhil Nikica
Jelavic will wear the previously vacant number 26 shirt, whilst Michail
Antonio takes number 30 - Alex Song's 2014/15 squad number.

The full list is as follows; last season's squad numbers in brackets (where
applicable):

1 (GK) Darren Randolph (n/a)
2 (DF) Winston Reid (2)
3 (DF) Aaron Cresswell (3)
4 (MF) Alex Song (30)
5 (DF) James Tomkins (5)
6 Retired
7 Unused
8 (MF) Cheikhou Kouyate (8)
9 (FW) Andy Carroll (9)
10 (FW) Mauro Zarate (10)
11 (FW) Enner Valencia (31)
12 (DF) Carl Jenkinson (18)
13 (GK) Adrian (13)
14 (MF) Pedro Obiang (n/a)
15 (FW) Diafra Sakho (15)
16 (MF) Mark Noble (16)
17 (DF) Joey O'Brien (17)
18 (MF) Morgan Amalfitano (21)
19 (DF) James Collins (19)
20 (MF) Victor Moses (n/a)
21 (DF) Angelo Ogbonna (n/a)
22 Unused
23 Unused
24 Unused
25 (DF) Doneil Henry (n/a)
26 (FW) NIkica Jelavic (n/a)
27 (MF) Dimitri Payet (n/a)
28 (MF) Manuel Lanzini (n/a)
29 Unused
30 (MF) Michail Antonio (n/a)
31 Unused
32 (DF) Reece Burke (32)
33 Unused
34 (GK) Raphael Spiegel (34)
35 (DF) Reece Oxford

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Nay, nay and thrice nay
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 3rd September 2015
By: Staff Writer

The Government has rejected calls from supporters of other London football
clubs to investigate the circumstances in which West Ham were granted
tenancy of the Olympic Stadium. Supporters from clubs such as Charlton,
Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea called upon the Government to re-examine the
deal which awarded West Ham a 99-year lease and anchor tenancy of the
stadium last year. However the appeal - which was signed by some 24,000
people - was rejected by HMG, who insisted that the contract had already
been "tested in court". A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media
and Sport said: "West Ham United has a concession at the stadium and their
contributions reflect that status. "The contract, awarded after an open
public competition, has been widely scrutinised and tested in court. "The
stadium remains in public ownership and the profits from its multiple uses
will flow to the taxpayer." West Ham are scheduled to move to Stratford next
summer in time for the beginning of the 2016/17 Premier League season.

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Parksey tells Slav he must sort home sickness
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 4, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H

Phil Parkes has told boss Slaven Bilic he has to quickly find a system which
will ensure that visiting teams are broken down at the Boleyn. Obviously
pleased with the away form, Parksey wants to see the gaffer get it right at
home very soon and said: "A 4-4-2 would be lovely but a 4-3-3 is probably
more likely. He told ClaretandHugh exclusively: "We have creative players
and should be able to break teams down but it didn't look good against
either Leicester or Bournemouth. In the case of the Cherries they are a team
that has to attack or get found out but we need to work out a system that
sorts teams out at the Boleyn. "We don't want it becoming like the promotion
season when we won away from home regularly but allowed teams to sit and
found we couldn't break them down at home. "We had a decent transfer window
although I've never been sure about Jelavic Slaven seems to think he knows
his game and can get him performing so fingers crossed. "The strikers are
coming back quickly now so hopefully all will be well but it's a challenge
to Slav and one he has to meet – I believe he will."

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Gold: Carroll should be on the bench for Newcastle
Posted by Hammers Newshound on September 4, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H

West Ham Chairman David Gold says Andy Carroll is working hard and he is
hopeful that Carroll will be on the subs bench for the Newcastle game at
the Boleyn Ground on the 14th September after the International break. David
Gold was responding to one Hammers fan on twitter who asked whether Carroll
would be back in time for Newcastle. Gold replied "He is working hard and he
is determined. I am hopeful he will be on the bench"

Gold also shared he expects a top ten finish for West Ham in the Premier
League table this season telling his 123,000 followers: "I will be
disappointed if we don't finish in the top half of the table but I'm hopeful
that we will do better."

Gold also suggested that rival supporters who started a petition demanding a
public inquiry into the Olympic Stadium should be more productive with their
time. When asked by one West Ham fan 'What do you think of people signing
a petition for our new stadium to be a debate in parliament?'

Gold said "I think it would be more productive if they were to apply
themselves to something more worthwhile. dg"

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Moses promotes the wrong Krays film
Posted by Hammers Newshound on September 4, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H

Victor Moses hasn't got off to the greatest starts with West Ham Chairman
David Sullivan by promoting the wrong Krays film on his twitter account to
his 716,000 followers this morning. Moses posted 'Looking forward to seeing
this with a picture of Krays film Legend.'

Wouldn't mind being a fly on the wall when the winger meets his new employer
following that one – what a plonker – Del Boy stuff Victor! Sullivan is the
main investor in the £3m 'Rise of the Krays' film which was released on
Monday. Alex Song promoted the 'Rise of the Krays film' on his instagram
yesterday to his 803,000 followers getting over 6,000 likes showing he knows
which side his bread is buttered.

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Injury News: Valencia due back in October
Posted by Hammers Newshound on September 4, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H

West Ham Chairman David Gold was the bringer of good news on his twitter
account late last night night telling his 123,000 followers that Enner
Valencia has told him he will be back in October. Gold tweeted out "I saw
Valencia today working very hard in the Gym. He told me he will be back in
October."

Previously it was thought that the Hammers could be without Valencia until
December, missing the first four months of the season after the club
admitted there remained a possibility he may yet require an operation.

Last month Valencia told Ecuadorian radio station, La Deportiva 'West Ham
seem to have forgotten that I'm injured. But they don't let me speak to
another doctor. I don't understand why West Ham doctors are doing this to
me,'The truth is that West Ham have not been supporting me.'

He later issued a clarification telling WHUFC.com : "I have had a number
of consultation meetings with specialists in London, accompanied by members
of the Club's medical staff, and they have always kept me updated me on my
injury. It has been a frustrating time, but I would like to make clear that
I have the utmost respect and confidence in the Club's medical team and the
specialists I was referred to and I would like to apologise to them and the
Club for any issues arising from the recent press coverage. I will continue
to work as hard as I can with them to return to help the team as quickly as
possible, and continue the good start I made to the season."

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Parkesy: "I checked Randolph out for DS"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 4, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and h

Former Hammers goalkeeping hero Phil Parkes is delighted he gave chairman
David Sullivan a good reference on Darren Randolph. Speaking exclusively to
ClaretandHugh 'Parksey' revealed the co-chairman had asked him to check the
former Birmingham City stopper out which he did twice last season. And he
said that having watched him in games against Blackburn Rovers and Watford,
he had no hesitation in giving the 28 year old a thumbs up. He said: "I
checked Randolph out for DS after he asked me to have a look at him and he
impressed me enough games to recommend him as a number two. Randolph"He can
be a bit flamboyant – there's a bit of the Tim Howard in him – but I think
he's proved my judgement correct over the last couple of games. "It was
unfortunate that he came up against Birmingham first home against whom he
has such a poor record but he couldn't be faulted for the goals and made
some good saves. Liverpool of course was something else again!. "He's not
going to dislodge Adrian but as a number two he's going to really push him
which Jussie Jaaskalain was never going to do. "He had his early doubters
during the Europa Cup matches but he's shown himself to be very decent and I
for one am very pleased"

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Irons not surprised by Government decision
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 4, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H

West Ham are not in the least surprised the government has rejected pleas
from numerous Supporters' Trusts for a public enquiry into the Olympic
Stadium bidding process. A petition backed by a host of supporters' trusts,
including Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Crystal Palace, Charlton, Leyton
Orient and others plus Manchester United, Aston Villa, Norwich City,
Everton, Leicester City looked to be gathering pace.

But an official statement from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport,
confirming the Government's decision, said: "The contract, awarded after an
open public competition, has been widely scrutinised and tested in court.

"Following the completion of its transformation programme the Stadium will
be – unlike so many previous Olympic Stadiums – a world-class multi-use
arena with a long-term future, and one that won't require continuous support
from the taxpayer.

"West Ham United will only access the full stadium facilitiaes for and
shortly ahead of home matches, anticipated to be an average of 25 games a
year. The stadium's other anchor concession-holder, British Athletics, has a
concession for one month a year. The stadium will be available for
commercial and other uses at all times outside of these existing
commitments."

The Hammers have always remained untroubled by the moves and a top insider
said this morning: " This was not unexpected was it? The government 's
response simply repeats facts which speak for themselves. "There's never
been an issue as far as we are concerned. We're not surprised by the
government's reaction."

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com




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